True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Prajnaparamita
【Prajnaparamita Mudra :】
Prajna Scripture Case Mudra
With the hands held horizontally, place the right palm facing down on top of the left palm facing up. Close the palms together like a scripture case and place them in front of the navel.
【Prajnaparamita Seed Syllables :】
【Prajnaparamita Mantra :】
「Die-ya-ta。om。gei-di-gei-di。bo-re-gei-di。bo-re-sang-gei-di。bo-dhi。so-ha。」
【Prajnaparamita Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】
Homage to Prajnaparamita
Prajnaparamita wears a celestial maiden crown, celestial garments, and layers of skirts. She is adorned with earrings, bracelets, and pearl necklaces. She appears stately and dignified. One pair of hands form the Amitabha Meditation Mudra. Another right hand holds a gold nine-pronged vajra scepter while another left hand holds a prajna sutra case.
【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma talk – Prajnaparamita Background and Key Cultivation Formula】
Prajnaparamita is the highest figure of all buddha mothers. Moreover, all buddhas originally emerge from Prajnaparamita Buddha Mother. While in the human world, Shakyamuni discoursed the Prajnaparamita Sutra. The essence of the Prajnaparamita Sutra is condensed into the Vajracchedika Prajnaparamita Sutra or what is commonly called the Diamond Sutra. The essence of the Prajnaparamita Sutra is contained in the Diamond Sutra, and the essence of the Diamond Sutra is further condensed into the Heart Sutra. The Prajnaparamita Sutra, the Diamond Sutra, and the Heart Sutra are therefore just one series. The ”Prajna Dharma” is Shakyamuni’s second turning of the dharmachakra.
All buddhas emerge from the Prajnaparamita Sutra, the second turning of the dharmachakra. So the highest buddha mother of the ”Prajna Practice” is Prajnaparamita Buddha Mother. She is the Buddha Mother from whom all buddhas emerge. She has tremendous dharma power and bestows infinite, unlimited wisdom.
In Shakyamuni’s three turnings of the dharmachakra, the ”first turning of the dharmachakra” is Hua-yen’s ”empty.” The second turning of the dharmachakra is the ”Prajna” of ”the nature of emptiness.” The third turning of the dharmachakra is the ”discrimination emptiness” of ”Consciousness-only.” When one has thoroughly comprehended ”the nature of emptiness,” is enlightened to ”the nature of emptiness,” and has ” discrimination emptiness,” one has understood ”empty,” ”the nature of emptiness,” and ” discrimination emptiness.”
Prajnaparamita is the highest of all Buddha Mothers, the ultimate buddha Mother. With this wisdom one is able to reach the other shore. Shakyamuni Buddha had supreme wisdom. All buddhas have supreme wisdom for they have accomplished the state of buddhahood and only those with great wisdom can become buddhas who have reached enlightenment.
”Maha” is ”great.” ”Prajna” is complete self-mastery. Complete self-mastery is prajna. ”Paramita” is to have reached the other shore. ”Prajna” is the wisdom of the purification of the self-nature. With this wisdom one is able to reach the other shore.
All buddhas emerge from Prajnaparamita. Prajnaparamita is the mother of all buddhas.
In Vajrayana, ”Buddha Mother” stands for ”wisdom.” In fact the Prajnaparamita Sutra is called the Buddha Mother Sutra.
Buddha Mother is the ”mother of wisdom” from whom all wisdom emerges. All buddhas, in fact, emerge from the Buddha Mother.
Here are the signs of wisdom:
bliss,
luminosity, and
void.
To sum up:
”Buddha Mother” stands for ”wisdom,” ”wisdom” stands for ”emptiness,” and everything emerges from ”emptiness.”
The ”Buddha Mothers” of Vajrayana help practitioners attain:
bliss, luminosity, liberation, and bodhi of buddhahood.
An infinite number of buddhas have emerged from an infinite number of ”Buddha Mothers.”
Prajnaparamita holds the highest position. She is the source of wisdom, a buddha. She is an awakened, enlightened, and supreme Buddha Mother.
Nairatmya, Wrathful Buddha Mother, Vajra Buddha Mother, Vajravarahi, Dharani Buddha Mother and Prajnaparamita all belong to the same system. That is, these deities all originate, level by level, down from Prajnaparamita. Buddha Mother herself has tremendous power, because all things emerge from ”mother.” She is called ”mother” because all things emerge from her.
There are four main elements in Vajrayana cultivation. The first element is visualization. What I just discussed was the sequence of visualization. The second element is mantra recitation: ”Die-ya-ta。om。gei-di-gei-di。bo-re-gei-di。bo-re-sang-gei-di。bo-dhi。so-ha.” The third element is forming the mudra. When one has completed the mantra recitation and is entering samadhi, that is when you form the Prajna Scripture Case Mudra, which is the Prajnaparamita mudra. The fourth element is entering samadhi.
Five Dhyani Buddhas and Prajnaparamita
The key elements are the descending of Prajnaparamita and the Five Dhyani Buddhas, their transformation into light which enters into the heart of the practitioner, and the practitioner’s body filled up completely with nectar. That is to say, from one’s crown to the soles of one’s feet, to the tips of one’s fingers and in every skin pore, the entire body is completely filled with nectar. Every channel and every part of the entire body is filled with nectar. This is the key point. One first visualizes and forms the mudra, followed by reciting the mantra and entering samadhi. One then emerges from samadhi.