Masters, reverends, fellow students, board members of the PTT Lei Tseng Temple, and Master Lian Wen, good afternoon. Since announcing that I would be taking a more reclusive lifestyle, my wandering has brought me to Vancouver today. I am now like "a homeless ghost." A homeless ghost goes wherever there is food [audience laughter], but I have also performed a fire offering here.

There are three important practices a Tantric cultivator must not neglect, whether one is an ordained master, monk, nun, or student. As long as one has taken refuge in Tantrayana, one must perform these three basic practices.

The first is mantra chanting. As a practitioner of Tantrayana, one has to know that mantras play a most important role in Tantric practices: mantras are the root of Tantrayana. While the Pure Land School considers the chanting of the Buddha's name as the most important practice, the esoteric school considers mantra chanting as equally important. Tsongkhapa has said that mantra is mind, while epithet is form. When one knows the identity of one's Personal Deity, one must chant at least 100,000 times the mantra of this particular deity. Sometimes one must chant 400,000, 500,000, or even one million times. Mantra chanting is the most important basic practice for a Tantric practitioner.

What is the second basic practice? Making offerings to the Buddhas. Each day one has to remember to make offerings. At the personal shrine, there should be a setup of offering bowls or cups for making offerings to the Buddhas. This is something one must do every day. It is not acceptable to excuse oneself from the ritual because one has to go to work everyday and is too busy to change the water and offerings, form the Offering Mudra, and chant the Offering Mantra. One cannot just say that the same routine everyday is too cumbersome and thus ask the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to help themselves to whatever is in the refrigerator. [audience laughter]

Tantric lineage masters have said that as long as a mandala is set up, they would descend. One's Personal Deity may be Kuan Yin Bodhisattva, Yamantaka, or Padmasambhava and, by setting up the respective mandala, the deity will definitely descend. So, if one sets up a shrine for Kuan Yin Bodhisattva and does not go there for several months, when one finally takes a look, there might only be skin and bones left of Kuan Yin. [audience laughter] Therefore, making offering to the Buddhas is something a practitioner must do. After setting up the mandala for the Deities, do not be lazy. Perform the offering ritual once in the morning and once at night. Furthermore, our True Buddha School also practices the fire offering, and one should find a way to do it. Items offered in fire pujas are, indeed, offered up to the Buddhas. The most significant reasons for doing fire offerings are: to repent for one's transgressions, to build up one's reserve of fortune, and to bring the mind into focus so it can merge into oneness with the Buddhas.

One may buy something at the market, put it on a plate, place it in front of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, say, "Help yourself to it," [audience laughter] and walk away. This kind of offering is not accompanied by any proper ritual. In general, this is how practitioners in the scriptural or exoteric schools make offerings. They take a cup of water or some fruit and place them on the shrine. Then, after joining their palms and bowing, they go away.

Fire offerings practiced by esoteric schools are very remarkable. It is a method of offering that requires the formation of mudras, visualization, mantra chanting, and the integration of thought. Earlier, when we were doing the fire practice and making offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, we had to form mudras, perform visualizations, chant mantras, bring the mind into focus, and invoke the Deity to enter into oneself and the merging of the two. Such a way of making offerings is a cut above performing an ordinary offering a hundred times in front of the shrine. Compare the fire offering we just did to placing some fruit in front of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Which one do you think generates more merits? Therefore, Tantrayana is unique in many ways. Making offerings to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is the second basic practice a Tantric practitioner must not neglect.

The third important practice is: we Tantric practitioners have to enter into Samadhi. Entering into Samadhi is quieting the mind and abiding in meditative stillness. In this practice, one develops the skill to transform the greed, anger, and ignorance found in an ordinary being, so one may become a Buddha, Bodhisattva, or Diamond Being. It is my hope that, as a Tantric practitioner, you do one session of practice each day. During the session, pay attention to the practice of Samadhi and make adjustments to develop the skill to truly enter into stillness. When one is able to enter into stillness, one also realizes the second of the Three Non-outflow Studies: discipline, stabilization, and wisdom. When stabilization is attained, the wisdom of the Tathagata will naturally arise within one.

To reiterate, there are three basic things a practitioner has to do every day. Some people ask, "After taking refuge, what am I supposed to do?" These are the three things you must do: assign yourself a certain number of mantra chantings to be done on a daily basis; make offerings every day to the Guru and the Triple Jewels; practice and enter into Samadhi every day.

Sometimes, a student will approach a fa-shi (monk or nun) and ask, "I have already taken refuge and received some empowerments, can you tell me what I need to do?" The fa-shi is at a loss himself. [audience laughter] I have said before, the answer is: eating and sleeping. [audience laughter] Eating and sleeping are also Dharma. The partaking of meals is making an offering, and sleeping is entering into Samadhi. After learning this, you may all practice eating and sleeping. [audience applause]

In reality, the partaking of meals is, in itself, a ritual. The joining of palms and the offering of food is a form of practice. If one sleeps well, one can even practice meditation and enter into Samadhi during sleep. Such a practice requires superb skill. In general, when people sleep at night, they are no longer able to practice. One who can truly practice while he or she sleeps is someone who sleeps in the midst of Light and has his or her power greatly developed. Such a person is able to practice twenty-four hours a day while others only practice twelve hours a day. So, those of you who are fa-shi's have to remember this: when others ask you what they should do after taking refuge and empowerments, you must tell them that they have to chant mantras, make offerings to the Guru and the Triple Jewels, and do practice every day to enter into Samadhi. Such an answer will be perfect.

After entering the door of Buddhism and engaging in the practice of the Tantrayana, you have to find out what your homework is, and not waste time. Life is short. When I came to the United States at the age of thirty-eight, I was very happy to look at the mirror because all my hair was black. Now, as soon as a little white hair shows up, I will shave it off. I did not have any wrinkles then but, when I look at the mirror now, I just want to break it into pieces. [audience laughter] I am a yogi, how can I have wrinkles on my face? I used to be thirty-eight, and now, although I am not yet eighty-three, I am fifty-four and have been here for sixteen years.

I remember when I was first shown this building, I only took a look and decided that it would be the site of the future Pootee Lei Tsang Temple. I said, "OK, let's buy it." Mrs. Lu then said, "You are treating this as casually as if you were shopping for veggies in the market." [audience laughter] After taking one look, I immediately decided to make an offer. My point is, this is how quickly things in life happen and change. How old is the Pootee Lei Tsang Temple now? [Audience replies, "Seven years."] Seven years! How rapidly convergence and dispersal occur. People who have formed close bonds with each other at the temple seven years ago are not here now. Many changes have occurred over the past seven years, and that is just impermanence.

Practitioners have to bear in mind that not much time exists for one. I was thirty-eight when I came to the United States, and I am now fifty-four. I don't know how old I will be the next time I come to visit and talk to you. [Audience replies, "Fifty-five."] [laughter and applause] Time flies and there are not so many years waiting for one. If you don't hurry now to chant the mantras, make mandala offerings, and practice Samadhi, there won't be enough time. In the world, things are impermanent. Many events happen unexpectedly. You think you can happily spend tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and a beautiful future is waiting for you, but sometimes such expectations are ruptured in an instant. Padmasambhava has said before, "Time is like lightning, it is gone in a flash." What he meant is that we have to cultivate energetically when we are alive.

For myself, although I don't hold certain rules to be rigid, I do my homework assignments every day: chanting mantras, making offerings, and entering into Samadhi. When I do all these every day, I feel that I have not missed anything, and my mind is very calm and peaceful. When one is at ease in mind, there will be the appearance of sweet Samadhi and luminosity, even in one's sleep. When that happens, it does not matter whether I lead an active or reclusive life within the school. When one does all these practices, it makes no difference whether or not one has attained Buddhahood. At such a time, whether one is in Western Paradise or in the realm of hell is just the same. As long as one has arrived at a state where one's heart is very calm, peaceful, and filled with light, one has already become an adept in one's cultivation. Therefore, I would especially like to remind everyone today to do mantra chanting, make offerings to the Buddhas, and practice Samadhi.

Om Mani Padme Hum.

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