Lightly edited Transcription of the Condensed Practice Lama, Yida and Dharmapala according to Zurmang Kagyud tradition - by Zurmang Gharwang Rinpoche at
Mangala Vihara Temple, Singapore on
26th February 2002
Continue from Page-1
{slider Transmission of text}
Transmission of text
So I will now start. First, I will give you a transmission and then I will give you a brief instruction of Guru Yoga, Tara and the Four Arm Mahakala. At this moment, the text has not been fully translated. I will try to make a book so that you will have a picture of all the practices so that you can see clearly and visualise clearly and you can practice together as group. I think that is better.
This book which I am currently compiling, contains maybe 20 to 30 pictures of practices such as the guru yoga practice and so on. For yidam practice, you will have Vajrayogini and Chakrasamvara which is the main yidam of Zurmang tradition. We also have the Mahakala practice. Or, if one wishes to practice Tara, Avalokiteshvara or Zambala, everything will be there. So it contains 20 to 30 pictures. If I show it to you now, you’ll probably say, “Ah, I think I don’t want to practice anymore!” So this practice book is for those who seriously wish to practice the sadhanas.
This transmission is based on the short practice . This is the shortest form of the three practices of Guru Yoga, yidam practice and Mahakala practice. This is a very short practice. Nowadays, everyone wants very short practices. So I again compiled a very short practice of the three important practices. It cannot be any shorter than this, otherwise, you can’t practice, it would be better not to practice!
As you know, in Vajrayana, there are three important steps. The first is to visualise oneself as the yidam (that’s what we will be practising). And then we have the inner yogic practices which works with the subtle body. This is also called the pure body or the illusory body. Then finally, there’s formless meditation. So these are the three important methods in Vajrayana and they are mostly associated with two different stages i.e. generation and completion stage. The yidam, the Guru Yoga and the Four Arm Mahakala practices are closely associated with generation stage because this is where we construct the visualisation in our mind.
In completion stage, we have completion stage with sign and completion stage without sign. Completion stage with sign is inner yoga. We actually have a subtle body, a very pure body; we relate all the practices required in this inner yoga to this subtle body; our practice incorporates all the channels. The Six Yogas of Naropa is an example of such a practice. Completion stage without any signs is where we rest directly in the nature of mind, like the Mahamudra practice. So these are the three important practices.
So first, I will give you the transmission and then I will give you brief instructions. The translation of the text is going to be very clear and very complete. You just need to pay attention and listen carefully. Okay?
Rinpoche gives transmission of the short practice book
So now, I will give you a brief instruction. So once you get the text, just follow it. If you have any questions, you can ask me as I will be here next time. You can ask anytime. Okay? So now I’ll just explain and you can just listen.
{slider Waking up Practice}
The waking up practice
The first practice is the Waking Up Call. You know, you actually don’t have to use an alarm clock. In the waking up call, in Tibetan we call it tangwe tagyue, you should think that you were awakened by the gods and goddesses of the three roots with
their bells and damaru and with their songs. Actually, you should think that you are waking up from the darkness of ignorance. When you wake up, you shouldn’t think that somebody woke you up. So don’t just jump from the bed and have a cup of
coffee! Okay? So you should think that the dakas and dakinis are the ones who woke you up from ignorance and just sit for a while.
Then immediately you become Manjusri. Manjusri is orange in colour. On his right hand he holds a wisdom sword. On his left hand, he holds the stem of lotus flower with his ring finger and his thumb. At the centre of lotus flower, there is a Six Paramita Sutra. Okay? And Manjusri is dressed in 13 piece peaceful costume and he sits on a lotus and moon disk. There is a white OM, a red AH and dark blue HUNG. On the tongue, there is a white colour letter AH. Below your speech cakra and above your heart, there is a letter DHI, the heart syllable of Manjusri.
From there light radiates and it eliminates the impurities of your body, speech and mind. This light radiates to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, and it then directly invites the blessing of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas back and at that very moment, think that you have attained all the qualities, especially the wisdom quality of Manjusri.
So then you have to recite, “OM AH HUNG, OM AH HUNG, OM AH HUNG”. This represents body, speech and body. Then recite AH seven times. This AH represents emptiness. After that, recite “DHI, DHI, DHI” twenty-one times very quickly. So now, one session of practice is complete.
It’s very short, isn’t it? Once you have the text, you will be able to remember and you will be able to practice. Without the text, you will not be able to remember at all.
{slider Bathing Practice}
Bathing practice
This is the bathing ceremony. When you shower, you should not just think that you are in the bathroom to take a shower, you know. Think that Buddhas and bodhisattvas are the ones who are giving you a shower, a special shower. this one [laughter]
So in front of you, there is a deity of Metsek. She is sitting on a lotus and moon disk and she is dark blue in colour. She holds a vase between her hands and her hands are in the namaste mudra. Inside the vase there is nectar. This nectar is imbued with the blessing of this deity and her mantras. This nectar constantly flows from the vase, purifying the impurities of your body, speech and mind.
Visualise that as you shower, this nectar flows from the vase and when this water fills up your body, it immediately eliminates all the impurities of your body, speech and mind and your body is filled with the wisdom of this deity. Okay?
That’s what you have to think.
After you have completed the visualisation, recite this mantra:
Om bhurku maha tranaye bhur tsi bhur ki bhimale U tsut ma tro dha hung phat
So while you are bathing, don’t sing a song and take a shower, you should recite this mantra and wash your hair at the same time. [laughter] But you should do it alone. If your husband or your wife sees you, they will think that you have gone crazy.
I’m just joking. So that’s how we take a shower.
{slider Trung Mase Guru Yoga}
Trung Mase Guru Yoga
Now, I will give you a very brief explanation about guru yoga. First, you should sit comfortably in front of the altar.
Place your hands together at your heart in the lotus mudra and recite the refuge and bodhicitta prayers three times each.
Then begin your visualisation practice. Everything is written very clearly in the text and you should also use the picture of Trung Mase. This is the Guru Yoga of Trung Mase. But if you wish to replace Trung Mase with whoever your guru is, you can
also do that. It’s also okay, you know. You can even visualise that Trung Mase and your guru are inseparable. Of course, if you cannot do that, just visualise your guru as Trung Mase. Okay? So, you can visualise, how ever many gurus you have, you
can visualise all as one. Trung Mase is in a fully ordained monk’s robes. There are 3 layers of robes which makes up the fully ordained monk’s robes.
We call it namgyel, chodul and tangul. The yellow shawl, which I’m not wearing tonight, is worn when there is an initiation. This yellow shawl or namgyel does not have many stripes. There is another shawl which has many stripes, tangur. There is also a skirt or we call it shampa. So these three shawls makes up the fully ordained monk’s robes. If you can see the picture, you will be able to visualise better.
His right hand is in the teaching mudra, he holds a ratna, a precious stone or jewel in his left hand which is in the meditation mudra. His throne is held up by eight snow-lions. He is surrounded by all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and all the other lineage holders. Everything is clearly mentioned in the text. When you have the text, just follow the text. Without it you probably will not be able to visualise this.
From Trung Mase’s four points, (his body, speech, mind and navel) light radiates. From the body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and all the other lineage holders that surround him, light radiates to the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. This light invites the blessing of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and the actual wisdom of Trung Mase back. It then dissolves into Trung Mase. This visualisation will invite the actual Trung Mase, from Orgyen where Guru Padmasambhava resides. Visualise that Trung Mase comes to us in many different forms, in form bodies which may be very small or very big, in the form of mantra, in the form of light. Everything dissolves into this Trung Mase which you have just
visualised. This becomes the actual wisdom Trung Mase. It’s a bit complicated, isn’t it?
It will probably be difficult for you to understand whatever I say without the text. Once you have invited Trung Mase in front of you, recite
benza dza ma dza
This invites him to sit on the throne. Now we don’t just let him sit there for whole day, we now make offerings to him and recite the seven branch prayer. When we recite such prayers, we accumulate merit because the seven branch prayer includes
prostration,
offering,
confessing of negativities,
rejoicing (when others accumulate merit, we rejoice with them),
requesting Buddha to turn the wheel of Dharma to benefit many sentient beings, and
requesting him to remain in this world for many, many lifetimes, many thousand years and finally,
dedication of our merits, whatever we have accumulated during this practice. So this is the seven branch prayer.
After that, generate great devotion from your heart and recite Calling Guru From Afar. By reciting such a prayer, you will receive all the blessing from your guru. Of course it is different from making a phone call. You are actually calling guru from your heart. There is a whole line of prayer. As you recite, think that for whatever reason you are praying to your guru, whatever you want, ask the guru to bless you now, so that you can eliminate all your problems, your suffering, your pain and that all your wishes will be fulfilled. So everything will be explained in this text. So once, you follow step by step, one will be able to recite and practice. Okay?
When you recite this prayer, you should be totally focussed. You should not only be physically present, you should also be mentally present. This is very important. You don’t just say, “Oh, guru please bless me,” and after some time you are thinking of what you will be having for dinner. This shouldn’t happen, you know. You should fully concentrate while you are reciting this prayer.
After reciting, think that your mind and guru’s mind becomes inseparable. That they are unified. Then you should recite the mantra of Trung Mase: “Oh ah Matiratna sarwa siddhi pala hung, Oh ah Matiratna sarwa siddhi pala hung”. This is the mantra of Trung Mase for 108 times or more, or at least 3 times a day. Okay?
After reciting, before you dedicate, you should just sit for a while without having anything in your mind, just sit like this for as long as you are able and meditate for a while. If thought arises, immediately recite the 100 syllables Vajrasattva mantra, the long version. If you cannot remember the long version then recite “Om Vajrasattva Hung”. If you can’t remember that either, then don’t recite. Okay? [laughter]
Because you have dissolved the guru, immediately think that the blessing of the guru, your body, speech and mind and your guru’s body, speech and mind becomes inseparable. So don’t leave your guru on your crown all the time, okay? Dissolve your
guru into a light and dissolve into oneself. Think that you and guru become one. Okay? After that, dedicate all the merits for all sentient beings.
So to summarise the guru yoga, first, we recite the refuge and bodhicitta prayers. Then we visualise the guru. After that, we invite guru and we make the seven branch prayer to accumulate merits. Then we call the guru to come from far, far away and
you pray to the guru to bless you so that you can succeed your practice. After that, your mind and your guru become inseparable. Then recite the guru’s mantra as many times as possible. After that, if you wish to stop the practice, you should sit and meditate for as long as your time permits. Then recite the 100 syllable. Then with the blessing of the guru, your body, speech and mind and guru’s body speech and mind become inseparable. And then, you dissolve guru into a light, which dissolves into oneself. So actually you become the actual guru. Okay? Then you dedicate the merit for all sentient beings.
These are the steps that you should remember. When you receive the text, it’s very clearly stated, everything is clearly explained, so it will be very easy for you to practice. And if you are not clear, then you can always ask me when I’m here.
If not, there are so many Zurmang Rinpoches who will be able to help you or you can ask the lama in the centre. Okay?
So, do we have enough time continue?
{slider Tara Practice}
Tara practice
You know, I have another short practice of Tara because I was asked many times by my dharma friends for a short practice of Tara, you know. So, this time I was able to find a short Tara practice from Chogyur Lingpa’s teaching. I think this is one of the shortest but complete Tara practice that I have seen. Short and complete.
So we always start with a refuge prayer. Visualise Tara in front of you and then recite the refuge prayer three times that you want Tara’a protection and blessing. We follow this by reciting the bodhicitta prayers three times. After this bodhicitta practice, there is an actual visualization.
Visualise Tara exactly like a picture but in translucent form. Once you have visualised this Tara, think that from the body, speech and mind of Tara, light radiates to the ten pure lands of Tara Potala, and the real Tara, the wisdom Tara is invited. The light then dissolves into this Tara, and this Tara becomes the actual Tara.
Recite “Tsur Sheg Are Ya Ta Re Dza” with the hand mudra. This mudra is to welcome Tara. And then “dza hung bam ho”, with the hand mudra. This means to make Tara and you, inseparable. The Tara that you have visualised and the wisdom Tara becomes inseparable. Then after that, visualise that the gods and goddesses of initiation are giving you an initiation so that you can practice Tara.
Once you have invited Tara, don’t just leave Tara there all the time, you have to make some offering. So you have to perform the eight offerings of argham, padhyam, pupe, dhupe, ahloke, gande, nevide, shapta with hand mudras.
After making offering to Tara, you have to praise Tara, “You are the only protector. You are the only Buddha that can eliminate all our suffering and pain.” And then visualise that in your heart, that there is a moon disk. At the centre of this moon disk, there is a letter TAM, the heart syllable of Tara. And this letter TAM is surrounded by Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha. TAM is in the centre standing on the moon. And when you arrange the mantra, most of the female deities’ mantra should be arranged clockwise and circles anti-clockwise unless the root text specifically states otherwise.
In this short condensed practice, the root text itself does not state that it rotates, so this mantra never goes round, it just, you know, stands still. Okay?
TAM at the centre of a moon disk
Tara’s mantra arranged clock-wise around TAM
Once you have visualised that, then you recite Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha many times. While you are reciting Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha, the blessing of Tara radiates in the form of light from the mantra. This light will eliminate all the problems,
suffering that you presently face. So then, you will become a very happy, healthy and humorous person. Recite the Tara mantra as many times as you wish. When you wish to stop the practice, you should again try to meditate as long as your are able to,
like the guru yoga practice. Then recite the 100 syllables three times. And then, make another set of eight offerings:
argham, padyam, phupe, dupe, ahloke, ghande, nuide, shapta, followed by the praise of Mother Tara.
Once you have recited the prayer of praise to Tara, say, “HUNG HUNG HUNG”. Then Mother Tara will melt into light and dissolves into the universe. So there is no MOTHER Tara. Okay? And then once you say, “PHET PHET PHET”, suddenly Mother Tara
appears again in front of you. So Mother Tara will remain there all the time. Then you dedicate the merit.
So this is the shortest practice of Mother Tara that I have ever seen, that I have ever found. This is the shortest yet complete. It is not just short, it is also complete. So if one wishes to practice Mother Tara, I think this is the best one.
{/sliders}
Continue to : Page 3