For the world situation, for the benefit of world peace, for America and
for individuals as well, in addition to the previous instruction, one should
take the eight Mahayana precepts and developing strong compassion, recite OM
MANI PADME HUM.
Other additional advice is to practice Medicine Buddha Puja and short Medicine
Buddha practices. There is one that I translated many years ago in Kopan for
daily practice as well as for those wanting to pray for family members or others
who have died. There is also a more elaborate Medicine Buddha text. If you do
the short Medicine Buddha practice, first you do the seven-limb practice, seven
or eight times, and then you recite the name of each Medicine Buddha seven times.
That is an easy one that many can do.
The other is a text of the kind and compassionate Guru Shakyamuni Buddha called
the Holy Sutra of Golden Light. Copies will be sent to every center. This was
translated a very long time ago by a German professor, R. E. Emmerick. Surprisingly,
it seems that this translation was already done during the Second World War.
It has skies of benefit for the world, for world peace, and skies of benefit
for any individual who reads even a portion of this text. [Available from The
Pali Text Society.] *
This text has three versions: the elaborate, medium, and short versions found
in the Kangyur. I have received the oral transmission of one shorter version
by one bodhisattva Mongolian lama, and of the medium version from Bakula Rinpoche.
So my intention is to give the oral transmission as much as possible to the
centers and students. One monk studying in Sera has completed the translation
of it into Spanish. I would also like to have it translated into French, German,
Swiss, and so on. The whole Kangyur is in Chinese, so all three versions should
be in Chinese. We just need to print it out and make it accessible for people
to read.
Of course, my mind is stubborn. For the person who has met Buddhism, every situation
of war or natural disasters, every situation that can shorten life, all the
many life-threatening situations that create more uncertainty these days to
be alive, give incredible opportunities for us to do strong Dharma practice.
These situations give very strong inspiration to practice because there is no
other means to escape, whether immediately or ultimate escape, i.e., freedom
from all suffering. Such circumstances, such terrifying circumstances, help
make it easier for the mind to overcome delusions or the distractions of desire.
As Lama Tsong Khapa mentioned in the Lam-rim Chenmo, if you think every day,
"I am going to die today," then at the end of the day even if you
did not die, your life will have been very meaningful because you will have
done many preparations for death during that day (purification, accumulations
of merit, and meditations on the path). Even if death actually happens on that
day, you will have made your life meaningful because you will already have done
a lot of preparation on that day.
So this is my suggestion of the excellent way in this present situation: I feel
this is the most practical advice, the best solution in this present world situation.
The strong practice of Dharma and the awareness of impermanence and death brings
peace in your heart and no fear. It also makes you think, without any choice,
of the incredible suffering of other sentient beings that one can hear and one
can see. You don't have to read Dharma texts in order to discover and to see
how this situation is unbearable. For yourself, it becomes a very strong persuasion
to develop and generate compassion that leads to bodhichitta, which will lead
you to enlightenment, lead you to create the causes of temporary and ultimate
happiness, of enlightenment, for all the other sentient beings equaling the
infinite sky.
So these practices that I mentioned, Medicine Buddha and the Holy Sutra of Golden
Light, are incredible practices to purify negative karma, the cause of suffering,
and to purify others. Also reciting those specific prayers by the great yogi
of the Compassion Buddha Thang tong Gyalpo as well as the prayers to the Three
Saviors Chenrezig, Manjushri, and Vajrapani. Strong prayers of refuge can help
to reduce dangers, to make them smaller and weaker in cases when there is no
strong, good karma to keep us from experiencing them.
The Diamond Cutter Sutra is also good to recite. Those who cannot read it because
they do not have the text can recite the Heart Sutra. Those who would like to
receive the Diamond Cutter Sutra can get it from the web or contact FPMT International
Office Education Department.
As I mentioned before in the previous advice: it is good to make light offerings
to the historical, most precious statue of Buddha in the Jokhang Temple in Lhasa,
and to make grain and food offerings, especially light offerings, making strong
requests to the Buddha to generate loving kindness and compassion in all the
terrorist people's minds and in the minds of all people. Make strong prayers
for immediate transformation of all the hatred and anger in the minds of all
people, to immediately transform their minds into minds of loving kindness and
compassion, to immediately stop all the negative karmas - not only to stop the
experience of them but as well to stop their creation again - and for the whole
world to be filled with peace, happiness, and prosperity. Make strong prayers
for a world without violence, sickness, or poverty, a world with no economic
problems, and for people not to waste their time, not to waste their lives.
This doesn't mean not to do something relaxing; it means to practice Dharma,
that whatever you do, you keep Dharma in mind. And of course, the best Dharma
practice is bodhichitta. Make a strong determination to be free of worldly dharmas.
With much love and prayers,
Lama Zopa Rinpoche