BUDDHISM > TEACHINGS: Benefits of Circumambulating Holy Stupas by LAMA ZOPA RINPOCHE

Kopan Monastery, Kathmandu, Dec 13, 16 & 21 1995. 

This is from the sutra verses regarding circumambulating stupas.  Sharipu, the one having great wisdom, requested the founder, Guru Shakyamuni Buddha:

“Whatever the ripening aspects are from circumambulating stupas, you the pure guide, the sublime one in the world of the great eon, please teach me.”

The founder, the fully enlightened being who is supreme among two-legged beings, advised me: “I will reveal just a part of the qualities of circumambulating stupas.”

    *  As a result of circumambulating stupas, devas, nagas, yakshas (nö-chen), smell eaters, asuras, garudas (ka-ding) (other types of non-human beings), miam-ji,  do-che-che  (different types of spirits) will all make offerings to you.
    * After having achieved the freedom that is difficult to find by having circumambulated stupas, even for just one second, you will abandon the eight states that don’t have freedom (to practice Dharma): being born as a hell being, preta, animal; as a barbarian, a long-life god, a heretical beings [heretic]; being born in the time of no Buddha, and being a fool.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will always have a good memory and have wisdom. You will have a beautiful color, you will be wise, and you will receive offerings all the time (people will make offerings).  Having circumambulated holy stupas, the devas as well as human beings will achieve long life, and you will achieve great fame.  Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be born in a pure generation / race / line / [breed] / [faultless breed] in this world, the land of dzambu, and will have wisdom.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be good-hearted, of beautiful color, learned, with your mind abiding in a state of peace and happiness.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will become wealthy/have much wealth, You will not be miserly but will be brave in giving/making charity.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be attractive and enchanting, and whoever sees you will be happy. You will always be able to enjoy/have extensive enjoyment.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will see all causative phenomena as empty, you won’t become ignorant in Dharma and you will quickly achieve the state of joy (the first bhumi, “Extremely Joyful/Happy”).  Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be born of a supreme being’s caste/generation [of faultless breed], you will always be surrounded by women (your wishes will always be fulfilled), and you will have power and perseverance.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be born a great brahmin (high cast), you will have morality, will always hear the teachings, and will have secret mantra (having scriptural understanding and realizations of tantra).
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be born in a great family, of high class. You will be wealthy and have many possessions (animals, crops, etc).
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be born lord of the world in the land of dzambu, a Dharma king in control of all the empty land/the whole earth.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will become a wheel-turning king having the seven precious jewels, and you will turn the wheel according to Dharma (wheel-turning king means you are the most powerful king, and no other can compete with you on this earth).
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you can transfer your consciousness from this world and go to an upper realm. Your mind will be happy to meet the Buddha dharma , and you will have yoga (realizations such as guru yoga in particular, and clear light and illusory body), and you will have great psychic powers.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, after transferring your consciousness from the deva realm and reincarnating in the human realm, you will enter the womb without ignorance.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you won’t be defiled by the stain of the womb, you will become like a pure wish-granting jewel that will be cleaned with three means (?).
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will abide blissfully in the mother’s womb. You will be born blissfully and drink milk blissfully.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be fed not only by the father but by many surrounding servants, who will look after you, and the mother will serve you all the time.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will be loved by your relatives, and especially loved by parents (?). After birth, wealth will increase.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will not be harmed by the flesh eaters/cannibals. You will enjoy the enjoyments without problems.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you won’t become blind or experience arthritis even for 100 eons, and your body will be pure.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, your eye will be completely pure (clairvoyant), fine and horizontal, dark (beautiful according to Eastern interpretation), enchanting, and you will achieve the deva’s eye (clairvoyance) .
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will have a healthy body and a stable mind and stable perseverance, and you will show/have round shoulders and head (nice shaped body, not ugly).
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will have perfect power, perfect face and body/form. You will have all the limbs well adorned with (good) signs.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will become the lord enriched with power in the Realm of the Thirty-three . You will become a great and powerful deva, having great psychic power,  in the Indra Realm.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas you will become the king of the devas who are devoid of fighting. You will have control over the Tushita and Truga Realms.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas you will become the controller of the World of Brahma (deva realm). Ten million devas will make offerings to you.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will have wisdom for 1000 times ten million eons as well as for 100 times ten billion eons, and you will always receive offerings.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, for 1000 times ten million eons you will have a clean body, clean garments, and white Dharma (virtue).  Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will achieve perfect power, perfect perseverance and no laziness, and will achieve very easily (realizations of the path to enlightenment).
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will have stable perseverance and power, stable flexibility and you will receive no harm, and will quickly achieve success.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will have an enchanting sweet tone of voice, a clear, high and beautiful sound, and you will experience no harm and no sickness.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will go quickly to the place where there are teachings of the Buddha and where (most) will achieve higher rebirth. You will achieve the four mindfulnesses   and the four limitless thoughts . You will also achieve the power of psychic limb?  Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will actualize the four noble truths of the Arya beings and you will achieve the limbs of enlightenment and the result. You will achieve the six clairvoyances and no falls (delusion). You will abandon all delusions. You will become the Arhat having great psychic power.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas, you will abandon attachment and hatred, you will abandon all surrounding beings and will achieve self-conqueror/solitary realizer enlightenment.
    * Having circumambulated holy stupas you will achieve the Tathagatha adorned with the holy signs what have golden color holy body in the world.
    * There is physical prostration; mantra and prayer are prostration of speech; and devotion is prostration of the mind.
    * By doing circumambulation you will achieve whatever happiness you wish, all success.

    * Whatever qualities there are of circumambulating the stupa of the savior of the world, they cannot be explained well; they can only be expressed with mere words.
    * Because of having compassionate love towards all sentient beings, Sharipu requested that the savior of the world show the qualities of doing prostrations to the holy object stupa.
    * The value of 100 golden coins, 100 mule-drawn carriages and 100 carriages of the best horses all filled with various jewels sixteen times over cannot compare with the benefits of just one step of circumambulation.
    * One hundred girls of Camposie ?? carrying wish granting jewels, wearing earrings, rings for the fingers and adorned with beautiful golden necklaces and golden ornaments (for the shoulders) sixteen times over, cannot compare with the benefits of even one step of circumambulation.
    * Even a hundred “bal” elephants (with huge strides and extraordinary power) having great body (extensive) with extended chin. Trunks like the plough and adorned with gold and wish granting jewels, sixteen times over, cannot compare with the benefits of even one step of circumambulation.
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of happiness taking just one step in circumambulation of the Buddha stupa is no comparison to the hundred thousand gold coins of the Dzambu water gold. (Dzambu Chulung refers to Lake Matoe into which fell the fruit of the Dzambu tika tree. Nagas in the form of fishes ate the fruits and the uneaten fruits get churned for many thousands of years in the lake, due to that it becomes Dzambu chuser - the Dzambu water gold. It becomes the best quality gold priceless. So the gold coins of Dzambu water gold means that, not just any gold.)
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of joy taking just one step in circumambulation of the Buddha stupa, this is no comparison even to the hundred thousand golden palaces made from the Dzambu water gold.
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of joy piling a heap of loose flowers at a Buddha stupa, this is no comparison to even to a hundred thousand golden containers made from the Dzambu water gold.
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of joy offer garlands of flowers at a Buddha stupa, this is no comparison  even to two hundred million big loads of gold made from the Dzambu water gold.
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of joy initiate with incense waters at a Buddha stupa, this is no comparison to even to a hundred thousand piled heap of gold made from the Dzambu water gold.
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of joy offer butter lamps at a Buddha stupa, this is no comparison to even a hundred thousand times ten million gold coins made from the Dzambu water gold.
    * All the learned ones, with a mind of joy puts the flag and precious umbrella at a Buddha stupa, this is no comparison to even to a hundred thousand golden Mt. Merus made from the Dzambu water gold.
    *

This is showing the benefits of making offerings to the inconceivable, unimaginable numbers of the Tathagatas, fully enlightened beings like the oceans, who are peerless leaders of the sentient beings.  Those who make offerings while they are abiding and who make offerings after they pass away in the sorrowless state, the virtuous thought is the same. There is no difference in the merit. In this way the Buddha is inconceivable, the Buddha’s Dharma is also inconceivable, the ripening aspect result arising from this devotion is also inconceivable.
Herein is the completion of the verses on the circumambulation of the stupa.

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