Tsem Rinpoche's Resources » Sadhana

Praises To The 21 Taras - Offering of the 21 Homages

webmaster — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 21:19:53 +0000

Recite each phrase once and/or offer prostrations with the following visualisations. With each praise and prostration, imagine that a replica of each respective Tara manifests, arising from the one before it like simultaneous sparks of fire, and sinks into you.

From your sublime abode at the Potala
O Tara – born from the green letter TAM
Whose light rescues all beings –
Come with your retinue, I beg you.

The gods and demi-gods bow
To your lotus feet, O Tara,
You who rescue all who are destitute
To you, Mother Tara, I pay homage.

OM JE TSUN MA PAG MA DROL MA LA CHAG TSEL LO
OM Homage to the Venerable Arya Tara.

(1)
Praising Tara by her life story
Homage to Tara, The Swift One, The Heroine,
Whose eyes are like a flash of lightning,
Who arose from the opening of a lotus,
Born from the tears of the Protector of The Three Worlds.

(2)
Praising Tara by the brightness and radiance of her face
Homage to you with a face like a hundred full moons in autumn,
Gathered together into one,
Blazing with brilliant light,
Like a thousand constellations.

(3)
Praising Tara by her colour, what she holds and her causes
Homage to you who are bluish gold,
Your hand perfectly adorned with a lotus flower;
Who arose from practicing Giving, Moral discipline,
Patience, Effort, Concentration and Wisdom.

(4)
Praising Tara by her being honoured by the Conquerors and the Bodhisattvas
Homage to you who surmount the Tathagathas’ Ushnishas,
Whose victorious actions are limitless
Who are greatly honoured by the Sons of Conquerors,
Who have attained every perfection.

(5)
Praising Tara by her subduing unfavourable conditions
Homage to you who with letters TUTTARA and HUM
Fill the realms of desire, direction and space.
With the seven worlds beneath your feet,
You are able to draw all beings to bliss.

(6)
Praising Tara by her being worshipped by the great worldly gods
Homage to you who are worshipped by Indra, Agni, Brahma,
Vayu, and the other mighty gods;
And before whom the host of evil spirits,
Zombies, smell eaters and givers of harm respectfully offer praise.

(7)
Praising Tara by her destroying opponents
Homage to you who by saying TRA (trey) and PHAT
Completely destroy the obstructions of the enemies.
You suppress with your right leg drawn in and your left extended,
And blaze with a fierce and raging fire.

(8)
Praising Tara by her purifying demons and the two obstructions
Homage to TURE, extremely fearsome one,
Who completely destroys the chief of demons,
With a wrathful expression on your lotus face
You vanquish all foes without exception.

(9)
Praising Tara by the object she holds in her right and left hands
Homage to you whose fingers adorn your heart
With the mudra symbolising the Three Precious Jewels,
Adorned with a wheel of all directions,
Whose radiant light outshines all.

(10)
Praising Tara by her crown ornament and the sound of her laughter
Homage to you whose very joyful and shining crown ornament
Radiates a garland of light.
Who with your mirthful laughter of TUTTARA,
Subdue the demons and worldly gods.

(11)
Praising Tara by her accomplishing divine actions through the ten directional guardians
Homage to you who are able to summon
All the directional guardians and their retinues.
Frowning and shaking, with the letter HUM,
You rescue all from their misfortune.

(12)
Praising Tara by her crown ornament
Homage to you with a crescent moon adorning your crown,
And all your ornaments shining brightly;
With Amitabha in your top-knot
Eternally radiating light.

(13)
Praising Tara by her wrathful posture
Homage to you who dwells amidst a garland of flames
Like the fire at the end of an eon.
With your right leg extended and left drawn in,
You destroy the hosts of obstructions of those who delight in the Dharma Wheel.

(14)
Praising Tara by the light that radiates from the letter HUM
Homage to you who strike the ground with the palm of your hand,
And stamp it with your foot.
With a wrathful glance and a letter HUM
You subdue all seven levels.

(15)
Praising Tara by her Dharmakaya Aspect
Homage to you who are happy, virtuous and peaceful,
Within the sphere of the peace of Nirvana,
Fully endowed with SOHA and OM,
You completely destroy heavy evil actions.

(16)
Praising Tara by her divine actions of peaceful and wrathful Mantras
Homage to you who completely subdue the obstructions
Of those who delight in the Dharma Wheel,
Rescuing with the array of the ten-letter mantra
And the knowledge letter HUM.

(17)
Praising Tara by her divine actions of wrathfully shaking the three worlds
Homage to TURE, stamping your feet
Born from the seed in the aspect of HUM
Who cause Mount Meru, Mandhara and Vindhya,
And all three worlds to shake.

(18)
Praising Tara by her divine actions of dispelling internal and external poisons
Homage to you who hold in your hand
A moon, the lake of the gods
Saying TARA twice and the letter PHAT,
You completely dispel all poisons.

(19)
Praising Tara by her divine actions of dispelling conflicts and bad dreams
Homage to you who are honoured by the kings of the hosts of gods,
And the gods and the kinnaras,
Through your joyful and shining pervasive armour,
All conflicts and bad dreams are dispelled.

(20)
Praising Tara by her divine actions of dispelling diseases
Homage to you whose two eyes are like the sun and the full moon,
Radiate a pure and clear light
Say HARA twice and TUTTARA
You dispel the most violent, infections diseases.

(21)
Praising Tara by her divine actions of subduing evil spirits and zombies
Homage to you who have the perfect power of pacifying
Through your blessings of the Three Thatnesses;
Subduer of the hosts of evil spirits, zombies and givers of harm
O TURE, most excellent and supreme!

Thus concludes this praise of the root mantra and the offering of the twenty–one homages.

Mantra: OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA

Medicine Buddha Practice - The Healing Buddha

webmaster — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 20:03:46 +0000

Visualise yourself in your ordinary body, with your heart at the center of your chest, inverted, pointing upwards. Inside your heart is a white, eight-petalled lotus.

At its center is a moon disc, upon which is seated the Healing Buddha in the aspect of the supreme transformation. His body is clear and in the nature of dark blue light, and he holds an arura plant in his right hand and a begging bowl in his left hand.

In front of the Healing Buddha is the white medicinal goddess, Actualized Wisdom; to his right is the yellow medicinal goddess, Simultaneous Wealth; behind him is the red forest goddess, Peacock’s Throat; to his left is the green tree goddess, Radiant One.

Each goddess is in the nature of blissful radiant light and has one face and two arms. An arura plant is in each of the goddess’s right hands, with a vase adorned with various ornaments in the left hand. The four goddesses sit cross-legged, not in the full vajra position but in the aspect of offering respect to the Healing Buddha.

Then make this request.

O DESTROYER, COMPLETE IN ALL QUALITIES AND GONE BEYOND
AND YOU FOUR MEDICINAL GODDESSES,
PLEASE PACIFY IMMEDIATELY THE ILLNESSES WHICH AFFLICT ME NOW
AND HELP ME TO AVOID ALL FUTURE SICKNESSES.

Light rays of the appropriate colour emanate from each of the five deities at your heart. Your heart and body are full of blissful light, which perfectly purifies all diseases, spirit harms, and negative actions and their imprints.

Beams of five coloured light radiate from all the pores in your body, while nectar flows down from the Healing Buddha’s begging bowl and the vases held by the four goddesses, completely filling your heart and body.

Generate the strong recognition that you have vanquished disease forever and will never be sick again. While concentrating single-pointedly on this visualization, recite the short or long Healing Buddha mantra seven, twenty-one, one hundred and eight, or more times.

Short Mantra of Medicine Buddha

TAYATHA OM BEKANZE BEKANZE MAHA BEKANZE BEKANZE RANDZA SAMUGATHE SOHA

Long Mantra of Medicine Buddha

OM NAMO BHAGAWATE BEKANZEY GURU BENDURYA PRABHA RANDZAYA TAYATHA ARHATE SAMYAKSAM BUDDHAYA TAYATHA OM BEKANZEY BEKANZEY MAHA BEKANZEY RANDZA SAMUGATHE SOHA

If you are sick, after you have finished reciting the mantra, put some saliva in your left palm, rub it on the tip of your right ring finger, place the tip of this finger at the entrance of your right and left nostrils, where the so-called All-Doing King Nerve can be found, and apply the saliva to the afflicted parts of your body. Then recite as many mantras of the Sanskrit vowels and consonants as possible, along with the mantra of the Heart of Dependent Arising.

Sanskrit Vowels

OM A AA I II U UU RI RII LI LII E AI O AU AM AH SOHA

Sanskrit Consonants

OM KA KHA GA GHA NGA / TSA TSHA DZA DZHA NYA / TA THA DA DHA NA / TA THA DA DHA NA / PA PHA BA BHA MA / YA RA LA VA / SA SHA SA HA KSHA SOHA

The Heart of Dependent Arising

OM YE DHARMA HETU-PRABHAVA HETUN TESHAN TATHAGATO HYA VADAT / TESHAN CA YO NIRODHA / EVAM-VADI / MAHA SRAMANAH-YE-SOHA

Source: Guru Rinpoche
Translation: Lama Zopa Rinpoche

A Black Manjushri Sadhana - Self-Healing Meditation and Exercises

webmaster — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 12:06:25 +0000

Black Manjushri is the wrathful healing form of Manjushri that helps us to heal our deep inner negative emotions and mental suffering that arise due to sickness or problems; it is also a powerful antidote against the harm and disturbances caused by negative astrological influences.

Benefits of the Practice

Amongst the numerous benefits of this practice it particularly helps, both mentally and physically, those suffering from so-called “incurable” diseases such as AIDS and cancer. It helps us to confront and deal with the negative emotions, such as anger, depression, fear and denial, which arise when we are challenged by such diseases or when we are confronted with problems in our daily life.

This practice also enables us to purify astrological mistakes that happen, for example, when we perform marriage or cremation ceremonies or cut down trees on astrologically inauspicious days. It gives us the opportunity to stop our energy flowing, at the cause of astrological influences, into the wrong path.

In fact, through the recitation of Black Manjushri mantras we protect ourselves from inauspicious and malevolent astrological elements, caused by conjunctions, transits, oppositions, eclipses, comets and other celestial phenomena that could result in sicknesses, accidents, loss of property, social problems and discouraging life experiences.

Completing this practice also stops the harm of black magic and protects us from the interferences of spirits such as nagas who cause plagues, leprosy, possessions and contagious viral epidemics.

Black Manjushri protects us from the four maras that hinder our spiritual practice and success, and halts the negative actions of all malefic beings and geg spirits that obstruct the attainment of long-life. This practice stops the superstitious and fearful projections we create, for example when we walk alone in the dark, as well as those relating to digging the earth, cutting trees and moving rocks where nagas abide.

How to Do this Practice

This practice is most effective when completed daily before sunrise. We should sit facing the east in the cross-legged lotus posture. Following a vegetarian diet, avoiding strong alcohol drinks, garlic, onions and sesame all strengthen this practice. However, if it is not possible for us to follow these indications we should do the practice whenever possible and however we feel comfortable

Taking Refuge

Namo Gurubye
Namo Buddhaya
Namo Dharmaya
Namo Sanghaya
Namo Triratnaya (3x)

The Seven Limitless Meditations

SEMCHEN TAMCHE DEWA DANG DEWAI GYU DANG DENPAR GYUR CHIK
SEMCHEN TAMCHE DUNGAL DANG DUNGAL GYI GYU DANG DRELWAR GYUR CHIK
SEMCHEN TAMCHE DUNGAL MEPAI DEWA DANG MIN DRELWAR GYUR CHIK
SEMCHEN TAMCHE NYERING CHAK DANG NYI DANG DRELWEI TANG NYOM LA NE PAR GYUR CHIK
SEMCHEN TAMCHE LU SEM GYI DU NGAL SO SHING TRAI YUN LU SEM DE WA DANG DEN PAR GYUR CHIK
SEMCHEN TAMCHE NGALSO TOPCHING CHINANG NOGCHU KORYUK DANGSHING TSANGMAR NE GYUR CHIK
SEMCHEN TAMCHE DANG ZAMBULING GI KYE DRO TADAG CHYI NANG GHI SHIDE DHAN DHUEKUN DENPAR GYUR CHIK

Limitless Love – May all beings have happiness and its causes.
Limitless Compassion – May all beings be free from suffering and its causes.
Limitless Joy – May all beings never be separated from the great happiness that is beyond all misery.
Limitless Equanimity – May all beings always dwell in equanimity, unaffected by attraction to dear ones and aversion to others.
Limitless Health – May all beings recover from the sicknesses of mind and body pollution and enjoy relative and absolute health now and forever.
Limitless Ecological Regeneration – May all beings relax in a pure and healthy outer and inner environment now and forever.
Limitless Peace – May all beings enjoy inner and world peace now and forever.

Nine Round Breathing Meditation to Purify Our Subtle Wind Energy

Sitting in the vajra posture we begin by visualizing that our gross physical body, composed of flesh, organs and bones, gradually melts into light until we are left with only a holographic image that sparkles like a rainbow. At this point we make a vajra fist with our left hand and place it under our right armpit. With our right hand we make a vajra fist and extending the right middle finger, placing the index finger on top of it, we gently block the left nostril.

Visualizing clearly our three inner channels, we inhale through our right nostril imagining that the pure essences of the five elements, positive and healing energies and all the holy beings’ blessings enter our right channel in the form of white light. This white light absorbs into the subtle wind energy at our heart. We now block the right nostril and exhale through the left nostril in three short breaths, imagining that all our sicknesses, polluted elemental winds, inner demons and interferences, relating to the left side of the body, are expelled in the aspect of polluted black smoke.
This exercise should now be repeated on the opposite side to purify the left channel and expel all negativities relating to the right side of the body.
Placing our hands in the meditation mudra and breathing evenly through both nostrils, we should visualize that all the positive and healing energy of the holy beings enter both the right and left channels and absorb into the subtle wind energy at the heart. In three short breaths, through both nostrils, we breathe out all negativities, physical and mental sicknesses, interferences, demons and polluted winds from both sides of the body.

Meditation on Emptiness

OM BENZA AMRITA KUNDALI HANA HANA HUNG PHEY
OM SWABHAWA SHUDDHA SARWA DHARMA SOBHAWA SHUDDHO HAM

All things are naturally pure, the nature of space, including me.

Self Generation as Black Manjushri

Everything becomes the same nature as emptiness.
Out of emptiness from the black letter PAM arises a black lotus.
In the center of this black lotus from the letter AH appears a moon, and above this moon from a green letter YAM arises a green wind mandala.
In the center of the wind mandala from a red letter RAM appears a red triangular fire mandala.
The lotus, wind and fire mandalas contain the essences of the five elements.
These essences absorb into space.
In the center of the moon appears my mind in the aspect of a black letter HUNG.
Lights radiate out from the letter HUNG and then return fulfilling the two purposes of attaining enlightenment and helping others to overcome suffering.
In an instant from the black letter HUNG I arise as Black Manjushri.
I am in a very wrathful aspect with one face and two arms.
My right leg is bent and my left leg is outstretched.
In my right hand with a wrathful mudra I hold the wisdom sword that eliminates all interferences, and in my left hand I hold the emanation scripture of the Kadampas and the Prajnaparamita sutra at my heart.
Half my red hair is knotted at my crown, the other half falls on my shoulders.
I have a big belly and tiger skin loincloth.
I wear various wrathful bone ornaments such as a crown of five skulls and a necklace of fifty freshly cut heads.
My three eyes are red and round and in the nature of YAM, RAM and BAM.
I am surrounded by fiercely blazing flames of wisdom.
My root guru is above my crown in the form of Amoghasiddhi, who embodies the entire lineage.
At my crown is a white OM the nature of the enlightened body, at my throat is red AH the nature of the enlightened speech and at my heart is blue HUNG the nature of the enlightened mind.

Essence Mantra

At my heart is a sun cushion with a black letter HUNG at its center, around this two mantra garlands circle in a clockwise direction.

OM AH RA PA TSA NA DHI HUNG (21x or as many times as possible)

At this point we should meditate on emptiness of phenomenon, self and others, based on the method we are familiar with such as the Heart Sutra or dependent origination.

Special Essence Mantra

OM EH RA PA TSA NA DHI HUNG (21x)

After we have repeated for as many times as possible the essence mantra and meditated on emptiness we can repeat the special essence mantra that helps to stabilize and give extra power to our practice.