Retreat

The following is the Mandala prayer offered by Lama Lobsang to His Holiness Karma Kuchen at the end of the retreat in New York 2011

Om Swati!

Born in the heritage of Shakya with excellent methods and compassion;

Destroyer of all demonic forces that others cannot accomplish;

Having a body magnificent like golden Mount Meru;

I forever prostrate to you, Lord Buddha, King of Shakya.

Beginning with auspicious praise to the Buddha Shakyamuni, we are gathered here today to offer the mandala and express our gratitude.

To the feet of His Holiness Karma Kuchen Rinpoche, the embodiment of the Buddhas of the Three Times, heir to Guru Rinpoche and the source of all common and supreme siddhis; and to the feet of the Tulkus, who take rebirth in samsara to liberate beings from cyclic existence; and to the feet of the Khenpos, the holders of the Buddha’s precious teachings; and to the feet of the Noble Sangha, the source of merit that results from offerings; I pay homage!

Palyul Ling and the students of the 2011 Summer Retreat, humbly make the following statement.

It is stated that “As the sole source of happiness and peace, may the Buddha Dharma remain forever in this world.”

The Buddha Dharma has two parts: the Dharma of Learning and the Dharma of Realization. The Dharma of Learning encompasses the transmission of the Buddhist teachings and the contemplation of their meaning which result in a complete understanding of Dharma that is free of any misconceptions or omissions.

With this understanding, one engages in the three trainings and practices of the secret Mantrayana and experiences the signs of accomplishments. This is the Dharma of Realization.

Seeing these two aspects of the Dharma as the authentic teachings of Lord Buddha, our unparalleled kind master, our Late Holiness Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche established Palyul Ling Retreat Center, a  place for engaging in the genuine teachings of the Buddha. A perfect and auspicious place such as this is rare in our world. In this life and all future lives, we should never forget his kindness.

In this perfect place, we have the presence of perfect masters. Previously, our most compassionate supreme guide was HH Drubwang Pema Norbu Rinpoche. Today we have his heir, the twelfth throneholder of the Palyul Lineage, the Supreme Nirmanakaya HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche.

The perfect retinue is the assembly of Khenpos, Tulkus and other members of the ordained Sangha who are endowed with the riches of virtue and devotion and possess the jewel of the three trainings. The perfect retinue also includes the Dharma brothers and sisters of the same mandala, who, with Bodhicitta as the ground, practice the generation and completion stages as the path to attain the fruition of the union of emptiness and appearance.

The perfect Dharma is the Dzogchen teaching of the Namchoe Sky Treasure, The Buddha in the Palm of Your Hand. It is practiced from Ngondro through the  completion of the Trekchod and Togyal practices. The outer, inner and secret aspects of these traditional teachings have been passed on by our late Holiness in accordance with the needs of modern time.

The perfect time is the auspicious day of the First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma. That is the day on which the Buddha taught beings according to their individual levels of understanding. For us in particular, it is the time of the conclusion ceremony of our month-long summer retreat, in which students have gathered to practice the outer, inner and secret mandalas in accordance with their levels and abilities.

On this auspicious day it is appropriate to provide a brief explanation of the outer, inner and secret mandala offering.

The outer mandala is the phenomenal world mandala. It is comprised of the fundamental golden ground surrounded by an iron wall. At the center is Mount Meru surrounded by all the continents. In the east is the continent of Lüphagpo. To the south is Dzambuling, to the west is Balangchöd and to the north is Draminyen. Also included in the world mandala are the eight subcontinents, the sun, moon, seven golden mountains and the seven oceans. The heavenly realms of the gods are also included. Multiply this by a thousand, three times over to offer the three thousand myriad worlds along with all the wealth that exists in them, without attachment, to the Nirmanakaya Lama.

The inner mandala is the body mandala. It is made up of the skin, which is the golden ground; the spine, which is Mount Meru; the right hand, which is the continent of Lüphagpo to the east; the right leg, which is Dzambuling of the south; the left leg is Balangchöd of the west; and the left hand is Draminyen of the north. The two eyes represent the sun and moon. The hair of the head and the body represents the wealth of the gods and human beings. Without dualistic grasping, offer the Sambhogakaya mandala offering.

The secret mandala is the Channels and Chakras. The Chakra of Bliss along with the essence of fire, Ah Thung, is the golden ground. The branch channels are the external wall. The central channel is Mount Meru.  The Dharma Chakra at the heart is Lüphagpo to the east. The Navel Chakra of manifestation is Dzambuling to the south. The throat chakra of enjoyment is Balangchöd in the west. The crown chakra of Great Bliss is Draminyen to the north. The roma channel is the sun and the changma channel is the moon. The minor channels are the wealth of gods and humans. Without conceptualizing subject, object or action, offer the secret mandala to the Sambhogakaya Lama at the final stage of the tenth bhumi.

The secret-most Dzogpa Chenpo Mandala offering is as follows, according to the pith instruction of Marpa, the great translator:

On the immaculate natural mandala, variegated flowers are arranged.

In the mandala of pure space, flowers of unceasing dependent existence are arranged.

In the Great Bliss mandala of one’s mind, the flowers of variegated conceptualization are arranged.

As said in this verse, the fundamental ground of dharmadhatu, free of all limitations, is the golden ground. The unceasing four visions of Togyal, are the continents, subcontinents, sun and moon. The fruition of the inexhaustible activities of the wisdom body, speech and mind are all the wealth of gods and humans. In the secret-most mandala offering there is no distinction between subject and object. This mandala is created by meditating on the view and seeing the inseparable nature of the master and student. This is the ultimate mandala.

These are the different types of mentally constructed mandalas. The type of mandala to be visualized should be done in accordance with one’s own capacity.

A flower, though small, serves as an offering. Likewise, our material mandala offering is small, but it represents our gratitude to you for your kindness and the guidance provided to us during this month.Through the merit of this mandala offering, may the Buddha Dharma flourish all over the world. With the flourishing of the Buddha Dharma, may there be no famine, wars, disputes, epidemics or other undesirable conditions. May the wishes of all beings be fulfilled and may they remain in peace and happiness.

May HH Karma Kuchen Rinpoche be free from all obstacles of body, speech and mind, and live long for hundreds of kalpas, and may his Dharma activities flourish without any obstacles. May the incarnation of our teacher, the Lord of Refuge Drubwang Pema Norbu swiftly appear and take the fearless lion throne again. In addition, may all Dharma teachers live long and may their Dharma activities flourish in the ten directions

May the students who have gathered here be free from all undesirable conditions, and may their wishes be fulfilled. May all achieve the stage of the four kayas and five wisdoms.

In all life times may we never be separated from the perfectly pure guru.

Utilizing the glorious Dharma to its utmost,

And by perfecting all pure qualities on the stages and path,

May we swiftly attain the state of the Glorious Lama.