May this be auspicious!
Having paid homage with deep respect to the great Ugyen,
Who is the wisdom body of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas,
And the embodiment of all the Buddha Families.
I shall relate here the history of tobacco.
Long ago, about a hundred years after Lord Buddha had passed into Nirvana, in the mysterious land of China there was a demoness who, maddened by her great lust, spoke these words as she was dying:
“As there is a curse that with this body of mine I would lead most of the beings of this earth to the lower realms, bury my corpse intact. After some time a flower which is different from all others will grow from my womb. Merely smelling its scent will cause one to experience an unimaginable bliss in both body and mind, far more pleasurable than the union of male and female. It will spread far and wide until it is enjoyed by most of the beings on this earth.”
At present, the fruition of her wish is clearly evident. Infamous opium and other related intoxicants consumed through mouth and nose neither help to dispel one’s thirst or hunger, nor have a delicious taste; they are without a single benefit for one’s strength and life force. Furthermore these substances serve to increase nervousness, blood pressure and cause pulmonary diseases. These days almost everyone, whether of high or low status, develops an irresistible attraction for these substances and consumes them without control. This is how the wish of the demoness has ultimately borne fruit.
The treasure prophecy of Chogyal Ratna Lingpa states:
When the great master Padmasambhava was binding the samaya breakers (the nine brothers) to an oath of loyalty, the youngest brother spoke thus: ‘‘Brothers do not despair and listen to me. I shall manifest myself in the country of China as tobacco; the name of this toxin will be the ‘black poison’ (hala nagpo). It will appear in the border lands, and from there it will be introduced to Central Tibet. The people of Tibet will consume this enjoyable substance. Its strength will cause the five poisons to grow and expand. People will reject the ten virtuous actions and practise the ten non-virtuous ones. The lives of the doctrine holders will become precarious, and they will depart for the Buddha Fields. The smoke of this poison, penetrating the earth, will annihilate hundreds of thousands of naga cities. Rain will not fall; crops and livestock will not prosper; there will be civil disorder, epidemics, and various undesirable events. The poisonous smoke rising to the sky will destroy the abodes of the gods; ultimately, bad times will appear with eclipses and comets, and the essential fluids and channels of those who smoke will dry up. It will cause four hundred and four illnesses to arise. Whoever smokes will be reborn in the lower realms. If one smoke and others inhale the odour, it will be as if one were extracting the hearts of six million beings.”
Sangay Lingpa’s Terma states:
At this degenerate time people indulge in various unwholesome actions.
In particular, instead of relying on nutritious and tasty food,
They will consume the worst substances which are both poisonous and smell bad.
They will never be satisfied; instead the desire will increase more and more.
All their work will be left half done and grab this poison frantically,
Their spit and tears will run uncontrollably and their facial glow will fade away.
Rinzin Godem’s catalogue of prophets states thus:
“In the ultimate decadent age, people will absorb poisonous vomit, the food of smell eaters (Gandharwa). Merely smelling it will cause one to go the hell of ceaseless torment. For this reason, give it up right now.”
The treasure predictions discovered by Dundul Dorje says:
“Monks and nuns will enjoy inhaling the smoke of these plants and sniffing their powder, and the country will be filled with samaya breakers. With compulsive desire arising ceaselessly, they will thus be deceived by Mara, and as a sign of the exhaustion of merit, tears will flow without control.”
Longsal revealed the following prediction:
“At the time when people enjoy this wicked substance,
There will be incidents where intimate friends poison each other.”
A prophecy from the treasure of Thugchog Dorje also states:
“Because of the five gross poisons, passions and hatred, the troubles, quarrels and the sorrows of beings will blaze like an inferno. As the ten virtues are discarded, the non-virtues will rage like a storm. Wholesome activities will be neglected, while perverse practices will be propagated. In age, the protector gods will vanish and demons will assume power. People will inhale tobacco smoke, which will block the channels of discriminating wisdom and cause agitation and other obscuring emotions to intensify. The central channel will be obstructed which will cause the limpid clarity of awareness to wane. The general exhaustion of merit will cause agitation around the world. Religious objects – the receptacles of blessings – will deteriorate; wrong views and false religions will spread. The protector deities will turn aside and look only towards Mount Meru. Foreigners will invade central Tibet, and the natives will be forced to wander in border lands. The doctrines of Mara will spread and the earth will become an actual hell.”
Drodul Lingpa discovered the following predictions:
‘‘Merely smelling the odour of these herbs, grasses and leaves, which sprang from the drops of blood of an ogress, will cause one to go to the hell of ceaseless torment.”
Ma Chik Lapdron’s prophecy reads thus:
“In the final age of disputes, there will be something that one puts in the mouth which is endowed with all of the five poisons. It will originate in China and spread to Mongolia and will be consumed by the people of Tibet. It will cause rainfall to be irregular. There will be great frosts and hail. If meditators take these substances, even if they practice for one hundred kalpas, they will not realize the deity. In future lives, they will wander continuously in the lower realms. Even the compassionate power of the Three Jewels will not be able to protect them.”
Thus, it is said in innumerable predictions. The consumption of all these evil substances has also been particularly forbidden by many of the accomplished sages of both the new and ancient traditions. Since the adamantine words of Ugyen Rinpoche are infallible, you cannot have such false views as: ‘‘How can there be such a grave consequences in the mere smoke of a natural plant?’’ If you take an example of an Aconite, though it is also a species of plant, eating just a small amount can take away your life force. Why then cannot the fruit of the perverse wishes of a demoness cause spiritual death?
Therefore, wise persons will certainly do themselves a great kindness and favour by completely renouncing these evil substances.
By the power of this virtuous deed
May the faithful and wise people
Find relief in the blissful garden of liberation
By diverting themselves from the false path to the precipice.
At the request of Golok Serta Jigme, this is written by Dudjom Jigdrel Yeshey Dorje. May it be auspicious!
Translated by Rigzod Editors
