Transform the Present, Brighten the Future, Light Up the Universe
Khenpo Rinpoche emphasizes the importance of aspiration prayers in our Dharma practice. Rinpoche explains that according to the Mahayana teachings, the ability to benefit others is a factor of mind, and therefore this ability is something that we can develop until it becomes limitless. The way to do this is to make aspiration prayers that we may be of increasing benefit to others.
As ordinary beings, we may wonder how we can truly benefit others. Sometimes it is possible to alleviate people’s suffering directly, and we should do that. But we may regularly see a lot of suffering in the course of our daily lives, work, and relationships. We constantly come into contact with sentient beings’ suffering whenever we watch the news on television or read newspapers. It can seem that the suffering in samsara is overwhelming and that we are powerless in the face of so many problems. But this is precisely where making altruistic aspiration prayers can be so effective. Altruistic aspiration prayers are a skillful way to make the present more positive and to be of deeper benefit in the long term.
Buddha Nature: The Source of Aspiration Prayers’ Power
In the practice of making aspiration prayers, the first step is to recognize that the actual essence of mind is the stainless buddha nature. Because of this, we have a powerful inherent ability to transform the impure world we perceive into a pure one. We do this by working with mind.
We can work with mind in all circumstances. Even at times when we feel that we cannot help others because we are tired, sick, or lack material resources, we always have the ability to make aspiration prayers for others’ happiness, and for us to be able to be of future benefit to those who suffer.
In fact, when we ourselves suffer, although we may feel inadequate, we actually have even more ability to help others because we can empathize that much more with their suffering. We can always resolve to engender positive change and aspire to gather material resources and skill in order to benefit others. Thus, we come to see that no situation is hopeless when we make altruistic aspiration prayers.
We can even work with the situation of death in this way. The worldly way of thinking is that death breaks our connection with the deceased, so we cannot help them any longer. But since the Middle Way teaches that birth and death are not truly existent, death does not truly separate us from the ones we love. So we can still make aspiration prayers for them and pray that we will meet them again and again in ever-improving circumstances. Making similar prayers with regard to our Dharma teachers is also how we can ensure that we will meet our teachers lifetime after lifetime and continue our Dharma practice under their guidance.
Even when we see a tragic event on the news in which many people have died, we can use that connection with the deceased to pray that their next set of circumstances improve, that they find happiness, and that we can be of benefit to them.
Combining Altruistic Activity with Wisdom
Rinpoche teaches that when we are making aspiration prayers or performing other types of altruistic activity, it is important to mix this activity with wisdom realizing emptiness. When we engage in altruistic activity without understanding emptiness, we run into all kinds of problems—if we are successful in benefiting others we become arrogant, and if we are unsuccessful we become discouraged. That is why it is important to cultivate our wisdom realizing that self and other are not truly existent. If we meditate on how it is that the one who is performing benefit does not truly exist and the ones who are being benefited do not truly exist, we gain freedom from arrogance and despair, from hope and fear.
We can develop such wisdom by asking ourselves, “Am I benefiting others like in a dream when I know I am dreaming? What is the nature of the ones I am benefiting and of myself as the one being of benefit?” Most important, we can ask, “What is the essence of this mind that is thinking of benefiting others?” Then, making aspiration prayers becomes a method for realizing mind’s true nature.
Aspiration Prayers’ Transformative Power
Making altruistic aspiration prayers in this way, we transform our present state of mind. Simply switching from our continual preoccupation with ourselves to focusing on others is an important transformation in itself. But we can also transform difficult situations that feel solid and stuck by using aspiration prayers to develop a basic sense of goodness in our connections with others. For example, we may have difficult relationships with certain people. Perhaps we feel deeply hurt by someone and unable to approach them directly. But we can still maintain the positive aspiration that in the future our relationship with them will improve, that we will be able to be of benefit to them, and that they will find lasting happiness. In other relationships, where perhaps we feel that we did not do enough for someone we are now separated from, or else there is someone we wish we could benefit more but we do not immediately see how to do so, we can make aspiration prayers for them and thereby keep our connection with them positive.
The Buddha’s Example
The Buddha Shakyamuni gives us an excellent and inspirational example of how to keep this ground of goodness in relationships, even those with very difficult and mean-spirited people. The Buddha had a particularly difficult relationship with his cousin Devadatta, who was jealous of the Buddha’s good qualities and wide acclaim as a teacher. Devadatta tried various means to discredit the Buddha, turn his students against him, and even to kill him.
Rather than making the Buddha angry, however, Devadatta only evoked his compassion. Once a student asked the Buddha why he tolerated Devadatta, instead of using his miraculous powers to put an end to Devadatta’s mischief once and for all. The Buddha replied that in fact he had known Devadatta in many previous lifetimes, and Devadatta had continually behaved in the same malicious way. However, by doing so Devadatta had actually assisted the Buddha’s progress to enlightenment by providing the conditions for him to practice patience. So, the Buddha felt no malice toward his cousin, only gratitude and love.
Toward the end of Devadatta’s life, he was afflicted with remorse. He called out to the Buddha for help and, due to the power of the connection between his giving rise to faith and the Buddha’s compassion toward him, in his future lifetimes he became an excellent Dharma practitioner. Because the Buddha never rejected Devadatta, their relationship was never severed and the Buddha was there to help Devadatta when he was ready to accept it.
Modern Buddhist masters also give us clear examples of the power of training in compassion and aspiration prayers. To be in the presence of such masters is to feel their compassion, joy, and inner peace, and to experience joy and inner peace ourselves as a result. At the same time, our teachers often remind us that they are not supernatural, but rather are human beings just like ourselves. Therefore, we have the potential to develop the same qualities and ability to benefit others that we so admire in them. Making aspiration prayers with altruistic motivation brings us joy and inner peace, which has a positive effect certainly for ourselves and also for those who come into contact with us.
Thus, by dissolving our ego fixation, thinking altruistically, and making aspiration prayers, we can transform whatever circumstances occur into highly positive ones, and lay the ground for ever-improving situations in the future. In this way, we light up the universe with auspicious connections in the present and for the future.
How to Practice with Aspiration Prayers
When making aspiration prayers, you can use the ones in this book, those composed by other masters, and your own original prayers. It is good to make up your own prayers to fit the particular situations you encounter. Rinpoche teaches that you can sing or recite these prayers at any time, silently or out loud. When you do, connect with your heart’s true wish that all beings be free of suffering and enjoy great happiness. Think how wonderful it would be if that were to happen not just for your own family and friends, but for those you dislike and those you do not know at all.
Then, let go of thoughts and let mind rest in its basic nature, luminous clarity. After a few moments, imagine that the sky around you is filled with the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. They are there to witness you set the intention to benefit all beings in both temporary and ultimate ways. Doing this helps to remind you that you are not acting in isolation, because you are invoking the wisdom, compassion, and enlightened activity of all the buddhas and bodhisattvas. That is a skillful method which gives your prayer more power and energy. Then recite the prayer, and when you have finished, again briefly rest the mind in its true nature beyond reference point.
