2021 Bliss and Wisdom Monlam Great Prayer Festival will soon begin! This most anticipated yearly Festival is scheduled on the 27 (Saturday) and 28 (Sunday)of March. Welcoming of the exalted Maitreya Buddha Ceremony will be on 29 of March. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival will be conducted live stream online instead. But then how prepared are we to accumulate the most remarkable merits during the Festival? The Bliss and Wisdom Global Website has extracted Teacher’s discourses on pre-preparation of Monlam Festival for the year 2012 and 2015 for all of us. These themes include “The origin and significance of Monlam Festival”, “How to make offering and dedicate (merits), “How to avoid lethargy and distraction?”, “Reminders on participating in Monlam Festival”. All are welcome to read through and be well-prepared in advance for the Monlam Festival!

1.  Discourse by Teacher : the origin and significance of Monlam Festival

The Monlam Great Prayer Festival originated from the “Sutra for the Wise and the Foolish”. It was recorded in the chapter -“The Taming of the Six Heretic Teachers.”

In Buddha’s time, from the first day till the 15th day of the first month, Shakyamuni Buddha displayed his remarkable supernatural power at the examination square of Sravasti, taming the six heretic teachers and their misled disciples. With his swift power of great compassion and wisdom, the heretic flags were torn down, where the great pennants of the Sublime Teachings were set up. Many, many sentient beings were liberated. During this process, many people attained sublime realizations at the same time.

From then onwards, during this auspicious time of the year, all the great Dharma Masters in India would set up and display vast offering of precious items, offering to Triple Gem, followed by sutras recitation, making aspirations and generous offering to all sentient beings.

Hence, when Buddhism was propagated to Tibet in the beginning, the Tibetan Dharma masters would follow the practice of Indian masters, making vast offering according to the Dharma sprung up. Later when Buddhism gradually declined, the offering practice also slowly faded out. But in order to let the Dharma Teachings remain forever, for the Dharma wheels to turn continuously, allowing all sentient beings to accumulate merits - to have blessings from the Buddha, and have them endlessly, Master Tsong-kha-pa aspired with the greatest and vast compassion, and organised this grand “Monlam  Festival” for all of us. 

So now, in order to supplicate for the pure teaching to stay in this world, all sentient beings to attain happiness, for famine, calamities, drought and flood, etc., and also all wars among countries to cease and may peace be upon everyone in the world of the ten direction, we have come together to participate in this Monlam Festival.

During the Monlam Festival, we will listen to sutras and make offerings. The Sangha and the lay community will also gather under one roof. Thus, it is said that during this period, the accumulated karmic cause for either virtuous or non-virtuous deeds will multiply many folds.  However, as our schedule will be tightly packed with learning the Dharma, everyone will appear very joyful and harmonious. Henceforth, there will probably not be any non-virtuous deeds like harsh speech or conflicts in this large gathering.

Everyone will develop a sense of compassion, a power of strength from the heart, among the Sangha and the lay community.  Some of our usual disrespectful or unrestrained behaviour concerning the body, speech and mind, will be naturally controlled during participation. As such, we become gentler and kinder, and uncontrollably able to experience infinite Dharma joy over the great faith we have developed and the virtuous deeds we have done. 

2.  Teacher’s discourse: How to make offering and dedicate (merits)?

The Monlam Festival is hard to come by on earth, especially for practitioners like us, it is a very rare gathering. I earnestly wish that everyone can make good use of these few precious days of Dharma learning opportunity, and make tremendously ardent and vast offerings to all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and all the lineage masters.

The primary manifestation of vast offerings is as follows: You must feel joyous in your heart, establish the true motivation and transform them (vast offerings) into clouds of offering. This is the way to offer to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Also, to make offerings to the vast Sangha community – such as to all the Sangha in Feng Shan Monastery, the entire Sangha community in Taiwan, as well as in the entire world – and to all the wise Sages and Sangha in the worlds of the ten directions, all need to be offered.

When we make such supplications and offerings during the puja, perhaps those who have lesser karmic obscuration would be able to feel the presence of many great sages, many Buddhas and Bodhisattvas gracing the event, receiving our offerings.  Even though we are only offering just a little, perhaps a light, a few cups of water, say even a hundred lights, etc., but who we are offering to are all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas that we have in our hearts and mind, as well as to the many many great masters who will come and accept our offerings.  The merits accumulated in this way will be immeasureable.

The significance of the Monlam festival is that, it is able to bring peace and happiness to all sentient beings, allowing sentient beings to accumulate merits.  We, as one of the sentient beings, must very, very earnestly cherish - this that occurs only once a year – such an opportunity. Hence, I wish that everyone is able to practice vast offering, exuberate joyousness, listen to the Dharma intently, making use of this Monlam festival, this Buddhist legacy, to accumulate vast amount of merits for both self and others.

There are 2 types of merits, one accumulated according to external conditions, the other is accumulated within our hearts.  If we are able to accumulate both types of these great merits and dedicate these merits towards for the Dharma to remain in this world for a long time, dedicate to the peace and happiness of all sentient beings, dedicate to the liberation of all sentient beings, that I am able to attain the Three Principle Aspects of the Path sooner, able to attain Buddhahood sooner – especially the Mahayana aspiration based on the Spirit of Enlightenment, it really really requires a vast amount of merits.  Therefore, mega rejoice to everyone, I am also very envious that each and every one of you are able to practice/cultivate in such a puja.

3.  Teacher’s Discourse: How to avoid Lethargy and Distraction?

It is important to focus when we listen to Dharma, do not lose attention and let our wild mind free. For example, harbouring any erroneous mental intentions, disrespectful, or letting one’s mind runs wild during the Puja that is ongoing; physically in the Puja but in fact the mind has wandered off unknowingly. Such are the actions that let ourselves down the most. 

How do we prevent lethargy and distraction? Hence, it is important that we put what is stated in the beginning of the Lamrim, “Benefits of listening to the teachings” into practice. Without the proper preparation to listen, it will be difficult to enter the right (mind) state during the Puja; or only maybe calming down slowly after an hour after listening, or some may not be able to quiet down (the mind) at all. The mind will remain in the hectic flow of the prior mundane chores and unable to focus on the object of scriptural teachings given by Rinpoche. Thus you have to contemplate on the benefits of listening to the teachings, contemplate about how precious the Dharma is and hard to meet, that having the opportunities of having Dharma teachings given by excellent teachers are rare and precious. When the feeling of treasuring (this) and difficult to meet (the teachings) are arose in our heart, our wild mind can then focus on the Dharma.

In fact, a joyful heart is a way to counter our lethargy. We are very very fortunate to be able to listen to the excellent teachers’ narrating the Buddha’s great qualities again. The Buddha is our biggest benefactor, as he, from the most beginning, in the middle, and till the final attainment of ultimate enlightenment, from making an aspiration, to accumulating merits, and eventually attaining complete and perfect Enlightenment, it is to help yours and my life of suffering. Such thoughts will move one to tears, if you think deeply about it, and Buddha’s great compassion that is indescribably touching. As long as we frequently recall and think about it, it is impossible for the heart not to be moved upon hearing the stories of the Buddha. When we hear the Buddha’s stories, arise the feeling of being touched, arise the wish to want to learn from the Buddha, and also arise the feeling of rejoice which is hard to come by.

As we are all aware, jealousy is an obstacle, an obstruction to the virtuous teachings. Thus when we rejoice in our heart towards the Buddha, who is the greatest merit field, if we could rejoice the Buddha’s extremely excellent good qualities each time we listen wholeheartedly to the Dharma, then the amount of positive karma we have amassed during this Dharma session would be unthinkable/unimaginable.

As we have learnt, many had achieved attainments while listening to Buddha’s discourses during His time in this world; some attained the fruits at respective levels, some advanced to the bodhisattva grounds, while others attained the supreme, perfect enlightenment.  This is such an excellent Dharma assembly.  If we could view these Excellent Teachers just as we view the Buddha, regard the Dharma as the medicine and oneself as a sick person, as cited in the Lamrim, and then earnestly listen to the Dharma, then I believe we will achieve the benefits that the Lamrim indicated.

Therefore, we will be spending so much time to attend each discourse, how much precious merits (i.e resources to walk the path) we are accumulating for our afterlife!  Hence, we must be, must be very serious and earnest.

In addition, when we listen to the Dharma earnestly and respectfully, we are practicing with our body and mind to request for the Buddhas to stay in this world, to turn the Dharma wheel, and wish that the Dharma remain for a long time – this is what all (Buddhists) should cultivate.  This is because we know how precious the Dharma is, how rare it is to meet the Buddha and the Excellent Teachers. How then do we demonstrate that we cherish the Dharma?  We do so by listening to the Dharma wholeheartedly according to the right method for listening, which will surely delight our Excellent Teachers. Our Teachers will then always delightfully lead us to learn and guide/support us. We will then always be away from bad friends/teachers with wrong views, and remain close to our Excellent Teachers; we will always listen to the unparalleled wondrous Dharma at the base of the seat where our Teachers give the teachings.

4.  Discourse by Teacher : Reminders on participating in the Festival

There are a few reminders for everyone. As everyone knows, the Monlam Festival is an extremely sacred, dignified and hard-to-come-by Puja. Having been searching for the one thing in life, how many times can we partake in the Monlam Festival? Thus it is a very rare opportunity. Hope that when everyone is attending the Monlam festival, (we) must set our motivation/intention correctly, because the motivation for creating karma is of extreme importance; (we) must also pay attention to dedication. If we have a drop of merit, how do we use it limitlessly life after life? (We) must dedicate towards (attaining) the spirit of enlightenment.

Making aspiration is also for attaining ultimate enlightenment, dedication is also for attaining ultimate enlightenment. Hence, during the Monlam Festival, for each session that we attend, each recitation, the aspiration and dedication are the same, and so we will attain such outcome. This is extremely, extremely precise. Thus everyone must take note when making aspiration and dedication.

Hope that everyone will treasure very well, the time that passes second by second, moment by moment. using it to create the vastest virtuous deeds. Because when Master started the Monlam Festival in Taiwan, Master also made very great, very great aspiration, wishing for the Teachings to remain in the world, and may all sentient beings have peace and joy. Hence, (I) wish that everyone, when attending the Monlam Festival, basing on also having such wishes, (feel) grateful to our lineage masters and teachers who brought the Monlam Festival to us, and cultivate seriously and earnestly.

As I worry about you all, please treasure your virtuous roots well, and practice/cultivate diligently during the Monlam Festival. Life is filled with suffering and is short, the time that we are able to use for cultivation is extremely little. If you do not treasure such moments that you have received, as said by Santideva Bodhisattva, “what is it within me that causes this confusion!” Sharing this is in hope of exhorting/encouraging everyone. Please treasure your virtuous roots well during the Puja, (cultivate) diligently in order to repay all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, grateful to all excellent teachers, and may the Teachings remain for a long time.

2021 福智祈愿法会即将开始！一年一度众所期待的祈愿法会，将在 3 月 27 日 (周六)、28 日 (周日) 举行，3 月 29 日 (周一) 是迎请慈尊法会。今年的法会受到新冠疫情影响，改采线上直播的方式进行。怎样用心准备，才能在法会中获得最殊胜的资粮呢？福智全球资讯网为大家整理[老师在2012、2015 年祈愿法会的前行开示]，主题共包含有[祈愿法会的由来与内涵]、[如何供养与回向？]、[如何远离昏沉与散乱？]、[参加法会的几句叮咛]，欢迎阅读，事先做好前行！

一、老师开示：祈愿法会的由来与内涵

祈愿大法会的来源，是源于《贤愚经》上的〈降六师品〉中的记载。

昔日释迦牟尼佛，于正月初一到十五元宵日这一天，在舍卫国较试场大显神通，降伏了六种邪魔外道师，及其他迷途的这些弟子，以慈悲和智慧迅猛的这种力量，摧破了魔军的旗帜，树立了正法的宝幢，让很多很多众生得到了救拔。在这过程中呢，也有很多人证得了殊胜的果位。

从那个时候开始，印度的诸位大法王，每逢在这个殊胜的时候，都会陈设广大稀有的供品，供养三宝，然后诵经、发愿，布施广大的有情。

所以佛法在刚传到西藏的时候，藏地的大德也是仿照印度的大德，如法兴起了供养。后来佛法有些衰落的时候，供养法会也慢慢地隐没。但是宗大师为了圣教永住、法轮常转，也令众生集福——能够获得佛陀的恩泽、能够无有穷尽，所以发了非常广大、慈悲的心，为我们筹办盛大的[祈愿法会]。

那么现在，也是为了[祈愿正法久住，众生能够得到安乐，世界上的饥饿、灾难、旱涝等，还有国家之间的战争能够息灭，全世界的人，乃至所有十方世界的人都能够和平。]所以我们来一起参与这个祈愿法会。

在参与祈愿法会的中间，我们会听经、会供养，僧俗二众会齐聚一堂。所以，有人说在这个期间，所造的善业它会成倍地增长，所造的恶业也会增长。但是因为我们听经学法的时间比较密集，会呈现大家都很欢喜，很和睦，可能很多人聚在一起也不会比如说口出恶语或者互相争吵。

我们也会有一种很慈悲的、心的力量在僧俗中间。平常的一些、身语意的一些不敬或放逸的行为，在这个法会中间，也能够自然地得到一种收摄，所以让我们的内心好像变得调柔，情不自禁地对于信仰、对于我们所造作的善业，都能够心生无限的法喜。

二、老师开示：如何供养与回向？

祈愿法会是人间难得的节日，尤其是我们修行人非常难得的聚会，非常非常希望大家能够利用这几天的珍贵的学法的时间，对于佛菩蕯、对传承祖师们做非常殷重广大的供养。

广大的供养主要是显现为：你的内心要很欢喜，要去[实设意变供养云]，这样去供养佛菩蕯。另外要供养广大的僧众，像凤山寺的法师们、整个台湾的法师们、整个世界的法师们——十方世界所有的贤圣僧，全部都要供养。

当我们在法会中，做这样的祈求和供养的时候，可能业力清净的人也能感受到很多圣者、很多佛菩蕯降临在这个法会中，接受我们的供养。我们虽然是用一点点的心力，可能是供一盏灯、供几杯水这样的一个心力，或者说供一百盏灯等等，可是我们供到的，是我们心里缘念到的那些所有的佛菩蕯，和很多很多大成就者也会来应供，这样所累积的福报，是无量无边的。

祈愿法会的意义就在于它能给众生安乐，能让众生积福。做为众生之一的我们，一定要非常非常殷重地珍惜——这个一年才一度的——这样的一个机会。所以希望大家能够广兴供养、广发欢喜、认真地听法，利用这个祈愿法会的这个佛教的传规，为自他的生命累积非常大的福报。

这个福报有两种，一种是依照外在的累积，一种是内心里的一个累积。如果能够累积到这两种很大的福报的话，将这个福报回向正法久住、回向众生安乐、回向为了芸芸众生的解脱，我早一天生起三主要道的证德，早一天去证得佛果——尤其是以菩提心为根本的大乘道的这个发心，它非常非常需要广大的资粮，所以非常随喜诸位，也非常羡慕诸位能在这样的一个法会之中能够修行。

三、老师开示：如何远离昏沉与散乱？

在听经的时候注意不要昏沉散乱，不要纵自己的狂心。比如：非理作意、没有敬意，或者坐在法会中胡思乱想，人在法会里坐着，心不晓得跑到哪里去了，这都是最对不起自己的事情。

如何防治昏沉和散乱呢？一开始《广论》上[听闻胜利]的串习是很重要的，因为听闻前行做不好，法会正行的时候就会进入不了状态，可能听经听了一个小时才慢慢的静下来，或者有人还是无法静下来，就是之前在世间忙的很多事情的续流，无法一下子转到仁波切讲经的所缘上。所以你要思索[听闻胜利]，想一想佛法多么珍贵难遇，善知识来说法多稀有的机会，生珍惜的、难遇的那种心境起来的时候，就能够把我们狂乱的那个心缘在法上。

其实[欢喜心]是对昏沉的一种对治。我们非常非常地难得，能一再听闻善知识为我们讲述佛陀的功德。佛陀是我们最大的大恩人，祂从最初、中间、最后成就无上菩提，初发心、中集资粮、成就正等正觉，全都是为了拯救你我痛苦的生命。这一份略一思索会让人生起一种感激涕零、不可名状的感动的这样的一个大悲心，只要我们常去忆念一下，不可能听到佛陀的故事会心无动转。听到佛陀的故事，生起感动的心，生起效学的心，还有生起那难得的随喜之心。

大家都知道嫉妒是一种障碍，障碍善法，而我们生起随喜的心，功德最大的就是佛陀，如果在每一次听经时，都随喜佛陀那样非常非常了不起的功德，用全部的心去听闻，那么在这一场听闻之中，我们所集结的善业是不可思议的。

大家都知道在佛世，佛陀说法的时候，有很多人在听经的时候就证得比如：有人证几果、有人登地、又有人发阿耨多罗三藐三菩提心，这是一个那样殊胜的法会。如果我们能对说法的善知识作佛想，像《广论》中所说的，于说法起药品想，于自己要起疗治想：[我是有病的一个人。]这样非常认真、严谨地听闻，我相信一定能获得像《广论》中所说的那样的胜利。

所以，都是花这么多时间听这一座法，到底为自己的来生、为自己的后世，累积多少珍贵的资粮——那种道粮！所以大家一定要、一定要非常的殷重。

而且我们认真的听法、恭敬的听法，也是请佛住世、请转法轮、希望正法能够久住的一个身体力行的修为，是所有佛弟子都应该做的。因为我们都知道佛法珍贵、佛陀难遇、善知识难遇，那么我们如何把自己非常珍惜教法的心表示出来，就是用自己身体力行实践听闻轨理，如法的听闻，我们这样做一定会令善知识非常的欢喜，会永远高高兴兴地带着我们学，来摄受我们，我们就永远都能够远离恶知识、亲近善知识，永远都在善知识座下听闻那无与伦比的美妙教法。

四、老师开示：参加法会的几句叮咛

有几句叮咛给大家。众所周知，祈愿法会是非常神圣庄严而又难得的法会，穷极一生，我们能参加多少次祈愿法会？所以是很稀有的机会。希望大家在参加祈愿法会的时候，要端正好自己的动机，因为我们造业动机非常地重要；也要注意回向，如果我们有一滴水的福报，如何让它生生世世受用不尽呢？一定要回向无上菩提。

发心也是为成就无上菩提，回向也回向无上菩提，那么在祈愿法会中，我们参加的每一场听经、每一次念诵，它的愿望和回向都一样的，所以我们一定会得到这样的结果，这是非常非常精确的，所以大家在发心回向上一定要注意。

希望大家好好珍惜，这一秒一秒、一刹那一刹那流逝的这种光阴，用它来造集最广大的善业。因为师父在台湾启建这个祈愿法会的时候，师父也发了很大很大的心，希望正法久住、希望众生安乐。所以也祈愿诸位，参加祈愿法会的时候，也能以这样意愿，感恩把这个法会带给我们的传承师长，好好地殷重地修行。

我所牵挂的你们，千万要好好珍惜自己的善根，好好在祈愿法会的时候精进修行。人世苦短，能用来修行的时间少之又少，你得到这样的时刻如果还不珍惜的话，寂天菩萨问说：[我心有何物]！讲这些希望与大家共勉，请诸位在法会的时候，多多珍重自己的善根，好好用功，以此报答所有的佛菩萨、感恩善知识，祈愿正法久住。