15th Awam Monlam Chenmo: H.H.Khenchen Lama Rinpoche Teaching on “Ah Ma” and the Great Mahayana Sutra

Good morning, good afternoon, good evening everyone. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy New Year.

Today’s teaching and outer transmission is “Ah Ma”. This is the Great Mahayana Sutra.

First, I’m going to do outer transmission of the Great Mahayana Sutra. The lineage is from my Guru Khenchen Jigme Namgyal Rinpoche. He gave me both the long and short outer transmissions of this Great enlightenment Mahayana Sutra. Today I’m going to give only the short, outer transmission of the Great Mahayana Sutra.

This is the same great good virtue as the long transmission. This is a Treasure of Chakmed Rinpoche. It was he who said it is the same great good virtue as the long transmission. The short one has only 2 pages. The long one has 171 pages. I will give the long one slowly at the beginning of each Awam Monlam Chenmo. This means it will take 17 times to complete the long transmission. I will start this next year. This is the same one as given to me from my Guru Khenchen Jigme Namgyal.

The function of “Ah Ma” is to clean negative karma and purify all outer, inner and secret karmas. It is just like tantra’s Vajrasattva Meditation. The function for both of these meditations is the same. It is powerful and cleans the body, speech and mind.

Also, my Guru read this Sutra every day. My mom also did the same. This is a special lineage of my family and my Guru. Please listen carefully to me and to this Dharma teaching. Outer transmission means to keep this in mind; listen with ear consciousness and do this yourself. Then, you can do transmission for others.

Now I will give the “Ah Ma” teaching. “Ah Ma” is a Tibetan word. This is an important word. Everyone knows that in some languages they use a word that sounds similar and means mother.

I am teaching “Ah Ma” today because it is my mom’s 11th anniversary month of when she passed away. Also, it is Dakini day. “Ah Ma” is the most important word. In general, “Ah” means emptiness of phenomena and “Ma” means great compassion. Together it is emptiness of Wisdom and Compassion.

Also, we have different outer, inner and secret ways to understand. First, the outer meaning is “Ah” is the sky. “Ma” means earth. Together this is space; the middle way. Sky and earth are examples of objects that are usually understood as outside, or worldly.

Now, the inner understanding is “Ah” means our body. “Ma” means our mind. The secret meaning is, “Ah” means great voice of nature. “Ma” means primordial nature of mind.

These are the outer, inner, and secret understandings. But usually people say “Ah Ma” and the meaning is mother. We think of a mother’s love and kindness and also other mother sentient beings. We think of benefitting our self and others. This all comes from “Ah Ma”.

This is the real reason we do meditation of Refuge and Bodhicitta and think of mother sentient beings. First you think of your mom and her love and kindness. She gave you birth, raised you and did many kind things because of her love. Then think and want all mother sentient beings to reach the great liberation. Together, this is Bodhicitta.

If you don’t do any other mantra or mudra, you can say “Ah Ma, Ah Ma, Ah Ma” as a mantra. Also, you can use your thumb and middle fingers together as mudra, “Ah Ma’s” mudra. When done together, these all do the meditation of outer, inner, and secret ways. We can easily do this practice.

The really most important way is to think of your mother first. Then think of your body, speech and mind “Ah Ma’s”. Then think of all other mother sentient beings reach the great liberation. Do this meditation and Bodhicitta. This is wisdom and compassion.

Then we pray. Do 100 times. Pray mother sentient beings reach the great liberation right now. Then as you walk, eat, sleep, sit, the 4 activities, think of your body, speech and mind.

Inner 3 Kayas. Khenchen Lama