Prepare for this meditation by doing a few minutes of
breathing meditation (focus your attention on your breath) to calm
your mind. Then bring your attention to the suffering that all
sentient beings undergo: the sufferings of heat and cold, hunger
and thirst. Just as you experience many sufferings, remember that
all mother sentient beings experience suffering at least equal
to--if not greater than--your own. Determine to undertake this
practice in order to awaken your own buddha-nature, quickly attain
enlightenment and lead all other sentient beings to that same
state of permanent, lasting happiness.
VisualizationThe visualization of
Lord Buddha is composed entirely of light, not mundane materials.
In the space before you, at the level of your forehead, imagine a
jewel-encrusted, golden throne. Each corner is supported by two
snow lions with white bodies and turquoise manes and tails; these
are the embodiment of bodhisattvas. On the flat surface of the
throne is a fully opened lotus; this is symbolic of the awakened
mind, arising from the mire of samsara. On the petals of the lotus
are the flat disks of the sun and moon which serve as cushions for
the Buddha, representing the Buddha's realizations of emptiness
and bodhicitta. On the moon disk sits Buddha Shakyamuni.
Buddha's body is made of golden
light. He is seated in the "full vajra" or lotus posture. He is
dressed in the robes of a monk which do not actually touch his
body, but are separated from it by about an inch. His face is very
serene and beautiful; each hair on his head is individually curled
to the right, not mingling with or touching others; his ear lobes
are long; and his eyes are slightly opened.
His left hand rests in his lap in
the meditation pose, holding a begging bowl, filled with nectar.
The palm of his right hand rests on his right knee and his fingers
touch the moon disk upon which he sits; this symbolizes his great
control over anger, attachment and ignorance.
Taking RefugeFrom your heart, recite the refuge prayer and
visualize that streams of golden-white light radiate from the
Buddha's body in all directions, blessing you and all sentient
beings.
You may also visualize texts of
Dharma teachings on thrones near the Buddha which emanate with the
sounds of the teachings contained in them. Imagine teachers you
have read or heard seated on similar thrones around the Buddha.
Imagine also that you are surrounded in space by all sentient
beings in human form; your father and male friends and relatives
are seated on your right; your mother and female friends and
relatives are seated on your left; those you don't know and call
"strangers" reach out to the vastness of space; those you call
"enemies" are seated between you and the Merit Field of the
Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, symbolic of anger in our mindstreams
that separates us from feeling loving-kindness toward all beings
and hinders our advancement to full buddhahood.
Imagine that you lead all these
sentient beings in reciting the refuge prayer three times:
I take refuge until I am
enlightened
In the Buddhas, the Dharma and the
Sangha.
Through the positive potential I create by practicing
generosity
and the other far-reaching attitudes,
May I
attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient
beings.
Requests and InspirationFrom your heart, generate the request to the
Buddha that he grant you inspiration to follow the path to full
enlightenment; make this request on behalf of all living beings
who are trapped in samsara.
Rays of light stream from the figure
of the Buddha before you. This light enters your body and quickly
removes all negativities, obscurations and hindrances, freeing you
to progress quickly on the path. Imagine that this light flows not
only to you, but to all living beings situated in space around
you. Imagine that they all receive such inspiration and blessings
as you recite the name mantra of Shakyamuni Buddha as many times
as possible.
| |
tayata om
muni muni maha munaye soha |
|
The Blessing of Body, Speech and
MindImagine that rays of
light stream from the crown of Buddha's head to your crown; this
light purifies the negatities of your body and removes the
hindrances to attaining the enlightened body of a Buddha.
| |
tayata om
muni muni maha munaye soha |
|
Rays of light then stream from the
Buddha's throat to yours, pufifying the negativities of your
speech and removing hindrances to attaining the enlightened speech
that communicates clearly to all sentient beings, regardless of
their level or capacity.
| |
tayata om
muni muni maha munaye soha |
|
Finally, rays of light emanate from
the Buddha's heart and enter your own heart center. This light
purifies the negativities of your mind and remove hindrances to
the awakened, omniscient mind.
| |
tayata om
muni muni maha munaye soha |
|
Imagine that these light rays flow
to all sentient beings, helping them to quickly reach a state of
supreme awareness.
Maintain this visualization for as
long as you can, reciting the mantra quietly to yourself or aloud
and imagine that the light continues to stream from the Buddha to
you and all sentient beings. Imagine that nectar accompanies the
light and nourishes you completely, such is the nature of the
Dharma.
AbsorptionImagine that the teachers and their thrones dissolve into
light and are absorbed into the Buddha's body. Next, imagine that
the texts and their thrones dissolve similarly and absorb into the
Buddha. Imagine now that the throne is absorbed into the lotus,
the lotus into the sun, the sun into the moon and the moon into
the body of the Buddha. Buddha now comes to the crown of your
head, facing the same direction as you, dissolves into brilliant,
white light and dissolves into your body through the crown of your
head, filling your body once again with this brilliant light.
Feel great bliss and joy as your
body, speech and mind are completely transformed. Hold this
feeling for as long as you can, experiencing the removal of all
hindrances and obstructions to omniscience.
From this state, imagine in the
space where you are sitting, arising from emptiness are the snow
lions, the throne, lotus, sun and moon disks and yourself seated
upon them in the same aspect as you visualized the Buddha before.
Visualize and really feel that you have attained the state of
omniscience; feel the enlightened compassion and wisdom of
buddhahood.
At your heart appear sun and moon
disks. At the center of the moon disk, standing upright, is the
syllable MUM. Surrounding this are the syllables of Shakyamuni
Buddha's name mantra: tayata om muni muni maha munaye soha.
Streams of light flow from the MUM and mantra at your heart center
to all sentient beings, completely removing their hindrances,
obstructions, wrong views, delusions and traces of ignorance and
thereby transforming them into the form of the Buddha as well.
Meditate in this way for as long as possible, reciting the mantra
quietly to yourself.
This portion of the meditation is
called "bringing the result into the path." It is a very powerful
method for transforming our normal view of and how we behave in
the world. The result of our practiceis to attain full
enlightenment; this activity of bringing the result of buddhahood
to our present state is a powerful, transformative tool. You
should not imagine that your body, speech or mind are the same;
they have arisen from emptiness and manifested in the form of a
buddha. This activity enables you to transform yourself and
surroundings into vehicles that lead to full, perfect
enlightenment.
DedicationWhen you have completed this meditation, dedicate the
positive potential of this practice to the benefit of all living
beings, that they may be liberated from the hardships of cyclic
existence and placed in a state of perfect peace and happiness.
Remind yourself that your initial motivation for doing this
meditation is to actually attain such a state as the means to be
able to lead all other sentient beings to full
enlightenment. |
