Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Personal Deity Practice

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Personal Deity Practice
Start by praying for the root lineage blessing: First empty the mind. Next, visualize the Root Lineage
Guru appearing above your crown and radiating light on everyone present. Chant the Root Lineage
Guru Heart Mantra 7 times. Pray to the Root Lineage Guru to empower you so that the practice will
be auspicious. Visualize your parents, children, relatives, friends, and enemies join you in this
practice.
Wake Up Call: Clap twice, then cross hands and snap thumbs and middle fingers.
1. Recite the Purification Mantras and Earth God Mantra
2. Recite the Invocation Mantra
3. Tender the Great Homage with Visualization
4. Mandala Offering
5. Fourfold Refuge
6. Armor Protection
7. Recite the High King Avalokitesvara Sutra
8. Recite the Rebirth Mantra (7 times)
9. Recite the Root Lineage Guru Heart Mantra (108 times)
10. Mudra and Visualization

Lotus Mudra: First form the “prayer gesture.” At the level of the
chest, join the palms of both hands together with fingers meeting and
pointing up. Now open the palms so that the hands meet only in three
ways: at the very base of the palms, entire thumb to entire thumb, and
entire little finger to entire little finger. Spread the other fingers out
straight but as widely as possible, so that the gesture represents an
eight-petalled flower.
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)
(1) Above an expanse of ocean is a stretch of clear sunny sky. A moon
　　　disc rises from the ocean into the sky. Inside the moon disc is the
　　　white Sanskrit seed syllable “seh,” emitting great white light.
(2) The seed syllable inside the moon disc revolves and transforms
into Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (same image as the one enshrined
at one’s personal shrine). Avalokitesvara’s body is a brilliant white and is adorned with the
ornaments of a bodhisattva. Sitting on a many petalled lotus, and expressing dignity and
compassion, Avalokitesvara radiates boundless pure white light.

One may visualize the Six Syllables (Om Ma Ni Pad Me Hum) revolving around Avalokitesvara and sending forth
brilliant white light in all directions.
(3) Visualize the hand implements of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, such as bright pearl, scripture,
lotus, or nectar inside a vase transform into a brilliant white light which arcs over and down,
descending one’s crown and filling the body with a mass of purifying light.
11. Recite the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva Heart Mantra
Visualization: Hold mala beads in front of the chest and move each bead with the thumb during
chanting. Visualize the left hand transform into a vajra bell and the right hand into a vajra scepter.
The mother bead or emblem transforms into the Many-Jewels Buddha’s Stupa and the four
“divider beads” transform into the Four Heavenly Tutelaries. The tassel transforms into a “lotus
hand” while the string threading through the beads transforms into a circle of inherent white light
of Vajrasattva. During mantra chanting, when a bead is moved, visualize Avalokitesvara
Bodhisattva appear inside the bead and come to the forefront.
Mantra: Om, mani padme hum. (108 times)
12. Entering Samadhi
(Nine Cycle Breathing, Entering of the Deity into Oneself, Release of Oneself into the Cosmic
Consciousness, Breath Counting)
13. Emerging from Samadhi
Praise Verse:
An emanation of the Correct Dharma Enlightened Tathagata,
The Great Compassionate Self-mastery Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva
Radiates great Buddha light from the Six Syllables,
Guiding all beings to the Buddha’s Pure Land.
Zheng-fa-ming ru-lai hua-sheng pu-sa,
De-cheng zi-zai da-ci guan-shi-yin;
Pu-shi jie-fang liu-zi da-guang-ming,
Fo-guang dao-yin zhong-sheng zhi fo-tu.
14. Recite the Principal Deities Heart Mantras
15. Recite the Buddha’s Name (3 times)
16. Dedication
May the pure light purify my karmic hindrances,
Enabling me to become a Self-mastery Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva,
Radiating great compassionate light to aid all beings,
So that everyone will take refuge in the Great Compassionate One.
May all who uphold the name of Amitabha Buddha
Be born together in the Pure Land of His Western Paradise.
Recompense the Fourfold Generosity from above,
And aiding those who suffer in the Three Paths below.
Upon seeing the Buddha,

  Sadhana