在靈感中翻譯佛法，在業力下努力微笑

噶千仁波切開示：煙供（二） ~ 英文繕寫

Teachings on Smoke Offering by H. E. Garchen Rinpoche (II)

煙供 (一之1) 2015.07.06 西雅圖~~布施的意義

http://blog.xuite.net/yeshi_tsogyal/twblog/449449456

煙供 (一之2) 2015.07.06 西雅圖~~六咒六印的意義
http://blog.xuite.net/yeshi_tsogyal/twblog/452422813

煙供 (一之3) 2015.07.06 西雅圖~~殊勝功德三神木
http://blog.xuite.net/yeshi_tsogyal/twblog/568244581

尊貴的噶千仁波切開示：煙供 (一之4) 2015.07.06 西雅圖~~內在最殊勝的煙供（上午開示圓滿）

http://blog.xuite.net/yeshi_tsogyal/twblog/568616674

噶千仁波切開示：煙供（一）英文繕寫稿Garchen Rinpoche: "Smoke Offering"(I)

https://blog.xuite.net/yeshi_tsogyal/twblog/568621782

噶千仁波切2015年西雅圖弘法：煙供開示（7/6下午）

https://blog.xuite.net/yeshi_tsogyal/twblog/589208207

So then the next line I am on page 2. It says, ‘When the accomplishments are intermixed with hindrances, this is the means to clarify them”. So, first, the accomplishments are siddhis, are either worldly accomplishment or spiritual accomplishment(s). These accomplishments are the results of a merit. They come from a meritorious action. For example, an accomplishment in the worldly sense could be success in one’s business or good crops on one’s farm and so on. All of that is an accomplishment.

The accomplishment comes from the causes of the previous life. In the previous life, we have engaged in actions with body and speech that are based on the minds of love and compassion, that create the results of happiness in this life. But then it says it comes together intermix with hindrances. Together with accomplishments and successes, there are also obstacles and hindrances. It is because, together with the practices of virtue, at the same time, we also practice nonvirtue. For example, if you have companion of friends, you generally want to benefit the friend. That is your virtue; along with that beneficial attitude, you also are jealous, then you have this intermix of virtue and non-virtue. Then, as a result, you have both siddhis and accomplishments, but also obstacles and hindrances.

You need to understand that what we have created, and [what] we are creating now, might not ripen right away. For example, some people look only in the short term. For example, they practice and they find that if they practice they get sick. They think, “if I’m gonna to practice, I get sick. If I do not practice, I do not get sick.” But actually this is not true. You are sick not because you practice, but you are sick because you made negative karma in your previous live. Now since you practice, sickness is significantly weaker than they might be. So practices are not the causes of the sickness, it is because in previous lives maybe we’ve taken vows or samayas, you had not held them well, our vows had become obstacles. So however at that time in the past lives, we have broken our vows, but then [we] regretted that and confessed that, then now in this life we will find a way to resolve our problems even if it ripens. For example, even if we get sick in this life as a result we might find medicine that could help you. Or even if you are poor, you will find wealth. You will find some kind of resecue, some kind of help for your difficulties. If you have never confessed the negativities in your past lives, then you will also not encounter any support or any help that can help you resolve it.

And so therefore whatever we practice now in this life, it is actually for the purpose of our future lives. It is said, ‘if you wish to know what you did in the past, look at your present body.’ So what we experience now, we have already created that in the past lives with our own actions. And it says, ‘if you wish to know where you will go next, look at your present actions.’ So what we do now, our virtues or non-virtues actions, are for our future lives. They determine our future lives. So we cannot therefore expect immediate results of our actions. For example, if you are planting a seed for bread last year, this year you eat the bread. So the grains for the bread we’re eating this year are planted in the last year, and the grains you plant this year will come to the bread to eat in next year, but you cannot plant a seed and have the bread right away. In a similar way, karma ripens. So we cannot expect that we practice virtue now, immediately there will be a benefit. Therefore, nobody happens, if we feel somebody harms us, or harms happen to us, something that person did, we think this person did to us, something that the person did, for example this person is harming us now, but actually this is only the condition. And, there are some exceptional cases where karma ripens very, very swiftly. That is mainly about those actions that are very powerful, they might ripen very quickly, instantly in this life. But that is actually more a rare. It is generally uncertain when karma ripens, but are mostly ripen in the future lives whatever we practice is for the purpose of future life times.

Next it says, “when truth and false, or right and wrong, are intermingled, this is the means to clarify them.” So the truth and false, or right and wrong. For example, even if you are truthful in this life, [or] you haven’t done anything wrong in this life, but it happens to some people that still they are accused wrongly by others or they are arrested and put into the jail even though they have not done anything wrong. But they have done something in a previous life, even it’s not in this life. So even though they are truthful in this life, they might not accomplish their purpose because they have done something untruthful in previous lives. So again practicing the smoke offering is a way to resolve this. It will again benefit in the long run if you practice smoke offering on an ongoing basis.

Then it says “when good and bad and middling and intermingled, this is the means to clarify them.”So good and bad is quite similar as we mentioned before, whatever activities we do, we encounter both good and bad. Sometimes we encounter some good circumstances, but again sometimes we encounter difficulties. It’s like most the things in this world. So this line is quiet similar to the previous line. Of course what we want is always constant happiness, but we do not experience constant happiness, we also experience difficulties intermingled [with happiness]. So we always practice smoke offerings, then we can improve our activities at least to some extent. Moreover, through practicing the smoke offering, we are training our minds, and we make the offerings to be accumulated merits for the future.

When gods, men and spirits become defiled. For example, non human, (spirits) we can appease them by making a smoke offering. There are certain non-human spirits that we have the connection to, they are gathered with us although we cannot see them because they are spirits. In many different ways, sometimes they help us in a good way, sometimes they will become predators that cause harm, depending on the kind of connection that we have. They accompany us in wherever we go or in our activities and so on.

Then it says, “when errors occur in ritual practice, this is a means to clear them away.” And when we engage in sadhana practice and so on, errors occur, we do not recite things properly, or we are unable to gather all the necessary implements or items or various conditions that need to complete the practice and so on, various errors might occur in our ritual practice. That could create a hindrance. A smoke offering, again, is a means to clear away the hindrances.

The next one says, ‘When gods, men and spirits become defiled, this is the means to cleanse them.”

When gods, men and spirits become defiled. For example, non human, (spirits) we can appease them by making a smoke offering. There are certain non-human spirits that we have the connection to, they are gathered with us although we cannot see them because they are spirits. In many different ways, sometimes they help us in a good way, sometimes they will become predators that cause harm, depending on the kind of connection that we have. They accompany us in wherever we go or in our activities and so on.

In various religions, and different sects and practices. We talked about spells, or sorcery, and so on, and that again are defilements referred to that here. For example, when we supplicate to a wisdom deity and enlightened deity, often they form the wrathful enlightened activities of the four activities. For example, this is advised to someone who is very destructive, for example, for the country, there’s a criminal that is very destructive to us, He has very evil intentions, wants to harm the country, wants to harm the people of the country and it is very angry. Such a person, for example, must be tamed by wrathful means. Likewise, that is the purpose of the wrathful enlightened activity. The wrathful activity is not an activity of anger or hatred at all. But it comes from a mind of Bodhicitta.

In the wrathful activities, for example, encounter offerings like flesh, blood, and bones, and this we also must understand it’s related to three afflictions, the three poisons. So ignorance is related to the flesh, attachment to the blood, hatred to the bones for example. So in that way this kind of offering becomes a method to purify the three poisons and afflictions. So what we see in the words, is like ‘eat the flesh, drink the blood’ of the person…, but really we need to understand is that which is actually devoured, eaten or destroyed are the afflictions, defiled, or the three poisons. What destroys them are ultimately is Bodhicitta, it’s through Bodhicitta that this other means of evil intention becomes established on the path of liberation. Thus Bodhicitta pacifies their evil intention. Otherwise if they are not pacified in this way, they will fall into the three lower realms by the forces of their karma.

Those spirits… when we practice a deity, for example, a wrathful deity, that is god here. Then the spirit that we called demon or evil spirit, and so on, that refers to worldly gods, worldly deities, it also happens that worldly gods that we recite the mantras, we call worldly gods in order to cause harm to others. That is unlike the wisdom being, the difference between gods, spirits and human beings or what not. For example, the harm it caused¸ for example, intention to cause this being evil or hurt them or harm them in any other way. But this harms has also its own root in karma. So again the cause of all harms, the cause is one’s own karma of afflictions and negativities. So one must have this karmic connection. If one does not have karmic connections, no matter how much harm it tried to cause, it cannot affect you in one or the other way. Only if you have karmic connection as the cause, and then the conditions of the spirits, for instance, then a harm [can] be caused, then it only arises ultimately from the cause. Ultimately, therefore, that is something that I have done that is the cause, because I hurt this being in the past that now he is hurting me. Therefore I did something wrong and I feel sorry for that. So it’s good to recognize that harm as only a condition and not the actual cause of your misfortune of your harm. So the cause is my own action in the past, the condition is the various harm in various conditions, that is for us to understand.

So for example those spirits that wants cause harms, casts spells and so on, they actually always have evil intention. But they cannot harm everyone. They can harm some people, but they cannot harm other people no matter how much they try. That is because that some people do not have this non-virtuous karma from previous lives. So that no matter how much even the evil spirits wanted to harm them, they couldn’t harm them. No body could harm them. For example, if a person that is arrested for stealing something as a thief, and actually didn’t do anything wrong at all. Then [he] comes to a court, and it is established that he didn’t do anything wrong, and also he will not be punished. But if he comes to the court, and there is clear evidence that he did something wrong, he will receive punishment because the cause is being created. So in a way similar our karma determines that. So if one doesn’t have this personal karmic connection, then no harm can be created. So there are all sorts of harms that can be purified, that harm, cause, and spirits can be purified by the smoke offering.

So this defiled here, this term “defiled” here, this obscuration, also is related to our thoughts, the way we think, we think about we are going to be harmed, we think that there is someone that is harming us. Because we think that… For example,  we also have bad dream about it, you have dream that somebody is harming us. So for that to happen, we first must have a karmic connection. The karmic connection is also often reflected in the dreams. The smoke offering is a means to clarify that, clarify this obscuration in the mind. So then clarifying that, the evil intention of others will be cleared away. They will actually turn out to be our friend, our supporter, they will not cause any harm at least temporarily. So it is ultimately clarified through Bodhicitta.

So also that is related to the point of when we’re practicing, we are performing a Mo, a divination, for example, it can cause some thought in our mind, some worry in our mind, and it does not turn out to be good state in divination.  And it creates the thought in our mind, and also it is reflected in our dreams so we have bad dreams about this and we think that, that somebody for example, a person might be harming us. Although it is created by our thought, there also has to be a karmic connection. So the smoke offering is a means to clarify all these obstacles.

So the relation between these... next line the bad omens in the dreams, signs of divination and horoscope and so on, that are related to those defilement [pri-men-tive 32:10] previously. It is very important. So thus we often misunderstand that we encounter a lot of difficulties in this regard. So for example we have bad dreams, we tried to look at our dreams to know what is happening. Some who follow the dharma or a religion, and they have a certain way of interpreting their dream. Even those who do not follow any religion, when they have a bad dream, they also often ask for some kind of meaning, for what it means or what is happening. Even those would ask for a divination, and those as mentioned before in the divination in the scriptures, a lot of things are explained, a lot practices of pujas are recommended and so on, however, we are unable to gather all these criteria, practice according to that.

We neglect to think about what has actually caused the harm that we are experiencing, which is actually our karma. Because we think about somebody is doing us something wrong, and it kind of goes in circles: we think somebody is doing us wrong, and again we have harmful thoughts, and then again we are harming in return. So the smoke offering is a means to resolve this. And how it’s actually resolved?

Number one, first the foremost, it is important to trust in karma, to understand that if the karma is created, if the karma is present, and then it will certainly ripen no matter what practice for whatever ritual I do. If I have the karma, it will certain ripen; but I do not have karma, then no harm , nothing harms, no spells and so on could harm me. So that is important to always keep in mind: the works of karma. Then if you have a bad dream if you try to resolve, for example, first of all, you should not spell on other people, also it is not necessary to always ask for a divination. If you are a Buddhist, just rely on a deity, like Tara. Just rely on your practice and trust in karma. That is really the means to resolve it.

Also, as mentioned previously, if you have performed confession in past lives, there is a way to change. There is a way to resolve your difficulty. If you have performed confession and now you are engaging in practice, it might resolve it. Maybe it will disappear. However, if you have karma for it not to disappear, and it still happens, even if we perform various rituals, or divinations, and so on, and this is actually my own personal experience. Actually, my entire life I have never requested any lama for divination, and I always felt that it’s all up to my karma. My karma will decide. If I run into obstacles, then I practice Tara, I rely on Tara. And if that turns away the obstacles, and that is excellent, and if not this is my karma. So knowing that, I actually never relied on anything else, any other divination. So because it created a lot of thinking, a lot of thoughts in our mind, it is often better not to rely on everything for divination, in divination. It’s better to rely on understanding of karma, and one’s own practice of the deity. So if there is a chance to change your karma through practice, for example, you have done confession before, then you can resolve it through smoke offering, or, for example, Tara practices, and so on. But it will be difficult to resolve only by relying on divination and horoscope and so on.

And then it says, “when the doors of the five senses are obstructed, this is the means to clear them.” When the doors of the five senses are obstructed, they are obstructed by due to our karma and afflictions, then the sense door, for example, the eyes, the sounds and so on, are obscured, which means that often we see things and perceive thing in very distorted ways, see things in a faulty distorted way. Here the smoke offering is a mean to clear /clarify this.

Then next it says “When gods of protection and prosperity are contaminated, this is the means to sanctify. So gods of protection and prosperity, there are often certain yidam deities, special deities that protect us, the personal deity that one has. Or it’s the god of protection that protects someone or one’s family and so on, and how they are disturbed, is explained in the next line, “when the animosity, quarrels and jealousy arise, this is a means to remove them.” For example, in the family, if the family members are not harmonious, they are always fighting, the parents fight with the children and so on, then the relationship becomes poisonous, that disturbs the gods, the protecting gods surrounding them.

So, for example, if the family members ,people of certain place are harmonious, then the gods of this place will be harmonious. But if the family is un-harmonious, for example, like parents always quarrel with their children, the parents are always angry at the child, they are not happy, so it disturbs their minds, their jealousy, their anger, their hatred. That disturb their minds and also disturbs the mind of those protective gods, who also live at that place. Then they appear as this evil spirit, the one who is causing harm, because through the family’s jealousy, anger and resentment, and so on, it upsets their own mind, the mind of those gods. When they are upset, they lose their wisdom, they cause all kinds of harm.

For example, if you have a friend that you actually love very much, then you get very angry with each other, then you almost become...like...lose all sensation, all feeling, then become dull, really obscured. So, then there is a danger when people become really obscured, numb, and through anger, they begin to fight, there is a danger that they might kill each other. So they become really senseless, they don’t know what they are doing, they are in the state of obscuration which is caused by anger, jealousy and so on. So actually our family and friends that we actually love, do not deserve to be treated in that way. Therefore this is  the means to resolve the kind of obscuration, of jealousy, and hatred, constellation which is disturbs the gods and the local protective gods and so on.

Then it says, “When illusion and thoughts emerge, this is a means to expel them.” “Illusion and thoughts” are often said that when we are engaged in practices, we have all kind of experiences in our mind, we sometimes feel that all kinds of thoughts arise, we feel we might be either peaceful in our mind or feel very agitated and unwell in our mind. We often might see something that other people do no see, what we see then actually is just the manifestation of our own thoughts, because they are our way of thinking, these thoughts be as received all kind of forms. For example, we see a evil spirit. But nobody else actually sees that evil spirits. This kind of thought and illusion can lead people to insanity, many people have gone crazy this way. So here again it is important to understand the basis, the cause is one’s own karma. That then leads to the arising of conditions of various thoughts that manifest various ways. And again the smoke offering here is the means to resolve this. 

The next it says, “when the offense occurred from erection of fortress, buildings, and palaces on the land, this is a means to redress them. When the protective deities’ commitments are neglected, this is a means to revive them.” This is actually related to the next one” the malevolent years, months, days and times” So the erection of fortress, buildings and houses on the land, actually, a certain place, a land where we build our house for example, it’s said they all have the local protective gods, the spirit that we have it at the place. It says that actually the days, and the years, the stars, each of the stars has its own god, its owner spirit, that is also reflected it in the name of each day of the week, the name of the owner gods. Each star is related to the owner of the god. Then if we please them often things turn out well, if we displease them that often that disturbs the owner gods. It makes them angry, and when they get angry, then they might cause harm. So it [the smoke offering) is a means to redress them, those protective deities, the owner gods of the areas. For example, it’s like a fortress of the country, when harm is being caused, then they might apply various means to defend their country and so on. So, in a similar way, then when we build the house in a certain place for example, it might cause some disturbance, and the smoke offering is a way to appeal the disturbance of these local gods away.

Again, as mentioned before, the root of it is our own karma that one has created in the past. And then the conditions here are those negative, stars, days, years and so on. That is the condition. For example, a person who possesses the great merit, for them the stars, the years, the days will naturally be favorable. So again Karma is determining here. However, if we are building a new house for example, there are obstacles to the house you are staying, the smoke offerings is a good way to resolve it. So it says, “when the protective deities neglect their commitment, this is a means to revive them.”The protective deity is of a certain place. To have them commitment to protect the place, protect you and this place, and often your conduct displeases them, then they go tired of that, they go upset, they get angry, then they cause harms. The smoke offering is a means to revive them.

“When there are clashes among earth lords, nagas, and powerful spirits, this is the means to resolve them.” So the earth lords are the owners of the earth, for example the base [52:00] where we are building the house, and nagas are the owners of the waters, and those powerful spirits  Dins and Nyens [52:09]are the owners of the space. And when they are disturbed when we disturb them, they will also cause harm due to the disturbance. The smoke offering is a means to resolve that.

So in brief, this ritual of smoke offering can resolve any form of obstacles, and ,more over, and if you are not able to read sadhana and to practice this ritual, you can also just read 37 Bodhisattva Practices. For example, if you are building a house or for any other purpose, you could read The 37 Bodhisattva Practices there. That will also pacify those local owners, spirits and so on. Because through hearing The 37 Practices, they give rise love and compassion , and patience and so on, and it pacifies the disturbance in their mind of those non human beings. So actually for any kind of activities, you can also just recite the 37 Bodhisattva Practices, and reciting that will pacify the minds of disturbed beings and then they will not cause any harm. Here, in order to clear away the various obstacles of days, months and times, and the obstacles of the fortresses, buildings and house on the land and so on, smoke offering is the means to clarify it, but all of these obstacles also arise through the force of our karma. 

This smoke offering is a shortened practice. It does not have many words. But it’s also very profound, very difficult to understand. It has taken a long time to translate it because it is not easy to understand. Actually, for the English translator, it took five years of translating, and revising over and over again. That required many questions to various masters from Tibet and India and from Western countries, consulting dictionary, [to] really understand the meanings of all of these words. Because each of these words is very profound, also I have not much learning, I can give a rough summary of the meaning of that, outline what it all means, but each of these words that are contained here of substances and so on, has been consulted in the dictionary, really investigated, really finding out the meaning of that, because each of these words has the substances and so on has a profound meaning. It is very important to understand it. 

The next line here “When there are evil [influences of] the sun, moon, planets and stars, this is the means to remove them. Because [this] profound ritual of cleansing smoke offerings has been well examined, nothing has left unrealized or unperceived through the power of performing it!” So” this profound ritual of cleansing smoke offering”, so there is a different offerings, the smoke offerings and also cleansing offering. For example, we cleanse a place that has the same meaning as the smoke offering. We perform various mantras, like Vajra Sadhu or Vajrasattva and Six Syllables mantra and so on. There is one that is applied to the water, so that certain water that is blessed with mantra, and also you can first of all put the blessing pills with water. Then this water is sprinkled in the area, and this certain land is blessed. Also there’s a mirror that is used for the cleaning offering, so then the mirror is held at the area, so reflect that in the mirror, so the entire area in the place appears in the mirror, then the water is poured over the mirror, so in this way this entire place which is reflected in the mirror is purified by pouring the water, the blessed water over it. That is the same benefit as the smoke offering. And again the smoke offering and this purification can resolve any sort of difficulty, or pacify any gods and spirits and so on. "Nothing is left unrealized or unperceived through the power of performing it". So nothing is left unrealized or unperceived, it said when we really think about it and examine the meaning of this practice again and again, the wisdom, we do understand the right way to perform it. We understand how to perfectly perform it. 

“Then through the auspicious speech of forthright sages,nothing is left unfulfilled.” So these words auspiciously spoken by Guru Rinpoche but these words are in accordance with the truthful speech, the words from Buddha himself, such like the teachings on karma, the precious human body and so on. “Through these auspicious ceremonies, nothing at all is left incomplete.” This term here ‘auspicious ceremonies’, it often says as an interdependence, through this interdependence, nothing at all is left incomplete. The interdependence here, through the interdependence, that refers to through the working of karma of cause and effect. The interdependence of Bodhichita and sentient beings leads to the happiness; if the cause is self grasping and affliction leads to sufferings. So that is interdependence. As it mentioned before, through the interdependence of these three powers, the smoke offering can be performed, can be fulfilled. The three powers are based on Bodhichita. In brief, by performing of the smoke offerings we can clear away sufferings due to self grasping. Because it is performed on the bases of Bodhichita. If it is performed based on bodhichita, all one’s activities of body and speech will be beneficial.

Then it says, “As causes and conditions come together, everything is accomplished”. So this is also the working of karma, causes and conditions together. And the cause is Bodhichita, the condition is the smoke offering and the purification ritual, and when these come together, these causes and conditions come together, everything will be accomplished. This purifying smoke offering, everything is accomplished according to how is explained here.

It says that, ‘by engaging in this practice, everything is made right.” So when we engage in the practice of the smoke offering, often people perform in different ways. For example, sometimes people will like to practice with other people in the group, and they make actually a large fire, a large smoke offering. But that is not actually necessary. It could also be dangerous to have a large fire. So it is actually sufficient to have a small fire even just like an incense, in fact, most of incense, most of those smoking offer substances are actually great. Because the use of smaller incense, maybe Sang smoke offering substances, or a little bit powder, or a little bit of nectar pills. Or, if you only have juniper, for example, is also sufficient. What is the most important is the mind, the mind that wishes to benefit and also one’s devotion to the Yidam deity, one’s compassion to the sentient beings of the six realms in samsara. So it is really through the mind that the smoke offering is perfectly fulfilled, everything is made right in this practice. Through the mind, the beneficial motivation, happiness is created. The purpose is fulfilled. In the similar way, as we mentioned before in the six mudras, everything increases through the power of mind. So regarding the time of smoke offering, you can practice smoke offering each day, or once a week, or once a year, the more you practice the smoke offering, the greater the benefit.

Then it says, ‘Emaho! Consider this”. In the beginning there was one emaho. Here , at this point, we play an instrument, and say “Emaho! Consider this.” Any instrument that you have, for example, these symbal, or small cymbal, to make this offering of the sound, and you say “Emaho! Consider this” and that accumulate merits. 

Then next page. “Today, in order for us – master and disciples – to pacify and cleanse impurity, the stains of corrupted [vows], resentment, jealousy, plagues and obstacles, we entreat the knowing and all-seeing divine assembly, please consider this!” The master, the disciples, then the benefactors and so on, who form this smoke offerings together, entreat the deities and divine assembly to consider  their requests. so “the corrupted vows”, so how do we corrupt our vows? How have we corrupted our vows? How is it defined? Vows are corrupted if we lose our love. We lose our love through the resentment and jealousy. So our inner mind becomes disturbed. When the inner mind becomes disturbed by the afflictions, that effects the outer elements. And the outer elements, the outer world becomes disturbed. So in this world, because people are getting more and more angry and more disturbed by anger and jealousy, it affects the outer environment. And then that places where if not so hot before get hotter, places where it wasn't not so cold before get colder and so on, we can see it in this world. 

So the inner minds of sentient beings, and the five elements at the outer levels are very strongly connected to each other. And if the mind is disturbed; it will naturally disturb the outer levels, the outer elements as well. So that is really why nowadays in this world, it because now in this world, the hatred, the anger, the jealousy of people is increasing, and so few people actually give rise to love, that so much destruction in the outer environments is taking place. So also the smoke offering is a means to resolve these obstacles, pacify this hindrance. In order to accomplish this, to pacify those class obstacles, we entreat the all-knowing divine assembly to consider this.

The “divine assembly” here, there are four fields of...four kind of fields of recipients, or fields of references, so the smoke offering is made. And the one is the field of the three jewels, and within that,  the lama, the dakini, the three jewels, and the yidams and so on,the higher beings; the second one is the field of the various protectors, protective gods and so on; third one is beings of the six realms, those fields of compassion of  the sentient beings,  all of whom have been our parents in past lives; number four is the various karmic creditors in particular, karmic creditors with whom we have karmic debts, the hindrances, enemies and obstacles made and so on. All of these are pacified, all is complete. All the fields of offerings actually are complete within this smoke offering. 

Then it says, “Today, when in space the [conjunction of] planets and stars is auspicious, if one examines the land, all excellent qualities and everything desirable are complete. In addition, the hour and date are indeed felicitous. It is an excellent and astrologically auspicious day to perform this purifying and pacifying ritual.” These words are very clear and it does not need further explanation.

Then the next line, it says, “Defilements have been exhausted by the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats!” This one here then is the first one of those four fields, the three jewels, the buddhas, the bodhisattvas, and so on. So the “Defilements have been exhausted by the buddhas, bodhisattvas, and arhats!” "Defilements have been exhausted" is that they have become...the buddha are completely free from dualistic grasping; they do not have dualistic perception of self and others.   Then “By the supreme authenticity of the buddha, foremost among two-legged [beings], by the supreme authenticity of the dharmatā free from desire,” First and “ foremost, among the two-legged beings, the Buddha”, the two-legged beings refers to the human beings, so the supreme among human beings in this world is Buddha, because what are the qualities of the Buddha? Buddha is enlightened and has exhausted all the afflictions. And ultimately has realized non duality, has cleared away dualistic grasping and expanded the non dual primordial wisdom. That is the nature of quality of the Buddha in brief. So that’s supreme among human beings. Then there’s the “authenticity of the Dharmata free from desire”, so the dharmata refers to ultimate truth, the dharmatatu, the meaning of emptiness. It shows the ultimate Dharma, which is the teachings on the ultimate truth of emptiness.

Then “the supreme authenticity of the Sangha, foremost of the assemblies”. So the Buddha and the Dharma gather together in the Sangha. Sangha is the embodiment of the three jewels: the form is Sangha, the speech is Dharma, and the mind is Buddha. And of that, the Sangha gathered in the mind, the mind...all the Buddhas is the mind of love and compassion. The Dharma, the speech, is the teaching on the two truths. That is given to those beings who have not realized. Those who have not realized the nature of reality, they are introduced first to the relative truth of infallibility of karma, and then those who can realize the ultimate truth, they are given the teachings on the ultimate truth, and realize the non-dual primordial wisdom. So the speech is Dharma, then the noble Sangha is the embodiment of those three jewels. So we have said before, also that within a single Sangha, all the Buddhas of three times are complete. So what is the power, the quality of Sangha? For example, if only four Sangha members come together, for example, if four people take the refuge vows together. Then it becomes very powerful, because then they connect to the great power of all the Buddhas of the three times, as mentioned before, the power of Tataghata, the power of Buddha of great compassion.

Then the mind of all the Buddhas of three times and the mind of Sangha, is exactly the same, the quality is the same. So by virtue of this power connecting to the power of all the Buddhas of three times, you can accomplish any virtue, any practice. So, specifically by virtue of those three powers, the power of one’s own intention, one's own love, the power of great love of all the Buddhas, the power of Dharmata, we accomplish our aspiration, this practice. So then here it is explained each of those powers, so the power of Buddhas consists of the Buddhas, and the Bodhisattvas and the Buddhas and the Dharma and the Sangha and so on. So we connect to this power. By virtue of this power, we will accomplish our aspiration made in this smoke offering.

How is it really accomplished? Ultimately, we realize there is a single basis. Although sentient beings in the six realms of samsara suffer, they do not inherently truly exist. Therefore, through the power of the Buddha’s great compassion, they can give rise to compassion. If they give rise to compassion, then their temporary self-grasping will diminish and they attain enlightenment. So sentient beings have the potentials to attain enlightenment, they can be established on the path to enlightenment. Due to this potential, this smoke offering, from this smoke offering, you can actually benefit them. So the smoke offering is made for this purpose. So it says, ‘by the authentic blessing of the Three Precious Ones – may the smoke offering ritual be perfectly accomplished!”

 “Emaho! Consider this! With Samantabhadra’s offering clouds, we cleanse! We offer! We cleanse with the father, juniper wood like white sandal. We cleanse with the mother, cedarwood like red sandal. We cleanse with aloeswood, the king of medicines. We cleanse with Chinese cypress, the king of fragrances. We cleanse with the divine incense, white rhododendron. We cleanse with radiant turquoise sprays of excellent juniper. We cleanse with the fragrance of the excellent plant, white artemisia. We cleanse with the strong elephantine scent of white mugwort. To the unsurpassed refuge, the gurus’ transmitted precepts, we make this smoke offering. To the foremost among the two-legged beings, the perfect Buddhas, we make this smoke offering. To the precious binding Dharmas that refine propensities, we make this smoke offering. To the field of merit, the noble Sangha, we make this smoke offering. To the mandalas of Victors and divine assembly of Yidams, we make this smoke offering.”

So those last two lines, “ To the precious binding Dharma that purifies the propensity, we make the smoke offering”, and then “To the field of merit, the noble Sangha,we make the smoke offering.” So these propensities that are purified, what are those propensities, How do we form the propensities? The propensities are the habitual imprints we place into the mind and the binding Dharma purify these propensities. So the Dharma, in brief, consist of the two truths.

And first, on the relative level, Karma is infallible. So we must cultivate the altruistic mind. Because when we cultivate the altruistic mind, then great compassion, boundless compassion arises. And when great compassion arises, the self disappears. So the worst propensity or the habitual imprint we have in our mind is the Self, the notion of a self. And once there is a self, we also create other. So a dualistic grasping of self and other. And if the self is purified, if there is no self, and there is also no other. So there is no self, we realize that the self and other do not exist, separate yet are non-dual. Because the mind is like the space, it’s like ice melting into the ocean, and becoming one with the ocean, there is no more distinction. So we realize the ultimate truth, the truth of emptiness and the non-duality.

So where do we... who do we receive the Dharma? Where does the Dharma come from?This binding Dharma. Next line it says, To the field of merit of the noble Sangha...” So it comes from the noble Sangha, the speech, and the mind of the noble Sangha, the teachings of the noble Sangha. The teachings on the working of Karma and so on… Therefore we make the smoke offering to the field of merit of the noble Sangha.

The break.

Thank you everybody, the Sangha. Have a nice tea break!

Ina: The next is the questions, then back to the teachings.

Question: How can a person, who has been a Rinpoche for many life times, have the karma to be in prison for so many years?

[Answer]: So a tulku, a Nirmanakaya emanation, Rinpoche is half of its part, he has the blessings of the Bodhicitta,and of realization. But the other half, of its incarnation, is slightly obscured, which is called the obscuration of the womb because we are born into a certain family and line, and we also take on the karma of this family. And there is a slight obscuration due to this physical incarnation. Since as a tulku, there’s also part of that, half of that is the perfect Bodhicitta too. So nowadays probably no guru in a physical emanation who is a hundred percent like a Buddha, so that will be like a Dharmakaya, that is the nature of the mind. Actually from this nature of the mind of Dharmakaya, then tulku can also appear in many forms. For example, they can have four or five or more emanations, and they are half blessed with Bodhicitta and half human being. And depending on the family, they are born with parents, they have some individual Karmas that they take on with that. However, they are not quite like an ordinary beings because they are also blessed by Bodhicitta. 

Question: …. For the benefits of all beings, please bestow upon us, the Buddha disciples, gathered today the transmission of Chakrasamvara. 

Answer: Also actually Rinpoche said that we did that yesterday, the short mantra, the transmission. And Rinpoche said actually you can practice this deity. But even If you have received the empowerment of Chakrasamvara, if you cannot do Chakrasamvara sadhna and mantra, you can, for example,  only recite the Om Ah Ni Pad Me Hung,’ The mani mantra of Chenrezig, and that mantra actually is the seed syllables of the six Paramitas, and can antidotes to the six afflictions. And it’s essence of chenrezig and the mani mantra is the essence of all the deities and mantras.

Question: Someone acts like a …, human being acts like an animal, their conducts are like an animal, how can we help them? 

[Answer]: Rinpoche said, for them, often there is not much benefit if we talk to them, if we try to advise them, because they are obscured by ignorance. So in many cases we benefit them by other skillful means. That is also why the Buddhas has given various forms of liberation. For example, the liberation by seeing, sight, for example, like these bracelets that have a liberation by seeing mantra at the outside. Or on the inside the liberation by touching, that you wore by our body and touching our body. So the liberation by seeing benefits all those who only see this, or touching only by touching, or there are a blessing pills, the liberation by tasting. Often there is not much benefit in giving much more advice, but if you pray for them, if you give them these various forms of liberation, it will definitely benefit them in future lives. And so often it is the case that people act actually even worse than animals, for example, when they are smoking and taking drugs and so on, that really makes them lose their wisdom, make them proud. So that is often the only way we can really benefit.

[Question] As a care-giving teacher, I have experienced episodes of burnout due to  focusing only on others and not taking care of myself. Is self care the same as self grasping?  

[Answer] So actually, caring for yourself is not necessary a form of self grasping because it is necessary to care for your health. Because as a practitioner we also want to have a long life. However, when it comes to getting exhausted, often we become exhausted when we, for example, we are thinking about the payment we are receiving, we are tired of doing the job. But actually the real payment is our merit. So when we understand that, then we understand the quality of the merits that we accumulate, then we don’t grow tired so easily. Of course we need to take care of our health, but then we should not rest also too much, at the same time, we should not exhaust ourselves too much. So when you think about the merit, for example, as a teacher we really help others, when you think about the merit that we accumulate, then your mind will not so easily get tired. For example, if you were to get a very large sum of salary, you probably not be so tired doing the job. So in the same way, if you think about the great benefit of the merit, and you will also not grow tired so easily.

[Question] Rinpoche, thank you for your teaching. That was very helpful. I would need to hear your explain to the refuge to the guru ,body; yidams, speech and the Dakini, mind. However I later heard when we do the guru yoga that we use the yidam as the body and dakini as the speech, and the guru as mind. Not sure if I misheard or misunderstand. Could you please clarify of explain why it’s different doing the guru yoga?

[Answer] So You’ve heard right. You have not misunderstood. It depends on from...how we look at it. From the perspective of that we are learning, so in the context of we are learning the three root and the form is the guru, the speech is the yidam, and the mind is the dakini. But then from the perspective of the view, of how things we are; and then from the practical perspective, when we actually practice, then the body becomes the yidam, our own body, the speech, the dakini, and the mind, the guru, mind the lama.

[Question] We are one with the guru, the Buddha, and all others subject and objects, dual, then do bodhisattva act to …prevent the conventional beings from break the vows of the three ways: pratimoksha, bodhisattva, Vajrayana. Should they be about to bit one against a Buddha or bodhisattva?

[Answer] So in terms of the vows, the three vows, that Rinpoche explained that, the vows gather into one if we have awareness, so when you recognize your affliction with mindfulness, then actually that summarizes, that includes all the vows, all the three vows into one. So the view or the mindfulness is the single sufficient vow if it is held. Because then the mind is undistracted and then you realize that the nature of your mind. So mindfulness, then you cultivate actual great compassion for those sentient beings who have not realized that. And you naturally engage in the practice of the six perfections. You would not want to harm others and so on. So it’s all come from actually the undistracted mindfulness, so the three vows are naturally kept by the undistracted mind of mindfulness.

[Question] Though I was not brought up in any religious or spiritual tradition, I have a great affinity with the Virgin Mary. Can the deity be visualized from[1:43:37] any of religion?

So it certainly can be of any religion, and actually Mary has the same nature as Tara. They are actually the same, only given different names, because what they represent is the mind of love. And actually the Mother Mary represents that very well , because in her laps she holds baby Jesus. That is really a symbol of great love. And also Tara is an embodiment of love and compassion. So they are really the same, they have the same activity, the same mind of compassion. So it really therefore makes no difference, which tradition or religion whom is supplicated to.   

[Question] How do you recommend we teach our children the Dharma?

[Answer] It is the best to introduce them Karma, to teach them the working of karma, to explain to them that if you are kind and compassionate, as a result, you will be happy. If you are angry and jealous, as a result, you will suffer. For example, if you suffer now, that is the result of anger and jealousy and so on. Therefore, you must be careful on your conduct, be kind to others and be compassionate to others, and that you will be happy in the future. For children, it is the most important to introduce them to the working of Karma.

[Question] What is enlightenment?

[Answer] Rinpoche said, so enlightenment in Tibetan’s term is “jangchub”. “Jang” is to purify, and what is purified is self grasping, the dualistic grasping on self and others and “Chub” is to master, and acquire, accomplish, what is accomplished or mastered is the altruistic mind. It is to have an ongoing, and always an ongoing wish to benefit all sentient beings at all times. If you have such an intention, the mind is very vast. For example, if a person loves their country, then their love will pervade to that extent, it will pervade their country. If you love all sentient beings, it will also pervade all sentient beings because the mind is like space. And within the space, there is no duality. When you realize that, all dualistic perception is cleared away. You will realize that all our mind is actually the same, we only have separate bodies, our mental continuum is actually the same. We have different bodies due to individual Karmas, but within our mind, there is no division between us at all. So that is enlightenment. It is to clears away dualistic perception of self and others, and due to that the mind has become vast and extensive, abides like space.

[Question] After having a serious problem with another long term Dharma practitioner at a Dharma center I went to for many years, I will become very sick every time I was going to that center even if that person was not there. It will be one day a fever, and flu like illness, that will quickly resolve. It would occur every time I go, and it gets worse. I felt the other practitioner has done something very wrong, but I could not resolve the situation, so I stop going. One lama said, this was the cause of associating with the practitioner with a broken Samaya, but I don’t know. What do you think of this?

[Answer] You do not want to go to the center and having the idea that that person somehow affects negatively that caused harm, and  it’s just a thought in your own mind. Because we think  there is something harming us and affecting us ,it actually seems as though something is affecting us. So there is nothing wrong with the person actually.

And what the lama told you in terms of the Samaya, that might be true. Because in the past life, if you have that much Samaya with somebody, for example, we had Samaya, then we broke that Samaya because we got angry, we fought with them, we quarrelled with them, then separated with that emotion, now in this life we meet, we become each other’s enemies. It is because we made the other person unhappy, we broke our Samaya, we lost our love for them because we got angry with them in the past life. So that is really what breaks the Samaya. So it is a Karmic connection, and ultimately it is one’s own anger, jealousy, and afflictions that cause this unwell and miserable feelings. And it is not really the other person causing any harm, so because we got angry in the past life and that is why now , for example, we get sick. If we get angry again, in future life times, again,  we will experience a lot of sicknesses.

And especially the sickness related to heat is related to the affliction of anger and hatred; and sickness related to cold, is related to attachment; and the sickness related to phlegm is related to the emotion of ignorance. So actually in your mind, you should turn around this negative feeling towards the other disciple, and regret anything you may have done wrong in the past life, confess , and cultivate love for the other person. And then slowly, you will purify this karmic debt, and the person might become your friend. So it is necessary not to see the fault in the other person, but really see the fault in the affliction, one’s own affliction especially that out of hatred and anger.      

[Question] During deep meditation, I experienced nothingness and everything simultaneously. It is overwhelming, and the expanse space, pure compassion. What was it experience?.

[Answer] So that is an excellent experience, especially...um... this...um...this experience of...um...this spacious experience and pure compassion. And that compassion is actually inherent to the nature of the mind. And it is a compassion that pervades all beings who have not realized the nature of the mind. So what you have experienced is the natural state of the mind, and you should have no doubts about it but also you should not think about it much, wondering what it might be. So it’s best to let it be and have no doubts about it.     

[Question] Is it bad karma for dharma center to sell prayers and Buddha statues?

[Answer] Actually, it is an even greater merit than in any other business. And it is because you accumulate a great merit by selling the Dharma objects. You should sell as much of them as you can. Actually it’s better not to just give them those things away freely because if somebody buys something, then they actually by buying it and giving some for it, they actually accumulate great merit. And then the proceed benefit the center, benefit the Dharma, so the people can come here and practice, so the benefit is really great. So actually the best sort of business is to sell something in the Dharma center that will come back to the Dharma center, bring benefit to the Dharma, of course, not for one’s personal benefit, but it’s really for the benefit, or the use for the benefit of Dharma, then it is actually of the greatest benefit.   

Question: When we see someone’s smoking or making a fire, can we transform it into smoke offering, rather than seeing it something negative?

Answer: So it is certainly good to bring this to mind, to make your aspiration prayer even to recite the smoke offering. That will benefit you and your own practice.  But I’m unsure it will benefit for the smoke vibrating in the area (whether the smoke will bring benefit).   

[Question] Should we include Phowa in all practice daily or only practice Phowa?

[Answer] You do not have to practice the Phowa everyday. Actually, it is enough to practice Phowa occasionally. For example, one time a month.

[Question] Please define patience.

Answer: Practice patience especially when you get angry for example. When you get angry, when something happens to you, and it stirred up and you get angry, immediately you should recognize anger first and recognize that it is very destructive. And then regret the anger arose, and do not act out of it, for example, do not say something bad. And the same, you practice for all of other afflictions, when any of afflictions arise, you practice patience in that way. You recognize the destructiveness of all these afflictions, especially, the hatred. If you are able to let them go without acting out of them, really feeling regret for your own afflictions, and you practice patience.

[Question] In practicing Mahamudra and Dzogchen could you explain looking at the looker itself, knows knowing itself, non-meditation, non-distraction.

Answer: So when you look at the mind at the time when the mind looks at itself, in the mind itself, there are no thoughts. When the thought arise, there is a clear knowing awareness that knows that those thoughts have arisen. So now we at this point we should not investigate that much because it leads to more thoughts in our mind. So we just sustain mindfulness without grasping and anything at all. So then later when thoughts have dissolved, then we begin to look at the nature of the one who is looking. So the nature is like the space, it’s empty in essence. Ultimately, it is just consciousness, there is nothing to be meditated upon. It is just to sustain awareness of this conscious nature, and no other reference point of meditation. And within that thoughts arise, that just like clouds in the sky and they dissolve back into the mind, the clouds dissolving into the sky. So this is what ultimately becomes. However, if we do not know how to meditate yet, then if we begin to think, investigate the thoughts arise, if we follow those thoughts, we accumulate karma. And if we keep thinking and accumulate karma through our thinking, then our meditation has become not beneficial.

[Question] Could you speak about the Chakrasamvara practice, in particular what do some of the symbols represent? blue color and red color, implement, posture and ornament, ect. Also what is the mantra, is there a simple daily practice?

[Answer] You don’t have to think about all those details too much, the symbols, the posture, the implements and so on. Just look at the whole image like the picture of Chakrasamvara you have received during empowerment. And try to have this image appear in your mind at once, with all the details, look at the image, close your eyes and have it appear in your mind. 

For example, the blue color of the deity represents the nature of Dharmata, or the space-like nature of the mind. Because the sky is blue, so it represents the nature, the space -like nature of the mind. Then other part of the deity, for example, represents the six Paramitas,or the five wisdoms and so on. 

So now in the beginning, it is best the deity at once appears to you. And you have an awareness of being the deity , it just appears to your mind without focusing in all the details in the beginning. However, apart from that, in other times, you should learn about the pure qualities, the actual meanings of those implements but then when you meditate, it’s good to just bring to the mind the deity as it appears in the picture all at once, like a light body.  And later as you habituate that, it becomes more and more clear, when it becomes more and more clear, at that point it’s better to recollect the purity of all these elements, implements and so on.  However, at first and before that, you actually must establish the clarity.

And so then briefly with simple daily practice, even if you do not have the sadhana, or if you do not have time to practice sadhana, then just look at the image of the deity and have it appear in your mind, and just recite the deity’s mantra , for example. That goes for actually any deity. You can practice any deity in this way. Even if you do not have the sadhana sometimes, you can just, wherever you are, you think of the deity and recite the deity’s mantra.

[Question] There are also what do the white Tara’s seven eyes represent?

[Answer] White Tara’s seven eyes, represents, first the Four Immeasurables, the four eyes are Four Immeasurables, and the other three eyes, what they call the three gates of complete liberation. So there’s emptiness and so on.

[Question]  Is there a good resource for more information on how to practice Chakrasamvara?

[Answer] So first, you should learn the creation stage well in your free time when you are not in session. And you can read sadhana, you can look what texts are available, what books have already been translated,  you can study about Chakrasamvara. I do not know which texts are available in English. But you can read any text  on Chakrasamvara. And when you meditate, the most important is to accomplish the mind of Chakrasamvara. So this term ” bdemchog＂for Chakrasamvara［Tibetan (Khor lo bdemchog) / Sanskrit ( Khorlo Dechok )］  is supreme bliss, that is the nature of this deity. Supreme bliss is realized when you meditate and realize the actual nature of the mind. When all afflictions and all thoughts have dissolved, that is, when you recognize thoughts and afflictions and they dissolve within awareness. That state is called Mahamudra or it is called ‘Great Bliss,’ ‘Great Bliss in Mahamudra,’ that is the nature of the state of this mind. 

[Question] Please explain the winds, the channels, and the drops.

[Answer] So channels, there are various many channels pervading your body. The channels pervade all your body, then the winds move through these channels with wind movements, and the [cha-di 2:01:41] movement through your body, and then the drops or the bindu from the impure samsaric perspective, it is those drops that make babies. If we practice the channels, the winds, and drops according to the ‘Six Yogas from Naropa’, then we do not lose those drops. So if we do not lose those drops, they become pure, and when they become pure, then they become the cause of realizing the nature of the mind. That is Great Bliss. So that practice relates to the practice of ‘the Six Yogas from Niropa.’ So the practice is the channels, winds, and the drops, which lead to the result of accomplishing the three kayas. So the channels, the winds, and the drops ripen into those three kayas. So then the channels are the Nirmanakaya, the winds, the Sambhogakaya, and the drops, the Dharmakaya. 

[Question] What are the qualities of the yidam deities?

[Answer] The quality of the yidam deity is that yidam deity has a commitment. If you never forget about the yidam deity, diety will always be with you, and you will accomplish the deity, you would never forget about the deity. So if the deity is always in your mind and you never forget about the deity, then you will also remember the deity after the death in the bardo. Now from the impure perspective, our body is created by our impure Karmas and imprints. When we always think of the deity, these imprints are purified, into the pure form of the deity. And that is if we will never forget about the deity.

[Question] Then what are the roles of yidam deities?

When we practice the yidam deity, we become yidam deity, then you will accomplish the activities of the yidam deity. By purifying your own body, speech, and the mind you accomplish the deity, then the deity picks you, or liberates your consciousness into the Pure Lands of the Sambhogakayas, then you become liberated from the samsara. So it is really you becoming the deity, and become liberated in the deity, that is what it is meant that the deity comes and brings your consciousness to the Pure Lands.

[Question] My sister has to sell her house to a guy who has a gun house. He sells guns for killing. Does she accumulate Karma if she sells her house to this person?

[Answer] You should not worry about that do not accumulate negative karma. If you sell the house, you should sell the house. And whatever the person does, it’s one’s personal karma.

[Question] If the person suddenly passed away in an accident, how to get the blessing and smooth to the bardo? The person is not a Buddhist, can this person receive empowerment? Can they get many empowerments, but cannot practice each of the deities? In this way, will my Samaya be broken?

[Answer] Regarding  the person who dies in a sudden accident, for example, if they didn’t have those blessings, then we can still benefit them. For example, we can practice this prayer for the deceased, the purification prayer, this sadhana for the deceased, also by praying for them with love, we can reach them with benefit. And also they can receive the blessings of empowerment through your intention. 

Then regarding the Samaya, your own Samaya for empowerment, I actually mentioned the other day during the empowerment that we receive many empowerments as hundreds of deities and hundreds of empowerment, we cannot all practice, but it is sufficient to practice a single deity. For as long as you practice a single deity, within a single deity, all the other deities, all the other empowerments are complete. So by practicing one single deity, you actually keeping the Samaya for all.

[Q&A ends]

Thank you all for your questions. Because actually it is even a greater benefit to ask questions than just to listen to Dharma teachings, and also for me, answering the questions, it is also a great benefit, so the merit is really incredible. So I thank you very much for really thinking about it and asking your questions. It also benefits many other people by listening.  And because I do not have much learning and qualities, so I might not be able to answer all these questions so well, so I apologize for that. 

So we have said that the field of merit, the noble Sangha, so the noble Sangha actually is the supreme field of merit. So that is why that is a great merit, for example to serve a monastery or any division of a Sangha. So it is like an excellent field of merit, just like the field where we plant the seed. If the field’s soil is good, then only a few seeds will lead to many fruits, many crops growing. So making offerings to the field of the Sangha, therefore it’s a great merit. And making offering to a single Sangha, one noble Sangha, it’s the same as to making offerings to all the Sanghas of the three times. Because one Sangha represents all the three jewels. 

So nowadays in Western countries, the division establishments of the Sangha is Dharma center. No matter whether the Dharma center is large or small, or whatever religion actually it belongs to, for as long as we have the spiritual path, we have a path that we walk on and the direction. That is very important. Therefore it is important that while we have our own center, we serve our own center that we are in harmony with all the other centers. But we do not hold on with pride to our own center, but we are in harmony with all the centers. Because the Dharma must become the antidote to the afflictions, it must become an antidote especially to anger and jealousy and so on, it must become benefit and happiness of sentient beings of this world. Therefore the whole system must respect one another, the spiritual system respect the worldly systems, and the worldly system the spiritual system. And if we have that, if we have great love for all and respect for all, then actually just even naturally observe the laws of the country, it will be in our mind. 

So the Sangha is the greatest field for accumulating the merits. The division of Sangha in the Western country is the Dharma center. Therefore I feel whatever in whichever place, I am able to establish even a small Dharma center, it is my contribution of offerings to this country. Therefore I am very grateful for all those who support these centers. Because in this way, after I have died, the center will still remain. That is necessary because if we do not establish it, then after I have died, then it might become all over, ... closed  So I thank you very much for sustaining the Dharma center, supporting the Dharma center. 

Here the Dharma center is this division of the Sangha, the field of merit of the noble Sangha. In order to have the establishment of the Sangha therefore in western countries, the Dharma center is necessary. So it is a supreme source of merit. It is anyone who has taken a refuge vow actually, is a Sangha. Once you have taken the refuge vow, you should have a form of pride in a way, thinking “I am a noble Sangha.’ What makes one noble is that I have love for all beings, and I can protect this love with patience.” Ordinary beings also have love but they do have no patience, so that love is often spoiled. So it is important to develop some sort of divine pride in being a noble Sangha. 

“To the mandala of the victors and the divine assemblies of yidams we make this smoke offering.” So the...to the countless Sambhogakayas in the countless pure land. If you only develop devotion to them, then naturally countless immeasurable offering clouds have the nature of Bodhicitta, transform into immeasurable offerings. Made to the deities in these pure lands of Sambhogakayas.

Then “To the dakas and dakinis who guard sacred places, we make this smoke offering.”So the dakas and dakinis who guard sacred places, it is referred to the Nirmanakayas, they appear anywhere in the six realms of samsara, and in pure and impure forms actually those to be tamed and those who tamed are all Nirmanakayas. So those to be tamed are also Nirmanayakas. For them , they cultivate …first…faith, emotion, trust, in those kayas, being those who tamed; and love and compassion for sentient beings on impure level.

“To the Dharma protectors who preserve teachings, we make this smoke offering.” The Dharma protectors, actually each tradition and lineage in religion, they all have their own Dharma protectors. These are all sorts of different Dharma protectors. For example, just like different Buddha families of five Dhyani Buddhas and so on. But it would be too complicated to go into details with all the Dharma protectors. It refers to all the Dharma protectors in the various lineages and religions.

“To the vajra family guardians of the outer tantras, we make the smoke offering.To the protectors of the orally transmitted teachings, of tantras and of revealed treasures, we make the smoke offering. To the guardians of the lineage of the masters and their forebears, we make the smoke offering. To the universal guardians of hermitages and religious centers, we make the smoke offering”. So there is a number of various beings, we make this smoke offering to. For example, our vajra master and the disciples, our vajra siblings, our parents, throughout many life times. For example, after our parents died, and they might be born as a local protector, a local owner and so on, and then we make a smoke offering to them to appease them. If we do so through the power of Bodhicitta, their power will increase. So in previous lives they might be our parents, and now they are these guardians, these local protectors and so on, if we make offering through Bodhicitta, then their power to protect us will increase. Because through Bodhicitta, their obscuration are purified, and their power to protect us increases. But if we do not regard them, or appease them, then they will lose their power. So for this reason it is also very important to make a smoke offering to them. Then “To the hermitages and the religious centers", and of any religious center, at various traditions, “To the destined universal protectors of the [practices of] approach and accomplishment, we make the smoke offering.”

“To the destined universal protectors of approach and accomplishment, we make this smoke offering. To the guardian deities who befriend powerful legions, we make the smoke offering. To the gods who acts the sentries for the day for us all masters and disciples, we make the smoke offering. To the gods who act as watchman by night, we make the smoke offering. To the gods who defend our position, we make the smoke offering, To the gods who act as the bridges over the rivers, as steps up rocky cliffs and lamps at the darkness we make the smoke offering. To the gods who keep watching against enemies and dispatch allies, to those who administer antidotes to poisons, cure the illness through the herbs, to those who defeat those demons press evil spirit’s necks, to those who turn back armies on front lines (in battles ), we make this smoke offering. To the gods who receive us and send us off, to those who, meanwhile, look after our interests and protect our children and wealth at home, to those who act as herders of toddlers and foals and defend the country of our paternal relations, we make the smoke offering. To those who serve as mighty supportive legions that guard our bodies, to enduring masculine deities and to regional warrior gods, to our forefathers’ ancestral gods and the female spirits of maternal ancestors, to the enriching gods of food and wealth and the keen spirits of sharp weapons, to the earth lords of [various] territories, to nagas and powerful spirit beings in [their respective] spheres, to the lords of the elements, [twelve] months and four seasons, to the gods of trigrams, astrological seats, years and months, to planetary and astral spirits and the gods of days, time intervals and dates, to the eight outer and inner classes of powerful gods and demons, we make the smoke offering.To all of the haughty ones of great power in the billion-fold universe without exception – the sovereigns of the three realms and the rulers of three spheres of existence – to the gods, nagas, kinnaras and so forth who inhabit Mount Meru, the four continents, the seven golden mountains and the seven circular lakes, the encircling iron mountains, oceans and rivers, the zodiacal houses of the heavens, sun and moon, the charnel grounds, forests and mountain hermitages, to the gandharvas, kimbhandas, garudas, serpent beings, yakshas, elemental spirits and yakshinis together with their assemblies, we make the smoke offering.To the gods, nagas and forthright sages who inhabit the interior cavities of Mount Meru, the oceans, intermediate spaces between islands, and jeweled mountains on treasure islands and who, [with] powers of clairvoyance and [former] aspirations, are endowed with manifold apparitional forms and magical abilities, we make the smoke offering.To the gods who safeguard underground treasures, accomplishment elixirs, medicinal extracts, trees and crops, [and to] all the guardians of hidden treasure teachings, to yakshas, female demons, kinnaras, gandharvas, and rakshas together with their assemblies, we make the smoke offering.The upward direction, the realm of above the earth are sanctified by the smoke, under the surface of the earth and its atmosphere, the realms of the gods and demons, are sanctified by the flames. Beneath the earth, the realms of nagas and power spiritual beings, are sanctified by the coals. The ten directions, the outer vessel, ie this world is sanctified by the fragrance. All the sentient creatures, who are already in the content, are sanctified. Six classes of beings, our parents of the three times are sanctified. Obstructive harming spirits and harmful predators in the past and the future lives are sanctified. In particular we make the smoke offering to the nine creator gods, to the light and those who abide in the central Tibet’s Land of Snow. To the thirteen great haunting gods of Tibet, and the twenty-one great genyen spirits of the borders, to the twelve protective tenma goddesses of [Central] Tibet and Kham, to the local land guardians and the summit gods of the sky, we make the smoke offering. To the door spirit of Tayak, the household god Gethung, we make this smoke offering. To the earth god Yumo, to the field spirit Tsangpa, to the road spirit Gongpo and the horse and Magpo, we make this smoke offering. To the herd spirit Mayang, to the king of wealth gods, we make this smoke offering. To the merchant spirit of the road Dondrup, to the king of the warrior gods and the like, to the assembled classes of the guests worthy of veneration, we make this offering, powder, incense, fragrant, burned offerings, food, choicest varieties of everything desirable, thus the life span is prolonged, glory is propagated, noble family lineages proliferates, and good fortune, charisma, and great renounce are engendered.”

In the next line, “noble family lineage proliferates; and good fortune, charisma and great renown are engendered.” Whether or not we can be accomplished what is desirable, you can depends on our kamic connection to these gods and protectors and so on. For example, there are some who really want to serve the country and who have noble intention, no selfish intention, and they are very mighty and very powerful, very successful endeavors. Because they are supported by certain non-humans and protectors. For example, in the past, in the first and the second World War, there are many American veterans and soldiers who have fought in those wars. Many of them have not died in both of those wars. That was due to their positive karma. They have been protected by the various non-human protectors. So if you have such a connection of merit and good karma, then we can accomplish great things. Then our power, our fame and mighty will really increase. Those protective gods will become our supporters. That is that if we have the merit. If we have negative karma, then even a protector, the king of a country will be assassinated. So if we accumulate negative karma, if we do not have the merit, then these protective deities, instead of being our supporters and friends, become our slaughters, our enemies. 

Then next it says, ‘To profess the protective deity of refuge, the unacknowledged thoughts, dualistic grasping and negative manifestation of ourselves, masters and disciples, and dependents, we make the smoke offering.” So the “unacknowledged thoughts, dualistic grasping and negative manifestations” and so on. So the dualistic grasping, due to the inner grasping mind, that is the subject grasping at the outer object, and we give rise to many afflictions and thoughts, and hold them to be true, the existing objects, existing separately from us. Due to this perception, the labels then between enemies and friends, we create a difficulty, a turmoil, a conflict between gods and human, the human create conflict between gods.

And often we disturb the gods. We mentioned when the inner mind is disturbed by afflictions, then  it also disturbs the outer elements, the environment. So we bring to the mind all those unacknowledged thoughts, all those things we are unaware of, that we did not see and we have no awareness of and we confess them with regret. In this way, they become purified. And we cultivate love for those protective gods and deities, and we must be very careful in our conduct, behaviors with one another. And so careful here means that we must be kind to, especially those companions that surround our family. We should not get angry at them, get jealous, we should not fight with them because such conduct will disturb those protective gods. It is the jealousy, anger, hatred that disturbs them. There is no one who is not disturbed by that. Any beings, or god, or human or spirit, is disturbed by these destructive emotions of anger and jealousy. So if we confess and purify, then they become our supporters and our friends.

And then it says, “to confess to the waters, where the local gods are perceived as fish abide, we make this smoke offering.” So to us they appear as fish. We look at the water, we see all kind of creatures in there, like fish. But many of them are emanations of those gods, those protective gods. They can emanate into the form of a fish, for example, but we cannot see them, we can only see a fish when actually they are emanations of the gods, the gods abiding in the waters. 

Then also “to confess to the mountains where local gods are perceived as deer abide, we make this smoke offering.” That is similar. So again, the local gods can manifest in the form of deer and so on. So to us they appear as a deer, we only see a mountain deer for example. But actually they might be a local god manifesting in the form of a deer. Only we cannot see it. So these words actually are very difficult to understand, with complex. They are written down by Khenpo Tenzin Rinpoche. Some of these words are difficult to comprehend.    

Then Rinpoche asked me to read the rest.

“To confess to the gods, men, spirit, sun, moon, planet, stars, subterranean nagas, terrestrial spirits, and celestial planetary spirits above the earth, we make the smoke offering. To confess to the deities of omniscient wisdom, we make this smoke offering. Through the blessing of having confessed and consecrated in this way, disturbing emotions, propensities, faults and defects are cleansed. Thus impurity, stains of corrupted vows, misfortunes, defilements, the mourning of the loss of the spouse, and all negativity are expelled by the authenticity of the ritual of the cleansing smoke offerings. As for the obscuring defects of body, speech and mind, the willing forces like this, the developed mountain peaks, the weakening forces like clematis that overcome the tree tops, and the stains of Samaya violations like solar and lunar eclipses, they are removed by the auspicious occurrence of ritual the cleansing smoke offering. The dispute, jealousy, stains of corrupted vows, fault, and so forth, arising through weakened Samaya, evil deeds and obscurations, hostility [caused by] by burning impure substances, interventions of the protective gods and guardians are cleansed. By the power of practicing this profound rituals of cleansing smoke offerings, please purify contamination and the delusive stains of corrupted vows, passed by adverse substances, obstacles, illness and evil influences, and reverse of position and sorcery of harm. May the fulfillment of every desire and aspiration, increase of long life, health, happiness and dwell 2:42:37] , and the auspiciousness of peace and goodness, throughout the land serve as causes of unsurpassable awakening.”

So summarize, the ultimate fault of all these obstacles come down to self grasping and the afflictions, which make the mind unclear. So the stains of Samaya violation and so forth, dispute, jealousy, stains of corrupted vows and so on. So it is that which makes our mind unclear, when our mind becomes unclear, we are mistaken in our actions, and then we end up fight with our friends. And we end up seeing our friends as our enemies. So the actual method for this not to happened, not to see our friends as our enemies, is supposed with love and protected it with patience. So that is actually the inner smoke offering. It is love and patience.

So this ritual here, with various names, to whom we offer like the three jewels and so on. That is the outer smoke offering where there are many substances, medicinal substances, …mantras and so on. And it is also very important and beneficial to read this outer smoke offering. So it has been translated into English very carefully, and actually I myself really only able to maybe explain half of it because much of it is very complex. So in the future you should ask your other spiritual teachers, and it is my hope that I request you will continue to do this practice of the smoke offering. It is very important, you can do it, for example, once a month or once a week, but I hope you will do it sometimes. So now next Lama Bunima will give us the transmission, the Lung of this text because I do not see so well with my eyes. And actually once you have received the Lung, and the disciple can also receive Lung from the other disciple. So we can give each other transmission of the Lung, from disciple to disciple as well. 

[Lung by Lama Bunima]

Let’s do the dedication prayers starting at page 9.

Dedication to the Kagyu Lineage Masters

Dedication Prayer Composed by Jigten Sumgon

Long Life Prayers to HH Dalai Lama and other teachers

~ 感謝 Yuwen, Echo & Peter, DJ（美國西雅圖直貢道場、臺灣普賢法譯小組等成員）英聽、中譯、校對與完稿，標點符號（）為同一名詞可作不同的解釋，［］為譯校所加的連接用語，為的是幫助讀者理解。本篇於2020.06.30圓滿。一切善德迴向上師長壽康健常轉法輪，文稿若有錯謬敬請來信指正：sstc.roc@gmail.com，感激不盡！