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The Padmakumara website would like to gratefully acknowledge the
following individuals for contributing to the production of “Mahamayuri
Vidyarajni Sadhana” e‐book.
Translator: Alice Yang, Zhiwei
Editor: Jason Yu
Proofreader: Renée Cordsen, Jackie Ho
E‐book Designer: Alice Yang, Ernest Fung
The Padmakumara website is most grateful to Living Buddha Lian‐sheng for
transmitting such precious dharma. May Living Buddha Lian‐sheng always
be healthy and continue to teach and liberate beings in samsara. May all
sentient beings quickly attain Buddhahood. Om Guru Lian‐Sheng Siddhi
Hum.
Exhaustive research was undertaken to ensure the content in this e‐book is accurate, current and
comprehensive at publication time. However, due to differing individual interpreting skills and
language differences among translators and editors, we cannot be responsible for any minor
wording discrepancies or inaccuracies. In addition, we cannot be responsible for any damage or
loss which may result from the use of the information in this e‐book.
The information given in this e‐book is not intended to act as a substitute for the actual lineage
and transmission empowerments from H.H. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng or any authorized True
Buddha School master.
If you wish to contact the author or would like more information about the True Buddha School,
please write to the author in care of True Buddha Quarter. The author appreciates hearing from
you and learning of your enjoyment of this e‐book and how it has helped you. We cannot
guarantee that every letter written to the author can be answered, but all will be forwarded.
Please write to:
His Holiness Living Buddha Lian‐sheng
c/o True Buddha Quarter
17102 NE 40th Ct., Redmond, WA 98052 USA
Transmitted by H.H. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng.
Published in www.padmakumara.org/forum on April 27, 2010.
Copyright © 2009 by H.H. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng. All rights reserved.
This e‐book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.
Contents
Contents 1
Upon Reading This E‐Book 2
About Living Buddha Lian‐sheng 3
About The True Buddha School 4
About True Buddha School Net (TBSN) 4
About Padmakumara Website 5
About True Buddha Translation Teams 5
Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana 7
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I 12
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse II 30
The Benefits of the Great Perfection (Part 5) 47
How to Take Refuge in Living Buddha Lian‐sheng 50
Living Buddha Lian‐sheng’s English Books 51
TBS English Practice E‐books 54
Dedication of Merits 56
Upon Reading This E‐Book
An empowerment must be received from Living Buddha Lian‐sheng or an
authorized True Buddha School master before engaging in this particular
sadhana. If one does not have the lineage empowerment, one should not,
under any circumstances, attempt this practice. Under the blessing of the
empowerment, students can quickly attain yogic responses with the Deity.
Without it, the practice will be futile and one’s act would be considered an act
of stealing the Dharma.
In this e‐book, mantras are translated using simple English phonetics. Sutras,
verses, and praises are translated using both English and Hanyu 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 audio recordings of mantras from local True Buddha temples or
chapters, or consult with authorized True Buddha Masters.
This e‐book serves as a guideline for the sadhana and teaching. Please refer to
Living Buddha Lian‐sheng’s books or consult with authorized True Buddha
Masters for more detailed explanations. If you have any further questions,
please write to the True Buddha Foundation.
May the compassionate Living Buddha Lian‐sheng, buddhas, bodhisattvas,
and dharma protectors bless these translated practices. May the True Buddha
Tantra liberate all beings in the Six Realms of Transmigration.
For more information and other True Buddha School related materials, please
visit the following websites:
www.tbsn.org
www.padmakumara.org/forum
2
About Living Buddha Lian‐sheng
His Holiness Living Buddha Lian‐sheng
is the Root Guru of True Buddha School.
He is referred to as Grand Master by his
disciples, and he is regarded as the
emanation of Amitabha Buddha.
As the lineage holder of the Nyingma,
Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug schools of
Tibetan Buddhism, Living Buddha
Lian‐sheng has attained the highest
fruition in those schools including the
Great Perfection, Mahamudra, Lamdre,
and Yamantaka Sadhana.
Living Buddha Lian‐sheng teaches both exoteric and esoteric Buddhism, and
also incorporates elements of Zen and Daoism into his teachings. He
emphasizes actual practice and encourages students to integrate his Buddhist
teachings into their daily lives. The quintessence of his personal journey, his
methods of cultivation and his realization are embodied in the True Buddha
Tantric Dharma, which is an inspiring, practical, and powerful teaching that is
well‐suited for people in modern society. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng leads a
disciplined life which includes spiritual practice, teaching, writing, and
painting. He is an excellent model for spiritual cultivators in this degenerated
age.
As of today, over five million people have taken refuge in True Buddha School.
With over 400 chapters worldwide, True Buddha School is recognized as a
major Buddhist group today. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng has written over 200
books in Chinese on topics ranging from Vajrayana Buddhism to Feng Shui,
Zen Buddhism, and Daoism. Many of these books are now being translated
into English and various other languages.
3
About The True Buddha School
The True Buddha School, founded by Living Buddha Lian‐sheng, is a school
for spiritual cultivation. The name reflects the founder’s mission to offer
authentic lineage transmission and practice of the Tantric Dharma which can
truly lead one to buddhahood. All students who have taken refuge with the
True Buddha School must practice the True Buddha Tantra. The True Buddha
Tantra is a Mahayana practice which, by directly visualizing oneself and
Buddha as ʺOneʺ and, through the cultivation of the purification of body, mind,
and speech, can enable an ordinary, worldly person to directly arrive at the
realm of buddhahood.
The True Buddha School differs from other esoteric traditions in that it teaches
a unique Yoga Practice called, the Padmakumara (Lotus Bodhisattva) Vajra
Yoga, which enables the practitioner to arrive at the root guruʹs ʺsiddhiʺ of the
Maha Twin Lotus Ponds, an inconceivable Buddha Pure Land manifested by
the Buddha Locana.
About True Buddha School Net (TBSN)
True Buddha School Net is the official website of the True Buddha School. It is
available in English and Chinese. Since 1995, TBSN’s worldwide popularity
and viewer demands have continued to increase, requiring more than 10
servers to maintain its website. Visit http://www.tbsn.org to learn more about
the True Buddha School and to access our newsletters, articles, upcoming local
chapter ceremonial events, as well as Living Buddha Lian‐sheng’s books and
dharma talks.
4
About Padmakumara Website
Padmakumara website is a free membership Buddhist discussion group that is
independently funded and established by Alice Yang, a devout student of
Grand Master Lu, since 2001. It specifically caters to non‐Chinese speakers’
learning needs by publishing insightful, educational and comprehensive
translations of True Buddha School related content. Visit
http://www.padmakumara.org to access the True Buddha School’s latest news,
books, yoga practice texts, dharma talks, sutras, audio recordings of mantras,
articles and buddhist study discussions in English, French, Indonesian, and
Spanish languages.
About True Buddha Translation Teams
True Buddha Translation Teams (TBTTs) was formed in 2008. They are a group
of volunteers operating under the True Buddha Foundation (TBF) of True
Buddha School (TBS).
TBTTs’ mission is to propagate the dharma teachings of His Holiness, Living
Buddha Lian‐sheng (Grand Master Lu) to every corner of the world with
accurate, fluent and profound translations in multiple languages so that all can
practice and attain enlightenment. Visit http://www.tbtts.org and become a
volunteer today.
5
Mahamayuri Mandala: At the top are the Seven Buddhas, from Kasyapa Buddha to Shakyamuni Buddha;
just below the Seven Buddhas is the future Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva. Next comes all
pratyeka-buddhas, then the four sravakas – these are Shakyamuni Buddha’s four great disciples. Last,
surround the main deity Mahamayuri with the Eight Heavenly Gods, the Twenty-Eight Yaksas and all
constellations, including the Nine Luminaries and the Twelve Zodiacs.
Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana
Transmitted by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian‐sheng, Sheng‐yen Lu.
Translated by Alice Yang. Edited by Jason Yu. Proofread by Jackie Ho.
Begin by praying for the root lineage blessing: First empty the mind. Next, visualize the Root
Guru appearing above your crown and radiating light on everyone present. Chant the Root
Guru Heart Mantra 7 times. Pray to the Root Guru to empower you so that the sadhana will be
auspicious.
Engender the Four Immeasurable Minds. Visualize your parents, children, relatives, friends,
and enemies joining you in this practice.
Wake up Call: Clap twice, then cross the hands, and snap the thumbs and middle fingers.
1. Recite the Purification Mantras and Earth God Mantra
2. Recite the Invocation Mantra: Om ah hum, so‐ha (3 times)
We sincerely invoke:
Namo Root Guru Living Buddha Lian‐sheng,
Namo White Maha Padmakumara,
Namo Lotus Light Unhindered Buddha, (a.k.a Lotus Light Self‐Mastery Buddha)
Namo the lineage gurus of True Buddha School,
Namo Maha Mayuri.1
Herein, each local chapter may invoke the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and Dharma Protectors
enshrined at its altar accordingly. When practicing at home, you may invoke the deities
present at your shrine.
Namo all Buddhas of the Ten Directions and Three Times,
Namo all Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas,
Namo Maha Prajna Paramita.
3. Great Homage Using Visualization
4. Mandala Offering
5. Chant the Fourfold Refuge
Namo Guru Bei, Namo Maha Mayuri, Namo the Maha Mayuri Sutra, Namo the
Retinue of the Maha Mayuri Assembly (3 times)
1 Maha Mayuri could also be spelled as Mahamayuri or Maha-mayuri. To help students who are unfamiliar with the
Sanskrit pronunciation, we chose Maha Mayuri in this sadhana to assist you with the pronunciation.
7
Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana
6. Armor Protection
7. Recite the High King Avalokitesvara Sutra
8. Recite the Rebirth Mantra (7 times)
9. Recite the Four Immeasurable 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 be happy; this is immeasurable joy.
May all beings be free of grasping and aversion and practice equality; this is
immeasurable equanimity.
10. Recite the Root Guru (Padmakumara) Heart Mantra
Om Guru, Lian‐sheng, Siddhi, Hum (108 times)
11. Mudra and Visualization
Mudra: Mahamayuri Mudra (Internal Handclasp Mudra):
First, form the internal handclasp mudra in front of your
chest, then bring the two little fingers and thumbs close
together as illustrated in the picture on the left. The thumbs
represent the head of the peacock, the little fingers represent
the tail feathers of the peacock, and the middle part
represents the body of the peacock.
Visualization: First empty the mind.
Chant the Emptiness Mantra:
Om, si‐ba‐wa, su‐da, sa‐er‐wa, da‐er‐ma, si‐ba‐wa, su‐do‐hang (3 times)
8
Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana
9
Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana
mantra chanting, as each bead is moved, visualize each bead turning into
Mahamayuri, who then appears in front of you.
Chant the Mantra: Om, mo‐yu‐li, gar‐la‐di, so‐ha 4(108 times)
13. Entering Samadhi
Nine Cycle Breathing, Entering of the Deity into Oneself and Release of
Oneself into the Cosmic Consciousness [or Ruwo‐Woru visualization], Breath
Counting.
14. Emerging from Samadhi
Praise Verse:
Lord Buddha, the great compassionate one,
Your dharmakaya is endowed with the tranquility of nirvana.
Your power and abilities are boundless.
And all of your merits and virtues are perfect.
15. Recite the Principal Heart Mantras
16. Recite the Buddha’s Name (3 times)
17. Dedication
May our country be secure and strong,
May my body and mind be at peace,
May everything transform into the Buddha‐field.
The Buddha‐dharma is boundless.
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.
4
Based on Grand Master’s pronunciation on 2/27/10
10
Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Sadhana
I, ________ (your name), dedicate the merits of this practice to the Root Guru. May
the Root Guru always be healthy, remain in samsara, never enter nirvana, and forever
turn the dharma wheel. May everyone be healthy, free of hindrances, strong in
cultivation, and may all circumstances become auspicious.
Use your vajra scepter to draw a circle three times in the space above you and visualize that
you are drawing a blazing circle of fire. Then say:
ʺMay all supplications be completely fulfilled. May all hindrances be removed.ʺ
Visualize a patch of darkness in front of you (symbolizing negative forces). Then raise the vajra
scepter, point it towards the patch of darkness, and ring the vajra bell while shouting:
ʺWun!ʺ
As you shout ʺWun,ʺ visualize the darkness retreating and in its place are two vajra scepters in
the form of a cross appearing above a lotus flower, surrounded by the blazing circle of fire.
The crossed vajra scepters represent strength, while the lotus flower itself represents wisdom.
The crossed vajra scepters above a lotus represent protection and defeat of the negative forces.
The blazing light signifies totality and completion. With this visualization of the crossed vajra
scepters, lotus flower, and blazing circle of fire, all negatives forces will retreat.
(Detailed visualization from page 165 of A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True
Buddha Tantric Dharma)
18. Recite the Hundred Syllable Mantra (3 times)
19. Great Homage Using Visualization
20. Recite the Completion Mantra:
Om, bu lin (3 times)
Om Mani Padme Hum
Dismissal
Clap twice, then cross the hands, and snap the thumbs and middle fingers.
End of Practice
May all endeavors be auspicious.
11
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
Dharma Discourse Transmitted by H.H. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng after the Autumn
Amitabha Buddha Ceremony, at Seattle Leizang Temple on September 5, 2009.
Translated by Alice Yang. Edited by Jason Yu. Proofread by Renée Cordsen.
Let us pay homage to Reverend Liaoming, His Eminence Sakya Zhengkong
Lama, His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa, and Vajra Master Thubten Dargye.
Homage to the Triple Jewels of the shrine. Homage to Mahamayuri Vidyarajni.
Shimu, fellow vajra masters, senior reverends, reverends, dharma instructors,
dharma assistants, honored guests, fellow school disciples, and those school
disciples joining us through the internet. May all be blessed with
auspiciousness.
The dharma empowerment we are transmitting today is the Mahamayuri
Vidyarajni sadhana (Mahamayuri sadhana). Before [inviting the buddhas]
with incense for the ceremony, while Master Lianning and I were being
welcomed by the ceremonial procession, I saw the entire shrine immersed in a
sea of magnificent illumination [audience applause]. Mahamayuri, the
ceremonial deity, had already descended upon the shrine.
It is now almost five o’clock. If I do what Master Lianning requested and teach
what he requested, you would probably have to sit here from now until
12
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
tomorrow morning. So instead of that, you can just listen to what I can teach
today. I cannot possibly finish answering or fulfilling Master Lianning’s
overloaded requests. Therefore, you will learn as much as I can teach within
the time constraints.
Before the discourse, let’s first pray to Mahamayuri to bless the success of our
dharma transmission. Next, we pray to Reverend Liaoming and Master Pufang,
from whom I learned the Mahamayuri sadhana, to bless that the dharma
ceremony will be complete. All masters of True Buddha School (TBS) hereby
sincerely pray for an impeccable dharma dissemination. Basically, the
Mahamayuri sadhana is derived from yogic union sadhanas, but we have
amended the recitation part, so we should adapt it to the modified TBS version.
We will begin the sadhana with the great homage, and then recite the fourfold
refuge, which means taking refuge in the guru, the buddha, the dharma, and
the sangha. In recitation, the fourfold refuge is as follows: “Namo guru bei,
namo buddha ye, namo dharma ye, namo sangha ye.” However, the fourfold refuge
of this specific sadhana is unique in its own. The first refuge is still “namo guru
bei,” which is to take refuge in the transmission root guru. The second one is to
take refuge in the buddha, recited as “take refuge in Mahamayuri Vidyarajni,” the
third is to take refuge in the dharma, “take refuge in the Mahamayuri Sutra,” and
the fourth is to take refuge in the sangha, “take refuge in the retinue of the
Mahamayuri Assembly.” This recitation is different. One is all, all is one.
How could Mahamayuri be so capable of transforming fixed karma? Master
Lianning learned about the deity’s power in sutras. As a general rule of thumb,
fixed karma cannot be removed, not even buddhas can change fixed karma.
Then, how could Mahamayuri be able to transform fixed karma? If I didn’t
know the answer, I would be stumped by Master Lianning’s question.
Fortunately, I am somewhat familiar with the origin of Mahamayuri.
Let me explain to you: Mahamayuri is the “nisyandakaya.” What is a
nisyandakaya? A nisyandakaya is an identical embodiment. For example, I am
Sheng‐yen Lu and I don’t have a nisyandakaya. A nisyandakaya would mean
that there is another Sheng‐yen Lu, who would have the same power as I do.
As for Mahavairocana Buddha, he is also known as the Great Sun Buddha,
highly revered due to his attainment of the thirteenth bhumi. In addition, he is
also the highest ranking Buddha among the Five Dhyani Buddhas. Displaying
identical prowess is the transformation of his nisyandakaya ‐ Mahamayuri.
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
14
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
combined blessing power accumulated from all of these masters chanting
mantras and sutras, we could swiftly deliver a person to the Western Paradise.
That is the power of the holy sangha. Mahamayuri embodies power from all
buddhas, so she is capable of transforming fixed karma.
The fourfold refuge that we recite is as follows: take refuge in the root guru
who transmits the dharma, take refuge in Mahamayuri Vidyarajni, take refuge
in the Mahamayuri Sutra, and take refuge in the Retinue of the Mahamayuri
Assembly. Instead of taking refuge in the sangha, we take refuge in the Retinue
of the Mahamayuri Assembly. As Master Lianning has said, Mahamayuri is
guarded by many entourages and attendants. You should set up the shrine
with a mandala of the Mahamayuri Assembly: at the top are the Seven
Buddhas, from Kasyapa Buddha to Shakyamuni Buddha; just below the Seven
Buddhas is the future Buddha, Maitreya Bodhisattva. Next comes all
pratyeka‐buddhas, then the four sravakas – these are Shakyamuni Buddha’s
four great disciples. Last, surround the main deity Mahamayuri with the Eight
Heavenly Gods, the Twenty‐Eight Yaksas and all constellations, including the
Nine Luminaries and the Twelve Zodiacs. Draw this thangka from top to
bottom as instructed, and you will have created a mandala of the Mahamayuri
Assembly.
However, if we setup the shrine as described above, you will have to take
down your shrine and set up a new one because your whole shrine will
15
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
become Mahamayuri’s shrine. Then, how do we enshrine Mahamayuri? You
can simply write the deities’ names. You can just write them down: the Seven
Buddhas, Maitreya Bodhisattva, pratyeka‐buddhas, sravakas, the Eight
Heavenly Gods, the Twenty‐Eight Yaksas, the Nine Luminaries, and the
Twelve Zodiacs. Write the Seven Buddhas on the top, write the Twelve Zodiacs
on the bottom, and then write rest of the retinue around Mahamayuri.
Mahamayuri can be represented as a thangka, or a statue, or even one peacock
feather in the middle. The simplest method is to buy and stick one peacock
feather in the center, and write the retinue on the red paper ‐ the Seven
Buddhas, Maitreya Bodhisattva, pratyeka‐buddhas, sravakas, the Eight
Heavenly Gods, the Twenty‐Eight Yaksas, the Nine Luminaries, and the
Twelve Zodiacs. These are Mahamayuri’s entourage, some of whom have
attained the nisyandakaya, nirmanakaya, and sambhogakaya of Mahamayuri.
That is how we set up the shrine [audience applause].
Next, you must foster bodhicitta before cultivating the Mahamayuri sadhana,
which is necessary for any sadhana anyway. With bodhicitta, or a heart of
benevolence, compassion, joy, and equanimity, you would bring happiness to
others, happily alleviate others’ pain, and sacrifice anything and everything
willingly. After fostering bodhicitta, you proceed to give offerings. What kinds
of offerings? An external offering is quite familiar to us, because we have been
doing it regularly. An internal offering is more secretive, which is an offering
of body, speech, and mind. What is a dharma offering then? That is an offering
of Buddha‐nature. You transform your Buddha‐nature to Mahamayuri by
being in yogic union with Mahamayuri, in which state your body, speech, and
mind are indistinguishable from that of Mahamayuri. That is the
Buddha‐nature offering. The Buddha‐nature offering is very powerful, but you
cannot make any mistakes with it at all. That is the Buddha‐nature offering.
I have explained the external offering, the internal offering, and the
Buddha‐nature offering. We have performed the great homage, fourfold refuge,
fostering bodhicitta, mandala offering, and then we continue to the
visualization, as guided by the TBS sadhana. Master Lianning has previously
asked how to form the mudra. First, our [two hands] form the internal
handclasp mudra, and then the two pinky fingers cross each other [in the
official Mahamayuri sadhana, the thumbs and pinky fingers should just touch
each other], and the two thumbs cross each other, as if our hands have turned
into a peacock. Our thumbs form the head, while the pinky fingers are the tail,
16
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
and the middle [of our hands] is the body of the peacock. There is another
external handclasp mudra for Mahamayuri. That is [Grand Master forms the
mudra] the peacock’s head, feather, and body. The external handclasp mudra is
used to practice the flying sadhana. These are Mahamayuri’s wings, flapping
wings to show she is flying. That is the Mahamayuri Flying Mudra. Okay, I
have taught two mudras.
After forming the mudra, you can start visualizing emptiness. The Emptiness
Mantra is “Om, si‐ba‐wa, su‐da, sa‐er‐wa, da‐er‐ma, si‐ba‐wa, su‐do‐hang.”
Visualize emptiness as you recite the Emptiness mantra. Visualize a circle and
recite the Emptiness Mantra once; emptiness can be pictured as a circle. First,
the seed syllable YU emerges from the emptiness, symbolizing the appearance
of the peacock. Alternatively, you can visualize the peacock feathers appearing
first, and from among the feathers emerges the seed syllable YU, which
resembles a peacock. The seed syllable YU then transforms into a peacock.
Next, we visualize the seed syllable BAM, which looks kind of like a circle and
a dot, a symbol of a bird. In the middle of the peacock and peacock feathers,
the white seed syllable BAM appears and transforms into a lotus flower. Lastly,
the seed syllable MO, which is a little bit like the Chinese character for mouth,
transforms into Mahamayuri. YU is the peacock, BAM is the lotus flower, and
MO is Mahamayuri. The lotus flower is white, the peacock is golden, and
Mahamayuri is a mix of gold and white. Mahamayuri also wears the
Five‐Buddha Crown, like Grand Master is wearing now.
The four‐armed Mahamayuri, from whom we receive transmission, holds a
white lotus flower in her first right hand, and in the second right hand she
holds a red bijapura. In her first left hand, she holds a yellow auspicious fruit,
and the second left hand she holds a peacock feather. The peacock feather is
dark in color, dark blue, dark grey, sometimes blue or black, or sometimes
multicolored. The first right hand holds a lotus flower, the second right hand
holds a bijapura, the first left hand holds an auspicious fruit, and a peacock
feather in the second left hand. Each implement is characterized with different
colors and functions: lotus flower for pacification, bijapura for harmonization,
auspicious fruit for enhancement, and the peacock feather is for subjugation,
all serve different purposes respectively.
After visualizing Mahamayuri, there is a peacock, and a lotus flower, you can
recite “Om, ah, hum” to beseech blessings from the three beams of light [white,
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
red, and blue]. Upon receiving blessings from the three lights, “Om, ah, hum”
[Grand Master recites again], Mahamayuri will empower you and merge into
you; you will also merge into Mahamayuri and become Mahamayuri. This is
the Ruwo (deity entering oneself) Woru Visualization (one entering deity), a
process of uniting and transforming. After visualizing the Blessing of Three
Lights and before practicing the Ruwo‐Woru Visualization for uniting and
transforming, you should recite the Mahamayuri Mantra. Right before
entering the samadhi of Ruwo‐Woru, you should recite the mantra. We can
recite the short version of the Mahamayuri Mantra: “Om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di,
so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li,
ge‐la‐di, so‐ha.” “Mo” signifies Mahamayuri, “yu‐li” is the peacock, “ge‐la‐di” is
great dharma power, and “so‐ha” is accomplishment. “Om” is interpreted as
the consciousness of the universe, as well as the accomplishment of
Mahamayuri’s great transcendental power [audience applause]. The mantra
we just learned is the shortest version.
There is also another version not seen on any sutra: “Om, di‐ka, la‐la, so‐ha.”
Di‐ka is something Indonesian students would be very familiar with. Sa‐du,
du‐wa, di‐ka [audience laugh and applause]. Di‐ka is three. “Om, di‐ka, la‐la,
so‐ha.” There is this short mantra, which is also Mahamayuri’s mantra. That is
odd! How come Mahamayuri became di‐ka [di‐ka sounds like a pig’s leg in
Taiwanese] [Grand Master laughs]. In the past, I memorized “sa‐du, du‐wa,
di‐ka” [1, 2, 3 in Indonesian] [Grand Master laughs]. It is Di‐Ka, not di‐ka [pig’s
leg in Taiwanese]. “Om, di‐ka, la‐la, so‐ha” is also a short version of the
Mahamayuri Mantra. Either one of the two versions is acceptable. You should
do the visualization and recite the mantra before entering samadhi.
What is samadhi? Samadhi is uniting or merging into one. Ruwo‐Woru is to
merge into one. Mahamayuri merges into me, and I become Mahamayuri, that
is merge into one. When I enter into Mahamayuri’s heart, that is “Woru.”
What’s about transformation? You can quickly transform into the samadhi of
Mahamayuri.
What is the essence of Vajrayana? The essence lies in merging into one and
transformation. I have mentioned before, when Manjushri Bodhisattva enters
the heart of Lord Yama, Manjushri Bodhisattva becomes Yamantaka. When
Amitabha Buddha enters the heart and samadhi of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva,
Amitabha Buddha becomes Thousand‐eyed, Thousand‐armed Avalokitesvara
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
Bodhisattva; when Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva enters the body of a horse, in
the animal realm, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva becomes Hayagriva. These
accounts illustrate uniting and transformation. The power of uniting is to
become one, whereas that of transformation is to become many. Manjushri
Bodhisattva only has two hands, but after merging into Lord Yama and
transforming into Yamantaka, his hands are multiplied. The outcome of
transformation augments his power, empowering him to be a heruka.
The practice of merging into one in Vajrayana enables one to become a buddha
or a bodhisattva, whereas the practice of transformation is evolving into
myriads of deities and acquiring more power. In a nutshell, Ruwo‐Woru is
uniting and transformation. Vajrayana notes that “entering” is to enter into my
body, “dwelling” is to dwell in my body, and “merging” is to merge the two
bodies into one. You have to clearly understand the concept of “entering,
dwelling, and merging.” Entering samadhi is when you enter the samadhi of a
specific deity. You are now entering Mahamayuri’s samadhi: Mahamayuri
becoming you, you becoming Mahamayuri. After exiting from samadhi, you
should praise Mahamayuri with “the Mahamayuri Praise” below:
Lord Buddha, the great compassionate one,
Your dharmakaya is endowed with the tranquility of nirvana.
Your power and abilities are boundless,
And all of your merits and virtues are perfect.
This verse is to praise Mahamayuri. Since Shakyamuni Buddha has great
compassion, he once reincarnated as the Peacock King. His dharmakaya is
endowed with the tranquility of nirvana. When he exerts his great power and
abilities, he accomplished all merits and virtues.
After praising Mahamayuri, you should repentant. You should repent for
your wrongdoings in the past and apologize for the mistakes you have made.
What is the significance of repentance? Without repentance, you cannot purify
and remove your karmic hindrances. You have to repent and promise not to
repeat the same mistakes. So you recite the Vajrasattva Mantra (also known as
the Hundred Syllable Mantra), repent for your transgressions, and dedicate the
merits as below:
May our country be secure and strong,
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
May my body and mind be at peace,
May everything transform into the Buddha‐field.
The Buddha‐dharma is boundless.
The Mahamayuri sadhana can be cultivated for major or minor purposes. In
Japan, the Mahamayuri Mandala is worshipped as a means to pray for
national peace. The Mahamayuri sadhana can also be utilized to resolve minor
issues, such as the swine flu, H1N1 [audience applause]. I will elaborate later. I
didn’t fabricate the healing power, it was written in the Mahamayuri Sutra.
The Mahamayuri sadhana can be cultivated to cure all kinds of sicknesses.
Yesterday was Friday [Grand Master pauses], today is Saturday, and tomorrow
is Sunday [Grand Master and audience laugh]. As you get older, you’ll forget
what day it was yesterday. Yesterday was Friday. I worked on spiritual
consultation from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm, for three hours. Many of my students
are sick. I am glad that you came today! When you attain yogic union with
Mahamayuri, your illness will be cured. I will transmit the illness‐removing
practice later on. After the dedication, you should perform the great homage. I
have just finished talking about a complete session of the Mahamayuri
sadhana: the four preliminary practices, great homage, fourfold refuge,
engender bodhicitta, mandala offering, visualizing Mahamayuri with three
lights, reciting mantra, entering samadhi, exiting samadhi, Mahamayuri Praise,
repentance, Vajrasattva Mantra, dedication, and then the great homage, that’s
the Mahamayuri sadhana. I will hand over the procedure to Master Lianning
and the True Buddha Foundation. They will note down the details of the
sadhana from A to K [audience laugh]. Let them do it. Just now Master
Lianning gave me homework, so now I’m giving him homework [Grand
Master and audience laugh]. Anyways, you should write out the sadhana
procedures [audience applause].
I will first teach the earthquake suppression practice. Everyone is afraid of
earthquakes. Indonesia just experienced an earthquake, so you [Indonesian
students] should diligently cultivate it after returning home. Mahamayuri is
fully capable of suppressing earthquakes. You should allocate an area in front
of the Mahamayuri shrine in your [main] shrine, and then acquire “soil from
the four directions,” soil from the east, south, west, and north. For example, we
live in Washington state, what are our four directions? From the west, dig up a
“catty” of soil [“catty” is a unit of weight used in various countries of
Southeast Asia; in China it is equal to 500 grams, whereas in Taiwan it is about
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
600 grams] from the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean; from the east, dig up a
“catty” of soil from Spokane; from the south, do the same in the vicinity of the
Oakland Bridge in Oakland. We don’t care about Vancouver [audience laugh],
we only need to go to the border to dig up a “catty” of soil. There you have
gathered “soil from the four directions.” In front of Mahamayuri, stick four
peacock feathers in the soil you have collected. If you are a Mahamayuri
practitioner, and have already achieved union with Mahamayuri, you should
be able to perceive the presence of Mahamayuri. You can then recite the
mantra 10,000 times. “Om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di,
so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li,
ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” until you have reached 10,000
times. Then, you will return the “soil from the four directions,” back to where
you got it from. You have to mark down where you dug up the soil from
[audience laugh]. You can stick a piece of bamboo in the area where you dug
up the soil, and then you can return the soil. Send the western soil back to the
west, eastern soil back to Spokane, southern soil back to the bridge and, lastly,
the northern soil back to the Canadian border. After sending the soil back
home, earthquakes will be suppressed in Washington state [audience
applause].
Remember! There is one very important point to note. If you return the soil
from the east to the west, put the soil from the west in the east, put the soil
from the south in the north, and put the soil from the north in the south, then
an earthquake will occur! Another point, if you are careless and only return
some of the soil to where you got them from, that will also cause an
earthquake! If you take a “catty” of soil, you should return a “catty” of soil.
You must weigh it precisely. Take a “catty” of soil, return a “catty” of soil. This
is the earthquake suppression practice.
You have heard about the 8‐8 flood and mudslides in Taiwan [the disastrous
Typhoon Morakot that flooded Taiwan on August 8, 2009]. Wow! Xiaolin
Village was totally buried underneath the mudslides. We have one TBS
student and his family who lived in that village. The mudslides surged down
and demolished the whole village. While the roof was shaking, our students
were snoring deep in their sleep. I am not sure if I snore or not because I sleep
alone. However, I know that Shimu does snore [Grand Master and audience
laugh]! The sound of her snore is very gentle and soft. Once, Master Lianhuo
and I traveled to Japan because we were invited there, but I rushed out with
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
my blanket in the middle of night. I was sleeping in the same room with
Master Lianhuo, and in the middle of the night, I rushed out in my underwear
[Grand Master and audience laugh]. I carried my blanket to sleep in another
room. It was a horrible experience [Grand Master and audience laugh].
When the mudslides started, our student’s family was asleep. The next day, he
woke up and looked out from the window. How come his neighbors had all
disappeared?! His house was the only one left. That is the benefit of taking
refuge in Grand Master. The raging mudslides from the mountains behind his
house managed to create enough force to push his house up and then the
mudslide continued on its path. His neighbors were all buried by the
mudslides, but his house floated upon the mudslide. I was so stunned that his
house was able to float, and he was still snoring! When he woke up in the
morning, rubbing his eyes, he looked out the window. Oh! What happened to
all the houses? Only his was left! That is the protection for TBS students
provided by our dharma protectors [audience applause].
Do you clearly understand the earthquake suppression practice I just talked
about? I hope so. I visited Taiwan and lived there for three and a half years ‐
during my retreat. I am Taiwanese, and I really missed the sound of typhoons
blowing through. I really missed it. I should have experienced at least one
typhoon during the three and a half years, right? In general, typhoons frequent
Taiwan about ten times in a year, or sometimes even up to twenty times. Some
pass by Taiwan, some don’t. A typhoon is called a hurricane in America.
During the course of my retreat, typhoons always managed to change
directions away from Taiwan [audience applause]. Once, an officer working in
customs at the airport found and matched the dates when I entered and exited
Taiwan with the typhoon history, and proved that during that time there was
not one typhoon in Taiwan [audience applause]. Why did the typhoons turn
away? By forming the Mahamayuri mudra, and having achieved union with
Mahamayuri, you can face the typhoon with the peacock feathers and chant
the Mahamayuri Mantra 10,000 times [to turn the typhoon away]. You are
probably thinking, “Wouldn’t the typhoon have already come and gone by the
time you finished chanting the mantra 10,000 times [Grand Master laughs]? It’s
not like that. You should chant the mantra 10,000 times during regular times,
and when the time comes, chant “Om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” and command
the typhoon to detour. Use the peacock feathers to face the typhoon, and as
long as you have united with Mahamayuri, Mahamayuri’s power will awaken
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
and the typhoon will change course, and then turn toward Japan [audience
laugh]. We also have two masters in Japan, Master Lianhua Jingxiang and
Master Lianchang, esteemed as the Yellow Padmakumara. If they also recite
the same mantra, and have also learned this sadhana, they might turn the
typhoon back to Taiwan [Grand Master and audience laugh], then we will
have a dharma duel. See, where can the typhoon go? Let’s ask the typhoons to
turn back to Guam, but Dharma Brother Hantao lives there. What if he also
unites with Mahamayuri and forms the same mudra, he can turn the typhoon
towards Saipan! So the typhoon can settle in Saipan. You can apply this
method to change the directions of typhoons, or demand the receding of
floodwaters. If you want to use this for fire, chant the Mahamayuri Mantra
10,000 times, form the Mahamayuri mudra, face the fire and say,
“commanding the fire to quickly extinguish.” Then there will be pouring rain
from the sky, or the wind will blow the fire towards somewhere else, and the
fire will be gone [audience applause].
The big fire in California still has not been put out yet. After chanting the
mantra 10,000 times, the fire might have died it by itself [Grand Master and
audience laugh]. You should complete 10,000 times on normal days. Then, you
can perform the ritual by forming the mudra. The peacock feathers function as
a subjugation mudra to recede water, put out fires, turn away typhoons, and
suppress earthquakes. This is the Mahamayuri union recitation practice and
how it can be used.
Is there a method to counter the financial crisis? You may be thinking, “What
about the money I owe?” During the financial crisis, a man called his friend in
Taiwan, “Buddy! Could you loan me $500,000 US dollars? I lost all of my
money in this financial crisis.” The friend heard that he wanted $500,000
dollars and answered, “Speak more clearly, I can’t understand what you’re
saying” [audience laugh]. “I need to borrow $500,000! I was devastated by the
financial crisis. I’m totally broke. I need to borrow $500,000 from you for
re‐investment. Do you get it? $500,000! $500,000!” “I still can’t hear you clearly.
Can you speak more clearly?” “$500,000!” “I can’t hear you clearly!” Finally,
the Taiwanese operator interrupted, “I heard it quite clearly.” Then the friend
in Taiwan responded, “Since you heard him clearly, you loan him the money!”
[Grand Master and audience laugh.] The Taiwanese friend never clearly heard
the message.
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
So, what do you do in this case? There’s a solution. I will transmit the
enrichment practice. The purpose of auspicious fruits is to enhance your
wealth. We will use oranges to represent the auspicious fruits. You should
offer oranges to Mahamayuri as well as recite the mantra 100,000 times. That is
90,000 times more than the subjugation practice. Money is hard to earn
[audience laugh]! [Grand Master feigns complaining] “The enrichment
practice requires chanting the mantra 100,000 times! The subjugation of
disasters only requires 10,000 times. This is 90,000 more mantra recitations.
Typhoons can ruin [our lives] in just three or four days, and then they will go
away. Water causes damage at most for one week, and fire lasts for a few days.
However, the impact of the financial crisis could linger for a several years. You
certainly have to recite at least ten times more to make 100,000 mantras.
Therefore, if you would like to enhance your wealth, one should offer oranges,
and complete 100,000 recitations of the Mahamayuri Mantra. Then, you should
eat the oranges you offered, and visualize the orange peels transforming into
millions of US dollars, with Benjamin Franklin’s portrait on the bills. All of
them become bills with Benjamin Franklin on them, covering the entire sky
and carpeting the whole ground. Then, you should put the orange peels under
your bed ‐ fortune will then ring your door bell. That is the enrichment
practice [audience applause]. Remember to recite 100,000 times.
There is also the practice of harmonization. A student named Xiaoming had a
crush on a classmate in school. He wrote her a note, “If you love me, then
please pass the note back to me. If you don’t want to be friends with me, then
just throw the note out the window.” After the girl read it, she folded it, passed
it back, and it got back to him. He thought, “Wow, that’s fantastic! I wrote that
if she would like to be friends, be a couple, then pass it back to me, and she
did!” He immediately opened the note and it said, “The window’s stuck shut.”
[Grand Master and audience laugh.] Ah, the window could not be opened.
Then, he has to practice the harmonization practice [audience laugh]. The
harmonization practice also requires chanting the mantra 100,000 times. Ah,
chasing after women isn’t easy [audience laugh]. I was surprised at how an old
student in France, Lianhua Bochang, could so easily win the heart of such a
pretty lady [audience laugh and applause]. Did you know that it was due to
Grand Master’s blessing? Grand Master blessed Lianhua Bochang. I cannot
bless myself, so I may as well bless Lianhua Bochang [audience laugh]. He
married a very pretty woman! Amitabha! Shakyamuni! Amitabha is not
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
responses. This practice is a genuine practice, not a fraudulent one.
I am not like someone who claims to sell specially trained police dogs on the
internet, claiming that the dogs were trained by the police force. Someone then
bought a dog from him. But, when he received his order, he discovered that
the dog was a regular dog. He wrote letters to and called the seller, “You
ripped me off! You said that you’re selling police dogs, but you sold me a
regular dog.” The seller replied, “On the surface, it does not look like a police
dog, but it is indeed a police dog. It is an undercover police dog.” [Grand
Master and audience laugh.] It was definitely a scam. Swindlers are rampant
in Taiwan and they are also spread out around the world. You all have to be
careful. They are selling fake items, but what Grand Master sells is authentic
[audience applause]. A police dog is a police dog, I will not sell you an
undercover plainclothes police dog [audience applause].
There is also an exorcism practice. If your home has any ghosts, you can use a
vajra scepter to expel them, but it should be a three‐pronged vajra scepter, not
a five‐pronged one. Japan has them. Shingon Buddhism uses three‐pronged
vajras and the ones they use are open three‐pronged vajras, not the closed ones.
This is [Grand Master holds up a vajra] a closed five‐pronged vajra. In Japan
they use the open five‐pronged vajra, while in Tibetan Buddhism they use
closed‐pronged vajras. Get an open three‐pronged vajra, and put it on your
Mahamayuri shrine. While facing the three‐pronged vajra, chant the
Mahamayuri Mantra and direct your chanting towards it. “Om, mo‐yu‐li,
ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, ge‐la‐di, so‐ha,” for
three consecutive nights. You should recite from 11pm until sunrise, staying
up for the entire night [audience murmurs in surprise]. You may sleep during
the day time, and recite the mantra from 11pm until the next morning for three
consecutive nights. The vajra will be effective after three nights. If you enshrine
the vajra scepter in the house of someone that’s haunted by ghosts, then all the
ghosts or monsters will run away from it. That is the exorcism practice.
I have mentioned the illness‐removing practice because many people are sick.
Illness is difficult to deal with. One man suffered from a skin disease and
sought out help from me, I asked him how long he’s had this problem, and he
replied, “twenty years.” For twenty years he has tried all kinds of remedies
and medicine, seen all kinds of specialists in dermatology for his skin problem.
Unfortunately, the results were disappointing. You could try the
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
illness‐removing practice by reciting the mantra 600,000 times [audience is
shocked]. That should be sufficient. Get white sandalwood and grind it into
powder, mix it well with honey and knead the mixture into pills. After making
the pills, put them in front of your Mahamayuri shrine, and chant the
Mahamayuri Mantra 600,000 times towards these pills. For this person whose
skin disease can’t be cured, having seen all kinds of dermatologists, applied all
sorts of topical medicine ‐ medicine applied to the skin ‐ and taken all kinds of
medicine, give him one of the pills to ingest and take his regular medicine and
it will work [audience applause]. According to the Mahamayuri Sutra, it can
heal hundreds of types of diseases, and this isn’t limited to skin diseases, but
any kind of disease or sickness. However, this method may violate medical
laws. If you tell other people that this pill can cure anything, and you accept
people’s money, this violates medical laws, so be careful!
A blend of white sandalwood and honey is edible. Sandalwood has a soothing
effect, and honey is edible. After kneading them into pills and blessing them
with mantras, you can keep those pills for yourself, or give them to others as
gifts. Giving them away is fine, but you should not accept money from others
for it. If you charge people, you will be in danger of violating medical laws.
You must be mindful of legal issues, because those pills could be used for
medical purposes. However, you can simply give those pills to others for
soothing reasons because they are edible anyway. Those pills are empowered
because of the mantras. Our pills are only blended with two ingredients,
unlike the Tibetan pills, which are mixed with varieties of unknown herbal
medicines. Milarepa used powdered rust from his rusty hoe [for pills]. He also
used the powder of gold, silver, copper, iron, and combinations of all sorts of
herbal medicines. He blessed the nectar pills with mantras. I have received
many boxes of pills from high Tibetan lamas when they visited me. Those pills
were packaged in boxes, covered with red cloth, and knotted with five‐colored
threads. Pills and pills, boxes and boxes. I have lost track of how long they
have been just sitting there collecting dust. I am afraid of eating them [Grand
Master laughs]. Those long‐ignored, old pills may have been made from the
rust of Milarepa’s rusty hoe. What if these pills contain heavy metals, I will be
doomed if I eat them and lose my memory.
We only use white sandalwood and honey. Sandalwood has a calming effect
and honey is edible. After kneading them into pills, you should recite the
mantra 600,000 times. According to the Mahamayuri Sutra, the pills can
27
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
eliminate illnesses, so this is the illness‐removing practice. Many people suffer
from osteoporosis, cancer, diabetes, chronic illnesses, and even now there are
no medicines that can cure them. Why don’t you try this practice?
Reciting the Mahamayuri Mantra facilitates yogic union with Mahamayuri, as
the mantra is able to unveil your Buddha‐nature. The physical body is not very
advantageous. What is really beneficial to us is the revelation of our
Buddha‐nature. It is critical to unite with Mahamayuri and reveal your
Buddha‐nature. Upon reciting the Mahamayuri Mantra 600,000 times, you will
definitely be reborn in the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds [audience applause]. This
the most important thing! In Japanese Shingon Buddhism, the prime purpose
of the Mahamayuri shrine is to protect their country; their National Peace
Ceremony also reveres Mahamayuri as the main deity. Mahamayuri sadhanas
can also be utilized for small‐scale purposes such as curing diseases or [for
large‐scale purposes, like] revealing your Buddha‐nature. Those are very
important. As long as you cultivate as instructed, unite with Mahamayuri, and
chant the mantra, your wishes will be fulfilled.
One man went mountain climbing, he exhausted all his energy and he was
starving. He was also lost. As he wandered around, he tripped over a magical
lamp. A genie appeared and said, “These days, people are very busy, and so
am I [audience laugh]. Don’t bother me too much. I will not grant you three
wishes, instead I will give you one wish. What do you want?” He was starving
and lost in the mountains. He was so hungry that he was out of strength and
was near death, so he said, “I want a wife…” The genie replied, “You’re about
to starve to death and you want a wife? Fine, as you wish.” The genie conjured
up a beautify lady for him, and immediately vanished into air without hearing
another word. The man actually didn’t manage to finish his sentence. He
wanted to say “I want a wife…cake” [audience laugh]. He didn’t utter out the
word “cake” before the genie left. Times have changed, you have to hurry up
and talk faster. “I want a wife cake,” which is a famous and tasty pastry in
Taiwan. After you eat the cake, you will be full. Then, you would have energy
to leave the mountain. To the man’s surprise, the genie replied, “I’m too busy.
As you wish, a wife for you.” Then he disappeared before the man said the last
word “cake.” He ended up starving to death.
The Mahamayuri Sadhana Grand Master transmitted today is to feed you with
the wife cake [audience applause]. I promise that you will not be hungry
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse I
afterwards. You will experience a sense of contentment. As long as you unite
with Mahamayuri, your rituals will be effective. Grand Master’s sadhana is not
as troublesome as the Tibetan sadhanas, which sometimes require seven to
eights of recitation for only one sutra, or seven hours to invoke one deity. In
addition, you also have to call upon the Seven Buddhas, Maitreya, pratyekas,
sravakas, Eight Heavenly Gods, Twenty‐Eight Yaksas, Nine Luminaries and
Twelve Zodiacs. Then, you can start to recite the Mahamayuri Sutra. Finally,
you can set up the shrine and invoke the retinue to descend and confer the
empowerment. By that time, it will already be too late.
In summary, the sadhanas in our True Buddha School, like the recitation
sadhana, are especially fast, and they are effective [audience applause]. I will
give each of you a wife cake and you’ll be full, and you will be energized.
Everyone can cultivate, so everyone’s disease can be cured and [everyone’s]
wishes will be granted. Take Grand Master as an example, while I lived in
seclusion for three and a half years in Taiwan, typhoons all turned away. I
entered Taiwan after the arrival of Typhoon Xiangshen. During the three and a
half years of my retreat, there were no typhoons. Why? I’d better stop. I may
end up eating my own words later on. What if I meet typhoons next time I go
back, I will be dead [Grand Master and audience laugh]. Okay.
Om Mani Padme Hum [audience applause].
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse II
Grand Master Guarantees that Everyone Can Attain Buddhahood
Dharma Discourse Transmitted by Living Buddha Lian‐sheng after the Mahamayuri Homa at
Taiwan Leizang Temple on February 27, 2010
Translated by Alice Yang, Edited by Jason Yu, Proofread by Renée Cordsen
Let us pay homage to Reverend Liaoming, His Eminence Sakya Zhengkong
Lama, His Holiness the Sixteenth Karmapa, and Vajra Master Thubten Dargye.
Homage to the Three Jewels of the shrine. Honorable guests, my father, my
sister, Shimu, fellow vajra masters, senior reverends, reverends, dharma
instructors, dharma assistants, fellow school students, and students joining us
through the internet. May all be blessed with auspiciousness [audience
applause].
The main goal of today’s Mahamayuri Ceremony is to pray for national
prosperity and peace, soothing winds and favorable rains, and avoidance of all
calamities that disciples would otherwise encounter. We beseech for the
pacification of disasters, increase in fortune and wisdom, improvement of love
and harmony among people, and relief of hostility and hatred from enemies
[audience applause].
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse II
For the sake of today’s ceremony, the abbot of [Taiwan Leizang] Temple
pleaded, “It definitely cannot rain today, and the sun cannot come out either.”
I replied, “Even if I were God, it would be really hard to do that. The weather
cannot be rainy, chilly, or blisteringly hot. How could that be possible?”
Therefore, I kept asking for no rain. What about the sun? The sun has come out
occasionally, but hopefully, Mahamayuri can provide shade for us under her
wings. Therefore, those requests were do‐able, and they were completed
[audience applause].
Today, you will be conferred with the Mahamayuri Empowerment. Prior to the
empowerment, I have to expound the relevant teachings and conduct the
respective homa. We have to call upon the deity’s divine presence. As a matter
of fact, before the homa even began, Mahamayuri had already descended
upon the shrine. Therefore, during this whole day, I kept praying to
Mahamayuri to grant everyone’s wishes [audience applause].
In light of it being Chinese New Year and the Year of the Tiger, I want to first
give everyone eight “qianwan” [note: “qianwan” is being used as a Chinese
pun, because it can mean a “must,” such as “you must have/be something.”
“Qianwan” can also mean “ten million.”]. You must have happiness, you must
exercise, you must be safe, you must not get angry, you must be healthy, you
must be satisfied with your life, you must be harmonious, and you must
cultivate.
Since it’s Chinese New Year, the Year of the Tiger, I am giving you the gift of
eight “qianwan” [note: here the pun refers to “eighty million dollars”; audience
applause]. Eighty million. If you are not here today, you only get forty million.
If you are present today, you will receive eighty million as a new years gift.
You may wonder why Grand Master has so much money to give away. How
can he give everyone eighty million? That’s because it’s invisible. The first
ten‐million worth of qianwan is: you must have happiness [audience applause];
the second ten‐million worth of qianwan is: you must exercise [audience
applause]; the third qianwan is: you must be safe [audience applause]; the
fourth qianwan is: you must not get angry [audience applause]; the fifth
qianwan is: you must be healthy [audience applause]; the sixth qianwan is: you
must be satisfied with your life [audience applause]; the seventh qianwan is:
you must be harmonious [audience applause]; the eighth qianwan is: you must
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Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse II
cultivate [audience says, “Thanks Grand Master”]. The eighty million worth of
qianwan are better than winning the lottery!
I taught the Mahamayuri Sadhana at the Seattle Temple in America. You can
read the back pages of “Sheng‐yen Luʹs Unfolded Portfolio” [note: this is
Grand Master’s 212th book] to learn more about the teachings and procedures.
You should be content with the eighty million already. But I will top that and
reiterate the pith teachings of the Mahamayuri Sadhana. The Fourfold Refuge
of this sadhana differs from the one that we are familiar with. The Fourfold
Refuge we generally recite is as follows: “Namo guru bei, namo buddha ye,
namo dharma ye, namo sangha ye.” The corresponding version in the
Mahamayuri Sadhana is “Namo guru bei,” taking refuge in the transmission
root guru; “Namo Mahamayuri,” taking refuge in buddha; “Namo the
Mahamayuri Sutra,” taking refuge in the scriptures of Mahamayuri; “Namo
the Retinue of the Mahamayuri Assembly,” taking refuge in the sangha
community and her entire entourage.
Above the Mahamayuri Assembly, there are the Seven Buddhas. In the center
of the assembly, there is Maitreya Bodhisattva flanked with the
pratyeka‐buddhas and sravakas on the left and right sides. The Eight
Heavenly Kings, Twenty‐Eight Yaksas and all constellations, the Nine
Luminaries, and the Twelve Zodiacs, are all the attendants of Mahamayuri.
Mahamayuri is a sambhogakaya of Shakyamuni Buddha, as the Buddha once
reincarnated as the Peacock King in a past life. Thus, Mahamayuri is regarded
as the sambhogakaya of Shakyamuni Buddha. Mahamayuri is also the
nirmanakaya of Amitabha Buddha. As depicted in the Amitabha Sutra,
jivanjivas, peacocks, parrots, and kalavinkas inhabit the Western Paradise. The
resident peacocks are manifested by Amitabha Buddha.
Mahavairocana Buddha wears the five‐buddha crown and appears solemn.
His face resembles that of Mahamayuri; actually, they are identical.
Mahamayuri is a nisyandakaya, an identical embodiment, of Mahavairocana
Buddha. In a nutshell, Mahamayuri is the embodiment of three Buddhas. You
may have seen a peacock feather inserted in the Vajrayana empowerment vase,
which symbolizes that the empowerment vase is a representation of
Mahamayuri. The empowerment vase embodies the manifestation of
Mahamayuri.
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Most importantly, we should have total concentration when we practice this
sadhana. Every time we cultivate, we should be fully immersed in it. We
should not take it lightly – such as casually chanting the mantra, visualizing
without a sincere attitude, or rushing in and out of samadhi. We should
practice in accordance with the procedures, one by one, without being careless
or missing any steps. Furthermore, we should focus single‐mindedly. Someone
once wrote me a joke, it goes like this: There were two flies, a mother and her
son, and they were eating manure. The son fly asked the mother fly, “Why do
we eat this every day?” The mother fly replied, “Hush! Don’t talk while
eating.” The motto of the joke is to concentrate on eating.
We should apply the same principle to our cultivation. If you concentrate, you
will be on the right path. If you don’t, your cultivation will be in vain. The
foundation of cultivation is built on concentration.
Cultivation [begins with] the preliminary section, in which you should fully
concentrate. The focused mind ought to be extended to the concluding section
of the cultivation. The critical part lies in the main session. I will summarize
the main points for today’s teaching. You should form the mudra like me
[Grand Master forms a mudra]. There are two Mahamayuri mudras: one is the
“neifu” mudra [the “internal handclasp” mudra] and the other one is the
“waifu” mudra [external handclasp mudra]. The “waifu” mudra mimics the
flying motion of Mahamayuri, whereas the “neifu” mudra represents that
Mahamayuri is at rest. Either one of them is fine. You should first form the
mudra, and then you should do the visualization. You would begin by
visualizing emptiness. Visualize the [Sanskrit] seed syllable YU, which
somewhat resembles a peacock, transforming into a peacock. Next, we
visualize the seed syllable BAM [VAM in Sanskrit] transforming into a white
lotus flower. Lastly, the seed syllable MO [MA in Sanskrit] transforming into
Mahamayuri. This is the visualization ‐ visualizing the emergence of
Mahamayuri from emptiness.
The Vajrayana sadhana stipulates that Mahamayuri’s third eye chakra radiates
a beam of white light onto your third eye chakra; her throat chakra radiates a
beam of red light onto your throat, and her heart chakra radiates a beam of
blue light onto your heart chakra. The three rays of light completely purify
your body, speech, and mind. After that, you can chant the mantra. Chant this
mantra after the visualization: “Om, mo‐yu‐li, gar‐la‐di, so‐ha.” The ji [Chinese
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word] should be pronounced like gar, somewhere between ji and gar. “Om,
mo‐yu‐li, gar‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, gar‐la‐di, so‐ha,” “om, mo‐yu‐li, gar‐la‐di,
so‐ha.” After reciting the mantra 108 times, then you enter into samadhi. That is
crucial.
We have talked about entering samadhi. If you can enter samadhi, you can
attain yogic union. If you cannot enter samadhi, then you cannot attain yogic
union. It’s as simple as that. What is the difference? One has achieved yogic
union, while the other has not. Someone wrote a joke that goes like this:
Xiao Ming went home and said to his father, “Today my math teacher hit me.”
His dad asked, “Why did the teacher hit you?”
“My teacher asked me, ‘What is three times two?”
His dad asked, “What was your answer?”
“I replied that three times two is six.”
His dad said, “That’s correct, very good!”
Xiao Ming then said, “Then my teacher asked me ‘What is two times three?’ ”
His dad then retorted, “Damn! What’s the difference?” [The Chinese term for
“Damn” is “ta ma de”].
Xiao Ming replied, “That was exactly what I said.”
You cannot answer like that. “How’s your mother?” [ni ma hao] and “Mom,
how are you?” [ma, ni hao] are really [similar], so there isn’t much difference.
But it’s outrageous to say “damn” [ta ma de] like the father said.
The difference lies here. If you were originally able to unite [with your deity],
why aren’t you able to do it anymore? You must beseech the deity to unite with
you. There are many methods for that. You must purify the dharma vessel –
you. Our physical body is a dharma vessel, which cannot be concealed. Did you
know that? If you seal the dharma vessel, you close your heart to this sadhana.
If you don’t believe in this sadhana, then you should not practice it. The
dharma vessel that is placed like an upside‐down bowl can neither unite with a
deity nor receive “dharma milk” [which nourishes spiritual nature]. You cannot
attain yogic union in this way.
A dharma vessel cannot be broken either. Why would it be broken? It is because
you often violate precepts. You fail to abide by the precepts, precepts such as
the Bodhisattva Vows, the Monastic Precepts, the Five Precepts, the Eight
Precepts [of serious lay Buddhists], or any of the Ten Precepts. You didn’t
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follow any of the precepts, so you are a broken dharma vessel.
The pouring of the dharma milk enters into you, Ruwo, the deity entering into
you, will immediately sense that you are a broken vessel, and the dharma milk
will leak away. That is another case of failed yogic union.
There is still another type of failure to achieve yogic union. This particular
dharma vessel is not fractured, and it faces upward due to one’s faith. It does
not have any cracks. However, as soon as the dharma milk flows into it, it
becomes dirty. Your heart is dirty, and your thoughts are filthy, so you cannot
enter the state of “Ruwo‐Woru.” Apart from these three faults [of not believing
in the sadhana, not following the precepts, and having a dirty heart and mind],
you can be infused with the brilliance of the buddhas and bodhisattvas.
Every time I practice a sadhana, I always attain union. Every session of
cultivation I do is successful, and I am energized with the dharma stream
every single time. If you practice a sadhana and achieve yogic union once, then
you should achieve it during your next practice, and the session after that as
well, as long as you practice as instructed. Once your body, speech, and mind
are purified, you can attain union without a doubt. Make no mistake about
that. Many people have practiced for ten, twenty, even forty years, and some
have practiced for their whole lives, but they have never experienced the state
of union. Why is that? You have made mistakes. What is the mistake? First,
you don’t concentrate. Second, your body is dirty, your speech is filthy, and
your thoughts are defiled. You have committed offenses. It is impossible to
reach union with a filthy heart and defiled thoughts. As soon as the milk
streams down, it becomes dirty, or it leaks through the cracks. It is impossible
to achieve union in that way. The attainment of yogic union is attributed to the
purification of body, speech, and mind. You must fortify your faith in the deity,
you must concentrate, you must not violate precepts, and you must cleanse
your thoughts.
There was a doctor who dined out at a restaurant. While serving the doctor by
taking his order, the waiter kept rubbing his bottom with one of his hands. The
doctor noticed this and asked, “Do you have hemorrhoids?” The waiter replied,
“Please sir, just order what we have on the menu. We don’t have hemorrhoids
here.” What was going on? It was a miscommunication. The doctor made a
mistake. The waiter’s bottom was itchy, but the doctor thought that he had
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hemorrhoids. The waiter also misunderstood the doctor. He thought that the
doctor had ordered hemorrhoids. It turned out not to be the case, so the waiter
also messed up. It turned out to be a mess‐up on the waiter’s part. He thought
that the doctor wanted to order hemorrhoids, which didn’t exist [on the menu].
I’ve told this joke before. Two lovers were cuddling together, and the woman
whispered to the man, “I have a bit of a headache.” The man responded with a
peck on her forehead and asked “Are you feeling better?” The woman replied,
“A little bit.” She then said, “My shoulders are sore.” The man moved closer
and kissed her shoulders, “Are you feeling better?” “Yes, a bit better.” An old
woman who was next to them exclaimed, “That’s incredible!” She then asked
the man, “Can you give me a kiss?” “Kiss what?” the man asked. “Kiss my
hemorrhoids.” That was a joke about mistaking what other people meant. The
doctor misinterpreted that the waiter had hemorrhoids, and the waiter wrongly
assumed that the doctor wanted to order hemorrhoids. That was a joke. As
cultivators we need to get things right.
In order to unite with Mahamayuri, the following are required – purified body,
speech, and mind, totally focused cultivation, and diligent practice of the
Mahamayuri Sadhana, outlined in the book Sheng‐yen Luʹs Unfolded Portfolio.
Most True Buddha students are familiar with the basic True Buddha Tantra
sadhanas [which have similarities with the Mahamayuri Sadhana]. Focus!
Mahamayuri possesses great dharma power. She is the embodiment of
Mahavairocana Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, and Shakyamuni Buddha.
Mahamayuri holds transcendental power.
This is the Mahamayuri Praise Verse: “Lord Buddha, the great compassionate one,
Your dharmakaya is endowed with the tranquility of nirvana. Your power and abilities
are boundless. And all of your merits and virtues are perfect.”
The dedication “Lord Buddha, the great compassionate one” honors Shakyamuni
Buddha as Lord Buddha for his unlimited compassion. “Your dharmakaya is
endowed with the tranquility of nirvana” refers to the Supreme Truth. “Your power
and abilities are boundless” attests to her effectiveness. What does “And all of your
merits and virtues are perfect” include? Do you know? It contains perfect merits
and virtues of compassion, great compassion, emptiness, and the great tantras.
All buddhas and bodhisattvas have boundless power. Great compassion is an
expedient means, and its nature is emptiness. These two add up and become
“essence, form, and function.” The essence or the primal essence is the
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Buddha‐nature; the form is the identical form of Shakyamuni Buddha;
function refers to great power. Achieving all merits and virtues is most
supreme.
As we know, the Four‐armed Mahamayuri is capable of subjugation with her
peacock feather. The peacock feather is used for subjugation purposes.
Mahamayuri can also pacify with a white lotus flower, attract love and
harmony with a bijapura, and enhance wealth with an auspicious fruit. Her
arms conduct the four karma rituals: pacification [purification], harmonization,
enhancement and subjugation, with no practice missing. Therefore, practicing
the Mahamayuri Sadhana is equivalent to cultivating pacification,
harmonization, enhancement, and subjugation. She is capable of
accomplishing the four major types of Vajrayana practices.
If you can unite with Mahamayuri, you can also fly by practicing the Flying
Sadhana. I will detail the Flying Sadhana today, which I didn’t teach at the
Seattle Temple. Now, let me first ask you, Grand Master often appears in
students’ dreams. So let me ask you, how many of you have dreamed of Grand
Master or dreamed of receiving teachings from Grand Master? If you have
dreamed of Grand Master or you have been taught by Grand Master in your
dreams, please raise your hand high. Many people have raised their hands.
What is going on? Sometimes in one night, Grand Master can visit a hundred
students in their dreams, or impart teachings to a thousand students [audience
applause]. How can I do that? No matter how far you are, I can reach you.
Why? As long as there are stars in the sky where you are, I can enter your
dreams. This is the secret [audience applause]. After Mahamayuri enters into
my heart chakra and sits on the lotus flower on my heart, I visualize the deity
shrinking and being elevated to the crown chakra by pushing the qi that I
developed from the Treasure Vase Qi Yoga. By [visualizing the deity] sitting on
the heart chakra, you have already merged with the Buddha‐nature of Grand
Master and Mahamayuri. That is a manifestation. Then, you push
Mahamayuri to emptiness with the Treasure Vase Qi. The deity will absorb the
starlight, the star’s brilliance, merging with the stars at night. The Mahamayuri
in the emptiness is an emanation of Grand Master.
So I’m telling everyone that if you practice this sadhana, you can cultivate your
own emanation: appealing Mahamayuri to enter and reside on your heart,
uniting yourself with the deity as one entity, exerting your primordial qi to
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send Mahamayuri into emptiness, and then merging yourself with the
starlight on the sky. If you repeat the process a hundred times, then you will
have a hundred emanations [audience applause]. If you repeat a thousand
times, you will have a thousand emanations [audience applause]. Appearing
in disciples’ dreams with an emanation is called “starlight emanation in the
dream,” which is a manifestation outside of my physical body, the starlight
emanation that visits you in dreams [audience applause].
Therefore, Grand Master once lost fifty starlight emanations during the homa
that I conducted for the ‘8‐8 Flood’ victims [a major natural disaster in Taiwan
on August 8th, 2009]. I sacrificed fifty starlight emanations of Padmakuamra.
However, the fifty starlight emanations were restored by fifty sadhana sessions
[audience applause]. That is the reason why the buddhas and bodhisattvas can
fulfill your dreams, because they are everywhere, in every single corner. They
can realize the dreams of all True Buddha students [audience applause]. No
one will be missed. As long as you can attain union, Grand Master will appear
before you. I have said before, the buddhas and bodhisattvas will also appear
to you. Not just in dreams, but even in the real world, we will appear both in
your dreams and in real life [audience applause]. That is fulfilling. We follow
Buddhism because it is fulfilling. We call Shakyamuni Buddha the World
Honored One because he is honored by the people of the world [audience
applause]. That is very important.
The True Buddha Tantra and Vajrayana are quite fulfilling. Not only do they
answer your mundane wishes, but they also grant your transcendental
aspirations. They also help people live in peace and harmony, and are quite
perfect. Here is a joke that someone wrote, so it’s not mine. There once was a
bear, rabbit, and a chicken who played happily together. They thought that
they should come up a nickname for each other, and this will bring them closer
together. The bear said, “You can call me Little Xiongxiong [little cub].” The
rabbit added, “You can call me Little Tutu [little bunny].” The chicken then
groaned and said, “I am not playing anymore!” [audience burst out laughing;
this is another Chinese pun, where the logical progression of the naming
scheme would have left the chicken with the nickname “little penis”]. Think
about it, if one of three doesn’t want to play anymore, it will not be perfect or
fulfilling. If you have four people, and one of them doesn’t want to play, then
you cannot play mahjong.
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Therefore, the essential nature of Vajrayana is perfect, and its sadhanas are
fulfilling. Worldly sadhanas are regarded as expedient methods, whereas the
transcendental sadhanas are categorized as fulfillment stages. Ideally, both
worldly and transcendental sadhanas would be accomplished. Vajrayana
sadhanas are fulfilling practices. Sadhanas that fulfill mundane wishes exist
because of great compassion. Transcendental sadhanas exist because of
emptiness, the Supreme Truth, with both types of sadhanas being fulfilled.
Great compassion, emptiness, and “The Scriptural Text of the Ritual of the
Great King of the Teaching, the Adamantine One with Great Compassion and
Knowledge of the Void” [the Chinese Hevajra Tantra] constitutes Shri Hevajra.
Mahamayuri can achieve perfectly both worldly and transcendental sadhanas.
I have mentioned that Mahamayuri can suppress earthquakes. Taiwan has
many earthquakes, and so does Indonesia. Master Lianzhe can practice the
Earthquake Suppression Sadhana. If there are earthquakes in the future, you
can look for him. There is also the enhancement practice to increase your
wealth. As far as wealth is concerned, Prithvi and Mountain Gods are the
richest deities on land. Therefore, we have the Prithvi Sadhana and Mountain
Gods Sadhana. The Dragon King is the richest in the ocean, and we also have
the Dragon King Treasure Vase Sadhana. The richest deities in the heavens are
none other than the Four Heavenly Kings, and we have the Yellow Jambhala
Sadhana. Yellow Jambhala [or Vaisravana] is the richest in the heavens.
Therefore, wealth gods temples are booming in Taiwan. The richest beings are
actually Prithvi, Mountain Gods, the Dragon King, the Four Heavenly Kings,
and the Eight Heavenly Kings. They are loaded! They are the real wealth gods,
while the rest are just minor wealth gods. Therefore, the wealth god of Taiwan
Leizang Temple is a great wealth god [audience applause]. The rest of the
wealth gods are minor wealth gods. If you want money, you should go to
Taiwan Leizang Temple. Master Lianzai is the assistant abbot. If you ask for
wealth, he practices the wealth god practices. If you don’t become rich, go look
for him!
As far as magnetization or harmonization sadhanas are concerned, Grand
Master has transmitted the Kurukulla Sadhana and the Ragaraja Sadhana. By
chanting the mantra or conducting the Ragaraja homa or Kurukulla homa, you
will be loved and respected [audience applause]. The “peach flower” or love
that we want is an abundance of love luck, not some minor love luck. An
abundance of love luck is well received and loved by all sentient beings. If you
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have good affinity with sentient beings, when you debut, or get off the plane,
the crowd will welcome you. When you are about to depart, the crowd will
send you off. These celebrities, politicians, entertainers can gain popularity or
social status by cultivating the Kurukulla Sadhana or Ragaraja Sadhana. He or
she will be loved immensely. So those people running in elections, remember
this! Election! In this democratic era, we should vote for the virtuous and
talented. If you are elected, you must have an irresistible love luck to magnetize
people to support you. If you aspire to be a politician, you should practice the
Kurukulla Sadhana or Ragaraja Sadhana. Your will have an abundance of love
luck.
There once was a person who came to see me at the Seattle Temple, and I taught
him the Kurukulla Sadhana. He returned home and recited the Kurukulla
Mantra diligently until he became a legislator and then later he became a
county magistrate. After a while, he stopped chanting the mantra, so things
went downhill. Really, if you have plenty of love luck, you can become a leader
or a famous star like Jay Chou. Among our masters, Master Lianming is a fan
of Jay Chou. Remember, one must practice the Kurukulla Sadhana or Ragaraja
Sadhana. With just a fling of your hair, your fans will be screaming, fainting,
wowing and whooping. These people can be categorized as a “groupies.” Do
you know what groupies are? If you don’t, that is okay. Current celebrities,
leaders, famous stars are all linked to Kurukulla and Ragaraja. If you want the
same affinity, you should practice the magnetization practice. You two (Master
Lianzhe and Master Lianzai) should be responsible. The peacock feather is for
subjugation, which I won’t talk about today.
Cultivators should use wisdom on any matter. Knowledge is knowing, right?
Wisdom is called prajna. When the sun was shining bright, Grand Master
formed a sword mudra, and chanted, “Maha prajna paramita, om mani
pa‐da‐mi hum, tri‐li, quickly block the sun!” I recited like that [audience
applause].
We should have wisdom to clearly identify the guru you take refuge under.
After that, you should wholeheartedly follow the guru’s path. He will transmit
all sadhanas, including the worldly and transcendental ones. The guru can
unite with deities, achieve attainment, transform outside of the physical body,
appear in your dreams, fulfill your wishes, unite with you, and help you realize
the Supreme Truth ‐ the Supreme Truth of the Tathagata. Within the teachings
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the Buddha taught, there were four types of teachings: the first type was on
proper human conduct; the second type was on performing good deeds; the
third type was on subduing greed, anger, and ignorance with precepts,
meditation, and wisdom; and the fourth type was on the Supreme Truth. Grand
Master is well‐versed on all four types of teachings [audience applause].
What is a “shang shi” [This is the Chinese term for a Vajrayana master,
equivalent to the Tibetan term “lama” and Indian term “guru”]? What is a
“vajra master?” Vajra will never change its color and form. What is “shang”?
“Shang” is supreme and ultimate, what Shakyamuni Buddha realized is called
the Unexcelled Perfect Enlightenment, and there is no teaching that is more
profound and enlightening than that. Our vajra masters will not change shape
or color, and there is no master that is better than a vajra master [audience
applause]. Therefore, you should use wisdom to identify and find a good guru,
and follow the guru’s teachings with undivided attention, and then you will
naturally attain worldly as well as transcendental accomplishments [audience
applause].
Everyone should have wisdom, but wisdom is not knowledge. There was a
superintendent who was a representative of the Department of Education. We
used to call this position “dushen,” but now it is called “duxue.” The
superintendant asked one student, “Who burned down the Epang Palace [or
Epang Gong]? Who did it?” A student stood up and answered, “Not me!” The
superintendent felt the student really lacked basic knowledge. “What is going
on? How did they study history? What a mess.” The superintendent took the
student to see the principal and told the principal, “I asked him ‘who burned
the Epang Palace?’ and he replied that he didn’t do it.” The principal agreed,
“He is right. He was not involved in that case. The real culprit is someone
else.” The superintendent sighed, “Ah, this principal also lacks basic
knowledge.” So, the superintendent decided to take the issue to the head of the
Department of Education. After hearing the story, the head of the Department
of Education said, “Ah, the student said that he didn’t burn the Palace. It was
indeed true. The principal also re‐confirmed and supported him. It was not him.
It was someone else.” The superintendent heard that and concluded, “Forget
about that. That’s not the point. Let’s allocate some funds to build a new Epang
Palace.” The student didn’t know who burned down the palace, and neither
did the principal nor the head of the Department of Education. Who burned
down the Epang Palace? In fact, I don’t know either. According to history, it
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was Xiangyu that did it. However, I feel that sometimes historical records are
not true.
A Buddhist should have wisdom to clearly recognize a guru, a principal deity,
and a dharma protector. As long as you can purify your body, speech, and
mind, and you can fully engage in True Buddha sadhanas, you will eventually
attain yogic union. I will also tell all of you that as long as you unite with one
deity, you will be able to unite with other deities like Mahamayuri. Unite with
one, unite with all. Fail to unite with one, fail to unite with all. That is a very
important point.
I heard the dedication that Taiwan Leizang Temple had for this ceremony,
which was to ask Grand Master to live in Taiwan forever. Let me tell you, I will
live in Taiwan forever. Everything has its ancestral home. We will live together
forever, in the Western Realm [a sarira pagoda at Taiwan Leizang Temple].
Definitely, definitely. I am already sixty‐six years old. A senior citizen, an old
man, isn’t it? I will definitely come back. Childrenʹs Day is no longer for me. I
can’t celebrate it anymore. When I was in Taiwan, we celebrated Childrenʹs
Day, because children are our future. I am no longer a child. Then, I celebrated
Youth Day, because the youth are the pillars of the country. I have celebrated
Youth Day. I also have celebrated Veterans’ Day, since I was a military officer,
and graduated from a military school. I have also celebrated the Mid‐Autumn
Festival and the Lantern Festival, but I am not sure if there is a Seniors’ Day.
Maybe there is, but not many people celebrate it. In the future, Grand Master
will only be qualified to celebrate Tomb‐Sweeping Day or the Double‐Ninth
Festival [a day when people visit the elderly or the graves of their ancestors].
I welcome everyone to visit me on Tomb‐Sweeping Day. This is my place. In the
future, I will be placed in the basement. I don’t like high places. The basement is
more inconspicuous, more low profile. I will have the following engraved on
my tomb:
I have come.
I have now gone.
Please don’t take me [from my grave].
I will not have many sariras.
If you take all my sariras and sell them, I will be empty. Then I will not have any
sariras left at the Western Realm because you have stolen them all, right? I hope
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that you will not take me away.
This is the end of the performance.
I have been an actor all my life, and this is the end of my performance.
This time it’s real.
There is no sequel to expect.
There will never be a sequel, why is that? I can no longer sit here and transmit
the dharma.
If you want to see me, don’t come too close to me.
I have been placed in the basement.
Please don’t step on my box.
Please don’t touch my box with your feet.
My dharma dissemination has come to an end.
With glory and triumph, I will return to Maha Twin Lotus Ponds.
Why do you come to see me?
Sooner or later, we will end up the same.
Sooner or later, you and I will be put in a box, and then we will be the same.
The space is too small.
The space in the Western Realm is very small.
So small that I can barely turn my body.
Turning in my sleep will be very difficult.
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I rest at the very bottom of the Western Realm.
If you have time, please come and chat with me.
Don’t worry.
Please don’t worry.
Unless my grave has been robbed,
I will forever live there.
I will never leave.
In the past, I was a fat person.
In the past, Grand Master was fat, I was a fat person.
Now, I am fit.
In the future, I will become pieces of sariras and sarira flowers.
I will write my last word.
Finally, it is time to bring down the curtain.
Unfortunately, I cannot come out to take a bow to you all. One day, I will be like
that. Those would be the final words engraved on my tomb. “It’s time to bring
down the curtain. I am sorry for not giving my thanks in person.”
What worries me the most? I am afraid that people will steal my sariras, taking
all of them away and leaving only an empty box. Actually, there is nothing to be
concerned about. I will be very content that my sariras can be distributed and
shared among Leizang Temples in the world. This is my affinity with my
students in True Buddha School [audience applause].
I will live in Taiwan forever. Why is that? I bought many spots at the Western
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Realm. Not quite, I didn’t purchase them, Taiwan Leizang Temple offered
many to me. I have promised to give my sister a spot at the Western Realm.
My younger sister’s name is Lu Sheng‐mei, and mine is Lu Sheng‐yen. She is
actually well‐off, but she is very frugal, so I will give her one. She is my sister,
and she will live next to me. Did I promise you that? Is Lu Sheng‐mei here?
[Someone answered that she is in the VIP room.] Okay, Master Lianzhe and
Master Lianzai. I have promised my sister. I have so many spots, please leave
one for her –Lu Sheng‐mei. My name is Lu Sheng‐yen. One last reminder, you
should distinguish Lu Sheng‐yen from Lu Sheng‐mei. She will be next to me. If
you are mistaken and speak a lot to Lu Sheng‐mei, I will not hear any of that.
You should face and speak to Grand Master, the one engraved Lu Sheng‐yen.
If I hear it, I will bless you for sure [audience applause].
The fate of life is intriguing and unpredictable. The dharma taught by the
Buddha is also very captivating. The Buddha said that suffering, emptiness,
impermanence, and non‐existence of self are part of human existence. If you
can see through suffering, emptiness, impermanence, and non‐existence of self,
then you will understand the path of liberation. You will be liberated.
The Buddha also taught a second type of dharma on cause and effect. If there
is a gathering, there is also a dispersal; if there is health, there is sickness; if
there is birth, there is death; if there is youth, there is old age. You should
observe cause and effect and the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination. You
will discover the path of liberation, which is the path of the Emptiness of
Dependent Origination.
The Buddha also taught us the Middle Way and Consciousness‐Only. Using the
Middle Way and Consciousness‐Only, you can penetrate the Buddha’s Supreme
Truth. After you understand the Supreme Truth, you will realize your mind
and awaken your Buddha‐nature. You will realize Buddhahood. You will attest
the fruition of Buddhahood, and attain the levels of Equal Enlightenment,
Wondrous Enlightenment, up to the thirteenth level, which is the attainment of
Mahavairocana Buddha, or the sixteenth level of Adi Buddha. In the future,
everyone can attain Buddhahood, everyone can attain accomplishment, and
everyone can achieve yogic union. Today, Grand Master is making the
following guarantee to everyone:
Everyone can attain Buddhahood.
45
Mahamayuri Dharma Discourse II
Everyone can achieve yogic union.
Everyone can return to the Maha Twin Lotus Ponds.
Last but not least, I want to thank all of the staff and volunteers who have
supported today’s ceremony. I also would like to thank the vajra masters,
senior reverends, reverends, dharma instructors, dharma assistants, and fellow
school members who attended the ceremony. I sincerely wish that you will
achieve everything, and all your wishes will come true. I really appreciate your
effort.
Om Mani Padme Hum [audience applause].
46
The Benefits of the Great Perfection (Part 5)
Excerpted from “Book 56: Great Perfection”; chapter 23, by H.H. Living Buddha Lian‐sheng.
Translated by Zhi Wei (Prajnaparamita).
All the numerous great
vajrayana tantras share
only one purpose, teach
the secret ways to achieve
enlightenment in the
human world.
Some cultivators attained
signs of accomplishments,
achieving Buddhahood in
their present bodies, and
don’t need buddhas’
guidance at the times of their death for deliverance. For those who haven’t,
they need to learn bardo deliverance practices (ʺGreat Liberation by Hearing in
the Intermediate State,ʺ or “Bardo Thotrol” as it is known in Tibetan).
The general application of this practice involves a genuine vajra acharya
speaking directly into the ear of the deceased person calming deceased’s
consciousness, clearing obscurations, guiding it to recognize the inner radiance
of the innate awareness, then achieve deliverance by abiding in the great
radiance of innate awareness transcending karmic hindrances. If the person
died in far away places, the vajra acharya first summons the deceasedʹs
consciousness using the deceased’s belongings. Then, the acharya gives the
necessary instructions to the deceased’s consciousness.
This Bardo Deliverance Sadhanas includes:
1. Beseech Buddhas and Bodhisattvas to bless the deceased’s consciousness.
2. Safeguard the deceased’s passage through the dangerous intermediate state.
3. Six warnings issued to deceased’s consciousness in the intermediate state.
4. Protect deceased’s consciousness from panicking in fear.
This practice can commence before the person’s death. Quickly invoke vajra
acharya to guide the dying person into the radiant state of genuine reality. If
47
The Benefits of the Great Perfection Part 5
the person had passed away, summon his spiritual consciousness and instruct
him to enter the radiant state of genuine reality. The last opportunity to use
this practice is when the deceased’s consciousness had gone deeply into the
bardo state and taken over by confusions and fears. Genuine vajra acharya
must first seal‐off all the deceased personʹs birth gates preventing his
consciousness from rebirth into the lower realms. Then, the vajra acharya
performs rites to clear obscurations of deceased’s consciousness swiftly and
helps him to attain deliverance.
After death, it takes generally three to four days for the deceased’s
consciousness to leaves his physical body. During this time, it can easily
become deluded by obscurations as deceased’s consciousness falls into a deep
slumber far deeper than dream‐state. Hence, it is extremely important to use
Bardo Deliverance (Bardo Thotrol) to wake the deceasedʹs consciousness from
obscurations warning him from becoming attached to dull color lights. Alert
him to recognize that great brilliant luminosity is the radiance of innate reality,
and merge himself with the brilliance of Dharmadhatuʹs true wisdom. Then,
he shall naturally reach deliverance and arrive at vajradhara’s perfect paradise.
Padmasambhava told me, accomplished Great Perfection cultivators’
miraculous powers are even more amazing. As soon as Great Perfection
cultivation thinks of a deceased’s appearance, the deceased is liberated from
the three evil realms. The power of this contemplation is like sun’s great
radiance completely vaporizing all the morning dews on the earth.
Great Perfection practitioner can deliver a deceased to heaven or even Western
Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss by spreading sands blessed with the Completion
Mantra on top of the deceasedʹs tomb.
The deceased’s consciousness will ascend to heaven if Great Perfection
cultivatorʹs dharma robe is used to covers his body. If the dharma robe is used
to covers the body of an ill person, he will recover from the illness quickly, and
his karmic hindrances will decrease.
Great Perfection cultivator’s eyes radiate Pure Immaculate Light. People
sighted by the cultivator are illuminated with the Immaculate Light and
develop affinity with buddha‐dharma as the result. They shall certainly
become Buddhas in the future because the light from Great Perfection
47
The Benefits of the Great Perfection Part 5
Cultivator’s eyes has such kind of virtues.
The breaths exhaled by Great Perfection Cultivator are white light. People who
inhaled the breath will have their negative karmas and severity of their illness
decreased. They will also develop affinities with Buddha and shall certainly
attain Buddhahood in the future. This is eliminating all karmas, reborn into
land with Buddha‐dharma, and attaining enlightenment from cultivation.
Accomplished Great Perfection cultivator is the great sun, and life‐sustaining
air and water. He can revived the dead, convert disbelievers into believers,
delivers those who cannot be delivered, eliminate all the karmic obstructions
of people with severe karmic obstructions, and any action he takes shall be
spontaneously accomplished.
During Great Perfection cultivation, I suddenly had a vision of myself sitting
on a peacock. My body became completely white with four arms coming out
of my body. The first right hand held a blossomed lotus flower and the second
right hand held a fruit of possessing affinity. The first left hand held an
auspicious fruit and the second left hand held a peacock tail feather. I wore
white heavenly robe, crown, jewel necklace, earrings, and arm bracelets. I was
seated on a golden color peacock, and the peacock was on an eight‐pedaled
lotus flower throne.
I asked Padmasambhava, what affinity caused this vision?
Mahasattva replied, ʺThat was Mahamayuri Vidyarajni, the Great Peacock
Vidyarajni.ʺ
I know that Peacock Vidyarajni was an emanation of Shakyamuni Buddha. Its
secret name is Buddha Mother Vajra. The Mahamayuri Vidyarajni Scripture
states, ʺNot long after a monk named Auspicious took monastic vow, he was
bitten on the toe by a venomous black snake while gathering firewood.
Foaming at the mouth and turning black in color, he was about to die. At that
time, the Buddha told Venerable Ananda to save the monk by chanting Great
Peacock Vidyarajni Mantra.” The Great Peacock Vidyarajni Mantra can also be
used to set up protective boundary. Venomous snakes dare not cross the
barrier, and evil men and their curses cannot harm practitioner.
48
The Benefits of the Great Perfection Part 5
Padmasambhava told me, the Great Peacock Vidyarajni specializes in activity
of pacifying misfortunes, removing hardships, removing illnesses, and
extending life. The great benefits from cultivating Great Perfection also include
pacifying misfortunes, removing hardships, removing illnesses, and extending
life. It also has the great benefit of bardo deliverance. I transformed into the
Great Peacock Vidyarajni to demonstrate this Venerable Vidyarajni’s power
and merits to transform and benefit sentient beings.
The Great Perfectionʹs power to render assistance and rescue is genuine. Not
only can accomplished Great Perfection cultivator achieve enlightenment
himself, he also has blessing power of transference to enable extremely evil
people to attain deliverance. There are many evil people in this world. The
power of their negative affinities, karmas, and karmic hindrances are all
extremely great. Yet, Great Perfection can also gradually transform and
enlighten these evil people with extremely strong karmic hindrances. The rite
performed by accomplished Great Perfection cultivator has supreme merit
power. Hence, evil can be transformed into good with even just one blessing.
Holy Coronated Red Crown Vajra Acharya is a genuine vajra acharya, and the
vajra acharya of vajra acharyas. Today, the readers have encountered a genuine
vajra acharya who is a virtuous guide. The teachings given will increase the
affinities for enlightenment. This is the affinity for virtuous dharma. For those
sentient beings searching for sublime dharma teachings, there is truly no
dharma superior to the Great Perfection.
49
How to Take Refuge in
Living Buddha Lian‐sheng
There are two ways of taking refuge in Living Buddha Lian‐sheng:
1. In writing
At 7:00 a.m. (your local time) of either the first or fifteenth of a lunar
month5, face the direction of the rising sun. With palms joined, reverently,
you recite the Fourfold Refuge Mantra6 three times: “Namo Guru bei, Namo
Buddha ye, Namo Dharma ye, Namo Sangha ye” and prostrate three times.
Send a letter to the True Buddha Quarter to request a refuge
empowerment. State your name, address, age, and enclose a voluntary
offering7. Upon receiving your letter, the True Buddha Foundation will
send a certificate, a picture of Living Buddha Lian‐sheng, and a note
stating the level of practice you should start with. The address of the True
Buddha Quarter is:
True Buddha Quarter
17102 NE 40th Ct., Redmond,
WA 98052 USA
2. In person
You may receive refuge empowerment personally from Living Buddha
Lian‐sheng by making an appointment to visit the True Buddha Quarter
in Redmond, Washington, USA. Alternatively, you may obtain refuge
empowerment personally from any authorized True Buddha Master by
visiting a True Buddha temple or local chapter8, or by attending a True
Buddha ceremony.
5 To find out the dates of the first or fifteenth of a lunar month, please refer to the Western-Chinese calendar converter
at http://www.mandarintools.com/calendar.html.
6 In Vajrayana, the Fourfold Mantra is as follows: “Namo Guru bei” means I invoke the Guru who is the embodiment of
all refuges. “Namo Buddha ye” means I invoke the Enlightened One who is the source of refuge. “Namo Dharma ye”
means I invoke the Teaching (Practice or Way) which is the actual refuge. “Namo Sangha ye” means I invoke the
community which is the support of refuge.
7 If you wish to practice a particular True Buddha Sadhana but have not received its empowerment, you may request
for a remote empowerment as instructed above. Most Tantric Practices, except for the Dharma Protector Yoga
Practices, can be obtained remotely. For any Dharma Protector Yoga Practice, you must personally receive its
empowerment from the Root Guru.
8 To locate your nearest True Buddha temple or local chapter, please refer to the True Buddha School Net’s address
directory at http://www.tbsn.org.
50
Living Buddha Lian‐sheng’s English Books
If you enjoyed this book, and are interested in more of Living Buddha Lian-sheng’s
work, a whole catalogue of his work is posted on the Net!
Prints of his artwork and all of the Chinese books he has written, and an abundant and
wonderful selection of in depth, enlightening and insightful selections of Buddhist
Dharma teachings are available to order at http://www.e-daden.com
If you wish to obtain the English translated books, you can purchase them online at
http://www.padmakumara.org/bookstore, http://www.amazon.com, or
http://www.1sheen.com.
Alternatively, you are invited to visit your nearest local chapter to obtain True Buddha
School complimentary books and/or borrow items, including Living Buddha
Lian-sheng’s dharma talks and teachings recorded in the format of cds, dvds, audio
cassettes, or VHS video cassettes. Find your nearest local temple or chapter at
http://www.tbsn.org
Nowadays, people are becoming greedier because of their insatiable lust for
desires. Few would remain to live simply with scant desires. This book will be
of great benefit to humans who wish to be spiritually awaken by self
disciplining their lust. It consists of 13 fascinating true stories detailing the
karmic consequences of sexual misconduct. It also explains how Vajrayana
Buddhism practice “chi” as an antidote to suppress ones sexual lust.
51
The Inner World of the Lake
By Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Janny Chow
In this book, the enlightened Buddhist Master, Grand Master Lu, describes
how the Lake Sammamish in the State of Washington is transformed into the
Lake of Self Nature (Buddha Nature) in his eyes in the summer of 1985.
Readers can glimpse into mind of this enlightened master and share his joys
and insights in the cultivation of the Buddhadharma.
Miracles in this book include the curing of terminal and karmic illnesses,
accurate spiritual predictions, warning of imminent disasters, and lottery
winnings. The authentic cases recorded in this book represent some of the
numerous cases of mystical experiences witnessed by Master Lu's students.
Grand Master Lu reveals his early spiritual contacts from the spirit realm
including his spirit teacher, the spirits who contacted him for his aid, the spirits
that he subjugated, and other supernatural phenomenal that happened during
his feng-shui consultations.
Learn the methods of how to attain abundance. Vajrayana practice for wealth
include the dragon king practice, the benefits of attending the fire ceremony,
and the meaning of deliverance.
52
New Revelations from the Buddha King
By Grand Master Sheng-yen Lu
Translated by Janny Chow
The Living Buddha Lian-sheng reveals the true identities of the White Maha
Padmakumara and the Living Buddha's invisible teacher, Mr.
Three-Peaks-Nine-States. The Buddha King in the title refers to Amitabha.
Unlike any other feng-shui books on the market today, Living Buddha
Sheng-yen Lu reveals the insights to the "worldly Dharma" to help one to
secure success in the mundane world.
The True Buddha Sutra is short for The Sutra of Authentic Dharma that
Removes Hindrances and Bestows Good Fortune. This sutra contains the
authentic Buddhadharma and holds the key to eradicating one's disasters and
receiving good fortune. This is tantamount to transforming one's fate.
Additionally, this sutra can help one attain rebirth to the Maha Twin Lotus
Ponds, the highest realm within Amitabha's Pure Land.
53
TBS English Practice E‐books
All e‐books are available for downloading from the padmakumara forum.
E-Book Courtesy Date
54
Kuan Yin (Avalokitesvara) Body Shrine Protection Padmakumara
2008
Practice That Averts Disasters † 觀音身壇城避災法 Translation Team
† It contains one or more old translated articles which are revised and updated for content accuracy and
clarity. ‡ The unofficial True Buddha translation sadhana is based on the dharma talk recordings instead of
the official Chinese texts issued by Living Buddha Sheng-yen Lu or the True Buddha Foundation. At the
time of the publication, the translation is not approved by the True Buddha Foundation yet. Therefore, its
content is subject to change without notice.
55
Dedication of Merits
May the merits of printing this e‐book be dedicated to Living Buddha
Lian‐sheng, for his well‐being and that he may continue to teach and liberate
us all.
May all who uphold the name of Amitabha Buddha be reborn 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.
May the merits of printing this book be dedicated to everyone, that all may be
healthy, free of hindrances, strong in cultivation, and that all wishes may come
true.
56
Honor the Guru. Treasure the Dharma. Practice Diligently.
Complimentary
True Buddha School | www.padmakumara.org
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