The Annotated Repentance Sadhana [Shri Vajrasattva Sadhana of the Four Preliminary Practices] ~ Version 3

Terjemahan Indonesia: Sadhana Pertobatan & Penyucian Kembali [Sadhana Vajrasattva dari Empat Prayoga dengan tambahan anotasi]

Shri Baghavan

Maha Acharya Vajrasattva

Sadhana

of the Four Preliminary Practices

A TRUE BUDDHA SCHOOL SADHANA TEXT

Transmitted by Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu.

With annotations by Lotuschef Lama.

———

About Living Buddha Lian-sheng

A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

Living Buddha Lian-sheng, also revered as Grand Master, is the root lineage guru of True Buddha School. His emanation is from Mahavairocana to Locana to Padmakumara. Grand Master holds lineages from the Nyingma, Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug schools of Tibetan Buddhism.

He is a prominent religious figure throughout the world. As of 2006, over 5 million people have taken refuge in his True Buddha School. With over 300 chapters worldwide, the True Buddha School is recognised as a major component in Buddhism today. Living Buddha Lian-sheng has written over 220 books in Chinese on topics such as Tantric Buddhism, Geomancy, Zen Buddhism, and Taoism. Many of these books are now being translated into English and various other languages.

———

Caveat

Anyone who wishes to engage in any practice (sadhana) in this article must first take refuge in True Buddha School and receive empowerment from Living Buddha Lian-sheng.

In this article, mantras are translated using simple English phonetics. Sutras, verses, and praises are translated using both English and Han Yu pinyin. Students should not assume that the translations can possibly emulate the exact pronunciations of the Root Guru. It is highly recommended that students obtain mantra tapes from local True Buddha temples or chapters.

This article serves as a guideline for your daily practice and please read the content with Open Mind. These are to be used as reference only, therefore you use it at your own risk if you do not have the proper empowerment or have not built the relevant foundations yet.

May the compassionate Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma Protectors bless this translated sadhana. May the True Buddha Tantric Dharma liberate all beings in the Six Realms of Transmigration.

For more information and other True Buddha material, please visit the following websites:
www.tbsn.org
www.padmakumara.org

Transmitted by Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu.
Original translation by Janny Chow, Luljeta Subasic, and Alice Yang.


Edited with annotations by Lotuschef Lama and Lotus Nino.
Copyright © Pure Karma.
www.lotuschef.blogspot.com
www.purekarmavihara.org

If you own one or more of the images that appear(s) in this article, please contact us and we will gladly put your name as the copyright owner or remove them if you want so.

Version 3 – as per March 27, 2015

Credits: Vajrasattva © Yoji Nishi

———

Table of Contents 

1. The Preliminaries
2. The Four Immeasurables Visualisation
3. Purification
4. Invocation
5. The Great Homage
6. The Great Mandala Offering
7. The Fourfold Refuge
8. Armour Protection
9. High King Avalokiteshvara Sutra
10. Amitabha Rebirth Dharani
11. The Four Immeasurable Vows
12. The Repentance Verse & Mantra
13. Guru Yoga
14. Vajrasattva Yoga of Purification
15. Emergence from Samadhi and the Praise
16. The Heart Mantra of The Eight Principal Deities
17. Homage to Amitabha Buddha
18. Dedication of Merits
19. The Great Homage
20. The Completion Mantras
21. Addendum

———

1. The Preliminaries

Before starting the cultivation, as a form of cleansing, take a bath and change your clothes, or you can wash your hands.
Afterwards, sit in a relaxed manner, straighten your spine, your tongue touching the roof of your mouth, and your eyes facing forward.

Start to hollow out by throwing away the stale air, stagnant air, and all the unhappiness.
In order to do so, you can yell “Ai” (Chinese word for “Love”) loudly.
You take a deep breath, hollow out from your Dantian (wiki: Elixir field, sea of qi), that is three to four fingers below your umbilical.
At your own timing, shout out “Ai” 3 times.

You should feel light, happy, and in the joyful mood.
You should be in this frame of mind before starting the cultivation.

Now take three deep breaths.
With each breath, visualise you draw in great amount of white light, slowly filling your body.
By using your mind or your “Will Power”, move this light to your hand and move your fingers a little bit, slowly move it downwards to your feet, toes, and move your toes a little bit.
All the time (while spreading the Light or Qi ) you are holding your breath!
And when your body is filled with this light, you should feel good.
When you can’t hold this breath any longer, again with your mind visualise you open all skin pores and emit the light outwards.

Just now you have thrown away all the black things, all the unhappy things.
So when you draw in the white light, it fills you, and you in turn give out the white light, so there is no more darkness.
As you have already thrown away the darkness, you are now lighted just like a light tube or light bulb.
When you switch on the electricity, that means you bring the light into you. It fills you and then you shine the lights outwards.
Like the energy-saving bulb, you get brighter and brighter.

So when you chant the Guru's mantra or other mantra, just visualise that you are that light bulb or that lamp, it becomes brighter and brighter – this means that you are sharing the goodness of the universe, the light, the energy, the brightness, and everything that is good with everybody.
Bear that in mind, Sharing! And you will do fine.

Now perform the three deep breathings and enter the cultivation.

2. The Four Immeasurables Visualisation

First, visualise the True Buddha Lineage:
Namo Vairochana Buddha, Buddha Locani, Amitabha Buddha, The White Maha Padmakumara, and Living Buddha Lian Sheng.

Visualise that they bless us with great amount of light.
Visualise the light fills all sentient beings up and in turn we also share this light by emitting them through our skin pores to all sentient beings.
Remember: we do not choose who to give to, we give to all without discrimination, differentiation, segregation!
This is the part of Bodhicitta – the Dharma Charity.

Feels good? You should!

The Padmakumara Mudra

Form the Padmakumara Mudra and recite the Root Guru long mantra:

OM. AH. HOM. GURU BEI. A-HE-SHA-SA-MA-HA. LIEN-SHEN. SIDDHI. HOM. (7x)

3. Purification

Wake Up Call Mudra: 

Clap twice, then cross hands and snap thumbs and middle fingers.

With the Purification Mantras, we are purifying the body, speech, and mind.
As you recite each one, visualise the corresponding part brightens up.
If you have done the previous visualisation well, you are actually quite clean and pure by now.
We will recite the earth deity’s mantra too.

Speech Purification:
OM, SYULEE SYULEE, MAHA SYULEE, SYUSYULEE, SOHA.

Body Purification:    
OM, SYUTOLEE, SYUTOLEE, SYUMOLEE, SYUMOLEE, SOHA.

Mind Purification:    
OM, WADZILA DAM, HO HO HUM.

Earth God Mantra:  
NAMO SAMMANTO, MOTOHNAM, OM, TULU TULU TEIWEI, SOHA.

4. Invocation

We visualise that we shoot a beam of great white light towards the universe as if out-stretching both hands to humbly request the Root Guru and all Divinities and Deities to descend and grace our altar, accept our offerings and bless all of our endeavours, so that all may be auspicious and fulfilling for all of us.

Maintain this visualisation, and we recite invocation mantra.

Recite: OM. AH. HOM. SOHA. (3x)

We sincerely invoke:
Namo The Holy Red Crown Vajra Root Guru Living Buddha Lian-sheng.
Namo The White Maha Padmakumara.
Namo Lotus Light Self-Mastery Buddha.
Namo All of the Lineage Masters of the True Buddha School and the True Buddha Assembly.
Namo Shri Vajrasattva.
Namo the Five Dhyani Buddhas.
Namo all deities residing in the altar, and that of the surrounding area.
Namo all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dharma Protectors, Vajra Herukas, Deities of the Dragon Heavens, Dakas and Dakinis, saints and divinities of the three times and in ten directions.
Namo Maha Prajnaparamita.

5. The Great Homage

The Buddha Shrine Mudra

First, homage to the Root Guru and all Buddhas in all times and directions by using the Buddha Shrine Mudra.

Visualise in the space before and above you the Root Guru, all past lineagemasters , the eight Personal Deities, all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and Dharma Protectors. They appear like multitudes of twinkling stars, pervading the Empty Space.

[Left-Right] Touching the Third-eye Chakra – Throat Chakra – Heart Chakra

Touch the third-eye chakra with the mudra and visualise the Root Guru emitting a white beam of light from his third-eye chakra to your third-eye chakra.

Touch the throat chakra with the mudra and visualise the Root Guru emitting a red beam of light from his throat chakra to your throat chakra.

Touch the heart chakra with the mudra and visualise the Root Guru emitting a blue beam of light from his heart chakra to your heart chakra.

Touch the third-eye chakra again and then release the mudra.

If you are performing the Great Prostration by using visualisation, visualise yourself prostrating fully on the floor to pay homage to the Root Guru and Buddhas in all times and directions.

The Lotus Mudra

Second, homage to all Bodhisattvas by using Lotus Mudra.

Employ the mudra and repeat as above to pay homage to all Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas.

The Vajra Clasp Mudra

Third, homage to all Dharma Protectors, Vajra Herukas, Deities of the Dragon Heavens, Dakas and Dakinis by using Vajra Clasp Mudra.
Employ the mudra and repeat as above to pay homage to all Protectors.

The Equanimity Mudra

Fourth, half-bow to the Sages and Sanghas by using Equanimity Mudra.

Bow and touch the mudra against the third-eye chakra before releasing it.

6. The Great Mandala Offering

The Mandala Offering Mudra

Form and then place the Offering Mudra in front of the chest. 

Visualisation: 

Visualise the offerings multiply to first form a row, then multiply again to form a field, and multiply once more to fill all space. 

We visualise the offerings of incense, tea, lamp, flower, fruit, and then fragrance, bath liquid, treasure conch. From the treasure conch spills all kinds of precious gem and treasure, gold, silver, bronze, crystal, jade; nice clothings, gowns, suits, heavenly silks and brocades; all kinds of food, grain, sweet, rice, meats from pigs, cows, chickens, fishes, crabs, prawns and all nicely prepared cuisines; heavenly music, heavenly dances, heavenly songs; and all offerings that you bring yourself.

Visualise glad acceptance from root guru, lineage masters, the yidam of this session (Shri Vajrasattva), and all buddhas, bodhisattva, of the three times and ten directions.
The whole universe is now filled with golden yellow lights.

We also offer them to all heavenly beings, and also “transform” the offerings to all beings in the six realms in the form of rain of white light.
And as this white light touches all sentient beings, it “transforms” into multi-coloured lights. It means that all beings receive what they want and what they need.
We can also visualise that we can hear the happy laughter, signifying the glad acceptance from all beings in the six realms.

Maintain this visualisation, we chant the verse and the mantra.

Recite the Offering Verse:   

Mount Sumeru together with the Four Continents, the sun and the moon, 

Transforms into precious treasures to offer to the Buddhas. 

May the immeasurable merits that arise from these offerings
Serve to purify us and further our bodhi realisation. 

Recite the Offering Mantra:  

OM, SAERWA, TATHAGATA, EEDAMUH, GURU LANA, MENCHALA, KAN, NELEYEH, DAHYEMI.

Bring the mudra to touch upon the third-eye chakra before release.

7. The Fourfold Refuge 

We visualise root guru, lineage masters, buddhas, dharmas, shanghas, of the three times and ten directions merge into a great white light that empowers you.
Visualise the light fills you up, and in turn you share it with all beings around you.
Remember: this is dharma sharing as well!

We can visualise that we, all around us, transform into light, forming like an ocean of light. 
In this, there is no differentiation or discrimination, because all are light – light as a whole, so we are all one.

Recite the Fourfold Refuge Mantra:
NAMO GURU-BEI, NAMO BUDDHA-YE, NAMO DHARMA-YE, NAMO SANGHA-YE. (3x)

8. Armour Protection

Form the Vajra Clasp Mudra before the third-eye chakra. Visualise we draw a beam of dazzling white light downwards, filling us, engulfing us.

The Vajra Clasp Mudra

Recite the mantra:  OM, BO LEE LAN ZE LEE. (7x)

After recitation, bring the mudra to touch the third-eye chakra, then throat chakra, heart chakra, left shoulder, right shoulder, then back to the third-eye chakra.
Visualise that you are now actually a lighted up Crossed-Dorje.

The Crossed Dorje (Vishva-Vajra)

At the moment of releasing the mudra, we visualise that we shoot a beam of medium blue light towards the universe; and we in turn draw it down, placing it to the front, back, left and right of us.
Visualise it in a form of blue light, starting to rotate in a clockwise direction.
It starts to spin faster and faster – this means that the Dharma Protectors are protecting you all the time.
We thank all dharmapalas for guiding us, protecting us, all around the clock.

9. High King Avalokiteshvara Sutra

The High King Avalokiteshvara wearing
the Seven-Buddha Crown

We visualise the eight-petalled lotus, in milky white colour and in our heart chakra slowly blooms, and in the centre sits the High King Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva. All around the Bodhisattva within the lotus are the buddhas and bodhisattvas mentioned in this sutra.

We now have a lotus in our heart chakra filled with dazzling light like that of the stars shining brightly, and we have actually the mandala of High King Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva – that means pure land!

When you have pure land in your heart chakra, you have no more darkness, worries, sufferings, cravings, desires, angers, hatreds, aversions; and all you have are wisdom, compassion, bodhicitta for all beings.

Maintain this visualisation, and we chant High King sutra.
**If you chant more than once, you can proceed with visualising yourself enlarging gradually and merging into the Universe.

The High King Avalokiteshvara sutra:

觀世音菩薩。
Namo Guan Shi Yin Pu Sa.
Homage to Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva.

南無佛。南無法。南無僧。
Namo Fo. Namo Fa. Namo Seng.
Namo Buddhaya, Namo Dharmaya, Namo Sanghaya.

佛國有緣。
Fo Guo You Yuan.
I have affinity with the Pure Lands and

佛法相因。
Fo Fa Xiang Yin.
I attain yoga with the Dharma.

常樂我淨。
Chang Le Wo Jing.
I am always happy, pure and at peace.

有緣佛法。
You Yuan Fo Fa.
I have affinity with the Dharma.

南無摩訶般若波羅蜜。是大神咒。
Namo Mohe Boye Boluomi. Shi Da Shen Zhou.
Namo Maha Prajna Paramita, a great spiritual mantra.

南無摩訶般若波羅蜜。是大明咒。
Namo Mohe Boye Boluomi. Shi Da Ming Zhou.
Namo Maha Prajna Paramita, a great wisdom mantra.

南無摩訶般若波羅蜜。是無上咒。
Namo Mohe Boye Boluomi. Shi Wu Shang Zhou.
Namo Maha Prajna Paramita, a supreme mantra.

南無摩訶般若波羅蜜。是無等等咒。
Namo Mohe Boye Boluomi. Shi Wu Deng Deng Zhou.
Namo Maha Prajna Paramita, an unequaled mantra.

南無淨光秘密佛。
Namo Jing Guang Mi Mi Fo,
Namo the Pure Light Secret Buddha,

法藏佛。
Fa Zang Fo,
the Dharma Treasury Buddha,

獅子吼神足幽王佛。
Shi Zi Hou Shen Zu You Wang Fo,
the Tranquil King Buddha with Lion’s roar and divine speed,

佛告須彌燈王佛。
Fo Gao Xu Mi Deng Wang Fo,
the Sumeru Light King Buddha announced by Buddha,

法護佛。
Fa Hu Fo,
the Dharma Protector Buddha,

金剛藏獅子遊戲佛。
Jin Gang Zang Shi Zi You Xi Fo,
the Vajra Treasury Roaming Lion Buddha,

寳勝佛。
Bao Sheng Fo,
the Precious Victory Buddha,

神通佛。
Shen Tong Fo,
the Supernatural Power Buddha,

藥師琉璃光王佛。
Yao Shi Liu Li Guang Wang Fo,
the Medicine Crystal Light King Buddha,

普光功德山王佛。
Pu Guang Gong De Shan Wang Fo,
the Universal Light Merit Mountain King Buddha,

善住功德寳王佛。
Shan Zhu Gong De Bao Wang Fo,
the Merit Retaining Jewel King Buddha,

過去七佛。
Guo Qu Qi Fo,
the Seven Past Buddhas,

未來賢劫千佛。
Wei Lai Xian Jie Qian Fo,
the Future Thousand Buddhas of this fortunate eon,

千五百佛。
Qian Wu Bai Fo,
the Fifteen Hundred Buddhas,

萬五千佛。
Wan Wu Qian Fo,
the Fifteen Thousand Buddhas,

五百花勝佛。
Wu Bai Hua Sheng Fo,
the Five Hundred Flower Victory Buddhas,

百億金剛藏佛。
Bai Yi Jin Gang Zang Fo,
the Ten Billion Vajra Treasury Buddhas,

定光佛。
Ding Guang Fo.
and the Samadhi Light Buddha.

六方六佛名號。
Liu Fang Liu Fo Ming Hao:
The Buddhas of Six Directions:

東方寳光月殿月妙尊音王佛。
Dong Fang Bao Guang Yue Dian Yue Miao Zun Yin Wang Fo,
To the East the Precious Light Moon Palace Venerable Wonderful Voice King Buddha,

南方樹根華王佛。
Nan Fang Shu Gen Hua Wang Fo,
To the South the Tree-Root Flower King Buddha,

西方皂王神通燄花王佛。
Xi Fang Zao Wang Shen Tong Yan Hua Wang Fo,
To the West the Spiritual Power Flower Blazing King Buddha,

北方月殿情淨佛。
Bei Fang Yue Dian Qing Jing Fo,
To the North the Moon Palace Purity Buddha,

上方無數精進寳首佛。
Shang Fang Wu Shu Jing Jin Bao Shou Fo,
Above, the countless Vigor Jewel Crown Buddhas,

下方善寂月音王佛。
Xia Fang Shan Ji Yue Yin Wang Fo.
Below, the Tranquil Moon Sound King Buddha.

無量諸佛。
Wu Liang Zhu Fo,
All the Immeasurable Buddhas,

多寳佛。釋迦牟尼佛。
Duo Bao Fo, Shi Jia Mou Ni Fo,
Prabhutaratna Buddha, Shakyamuni Buddha,

彌勒佛。阿閦佛。彌陀佛。
Mi Le Fo, A Chu Fo, Mi Tuo Fo.
Maitreya Buddha, Aksobhya Buddha, Amitabha Buddha.

中央一切眾生。在佛世界中者。
Zhong Yang Yi Qie Zhong Sheng, Zai Fo Shi Jie Zhong Zhe,
All beings in the Central Realm, and those in the Pure Lands,

行住於地上。及在虛空中。
Xing Zhu Yu Di Shang. Ji Zai Xu Kong Zhong
while moving upon the Earth and through the Heavens,

慈憂於一切眾生。各令安穩休息。
Ci You Yu Yi Qie Zhong Sheng, Ge Ling An Wen Xiu Xi,
shower limitless compassion upon all beings, affording them equanimity and peace,

晝夜修持。
Zhou Ye Xiu Chi.
that they might cultivate day and night.

心常求誦此經。
Xin Chang Qiu Song Ci Jing,
By constantly invoking this sutra,

能滅生死苦。
Neng Mie Sheng Si Ku,
one is liberated from the suffering of birth and death,

消除諸毒害。
Xiao Chu Zhu Du Hai.
and freed from all the many kinds of suffering.

南無大明觀世音。觀明觀世音。
Na Mo Da Ming Guan Shi Yin, Guan Ming Guan Shi Yin,
Namo the great wisdom Avalokiteshvara, the observant Avalokiteshvara,

高明觀世音。開明觀世音。
Gao Ming Guan Shi Yin, Kai Ming Guan Shi Yin.
the noble Avalokiteshvara, the expansively-minded Avalokiteshvara.

藥王菩薩。藥上菩薩。
Yao Wang Pu Sa, Yao Shang Pu Sa,
the Medicine King Bodhisattva,  the Supreme Medicine Bodhisattva,

文殊師利菩薩。普賢菩薩。
Wen Shu Shi Li Pu Sa, Pu Xian Pu Sa,
Manjushri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva,

虛空藏菩薩。地藏王菩薩。
Xu Kong Zang Pu Sa, Di Zang Wang Pu Sa,
Akasagarbha Bodhisattva, Ksitigarbha Raja Bodhisattva,

清涼寶山億萬菩薩。
Qing Liang Bao Shan Yi Wan Pu Sa,
the billions of Clear Cool Treasure Mountain Bodhisattvas,

普光王如來化勝菩薩。
Pu Guang Wang Ru Lai Hua Sheng Pu Sa.
the Universal Light Venerable King Tathagata Bodhisattva.

念念誦此經。
Nian Nian Song Ci Jing,
Chanting this sutra continually,

七佛世尊。即說咒曰。
Qi Fo Shi Zun. Ji Shuo Zhou Yue:
the Seven World-Honored Buddhas recite this mantra:

(7x:) 離婆離婆帝。求訶求訶帝。陀羅尼帝。你訶羅帝。

Li Po Li Po Di. Qiu He Qiu He Di. Tuo Luo Ni Di. Ni He Luo Di.

毗黎尼帝。摩訶迦帝。真陵乾帝。梭哈。

Pi Li Ni Di. Mo He Jia Di. Zhen Ling Qian Di. Suo Ha.

10. Amitabha Rebirth Dharani

The Great Sea of Deliverance Mudra

Form the Great Sea Deliverance Mudra (like forming the Vajra Mudra and you turn the fingers inside).

We visualise Amitabha Buddha appears from the Universe.
From his heart chakra, a strong beam of pinkish light (combination of red, pink and white colours) radiates and blesses all the beings we knowingly or unknowingly harm during the course of our daily activities.
These are animals like pig, cow, lamb, chicken, duck, fish, crab, prawn, ants, cockroaches; bacteria, virus, and so on.

When all these beings receive light blessings from Amitabha Buddha, visualise their karma are cleansed by the light and their karmic differences are resolved (visualise they are shaking hands and hugging each other).
Their karmic negatives are neutralised and all unhappiness of other beings are neutralised too.
They become crystal-like pure, and we can visualise they happily sit upon lotus dharma boats.

Visualise these golden lotus dharma boats transform into golden dots of light, forming a golden river flowing into Amitabha's heart chakra.

Maintain this visualisation and recite the following dharani:

NAMO AMEE-TO POYE, TOTA KYA TOYE, TOTE YETA,
AMEE-LEE-TO POPEE, AMEE-LEE-TO SYE THAN POPEE,
AMEE-LEE-TO PEGYA-LANTE, AMEE-LEE-TO PEGYA-LANTO,
KYANEENEE, KYAKYANA, ZHEEDO KYALEE, SOHA. (7x)

11. The Four Immeasurable Vows

Visualise all beings around you as you sincerely share with all of them when making the following Bodhicitta vows:

May all beings have happiness and the causes of happiness; this is immeasurable loving-kindness.
May all beings be liberated from suffering and the causes of suffering; this is immeasurable compassion.
May all beings be free of suffering and always stay happy; this is immeasurable joy.
May all beings be free of grasping and aversion towards others, develop faith and equality; this is immeasurable equanimity.

Recite the Bodhicitta Verse:

Student Lotus [your name] shall take refuge in the Root Guru and Triple Jewels until reaching enlightenment. I will never recede on the path. May all my virtues be dedicated to all beings for their speedy enlightenment.

Recite the Bodhicitta Mantra:
OM, BODHICITTA, BEDZA, SAMAYA, AH HUM. (3x)

12. Repentance Verse & Mantra

Kneel and humbly repent. Visualise great white light cleansing all of our negative karma.

Recite the Repentance Verse:

All my transgressions committed since time immemorial which originated from countless greed, hatred, and ignorance; and that manifested through my body, speech, and mind; these I sincerely confess and repent them altogether. (3x)

Recite the Repentance Mantra:
OM, BEDZA, SAMAYA, SU-TE-A. (108x)

13. Guru Yoga

The Padmakumara Mudra

Form Padmakumara's hand mudra.

Visualise Padmakumara appears from the universe, blessing us with white (from his third-eye chakra), red (from his throat chakra) and blue lights (from his heart chakra). These lights cleanse the sins from the past lives and the present one.
Remember to sit up straight, keep your spine straight, then you can get the blessing!

Now visualise a HOM seed syllable from the mantra wheel in Padmakumara's heart chakra spinning and shooting a beam of great white light directed at your heart chakra.
The HOM seed syllable is now duplicated in your heart chakra (this seed is nurtured and will grow by your recitation of mantra and bodhicitta).

Optionally, you can transform the HOM syllable into a white-lighted lotus. It continues to emit great white light, filling you and spreading outwards. You are sharing this light with all.

Alternatively still, you can visualise yourself abiding serenely in the Maha Twin Lotus Pond of the Western Paradise.

We maintain this visualisation and we chant Guru's mantra.

Now remember, you are like the light bulb! 
Once you are lighted, you continue to give out lights.

You can actually time your breathing to draw in and give out the light.
It is up to how you want to do it, but once you are lighted, you stay lighted – like a bulb, when you switch on the electricity, it is lighted until you switch it off.
Once you light it, don't switch it off. Continue to stay lighted!

We start to chant mantra.

Recite: OM. GURU. LIEN-SHEN. SIDDHI. HOM. (108x)

[Feels good?
Once you’re lighted up, you feel lighter, feel brighter, there is a joy coming from within that oozes outwards, now maintain this visualisation.]

14. Vajrasattva Yoga of Purification

Recite the Emptiness (Shunyata) Mantra:
OM, SOBAWA, SUTA, SAERWA, DAERMA, SOBAWA, SUTO-HANG. (3x)

The Vajrasattva Mudra

Shri Bhagavan Maha Acharya Vajrasattva.
Image © Yoji Nishi

Form the Vajrasattva Mudra and cross it in front of the chest.
Visualise that Shri Vajrasattva appears from the universe, blessing us with white, red and blue lights.
You should have become very much brighter now!

The Tibetan "HOM" Syllable

The 100-Syllable Dharani Wheel

Now we visualise within His heart chakra there is a wheel of 100-syllable mantra. This mantra surrounds his heart chakra, revolves, and radiates brilliant white light, and within it there is a seed syllable HOM.

This great white light arcs over and down, pouring through your crown and flooding your entire body. Your whole body now exhibits a great white light, and negative karma and thoughts are expelled as black smoke through all skin pores.
Your body becomes crystal clear, radiating light.
You now enter into a state of joy in meditation.

Alternatively: You can just go straight to the transformation into a crystal-clear mani stone sitting upon a white lotus within our chakra., radiating brilliant and dazzling white light.

Or you can transform into the 100-syllable mantra wheel that keeps rotating in clockwise manner, churning and sharing lots of great white light.

Choose one from the above alternatives, as this also means that you have transformed into the Yidam deity itself and entered into Samadhi already.

We maintain the chosen visualisation, we recite the hundred-syllable dharani.

Please sit up straight, draw in the goodness and share it with all around you.
Remember: you are lighted up, and getting brighter and brighter as you chant mantra.

ཨོཾ་བཛྲ་སཏྭ་ས་མ་ཡ་མ་ནུ་པ་ལ་ཡ།  བཛྲ་སཏྭ་ཏྭེ་ནོ་པ་ཏིཥྛ།

དྲྀ་ཌྷོ་མེ་བྷ་བ།   སུ་ཏོ་ ཥྱོ་མེ་བྷ་བ།  སུ་པོ་ ཥྱོ་མེ་བྷ་བ།

ཨ་ནུ་ར་ཀྟོ་མེ་བྷ་བ།  ས་རྦ་སི་དྡྷི་མེ་པྲ་ཡ་ཙྪ།  ས་རྦ་ཀ་རྨ་སུ་ཙ་མེ

ཙི་ཏྟཾ༌ཤེ་ཡཿ་ཀུ་རུ་ཧཱུྂ།  ཧ་ཧ་ཧ་ཧ་ཧོཿ  བྷ་ག་བ་ན  ས་རྦ

ཏ་ཐཱ་ག་ཏ་བཛྲ་མཱ་མེ་མུ་ཉྩ།  བཛྲཱི་བྷ་བ་མ་ཧཱ་ས་མ་ཡ་སཏྭ  ཨཱཿ །།

ཧཱུྂ ཕ་ཊ

Om, bedza, sato samaya, manu palaya, bedza sato tenupa teecha, 

checo meebawa, suto kayu meebawa, supo kayu meebawa,
annulato meebawa, saerwa, siddhi, meebulayecha,
saerwa, kaerma, suchamee, cheetamu, sheleeren, 

guru hom, ha ha ha ha he, 

bagha-wen, saerwa, tathagata, bedza, mamee mencha, pechebawa, 

maha samaya, sato a, hom, phei! 

(21 or 49x)

15. Emergence from Samadhi and the Praise

Recite the following praise:

Living Buddha Lian-sheng teaches the Great Tantric Practice,
Vajrasattva transforming into Vajra-Heart (Vajracitta),
An authentic spiritual response when the two merge into one,
Eradicating negative hindrances, therefore attaining purity. 

16. The Heart Mantra of the Eight Principal Deities 

OM, AMI TEHWAH SEH.
(Amitabha Buddha Heart Mantra)

OM, MANI PEMI HUM.
(Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Heart Mantra)

OM, PENLAMO LEEN-TO-LEEN, SOHA.
(Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Mantra that Removes Fixed Karma) 

OM, HA HA HA, WEI, SAMMODEI, SOHA.
(Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva Heart Mantra)

OM, CHALE CHULE, CHUNDEE, SOHA.
(Maha Cundi Bodhisattva Heart Mantra) 

OM, CEMPALA, CHALEN CHANAYA, SOHA.
(Yellow Jambhala Heart Mantra)

OM AH HUM, BEDZA GURU PEMA SIDDHI, HUM, SEH.
(Guru Padmasambhava Heart Mantra) 

OM AH HUM, GURU BEI, AH-HE-SHA-SA-MA-HA, LIEN-SHEN SIDDHI HUM.
(Padmakumara Bodhisattva Heart Mantra – the long version) 

TEYATHA, OM, BEKACHE-YE, BEKACHE-YE, MAHA BEKACHE-YE,
LADZA SAMOGATE-HEY, SOHA.
(Medicine Buddha Heart Mantra)

17. Homage to Amitabha Buddha

Recite the following:

Namo the 36 trillion 119 thousand and 500 Amitabha Buddhas with the same name and identification. (3x)

18. Dedication of Merits

Recite the dedication verse:

May all who uphold the name of Amitabha Buddha
Be born together in the Pure Land of His Western Paradise.
Repaying the Fourfold Generosity from above,
And aiding those who suffer in the Three Paths below.
Upon seeing the Buddha,
May I be liberated from the cycle of birth and death,
And may I develop the qualities of Buddhahood,
And thus free all who suffer.

I, [your name], dedicate the merits of this practice to the Root Guru, Living Buddha Lian-sheng. May the Root Guru always be happy, healthy, and at ease
I also dedicate the merits to all sentient beings. May all beings live in harmony. May all beings leave the evil path and enter the right path. May all beings cultivate to attainment; be happy, healthy and at ease.

Now draw a circle of white light with your vajra dorje and visualise white-lighted lotus with the lighted crossed-dorje sitting upon it.

While holding your vajra dorje with your right hand and vajra bell with your left hand, recite the following:

O gods of the heaven, O gods of the earth, may we be far from all calamities and may all calamities abandon us. May all disasters turn into dust and enmities begone.

We beam light from the dorje we are holding that the crossed dorje and the lotus burst into great light and spreading wider and wider with the sound of the vajra bell. [Shout “WUN!”]

19. The Great Homage 

The same as step 5.

[Great prostration to all Buddhas] We thank all buddhas for blessing us all the time.

[Great prostration to all Bodhisattvas] We thank all bodhisattvas for blessing us all the time.

[Great prostration to all Dharmapalas] We thank all dharmapalas for guiding us and protecting us all the time.

20. The Completion Mantras

Recite:
OM, BU LIN. (3x)
OM MANI PADME HOM.

Dismissal mudra:
Clap twice, then cross hands and snap thumbs and middle fingers.

End of Practice:
May all endeavors be auspicious.
Xiu-fa yuan-man, ru-yi ji-xiang.


[The End Part of the Sadhana]

———

Verses of dedication and the vow of salvation from The High King Avalokiteshvara Sutra

The following part is the continuation of the sutra, elucidating the dedication and the vow of salvation from reciting the High King Avalokiteshvara sutra. You may recite it if you wish so:

十方觀世音　　一切諸菩薩　　誓願救眾生　　稱名悉解脫
Shí fāng guānshìyīn yīqiè zhū púsà shìyuàn jiù zhòngshēng chēng-míng xī jiětuō
Avalokiteshvaras of the ten directions, together with the bodhisattvas, have vowed to guide sentient beings, liberating them through the method of reciting the holy epithets.

若有智慧者　　慇懃為解說　　但是有因緣　　讀誦口不綴
Ruò yǒu zhìhuì zhě yīnqín wèi jiěshuō dànshì yǒu yīnyuán dú-sòng kǒu bù zhui
Sentient beings with wisdom shall propagate it, and those with affinity shall recite perpetually.

誦經滿千遍　　念念心不絕　　火燄不能傷　　刀兵立摧折
Sòng jīng mǎn qiān-biàn niàn-niàn xin bù-jué huǒyàn bùnéng shāng dāobīng lì cuīzhé
With the completion of 1000 times of recitation, and yet keeping constant recitation in the heart, fires hence cannot injure one, and all weapons shall be rendered harmless.

恚怒生歡喜　　死者變成活　　莫言此是虛　　諸佛不妄說
Huì-nù shēng huānxǐ sǐzhě biànchéng huó mòyán cǐ shì xū zhū fo bù wàngshuō
The furious shall turn joyful, and the dead be resurrected. Never say that these all are falsity, as all Buddhas do not lie.

高王觀世音　　能救諸苦危　　臨危急難中　　死者變成活
Gāo-wáng guānshìyīn néng jiù zhū kǔ wēi lín wéi jínàn zhōng sǐzhě biànchéng huó
The High King Avalokiteshvara is capable of succouring one from any kind of sufferings and perils; and bestowing firm conviction.

諸佛語不虛　　是故應頂禮　　持誦滿千遍　　重罪皆消滅
Zhū fo yǔ bù xū shì gù yīng dǐnglǐ chí sòng mǎn qiān biàn zhòngzuì jiē xiāomiè
What Buddhas say are no mendacity, therefore one should pay homage, recite it thousands times, thus all heavy sins get abolished. 

薄福不信者　　專貢受持經
Bo fú bùxìn zhě zhuān gòng shòu chí jīng
Those who have no conviction from lacking good merits are advised to pass this sutra to those who aspire to practise.

念八大菩薩名號
Niàn bādà púsà mínghào:
Chanting the names of the Eight Bodhisattvas:

南無觀世音菩薩摩訶薩　　南無彌勒菩薩摩訶薩
Námó guānshìyīn púsà móhēsà, Námó mílè púsà móhēsà
Namo Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva Mahasattva, Namo Maitreya Bodhisattva Mahasattva

南無虛空藏菩薩摩訶薩　　南無普賢菩薩摩訶薩
Námó xūkōngzáng púsà móhēsà, Námó pǔxián púsà móhēsà
Namo Akasagarbha Bodhisattva Mahasattva, Namo Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Mahasattva

南無金剛手菩薩摩訶薩　　南無妙吉祥菩薩摩訶薩
Námó jīngāngshǒu púsà móhēsà, Námó miàojíxiáng púsà móhēsà
Namo Vajrapani Bodhisattva Mahasattva, Namo Manjushri Bodhisattva Mahasattva

南無除蓋障菩薩摩訶薩　　南無地藏王菩薩摩訶薩
Námó chú gàizhàng púsà móhēsà, Námó di záng wáng púsà móhēsà
Namo Sarva-nivarana-viskambhin Bodhisattva Mahasattva, Namo Ksitigarbha-raja Bodhisattva Mahasattva

南無諸尊菩薩摩訶薩
Námó zhū zūn púsà móhēsà
Namo Sarva Bodhisattva Mahasattva

願以此功德　　普及於一切　　誦滿一千遍　　重罪皆消滅
Yuàn yǐ cǐ gōngdé pǔjí yú yīqiè sòng mǎn yīqiān biàn zhòngzuì jiē xiāomiè
May all the good merits be dedicated to all sentient beings, that with the completion of 1000 times of recitation, all heavy sins disappear.

———

How to Take Refuge in Buddha Guru Lian-sheng

(1) In person

Make an appointment ahead of time to visit the True Buddha Quarter in Redmond, Washington, USA or to travel to the location where His Holiness will be teaching the dharma to receive a direct empowerment from him.

(2) By “Remote Empowerment”

It is not often possible for someone who lives far away to take refuge in person. Students who desire to take refuge can, on the first or fifteenth of any lunar month, at 7:00 a.m., while facing the direction of the rising sun, recite the Fourfold Refuge Mantra three times: “Namo Guru bei, Namo Buddha ye, Namo Dharma ye, Namo Sangha ye. Seeking Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s guidance, I am taking refuge in the True Buddha” and prostrate three times.

On the first or fifteenth of every lunar month, His Holiness performs a ceremony of “remote empowerment” at the True Buddha Quarter to give the empowerment to all students who could not journey there in person.

A student who takes refuge from a distance after performing the rites at home, only needs to send a letter to the True Buddha Quarter stating one’s intent to seek refuge, along with one’s name, address, age, and an offering in any amount to the Buddhas.

Upon receiving the letter, His Holiness will send a certificate, a picture of the guru, and a note stating the level of practice that one should begin with.

(3) Through local chapters of True Buddha School

Contact nearby local chapters of True Buddha School to request assistance in taking refuge.

Address of the True Buddha Quarter:

Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu

17102 NE 40th Ct.

Redmond, WA 98052-5479

U.S.A.