I
bow down before the Lama, Buddha Amitayus,
And the
bodhisattvas in training.
I shall now in
brief describe the benefits
Of freeing
animals and ransoming their lives.
To save animals
from slaughter or any mortal danger,
With an entirely
pure motivation and conduct,
Is without doubt
a practice to be taken up
By all followers
of the Buddha Shakyamuni.
Many sutras,
tantras and commentaries
Describe in
detail the advantages it brings,
And countless
learned and accomplished masters of India and Tibet
Have stressed
the value and importance of benefitting beings.
Even in the
basic vehicle one avoids inflicting harm on others,
In the mahayana
this is the very training of a bodhisattva,
And in the
secret mantra, a principal samaya of the ratna family.
The reasoning
behind this is as follows: in this world,
Nothing is as
dear to someone as his or her own life,
So no greater
crime is there than taking life away,
And no
conditioned virtue brings greater merit
Than the act of
saving beings and ransoming their lives.
Therefore,
should you wish for happiness and good,
Exert yourself
in this, the most supreme of paths,
Which is proven
through scriptures and through reasoning,
And is free of
obstacles and potential dangers.
Consider your
own body and with this as an example,
Avoid doing
anything that might bring harm to others.
Make every
effort not to kill any living creature,
Birds, fish,
deer, cattle and even tiny insects,
And strive
instead to save their lives,
Offering them
protection from every fear.
The benefit of
doing so is beyond imagining.
This is the best
practice for your own longevity,
And the greatest
ritual for the living or deceased.
It is my main
practice of benefitting others.
It dispels all
external and internal adversity and obstacles,
Effortlessly and
spontaneously, it brings favourable conditions,
And, when
inspired by the noble mind of bodhichitta and
Completed with
dedication and pure aspiration prayers,
It will lead one
to complete enlightenment,
And the
accomplishment of one’s own and others’ welfare—
Of this you need
have no doubts at all!
Those whose
minds incline to virtue and acts of merit,
Should prohibit
hunting and fishing on their land.
Some birds, in
particular, such as geese and cranes,
Are impelled by
their karma to migrate
And fly south in
autumn, north in spring.
At times, weary
from the efforts of their flight,
Or having lost
their way, some are forced to land,
Distressed,
afraid and anxious; when this happens,
You should not
throw stones or shoot at them,
Nor try to kill
them or do them any harm,
But protect them
so they may easily fly once more.
To offer care
and affection to sentient beings
In desperate
situations who lack protection
Brings just as
much merit as the meditation
On emptiness
with compassion as its core—
So it has been
said by glorious Lord Atisha.
Lamas,
officials, monks, nuns, men and women,
In all the
places over which you have control,
Exert every
influence and do all within your power
To release
animals and ransom their lives,
While
encouraging others to do the same.
In all those
places where this is done,
Sickness among
people and livestock will cease,
Harvests will be
plentiful and life will be long.
All will enjoy
happiness and wellbeing in abundance,
And at death let
go of deluded experience,
Before finding
an excellent rebirth within the higher realms.
Ultimately,
there is no doubt that this will lead one easily
To find the
supreme and perfect state of awakening.
In response to
the request of Doctor Dordrak,
Who offered a
pure silk scarf and a hundred Nepali rupees,
The one called
Chatral Sangye Dorje,
Who strives
continuously to ransom lives,
Wrote down
spontaneously whatever came to mind.
By the merit of
this may all sentient beings
Come to practise
enlightened actions!
Mamakoling
samanta!