may/jun 2013

MCI (P) 085/02/2013

Especially for you:

Read about Lama Zopa

Rinpoches teachings
at ABC, March 2013

Amitabha Buddhist Centre is a centre

for the study and practice of Mahayana
Buddhism, based on the tradition of
Lama Tsong Khapa, in the lineage of
Lama Thubten Yeshe and our Spiritual
Director, Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
OUR VISION
Learn to Be Happy
Courage to cherish all
Wisdom to see the truth
Faith in Buddhas peace
Follow Our Four-fold Path
Inspire
Connect
Learn
Practise

SPIRITUAL DIRECTOR

Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche

RESIDENT TEACHER

Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi

PRESIDENT

Tan Hup Cheng

SPIRITUALPROGRAMME COORDINATOR

Ven. Tenzin Gyurme

CENTRE MANAGER

Koh Zi Yen
ADMINISTRATION

Alicia Lee
Denis Kwan

OFFICE HOURS
Open daily except Mondays
Tuesdays Saturdays:
10.30 am 6 pm
Sundays: 10 am 6 pm
(Hours extended to 7.30 pm when
evening sessions are scheduled)

AMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE

44 Lorong 25A Geylang Road
Singapore 388244
Tel: 6745 8547 Fax: 6741 0438
www.fpmtabc.org
centre@fpmtabc.org

Making Offerings
How Unbelievably
Precious!
Teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Especially for You
The much-anticipated visit by Lama Zopa Rinpoche to ABC has come and gone.
Over just four days from 7th to 10th March, our precious Guru and Spiritual
Director bestowed advice and teachings, granted an initiation and refuge vows,
and accepted our offering of the long life puja. Rinpoche delved into a variety
of topics, ranging from how to make offerings, to advice on offering service to
the centre, to the meaning of going for refuge.
For the benefit of TASHI DELEK readers, we will be featuring a selection of
Rinpoches teachings in every issue for the rest of 2013. Starting with this issue,
we present teachings by Rinpoche on the benefits of making offerings and
important advice from Rinpoche on special mantras that we should recite to
ward off sickness and harm. Its all here from page 3 to 9.

Blessings of Buddhas Birth,

Enlightenment & Parinirvana
This year, Vesak Day is side by side with the Tibetan date of Saka Dawa 15th.
Vesak Day falls on 24th May while 25th May marks the Buddhas deeds of birth,
enlightenment and parinirvana in the Tibetan calendar. According to the
Vinaya text, Treasure of Quotations and Logic, the 15th day of Saka Dawa
(Tibetan for fourth month) is a day when all virtues performed are multiplied
by 100 million times!
ABC will be in the midst of our Vesak Celebration 2013 on this merit-multiplying
day. Make good use of all the opportunities that we provide to collect heaps of
merittake part in pujas, make plentiful offerings and circumambulate the
many holy objects on display. Celebrate Vesak and Saka Dawa 15th together!
Find details about Vesak Celebration 2013 on the back page.

New Basic Program Module

From 25th June, Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi will begin teaching Module 4
of the Basic ProgramThe Six Perfections and the Heart Sutra. On the topic
of the Six Perfections, Khen Rinpoche will continue from where he left off in
June 2012 with Module 1: Middling Stages of the Path to Enlightenment.
The Heart Sutra will be taught as a separate subject after the Six Perfections.
The Basic Program is an advanced level five-year course which covers the key
aspects of Buddhist philosophy that are traditionally taught in the monasteries.
For newcomers, please note that students have enrolled in this run of the Basic
Program since it started in June 2011. You are welcome to sit in the classes.
However, as the material covered can be challenging, it is recommended that
one has prior knowledge of Buddhist concepts in order to appreciate the
teachings. For the schedule, turn to the May/June calendar on page 14 15.

From page 3 to 9, we bring you an edited selection of the teachings given by Lama Zopa Rinpoche
at Amitabha Buddhist Centre on 8th and 9th March, beginning with the benefits of making
offerings. Rinpoches incredibly precious advice on offering practice is to inspire us to accumulate
the greatest merit at any opportunity, advice worth bearing in mind as we celebrate Vesak and the
Tibetan Saka Dawa 15th this May.

ust seeing the portraits or

statues of Buddha purifies your
mind and plants the seed of
enlightenment. Whether a believer
or non-believer, you get that benefit,
to be free from oceans of samsaric
suffering which we have never been
free from since beginningless rebirth
up till now. It gives the opportunity,
so incredibly precious.
Offer one grain of rice, no matter how
small the picture is, the statue, stupa
or scripture. The incredible benefit
is you will achieve the happiness
of samsara. You will get that much
happiness from beginningless rebirth
until now, and that much to be
experienced in the future. This is the
benefit you get, the person who offers
one grain or one tiny flower.
It is mentioned in the Sutra of
Piled Flowers, you can achieve
that much happiness. That is most
amazing! On top of that, ultimate
happiness, liberation from samsara,
liberation from oceans of samsaric
suffering, forever. On top of that,
full enlightenment, total cessation
of not only the gross, but even
subtle obscurations. Because of that,
you achieve all the understanding,
omniscient mind, full realisations.
Even after that, you are able to
enlighten numberless hell beings,
hungry ghosts, animals, numberless
human beings, suras, asuras and
intermediate state beings, to free them

from oceans of samsaric suffering.

You, the one person, can free them
from oceans of samsaric suffering and
bring them to full enlightenment. All
that for the person who offers one
grain, one tiny flower to even one
tiny picture, statue or stupa.
Can you imagine how precious the
holy object is? We think it is just
very small, just a statue, and not pay
attention to it as something precious.
This is from not understanding karma
well, the value and the benefits. Even
though you may have heard before,
I want to remind you how precious
it is.
In India, in ancient times, somebody
who had nothing offered medicine
and food to four ordinary monks.
They were not arya beings with direct
perception of emptiness. They were
fully ordained ordinary monks. A
person who had nothing offered them
medicine and food only once. As a
result, that person was reborn as King
Kashyika of India, most powerful,
most wealthy. The cause was just
offering medicine and food only one
time to four ordinary monks.
Now just by seeing a statue or
painting of Buddha, you collect a
numberless great merit. As I gave in
the example, even the medicine and
food given one time has a karmic
result like that. But just by seeing
a picture or statue of Buddha, you

collect a numberless greater merit.

The previous example, compared to
this, becomes very small. This one,
seeing a picture or statue of Buddha,
collects unbelievable, numberless
great merit. It is mentioned in the
Sutra of the Mudra Developing
the Power of Devotion, quoted by
Shantideva [in the Compendium of
Trainings].
Then it is mentioned, if you make
offerings of light, incense, prostrations
and so forth, you collect numberless
greater merit. Now seeing a picture
or statue of Buddha becomes small
compared to this. How they are so
preciousstupas, pictures, statues
how they are unbelievably precious!
We should remember with awareness
in daily life. Respect and make
offerings or prostrations.
Therefore, it is so important to have
many holy objects in the house, not
only on the altar, not only where you
meditate. Maybe in the bathroom
where there is a bad smell maybe it
is not so good. But in America in
Kachoe Dechen Ling, I have one verse
written and framed in the bathroom,
one quotation from Ling Rinpoche.
Rinpoche often recited it so I put it in
the bathroom, but I dont get to read
it every day, sometimes, but not every
day. In the house, there are many
rooms full of Lama Chpa pictures,
the Thirty-five Buddhas, Medicine
Buddhas, many, many. So when you

offering light, it is a butter lamp,

or many times just a candle, an oil
lamp. Only a very limited idea, that
you cant offer the other lights in
the house, the electric lights. Only
offering candles, thinking like that
is wrong. Whatever is more clear,
dispels darkness, that is the better
light. You can offer all the lights in
the house. When you do a sadhana,
when you do offering practice, you
can offer those lights.
By making light offerings, you
are able to dispel the darkness of
ignorance and achieve wisdom. By
offering light, while you are circling
in samsara, you are never in darkness.
There is always light.
And great wealth: just offering
light one time to Buddha, creates
karma for many hundred lifetimes,
thousand lifetimes, to have wealth.
Next one is being born in a higher
rebirth, in a pure land.
You quickly achieve nirvana, not only
nirvana but also the great nirvana,
enlightenment.

These are the benefits of offering

light.
open your eyes, wherever you look, it
is wow, wow, wow, wow, what merit
you collect. But treat them with
respect. You cant put them on the
floor. Some people keep statues for
decoration, not for merit, maybe for
business, putting them on the floor.
That is not good. We must respect.
There is so much negative karma
if you dont respect. It pollutes the
mind.
All the collections of goodness of
samsara and nirvana
All result from making offerings to
the rare Sublime Ones.
In particular, by offering the various
offerings, you get different individual
benefits.
In the Sutra Clarifying Karma:

First one, in the world you become

like the light. Like His Holiness the
Dalai Lama, for example: no matter
how many people there are, Tibetan
lamas, monks or Western-educated
people, His Holiness is there like
the light. Wherever, among all those
people, he is like the light there
among the peoplepure in morality,
learned, good-hearted, all the
qualities. You become like a light in
this life and future lives. Not just one
life, future lives! For five hundred or
one thousand lifetimes, you become
like the light in the world.
You achieve clairvoyance, the second
benefit. One important benefit of
making light offerings is Dharma
wisdom. If you want to develop
Dharma wisdom, then offer light.
Many people might think if you are

It is mentioned in the Sutra of the

Arya Loving Kindness:

If you offer one thousand light

offerings, or offer flowers one
thousand times, offer one thousand
blue utpali flowers to stupas or make
statues of Buddha, when Maitreya
Buddha shows the holy deeds of
enlightenment in this world, you will
be born in front of Maitreya Buddha
at that time.
Maitreya Buddha will show twelve
deeds, as Shakyamuni Buddha did,
after enlightenment. Then he will
be requested to give teaching. At
that time, you will be there. You will
receive the very first teaching from
Maitreya Buddha. Even offering just
one light or a bunch of flowers, or
rejoicing in others collecting merit,
these people who collect merit, these
devas, these human beings who
collect merit, will see the completely
enlightened Maitreya Buddha. Those
who accomplish those merits will be
born as the entourage, as Maitreya
Buddhas disciples. You will be there,
standing before Maitreya Buddha.
Your mind will ripen. You will be able
to generate the path. You will be free
from oceans of samsaric suffering.
You will achieve enlightenment.
Offering light is an especially quick
way to collect merit and to receive
blessings. This creates a special
dependent arising. In the Heruka
Root Tantra, second chapter, it is
mentioned: if you desire attainment
then offer a hundred lights. Here [in
ABC] it is not only a hundred lights, it
is 100,000 light offerings above, and
20,000 lights. Dont think offerings
are only what you have at home.
Thats very, very limited. You must
remember at least at ABC, all the
light offerings. So there are 100,000
lights and 20,000 lights. [See Our
Offerings Are Your Offerings, page
8.]
If you wish to achieve sublime
realisations, marvellous realisations,
offer smell, incense, flowers.
According to ceremonial prayer you
also make offering of a hundred
lights. In the root text of Heruka, it
mentions offering a hundred lights.
If you can, offer as many as possible.
For example, you achieve those higher

In daily life, if you dont practise

making offerings you can see how that
is a great loss. You are born as a human
being, receive a precious human body, yet you never
practise, never make offerings, even for
one day you never make offerings, you
missthat is a great unbelievable loss.
and higher bodhisattva bhumis and
emanate a thousand bodies, hundred
thousand bodies, million bodies, as
you achieve higher realisations.
Any offering we dowater, flowers,
incense, lights, cakeshas ten benefits
as explained in the Sutra Clarifying
Karma. Each offering has different
temporary benefits. Ultimately as
soon as it is offered to Buddha, the
end is total liberation from oceans of
samsaric sufferingsoceans of hell
beings sufferings, oceans of hungry
ghosts sufferings, oceans of animals
sufferings, oceans of human beings
sufferings, oceans of sura and asura
beings sufferings, intermediate state
beings sufferingstotal freedom
from all those, nirvana, perfect state
of peace.
Offering to Buddha always, always
has that benefit, and not only that,
total enlightenment. Total cessation
of not just the disturbing thought
obscuration, the subtle obscuration
which interferes with the mind
becoming an omniscient mind, full
realisation with nothing left to realise,
nothing more to understand.
If you offer to the buddhas, the end
is full enlightenment. That is what
we need to achieve to do perfect
service, perfect work for sentient
beings, to free them from oceans of
samsaric sufferings. The hell beings,
to free them oceans of samsaric
sufferings, and the numberless
hungry ghosts, as well as numberless
animals, numberless human beings,
then numberless universes. There

are numberless human beings in

those worlds. So, numberless human
beings, to free them from oceans
of samsaric sufferings, suras and
asuras, worldly gods, worldly devas,
intermediate state beings. To do
perfect work, you need omniscient
mind, directly understanding the
minds of numberless sentient beings
in each realm, to be able to read ALL
at the same time.
Can you imagine? Can you get the
idea? At the same time: all their
karma, all their levels of intelligence,
directly, and the various methods
to free them from suffering and
cause them temporary and ultimate
happiness, and bring them to full
enlightenment. Knowing every
single methoddifferent teachings,
different adviceknowing exactly
the different methods that fit them,
ultimately, to bring to enlightenment,
knowing everything. Perfect power
to reveal the methods according to
their karma, manifestation of holy
body, holy speech, holy mind, can
you imagine? Numberless forms
according to the karma of numberless
sentient beings, and without any
effort, without motivation, naturally.
As you achieve enlightenment, it
is happening naturally. Amazing,
amazing, amazing!
The articles in this issue of TASHI
DELEK, of Lama Zopa Rinpoches
teachings at ABC, March 2013, (pages
3 to 9) were transcribed and edited by
Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim.

Whole Skies of
Offerings: Benefits of the
Offering Cloud Mantra
Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains that reciting the Offering Cloud Mantra has the power to make
any offering numberless and create skies of merit.

ven if you have only one water

bowl, if you recite this mantra,
it
becomes
numberless
offerings to the buddhas and
bodhisattvas. Every offering becomes
numberless. If you know this mantra
by heart, recite it. You can think the
whole sky is filled with offerings,
mentally transformed. You actually
benefit by reciting this mantra.
Unbelievable benefit, what merit you
collect that day, that time. There is no
comparison with how much money
you can make from business in the
world. Even a billion dollars of profit
is nothing in comparison.
When you are lighting whatever it
is, a butter lamp, a candle, or with
electricity,
remember,
generate
bodhicitta motivation. Make sure its
one hundred per cent. Dedicate the
practice to achieve enlightenment
for numberless sentient beings:
numberless hell beings, hungry
ghosts, animals, human beings, suras,
asuras and intermediate state beings.
I remember many years ago in the old
Kopan Monastery, Lama Lhundrup
was outside. He made one butter
lamp offering then prayed. He offered
one light. It was perfectly done. You
could feel how pure it was, so nicely
the way he did it. For sure it was done
with bodhicitta motivation.
The candle or butter lamp that you
lit is not for your happiness but for
all sentient beings to be freed from
oceans of samsaric suffering, to achieve

enlightenment. You light with that

feeling and immediately offer to the
root guru, for example His Holiness
the Dalai Lama, whoever is your root
guru. You collect HIGHEST merit,
much more than skies of offerings
to numberless Buddha, Dharma,
Sangha, numberless statues, stupas,
scriptures and relics. That in itself
is great, but compared to that, just
by offering to the Guru you have
collected the highest merit. You
can think: Guru is all the Buddha,
Dharma, Sangha, numberless statues,
stupas and scriptures.
If you have time, offer to numberless
Buddha, Dharma, Sangha in the
ten directions, and numberless
statues, stupas, scriptures and relics,
who are the Guru. Not only in this
universe, but the ten directions

Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, statues,

stupas and scriptures manifesting
as the Guru. The second time, offer
in that way. Wow, wow, wow, wow,
the merits! You gain the happiness
up to enlightenment not just one
time but numberless times! You cant
get that from doing business, even if
you make a billion dollars each hour.
I have to bring up business so you
understand this.
With one light, you can visualise
that by the power of the mantra, it
becomes numberless to the buddhas
and bodhisattvas. You visualise whole
skies of offerings, numberless lights,
mentally transformed. The mantra
has the power to increase the offering,
filling whole skies, numberless.
When you recite the Words of
Truth*, you must mentally transform
the offerings. Whole skies filled with
light, how much you have visualised,
that much appears to the buddhas
and bodhisattvas, that much they get.
Reciting the Words of Truth gives the
power.
Buddha has explained in the Kangyur:
Those who do not memorise, who
do not recite this mantra, you make
yourself an extreme fool. Why?
You have no opportunity to get the
extensive benefit of the mantra.
The first benefit is that the minute you
remember this Clouds of Offering
mantra, it already becomes an
offering to the buddhas. How many
buddhas? Equalling the number of
the atoms of the sand grains of the

River Ganges. That many number

of buddhas, even if you are offering
light, one tiny light, even if you are
eating durian.
You get the benefit of prostrating at
the feet of ALL that many numbers
of buddhas.
When you chant this mantra and
having made offeringsof flowers,
incense, garlands, lights, ornaments,
powdered incense, the different robes,
umbrellas, banners, flags, seat and
the monks seat cloth, divine dress,
animals, cakes, and ornamentsyou
actually get the benefit of having
offered to ALL those buddhas.

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 MNDO PASAM KRAMANA
VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA
VAJRE SVAHA
* The Words of Truth which are recited after the Offering Cloud mantra, can be found in the
FPMT Essential Buddhist Prayers, Volume 1 on page 172.

Fourth, you are freed from all the

negative karmas. You get purification.
Fifth, you get all the virtue.
Six, all the buddhas and bodhisattvas
see you and give breath to you. It
means they help free you from the
sufferings of the lower realms.
Seven, if somebody gives harm to
you, it helps to stop that. Smelleaters, suras, asuras, garudas, de gye
(eight worldly protectors or devas
that have to do with weather). If
you do something wrong, they are
unhappy and cause hailstorms,

showers, winds and all sorts of bad

weather. They create harm. If they
are happy, theres peaceful weather.
Kinnaras, mahoragas, Vajrapani and
the Four Guardians will always follow
and protect you. They always guard
you and when there is danger, when
there is harm, they hide you.
Eight, after death, you get born in
Amitabha Pure Land.
Nine, you get these special qualities,
without need of special preparation

and practice, just by offering the

mantra, whether one light offering or
one hundred light offerings.
Then there is the prayer [expressing
the Words of Truth*]. These clouds
of offerings actually performed
and mentally transformed, are all
expressions of the innate awareness
of the mind, expressions of the
dharmakaya. These clouds of
offerings equalling the sky, offer to
all the Gurus, Buddha, Dharma,
Sangha, and their holy body, holy
speech and holy mind.
Numberless buddhas
and
bodhisattvas,
numberless statues,
stupas,
scriptures,
even relics, all are
manifestations of the
root guru. You offer
to allstatues in the
shops,
somebody
making tsa-tsas of
Buddha, anywhere in
the worldyou make
offering to ALL.
If you want happiness,
if you do not want
suffering, you must
put effort into offering
to Buddha, Dharma,
Sangha.

Our Offerings Are Your Offerings

We welcome you to use the abundant offerings at ABC for your daily offering practice to accumulate
skies of merit.

Mantras to Keep
Sickness Away
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has emphasised strongly that there are three very important mantras to
recite to protect against sickness and harm. Here are the mantras, with Rinpoches advice from his
teaching on 9th March at ABC.
Vajra Armour Mantra

This mantra will help to not get

obstacles, sicknesses, in particular cancer,
to not receive harm from other beings.
At the end of the session, you blow over
water then you drink the water. Thats
one way. Then continuously, you blow
in the nose after reciting the mantra.
Think that all the sicknesses, spirit
harms have completely gone away.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche: You must

remember at least at ABC, all the
light offerings. There are 100,000
lights and 20,000 lights. Rinpoche
was referring to the 100,000 LED
lights that illuminate the sixth and
seventh floors of the building (shown
on the right), and the additional
20,000 lights decorating the altars
of the prayer halls on the second and
third floors, including Rinpoches
room (picture above).

OM PDMA SHAWA RI PHAT /

NN PAR SHIG / NAGA NN/
TAD YA THA / SARVA BI RI
TA / HANA HANA / VAJRE NA
RAKSHA RAKSHA SVAHA

Most Secret Hayagriva

Mantra

For our Vesak celebration, ABC will

have 1,000 sets of offerings placed at
the Vesak ground from 23 to 25 May.
To commemorate Saka Dawa 15th,
the date observing Buddhas birth,
enlightenment and parinirvana in the
Tibetan calendar, another 1,000 sets
of offerings will be arranged on the
fifth floor of our building. These are
set up in conjunction with the four
merit-multiplying dates of the year:
the Day of Miracles, Saka Dawa 15th,
Wheel Turning Day, and Buddhas
Descent from the Heaven of Thirtythree. As Saka Dawa 15th falls on 25
May this year, these 1,000 sets of
offerings will be displayed for at least
the month of May.

This mantra is incomparable against

nagas harms. Cancer is caused by
nagas, same as leprosy. Incomparable
to stop diseases caused by nagas, spirits
called tsen, extremely effective.
HRIH
VAJRA
KRODHA
HAYAGRIVA HULU HULU HUM
PHAT

Mantra from The

Dharani Called
Possessing the Limbs of
All the Buddhas

Whoever recites this mantra for

sentient beings every day doesnt
experience untimely death. You wont
experience bad diseases, like cancer and
many other life-threatening diseases.
You wont experience death by water,

from a tsunami, by fire, weapons. You

wont be harmed by poison.
Rinpoche has mentioned before that
the following section of the text is
important to recite:
Then the Bhagavan proceeded toward
the eastern direction and, abiding
there, exhorted all the tathagatas
with the sound of a fingersnap and
spoke thus: All those tathagata foedestroyer perfectly complete buddhas
who, out of mercy for sentient beings,
attained buddhahood in the manifest,
complete enlightenment that is
unsurpassed and perfectly complete,
be my assistants! Then, having been
blessed here by the blessings of all
the buddhas, I will thoroughly avert
untimely death for all sentient beings.
I will also turn the second wheel of
Dharma that I turned before.
Likewise he exhorted all the
tathagatas in the south, west, north,
above, and below speaking thus:
All tathagata foe-destroyer perfectly
complete buddhas, out of mercy for
all sentient beings may the buddhas
who have manifestly completed the
unsurpassed, perfectly complete
enlightenment please assist me!
Likewise he also spoke thus to those
in the intermediate directions in order
for life, strength, and complexion to
be thoroughly accomplished and for
the fear of untimely death to not arise
saying: All buddhas please assist me!
Then, the buddha bhagavans filled,
like a sesame pod, universes equal

to however much earth constituent

exists in the ten directions and
appears to the eyes of the buddhas.
Having accepted to assist the
Tathagata, all the tathagatas spoke
thus: TADYATH / CHAL
CHAL CHALE / VINATI /
SVASTI KE / CHAKRA / ADGATI
/ PRASHA MANTU / SARVA
ROGA / ANTE KUNATE / MAH
KUNATE / CHARE CHARERE
/ HEMA GARI / HEMA GAURI
/ HEMA NISHUNTI / HEMA
SISI / KAURVE KAURVAVE / HE
KURARE / KURARE / KUMATI
/ VISHA SAMANE / SISHUBHI
/ CHALE CHALE / VICHALE /
MVI LAMBA / HUMU HUMU
SVH.
Also all the Lords of the Secret,
however many exist, having sat down
beside all the tathagatas, said: HUM
HUM SISI SVH. They spoke
thus and all the tathagatas vanished.
Then, Great King Vaishravana replied
thus to the Bhagavan: Bhagavan,
I too will protect them with the
blessings of the tathagatas. I will
avert untimely death. TADYATH
/ SHVETE / SHVETE / SHVETE
/ LE LILI. Also Virudhaka said:
MTAM GE MTAM GE
/ MTAM GINI / SHUM
SHUMU. Also Dhritarshta said:
CHARE CHARERE SVH. Also
Virupaksha said: BALIM BABA.
The excerpt of The Dharani Called Possessing
the Limbs of All the Buddhas is taken from the
FPMT edition translated by Ven. Joan Nicell.

Prostrating with Every

Cell, Every Atom
Many who attended Lama Zopa Rinpoches teachings at ABC in March witnessed a miracle. Each
time before ascending the teaching throne, Rinpoche made three full-length prostrations. Only this
year, beginning with his visit to Taiwan, has Rinpoche started doing full-length prostrations again.
Since manifesting a stroke two years ago, it was not certain whether or when Rinpoche would be
physically able to prostrate. But he has!
In a recent blog, Ven. Roger Kunsang, CEO of the FPMT and Rinpoches assistant, described his
experience of watching Rinpoche prostrate. Here is an excerpt:
see Rinpoche do this with such
determination. In the hospital
immediately after the stroke,
Rinpoche commented and also
explained to His Holiness the Dalai
Lama how sad he was that he couldnt
do even one prostration any more
or even bring both hands to the
mudra of prostration at his heart to
respect the Three Jewels. But now up
to twelve long prostrations alone
thats progress! Rinpoche is going in
his own way at his own pace.

10

From Life on the Road with Lama Zopa

Rinpoche, at www.mandalamagazine.org

Rinpoche stood with his hands in

the mudra of prostration before a very
large thangka of Chenresig. Rinpoche
gradually leaned forward, slowly
going to the ground, his stronger
left arm reached for the ground,
fingers contacted the floor. Gradually,
Rinpoche put weight on the arm as
his body leaned forward cautiously.
The left knee moved towards the
ground and made contact. Now the
hard part: the right arm reached out
to touch the ground with Rinpoche
trying to spread his fingers so they
landed open and stretched out on the
floor.

forward awkwardly, always the left side

taking most of the weight. Watching
Rinpoche making this kind of effort is
very moving. I can see others moved
and feeling emotional. The whole hall
is very quiet while Rinpoche is making
such an effort to do a full-length
prostration to all the Buddhas.

Gradually, Rinpoche lowered his body

Its very inspiring and moving to

It wasnt so long ago that Rinpoche

couldnt do this alone and it was
dangerous as he would sometimes feel
dizzy when his head went below the
waist (not a good sign when you have
problems with blood pressure and you
have had a stroke!)

Like a Hard-Shelled Tortoise

to the Finish Line:

My nose to ground journey with prostrations

by Ven. Tenzin Tsultrim

aking
on
a
practice
commitment is all about
keeping it, even if it proves
to be challenging. Perhaps it is less
about the practice, and more about
the person trying to practise.
In thirty days, as I write this, I will
have completed 100,000 full-length
prostrations. There are less than
2,000 to go, to cross the finish line.
Among all the preliminary practices
in our tradition, prostrations are the
most physically demanding. This is
obvious if one has ever seen diligent
prostrators in actionslide down,
stand up, slide down, stand up, over
and over again. It is a wonderful
form of offering, laying down all the
atoms of the body on the ground
in homage to the Three Jewels,
surrendering with refuge to Buddha,
Dharma and Sangha, physical
motion synchronised with a strong
mental attitude. For those endowed
with virtuous determination, able
bodies and time to spare, finishing
100,000 or more prostrations within
a short period of time is an attainable
goal.
I can name a few outstanding
examples. The late Cyndi Yee quit
her job to spend more time on
her practice. She finished 200,000
prostrations, mostly on the verandah
of her apartment. She could do
thousands of prostrations a day.
A fellow nun, an American who
lives in India, completed 100,000
prostrations in less than three months
at the mature age of sixty-four. I also
know a Singaporean monk who
did 900,000 prostrations! It seems
Lama Zopa Rinpoche advised him

to complete a very big number so he

went ahead to do it.
As for me, I didnt take a threemonth holiday and jet off to
Bodhgaya. I opted for the tortoise
lane where I could work at a slow
but steady pace to 100,000. Maybe
if I could simply choose at will
which of the preliminary practices
to do, I would have conveniently
left out prostrations! However, I was
following the first piece of advice
that came out of my first personal
consultation with Lama Zopa
Rinpoche.
Not only was I very fortunate to
have consulted Rinpoche about my
life practices, I was relieved that I did
not receive too elaborate a list with
alarming numbers to fulfil. There are
people who hesitate to ask Rinpoche
about what practices to do because
Rinpoche sometimes prescribes very
lengthy life practices, according to
ones karma.
From Rinpoches divination, I
should do 100,000 prostrations
while reciting the names of the
Thirty-five Confession Buddhas.
This was six years ago. My thought
then was: Karma willing, I should
start on my bucket list while I had
the life and leisure to. More inclined
towards climbing Bukit Timah Hill
than Mount Everest, metaphorically
speaking, I decided that rather than
leap like a hare, I would shuffle like
a tortoise.
I set out on my journey to complete
100,000 prostrations on 23rd April
2008. With baby steps, I thought,
I would surely reach the goal. I
began with a modest thirty-nine

prostrations a day. Occasionally, I did

short retreats to focus on chalking up
a higher figure. I made it up to 500 a
day. Besides the Thirty-five Buddhas
names, I also recite the names of the
Medicine Buddhas, a practice which
Rinpoche recommends.
Eventually, I settled into a routine of
fifty prostrations every day. It takes
just ten minutes to do. However, an
acquired resistance towards physical
exertion means that I typically
postpone this daily nose to ground
appointment until I have finished
my other prayers and practices.
In spite of being lazy and not
always being able to conjure up a
perfect motivation, I have stuck by
my commitment. Wherever I have
been in the past five years, whatever
the mood or condition, I have
prostrated. I recall times when I was
ill, with fever, nausea and terrible
headaches, lying in bed weak and
exhausted, yet somehow by the end
of that day I would have summoned
up the strength to complete at least
thirty-five prostrations.
I have prostrated wherever I have
travelled. Sometimes I would pack
a yoga mat so that I could prostrate
in hotel or hostel rooms. But later
on I discovered that it was possible
to prostrate on most beds. I just
had to find the right balance on the
mattress so I didnt topple over!
When I visited Tibet in 2010,
my group and I camped outdoors
at Chkorgye, a mostly ruined
monastery close to Lhamo La Tso,
the oracle lake where predictions
about the reincarnations of the
Dalai Lamas are obtained. The lake

11

is sacred and so are its surrounding

mountains, including the place
where we camped, 4,000 metres
above sea level. It was late afternoon,
the sun was setting and there was a
light drizzle. While the others were
settling into their tents, I spread out
my yoga mat on a carpet of damp
grass and wildflowers before the
ruins of Chkorgye and began my
prostrations. Besides a fine rain,
there was also an occasional breeze
which would blow my yoga mat over
now and then so I had to keep my eye
on it. It must have looked strange, a
foreign nun prostrating on a desolate
hillside in cold wet weather. But it
was also magical.
One definite advantage of working
365 days a year through this practice
is I have benefited enormously from
all the merit-multiplying days on the
calendar, including those auspicious
days when all virtues collected are
increased 100 million times. Those
special days would fire me up with
an extra spurt of motivation to strive
and carry on.

12

Admittedly there were times when I

felt weighed down by despondency
and fatigue, when lifes demands
seemed overwhelming with too
much piled on my plate. I would
wonder whether that would be
the time to stop, so I could rest.
Thankfully, it was mind over matter.
It was the thought of death and
impermanence which prompted me

To gurus dwelling in the three times

and ten directions,
The Three Supreme Jewels, and all
worthy of homage:
With faith, conviction, and an ocean of lyric
praise,
I prostrate, manifesting as many
bodies as atoms in all the worlds.

Reaching out to those

in Need

From Lama Chpa

to dive into this ngndro, and it
was through thinking about death
and impermanence that I did not
give up.
When Lama Zopa Rinpoche
manifested a stroke two years
ago, I brimmed over with sorrow
remembering how much dedication
and energy Rinpoche put into
making even one single prostration.
At that time, realising that Rinpoche
could not prostrate, I developed a
greater appreciation for having a
serviceable body to prostrate with.
It strengthened my resolve to make
each prostration count, because who
knew what tomorrow would bring.
Fast forward to recently seeing
Rinpoche
gather
up
such
tremendous effort into prostrating
once again, despite the physical
difficulty involved. Clearly, in the
pure practice of Dharma, one never
gives up.
The difference between racing on a
fast track and taking a stroll is having
the time to check the scenery. My
five-year journey with prostrations
gave me ample time to chew over the
purpose, meaning and motivation
for my practice, and to chip away a
little of my hard-shelled resistance.
Even as I approach my target, I
know full well that this practice,

any practice, is not about the

numbers.
Without
generating
devotion to the guru, having refuge
in the Three Jewels, regretting the
countless eons of negative karma
accumulated, or a thought to benefit
others, it is questionable whether
it is worthwhile to prostrate at all.
Without some Dharma motivation,
I would have just wasted five years
performing an apparently impressive
series of mechanical movements.
When I close the gap to the finish
line a month from now, it will be
a personal victory to have lasted
the distance, kept my word, and
honoured my precious gurus advice.
Will that be the end of prostrating
for me? Perhaps not, if I understand
by now what it means to practise. I
remember a poem by Robert Frost
which says:
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep,
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

Great Turnout for

1st JINPA for Our
Community

ABCs first food distribution project

to the needy was launched on 13th
April with an enthusiastic response
from our members and friends. 216
volunteers, including families with
children, took part in our community
service project that was organised
with the Chinese Development
Assistance Council (CDAC). Our
volunteers fanned out in a fleet of
51 cars to deliver necessities such as
rice, cooking oil and beverages to 203
households all over Singapore. Each
household received $80 worth of
groceries with funds donated by ABC
and individual sponsors.
Khen Rinpoche greeted the assembly
of drivers and despatch passengers
with a motivational message before
they set off on their goodwill
mission that Saturday morning. He
encouraged participants to focus on
the altruistic intention of giving when
making their deliveries, rather than
the thought of expecting in return.
With the warm outpouring of support
from volunteers and sponsors,
including the many newcomers who
joined us, we can look forward to more
rounds of Joy in Practising Altruism
for Our Community. According to
the CDAC representative, ABCs
volunteer turnout is the largest that
they have encountered so far.

1,000 Offerings for

Charity

A family event where even the kids can

volunteer.

Our regular displays of 1,000 sets

of offerings on the fifth floor are
arranged in conjunction with the four
main auspicious dates of the Buddha,
providing our members and students
with bountiful offerings with which
to accumulate the highest merit (see
Our Offerings Are Your Offerings,
page 8). However, since the displays
are temporary, what happens to the
offerings when its time to pack them
up?
For the past one year, ABC has
donated the contents of our on-going
series of offerings to charity. Every
1,000 sets of offerings comprising
84 cartons of bottled water, 140kg
of rice, and 2,000 rice crackers have
gone to the following beneficiaries:
Green Avenue Home for the
Elderly
Lions Home for the Elderly

Heaps of groceries to give away!

Star Shelter (Singapore Council

of Womens Organisations)
Sunlove Home
Lets rejoice that besides serving to
help us accumulate merit in our
offering practice, our 1,000 offerings
are also providing for those in need.

A despatch crew ready to set off with

their deliveries.

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15

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Come celebrate the Buddhas birth, enlightenment and parinirvana with ABC.
Three joyful days filled with
precious opportunities for you
to accumulate great merit, make
extensive offerings and receive the
countless blessings of the Three
Jewels.
Receive Refuge and the 5 Precepts
from the Abbot of Kopan Monastery
Khen Rinpoche Geshe Chonyi
Light
offering
and
circumambulation for everyone
On
display:
8-ft
White
Dzambhala Wealth Deity statue &
20-ft Maitreya Buddha statue
White Dzambhala wealth vases
for sponsorship
Sponsor and dedicate auspicious
pujas for long life, health and success

Thursday 23 May
4.00 pm Tara Puja
5.30 pm Blessing for the public by

Khen Rinpoche
7.30 pm Recitation of OM MANI

PADME HUM with

Khen Rinpoche
8.30 pm Light offering and
circumambulation

Friday 24 May
6.00 am Taking the 8 Mahayana

Precepts with

Khen Rinpoche
8.00 am Bath Offering Ceremony
9.00 am 1,000 Offerings to

Shakyamuni Buddha
11.00 am Blessing for the public
12.00 pm Free vegetarian lunch

2.30 pm White Dzambhala

Wealth Deity Puja
4.00 pm Blessing for public by

Khen Rinpoche
7.30 pm Taking Refuge & 5

Precepts with

Khen Rinpoche
8.30 pm Light offering and
circumambulation

Saturday 25 May
9.00 am Medicine Buddha Puja

& Vajravidarana Puja for

Purifying Sickness and
Obstacles
11.30 am Blessings for the public

by Khen Rinpoche
2.00 pm 1,000 Offerings to
Namgyalma
4.00pm Grand dedication of
merit

To sponsor any of the pujas, please visit our office before 23 May. From 23 May, you can offer your
sponsorship at our Vesak ground.