True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Mahacakra Vajra

【Mahacakra Vajra Mudra :】

Interlace fingers inward with palms touching. Straighten the thumbs, index and middle fingers. With the index fingers touching overlap each middle finger over the index finger. Keep your thumbs touching each other side by side and touching the index fingers.

【Mahacakra Vajra Seed Syllable :】

Hum (white in color)

【Mahacakra Vajra Mantra :】

• Short Mantra:「om。da-la-ma-di。 xi-da。ga-li-ya。 da-lan。 so-ha。」
• Long Mantra:「namo-si-de-li-ya。ti-wei-ga-kan。 da-ta-ga-ta-lan。om 。wei-la-ji-wei-la-ji。ma-ha-jia-ge-la。 fa-ji-li。sa-da-sa-da 。sa-la-de-sa-la-de。de-la-yi-de-la-yi。wei-da-ma-ni。san-ban-jia-ni。de-la-ma-di。xi-da。ge-li-ya。 de-lan。 so-ha。」

【Mahacakra Vajra Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】

Mahacakra Vajra (Dalun Jingang in Chinese) has white skin and looks up slightly. His right arm is bent and right hand holds a mala and is counting beads. His left arm is also bent while the left hand holds a three-prong scepter in front of his chest. His left knee is folded upwards with the calf vertical. He sits peacefully on a white lotus flower seat.

【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma Talk – Mahacakra Vajra Background and Key Cultivation Formula】

”Dalun” means Maha-cakra in Sanskrit. His vow is ”Accomplish all Mandalas.” Therefore, he is also called ”Mandala Bodhisattva.” Mahacakra Vajra is the ”Origin of Vajra,” meaning the origin of all Vajrayana dharmas.

The dharma-character of Mahacakra Vajra of Eastern Vajrayana is different than that of Tibetan Vajrayana. His body is white and holds a three-prong scepter. (The three prongs of the scepter of Eastern Vajrayana of Japan are separated, whereas the three prongs of Tibetan Vajrayana’s scepter are closed together.)

The left hand of Mahacakra Vajra holds a three-prong scepter while his right hand holds a mala. In another image of Tibetan Varajana’s Mahacakra Vajra, he wears a hat and has a beard while hands are crossing and each holds a five pronged scepter. One can easily recognize that it is an Eastern Vajrayana image if Mahacakra Vajra does not have a beard.

He has two backgrounds. The first is the transformation from Shakyamuni; the second, the transformation from Maitreya. Vajrahetu is the manifestation of Maitreya’s original vow, whereas Mahacakra Vajra is the embodiment of Maitreya’s wheel of injunction manifested in the form of a wrathful vajra.

Both Shakyamuni and Maitreya are a Mighty Buddha King of Great Authority, meaning that they possess the greatest authority in the human world. Everything they state has authority. Hence, the power of this deity, Mahacakra Vajra, is infinite and significant.

He is a transformation of Shakyamuni, Maitreya, and a Mighty Buddha King of Great Authority. One who has received the empowerment of this deity will appear in the Nagapuspa Assembly and attain buddhahood guided by Maitreya.

The great wheel of Mahacakra Vajra stands for his light that is as immense as a dharma wheel with omnipresent radiance. That is why his is named ”Mahacakra.” It does not matter which realm a being is in as long as they desire to cultivate, Mahacakra Vajra emits his light regardless. His compassionate heart is like a great dharma wheel turning and emitting light continuously.

”Mahacakra Vajra Dharani Sutra” says, ”When one recites the mantra 21 times one will be successful in practicing any dharanis and dharmas, complete all virtuous deeds rapidly, and achieve attainment of all mudra practices and shrine cultivations. It enables one to enter great mandala without needing a shrine-empowerment beforehand.”

”The Dharaṇi Collection Sutra” says, ”One who recites this mantra 21 times can enter into any mandala and achieve any practice that may include mantra chanting and body-mudras. One can readily succeed in performing hand mudras and chanting dharanis. Normally one is prohibited from practicing any mudra prior to receiving the corresponding empowerment at a shrine. However, chanting this mantra is tantamount to being empowered at a shrine. As the result, this will not be considered to be stealing a dharma by forming the mudra and practicing it without an appropriate empowerment beforehand after reciting the dharani.

”Tripitaka Secret Essence” says, ”According to the teaching, every mantra and mudra must be transmitted from a guru. One will fail and commit a dharma-stealing sin if one practices a mudra or ritual without receiving the corresponding empowerment at a shrine. However, if one, in front of an image of buddha, chants this mantra 21 times, it is equivalent to seeing the Buddha and entering all mandalas. One will accomplish all dharmas pledged for.”

The cultivation method of the ”Mahacakra Vajra Yoga” in the liturgy of the ”Profound Treasury of Peace and Bliss” states that any Vajrayana practice must be empowered by a vajra master. One who practices a yoga without receiving appropriate empowerment first constitutes dharma transgression or stealing. Fortunately, the Vajrayana Sect has an expedient method to allow remote practitioners to perform Vajrayana practices even if they live in a secluded area and do not have local vajra masters available for giving the needed empowerments. All they need to do is chant the mantra of Mahacakra Vajra, and afterwards, they will be free to practice and make up the empowerment later when a real vajra master is available.

Mahacakra Vajra says that once one who has chanted the mantra of Mahacakra Vajra many times one is enabled to ”empower oneself.”

When sentient beings are in the need of an empowerment but a qualified master is unavailable, one can pledge to Mahacakra Vajra directly. How does one supplicate? Of course all the sadhana steps must be perfect. However the most important step is to wholeheartedly devote one’s body and mind to Mahacakra Vajra. One humbly prostrates before him, makes precious offerings, chants his mantra, and invokes him to descend to one’s mandala; only then is one enabled to bestow an empowerment to oneself.

What does ”Self Empowerment” mean? It means that one, in front of a shrine without the presence of a master, recites a mantra and prays for one’s principal deity to descend to the statue of one’s principal deity in the shrine and thereafter emit the light onto oneself. This is what the ”Self Empowerment” is about, one empowers oneself, the most significant effect of Mahacakra Vajra.

There is a reason for the self empowerment of Mahacakra Vajra. One may know about a particular tantric practice and have the liturgy in hand. However, there may not be a master available to perform the empowerment where one resides. When in this situation, one can chant the mantra 21 times then pray for the desired principal deity to descend and empower oneself. This is what self empowerment is about. Only Mahacakra Vajra possesses this power, which no other deities have. Because he represents Shakyamuni, Maitreya and a Mighty Buddha King of Great Authority, he has the might to enable one to empower oneself.

Reference:

”Yoga of Great Secret Accomplishment,” Chapter 25 of Book 51, Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra

!!Please be aware that before engaging in any True Buddha Vajrayana practices, one must first take refuge and receive the respective empowerment.!!

  True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury