2. Ten Benefits of the Offering Cloud Mantra
I should explain the benefits of the mantra that you recite at the beginning of blessing the offerings... It is very important that everybody understand them. It is very important to take this seriously, not like watching a movie or TV. It is a very serious thing, a very serious matter. We are talking here about how to achieve happiness not just of this life but of all the future lives, then liberation from samsara, then enlightenment, then you liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings, then you bring them to enlightenment. So, it is a very serious matter. There is nothing more serious matter than this. (Lama Zopa Rinpoche)
Photo: Bill Kane, Choe Khor Sum Ling Centre, Bangalore, 2016
The Offering Cloud Mantra Multiplies the Offerings
OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICHITTA VAJRE / MAHA BODHI MÄNDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA (3x)
(duration: 24 minutes)
Transcript of Video 2: “Ten Benefits of the Offering Cloud Mantra”
(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.)
I should explain the benefits of the mantra that you recite at the beginning of blessing the offerings. It has eight or nine benefits. Then, you can understand how important it is. Why I always recite this mantra, you can understand. I don’t know [the benefits] by heart. Do you have them? Let me see if I have them here. I am not sure. [Rinpoche looks in his book.] Yes, I have them here. So I will explain them this time so that it gets done. It is very important that everybody understand them. It is very important to take this seriously, not like watching a movie or TV. It is a very serious thing, a very serious matter. We are talking here about how to achieve happiness not just of this life but of all the future lives, then liberation from samsara, then enlightenment, then you liberate numberless sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings, then bring them to enlightenment. So, it is a very serious matter. There is nothing more serious matter than this. This is not just to listen to some talk.
[This text] is called The Benefits of the Mantra of Clouds of Offerings. Why does it say “clouds of offerings”? Like in the sky when you go by airplane, you see the whole sky covered by clouds, it means that there are so much. The idea is that they are limitless. This mantra has power. First of all, understand this mantra, “OM NAMO BHAGAVATE VAJRA SARA PRAMARDANE TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA OM VAJRE VAJRE / MAHA VAJRE / MAHA TEJA VAJRE / MAHA VIDYA VAJRE / MAHA BODHICHITTA VAJRE / MAHA BODHI MÄNDO PASAM KRAMANA VAJRE / SARVA KARMA AVARANA VISHO DHANA VAJRE SVAHA,” why it is called The Offering Cloud Mantra? In a simplified way it says ‘mantra’ but the word zung [dharani] has two or three different meanings that I forget now. Zung – here I just translated it as mantra – but it means “the unforgetting wisdom of remembrance and awareness of engaging in virtue and abandoning non-virtue.” Something like that is the meaning of zung. But we say “the mantra of clouds of offerings.” Why “clouds”? The example of clouds is used because this mantra has power. When you recite this mantra to bless [offerings], it is not only blessing them. One is that it is blessing them, but the other one is that one flower, one water bowl, one light offering, one small Christmas light, one flower, one water offering, even if the offering is only one, but when you recite this mantra, it becomes numberless. It appears numberless, like clouds covering the sky, to each buddha and each bodhisattva. Even if the actual offering is only one, but it becomes numberless offerings to the buddhas and bodhisattvas. So it is not only blessing them, but it is blessing and multiplying the offerings. That is how, if you use the mantra, that is how… I talked already about from one tiny offering, all the benefits, so now here it multiplies [that offering] numberless times so the buddhas and bodhisattvas can receive them. So now can you imagine how many causes of enlightenment you created? How many causes of liberation from samsara you created? How many causes of the happiness of future lives you created? Then, by the way, the happiness of this life, even without thinking about it, even without grasping it, without thinking about it, it comes. When you work for enlightenment, all the things come by the way. All the other happinesses come by the way. You must understand that.
I will just go over this. The Clouds of Offerings Mantra has the benefit of multiplying [one offering] numberless [times] for the buddhas and bodhisattvas, so you can’t imagine, wow, the numberless causes for enlightenment you created, then for the other happinesses. You have this: it is an unbelievably easy way to collect extensive merits. You have that.
The Power of Truth Causes the Offerings to be Received
KÖN CHHOG SUM GYI DEN PA DANG
By the power of truth of the Three Rare Sublime Ones,
SANG GYÄ DANG JANG CHHUB SEM PA THAM CHÄ KYI JIN GYI LAB DANG
The blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas,
TSHOG NYI YONG SU DZOG PÄI NGA THANG CHHEN PO DANG
The great wealth of the completed two types of merits,
CHHÖ KYI YING NAM PAR DAG CHING SAM GYI MI KHYAB PÄI TOB KYI
And the pure and inconceivable sphere of phenomena,
CHHOG CHU NA ZHUG PÄI SANG GYÄ DANG JANG CHHUB SEM PA THAM CHÄ KYI CHÄN NGAR PHAG PA JAM PÄL DANG KÜN TU ZANG PO LA SOG PÄI NAM PAR CHHÖ PÄI TRIN GYI PHUNG PO SAM GYI MI KHYAB PA ZÄ MI SHE PA NAM KHA DANG NYAM PAR JUNG WAR GYUR CHIG
May these piles of clouds of offerings arising through transformation by the bodhisattvas Arya Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and so forth – unimaginable and inexhaustible, equaling the sky – arise and, in the presence of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, be received.
Then, the next one is “Kön chhog sum kyi den pa dang,” expressing the words of truth. For that one, you need to visualize. The first one, because the mantra has power, whatever offerings you are offering become numberless like clouds covering the sky to each buddha and bodhisattva. But when you recite this, [“Expressing the Power of Truth,”] it depends on how much you visualize. So if you visualize the whole sky filled with incense offerings, filled with light offerings, filled with mandala offerings (when you offer a mandala, the whole sky filled with mandala offering), like that, however many you visualize, that much is offered and they receive that much.
The next one is expressing the words of truth, “Den tob chöpa,” “Expressing the Power of the Truth.” Usually, there is a short one [in most texts], but I saw another scripture and added the elaboration. Do you have that, the elaboration?
Extensive Power of Truth
KÖN CHHOG SUM GYI DEN PA DANG
By the power of truth of the Three Rare Sublime Ones,
SANG GYÄ DANG JANG CHHUB SEM PA THAM CHÄ KYI JIN GYI LAB DANG
The blessings of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas,
TSHOG NYI YONG SU DZOG PÄI NGA THANG CHHEN PO DANG
The great wealth of the completed two types of merits,
CHHÖ KYI YING NAM PAR DAG CHING SAM GYI MI KHYAB PÄI TOB KYI
And the pure and inconceivable sphere of phenomena,
CHHOG CHU NA ZHUG PÄI SANG GYÄ DANG JANG CHHUB SEM PA THAM CHÄ KYI CHÄN NGAR PHAG PA JAM PÄL DANG KÜN TU ZANG PO LA SOG PÄI NAM PAR CHHÖ PÄI TRIN GYI PHUNG PO SAM GYI MI KHYAB PA ZÄ MI SHE PA NAM KHA DANG NYAM PAR JUNG WAR GYUR CHIG
May these piles of clouds of offerings arising through transformation by the bodhisattvas Arya Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and so forth – unimaginable and inexhaustible, equaling the sky – arise and, in the presence of the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, be received.
Benefits of the Mantra of the Clouds of Offering
Okay, let’s just finish this.
[1] (Rinpoche reads in Tibetan) “Just the minute you remember the mantra, you already made offerings,” you already made offerings to the buddhas. Now, here it is talking about how many buddhas? Try to understand. How many buddhas? Hold your breath. We should hold our brain, or our nose, hold our nose or brain. (Rinpoche giggles) How many buddhas? “To the number of buddhas [equaling] the extremely subtle atoms of the sand grains of the Ganga River.” Lung is river, but in the benefits of bodhichitta it is not the Indian river Ganga which, of course, is so big, but it is the Pacific Ocean. Here, I haven’t seen the notes on the commentary, but it could be the Pacific Ocean. The very subtle atoms (maybe they are the seventh one that I have seen in the Abhidharmakosha), the very subtle atoms of the sand grains of… It could be the Pacific Ocean, but even if it is the River Ganga it is so big, unbelievable, the River Ganga. But it is the same story, if you take up one handful of sand grains, there are so many sand grains when you take up sand in the hand, even a small hand like my hand, if you check, wow. Without talking about the atoms, just the sand grains, that many buddhas, can you imagine? It is mind blowing. Mind blowing. Now we are talking about the subtle atoms of the sand grains of the River Ganga, or the Pacific Ocean. So, now, to how many buddhas are you making that many offerings? Similar to the number of subtle atoms of the sand grains of the River Ganga or the Pacific Ocean, “to that many buddhas who are abiding in the ten directions.” The minute you remember the mantra it becomes offerings to all those buddhas. Do you understand? So, that is the first [benefit].
[2] The second is “It becomes, immediately, as if you had prostrated at all those buddhas’ holy feet.” It becomes like that. You get that merit. That is the second [benefit].
[3] Then, “It becomes various offerings.” Even if what you offer physically is one light, a small stick of incense, or a water bowl, but when you recite this mantra, that minute it becomes flower offerings, incense offerings, flower garland offerings, offering of robes, the Dharma robes, umbrellas, banners, flags, dingwas (monks’ cushion covers), seats, dresses, robes, divine dress, then animals, food, ornaments. It becomes an offering of all this. By the power of the mantra, they receive all these offerings. This is the third.
[4] “You become free of all negative karmas,” meaning you purify all negative karmas. That is the fourth.
[5] Next one is “You get all the merits.”
[6] Then next is, this might be the seventh [sixth] result, “You will see all the buddhas and bodhisattvas.” It means that this happens gradually.
[7] Then, “They free your breath.” That means they free you from suffering. They free your breath means that you created negative karma, which makes you to be reborn in the lower realms. Then “free your breath” means… There may be other things, machines, but sometimes you give breath, one time when somebody gives breath in the mouth?
Student: Resuscitation.
Anyway, here you created the negative karma to be reborn in the lower realms, so to “free your breath” means to purify your negative karma, so that you are liberated from the lower realms. It has a similar meaning when you take the tantric vows: those who cannot breathe, you free their breath, you give them breath. It has a similar meaning.
[8] Next one, this must be the eighth, I think. Then, “You are always protected by devas, nagas, nöjins…” How do you say this, nöjin? I haven’t seen this [translated] yet. It looks like “harm-giver,” but I haven’t seen yet the exact translation of this. If somebody is giving harm to you, then they give you protection. Then “smell-eaters, asuras, garudas,” then “miamchi,” the miamchi are the degye. In the last part of the tea offering, of course, there are the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, but then after that there are the degye, the eight worldly groups of protectors, the devas, the eight groups of worldly beings: outer, inner, secret, [and so forth]. You make the tea offering to them so that they do not harm you but help you practice the Dharma. So, “miamchi” means “degye.”
You see this word in the texts many times when it talks about the benefits. I saw in a dictionary that degye are miamchi. Then there is “Great Stomach.” I haven’t found that, I will look for it. I don’t think it is just a snake, maybe it is a landlord, I am not sure. I will check.
All those beings, and then “Vajrapani, the Owner of Secrecy,” and then “the four guardians.” “They will protect you all the time and when there is danger they will hide you” to protect you from being harmed by others.
[9] Then number, maybe the ninth. “After death, you get born in Amitabha Pure Land.” If you get born in Amitabha Pure Land you will never get born in the lower realms. That is common, very common [knowledge]. According to my root guru, His Holiness Trijang Rinpoche, you can achieve enlightenment there, as there is tantra there. You can achieve enlightenment there, that is what Rinpoche wrote in a letter when I asked whether you can achieve enlightenment in Amitabha Buddha Pure Land or not. But other gurus, like Kirti Tsenshab Rinpoche or Kyabje Choden Rinpoche (?), they wouldn’t accept that. They think like it says in Liberation in the Palm of the Hand, what Pabongkha Rinpoche says.
[10] Then the next one, number ten. “These special qualities, without particularly attending to each of these, whatever you have to do, by just remembering the mantra one time, you will have success in all this.”
So there are maybe ten or eleven benefits like that. Now, you can understand why I recite this mantra all the time before meals to bless the food. So it is very good to attain that.