Dharma Teaching

The purpose for people to practice Dharma is to purify one’s own Nature. It doesn’t mean the Nature is dirty. The Nature is naturally pure but it is obscured by negative karmas.

So, today the program is about Red Tara – The Empowerment of Red Tara. And we believe that Red Tara is very popular. A lot of people practice Tara. So, I think, it is familiar to you. But, Tara means someone who can save people from different dangers, from different fears. That is the meaning of the name of Tara.

First of all, I’d like to thank the pagoda, all masters here, monks and nuns here, to receive me, and to let me talk about Dharma in this pagoda. It is interesting to hear that this place is the first place [in Vietnam] that Buddhism arrived. So, this is especially interesting for me this time to talk about Dharma [here].

The ceremony we want to do is called ‘Riwo Sangcho’, which means Purification for local Protectors. We believe that there are some protectors that are really important to protect individual Dharma practitioners and to protect the teachings of Buddha. Some of the protectors are pretty important, but also they need to be done some ceremony to purify negativities in the environment, and negativities within people

So, we must try to be compassionate to each other, kind to each other, respectful to each other. Of course, we can - I mean [this is] the Buddhist view on sentient beings. When we talk about “Dharma brothers and sisters”, this is a very great way of seeing sentient beings and accepting sentient beings in a special way, in the Buddhist tradition. We say because all sentient beings have the same nature, the essence of the mind of sentient beings is the same - it’s Buddhahood. From that point of view, all sentient beings are like brothers and sisters, because we have the same base, the same foundation.

So you have received many empowerments this time. I also have given you many empowerments. And of course I know many of you have received many empowerments before this time. What makes the empowerment useful is to keep the commitment, the samayas related to those empowerments and to know what kind of commitments, requirements related to these empowerments, these teachings.

I know many of Vietnamese Buddhists, they are very faithful, very religious people. They have a lot of faith, devotion to Buddha, Dharma and Tibetan Buddhism. That means there is very good karmic connection between us, and between you and Dharma. I have been to Vietnam four times and I have seen many many people with a lot of faith, have seen many beautiful places and it’s very nice to see that again. But it’s more wishful to see people with kind heart, faithful people, and honest people again. Being with people who try hard for improving oneself, for being better Dharma practitioners is always very wishful and there is more wish to see that.