When Zopa Rinpoche (current head of the world-wide Foundation for the Preservation
of the Mahayana Tradition -- FPMT) stayed
in Singapore in May,1988, he stayed at the home of a happy and very devoted
family. Before leaving, Rinpoche, with his great compassion, dictated the
following for the family, especially the mother, to practice.
He suggested that, via the ideas outlined below, others could also learn to
transform daily life activities into the path to enlightenment.
Waking Up
In the morning when you wake up, visualize the Buddha on the crown of your
head and think, "How fortunate I am that so far I have not died. Again today
I have the opportunity to practice the Dharma. I again have the opportunity
to take the essence of this human rebirth which has so many freedoms and richnesses.
The great essence to be taken from this opportunity is to practice bodhicitta,
the mind that is dedicated to attaining enlightenment for the benefit of all
sentient beings, by renouncing myself and cherishing others. Cherishing only
myself is the greatest obstacle to being happy myself and it is especially
the greatest hindrance to bringing about the happiness of all sentient beings.
So, from now on, I will never allow myself to be under the control of the
self-cherishing thought. "Also, cherishing others is the best means to bring
all success for my own happiness and especially to successfully bring about
the happiness that all sentient beings desire. Therefore, from now on, I will
never separate from the precious bodhicitta, the mind cherishing other sentient
beings, for even one moment. With the bodhicitta, and the mind that cherishes
others, I will live my life."
Then make a sincere request to the Buddha, "Whether my life is happy or painful,
may whatever actions I do with my body, speech and mind always become only
the cause to lead quickly the pitiful mother sentient beings throughout infinite
space to enlightenment." Guru Shakyamuni Buddha is extremely pleased with
your request.
He melts into light, which flows down through your crown to your heart, blessing,
inspiring and transforming your mind.
Think, "I have received all of the Buddha's qualities."
Then imagine a small Buddha made of light appears at your heart.
Throughout the day, think of the Buddha constantly.
In this way, you will become more mindful of what you do, say and think, as
you will be aware of Buddha witnessing it.
Read and contemplate the "Eight Verses
of Thought Transformation":
1. With the thought of attaining enlightenment
For the welfare of all beings,
Who are more precious than a wish-fulfilling jewel,
I will constantly practice holding them dear.
2. Whenever I am with others
I will practice seeing myself as the lowest of all,
And from the very depths of my heart
I will respectfully hold others as supreme.
3. In all actions I will examine my mind
And the moment a disturbing attitude arises,
Endangering myself and others,
I will firmly confront and avert it.
4. Whenever I meet a person of bad nature
Who is overwhelmed by negative energy and intense suffering,
I will hold such a rare one dear,
As if I had found a precious treasure.
5. When others, out of jealousy,
Mistreat me with abuse, slander and so on,
I will practice accepting defeat
And offering the victory to them.
6. When someone I have benefited
And in whom I have placed great trust
Hurts me very badly,
I will practice seeing that person as my supreme teacher.
7. In short, I will offer directly and indirectly
Every benefit and happiness to all beings, my mothers.
I will practice in secret taking upon myself
All their harmful actions and sufferings.
8. Without these practices being defiled by the stains of the eight worldly
concerns
And by perceiving all phenomena as illusory,
I will practice without grasping to release all beings
From the bondage of the disturbing unsubdued mind and karma.
By remembering Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, do your daily life actions as follows:
Eating and Drinking
Before you eat or drink, think, "I am going to make this food (drink) offering
to Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, who is the embodiment of all the Buddhas, Dharma,
and Sangha, in order to achieve enlightenment for the sake of all mother sentient
beings. "Think the food is very pure and sweet nectar that gives great bliss.
Its taste is delicious, like what the Buddha experiences; that is, it is completely
beyond the usual ordinary appearance of food.
Offer the food with the prayers contained in this book, and imagine the Buddha
at your heart experiences bliss as you eat. [See also the page
on blessing food.]
Enjoying Sense Objects
Whatever sense objects you enjoy during the day -- clothes, music, beautiful
scenery and so forth -- think that you are offering them to Guru Shakyamuni
Buddha who is at your heart. In this way, you continuously make offerings
to the Buddha, thus creating a great store of positive potential.
Also, you will become less attached to sense pleasures and will begin to enjoy
them with a peaceful mind.
Making Offerings on the Altar
Think, "I am going to make these offerings in order to achieve enlightenment
or the benefit of all pitiful mother sentient beings who have been kind to
me since beginningless rebirths."
Immediately consecrate whatever you offer by saying, OM AH HUM."
When you look at the pictures and statues of the Buddhas and holy beings on
your altar, think that they are all the Guru and the Buddhas, Dharma and Sangha
of the ten directions. Offer to them with this recognition, and imagine that
they generate great bliss by receiving your offerings. Think that you are
offering to the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, arhats and sanghas of the ten directions.
Offer to the statues of the Buddhas and deities (which represent Buddha's
holy body), to all the scriptures (which represent the Buddha's holy speech),
and to all the stupas (which represent the Buddha's holy mind) that exist
in all ten directions. This includes making offerings to all holy objects
in Tibet, in India and in each person's home where there is a holy object.
This is the most skilful way to accumulate merit. In this way, you make offerings
to each and every holy object without needing to take even one step or spend
even one dollar to travel to those places. By thinking that all the statues,
Buddhas, bodhisattvas and so forth are manifestations oft he guru, you accumulate
the highest merit.
After offering, think, "Whatever happiness and virtue I have accumulated,
may all sentient beings receive it, and whatever suffering sentient beings
have, may it ripen upon me."
Then dedicate the positive potential.
The Easiest Way to Create Good Karma
From Lama Zopa Rinpoche (Transforming Problems Into Happiness):
"Simply by rejoicing, without the need for extensive preparation or
any special effort, you can accumulate incredible merit, incredible good
karma. In one second you can accumulate merit infinite as space. If you
really practice it honestly, rejoicing in others is the easiest way to accumulate
extensive merit and attain ultimate happiness...
The practice of rejoicing can prevent the arising of pride, jealousy, or
anger. Whenever you hear that someone else has been successful, rejoice.
Always practice rejoicing for others - whether your friend or your "enemy"
- even about samsaric success. For example, when you hear that someone has
been successful in business, you should rejoice. When you hear that someone
has found a partner, again rejoice. You should think "How wonderful
it is that they have found the happiness they were seeking!" Practice
feeling as happy for others as you do for yourself. In other words, cherish
others as you cherish yourself. Feel happy when others find happiness, as
if you yourself had found happiness.
If you cherish only yourself, you cannot experience happiness, but if you
cherish others as you cherish yourself, happiness arises naturally... without
any need to think of reasons. When something good happens to anyone, you
naturally feel happy. Every positive trait is the result of past good actions,
and all can be a basis for you to rejoice. When you see someone possessed
of physical beauty, think: "How wonderful it is that this person has
a beautiful body now as a result of practicing patience and morality in
past lives."... If someone is very intelligent or has more understanding
of the Dharma than you do, you can rejoice in it as well."
Working
When you go to work, think, "I must achieve enlightenment in order to lead
each and every sentient being to enlightenment. Therefore, I am going to do
service for sentient beings by going to work."
If you are working in order to provide for your family, it is service to sentient
beings. If you do not have to provide for your family, you nevertheless need
the necessary material conditions in order to practice the Dharma so that
you may attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings.
While you are at work, remember the kindness of the other sentient beings
who gave your the job and who make it possible for you to earn a living. Thinking
in this way helps to avoid generating negative emotions like anger at work.
Bathing
Think, "I am going to bathe by transforming this action into the cause to
attain enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings." By thinking
in a new way, you can make your shower or bath a purification practice. One
way to think is that the water is very blissful and you are offering it to
the Buddha at your heart. Another way is to visualize whichever manifestation
of the Buddha you feel a strong connection with (for example, Chenresig --Avalokitesvara
-- or Tara) above your head and think that the bathing water is flowing from
his or her hand. The water is the nature of wisdom and it is making your mind
clear so you can practice the path for the benefit of sentient beings.
While you are washing, think that all negative karmas, sicknesses, and interfering
forces are cleansed by the wisdom realizing emptiness and that your receive
all the realizations and qualities of the Buddha
Sleeping
At the end of the day it is important to purify the negative actions created
during the day. The most powerful method to do this is by means of the four
opponent powers:
1. Having regret for the negative actions you have done.
2. Taking refuge and generating bodhicitta.
3. Doing remedial actions, i.e., a purification practice.
4. Determining not to do the action again in the future.
By doing this, it stops the karma from multiplying each day, each week, each
month. It also purifies the negative karma accumulated since beginningless
time. By thus cleansing your obstacles, you have the opportunity to become
enlightened.
Before going to bed, think, "I take refuge until I am enlightened in the
Buddhas, the Dharma and the Sangha. By the positive potential I create by
practicing generosity and the other far-reaching attitudes, may I attain Buddhahood
in order to benefit all sentient beings." 
Visualize Guru Vajrasattva on your crown. Light and nectar flow down from
his heart into you and purify all negative karmas and obscurations of yourself
and others. While visualizing in this way, recite Vajrasattva's mantra at
least twenty-eight times:
OM VAJRASATTVA HUM
Then Vajrasattva says to you, "All of your negative karmas and obscurations
are completely purified. Be happy about this."
Vajrasattva absorbs to your heart and blesses your mind.
Dedicate the positive potential (of visualizing Guru Vajrasattva):
May the precious bodhi mind
Not yet born arise and grow.
May that born have no decline,
But increase forever more.
In all my lives, with the victorious one, Lama Tzong Khapa,
acting in person as the Mahayana guru,
may I never turn aside for even an instant from the excellent path praised
by the Victorious Ones.
Due to the positive potentials accumulated by myself and others in the
past, present and future,
May anyone who merely sees, hears, remembers, touches or talks to me
Be freed in that very instant from all sufferings and abide in happiness
forever.
When you go to bed, think, 'I am going to practice sleep-yoga in order to
achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings'.
Lie down in the lion position, which is how Buddha lay when he passed away:
lie on your right side, with your right hand under your cheek. Your left hand
is on your left thigh, and your legs are extended. Remember the kindness and
sufferings of sentient beings and go to sleep feeling loving-kindness towards
them.
Visualise Guru Shakyamuni Buddha on your pillow, and put your head in his
lap. Very gentle light flows from the Buddha into you, and by remembering
the Buddha's enlightened qualities wih devotion, fall asleep.
The above material is taken from: Pearl of Wisdom: Buddhist Prayers and Practices,
Book I, ISBN , created by the Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, fpmtsing@singnet.com.sg.
