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Three Methods of
Merit Accumulation
By Khenpo Sodargye
Translated by the Wisdom and Compassion Translation Center
Bodhi Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA
Table of Contents
The Merits of Heart Mantra of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva .............................................1
The Merits of Circumambulating Stupas ...........................................................................14
The Merit of Buddha Name Recitation ..............................................................................27
Translators' Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................38
About the Author ...............................................................................................................39
Credit..................................................................................................................................40
Copyright ...........................................................................................................................41
About the Publisher............................................................................................................42
II
The Merits of Heart Mantra of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva
(Om Mani Padme Hum)
Bow to the feet of Master Buddha Shakyamuni!
Bow to the feet of Bodhisattva Manjusri of brave and great wisdom!
Bow to the feet of Masters of great kindness in lineage!
Surprisingly the unsurpassed, deep-profound, subtle, wonderful dharma,
Yet in a hundred thousand million eons, is quite difficult to encounter,
Now I am coming to receive and hold it, within my sight and hearing.
I vow to fathom the Tathagata’s true and actual meanings
For the enlightenment of all sentient beings, let’s generate a supreme and
extraordinary Bodhicitta!
Today I will give a lecture of the merits of the heart mantra of Avalokiteshvara.
There is no other text book available this time, and I give this lecture only according
to the teachings from some Mahayana sutras and sastras. Recently, I am quite busy, so I
had no time to prepare specifically for this lecture. I planned to start the teaching of the
Wisdom Chapter after the Meditation Chapter, but I probably cannot make the lecture in
time, so I will give the lecture of the merits of the heart mantra first.
Personally, I have strong emotions and extreme belief towards the practice of the
Dharma of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. There are several reasons. For one reason, I was
born in a Buddhist family, which is quite different from those in the cities. I had unusual
belief of Buddhism since I was young. From another point, which is more obvious, about
99% of Tibetan families believe in Buddhism. Almost every family recite the heart
mantra of Avalokiteshvara. I could still remember that when I was young, there were
many families in my neighbourhood who recited the heart mantra by counting beads in
their hands after the super. When I recall my childhood, even though the material
conditions were inferior and I did not live in big buildings, everyone was pure-hearted.
Because I grew up in such environment, even when I was child cowherd of yak, I was
reciting the heart mantra everyday with my rosary. I cannot remember how many mantra
I have finished, but at least millions of it. That’s why without good preparation of the
lecture today, the practice of Avalokiteshvara Dharma is still very familiar to me.
Sometimes I think even if a person did not diligently practice Buddhism, but was
born and grew up in Tibet, has confidence in Buddha and Dharma and can recite the heart
mantra. Many masters state that the Tibetan people have a distinguished feature that the
child can recite the heart mantra of Avalokiteshvara without being taught. Maybe this is
the influence from the family or from their instinct or merits. When thinking about the
merits of the heart mantra, even if one does not achieve in any profound dharma, he is
still fortunate to have been born in Tibet, unlike some people in big cities who start to
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learn the mantra when they are sixty or seventy years old. They cannot remember the
mantra even after receiving the teaching several times. And this made them quite sad.
When some people asked me to teach them the mantra, I felt sorrow: “What a pity! They
cannot even recite the mantra of Avalokiteshvara at their age!” I taught him “Om Mani
Pedme Hum” while he repeated as “Oh Mama Mama”!
For those who came to Tibet to learn Buddhism, they should be very clear that every
family here cannot be apart from Avalokiteshvara. All the prayer flags placed on the
mountain were printed with the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, some are hang on the tent,
some hang over the house, some on the sacred hill, and some around temples……so
when passing by foot or by car, it will always be seen everywhere you go. For every
valley and river bank, there are collections of stones with the mantra scripts. When I was
six or seven years old, I started to carve mantra words on stones with a chisel. At that
time, I could not even write down a letter. There was a lama in my neighborhood named
Longzhuo, who wrote down the mantra on the stone board for me, and then I carved
those letters of his writing. I did this every day. As a little kid, I often showed off how
many mantra boards that I did in a day as my achievement to others during the lunch
break. And then my parents and some senior practitioners of Buddhism in neighborhood
would praise and reward my good deeds. Maybe it was because I enjoyed getting more
rewards, so I carved a lot of the mantra at that time which continued throughout my
junior period.
In Tibet, people cannot live without the mantra of Avalokiteshvara. During the harsh
period of Cultural Revolution, some cadres who received and were influenced by a
different education had ever been opposed to the Buddhism. But after the recovering of
political policies, in case they were still alive, all of them were practicing the mantra
either publicly or privately with prayer beads in their old ages. So, the Tibetan people are
familiar with the mantra and know its merit. Even those who are not really clear of the
merit will still keep on reciting of the mantra. There are a lot of people in Tibet who
practice this mantra very rigorously in great quantities. Like those senior people in my
parents’ age, each of them have recited the mantra at least 100 million times, some have
reached 300 million times, 600 million times, 700 million times, etc. There are many
people who do the same. Although the young people in Tibet right now cannot be
compared with their senior generation and have less respect for practicing dharma, there
are still certainly many more people in Tibet practicing the mantra of Avalokiteshvara
than those in other nations.
Through the study of the merit of the mantra of Avalokiteshvara this time, I wish the
people of other races, especially the Chinese, generate an extraordinary faith to the
mantra. Before, it could be considered as an ordinary mantra without particular value, but
from now on, people either in a temple or in a lay practitioner group must pay attention to
the practicing of this mantra. The main purpose of the teaching this time, on one hand, is
to tell the merit of the mantra; on the other hand, I hope we can start reciting this mantra
in our daily life.
In Tibet, whenever we see that a sentient being is dying, we will recite the mantra at
once. For example, when we see a yak is being slaughtered, many people will keep
reciting “Om Mani Padme Hum, Om Mani Padme Hum……” While some Buddhists in
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China or in some other countries may just show a smile without even uttering a word at
this moment or recite the name of Amitabha for a little while, there are very few people
who practice the Mantra of Avalokiteshvara at this particular moment. Therefore, from
today, we should adopt the habit of reciting this mantra whenever we see any sentient
being dying or will be killed.
Why is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara so important? The Lord Longchenpa described
the merit of a sutra in Chapter 11 Hearing of the Dharma of The Precious Wish-Fulfilling
Treasure: A Commentary on the Pith Instructions of the Great Vehicle. This sutra is the
Dignified Mahayana Sutra of Treasured Kingdom, (this sutra was translated in the Song
Dynasty in China). In this sutra, it elaborates mainly on the merit of the name and the
mantra of Avalokiteshvara. The Lord Longchenpa said that: “even if one were to only
hear the title of this sutra, one would not fall into the lower realms in his next life. Just
like the other honorable sutra, such as Nirvana Sutra and Samadhi Raja Sutra, the merit
of this sutra is extraordinary, like the raging flames, which can burn down all of our
previous sins from the time without beginning; like the clear spring, which can wash
away our stains of bad karma; like the fierce wind, which can destroy all of our
defilements of the body, of the word and of the mind……” With references in this sutra,
you will generate a stronger faith to the mantra and the title of Avalokiteshvara. You may
think that the most important thing from now on is to devote yourself wholly to recite this
mantra, and it doesn’t matter even if you cannot practice other mantras.
I cannot remember the exact details in this sutra, but I can still give a general
introduction: once upon a time, when the Buddha was in Sravasti, suddenly, there was an
immense brilliant light. Nivaranaviskambin Bodhisattva asked for the reason of the great
light. The Buddha told him that it was because the Avalokiteshvara was saving those
pitiable sentient beings from the three low realms. The Buddha also told many formidable
power and merits of the Avalokiteshvara, which surpassed even those of the Buddha.
Nivaranaviskambin was confused why he could surpass the Buddha. Then the Buddha
told him that: “During the past kalpa of the birth of Buddha Vipasyin, I was a
Bodhisattva named Miao Xiang Kou(妙香口菩萨), and the Buddha Vipasyin declared
the immeasurable merit of Avalokiteshvara to me; during the past kalpa of the birth of the
Buddha Sikhim, I was a Bodhisattva named Yong Shi(勇施菩萨), and the Buddha
Sikhim declared the immeasurable merit of Avalokiteshvara to me; during the past kalpa
of the birth of the Buddha Visvabhu, I was a Kshatyrichi(忍辱仙人) and the Buddha
Visvabhu declared the immeasurable merit of Avalokiteshvara to me.” The Buddha also
told that there lived one hundred Tathagata in a pore of Avalokiteshvara. Samantabhadra
Bodhisattva once investigated the size of one pore of Avalokiteshvara and he could not
find the boundary in that pore within 12 years.
Nivaranaviskambin asked why the merit of Avalokiteshvara was so incredible. The
Buddha told that: “Because he has the six-syllable charm -- Om Mani Padme Hum.”
Nivaranaviskambin asked again: “Where does the six-syllable charm comes from?” the
Buddha told him that he was not clear about that. (Just with this sentence, there are some
ignorant people of Buddhism who spread a rumour: “If the Buddha is not clear of that,
this sutra must be a fake one and the mantra of Avalokiteshvara is also a fake.” This kind
of person is really ignorant. They generate bad karma deliberately. We should definitely
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not behave like this. We should be aware of the fact that, with the purpose of
emphasizing the merit of some Buddha or Bodhisattva, according to some sutras of
Mahayana and Hinayana, the Buddha often said: “I don’t know this merit, so you should
ask that from the Buddha.” Or “I don’t know this merit, so you should ask from the
Bodhisattva.” From this point of view, there are people who don’t know the secret
meaning or the concealed intention by Buddha, and they may think the Buddha is not
omniscient or the sutra is a fake one if the Buddha says “I don’t know”. Those people
who haven’t studied and reflected upon Buddha’s teachings may only know some
superficial things from one point of view, which could generate bad karma by their
misunderstandings towards the Buddhism. It is really a pity. So we should try our best to
destroy their wrong views. Otherwise, they could use their perverted beliefs to persuade
others to follow and that would make those people abandon the real Dharma.
Nivaranaviskambin asked: “Why is the Buddha not clear of this question?” the Buddha
said: “Because this is the subtle nature of the heart of Avalokiteshvara. His stage is
inconceivable and even for a Buddha it is difficult to know.” And then, the Buddha told
many other merits of the mantra. For example, the Buddha is capable of counting the
numbers of dust in this world, but he cannot account the merit of reciting “Om Mani
Padme Hum” even once. And I will introduce those kinds of merits later.
Finally, Nivaranaviskambin bodhisattva said: “Since this mantra has so much merit, I
must get this mantra. I would like to offer seven kinds of treasures that could fill up the
whole world. If there are lack of paper and pen, I would rather pierce myself for the
blood as ink, peel off my skin as paper, draw off bones from my body as the pen, and
abandon my body without any regret and pity. When our great master Jigme Phuntsok
taught the lecture of Legend of Eight Bodhisattvas, he said: “How fortunate we are that
we were born in Tibet, the snow region. Before, Nivaranaviskambin bodhisattva had to
make such an unbelievable promise of self-sacrifice in order to get the teaching of the
mantra of Avalokiteshvara. But now, we can get it so easily. It is really our big fortune!”
Nivaranaviskambin asked the Buddha: “How did you get the teaching of the
mantra?” the Buddha told that: “In my past lives, I went through the worlds as many
times as the number of dirt in the world, and I served and offered sacrifices to hundreds,
thousands, and millions of Buddha, but I could not get the teaching or even hear of this
mantra. Until I met with Buddha Bao Shang(宝上如来), who did not teach me this
mantra, but he introduced me to Buddha Lian Shang(莲上如来). Buddha Lian Shang
learned the mantra from Amitabha, who had blessed Avalokiteshvara to teach the mantra
to Buddha Lian Shang. And then I got the teaching from Buddha Lian Shang.”
(Obviously, it describes many merits of the mantra. I wish you could read that sutra in
your convenient time.)
Then, Nivaranaviskambin asked for the teaching of the mantra. The Buddha said: “In
a place in India, Avalokiteshvara appeared as a Buddhist layman. From the outside, he
looks very dirty, and he has a wife as well as children. But you should not generate
wrong opinions towards him. On the contrary, you should ask for the teaching of the
Dharma with a heart of respect, sincerity, and purity. He will deliver the teaching to you.”
Then, Nivaranaviskambin paid a formal visit to that layman with his 1200 retinues and he
eventually got the teaching of the mantra.
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Many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas attain enlightenment by the practice of “Om Mani
Padme Hum”. It is really an extraordinary destiny that we can learn this Dharma in our
present life. Without the good karma of accumulating merits and purifying of sins during
our previous lives in the past millions of kalpas, it is impossible to encounter this mantra.
Therefore, we must recite this mantra in our free time. Mipham Rinpoche said that:” in
the period of decline, the blessings from Avalokiteshvara and Tara are the most effective,
and we can get the blessings most swiftly.” Either in Tibet or in China, there are many
stories about receiving of blessings from Avalokiteshvara.
The name of Avalokiteshvara in Tibetan is Chenrezig, while in Chinese the name is
Guan Shi Yin. Guan Shi Yin is a better name compared with Chenrezig. But the name
was changed to Guan Yin to avoid using the personal name of Chinese Emperor Li Shi
Min. Actually, the name of Avalokiteshvara was not given casually. It was conferred by
the Buddha personally. According to Lotus Sutra of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara was a
crown prince of the king Cakkavattin, and his name was Bu Ju. When he made a vow to
eliminate the sufferings by all sentient beings, Buddha Bao Zang therefore named him
Guan Shi Yin. In the Surangama Sutra, a Tathagata named Guan Yin praised
Avalokiteshvara for his skillfulness in attaining enlightenment by observing sounds, and
the Tathagata also named him Guan Shi Yin.
The practice on the Dharma of Avalokiteshvara can generate great merits. In
previous years in our monastery, when some hostile obstacles occurred, our great master
Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche would request us to recite the mantra or the name of
Avalokiteshvara together in class. After the group recitation, the obstacles would
disappear at once. This is not a legend, but it really happened. In fact, there are numerous
proofs of the similar kind from Buddhist’s teachings. By observing the conducts of the
great masters in lineage, it is true that the Dharma of Avalokiteshvara is really suitable to
us.
The merit of reciting the name of Avalokiteshvara is different from that of the other
Buddha or Bodhisattva. When I read the biography of Avalokiteshvara and the merit of
Universal Gate by Avalokiteshvara, I really feel that with only the practice of the Dharma
of Avalokiteshvara is enough and the other practices are not so important. In the Lotus
Sutra, the Buddha told Akchaya Bodhisattva that: “If one recites the names of the
Bodhisattvas as numerous as the sand grains of 6.2 billion of the Ganges River, and also
provides them with food, clothes, beddings and medicines during his whole life, that
merit is the same as one recites the name of Avalokiteshvara, or even one shows the
worship and offerings to him for a while. The merit of that good karma could not be
exhausted in eons. From this respect, to recite the name of the other Bodhisattvas cannot
be compared to the reciting of Avalokiteshvara. Therefore, when we walk or when we are
on the way by bus, before dinner or after, we should recite the name or mantra of
Avalokiteshvara as many times as we can. This is not difficult to do. But to those people
lacking blessed rewards and don’t have a root of merits, they would not like to do this.
That’s why I said just now that those people who are born in Tibet really had blessed
rewards. If I cannot attain enlightenment this life, I would pray to the Buddha and
Bodhisattvas to make me reborn as a Tibetan for my next life. Because even a Tibetan is
not a good person, he can at least recite often the mantra of Avalokiteshvara. There is a
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sutra named “Holy Mantra of Avalokiteshvara with Eleven Faces”, in the sutra, it is said:
“If one recites the name of ten thousand billions of Buddha, or one recites the name of
Avalokiteshvara, the merit of the two persons are equal without difference.» To recite the
name of Avalokiteshvara just for once is simple, while to recite the name of ten thousand
billions of Buddha could not be that easy. So we should read those sutras for a better
understanding of the merits of the Avalokiteshvara.
As a Buddhist practitioner, we should rely on reciting Buddha and Bodhisattvas’
names to cultivate our merits as well as to eliminate the klesha. But there are people with
stubborn bad habits and perverted views. To them, they cannot have faith on the merit of
the holy names. They do not care about it even after the explanation. This afternoon, a
Buddhist living in Hainan Province gave me a phone call to vent his grievances. Actually
I was quite busy at that moment, but he insisted on talking to me and said: “Please don’t
hang up the call. I have something very important to tell!” I asked what the matter was.
He said: “I have a girlfriend in Sichuan Province. And since I knew her, it has driven me
crazy from the body to the soul. I am in pain and I have not a single moment of peace
when I think about her. All my friends told that I was out of control. Because my
girlfriend is very beautiful, I am afraid that many people will chase her. And I cannot
control my desires. So could you please give me some suggestions?” (Generally
speaking, it is a common phenomenon that women complain with tears, but his case is
unique.) I told him that: “According to the Universal Gate Chapter of Lotus Sutra, to
recite of the mantra of Avalokiteshvara has great merits, so you`d better to practice that.”
With the repetition of my suggestions two or three times, he just couldn’t obey, but kept
asking “Do you have a way to help?” Eventually, I had no way to help.
There is a great teaching in the Universal Gate Chapter illustrating that: “if there are
sentient beings indulged in lust, they should be often mindful and show respect to
Avalokiteshvara to get released from the lust; if there are some indulged in hatred, they
should be often mindful and show respect to Avalokiteshvara to get released from the
hatred; if there are some indulged in ignorance, they should be often mindful and show
respect to Avalokiteshvara to get released from the ignorance.” Even with my efforts of
persuasion, he still could not change his mind and it seemed that he was suffering a lot.
He said: “I have no freedom from the body to soul. I have no interests to do things in the
day and cannot sleep at night. I am thinking about her every minute. And I lost so much
weight.” Also, he told me other interesting stories that I will not tell here. There are no
sufferings or conflicting emotions that could not be solved by the blessing of
Avalokiteshvara. It has been declared by the true and diamond words of the Buddha.
When we are trapped in covetousness, hatred, or ignorance, if we pray to Avalokiteshvara
with the whole mind, we will certainly get benefits from him.
It is also written in the sutra that “the wonderful sound of Avalokiteshvara, the sound
of contemplating of the world, the Sanskrit sound, the sound like the sea tide, the sound
beyond all worldly sounds. Therefore we shall always bear it in mind.” Among all the
sounds in the world, the sound of reciting the name or the mantra of Avalokiteshvara is
supreme. It is the sound of the sea tide, and it is the most sublime sound. Many people
like different kinds of bizarre sounds by some super stars, although those sounds are
actually inferior and fake ones. The truly beautiful sounds come from temples or from
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Buddhist groups when they are reciting of the name of Avalokiteshvara. This kind of
sounds surpasses all the sounds in the world.
Those people with blessed rewards from their good karma can have a natural affinity
with Avalokiteshvara. While those people who lack blessed rewards will not respond
even we recite the holy names all around his ears. Sometimes, when I saw beggars on the
street in mainland China, I asked them to recite Om Mani Padme Hum, but they simply
wouldn’t do it. While in Tibet, from the king to the beggar, everyone recites Om Mani
Padme Hum. I am not trying to brag how great our nation is. But this is the fact. Those
Buddhists, who are looking for of the Dharma in Tibet, know it well that the Tibetan
people obviously have deep faith to Avalokiteshvara, and it is proven by whichever
family that they visit.
Of course, with a better understanding of the merits of Avalokiteshvara, I believe that
you will pay attention to the practice of this Dharma. Mipham Rinpoche tells in his
Merits of Hundreds of Mantra: “Avalokiteshvara is the liberation upon seeing, the
liberation upon hearing, the liberation upon thinking, and the liberation upon touching.”
Anyone, who hears the name or the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, who recalls his images
according to the picture of Tangka, has great fortune of good karma. The popular images
of Avalokiteshvara in Tibet are the form of four arms, the form of two arms, and the form
of thousand hands and thousand eyes. Also, there are 32 forms of images of
Avalokiteshvara in Chinese tradition according to the descriptions in Avatamsaka Sutra
and Lotus Sutra. But anyway, with any form of images, we should often think about and
visualize Avalokiteshvara, therefore, our mind could be transformed and purified step by
step.
There is a Tibetan book named Mani Collection, which was written by the King
Songtsen Gampo. It mainly describes the merits of Avalokiteshvara and his mantra, as
well as the Tibetan history and his prediction. According to this book, the six syllables of
Om Mani Padme Hum can destroy respectively the seeds of the six realms --- the heaven,
the asura, the human being, the animal, the ghost, and the hell; they can overcome six
kinds of barriers which exist from the body, from the language, from the mind, from the
known, from the conflicting emotions and from the habit; they can make one free from
the sufferings of desire, hatred, ignorance, arrogance, jealousy, and miserliness; and then
to obtain spontaneously the merits and merits from the Buddha, from the Dharma, from
the Sangha, from the Lama, from the Daka and from the Yidam. Also, they can cure four
hundred and four kinds of sickness. Om Mani Padme Hum is actually the seed of the five
Buddha families. And it can cover all the mundane and supramundane merits and
merits…… Hence, any sentient being can be liberated from the sufferings by reliance on
this mantra.
In the mainland of China, the mantra of Avalokiteshvara should be spread also. Is
there anyone among you, young or old, who can make a promise to recite this mantra for
100 million times? Perhaps many people are scared, because they are short of
determinations. However, in our Tibet, it is kind of easygoing to make a decision to recite
the mantra for 100 million times. When the great master Jigme Phuntsok went to
DuoKang and Anduo, he asked people there if they could practise the mantra of
Avalokiteshvara for 100 million times. A lot of people raised the hands to show their
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determinations, although it may be kind of hard to do so with those long recitings such as
the name of Amitabha. But one or ten million of it should be no problem. On the
contrary, to those people from other nations, when they heard of reciting the mantra of
Avalokiteshvara one million times, they might be very surprised: “One million? When
could it be accomplished?!” While, in the case of making a bad karma, it would be as
easy as a piece of cake to them. For example, people can eat bravely bowls of worms or
dishes of fish and shrimp, at which we even dare not look. That’s why it is said someone
must really have strong roots of bad habits and heavily conflicting emotions. It should be
corrected. Anyone can attain the accomplishment, if he can fix his shortcomings. There
was an old man of 80 years old in India, after his practice of the mantra of
Avalokiteshvara for 100 million times, he attained the state of Vidyadhara of longevity.
He lived in the world for 300 years and then went directly to the world of Amitabha.
We should not be afraid of practicing this Dharma with certain quantity and we must
do it. There are a lot of merits and merits for such reciting. But today, for the reason of
the time, I cannot explain all in details. It is told in the Karandavyuha Sutra: “If one can
recite the Great Mantra of Six Syllables, he can be fulfilled with sufficient fortunes and
merits. At the time of reciting this mantra, Buddhas as many as the same quantity of the
grain of sand of 91 Ganges Rivers arrive, while countless Bodhisattvas arrive and
celestial beings, dragons, kumbhanda, the four deva-kings, and so on, arrive to protect.
All the creatures in the body of the person who is reciting the mantra can attain nonreversal achievement as a Bodhisattva. If one carries with such mantra, he possesses then
the body as a vajra body and also becomes a stupa. So, if there is someone who bows to
you and donates the offerings to you, you should carry with the Great Mantra of Six
Syllables to be ready. And then, you can accept the gifts. (People laughing)
In mainland China, there are people who do not believe in Buddhism but they really
believe in Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. One day, I saw a picture of Avalokiteshvara
hung in a taxi, but the taxi driver told me that: “I am not a Buddhist, but for the sake of
getting blessed, I put up the picture of Avalokiteshvara.” In fact, whether you believe in
him or not, Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva will bless you all the time. So we should wear or
carry his picture or his heart mantra as much as possible. Some people like to wear
something without significant meanings as necklace, especially these young people, who
like to wear the animal necklace representing the year of their birth. What’s the value of
this kind of necklace? It should be replaced by the picture or mantra of Avalokiteshvara.
Henceforth, one will not separate from the Three Jewels—Buddha, Dharma and Sangha
for all of his future lives. This kind of wearing has great merits and merits. If we want to
wear something, of course we should wear those with significant power of blessings for
present and future lives. According to the sutra, if we wear this kind of blessing
accessory, and persuade other people to wear it also, it can destroy all kinds of opposing
or hostile conditions and fulfill all wishes in this life and be with true Dharma in future
lives.
As to the merits and merits of Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva and his mantra, even the
Buddha cannot describe in full, so how could we ordinary people not have confidence
towards them? If we still do not believe in Avalokiteshvara, we are absolutely foolish.
But there is still someone who does not believe without any reason. Even someone wrote
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on internet: “The mantra of Avalokiteshvara is a Tibetan mantra, which is practised only
by Tibetan lamas, so I don’t believe it.” This person doesn’t have basic knowledge of the
history of the mantra, and it is really a pity. The purpose that Buddha Shakyamuni gave
the teachings of the Treasure King Sutra in Sravasti was not only for Tibetans, but for all
the people! But there are some people who, with their very limited knowledge of
Buddhism, blindly discriminate against other sects. Those people expose their wrong
believing and ignorance thoroughly. That is equal to making a performance in nude.
It should be clear that the mantra of Avalokiteshvara can accumulate all the merits
and merits and dispel all hindrances of past bad karma. The worst downfalls according to
Sutrayana are five Anantarika karmas and five similar karmas, which can be purified by
the mantra of Avalokiteshvara. In the Lotus Crown Sutra, the Buddha taught that “Only
by reciting, thinking, or even touching the Om Mani Padme Hum once, one can purify
the sins caused by those five Anantarika karmas and the sins by five similar karmas.”
Since time without beginning, we have committed so many terrible bad karmas. If the
practising of the mantra can dispel the sins of five Anantarika karmas and the sins of five
similar karmas, it can also obviously destroy the other minor sins that we have
committed. So it can purify the sins from transgressing against religious precepts, the sins
from false words, the sins from steals, the sins stipulated by the Buddha, and the other 10
kinds of sins defined by the nature out of the stipulation by the Buddha. That’s why many
of our Tibetans keep rotating an Avalokiteshvara prayer wheel by right hand, reciting the
mantra by mouth, and accounting the number of reciting with a rosary by left hand. (I
noticed someone in our monastery holds the rosary by the right hand. It is not correct.
According to the sutra, we should hold the rosary by the left hand and the prayer wheel
by the right hand.)
When we see an animal is going to be killed, if we are not able to save its life, we
should recite the mantra to its ears. By so doing, it will not fall into the lower realms but
will be born in the pure land of Amitabha. In the Ju Yi Suo Sutra (《具义索经》), it
says: “If one person, who has heard the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, recites the mantra at
the ear of the animal, then the animal will be born in the pure land of Amitabha after
being liberated from the lower realms.” So when your good friends or close relatives are
dying, crying and wailing are meaningless, but reciting the mantra beside of them can
generate great benefits to the dead. The practising of Dharma is to benefit others as well
to the practitioners. If we do the practice according to the teachings in the sutra
accompanied with the faith, it must be a great help to others as well as to ourselves.
In the southern part of mainland China, almost every family believes in
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva, although they often regard him as a deity with the title of
“Queen Guan Yin or “Mother Guan Yin”. Anyway, with a pure heart of respect to pray,
the blessing and power by the Bodhisattva are incredible and the prayer will get benefits.
In the past, there was an old saying as “Every family honours Amitabha and every
household prays to Avalokiteshvara” in China, but it could be different right now. Many
people do not believe in Avalokiteshvara, including our listeners of this lecture who may
come from those families. Does everyone’s family believe in Avalokiteshvara? The
answer may be no. Someone’s parents may be against this belief. Therefore, it is
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necessary that we spread the mantra and the name of Avalokiteshvara. We should let
more people know his merits and merits.
Especially at the moment of death of sentient beings, they can get the most powerful
help from Amitabha and Avalokiteshvara. In the Karandavyuha Sutra, it is told that “The
one, who can hear the Great Mantra of Six Syllables: Om Mani Padme Hum, will be led
to the pure land of Amitabha by 12 Buddhas and the 8 great Bodhisattvas at the moment
of death.” According to some sutras about Amitabha, there are also the descriptions as:
“If one can pray to Amitabha, Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva at the
moment before death, the three honourable Buddha and Bodhisattvas will come to lead
the one to the pure world of Amitabha.” In Han Buddhism, it is highly emphasized to
recite the name of Amitabha. However, the recitation should also include the name of
Avalokiteshvara. There are some bizarre rules existing in some particular temples of the
sect of Pure Land that “The reciting of the name of Amitabha is permitted but it is not
allowed to recite the mantra of Avalokiteshvara!” I feel this kind of restriction is not
necessary.
Following Om Mani Padme Hum, we can add a word “Sei”. By the teaching from his
esteemed Longchenpa, it is Om Mani Padme Hum Sei. So, Om Mani Padme Hum is
correct and Om Mani Padme Hum Sei is correct too. To the respect of the pronunciation,
in Tibet, there are differences between the DuoKang district and Lassa. Also in my
hometown, some senior may say Om Meni Padme Hum while some senior may
pronounce Om Marni Padme Hum. So, which one is correct? Actually, as long as there is
sincerity and faith in Avalokiteshvara, it is not obligatory to standardize the
pronunciation. For the people from the northeast and the people from the southwest,
when they recite Om Mani Padme Hum, there must be differences in their
pronunciations. Also, there are differences of the Tibetan language from Lassa and that
from Sichuan. But with our faith, there is no big difference regarding the merits and
merits.
There is a story in mainland China: there was a senior monk passing by a hill, he
found a red light that shone over the hill and concluded that there must be a practitioner
of Dharma living there. So he went there to visit the practitioner. Finally, he only found
an old woman. She told him that she had recited the mantra – “Om Mani Padme Niu”
every day for ten years. Then, the senior monk kindly told her that it was wrong with the
pronunciation. It should be Om Mani Padme Hum. The old woman was very sad for
being wrong with her practice for ten years. She was so regretful and corrected the
reciting at once. When the senior monk descended the hill and he looked back to the
place where he found the red light, he saw that the light disappeared. So he ran back in a
hurry to tell the old woman: “You are right. Your reciting of the mantra -- Om Mani
Padme Niu is correct. I was joking just now.” Then, the old woman became happy and
changed back to his practicing as before. And the red light appeared again. So, with a
pure heart, even if we recite it incorrectly, there are still merits and merits. When we
recite the mantra, we should behave according to the teachings of Yulin Master （玉琳国
师） “To those who are reciting, the position of the body should be upright and solemn
without slacking; the words that we pronounce should be smooth, complete and coherent;
the mind should be concentrated without distraction.” The body, the language, and the
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mind should be focus on the object that we are practising with. This kind of practicing
can generate great merits and merits.
Hereupon, I sincerely ask for the spreading of the Dharma of Avalokiteshvara with
the cooperation with all the great virtuous and devoted Buddhist laymen. Although there
are a lot of great honoured people in China who are promoting it with efforts, the scope
of the promotion is limited. For the dharma that can benefit the sentient beings, everyone
has the responsibility to promote and spread it. I know that some great virtuous people,
like Monk Hai Tao, try to persuade many people in practicing the mantra of
Avalokiteshvara. This is great. Meanwhile, if there is someone who considers the mantra
only belongs to Vajrayana, this is totally wrong. It is a Buddhist mantra that is no
different from the nature of Surangama mantra. I heard that there was a temple in the
northeast China, where reciting this mantra was forbidden. It is not reasonable. As a
Buddhist, if one cannot do beneficial things to sentient beings, at least he should not do
harmful things.
Another thing that deserves to be mentioned here is the promotion of the prayer
wheel with scripts of the six-words-great-enlightening-dharani. We should let the others
practice this wheel. Sometime before, I gave a lecture on its merits and merits. Some
monks in China helped to promote and to spread the prayer wheel at that time. But there
are still some people who oppose the prayer wheel with the faulty idea that the wheel
only exists in Tibetan Buddhism.
Actually, in Han region, there is also a tradition of the prayer wheel. As the first time
of using the prayer wheel in China, it was called “wheel Tripitaka”. It was told that Fu Da
Shi in the Liang period of Southern and Northern Dynasties invented that wheel. It is
written in Orthodox of Shakyamuni Dharma: “In the beginning of Liang period, a person
named Shan Hui felt sympathy for these people who had faith in the Dharma but could
not read it due to the reasons of illiteracy or being short of time. So, as a convenient
method for those people, he invented a Wheel Tripitaka, which was to install an axle on
the book shelves where stored all the scriptures of Tripitaka. A devout believer may push
around the wheel. The merit of one turn around the wheel is equal to that of reading one
time all the scriptures that stored on the shelf.” Later, Fu Da Shi and his two sons became
monks and his Buddhist name was Shan Hui. Until Tang Dynasty, the Wheel Tripitaka
has been decorated with niches for Buddha, colourful books, mirrors, etc. the appearance
of the wheel was refined. There is a similar story in the Biographies of Great Monks 1,
also with the statement that: “Those who have generated Bodhicitta, by pushing and
1
It is written in Volume 10 of Biographies of Great Monks: “in the earlier time, Fu Da Shi in the Liang
period of Southern and Northern Dynasty, for the sake to those people who cannot read so many sutra in
the daily life, built a big and tall wheel with different floors on the hill. It looks like a column with eight
sides. It can be turn around with the Buddhist scriptures stored inside without obstacles. It is called as
the wheel of great scriptures. He made a promise that those who entered into the gate of the wheel
would not lose the chance as a human being for their future lives. And he persuades of other people to
turn around the wheel accompanying with a pure mind of Bodhicitta. That merit is equivalent of reading
all the scriptures stored inside of the wheel. From then on, all the buildings of wheel with scriptures are
decorated with the portrait of Fu Da Shi. That is the provenance.
11
turning around the Wheel Tripitaka, can gain the same merits as reading and reciting the
scriptures of the Tripitaka.”
Today, the Wheel Tripitaka can be found in many Chinese temples stretching from
northern to southern areas. There is no big difference with big prayer wheels in Tibet.
Since the Wheel Tripitaka can be turned around, why not the prayer wheel in hand?
According to the tradition from Han Buddhist sects, the merits are the same. Don’t think
that “The prayer wheel by hand is not rationale because it is only for the Tibetan
Buddhists, and therefore it is not allowed in our temple”. I wish you would not say such
shameful things. Things that have no grounds in the Buddhist principles and may be
harmful to the sentient beings should be forbidden. It is the same as in our Tibetan
Buddhism. If something is harmful to the heart of the sentient beings and has negative
effect to Buddhism, we will stop it even it might sound good by false broadcasting. But,
as to those really beneficial deeds to sentient beings, we can accept whatever the concepts
come from Han Buddhism, Indian Buddhism, or other nations. As the same, I wish we
can accept the practicing of the mantra and prayer wheel which can bring us so many
benefits.
After the lecture today on the merits of the mantra of Avalokiteshvara, you’d better
have a look to Sutra of the Mantra by Avalokiteshvara with Eleven Faces, Karandavyuha
Sutra, Buddha Speaks Mahayana Sublime Treasure King Sutra and some other
Mahayana sutras. We should get to know more about the blessing power and merit of the
mantra. According to some sutra, for the purpose of saving sentient beings in the lower
realms, Avalokiteshvara was ever embodied as a bee, who makes the sounds of
“wooooo…….”,which sound represents the meaning of the mantra of Avalokiteshvara
and taking refuge with the Three Jewels (Buddha, Dharma and Sangha). When those
sentient beings hear the sounds, they imitate to recite the same. Eventually, in this way,
they were released from sufferings. Obviously, the powerful lights by the mantra of
Avalokiteshvara reach everywhere in the six realms of samsara, and the embodiment by
Avalokiteshvara can be anything that is out of our imagination. We cannot tell that who is
the real embodiment of Avalokiteshvara and who is not. So we should possess a pure
mind in our daily life. With a pure mind as a foundation of our practice, we should recite
the mantra as many times as possible.
My request to you for this time is not so demanding. It is my hope that all the people
who learn this teaching, either by TV, CD, or attending the class in person, need to recite
the mantra of Avalokiteshvara at least 100,000 times. The time limit is 3 months from the
date of hearing this lecture. Otherwise, one may lose momentum of practice. It would be
a shame if one cannot even accomplish 100,000 times of recitations. With such
tremendous merits from this mantra, we must plant a seed of liberation in our mind and to
make a wish of never being separated from this mantra for our future lives. Since
Avalokiteshvara possesses the power surpassing of all Buddhas, why don’t we depend on
him? We cannot meet with this great dharma by chance, so why not practice it? Thus, we
should devote our efforts to practice!
Next, I will impart the mantra of Avalokiteshvara by reciting:
“Om Mani Padme Hum……”
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“Your honoured vajra body, with the followers, longevity, pure land, sublime
appearance and other merits by the past Tathagata, I hope I can achieve those.”
“If one has not yet generated the precious Bodhicitta, it should be brought forth; if
one has not possessed it, it should be cultivated and strengthened.”
Okay, that is it so far for the course today.
It is for attaining Manjushri's vigorous sagacity and for practicing Samantabhadra's
intellectual beneficences that I now dedicate all my cultivated good roots to adhere to
their ideals by incessant toil.
As those great and most supreme Aspirations are being extolled by all Buddhas of
Three-Yugas, I dedicate all my cultivated good roots for the accomplishment of
Samantabhadra's Beneficence activities.
Questions
1. In which Sutra does the Buddha declare the merits of the Heart Mantra of
Avalokiteshvara? What is the main content in general? What do you think about this?
2. Someone may think in this way: as it was said in some sutra, the Buddha did not even
know the answers for certain questions. So, could we say that the Buddha was not
omniscient, or such sutra was a fraud? What’s your opinion?
3. Please enlist the merits of the heart mantra and the merits of the name of
Avalokiteshvara bodhisattva with the proofs from Buddhist teachings. Among these
proofs, which one is the most heart-moved to you? And why?
4. When we recite Om Mani Padme Hum, if the pronunciation is not correct, could it of
any effect? And why?
5. Please show concrete examples to prove that the prayer wheels also exist in Chinese
tradition. With this knowledge, how could you persuade people who resist using prayer
wheel?
6. What new knowledge have you learned from this lesson? How do you plan to practise
and spread the heart mantra?
13
The Merits of Circumambulating Stupas
The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful Dharma
In hundreds of thousands of millions of eons, is difficult to encounter,
I now see and hear it, receive and uphold it,
And I vow to fathom the Tathagata's true and actual meaning.
To benefit all sentient beings, please resolve on attaining the precious and supreme
Bodhicitta.
Today, I will take advantage of this class to introduce the benefit of
circumambulating the Buddhist stupas. Most Buddhists are aware of the great benefit
generated from circumambulating a stupa. However, some people may remain ignorant
on this respect if certain details are not introduced. So today I will briefly talk to you on
this subject.
The stupa represents the holy mind of all Buddhas. Historically, stupas exist before
Buddha Sakyamuni -- in The Hundred Actions Sutra, there was a king called Chakpa. In
his previous life, he built a sharira stupa (a stupa in which a relic of Buddha abides)
following the nirvana of Krakucchanda Buddha. In the time of Kassapa Buddha, there
was a King Zhizhi who also built many stupas. When Buddha Sakyamuni renounced the
secular life and became a monk, he did so in front of the stupa of Brahma Tathagataya.
The Swayambhunath Stupa 2 in Nepal also existed before the appearance of several
Buddhas. In this respect, the history of stupas differs from that of Buddhist statues and
sutras.
In India, after the nirvana of Buddha Sakyamuni, King Aśoka built 84,000 stupas
around the world; Nagarjuna also built a sharira stupa; there is also a Buddhist stupa at
Bodh Gaya in India. There are many Mahayana and Theravada stupas in India. When
stupa was introduced to Tibet, King Trisong Detsen built many stupas including the
Samye Stupa in Ü-Tsang, and the stupa later was spread to the Amdo and Kham regions
and gradually, the entirety of Tibet. The Qiyun Stupa at the White Horse Temple in
Luoyang is one of the earliest stupas in the Han region. It was built in the Han Dynasties.
However, some people claim that the Putong Pagoda dates earlier than it 3. In any case,
after the Buddha’s nirvana, stupas spread all over Jambudvipa (or the southern continent
in the Buddhist cosmology), and many faithful ones presented offerings and prostrated to
these stupas. The sharira stupas built by King Aśoka is especially a great field of merit
2
3
The Swayambhunath Stupa is the oldest Buddhist stupa in the world. According to historical
documentations, when human lifespan was 10,000 years, a crystal stupa of a foot tall is formed naturally
from the wisdom of Buddhas; in the time of Krakucchanda Buddha, the entire Nepal was an ocean, this
stupa rose from the ocean; at the time of Kanakamuni Buddha, this stupa was called the stupa of
unimpeded speech of the realm of reality; at the time of Kassapa Buddha, Master Jide expanded the
external form of this stupa in order to protect it, until today, this stupa still stands.
According to historical documentation, the construction of the Putong stupa of Hebei Province began
in Emperor Ming Yongping Year 12 of the Eastern Han Dynasty (69 AD), and was finished on January
15th of Yongping Year 15, two years earlier than the stupa of Baima Monastery of Luoyang.
14
for all human and non-human, paying reverence and presenting offerings to it to grant
great merits.
When it comes to the categorization of stupas, there are the eight great stupas in
India, Tibet, and Kalachakra stupas, which are more commonly worshipped. According
to the rituals of the esoteric school of Buddhism, there are many different types of stupas.
There are some stupas in Padmasambhava’s terms that are used for practicing the
Dharma. According to the Mahayana texts such as the Nirvana Sutra, Buddhist stupas
differ to those of Sravaka and Pratyekabuddha in terms of shape and its divine power.
The stupa embodies the mind of the Buddha, according to Guhyasamâja Vajra: “A stupa
is a palace where the Buddhas abide.” Therefore one must consider the stupas as the
palaces of all Buddhas. In Explanation of the Root Precepts of Theravada Buddhism, it is
written that “The Stupa is the Dharmakaya”. In this respect, according to the Sutra of the
Great Accumulation of Treasures (aka the Maharatnakuta Sutra), “There is no difference
between the merit of those who make offerings while I am alive and those who make
offerings to a stupa after my nirvana. And wherefore? For the Buddha is the pure
manifestation of the Dharmakaya, and not Nirmanakaya or the physical body.” Therefore,
the stupa is a symbol of the three jewels: it is a quintessential representation of Buddha’s
Dharmakaya, and embodies the mind of Lord Buddha.
There are many stupas where Buddhism prevails. Take Thailand for example,
whether you go to the mountains or the cities, you can see many stupas along the way.
Likewise, in Tibet, one can see white stupas everywhere. The stupas in Thailand are
gilded with gold and therefore have golden color, but perhaps due to the fact that we
Tibetans are poorer and cannot afford gold, white stupas are more common over here. I
have heard the story of a chief government officer who came here to make an inspection,
and said very discontentedly: “Why are there so many white stupas? I am not comfortable
about it!” (This is probably a manifestation of his negative karma. In normal
circumstances, a person should be joyous at the sight of so many stupas.) We Tibetans
have a tradition – when a Tibetan sees a stupa, a monastery, or a monk, he will get off the
horse, take off his hat and join his palms. If he’s in a hurry, and cannot approach to
prostrate, then he will join palms inside the car, on the horse or on the road from afar.
Such an action grants great merits.
The specific benefits of building stupas have been explained in detail in The Benefits
of Constructing Stupas Sutra. The Avadana Sutra enumerated 10 merits 4 of building a
stupa, such as those who build stupas will not be reborn in remote places, nor will they
suffer from extreme poverty, nor will they hold erroneous views against Buddhism, etc.
The Sutra of Constructing Stupas and Prolonging Lives also elaborated upon the seven
benefits 5 such as those who build a stupa will not die suddenly and violently. Therefore,
4
5
The Avadana Sutra cited ten karmic rewards of building stupas: 1.One will not be born in border
lands; 2. One does not suffer from poverty; 3. One does not receive the body of ignorance and erroneous
views; 4. One receives the throne of 16 great kingdoms; 5. One’s life is long; 6. One obtains the Vajra
Indestructible Power; 7. One obtains immeasurably vast and grand blessedness and merits; 8. One
receives the compassion of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; 9. One has complete three kinds of
supernormal awareness, 10. One will be reborn in the pure land.
According to The Merit of Building Stupas to Prolong Life and Accumulate Merits, when one builds
stupa with a pure mind, the merits that one accumulates are as such: 1. One will not be poisoned in this
15
according to the Mahayana texts, we should build stupas if conditions allow and we have
the capability. In Tibet, many people from the monasteries or villages resolved to build
stupas. One year, HH Jigme Phuntsok called forth all his disciples to build stupas
extensively, which was responded extensively and resulted in constructing over 10,000
stupas. (I have forgotten the exact number, but it is a very big number anyhow.)
In comparison, nowadays in the Han region, people are building fewer stupas. If you
have the capability in the future, you should build a stupa somewhere, so that those who
see it, circumambulate it, or prostrate to it will attain enlightenment eventually. Lord
Buddha has taught us the multitude of benefits of building stupas in the Vimala Suddha
Prabhasa Mahadharani Sutra and said that “Those who have committed the five acts of
evil leading to the avici hell, should he pass in the shade of a stupa, or catch sight of a
stupa from afar, or hear the chimes of the bells of a stupa, or hear of the name of a stupa,
will be purified of the five heinous crimes, or any other hindrance of karma.” Therefore,
the benefits of building stupas are inconceivable.
Of course, a rather strict standard is applied to the construction of stupa. If it is
beyond one’s capability, then it is also advisable to buy a small stupa, which is relatively
easy. The Buddha spoke about many types of stupas in The Benefits of Constructing
Stupas Sutra and told us that even if a stupa is the size of a jujube leaf, or as thin as a
needle, it is still able to bring vast merits. Such small stupas are sold in many Buddhist
shops. (Is our shop going to make a fortune? Do you sell stupas? No? Too bad…forget
it.) Normally relics or religious objects are inserted into stupas, if you don’t have the
mantras to put inside the stupa, you can put the four verses 6 from the Sutra in the stupa,
which also counts as a form of relic. Then put it on the altar, and it becomes an
embodiment of the Three Jewels. If a person really does not have the capability to build a
stupa, then offer other people miniature stupa made of gold, silver, wood, stone or glass,
insert relics, and form a karmic link with him. Such an action also has great benefits
The stupas with standard measurements, even those built by children when they are
playing games can bring enormous merits. It is said in Lotus Sutra, “The little children
who piled up here and there heaps of sand into stupas, those who have done such actions
have all reached enlightenment.” Sometimes when little children play, if they have some
roots of beneficence, they will form a good connection with statues or stupas of Buddhas,
6
life, one’s life will be long, one will not die a sudden death, and eventually obtain the incorruptible
body. All ghosts and gods dare not approach, all foes will disperse; 2. One will be free of all diseases;
all sentient beings will be joyful upon seeing one; 3. The tainted precepts of one will be purified, the
ones who are not submissive will become tamed, the unclean ones will become purified, the abstinential
rules ones broke will be mended; 4. The four great prohibitions and the five kinds of evil acts leading to
avici hell that one has offended will be canceled. All karmic hindrances accumulated through the
immeasurable past Kalpas will be purified; 5. If one wishes to give birth to a male offspring, he will be
blessed with merit and health; 6. One will be constantly protected by the four celestial kings; 7. Even if
the stupa is destroyed and becomes mote, and the mote is carried by wind across forests, mountains,
rivers and oceans, all sentient beings that touch this mote will never be reborn with impure bodies and
will always be able to see the Buddha.
Abstain from all unwholesome deeds, perform wholesome acts, purify one’s own minds--this is the
teaching of the Buddhas.” Or “All phenomena arise from causal factors, and the Buddha says it is the
cause；these phenomena end as the causal factors are gone, and this is the saying of the great shaman.”
Both verses are fine, but the latter is more widely used.
16
which will become the cause of their eventual enlightenment. This reminds me of my
own childhood, in which I think I had rather good karma. When I was playing with some
children from the neighborhood, and though we lived in a valley where there was no
sand, we often pretended some sharp stones were stupas, and scattered flowers in front of
them. Sometimes I found little white bones, some of which had pointed tips, some round,
and I pretended they were stupas or statues, and prostrated and made offerings to them. I
hadn’t read The Lotus Sutra then, but I had many similar experiences like this. I think
they can gradually become the cause of enlightenment.
Mending stupas brings forth great merit as well，as it was written on Mahasanghavinaya, “Alms giving with thousands of kilos of real gold with a distracted mind is not as
much merit as mending a stupa with a ball of mud.” The merit accumulated from
donating thousands of kilos of pure gold to poor people is not as vast as the merit of
taking a ball of mud and patching it to the cleft on a stupa. So last year several fellow
Buddhists and I mended the stupas by the gate of the Institute. We were all aware of the
great benefits it brings.
While building stupas, it is preferable to follow the guidelines. However, there is still
great merit even if one does not follow them. At the time of the Buddha, the Honored
Sumanas built and prayed to a stupa at a remote place, and in the stupa he inserted some
hair and nails of Lord Buddha. At that time, five hundred Arhats resided there, and took
the stupa as the true Buddha, and circumambulated it and prostrated to it in mornings and
evenings. In this mountain there also lived 500 rhesus monkeys, who, after watching the
devout rites of the Arhats every day, fashioned a stupa out of mud and prostrated to it in
mornings and evenings as well. Later, the mountain was flooded, the monkeys could not
escape and were all drowned. The rhesus monkeys reincarnated into five hundred devas
in the heavenly realm, who saw with their divine sights that the cause of their celestial
birth was due to the building and worshiping of the stupa made of mud in their previous
lives. Out of gratitude, they descended to the human realm and circumambulated seven
times around the remains of the rhesus monkeys, scattered flowers on them and made
offerings. They later heard the Dharma from Lord Buddha and attained holy fruit.
Generally, a statue or a stupa must be constructed according to universal guidelines.
However, as stupas are holy objects, even building a non-standardstupa can be a source
of immaculate merit. Try to imagine, the stupas built by the children in the Lotus Sutra
are definitely non-standard, and have all kinds of irregular shapes; the rhesus monkeys
that we have just mentioned, no matter how skilled they are, the stupas they have built
cannot be comparable to those built by humans. Furthermore, children have a playful
spirit and rhesus monkeys only intended to imitate. While doing so, they did not intend to
gain the liberation nor did they revere it as a holy object. However, due to the fact that the
object of their action was a stupa, great merits were attained anyway. Therefore we
should not depreciate carelessly such a profound doctrine of cause and effect.
Once the stupa was built, what are the benefits of circumambulating it? According to
Chaitya Pradakchina Gatha, “All the devas and dragons, yakshas and ghosts, will
approach and make offerings, if you circle around the stupa clockwise.” All devas and
dragons, yakshas and ghosts will come close to you and make offerings to you, and they
17
will not harm you intentionally. Many other benefits of circumambulating the stupa is
mentioned in the sutra: please read it if you have some spare time.
You must pay attention when you circumambulate a stupa, and you must do so in a
clockwise direction. Avatamsaka Sutra or the Flower Garland Sutra also says,
“Circumambulate three times in a clockwise direction”. It is obligatory to
circumambulate clockwise, if you do it counter-clockwise, not only will you not be
gaining any merit, but you will be generating negative karma by doing so. When we went
to Mount Wutai, we circumambulated the white stupa all day long. At that time we saw
many Buddhist practitioners and even some monks who were circumambulating counterclockwise. Among us was a lama called Yangyi. His task every day was to prevent them
from doing so. Once he held a young girl by the hand and told her not to circumambulate
this way, but he did not speak Chinese, so he just tugged her hand and scared the girl,
who kept shouting “stop dragging me, stop dragging me!” As a matter of fact, this lama
had a very pure intention – he had built many stupas in the area of Daofu, and often
printed prayer flags. He was in his 60s or 70s at that time and was not familiar with the
lay Chinese customs: he merely stood there and asked people not to circumambulate in
the wrong way. Hence, stupas must be circumambulated clockwise, otherwise the
consequence is terrible, and this point is also specified in Chinese Buddhist sutras.
Great merits result from circumambulating clockwise. It is written in a Buddhist
scripture, that once upon a time, there was a group of merchants who set off for a quest
for treasures by sea, and on their way came across a whale. When they were about to be
swallowed, they called the Buddha’s name loudly. The whale shut its mouth and died.
This whale later was reborn as a human, with the name Shariputra, who came to a
monastery and became a monk when he was very young and eventually achieved the
fruition of Arhat. What was the cause of his attainment of the holy fruition? As it turns
out, he was a fly in his previous life, and was attracted by the smell of cow dung near a
stupa. Fortunately, the fly flew around the stupa in a circle. Another saying has it that the
fly stopped on the cow dung, which was flooded and floated around the stupa. With the
merit of this act, he achieved the holy fruition at the time of Buddha Sakyamuni.
Therefore, please do not underestimate the merit of making one single
circumambulation or even making only one prostration to a stupa, because the stupa is a
holy object of immeasurable power, and even a small good deed can purify our sins and
accumulate merits. In the Casket of Secret Relics Sutra it is written that “Those who
should be punished to Avici Hell, if they make one prostration to this Stupa or walk
around this Stupa once in clockwise direction, will reach enlightenment.” Therefore,
when you come across a stupa, you must circumambulate it, do not just take a picture and
then leave right away.
In case you cannot find a stupa, some monasteries have the reliquaries of masters of
Dharma, if this master is a true accomplished monk of great merit, then you must
circumambulate his reliquary as well. (After HH Jigme Phuntsok entered nirvana, no
reliquaries were built, but a stupa was constructed at the place where His Holiness was
born, and every time we went there, we prostrated to it.) In case there isn’t any reliquary
of an eminent master, then you can circumambulate the statues of Buddha in monasteries.
In Tibetan monasteries, the statue of Buddha is usually attached to the back wall, which
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leaves no room for walking around it inside the temple hall. But in most of the Chinese
temples, a space is left for people to pass by behind the statue. Walking around the statue
of the Buddha enables the cultivation of tremendous merits. In the Sutra of the Buddha
Lecturing King Prasenajit, it is said that “If it is with a pure mind that a person
circumambulates a stupa or an image of the Buddha, then in the next life, even the
enemies will respect this person, and this person will possess merits and virtues and
become a Mahayana Dharma vessel.” If one circumambulates a stupa or an image of the
Buddha, then the demons, heretics, obstacles, or enemies that hinder one’s path of
practicing the Dharma will disappear, and one will possess all merits and virtues, thereby
becoming a Mahayana Dharma vessel.
Seen from the surface, one circle around a stupa does not seem like a big deal, but in
fact, the merit is very big. In the past, when people visited Patrul Rinpoche, he used to
say all the time: “Just my luck! You won’t let an old man have rest. Why don’t you go
and circumambulate the relic stupa of my Lama Jigme Gyalwai Nyugu? What good is it
for you to hang around with my corpse? ” In The Words of My Perfect Teacher, Patrul
Rinpoche talked about the former lives of Almsgiver Huajie and Tibet’s first seven
monks 7. When Almsgiver Huajie became a monk at the age of 100, many Arhats did not
know that he was in possession of the seed for immediate enlightenment. Only the
Buddha himself knew. In fact, at the time of Kassapa Buddha, he was a pig who ran
around a stupa when he was chased by a dog. With this seed of goodness, he obtained the
holy fruit of nirvana eventually. The seven monks were seven worms on the tree, who fell
in the water, in which there was an old stupa. The worms were carried away by the
current and circumambulated the stupa clockwise seven times, and this became their seed
of enlightenment.
So if you have the opportunity, you should let your parents circumambulate a statue
of the Buddha or a stupa, those who tie an auspicious bond in the teaching of Buddha
Sakyamuni will be enlightened in the teaching of Buddha Maitreya. If they don’t believe
in Buddhism, you can trick them into walking around the stupa. If it’s a child, then entice
him by offering him a candy and asking him to follow you around the stupa. If they are
your parents, you can say, “Do you want to go on a tour? I know a good place.” Then
slowly take them to circumambulate a stupa – “Alright, end of the tour!”
In the surface, circumambulating once around a stupa doesn’t seem like a great deal,
but in fact only the Buddha knows its merits. In The Sutra of Wisdom and Foolishness
(Damamukl Nidana Sutra), it is written, “Do not think small virtuous things are not worth
your attention. Even small drops of water can accumulate and fill a big vessel.” As an old
saying goes: a tower is built up with sand, a mountain is piled up with dust, the ocean is
merged from rivers, and merit is accumulated from good deeds. Merit needs to be
accumulated little by little; it is impossible to instantly gain all provisions required for
7
The 7 trial monks: the first group of Buddhist monks in the history of Tibet. At that time, Trisong
Detsen wanted to observe whether Tibetans could uphold the precepts, so he ordained seven people to
become monks as a trial, following Shantarakshita who used precepts of Sarvastivada. And they are: Ba
Selnang, Ba Trizhi, Pagor Vairocana, Ngenlam Gyelwa Choyang, Kohnlui Wangpo Sungwa, Ma
Rinchen Chog and Lasum Gyalwa Jangchub. In historical documentations of Tibetan Buddhism, there
are many different sayings regarding the names of these seven monks.
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becoming Buddha. Even learning starts at kindergarten, and slowly progresses to
supervisor for doctoral students. It is rather difficult to obtain a doctor’s degree without
even finishing kindergarten. Though we must believe in our Tathagata, we mustn’t be too
arrogant, and the little virtuous acts still need to be done. Liu Bei from the period of
Three Kingdoms said to his son Liu Chan at his deathbed, “Do not forsake an act of
kindness for its humble scale, nor commit an act of evil for its humble scale.”
Therefore, no matter where you see a Buddhist temple or a monastery, an image of
the Buddha or a stupa, at least circumambulate thrice if you don’t have much energy or
time to do more. Sometimes there are some survey groups or working groups who visit
the Institution. Among these people, those who have virtuous roots suggests that they
should not only look at the Web of Grand Illusion Mandala, but also walk around it and
see how it feels. Then they take photos here and there, and unintentionally
circumambulating the stupa. If even the non-religious people are like this, as Buddhists
we should attach more importance to it all the more. When we have time, we should
chant some mantras, prostrate or circumambulate a statue of the Buddha or a temple. If
there isn’t any, then we should consider the stupas that we have acquired as a purified
object, and circumambulate it.
Such circumambulation was considered highly important by many Indian masters.
When Master Atisha arrived in Tibet, Dromtonpa and his other disciples asked him,
“Why do you attach such great importance to circumambulating stupas in contrast with
all other virtuous acts?” Master Atisha told them, “Among all relatively virtuous acts,
there is none that brings about more merits than circumambulating stupas, because it is
the amassment of good karma of the body, the mind and the soul. In India, there were
people who attained enlightenment by circumambulating cities or holy temples, and there
were some who recuperated from sickness or attained enlightenment by
circumambulating the holy image of Avalokiteshvara… Therefore, everybody should
circumambulate with diligence!” After this, Lama Dromtonpa did as he was told and
circumambulated every day. When his legs were not so nimble anymore in his later years,
it is said that he circumambulated with the help of a carriage (probably similar to a
wheelchair). He persisted on circumambulating thrice until the day he passed away.
When Master Atisha was circumambulating the stupa in Bodh Gaya, sometimes he
received oracles from the Tara, sometimes he received oracles from other Dakinis. From
these stories we can tell that Atisha attached much importance to circumambulation. The
Three Noble Brothers of the Kadampa lineage circumambulated stupas or scripture halls
as well. According to certain biographies, the great masters Patrul Rinpoche, Mipham
Rinpoche and Master Tsongkhapa also spared no efforts in circumambulation.
In Tibet, circumambulating a stupa is a very joyous act. In this respect, Tibetan
people have more advantages compared to other ethnic groups. Take the great white
stupa of Mount Wutai for example, it is a divine stupa of the Han region, so normally
Han people should be the majority there, but it is said that nowadays most of the people
circumambulating the stupa are Tibetans. When China was not opened up yet, there were
only Tibetan people in front of the great Boudhanath Stupa (Jyarung Khasyor Stupa) of
Nepal, besides Tibetans, very few Nepalese, Indians or any other nationalities were
circling the stupa. A similar situation can be found at Bodh Gaya as well. Especially in
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Thailand, many people do not know about circumambulating stupas at all, some people
even circumambulate counter-clockwise. At that time I really couldn’t bear the fact that
even these merits documented in Buddhist scriptures are ignored in a place where
Buddhism is so prosperous. I even wrote it down in my travel journals.
I hope that by merit of this lesson, whenever you see a Buddhist stupa you will not
only look at it, but also circumambulate it for at least three times, no matter how busy
your schedule will be. When HH Jigme Phuntsok was circumambulating holy mountains,
no matter how tight the schedule was, he would at least make three rounds. When you
drive by a stupa in a car, you should also drive around it once. On my way to Barkam,
there was a stupa near Jinchuan that was consecrated by HH Jigme Phuntsok. Every time
I was passing by it I would drive around it once. I hope that whenever you see a stupa,
you will make it a habit to circumambulate it. If you are making a pilgrimage to a
Buddhist stupa, you should circumambulate diligently.
In fact, the Han region also has a history of circumambulating stupas. In Tang
Dynasty, there was a senior monk called Master Zilin, when he wanted to renounce the
secular life he encountered heavy obstacles. His parents strongly objected to it, so he had
to flee to Guang’ai Monastery of the Eastern Capital where he became a monk. Many
years later, he went back to his hometown only to find out his mother already passed
away and his father was blind. In a state of grief, he went to the Yue Temple to recite the
Lotus Sutra in order to find out in which realm his mother was reborn. That night, the
Lord of the Eastern Peak said to him in his dream that his mother was reborn with a bad
destiny, but if he made a pilgrimage to the sharira stupa of King Asoka Monastery, his
mother would have a chance at emancipation. He then set off right away on his
pilgrimage and prostrated there in tears and grief, and when he prostrated for forty
thousand times, he saw his mother in the sky with his own eyes, telling him that she had
already left the bad realm for the heavenly realm.
Furthermore, in Qing dynasty, there was a “head-touching monk” of Baotong
Monastery in Wuchang, who was able to heal any big or small disease with the light
touch of his hand. Why does his hand have such miraculous healing power? It is said that
there was a pagoda in this monastery in which he circumambulated daily, touching the
bricks of the pagoda with his hand, reciting in silence The Mantra of the Great
Compassion. Because he ceaselessly circumambulated for ten years, and never stopped
for a single day, his hand obtained such miraculous power.
Be it Tang Dynasty or Qing Dynasty, there were many cases of great masters
circumambulating Buddhist stupas. Now we should also advocate this, especially to the
lay Buddhist practitioners. They should circumambulate Buddhist statues or stupas in the
monastery more often. Nowadays in monasteries, there are many people prostrating or
burning incense, but very few of them circumambulate. One day we went to pay homage
to the physical body of the Sixth Patriarch. At that time we circumambulated many times,
but there were still many people who did not come and circumambulate. I had no other
idea but to call out: “Come and circumambulate with me!” So they followed me, and
circumambulated for a few times. Then many of them wanted to stop, not because they
thought that no merits can result from this act, but many of them were not aware of the
immensity of the merits that they can acquire. In fact many Han Buddhist masters
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attached great importance to this. Senior monk Benhuan was 100 years old last year, the
other day I went to pay him a visit, after the meal he said, “Let’s go circumambulate the
statue of Buddha!” He walked very fast; sometimes we could not keep up with his pace.
Therefore, Han people should attach more importance in popularizing circumambulation,
otherwise many people will have an inadequate notion in this aspect.
When circumambulating, what should we recite? When HH Jigme Phuntsok took us
to circumambulate the great stupa in Bodh Gaya, we recited a verse from The Practices
and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva – "The power to purify all acts of benevolence,
the power to destroy all afflictions, the power to subdue all evil influence of Mara, and
the power to consummate all Samantabhadra's Beneficent activities". HH Jigme Phuntsok
taught us about many great merits of reciting this verse, and said that if we can perfect
these four powers, the practice of any Dharma will succeed. Therefore, when you
circumambulate in the future, unless you have your own special way of
circumambulating which is quite fine, it is advisable to recite this verse from The
Practices and Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva.
The merit of circumambulating stupas is immense, if you have the time, you should
go and circumambulate a stupa. There are stupas all over our Institute, among which the
Mandala stupa 8 is the most special one. When it was being built, HH Jigme Phuntsok hid
100 extremely beneficial Termas of Buddhist statues and ancient Indian statues inside.
Also buried inside were holy articles of immeasurable values that grant salvation upon
seeing, upon hearing, upon touching, such as the relic of Namchos Migyur Dorje 9, which
were blessed by himself and many other great Lamas. Nothing but seeing the Mandala
alone is greatly beneficial. In Esoteric Buddhism there are many doctrinal evidences
regarding this, Vajrapani said, “those who saw the Mandala will be purified of eleven
kinds of fundamental samayas and 25 kinds of branch samayas, and attain the incredible
body, speech, mind, merit and activities of the Tathagata.” In Tantra of Salvation Upon
Hearing, it is said that “those who see the Mandala will achieve enlightenment within 7
rebirths.” It is also written in The Tantra of Peace and Wrath that “Those who haven’t
seen the Mandala personally but have heard the name of Mandala of the Main Deity will
avoid rebirth in hell.” Therefore, when the time allows, I hope everyone can visit and
circumambulate the Web of Grand Illusion Mandala personally blessed by HH Jigme
Phuntsok himself. (Many of the male and female practitioners go there often, but it’s so
windy up there that they have almost become Africans.)
When circumambulating, you can recite the name of Ratnaketu Tathagata, or recite
the circumambulation mantra, which can multiply the merit by one thousand times 10. The
circumambulation mantra is:
8
9
10
The Grand Illusion Web Mandala is also a stupa. It is classified as a Mandala stupa.
The Namchos Migyur Dorje is the Tibetan name. He vowed to cure diseases with his remains.
“Namchos” means the Heavenly Dharma sect that belongs to the Nyingma White Jade sect.
According to Gongtang Danbi Zhunmei, the author of The Maxim of Water and Wood, the merit can be
magnified by 1000 times. However there are also sayings that it can magnify merits by 10000 times.
22
ON NAMO BHAGAWATE RATNA KITU RATZAYA TATHAGATAYA
ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA TAYATA OM RATNE RATNE MAHA
RATNE RATNE VIZAYA SOHA 11
(Remember as best as you can, if not then it cannot be helped! When we were
chanting The Warrior Songs of King Gesar, at the end of every song it was written,
“Remember as much as you can, if you didn’t, then it’s impossible to be repeated.”)
According to related teachings, there are many merits in circumambulating the
Mandala of the peaceful and wrathful Yidams. It is written in The Tantra of Stainless
Confession that “Whoever prostrates to the Yidam of the peaceful or wrathful Mandala of
the Web of Grand Illusion, all broken vows can be purified, all negative karmas that lead
to unremitting hell can be cleared.” HH Jigme Phuntsok often quoted this doctrinal
evidence. In fact, this doctrine can be found not only in The Tantra of Stainless
Confession, but also in many ritual procedures of Termas. If we prostrate the peaceful or
wrathful Mandalas with reverence, the fundamental and secondary samayas can be
purified, and even the most terrifying five sins leading to unremitting hells can be
purified as well. The practitioners here in present are so close to the Mandala of the Web
of Grand Illusion, it would be a pity if you never circumambulate it after a long stay in
the Institute, much like an old lady who is born in Lhasa but dies without ever having
seen the statue of Jowo Buddha.
There are some people who think that circumambulating stupas, reciting mantras,
chanting the name of Amitabha or turning the prayer wheels are for people with lesser
capacity or foolish people, or good deeds meant for old people. What we need to do is to
study the Five Major Shastras, and we don’t need these kinds of practices. Such way of
thinking is unreasonable. In Ten Ground Sutra, it is written, “even Bodhisattvas from the
first to the ninth ground must make offerings and pay reverence to the image of Buddhas
of Three-Yugas”. Let alone ninth level, we have not even reached the path of
accumulation or the path of preliminary practices, therefore should not easily destroy the
beneficent roots of worldly actions. Bodhisattva Ground Shastra taught many principles
on how Bodhisattvas must honor and make offerings to the Tathagata. Even the great
Bodhisattvas must act this way: we who have not yet entered the path of the Mahayana
should not underestimate any good deeds by all means.
Perhaps certain people think they are great Bodhisattvas, but that needs some
observation. There used to be an old Lama named Kerang. Once HH Jigme Phuntsok was
teaching us about the merit of Bodhicitta and said, “You have all obtained the sanctified
precepts of the Bodhisattvas, therefore from now on you can be called great
Bodhisattvas.” So he called himself “great Bodhisattva” every day. Once someone was
scrupulous about his words, so Lama Kerang said in all seriousness, “Are you saying that
a great Bodhisattva like me will tell lies? Impossible!” Someone else asked, “Are you
really a great Bodhisattva?” “Of course! Didn’t HH Jigme Phuntsok tell us already? I am
a great Bodhisattva.” I wonder if you all think that you are great bodhisattvas. In fact real
great bodhisattvas are those who have reached the eighth ground or higher, and then they
can be called great Bodhisattvas.
11
There are other ways of chanting this circumambulation mantra.
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Some people are not even close to the path of accumulation, but already figure they
no longer need to recite any more mantras or chant the name of Amitabha, nor do they
need circumambulation, for these are the acts of people with low capacity. Such thoughts
are unreasonable. Whatever we do, we must measure our actions with the speech of
Buddha, if Buddha said it is meritorious in Mahayana doctrines, then there will be
absolutely no doubt or deception about it, we must believe it 100% and do as Buddha had
taught us. It is written in The Sutra of Samadhi King, “Even if the sky and the stars
plummet from the sky, and the land and the sea, the cities and towns have collapsed, the
void is indifferent but the heart changes, and the Tathagata never utters an untruthful
word.(The Tibetan translation differs slightly to the Chinese version.)" This means, even
if stars, the sun and the moon fall from the sky, the sea dries out and the land falls apart,
Tathagata will never tell a lie. Therefore, with sanctified belief, we must trust all
Buddha's Vajra speech; we have no reason to doubt what the Buddha said. If at some
point we are confused, this is only due to our own ignorance that we cannot understand.
If we can truly understand, the words of the Buddha cannot be untruthful. It is with this
kind of reverence that we should circumambulate Buddhist stupas.
As of what to visualize while circumambulating, it is written in the teachings of
Songtsen Gampo. For example, when we are circumambulating the statue of
Avalokiteshvara, we should imagine that, "exterior" wise, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas are
all merged into the statue of Avalokiteshvara; "interior" wise, all Lamas of the lineage
teaching are all merged into the statue of Avalokiteshvara; and “exoteric” wise, Dakinis
and the Yidams are all merged into the statue of Avalokiteshvara, and then chant “OM
MANI PADME HUM” while circumambulating. During circumambulation, the light
illuminated from Avalokiteshvara merges into ourselves, all sins committed through
body, speech and mind are purified. Many people of great merit have said that one can
certainly broaden his scope of contemplation, but if not possible, at least visualize this
part. For example, if you circumambulate a stupa today, then visualize that this stupa is
the aggregation of the blessing from the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of all ten directions.
While circumambulating, the light radiated from it sanctifies all the bad karma committed
during immeasurable past Kalpas. It is recommended to recite the mantra of
circumambulation. If you can’t, then chant OM MANI PADME HUM or the hundred
syllable mantra, or the mantra of Vajrasattva. When I circumambulated, I generally
recited the Vajrasattva mantra, because I have committed too many karmic hindrances in
the past immeasurable kalpas and the current life, and therefore should rely on such a
mandala of the holy honored one to purify our sins. Each time we visualize the light
radiated from the mandala, the sins committed by our body, speech and mind can be all
purified.
As to the number of times of circumambulation, HH Jigme Phuntsok used to say, the
superior ones should circumambulate more than 10,000 times, the intermediary ones
more than 1000 times, the and inferior ones more than 100 times. The seventh Dalai
Lama Kelzang Gyatso said, "The number of times of circumambulation should be like
the 500,000 applied practices, so 100,000 is the best number." As ordinary people, the
more we circumambulate the better. Do not just circumambulate three times, and be
already out of breath, and say, “I can’t do it anymore, I'll just go home!" Some people
24
don’t feel breathless at all when committing bad karmic hindrances, but when it comes to
the good deeds, their bodies cannot take it anymore or they start to getting into a bad
mood.
Buddhist statues and stupas are true wish-granting jewels; they have great benefit
and blessing for the current and the next lives. If we can have solid understandings of
this, then relying on it, we can surely get rid of karmic hindrances, broaden the scope of
our wisdom prolong lifespan, and have all of our wishes come true. This is the
unimaginable blessing power of the Three Jewels. We have doctrinal evidence and
theoretical evidence; therefore, the accomplished ones of the past attach great importance
to circumambulating stupas and statues of the Buddha.
I hope that in the future, when you circumambulate, your heart remains pure, and
consider the stupa as the stupa of treasure, which is the accumulation of the merits of the
Buddha's body, speech and mind. The other day when I was on a trip to Qinghai, there
was a Buddhist stupa inside which was the hair of King Tri Ralpachen. We thought it was
a great opportunity for circumambulation, and had an extraordinary feeling about this.
When I was circumambulating, tears quietly streamed down, because King Tri Ralpachen
was a King who revered Buddhism very much. Whenever he saw a monk, he spread his
hair on the floor, and let the monk walk on it. Hidden in this Stupa was his precious hair,
I am very blessed to have seen such a stupa in this life.
In fact, supreme objects such as stupas are everywhere; it's just that we are too
ignorant to know their value. Now that we have understood more about it, we should do
as such - firstly circumambulate as many times as we can when we see a stupa, and if the
time allows, circumambulate day and night. When I was studying in Garze Normal
School, there was a Kyabje palace hall (meaning the hall of the protector). I
circumambulated every morning, during the day and in the evening. So we must not stop
at one or two circles but circumambulate as much as we can. Secondly, as was written in
Buddhist Scriptures, we must circumambulate clockwise, this is aimed at certain few
Buddhist practitioners. We must remember these two points. After circumambulation, we
should chant some simple or extensive dedication texts, devoting merits to the
enlightenment of all sentient beings.
Of course, making offerings in front of, prostrating to and even cleaning stupas
brings much merit as well, but due to the lack of time, I won't talk about it here
extensively. In short, the merit of circumambulating stupas is immeasurable. We must
develop unswerving faith!
For practicing the Samantabhadra's acts of wisdom;
I now dedicate all my cultivated beneficent roots
To adhere to them by diligent studies.
Extolled by all Buddhas of Three-Yugas,
Such are the most magnificent Aspirations;
I now dedicate all my cultivated beneficent roots
To obtain the supreme acts of Samantabhadra.
Questions
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1. What does the Buddhist stupa represent? What are the merits of building, mending and
circumambulating a stupa? Please demonstrate with specific doctrinal evidences.
2. Is there merit if one builds a stupa or circumambulates it with a scattered mind? Why?
3. If you don’t have a stupa in your surrounding, how should you do to accumulate merit
in this respect? How can you help your parents and friends to accumulate this kind of
merit?
4. From ancient times till today, what kind of attitude did the great Buddhist masters held
towards circumambulation? How do you feel about this?
5. What should you recite when circumambulating? How should you meditate? After
knowing the extraordinary merits that can generate from a stupa, what two activities will
you do?
6. What kind of Buddhist stupa have you seen? What were you doing at that time? After
studying this lesson, what will you do in the future? How can you tell more people about
the merit of circumambulating stupas clockwise?
26
The Merit of Buddha Name Recitation
Homage to Fundamental Teacher Buddha Sakyamuni!
Homage to the wisdom warrior Manjusri!
Homage to all the lineage masters of great goodness!
The unsurpassed, deep, profound, subtle, wonderful Dharma
In hundreds of thousands of millions of eons, is difficult to encounter,
I now see and hear it, receive and uphold it,
And I vow to fathom the Tathagata's true and actual meaning.
In order to liberate all sentient beings, please generate the unsurpassable supreme
Bodhicitta!
After having generated the supreme Bodhicitta, please listen attentively with the
correct conduct of listening to the Dharma. Today, I will give a teaching on the merit of
the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Mipham Rinpoche expounded these merits with
much clarity in the books that he had compiled, therefore I will not reiterate here.
However, the reason that I am addressing this topic today is due to a recent causation --the completion of the translation of A Collection of Buddha and Bodhisattva Names.
After the completion of the translation, I requested that secular and non-secular
practitioners from all over the country carry out a Buddha Recitation Festival in order to
recite the names of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas together.
There are many reasons for my request. First of all, the worldly gatherings of various
kinds have very little meaning and value for the most part, and are nothing more than
mere wastes of time and money. Even though there are certain Buddhist practitioners
who gather just to perform Tsok-offerings, fire pujas, and burnt-food offering, which are
wholesome acts, and deserve to be rejoiced at, there are still some problems that need to
be scrutinized.
You should know that the practices and rituals of Tantric Buddhism are
extraordinary practices, but there are extremely rigorous requirements for the Guru
Acharya—the one who confers oral transmission—and his disciples. After accepting
someone as our spiritual mentor, the practitioner cannot practice the Dharma in a random
manner. To practice Tantric Buddhism, one must receive a Mantrayana empowerment
first, then start the preliminary practice, recite the mantras, and, having reached a certain
level of cultivation, one must practice the generation stage and the completion stage
before commencing the main practice. There are many requirements on how to perform a
Tsok-offering according to the canons of Tantric Buddhism. It is not as simple as a get
together of several fellow practitioners supplied with biscuits and liquor, eating and
drinking as they chat loudly. There must be an actual significance to performing a burntfood offering. Of course, the practice of Esoteric Buddhism is very good for certain
practitioners with superior natural capacities who have received unbroken lineage
transmission and empowerment. There is no doubt in this regard. But to require all
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practitioners—the Chinese practitioners in particular—to reach such a state is perhaps an
unrealistic demand.
Therefore, for quite a while, I have been giving thoughts to a practice that is suitable
for old and young practitioners so that everyone can benefit from it. When I later saw the
tremendous benefits mentioned in Mipham Rinpoche’s Name Collection of Buddhas and
Bodhisattvas, I decided to promote the practice of Buddha Recitation. Ever since 2008, I
have demanded the fourfold assembly of the Bodhi Association, including lay
practitioners, monks and nuns in all places, to participate in this Buddha Recitation
Festival.
The power of group practice is enormous, just as Patrul Rinpoche said, group
practice is like raging fire, whereas solitary practice is like a spark. Therefore, during the
auspicious days of each year such as the month when Buddha Sakyamuni performed
miracles, the day Buddha started to turn the wheel of Dharma, the day he descended from
the godly realm of Tushita to Jambudvipa, the birthday of the Buddha, the day of
Nirvana, everybody in each class or study group should gather in recitation of these
Buddhas’ names. Such a group practice is bound to be extremely beneficial.
Of course, as a person who has shallow wisdom and limited knowledge, I do not dare
talk about how meritorious such practice of chanting is without any reference. However,
Mipham Rinpoche cited various Mahayana canons as doctrinal evidences, introducing the
merit of each Buddha’s name. After reading this, you will immediately understand the
tremendous merit of Buddha Recitation and resolve to participate in this group chanting
practice.
Fellow practitioners of the Institute, if you have time, you should attend group
practice during the holy days of every month. As for the fourfold assembly in China and
abroad, including the practitioners of Vajra Bodhimandas, monasteries, Buddhist centers
and each group of the Bodhi Association, we must attach importance to this. For each one
of you, in your rare and precious human life, this is an extremely important matter. It
appears that gathering together to chant the names of the Buddhas for one hour is not too
difficult, and the benefit and merit accumulated from this act is unfathomable. This is
why I am here talking about the causal origination, so that everyone should regard this
practice highly. From now on, all local groups should organize a group chanting practice
as a part of our collective chanting festival.
Then how do we apprehend the multitude of merits of chanting these Buddhas’
names? I will make a brief introduction to everybody based on the sutras and sastras of
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
The Nirvana Sutra said that “Even if one were to open the great treasury/ And give
alms to the people during one month/ The merit gained is inferior to/ That of a person
reciting the Buddha’s name once/ Its merit surpasses the former/ By immeasurable
amount”. This means that Buddha told the great king that if he opened the treasury of his
country and gave away all his gold, silver and other treasures to all sentient beings, the
merit is unfathomable. But it is far inferior to the merit of a single Buddha Recitation.
Some people might think that making financial offering to the lama or purchasing
several bags of powdered milk for alms-giving generates great merit. But in fact, the
merit of reciting the Buddha’s name single-mindedly far surpasses the previous actions.
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Nowadays, there are some successful businessmen and great alms-givers who seem to
think that donating tens of thousands of Yuan generates immeasurable merit. Although
there are merits in such actions as stated very clearly in sutras, the merit of reciting the
Buddhas’ names surpasses far beyond that of donation.
As a Buddhist practitioner, we must choose a practice that brings great merit. Great
Master Shandao (the 2nd Patriarch of the Lotus Sect) of Chinese Buddhism has once
said, “All the other good actions/ Though virtuous/ When compared to Buddha
Recitation/ Are not comparable at all.” Other practices such as alms-giving and keeping
vows are very virtuous as well, but far less meritorious compared to reciting the
Buddhas’ names. This can be compared to lighting a candle in a dark room; although it
brings light, it can hardly be compared to the light emanated from the sun.
Maybe you have read Sutra of Lauding All the Buddhas' Merits and Virtues. In this
sutra, Buddha Sakyamuni said that he had heard of the name of Vajra-Pramardin
Tathagataya from Buddha Dipamkara. With the merit of the name of this Buddha, the
sins of life and death accumulated through over ten millions nayuta kalpas had been
overcome and Buddhahood had been attained sooner. Had he not heard of this name, he
would still not have attained the Buddhahood of Tathagata by now.
Therefore, to have heard of the name of the Lord Buddha in this life means that we
have accumulated tremendous positive karma. Previously, while I was translating A
Collection of Buddha and Bodhisattva Names, I kept thinking that my current levels of
self-awareness and cultivation are quite low, and I am not very adept in many aspects of
cultivation. Sometimes I feel ashamed thinking about it (these are words of truth and not
mere words of phony humbleness). But having encountered these Buddhas’ names,
whether it is by reading them with my eyes or reciting them with my mouth, or listening
to others reciting them, these are all results of good karma. If I had been reborn in a land
of darkness where Buddha Dharma does not thrive, I wouldn’t have encountered this text;
if I had been reborn in a world where one cannot hear the name of the Buddha, I could
not have learned such extraordinary names of the Buddhas. Therefore, I feel from the
bottom of my heart that I did not come to this world as a human being in vain, that there
is still a great significance. Then I am filled with more conviction in myself.
I guess the fellow practitioners present here today must have such feelings too. A few
days ago, I asked you to finish reading the text. But today, by show of hands, it appears
that only about two thirds of you have read it, with still some who haven’t finished
reading. The reasons for not finishing your readings are still under investigation (the
audience laughs). But you should really read attentively. First, read about these merits
taught by Mipham Rinpoche. The teachings about these merits are based on various
sutras, and are not irresponsible and casual words.
Whether it is reciting the Buddha’s name, chanting mantras or holding prayer
festival, how the merits of such practices should be like should be based on sufficient
evidence. A while ago, there were rumors going around saying that chanting a certain
number of times of The Great Cloud of Prayers and Blessings is equivalent to all the
merit of “Vidyadharas Prayer Festival” currently held by the Institute; reciting 108 times
of the Heart Sutra can eliminate such and such disasters of this year; reciting 100,000
times the mantra of Padmasambhava can bring the Olympic Games of 2008 to a
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successful close…... Many lamas have sent various kinds of text messages around, and so
have the secular devotees. A while ago, I asked some people, “What are the sources of
this kind of information?” Because when H.H. Jigme Phuntsok was around, many people
did not dare to misbehave, and His Holiness himself paid much attention to these merits.
Without trustworthy reference, he wouldn’t have said chanting which mantra can prevent
which calamity from happening in 2008. There can’t possibly be anything written in the
sutras about disasters of 2008, or how the 2008 Olympic Games would proceed, but it is
possibly for the personal purpose of some lamas and devotees. I don’t agree with some of
their behaviors, and criticized some people a while ago.
Of course, if you do have extra-sensory abilities, or some clairvoyance, and are
omniscient of everything in the future, the present and the past, I wouldn’t deny what you
said. But if people without such clairvoyance just speak as one pleases, then the merits
mentioned in the sutras lose their true meanings.
So we must be careful! Even the great Buddhist scholar and enlightened master such
as Mipham Rinpoche cited records from sutras throughout his Name Collection of
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and not just saying that “I think you should chant such and
such names, and by doing so you will receive such and such merits.” So both fellow
practitioners seated here and the devotees outside of the Institute should be careful of
what they say. Nowadays, information technology is rather developed; if a good thing is
sent out, the whole world will know; but if a bad thing is sent out, many people will also
know. Some Buddhist practitioners especially are very easily fooled. Maybe because they
are particularly devoted, so as soon as the words “Lama” or “Rinpoche” is brought up,
they will regard them as fallen from the heaven and are absolutely worthy of acceptance.
In fact the realities sometimes are not necessarily as they appear. I think of it this way:
when you send text messages in the future, if you think that it’s very reliable, that it is
beneficial to Buddhism, and that it is based on evidential references, then you can send it.
Reciting mantras and names of Buddhas generates tremendous merits, but to say that
these particular merits can keep a particular disaster from happening, you need to check
whether it has any referential support. The lamas who teach Buddhism should pay
attention in this respect as well. They should not say whatever they want and mislead the
practitioners. As a Buddhist, we should act responsibly towards Buddhism.
In general, reciting the names of the Buddhas in an assembly accrues profound
merits. Such merits are expounded by great masters of Buddhism such as Mipham
Rinpoche, which is based on scriptural authority and cannot be rebutted by anyone.
Therefore, we should have absolute faith and must recite the names of the Buddhas.
Some people may think that historically, the doctrine of chanting the Buddha’s name
has been preva lent in the Han region of China, and that it is sufficient to just invoke the
name of Amitabha. What’s the use of invoking the names of so many Buddhas? Such a
way of thinking is mistaken. Like I’ve said before, reciting only one Buddha’s name and
reading one sutra is extremely beneficial for people of certain innate capacity (for
example, some illiterate elderly people do not know how to practice Buddhism, but are
very devoted anyhow). For these people, a “Namo Amitabha Buddha” is very
extraordinary, and it is being popularized at the moment by many eminent monks in
China and abroad. Still, we should not repudiate other Buddhas’ names in order to adhere
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to one invariable practice. Because sentient beings that Buddha Sakyamuni tried to
subdue have different natural capacities and volitions, some sentient beings benefit from
reciting the name of Amitabha Buddha, some others need to rely on reciting another
Buddha’s name, and yet some need to recite the names of many Buddhas…there are
various kinds of situations. Therefore, different names of the Buddhas have different
merits and virtues.
The Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha Vow Sutra mentioned: “Even reciting the name of
one Buddha brings immeasurable merits, let alone the names of many Buddhas?” This
tells us that the doctrine of Buddha name recitation is not limited by just the name of
Amitabha Buddha. It was immediately written in the text that, whether the person is alive
or dead, if people can recite the names of multiple Buddhas, it could avert them from
disasters and sufferings, preventing them from falling into evil realms. When a family
member dies or falls ill, even if there is only one person reciting the name of the Buddha
once, all negative karmic conditions can be purified with the exception of the five
cardinal sins. Therefore, when a family member is sick or has passed away, if there is a
person who can do supportive recitation for him, it is bound to be helpful, as said in the
Bodhisattva Kishitigarbha Vow Sutra. Not only will it benefit others, its benefits to
oneself are beyond measure, as it is written in the Sutra, “Those who recite or mind
Buddhas’ names can attain limitless merits and eradicate countless offenses”.
In the Jeweled Repentance with Ten Thousand Buddhas’ Names of the Chinese
tradition, there are ten thousand names of Buddhas. In this text, there is no mention that
one should only recite the name of Amitabha Buddha. In Chinese Lineage, sutras such as
The Sutra of the Names of the Thousand Buddhas of the Past Kalpa of Glory, The Sutra
of the Names of the Thousand Buddhas of the Present Kalpa of Merit or The Sutra of the
Names of the Thousand Buddhas of the Future Kalpa of Constellations have documented
numerous names of Buddhas of the Three Times. Recorded in many sutras such as the
Sutra of the Increase Towards Great Liberation and the Sutra of the Jewel Mound are the
names of many Buddhas of the ten directions. Therefore, some great masters disseminate
the Pure Land Doctrine, which is very suitable for certain people and deserves our
appreciation. However, if they do not allow people, young or old, to recite other
Buddhas’ names except for the name of Amitabha Buddha, this kind of attitude is not
very reasonable. After all, sentient beings differ in their natural capacity, volitions, vows,
and karmic conditions. Also, chanting different Buddha names generates different
benefits. Therefore, when people recite Buddhas’ names, they should get rid of the
mistaken idea of “only reciting one Buddha’s name and none of the others”. This is
problematic.
Another point that needs to be mentioned here is that there are ten epithets of the
Buddha such as the Tathagata, Arhat, the Perfectly Enlightened, etc. Usually, only the
name “Tathagata” appears in most Buddhist scriptures, the others rarely appear.
However, if you can recite all ten names, the merit is colossal. The Questions of Manjusri
Sutra of the Chinese Buddhist lineage says: “If we recite single-mindedly the ten epithets
of the Buddha, the Buddha will often accompany us; we will be able to listen to the
Buddha's teachings in the future, and meet the fourfold assembly of Buddha.” Such
practice can also “prolong our lifespan, and avert us from diseases”, etc. The Sutra
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recorded a multitude of merits. Therefore, it is very necessary to pray to the Buddha in
this manner.
As documented in classical texts as well as in the Questions of Manjusri Sutra,
during the recitation, it is best to put “I prostrate to, take refuge in, and make offerings to”
before the name of each Buddha. I hope you can read it at your own convenience. If you
really cannot recite in this manner, you may also directly recite the names of Buddhas,
such as “Prostration to the Immeasurable Light Buddha”, “Prostration to the Treasure
Bun Buddha” or the like. There’s nothing wrong about that. Especially for some old
people, or your relatives and friends at home who are elderly and oblivious, it is difficult
for them to remember so many names, so you can just teach them one name at a time. For
example, you can teach him to recite 'Namo Amitabha' first. Once he has learned that,
you can teach them to recite 'Namo Original Teacher Buddha Sakyamuni', then 'Namo
Treasure Bun Buddha'...Teaching a simple name of the Buddha thus can bring wondrous
merits.
Teaching others to recite the Buddha's name brings incredible merits that won’t be
exhausted until the attainment of Bodhi-fruit, while the merit of visualizing the Buddha
or to recite the name of the Buddha while contemplating the image of the Buddha is also
inconceivable, and will not be exhausted until the attainment of nirvana. The Great
Compassion Sutra says: “Reciting Buddha's name once/ Creates good roots that/ Until
entering the realm of Nirvana/ Will never be exhausted.” Therefore, whether you read or
listen to the name of Buddha with good intention or absentmindedness, this kind of merit
will not be exhausted until the attainment of Bodhi-fruit, just as the money that you
deposit in the bank will not be exhausted until you withdraw it all. Such merit is
tremendous.
There is no need for too many pointless and mundane words. We should put our
minds into Buddha Recitation, reciting as diligently as our time allows. At present, Pure
Land Buddhism has done very well in this regard – many masters of Dharma advocate
practitioners to recite the Buddha’s name single-mindedly without distracting themselves
by various types of practices. Of course, to recite multiple Buddhas' names is not a
distracting practice of lesser importance, neither are meditation and other wholesome
deeds. You should not have any doubts in this regard. The so-called distracting practice is
to teach various practices to a person of lesser capacity, who should practice nothing but
recitation of the name of Amitabha Buddha. However, most other Buddhists should learn
from the great masters of Tibetan Buddhism such as Chagmey Rinpoche or some noted
monks of Chinese Buddhism, who not only practiced meditation, but also recited the
Buddha's name and thoroughly studied the sutras and sastras. From their biographies or
their endeavors of spreading the Dharma and benefiting sentient beings, we can tell that
true distracting practice that affect us are stray and unwholesome thoughts, and they are
bound to be harmful to the attainment of enlightenment.
Therefore, we should put aside all irrelevant activities and concentrate in Buddha
Recitation. There is a lyric that goes like this: 'Say one less sentence, recite once more
Buddha's name, you will not be lost in the vast ocean of desires.' Whether you are a monk
or a lay practitioner, life is very short and a human being's body is difficult to obtain.
Thus you shouldn't idle your life away in seeking mundane pleasures and gossiping all
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day. Many of the lay practitioners enjoy talking about the same topic everyday—Have
you bought a house? Have you bought a car? Have you got married? Have you got a
child? Have your children attended school? If he is in school, what grade is he in...?
Discussing these things does not have much significance. What is truly meaningful is to
recite more Buddhas’ names in daily life.
Reciting the Buddha's name is not only tremendously helpful to the attainment of
Buddhahood, but is also of great help to our temporary well-beings. People who fear
earthquakes, blizzards, tsunamis and so on can recite the name of "Nagaraja Tathagata".
By reciting his name, all kinds of diseases, disasters, epidemics and so on can be
eliminated. If you recite the name of 'Sun Moon Lamp Tathagata', you will not be
afflicted with the evil spirits and heretic doctrines. Some people particularly fear the evil
spirits and dare not go to latrines at night alone. Then you can recite 'Namo Sun Moon
Lamp Tathagata'. When you have the sun, the moon and lamps, no evil spirits will be
able to harm you. Moreover, the merit of this Buddha's name is so immense that it is
worth obtaining by offering enough pearls and treasures to fill the entire world a millionfold. If you recite the name of 'Moon Lamp Tathagata', the person who recites it or hears
it will be the object of offering from humans and gods, and there will be no difference
between your body and a stupa. If someone prostrates to you, you can recite 'Namo Sun
Moon Lamp Tathagata, Namo Sun Moon Lamp Tathagata—OK. You can start
prostrating to me. I can accept it." There are some people who are partial to appearing
beautiful, and wish to have elegant appearances. These people can recite 'Namo Lotus
Steps Tathagata'. In short, there are manifold merits of Buddhas' names in terms of
temporary benefits.
In fact, nowadays quite a lot of people merely seek temporary benefits. Certain
Dharma teachers and practitioners seem to be only after worldly merits, their practice
became the practice of Vehicle for Gods and Men (Deva-manu-sya-yana). The vehicles
in Buddhism begin with Deva-manu-sya-yana, then it’s Hinayana Buddhism, then
Mahayana Buddhism. In the Vehicle for Gods and Men, practitioners seek well-beings in
this life, beautiful appearance, and good business. It is for this reason that many people
practice Buddhism. If your goal is to obtain worldly or godly merits, then it is enough to
just recite these Buddha names. If you want to obtain eternal benefits, you should make
extraordinary vows, like the great vows made by the Seven Medicine Buddhas: i.e. eight
great vows made by Buddha Suparakirtita Namashri, or the four great vows of Buddha
Suvarnabhadra Vimala, or the twelve great vows of Buddha with Lapis Light. Buddha
Sakyamuni also made five hundred great vows, and attained enlightenment eventually
with the power of these vows. Furthermore, after having read these vows, we can know
that having encountered these Buddhas’ names shows the fact that we have accumulated
incredible merits. Mipham Rinpoche quoted the textual reference from The Sutra of the
Seal of Entering into Certainty and Uncertainty that if one fills the entire billion-fold
universe with gold and jewelry and worldly treasures to offer to the Solitary Realizer,
such an action accrues inconceivable merits, but if one utters the words “Buddha”, “the
Omniscient One” or “the Protector of the World”, or merely perceives these names by
sound, the merits accumulated from the latter surpass far beyond that of the former.
Besides mute people, anyone can say the word “Buddha”, and even little children can.
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Since its merit is so great, we should all regard the practice of Buddha Recitation highly
from this moment on.
The method of Buddha Recitation that I am advocating is slightly different from the
method of the Pure Land Doctrine. In the Pure Land Doctrine, the practitioners are taught
to recite only the name of Buddha Amitabha without much emphasis on other Buddhas’
names. Here, I require everyone to recite the name of various Buddhas’ names. If we can
persevere in this practice, the direct and indirect merits are tremendous.
The Lotus Sutra says, “If with scattered mind/ A person enters a stupa or a temple/
Or recites 'Namo Buddha' once/ He has already entered Buddhahood.” This means that
one can eventually attain Buddhahood by even chanting “Namo Buddha” once with
scattered mind. This means that one can eventually attain Buddhahood by even chanting
“Namo Buddha” once with scattered mind. There is a story related to this: at the time of
Buddha Sakyamuni, an old man saw that the group of Bhiksus had dignified manners,
and that their comportment were pure and unrestrained, which he admired so much that
he begged to become a Buddhist monk (there are some old lay practitioners here who are
the same: when they see that monks are living rather comfortably, they are also
determined to have their heads shaved). At that time, many Arahats observed with their
clairvoyance that this man had not performed any wholesome deed in 80,000 kalpas
(unlike us, after observing a person for three or four months, our administrative monk
signs a piece of paper and this person can be ordained a monk), therefore he was in no
karmic conditions to receive ordination. This man was so sad that he kept on sobbing.
Later, with the power of his clairvoyance that surpasses that of the Arahats, Buddha
himself perceived that this man used to be a woodsman at a time even earlier than 80,000
kalpas ago, and one time when he was hunting in the forest, he ran into a tiger. When the
tiger was about to devour him, he hurried up a tree and accidentally cried: 'Namo
Buddha'. Thanks to this cry, his positive karmic root ripened that day, and Buddha
granted him to take the monastic vows, after which, he attained Arhatship.
When we are in monasteries or at home, it is a very simple practice to recite Namo
Buddha Amitabha or "I prostrate to, take refuge in, and make offerings to the Tathagata,
the Perfectly Enlightened Buddha Sakyamuni", but its merit is unfathomable. In the
White Lotus Sutra, it is said, "Buddha is unfathomable, Dharma is unfathomable, faith is
unfathomable, its karmic maturation is unfathomable.” We must have accumulated
tremendous merits to have encountered Buddha and Dharma, and if we bestow faith in,
make offerings to, prostrate to, and take refuge in Buddha and Dharma, the karmic result
of such actions are also unfathomable. In this regard, no philosopher, writer or
theoretician can obtain such merit, no matter how much they ponder upon it and try to
observe through their judgment.
Without articulating the word "Buddha", the mere utterance of the word “Namo”
alone brings merit. As documented in Agama Sutra, due to his hostility against Buddha
Sakyamuni, Devadatta committed three cardinal sins which causes rebirth in the Hell of
Uninterrupted Suffering, and was extremely scared when his life was coming to an end
and that he was about to fall into hell. At that time, many of his kinsmen persuaded him
to take refuge in the Buddha. But due to his intense jealousy towards the Buddha, he
would not say the word "Buddha". But he did manage to utter "Namo". With this merit,
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Buddha predicted that he would become Namo Pratyekabuddha Buddha. This is
documented slightly differently in Mula-sarvastivada-vinaa, though the contents are
generally the same.
Therefore, reciting the Buddha's name brings great merits indeed, but I have only
made a brief introduction today. And after this lecture I hope everyone could consult
relevant texts. Mipham Rinpoche had once cited The Sutra of the Jeweled Mound, in
which it is said, “'Prostration to all Buddhas' is like a great gleaming torch which is bound
to destroy all mental afflictions”. He also cited textual reference from Avatamsaka Sutra,
which said that reciting the Buddhas’ names is like “having consumed Vajra-Dhatu, even
in small quantity, the Vajra-Dhatu cannot be dissolved”. Therefore, it is very rare to
encounter Buddha Dharma in this present life. Such merit that is associated with the
Buddha can never be exhausted throughout future rebirths.
Mipham Rinpoche made clarifications in the small prints at the end of the text that,
because of Dharma Cinta Mani, we can hear of such precious and honorable names of
Buddha. Were it not for Buddha Dharma, we would not have been able to encounter it in
thousands of millions of Kalpas. So we must cherish this opportunity we have now. The
wise ones should try to recite the names of Buddhas. When we see someone dying or
suffering, we should teach them this practice by their ears. Some of the Buddhas’ names
are commonly used, such as Treasure Bun Buddha, Medicine Buddha, and Precious Fire
Tathagata etc. H.H. Jigme Phuntsok used to say that if we offer the treasures of the entire
world to the Buddhas, the merit acquired is tremendous. However, we will gain much
more merits if we recite the name of 'Namo Precious Fire Tathagata'. His Holiness also
imparted its oral transmission to us. He used to emphasize often the merits of Buddha
Recitation.
You should carefully read Mipham Rinpoche's words at the end of the text. It is also
written that it is very difficult to repay the kindness of your parents, relatives and friends.
But if you can guide them to recite the names of the Buddhas, even if they don’t recite it
often, the occasional recitation will benefit them greatly, and this is also a way to return
their kindness.
Therefore, I have a requirement for all members of the Bodhi Association: if you
were to persuade their family members to participate in Dharma studies and practice, they
are perhaps in no karmic condition for this. However, they might agree to participate in
an occasional group chanting practice that lasts for a little longer than an hour, which
they should attend as a favor to you. If they are really unwilling to attend, force them to,
even if it resorts to dragging them by the hair. Voluntarily or not, it will benefit them
tremendously in all future rebirths only by listening to the names of so many Tathagatas.
Therefore, at the end of the text, Mipham Rinpoche joined his palms together with
earnest intention and advised us with motivating words to chant the names of Buddhas
and Bodhisattvas. We should not be lazy in this practice. If we don't attach importance to
what a great achiever like Mipham Rinpoche had seriously requested with joined palms,
then we are heartless creatures.
Reciting these Buddhas’ names will benefit people whether they are old, young,
powerful, rich, yellow or white. Anybody can benefit. Even for animals that are
agonizing before dying, if you read the Buddha’s name by their ears, it can be
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tremendously helpful to them as well. In the future, if there is a Vajra brother or sister
who has left this world or is about to, several fellow practitioners should gather and
perform supportive Buddha recitation to him or her. From today on, the Institute will
require everyone to practice in this way. For people from outside of the Bodhi Institute,
when you see a dying person, giving him or her 100 Yuan does not help. Rather, you
should chant some names of the Buddhas to this person. After all, when one enters the
state of Bardo, money is useless. Chinese Yuan is useless even in America, let alone in
Bardo.
A while ago, my mother’s sister was diagnosed of cancer, and was going to die soon.
My mother gave her 1000 Yuan, so I said, what’s the use of giving her 1000 Yuan?
You’d much better recite some Buddhas’ names to her. Therefore, when family members
or friends die, do not give them money; it is useless to give them money. If you are really
generous, you should give them money when he’s not sick or dying. When he’s dying,
you should read him Buddhas’ names. This is a truly beneficial action for him.
In the future, we should popularize this chanting festival, and everyone should
persuade at least ten people to recite the Buddha’s name. We will print as many of A
Collection of Buddha and Bodhisattva Names as possible, and give a copy to whomever
promises to read it more than ten times. We will continue the supply of this book, so you
should also try to be of help.
Of course, if some people are particularly slow-witted, or when some people are too
old to read so many Buddhas' names, Mipham Rinpoche said that it is all right to read
just one, two or three Buddhas’ names. One should do his best. Some people have
particularly strong karmic hindrances as a result of taking the lives of many sentient
beings. If those people cry in front of you and ask for forgiveness and want to repent their
wrong-doings, then ask them to recite these Buddhas’ names. If they can recite well, they
will absolutely go to the Pure Realm. You should use the expression “absolutely”. Why?
Because many scriptures were very clear about the fact that reciting the Buddhas’ names
will guide you away from evil rebirths and lead you to the Pure Land, so you would not
be lying if you tell this to them. Of course, if there isn’t enough basis and doctrinal
evidence, you can’t just speak lightly.
I am personally very happy that many people created an auspicious bond with this
practice. Mipham Rinpoche’s aspirations and merits are quite faultless, so if people recite
these Buddhas’ names, it is definitely beneficial to sentient beings. Also, knowing the
merits of these Buddhas’ names is quite convenient. For example, when we are releasing
lives, we need to recite the names of the Seven Medicine Buddhas, in which we should be
fluent by now. Anybody should be delighted when he or she sees the merit of this
practice, and a sentiment of joy will grow within. Maybe today I have been quite
garrulous. In brief, we should all recite these Buddhas’ names as much as we can with
devout faith.
Of course, as to the method of recitation, I have mentioned it at the beginning of A
Collection of Buddha and Bodhisattva Names. When you are gathered together, you
should first clean the venue, and then place a Buddha’s statue, some Buddhist scriptures
and a Buddhist stupa on the altar so that people attending the prayer festival can prostrate
to it. You can prostrate 21 times, 7 times or 3 times. After the prostration, perform the
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Seven Limb offering first, and then start reciting the Buddhas’ names. After the
recitation, dedicate the merit by reading the Vows of Bodhisattva Samanthabhadra. If you
can practice in the ways indicated above, it can truly accrue inconceivable merits.
Nowadays, people are very busy with professional and personal lives, and their
mental states are often chaotic. So if you ask them to spare one hour, they might be
intimidated by the idea and flinch. But if they can give the merits of such a practice a
thought, all these worries and concerns will be dispelled. After all, if the grave problem
of life and death can be solved in one hour, who wouldn’t do it? Who wouldn’t desire it?
Therefore, you should first read the merits that Mipham Rinpoche had talked about,
and then do your best to attend this Buddha Recitation Festival. People of any kind of
natural capacities can attend it, and it is easy to promulgate, so I hope you can try your
best to promulgate it extensively!
[1] Mipam Rinpoche(1846-1912), one of the most extraordinary figures of the Nyingma
tradition and one of the greatest scholars of his time.
[2]Patrul Rinpoche(1808-1889), spiritual teacher of Mipam Rinpoche, is considered as
one of the most eminent lineage masters of the Nyingma tradition. His works include the
famous Words of my Perfect Teacher.
[3] A celestial realm in which Bodhisattva Maitreya is believed to reside
[4] Jambudvipa is a continent where humans live. In Buddhist cosmology, it is believed
to be located south of Mount Sumeru,
[5] A nayuta is equal to a hundred thousand millions.
[6] Born in the 17th century, Chagmey Rinpoche is a prolific master and lineage holder
of both the Kagyu and the Nyingma lineage.
[7] The period of time between creation and recreation of a world or universe
[8] An indestructible substance
[9] A wish-fulfilling jewel
[10] An intermediate state of being that occurs between the death of a person and his
next rebirth.
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Translators' Acknowledgments
Most members of the Wisdom and Compassion Translation Center are disciples of
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche. We would like to thank our master Khenpo Sodargye
Rinpoche and all the teachers of the lineage for their teachings. Only with these
teachings, were we able to gain understanding in the profound meanings of Shantideva's
treatise which serves the ground of our translation task.
We would also like to thank Megan Lung for taking her time to proofread this book.
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About the Author
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche was born in Drakgo in Kham Tibet in 1962. He was
ordained as a monk in 1985 and relies on H.H. Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche of Larung Gar
Five Sciences Buddhist Academy, Sichuan Province, China, as his root guru.
Kheno Rinpoche was entrusted by Jigme Phuntsok Rinpoche to take lead responsibility
for teaching the Dharma to Han Chinese disciples. Endeavoring day and night over the
past quarter century, he has been translating volumes of sacred Tibetan texts into Chinese
and expounding their meanings through numerous teachings, including teaching the
Middle Way in 100 lectures and The Way of the Bodhisattva in 200 plus classes. He also
has transmitted his mastery and realization in the Great Perfection, the Great Illusory Net
and Trilogy of Finding Comfort and Ease, etc., benefiting countless sentient beings and
producing many highly qualified Buddhist teachers. The quintessence of Rinpoche’s
teaching to his students is that, with the bodhichitta mind of Mahayana as the foundation,
one should apply equal importance to the listening, contemplation and meditation of the
Dharma, and try to benefit sentient beings as much as possible.
As early as the ’90s, Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche accompanied H.H. Jigme Phuntsok
Rinpoche to give Dharma teachings in more than a dozen countries throughout Europe,
America, and Southeast Asia. In recent years, he has been invited to many universities—
Tsinghua University, Peking University, The Hong Kong University of Science and
Technology, University of Hong Kong, etc.—to speak with scores of intellectuals.
Recently, he has been invited to give talks at George Washington University,
Georgetown University, Max Planck Institute, Harvard University, Columbia University,
University of Colorado, and so on, in his oversea teaching tour.
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche also initiated a movement called “Promoting a Loving
Heart,” encouraging Buddhist practitioners to cultivate loving-kindness and compassion
in daily life and to stop ignoring the needy. While encouraging people to manifest our
innate kindness in different ways, he stresses that compassion is not to be limited to
humans only, but rather encompasses all other sentient beings such as animals.
Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche often advises his students: “As long as we can benefit
sentient beings, even if only one person generates one virtuous thought through our
efforts, we should be willing to serve that person for millions and millions of eons.” And:
“I don't know how long I’ll live, but as long as I have breath in me, even if there were
only one listener, I would try my best to benefit that person with the sacred Dharma.”
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Credit
Cover Design: Chang Hui
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Copyright
Three Methods of Merit Accumulation. Copyright © 2013 by the Wisdom and
Compassion Translation Center. All rights reserved under International and PanAmerican Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been
granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded,
decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage
and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical,
now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Bodhi
Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA.
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About the Publisher
Bodhi Institute of Compassion and Wisdom USA (BICW USA)
Website: http://www.buddhistweb.org/index.php/bodhi-institute/bodhi-institute-ofcompassion-and-wisdom-usa
E-mail: [email protected]
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