1. How I Offer Food: The Motivation

1. How I Offer Food: The Motivation

Numberless times they have been our mothers, different mothers numberless times from beginningless rebirths. Every sentient being, not only human beings, all sentient beings, even human beings, at different times, when we were born as humans. So it is a very close, a very close family; then mother, then father, then if you extend this then brother, sister, and friend, many times everybody has been these.   (Lama Zopa Rinpoche)

Lama Zopa Rinpoche Offering Tea (Photo: Bill Kane, Choe Khor Sum Ling, Bangalore, 2016)

Introduction

Lama Zopa Rinpoche is well known for the extensive visualizations, offering prayers, and dedications he does before eating and drinking. In fact the actual eating and drinking seem of little importance to Rinpoche, whereas what is important to him is to use the food and drink he is about to consume as an opportunity to create the most extensive merit possible. In this teaching Rinpoche begins with an extensive motivation based on the three principal aspects of the path. The actual visualization and prayers of the food offering practice are based on how Rinpoche himself does them, although apparently condensed, given that Rinpoche says, “Personally I do like this, just to say a little bit.”

Part 1. It's As If Your Family Is Suffering In Samsara

(duration: 9 minutes)

Transcript of Video 1: How I Offer Food - The Motivation, Part 1

(You can read the transcript of the video below. Alternatively, you can read the same transcript alongside the video by clicking here to download it or view it in a separate window.)

Before we make [the food] offering, [generate a motivation based on] the three principal aspects of the path, the essence of Buddhism.

“Due to being under the control of delusions and karma, I have been experiencing the suffering of samsara from beginningless rebirths.”

Remember the sufferings of the six realms.

“I have suffered these numberless times from beginningless rebirths, and if I don’t get to meet Dharma, don’t get to practice Dharma, to actualize it, such as at least the four noble truths – true suffering, true cause of suffering, cessation of suffering, and true path – if it doesn’t get done, then I will experience the suffering of the six realms numberless times, numberless times without end. Again I will have to suffer them numberless times without end, like in the past. Like myself there are numberless hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, numberless human beings, numberless sura beings, numberless asura beings, and numberless intermediate state beings. There are numberless in each realm and they have been suffering, experiencing the suffering of the six realms, numberless times from beginningless rebirth. If they don’t meet Dharma, don’t get to understand Dharma, don’t meet Dharma, don’t get to practice Dharma, and don’t get to actualize it, then they will suffer without end, experiencing the suffering of the six realms numberless times.”

Before it was just yourself [you were thinking of], now it is numberless others in each realm who have to suffer without end, the sufferings of the six realms without end.

In reality, perhaps you might not feel it much, but in reality it is like your family being sick. It is like your family is suffering in samsara. In reality it is like that – like your family is sick. There are many people whose family, this life’s family, has been an enemy, is regarded as being an enemy, father, their mother, brother, sister being an enemy. There are those like this but I’m talking overall.

You have been born to them numberless times with different bodies, all kinds of different animal bodies, pretas, different human beings, so many desire realm beings. So many different bodies, you have been born so they have been your mother numberless times. They have been your mother numberless times and during that time they sacrificed their lives for you, to take care of you. Just to remember the importance of this – they sacrificed themselves, they dedicated their lives for you. Like, for example, how the human mother took care of you, like that, and even the animals, when you were an animal, how they took care of you. Can you imagine, as birds?

I remember watching TV, there was a rabbit. There was a rabbit outside, The rabbit, I think, I didn’t see it make children, but the rabbit made a hole and its children are kept there.  And the rabbit… It is very interesting; the rabbit goes away to find food, but the children are kept in a hole covered by dust. They are in a hole that she covered with dust. She went on the dust and does with her hands like this (Rinpoche shows pounding the dust) to cover, to make it a little bit solid. She does that with her hands, like that. Wow. I saw that. Incredible. And then, after, I don’t know, she went to look for food or whatever, she comes back and she digs and then the babies come out to drink milk. She digs the earth and then the babies come out to drink milk. Then the babies go inside and she covers them with dust. She does like this with her hands. Can you imagine? That is what I saw.

Then there is this big one with a very long mouth and teeth, what is the name of that animal?

Student: Crocodile.

Crocodile. I saw a crocodile that got children. The crocodile, at the beginning, keeps water in its mouth. Before it puts the children in the water, it keeps water in its mouth, holds it, and tries to keep all the babies in its mouth. Even the baby, some part of the body come out, but it tries to keep it inside. To get used to, to get the habit of, to get used to being in the water, the mother keeps them in her mouth, at the beginning. Then slowly, I don’t know but it might be that when they get to a certain size, when they get bigger, then she puts them in the water, she releases them in the water. So even a mother, what is the name of the animal?

Student: Crocodile.

Crocodile. Even a mother crocodile, an animal, does that with her babies. Can you imagine that, how she takes care? You understand? We have been like that numberless times. We have been like that numberless times. We have been like that rabbit baby numberless times. No number. All sentient being have been rabbits. All sentient beings, not at one time; all sentient beings at different times have been rabbits and gave birth to us. We were born from them, not only from human beings. Crocodiles and human beings, everybody has been our mother, crocodiles, rabbits, bees, mosquitoes.

(End of Video 1: How I Offer Food – The Motivation, Part 1)

Part 2. We Are a Very Close Family

(duration: 11 minutes)

Transcript of Video 2: How I Offer Food - The Motivation, Part 2

(You can read the transcript of the video below. Alternatively, you can read the same transcript alongside the video by clicking here to download it or view it in a separate window.)

So all sentient beings have been our mother. We think only of this life, this life as a human being, our father and mother. Of course, in the West especially, those regarded as the biggest enemies are our father and mother. It is like that when children are young, especially. Because the parents always have to give advice, control, control, then they think parents are the worse enemies. They think like that. Then the children go away, they leave home, go away, then after some time, when they get bigger, after some time, when they are fifteen or thirteen, I don’t know, then some children remember the kindness of their parents and then they come back. For example, Roger’s niece or what?

Ven. Roger: Nephew.

Nephew. He became a monk for a few years and wanted to help us, but then it didn’t happen, but anyways, he did the same, but he thought of the kindness of his mother. He had some karma, I think, so he thought of the kindness of his mother and after a few years he came back, he told me. Some children do that. Generally it is like that.

Numberless times they have been our mothers, different mothers numberless times from beginningless rebirths. Every sentient being, not only human beings, all sentient beings, even human beings, at different times, when we were born as humans. So it is a very close, a very close family; then mother, then father, then if you extend this then brother, sister, and friend, many times everybody has been these. Therefore, they have been suffering from beginningless rebirths, experiencing the six realm suffering numberless times, and if they don’t meet Dharma, if nothing happens, if they don’t get to actualize it, then they will suffer without end, experience the suffering of samsara without end. With delusion and karma we create the cause, so without a choice we will have to experience it when it ripens. It is like that, numberless. It is not just one, it is numberless.

This is not only just mother and father, all that. I’m talking in general. Generally, yes, it is so in reality, so a good son or a good daughter remembers and then appreciates their mother and father who dedicate their lives, who sacrificed their lives for them in childhood time. For nine months in the womb then after that so much suffering. They worried and suffered, bearing hardships and worrying about your life, education, and health. They help you in many ways, in all the ways, in every way.

Now here, all your happiness experienced in past lives, from past lives the happiness, all the happiness you have experienced, what you experience now, what you will experience in the future, including liberation from samsara and enlightenment, all your past, present, and future happiness is received by the kindness of mother sentient beings, the kindness of every sentient being. Now I can say the kindness of every mother sentient being. For example, the person who gets angry at you, who abuses you, who beats you, who kills you, whatever, all your past, present, and future happiness including enlightenment, everything you receive by the kindness of this person. Everything you receive by the kindness of this person, because all your past, present, and future happiness up to enlightenment comes from your good karma, and your good karma is the holy action of the buddhas... Buddhas have two holy actions, one is possessed by the buddhas’ own minds, and one is within other sentient beings, within us sentient beings. So all the happiness experience in the past, present, and future, including enlightenment, everything, your happiness comes from your good karma, and your good karma is the holy action of the buddhas, sang gye kyi trin le. Then, that holy action of buddhas comes from buddhas; buddhas come from bodhisattvas; bodhisattvas come from bodhichitta; bodhichitta comes from great compassion; and great compassion is generated by depending on obscured suffering sentient beings. That includes him, the one who gets angry at you, who always abuses you, complains about you, beats you, kills you. That compassion is generated depending on him or her, on that one who is obscured and suffering. So compassion is generated, the preliminary to bodhichitta is generated, depending on her or him, on the kindness of the one whose mind is suffering, whose mind is obscured and suffering. It came from that. So therefore, from him or her who gets angry at you, abuses you, does all the bad things, kills you, great compassion is generated. It is generated or comes from them, all sentient beings including him or her who you call “enemy.” It comes from them. So bodhichitta came from that compassion. From that compassion, bodhichitta, from bodhichitta, bodhisattva; from bodhisattva, buddha; from buddha, holy actions (of the two kinds of actions, one is within us); from there, all your happiness from beginningless rebirths up to now and in the future, including liberation from samsara and enlightenment, whatever you receive, all that comes from this person. It comes from all sentient beings, yes, but this person, including this person, who you call “enemy,” who you think is so bad, who is angry and abuses you. It came from them. So it is huge, the benefits are like the sky. The person’s benefit to you is like the sky – limitless benefit. What you think is, “Oh, he beats me,” “Oh, he says bad things to me,” but that is just this time. It is not in past lives, just this time. But the benefit you get from him, wow, is like the limitless sky. Even you achieve enlightenment from this person, by the kindness of this person. Wow, wow, wow. You become free from the oceans of samsaric sufferings by the kindness of this person, wow, wow, wow. You become free from all the mistakes of mind, the obscurations, and then you achieve all the realizations by the kindness of this person. Like that, every sentient being is like that – the most kind for you, the most precious for you, the most dear for you, and your wish-fulfilling. Every single sentient being is your wish-fulfilling.

(End of Video 2: How I Offer Food – The Motivation, Part 2)

Part 3. Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha Come From Sentient Beings

(duration: 7 minutes)

Transcript of Video 3: How I Offer Food - The Motivation, Part 3

(You can read the transcript of the video below. Alternatively, you can read the same transcript alongside the video by clicking here to download it or view it in a separate window.)

And who you take refuge in, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, all the time we do this practice, they all come from sentient beings. Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha came from sentient beings. As I explained, Buddha came from sentient beings. Then for Dharma and sangha there is no question; they came from Buddha so they came from sentient beings. So sentient beings are most precious. Because if you have money you can do a million dollar project or a billion dollar project, whatever happiness you want, generally speaking, because much of this life what you can do is if you have money, so you think that money is so precious. But, of course, money came from sentient beings. Put it this way. I use this as an example, so like that, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha came from sentient beings, so sentient beings we should respect. We should respect them and not harm them. We should not harm them and we should only benefit them if possible, as much as the capacity that we have.

At the moment we don’t have much realizations. I mean I myself don’t have even realizations of lam-rim, so there is not much benefit to others. Anyway you don’t have renunciation, you don’t have guru devotion, you don’t have bodhichitta or emptiness. Then you wont have tantric realizations without lam-rim. So there is not much benefit you can do for others, but do as much benefit as possible for others. For the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, this is the best… For the Guru, Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha this is the best offering. To serve sentient beings is the best offering. To not harm sentient beings is the best offering. To benefit sentient beings is the best offering. That is the best. That is what makes your life most beneficial, most happy, inner happiness, most beneficial, most satisfied, most fulfilling, most happy. That is the best Dharma practice – to benefit others. Whether you meditate, whether you live on a mountain meditating or whatever, the best thing for sentient beings is to not harm and to benefit them. Whether you are living on a mountain doing retreat or in a city working with people, whatever, the most important thing is to benefit sentient beings. To not harm and to benefit sentient beings, that is the best thing to do.

So now, one has the responsibility to free the numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings. The numberless hell beings, numberless human beings, suras, and asuras, numberless pretas, numberless animals, to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to full enlightenment, therefore I must achieve full enlightenment. To do that by myself alone, I must achieve full enlightenment.

Now, okay, renunciation and bodhichitta are done. Now emptiness, just in short; I, action, object, phenomena, hell and enlightenment, samsara and nirvana, every day happiness and problems, they exist in mere name. The way they exist is in mere name. They do not exist from their own side. Therefore they do not exist from their own side. Think that. It looks like in emptiness there is no you, there is no I, there is no we, there is no they, there is no sentient being, there is no enlightenment, in emptiness. They are one taste in emptiness. In emptiness they are one taste. That is the reality.

(End of Video 3: How I Offer Food - The Motivation, Part 3)