When the historical Buddha Shakyamuni emerged as a new religious leader, his renown and activities spread and he became very popular. For that reason a lot of Hindu masters came to have dislike for him. A group of them followed the Buddha, as he was traveling throughout the various areas that make up today’s India. (In those days India was made up of a number of smaller kingdoms.) They wanted to have a contest of performing miracles with the Buddha Shakyamuni, thinking, that in this way they would humiliate him in public.
They pursued Buddha Shakyamuni, and as he traveled through various kingdoms, they would request the kings of the particular kingdoms to give their authorization for the contest to take place. However, Buddha Shakyamuni kept saying that the time was not yet right. It seems they followed him for quite a long time. When they arrived in Shravasti Buddha Shakyamuni said that the time had come for the contest to take place.
The Buddhist historical records tell us that at Shravasti Buddha Shakyamuni manifested miracles for a period of fifteen days and it became evident, that he was the unparalleled master.
If we look at Tibet, the tradition of gathering to do aspiration prayers took place already at Samye Monastery in its initial stage. Over the centuries these gatherings became popular and at the time of the twelfth century the then king of Tibet, Sakya Drogon Chodgyal Phagpa sponsored events of this kind that included over 50.000 monks.
During the same century, in the Karma Kagyu School of Buddhism, the third Karmapa, Rangjung Dorje (1284 - 1339 ), initiated the same tradition. It has been maintained as a part of the Karma Kagyu tradition throughout the centuries, since that time. At the time of the seventh Karmapa, Chodrag Gyamtso, this gathering became one of the most prominent Buddhist festivals.
This tradition existed in India and in Tibet ,where these gatherings took place during the first fifteen days of the New Year. All four schools of Buddhism maintain this tradition. In the Gelugpa School this tradition started with the master Tsongkapa. Every year between thirty- and forty-thousand monks would gather for this celebration in the temple in Lhasa where one finds the famous Buddha statue, the noble Shakyamuni.
In the sutra of ‘A Wall of Flowers’, it is said that whatever aspiration prayer one does in a place where there is a stupa containing one of the Buddha’s relics, the aspiration prayer will be accomplished.
Nagarjuna, the Indian Buddhist master has said that if one does aspiration prayers together with a highly developed Bodhisattva, the force of doing so is such, that one can avert for example famine and natural disasters and one is able to do away with evil karma of all kinds. That is why every year groups of Tibetan Buddhists, representing the four schools of Tibetan Buddhism, come together to do these aspiration prayers in various holy places in India. As representatives of the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, we will do that this year in Bodhgaya.
Furthermore:
The two main persons, making those aspiration prayers are His Holiness, the 17th Karmapa, Thaye Dorje and Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche. Both are great bodhisattvas, progressing throughout the ten bhumis. To recite this prayer just once with two individuals like that, is greater than doing it a million times on one’s own.
Historically it is quite difficult to have this opportunity, even if one looks at the history of Buddhism in Tibet. Don’t limit your calculation as to your opportunities to this life alone. For centuries this has not been possible, it has not happened!
This event also is about that the 17th Karmapa formally enters the gateway of the Dharma, in that there will be the hair-cutting and name-giving ceremony as well, performed by Kunzig Shamar Rinpoche. This is the first time in the history of the Karmapas that this has happened in India, in Bodhgaya. It is also the first time that any of the Karmapas has led a gathering in Bodhgaya, where people have come together to do aspiration prayers.
It is important to have the right motivation, the right state of mind! Make efforts to genuinely generate bodhicitta, recollect the twelve deeds of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, and those of you, who have studied the Madyamaka-teachings, try to rest in emptiness.
The first section of this particular aspiration prayer is the seven-branch prayer, -one creates positive potential and accumulates merit that will act as the cause for one being able to accomplish, what one aspires to accomplish, namely what is mentioned in the prayer.
The aspiration prayer itself has sixteen points (which will be explained next week, when Khenpo Rinpoche completes this set of information).
Those who participate from the beginning to the end in this gathering, will do this prayer. The collected efforts of the number of individuals that will be there, will produce a hundred thousand, or more recitations of this particular aspiration prayer.
If Buddhists come together in order to do aspiration prayers in any of these places, that will do away with a great extent of their negative karma, it will counteract encountering undesired circumstances in this life, and it will result in taking rebirth in an enlightened realm.
The Indian Buddhist master Bhavaviveka said: As one does aspiration prayers, or recites Sutras in any of the four great places of pilgrimage, one visualizes and recollects the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Reciting Sutras, spoken by the historical Buddha in any of these places is so powerful that one is able to purify oneself of extremely negative karma, such as any of the five inexpiable negative actions.
From among the four great places of pilgrimage, Bodhgaya seems to be the greatest, because here the historical Buddha Shakyamuni actualized the result of all efforts he had made throughout three countless aeons. This is the place where all Buddhas of the past have attained enlightenment and where all Buddhas of the future will attain enlightenment.
At the very top of the great stupa of Bodhgaya there is a smaller stupa, made by Nagarjuna. This stupa contains innumerable relics of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni.
The Buddha statue in the shrine-room at the bottom level of the stupa was crafted before the Indian buddhist king Ashoka, that is approximately a hundred years after Buddha Shakyamuni passed away.
Bodhgaya, as a place of Buddhist pilgrimage, survived the onslaught of the Mogul invaders till the sixteenth century, because the Burmese king was in charge of taking care of this place. Therefore the Mogul invaders were not able to destroy Bodhgaya. Through the efforts of various Hindus, during the sixteenth century the place fell in disrepair and was forgotten. In this century the Indian authorities have restored Bodhgaya.
When the stupa was excavated, the statue was missing. It was found in the home of an Indian family. When brought to the stupa, it fitted perfectly on its throne. Through archaeological research it has been established, that this Buddha statue was the one. Thus we can know that it was crafted approximately a hundred years after the death of Buddha Shakyamuni.
Throughout the centuries, various Buddhist masters have come to pay their respects at the feet of this very Buddha statue. If we look at India and its Buddhist history, it’s greatest masters are: The Six Ornaments, the Two Supreme Masters and the Eighty Mahasiddhas. All of them have practiced there, invoking the historical Buddha Shakyamuni. Through their powers they have integrated the wisdom of the Buddha with the statue. So one can say that the statue embodies Buddha Shakyamuni himself.
Furthermore, Buddhist masters from all other Buddhist countries, like Tibet, China, Burma and Sri Lanka, have come there and done the same practices. If we look at our particular tradition, the Karma Kagyu School of Tibetan Buddhism, Marpa the Translator mentions in one of his songs, as he is about to return to Tibet, that he feels depressed to leave India, simply because it is in India, that one finds this Buddha statue.
There is also an imprint of one of the Buddha’s feet, and the Bodhi-tree. Buddha Shakyamuni sat under the Bodhi-tree, as he attained Buddha the Enlightened State. The Bodhi-tree at the stupa in Bodhgaya has, throughout the centuries, been subject to the destruction of non-buddhists. At the time of the Indian buddhist king Ashoka the tree was destroyed. However, prior to that the Sri Lankan ruler had brought a sapling from the tree, that had grown in Sri Lanka. King Ashoka brought a sapling from that Sri Lankan tree and replanted it at Bodhgaya.
After the time of the Indian king Ashoka -various non-buddhists, like the Mogul invaders, have destroyed it five times. Each time one has obtained a sapling from Sri Lanka. The present tree has been grown from a sapling from Sri Lanka again, planted at the beginning of this century by the Indian Government.
This tree is quite extraordinary in terms of its association with enlightenment. In the Prajnaparamita scriptures one finds a whole volume talking about the outstanding qualities of the Bodhi-tree.
Thus this place is quite extraordinary in terms of the representations of enlightenment one finds, as here there are the Buddha-statue, the Bodhi-tree, the imprint of one of the Buddha’s feet.
When one attempts to purify oneself of evil karma, there is the aspect of doing such practices in the presence of an outstanding representation of the enlightened mind. The force of that representation will contribute towards you being able to purify evil karma.
This particular aspiration prayer is a sutra and as such it contains the words of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni who mentions the aspirations he made as a bodhisattva on the first are summed up in this aspiration prayer.
As was explained the other day the first part of the aspiration prayer for allgood activity is made up of two parts. The first part is a Seven Branch Prayer through which one accumulates merit. The second part is the following:
One starts out imagining offerings that one makes to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the same way as bodhisattvas of the past have made such offerings.
Then one prays that whatever activities that future enlightened individuals will undertake to benefit sentient beings may be accomplished.
Then one prays that disease, famine, warfare and so on will be pacified.
Then one prays that the suffering of beings in the six realms may be pacified and as a result of that, that all beings come to practice generosity and so on, -the six paramitas.
Then one aspires to become able to engage in the deeds of a bodhisattva in all one’s lives and that one will come to encounter the Buddha’s teachings in all one’s lives.
Next one prays that oneself and all other beings may become able to practice the paramitas in the same way as bodhisattvas of the past have practiced these paramitas, that one in all one’s lives will become able to teach the Dharma in all languages that exist. One also prays that one without fail will develop loving kindness and compassion in all one’s lives, -that one will always be mindful of the two aspects of bodhicitta, -and that one will not encounter adverse circumstances nor entertain the three mental poisons.
One also prays that one will not engage in activities springing from obscuring states of mind and that one will be free of hindrances in one’s practice of the Dharma, that one will not encounter inner nor outer hindrances.
One also prays that one will not be contaminated by samsaric patterns but become a person who, because of one’s realization of emptiness is not contaminated by Samsara, in the same way as a lotus flower, which grows out of a muddy pond is not contaminated by the mud in the water.
One then prays that the sufferings of all beings in the ten directions may be pacified and that they will come to encounter the Mahayana.
Then one prays that through the positive potential one accumulates by practicing the paramitas, generosity, and so on, one will be able, when teaching others, to adapt to the individual circumstances of each and every being that one teaches, and one aspires to try to accomplish the welfare of beings without ever being discouraged, that one for as long as it takes to free beings, will accomplish their welfare.
One then aspires to always associate with good people, with people who induce one to practice the Dharma, people,who are a good influence.
One then prays that one in all one’s lives will meet with an authentic spiritual friend and that one will be able to spend all one’s time with this teacher, that one becomes able to accomplish what he desires one to accomplish and that one will not displease one’s spiritual friend through one’s actions, whether physical, verbal, or mental. (That was the seventh of sixteen points.)
One then aspires that one becomes able to meet with all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, residing in enlightened realms throughout the ten directions. That one will become able to make offerings to these noble beings and receive teachings from them. (That is the eighth of the sixteen points.)
One then prays that one will become able to retain all teachings of all future buddhas and apply them for the benefit of others without ever being discouraged even for a moment.
One then aspires to become an individual who through heightened perception, is capable of knowing the different mental dispositions of other beings so that one can teach them in accordance with their attitudes. (That is the tenth of the sixteen points.)
One then aspires to become able to travel to all enlightened realms throughout the ten directions and there to meet with buddhas and receive teachings from them there.
One then prays that one, just as the historical Buddha Shakyamuni, becomes a person whose teachings will benefit innumerable beings simultaneously in that the spoken words of the Buddha Shakyamuni had the power to make different beings understand their meaning in spite of different languages, circumstances and so on. One aspires to develop that type of capacity, ‘limitless speech’.
There are a lot of subdivisions regarding the second point. The second point began with aspiring to become a person who practices bodhicitta in all his lives, who engages in the deeds of a bodhisattva in all his lives. One also aspires to become a person who remembers past lives where one has practiced bodhicitta, because in remembering having practiced bodhicitta one again will be inspired to do so, so that one’s practice of bodhicitta continues.
One also aspires to become an individual who, in all his lives is able to turn away from the life of a householder. One aspires to become a person who is able to live the ordained way of life in that this lifestyle provides the opportunity to engage in the practice of the Dharma full time. In order to be able to benefit beings one needs to be reborn as a human being, one needs to obtain a free and well-favored human rebirth. One aspires to having obtained this free and well-favored human rebirth that one will come to engage in the practice of the Dharma as an ordained person, since as an ordained person one is able to devote all one’s time to the Dharma.
One also aspires to become a person who is able to uphold his commitments. That is to say, in buddhism one commits oneself to a certain code of ethics which is conducive to developing as a dharma practitioner. So one prays that one will be able to uphold those commitments and that one becomes a person who is not concerned with personal benefit.
We come to the eleventh point which is the aspiration to become able to travel to the innumerable buddha fields throughout existence. According to Buddhism, our world is not the only world system that exists. There are innumerable other world systems, as well as innumerable enlightened realms, -buddha fields. One aspires to become able to travel to all these innumerable buddha fields in order to receive teachings from the Buddhas there.
Buddhas residing in the different buddha fields, their aim is to accomplish the benefit of beings. One aspires to assist those Buddhas in their activities for the benefit of beings.
One also aspires to become able to perceive the different dispositions of beings so that one can teach them according to their dispositions, just as all Buddhas are able to perceive the various dispositions of different individuals and thus adapt their way of teaching to the various temperaments of sentient beings.
One also aspires to become able to turn the wheel of the Dharma just as all Buddhas do, that is to turn the wheel of the Dharma for the benefit of beings.
One aspires to become able to accomplish the benefit of beings through body, speech and mind, just as all Buddhas do. One desires to become able to accomplish the welfare of beings just as all Buddhas do.
The activities of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni and all other enlightened beings never come to an end. They ceaselessly work in order to benefit others. One aspires to become such a person and one aspires to become able to make offerings to all the future Buddhas.
One aspires to become able to accomplish the welfare of all beings in the same way as all Buddhas. An enlightened individual is able to benefit innumerable beings in one moment on the basis of perceiving the illusion-like nature of reality. The perception of the illusion-like nature of reality provides the basis for this capacity. One aspires to become able to do that.
One also aspires to become able to create buddha fields where sentient beings take rebirth and as a result can attain Buddha, the Enlightened state, like for example Buddha Amithaba, who created the enlightened realm Sukhavati for the benefit of beings.
Next one aspires to become able to act for the welfare of beings in the same way as the great Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara who is regarded as the embodiment of the compassionate activities of all Buddhas of past, present and future.
Now we come to the twelfth point. Here one aspires to attain the enlightened qualities, or rather actualize the enlightened qualities of Buddhahood. A Buddha has various qualities, there is mention of the ten kinds of powers, the four kinds of fearlessness, the eighteen distinct qualities, and so on. These different qualities relate to the fact that an enlightened individual has uprooted all samsaric states and has ripened enlightened qualities.
Then there is the thirteenth point where one aspires to uproot karma, obscuring states of mind, -all samsaric patterns, and that one instead engages in what is called all-good activity, that is, activities through which one in an enlightened way accomplishes the welfare of all sentient beings.
Then there is point number fourteen. One aspires to uproot the perception of the world as real and solid. As a result of that, that all samsaric realms and world systems become enlightened realms, -realms like the one of Buddha Amithaba. And that all beings in all samsaric world systems may be able to also uproot karma and obscuring states of mind and as a result attain the eye of wisdom, that is perception of the nature of reality, perception of emptiness, perception of essencelessness.
One then aspires that as a result of having attained perception of emptiness, for all time, that is throughout innumerable aeons, to come to act for the benefit of all beings and constantly engage in making offerings to all enlightened individuals.
Then there is the fifteenth point. One aspires to, -right from this moment be able to emulate the conduct of all Buddhas of all times, past, present and future. It is not like just wishing to do so, one truly aspires to becomes able to emulate the conduct of all Buddhas, from the bottom of one’s heart one aspires to become able to do so. One resolves to become able to act in the same way as great bodhisattvas, such as Samantabadhra and Manjushri.
Then there is the sixteenth point. There one aspires to that the aspirations one has made and will make will accord with the aspirations of all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and that those aspirations will be accomplished.
The karma and obscurations of beings produce suffering. One does these aspirations for the sake of alleviating the suffering of all beings, in number as vast as the sky.
Those are the sixteen points in the aspiration prayer that has been explained. It has been a very brief explanation. As the teachings in the sutra are very vast, it is not possible in a very short period of time to explain the meaning in detail. It would require a semester to explain the meaning of this sutra. However, if you’re interested in receiving further teachings: during the summer course in Dhagpo Kagyu Ling next year this sutra is one of the subjects (-unless there is a change in the program).
In that these aspiration prayers are done in a particular place, Bodhgaya, as it is the place where the historical Buddha Shakyamuni attainted Buddha the enlightened state, those aspirations may be accomplished.
One should do these aspirations with good intentions. That is one of the main conditions for the aspirations to be accomplished. A pure intention means in our case as ordinary individuals that one does these aspirations for the sake of others. That is a pure intention, because as an ordinary person one has not attained perception of the nature of reality, one clings to oneself as a real person and one sees one’s surroundings as real. Thus one does not have perception of emptiness or essencelessness. However, even though one has not yet attained perception of the nature of reality, one tries to do these aspirations for the sake of others.
When trying to act for the benefit of others, it is a question of being able to do that, it is not a question of talking about benefiting others or thinking of it. It is a question of acting in a way that benefits others. For an ordinary person to attempt to teach the Dharma to others, to give a lecture for example, won’t really benefit anyone very much, because as an ordinary person one isn’t really capable of turning other’s minds towards the Dharma. One doesn’t have the capacity to truly influence someone. One is only truly able to benefit others when one has attained perception of essencelessness.
Realization of emptiness, or essencelessness doesn’t fall from heaven, nor does it sprout from a fertile field. It is something that one has to accomplish through ones efforts. Nobody else can do it for one. There isn’t a Lama or a teacher somewhere who can give one the gift of realization of emptiness. One has to accomplish that on the basis of one’s personal efforts.
In order to attain perception of emptiness one has to develop outstanding awareness of the nature of reality. There are different types of knowledge. When one speaks abut superior knowledge one is speaking of the kind of knowledge which results in attaining Buddha the Enlightened state. There is the superior knowledge that results from studying the Buddha’s teachings, the superior knowledge that results from reflecting upon the meaning of the Buddha’s teachings and superior knowledge that results from the practice of meditation.
Hopefully all of us engage in developing these three kinds of knowledge. As a practitioner doing that one then aspires to perfect these three kinds of knowledge and to become able to distribute that enlightened knowledge to all beings, once one has attained Buddha the Enlightened state. That one becomes able to share that enlightened knowledge with all beings.
If you’re able to practice in this way while in Bodhgaya, it is certain that you are extremely fortunate. It is quite rare to have an opportunity like this. If we look at Tibet’s Buddhist history, beginning with the twelfth century up til today, two truly great Bodhisattvas are the Karmapa and the Shamarpa. You should regard yourselves as very fortunate to be able to participate in this gathering led by these two bodhisattvas.
The Bodhisattvas Avalokiteshvara and Amithaba, both, according to the Buddha’s word, as recorded in various sutras, have throughout innumerable kalpas cultivated bodhicitta and on the basis of that acted for the benefit of beings. As you know, the Karmapa and the Shamarpa are incarnations of those great Bodhisattvas. This gathering is no less than a gathering in the realm of Sukhavati.
[With best thanks to Claudia Neumann from Wuppertal for her immediate and tireless typing of all parts]
Copyright © 1996 Karma Kagyu Buddhist Network