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Padmasambhava (also known as Guru Rinpoche).
When the world is in trouble, it can feel very powerless and overwhelming to not know what we can do to actually help. IMI Sangha recently asked Lama Zopa Rinpoche for advice on prayers and practices they could do at this time. We are happy to share this valuable advice with you as well:
- Sampa Lhundrupma
- Recitation of Guru Rinpoche mantra
- Heart Sutra recitation
- Prayer to stop war: Prayer in Accordance with the Times
- Most Secret Hayagriva sadhana (for those who have received the initiation and can do the practice)
- Download compilation: Prayers to Stop War – Prayers 1–3
- Download Prayer in Accordance with the Three Times – Prayer 4.
For those who can do, or sponsor at a monastery, please also do:
- Drugchuma
- Most Secret Hayagriva Tsog Kong*
Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s advice for how to motivate and think when doing these prayers and practices:
At the beginning generate strong bodhicitta, then do these prayers and practices to stop the war between Russia and Ukraine. The main purpose is to stop the war immediately. Then also to prevent famine, disease, and all the dangers of earth, water, fire, and wind, for all these dangers to be pacified immediately. To fill the whole world with perfect peace and happiness, including enlightenment, and to generate loving kindness, compassion and bodhicitta in the heart of all sentient beings, especially in that of the President of Russia.
Think that from Guru Padmasambhava’s heart, beams radiate and totally purify all the six realms’ sentient beings, totally purify all the delusions and negative karmas collected from beginningless rebirths, especially anger, attachment, and ignorance; think that these are totally purified. Then recite Sampa Lhundrupma, followed by the Padmasambhava mantra (one or two malas).
With strong faith in Guru Padmasambhava and total reliance, Guru Padmasambhava will definitely help because his compassion embraces all sentient beings.
Then another way to think is, with strong faith in His Holiness the Dalai Lama in the aspect or Guru Padmasambhava, nectar beams are emitted to the Russian President and enter his body, and totally purify all his negative karma and obscurations; all the dissatisfied mind, desire, ignorance, anger, and selfish mind are totally purified; he generates bodhicitta especially, and then the whole path to enlightenment. Do that very strongly, making strong prayers to His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Then nectar beams are also emitted to all the Russian and Ukrainian armies, and these purify all the anger and self-cherishing thought on both sides, but mainly President Putin’s. They generate bodhicitta, and stop giving harm to even one sentient being and only benefit sentient beings, up to enlightenment.
Then recite the Heart Sutra and the prayer to stop wars.
For those who can do the Most Secret Hayagriva sadhana, do this at the beginning of the practice. When reciting the mantra, you can do the same visualizations as above, and think President Putin’s mind is totally changed and he generates bodhicitta.
* Please note that a Most Secret Hayagriva Puja, led by Lama Zopa Rinpoche will be held at Amitabha Buddhist Centre (ABC) on September 4, 2022. All are welcome to join this puja online, details can be found on ABC’s Facebook page. One can also help sponsor this puja, in accordance with Rinpoche’s advice above.
Valuable and timely advice from Lama Zopa Rinpoche can be found on Rinpoche’s advice page.
Lama Zopa Rinpoche is the spiritual director of the Foundation for the Preservation of Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), a Tibetan Buddhist organization dedicated to the transmission of the Mahayana Buddhist tradition and values worldwide through teaching, meditation and community service.