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| Ideal . Vajrayana Buddhism developed out of Indian esoteric scriptures known as tantras and became the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet. All three traditions -Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana - continue to flourish. Foundations... In the Vajrayana tradition, practice is structured according to what are called 'foundations', four of which are described as 'ordinary' and four of which are described as 'special'. The four ordinary foundations (said to turn the mind to religion) are: the precious human rebirth, impermanence , the law of karma (or kamma) and the shortcomings of samsara. The four special foundations are taking refuge , recitation of the vajrasattva mantra, the mandala offering and the guru's blessing. The Varasattva Mantra... Vajrasattva is one of the key Buddhas in the Vajrayana pantheon. He signifies the truth of the Buddha's message that has always existed and is expressed through the Buddha's teachings. After taking refuge and engendering bodhicitta - the commitment to help all beings to enlightenment - the individual is required to practice reciting the hundred-syllable Vajrasattva mantra. However, it is also possible to use the six-syllable mantra: Om Vajrasattva Hum. The process involves visualizing Vajrasattva, reciting the mantra, offering confession and then dedicating any merit one has gained in the process to all sentient beings. Purification... One of the key factors in this practice is that of purification. The meditation involves imagining all one's previous harmful deeds as 'soot and sludge' being expelled from one's body like 'chunks of ice' to be replaced by an elixir of light emanating from Vajrasattva, This is said to effect a a profound cleansing. By repeating this practice major misdeeds will not be repeated and minor ones will be eventually purified. The essential message of this practice is: 'Abandon all harmful deeds; perform wholesome ones.' ~~~~~~~~~~ Vajrasattva Purification - Visualization... Visualize about four inches above your head an open white lotus upon which is a moon disc. Vajrasattva is seated upon this. He is white, translucent and adorned with beautiful ornaments and clothes of celestial silk. His two hands are crossed at his heart; the right holds a vajra, symbolic of great bliss; his left holds a bell, symbolic of the wisdom of emptiness. The vajra and bell together signify his attainment of the enlightened state, the inseparable unity of the wisdom and form bodies. At his heart is a moon disc with the seed-syllable HUM at its center and the letters of Vajrasattva's hundred-syllable mantra standing clockwise around its edge. Refuge and Generating Bodhicitta (three times). I take refuge in the Three Jewels. I will liberate all sentient beings and lead them to Enlightenment. Thus, I will perfectly generate the mind dedicated to attaining Enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings. The Power of Regret... Recollect, with deep regret, the specific negativities you have created. Then meditate deeply on the meaning of the following: "The negative karma I have accumulated from beginningless time is as extensive as the ocean. Although I know that each negative action leads to countless eons of suffering, it seems that I am constantly striving to create nothing but negative actions. Even though I try to avoid non-virtue and practice positive acts, day and night without respite, negativities and moral downfalls come to me like rainfall. I lack the ability to purify these faults so that no trace of them remains. With these negative imprints still in my mind, I could suddenly die and find myself falling to an unfortunate rebirth. What can I do? Please Vajrasattva, with your great compassion, guide me from such misery!" The Power of Remedial Action... From the HUM at Vajrasattva's heart, light radiates in all directions, requesting the Buddhas to bestow their blessings. They accept the request and send white rays of light and nectar, the essence of which is the knowledge of their body, speech and mind. The light and nectar absorb into the HUM and the letters of the mantra at Vajrasattva's heart. They then fill his whole body completely, enhancing the magnificence of his appearance and increasing the brilliance of the mantra. While reciting the mantra, visualize that white rays of light and nectar stream continuously from the HUM and mantra at Vajrasattva's heart. They flow down through the crown of your head and fill every cell of your body and mind with infinite bliss. Recite the mantra at least 21 times or more, if possible. om vajrasattva samaya manu palaya - vajrasattva deno patita - dido may bhawa - suto kayo may bhawa - supo kayo may bhawa - anu rakto may bhawa - sarwa siddhi mepar yatsa - sarwa karma su tsa may - tsitam shriyam kuru hum - ha ha ha ha ho - bhagawan - sarwa tatagata - vajra ma may mu tsa - vajra bhawa maha samaya sattva - ah hum pey If you have not yet memorized the long mantra, or if you are pressed for time, you may recite the short mantra at least 28 times. OM VAJRASATTVA HUM While reciting either of the mantras, continue to visualize the flow of light and nectar and perform the following four visualizations alternately. Purification of Body... Your disturbing attitudes and negativities in general and particularly those of the body, take the form of black ink. Sickness takes the form of pus and blood and afflictions caused by spirits appear in the form of scorpions, snakes, frogs and crabs. Flushed out by the light and nectar, they all leave your body through the lower openings, like filthy liquid flowing down a drain pipe. Feel completely empty of these problems and negativities; they no longer exist anywhere. Purification of Speech... Your disturbing attitudes and imprints of negativities of speech take the form of liquid tar. The light and nectar fill your body as water fills a dirty glass: the negativities, like the dirt, rise to the top and flow out through the upper openings of your body: your eyes, ears, mouth, nose, etc. Feel completely empty of these problems; they no longer exist. Purification of the Mind... Your disturbing attitudes and the imprints of mental negativities appear as darkness at your heart. When struck by the forceful stream of light and nectar, the darkness completely vanishes. It is like turning a light on in a room: the darkness does not go anywhere, it simply ceases to exist. Feel that you are completely empty of all these problems; they are non-existent. Simultaneous Purification... Do the three above visualizations simultaneously. This sweeps away the subtle obscurations that prevent you from seeing correctly all that exists. Feel completely free of these obscurations. The Power of the Promise... After reciting the mantra and doing the visualizations, make the following promise to Vajrasattva, specifying a period of time for which you intend to keep it: "I shall not create these negative actions from now until ______." Vajrasattva is extremely pleased and says, "My spiritual child of the essence, all your negativities, obscurations and degenerated vows have been completely purified." With delight, Vajrasattva melts into light and dissolves into you. Your body, speech and mind become inseparably one with Vajrasattva's holy body, speech and mind. Concentrate on this. Dedication... Due to this merit may I soon attain the Enlightened state of Vajrasattva, that I may be able to liberate all sentient beings from their suffering. May the precious bodhi mind not yet born arise and grow. May that born have no decline, but increase forever more. |
| The Hundred-syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva... OM SHRI VAJRA HERUKA SAMAYAM ANUPALAYA HERUKA TVENOPATISHTHA DRIDHO ME BHAVA SUTOSHYO ME BHAVE ANURAKTO ME BHAVA SUPOSHYO ME BHAVA SARVA SIDDHI ME PRAYACCHA SARVA KARMA SUCA ME CHITTAM SHREYA KURU HUM HA HA HA HA HO BHAGAVAN VAJRA HERUKA MAME MUNCA HERUKO BHAVA MAHA SAMAYA SATVA AH HUM PHAT ~~~~~~~~~~ OM Glorious Diamond Heruka, guard my vows! Heruka, let me be firm! Be steadfast for me, be satisfied! Be favourable, be nourished for me! Grant me all attainments! Make my mind blessed in all actions! HUM HA HA HA HA HO Blessed One, Diamond Heruka, do not foresake me! Make me Heruka-like! Great Pledge-being! AH HUM PHAT ~~~~~~~~~~ Vajrasattva Mantra... Vajrayana Buddhism represents, as it were, the 'third wave' of Buddhism. The earliest interpretation of the Buddha's teachings is known as Theravada, which can be translated as 'The Teaching of the Elders'. Alongside this, four hundred years after the Buddha's death, what came to be known as Mahayana ('the Greater Vehicle') began to emerge, with its distinctive features such as the Bodhisattva |
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| selfish quarrels. So by magic power he transferred himself to that heavenly realm and was lucky enough to come at a time when Sakka the Divine King was absent. There was no one in the large audience hall and without much ado the demon seated himself on Sakka's empty throne, waiting quietly for things to happen, which he hoped would bring him a good feed. Soon some of the gods came to the hall and first they could hardly believe their own divine eyes when they saw that ugly demon sitting on the throne, squat and grinning. Having recovered from their shock, they started to shout and lament: "Oh you ugly demon, how can you dare to sit on the throne of our Lord? What utter cheekiness! What a crime! you should be thrown headlong into hell and straight into a boiling cauldron! You should be quartered alive! Begone! Begone!" But while the gods were growing more and more angry, the demon was quite pleased because from moment to moment he grew in size, in strength and in power. The anger he absorbed into his system started to ooze from his body as a smoky red-glowing mist. This evil aura kept the gods at a distance and their radiance was dimmed. Suddenly a bright glow appeared at the other end of the hall and it grew into a dazzling light from which Sakka emerged, the King of Gods. He who had firmly entered the undeflectible Stream that leads Nirvana-wards, was unshaken by what he saw. The smoke-screen created by the gods' anger parted when he slowly and politely approached the usurper of his throne. "Welcome, friend! Please remain seated. I can take another chair. May I offer you the drink of hospitality? Our Amrita is not bad this year. Or do you prefer a stronger brew, the vedic Soma?" While Sakka spoke these friendly words, the demon rapidly shrank to a diminutive size and finally disappeared, trailing behind a whiff of malodorous smoke which likewise soon dissolved. (The gist of this story dates back to the discourses of the Buddha. But even now, over 2500 years later, our world looks as if large hordes of Anger-eating Demons were haunting it and were kept well nourished by millions slaving for them all over the earth. Fires of hate and wide-traveling waves of violence threaten to engulf mankind. Also the grass roots of society are poisoned by conflict and discord, manifesting in angry thoughts and words and in violent deeds. Is it not time to end this self-destructive slavery of man to his impulses of hate and aggression which only serve the demoniac forces? Our story tells how these demons of hate can be exorcised by the power of gentleness and love. If this power of love can be tested and proven, at grass-root level, in the widely spread net of personal relationships, society at large, the world at large, will not remain unaffected by it.) |
| The Anger-eating Demon... ONCE THERE LIVED A DEMON who had a peculiar diet: he fed on the anger of others. And as his feeding ground was the human world, there was no lack of food for him. He found it quite easy to provoke a family quarrel, or national and racial hatred. Even to stir up a war was not very difficult for him. And whenever he succeeded in causing a war, he could properly gorge himself without much further effort; because once a war starts, hate multiplies by its own momentum and affects even normally friendly people. So the demon's food supply became so rich that he sometimes had to restrain himself from over-eating, being content with nibbling just a small piece of resentment found close-by. But as it often happens with successful people, he became rather overbearing and one day when feeling bored he thought: "Shouldn't I try it with the gods?" On reflection he chose the Heaven of the Thirty-three Deities, ruled by Sakka, Lord of Gods. He knew that only a few of these gods had entirely eliminated the fetters of ill-will and aversion, though they were far above petty and |
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| The Reviler... ONCE WHILE THE BLESSED ONE stayed near Rajagaha in the Veluvana Monastery at the Squirrels' Feeding Place, there lived at Rajagha a Brahman of the Bharadvaja clan who was later called "the Reviler." When he learned that one of his clan had gone forth from home life and had become a monk under the recluse Gotama, he was angry and displeased. And in that mood he went to see the Blessed One, and having arrived he reviled and abused him in rude and harsh speech. Thus being spoken to, the Blessed One said: "How is it, Brahman: do you sometimes receive visits from friends, relatives or other guests?" "Yes, Master Gotama, I sometimes have visitors." "When they come, do you offer to them various kinds of foods and a place for resting?" "Yes, I sometimes do so." "But if, Brahman, your visitors do not accept what you offer, to whom does it then belong?" "Well, Master Gotama, if they do not accept it, these things remain with us." "It is just so in this case, Brahman: you revile us who do not revile in return, you scold us who do not scold in return, you abuse us who do not abuse in return. So we do not accept it from you and hence it remains with you, it belongs to you, Brahman..." [The Buddha finally said:] "Whence should wrath rise for him who void of wrath, holds on the even tenor of his way, self-tamed, serene, by highest insight free? Worse of the two is he who, when reviled, reviles again. Who doth not when reviled, revile again, a two-fold victory wins. Both of the other and himself he seeks the good; for he the other's angry mood doth understand and groweth calm and still. He who of both is a physician, since himself he healeth and the other too, -- folk deem him a fool, they knowing not the Norm."[1] 1. The "Norm" or law (Dharma), here referred to, may be expressed in the words of the Dhammapada (v. 5): "Not by hating hatred ceases in this world of tooth and claw; love alone from hate releases -- this is the Eternal Law." |
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| Instruction on Attaining Inner Calm... The basis of all good qualities is the cultivation of your own mind. I respectively salute that young being who possesses the splendor of pure radiance, who knows both how things really are and how they appear, whose gentle nature pacifies the waves of mental fabrications. Having done so, I here write this counsel on attaining the great truth. Ideas congeal and cloud the stream of consciousness, which flows uninterruptedly like water. From beginning-less time until today they have accumulated, but as they are only waves of suffering, lacking in value, unthinkable, useless, and without certainty, there is only despair. These fictional appearances, which arise within the expanse of all that is, are suffering. Rooted in these heaps, you cannot obtain even the slightest good qualities of inner calm and wider perspective, nor the joy of a spontaneous mind. This is the root of despair. Once you know the way to escape from the noxious habits of mind by continually inspecting the objective reference (Insight) and endeavoring not to waver from that object, (Shamatha) the mind flows together into one-pointed-ness: like rolling a scroll. With all the worldly joys and treasures available to gods and men, control over the mind cannot be attained by fighting. Rather, it is by letting go of addiction to desired objects, as a child would let go, that the mind, naked and quiet, finds joy and delight. The joy of the ocean of mind when it is untroubled is like that which comes at the eradication of a plague. The splendor of unstained bliss like this is hard to achieve, even if you have some power; but pushed about by relative forces and phenomena - powerless - Who can experience the bliss of a liberated mind? Because there is nothing more to experience than this, having achieved it, all the splendors and riches of the world seem like reflected appearances of the moon and stars in the clear ocean. Though good things of various kinds - supernatural powers and the like - may arise, the basis of all good qualities is the cultivation of your own mind. How can good qualities be found in an undisciplined mind? Therefore, though it is very easy to waste the life you have in this body, for the sake of the world cleanse the mind through the process of continual inspection. Whatever happens, do not let go. Wishing and promising thus, do not slacken the effort. First develop Shamatha – calm and deep concentration.] First gradually loosen what is tight, and by more and more extending the effort, create the beginning of a habit. Keeping in mind one-pointedly concentrated on the object of inspection, make efforts until that clear, untroubled calm is won. [Then use it to develop Insights into the real nature of your own mind in action in the present.] Having gradually become so accustomed, examine the acceptance and the rejection, the good and bad qualities of the mind itself, making your own thoughts the path. However long it takes - though months may pass - continue to make efforts. A desirous and energetic mind and the four footholds of practice are the essence. Surrounded by the chain of inspection, by the power of steadfastness, great joy will arise on the mirror of the mind, filling space to its circumference. Getting involved with the objective reference means both examining its pure characteristics and following the flow of sensations in the body. (i.e. Directly examine both the static and dynamic aspects of your own mind in action in the present.) Whatever is used as a foundation (subtle hand-held symbols, letters, or the like), if you become settled there, success will come. In this degenerate time, coarse |
| emotions cloud the mind and the flow of energy. Like a vicious snake that whirls about, coiling upon itself, wild fluctuations occurs: first restrictions, then the opposite. The mind becomes very tired of all that, and immense rejection sets in. [We need both Concentration and Insight together.] Only by inspecting the nature of mind while it is in a relaxed and unaffected state, falling where it wills, can the stream grow steady. Not following the moving wind of concepts, knowing the means of leaving them behind, the expanse of the mind gradually clears, the jungle of concepts gradually calms - the ocean of the mind grows untroubled, radiant, and clean. This is the foundation of all good qualities, the unity of inner calm and wider perspective. By the power of lasting peace, achieved gradually by being steadfast, you come to wider perspective, the expansive field of intrinsic awareness. Having labored on the path of great joy and noble actions, you achieve that range of good qualities - the unity of inner peace and wider perspective. [Concentration and Insight helps each other |
| like two wings of the same bird.] The meaning of intrinsic awareness is radiance, pure from the beginning. By understanding that within your own mind, and by inspecting continuously the objective reference, the flow of consciousness is steadied. This is the gift of all instructions on achieving calm. Having become settled, the dynamic creativity of bliss, clarity, and freedom from fictional postulates arises in various ways, and as you approach the primordial experience of being, it is easy to understand. Nowadays, this is the usual way to meditate. [Wisdom alone is not enough.] But even though you understand the nature of awareness, if you have not grown accustomed to that reach and range, pure visions will not appear. The practices will leave no impression, and your experience will be like that of ordinary people. This is not meditation and the Buddha has not taught so. [Concentration alone is not enough.] On the other hand, if you do not understand the nature of awareness, but have only settled into a state of inner peace, although concepts may be cut off and some good qualities may manifest, you do not know the main point - the freedom that comes from allowing concepts to remain in their own place. Still grasping, still bound, you only achieve the root of samsara - acceptance and rejection. [We need both method and wisdom together – only then is it in accord with the inseparability of the Two Truths, with non-duality: not two, not one.] Therefore, you must both understand your own nature and become firmly settled. This is the dual foundation for understanding the mind and for practice. The meaning of primordial experience is a field of self-arising radiance. This is inner peace and wider perspective, ever spontaneous, ever unified. [Not done through conceptualization – we need to put it into practice.] These great teachings, explained in hundreds of Sutras and Tantras, are highly esteemed by everyone. But just conjuring such things up within your mind is not meditation. Such ordinary activities do not bring even a little improvement. It is |
| Last Update - March 3, 2005 |
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| meaningless, though you look and look at your own mind, if under the power of over exuberant conceptualization you do not find the knowledge and qualities that are possible. It is like the disturbance of waves in water, and it produces only greater weariness. [So it is all about your own mind – seeing its real nature in action, and transcending all of its creations.] But having begun to follow this primary profound instruction, coming to know everything about taming the helmsman, your own mind, you rest in the happiness of having a great treasure, and you achieve benefits for both yourself and others. So quickly strive to realize this! The great significance of all effort is only this practice of the cultivation of your own mind. This good vessel, this treasure of a wish-fulfilling gem, remains continually in the great and indescribable qualities. By the good fortune of properly understanding the significance of this, by remaining devotedly within this yoga of mind, freed from all activities, the mind becomes one-pointed. May all achieve the realization of this very meaningful teaching! (By Mipham Rinpoche) All images and articles retain the original copyrights of their original owners. 3/3/05 |
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