Dedication by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Dedication by Lama Zopa Rinpoche

Zopa Rinpoche gave this dedication during the Most Secret Hayagriva retreat at Vajrapani Institute, Sept./Oct., 1997. Lightly edited by Ven. Chodron.

We give all the merits collected today from the various practices we have done, including the extensive water bowl offerings, to all sentient beings. We share all our past, present and future merits—the merits of the three times—collected by ourselves and by all Buddhas, bodhisattvas and sentient beings with all sentient beings. We give the merit to each hell being, each hungry ghost, each animal, each human being, each demi-god, each god and each intermediate state being. All these beings receive everything they want, whatever they need. By having and enjoying what they want and need, they are able to actualize the entire path to enlightenment. They complete the paths of wisdom and method and cease the two obscurations. All these beings become enlightened in the essence the deity you are practicing. Visualize all beings in the form of the deity. This is a way of collecting numberless merits.

Through this merit, may whatever sufferings sentient beings have ripen on me, and may whatever happiness and merits I have ripen for all sentient beings. Due to the three time merits collected by myself, by the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and sentient beings, may all the father and mother sentient beings have happiness. May the three lower realms be empty forever. May all the bodhisattvas’ prayers succeed immediately. May I be able to cause all this by myself alone.

Due to all the three time merits collected by myself and all sentient beings, may I quickly become the deity. May anybody who touches me, remembers me, thinks of me, sees me, talks about me—criticizing or praising—or dreams about me never be reborn in the lower realms. May they immediately be liberated from all diseases, spirit harms and karmic obscurations. May they receive enlightenment as quickly as possible by actualizing the whole path, especially the altruistic intention of bodhicitta.

May all our spiritual masters be healthy, live long, and continually teach and guide us. May we never be separated from them in any of our lifetimes.

While dedicating, it is important to meditate on the emptiness of the three spheres—the agent, object, and action. Due to all the past, present and future merit collected by myself, by the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and sentient beings, which is totally empty, may I, who is totally empty, achieve full enlightenment, which is totally empty. May I lead all sentient beings, who are totally empty, to enlightenment, which is totally empty of existing from its own side. May I do this by myself alone, who is also totally empty.

Due to all the three time merits collected by myself and all sentient beings, may the complete teaching be actualized in my mind and in the minds of all my family members, the students in this organization, the benefactors and especially in the minds of those who dedicate their lives to benefit others and serve the teachings of Buddha through this organization. May this happen without delaying even one second. May everyone have a long life, and may all their wishes succeed according to the holy Dharma.

May our Dharma center and all other centers spreading pure teachings of the Buddha become wish-fulfilling abodes. May they serve to immediately pacify all physical and mental sufferings of all sentient beings. May they spread the teachings of Lama Tsong Khapa in the minds of all sentient beings and facilitate all the necessary conditions for this to occur.

May the various Dharma projects and works be actualized immediately, and may all necessary conditions to accomplish this quickly come about. Most important, may these projects be beneficial. May they cause bodhicitta, loving kindness and compassion to arise in the minds of all sentient beings. In this way, war, famine, disease, earthquakes—all undesirable things—will never be experienced again. May all these projects cause sentient beings to achieve enlightenment as quickly as possible and the teachings exist and flourish in all ten directions for a very long time.

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