We frequently recite a prayer called
The Four Immeasurables that
begins
May all sentient beings have happiness and the root of
happiness.
May they be free from suffering and the root of
suffering.
yet existence in this world is always characterized by suffering of some kind.
One of the most difficult to bear is Impermanence in the form of sudden death,
especially when it is visited upon numerous individuals at one time.
"This existence of ours is as transient as autumn
clouds. To watch the birth and death of beings is like looking
at the movements of a dance. A lifetime is like a flash of
lightning in the sky, rushing by like a torrent down a steep mountain."
~ Buddha Shakyamuni, as quoted by Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche (in
translation.).
Sometimes it is helpful to consider the example of others who have experienced
great loss:
Patachara
< Wall painting (Orientations, June 1975, 34)
in Poorvarama Vihara, Sri Lanka, illustrating
an early part of the life story of Patachara, who had
already lost her husband when her two children were swept away.
"Patachara" (or, Padachari = foot teacher) is
an epithet used for one of the first women to join the Buddha's order.
(Nowadays her name is used for a woman whose life is viewed as especially
tragic.)
She had been the only daughter in a wealthy family but, smitten
with love for one of the servants, she ran away with him. The couple
left town and several years later, after having two children, they decided to
take them to see their grandparents and to beg the family's forgiveness.
On the way, they had to pass through the forest where her husband was fatally
bitten by a cobra. Despite her great loss, but with more reason than
ever to return home, she and the children continued on their way.
On the shore of a swollen river, one of the children was carried off by a
large bird of prey. She ran after it, calling out to the other child to
stay put, but he misunderstood and following after her, was swept away in the
current.
In despair, but no longer having anyone to hinder her progress, she arrived
home only to find that her parents had just died. In fact, their
bodies were already on the cremation pyre. She is now truly out of
her mind with grief, so a kind person takes her to see the Buddha.
Eventually she is able to find peace in the truth of his teachings, and
becomes one of the first nuns.
Later in life, she became enlightened while washing her feet. She
noticed that when the water ran off her feet it flowed across the ground a
little before soaking in. With the second pouring it ran a little further, and
even farther the third time. She understood by this that some
people die young, some in middle age, and some in old age, but that eventually
everyone must die. She, herself, became renowned as a great
teacher.
Prayers and Advice
A collection of advice, prayers and practices after
Sept. 11/01 and Jan. 26/05:
Eight Verses for Training the Mind
by Langri Tangpa (1054-1123)
Regarding all sentient beings
as excelling even the wish-granting gem
for accomplishing the highest aim,
may I always hold them most dear.
When in the company of others
I shall always consider myself the lowest of all,
And from the depth of my heart
Hold them dear and supreme.
Vigilant, the moment a delusion appears
Which endangers myself and others,
I shall confront and avert it
Without delay.
When I see beings of wicked nature
Overwhelmed by violent negative actions and suffering,
I shall hold such rare ones dear,
As if I have found a precious treasure.
When others, out of envy, treat me with abuse,
Insult me or the like,
I shall accept defeat,
And offer the victory to others.
When someone I have benefited
And in whom I have great hopes
Gives me terrible harm,
I shall regard him as my holy spiritual friend.
In short, both directly and indirectly, do I offer
Every benefit and happiness to all sentient beings, my mothers;
May I secretly take upon myself
All their harmful actions and suffering.
May they not be defiled by the concepts
Of the eight profane concerns,
And aware that all things are illusory,
may they, un-grasping, be free from bondage.
Concerning Terrorism and Suicide Bombings
Tulku Thondrup offers a slightly different practice. He says:
"One brick won't build a house. But brick by brick, a house will get built.
So, one prayer, or the prayers of one person will not change the whole world.
But if we meditate or say prayers, we will be able to contribute in healing
and rebuilding lives. So we must get involved in contributing little by little
by doing meditations and prayers. That is what we can and must do."
"Think about those terrible images, painful feelings and frightening stories
of the morning of September 11th. Let them shake our bodies up and wake up our minds with a powerful feeling of
sadness and pain.
Then let the power of sadness turn into strong thoughts and feelings of love and compassion, into a wish of wanting to
save all from their sufferings from the bottom of your heart (without letting yourself feel hatred or anger
towards the perpetrators).
Then let the power of that love emanate a strong energy of devotion, devotion to the Blessed
One(s),
-- the body of wisdom, love and power -- who is/are the embodiment of all the enlightened ones and the true nature and
pure quality of the universe as it is.
Then turn the power of your devotion into the energy of prayers, the all-prevailing sound of calling for
healing blessings, from the bottom of your heart.
Then think that the blessings of the Blessed One, love and peace are emanating from the Blessed One in the form
of beams of rainbow light, light of peace and joy.
Then the blessing lights touch the bodies of all -- those who have died, those who are suffering and the whole
universe.
By the mere touch of the blessing light, think and feel that all fear, confusion and suffering are
pacified, like darkness by sunlight. All are transformed into bodies of
blessing light. All are filled with the feelings of peace, joy and strength.
Finally, feel the all-pervading peace and let our mind and the minds of all (especially those who are suffering) melt
as one. Rest in that feeling -- the awareness of oneness in peace -- over and over again.
The nature of all is one, the awareness of the eternal
peace."
Ven. Thrangu Tulku Rinpoche said,
Upon Hearing of the
Destruction . . .
We are obliged to cherish and protect this world,
The place we humans have our home.
So why pointlessly destroy any source
Of our world's prosperity?
May the truth of all Buddhas in the ten directions
Help bring an end to all such deluded actions.
May raising the attitude of love and compassion
Help peace and happiness spread throughout the world.
The way of all civilized people
Is to protect one's life and precious body.
How pitiful to cast away and destroy it
In the delusion that it may be used as a weapon.
May the nectar of Truth, calm and soothing,
Completely pacify such violent intent.
May the attitude of love and compassion
Blossom in all people throughout the world.
The way of noble people is to help others
And the universal norm is to protect oneself.
May the pitiful wish to destroy both self and others,
Such an unwholesome thought and deed fade forever.
May the truthful speech of bodhisattvas and virtuous people,
The truthful speech of the pure nature of reality,
Promote peace and harmony here in our world
So that everyone might enjoy the wealth of happiness and well-being.
~ Upon hearing of the destruction of the World Trade Center, this wish for negativity to subside was written with pure intention by
Thrangu Tulku. May virtuous goodness increase. (September 20, 2001).
A Prayer for Times of Catastrophe by HH Jigdräl Yeshe Dorje
(Dudjom Rinpoche)
DZAM LING CHI DANG YUL KHAM DI DAG TU
world general and nation these in
NED MUG TSHON SOK DUG NGAL MING MI DRAG
disease famine war etc. suffering name not heard
CHÖ DAN SO NAM PAL JOR GONG DU PHEL
virtuous qualities merit prosperity greatly increase
TAG TU TASHI DE LEG PHUN TSHOG SHOG
always good fortune well-being sublime perfectly gathered may
(recite at least 3 times)
Translations:
At this very moment, for the peoples and the nations of the earth, May not
even the words disease, famine, war and suffering be heard; But rather
may their moral conduct, merit, wealth and prosperity increase, And may
supreme good fortune and well-being always arise for them.
francais:
En ce moment même, puissent les peuples et les nations de la terre, / Ne
pas même entendre les mots maladie, famine, guerre et souffrance; / Mais
plutôt puissent leurs conduite morale, mérites, richesses et prospérité
augmenter / Et puissent leurs suprême bonne fortune et bien-être toujours
survenir pour eux.
(Récitez 3 fois.)
______________________________________________________
acharya: [acArya] is a Sanskrit word actually
meaning "one who knows and can apply the rules or laws"; by extension, one who
can teach through example.
[ Back ] [ Home ] [ Up ] [ Next ]
[ Up ] [ Food ] [ Fun ] [ People ] [ Illness ] [ Disasters ] [ Sexuality ]
