Kyabje Lama Zopa Rinpoche returned to the Sutra of Great Liberation more than once over the years, offering the oral transmission and commentary of this text to students facing hardship — in Singapore in 2018, and again from Kopan Monastery during the difficulty of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Rinpoche held this sutra especially close, describing it as a teaching for any dangerous or uncertain times. 

Lama Zopa Rinpoche giving a teaching on chod practice, Kopan Monastery, Nepal, September 2020. Photo by Ven. Lobsang Sherab.

The Sutra of Great Liberation is formally entitled The Arya Mahayana Sutra Called “Arya All-Expansive Great Liberation, Purifying Negative Deeds through Cleansing Remorse, Perfectly Arranged Accomplishment of Buddhahood.” The Tibetan text, found in the Kangyur, is a translation of the Chinese rendition, the Sanskrit source text having been lost over the course of time. This powerful sutra, which was expounded just before the Buddha’s parinirvana, covers a wide variety of topics, including the three vehicles, the three refuges, how to confess and purify, proclamation of names of many buddhas and bodhisattvas, descriptions and causes of the thirty-two marks of an enlightened being, extensive advice on how to practice the Dharma, instructions on how to do the actual purification, and the signs of purification.

Rinpoche emphasized that engaging with this sutra in any way, even unintentionally, has “unimaginable benefits.” He said that anyone who hears even the name of the sutra, writes, reads, prints, or keeps a copy of it collects unimaginable merit. Reciting it is an easy method to purify all the very negative karmas. Furthermore, anyone who memorizes, holds, or keeps a copy of it will become free from suffering, will never be reborn in the lower realms, and become enlightened. The same is true for anyone who simply hears its powerful mantra. Because of these benefits, Rinpoche recommended that we recite the sutra when we are able, and that it would even be beneficial to “keep the sutra.” Rinpoche noted that wherever a copy of this sutra is kept, this is a place where the Buddha himself resides. 

Benefits explained from the sutra itself:

Whoever sees this sutra sees the face of the Buddha. 
Whoever holds this sutra holds the body of the Buddha. 
Whoever practices this sutra practices the activities of the Buddha.

Lama Zopa Rinpoche stressed the importance of this sutra and kindly offered the oral transmission. 

“I want to give one mantra from the Liberation Sutra [Sutra of Great Liberation]. It is most unbelievably precious. By just hearing it or reciting it one time, your life always goes toward enlightenment. The Sutra of Great Liberation itself has most unbelievable benefit. So in the future, we should get the oral transmission of that text […] I received the oral transmission of the mantra from Kyabje Khyongla Rato Rinpoche, a very high lama from Drepung Loseling. For the motivation, think, ‘The purpose of my life is not just to achieve happiness for myself but to free the numberless kind mother sentient beings from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to peerless happiness, the state of enlightenment. For that, I must achieve buddhahood. Therefore, I’m going to take this oral transmission of the mantra.’ […] By hearing this mantra with devotion or even if you recite it only one time a day, you will never be reborn as a hell being, hungry ghost, or animal until you achieve enlightenment. This was said by the unbetraying Victorious One.”

— Lama Zopa Rinpoche, during the oral transmission of the Mantra from “The Sutra of Great Liberation” to students at Amitabha Buddhist Centre, Singapore, October 2018.

Rinpoche gave instruction on the correct motivation for listening to the oral transmission and commentary of the Sutra of Great Liberation in 2020, when he bestowed this lung over many months of teachings in his video series Teachings on Thought Transformation during the Time of COVID-19 in the teachings titled  “Sutra of Great Liberation” Is Exactly What Is Needed at This Dangerous Time. 

“The purpose of life is not to just avoid the lower realms and receive a higher rebirth, or to be free from the oceans of samsaric suffering forever. The main purpose of life is to achieve full enlightenment, buddhahood, the total cessation of gross and subtle obscurations and the completion of realizations, for all sentient beings. This is for every single sentient being—including every hell being; every hungry ghost; every animal such as tiny insects, dogs, goats, birds, etc.; every single human being including those speaking different languages in different countries, those who are your enemy, friends, or strangers, those who are your parents, brothers, sisters; and every sura and asura. Your purpose is to free them from the oceans of samsaric sufferings and bring them to enlightenment, to buddhahood, by yourself alone. Therefore, you are listening to the teachings, listening to the oral transmission of Sutra of Great Liberation, for this purpose.

 The world is so full of problems, including contagious diseases, wars, fighting, and disasters of the elements such as landslides, typhoons, tornadoes, and fires. The Sutra of Great Liberation is exactly what you need at this dangerous time.”

— Lama Zopa Rinpoche, during the oral transmission of the  “Sutra of Great Liberation” Is Exactly What Is Needed at This Dangerous Time.  The oral transmission begins at 0:41:16 in the video.

You can access the mantra from the Sutra of Great Liberation in PDF and audio; and as well as the English ebook of the Sutra of Great Liberation

The  Tibetan pecha of the Sutra of Great Liberation is also available for printing.

Explore a larger collection of  Sutras & Dharanis

Watch Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s teaching “‘Sutra of Great Liberation’ Is Exactly What Is Needed at This Dangerous Time”:

Or read the transcript of Rinpoche’s teaching

Watch an extract of Lama Zopa Rinpoche recite the Mantra from “The Sutra of Great Liberation,” with additional commentary

Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT) is a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation, and community service.