Earthquakes

Ven Roger writes: Rinpoche has been bringing it up many, many times and feels that this is extremely important, as it is inevitable an earthquake will happen in California. Rinpoche has checked and below are some things that need to happen as soon as possible:

• Read the Tengyur four times: to be done at Sera Je Monastery.
• Ksitigarbha retreat, with 1,800,000 recitations of the long Ksitigarbha mantra. If the Tengyur is recited four times, then it can be one million mantras only.
• Take the eight Mahayana precepts: 300 times.
• Perform the extensive Medicine Buddha puja: ongoing.

Rinpoche said that the dedication for these practices should be to pacify all earthquakes in California, Nepal and worldwide, as well as the normal FPMT dedications. Students should continue the earthquake prayers they are already doing as well, so this doesn’t change that.

Note: You can find a link to Ksitigarbha practice in the FPMT Catalogue.

Students at the centers should do the following practices to prevent more problems from earthquakes over the next six weeks:

1. Recite Ngang Tsa Nangye and Tashi Tsegpa every day. [This is for Geshe Lama Konchog and the Geshe from Tibet Office to do.]
2. Take eight Mahayana precepts as much as possible and pray that there will be no more natural disasters, there and everywhere else.
3. Recite Migtsema mantra as much as possible, with prayers.
4. Recite the Padmasambhava prayer. This is very powerful. Do this at least three times in the morning and evening, if possible more.
5. Read the Diamond Sutra and the Heart Sutra to purify negative karma.
6. Praises to the Twenty-one Taras.
7. Lion-face Dakini prayer.

Keep doing these prayers for three to six months.

This is a message to all at Kopan Monastery: Tenpa Choden-la, Um-dze-la, Geshe Jangchun, as well as Ani Jangsem and all the nuns at the nunnery,

Regarding earthquakes, I left a prayer with Khedrup for all the monks and nuns to do.

Please, when you do this, visualize Shakyamuni Buddha, as huge as Mount Meru or Mount Everest, sitting under the bodhi tree and blessing the whole ground, the whole earth, especially Nepal. Feel that everything is very solid and immovable and then recite one mala of Shakyamuni Buddha mantra. [Please note: the mantra in this text is the correct way to recite Shakyamuni mantra.]

Also do Barche Lamsel, four stanzas from the Padmasambhava prayer, to eliminate obstacles.

Recite the Wrathful Padmasambhava mantra: maybe seven, ten, 15, 21 times and so forth.

Recite the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha mantra: the one I gave the lung for. Everyone who came for the teachings got the lung. Recite the short mantra but also recite the long mantra seven times or more. You can also get this Ksitigarbha sutra and mantra from the Tibetan book store in Boudha.

Also, here is a very good picture of Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha. [Sent by email.] You can make copies of it and people can have it in their room for protection. You can make many different sizes of the photo.

I advised during the talk I gave at Kopan that this is extremely powerful. You can make offerings in front of the photo and then make prayers. It is unbelievably powerful for success and protection. Any prayer done to Ksitigarbha is 100 million more times more powerful.

Then do the tea offering to the landlord and the four goddesses of the four different paths and corners.

Do serkyem offering three or more times. Each time you do it, make sure you have the 25 special substances in the tea. Ask Sangpo if you do not know about these 25 substances, as he may have some that I had left over.

Please give this message to Um-dze-la so he knows what prayers to do and also to Ani Jangsem, so all the nuns know.

This is not only to help Kopan, but the whole world, and especially Nepal.

With much love and prayers...

Note: For more advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche on natural disasters, please go to Disasters of the Elements on the FPMT website.

For the earthquake and other disaster victims in Indonesia, I have done an observation and ask you all particularly to do these two practices so all the victims can have a good rebirth:

1. Recite the Golden Light Sutra, individually or in a group.

2. Visualization and mantra recitation of Lord Buddha Mitukpa. In Indonesia, at the present moment, there is much ignorance, anger, and greed, which can lead to disasters, conflicts, fights, and even war. This visualization and mantra is part of the antidote.

Visualise in front of you Lord Buddha Mitukpa, with a blue body holding a vajra, like in the thangka. With faith and devotion, take refuge and generate bodhicitta. Surrounding you visualize all the victims of the recent disaster and all beings. As you recite the mantra, visualize nectar coming out from his heart, entering everybody's crown, including yours, filling you with blessings and planting or nurturing seeds of bodhicitta, which will bring you freedom from suffering and ultimate happiness.

Do this in many sessions, reciting at least one mala or many more, individually or in a group.

Mantra of the Immovable Buddha, Mitukpa:

OM KAMKANI KAMKANI ROTSANI ROTSANI
TROTANI TROTANI TRASANI TRASANI
PRATIHANA PRATIHANA SARVA KARMA
PARAM PARA NIME SARVA SATTVA NÄNYTSA SOHA.

As far as what scientists say about earthquakes, they never mention the mind, the doer who experiences things. They explain what happens purely in terms of external evolution. Even if this is correct, it is only a short-term explanation. It doesn’t really explain why the external evolution had to happen in the first place.

Similarly, why is a baby with disabilities born to a particular family? It’s the same question. Why did that baby have to be born to that family? Even if it is explained by genetics, why couldn’t that child have been born to a different family that didn’t have that genetic problem? There are no answers to these questions if we don’t mention the mind.

From the simplest teachings of Buddhism, you can understand where hurricanes and earthquakes come from. They come as a result of the ten non-virtuous actions. The cause of the karma to experience these things can be committing one of the ten non-virtues, or it can come from committing several of the ten non-virtues. It could be the negative karmic result of stealing. It could be the result of ill-will toward others, or it could be the result of heresy, saying that reincarnation doesn’t exist or that Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha don’t exist as objects of refuge. Part of the negative karmic result of heresy could be not having shelter or guidance after an earthquake. It could be the karmic result of killing or of any of the other ten non-virtues. It could be the result of one or several of them.

It is due to karma that one experiences the earthquake or hurricane. The mind that has this experience comes as a result of the self-cherishing thought, from either attachment or anger. But attachment and anger are closely related. The real root is ignorance, the unknowing mind, the mind that does not know the ultimate nature of mind, the “I,” or the aggregates.

So, remember, there is the cause—karma—and then there are conditions. The earthquake is not coming from outside. It is coming from your mind. We should also remember that even if outer precautions are taken, if there is a cause for harm, then there will be that result. For example, buildings that were built with all the precautions against earthquakes have been destroyed during earthquakes, and buildings constructed without any earthquake precautions have been left undamaged. If there is a cause for the building to be destroyed it will happen. If not, it will not.

This is according to the view of all four schools of Buddhist philosophy. They all accept what Shakyamuni Buddha said: “You are your own guide, and also your own enemy.”

That is reality. Every day, whether you have problems or happiness, is due to what you do with your mind, which way you make your mind think. If you make your mind think positively, you have peace. If you make your mind think negatively, you have problems.

Ultimately, the best solution would be not to experience these problems ever. This is possible if, in our everyday life, we purify the cause of these problems, which is within us, not outside, and is our negative, disturbing, emotional thoughts (the self-centered mind). In relation to this mind, ignorance, anger, and attachment arise. Then we engage in actions that become negative, with these negative attitudes, and create the evil karma that harms others and ourselves. Any external explanation, even if it is correct, is just an explanation of the conditions for these problems. Without the inner cause—the negative karma—the outer condition for this problem couldn’t happen.

Every day, we should pray to purify our past negative karma. Every day, we should try to abstain from negative karma. This is why it is important to take vows (lay or ordination), to live in morality, and not create negative karma. By taking vows, by mentally making the decision to not do something again, it helps us not to commit the negative karma again. Even if you cannot take the vows in the presence of holy objects, the community of Sangha, or from your spiritual teacher, you can still strongly make the decision to abstain from negative karma and to live in morality.

The conclusion is: the best, ultimate solution for problems is Dharma practice, especially actualizing the path within your own mind and purifying the causes—karma and delusion—of every suffering (rebirth, old age, sickness, and death).

This is also the best solution for all sicknesses and health problems, such as cancer, and is the best solution in order to have a long life, to be healthy, to have wealth, power, and reputation, to have harmony, to be peaceful and happy, to receive help from others, to receive affection and love from others, to receive support, and so forth.

The entire Kangyur, the collection of all the Buddha's teachings, should be recited to prevent further earthquakes. It would be very beneficial to have the Sangha of all four Tibetan traditions recite the Kangyur once, to lessen the effects of earthquakes in the future. However, it has to be recited as close to perfect as possible. It would be best if this recitation of the Kangyur could be sponsored by the wealthy businesspeople of Taiwan, perhaps even with government help. This is not because it is very expensive, but to give these people the opportunity to create merit. If this is difficult, we can find other sponsors. Also, Samayavajra practice needs to be performed to purify degenerated samaya vows.

For protection from harm from earthquakes, write the following mantra horizontally on a long strip of paper. Then consecrate it with black agar incense and gywong (you can obtain this from a Tibetan doctor). This mantra should not be shown to other people. Put it on the walls of your house for protection. People can also wear it.

Write the following:

OM AH BHARA CHAKRA SHRI TAY MUNAY YAY AH PAH NA YA.
Protect this place from all the dangers of earthquakes RA KYA RA KYA

If a person is going to wear it, write the whole mantra, and then also write: “Protect the bearer of this mantra from all the dangers of earthquakes RA KYA RA KYA.” These instructions come from Gampopa Dagpo Lhaje.

If there are lamas nearby, the mantras can be blessed by them. If not, just think that all the wisdom of many buddhas absorbs into this mantra and is stabilized forever. Wear this protection and also place it around your house with strong faith. If performed with strong faith, these methods can help. However, that doesn’t mean that they purify the karma to experience earthquakes or fires. You have to perform separate practices to purify that. But these practices can provide the conditions for you not to experience earthquakes and the dangers of fire. The most important technique to help you to avoid experiencing earthquakes, hurricanes, fires, or floods is to purify the cause, which exists in your mental continuum, which is your own mind. This is to abstain from committing negative actions and to live in pure morality.

Therefore, these mantras can help. Mountains of gold and diamonds or millions of dollars can’t stop these dangers, but these methods can help.

For protection from fire, put a little poisonous blood on a square piece of paper. Then, write this mantra with ink mixed with crystal powder:

TADYATHA OM TARE TUTTARE TURE EH KHA TZAA DI SHANKHARA SHANKHARA AGNI BAHA YA SHANKHARA TSARA TSARA TSIRI TSIRI BUHURU BUHURU BHARA MARA TAM BAHAYA BHARA MARA TAM BAHAYA JALA NAM JANA LAM SVAHA

Put this mantra into a white tsa tsa. Then, hide the tsa tsa in the southeast corner of your home or property, since this is the direction of the fire deity. Put it in a place where it won’t be damaged, together with auspicious water-based substances such as crystal or coarse sea salt. It is said that this will protect the place from fire, even the fire that will end the world. This is a terma – the hidden treasure of Guru Tseten Gyältsän.

General Practices

All the Dharma centers in Taiwan should perform the following practices to prevent future problems from earthquakes. It is important for the students to do these practices. Every day, the geshes should recite Nam tsa nan gya and Tra shi tseg pa. Also, please take the eight Mahayana precepts as often as possible, and pray that there are no more natural disasters in your area or anywhere else.

Recite Lama Tsongkhapa’s migtsema mantra as much as possible, while making strong prayers.

Recite the Padmasambhava prayer (The Prayer Eliminating Obstacles and Accomplishing Wishes). It is very powerful. Recite it at least three times in the morning and evening, but more if possible.

Read the Diamond Cutter Sutra and the Heart Sutra to purify negative karma.

Recite prayers to Tara, especially the Praises to the Twenty-one Taras.

Recite the Lion-Face Dakini prayer.

Keep reciting these prayers for three to five months.

Also, reciting OM MANI PADME HUM with tonglen practice for one hour each day can prevent dangers connected with the earth element. You can also read the Ksitigarbha Sutra.