1. How I Offer Food: The Motivation
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
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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.