Losar offerings in Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s room, Kopan Monastery. Photo Ven.Sangpo Sherpa

During these Fifteen Days of Miracles (February 18-March 3), any merit created is magnified 100 million times. On behalf of the entire organization, the FPMT Puja Fund has arranged and sponsored a vast number of pujas and prayers, including the recitation of the entire Kangyur, Guhyasamaja Root Tantra, Ksitigharba Sutra, the One Thousand Set of Offerings to Namgyalma practice, Migtrupa puja, and Extensive Medicine Buddha puja.

In addition, a new set of robes will be offered to the Buddha statue in the Mahabodhi temple in Bodhgaya. The stupas of Boudhanath and Swambyunath in Nepal will be freshly painted, and new umbrellas will be offered to the pinnacles.

The 4,000 monks of Sera Lachi will receive an offering of tea and bread and 100 INR on behalf of FPMT, during one of the days of their Monlam.

Each puja is being offered by ordained Sangha, who are all disciples of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, with strong motivation and dedication for the entire FPMT organization and for the swift return of our most precious and kind Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

Recitation of the Kangyur

The nuns of Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery are kindly reciting the entire Kangyur over two days. The Kangyur is more than one hundred volumes of the direct teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha. Please take a moment to listen to their recitations.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained the unbelievable merits in making it possible to read these holy scriptures by the Sangha members. The benefits, explained in The Condensed Jewel Quality explain that the merit created by reading the Kangyur are infinitely greater than  – building a stupa of the sorrowless state, making the stupa from the seven jewels, making as many stupas as to fill many thousands of ten million worlds equaling the number of sand grains in the River Ganges, and infinite sentient being making offerings to these stupas three times a day for eons.

Rinpoche also explained how important it is to have the Kangyur recited at the beginning of every year for the success of the FPMT organization, all the students, volunteers, and benefactors, to create merit for the upcoming year, and so the organization can be of most benefit to all beings.

Gyudmed monks reciting Guhyasamaja root text.

Guhyasamaja Root Tantra Recitation

The tantric monks of Gyudmed Tantric Monastery recited the most precious Guhyasamaja Root Tantra.

The Guhyasamaja tantra is praised in Oral Teachings of Manjushri where it says that the presence of the very heart of the doctrine depends upon this tantra being in existence: At the time its meaning enters the ears, at that place the precious doctrine of the Buddha is said to abide there also. When its transmission is cut, the doctrine of the Buddha will cease.

It is so important to have this root tantra recited; we hope you will enjoy hearing a few moments of it:

Extensive Medicine Buddha Puja

At Gaden Jangtse Monastic College, South India, many of the Sangha will offer the Extensive Medicine Buddha puja and Druk Chuma in Lhamo Khang.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche has explained that the Medicine Buddha encompasses all the buddhas. This means that when we practice the seven-limb prayer and make offerings with the seven limbs, we receive the same merit as we would if we had made offerings to all the buddhas. Similarly, when we recite the mantra of Medicine Buddha, we collect unbelievable merit just as when we offer the seven-limb practice to Medicine Buddha. Please take a moment to rejoice in the puja and listen to their prayers.

One Thousand Sets of Offerings to Namgyalma

At Gyuto Monastery, Dharamsala, India, the Sangha are offering One Thousand sets of offerings to Namgyalma and Drugchuma – the Offering of Sixty-Four Parts 

Namgyalma is a deity for long life and purification. The mantra has infinite benefits; it is so powerful. It is said that for anyone who hears this mantra, this will be the last time that person is born in the womb. If animals hear it, they will not be reborn in the lower realms.

Please enjoy this video of the puja and the amazing extensive offerings:

Ksitigharba Sutra Recitation 

Khachoe Ghakyil Ling Nunnery also recited the Ksitigharba Sutra.

Rinpoche advised that prayers to Ksitigharba are much more powerful than those made to other bodhisattvas, “This dharani mantra is the best one to do for any problems in any situation. Even reciting four or five times, just a few times, is very powerful. [The sutra] talks about so much power, how important the bodhisattva is; even reciting or just thinking of the name of the bodhisattva is very, very powerful.”

This recitation, following the advice of Lama Zopa Rinpoche, is done monthly and is specifically dedicated “to avert harm from the elements (fire, water, wind, and earth) such as tornados, hurricanes, heavy rain, storms, floods, earthquakes, fires; as well as disasters that destroy crops; disasters that destroy entire towns and cities within one hour; disasters that cause so many billions of dollars of damage and so much money has to be spent to rebuild the towns; disasters where so many hundreds and thousands of people die or lose their homes, have no food or clean water; disasters where so many animals and insects are killed and harmed.”  

Migtrugpa Puja

Migtrugpa puja will also be offered by some Sangha in Gaden Monastery. Migtrugpa is very powerful in degenerate times in purifying negative karma, particularly the negative karma of having broken vows, such as the eight Mahayana precepts, lay vows, or the vows of nuns and monks.

The Precious Lamp: A Ritual of Making Offerings to and Purifying the Remains of a Special Being

Senior Lama Gyupa monks offer a special puja in front of the holy body relic of Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche. The practice is based on Solitary Hero Yamantaka and The Precious Lamp: A Ritual of Making Offerings to and Purifying the Remains of a Special Being, based on Bhagavän Vajrasattva. This puja has been happening every single morning for nearly three years.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Ksitigarbha image that he carried with him everywhere.

Rejoice and Remember

The merit that is created from all these pujas is also your merit. So, you can dedicate all these merits to having realizations and to achieving enlightenment

During each puja mentioned above, FPMT is making a small money offering to each of the kind Sangha offering the prayers, as well as tea and breakfast. Rinpoche has said that there is nothing compared to making offerings to the Sangha of these monasteries, because they are all disciples of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other gurus. Offering tea to one disciple is better than making an offering to all the Buddhas.

Rinpoche has said that even just by remembering that these pujas are happening, rejoicing in the activities, and dedicating the merits—This is the best business and the best way to create the most extensive merit, and these pujas are dedicated for anybody who needs these prayers.

All of these prayers are dedicated for the health and long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the swift return of our incomparably kind Lama Zopa Rinpoche; the entire FPMT organization; all those working in FPMT, the kind supporters, all the benefactors, donors of the puja fund, volunteers; anybody who needs these prayers; anyone who is experiencing any kind of obstacles or difficulties; and for peace in the world—for all of the wars, famine, disease, economic problems, torture, the dangers of fire, water, air, earthquakes and tsunamis to be pacified immediately, to pacify all the problems in the world; and for perfect peace and happiness to prevail in our hearts and in the hearts of all sentient beings of this world.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche established the Puja Fund to provide resources for continuous pujas dedicated to the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and to the success of all the FPMT centers, projects, services, students, benefactors and those serving the organization in any way. You can learn more about the Puja Fund, or FPMT’s other extensive charitable activity.