ANNUAL GATHERING OF THUPTEN LING

 

Each year, our precious sangha comes together to make offerings and raise prayer flags. In coming together, dharma friends near and dear and those with whom share a prior karmic or aspirational connection, Lama Tsondru asks us to consider the following:

 

The oral tradition that definitively settles the great secret (Vajrayāna) may suffer the fault of not being believed.

 

To the infallable sources of refuge [the Three Jewels], the assembly of deities of the three roots, and to the powerful samaya-holders, protectors of the Teachings who in former lives along with their retinues offered their allegience to Guru Padmasambhava, we offer all the outer, inner and secret offerings, without any omissions—torma, rakta and the golden-beverage (ser-kyem), and prayers flags of five colors; weapons and standards, armor and helmets, swords, and in particular, the five medicines; the five grains; the five precious substances and so on—a pleasing and complete Sang offering that is without any omissions, vast like clouds obscuring the dome of the sky, and equal to an ocean of elixir of uncontaminated primordial wisdom (jñāna-amṛita). In accord with our aspirations and the activities we have entrusted to you, we practitioners of the holy dharma make the following request:

​

Let the high status of the Three Jewels be praised. May the wishes of all beings, ourselves and others, be accomplished in accord with the dharma. May our homelands, dwellings, family and wealth all be protected, may we accomplish the holy dharma, and may all enemies and obstructing forces be pulverized into a fine ash. In brief, may all conducive conditions be accomplished for us and others and may all unfavorable conditions be eliminated. May you come to our aid now in ripening quickly the results of this in accord with the holy dharma.

O assembly of powerful samaya-holders who protect the Teachings, to you we offer here all real and mentally emanated offerings with our three gates. For whatever activites we have entrusted to you in the past that you have accomplished well, we offer our most earnest thanks and we emphatically request that in the future you continue to perform thoroughly your enlightened activities just as before. And furthermore, we ask that from now on you perform just as we have requested all the activities and support whatsoever that we have entrusted to your care.

​

Since you powerful samaya-bound protectors have accepted even our daily and annual offerings with great pleasure, please perform without pretense or without trying to please samaya corruptors the karmic action of immediately and quickly liberating all those who contravene the intentions of the Great Holy Beings1—whoever they are and wherever they dwell—who properly uphold, protect and promote the precious teachings of the incomparable Shakya. In so doing, you will not violate the oral command of the Three Jewels, the three roots, and Ugyen Padma, as well as the eight Knowledge Holders (Vidyadharas) and so will not transgress samaya.

​

O powerful, samaya-bound protectors! Be loving like a mother to us all—both teachers and their benefactors, and our circles of heart disciples—and listen like brothers and sisters, love us like friends, and obey like good servants; in short, always accompany us like our shadows. At this time please empower us with the glory of the seven virtuous qualities of the higher realms and the four collections of marvels2 and through our continual practice of the dharmas of the ten virtues please accomplish vast and extensive enlightened activity that serves to confirm [us] at the level of ultimate omniscience.

​

We supplicate you in this manner for the benefit of our mothers and fathers, all sentient beings, beings of the six realms, ourselves and others. With the aspiration to benefit all beings this was composed by the wanderer of the three appearances3 known as Joyful Exertion (Tsondru).

 

Translated by Mark Seibold (Tharpa Ösang) under the guidance of Lama Tsondru. © Mark Seibold June 1, 2015