Long-life Sutra and Torma Offering (Audio and Unedited Transcripts)

By Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche
Taipei, Taiwan (Archive #1621)

Teachings on the Long-life Sutra, including the oral transmission, and teachings on torma offering. The teaching on torma offering is based on a text composed by Panchen Losang Chokyi Gyaltsen.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave these teachings in Taipei, Taiwan, 15-16 April, 2007.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche teaching at Royal Holloway College, England, 1975. Photo: Dennis Heslop.
Long-life Sutra Oral Transmission

[Rinpoche chants preliminary prayers (Extensive Dispelling of Hindrances, Lion-Face Dakini) in Tibetan; short mandala; refuge and bodhicitta.] [very long pause]

[Rinpoche recites prayers preliminary to teachings, then TADYATHA OM DHARE DHARE BENDHARE SVAHA.]

So before you chant, before you recite sutra, before you recite the text, it’s good to recite the mantra: TADYATHA OM DHARE DHARE BENDHARE SVAHA seven times, then each reading increases; it’s like a million times having read. So, especially where we have to recite mantras or like the Twenty-one Tara Praises or like Long-life Sutra, whatever, something which is longer version, ______ something which is long, you have to recite many times, like tens of thousands or one hundred thousand, so then if you chant this mantra at the beginning seven times, then, because by reading one time it’s like same, you collect same merit like having read a million times. So, that makes it very powerful because even though, so how many times you read, each becomes a million times, so that makes it unbelievably powerful.

So then sometimes can help, like a huge number so you can’t really do it in a short time, especially that situation it helps very much. And then also for other people, somebody who is very sick or dying or dead or however, then, what you recite one time becomes a million, so it’s so much merit and it becomes very powerful to purify the negative karma or however, for others. Then, so especially if you have to recite a huge number for others, then this mantra helps, even though that great number didn’t get done, but then by reciting this mantra it’s like having done, so it makes a difference.

But of course it doesn’t mean, because you have this mantra, “Oh, then I just want to recite one time,” shouldn’t do also that, but you do as many as you can. With a huge number you can’t really do that short time, then this mantra will help. But also shouldn’t take it as, shouldn’t take it as sort of making easiest way, because you have this mantra that multiplies a million times then you just recite one time, like that. Shouldn’t be lazy.

[To Huang Chun Roo who has asked Rinpoche a question on this”]

No, no, just any mantra, any mantra, any sutra. TADYATHA OM DHARE DHARE BENDHARE SVAHA, this, this. So, whatever text you read, like if you’re reading the Long-life Sutra, then you recite that seven times. So, any time when you read, do that seven times before.

Huang Chun Roo: Rinpoche, would you please repeat the mantra again?

Rinpoche: TADYATHA OM DHARE DHARE BENDHARE SVAHA.

Basically, what makes life very meaningful, so if you do the blessing speech in the morning, so then, of course, that increases so many, any virtue, any recitation of mantra increases many million times, if you do the blessing of speech in the morning, also your speech becomes, if you are teaching Dharma, if you are doing consultation to other people, advising to other people, advising, I mean, Dharma advice, advice which is Dharma, compassion, patience, so forth, then becomes, there’s more power the other person to listen to, and also if you chant, the very first thing, OM SAMBHARA SAMBHARA/BIMANA SARA/MAHA DZAWA HUNG//OM SMARA SMARA/BIMANA SKARA/MAHA DZAWA HUNG, then whatever virtue you collect, it increases so many million times if you do that at the beginning, that virtue increases, whatever virtue you collect in that day increases so many million times, and then blessing the speech, it makes even the gossip, even the gossiping that day becomes transformed into recitation, transforms, has power to transform into recitation, like that mentioned, by the power of the mantra.

Then, and then if you recite, OM RUTSIRA/MANI PRAWATAYA/HUNG PHET, if you recite this six or seven times, then you blow on the mala, then it increases many billions of times. In Tibetan, I think it’s jewa trig trag ?ga ?tong, so, anyway it’s many billion times it increases. So you chant those things.

So, I don’t remember whether I received the oral transmission of those, those short mantras, blessing the speech I think you may have received before, also I did in the past, so I don’t know, don’t remember, so that I received lineage from Kyabje Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, lineage, like that, but I don’t remember those other mantras, blessing mala and virtue, which makes the virtue to increase, whatever virtue many million times, those I don’t remember a hundred percent whether I have received oral transmission lineage of that.

Yeah then think, At any rate, no matter how long it takes time, no matter how difficult it is, no matter how long it takes time to achieve enlightenment, to be able to liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric suffering, bring to enlightenment, and therefore I must achieve enlightenment, therefore I’m going to take the oral transmission, the Long-life Sutra, and the commentary on the Purifying the Pollutions, the peaceful torma purifying pollutions.

Also, Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche explained that we should do this visualization that when you take oral transmission or the teachings that, four specialties, four exaltedness, maybe, numberless of yourself equaling the number of atoms of the ten directions’ worlds, that many of yourself, then buddhas, bodhisattvas equaling the number of atoms of ten directions’ worlds, that many, and then also sentient beings equaling number of the atoms of ten direction worlds.

So then from those buddhas and bodhisattvas equaling the number of the atoms of the ten directions’ worlds, nectar-beams emitted like showers, rain, like that, nectar-beams emitted and entered in your body-mind, in all your body, there’s yourself equaling the number of atoms of the ten direction worlds, so entered in all your body, speech, and mind, body and mind entered, and then totally purified, totally purified. So also entered, the nectar and beams entered in the body and mind of all sentient beings, all the sentient beings, okay? So the, so purified the unimaginable defilements collected from beginningless rebirth. So the title is: Four Unimaginables, Four Unimaginable Things. So one unimaginable is yourself, that many number; other one is sentient beings, unimaginable number; then the buddhas and bodhisattvas unimaginable; the fourth unimaginable is the defilements collected from beginningless rebirth, unimaginable are purified, yours and all sentient beings.

So while this is happening, keep on happening, purification, yourself, all sentient beings, then, listen, for example here in this case, listen to the oral transmission while it’s happening, so like that. Rinpoche explained this when he was giving the oral transmission of the Diamond Cutter Sutra, I think, Diamond Cutter Sutra, lung of the Diamond Cutter Sutra, I think.

[Rinpoche begins the oral transmission of the Long-life Sutra.]

So here it says that, you write down this, let others to write down this Long-life Sutra, or just even hearing the name, just even the name, just even hearing the name, the Long-life Sutra, in Tibetan called, Tse.do, just even hearing the name, the mere name or read and then write. So even if you keep in the house, even you keep the text in the house, so, then offer flowers and the incense and garlands of flowers, ornaments, and powders, incense, then even somebody whose life is finished, you can still, you can live again, hundred years.

So [long pause], so keeping, yeah, that means even keeping, having this text in the house it helps for long life, just simply, and, I remember, that Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, from whom I received oral transmissions of the different Nyingma texts, Padmasambhava’s teachings, so Rinpoche in Solu Khumbu, he has a, I think a wood block. So there’s so much, the Long-life Sutra this is printed so many, so Rinpoche always, I think I received already two or three, two times at least, Rinpoche also give present to people, to the lamas or to the people always Rinpoche give present of the Long-life Sutra. So Rinpoche has a wooden block, always printing, Rinpoche gives present to people to, at least I may have received two times present from Rinpoche. So you can see the, why Rinpoche is doing the, Kyabje Trulshik Rinpoche, why he always give presents of Long-life Sutra to people, so you can understand the benefits from here, even having in the house cause long life. So, and then of course if you print many, you print, just print many as one can then of course it’s unbelievable means of long life.

So, even making offering. So during the food, during the food offering, during my food offering, Rinpoche laughs] so I let everybody, I don’t know, unless they are sleeping or they got tired and then they don’t do the meditation, but otherwise, as I lead the extensive offering during the food offering, the extensive offering, so this way you offer all the ten directions’ Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and all the ten directions’ statues, stupas, scriptures, so each time when it comes to offering the ten directions’ Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, Dharma there, then you’re offering to all the statues, to all the ten directions’ statues, stupas, scriptures, again scriptures, making offerings to the scriptures. So that includes, the Long-life Sutra, you offer all the scriptures, so that includes offering to the Long-life Sutra, so it becomes long life, with that becomes, each time when you make offering, extensive offering during the food, it becomes cause of long life, you made offering to the Long-life Sutra; then there’s also Golden Light Sutra, I mean the Golden Light Sutra is unbelievable offering; Prajnaparamita text, making offerings is unbelievable, unbelievable merits, so like that.

So, similar, not only during food, when you offer one light, when you offer, lit one candle or when you offer electric lights in the house, when you switch on, immediately you bless, at least: OM AH HUNG, dispel interferers and then bless. If you can do the “clouds of offering” then you recite that after you switch on, how many lights there are in the house, if it’s not candles then how many lights in the house, whenever you switch on, every day whenever you switch on, you can bless, you can recite clouds of, mantra of clouds of offerings, then immediately offer to, immediately to offer, one way to do is you offer root guru, like, for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, that’s all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, that’s all the ten directions’ statues, stupas, scriptures, everything, so you offer to that, then so many limitless skies of merit or cause of enlightenment, cause of liberation and cause of happiness of future lives, numberless, so many numberless of those causes collected already.

Then, after that you make offerings to all the ten directions’ Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, ten directions’ statues, stupas, scriptures all those who are guru, whose essence is His Holiness the Dalai Lama. So, within that few seconds [snaps fingers] you collected limitless skies of merit or numberless causes of enlightenment, liberation from samsara, happiness of future lives, like that, so many times you collected, so many times, just within a few seconds.

When you offer one flower, when you offer incense, one stick of incense you can do that, the same meditation, so first the root guru, for example, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, then that’s all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, all the ten directions’ holy objects. After that you offer to all the ten directions’, the first one, all embodied into one: the root guru; then the next one is the one manifesting into many, so all the guru, Buddha, Dharma, Sangha; all the ten directions’ statues, stupas, scriptures, everything, all the relics in the world. So that’s just within a few minutes, it doesn’t even take one minute, it doesn’t even take one minute, it’s just within a few seconds you finish.

Unless one doesn’t practice, but if one does practice, it’s just nothing, within a few seconds, you complete unimaginable, so become closer to enlightenment.

[Rinpoche continues the oral transmission of the Long-life Sutra.] [long pause]

So reading this Long-life Sutra, my reading, your listening, you dedicate it for His Holiness’s long life, all the holy wishes to be succeed immediately, also all the gurus, all the rest of the gurus’ long lives, holy wishes, and then all other holy beings to have long life, in this world, all the wishes to be succeed immediately.

All the Sanghas, who preserve Dharma, spread Dharma, to have long life, all their wishes to benefit for sentient beings, teaching of Buddha to be succeed immediately. And then all the students in this organization, us here and all the students in the FPMT organization, including the Sanghas, everybody to have a long life, all the students and, including Sanghas and all their families, each of their all the family members able to have long life and to be healthy, to have most meaningful life by actualizing bodhicitta, the whole lamrim, especially bodhicitta.

Then, here, also, here, Geshe, here, Geshe, as I, then Geshe Khedrup here to have long life and to be healthy, and most meaningful life, as well as Geshe Gyurme. So, your listening, my reading, to have the benefit of that, as well as anybody who recites OM MANI PADME HUNG, who chants OM MANI PADME HUNG, collects so much merit and becomes unbelievable purification, anyone who recites OM MANI PADME HUNG, everyone to have a long life, anybody who recites OM MANI PADME HUNG in this world, anywhere, them to have long life, to have long life.

Then anybody who is living in virtue, morality, ordained ones who are living in ordination, or a layperson who is living in the vows, lay vows, then everyone who is living in morality may they have a long life by reading this, by listening to this, your listening, my reading this, and anybody in this world doing good things for others. So doing good things for others, even non-believers but they do good things for others, so everybody have, all those people who do good things for others, who help others, may they have long life by my reading, by your listening. And anybody whose life is more beneficial to live than dying, so by my reading this, your listening to this, doing oral transmission, your listening to this, may it cause everybody, those whose lives are more beneficial to live than dying, them to have long life. So we dedicate like this, specifically.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

By writing this or let others to write then you get the same benefit as having written the 84,000 Buddha’s teachings, 84,000.

So in Singapore, Hong Kong, more in Singapore, the Malaysia, some people, because of the benefits, because I translated this for, the reason why I translated this into English was, Gen Sopa Rinpoche’s place, one of the members of the center, a lady, had breast cancer. So she, so they asked me, so I suggested to recite this every day, but it didn’t exist in English, so it took one year, I didn’t get to translate immediately so it took one year. After one year then translated because of her, so that’s how it was happened, why, the causes to translate.

So then, in Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, I think there, I think quite a few people also wrote, they made a book, printed the Long-life Sutra but unclear, not strong ink, so the people can go over, so they can write children, so the children can write the text by going over, makes it easy. So they made like that, very skillful, to inspire so many people to collect merit and, extensive merit and to purify the defilements.

So, by reciting this, by printing this, mountains of negative karma get purified, mountains of negative karma get purified immediately, so like that, so very powerful. It’s a very powerful purification not only for collect extensive merit, extremely powerful for purification. So therefore, this is one text, this one text is a means to collect extensive merit, other than the Arya Sanghata Sutra, and the Diamond Cutter Sutra, Golden Light Sutra, those, this is one text, when you, so I suggest people who can’t find jobs for many years, or difficulties in business, business doesn’t come up, so, that you have huge debts, very hard life, unable to, very hard life unable to get money to pay back, however, so anyway, there are people who can’t find jobs for years, not only many months but years, so however, then I was suggesting that, so what, people who have sort of a lot of worry, fear in their lives, so should recite these scriptures, you should write, print many times, write, so to, because all these problems happen due to shortage of merit.

So for Maitreya Project, particular, and then the, because once it’s actualized, it has unbelievable benefit in the world, and all sentient beings, unbelievable benefit, unbelievable benefit in this world, and all the sentient beings, whichever universe they are. So, limitless skies of benefit, every, even after it’s built, not only during when it’s built, but even after it’s built, every day, every hour, every minute there’s benefit to sentient beings, skies of merit for sentient beings, so therefore, then, which causes sentient beings to actualize the path through that merit, then they are able to actualize the path, then to be liberated from the oceans of samsaric suffering and bring to enlightenment. So, like this, this is what it does to us all sentient beings, so therefore, to do that you need a lot of merit. So therefore, in Nalanda, this in not Nalanda in India but Nalanda in France where we have the monks’ monastery, so it’s arranged there, every week to print this, that Roger arranged the monks to print this every week, a certain number of copies, so particular for success of Maitreya Project.

So that’s similar idea, you can do that for your own projects or for your own whatever you want success, or for realizations, any project benefit of sentient beings, teaching of the Buddha so can do that.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

Writing this, or letting others write also, so you can, but also other things, that if you really don’t have time then you can print, the other thing is to print. So sometimes I go myself to print in the printing places. It looks like yourself should go there to print. For quite some time I did myself, I asked others to print. When I was in Milarepa Center, Vermont, in the United States, so then, so went, one day myself went there with the printing place, in the United States, so that or Aptos, there I went a few times, Aptos, I think it’s called Kinkos where there are machines to print. So I went myself to print, because it looks like that I should do by myself. So before you print, motivate bodhicitta, and dedicate, that, and then, then you press the button, whoever was with me, they put the text there in the machines, I just press the, I was there just to press the button, and generate motivation of bodhicitta, I mean to benefit for projects, so I just pressed the button.

So then, very fast, I mean with just such a short time you get a few copies, I mean, in a very short time, I don’t know but within some minutes, I don’t know, ?ten minutes, however, depending on how many copies so you get, not just only printing one. So I was very impressed, so I was very impressed by the machine, printing machine, because I went there myself, so you press the button, then, you put the text here, put cover, you press a button, I mean there are many things there, how you want, so, how many copies you want, then the paper comes the other side, the other side the paper comes individually, individually comes very neat, and then it comes in one spot, it sends the page on that thing hanging, very neat, very clear.

So I thought the machine almost like having mind, doing the work, so neat, so I thought that could be a manifestation of Buddha, such a machine that, so one way printing, the other way is, each page comes out and you can print, I mean, it’s quite amazing, I was quite amazed when I actually went there to see that. So went many times to print by myself in Hong Kong, in the middle of the city, the town, so many times they let yourself to print, but I heard, because we print so many texts at Aptos, Kinkos, it’s open night, it’s opened also night, open I think the whole night, so one time went after 12 o’clock, for the Maitreya Project, to print the Long-life Sutra, I don’t know, the Long-life Sutra or I don’t know, the Diamond Cutter Sutra, something, so I think, before it’s opened 24 hours, so it fits with me because it was opened 24 hours, so it fits me.

So the Kinkos, Kinkos where they print, where there’s printing machine, so then they see nuns, monks coming there to, so they see quite often coming to print, and print many texts. So, so many times went there. The Arya Sanghata Sutra, most of the time the Arya Sanghata Sutra, then, also sometimes the Golden Light Sutra.

So I think, I don’t know what happened now, before, the recent time, I think, I heard, they don’t allow us to print, they print, because I think, so many times we went, so we print by ourselves, so I think maybe they, it seems there’s so much need, so I think they probably, so this way they get job, they get paid, so I think maybe it might be that. So they don’t allow us to print, they print. I don’t think we broke the machines or anything.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

On this part, I lost the point so I think I might have read double.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

So anybody who hears this mantra, they will become enlightened, even the animals, any beasts, or any birds or any animals, beings.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

By having made offerings to this text, you collect extensive merit, having made offerings to all the texts, Dharma texts.

So it’s good to have many of these texts printed, and keep it at the altar, so when you make offerings, you make offerings to them as well.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

So it’s unimaginable, the size of Mt. Meru, that many jewel, that many piles of jewels, gold, diamond, so forth, size of Mt. Meru, that means the largest mountain among the mountains, highest, so you make offering to the buddhas, or charity to sentient beings, it doesn’t specify here, but if all those merits could be counted, but the writing this or printing this Long-life Sutra, the merit cannot be counted. So that’s amazing.

[Rinpoche continues the lung of the Long-life Sutra.]

So the oral transmission, so I received this from Kyabje Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche, and may have received also from Kyongla Rato Rinpoche.