Advice and Practices for Various Countries

Rinpoche checked on what is best to be done in Nigeria, where so many people are dying of starvation. It seems this is due in part to extremists preventing food and aid from reaching people in need. Initially Rinpoche wanted to make a donation to the area, to help the starving people.

While Rinpoche considered making a donation to help the starving people, he then did a divination to check what was best. The result was that students of Rinpoche who are concerned about Nigeria should do the Extensive Medicine Buddha puja, making strong prayers to Medicine Buddha for those affected to be free of hunger and oppression.

My very dear one,
I understand what you are saying, and of course that’s OK. You want to be what you thought. You are totally free to become what you want to in this world, I am not holding you.

May I say a few words? Generally in the world if a country is controlled by one man—whether a king or a president—or if it is a democratically run country, there is the possibility of mistakes, because people don't have omniscience, the fully knowing mind. So they can make mistakes. Not everything is a mistake, but there is that possibility. Whether the country is run by one person or democratically, if one person or the group, the public, doesn’t have omniscience, then there is the possibility of making mistakes.

For example, arhats who have direct perception of emptiness see everything as empty from the beginning, existing in mere name. They have not just realization, but direct realization, and they develop that and cease even the seed of ignorance, which is the root of samsara—the ignorance holding the I and the aggregates as truly existent, when they have never been.

Arhats are free from the oceans of samsaric suffering—the suffering of pain, the suffering of old age, sickness, death and so forth. They are free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and all the samsaric pleasures, and from where those two come—the pervasive compounded suffering and the contaminated aggregates. The aggregates are contaminated with the seed of delusion, caused by delusion and karma and pervaded by suffering, so then we experience suffering because we are under the control of karma and delusion.

Arhats are free from all these sufferings, but they haven’t completed the merits of wisdom and merits of virtue and they haven’t ceased all the obscurations, the subtle obscurations. They have unimaginable, unimaginable, unimaginable qualities, but they make mistakes. For example they don't know subtle karma—only the Buddha, the Omniscient One, knows subtle karma. Arhats don’t know subtle karma, for example, peacock feathers are different colors, but they don’t know what is the cause of each color, or what is the cause of different marks on a butterfly or a human being. They can't see the cause of all the tiny details on a flower, the different colors, shapes etc. They can't see the cause of these, the subtle karma. Only the Buddha sees the subtle karma.

Then there are secret actions that only the Buddha’s omniscient mind can see. Arhats cannot see the great distances, the unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable distances. It’s so difficult for them to see that, but the Buddha can see the great distances and places and time, unbelievable, unbelievable. This is called the unknowing minds,¹ the four causes of unknowing which arhats haven't abandoned, haven't purified, and they still can't see that.

Therefore they still can't do perfect works for the sentient beings because of these four unknowing minds, even though they have unbelievable, unbelievable, unbelievable psychic powers and so forth, that we don’t have. So there is still the possibility of making mistakes. Even if one person guides democratically, because everyone doesn't have omniscience, it’s not necessarily always correct.

For example, if I tell you a simple thing, if you don’t have clairvoyance, which is achieved through calm abiding, tantra realization of the Six Yogas of Naropa and so forth, you can make mistakes. You can't tell when you are going to die, you can't see in the future, which day or month, you have no idea, and you can't tell how to have success or failure in your work.

If doctors are not clairvoyant, they can't really know how to help patients. There is general understanding, but they still don't know every single thing. They can’t diagnose and know what medicines are needed, especially nowadays, the diagnoses are upside down. It even says in the Tibetan texts that as the times get more degenerate there are more dangers of wrong diagnoses or medicines that worked before do not work now. So doctors need clairvoyance very much to be able to heal patients.

Also for business you need clairvoyance to know the future, and the government definitely needs clairvoyance. Ordinary people without clairvoyance can make so many mistakes by believing something but not knowing all the obstacles and methods. Therefore you need clairvoyance for everything, even if you don’t have omniscience, even if you are not perfect.

My view is that both sides can make mistakes, therefore the best leader of sentient beings, the best one, is the Buddha. He has omniscient mind, knowing all the past and future directly at the same time. Seeing the future directly, then having all the methods to cure all the sufferings and all the problems. Directly seeing and having the power to reveal the methods; having omniscience and infinite compassion for all sentient beings and perfect power to reveal the methods.

Arhats don't have all those things, so they are limited. At least if the leader of the world could be a bodhisattva, who has given up cherishing the I and cherishes the sentient beings most, just as a mother cherishes her child most in her life. She does everything that is best for her child and if the child gets a degree or somebody praises the child, the mother is so happy. Like that, bodhisattvas cherish every single sentient being the most and no-one is left out.

Even breathing in and out is only done for sentient beings, not for self, then with all that loving kindness, compassion, bodhicitta, depending on which level of path that the bodhisattva has achieved, then with that much quality he is able to benefit others. So it depends on which level of path the bodhisattva has achieved.

I would say then, yes, that is the best leader. If not Buddha, then a bodhisattva who cherishes everybody and is able to guide with wisdom and compassion, not with ignorance. Otherwise there are a lot of problems in the world. If there is a democracy or just one person running the country with ignorance, then there is so much fighting, like what has been happening. If the leader of the country is not a bodhisattva, then often becoming a leader is to gain power for oneself, for one's own happiness and not for others.

Most of the countries in the world are run by one person, however, some could be bodhisattvas, for example, Tibet was run by His Holiness the Dalai Lama who is the Buddha of Compassion, not just a bodhisattva. In general the countries are mostly run by one person with a self-cherishing mind, ignorance, so then that person makes mistakes or does it only to gain power for himself rather than to gain [happiness] for others. Probably people don’t get happiness and even if they don't fight or complain, they are not very happy. Many countries are like this.

That’s why democracy is better, because even though not everybody has omniscient mind, they are not bodhisattvas, people can say things when they want to say them. So it can get better all the time, though it doesn’t necessarily mean the decisions are always correct and they don't create problems. Democracy is being able to have different views and what the majority like is considered, so I guess it’s more or less done that way, but not necessarily always without mistakes and people not having problems, it's not like that. If the public develop their wisdom and compassion more, that can help the country to run better, with  more happiness for the people, by developing more compassion and wisdom.

So people need to develop more wisdom and compassion, that’s the whole issue. Even to guide you and even in your own life, you need to have more compassion and wisdom. Otherwise you follow your own ignorance or other peoples’ ignorance, other people giving ignorant advice, like the blind guiding blind people.

You are a young intelligent girl, so I am just giving my views. I hope you don’t mind. It's very important you use your intelligence and wisdom.

I don’t know if other religions in the world have said this, but the Buddha said: “Bhikshus, wise ones, check my teachings, like examining gold, by cutting, by burning, by rubbing and examining well my teachings. Only then take my advice.” The Buddha didn’t say in the beginning to just believe, don’t question. I think in the world the Buddha is the only one who gave freedom like that.

With much love and prayers...

notes

¹ Four types of very subtle ignorance. They are: the inability to see the secret actions of a buddha, the inability to see the subtle karma of sentient beings, the inability to see things that happened a very long time ago and the inability to see very long distances. [Return to text]

Rinpoche said he will come to Spain, like a rabbit coming from Nepal. Rinpoche said it’s very important for Spanish people to create the karma to improve the conditions of the country, especially the economic one. Mainly due to karma, the conditions are difficult, [due to] a lack of charity.

According to Rinpoche’s observations, the Prajnaparamita in 8,000 Stanzas has to be recited. Maybe the geshe and students who know Tibetan can do it.

Annually:

• Read the Kangyur (Buddha’ s teachings) five times for peace
• Read the Tengyur (the commentaries on Buddha’ s teachings, by the great pandits, Nagarjuna, Asanga and so forth) eight times
• Do the wrathful puja to dispel obstacles by throwing the torma
• Do the extensive Medicine Buddha Puja 10 times

Each day:

• Recite the Golden Light Sutra four times
• Recite the White Umbrella prayer four times
• Read the sutra of Ksitigarbha. This is also to stop dangers of fire, water and other dangers.

These practices are not only to decrease the amount of murders in the country, but also to stop the dangers of fire, water, air, earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. Some years the country may need more or less pujas, depending on the obstacles. Also it can be different depending on the different states. The pujas have to be done by good practitioners, for example Khadro-la or Khamtrul Rinpoche.

My very dear one,
I hope you very well. I wish we could have met in France; the meeting was very good. I hope I can come to Colombia soon. Your good Colombian friend, the doctor, is here and asked me for some advice for Colombia.

I checked and this is what came out as very good to practice for Colombia:

1.  Every month make three incense torma offerings to all the devas and protectors called Gyab Ngen Lhasang. If possible, do five a month.

2.  As much as possible, throughout the country, spread the Compassionate Buddha mantra OM MANI PADME HUM and Chenrezig meditation. The center and students should do strong meditation on Compassion Buddha. Also, pray for all the drug dealers and gangsters in Colombia to develop compassion. Think that beams of light come out from Chenrezig and purify all the negative karma and defilements collected since beginningless time, and think that the beams fill all the beings in Colombia and the whole world completely with great compassion.

3. Generally, it comes out very good to have many Chenrezig initiations given in Colombia.

4. Recite seven Vajra Claws every day for the country and for peace. Students of the center could do this. Or, if there are any monks or a geshe there, they could do it.

5. Build a statue of Padmasambhava of nine, ten, or thirteen storeys, if possible, at least nine feet high, in the aspect of “Accomplishing Wishes—Sampa Lhundrup.” This is for peace for the whole country and it would be best if the government helped in some way (I am not sure if they will), or business people could contribute towards it.

There was one great Lama in Tibet who advised that if a large Padmasambhava statue had been built in Tibet before China invaded, then Tibet would not have been invaded. The statue wasn’t built. Instead, they built a statue of Yamantaka.

If any geshes visit, they can do some or any of these things. Also, the practices can be shared by students at different centers.

With much love and prayers to you and all the warm-hearted Colombian friends.

My very dear Jack,
Thank you for sending this. You know it is very important to have a clear understanding of things.

In the beginning in this world we were all in animal form. We did a lot of bad things to each other, like eating each other, then we evolved a little bit, but there was still so much fighting and causing harm to each other, all over the world. My point is that nobody was enlightened from the beginning. In Tibet, in the beginning, there was the Bon religion, then came Buddhism. It is wrong to think that everyone was good or everyone was bad, that doesn’t make sense. How can one expect or think that in Tibet everyone is good or everyone is bad. Mostly everyone is born with anger, ignorance, and attachment. Everyone is like that.

A very important thing about Tibet is that many great holy beings achieved the path, achieved Amitabha, and were able to benefit others, bringing unbelievable benefit, deeper than the oceans, vaster than space. Still, those great holy beings can show the aspect of being displeased when someone does wrong, and show the aspect of being pleased when someone does good. Good and bad exist. Bad has suffering results and good has the result of happiness and peace. What the holy beings want is for everyone to be good, to try to follow the correct path, practice, have realizations, and achieve the highest enlightenment.

Of course, there were many problems in the past in Tibet; there is no doubt about that. Some of what we hear is accurate, some may be exaggerated. The difficulty is that some scholars and professors often only talk about certain aspects of the culture—they don’t understand the great achievements of the holy beings.

You can’t think that if one person is bad then everyone is bad, or if one person is enlightened then all people are enlightened. Your mind has to be a universal mind and see all the different aspects, not just the good and not just the bad. You have to see the different mixtures, the different aspects, otherwise you get yourself in trouble.

In the beginning, when Buddhism came to the West and people heard about Milarepa, they all had this very high view that if you are Tibetan you must be a great yogi and free of all negative emotions. In my view, Westerners really thought like that, especially during the time when LSD was popular. They only saw all these unbelievably good things, and didn’t see the not so good aspects.

The great achievement in Tibet that no other country achieved was the preservation of the complete Buddhadharma. In the beginning, Buddha taught 84,000 teachings, the entire path to enlightenment. Then, the great Indian pandits, in particular the Six Ornaments and Two Jewels of India, preserved the Dharma—Buddha’s teachings—and condensed them. Then, many great lamas in Tibet, like Lama Tsongkhapa, studied and experienced the path. So did the great Indian yogis.

In Tibet, for over 1,300 years, the complete Buddhadharma was translated and spread, starting with Padmasambhava and Atisha. It was taught extensively, and many studied and practiced in hermitages and caves in the mountains all over Tibet. Where individuals actualized the path, some of them did it living in vows. So many achieved enlightenment in all the four traditions, and had great attainments. They lived in those caves, completely giving up this life. This is Tibet’s unique and great achievement, preserving the Buddhadharma in its complete form.

If the Tibetans hadn’t preserved the Buddhadharma, where would we be now? There would have been a complete degeneration. But because they preserved it, now, many are still studying, living, and practicing the Dharma. Because this is possible, the Tibetan people can hand back the complete Buddhadharma to the mother land: India. This is a very, very special achievement. So many bodhisattvas, holy beings, and enlightened beings came about in Tibet. Even in other Buddhist countries it was not like this, the complete entire Buddhadharma was not preserved. They had meditators, of course, and correct understanding, but not the entire Buddhadharma. Also, Tibet was subdued by Chenrezig. That is its connection with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Anyway, the essence is I want you to see the incredible achievement of the Tibetan people, the vast achievement of preserving the entire Buddhadharma, not only the intellectual understanding of the complete Dharma. Of course, Tibetan people also are just very simple people, living with yaks and dogs, not doing business with other countries. But that is the point—essentially the Tibetan people were focused on Dharma and developing inside, there was very little effort in developing outside.

This is my news, this is not the CNN or BBC news, but Sherpa Yeti from Mexico City talking to Dear Jack in the United States of America.

With much love and prayers...