True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury : Padmasambhava

【Padmasambhava Mudra:】

Cross the hands, with the right hand in front of the left so that they are back to back. Hook the two little fingers onto each other. Extend the index fingers so they point to the sky at an angle. Press the thumbs upon the middle and ring fingers of each hand respectively so that they clench. Hold the mudra at chest level.

【Padmasambhava Seed Syllable:】

Seh (red in color emitting pink light)

【Padmasambhava Mantra:】

「Om。 ah。 hum。 be-dza。gu-ru。 beh-ma。 sid-dhi。hum。 seh。」

【Padmasambhava Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】

”Padmasambhava” wears a jewel crown. His body is pink, he holds a vajra scepter in his right hand, a nectar-and-jewels filled skull cup in his left hand, and a trident staff (khatvanga, authority staff) in the curve of his left elbow. He sits on a moon disc atop a lotus and his body radiates the light of hundreds of jewels.

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

”Padmasambhava,” or ”Lotus-born Guru,” is also called the ”Sea-born Vajra.” He was born a ”lotus child” inside a five-colored lotus on the Danakosha Sea in western India. He is the vajra emanation of the three secrets of body, speech and mind of Amitabha Buddha, Guanyin Bodhisattva, and Shakyamuni Buddha.

At the invitation of the Tibetan King Trisong Detsen ”Padmasambhava” came to Tibet from India to transmit the buddhist teachings. In Tibet, Padmasambhava subjugated all the Bonpo spirits and converted them into protectors of the Vajrayana teachings. Padmasambhava became the first lineage guru of Tibetan Buddhism, and it was through his efforts that Vajrayana Buddhism spread to the entire world.

Padmasambhava spread the buddhist dharma in Tibet for fifty years and established the Semye Temple (Ren Yun Temple). He is known as ”Guru Rinpoche” by the Tibetan people, and is venerated as the greatest and most precious lineage master by all four schools of Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism. It is due to the great blessings of Padmasambhava and the foundation that he laid that buddhism has flourished in Tibet up to the present day.

If one enters into spiritual union with Padmasambhava, he will become one’s guru, personal deity, and protector.

Padmasambhava is the revered lineage Root Guru of Living Buddha Lian Sheng Lu Sheng-yen. It was the ”Lotus Master” who bestowed the red crown on Living Buddha Lian-sheng while he was in meditation, giving him the name ”Holy Red Crown Vajra Venerable Tantric Master.” Also while Living Buddha Lian-sheng was in meditation, Padmasambhava took Living Buddha Lian-sheng to a ”golden grave” and taught him the highest and ultimate teaching of the Nyingma School, ”The Great Perfection.” Therefore, Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu did really obtain the true transmission of ”Padmasambhava.”

”Padmasambhava” gave Living Budhha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu two extraordinary empowerments:

Padmasambhava transformed Sheng-yen Lu into a light drop and swallowed me, releasing me through his root chakra. This signified that I am Padmasambhava and Padmasambhava is me, without any duality or distinction. I am the emanation of a light drop of Padmasambhava.

Padmasambhava radiated light from every pore of his body and these light rays entered into every pore of the body of Living Budhha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu. This indicated that every cultivation practice accomplished by Padmasambhava was emanated as rays of light and transformed into an empowerment in my body. I obtained the complete empowerment of Padmasambhava.

The words (six characters) Padmasambhava gave to his disciples when he left the Saha World are ”Honor the Guru, Treasure the Dharma, Practice Diligently.”

Padmasambhava has the highly secret vajra dharma within his body. He has the Vajra nature and is thus able to vanquish all heretical paths and destroy all black magic. All ghosts and spirits must obey any orders he may give them. The greatest secret is ”Vajra Nature to Subjugate Demons.” Padmasambhava is a wrathful Vajra who can subjugate demons. If oppressed by evil spirits one needs only to cultivate the dharma of Padmasambhava and touch the evil spirits with the red light radiated from the vajra mudra. The evil spirits will run away and never again try to harm a good and virtuous person.

The secret of the personal deity practice of Padmasambhava can eliminate sickness and illness, gain long life, ensure that one always has sufficient food to eat, provide great fortune, eradicate all kinds of disasters and difficulties, and prevent calamities and misfortune from occurring. Family fate will be greatly auspicious; if one seeks children one will have children, and if one seeks wealth one will obtain wealth.

Padmasambhava has reached complete and perfect enlightenment and he has the attainment of a five wisdom Buddha. He has the expedient means to deliver sentient beings, and all his capabilities are complete and perfect in every way. He is able to satisfy the wishes of beings and bring them every kind of benefit. His five Buddha Mothers are Yeshe Tsogyal, Mandarava, Kalasiddhi, Sakya Devi, and Tashi Kyedren.

Padmasambhava is an adept of the Sutrayana and Vajrayana teachings, making no distinction between the two. From Shakyamuni he has obtained the in-depth key lineage formula for the absolute and supreme siddhis of Sutrayana and Vajrayana in an authentic lineage. Padmasambhava has perfected all three karmas of vajra body, speech and mind, the three kayas-of dharmakaya, sambhokaya, and nirmanakaya, the secret key instructions for attaining enlightenment, as well as the expedient means of purification, enrichment, magnetization, and subjugation for the purpose of salvaging sentient beings.

It was Padmasambhava who originally brought Vajrayana to Tibet, and Padmasambhava is revered by all the schools of Tibetan buddhism-Nyingma, Gelug, Kagyu, and Sakya. There are an extraordinarily large number of dharma teachings transmitted by Padmasambhava, the greatest of those teachings being the Vajrayana ”Great Perfection” dharma.

If a practitioner attains spiritual union with ”Padmasambhava,” the practitioner will gain longevity, infinite life, and will be forever youthful with tremendous dharma power.

Spiritual union with Padmasambhava is equivalent to spiritual union with Shakyamuni Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and indeed all the Buddhas. Hence, this deity is exceptionally great and extraordinarily important.

【Padmasambhava Personal Deity Practice】

Start by praying for the root lineage blessing: First empty the mind. Next, visualize the Root Lineage Guru Living Buddha Lian-sheng 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.

Engender the Four Immeasurable Minds: 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.

Recite the Purification Mantras and Earth God Mantra
Recite the Invocation Mantra
Tender the Great Homage with Visualization
Mandala Offering
Fourfold Refuge
Armor Protection
Recite the High King Avalokitesvara Sutra (1 time).
Recite the Rebirth Mantra (7 times).
Recite the Root Guru’s Heart Mantra (108 times):
Om, gu-ru, lian-sheng sid-dhi hum
Illustration of mudra

Mudra and Visualization
Padmasambhava Vajra Mudra : Cross the hands, with the right hand in front of the left so that they are back to back. Hook the two little fingers onto each other. Extend the index fingers so they point to the sky at an angle. Press the thumbs upon the middle and ring fingers of each hand respectively so that they clench. Hold the mudra at chest level.
Seed Syllable: Seh (Red in color emitting pink light)
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 red Sanskrit seed syllable「」”seh”, emitting great pink light.

(2)The seed syllable inside the moon disc revolves and transforms into Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava’s body is pink and he wears a jeweled crown. Sitting on a lotus moon disc, he holds a vajra scepter in his right hand, a trident vajra (three pronged staff) in the curve of his left elbow, and a nectar-and-jewels filled skull cup in his left hand.

(3)Visualize the nectar transform into a brilliant white light that travels in an arc to enter and empower one. This nectar eradicates all transgressions, illness, and demonic interferences, resulting in a state of great self-mastery.
Recite the Padmasambhava Heart Mantra (108 times):
Mala Beads 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 Deva Kings. 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 Padmasambhava appearing inside the bead and come to the forefront.
Mantra: Om ah hum, be-dza, gu-ru, beh-ma, sid-dhi, hum, seh.
Entering Samadhi
(Nine Cycle Breathing, Entering of the Deity into Oneself, Release of Oneself into the Cosmic Consciousness, Breath Counting)
Emerging from Samadhi
Praise Verse:
Lian-shi zhong chi da-guang-ming,
Sui-qing sui-zhi da-zu-shi;
Guang-ming guan-zhu zhong-sheng xin,
Pu-ti da-xin heng hu-chi.
(Padmasambhava, Great Lineage Guru, Chief Holder of Light,
You appear whenever called upon.
Instill light into our hearts
And eternally guard the mind of bodhicitta.)
Recite the Principal Heart Mantras
Recite the Buddha’s Name (3 times)
Na-mo san-shi-liu-wan-yi yi-shi-yi-wan jiu-qian-wu-bai tong-ming-tong-hao ah-mi-tuo-fo.
(Namo the 36 trillion 119 thousand and 500 Amitabha Buddhas.)
Dedication
yi-ci-xiu-xing-zhi-da-yuan, su-cheng-lian-hua-sheng-da-jue,
er-zhe-he-yi-wu-fen-bie, guang-du-zhong-sheng-dao-fo-di.
(May my great resolve to cultivate
Enable me to quickly attain the realization of Padmasambhava.
By becoming one with him,
I will help all beings arrive at the Buddha Realm.)
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.
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.
May all supplications be completely fulfilled.
May all hindrances be removed. Wun!
(For a detailed explanation of this dedication, please refer to page 165 of A Complete and Detailed Exposition on the True Buddha Tantric Dharma.)
Recite the Hundred Syllable Mantra (3 times)
Tender the Great Homage with Visualization (same as step 3)
Recite the Completion Mantra
Om, Bu Lin. (3 times)
Om Mani Padme Hum.

Dismissal: Clap twice, then cross hands and snap thumbs and middle fingers.
End of Practice: Xiu-fa yuan-man, ru-yi ji-xiang. May all endeavors be auspicious.