The Great Liberation from the Dangerous Path of Obstacles – An Encouragement to Avert the Hindrances of Dark Times in the Year of the Iron Dog

The Three Jewels are the unfailing supreme source of refuge. Padmakara is the sole protector of the Teaching and beings in this degenerate age. The Nirmanakaya Tertons arrive when the time is ripe to tame beings in any way necessary. When considering their kindness, my faith and homage soar.

Having bowed down to Those Who compiled all the prophecies from the ocean of all the profound revealed Treasures at Yachen Dharma Encampment and to Kangsar Tenpai Wangchug who clearly taught what to do and what to avoid, it would be wise to make efforts in Their methods for freeing ourselves from this narrow and dangerous path.

With regards to this, at the great Dharma Encampment of Yachen, all of the prophecies of the regents of Guru Rinpoche, the great Treasure Revealers, were compiled and then Kyabje Kangsar Tenpai Wangchug Rinpoche examined and compared them all and what He found was that it is said that a great war will happen in this world in the Iron Dog Year of 2030.

[For instance,] in the prophecies of the emanated Treasure Revealer Jigme Nuden Dorje, it says:

“The 18 armies of Duruka will carry a 108 different kinds of weapons and armor. Their food, language, and clothing will all be different [than ours.] They are all extremists with no contentment.”

Kyabje Jadral Sangay Dorje also has stated in His “Aspiration Prayer for Urging the Enlightened Minds to Avert the Strife of the Unfortunate Era:”

“The forces of light flicker.

The forces of darkness, a demon army, inflame great and powerful men,

And they rise in conflict, armed with nuclear weapons

That will disintegrate the earth.

The weapon of perverse and errant intentions

Has unleashed the hurricane.

Soon, in an instant, it will reduce the world

And all those in it to atoms of dust.

Though this ill-omened devils’ tool

Is easy to see, to hear, and think about,

Ignorant people, caught in a net of confusion and doubt,

Are obstinate and still refuse to understand ”

Based on this and many other [such] statements, there is no certainty that a serious war will not, in our future, occur in this world involving nuclear weapons.

Additionally, many experts have calculated [the risks] and are worried about such possibilities. Such a war would be absolutely a cause of harm for all countries – both east and west – as well as for their governments, traditions, and their people and would bring no benefit.

In order to avoid such misfortunes, many methods for averting them with the stages of interdependent causes and conditions are stated in the prophecies. In Terton Jigme Nuden Dorje’s Catalog of Prophecies, He states,

“…..therefore, in the future, do this to avert it. Just as you would build a dam before the rising of the water for once it has happened, how could you turn it back.”

And,

“Place statues of Orgyen [Rinpoche, i.e., Padmakara] on the peaks of the highest mountains, hang colored Vajra Guru prayer flags in the four directions, and recite verses of auspiciousness and aspirations. Recite the Vajra Guru mantra aloud day and night as well as the extensive and condensed “Spontaneous Fulfillment of Wishes,” and carve the Vajra Guru mantra on stones and [the faces of] cliffs.

These are the particular methods for averting from this profound Terma.”

Further, “Place a stupa in all lands and at the bottom of each valley and within them place Guru Rinpoche who averts the disturbances of the four elements, as best you can. Consecrate them and request the Deities to remain within them and make the stupas big or small according to your resources.”

In the Kagyama Prophecies it states:

“Within the five standing goddesses of the elements, place the chakras of the individual elements as well as their seed syllables, precious substances, medicines, grains, and multi-colored silks. Bury them at the peaks of carefully examined mountains and then recite verses of auspiciousness, entrustments, and consecrations and thereby the stirrings of the elements will be pacified and they will remain in their natural states. Thereby the qualities of comfort and goodness will increaser in all lands.

Additionally, by implementing rules which accord with the Dharma in all directions, happiness will arise in those places where they are put into practice.”

Further:

“Even if you do not accomplish the other means for averting the five kinds of Duruka, all the important and wealthy people primarily and other faithful ones should gather together in an auspicious site and build an authentic stupa and, inside it, place collected weapons tied up in a web of five-colored strings facing downwards and then below it suppress all bhutas, ghosts, and outsiders [i.e., foreigners]. Have a blessed yogi consecrate it, make offerings, and supplications and thereby the misfortunes of weaponry will decline, fighting and disputes will not occur in that region, and outside armies will be thwarted.

Or gather many medicines and do the practice of [making] amrita medicine. Then place the heaps of medicine within a stupa and consecrate it. Thereby the harms of disease will not occur. Or gather many kinds of grains and place them within a stupa and do as stated above and thereby you will be freed form famine.”

In the profound Treasures of the great Terton Dudjom Lingpa, it is said:

“The Namgyal stupa of utter victory over opposing armies brings various auspicious interdependences which pervade to all lands and cannot be reversed by the maras with perverse aspirations. If you can make one in each and every land, you can avert the [heretical] teachings of maras for 100 years.”

Also, in the prophecies of Terton Rigzin Orgyen Sherab, He states, “[Constructing] the Oddiyana Temple [i.e., a Zangdog Palri] which is victorious over maras, being respectful of the teachings on acceptance and rejection in terms of karmic cause and effect, maintaining one’s ancestral traditions, sang smoke offerings, making offerings for the fulfillment of your wishes, and making and hanging prayer flags are profound [methods for averting harmful forces.]” There are many such prophecies.

Kangsar Tenpai Wangchug has also taught that these averting methods can be gathered into three primary ways which are in brief:

1) Building statues of Guru Rinpoche and stupas for taming maras in all directions

2) Reciting the extensive Sampa Lhundrubma (Spontaneous Fulfillment of Wishes), or its condensed form – Dagpai Shingchog-ma – and the Vajra Guru mantra and placing prayer flags of these prayers in the four directions and reciting aspirations and verses of auspiciousness upon them

3) Performing the enactment of the Enlightened activities of suppression, burning, and casting out of glorious Vajrakilaya.

As for the statues of Guru Rinpoche, if possible, they should be of Nangsid Zilnon (the Guru Who Overwhelms All Appearances & Existence) of whatever size and quality in accordance with the situation of one’s means, location, and time. Have them correctly filled with mantras and consecrated and then bring them to the locations described above.

As for the stupas, they should be made in key places like the 24 holy sites, the eight charnel grounds, the Tadul Yangdul [four key monasteries made during the reign of Songtsen Gampo] as well as in the snow mountains and mountain peaks in the north, south, east, and west of this world, along rivers, oceans, junction of region, the intersections of rivers, and places where many people gather together. The sizes of the stupas should be, for large ones, many stories tall; for medium ones, from one story to the height of a person; and for smaller ones, from the size of a human forearm; and for very small ones, there are teaching on how to make stupas the length of a finger. Sa-tsas are also said to be actual stupas in the ritual for making the 108 stupas and elsewhere in all of the sutras and tantras. These are easy to make and are very effective. So perform all of the steps of filling with mantras and consecration previously mentioned about the Namgyal stupa for taming maras. With the motivation of wholesome Bodhicitta, place them in high snowy mountains, on mountain peaks, in the midst of forests, or, if you sink them in the depths of lakes and oceans or bury them underground, it is clear that they are less likely to be disturbed by opponents.

Similarly, the method for averting such difficult times which is praised above all others is the billionfold repetition of the Vajra Guru mantra, its group practice, and encouraging others to recite it throughout their day as well as reciting the extensive Spontaneous Fulfillment of Wishes or its condensed form – Daspai Shingchog-ma – printing and hanging five-colored prayer lags, constructing mantra wheels which turn by water or by flame, and playing recordings of mantras and prayers aloud to widely broadcast them. It is said that we must make efforts in all avenues.

Kyabje Jadral Sangay Dorje has also stated in [the colophon to] His previously mentioned aspiration prayer:

“Because the signs are increasing day by day of a danger which has never previously occurred but could come quickly of the use of nuclear weapons which have the power to instantly destroy all of the teachings of the Victors, the life-force of beings, and all the goodness of the environment and of its living beings in this world – the kind of violent warfare which could kill all of humanity – therefore, being urged to action by intolerable sadness and intense fear just like a child calling its mother or calling for Orgyen Pema’s protection during the critical situations, everyone in this time should all recite this prayer to urge the Enlightened minds of the ocean of jewels who are our objects of refuge. They should also write it on flags and hang them on the peaks of mountains, from bridges, and so forth. I believe that this is necessary and carries immense benefits. So anyone who believes in me should keep this in mind.”

What is stated here is something worthy of being implemented by the masses and, because it is easy to do, I request you to make efforts in doing so.

Additionally, we should do authentic drupchens and group practices based on glorious Vajrakilaya and implement the Enlightened activities of suppression, burning, and casting out.

Continuing from the previously quoted statement from Nuden Dorje’s Catalog of Prophecies, it states:

“Specifically, perform the averting ritual of this profound Treasure, offer tormas and tshog on the 10th [day of the lunar month], recite the account of Buddha’s past lives, offer sang to the local spirits, build and make offerings at senkar’, and bury treasure vases. Perform ablutions on mountains and lakes, give gifts for the fulfilment of your wishes, and sing the praises of the Deities.”

Amongst the methods listed here, it is of vital importance that the general assembly of sangha members led by the holy beings of the monasteries of all traditions, regardless of tradition, take the responsibility of implementing the ceremonies of offering and sang connected with proclaiming the commands to the gods and spirits, performing ablutions of mountains and of sacred supports of Enlightened body, speech, and mind, and burying treasure vases for revitalizing deteriorations in the environment and in living beings.

Therefore, I request that you all keep this in mind and further encourage all who have faith in the Dharma to practice implementing virtuous deeds and avoiding non-virtuous ones in general and, in particular, to perform life-release ceremonies of fish and other animals and so forth, making efforts to the extent of your abilities in the path of non-violent and peaceful conduct and to join those practices with excellent aspirations and wishes for auspiciousness.

The time at which we must make our efforts in such methods for averting calamities are mentioned in the previously cited Treasure text from Nuden Dorje where it states:

“The obstacles of the Iron Dog [2030] can be averted from the Water Male Dragon year [2024] onwards. Since this method is a slayer of foes, there is no doubt it will be averted.”

Also, in Thragtung Dudjom Lingpa’s prophecies, He states:

“The spread of the doctrine of the barbarians will spread in the Dog year. Apply the antidotal averting rituals in the Dragon. Not just one Dharma center, but all of them must carry this out!”

As stated here, I feel that not merely one or two Dharma centers, villages, or people but all must not fall into carelessness but must carry out these methods now before the time mentioned in the prophecies has passed.

Therefore, I request that you earnestly take this to heart. This particular call to action was composed on the 29th day of Saga Dawa in the Water Tiger year of the 17th sexagenary cycle by the bearer of the name Gochen Gyalwai Tulku, Namchag Sangngag Tenzin Who has attained the blessing of being named the sixth incarnation of Orgyen Drime Lingpa.

1 Senkar, otherwise known as tenkar, are small buildings placed on top of mountains with a masklike representation of the local gods enshrined within it.

Edited by Lama Pema Chophel in August, 2022 for English readers.

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