Reversing Global Warming - Prayers and Aspirations

Discuss the application of the Dharma to situations of social, political, environmental and economic suffering and injustice.
pemachophel
Posts: 2228
Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:19 pm
Location: Lafayette, CO

Reversing Global Warming - Prayers and Aspirations

Post by pemachophel »

Mod note: topic tilte changed due to former confusions about this topic's purpose.

The Power of the Dharma in Reversing Global Warming
An Exhortation to All My Dharma Brothers & Sisters

More and more people are waking up to the reality that global warming is a looming catastrophe that, if left unchecked, will cause inconceivable suffering to untold billions, if not the extinction of the human species. Some think it is already too late to reverse climate change. Yet others think that, although, in theory, we could save the planet and ourselves, realistically, political and socio-economic realities make this highly unlikely if not downright impossible on any large enough scale to make a difference, while individual efforts of reducing, reusing, recycling, and refusing are simply not going to be enough to stem this tide. However, I believe the Buddhadharma holds out a ray of hope.

In Buddhism, as taught in the Golden Light Sutra, environmental degradations (in our present case think carbon emission, methane release, ozone depletion, air and water pollution, salinization of the earth, acidification of the water, melting of the polar icecaps and glaciers, desertification, pollinator colony collapse, species extinction, the arising of new diseases, the resistance to medicines of old diseases, etc.) are all only the outer fruition of the ever-increasing growth in human kleshas and the consequent non-virtue these kleshas cause us to commit. This rampant growth in human kleshas is succinctly described in the Sam-pa Lhun-drub-ma (Prayer for Spontaneously Accomplishing [All] Wishes):

Now, in this dark age of conflict, in the final era of 500 [years],
The five poisons grow [ever] more violent in all sentient beings.
Recklessly, [we] indulge in the kleshas and the five poisons dominate our [mind-]streams.

In Words of My Perfect Teacher, Patrul Rinpoche explains that each act of our body, speech, and mind has four kinds of inevitable effect: its fully ripening effect, its effect similar to its cause, its conditioning effect, and its proliferating effect. It is the conditioning effect which causes an action to change the outer environment in one way or another for the person who commits that karma, and it is its proliferating effect that habituates the person to commit similar acts over and over again, thus further reinforcing those changes in the environment. In addition, there is the notion of collective karma. This means that sentient beings who have committed the same acts will experience the same conditioning effect, i.e., the same outer environment. Thus, as human minds and therefore behavior become coarser and coarser, as humans commit more and more mi-ge-wa, non-virtue, as opposed to virtue, the environment we share also gets worse and worse. While some people may think humans are improving and that we are getting better and better, this is not really the case. Buddhism says we are in the downward spiral of the Kali Yuga when everything is getting worse even if, to our deluded minds, we think it is getting better and better. The naïve belief in “progress” is itself just part of the delusion of our growing ignorance.

However, Buddhism is also very clear that there is a way to stem or at least slow down this downward spiral and that is the generation of Bodhicitta as opposed to ever-escalating selfishness and the development of human virtue as opposed to vice. At the beginning of the Industrial Age in the 19th century, the great Jamgon Kongtrul wrote in a well-known prayer:

In this degenerate time when thoughts and deeds are perverted
And the inner and outer elements have lost their balance,
Men and cattle are seized by epidemic diseases previously unheard of.

Intruding Rahulas, Nagas, evil spirits, and elementals of the dark side,
Blight, frost, hail, bad harvests, warfare, and so forth,
Erratic rainfall, heat, misery, and droughts in the world,
Destruction by the elements such as earthquakes and the threat of fire,

And especially barbaric offenses causing harm to the Teaching are rampant.
May all types of harm and injury in this Jambudvipa be swiftly pacified and overcome!
May precious and supreme Bodhicitta spontaneously arise in the mind-streams of all beings, human and non-human,
And may they be free from destructive thoughts and deeds!

May all be endowed with a loving mind for one another
And may wellbeing, glory, and prosperity prevail throughout Jambudvipa.

In these lines, Jamgon Kongtrul clearly links perverted thoughts and deeds to the degeneration of the outer world. He even specifically mentions things like erratic rainfall, heat, drought, and the threat of fire, all environmental catastrophes currently uppermost in our minds. However, He also clearly states that the arising of Bodhicitta in peoples’ minds and freedom from destructive thoughts and deeds can bring wellbeing and prosperity to the world.

In the 21st century, the great Dzogchenpa, Jadral Rinpoche, wrote essentially the same thing:

May all sentient beings tormented by this present age
Of the five virulent degenerations,

Know that they possess a treasure that can alleviate
The various portents of decay in the physical world and its inhabitants [italics mine]
Due to the ripening of their wrong intentions and actions –
A treasure grounded in the renunciation of harmful actions

And the cultivation of altruistic actions –
Granting all the spiritual and temporal well-being one could desire.
This is the supreme, wish-fulfilling gem of Bodhicitta
Associated with all supreme spiritual practice.

Guru Rinpoche, in the Sam-pa Nyur-drub-ma (Prayer for Quickly Accomplishing [All] Wishes), hid the following words to be discovered in this very time for this very purpose:

Training in faith, ethics, and generosity,
In liberating the mind-stream through hearing,
Having a sense of modesty, shame, and in discriminating wisdom,
May these seven jewels completely [and]
Spontaneously arise in the mind-streams of all sentient beings.
May they resuscitate peace and happiness in the world. [italics mine]

In other words, Guru Rinpoche down to our own Gurus have all said that, if we want to turn back the degradation of the outer environment of this time, the way to do that is to practice the Dharma. In other words:

Do not commit a single sin.
Practice virtue completely.
Tame our own minds.
This is the Teaching of the Buddha.

I know some reading this will say this is totally crazy. It is pie-in-the-sky thinking. It is magical thinking. Yes, it is magical thinking. From the point of view of 21st century scientific materialism, humanism, and secularism, the Dharma, and especially Mahayana and Vajrayana Dharma, are magical thinking and, therefore, at best useless and at worst delusional. Unfortunately, all too many so-called Buddhists have also bought into this modernist/postmodernist point of view. However, the views of scientific materialism, humanism, and secularism are wrong views arising from and further propelling the degeneration of our times.

So I would like to ask my fellow Buddhists who are all as concerned about the looming environmental disaster as I am to take a look again at what the Dharma actually says. If we read the words of the Buddha, it tells us that we can have a huge impact on the world and its beings by small, seemingly inconsequential acts. It is one of the four fundamental characteristics of karma that a seemingly small karmic act can lead to a huge karmic result, that karma multiplies as part of its inherent nature.

Let’s take the karmic consequences of building a stupa to the Tathagata. But let’s not think about Bodhinath stupa or Swayambhunath. Let’s not even think about a 15 or 20-foot stupa. Let’s just think about a small sa-tsa stupa, a small plastic stupa, or a small stupa that might sit on your home shrine. I’m talking about a stupa that anyone can make or anyone can buy. (You can buy a plastic stupa on eBay for $15 and fill it with mantra printed on your home computer.) If you can build a large stupa, wonderful! But don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. If we really believe in the law of karma taught by the Buddha Bhagawan, size doesn’t matter that much.

The benefits of building stupas were spoken of by Lord Buddha in the Noble Amazing Sutra:

“Ananda, if any devoted son or daughter of good family were to fill this entire three-thousand-fold cubed world system with the seven precious jewels and make offerings [of these] to all the Stream-enterers, Once-returners, Non-returners, and Arhats as well as all the sangha members in the four directions, he or she would not accumulate as much merit as someone who makes a stupa to the Tathagata, the Arhat, the perfectly Enlightened One, … that is even the size of a churura seed, with a central column the size of a needle, an umbrella the size of a juniper leaf, and filled with grain-sized statues and mustard seed-sized relics.”

Moreover, in the Lotus Sutra, the Buddha Bhagawan said:

“Whoever makes a stupa out of stones, agarwood, or sandalwood; or whoever makes a stupa with joy out of medicinal wood or even out of plain wood, earth, brick, and so on; or whoever makes a stupa by just using heaps of earth in some remote area while thinking of the Buddha; or even children who make a stupa while playing games with sand while thinking of the Victor; or whoever draws forms [of the Buddha], they will all reach Enlightenment
[due to the vast amounts of merit they will generate].”

And finally, in the Dependent Arising Sutra, the Buddha said:

“Avalokiteshwara, if a faithful son or daughter of a good family builds a stupa in a remote place the size of a gooseberry fruit, with a central pillar the size of a needle and a parasol the size of a flower of the bakula tree, and, if he or she inserts this verse of dependent arising which is the Dharmadhatu, he or she will generate the merit of Brahma. When such persons pass on from here and die, they will be reborn in the world of Brahma. When they pass on from there and die, they will be reborn with fortunes equaling those of the Devas of the pure fields.”

Thus, in the sutras, the Buddha taught extensively about the merit and power of building stupas, even tiny, little stupas, as well as the benefits to those who support and make contact with stupas. These benefits are far, far greater than the act of building the stupa. In other words, a seemingly small Dharmic act may have a disproportionately huge outcome. Similar disproportionately large beneficial outcomes are described for all sorts of other Dharmic acts in the sutras and tantras. But A) do we believe these teachings, and B) are we willing to act on them?

I believe these teachings. So I am making clay sa-tsa stupas and sa-tsa images of the Buddhas. I’m helping a Dharma friend place 1008 plastic stupas containing the Mantra of Dependent Origination all around the world, at $3 and change for each stupa. I’m putting small plastic Buddhas containing dud-tsi/amrit in every lake and pond I can (contained in small glass jars). I’m putting mani stones in every stream and river I can. I’m putting dud-tsi/amrit in every body of water, still or running, I can. And I am dedicating the merit for the sake of the benefit and ease of all sentient beings. The Dharma, and especially Tantrayana, is full of skillful means like this that do not require huge amounts of time or money, just the motivation and willingness to do something for the benefit of all. Prayer flags are another such magical appliance. Prayer wheels, Liberation-by-seeing mantras placed where others will see them, Buddha statues where others will see them, pressing sa-tsa molds into water and even into the air – all are skillful means for transforming the container, the environment, and its contents, we sentient beings. There are mantras for consecrating all sorts of inanimate objects, such as boulders, trees, meadows, and waterfalls. There a many mantras for multiplying the karmic effect of our practices. For instance, there are mantras which said even once multiply the number of stupas or statues made by 10,000,000. 10,000,000! What more could we ask? The results of saying a single Mani or a single Vajra Guru mantra are inconceivably vast and profound. Have no doubt about it. Since karma is immutable, it will come to fruition exactly as the Tathagatas have taught. We just have to give rise to Bodhicitta and practice the way our Gurus have taught us.

We are not powerless. In fact, we as Mahayana and Vajrayana practitioners have inconceivably vast power at our fingertips. I read a Khenpo say that it would take every human being in the world to practice the Dharma in order to turn back climate change. I’m not a Khenpo, but I do not agree with this. Our skillful means are so powerful that even a small group of dedicated practitioners can have a huge impact on the world. After all, this so-called world is:

Selfless, empty, and unconditioned,
Like a magical display, a mirage, a dream, an [optical] illusion,
A city of Gandharvas, an echo,
A reflection of the moon in water,
A hallucination, a water bubble, or an apparition.

It is nowhere near as solid and intractable as our materialist wrong views seduce us into believing. Similarly, there is no “us” and “them” as our erroneous dualistic views would have us think. In a message to His Vietnamese disciples, Garchen Rinpoche said:

“The minds of all sentient beings and our own mental continuum are one and the same. So when true immeasurable love arises within you, it pervades all sentient beings. Therefore, the Buddha said that virtue practiced with Bodhicitta becomes vast beyond the reaches of space. The mind of a person with such love pervades all sentient beings, and if someone recites just a single Om Mani Padme Hung with a mind that wishes for the happiness of everyone in the world, that person’s mind can truly pervade the world and all sentient beings. Furthermore, the afflictions [or kleshas] of all sentient beings of the six realms of samsara are one and the same. So if one is able to eliminate a single affliction in one’s own mind with a mind of Bodhicitta, the afflictions in the minds of sentient beings are diminished as well. This love is the heart of all the Buddhas of the three times.”

Based on this, I believe we do have enough power to turn the tide of billions of others who are going in the wrong direction. Through our practice, through the Three Jewels, through our Yidams and Dakinis, and through our Protectors and Guardians, we have the power to turn the tide. If you do not believe a single practitioner has the power to affect hundreds of thousands or even millions of other people and the world in which they live, read the biographies of past great saints and siddhas. Through a single prayer, Thangtong Gyalpo stopped epidemics, famines, and wars. The skillful means we have at our disposal are that powerful. We just have to remember the descriptions of the benefits of our practices and then put our practices into action. Then as Bodhisatvas with love and care in our hearts, we dedicate that merit for the benefit and ease of all sentient beings. “Benefit” means mundane benefit, including benefits to the environment, while “ease” means the ease of Liberation. The Dharma is not just for the peace of nirvana. It is also for alleviating the suffering within samsara. All is lost only if we fail to act, only if we fail to put the Buddhadharma into practice at this crucial time. As H.H. Dudjom Rinpoche, Jigdral Yeshe Dorje, prayed:

At this very moment, for the peoples and nations of the earth,
May not even the names 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.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
User avatar
Johnny Dangerous
Global Moderator
Posts: 17089
Joined: Fri Nov 02, 2012 10:58 pm
Location: Olympia WA
Contact:

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Johnny Dangerous »

I make tsa tsa stupas and put them all over. Who knows where they end up, but I really believe in the power of these of of Buddha rupas to quell the afflictions.
Meditate upon Bodhicitta when afflicted by disease

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when sad

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when suffering occurs

Meditate upon Bodhicitta when you are scared

-Khunu Lama
User avatar
Könchok Thrinley
Former staff member
Posts: 3275
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:18 am
Location: He/Him from EU

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Beautifully written! Is this of your own making Pema-la?

I really do like this. I have a plan to start copying sutras for this reason (I would like to better my caligraphy first but it has already been a years so I might just start and learn on the go).

HH. Chetsang Rinpoche gave a lovely teachings how planting a tree is a perfect practice of the 6 paramitas. Also there is a bodhicitta teachings booklet by a drikung kagyu nun where it says that with real love and compassion droughts and other problems can be stopped, also it is enough to empower statues and so on. It makes one realize how relative bodhicitta is truly precious to practice.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
User avatar
Könchok Thrinley
Former staff member
Posts: 3275
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:18 am
Location: He/Him from EU

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Also, this made me think of the story from the Blazing Splendor where Jamdrak is doing short subjugation ritual every day. I love that story (can be found on page 223).
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
Tenma
Posts: 1313
Joined: Mon Mar 13, 2017 4:25 am

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Tenma »

After writing, painting, or carving a stone with the Mani mantra, Vajra mantra, 6 syllables that liberate by sight, or Tara mantra, is there a certain way one must consecrate the stone? Or is the stone already blessed by the writing? Or can one just recite the specific mantra a few times over with some extras like "Om Ye Dharma..."?

Also, what happens if the paint wears out? Is the stone no longer as effective and a stone must have the mantra written permanently on it?
Vasana
Posts: 2231
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:22 am

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Vasana »

Thanks for this Pema Chopel. It's a topic I've been thinking about and planning to research more for a while.

I'm in two minds about it to be honest. On the one hand, I completely agree and encourage any notion of harm reduction and setting beings on the right path, planting seeds in the skillfull ways you've mentioned and those of liberation based upon contact with the senses. But on the other hand, I'm not so sure 'reversing' some of the trends and trajectories we're on is completely possible. Just as with any diagnosis of a life threatening disease, an exploration of mortality and impermanence may be just as medicinal, if not more so, than any external medicine.

The natural world is a vastly complex system with a web of reinforcing feedbacks and interdependencies - there are ecological and social feedback loops we know about (known knowns), those we suspect (known unknowns), and those we're not even aware that we don't know about (unknown unknowns). This means the scale of risk we face is epecially escalated since we're dealing with such uncertainty in terms of myriads of uniquely converging secondary conditions with unknown tipping point thresholds. Global warming is just one aspect. We face, top soil depletion, ocean acidification deforestation, pollution, species extinction and so on. Many of these are interdependent and feedbacks exist between them.

In plain terms, the landscape for traditional risk identification, management and disaster response no longer applies. We're not starting with a blank canvas or treating a healthy patient with a mild cough or seasonal flu- the stains are already quite dense and dark. For every corner we manage to scrub, another corner is soiled.

It's not a loosing game and It's not that the Dharma lacks efficacy, but that the 2 obscurations, social and ecological status are so dense and disrupted In certain places around the world that eventually, even if positive merit, forces and elemental harmony is restored through both dharmic and societal interventions, the supporting factors to sustain that balance will eventually be disturbed if those factors are themselves not maintained and reinforced or weakened by their supporting /opppsing factors - and so on.

Can a human body live indefinitely? Unless you're a highly realized being weak points emerge with wear and tear and illness manifests. Even so, the sustaining of life force, balancing of the elements, raising of lung ta etc is a strongly encouraged activity as evidenced by the many long life practices we see. The point of a long life in the Dharma isn't to enjoy more Samsara but to buy/borrow/bank enough time to progress along the path more, to purify the 2 obscurations and gather the 2 accumulations.

For this reason, both societal and dharmic interventions for the climate and biodiversity crisis we face are strongly encouraged. Yet we must be skullfull enough to anticipate that some karmas may already be ripening at a rate we can't outrun. But since time is all that matters, we should do what we can.

I apologise if the tone of this post is upsetting or depressing. In truth I'm trying to learn how to view it with equanimity. Even with pure view! Yet eco-anxiety, climate greif and trauma are evidently on the rise around the world. Religious responses to this will be an important shaping factor and it's a discussion th at needs exploring now when things are relatively stable enough to do so.
'When thoughts arise, recognise them clearly as your teacher'— Gampopa
'When alone, examine your mind, when among others, examine your speech'.— Atisha
Simon E.
Posts: 7652
Joined: Tue May 15, 2012 11:09 am

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Simon E. »

In the end it’s always better to light a candle, even a small one, rather than curse the darkness.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
pemachophel
Posts: 2228
Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:19 pm
Location: Lafayette, CO

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by pemachophel »

Tenma,

Yes, say the mantra you've painted or carved at least one mala. Then say:

Ushnisha Vimale Mantra

OM NA-MA TRE-YA DHI-KA-NAM
SAR-WA TA-THA-GA-TA HRI-DA-YA GAR-BHE
DZWA-LA DZWA-LA
DHAR-MA-DHA-TU GAR-BHE
SAM-BHA-RA MA-MA A-YU SAM-SHO-DHA-YA
MA-MA SAR-WA PA-PAM
SAR-WA TA-THA-GA-TA SA-MEN-TA USH-NI-SHA BI-MA-LE BI-SHUD-DHE
HUNG HUNG HUNG HUNG
AM BAM SAM DZA SO-HA

21x, followed by Ye Dhar-ma... at least 3x.

As for what happens when the paint dries off, good question. However, the Ushnisha Vimale mantra is used to consecrate all sorts of inanimate objects (trees, boulders, etc.) that don't have any mantra on them. So I think the stone will still carry at least the blessings of that incredibly powerful mantra.

Good on you.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
User avatar
Könchok Thrinley
Former staff member
Posts: 3275
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:18 am
Location: He/Him from EU

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

pemachophel wrote: Sat Jul 27, 2019 8:03 pm Ushnisha Vimale Mantra
...

As for what happens when the paint dries off, good question. However, the Ushnisha Vimale mantra is used to consecrate all sorts of inanimate objects (trees, boulders, etc.) that don't have any mantra on them. So I think the stone will still carry at least the blessings of that incredibly powerful mantra.

Good on you.
What is the source of this mantra?
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
pemachophel
Posts: 2228
Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:19 pm
Location: Lafayette, CO

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by pemachophel »

gZungs 'Dus (Compendium of Dharanis), last volume of Ka-gyur. IOW, it's from the sutras. Hugely, hugely powerful.
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
Vasana
Posts: 2231
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:22 am

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Vasana »

pemachophel wrote: Fri Jul 26, 2019 7:54 pm Through a single prayer, Thangtong Gyalpo stopped epidemics, famines, and wars. The skillful means we have at our disposal are that powerful.
Here is one of the prayers from Thangtong Gyalpo translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at the time of 9/11.
Here are the Words of Truth Pacifying the Dangers of Weapons
Om mani padme hum

Great Loving Victorious One (Maitreya Buddha),
Transcendental Sublime Compassionate Eye Looking One,
Wrathful Victorious Hayagriva,
Fully Accomplished Totally Pure (Jetsun) Tara and so forth,
Merely hearing your holy names eliminates all dangers,
Objects of refuge in the nature of compassion, please pay attention!

When the sentient beings of the time of quarrelling and five degenerations
By the explosion of the great ocean of evil karma and jealousy
Are tormented by the intensive suffering of fighting and quarrelling
Please dry this up by the power of transcendental wisdom and compassion.

By letting great rainfalls of the nectar of loving kindness fall
On the migratory beings who are enflaming the conflagration of hatred-fire
Please grant blessing with the recognition of each other like father-mother
Then increase happiness and auspiciousness.

May the multitudes of the vicious evil spirits
Who enter the mental continuum and
Change it instantly to the mind of asura
From now on never run in this area (country/world).

I am requesting for even all the sentient beings who have died in the war
To abandon from that time onwards all the evil karma, cause and effect,
Then having entered and been born in the Blissful Field (Amitabha's Pure Land)
To lead all others to that Pure Land.

Please bless all those who are born and die (samsaric beings)
To have a long life, no sicknesses, to pacify all quarrelling and fighting,
Enjoy the ten virtues, have rainfall at the right times, always have good harvests
And for all the habitat and inhabitants to be auspicious and increase.

By the ultimate reality which is pure by nature,
By phenomena having ultimate reality cause and result are unbetrayable,
And by the compassion of the Guru, Mind-seal Deity and Rare Sublime Ones,
May these pure extensive prayers be completed.

When there was unceasing war in Kham (Me Nyak), Tibet and nobody was able to create harmony, the Great Lord Yogi (Tang Tong Gyalpo) came to Kham, generated bodhicitta and just by merely saying these true words and sprinkling flowers all the vicious minds (jealousy and anger) were completely pacified and the war that had been continuous, ceased. There were prosperous harvests and so forth. The country became auspicious and peaceful. This is blessed vajra speech.

This is one of the prayers of the Great Tantric Yogi Tang Tong Gyalpo. The other prayers that he composed were to stop famine and epidemics.

His Holiness Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche who is a Guru of His Holiness the Dalai Lama (His Holiness received the Sakya Lam Dre teachings and initiations including Dorje Phurba from him) and also one of the main teachers of His Holiness Sakya Trizin was invited to one part of Nepal by the Nepalese government. Rinpoche checked what could be most beneficial for them and what prayer was most needed to benefit them. It came out that the best practice for them to do was these three prayers composed by Tang Tong Gyalpo. So then Rinpoche decided to give the oral transmission of these three prayers. That is how I found out about these prayers and I received the oral transmission from His Holiness Chobgye Trichen Rinpoche.

Through whatever merits have come from making this translation available, may wherever this text is (whichever country) and also by reading this prayer, cause all the people's hearts be filled with loving kindness, bodhicitta and the thought to only benefit and not harm. May the sun of peace and happiness arise and may any wars that are happening stop immediately. May there be harmony, peace and may there never be war or violence again.

Translated by the incomparably kind Guru Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Kachoe Dechen Ling, Aptos, California, USA, 11 September 2001, on the day that the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington were attacked and many people killed and injured. This is a revised and edited version of the original, with the help of Ven Sarah Tenzin Yiwong.
https://www.lamayeshe.com/article/prayer-prevent-war

And here is the prayer to avert Famine. ( I think this one may come in handy in drought stricken areas if there are enough people with bodhichitta...)

༄༅། །རྗེ་གྲུབ་ཐོབ་ཆེན་པོས་ལྷ་ལྡན་ཇོ་བོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་དྲུང་དུ་གསོལ་འདེབས་གནང་བའི་རྡོ་རྗེའི་གསུང་བྱིན་རླབས་བདུད་རྩིའི་སྤྲིན་ཕུང་འཕྲོ་བ་ནི། །

Prayer to Dispel Famine

This aspiration prayer was composed by the master mahāsiddha Thangtong Gyalpo in the presence of the Jowo Rinpoche in Lhasa. It is known as “the vajra words that radiate cloud-masses of nectar-like blessings”.

མཐའ་ཡས་འགྲོ་བ་ངེས་པར་སྒྲོལ་སླད་དུ། །

tayé drowa ngepar drol ledu

First, you generated the supreme mind of unsurpassable awakening

བླ་མེད་བྱང་ཆུབ་མཆོག་ཏུ་ཐུགས་བསྐྱེད་ནས། །

lamé changchub chok tu tukkyé né

Firmly set upon the liberation of sentient beings in their infinitude,

ཚོགས་གཉིས་རྫོགས་མཛད་རྒྱལ་བ་ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཅན། །

tsok nyi dzok dzé gyalwa tukjé chen

Then, you perfected the two accumulations, O compassionate Victorious One,

མགོན་མེད་སྙིགས་མའི་འགྲོ་ལ་བརྩེར་དགོངས་ནས། །

gönmé nyikmé dro la tser gong né

You whose love embraces beings bereft of any protector in these degenerate times:

བཀྲེས་སྐོམ་ཉམ་ཐག་སྡུག་བསྔལ་གྱིས་གཟིར་བའི། །

trekom nyamtak dukngal gyi zirwé

Protect them without fail!

ལུས་ཅན་འདི་དག་ངེས་པར་བསྐྱབ་ཕྱིར་དུ། །

lüchen didak ngepar kyab chirdu

For these beings plagued by hunger, thirst, difficulties, and suffering,

རིན་ཆེན་ཟས་ནོར་འབྲུ་དང་མལ་ཆ་སོགས། །

rinchen zé nor dru dang mal cha sok

Release upon the world and the Land of Snows

ཡིད་འོངས་འདོད་དགུའི་ལོངས་སྤྱོད་ཇི་སྙེད་ཀྱི། །

yi ong dögü longchö jinyé kyi

A rain of all the pleasant things the senses can enjoy,

ཆར་པ་འཛམ་གླིང་ཁ་བ་ཅན་དུ་ཕོབ། །

charpa dzamling khawachen du pob

Including jewels, food, wealth, grain, and bedding!

དུས་མིན་རླུང་དང་མེ་ཐན་ཆར་ཆུ་སོགས། །

dümin lung dang mé ten charchu sok

Pacify harm among the four elements,

འབྱུང་བཞིའི་གནོད་པ་ཉེ་བར་ཞི་བ་དང།

jung shyi nöpa nyewar shyiwa dang

Untimely wind and fire, or inauspicious rains and waters!

འབྲུ་བཅུད་རྩི་ཐོག་ལོ་ཏོག་ལ་སོགས་པ། །

dru chü tsitok lotok lasokpa

Let grains, plants, harvests and the like

རྫོགས་ལྡན་དུས་ལྟར་སྨིན་ཅིང་རྒྱས་གྱུར་ཅིག །

dzokden dü tar min ching gyé gyur chik

Mature fully, just as in the golden age!

བྱམས་དང་སྙིང་རྗེའི་ཤུགས་ཀྱིས་རང་བསྐུལ་ནས། །

jam dang nyingjé shuk kyi rang kul né

Through the strength of aspirations such as these,

རྒྱ་ཆེན་སྨོན་ལམ་བཏབ་པ་འདི་ཡི་མཐུས། །

gyachen mönlam tabpa di yi tü

Inspired by loving-kindness and compassion,

ནད་མཚོན་མུ་གེའི་བསྐལ་བ་ཉེར་ཞི་ནས། །

né tsön mugé kalwa nyershyi né

May sicknesses, weapons, and famines be thoroughly pacified

ཚེ་རིང་ནད་མེད་བདེ་སྐྱིད་ལྡན་པར་ཤོག །

tsering nemé dekyi denpar shok

And beings enjoy long life, good health, well-being and happiness!

རྒྱལ་བ་སྲས་དང་བཅས་པའི་ཐུགས་རྗེ་དང་། །

gyalwa sé dang chepé tukjé dang

Through the power of the compassion of the victorious ones and their heirs,

ལས་འབྲས་སླུ་བ་མེད་པའི་བདེན་སྟོབས་ཀྱིས། །

lé dré luwa mepé den tob kyi

And the infallible power of the interdependence of causes and results,

རྒྱལ་བའི་བསྟན་པ་དར་ཞིང་རྒྱས་པ་དང་། །

gyalwé tenpa dar shying gyepa dang

May the teachings of the Victorious One spread and flourish,

འགྲོ་ཀུན་བླ་མེད་བྱང་ཆུབ་མྱུར་ཐོབ་ཤོག །

dro kün lamé changchub nyur tob shok

And all beings swiftly reach unsurpassable awakening!

ཅེས་པ་འདི་ནི་བོད་ཁམས་སུ་མུ་གེ་ཆེན་པོ་བྱུང་བའི་སྐབས་གྲུབ་ཆེན་ཐང་སྟོང་རྒྱལ་པོས་ལྷ་ལྡན་ཇོ་བོ་རིན་པོ་ཆེའི་སྤྱན་སྔར་སྨོན་ལམ་འདི་བཏབ་པའི་མཐུ་ལས། འགྲོ་བ་ཐམས་ཅད་བཀྲེས་སྐོམ་གྱི་སྡུག་བསྔལ་ལས་གྲོལ་བར་མཛད་དོ། དུས་དེར་འཕགས་པ་སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས་ཀྱིས་ནམ་མཁའ་ནས་བོད་ཡུལ་ལ་འབྲུའི་ཆར་འབེབས་པར་གང་ཟག་ལས་ཅན་འགའ་རེས་མཐོང་ངོ་།། །།

This aspiration prayer was made by the realized master Thangtong Gyalpo in the presence of the Jowo Rinpoche in Lhasa at a time when Tibet— particularly Kham—was struck by a great famine. The power of this prayer saved the Tibetan people from sufferings brought on by hunger and thirst, for at that time the noble Avalokiteśvara poured down a rain of grains from the sky.

Translated by Gyurmé Avertin, Rigpa Translations, 2014.
https://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-ma ... ing-famine
'When thoughts arise, recognise them clearly as your teacher'— Gampopa
'When alone, examine your mind, when among others, examine your speech'.— Atisha
Vasana
Posts: 2231
Joined: Thu Aug 22, 2013 11:22 am

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Vasana »

4. A Prayer for Protection from Earthquakes and Natural Calamities
Associated with Thang Tong Gyalpo
Attributed as a selection from A Prayer Which Spontaneously Fulfills All Wishes, a
treasure (gter) discovered by Rigdzin Goddem (1337-1408)
Earthquake Protection Amulet
Earthquake Protection Amulet
Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 11.37.30.png (606.63 KiB) Viewed 19254 times
Here is an Earthquake Protection Amulet with Thangon Gyalpo and an image of him with the Kalachakra symbol and powerful mantra surrounding it. With all aspects into one the image is now called Thangton Sayo Sungwai Khorlo from the Dudjom lineage. An incarnation of Guru Rinpoche and Chenrezig inseparable. Wherever it is, it is intended to avert or reduce the effects of earthquakes.

Please feel free to spread it far and wide. In the past in Tibet, Tibetans have strong faith in this particular image to prevent and protect the inhabitants of a household from earthquake. It was considered so important that it was the first image moved from one shrine to another.

On the right with Tibetan script and English translation is the Natural Calamities
mantra. Recite it along with having the powerful image of Thangon Gyalpo in the
house

The Prayer for Protection from Earthquakes and Natural Calamities

When the obstacles from earth, water, fire or air
Endanger or destroy our illusory bodies,
Without hesitation or divided mind we pray to you;
Orgyen with the female deities of the four elements,
Without doubt will pacify the elements instantly.
Padmasambhava of Orgyen, to you we pray;
Please bestow the blessing of spontaneous fulfillment of our wishes.
'When thoughts arise, recognise them clearly as your teacher'— Gampopa
'When alone, examine your mind, when among others, examine your speech'.— Atisha
User avatar
Könchok Thrinley
Former staff member
Posts: 3275
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:18 am
Location: He/Him from EU

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

Maybe this could be of interest.
HE Garchen Rinpoche’s Message to the World
regarding the rise of global environmental challenges.
2015-11-05
This is a message to all the Buddhists in the world. In general, anyone who practices a religion, any
religion, needs love and compassion. This love and compassion is to be directed towards all sentient
beings: “May all sentient beings have happiness and may they be free from suffering.” Therefore, when
people anywhere suffer from heat and cold, you should pray to the one in whom you take refuge. Pray for
the benefit of all countries in the world, for example, “May those without rain have rain; may those
without water have water; may the fire that injures some be extinguished,” and so forth. You should make
prayers that accord with your own tradition. As Buddhists we can recite the Prayer for World Peace or
single-pointedly supplicate to Tara. This is the responsibility of every religious practitioner, even if you
are the only one in the house. Such prayers will surely be of benefit. Even if only one or two people pray,
it will surely bring benefit. We should all pray together for the well-being of all countries. This will also
benefit us. If we close ourselves up and only care about our own well-being, then of course, that will not
be of much benefit. But if you pray with the intention to benefit the entire world, that will actually
benefit yourself the most, and it will also benefit the world. This is called “accomplishing the benefit of
others and oneself.” So everyone should supplicate his or her own source of refuge. Buddhists, for
example, can supplicate Jetsun Tara, Chenrezig, and so forth; recite Mani mantras; perform purification
rituals before stupas, or even small statues; be generous to animals, and so forth. All these practices will
benefit the world. Otherwise, hatred and jealousy will increase in this world, and love will decline. This
will lead to an increase of heat in the world, and in the end the world will go up in flames. Thus, it would
be good if everyone would consider this. We should all pray and take this to heart with great concern. If
we remain unconcerned about the suffering of others as long as it doesn't affect us personally, we are just
paying lip service to our prayer, “May all sentient beings have happiness and may they be free from
suffering.”
The single cause of all the misery in this world, such as floods on the outer level and conflicts on the inner
level, is the ill will arising from the hatred and jealousy of the people inhabiting this planet. Instead of
helping one another, people harm each other: countries go to war, people and religious groups fight with
each other. In brief, love—the harmony of the inner elements—affects the harmony of the outer
elements. The five mental afflictions and the five outer elements are profoundly related. Therefore, our
efforts to give rise to love and compassion will be fruitful by virtue of three powers: first, the power of
one's own pure intention—one's own good heart ;second, the power of the Tatagathas—all the buddhas of
the three times have made aspiration prayers, but in addition, we must supplicate them. Just as with a
wish-fulfilling jewel, unless one expresses the wish, it will not be fulfilled. If we supplicate, then we will
receive the power of all the buddhas; this is the power of the Tataghatas. And third, the power of
Dharmadhatu—samsara and nirvana have a single basis. The duality of samsara and nirvana is only a
temporary appearance due to various karma and afflictions.
As a result of actions committed with an afflicted mind, we now witness a lot of suffering in this world. So
how can we purify these afflictions? All afflictions arise from self-grasping, and the antidote to selfgrasping is the altruistic mind. Altruism will benefit one in all circumstances: in this life, in the next life,
and in the bardo. Everyone needs altruism. Even a tiny creature will experience happiness relative to the
level of its altruism. Thus we pray, “May beings possess happiness and the causes of happiness.” The cause
of happiness is love. And, “May beings be free from suffering and the causes of suffering.” The cause of
suffering is self-grasping. There is no other Dharma than that. The heart-essence of the Dharma is love
and compassion. Apart from love and compassion, no other Dharma exists. What we call “the Buddha” is
the wisdom-mind, the perfection of wisdom. The subtle wisdom of buddha-nature is the underlying basis
of samsara and nirvana. Therefore, if one has love and compassion, wisdom will increase. If you
understand this, you will discover the method to bring about happiness and liberation from suffering.
Thus, we should engender excellent aspirations. Since the world is currently in such a perilous state, I
request everyone to pray well.
Translated by Ina Dhargye and edited by Kay Candler.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
pemachophel
Posts: 2228
Joined: Sat Dec 25, 2010 9:19 pm
Location: Lafayette, CO

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by pemachophel »

:good:
Pema Chophel པདྨ་ཆོས་འཕེལ
User avatar
tobes
Posts: 2194
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2010 5:02 am

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by tobes »

Vasana wrote: Mon Oct 21, 2019 11:41 am 4. A Prayer for Protection from Earthquakes and Natural Calamities
Associated with Thang Tong Gyalpo
Attributed as a selection from A Prayer Which Spontaneously Fulfills All Wishes, a
treasure (gter) discovered by Rigdzin Goddem (1337-1408)

Screen Shot 2019-10-21 at 11.37.30.png

Here is an Earthquake Protection Amulet with Thangon Gyalpo and an image of him with the Kalachakra symbol and powerful mantra surrounding it. With all aspects into one the image is now called Thangton Sayo Sungwai Khorlo from the Dudjom lineage. An incarnation of Guru Rinpoche and Chenrezig inseparable. Wherever it is, it is intended to avert or reduce the effects of earthquakes.

Please feel free to spread it far and wide. In the past in Tibet, Tibetans have strong faith in this particular image to prevent and protect the inhabitants of a household from earthquake. It was considered so important that it was the first image moved from one shrine to another.

On the right with Tibetan script and English translation is the Natural Calamities
mantra. Recite it along with having the powerful image of Thangon Gyalpo in the
house

The Prayer for Protection from Earthquakes and Natural Calamities

When the obstacles from earth, water, fire or air
Endanger or destroy our illusory bodies,
Without hesitation or divided mind we pray to you;
Orgyen with the female deities of the four elements,
Without doubt will pacify the elements instantly.
Padmasambhava of Orgyen, to you we pray;
Please bestow the blessing of spontaneous fulfillment of our wishes.
I'm not sure about earthquakes, climate change et al....

But Thang Tong Gyalpo is an extraordinary master. Worth beseeching: he will come.
:bow:
User avatar
Könchok Thrinley
Former staff member
Posts: 3275
Joined: Fri Jul 24, 2015 11:18 am
Location: He/Him from EU

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Könchok Thrinley »

I am sorry for necromancing here, however this teaching from Lama Pema Chophel is still extremely important and maybe even more needed now as still people are dying of covid and my own coutnry (that dealt with covid perfectly last year but failed to keep it that way) is now on the verge of collapsing due to political negligence and people ignoring the pandemic.
“Observing samaya involves to remain inseparable from the union of wisdom and compassion at all times, to sustain mindfulness, and to put into practice the guru’s instructions”. Garchen Rinpoche

For those who do virtuous actions,
goodness is what comes to pass.
For those who do non-virtuous actions,
that becomes suffering indeed.

- Arya Sanghata Sutra
User avatar
Virgo
Posts: 4844
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:47 am
Location: Uni-verse

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Virgo »

User avatar
Virgo
Posts: 4844
Joined: Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:47 am
Location: Uni-verse

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Virgo »

PadmaVonSamba wrote: Wed Mar 10, 2021 11:20 pm Personally, I think we’re all doomed.
Well we have to what we can, right? For all the other people, especially the younger people, and all the living beings. We need to mitigate as much of the damage as we can.

Virgo
User avatar
Ayu
Global Moderator
Posts: 13254
Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2012 8:25 am
Location: Europe

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by Ayu »

The more political aspects of this discussion moved here: https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.p ... 11#p572211
User avatar
kirtu
Former staff member
Posts: 6997
Joined: Mon Jan 18, 2010 5:29 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD

Re: Reversing Global Warming

Post by kirtu »

Ayu wrote: Mon Apr 12, 2021 11:37 am The more political aspects of this discussion moved here: https://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.p ... 11#p572211
Science is not politics.

Science and understanding science is also part of the result of effective prayer and study of the five sciences, and is not separate from Buddhadharma.

Good-bye Buddhadarma.com
“Where do atomic bombs come from?”
Zen Master Seung Sahn said, “That’s simple. Atomic bombs come from the mind that likes this and doesn’t like that.”

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche
Post Reply

Return to “Engaged Buddhism”