Tashi Delek - Amitabha Buddhist Centre

p r e s i d e n t ’ s m e s s a g eDear friends,Amitabha Buddhist Centre is acentre for the study and practice ofMahayana Buddhism, based on thetradition of Lama Tsong Khapa, in thelineage of Lama Thubten Yeshe andour Spiritual Director, Kyabje LamaZopa Rinpoche.We are committed to creating aharmonious environment to help allbeings develop their full potential ofinfinite wisdom and compassion forthe benefit of others, inspired by anattitude of universal responsibility.We also seek to serve the local andregional communities through avariety of spiritual, educational andsocial service projects.OUR SPIRITUAL DIRECTORKyabje Lama Zopa RinpocheOUR RESIDENT TEACHERGeshe Thubten ChonyiOUR RESIDENT SANGHAVen. Tenzin GyurmeVen. Tenzin PalzangVen. Thubten PaldronVen. Tenzin TsultrimPRESIDENTTan Hup ChengSPIRITUALPROGRAMME CO-ORDINATORVen. Tenzin GyurmeCENTRE MANAGERTay Sin WeeADMINISTRATIONPatricia LeeTan Cheng SongOPERATING HOURS AT ABCTues - Sat 10.30 am - 6 pm (open till7.30 pm on days with evening sessions)Sun 10 am - 6 pmClosed on MondaysAMITABHA BUDDHIST CENTRE44 Lorong 25A Geylang RoadSingapore 388244Tel: 6745 8547 Fax: 6741 0438www.fpmtabc.orgcentre@fpmtabc.orgTwo-thirds of the year has goneand we are well into the last stretchof 2009. We can rejoice at the veryfruitful calendar of dharma eventsand classes taking place at ABC. InJune, I was very privileged to joinour Guru Kyabje Zopa Rinpochein Kathmandu for the 100,000tsog offerings to Guru Rinpochein Boudanath. This great offeringpuja was done with the motivationto gather merit and dedicate for thesuccess of the FPMT and its projects,HH Dalai Lama’s long life and forsentient beings.During this trip, I had the privilegeto discuss with our Guru the futureplans of ABC. Through carefulobservation, our Guru concludedthat it was the right time to considerthe future growth of ABC. To achieveour purpose, we were advised to recitethe Sanghata sutra and the DiamondCutter sutra, and also to requestthe sangha at Kopan, Sera Je, andGyudme and Gyuto Tantric Collegesto do the same.The last and most important thingABC had to do was to offer a crystalbowl of precious jewels and gold tothe most holy Jowo Buddha statue inthe Jokhang temple in Lhasa, with apetition of prayers for ABC’s success.All the advice given by our Guru wasduly followed including making thisoffering to the Jowo Buddha. Mr SimHong Boon and I decided we wouldembark on this journey to make thisrare and precious offering.We had planned that the offering tothe Jowo should take place on 25 July,the day the Buddha turned the wheelof Dharma at Sarnath, a very powerfulmerit-multiplying day where everyvirtuous activity is increased 100million times. Accompanying us onour first trip to Tibet were the preciousofferings from ABC and memberswho had generously donated. Bysome miracle, the jewellery clearedChinese Customs without a hitch inChengdu and made its way to Tibet.At exactly 2.25 pm, 25 July, onbehalf of all ABC members, Mr Simand I offered this crystal bowl ofjewels to the Jowo Buddha and readthe petition, dedicating for ABC’sfuture success and growth for thebenefit of even more sentient beings.This was a remarkably movingexperience for the both of us. We alsooffered pure gold paint to the body ofthe statue and a fresh set of robes, tocreate the merit of patience. We feltso much blissful joy in completingthis great offering of jewels and newrobes to Jowo Buddha, inseparablefrom Guru Shakyamuni. The statueof Guru Shakyamuni depicted in a12-year old form was so life-like itwas as though the Buddha was there.It was a beautiful sight to behold.We also visited Sera Je Monasteryjust outside Lhasa to offer gold paintto the 600-year old statue of MostSecret Hayagriva. On the same meritmultiplyingday at ABC, the MostSecret Hayagriva Puja was beingconducted for the benefit of ABCmembers and benefactors. Extensiveand elaborate prayers were offeredto the deity to remove obstacles andbenefit many, many beings. The pujawas an unqualified success with over300 people attending.The next important event on ourcalendar will be the Grand MedicineBuddha Puja and Jangwa (‘Chow Tu’)to be held in October. This annualevent will benefit both the living andthe deceased. Khen Rinpoche LamaLhundrup from Kopan Monasteryhas agreed to preside over theseprayers.As we grow and expand in terms ofmembership and students, we willhave to address the space constraintsof our present premises. It is a healthysign for any organisation that we arenot stagnating but are growing tobring more people into the Dharma.This is something we can rejoiceabout.May ABC continue to expandand grow and lead more beings toenlightenment.Here is yet another reasonfor ABC members andbenefactors to rejoice:the generous donationsthat many of us have contributedin recent months to the Sera JeFood Fund have been pooled intothe FPMT International Office’ssponsorship for the daily sustenanceof 2,600 monks of Sera Je Monasteryin south India.The International Office filed thisreport in its August edition of theFPMT News, and acknowledgedABC’s contribution to this keyFPMT project:“Latest News from the Sera Je FoodFundIn June 2009, FPMT sentUS$134,182.60 to Sera Je Monastery.This contribution covers six months’worth of meals (we are now able tooffer three meals a day) for all 2,600monks currently studying at Sera Je.The Sera Je Food Fund is one of FPMT’smost important projects. Sera Je is themonastery where most of our teachersand their teachers come from. Thenourishing meals help the monks staywell enough to study and practise overfull days and long years, ensuring thatthe Dharma will be maintained forfuture generations all over the world.This is the eighteenth year that we havebeen offering food to the monks at SeraJe Monastery. To date the Sera Je FoodFund has provided over 10,000,000meals. That’s 2,500,000 meals peryear, 7,800 meals every day.Please rejoice in this incredible effort!Many thanks to all the kindbenefactors who enable us to makethese offerings! We would like to thankespecially Cham Tse Ling, AmitabhaBuddhist Centre and Yeshe Norbu –Apello per il Tibet for their continuedgenerous support.”

At Amitabha BuddhistCentre, one often hears orreads about making skies oroceans of merit, especiallyin relation to merit-multiplyingdays. One should not mistake themotivation to arise from worldlyconcerns. Rather, it stems from theMahayana aspiration to accumulatethe merit necessary to strive for fullenlightenment. Our Spiritual DirectorLama Zopa Rinpoche teaches themassive benefits of collecting meritto us with endless patience. ABCtakes every available opportunity toput this teaching into practice so thatwe can offer boundless merit to ourteachers and the teachings, and to allthe people – members, students andbenefactors – who make up ABC.Two recent merit-multiplying datesprovided the opportune moments tocreate merit for everyone on a galacticscale.Total SolarEclipseThe solar eclipse on 22 July was arare phenomenon where the sun wasblocked for over six minutes in someparts of East Asia. This was said to bethe longest solar eclipse to happenthis century. Throughout the world,the interest was focused on viewingthe eclipse. At ABC, 35 membersgathered that morning before 9 amwhile the eclipse was in progress torecite the Sanghata sutra instead.Quite a few people even took half aday’s leave from work just to attendthe sutra reading session. Heavy rainand an overcast sky outside did notdeter our sutra readers from coming.Some might scratch their heads andwonder why.It is because the merit-multiplyingeffects during an eclipse are mindblowing.The night before in the BasicProgram class, Geshe Chonyi referredto the merit-multiplying effectsduring an eclipse. The math workedout to one thousand billion times!He advised us to engage in as muchvirtue as possible during the time ofthe eclipse. With that motivation,these 35 were encouraged to gatherfor the virtuous practice of recitingthe Sanghata sutra.Wheel TurningDay25 July was another powerful day. Itmarked the Buddha’s First Turningof the Wheel of Dharma, where Hetaught the Four Noble Truths. Anyvirtuous action performed on this dayis multiplied a hundred million timesdue to the power of the Buddha’srealisations.This year, ABC requested therecitation of the Sanghata sutra in thefollowing seats of our Gelug traditionin south India:• Sera Je Monastery by 1,300monks• Gyudme Tantric College where500 monks reside• Gyuto Tantric College by 475monksABC also offered the midday mealto 3,575 monks of these threemonasteries.On that very same day, our President,Tan Hup Cheng, was in Lhasa,Tibet, representing all ABC membersand benefactors on a merit-makingmission. Gold was offered to theextremely holy statue of the Buddhain Jokhang Temple. The JowoBuddha statue in the Jokhang, saidto have been blessed by ShakyamuniBuddha himself, received our goldThe Jowo Buddha receiving ABC’s offering ofgold. Actual gold is dissolved into paint andbrushed onto the entire statue. The crystal bowlin front of the statue contains ABC’s offering ofprecious gems.offering on the entire holy body aswell as new robes. Hup Cheng alsovisited the original Sera Je Monasterywhere gold was offered to the statueof Most Secret Hayagriva.The heaps of merit amassed fromthese virtuous deeds were dedicatedfor the success of all the centre’sactivities that benefit and help somany on the path to enlightenment,for the preservation of the Buddha’steachings, and for all the wishes of ourmembers, students and benefactors tobe swiftly fulfilled.Ayouth wing has takenoff at ABC. ABC Youthscame into being on 4August with the launch ofits own Facebook page. Check it outat www.facebook.com/abcyouths.In a chat with centre volunteersduring his visit in January this year,Lama Zopa Rinpoche encouragedreaching out to the youngergeneration to connect them to theDharma. So ABC Youths has beenformed to create a space for youngpeople to enjoy the teachings ofBuddha in a fun and supportiveenvironment, and to nurture a newgeneration of practitioners who willuphold the Buddha’s teachings ofuniversal peace and compassion.Calling out to those aged 17 to 30,whether you know something ornothing about being a Buddhist,come join us and explore with theABC Youth team!We have alreadykicked off our firstintroductory talkon Buddhism,“What’s BuddhaGot to Do withMe?” on 15August.Don’t miss outon the next talkcoming up.“Just One Lifeand that’s It?”will give youan insighton Buddha’steaching onreincarnation.You will learnhow the Buddha provedthe existence of past and futurelives. The talk will be presented byVen. Tenzin Gyurme, one of ABC’steachers and anN U Salumnus, who is verymuch in tune with Gen Y.Upcoming Saturday Events:“Just One Life and that’s It?”5 September @ 10:30 amMystery Movie Screening:10 October @ 7:30 pmCome join us and bring yourfriends along. Just RSVP yourattendance to youth@fpmtabc.org.You can also stay tuned to futureABC Youth happenings onFacebook. And, if you have anyideas or topics that you wouldlike to share or learn about,drop us a line at youth@fpmtabc.org. We look forwardto hearing from you.

Policy Studieswas stirredawake bylively musicand galesof heartyl a u g h t e rthroughoutthat Sundayevening on26 Julywhich wasGeshela’s4 7 t hbirthday.A nentourageof tenin time to Geshela’s youthful yearsin Sera Je Monastery in south Indiawhere he had studied for 18 years, upto the present moment in Singaporewhere he teaches the Basic Programto 60 of us ‘stress-inducing’ students.Pre-recorded video clips of thankyou messages from our president TanHup Cheng and vice-president FredC h e o n gProgram students who wereeager to express their gratitudeto Geshela at risk of sacrificingall personal reputation. Itshould be made known thata great measure of hard work,creativity, courage and mostof all, love, went into makingthis production possible.The quirky video of theWonder Girls hit, “Nobody”,was played giving a hint ofthings to come. Sure enough,comperes Lilian Lai andCyndi Yee introduced ourown ABC Wonder Girls,three seemingly ‘square’accountants who showedthey could do more thancrunch numbers. Most ofthe audience, includingGeshela, wereimmediately able torecognise Lim BokLan, our formercentre manager,transformed intoa Wonder Girl,hip shimmy,hairspray andall!The scale ofamusement reachedits peak as three moresporting studentsshowed they werestill very young atheart. These ‘seniors’donned assortedIndian-style costumesand launched intofreestyle choreographyas their lead singer, YapSiew Kee, belted out theTamil song, “MuneruValliba”, in tones akinto a mournful wail. Theywere soon ‘arrested’ by aThat signature line,courtesy of Koreangirlband Wonder Girls,sums up the theme ofthe 10 th anniversary cum birthdaycelebration held in honour of ourbeloved resident teacher GesheChonyi.There was humour and surprises galorefrom beginning to end for Geshelaand some 120 students, members andtheir families who joined in the partyheld at the NUS campus. The usuallyserene environs of the Institute ofg a r l a n d -bearers led by Ven. Paldrongreeted Geshela on his arrival at 6:30pm. Giggles could be heard as eachof the orchid garlands, one for eachyear of Geshela’s stay with ABC, wasdraped around his neck until his headwas nearly submerged in flowers!As dinner began with a buffet spread,a slideshow took the audience backw e r ea l s os h o w n .Both wereabroad andunable toattend thecelebration.On behalf ofthe centre, HupCheng presenteda laptop gift toGeshela whileF r e d offered a CD anda microchip recording of the entireteachings of Lama Tsong Khapa andhis two disciples.The real entertainment waslaunched soon after, with a series ofperformances staged by the BasicNot tobe outdone by the girls, our WonderBoys took the stage next with their‘ah go go’ version of the Hokkiennumber, “One Million” (Jit Pak Ban),from the local movie “12 Lotuses”.Our new centre manager, Tay SinWee, led the trio in synchronisedgyrations, with side-splitting effects.It can generally be confirmed by thesound of loud guffaws and the sight ofthose mopping wet eyes that this wasa highly appreciated performance.‘military policeman’for ‘disturbing the guru’s mind’.These outrageous acts were balancedby several subdued musical tributeswhich showcased the talents of ourmembers: Pang Sze Ying played theguitar and also serenaded Geshelawith a violin rendition of HappyBirthday. Tan Take Fong composedand sang a song dedicated especiallyto Geshela, “You Help Me Grow Up”,while Randolf Lee adapted the wellknownMichael Jackson hit, “Heal the

have made andthe courageyou havedisplayed.”helpers, see if he could identify themcorrectly. The conclusion from thisexercise is that most of these studentshave grown beyond recognition!World”,into “Heal the Heart”,tweaking the lyrics into praises ofdharma. The audience gamely joinedin singing the chorus of this song.Ng Swee Kim, our former Treasurer,paid tribute to Geshela with a littlespeech expressing thanks on behalfof the Basic Program students,for his patience and courage inteaching us: “The milestone ofyour teaching career at ABC thusfar must have happened whenyou decided that for our sake,you would teach us the lowertantric path in English yourselfwithout having an interpreter athand. From being hardly able tounderstand our Singlish when youfirst arrived to being able to teach ustantra in English, you have come along long way just for our sake. Wesalute you for those gigantic strides youAs muchas Geshelaappeared tobe enjoyinghimselfin the audience,the party organisers did not pass upthe opportunity to include Geshela inthe fun and games. In a game called“Baby Who?” Geshela was asked toview baby photos of ten of his students,and with support from a team ofThe grand finale for the eveningbrought together all the organisersand performers in a Bollywoodinspireddance, bopping to theupbeat rhythms of “Jai Ho” from themovie, “Slumdog Millionaire”.It demanded an encore assome in the audience couldnot resist getting on their feetto dance along.Was the evening a success? Youcould say yes, “there is everypervasion” to borrow from TakeFong’s song, because Geshelasaid he enjoyed himself. And thatwas what really mattered.Here are the last couple of linesfrom Swee Kim’s words to Geshela:“To quote Lama ZopaRinpoche,your presence at Amitabha BuddhistCentre is so good for all the studentsand has brought so much harmonyto the centre that it is difficult to seehow it could be better. We requestyou from the depths of our heartsto continue to turn the wheel ofDharma for us so that your beaconof light, which is the source of hopeand happiness for so many of us,will continue to shine brightly andwithout wavering from our humblecorner in Geylang Lorong 25A.”My very dearBrothers andSisters,Human life ismuch more precious thanmountains of gold and diamonds,more than the world filled withwish granting jewels, becausewithout this precious human lifewe cannot be liberated. Withall this wealth alone we cannotachieve higher rebirth, (especiallythe) extremely difficult to achievehuman rebirth, so impossible toachieve cessation of the oceanof suffering of cyclic existence,including the cause; karma anddelusion.Not only that, but the greatliberation of enlightenmentcannot be achieved for sentientbeings, that which benefits thenumberless sentient beings. Ofcourse that means one cannotliberate the numberless sentientbeings who are most dear, mostprecious, most kind from theoceans of samsaric suffering andits cause. Not only that, but onecannot bring them into the greatliberation of enlightenment, whichis the cessation of all the mistakesof the mind and completion of allthe qualities.Since so many people are all of asudden getting cancer, swine fluand other life- threatening diseasesand dying, which is happening allthe time, those who have faith,who are able to practice BuddhaDharma and who purify the pastnegative karma, will not experience(diseases) such as this swine flu.So here I am offering somesuggestion of a short practice, whatyou can easily try to read everyday.This very precious method fromBuddha, from the Buddha’steaching in the Kangyur (is called)“The Dharani Called Possessingthe Limbs of All the Buddhas” andis extremely worthwhile to try todo. Recite three times if possible,if not then one time. Buddhashas explained the benefits of thispractice are that you will not geta bad disease, harm from thefour elements of earth, water, fireand wind, poisoned, or a lifethreateningdisease, and that it willhelp you not to get reborn in thelower realms of hell, hungry ghostor animal and you will be ableto benefit the lives of all sentientbeings.The motivation is not only foryour own health and life success,think of all the sentient beings, tobenefit their life and to bring thempeace and happiness, not onlytemporary, but ultimate as well.Thank you very much.With much love and prayers,Lama Zopa

Instructions from Kyabje Zopa Rinpoche: When reciting this protection fromthe fears of aging, sickness, decline, and death, recite it in order to bringbenefit to all sentient beings.In the Indian language: Aryasarva buddhādgavati nāmadhāraniIn the Tibetan language: pagpasanggye tamche kyi yenlag dang denpa zhe ja we zung (‘phags pa sangsrgyas thams cad kyi yan lag dangldan pa zhes bya ba’i gzung)In the English language: The DharaniCalled “Possessing the Limbs of Allthe Buddhas”Homage to all the buddhas andbodhisattvas.Thus have I heard. The Bhagavanwas dwelling together with the fourworldly guardians on the shore ofthe Ganges River. At that time, theBhagavan spoke thus to the fourGreat Kings, Vaishravana and theothers: “Great Kings, the four greatfears arise for men, women, boys,and girls. What are the four? They areaging, sickness, decline, and death.Moreover, among them, the onegreat fear is the great fear of the Lordof Death. Without opposing it andlacking the antidote to it, they arealways pursued by it. Great Kings,now I will tell you the antidote tothat one great fear.”The four Great Kings replied thus tothe Bhagavan: “Bhagavan, by fullybestowing life, you take care of allbeings. Today we have excellentlysecured a gain.”Then the Bhagavan proceeded towardthe eastern direction and abidingthere, exhorted all the tathagatas withthe sound of a finger snap and spokethus: “All tathagata foe-destroyerperfectly complete buddhas, outof mercy for sentient beings maythe buddhas who have manifestlycompleted the unsurpassed perfectlycomplete enlightenment please assistme! Then, having been blessed hereby the blessings of all the buddhas, Iwill thoroughly avert untimely deathfor all sentient beings. I will also turnthe second wheel of Dharma that Iturned before.”Likewise he exhorted all thetathagatas in the south, west,north, above, and below speakingthus: “All tathagata foe destroyerperfectly complete buddhas, out ofmercy for all sentient beings maythe buddhas who have manifestlycompleted the unsurpassed perfectlycomplete enlightenment pleaseassist me!” Likewise he also spokethus to those in the intermediatedirections in order for life, strength,and complexion to be thoroughlyaccomplished and for the fear ofuntimely death to not arise saying:“All buddhas please assist me!”Then, the buddha bhagavans filled,like a sesame pod, the realms ofthe worlds – however much earthconstituent there exists in the tendirections that appears to the eyesof the buddhas. Having accepted toassist the Tathagata, all the tathagatasspoke thus: * “Tadyathā – chalāchalā chale – vinati – svastike– chakra – adgati – prasha mantu– sarva roga – ante kunate – mahākunate – chare charere – hemagari – hema gauri - hema nishunti– hema sisi – kaurve kaurvave – hekurare – kurare – kumati - virhasamane – sirhubhi – chale chale– vichale – māvi lamba – humuhumu svāhā.”Also all the Lords of the Secret,however many exist, having sat nearall the tathagatas, said: “Hum humsisi svāhā.” They spoke thus and allthe tathagatas vanished.Then, Great King Vaishravanareplied thus to the Bhagavan:“Bhagavan, I too will protect themwith the blessings of the tathagatas. Iwill avert untimely death. Tadyathā –rhvete – rhvete – rhvete – le lili.” AlsoVirudhaka said: “Mātam ge mātamge – mātam gini – shumā shumu.”Also Dpitirārhta said: “Chare chareresvāhā.” Also Virupakrha said: “Balimbaba.”The Bhagavan spoke thus: “GreatKings, when someone recites thisknowledge mantra, which is seen byall the buddhas, one time a day, thatson of the lineage or daughter of thelineage will generate a perception ofthe Teacher. That son of the lineageor daughter of the lineage will not goto the three bad migrations. He orshe will benefit the lives of all sentientbeings. Whoever for one day recitesthese words for the sake of all sentientbeings and whoever reads them willbe free from the fear of untimelydeath. Bad diseases will not arise inhis or her body. Water will not bringabout the time of death, nor will fire,nor will weapons, nor will poison,nor will lightning. The areas in whichthe conquerors’ children recite thisknowledge mantra will be known bythe buddhas and bodhisattvas. Dueto writing or dictating it, he or shewill be revered by all those who servethe buddha bhagavans. Why is that?It is because the tathagatas taught‘Those who serve sentient beings,serve the buddhas.’ Whoever, havingwritten it out, sticks it to his or herlimbs, all his or her limbs will beprotected.”The Bhagavan having spoke thus,[the four Great Kings were overjoyedand praised what the Bhagavan hadsaid].Colophon: The community ofIstituto Lama Tzong Khapa havingbeen advised by Kyabje ZopaRinpoche to recite this dharani forthe long life of Geshe Jampa Gyatso,it was translated from the Tibetan byJoan Nicell at Istituto Lama TzongKhapa, Pomaia, Italy, May 2007.* You may recite this dharani (inbold) three times, or once, or asmany times as you like.

In the past when he was a bodhisattva, Medicine Buddha made many prayers anddedications with strong compassion for his name to be wish-fulfilling and to bringhappiness. On 3 and 4 October, we will be having a Medicine Buddha Celebration withKhen Rinpoche Lama Lhundrup presiding over the events. Do join us for this specialcelebration (see back cover for details).The Medicine Buddhasmade many prayers inthe past. Those whohave done the MedicineBuddha puja will have seen in thetext that each one of the MedicineBuddhas made different prayers tosolve various problems of sentientbeings and to bring them happinessand success. They made these prayersto be able to benefit sentient beings inthe future. They all then becameenlightened. A Buddha has skiesof qualities, one of which is theten powers, and one of the tenpowers is the power of prayer.In the past the MedicineBuddhas prayed, “Whenanybody recites my nameand mantra, may suchand such problems besolved and may they havesuch and such success.”Because of that, whenthey became enlightened andachieved the power of prayer,their names and mantras haveall this power. When we recite theMedicine Buddhas’ names andmantras, we receive the results of theprayers they made in the past. Andif we recite the Medicine Buddhas’names and mantras, whatever prayerswe do are actualised. Therefore,doing Medicine Buddha practiceis very powerful for success. Peoplethink Medicine Buddha is only forhealing. It’s not only for healing butfor everything.After explaining all the inconceivablebenefits of practising, praying toand reciting the name and mantraof Medicine Buddha, Buddha thenasked Ananda, his attendant, “Doyou believe this?” Anandareplied, “Yes, I believe it. Ibelieve what Buddha has said aboutthese benefits because Buddha hasinconceivable qualities, includingomniscient mind, which can seeeverything.”Buddha then explained thateven animals who hear MedicineBuddha’s name will never getreborn in the lower realms. To savethem from reincarnating in thelower realms forever is unbelievablycompassionate. For each heavynegative karma you commit, you haveto experience suffering in the lowerrealms for many eons. However, bysimply hearing the name-mantraof Medicine Buddha, a being issaved forever from being rebornin the lower realms. That isunbelievable! It is simple tochant the name-mantra in theear of an animal, but it hasincredible power becauseof Medicine Buddha’sbodhicitta.As those who have doneMedicine Buddha pujawill know, MedicineBuddha practice is alsovery powerful in purifyingdegenerations of lay vowsand vows of ordination. That isanother way this practice saves usfrom the lower realms. Since in thelower realms we have no opportunityto practise Dharma, being savedfrom the lower realms enables us toquickly be liberated from samsaraand achieve enlightenment.It is said that Medicine Buddha’sDoing MedicineBuddhapractice is verypowerful forsuccess. Peoplethink MedicineBuddha is onlyfor healing. It’snot only forhealing but foreverything.mantra has inconceivable benefits.In the presence of the eight MedicineBuddhas (there are eight MedicineBuddhas when you includeShakyamuni Buddha), Manjushrirequested them, “When there’s anexplosion of the five degenerationsand sentient beings have very littlemerit, they will mostly engage innegative karma, and positive actionswill be very rare. When sentientbeings are totally possessed byvarious sicknesses and spirit harms,may whatever prayers the MedicineBuddhas made in the past quickly beactualised. May sentient beings beable to see the Medicine Buddhas,and may you actualise all the wishesof sentient beings. Please teach usthis special mantra.” In one voice,Shakyamuni Buddha and the sevenMedicine Buddhas, then granted theMedicine Buddha mantra.If you recite this mantra as adaily practise, all the Buddhasand bodhisattvas will always payattention to you and always guideyou. Vajrapani, Owner of theSecrets, and the four guardians willalso always protect you.As mentioned in the MedicineBuddha sutra, if you practiceMedicine Buddha or simply makean offering to Medicine Buddha, alltwelve leaders of the groups of theentourage, who are like protectorsand each of whom has an entourageof seven hundred thousand, willprotect you. Through that all yourwishes are then fulfilled.Also, all your negative karma ispurified. All sicknesses and spiritharms are quickly pacified. Whensomeone is in a lot of pain that isdifficult to control, if a MedicineBuddha puja is done in a monasteryor somewhere else, the person willeither recover or peacefully passaway, so that they don’t have tocontinue with all that pain. Also, allyour wishes are fulfilled.Some years ago in Taiwan, George,a man I met when I went to Taiwanfor the first time, gave me a MedicineBuddha statue to fill. He was theonly person that I talked to aboutDharma on that first visit. I talkedto him at the airport, when I wasleaving. Because of laziness I didn’tget to fill the statue, but I asked VenThubten Gyatso from Australia todo it.Anyway, George had the MedicineBuddha statue filled. He then gave itto someone who was very sick withcancer. One day this person waslying in bed. He needed his medicinebut it was in the bathroom, and hecouldn’t move. He slowly turned hishead to the Medicine Buddha statue,which had been left on a table besidehis pillow. He saw that the MedicineBuddha statue was holding themedicine in its hand. He then tookthat medicine.When he later passed away, he slowlyturned and put his palms togetherat his heart, then very peacefullypassed away. He wasn’t a Buddhistor of any particular religion, butbecause of what happened to him,with Medicine Buddha guiding him,I think he must have rememberedMedicine Buddha. So he put hispalms together at his heart as he waslying there and then very peacefullypassed away.Also, it is very, very powerful to recitethe name of each Medicine Buddhaseven times. It quickly purifies allthe heavy negative karmas collectedduring beginningless rebirths. Onecollects much merit and has a longlife free from sickness. One is savedfrom the lower realms and is quicklyable to achieve enlightenment.The physician of the devas, KyeguDakpo, requested Buddha toexplain everything about theMedicine Buddha, including thebenefits of the practice. This sutrais Buddha’s explanation. Buddhasaid, “Physician Kyegu Dakpo, listento me. One hundred phagtses to theeast from here is the Bedurya, or LapisLazuli, pure land. There abides theBuddha, Medicinal King, who hasaccomplished extensive prayers. Dueto having generated the good heart,this Buddha is very compassionate andextremely powerful.”Buddha then explains to KyeguDakpo, the physician:“If, to this Buddha, you prostrate, makeoffering, confess negative karmas, rejoicein merits, request to turn the Dharmawheel, request to have stable life andnot pass into the sorrowless state, anddedicate the merits for enlightenment,through this seven-limb practice youwill have collected the same virtue ashaving done the seven-limb practicein relation to all the Buddhas andbodhisattvas.”Buddha then says:“You have offered respect and service toall the Buddhas and bodhisattvas.”Also, another text, Men Gyu RinchenBumpa, says:“Reciting Medicine Buddha’s nameand mantra one time becomes havingrecited the names and mantras of allthe Tathagatas of the past, present andfuture.Remembering, seeing, hearing,touching or meditating on MedicineBuddha includes remembering, seeing,hearing, touching or meditating onall the Buddhas and bodhisattvas,all the Triple Gem. Therefore, theMedicine Buddha’s holy name is “All-Encompassing of Those Gone to Bliss.”

1 2 3 4 5 67 8 9 10 11 12 1314 15 16 17 18 19 20Guru Puja7.30pm21 22 23 24 25 26 2728 29 30Guru Puja7.30pmTantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Establishing aDaily Practice(5/6) 7.30pmEstablishing aDaily Practice(6/6) 7.30pmTantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Tantric Paths& Grounds7.30pm(Registrationrequired)Essence ofthe Path toEnlightenment(6/8)2.30pmEssence ofthe Path toEnlightenment(7/8)2.30pmEssence ofthe Path toEnlightenment(8/8)2.30pmTASHI DELEK editorial teamEditorial AdvisorVen. Tenzin GyurmeEditorLim Cheng ChengDesign & LayoutKennedy KohPhotographyStephen ChingProofreadingVen. Tenzin TsultrimPrinterHighlight Printing ServicesProgramme changes may occur from time to time. For the latestinformation, you can call the office (6745 8547) to subscribe toour e-mail updates.Lamrim RetreatOn 17 October, about 60 students from theBasic Program course will be heading toKopan Monastery for a two-week retreatled by Geshe Chonyi. Many of the studentsare taking this retreat to officially completetheir studies in the Basic Program whichbegan in 2003.– Lama Zopa Rinpoche