Advice Regarding the Earthquake/Tsunami Disaster (Dec 26th 2004)
Advice on How to Help the Victims
More Advice - Karma and the Power of Refuge
Donating to the Tsunami Survivors
The following is Rinpoches advice on how the centers and students can benefit those who have suffered greatly from the earthquake/tsunami/flooding in Asia.
Thank you for your messages asking how to help those who have died and have suffered so much in Asia as a result of that great earthquake and tsunami (this really looks like some kind of being wanting to harm others).
I have been doing the 5 great powerful mantras and Medicine Buddha puja as well as extensive offerings.
Regarding the prayers to help those who have died which is now more than 80,000, this is my suggestion for practice for the centers and students to do:
- 5 powerful mantras recitation
- Medicine Buddha puja - recite Medicine Buddha name mantras
- Sur offering
- Recitation of Om Mani Padme Hum / with tong-len
- Nyung Ney
- Tsog Offerings
5 powerful mantras:
- Kunrig
- Mitukpa
- Namgyalma
- Stainless Pinnacle
- Wish Granting Wheel Mantra (Which I would like to now translate as: The Lotus Pinnacle of Amoghapasha, the heart of the stainless One.)
The 5 powerful deities manifested to purify negative karma - they are extremely good and are the main mantras used in Jangwa for the dead. They are the key mantras for blessing mustard seeds that are used to throw on the name of those who have passed away so that the consciousness can be hooked. These mantras are very important and very powerful in the jangwa prayers.
In powa first there is the purification and then there is the recitation of these mantras that make it more possible to reach the pure land. The 5 powerful mantras can be used in holy objects, for blessing water, blessing seeds (like black sesame seeds which are then used to sprinkle on a dead body). The mantras when written can be put on the head of a dead person.
Any one of these 5 powerful mantras can be recited for any person that has died in order to liberate them from the 3 lower realms. You recite the mantra while thinking of the person(s) who have died.
We have been reciting these mantras the past few days since this disaster happened.
These 5 great powerful mantras have unbelievable positive effect for those who have died. The benefits of reciting these mantras are mind blowing.
Before reciting the mantra of each deity one can do the 7 limbs from "The King of Prayers of Good Deeds". Within the 7 limbs one can perform extensive offerings, (according to the physical space you have try to set up as many offerings as possible, especially light offerings). People can do at their homes - you can even set up many Christmas lights over the trees and offer as light offerings. Within the 7 limbs do extensive rejoicing.
These practices are creating merit which we then completely dedicate to those who have died. At the same time you can dedicate the merit to all those who have died in Iraq. This is such an excellent thing to do. We create so much merit this way so we have so much to give to those who have died and those who are suffering. Many have died a terrifying death.
You do 7 limb puja with each deity and when reciting the mantra of each deity make strong request to purify all the 6 realm sentient beings especially those who have just died from the tsunami and also those who have died in Iraq. When you finish each deities mantra recitation then you do extensive dedication. The more we recite the mantra the more we dedicate, the more extensively we do the 7 limb puja the more merit we create which we then dedicate to those who have died and have suffered so much.
After reciting each mantra of each deity visualize that all sentient beings have been purified and also visualize that each sentient being receives all the qualities of the Buddha: one can visualize that each sentient being achieves enlightenment in the form of that deity (if one is not familiar with how that deity appears then you can just think in the aspect of Shakyamuni Buddha).
Visualize the deity absorbing to oneself and then go on to the next deity. At the end of the practice of the 5 great mantras then again try to do dedication as extensively as possible.
After doing a session on the 5 great mantras then the next session can be Medicine Buddha puja. After completing Medicine Buddha puja then do the King of Prayers and then again do extensive dedications as we have in the FPMT prayer book, especially do the dedication sealing with emptiness.
Other ways to benefit those who have died if people are very keen to help, is to do Nyung Ney for them.
Another way to help is to do tsog offering.
Of course reciting Om Mani Padme Hum is excellent, or any mantra that one can do for those who have died.
Another way is to recite Om Mani Padme Hum do with tong-len practice taking on all their sufferings and giving away all your happiness.
There is another mantra that when recited 21 times definitely liberates from the 3 lower realms. I am going to translate this and send it to you.
Another very powerful method is Sur offering (smell burning puja). This is a way of helping those who have died and are in the intermediate state. I try to do this as much as I can, almost every day. This is an excellent method to help those in the intermediate state. Intermediate state beings have clairvoyance so when you think of them they can be present.
In the Sur practice there is a very important prayer where you ask the intermediate state beings to remember the past advice of their Gurus etc. and in this way help them to be reborn in the blissful pure land of Amitabha. You can also add in instructions on bodhichitta using the stanzas from Lama Chopa.
The Sur practice is also mentioned in the Tibetan Book of the Dead.
Some of this information I explained during the retreat at Vajrayogini Institute in France in 2003. During the retreat I felt a very very strong need to explain what to do at the time of death and spent 5 days on this subject but it was not completed.
Generally any virtuous action can be dedicated to helping the victims, even eating Chinese noodles, MacDonald's burgers or Gelato ice-cream.
With much love and prayers,
Lama Zopa
Many of you will want to make donations to help the survivors - there are many charities involved in helping the survivors, and here is one very reputable charity for your information in case you are not sure who to make donations through: http://www.oxfam.org.uk/
Click here to download the 5 powerful mantras
Click here to download Medicine Buddha Puja