This is teaching on the great siddha Chakme Rinpoche's Sukhavati Aspiration Prayer. If a Sukhavati Retreat is also being held, then first clean the place and its vincinity throughly. Sprinkle water to suppress dust and prevent them from flying. Just like in the past, Bodhisattva Sadaprarudita and the merchant’s daughter and others asked for the Prajna-paramita in front of the Bodhisattva Dharmodgata, pricking through the body and blood vessels to sprinkle blood for suppressing dust. As stated in the "Treasury of Precious Qualities": "All acts of cleansing and all gatherings of merit, like offering of the seven branches, water tormas, and the rest,

are in harmony with such a path. Adversity will not bring low the ones who practice in this way. They tread the path relying on their merit. This then is the mainstay of the path of beings of the greatest scope."

In addition, the sutras also describe the five merits of cleaning. Therefore, it is of great significance to talk about cleaning the place of teaching. Afterwards, put up thangkas (of Buddhas), placing stupas and sutras, setting up with a refined layout and decorations, and to your best capacity display no less than one hundred of the five offerings and other clean, beautiful and splendid offerings.

Play the conch shell to summon the assembly of the puja, warn those who do not understand (the rule of attending Dharma teaching) to take off their hats and shoes, not to carry weapons, and not to wear ornaments; ask them to put down their mala beads and prayer wheels, and listen to the Dharma with the majesty of calm and quiteness. 

The entire treatise in two division: 1. How to listen to Dharma teaching; 2. The Dharma taught

Although there are many types of aspirations and stages of practice, when teaching the four causes of rebirth in Sukhavati this time, it must be taught in conjunction with the importance of the initial motivation, the importance of the accumulation of merits during the learning, and the importance of the vow at the end.

A.1, (How to listen to Dharma teaching) in two: 1, Summary; 2, Explanation of each parts.

B.1, Summary

For beginners of Dharma learning, the way of listening is even more important. If you fall into a lower realm or are reborn in a remote place, then for many eons you will not even have the thought of hearing the Dharma, let alone truly listening to or practicing the Dharma. In particular, it is extremely rare that a person listens to Dharma teaching with faith and reverence.

As said in the Maharatnakuta Sutra "Listening to Dharma teaching with faith is more rare than once in a hundred kalpas." As such, hearing the Dharma is an weighty event. 

However, if one does not know how to listen to Dharma teaching, as Dampa Sangye said: "If one does not practice the Dharma correctly, the Dharma will become the cause of the lower realms." Some people attain liberation through the Dharma, while some people fall into the lower realms through the Dharma. This is because the Dharma is an extremely severe encounter that can casue benefits and harms. If one knows how to listen to the Dharma, then the Dharma will be like an wish-fulfilling jewel--those who take it in a great way benefit greatly, and those who take it in a small way benefit little.

So, how to listen to Dharma teaching? Shantideva said: "First, look into your mind, rest firmly and practise according to the Dharma." The World-Honored One also said: "thoughts precede all activities, thoughts are quick and thoughts are the master." All good and wicked deeds are mainly performed by the mind. After having the thought of listening to the Dharma and sitting in the assembly of listeners, now you should look inward at your mind: Ah! Why do I come to listen to Dharma teaching this time?

After examining your own mind in this way, if you find that you have desire for status, pursuit of fame, competition, greed, hatred, or you just listen out of curiosity or amusement, then it is an improper motivation. Geshe Karagongchon said: "Those who teach the Dharma because of desire for status, seek knowledge with a competitive spirit, they are prideful, this is not true Dharma practise, we should think about it!" Therefore, we must get rid of such bad intentions, otherwise it will be as is said "Dharma is not only of no benefit, it is a path for falling into the lower realms."

In particular, we should not give Dharma teachings to those who have no respect for the Dharma and the Guru, and think "it doesn't matter if I have the Dharma or not". As the proverb: "To those who have no reverence, do not teach the Dharma,  if you are not close to someone, you cannot give honest advice." (People without reverence) sever their ties with the Dharma, so it is difficult to have any chance to tame them with the Dharma. (Therefore, two points must made clear:) First, the value of the Dharma must not be ruined; second, the Dharma taught should be beneficial to all sentient beings.

For example, rain is a cause of happiness in that it is beneficial to human beings, but it is a cause of harm to beings such as the hungry ghosts. Similarly, the Dharma is only beneficial to those who possess the necessary interdependent conditions, but may cause harm to those who do not possess the conditions and hold wrong views. When Buddhas the Bhagavans were still sentient beings, they use their skin as paper, blood as ink, and bones as brush to put the Dharma into practise, and stayed in the world entirely for our benefit. Therefore, not a single word should be wasted. Originally, dharma of realization and dharma of scriptural transmission is the dharmakaya. If you don't have confidence and respect for it, then what's the use of seeing the nirmanakaya (physical body)? The World Honored One once said: "If you don't respect my teachings, what's the use of seeing me?"

Although we should multifariously examine the vessel of Dharma (the listener), with respect to merits and demerits, in summary, as a disciple, you must meet the following four conditions: 1. Have strong confidence and respect; 2. Be free from flasehood, flattery, jealousy, etc., and have an upright character; 3. Have the wisdom to understand the meaning of the Dharma; 4. Pursue the Dharma fiercely. If you only know you should go and listen to Dharma teaching, but at the lecture hall your mind is empty and just sit there straight within the assembly, this is an neutral and unfruitful intention. This mentality must be transformed into confidence and other good intentions. Or, if you can think: (The Three Jewels and the Guru) observe with perfect clarity and great compassion, and the Dharma is extremely rare, so you must listen to it. This also shows that he has confidence and thinks that the Dharma is precious and rare, so he has a good motivation.

B.2, (in divisions) has three parts. 1, the root of virtue is to practise with skillful means, the preliminary supreme method of aspiration. 2, the root of virtue is not to be damaged by adverse conditions, the supreme method of practising without conceptualization during the main body of the practice. 3, the root of vitue is the daily growth, the supreme method of dedication in the end.

C.1, The root of virtue is to practise with skillful means, the preliminary supreme method of aspiration

If you want your aspiration to be great, you must gather and hold the  roots of good with skillful means, which is the preliminary supreme method of aspiration. If your aspiration is great, then your roots of good will be great; if your aspiration is small, your roots of good will naturally be small. As is said in "The Treasury of Precious Qualities": "The difference only depends on intentions, which is good or bad, and does not depend on the appearance of the deed." It is also said in "The Way of the Bodhisattva": "A clear intent can fructify, And bring us birth in such as Brahma’s realm.The acts of body and of speech are less— They do not generate a like result." If you listen to and practice the Dharma for your own benefit, it is a small motivation; if you listen to and practice the Dharma for the benefit of all sentient beings, it is a great Mahayana aspiration. 

Since beginningless time, we are constrained by self-clinging and have considered self-interest only. As a result we achieved nothing, and are still wandering in samsara. If you listen to and practice the Dharma for the benefit of others only, then your own benefit will realize in conjunction, and you will definitely achieve the Buddhahood of truly benefiting others. As a metaphor, when lighting firewood for fire, although the smoke is not intended, it will naturally come about. Shantideva Bodhisattva said: "There is no need to elaborate more. foolish people seek self-interest, while the Buddha Shakyamuni only benefits others, consider the differences between the two."

Aspiration should be generated from compassion that's the root and basis, and compassion should be generated with all sentient beings as the interdependent condition. In this way, sentient beings pervades all space, and karma, distress, and suffering pervades all sentients beings. And not a single sentient being have not been our parents. Only because of their recurrent rebirth, we are unable to recognize them as our parents now. However, there is no boundary for the number of times that each sentient being becomes the parent of every other sentient beings, let alone all sentient beings? Calves and lambs can recognize their mothers among the flock as soon as they are born. This also shows that it is caused by the karmic dispositions from beginningless time.

In the past, when the Perfectly Enlightened One (Buddha Shakyamuni) and his followers were walking on the road, an old woman on the roadside was extremely happy upon seeing the Buddha. She shouted "My son, my son" and ran to embrace the Buddha. At this time, the bhikhus stopped her. The World Honored One said: "She has been my mother for five hundred lives consecutively in the past. This is her karmic tendency. Don't stop her." Nagarjuna said: "Rolling all the earth into date stone sized pills, the number is less than the times a person being your mother in the past."

After realizing that all sentient beings had been our mothers, we then need to remember their kindness: all sentient beings raised us with great kindness when they were our own parents. Even hawks and wolves (the ferocious animals) are extremely loving to their children, let alone all the parents of human beings? We are first nourished in the mother's womb; then after birth, are carefully raised with nice food and warm clothes; and finally, they give us a home and establish our career. They wish for our happiness, worry about our suffering. For the happiness and suffering of their children, they also become happy and worried. 

They have accumulated bad karma of greed and anger for the sake of their children, and are now suffering in the six realms as the karma rippens. How pitiful are all these parents! How wonderful if there is a way to rid them of their suffering! If this kind of compassion reaches the point where you can't help but shed tears, this is what is called immeasurable compassion. Just having such thoughts develops our root of virtue inconceivably. For example, it is said in "The King of Aspiration Prayers": "even if there is a boundary to space, a boundary for the karma and sufferings of all sentient beings, as all these has no boundary, my wish has no boundary, utterly and at all times". Nagarjuna (in "The Precious Garland") said: "As the realm of sentient beings is immeasurable, benefiting them is also the same.”

Ony having such compassion is not enough, you must repay their kindness, and the only person who can truly repay such kindness by making all sentient beings happy is the perfect Buddha. Therefore, you should think and imagine: "After listening to the Dharma today and practicing it properly, when I achieve perfect enlightenment in the future, I will place all parent sentient beings in the stage of Buddhahood. In order to be capable of this, I pray to the Guru and the Three Jewels." This kind of wish will be realized. Therefore, if you keep this in mind at all times when you listen to and practice the Dharma, then your root of virtue are safeguarded by skillful means, this is the preliminary supreme method of aspiration. This is very important. Its incredible merits are revealed in sutras such as the Avatamsaka Sutra and treatises such as "The Way of the Bodhisattva".