Shakyamuni Buddha - Arya Sanghatasutra Dharmaparyaya (Sanghata Sutra)

This Sanghata Sutra is a Mahayana sutra containing stories illustrating the power of invoking the bodhisattva wish when interacting with others, and the power of past and present actions to produce expansive results. Imbued with the blessings of the power of prayer invoked by Shakyamuni Buddha himself, recitation of this sutra produces a great mass of positive karma that can quickly ripen, even in this life.This new version (2006) is the long-anticipated complete translation from Tibetan by Ven. Lhundup Damch.2006 Edition.The Sanghata Sutra is a direct teaching by the Buddha that promises to transform all who read or recite it.The speech of buddhas is profound; Sarva-shra, listen to me: The Sanghta Sutra is a teacher, manifesting in the form of a sage. The Sanghta manifests, out of kindness, even bodies of buddhas. As many grains of sand as the Ganges holds, in just that many forms it teaches. It teaches in the form of a Buddha. It teaches even the essence of Dharma. Who wishes to see a Buddha, Sanghta is equivalent to a Buddha. Wherever the Sanghta is, always there the Buddha is.Lama Zopa Rinpoche on the Benefits of the SanghatasutraThe rya Sagha Stra is a Mahyna Buddhist scripture that promises to transform all those who read it. Like other sutras, the Sanghta records a discourse given by the Buddha, but unlike other sutras, the Buddha tells us he himself had heard the Sanghta from a previous buddha.The Sanghta is a text that talks about itself by nameand talks in great detail about what it will do to anyone who encounters it. It is also an extraordinary literary adventure, full of stories of death, discovery and magical transformations. It is about many things, but first and foremost, the Sanghta is about what can happen to its readers. That is to say: Most of all, the Sanghta is about you.The speech of buddhas is profound; Sarva-shra, listen to me: The Sanghta Sutra is a teacher, manifesting in the form of a sage. The Sanghta manifests, out of kindness, even bodies of buddhas. As many grains of sand as the Ganges holds, in just that many forms it teaches. It teaches in the form of a Buddha. It teaches even the essence of Dharma. Who wishes to see a Buddha, Sanghta is equivalent to a Buddha. Wherever the Sanghta is, always there the Buddha is.The Sanghta is one of a special set of Buddhist sutras called dharma-paryyas, or transformative teachings, that function to transform those who hear or recite them in particular ways.In general, the recitation of Mahyna sutras is one of the six virtuous practices specifically recommended for purification, and the recitation of this sutra in particular has far-reaching karmic consequences that last for many lifetimes, as the Sanghta Stra itself explains in detail. Within the sutra, the Buddha provides numerous descriptions of the ways in which the sutra works on those who recite it to clear away their seeds of suffering, and to assure their future happiness all the way up enlightenment.Bhaishajya-sna, some young sentient beings here do not understand birth, although they have seen it. Cessation, aging, sickness, sorrow, weeping, separation from loved ones, coming into contact with what is unpleasant, parting with friends, dying, untimely death they do not understand any of these unbearable sufferings. Even though they have seen them, they are not moved and revolted by them, so how could they possibly understand them? Bhaishajya-sna, they must be taught again and again.The sutra also includes some forceful teachings on death and impermanence, including a teaching on the physical and mental processes that occur at the time of death.Although it was visited often and with great enthusiasm for centuries by Mahyna Buddhists in India and Central Asia, the wondrous world of the Sanghta Stra was largely forgotten by Buddhist communities from the eleventh century onwards. In 2002, the text was re-introduced to Buddhist practitioners by academic scholars in North America.Since then, the Sanghta has become the subject of renewed activity: the text has been translated into many modern languages, recited, studied and copied by thousands of Buddhists worldwide, due in large part to the efforts of Lama Zopa Rinpoche. After over one thousand years of quiet slumber, this discourse of the Buddha has again taken a vibrant place at the center of the spiritual life of practicing Buddhists around the world.Benefits of Reciting the Arya Sanghata SutraProbably I dont need to tell you what the text says about how much merit you collecteach time you hear this sutra. Each time you hear it, how much merit do you collect?First of all, one buddha has completed the merit of wisdom and the merit of virtue thereis nothing more to collectand then how many buddhas? The number of buddhasequaling the number of sands of grain in the Ganga River times twelve. And these sandgrains are not ordinary grains of sand. It is explained in the teachings, in the greatenlightened Pabongkha Rinpoches notes, that these grains are made of extremely subtleatoms. There are seven kinds of subtle atoms, water atoms, earth atoms, and so forth.These sand grains are much, much finer than what we usually think.In addition to that, when it comes to talking about the benefits of bodhichitta, or thebenefits of the Arya Sanghata Sutra, the Ganga does not refer to the Indian River Ganges.It refers to the Pacific Ocean. Now, that many numbers of buddhas times twelve. Themerit of just one set of buddhas equaling the number of sand grains in the River Ganga,even just one set how much merit that isis beyond words, unimaginable. Even justthe merit that one buddha has collected is beyond words. So, now, beyond that, the meritthat you collect every time you hear the Arya Sanghata Sutra is equal to twelve times themerit of the number of buddhas as there are sand grains in the River Ganga.So, that is just by hearing it. This means that anyone hearing it - animals, frogs, birds, sono question about pets like your beautiful cat, your darling cat, even spirits collects thatmuch merit. Can you imagine? It is like an impossible thing in the life that happens.When those animals, your cat and other animals, hear you recite Buddhas teachings, itdefinitely makes them to receive higher rebirth and to meet Dharma.The very minute you hear it, the five uninterrupted negative karmas - the extremelyheavy negative karmas that right after death, immediately without interruption of anotherlife, you get born into hell; you get reborn in the lowest hot hell, which has the heaviestsuffering of the lower realms, of which the life span lasts for one intermediate eon thoseget completely purified. This happens even for the sentient beings who hear the sutra, theminute they hear the sutra. Therefore, in the past, when I was in Washington, I played theCD in the car going on the way to go shopping, which is a 40-minute drive away. I wassitting in the front of the car, so I kept the window down. Sitting behind me there weretwo nuns, Holly and Chosang. It was not sunshine weather; it was a bit foggy and cold.The cold wind was going back through the window and making them cold. But if I hadcared only for them, then all those people living in the houses along the road and all thecows and animals, they could not hear. There is a big difference. So, I kept the windowdown and played the CD very loud, like young people playing their music in the car those young people, teenagers who have that strange hair that goes straight up onto theirhead or who have a lot of rings on their ears or on their face, around the eyes orwhateverjust to be descriptive.So, just going one way to shopping, you are liberating so many sentient beings on theway there just one way. During that time there was one deer in the road, so the car stopped and then, they had the opportunity to hear a little bit. So, (if the fiveuninterrupted actions get purified), that means no question about the ten non-virtuousactions, they get purified also. So, I thought that was a great thing to do. But also, thepeople in the car get purified of all those negative karmas collect that unbelievablemerit. It is such an unbelievably easy way to make the life meaningful. You just put theCD in the car and you play it, thats it. As long as you are not deaf and can hear, youdont need to put much effort there. Its the easiest way to purify negative karma, theeasiest way to collect unimaginable extensive merit. That means it is the quickest easiestway to achieve liberation from samsara, to finish all the oceans of samsaric suffering thatone has experienced over and over numberless times without beginning, from timewithout beginning. Not only the people in the car, but also for anyone who hears it it isa quick way to achieve enlightenment. Also, more merit makes it easy and quick torealize the emptiness of the I, the aggregates, phenomena; it is a quick way to eliminatethe root of samsara, ignorance, and a quick way to actualize bodhichitta. You need somuch merit, unbelievable, unbelievable merit to actualize bodhichitta. If you havebodhichitta, you are a bodhisattva. In that second, you become the spiritual son of all thebuddhas, you receive the name. You become the supreme object of offerings of all thesentient beings. They collect inconceivable merits when they make offerings to you. Sowhen they see you, hear your voice, or you give something to them, or touch them. Evenif some of the sentient beings harm you, after you have realization of bodhichitta, thenfrom your side, you only benefit in return. You pray for good things to happen to thatperson. There is a saying with the bodhisattvas, if you cant make a good connection bydoing good things, then by doing some harm, make a connection with the bodhisattva.What it means is it is not saying you must harm a bodhisattva, but in the case that ithappens it is saying it is worthwhile. In return the bodhisattva only benefits, onlyprays, so in return that sentient being is guided by that bodhisattva from life to life. Forexample, the Buddha, during his time as a bodhisattva, sacrificed his blood for the fiveyakshas; they drank his blood. Then, due to that connection, in the next life, they becamehis disciples as human beings they became the first five disciples and Buddha gavethem teachings at Sarnath. That was the first turning of the Dharma Wheel. They drankhis blood, but what the bodhisattva made as a prayer for them was in the next life forthem to be his direct disciples and to be able to receive teachings, and so forth; and, ofcourse they go forth to liberation and enlightenment. There is unbelievable benefit forsentient beings if one is a bodhisattva. Only with bodhichitta can you complete the twotypes of merits and achieve the two kayas. Without bodhichitta, even if you have wisdomdirectly perceiving emptiness, you cannot achieve the two kayas. The highest you canachieve is arhatship, liberation from samsara ceasing the delusions and karma.So, if you read the Arya Sanghata Sutra, there is far greater merit (than just hearing it);then, if you write it much, much more. Remember the merit of the buddhas equalingthe number of grains of sand in the Ganges River times twelve? The amount of merit ifyou write it is eight times that (e.g., 96 x one set of buddhas).The last time that I went to Singapore, and Malaysia, because of my little advertisementabout how much more merit there is if you write it, many people wrote it and have finished it already. This is unbelievable. The director of the Singapore center told meabout when they recited it - incredible things happened. Each time they gave me a littlebit from that. That happened already two times. Also, it happened in Malaysia.Somebody offered $100K for a school. In New Zealand, Bruce Farley just read it maybeone time. When he read it in the gompa, he thought, Buddha wouldnt lie, and with thatstrong faith he read it. He won the lottery a large house in Australia. He didnt tell hiswife or his parents. He invited his wife and his parents to Australia to see the house. Hedidnt tell them about the house, he just invited them. He wanted it to be a surprise. Hisidea was to sell the house and to use the money for Dharma projects. Then, a lady inIstituto Lama Tsong Khapa (in Italy) who had been smoking her whole life - she has beentranslating Dharma texts for Dharmarucci Publishing. She was unable to stop smokingfor so many years. When she read this the first time, she was able to stop smoking likethat (finger snap). That means that, really, Buddha is working, blessing through this text.Buddha is really in action.So, through this merit, how much you collect, then you are able to fulfill all the wishes ofall the sentient beings. You should realize that - the numberless hell beings, you are ableto liberate them; bring them to higher rebirth, and then liberation from samsara, and toenlightenment. Then, it is the same, you are able to help the numberless hungry ghosts,able to help the numberless animals, able to help the numberless humans, able to help thenumberless sura beings, and able to help the numberless asura beings. Also, you are ableto help all the numberless intermediate state beings. So, remember these things. Theseincredible advantages for yourself and for others you can offer from collecting so muchmerit remember them each time you begin to recite the Sanghata Sutra.Not only you, but so many people who have recited the Arya Sanghata Sutra havereceived so much benefit to their mind and to their heart, becoming more and moreDharma. So, also, every day to write even a few lines is extremely, unbelievably good.When you write it, of course you dont finish many pages, it is quite slow, but when youwrite, also you read, so that is the benefit. The only thing is if you only read it, you canfinish in that day, in those hours. Of course, one can do a few lines writing and then readthe whole text. That also can be done. Like that then, gradually, you can finish writing. Iam extremely happy that you enjoy so much. You see the benefit that is working for yourmind and you see that it is an amazing sutra.Colophon:From letter dictated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche at Buddha Amitabha Pure Land, April 122006. Scribed and edited by Kendall Magnussen. https://fpmt.org/education/teachings/sutras/sanghata-sutra-in-various-languages/https://www.sanghatasutra.net/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanghata_Sutra