Aspiration prayer of being reborn in the next life

Aspiration Prayer of Being Reborn in the Next Life in the Blissful Pure Realm

It has two subdivisions:

1. How one is reborn in the Pure Realm

2. The condition of rebirth in the Blissful Pure Realm

1: How One is Reborn in the Pure Realm

When I am born in the Blissful realm

From the heart of a lotus,

May I instantly get a perfect body,

And see the face of Ӧpagmé, Buddha Limitless Light.

Our consciousness enters the lotus and you are birthed miraculously. Instantly you have a complete body with the marks and signs. Then, the lotus opens. Think that you see the face of Buddha Limitless Light clearly. This is how we are reborn in the Blissful Pure Realm. If you have a doubt that you cannot be born there, then it will be difficult. Even if you are reborn there, you may hear the sound of the Buddha (the teachings), things may seem perfect and happy, but the lotus does not open. Then you cannot see the face of Buddha Limitless Light. The important thing is to get rid of any doubt, or the lotus will not open for 500 years! Trust the prayers and practice without doubt. In the scripture, it says “if you have no doubt and pray with certainty, then in the palace of the Blissful Pure Realm, you come out of the mouth of the lotus, miraculously born in the presence of the Buddha of Limitless Light.”

Any sentient beings reborn in the Pure Realms are reborn through the lotus flower, not by a mother’s womb. In that way, in general, to be reborn in any of the five Buddha realms, you are born from a lotus.

Furthermore, you are born from a white lotus in the eastern direction, yungdrung family Pure Realm.

The other three directions and families:

1. Green, northern direction, wheel family

2. Red, western, lotus family

3. Blue, southern, precious jewel family

If you are reborn in an indeterminate Pure Realm, then the lotus will be multiple colors.

2: The Condition of Rebirth in the Blissful Pure Realm

It has three subdivisions:

1. Actually being reborn

2. Considering environment of the Pure Realm

3. The prayer of getting prophecies of other Pure Realms - the future prophecy of becoming a Buddha

1: Actually Being Reborn

It has two subdivisions:

1. Purifying obscurations and accumulation

2. Getting teaching, experience, and liberation

1: Purifying Obscurations and Accumulation

At that time, purifying the obscurations on the path of seeing,

Making offerings like Emanation Delight Gods,

Manifesting unobstructedly,

May I make offerings to Ӧpagmé, Buddha Limitless Light!

When you are reborn in the Blissful Pure Realms, you see the Limitless Light Buddha. That means the subtle obscurations of the path of seeing are purified. There are the five paths of sutra. At the path of seeing level, you purify subtle obscurations, which are the subtle ego grasping or co-emergent ego grasping. That’s why you see the face of the Limitless Light Buddha. The Limitless Light Buddha means emptiness. You become like the emanation delight gods, who can manifest however they want. (These are the fifth of the six desire god realms). You are able to manifest innumerable offerings to gatherings of deities.

2: Getting Teaching, Experience, and Liberation

Having unbounded Buddha Limitless Light

When giving profound and vast teachings,

From hearing them,

May I get experience and liberation.

When Limitless Light Buddha is giving profound teachings, there are three ways to connect: hearing and listening, understanding, and getting the experience through your practice. From that, the tendency of the habitual afflictive emotion obscurations are purified on the path of the impure level of the first bhumi (seeing path) up to the seventh bhumi. At the seventh bhumi, you purify the tendency of habitual afflictive emotional obscurations. On the pure level of the eighth, ninth, and tenth bhumi, the habitual tendency of cognitive obscurations are purified and you become liberated. If you study other teachings and texts you might find some contradictions as to what happens at what level in different sources, but this is how Shardza Rinpoche speaks about it here.

2: Considering Environment of the Pure Realm

It has two subdivisions:

1. Considering form of the Pure Realm

2. Inhabitants of the Pure Realm

1: Considering Form of the Pure Realm

It has two subdivisions:

1. Specific qualities of the Pure Realm

2. General qualities of the Pure Realm

1: Specific Qualities of the Pure Realm

It has four subdivisions:

1. Quality of the ground

2. Quality of the trees

3. Quality of the waters

4. Quality of the flowers

1: Quality of the Ground

Everywhere the ground is the color of coral,

With turquoise checkered yungdrung designs,

When you press down it raises up,

May I be born in this amazing place.

Everywhere are precious jewels, turquoise yungdrung, all pervasive and changeless. The ground rises up. Wherever you look, you can’t see the boundaries. The light from Buddha Limitless Light illuminates everything.

This is talking about the base of ourselves. The base of the natural state of mind, which is all pervasive, vast expanse, and changeless. The words here are the external pure land. To say the ground presses down and comes back - we are doing this when our mind becomes deluded, it goes bad but not continuously, it comes back. This is the metaphor of the ground when we talk about the internal pure land. This is the base of the natural state of mind, the ground of Kuntuzangpo.

2: Quality of the Trees

Wish-fulfilling trees made of precious jewels,

Give whatever you want or need.

Many emanation birds sing songs of the teachings,

May I be born in this blissful place!

Everywhere in this Pure Realm is filled with wish fulfilling trees of jewels. Each tree has golden roots, silver trunk, branch, leaves, petals, pearl flowers, and emerald fruit. The trees fulfill anything you want or need. The texture is naturally comfortable. What is the meaning of these trees? It is our channels.

On the trees, many types of birds fly. All of these birds sing the songs of the four seals of phenomena - everything compounded is impermanent, all contaminated phenomena are the nature of suffering, all phenomena are empty of self existing, liberation is peace and happiness. This is talking about the pure channel of ourselves.

Four Seals of Phenomena:

Everything compounded is impermanent.

All contaminated phenomena are the nature of suffering.

All phenomena are empty of self existence.

Liberation is peace and happiness.

3: Quality of the Waters

The water is endowed with the eight special qualities.

The ponds are clear and odorless,

Completely surrounded by precious-jeweled fences.

May I be born in this pure place!

In this realm, the water has eight qualities: coolness, nice taste, light, soft, clear, no order, makes the stomach comfortable, and nice in the throat. Where the water falls is golden sand. The water is clear and odorless nectar. You can wash in the pond, which are bordered by precious jewels. There is a crystal stair for getting into the pond easily. Bathing here feels nice and produces meditative concentration free from the 8 extremes of elaboration: arising, ceasing, not existing, existing, permanent, becoming, going, multiple, single.

This is all referring to the pure winds.

4: Quality of the Flowers

Everywhere is filled with precious jeweled lotuses.

Each lotus has its own light,

Seated upon which are emanation Buddhas.

May I be born in their presence.

Surrounding the outer boundary, everywhere are precious jeweled lotuses and beautiful flowers. They are various colors with 1,000 pedals, pleasant aromas everywhere. Each flower radiates light the same color as the flower. The light from the center into the expanse of the sky. Upon each light sits a Buddha. These Buddhas teach such things as the four seals of phenomena (like the birds). These flowers are representative of the tigles.

2: General Qualities of the Pure Realm

The environment is formed in the manner of the ten paramitas,

With only precious jewels and no rocks,

The four seasons are balanced and there is no day or night,

May I be born in this pure place.

The general environment of this place has been formed by the ten paramitas.

The Ten Paramitas - Signs in the Pure Land

1. The sign of the paramita of generosity is the shining mountains of inexhaustible treasures.

2. The sign of the paramita of discipline is the wish fulfilling trees everywhere

3. The sign of the paramita of patience is the majestic incense elephants.

4. The sign of the paramita of diligence is the unimpeded Sha na sa deer. (Two deer on top of temples).

5. The sign of the paramita of meditative concentration is the island of blazing unchangeable yungdrungs.

6. The sign of the paramita of supreme power is the enjoyment of the gods.

7. The sign of the paramita of compassion is the waterfall of nectar.

8. The sign of the paramita of aspiration prayers is the precious jewel which gives all needs and wants.

9. The sign of the paramita of method is the beings who have realized rigpa (wisdom holders) gathering like clouds.

10. The sign of the paramita of wisdom is the khandros shining like a rainbow.

These ten are spontaneously present in the base of our mind.

In this Pure Realm, there is no earth and stone - only precious jewels. The four seasons are balanced. There is no day and night. You can tell the time of day by the flowers opening and closing and the sound of the birds.

2: Inhabitants of the Pure Realm

It has four subdivisions:

1. The qualities of the gods and goddesses

2. The qualities of being without suffering

3. The quality of the birth in these Pure Realms

4. The qualities of possessions of the Pure Realm

1: The Qualities of the Gods and Goddesses

The inhabitants of this Pure Realm are gods and goddesses,

They have the marks and characteristics of enlightenment.

They are without afflictive emotions so there is no suffering.

May I be born where there is no birth and death.

The inhabitants of this realm are real emanation gods and goddesses. There are no normal sentient beings. They all have crown protuberances, wheel sings on the feet, yungdrungs, the thirty-two major and eighty-two minor marks of enlightenment. They are all the same height and level of attractiveness. They are clear without blemish. They are clear and luminous, like a white crystal. Since there is no suffering, happiness is not very important. There is no initial birth and final death.

2: The Qualities of Being Without Suffering

There is no bias to self and others,

You do not hear the name of the lower and higher realms.

There is no sickness, poverty, or fighting.

May I be born in this blissful, happy place.

Since there is no self and other, there is no ego bias. There are no names of higher and lower realms, and since happiness does not end or change, it is called ‘great bliss.’

3: The Quality of the Birth in These Pure Realms

Since there is no gender there is no sexual misconduct.

Everyone is born from a lotus,

With five eyes and six energies.

May I be born in this place where obscurations are purified.

“Since there is no gender there is no sexual misconduct.”

This realm does not have ordinary genders as no one is born of womb. All of the conflicts, struggles, and sufferings that arise out of gender, sex, and identity are not present in the Pure Realm.

“Everyone is born from a lotus, With five eyes”

The five eyes are:

1. The flesh eye (which can see bardo beings as far as 25,000 miles)

2. The divine eye which can see the four classes of gods in the desire god realm

3. The shenrab wisdom eye can see the 3,000-fold emanation of the nirmanakaya.

4. The dharma (Bön) eye can see the two Buddha bodies of form - sambhogakaya, nirmanakaya.

5. The primordial (yeshe) wisdom eye, which can know the reality of all phenomena

“ and six energies.”

The six energies are the six clairvoyance energies.

The six clairvoyance energies:

1. The energy of divine eyes which can see the most subtle atoms we cannot see

2. The every of divine ears which can understand the language of even insects and any sentient being and the elements

3. The energy of karma which can know of past or future rebirth

4. The knowing of the minds of sentient beings, which can know the thoughts and feelings of humans

5. The knowing of the magical display, by which you can make your body invisible, kill/revive, multiply

6. The cessation of development with purifying the remaining obscurities quickly

4: The Quality of Possessions of the Pure Realms

Here you stay in a precious-jeweled palace,

Whatever you wish for comes in the palm of your hand.

Without effort or striving everything comes naturally.

May I be born in this perfect place.

When living in this place, we remain in a celestial palace with everything you need. This naturally occurs by the power of your merit.

3: The Prayer of Getting Prophecies of Other Pure Realms - The Future Prophecy of Becoming a Buddha

It has three subdivisions:

1. The prophecy given by a Buddha

2. How you benefit beings after you become a Buddha

3. Self and other being equal in the state of non-duality after benefitting is finished

1: The Prophecy Given by a Buddha

Ngӧnpar Gawa, Lerab Dzogpa,

Palden Dzepa, and Tukpo Kӧpa,

I go to all these Pure Realms.

Through the power of unimpeded magical actives, you can go to four Pure Realms:

1. Eastern Pure Realm of Ngӧnpar Gawa (manifest joy)

2. Nothern Lerab Dzogpa (fulfilled action)

3. Southern Palden Dzepa (glorious beauty)

4. Central Tukpo Kӧpa (beautiful array)

Seeing the faces of Salwa Ragjung, Gelha Garchuk,

Gawa Dӧndrub, and Kün Nang Khyapa.

May I see the face of these Buddhas

Receiving initiations, blessings, and teachings,

And prophecies of becoming a Buddha.

These are the four Buddhas and the Pure Realms of the four Buddhas. Each Buddha puts their right hand on your head and prophecies where you will become a Buddha and how you will benefit beings.

2: How You Benefit Beings After You Become a Buddha

After the prophecy is fulfilled, I benefit sentient beings,

Continuously with the four compassions,

Until the last cycle of sentient beings is emptied.

May I be of unlimited benefit.

Having become a Buddha, completing the qualities of renunciation and realization, then you benefit beings continuously with the four great compassions: continuously abiding riverlike compassion, limitless sky-like compassion, endless earth like compassion, and equally with sun like compassion.

The Four Compassions: 

1. Continuously Abiding Compassion: For the benefit of sentient being flowing like a river until all of cyclic existence is empty.

2. Limitless Compassion: Compassion as vast as the sky, which protects all sentient beings.

3. Inexhaustible Compassion: Earth-like source of compassion that fulfills the needs and wishes of sentient beings. 

4. Non-referential Compassion: All illuminating like the sun for all the happiness and joy of all sentient beings.

3: Self and Other Being Equal in the State of Non-duality After Benefitting is Finished

Finally, self and all sentient beings

Recognize the single sphere,

All sentient beings become a Buddha.

May everyone be equal in the expanse of reality

Finally, oneself and all sentient beings realize the natural state of mind and become fully actualized Buddhas, cyclic existence and transcendence of suffering just becomes names. Simply generate the motivation that may we all be equal in the great expanse of reality.