Being a gelong brings many more extra benefits. It says in the text: “The merit a lay person can collect in 100 years, an ordained person can collect in one day. These are the benefits of living in ordination, every day is like that."
Ordination Advice
Ordination Advice
Rinpoche gave the following advice on becoming a monk or nun.
It is very good that you become a monk or nun for all living beings: every hell being – they are numberless, every preta – they are numberless, every animal – they are numberless, every human – they are numberless, every sura – they are numberless, every asura – they are numberless, and every intermediate state being – they are numberless. So, be a monk or nun for all of them.
I want you to remember this every morning after you finish your prostrations, which is part of the refuge precepts. Then, recite this verse a few times while kneeling down, in order to inspire you to be able to live in the ordination and to continue to purify negative karma. Recite this verse of Buddha's words from the Sutra of the King of Concentration and then the mantra:
When the holy Dharma has become extremely perished and the teachings of the One Gone to Bliss have ceased, the merit of somebody who is enjoying (living in) one vow for one day or night is more exalted than offering umbrellas, flags, garlands of light offerings, food, and drink with a calm mind, or service, to one hundred billion times ten million buddhas, for ten billion eons equaling the number of grains of sand in the Pacific Ocean.
The meaning is "Keeping even one precept for one day collects far greater merit than the precious merit of having made extensive offerings every day to that many buddhas."
Then, you should recite the mantra:
OM AMOGHA SHILA SAMBHARA / BHARA BHARA / MAHA SHUDDHA SATTVA PADMA BIBHUSHITA BHUJA / DHARA DHARA / SAMANTA / AVALOKITE HUM PHAT SVAHA*
You can recite it 21 times a day or however many times you can. At the end, think this is what I am offering to all sentient beings. I offer this practice and these merits to all sentient beings and also this is my contribution to world peace. One thing that is helpful to strengthen the mind is to think you are making preparation for the happiness of future lives by living according to the vows. This also becomes the foundation for liberation from samsara and helps you to achieve enlightenment, and before that to achieve the higher training of concentration, shamatha, and great insight, wisdom.
With the support of bodhicitta and this realization, you achieve the Mahayana exalted path, which eliminates the defilements, and then you achieve full enlightenment. What makes the mind strong is by reflecting that this is the advantage that you get, and this is the happiness you can get by sacrificing this life and living according to the vows. Also, you should reflect on karma and the suffering of the lower realms. These two things are very important, especially when your mind becomes weak and follows samsara more than liberation. When the thought of seeking liberation is weaker for various reasons and the attachment seeking samsaric happiness is stronger, especially in these cases you should think that in order to achieve samsaric happiness you are giving up liberation – ultimate happiness. Also, it is very important that you read a lamrim prayer every day, mindfully reflecting on the meaning, such as The Foundation of all Good Qualities.
So, thank you very much.
With much love and prayers...
Rinpoche wrote the following response to a man who had written saying he was considering ordination.
My dear Nick,
Thank you very much for your kind letter. You are a stable and growing inspiration—not only for practicing Dharma but for dedicating your life to goodness—and liberating yourself and all other sentient beings. Also, you want to engage in ordination, which is taking a strong responsibility to liberate yourself from the ocean of samsaric sufferings. It is especially taking responsibility to liberate countless sentient beings from the ocean of samsaric sufferings, the continuation of which has no beginning.
My advice for making important decisions in your life is that the most crucial thing for you and all other sentient beings is to think well. One must see things thoroughly—not just for a few days or months. In the Tibetan tradition, ordination is until death. It comes down to the point of what happens to oneself by following attachment. Delusion can harm us, and all sentient beings. This is how it has been since beginningless rebirths. This effort (of following attachment) has been with us from time without beginning. So, by not following desire and delusion, you achieve liberation—everlasting happiness—and, of course, with bodhicitta, you reach enlightenment.
Not only that, you will be able to liberate countless sentient beings, from whom you have received all your past, present, and future happiness—from the oceans of samsaric suffering—delusions and karma.
Your main deity for quickly achieving enlightenment is Tara Cittamani—the highest yoga tantra aspect. Also, Kalachakra—you can take the initiation and do some practice with that, also some retreat. The main deity, though, is Tara. Practice mind training, lamrim, and the three principal paths on the basis of Tara. Try to learn as much as you can, and then focus on generation stage and completion stage practices. At first, the main focus is lamrim. After a few years, the main focus is generation stage.
The preliminary practices you should do to purify obstacles, negative karma, and delusions and create the necessary conditions to achieve realizations and to receive the blessings of the guru in your heart are as follows:
- 20,000 guru yoga—For blessings of the guru for the common realizations in the lamrim, and the uncommon realizations of the tantric path;
- 300,000 tsa-tsas—Mostly Mitukpa, but then also do a few of the seven Medicine Buddhas, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, and the Thirty-five Buddhas.
Also, please read the Golden Light Sutra.
The objective or purpose of this life decision you are making is not just for your temporary happiness of this life, nor for your samsaric happiness of future lives. Of course, practicing Mahayana Buddhism has limitless amounts of benefit. Living in the ordination vows correctly makes it much easier to achieve this goal.
With much love and prayer. Take care of life with Dharma.
In the Dharma (bodhicitta)...
Rinpoche gave this small note to a student who was taking two big suitcases of tsa-tsas on Rinpoche’s behalf to His Holiness the Dalai Lama. She was going to take ordination from His Holiness.
My very dear Jean,
For Indians and Nepalis, normally, the biggest two events in their lives are marriage and death; usually they don't think about death. For you, this is a replacement for marriage. In reality, this is the biggest thing in your life – this moves your feet toward enlightenment. This is the biggest step toward liberation – a great decision.
This is one of the biggest things in life for a Dharma practitioner, as well as death. For someone who is renounced, then death is just a transit, like traveling from one place to the next, like you are now flying to India. Of course, when death comes, it is traveling with your mind, not your body; you just travel with your mind.
I carry three suitcases of texts when I travel, and I have two smaller suitcases of texts and holy objects, so it will be very difficult when I travel with my mind, as I won’t be able to carry even one page, even my jola. I can't make them mental, familiarize all these texts. So, when I am in the hell realms, none of my many suitcases will be there with me, and that will be a very sad thing. I will miss them.
With much love and prayers...