One day towards the end of the recording sessions with Lama Trijam for The Mahakala and The Nundro Pujas, with the tape still running and with me not really knowing what he was doing, Lama spontaneously started chanting The Chöd - and he did this for almost 10 minutes.

See -'The Chöd and more' album sleeve notes for more info.

Here is an attempted translation of what Lama Trijam says in this 'Interview' recording. Parts with question marks are still unsure. Not everything Lama says is in this translation but it may help you understand what he is talking about.


- I will now do ordinary mandala offering for chod

- That was the ordinary mandala offering; NAMO is “all gods giving” (offering to all the deities)

- Now ordinary tsog

- Now lama’s tsog

- Now dakas, dakinis tsog…or the outside tsog…(implies lama’s tsog is inside)

- Peh! (chod exclamation to make effect of the puja, skilful transforming of the illusory body into offerings to pay karmic debtors)

- Now I will dedicate merit to all sentient beings…om mani padme hum hri

- Now we are finished the chod…

- This chod is very nice. For zhitro it’s very nice… that’s the bardo zhitro. A big bardo puja takes maybe 300 days. Very many monks attend (young sons). There are big puja days, with many young monks. In the Chod Zhitro there are 42 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the mandala. In the Heruka Zhitro, 58 Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the mandala.

- ver1:?If the Zhitro is for a Rigzin, or it is a yogi, offerings will be to the 5 buddha families, which may be 10 x 2 hour pujas for each yogi family. Gana puja is also a big part of this puja. - There may be many many dependents, many retreaters, music, some for Benzakilaya, some for Chenrezig… depends… depends. If it is for a young monk, 14 years, 17, all lamas are looking, and more than one may touch the body a little. At one puja all the lamas are checking me… all the monks meeting me outside… little provoking… making me laugh… saying I might be good for doing little jobs… very nice “maybe a little better at samsara… work out side the monastery… teach dharma... do a little more learning… when you are old be a secretary… maybe making drinks.”

- Some monks are able to read, but even some young monks, some Nalanda monks, have more knowledge, and they are teaching older monks, they are the teaching sons [ of the Buddha… always teaching inside, lamas teaching altogether.

- Now I will do Ordinary mandala offering for the chod…

- The life of learning and teaching students is a harder life… one’s karma is different, mind different, and by comparison very clear. Some lay people are OK, at a little better level, some are very very good, it depends. I’m thinking some are Dzambhala [Shambhalla warriors]

- Now there’s this long form [of mandala offering]

- This is one of many. It is Amitayus and has many different levels. Now making Amitayus ngongdro :

- this one of many many…