THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD OF PURIFYING YOURSELF OF AND PROTECTING YOURSELF AGAINST THE CAUSES OF PROBLEMS

Becoming Your Own Therapist, by Lama Yeshe Advice for Monks and Nuns, by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche Virtue and Reality, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Make Your Mind an Ocean, by Lama Yeshe Teachings from the Vajrasattva Retreat, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Daily Purification: A ShortVajrasattva Practice, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Essence of Tibetan Buddhism, by Lama Yeshe Making Life Meaningful, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche Teachings from the Mani Retreat, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

FOR INITIATES ONLY

A Chat about Heruka, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche A Chat about Yamantaka, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Mirror of Wisdom, by Geshe Tsultim Gyeltsen Illuminating the Path, by His Holiness the Dalai Lama (forthcoming 2002) May whoever sees, touches, reads, remembers, or talks or thinks about these booklets never be re b o rn in unfortunate circ u m s t a n c e s , re c e i ve only re b i rths in situations conducive to the perfect practice of Dh a rma, meet only perfectly qualified spiritual guides, quickly d e velop bodhicitta and immediately attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.

Publisher’s Acknowledgments

We are extremely grateful to our friends and supporters who have made it possible for the LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE to both exist and function: to Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, whose kindness is impossible to repay; to Peter and Nicole Kedge and Venerable Ailsa Cameron for helping bring the ARCHIVE to its present state of development; to Venerable Roger Kunsang, Lama Zopa’s tireless assistant, for his kindness and consideration; and to our sustaining supporters: Drs. Penny Noyce & Leo Liu, Barry & Connie Hershey, Joan Terry, Roger & Claire AshWheeler, Claire Atkins, Richard Gere, Ecie Hursthouse, Lily Chang Wu, T. Y. Alexander, Therese Miller, Chris Dornan, Henry & Catherine Lau, Tom & Suzanne Castles, Datuk Tai Tsu Kuang, Chuah Kok Leng, the Caytons (Lori, Karuna, Pam, Bob & Amy), Tom Thorning, Tan Swee Eng, Salim Lee, Doren & Mary Harper, Claire Ritter, Sandra Magnussen, Cecily Drucker, Lynnea Elkind, Janet Moore, Su Hung, Carol Davies, Jack Morison, Dorian Ribush and Dharmawati Brechbuhl. We also thank most sincerely Massimo Corona and the FPMT International Office for their generous financial and administrative assistance. We would like, as well, to express our appreciation for the kindness and compassion of all those generous benefactors mentioned in detail in our previous publications. They are too numerous to mention individually in this little book, but we value highly each and every contribution made to spreading the Dharma for the sake of the kind mother sentient beings. We would also like to thank the many kind people who have asked that their donations be kept anonymous; the volunteers who have gi v en so generously of their time to help us with our mailings, especially Th e r ese Miller; our dedicated office staff, Jennifer Bar l o w and Angie Gittleman; Alison Ribush & Mandala Books (Melbourne) for much appreciated assistance with our work in Australia; and Den n i s Hes l o p , Philip Bradley and our other friends at Wisdom Books (London) for their great help with our work in Eur op e . Finally, we are most grateful to Peter Iseli for so kindly offering us the cover painting and to Lisa Sawlit for so beautifully designing this book.

Benefactor's Dedication

In memory of my beloved parents, Miriam Merlien Slight McW il l i a m s (1914–1983) and Joseph Gleason McW illiams (1923–2001) In all their future lives, may my parents attain only fortunate reb i r th s , be guided by kind and holy spiritual masters, and quickly achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. —Petra

In the joyous mandala of Amitabha Buddha May I be reborn from a beautiful lotus, And may I there have the pleasure of gaining A pure prophecy from Amitabha himself. Having won this word of prophecy, By the power of mind may I fill all directions With many millions of mystical emanations And bring limitless benefits to the world.

—from the King of Prayers

The publisher thanks Petra McWilliams for sponsoring this book in memory of her late parents.

vii

Translator’s Preface

Those who want to accomplish their own goals and those of others must find happiness, but if you don’t abandon harming others—which also means harming yo u r s e l f — you can neve r find happiness. Whatever you do, you do in order to be happy, but in reality negative actions create the cause for you to suffer; thus you harm both yourself and others, and there’s no benefit whatsoever. The eight abandonments (of killing and so forth) explained here, ill will towards others and the ten non-virtues, which harm others either directly or indirectly, are all negative actions and bring no happiness at all, only suffering. With respect to karma, positive actions cause happiness and negative actions cause suffering. For example, in this life you have received the body of a happy migratory being through having practiced morality in the past. There are three ways for ordinary beings to realize the way phenomena exist. Some phenomena can be realized through true perception, some through inferential cognition (realizing the presence of fire from seeing smoke, for example), and others through dependence on valid quotations in which one has faith. Since you have neither clairvoyance nor omniscience, the only way to realize karma is to depend on the Omniscient One’s quotations, in much the same way as you believe historical facts by depending on the knowledge and explanations of past and present historians. If you harm others you might feel guilty in this life. Even if you don’t feel guilty, harming others causes you to have many enemies and brings neither happiness nor relaxation to your mind; instead, it makes you insecure and fearful. This can be seen by examining the experiences of people who have done such negative actions. Cancer and AIDS, for example, are results of previous negative karma. By observ i n g the results of non-virtuous actions you can develop a definite understanding of how worthwhile it is to abandon them. This is the foundation of all happiness. Others don’t want you to harm them; all they want is benefit and happiness, just as you don’t want any harm from them, only benefit. You are completely responsible for bringing happiness to all sentient

If you, dear reader, would like to join this noble group of openhearted altruists by contributing to the production of more free booklets by Lama Yeshe or Lama Zopa Rinpoche or to any other aspect of the LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE’s work, please contact us to find out how. —Dr. Nicholas Ribush Through the merit of having contributed to the spread of the Buddha’s teachings for the sake of all sentient beings, may our benefactors and their families and friends have long and healthy lives, all happiness, and may all their Dharma wishes be instantly fulfilled.

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD

1 The Benefits of Protecting the Eight Mahayana Precepts: Restoring Broken Vows and Purifying Negative Karma by His Holiness Trijang Dorje Chang

THE SHORTCOMINGS OF DEGENERATING THE PRECEPTS

It is said in the Vinaya teaching, Vinaya Transmission, that even if one transgresses the great word of the Lord only a few times, one still experiences ill effects. Being non-virtuous and transgressing Buddha’s teachings lead to rebirth in the animal realms, as with the naga Elapatra. In former times, when Shakyamuni Buddha, the Des t r oyer , the Qualified, the One Gone Bey ond, was giving a discourse, Elapatra, King of the Nagas, whose name means “having branches of the ela,” transformed himself into a wheel-turning king to attend. Knowing who was sitting before him, Buddha said, “You harmed the teachings of Bud d h a Kashyapa [the previous Bud d h a ] – a r e you now going to harm my teachings as well? Please listen to the teachings in your true form.” The next day an enormous serpent with an el a d u b tr ee growing out of its head came to the discourse. When the wind blew through the branches of the tree it caused intense pain deep inside the serpent’s brain. The serpent was so huge that when its head had reached Bud d h a its tail was still leaving the village of Dorjun. Bud d h a ’s disciples wer e terrified and began to run away, but Buddha said, “You need not be afraid. This serpent is the ver y same being that appeared here yes t e r da y in the form of a wheel-turning king.” They asked Buddha what had caused the naga king to be born with such a monstrous body. Bud d h a explained that once, during the time of Buddha Kashyapa, the naga king had been a fully ordained monk who, while circumambulating an eladub tree, had hit his head on a branch a

nd become angry.This disturbance weakened his precept [of abstaining from the unnecessary destruction of plants], and he lopped off the branches of the tree. This was the action that caused his present rebirth. Reflecting on the shortcomings of breaking even this small p recept, we should protect our vows pro p e r l y.

beings. By your making a vow to abandon harming them by killing them and so forth, the numberless other sentient beings stop being harmed by you and instead rec e i v e happiness. In this way you become completely responsible for the happiness of all sentient beings.

Practicing the eight-limbed Mahayana Method of Restoring and Purifying is the supreme method for avoiding harm to all sentient beings and bringing them happiness and benefit. It is easy to do and has immeasurable benefit. With this fundamental practice of morality— abstaining from harming others—you can help effect world peace. No matter how many meetings are held in the name of world peace, there will be no benefit until people begin to abstain from harming others. Keeping the Eight Mahayana Precepts for one day, or even one hour, and thus protecting your mind from disturbing negative thoughts becomes a contribution to peace not only for the human beings of this world but also for all other sentient beings. So, while you have this precious human rebirth, it is most essential to make your life as meaningful as possible and not cheat yourself. I have prayed that those who read this teaching, let alone who practice it, will never be reborn in the lower realms, and especially that they will generate bodhicitta and quickly attain enlightenment.

For the sake of all mother sentient beings, may I actualize this book. May those who read it generate the wish to take the Eight Mahayana Precepts and, until they achieve enlightenment, may they always be free from reb i r th in the lo wer realms and never be separated from qualified Mahayana teachers. By sentient beings’ seeing this book and by the practice of the Eight Mahayana Precepts, may all epidemic diseases, ca n c e r , AIDS, and all other sicknesses by cured; may all disputes, wars and famines stop immediately; may the rains fall at the right time and may all harvests be abundant; may sentient beings experience all enjoyments and an abundance of all that is good; may there be peace in the world; and may ever yone find happiness.

ments to a hundred billion buddhas for eons equal to the number of sand grains in the Ganges River, a great deal of merit is acquired. However, if, during these degenerate times when the holy Dharma, the teaching of the One Gone to Bliss, has almost ceased, one keeps just one precept for a day and a night, the merit acquired is far greater than that of giving all those offerings to an uncountable number of buddhas over such a long period. Therefore, if the Restoring and Purifying Ordination is protected just once in one’s life, the amount of merit accumulated is equal to the vastness of the sky and, as one accumulates this merit, one gradually achieves perfect happiness. By understanding this, one can see how fortunate one is to have the opportunity to take the ordination and how meaningful it is during these difficult and degenerate times. It is like finding billions of wish-fulfilling gems. Even though one may not own one atom of a

precious gem or have a single dollar, by keeping this ordination one can attain both temporary and ultimate happiness. The person who owns enough wish-fulfilling gems to fill the sky but does not keep even one branch of morality cannot attain rebirth as a human or a god, cannot practice Dharma to accomplish any of the three great purposes (higher rebirth, liberation or enlightenment), and cannot enjoy perfect helpers and enjoyments. The great benefit in dependence upon the

place. If one practices pure virtue in a pure realm for eons, the merit accumulated is not as great as that acquired by practicing virtue in an impure realm for the duration of a finger snap. The benefit in dependence upon the nature of the precepts. In the sutras Buddha explained that if the most vicious of serpents, the great black naga, cannot harm those living in perfect morality, then there is no doubt that others cannot harm them. The fully ordained monk [[[gelong]]] who lives within morality glows (with purity). Living in morality brings peace and happiness. Infinite benefits of morality can be described. (The best way to protect oneself from outer harm is to protect the inner ordination.) Just as a person without eyes cannot see shapes, a person without morality cannot attain liberation. The benefit of creating the cause to meet the teachings of Maitreya Buddha. Maitreya Buddha promised that anyone who listens with devotion to the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha and protects the

THE ACTUAL BENEFITS OF PROTECTING THE PRECEPTS

The specific benefits of protecting the eight branches of the Restoring and Purifying Ordination The benefits of abandoning the taking of life. In this life and in all future lives one’s life will be long, magnificent and free from illness. The benefits of abandoning taking that which is not given. In this and in all future lives one will have perfect enjoyments, and others will not harm them. The benefits of abandoning the sexual act. In this life and in all future lives one will have a good body with a beautiful complexion and complete sense organs. The benefits of abandoning lies. In this life and in all future lives one will not be cheated, and others will take heed of what one says.

The benefits of abandoning intoxicants (including alcohol, cigaret t e s , mind-altering drugs and any other substance that loosens vol u n t a r y res e r ve) . In this life and in all future lives one will have stable mindfulness and awareness, clear senses and perfect wisdom. The benefits of abandoning large and high beds and thrones. In this life and in all future lives one will receive praise and respect from others, one will have proper bedding (soft, warm, whatever is needed), and one will have vehicles and animals for traveling. The benefits of abandoning food at improper times. In this life and in all future lives one will have abundant and perfect crops and will obtain food and drink without effort. The benefits of abandoning perfume, ornaments, and so forth. In this life and in all future lives one’s body will have a pleasant scent, color and shape and many auspicious marks. The benefits of abandoning singing and dancing. In this life and in all future lives one will have a subdued body and mind, and one’s speech will continually make the sound of Dharma.

The general benefits of protecting the eight branches of the Restoring and Purifying Ordination

The great benefit in dependence upon time. In Vi c t o r i o u s Concentration Sutra, Buddha says that if with a calm mind one makes offerings of umbrellas, victory banners, light and jewel ornament

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE BENEFITS OF PROTECTING THE EIGHT MAHAYANA PRECEPTS

mental wandering from the beginning, through the middle to the end. Without proper concentration, all the difficulties borne during the recitation become meaningless. On the other hand, with the Eight Mahayana Precepts one need pay attention for only the few minutes it takes to complete the ordi nation ceremony; afterwa r ds, even if one’s mind is distracted, the benefits of taking the precepts are not diminished. Also, there are fewer pr ecepts than in other ordinations and they have to be kept for only one day, a ver y short time. For myself and others like me there is no practice easier than this. When done, it has great meaning. The benefit of liberation and full enlightenment. Protecting the Eight Mahayana Precepts (which are also known as the Eight FastDay Vows) becomes the cause ultimately to achieve full enlightenment. In Sutra Requested by Deva, Shakyamuni Buddha said, “Goshika, by protecting the Eight Mahayana Precepts on the eighth and fifteenth days [of the month] and during the month of Bu d d h a’s Great Miraculous Deeds, one attains no less than Buddhahood.”

There is no question that one will receive the body of a god as well as peerless enlightenment by taking and maintaining the precepts. Furthermore, the qualities of a buddha’s holy form body, the thirtytwo holy signs and the eighty holy exemplifications, are achieved by having protected the eight branches in the past. Shakyamuni Buddha, who completed the mind-training in compassion for every sentient being, would not lie and can be fully trusted—if not because of his omniscient mind, then because of his great compassion. Since we do not have the clairvoyance to see karma and all its effects, we must rely on the explanations given by Shakyamuni Buddha, the fully enlightened one, who possesses great compassion, omniscient mind and perfect power. If we cannot trust the words of such a compassionate, fully enlightened being, then who can we trust to help us to complete the inner development of our minds?

In Sutra Requested by Kundu Sanring, the kind and compassionate Buddha was asked, “What previous karma did you, the Destroyer, the Qualified, the One Gone Beyond, collect in order to achieve the vajra holy body, the Buddha body possessing all qualities up to the inconceivable ushnisha [crowning top-knot]?” Restoring and Purifying Ordination will be born amongst his retinue as a disciple. Therefore, if one wants to bring one’s cyclic existence to an end in the future by meeting the teachings of Maitreya Buddha, then now, while one has this precious human body with its eight freedoms and ten endowments and has met Buddha’s teachings and Mahayana teachers, it is extremely worthwhile to take the ordination of the Eight Mahayana Precepts and to protect these vows well. The benefit of receiving protection from the gods. Many sutras explain that if one protects the precepts properly, the gods who are fond of virtue will protect one day and night. The benefit of great power. Merit accumulated by one who protects the precepts is very powerful. A person living in the precepts who offers the

Triple Gem a drop of butter that is only enough to cover the tip of a needle creates far greater merit than one not living in the precepts who offers the Triple Gem an ocean of butter. Merit accumulated over many eons by one not living in the Restoring and Purifying Ordination cannot be compared to the merit accumulated in just a short time by one living in the ordination. The benefit of obtaining, without doubt, whatever one wishes. During this degenerate age, one who takes the Eight Mahayana Precepts and keeps them purely will definitely receive whatever one prays for. The benefit of receiving the good body of a human or a god. If one protects the Eight Mahayana Precepts just once, one will attain the special bodies of gods or humans. Stories proving the benefits of such rebirths are too numerous to mention here. The benefit of being an object for the accumulation of merit by o t h e r s. One who takes ordination becomes an object for the accumulation of merit by others through becoming a (proper) object for offerings, prostrations, and so on. The higher number of precepts held by monks and nuns are the cause for others to cre a t e g reater and more powe rful merit by making offerings and so fort h . The benefit of simplicity. The Eight Mahayana Precepts has the advantage of being easy to take. It is said in A Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life that if while bearing hardships of recitation over a long period, even many eons, one is distracted by other objects while reciting, the recitations will bear no fruit. To cultivate virtue through recitation there must be great concentration and no

THE DIRECTAND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE BENEFITS OF PROTECTING THE EIGHT MAHAYANA PRECEPTS

is one’s enjoyment of seeing the Buddha’s holy body never satiated?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning telling lies out of mental affliction.” “Why does the Buddha have an inconceivably high ushnisha?” “This is the result of in past lives having touched the ground with the five parts of the body [the four limbs and the head] in prostration and having made offerings to Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, the guru, the leader of the disciples [[[preceptor]]] and the abbot.”

Infinite benefits could be mentioned, but only a few are described here, most of which are specifically mentioned in the benefits of the near-abiding pratimoksha [[[self-liberation]]] vows. The eight precepts of the one-day Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination are similar to these pratimoksha vows, so one can rest assured that the benefits are also similar.

THE METHOD OF COMMITMENT

The eight branches of the near-abiding pratimoksha vows and the eight branches of the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying vows are the same in their observation of the eight abandonments, but vastly different in other ways. The first and foremost differen c e is the source of the ordi n a t i o n s . The practice of the near-abiding pratimoksha method comes from Sut r a of Dam-say Ne- j o , whereas the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination is taken from the tantric text Don-zhag Zhi-moi. The second difference is that the near-abiding pratimoksha vows cannot be taken by those with the ordination of renunciation [[[rabjung]]], but the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination may be taken even by a fully ordained vajra master. The third difference is in the motivation for taking the ordinations. The near-abiding pratimoksha ordination is taken in dependence upon the attitude of seeking the sorrowless state for oneself alone, while the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination is taken with the attitude of definitely achieving enlightenment for the sake of others. The fourth difference is in the method of taking the ordinations. The preparation for taking the near-abiding pratimoksha ordination is to request attention and go for refuge, as in the sutra Dam-say Ne

The Destroyer, the Qualified, the One Gone Beyond answered, “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning killing by pacifying the mental afflictions that would cause me to shorten the lives of others.” “Why do the Buddha’s hands have thousand-spoked golden wheels and long fingers with webs of light?” “This is the benefit of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning taking that which is not given.” “Why does the Buddha have complete senses and a fully developed body?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning sexual misconduct, which is caused by mental afflictions.” “Why does the Buddha have a tongue that can cover the whole mandala face and holy speech so sweet and enchanting, like the sweet sound of Brahma?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning alcohol, which makes the intoxicated careless.” “Why does the Buddha have forty complete teeth, even and white, and why does he experience the highest and best tastes in food?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning taking food at improper times, motivated by mental afflictions.” “Why is the Buddha’s body pervaded by the fragrant scent of morality?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning perfumes and colors [make-up], worn out of mental affliction.” “Why is the Buddha’s holy body adorned with holy signs?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning singing, dancing and wearing ornaments out of mental affliction.” “Why does the Buddha enjoy the three seats of Dharma [[[lotus]] and sun and moon discs]?” “This is the result of having practiced in past lives the morality of abandoning the use of large and high thrones and beds through mental affliction.” “Why does the Buddha have complete and clear senses, and why

THE DIRECTAND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE BENEFITS OF PROTECTING THE EIGHT MAHAYANA PRECEPTS

2 The Way in Which the Mahayana Ordination Is Taken by His Holiness Trijang Dorje Chang

Waking early, wash and re f resh yourself properly and then set up an altar for the Triple Gem in a clean and beautiful place. The offerings should be as plentiful and delightful as yo u can make them. The precepts are taken in the early hours just b e f o re dawn, when the lines on the palm of your [outstre t c h e d ] hand are just visible. Contemplate the shortcomings of ordinary sufferings and their true cause in relation to yourself. Remember the pitiful state of all mother sentient beings throughout infinite space, and from the depths of your heart think that you, the fortunate one, are able to seek and attain enlightenment. Now, in the presence of the holy objects and with great respect and devotion, take the Mahayana ordination.

Recite the following prayers (See The Eight Mahayana Precepts: The Complete Practice, pp 12–21):

Refuge and generating bodhicitta (3x) Purifying the place Offering prayer Offering cloud mantra (3x) The power of truth Invocation After the invocation, visualize that your infinitely kind root guru Avalokiteshvara, surrounded by the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, actually appears in space before you.

Recite the seven-limb prayer. Offer a mandala in order to receive the ordination. Make three prostrations reciting the O M N A M O M A N J U S H R I Y E mantra with each one.

jo. The preparation for the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination, as explained in the tantric text Don-zhag Zhi-moi, is first to request the attention of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and then to promise three times to protect the precepts by following the example of the previous Victorious Ones. The final difference is in the result achieved. The holder of the near-abiding pratimoksha vows will achieve, according to his or her motivation, the sorrowless state of both the lower and greater vehicles, whereas the holder of the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination who does not degenerate the vows will definitely achieve full enlightenment.

also make me not the slightest bit different from an animal. Therefore, for the benefit of all sentient beings, who equal the extent of infinite space, I must attain the precious state of perfect and fully completed enlightenment. For this purpose, before all buddhas and bodhisattvas as my witness, I shall take the Mahayana precepts and protect them well until sunrise tomorrow.”

TAKING THE PRECEPTS

The precepts should be taken with such great commitment that tears come to your eyes and your hair stands on end. Visualize Guru Avalokiteshvara before you and repeat the prayer for taking the precepts three times. On completing the third recitation, think that you have received the vows in your continuum and rejoice. Then regenerate the thought of bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, by thinking, “Just as the previous arhats abandoned all faulty behavior of body and speech, such as killing and so forth, and mentally turned away from them, similarly, I too shall properly practice the trainings by avoiding those faulty behaviors for one day for the welfare of all sentient beings.” Recite the commitment prayer to keep the precepts. Recite the mantra of pure morality twenty-one times. Finally, recite the prayer to keep one’s morality pure, make three prostrations and dedicate the merits. In this way, the practice is adorned by prayer and dedication and has been described for those taking the Mahayana precepts by themselves. If you are taking the precepts before a master, offer him a mandala. The master himself will have first taken the precepts (that morning) alone and is required to explain well the thoughts and visualizations of the practice, from beginning to end. In the prayer for taking the precepts, the line that says, “Master, please pay attention to me,” must be included. The prayer for taking the precepts and the prayer of the precepts are both repeated after the master. The procedure for taking the precepts and the recitations should all be done in accordance with the practices of the lineage.

Then, kneeling on your right knee, with head and shoulders bowed and your hands together in prostration, generate the following motivation: “ Even though I and all sentient beings, who equal the extent of infinite space, have experienced countless forms of suffering fro m beginningless time until now (such as the general sufferings of c yclic existence and, part i c u l a r l y, the sufferings of the three lowe r realms), still I am unable to generate a single thought of ave r s i o n or frustration at this existence. Instead, because of the power of misguided habits such as grasping at suffering as happiness and grasping at that which is selfless as having a self, I am under the c o n t rol of the afflictions and their actions (karma), and once again I will have to experience and endure without choice the sufferings of cyclic existence and the three lower realms, even more extens i vely and abundantly than before . “If I

were to really consider this situation it would definitely bring pain to my heart, anger and upset. Howe ve r, eve n Shakyamuni Buddha and all the other buddhas of the past we re not always buddhas. Like me, they once lived in cyclic existence and then, through the kindness of just one virtuous friend they had met, they generated the thought to definitely emerge fro m c yclic existence and the awakening mind of loving concern for each and every sentient being. Then, by taking this Mahayana ordination and protecting the precepts purely and by training in the path, they attained enlightenment. “Similarly, having met the Mahayana teachings through the kindness of my virtuous teacher, I too will generate the altruistic aspiration to attain enlightenment and train in the path. In this way I shall definitely attain the state of enlightenment—this (thought) is the close friend from which I must never be separated, on the basis, on the path and at the result. “Like a wish-fulfilling jewel, mother sentient beings, who equal the extent of infinite space, are the source of all the collections of excellence in this and future lives. Since beginningless time, all mother sentient beings have held me dear and are still doing so, and they will continue to do so until the end of cyclic existence. If I renounce them, and in earnest devotion seek the means for my happiness alone, this would not only be unwise and foolish but would

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE WAY IN WHICH THE MAHAYANA ORDINATION IS TAKEN

3 The Eight Mahayana Precepts: The Complete Practice

Refuge The guru is Buddha; the guru is Dharma; The guru is Sangha also. The guru is the creator of all (happiness); To all gurus I go for refuge. (3x) Generating bodhicitta To accomplish my own and others’ aims, I generate the mind seeking enlightenment. (3x) Purifying the place Everywhere may the ground be pure, Free of the roughness of pebbles and so forth. May it be in the nature of lapis lazuli And as smooth as the palm of one’s hand.

Offering prayer May human and divine offerings, Actually arranged and mentally created, Clouds of finest Samantabhadra offerings, Fill the entire space.

Offering cloud mantra OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE / TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA / OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICHITTA VAJRE / MAHA BODHI MÄNDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA (3x)

The power of truth By the power of truth of the Three Jewels, Of the blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas, By the power of the great might of the completed two collections,

Refuge La ma sang gyä la ma chhö De zhin la ma ge dün te Kün gyi je po la ma yin La ma nam la kyab su chhi (3x)

Generating bodhicitta Dag dang zhän dön drub lä du Dag gi jang chhub sem kye do (3x)

Purifying the place Tham chä du ni sa zhi dag Seg ma la sog me pa dang Lag thil tar nyam bäiduryäi Rang zhin jam por nä gyur chig

Offering prayer Lha dang mi yi chhö päi dzä Ngö su sham dang yi kyi trül Kün zang chhö trin la na me Nam khäi kham kün khyab gyur chig

Offering cloud mantra OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE / TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA / OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA

VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICHITTA VAJRE / MAHA BODHI MÄNDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA (3x)

The power of truth Kön chhog sum gyi den pa dang Sang gyä dang jang chhub sem pa tham chä kyi jin gyi lab dang Tshog nyi yong su dzog päi nga thang chhen po dang

And of the completely pure, inconceivable sphere of reality, May all these offerings become just so. Invocation Protector of all beings without exception; Divine destroyer of the intractable legions of Mara; Perfect knower of all things: Bhagavan and retinue, please come here.

Seven-limb prayer Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind; I present clouds of every type of offering, actual and imagined; I declare all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time And rejoice in the merit of all holy and ordinary beings. Please, remain until the end of cyclic existence And turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings. I dedicate my own merits and those of all others to the great enlightenment.

Extensive mandala offering OM vajra ground AH HU M , mighty golden ground. OM vajra fence AH HU M . Outside it is encircled by the surrounding wall, in the center of which are Sumeru, King of Mountains; the eastern continent, Videha (Tall-body Land), the southern, Jambudvipa (Rose-apple Land), the western, Godaniya (Cattle-gift Land), the northern, Kuru; [the eastern minor continents] Deha and Videha, [the southern], Camara and Apara-camara (Chowrie-land and we s t e r n Chowrie-land), [the western], Satha and Uttara-mantrin (Lands of the Deceitful and the Skilled in Mantra), [and the northern], Kuru and Kaurava. [In the four continents are:] [E] the precious mountain, [S] the wish-granting tree, [W] the wish-fulfilling cow, [N] the unploughed harvest. [On the first level are:] The precious wheel, the precious jewel, the precious queen, the precious minister, the precious elephant, the precious horse, the precious general, and the great treasure vase.

[On the second level, the eight goddesses:] Lady of grace, lady of

Chhö kyi ying nam par dag ching sam gyi mi khyab päi tob kyi de zhin nyi du gyur chig Invocation Ma lü sem chän kün gyi gön gyur ching Dü de pung chä mi zä jom dzä lha Ngö nam ma lü yang dag khyen gyur päi Chom dän khor chä nä dir sheg su söl Seven-limb prayer Go sum gü päi go nä chhag tshäl lo Ngö sham yi trül chhö trin ma lü bül Thog me nä sag dig tung tham chä shag Kye phag ge wa nam la je yi rang Khor wa ma tong bar du leg zhug nä Dro la chhö kyi khor lo kor wa dang Dag zhän ge nam jang chhub chhen por ngo Extensive mandala offering OM vajra bhumi AH HUM / wang chhen ser gyi sa zhi OM vajra rekhe AH HUM / chhi chag ri khor yug gi kor wäi ü su rii gyäl po ri rab / shar lü phag po / lho dzam bu ling / nub ba lang chö / jang dra mi nyän / lü dang lü phag / nga yab dang nga yab zhän / yo dän dang lam chhog dro / dra mi nyän dang dra mi nyän gyi da rin po chhei ri wo / pag sam gyi shing / dö jöi ba / ma mö pa’i lo tog / khor lo rin po chhe / nor bu rin po chhe / tsün mo rin po chhe / lön po rin po chhe / lang po rin po chhe / ta chog rin po chhe / mag pön ri n po chhe / ter chen pö’i bum pa geg ma / threng wa ma / lu ma / gar ma / me tog ma / dug pö ma / nang säl ma / dri chhab ma / nyi ma / da wa / rin po chhei dug chhog lä nam par gyäl wäi gyän tshän / ü su lha dang mii yi päl jor phün sum tshog pa ma tshang wa me pa tsang zhing yi du ong wa

THE DIRECTAND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE COMPLETE PRACTICE

garlands, lady of song, lady of dance, lady of flowers, lady of incense, lady of lamps, lady of perfume. [On the third level:] The sun and the moon; the precious parasol, and the banner of victory in all quarters.

In the center, the most perfect riches of gods and human beings, with nothing missing, pure and delightful. To my glorious, holy and most kind root and lineage gurus, and in particular to the deity host of Lama Tsong Khapa, King of Sages, Mah a - Vajradhara, and their divine retinue, I shall offer these as a buddha-field.

Please accept them with compassion for the sake of migrating beings. Having accepted them, to me and all migrating mother sentient beings as far as the limits of space, out of your great compassion, please grant your inspiration!

Brief mandala offering This ground, anointed with perfume, strewn with flowers, Adorned with Mount Mer u, four continents, the sun and the moon: I imagine this as a buddha-field and offer it. May all living beings enjoy this pure land!

The objects of my attachment, aversion and ignorance— Friends, enemies, strangers—and my body, wealth, and enjoyments; Without any sense of loss I offer this collection. Please accept it with pleasure and bless me with freedom from the three poisons.

IDAM GURU RATNA MANDALAKAM NIRYATAYAMI

Prostration mantra OM NAMO MANJUSHRIYE NAMAH SUSHRIYE NAMA UTTAMA SHRIYE SVAHA (3X)

Taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts All buddhas and bodhisattvas dwelling in the ten directions, please pay attention to me. Just as the previous tathagatas, foe destroyers, perfectly completed buddhas who, like the divine wise horse and the

di dag drin chen tsa wa dang gyü par che päi päl dän la ma dam pa nam dang / khyä par dü yang la ma lo zang thub wang dor je chang / chen pö lha tshog kor dang chä päi nam la zhing kham ül war gyi wo thug je dro wäi dön du zhe su söl / zhe ne kyang dag sog dro wa ma gyur nam khäi tha dang nyam päi sem chen tham chä la thug tse wa chhen pö go nä jin gyi lab tu söl

Brief mandala offering Sa zhi pö kyi jug shing me tog tram Ri rab ling zhi nyi dä gyän pa di Sang gyä zhing du mig te ül wa yi Dro kün nam dag zhing la chö par shog

Dag gi chhag dang mong sum kye wäi yül Dra nyen bar sum lü dang long chö chä Phang pa me par bül gyi leg zhe nä Dug sum rang sar dröl war jin gyi lob

IDAM GURU RATNA MANDALAKAM NIRYATAYAMI

Prostration mantra OM NAMO MANJUSHRIYE NAMAH SUSHRIYE NAMA UTTAMA SHRIYE SVAHA (3x)

Taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts Chhog chu na zhug päi sang gyä dang / jang chhub sem pa tham chä dag la gong su söl / lob pön gong su söl / ji tar ngön gyi de zhin sheg pa dra chom pa yang dag par dzog päi sang gyä ta chang she ta

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE COMPLETE PRACTICE

gr eat elephant, did what had to be done, performed actions, laid down the burden, subsequently attained their own wel f a r e, completely exhausted the fetters to existence, and had perfect speech, wel l - l i b e r a t ed minds, and well-liberated wisdom, for the wel f a r e of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely ac t u a l i z e the unsurpassed result of perfect, complete enlightenment, pe r fectly performed the Restoring and Purifying Ordination; similarly , also I, who am called [say your name], from this time until sunrise to m o r r ow, for the wel f a r e of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in or der to liberate, in order to eliminate famine, in order to eliminate sickness, in order to fully complete the thirty - s e v en practices harmonious with enlightenment, and in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect, complete enlightenment, shall perfe c t l y un d e r take the Restoring and Purifying Ordination. (3x)

[Then the guru will say, “This is the method,” upon which you say, “Excellent.” ] Upon completing the third recitation, think that you have re c e i ved the vows in your continuum in the form of light and rejoice. Then re g e n e rate the thought of bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, by thinking: Just as the foe destroyers of the past have abandoned all misconduct of body, speech, and mind, such as taking the lives of others, so shall I, for the sake of all beings, abandon for one day these wrong actions and devote myself to the pure practice of the training.

The commitment prayer to keep the precepts From now on I shall not kill, steal others’ possessions, Engage in sexual activity, or speak false words. I shall avoid intoxicants, from which many mistakes arise. I shall not sit on large, high or expensive beds. I shall not eat food at the wrong times. I shall avoid singing, dancing and playing music, And I shall not wear perfumes, garlands or ornaments.

wu / lang po chhen po / ja wa jä shing je pa jä pa / khur bor wa / rang gi dön je su thob pa / si par kün tu jor wa yong su zä pa / yang dag päi ka / leg par nam par dröl wäi thug / leg par nam par dröl wäi she rab chän / de dag gi / sem chän tham chä kyi dön gyi chhir dang / phän par ja wäi chhir dang / dröl war ja wäi chhir dang / mu ge me par ja wäi chhir dang / nä me par ja wäi chhir dang / jang chhub kyi chhog kyi chhö nam yong su dzog par ja wäi chhir dang / la na me pa yang dag par dzog päi jang chhub nge par tog par ja wäi chhir so jong yang dag par dzä pa de zhin du dag [[[ming]]] (say your name) di zhe gyi wä kyang / dü di nä zung te ji si sang nyi ma ma shar gyi bar du / sem chän tham chä kyi dön gyi chhir dang / phän par ja wäi chhir dang / dröl war ja wäi chhir dang / mu ge me par ja wäi chhir dang / nä me par ja wäi chhir dang / jang chhub kyi chhog kyi chhö nam yong su dzog par ja wäi chhir dang / la na me pa yang dag par dzog päi jang chhub nge par tog par ja wäi chhir so jong yang dag par lang war gyi o (3x)

[Then the guru will say, “tab yin-no,” upon which you say, “leg-so.” ]

Upon completing the third recitation, think that you have re c e i ved the vows in your continuum in the form of light and rejoice. Then re g e n e rate the thought of bodhicitta, the altruistic aspiration to attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, by thinking:

Deng nä sog chö mi ja zhing Zhän gyi nor yang lang mi ja Thrig päi chhö kyang mi chö ching Dzün gyi tshig kyang mi ma o The commitment prayer to keep the precepts Kyön ni mang po nyer ten päi Chhang ni yong su pang war ja Thri tän chhe tho mi ja zhing De zhin dü ma yin päi zä Dri dang threng wa gyän dang ni Gar dang lu sog pang war ja Ji tar dra chom tag tu ni Sog chö la sog mi je tar

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD THE COMPLETE PRACTICE

Just as the arhats have avoided wrong actions, such as taking the lives of others, So shall I avoid wrong actions such as taking the lives of others. May I quickly attain enlightenment, And may the living beings who are experiencing the various sufferings Be released from the ocean of cyclic existence. The mantra of pure morality OM AMOGHA SHILA SAMBHARA / BHARA BHARA / MAHA SHUDDHA SATTVA PADMA BIBHUSHITA BHUDZA / DHARA DHARA / SAMANTA / AVALOKITE HUM PHAT SVAHA (21x)

Prayer to keep pure morality May I maintain faultless morality of the rules And immaculate morality. May I complete the perfection of moral conduct By keeping morality purely and untainted by pride.

Make three prostrations.

Dedication prayers May the supreme jewel bodhicitta That has not arisen, arise and grow; And may that which has arisen not diminish But increase more and more. Due to these virtues may all beings Complete the collections of merit and wisdom And attain the two holy bodies That arise from merit and wisdom. Just as the brave Manjushri and Samantabhadra, too, Realized things as they are, I, too, dedicate all these merits in the best way, That I may follow their perfect example.

I dedicate all these roots of virtue With the dedication praised as the best By the victorious ones thus gone of the three times, So I might perform good works.

The mantra of pure morality OM AMOGHA SHILA SAMBHARA / BHARA BHARA / MAHA SHUDDHA SATTVA PADMA BIBHUSHITA BHUDZA / DHARA DHARA / SAMANTA / AVALOKITE HUM PHAT SVAHA (21x) Prayer to keep pure morality Thrim kyi tshül thrim kyön me ching Tshül thrim nam par dag dang dän Lom sem me päi tshül thrim kyi Tshül thrim pha röl chhin dzog shog

Make three prostrations.

Dedication prayers Jang chhub sem chhog rin po chhe Ma kye pa nam kye gyur chig Kye wa nyam pa me pa yang Gong nä gong du phel war shog Ge wa di yi kye wo kün Sö nam ye she tsog sag shing Sö nam ye she lä jung wäi Dam pa nyi yi tob par shog Jam päl pa wö ji tar khyen pa dang Kün tu zang po de yang de zhin te De dag kün gyi je su dag lob chhir Ge wa di dag tham chä rab tu ngo Dü sum sheg päi gyäl wa tham chä kyi Ngo wa gang la chhog tu ngag pa de Dag gi ge wäi tsa wa di kün kyang Zang po chö chhir rab tu ngo war gyi

4 Taking the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination by His Holiness Trijang Dorje Chang

EXPLANATION OF THE ORDINATION PRAYER (See pp. 17–19)

Just as the previous tathagatas. The previous buddhas, those who have gone beyond, (placed the mind in meditative equipoise) with transcendental wisdom similar to the reality of all existence, suchness and the sphere of emptiness. Another meaning of the word ta t h a g a t a is found in the text Exp r essing the Names of Man j u g o s h a : “As the Bud d h a speaks, thus he acts,” which means just as the sentient beings, who are the object to be subdued, wer e shown practice and abandonment (the path), similarly in the past the Buddha himself entered that path and practiced until he reached the state of Bud d h a h o o d . Foe destroye r s (or a rh a t s) refers to those who have destroye d without remainder all four gross and subtle hindrances (ma r as ) . Perfectly completed buddhas refers to those who have completed purely all the qualities of realization and abandonment without exception; who are purified of the darkness of ignorance, which constantly disturbs with the subtle imprints of the mistakes of the hallucinated dualistic view; and who have developed the wisdom that is able to perceive all objects of knowledge of the two truths: the way things exist (the absolute truth) and how many there are (conventional truth). Like the divine wise horserefers to the (wise) horse that is fit to be ridden by a wheel-turning king and follows a pleasant path without danger, protecting its rider. Such a horse carries its rider to a place of happiness, without disturbance. Likewise, the Buddha takes upon himself indefatigably the responsibility of working for others; that is, leading sentient beings to liberation and omniscient mind by not disturbing the three doors with mistakes of the vices. The great elephant is an elephant that can carry a load no ordinary horse or elephant can. Similarly, the Great Compassionate One

In order to fully complete the practices harmonious with enlighten ment refers to the four close contemplations and so on. And in order to definitely actualize the unsurpassed result of perfect, complete enlightenment refers to the attainment of enlightenment, with the result abandonment and the completion of all realizations. Perfectly performed the Restoring and Purifying Ordination means the Eight Mahayana Precepts. Similarly, also I, who am called (say your name), from this time until tomorrow sunrise, for the welfare of all sentient beings, in order to benefit, in order to liberate… and so forth means thus, for the sake of sentient beings, to benefit and liberate them, from this time until sunrise tomorrow I shall also correctly take and protect the eightlimbed ordination, which restores the Mahayana root of virtue and purifies negative karma (non-virtue). With this attitude, recite the prayer verbally. PRAYER OF THE PRECEPTS With the thought of protecting the precepts, the commitment prayer should now be recited once. (See pp. 19–20) The second part of the commitment prayer concerns the meaning of and the need for taking the precepts. “I n order to benefit sentient beings, to liberate them and so forth , fr om now until tomorrow sunrise I shall res t o r e the Mahayana roo t s of virtue and purify all non-virtue by also taking the eight-branched or dination.” Thinking in this way, recite the prayer .

Explanation of the eight branches Recitation of the commitment prayer is followed by the method of protecting the precepts. It is not sufficient merely to receive the precepts; one must protect them from becoming undermined by recognizing the eight abandonments and observing them purely . What are these eight? They are the abandonments of the four root and the four branch vows.

The four root vows The first root vow is to abandon killing: From now on I shall not kill. The basis of killing is another sentient being. Recognition of the object is the thought that identifies the object. The motivation is the intention to kill, motivated by one of the three poisons. The action carries a load that cannot be carried by Hearers (shravaka) or Solitary Realizers (pratyekabuddha)—the constant responsibility to accomplish for all sentient beings their unsurpassable benefit and happiness without even being asked (by them to do so). Did what had to be done means went to the limit of abandonment (of one’s own work). Performed actions means voluntarily took the responsibility of working for others in whatever way was necessary to subdue their minds. Laid down the burden. The Buddha’s mental continuum left the burden of the defiled receiver aggregates born from karma and afflictions. Subsequently attained their own wel f a r e. Having accomplished the wo r ks for others—the deeds of the Sons of the Victors (bodhisa t t v as)—they found the result, the great sorrowless state. Completely exhausted the fetters to existence. Having exhausted the dependent arising of all arisings (all suffering comes from delusion and karma), which

includes the disturbing thoughts and karma that produce their own result, true suffering. Had perfect speech. The Buddha gives infallible advice, showing the virtuous Dharma at the beginning, in the middle and at the end. The Buddha’s teaching does not deceive. Well-liberated minds. The holy mind is liberated from the bondage of samsara, where the delusions disturb one all the time. Well-liberated wisdom is the wisdom that is not only liberated from the obscurations of the disturbing thoughts but also well liberated from the obscurations to knowledge, thereby possessing the all-knowing transcendental wisdom. For the welfare of all sentient beings means having given up working for oneself. In order to benefit means to bring all sentient beings temporarily to higher rebirths. In order to liberate means to lead them ultimately to definite goodness (liberation and enlightenment). In order to eliminate famine refers to eliminating the poverty of not having Dharma and material needs. In order to eliminate sickness refers to the sicknesses of body and mind and to the chronic diseases of the three poisons (anger, attachment and ignorance).

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD TAKINGTHE MAHAYANA RESTORING AND PURIFYING ORDINATION

without actually speaking, for example, merely nodding one’s head or making some other facial or physical gesture. Completion is when another person understands the (false) meaning of the action. “I shall not speak false words” means making the commitment not to lie, from the most serious way, such as lying about one’s spiritual realizations, to the most simple way, or even as a joke.

The four branch vows The first branch vow is: I shall avoid intoxicants, from which many faults arrise. In t oxicants, such as beer, wine and so forth, are mixt u res of several ingredients. Their use can unbalance the mind and definitely create the conditions for many non-virtuous harms and mistakes to arise, either quickly or gradually, depending upon o n e’s mind. In general, ordained people are not allowed to drink e ven a drop of any intoxicant and, during a Mahayana ord i n a t i o n such as this, even lay people must abstain completely from taking i n t ox i c a n t s . The second branch vow is: I shall not sit on large, high or expen sive beds. This also refers to large thrones made of gold, silver, sandalwood, medicinal woods, precious jewels and so forth, and one must avoid seats made of glossy silk and tiger or lion skins as well. The third branch vow is: I shall not eat food at the wrong times. In general, ordained people should take food at the proper time, which for them is between sunrise and noon. Upon taking the Eight Mahayana Precepts, one must avoid black foods, such as meat, eggs, garlic and onions, and eat food of the three white substances before noon, in one sitting, and not get up to take a second helping. One must then abandon eating food at the wrong time—from noon that day until sunrise the next. The fourth branch vow is: I shall avoid singing, dancing, and playing music, and I shall not wear perfumes, garlands or ornaments. One should not use, out of attachment, scents of incense and flowers, such as jasmine, saffron, crocus, marigold and calendula. One should not wear on the head or neck garlands of turquoise, coral, pearls or flowers. One should not wear ornaments of gold or turquoise. One should abandon dancing to rhythm, clapping one’s hands or stomping one’s feet for the sake of splendor or pleasure. Also to be abandoned, when done just for fun, are playing musical instruments and singing, and, for the sake of grace and charm, put

completes the wish to kill by means of poison, weapon, mantra and so forth. Completion comes when the other sentient being dies before oneself. “I shall not kill” means making the commitment not to take the life of a single sentient being, from a human down to the smallest insect, from now until sunrise tomorrow. The second root vow is to abandon taking that which is not given: (I shall not) take others’ possessions. The basis is something that is claimed by another to be his or her own. Recognition is the thought that identifies the object. One of the three afflictions gives rise to the motivation, which is the wish to take the object, even though it has not been given. The action is performed by means of force, stealth or deceit. The completion of the action is the satisfaction that one has obtained the object. “I shall not take” means making a commitment not to take wealth or possessions that have not been given, from the most valuable to the most insignificant, such as a needle and thread, as long as the object is claimed by another to be his or her own. The third root vow is to avoid sexual activity: (I shall not ) engage in sexual activity.The basis of sexual misconduct is improper objects (such as one’s parents), wrong organs (such as the oral or anal orifices), or women who are pregnant or observing precepts. Also included is sexual activity near holy objects, such as the guru or the Triple Gem. Recognition is the identification of the sexual object. The motivation is the intention to perform the sexual act, and comes from the afflictions, the three poisonous minds. The action is making the effort to engage in the sexual act. The completion is when the sexual organs meet and pleasure is experienced. “I shall not engage in sexual acitivity” means making the commitment not to engage in the sexual act of union of the male and female organs, or any other similar action. The fourth root vow is to abandon lying: (I shall not) speak false words. The basis for telling a lie can be saying that one has seen something when one has not, heard something when one has not, remembered something when one has not, or doubted something when one has not. Or, it can be saying that one has not seen, heard, remembered or doubted something when in fact one has. The motivating affliction can be any one of the three poisons. The motivation is the wish to speak words that deceive. The action can be telling a lie oneself, getting another to lie for one, or even deceiving

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD TAKING THE MAHAYANA RESTORING AND PURIFYING ORDINATION

(to avoid high and expensive beds and seats; singing, dancing and so f o rth; and taking food at improper times) are the branches of p e n i t e n c e . If, having committed oneself to observing these vows, one conducts oneself carelessly, one will accumulate the shortcomings not only of not observing them, but also of telling lies. Therefore, one must protect these vows with mindfulness and awareness. If, through carelessness, the vows are degenerated, one should recite the mantra of pure morality three times to purify and restore them.

THE MANTRA OF IMMACULATE MORALITY

OM AMOGHA SHILA SAMBHARA / BHARA BHARA / MAHA SHUDDHA SATTVA PADMA BIBHUSHITA BHUDZA / DHARA DHARA / SAMANTA / AVALOKITE HUM PHAT SVAHA

This mantra is recited twenty-one times during the ordination ceremony, and its meaning is as follows:

OM this sound adorns the beginning of most mantras AMOGHA meaningful SHILA morality SAMBHARA assembled BHARA BHARA develop, develop MAHA great SHUDDHA pure SATTVA mind PADMA lotus BI aspect BHUSHITA adorn BHUDZA hand DHARA DHARA holder, holder SAMANTA of all AVALOKITE looking with each eye (Avalokiteshvara) HU M PHA T SV AH A

“Assembly of morality, meaningful purified mind increase, increase, hand adorned in the aspect of the Lotus Holder, Holder of All, Avalokiteshvara.” ting on rouge, nail polish and so forth. Massaging the body with ointments and oils should also be avoided completely. However, there is no harm or negative karma in singing, dancing and playing musical instruments as offerings to the Triple Gem, or in sitting on a high throne to give teachings. In fact, such activities cause the accumulation of merit. The way in which these eight branches should be protected is:

Just as the arhats have avoided wrong actions, such as taking the lives of others, So shall I avoid wrong actions such as taking the lives of others. May I quickly attain enlightenment, And may the living beings who are experiencing the various sufferings Be released from the ocean of cyclic existence. If one wonders how one can possibly protect these vows, one should think of the previous tathagatas, who protected the precepts fore ve r, and the shortcomings of not holding the root and branch vows of avoiding killing and so forth. One should practice these abandonments and protect them purely with all actions of body, speech and mind for the benefit of all sentient beings, thinking: “From now until sunrise tomorrow I shall abandon the eight actions of killing and so forth. By abandoning them and o b s e rving purely the eight branches, may I quickly attain unsurpassable, complete enlightenment.” And may the living beings who are experiencing the various suf ferings be released from the ocean of cyclic existence refers to the fact that even after one attains full and complete enlightenment, mother sentient beings will still be living in fear, constantly tossed by the violent waves of the three sufferings (suffering of suffering, suffering of change and perva s i ve suffering). Think: “By myself, I shall liberate them from the four floods of birth, aging, sickness and death,” and generate the altruistic Mahayana thought, aspiring to attain enlightenment for the sake of others. The import a n c e of the need to train in the two aspirations to liberate sentient beings from cyclic existence cannot be ove re m p h a s i zed. The first four vows (to avoid killing, stealing, sexual activity and lying) are the branches of practicing morality; abandoning intoxi c a n t s is the branch of practicing conscientiousness; and the remaining three

THE DIRECTAND UNMISTAKEN METHOD TAKINGTHE MAHAYANA RESTORING AND PURIFYING ORDINATION

5 Special Allowances for Taking the Precepts by Geshe Lamrimpa

It is said in the auto-commentary to Abhidharmakosha that it is acceptable for people such as butchers (who do not kill at night) and prostitutes (who do not work during the day) to take the precepts for less than a day and a night. If such people take the Eight Mahayana Precepts they will have the fruits of the practice, and therefore, if the precepts are taken for just half the period and protected during that time, there is no fault; in fact, they will become very meaningful. One should try to observe the precepts for the entire period of a day and a night, but if one cannot observe them for the complete twenty-four hour period, one can observe them for half that time, or for even a half-hour . When the precepts are taken, the exact duration for which they will be observed should be stated: “from now until sunset tonight,” for example. In the teachings of Gelong Jangchub Zangpo it is said that since (the Mahayana) accepts the taking of the bodhisattva vows from now until enlightenment, this principle also applies to the Eight Mahayana Precepts, which can also be generated from now until that time. Compendium of All Explanations (Kun-tu Nam-sha), composed by Gyaltseb Je, also says that the Eight Mahayana Precepts can be generated for more than twenty-four hours. He says that the assertion that the fast-day precepts are generated for only a day and a night and no longer is found in the tradition propounded by one particular Hearers’ school of thought and is a mistake. In the teachings of Maitripa, the request when the precepts are given is, “Venerable (Tib. dzumpa, ‘firm in avoiding nonvirtue’), please pay attention to me. I, the upasaka [lay holder of precepts] whose name is …, until the essence of enlightenment….” Acc o r ding to Kun k y en Jamyang Shepa, the method of the nearabiding eight precepts taken until enlightenment is stated in the explanations of various sutras and tantras. The Mahayana Restoring and

beggars, one receives separately both the benefits of protecting the precepts (one keeps) and the shortcomings of not protecting the precepts (one doesn’t keep). Even if one falls short on one precept, one should protect the others as much as possible. Even if one precept, such as fasting, is broken for some reason, one should not abandon it entirely for the rest of the day—whenever possible one should still protect it. (The degenerated vow should be immediately purified and restored by reciting the purification mantra three times.) As explained before, if one protects just one precept for even a second, one receives immeasurable benefits—benefits that are not received merely by not engaging in harmful actions (without having taken the vows). One should have the preliminary thought, “In the presence of the holy object I shall protect the vows from now until….” In short, if one wishes not to let oneself down, even though one can protect only one precept, one should protect it. Furthermore, even if that one precept can be kept for only a brief moment, one should protect it for that time.

Purifying Ordination is definitely generated up until enlightenment because it incorporates the mind generation of bodhicitta. Even the Lesser Vehicle tradition, which does not accept that the vow of near-abiding can last for more than one day, contains the opportunity of taking the vows for many days at one ceremony.The texts of Thubten Jhidor state that one is allowed to take the precepts for many days at a time. Even though the eight fast-day precepts are definitely a branch of the one-day approaching and abiding precepts, on occasions such as the celebration of Buddha’s Great Miraculous Deeds, if the precepts are to be observed without interruption for half a month, they may be taken just once for that duration. Besides, if the ceremony of the one-day vows is recited up to fifteen times, there is no mistake in this becoming the one-day vows for as many days as the number of recitations. The commentary to Abhidharmakosha says that if one is taking the fast-day precepts for a continuous period of half a month or so, it is acceptable to take them at one ceremony by reciting the prayer the same number of times as days the precepts will be observed, or else one can simply say, “I shall observe the precepts from the first day of the month until the fifteenth.”

Also, if one wants to take the precepts every eighth, fifteenth and thirtieth days of the month for one year, it is acceptable for one to take the vows by changing the wording to “I shall observe the precepts every eighth, fifteenth and thirtieth of each month of this year.” If the near-abiding precepts can be taken for many days at one time, there is no need to mention that the Mahayana Restoring and Purifying Ordination can be taken for as many days as one wants. Nevertheless, if one is able to take them freshly every day, there are many benefits in stabilizing memory and awareness, and the practice becomes perfect. The question can arise, “If one degenerates one of the four root vows, is it necessary to continue to protect the other seven?” Once there were two wandering beggars, one of whom protected all his vows and, as a result, was born as a king in the human realm. The wife of the other insisted that he eat fruit in the afternoon, and he could not refuse. Due to breaking this precept he was unable to attain rebirth in the human realm, but because he observed the remaining seven precepts he was reborn as a king of the nagas. Eventually, both attained the state of a foe destroyer. Like the two

THE DIRECT AND UNMISTAKEN METHOD SPECIAL ALLOWANCES

6 Dedication by His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama

Reading about the Eight Mahayana Precepts, observing them or even rejoicing when others observe such a practice creates great positive potential in our minds. In order that this [positive potential] be of greatest benefit to us and to others, it is very helpful to dedicate it following the example of the bodhisattva Shantideva.

May all beings everywhere Plagued by sufferings of body and mind Obtain an ocean of happiness and joy By virtue of my merits. May no living creature suffer, Commit evil or ever fall ill. May no one be afraid or belittled, With a mind weighed down by depression. May the blind see forms, And the deaf hear sounds. May those whose bodies are worn with toil Be restored on finding repose. May the naked find clothing, The hungry find food; May the thirsty find water And delicious drinks. May the poor find wealth, Those weak with sorrow find joy; May the forlorn find hope, Constant happiness and prosperity. May there be timely rains And bountiful harvests;

Notes

1. From Collected Wo rk s, commentary by Trusang Rinpoche. Translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 2. From The Method for Taking the Mahayana Precepts Written in a Clear Explanation as an Ascending Stair to the Mansion of Great Purification. Translated by Venerable Thubten Dekyong. 3. From Nyung Nä: The Means of Achievement of the Eleven-Faced Great Compassionate One, Avalokiteshvara of the (Bhikshuni) Lakshmi Tradition, composed by Losang Kälsang Gyatso, the Se venth Dalai Lama. Compiled and translated by Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche and George Churinoff. Wisdom Publications, 1995. 4. From A Whole Single Collection. Translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. 5. From a teaching given in Tibet. Translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Venerable Thubten Gyatso. Acknowledgements

Chiu-Nan Lai edited the first English version of this book with Frank Brock. Venerable Thubten Detong helped with the second edit, and Venerable Thubten Gyatso with the third (in particular, with advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the translation of Special Allowances for Taking the Precepts). The whole text was then edited by Nick Ribush and checked again by Lama Zopa Rinpoche. Finally, Venerable Ailsa Cameron has edited and revised the text for this edition. The complete practice (Chapter 3) has been formatted to conform with the version in Essential Buddhist Prayers, An FPMT Prayer Book, Volume 1, edited by Venerable Connie Miller. May all medicine be effective And wholesome prayers bear fruit. May all who are sick and ill Quickly be freed from their ailments. Whatever diseases there are in the world, May they never occur again. May the frightened cease to be afraid And those bound be freed; May the powerless find power And may people think of benefiting each other.

THE DIRECTAND UNMISTAKEN METHOD

THE ARCHIVE TRUST

The work of the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Arch i v e falls into two categories: ar chiving and dissemination. ARCHIVING requires managing the audiotapes of teachings by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche that have already been collected, collecting tapes of teachings given but not yet sent to the ARCHIVE, and collecting tapes of Lama Zopa’s on-going teachings, talks, advice and so forth as he travels the world for the benefit of all. Tapes are then catalogued and stored safely while being kept accessible for further work. We organize the transcription of tapes, add the transcripts to the already existent database of teachings, manage this database, have transcripts checked, and make transcripts available to editors or others doing research on or practicing these teachings. Other archiving activities include working with videotapes and photographs of the Lamas and digitizing ARCHIVE materials. DIS S E M I N A TI O N in v ol v es making the Lamas’ teachings avai l a b l e di r ectly or indirectly through various avenues such as books for free distribution, regular books for the trade, lightly edited transcripts, audioand videotapes, and articles in Man d a l a and other magazines, and on our Web site. Irr es p e c t i v e of the method we choose, the teachings req u i r e a significant amount of work to prep a r e them for distribution. This is just a summary of what we do. The ARCHIVE was established with virtually no seed funding and has developed solely through the kindness of many people, some of whom we have mentioned at the front of this book. Our further development similarly depends upon the generosity of those who see the benefit and necessity of this work, and we would be extremely grateful for your help. THE ARCHIVE TRUST has been established to fund the above activities and we hereby appeal to you for your kind support. If you would like to make a contribution to help us with any of the above tasks or to sponsor books for free distribution, please contact us by any of the means shown opposite.

THE LAMA YESHE WISDOM ARCHIVE (LYWA) is the collected works of Lama Thubten Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. Its spiritual director, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, founded the Archive in 1996 to make available in various ways the teachings it contains. Publication and distribution of free books of edited teachings like this is one of the ways. Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche began teaching at Kopan Monastery, Nepal, in 1970. Since then, their teachings have been recorded and transcribed. At present the LYWA contains about 7,000 cassette tapes and approximately 45,000 pages of transcribed teachings on computer disk. Many tapes, mostly teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche, remain to be transcribed. As Rinpoche continues to teach, the number of tapes in the ARCHIVE increases accordingly. Most of the transcripts have been neither checked nor edited. Here at the LYWA we are making every effort to organize the transcription of that which has not yet been transcribed, to edit that which has not yet been edited, and generally to do the many other tasks detailed as follows. In all this, we need your help. Please contact us for more information:

The Foundation for the Pres e r vation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) is an international organization of Buddhist meditation study and ret r ea t centers, both urban and rural, monasteries, publishing houses, healing centers and other related activities founded in 1975 by Lama Th u b t e n Yeshe and Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche. At present, there are more than 150 FPMT activities in twenty-eight countries worldwide. The FPMT has been established to facilitate the study and practice of Mahayana Buddhism in general and the Tibetan Gelug tradition, founded in the fifteenth century by the great scholar, yogi and saint, Lama Je Tsong Khapa, in particular. Ever y three months, the Foundation publishes a magazine, Man d a l a , fr om its International Office in the United States of America. To subscribe or view back issues, please go to the Man d a l a Web site, www.mandalamagazine.org, or contact:

FPMT 125B La Posta Rd., Taos, NM 87571, USA Telephone (505) 758-7766; fax (505) 758-7765 fpmtinfo@fpmt.org www.fpmt.org Our Web site also offers teachings by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Lama Yeshe, Lama Zopa Rinpoche and many other highly respected teachers in the tradition, details about the FPMT’s educational programs, a complete listing of FPMT centers all over the world and in your area, and links to FPMT centers on the Web , where you will find details of their pr ograms, and other interesting Buddhist and Tibetan home pages.

The LA M A YE S H E WI S D O M ARC H I V E is a 501(c)(3) taxdeductible, non-profit corporation (ID number 04-3374479) dedicated to the welfare of all sentient beings and totally dependent upon your donations for its continued existence. Thank you so much for your support. You may contribute by mailing a check, bank draft or money order to our Weston address; by mailing or faxing us your credit card number or by phoning it in; or by transferring funds directly to our bank: Name of bank: Fleet ABA routing number 011000138 Account: LYWA 546-81495 SWIFT address: FNBB US 33

WHAT TO DO WITH DHARMA TEACHINGS

THE BUDDHA DHARMA IS THE TRUE SOURCE OF HAPPINES S for all sentient beings. Books like the one in your hand show you how to put the teachings into practice and integrate them into your life, whereb y you get the happiness you seek. Th e r ef o r e, anything containing Dha r m a teachings or the names of your teachers is more precious than other material objects and should be treated with respect. To avoid crea t i n g the karma of not meeting the Dharma again in future lives, please do not put books (or other holy objects) on the floor or underneath other st u f f , step over or sit upon them, or use them for mundane purposes such as propping up wobbly tables. They should be kept in a clean, high place, separate from worldly writings, and wrapped in cloth when being carried around. These are but a few considerations. Should you need to get rid of Dharma materials, they should not be thrown in the rubbish but burned in a special way. Briefly: do not incinerate such materials with other trash, but alone, and as they burn, recite the mantra OM AH HU M . As the smoke rises, visualize that it pervades all of space, carrying the essence of the Dharma to all sentient beings in the six samsaric realms, purifying their minds, alleviating their suffering, and bringing them all happiness, up to and including enlightenment. Some people might find this practice a bit unusual, but it is given according to tradition. Thank you ver y much.

DEDICATION

THR OU G H TH E ME R I T CR E A TE D by preparing, reading, thinking about and sharing this book with others, may all teachers of the Dharma live long and healthy lives, may the Dharma spread throughout the infinite reaches of space, and may all sentient beings quickly attain enlightenment. In whichever realm, country, area or place this book may be, may there be no war, drought, famine, disease, injury, disharmony or unhappiness, may there be only great pros p e r i t y , may ever ything needed be easily obtained, and may all be guided by only perfectly qualified Dha r m a teachers, enjoy the happiness of Dharma, have love and compassion for all sentient beings, and only benefit and never harm each other.

OTHER TEACHINGS OF LAMA YESHE AND LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE

BOOKS PUBLISHED BY WISDOM PUBLICATIONS

Wisdom Energy, by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche Introduction to Tantra, by Lama Yeshe Transforming Problems, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Door to Satisfaction, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche The Tantric Path of Purification, by Lama Yeshe The Bliss of Inner Fire, by Lama Yeshe Ultimate Healing, by Lama Zopa Rinpoche A number of transcripts by Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche are also available. For more information about these transcripts or the books mentioned above, see the Wisdom Publications Web site (www.wisdompubs.org) or contact Wisdom directly at 199 Elm Street, Somerville, MA 02144, USA, or Wisdom distributors such as Snow Lion Publications (USA), Wisdom Books (England) or Mandala Books (Australia).

Introduction to Tantra: 2 tapes, US$40 The Three Principal Aspects of the Path: 2 tapes, US$40 Offering Tsok to Heruka Vajrasattva: 3 tapes, US$50 Shipping and handling extra. Available from LYWA, Mandala Books, Wisdom Books or Meridian Trust (London). Contact LYWA for mo r e details or see our Web site, www.L a m a Y es h e . c o m .

LAMA THUBTEN ZOPA RINPOCHE was born in Thami, Nepal, in 1946. At the age of three he was rec o g n i z ed as the reincarnation of the Lawudo Lama, who had lived nearby at Lawudo, within sight of Rinpoche’s Thami home. Rinpoche’s own description of his early yea r s may be found in his book, The Door to Sat i s f a c t i o n (Wis d o m Publications). At the age of ten, Rinpoche went to Tibet and studied and meditated at Domo Geshe Rinpoche’s monastery near Pagri, until the Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 forced him to forsake Tib e t for the safety of Bhutan. Rinpoche then went to the Tibetan ref u g e e camp at Buxa Dua r , West Bengal, India, where he met Lama Yes h e , who became his closest teacher. The Lamas went to Nepal in 1967, and over the next few years built Kopan and Lawudo Monasteries. In 1971 Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave the first of his famous annual lamrim ret r eat courses, which continue at Kopan to this day. In 1974, with Lama Yeshe, Rinpoche began traveling the world to teach and establish centers of Dharma. When Lama Yeshe passed away in 1984, Rinpoche took over as spiritual head of the FPMT, which has continued to flourish under his peerless leadership. Mor e details of Ri n p o c h e ’s life and work may be found on the FPMT Web site, ww w .fpmt.org. Rinpoche’s other published teachings include Wisdom Enegy (with Lama Yeshe), Tran s f o r ming Prob l e m s , Door to Sat i s f a c t i o n , Bliss of Inner Fir eand Ultimate Hea l i n g and a number of transcripts and practice booklets (available from Wisdom at www.w i s d o m p u b s . o r g ) .