Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Sadhana
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 Four Immeasurable Vows
- Recite the Bodhicitta Verse and Mantra
- Recite the Repentance Verse and Mantra
- Mudra and Visualization
Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Mudra: Put the palms together. Interlace the ring fingers inward while the little fingers are still touching each other. Point the two index fingers outward, and press the ring fingers with the thumbs while keeping the tip of the middle fingers touching. (The Samantabhadra Bodhisattva mudra is identical to the Vajrapani Mudra)
Illustration of mudra:Seed Syllable: Ah
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) Visualize a moon disc in the sky. Inside the moon disc is the seed syllable「」”ah”.
(2) The seed syllable transforms into a golden Samantabhadra wears a Five-Buddha Crown. His right hand holds a lotus flower or a Ruyi while his left hand is showing Wish-granting Mudra. He sits in half-lotus position atop a white elephant with six pairs of tusks.
(3) Visualize Samantabhadra Bodhisattva blessing practitioner with the empowerment of the three lights.
- Recite the Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Heart Mantra (108 times):
Namo。sam-man-duo。wa-ri-la。sa-duo。e。 - Nine Cycle Breathing Exercise and Entering Samadhi
- Emerging from Samadhi
Recite the Ten Great Vows of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva:
(1) Li-jing-zhu-fo
(2) Cheng-zan-ru-lai
(3) Guang-xiu-gong-
(4) Chan-hui-ye-zhang
(5) Sui-xi-gong-de
(6) Qing-zhuan-fa-lun
(7) Qing-fo-zhu-shi
(8) Chang-sui-fo-xue
(9) Heng-shun-zhong-sheng
(10) Pu-jie-hui-xiang(1) Paying homage to all buddhas
(2) Praising tathagatas
(3) Widely engaging in making offerings
(4) Repenting karmic hindrances
(5) Happily joining in meritorious deeds
(6) Supplicating buddhas to turn dharma wheels
(7) Supplicating buddhas to stay in the world
(8) Consistently following buddhas to learn
(9) Accommodating sentient beings always
(10) Dedicating all merits universally - Recite the Principal Heart Mantras
- Recite the Buddha’s Name (3 times)
Namo the 36 trillion 119 thousand and 500 Amitabha Buddhas. - Dedication
- 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: May all endeavors be auspicious.
An empowerment must be received from Living Buddha Lian-sheng or an authorized True Buddha School master before engaging in this particular sadhana.