The Buddha Book: Buddhas, blessings, prayers, and rituals to grant you love, wisdom, and healing. Lillian Too
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I am not a qualified teacher, but having known and benefited so much from my guru, it is possible for me to open some windows for you.
Lama Lhundrup Khen Rinpoche, the Abbot of Kopan Monastery, Nepal. His guru is Lama Yeshe, whose teachings are the basis of the Yeshe Program at Kopan, where around 360 monks and nuns now study. The monastery was first established in 1971 following Lama Lhundrup’s escape from China in 1959 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
THE MERIT FIELD MEDITATION
Meditating on the Buddha merit field is an excellent way of practicing guru devotion. The practitioner begins by considering their root guru as the absolute guru – the Dharmakaya – the unity of all the buddhas’ holy minds. A painting of the merit field is visualized, with the root guru sitting in the center of the sky (see here). He manifests as Shakyamuni Buddha, who is called Tubwang; and as as Vajradhara, the buddha at the heart of Tubwang. Vajradhara is the embodiment of all the gurus.
Now one being is visualized: the lama, the guru, one aspect. This is the absolute guru, who manifests as a conventional guru to guide a person to enlightenment. The guru is also visualized as all the lineage lamas, who send their blessings.
Visualized on the right side of the picture is Maitreya Buddha, the buddha of loving kindness (see Chapter 9) and all his lineage lamas and disciples. On the left, Manjushri, the Buddha of wisdom, is visualized, with all his lineage lamas and disciples.
By manifesting thus, the guru guides the practitioner from one happiness to another happiness and ultimately to enlightenment. Now s/he thinks:
My guru also appears as all the lineage lamas of the old Kadampa traditions, which start with Lama Atisha* to guide me from happiness to happiness to enlightenment.
Then my guru appears as all the lineage lamas of the new Kadampa traditions, including Tsongkhapa, to guide me from happiness to happiness to enlightenment.
My guru manifests as the direct gurus surrounding Shakyamuni Buddha/Vajradhara, and as the tantric deities Highest Yoga tantra, Yoga tantra, Charya tantra, and Kriya tantra to guide me from happiness to happiness to enlightenment.
My guru manifests as the 1,000 buddhas of this fortunate eon, including the thirty-five Confession buddhas and the Medicine buddhas to guide me from happiness to happiness to enlightenment.
My guru also appears as the bodhisattvas like the sixteen arhats, dakas (the male equivalent of dakinis), dakinis (fairy maidens), and Dharma protectors, to guide me from happiness to happiness to enlightenment.
The Buddha merit field is the visualization of a skyful of buddhas and lamas, with one’s root guru at the center.
The Five Dhyani buddhas
The richness of imagery and the wealth of symbolism associated with the Dhyani buddhas struck a chord within me when I first came to know about them. Although they can be depicted in the humble robes of the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni (see chapter 1), these cosmic buddhas often appear in jewel-encrusted robes, with crowns and ornaments. The mandalas of the Dhyani buddhas are especially engaging.
You can get to know the Dhyani buddhas intellectually and visually first, and then allow your mind and heart to connect with each one individually, for different aspects of the enlightenment experience. You may be especially taken by the incorporation of elements, colors, symbols, mudras, and directions in their imagery.
The Dhyani buddhas can be viewed as spiritual kings who preside over their respective mandalas. Each one can be pictured in his Pure Land, overseeing different realms and directions, and helping sentient beings to overcome particular afflictions with his special wisdom.
A Dhyani (meditation) buddha inset into the stupa at Boudhanath, Nepal.
THE DHYANI BUDDHA VISUALIZATIONS
A visualization is presented for each Dhyani buddha, in the caption accompanying their thangka images – see visualization 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Before each visualization, the person practicing performs this preliminary meditation.
First, one feels that their mind purifies into emptiness. The mind, understanding this emptinenss, then transforms into Guru Shakyamuni Buddha, with one face, two arms, and a gold-colored body. His face is extremely beautiful, with a loving smile and compassionate eye. Every second, every pore of his holy body radiates numberless buddhas to sentient beings, liberating them from suffering and bringing them to liberation and enlightenment.
Guru Shakyamuni’s mantra is chanted: Tayata Om Mune, Mune, Maha Muneye Soha, followed by the visualization for one or more of the Dhyani buddhas.
BUDDHA AKSHOBHYA
Although Buddha Akshobhya (who is blue in color) is usually visualized in the center of Dhyani buddha mandalas, sometimes he is transferred to the east and Vairochana comes to the center. Many lineages regard Akshobhya as the most important of the Dhyani buddhas because, of the five aggregates, the aggregate of consciousness can be regarded as the most important in our spiritual journey.
Askhobhya also manifests as Buddha Mitrugpa. The Buddha Mitrugpa mantra practice is said to be extremely powerful for “rescuing” those who have fallen into the lower realms of existence. Akshobhya is depicted touching the earth with his right hand and holding an upright vajra (thunderbolt) in his left hand. Touching the earth recalls the moment when Shakyamuni Buddha overcame the Mara and the earth goddess was called forth to bear witness to Buddha having practiced the Six Perfections, thereby qualifying him to attain enlightenment. The element of Buddha Akshobhya is water, and the chakra (energy center) associated with him is the heart chakra.
Akshobhya is the lord of the Tathagata family. This buddha manifests Dharma, transforming hatred and aversion into the transcendental wisdom of the sphere of the Dharma. Among the other powerful Buddhas of the Tathagata family are Buddha Vajrasattva and Buddha Vajrapani.
Akshobhya’s blessings enable us to develop the wisdomthat understands the true nature of reality.This is often referred to as becoming awakened andovercoming ignorance.
Here is the visualization of Buddha Akshobhya: Nectar beams come from Buddha Akshobhya, purifying anger. Where there is violence, war is stopped and everyone generates loving kindness, patience, and the whole path to enlightenment. The transcendental wisdom of Dharmadhatu is actualized in their minds and in the minds of all sentient beings.
THE SPECIAL PRACTICE OF BUDDHA AKSHOBHYA
There is a powerful deity of purification called Mitrukpa who is a manifestation of Akshobhya. There are tremendous benefits to be had from reciting his mantra and even seeing his image or mantra written.
One of the most memorable summaries of the benefits of reciting the Mitrugpa mantra