Lama Tsongkhapa’s A Prayer for Birth in Sukhavati is one of the great devotional verses in Mahayana Buddhism. Alongside The King of Prayers and Maitreya’s Prayer of Love, this prayer is one of the nine great prayers in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. It is also an important practice text composed to help us cultivate the aspiration and enthusiasm we need to practice the entire path to enlightenment. As always, Geshe Tashi’s emphasis in these teachings will be on how we can best experience the material for ourselves.
Geshe Tashi now focusses on the eight lines in verse form on pages 88 & 89 that act as a summary of the text so far. At times of death, if we can’t recite the whole prayer, then this is a very good alternative.
What should we aspire to, in case we are not born in Sukhavati? Here Geshe la gives a commentary of the “seven desirable features” of a precious human rebirth, and guides us towards similar teachings in the Lam Rim. He quotes Master Vasubandu on the division of Lord Buddha’s teachings into oral teachings and realisations, and explains how, through listening, contemplating and meditating, we can uphold the entirety of the Buddha Dharma.
We look forward to seeing you again next week at the same time.
With best wishes,
The Admin Team
You can find details of upcoming classes as well as the text available for download here.
https://foundationsofbuddhistthought.org/