Shakyamuni Buddha Puja

Performed on SpecialBuddha Days * Day of Miracles / offerings (February/March -15th of the 1st Tibetan month) * Saka Dawa - Lord Shakyamuni Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Parinirvana (May/June - 5th of the 4th Tibetan month) * First Turning of the Wheel of Dharma (July - 4th of the 6th of Tibetan month) * Descent from the Tushita Heaven (November - 22nd of the 9th Tibetan month) Abeautiful pujawhereby we set up an extensivemerit field of Buddha surrounded by bodhisattvas andpay homage by recollecting the Buddha's qualities, twelve deeds andhis past lives performing the bodhisattva deeds, followed by a extensive offering and the rest of the seven limb practices.This puja is recited English.

Introduction to Shakyamuni Buddha Puja An extract from "Creating the Causes - Special Advice on the Guru Shakyamuni Puja from Lama Zopa Rinpoche", Mandala, No.6, April 1990.

I want to introduce the Guru Shakyamuni Puja, which I found very beneficial for the mind, and especially, I thought, for developing bodhicitta and entering into the Bodhisattva deeds - the extensive, hard Bodhisattva deeds. It gives great inspiration to sacrifice oneself for sentient beings equaling the sky. And also there are offering practices and frequent seven limb practices, which are repeated again and again and which purify obstacles and accumulate merits.

So I thought it would be very good for centres to do this practice as a group on the special Buddha days, either in the early mornings or whatever time is suitable. And, if possible, one can

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also do the practice by taking the eight Mahayana precepts - especially the lay people.

My wish is that when one does this practice one performs the offerings as extensively as possible. This is important because it all becomes the cause of success - to be able to practise, to spread the Dharma and to have all the necessary conditions.

Whatever merit is created on the special Buddha days multiplies. The four special days of our unequaled founder Guru Shakyamuni Buddha are as follows: From the first day of the Tibetan first month until the fifteenth is the great special time of Buddha showing miracle power - such as subduing the Six Founder [mu.tegs.pa or "anti-Buddhists"] and showing miracles with the holy body in different ways on different days. Also, different devas, such as Indra and so forth, and human beings, such as King Sal.gyal, made offerings on these different days, and so forth.

In the Tibetan fourth month, the seventh day is the special day of birth [lit. "coming out"] and the fifteenth is that of conception. Around dawn on the fifteenth is the time of enlightenment. That day is also the special day of passing from sorrow.

In the Tibetan sixth month, the fourth day is the turning of the Dharma wheel. In the ninth month, on the fifteenth Buddha accepted to descend from Tushita, and the twenty-second is the actual descent.

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It is mentioned in the Vinaya, in the Treasure Store of Quotation and Logic:

On these four great days, whatever great merit is accumulated increases ten million times. On the days of the solar and lunar eclipse the negative karma or merit again multiples: on the solar eclipse it becomes 100,000 times ten million [Buddha's day is 10,000 so on special days this is further multiplied], on the lunar eclipse 70,000,000. During these great times and eclipse days whatever merit is accumulated becomes far greater if one accumulates merit by depending on these powerful objects, then it is so easy, and with small hardships one is able to collect great merit. This is the highest method.

Therefore, I want to ask people especially to take the eight Mahayana precepts, which is such an easy thing to do - just 24 hours and inconceivable merit with each precept. Then, to take the Bodhisattva vows, do the practice of rejoicefulness, bodhicitta meditation, prostration, Nyung-nes and other practices. Accumulate merit with the highest, most powerful objects - the Guru and the Buddhas - whatever one can do.

The Importance of the Guru Shakyamuni Puja

It is necessary to understand the importance of the Guru Shakyamuni Puja as well as of any practices that purify the obstacles and accumulate the necessary conditions, the merits - such as the seven limb practice and mandala offering and the practice of requesting the Merit Field and that are done in order to receive blessings and for the mind to enter in the Graduated Path.

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Lama Tzong Khapa, the Dharma King of the Three Realms, advised that:

"When one listens to the teachings, if one cannot comprehend the words: when one reflects, if one cannot understand the meaning; when one meditates, if one cannot generate the realization; when one's mental capacity is so extremely small - depend on the power of the Merit Field."

Practising the seven limbs, purifying obscurations and accumulating merit, mixed with one's own heart, this is the method that one who has the race of the Mahayana, ripens the race - this is the quick way, the special means of eliminating the obstacles to the path. For this reason, the king Indrabhuti who became enlightened in one lifetime said in answer to the question"What should one do in order to achieve enlightenment?" "One should practise the Dharma-deeds seven limb."

The importance of the seven limbs is like that of the seven parts of a horse carriage - all seven are needed for it to function in carrying the person to the place they desire. Similarly, without the seven limbs, there is no way for the practice to carry oneself to enlightenment.

The first bhumi Bodhisattva manifests one hundred holy bodies and offers the seven limb practice to the Buddhas. Even the tenth bhumi Bodhisattva offers prostrations and so forth - the seven limb practice - to the Buddhas equaling the inexpressible number of atoms. So thinking that "I who can meditate do not need this seven practice" even just thinking this way yourself or

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leading others to think in this way, talking like this without being able to see even just the least important point of the path - this is leading oneself and others on the wrong path.

Even the tenth bhumi Bodhisattva does this great, powerful accumulation of merit with numberless holy bodies. So if we, who only have one weak body, with this body, in this short lifetime which is just a moment, don't do even the small amount of purification and accumulation of merit that we can do, then it is extremely foolish.

It is said by Lama Tzong Khapa in the Great Lam-rim:

"From the holy Merit Field one receives all the collections of good for this life and future lives, and it is here that one can plant the seed of all happiness and goodness unceasingly in all the four times. May I be able to cultivate this Field of Merit with the spade of devotion!" As it is mentioned in the sutra like this, if this does not get done, then it is an extremely great loss.

When help is badly needed because one is overwhelmed by thick karmic obscurations, if one makes requests to the special Field, accumulates merits and purifies obscurations, then quickly it works in the right way.

Lama Tzong Khapa asked Manjushri what method one should attempt in order to quickly

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generate the realizations. Manjushri advised to meditate with the recognition of the Guru as inseparable from the deity, to make requests and to attempt to accumulate merit and purify obscurations.

One should attempt the integration of the three: the closely-taken cause of the realization, the mind transforming the object, and the path. In this way, accumulating merit and purifying obscurations ripens the mind, and by making requests one receives blessings. If one attempts to meditate on the path without having done this, then it takes an extremelylong time to generate realizations. But if the mind is ripened, then the realization comes very quickly and without depending on hardship - this happens so easily like bursting ripened pus or like the ripe fruit on a tree which naturally falls to the ground and can be enjoyed.

An extract from "Creating the Causes - Special Advice on the Guru Shakyamuni Puja from Lama Zopa Rinpoche", Mandala, No.6, April 1990.

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