Audio Recording in Tibetan

(with Chinese Translation)

The Great Protector, Dorje Shugden’s
2021 Losar Message

(Transmitted via the Venerable 7th Panglung Oracle on Feb 12, 2021)

Since it is the beginning of the [Tibetan] New Year, I would like to send everyone my greetings – ‘Tashi Delek’. (Editor’s note: a traditional Tibetan greeting wishing the other person blessings, good health and luck).

We all need auspiciousness, kindness and happiness. Hence, we must work hard to create the causes to achieve happiness in this life, to gain a good physical rebirth, and to achieve supreme and complete Buddhahood. If we put in the effort to practise whatever we have received from our spiritual guides, be it initiations, oral transmissions, teachings, or instructions, we will gain the benefits. We must practise as much as we can before we suffer from illness, so as not to waste our time, and to make the rest of our life meaningful.

Up until now, most of our life has already passed, and we do not have much time left.

People do not think about impermanence. Most people still think that what is impermanent is actually permanent. What encourages us to do good is thinking about death and impermanence. We should always think of impermanence. If we can think of impermanence, we will strive to do good and it helps us. Gross impermanence is something that we see and feel. However, if we do not study the Dharma in-depth, we will not be able to understand subtle impermanence.

Those who study the Dharma debate on the ‘impermanence of sound’, but they barely realise that the purpose of the debate [on the ‘impermanence of sound’] is to understand the impermanence of the self. Holding on to [the idea of] the self as permanent makes the so-called ‘impermanence of sound’ debate useless. Life ends in death, meeting ends in separation, collections of things ultimately run out, and those high up end up falling. These we all know, but seldom think about.

Our bodies are contaminated afflicted aggregates and their nature is impermanent. As long as we have contaminated aggregates, their nature is suffering. The causes of these are karma and delusions. We now have a peaceful, happy body and mind, with many favourable conditions. This seems to be everything we need. However, our bodies are very fragile and we have little power over them. A small cause may lead to our death. We should think about the uncertainty of when we will die and that nothing can help us when we die except the Dharma.

We can observe for ourselves if [things] are beneficial. No matter how much wealth we have, such as owning the whole world and tremendous treasures, at the time of death, we will have to let go of everything. We will not even be able to take a single needle or a piece of thread with us. Therefore, do not be attached to wealth. We have been born again and again in various forms since beginningless time. We have been born as Brahma and Indra (two of the highest gods), and chakravartins (universal monarchs) who owned the seven royal emblems. The accumulation of all the wealth of Jambudvipa (cosmological continent on which Earth is located) is nothing compared to even a jewel on the shoes of those celestial kings.

At the time of death, we will have to let go of everything and take rebirth again. We have taken millions of rebirths in the past and none of them have been beneficial. Now, due to the kindness of our gurus, we have the opportunity to listen to and practise the Dharma as much as we can. We should not waste our time, but do our best to do good and improve. We will eventually achieve the state of permanent peace and happiness, which is full enlightenment.

It has been said many times in the past that out of the thousand Buddhas of this fortunate aeon, Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings contain both Sutra and Tantra. Generally speaking, it is extremely rare for a Buddha to appear in this world. There are kalpas (aeons) of formation, existence and destruction. Buddhadharma only exists during the kalpas of existence. And out of 1,002 Buddhas, Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings contain both Sutra and Tantra that enable us to achieve Buddhahood in one short lifetime. Furthermore, with the kindness of Manjunatha Lama Tsongkhapa, as long as we do our best to practise, we can even achieve the state of Vajradhara in three years and three months.

We all know that it is very important to rely on a spiritual guide. The best offering is to properly rely on a spiritual guide, practise according to his instructions and offer up our practice. This is just like Milarepa who did not own any wealth but pleased his guru with his offering of practice and ultimately achieved Buddhahood.

“The three realms are as impermanent as autumn clouds. Beings die and are reborn: it is like watching a play. Beings’ lives run like lightning flashes in the sky, or rush on like high mountain waterfalls.”

[Editor’s note: Here, Dorje Shugden quotes from the Lalitavistara Sutra or The Sutra of the Extensive Play]

We should contemplate these scriptures. Since beginningless time, we have accumulated many non-virtues which have piled up to be higher than Mount Meru, but rarely did we perform any good virtue.

We do not need to kill people and horses with knives or guns to perform a non-virtue, all we need to do is move our lips slightly and call people bad nicknames such as “dog-like” or “monkey-like”. The karma of slandering the Dharma is especially heavy. Just think, how easy it is for us to commit a sinful act, and what karma leads to which ripened result. These we all know. Killing a tiny insect creates heavy negative karma which leads to the countless ripened results of taking rebirth in lower realms. Just remember this, do not commit a non-virtue no matter how seemingly insignificant it may seem and do not neglect any virtue regardless of how trivial it is.

When King Ashoka was a child in his previous rebirth, he offered sand into Buddha Vipashyin’s bowl, imagining it as gold. The root merit multiplied endlessly and in his later rebirth as King Ashoka, he managed to build ten million stupas in a single night. There are many historical biographies like this which are too many to share here.

‘Refuge’ and ‘karma’ are very important. We must develop faith without doubts in the law of karma. Karma is very profound and subtle. In the past, Lord Atisha only talked about refuge and karma, and because of this he became known as the “Refuge Lama” and the “Karma Lama”. After practising the Dharma, if we can develop strong faith without doubts in karma and take refuge in the Three Jewels, then the suffering of illness in this life, including inner sorrow and physical illness, can be eliminated through the visualisation of purifying nectar. Apply the Four Opponent Powers and sincerely confess, and especially develop strong regret for the wrong deeds that we have accumulated in the past. Take vows and refrain from doing it again.

In short, we should try our best to follow the advice of the Lamrim and sutras, and practise diligently. We will surely gain some results if we do that.

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雄登大护法台湾新春开示（ 2021年2月12日）

作为新春缘起，致上问候: 吉祥如意

我们需要吉祥、善乐，为此，必须要努力于能令今生安乐、辗转获得善妙之身、证得无上圆满正觉之因。各自在善知识尊前所获得的，不论是灌顶、口传、口诀、教授，尽其能力实修，就会有利益。自己还没有遭到病痛之前，尽力实修，才不会徒耗光阴，而能使得余生具有意义。

到目前为止，一生已经度过大半，剩余的寿命计算起来，应该没有多少。大家不想着无常，多半还以为是常而执常。能劝勉我们向善的， 就是死亡无常。必须经常想到所谓「无常」。如果能想到无常，就能策励向善，而有所帮助。粗显的无常，是我们亲见、感受之事;微细的无常，若不经深入学法，则不太能了解。

学习法相的人，会辩论「声无常」，却没想到——辩论声无常的用意，在于了解自己的无常。执自己是常，所谓「声无常」也就没有用处了。 出生最后死亡，聚会最终分离，积聚最终耗散，崇高最终堕落 (有生 必有死，合会必分离，积聚终消散，崇高必堕落)，这些大家都知道，但平常却很难想得起来。

我们的身体是有漏近取蕴，本性无常，只要一受取有漏之蕴，本性就是苦，而之所以会如此，又是因业与烦恼的造作。 我们现今身安心乐、顺缘具足，似乎应有尽有，但我们这个身体非常脆弱，力量微小，小小的因缘就可能转成死缘。想想死无定期，死亡时除了正法，都无益处。

(其他事物)有无益处，自己可以观察——就算有再多的财富受用，例如拥有整个世界，无比富裕，到了死亡之时，却得放下一切，无权带走一针一线，所以莫贪着于财富受用。过去无始以来，已受过种种生，也曾受生大梵天王、帝释等身，也曾受生转轮王，拥有王政七宝。然而，集合南瞻部洲所有财富，也比不上这些天王鞋子上的一颗珍宝。

死时终究都得放下一切，再次受生。过去已受过千万生，都不曾有益。现今我们因上师善知识的恩德，耳闻正法，有机会尽力实修佛法，此时不要虚耗光阴，应尽力努力行善，辗转向上，终会证得永久的安乐——圆满正觉果位。

过去已经说过多次，总体贤劫千佛之中，释迦牟尼佛的教法是显密双运之教。一般而言，佛出现于世间十分稀有，有成劫、住劫、坏劫的算法(在坏劫时期才有教法)。而贤劫一千零二尊佛中，释迦牟尼佛的教法是显密双运的教法，在短促一生中就能成就佛的果位，又依凭其中妙音怙主法王宗喀巴大师之恩，只要尽力实修，甚至三载三品（三年三个月）就能成就金刚持的果位。

依止善知识的道理十分重要，大家都知道。如理依止善知识，如教奉行，作修行供养，是最好的供养。如密勒日巴，没有任何财富受用， 但以修行供养令上师喜悦，由修行而成佛。 「三有无常如秋云，众生生死等观戏，众生寿行如空电，犹崖瀑布速 疾行。」这类经文要想一想。我们从无始以来直至于今，已曾累积高过须弥山的不善罪业，所作善行数算起来，非常罕有，十分稀少。罪恶不需要拿着刀枪杀人屠马，只需动动嘴唇，呼人难听的外号，说像狗像猴，就是罪恶，尤其谤法之业，极为深重。想一想造作罪恶多么容易，至于罪恶有什么异熟果报，大家也都知道。杀害一只微小的虫蚁，也会成为领受无量异熟果、堕入恶趣的重大罪恶。要想起这些道理，罪恶再小也要慎防，善行再微也不轻忽。阿育王过去生曾是一位孩童，将沙子想象成黄金，供养在普观佛的钵中，此一善根增长无穷无尽般，后来他转生成为阿育王，一夜之间就能能建起千万座佛塔。像这样的历史传记很多，说也说不完。

所谓「皈依」、所谓「业果」，非常重要。对于业果必须有深忍信，业果甚深而微细。以前阿底峡尊者都只谈皈依及业果，人们也称之为「皈依喇嘛」、「业果喇嘛」。修行佛法后，若能好好地对业果起深忍信，好好地皈依三宝，则今生的疾病痛苦，包括内心的忧苦、身体的疾病，都能够透过甘露降治的观想消除。具足四力，好好忏悔，最重要的是对过去所累积的罪堕，要有强烈的悔意，约束自己以后不再造作，受持律仪。

总之要依菩提道次第广论等经论中所开示的学处，尽力努力。 如此实修，不论如何，都会有所成长。

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