Benefits of Reciting the Sanghata Sutra

Some inspired comments from a few centers who recently recited the Sanghata Sutra many times. Rinpoche has said about the benefits of reciting this sutra - 'this sutra is a very important sutra and can be recited in many different situations, for example when the center has problems or obstacles, as well as for individuals.'

"THANK YOU, Rinpoche, for creating the opportunity for so many people to meet the Sanghata Sutra and thus receive the benefit."

"Thank you for giving me this very auspicious opportunity to enhance my practice."

"I strongly recommend you to recite the Sanghata Sutra. It's great, really great."

"I am truly enjoying the recitations. The first one was my first exposure to this Sutra, and was extremely powerful for me. I cried a lot, but realized at some point during the recitation, that due to this Sanghata Sutra everything is going to be all right."

"The most powerful thing for me was to be made aware that it is merit that lives on. How wonderful that there are means to create a mass of merit. This Sutra is and is going to remain a part of my practice. I am also memorizing stanzas that have particular meaning to me. Actually the whole Sutra does, but my memorization capabilities are limited!"

'It was very beneficial and I send thanks to Lama Zopa for the inspiration of reciting this or I never would have found or read this myself, nor would my dog, cat, son and numberless beings in and around my home and fishes in the lake, the geese and ducks, turtles and other beings without number who also heard this recited by my home.' 'My wife and I travelled as usual yesterday. During our trek we usually discuss, read out loud, recite mantra, or otherwise focus on the Dharma as we head down for teachings. This time we read the Sanghata Sutra during our trip. While reading the sutra a butterfly did smash into the windshield and that made us sad. There are places in the Sanghata Sutra that were so vivid that we both felt we were in front of the Blessed One. On arrival we stopped for a meal. We were discussing the Sanghata Sutra. We were talking about the examples in the Sutra and how we should apply this teaching. In the course of the discussion we ordered the steak salad for our meal. The meal arrived and we each took a helping. I cut and ate a piece of the meat. When the meat had touched my tongue I shuddered and stared. Cindy reached over to me because she could see I was visibly shaken and overwhelmed. This most sudden and abrupt change in me caused her to fear that I was having a heart attack. In that moment, without other thought, I was this very cow, white faced, horn on the right turned, surrounded by other cattle, jammed together, standing in a shadowed area of a pen. Multiple pens extending to my left, into a bright sun. Harsh bellows, the clop of hoofs up ramps. Wild eyed, this poor beast that I now had become, prodded into a place where my forehead was slammed with a force that released such pain, collapsed upon the floor, hoofs gathered by heavy chains the suffering so deep I was and still, even in this simple recollection that cannot capture the depth or profound nature of the experience, deeply moved to tears. In that instant, I vowed to eat no being ever again. Choices for all nourishment are now very closely guarded. The torment and suffering recollected in that moment continues to bury more deeply into me. The sufferings truly are all too unimaginable and extremely unbearable. This is a most powerful Sutra, please thank Lama Zopa Rinpoche for his kindness in having us recite this most profound teaching.'

Rinpoche responded to this account as follows:

"Thank you very much your great news of your discovery of life, for yourself and others. Certainly it is a blessing of the Arya Sanghata Sutra, which means it is a blessing of Buddha himself, a direct blessing from Buddha to you.

I highly praise your continual perseverance to practice Dharma, using your long hours driving to practice Dharma and to not waste your life, to chant mantras and discuss Dharma. This is very inspiring example as a way to practice Dharma, to practice Dharma not only at your house, on the meditation cushion, but at other times, in the break time, even during your job, or activities such as driving. This helps so much to others, to not waste your life, your most precious human life, which is so precious because suddenly you have the opportunity to stop your suffering and to have many pleasures, comfort. Also this human body enables you to achieve happiness of all the coming future lives, not only that, but liberation from samsara, total cessation from this continual cycle of reincarnation and the experience of oceans of sufferings of the 6 realms and achieve great liberation, peerless happiness and full enlightenment for the benefit of numberless sentient beings.'"

This article is taken from the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT).