The Bardo Deliverance Yoga of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

The Bardo Deliverance Yoga of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

From Grand Master Lu’s Book 51 Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra
(Publisher: US Daden Culture)

Chapter 17. The Bardo Deliverance Yoga of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva

This article reveals one of the Bardo Deliverance practices taught in True Buddha School, as transmitted by the Holy Red Crown Vajra Guru Noble Lian-sheng. It has been edited by my Hong Kong disciple Lian-jing and transcribed by Lian-han.

The merits of the Bardo Deliverance Yoga are indeed most significant.

The Bardo Deliverance Yoga of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is as follows:

The participant must keep to vegetarian meals for at least one day, bathe and clean himself, and ensure that his dharma robe is tidy before entering into the Mandala shrine.

Preparation: Set up the Mandala of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and enshrine the statue of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. Set up an incense burner, vajra bell, vajra scepter, vajra lasso, ritual implement, nectar vase, and the five or eight offerings.

Erect the tablets of the deceased awaiting deliverance, and make offerings of fruits to these spirits.

Offer food and nectar water to the ghosts and gods.

Summon the spirits for deliverance to the shrine with the decree of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. (One may burn the special papers printed for the purpose of deliverance)

1) Perform the Great Homage, the Fourfold Refuge, and the Great Offering.

2) Recite the Armour Protection Mantra: OM BO RU LAN ZE LEE
[(transliteration; in Sanskrit: Om Vajranjali)] seven times.
Form the Vajra Mudra and press it over these five areas: the head, throat, heart, left shoulder, and right shoulder. Visualize protection coming from the vajra deities.

3) Invoke the presence of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva by visualizing him descending to the Mandala shrine.
Recite the mantra of Ksitigarbha 108 times: OM HA HA HA VISMAYE SOHA.
Form the root mudra of Ksitigarbha by forming an inner clasped fist with two hands, straightening the middle fingers without touching them. This is the root mudra of the Ksitigarbha Court. Visualize Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva seated on top of your crown, radiating light.

4) Visualize Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva transformed into a grain of rice, which enters into you through your crown chakra and sits within the lotus of your heart. You, as the practitioner, become one with Ksitigarbha, and enter into the Samadhi of Ksitigarbha. At this stage Ksitigarbha emits light and performs all deliverance.

5) Recite the Mantra of Breaking Open the Gates of Hell 7 times: OM KARUDIYA SVAHA.

6) Summon the spirits to enter into the tablets, by first reciting their earthly names and addresses,
then reciting the Vast Summoning Mantra: NAMO BHU PUTERI KARI DO RI TATHAGATAYA.
At this stage we can use the vajra bell to empower the spirits and lead them away from darkness, the sea of fire, the netherworld and hell, and help them approach the Mandala shrine to accept the dharma offering of fragrance and food.
For spirits who are bound by enmity, we should recite the Mantra of Dispelling Enmity: OM SAMDARA GADA SVAHA while forming the Mudra of Dispelling Enmity.

7) Perform repentance for the sake of all spirits. Recite the Repentance Verse:

All my past negative karma
Born from beginningless greed, hate and delusion
through body, speech and mind,
Transgressions resulting from the ten evils and five deadly sins,
From breaching the Samaya Pledge,
Infinite and endless as they are,
I now fully acknowledge.
I pray that the buddhas have compassion on me and receive me
And stay with me until I attain buddhahood.

(Recite the Repentance Verse 3 times)

Recite the Repentance Mantra: OM BENZA SAMAYA SUDAYA (3 times)

8) Recite the Ksitigarbha Mantra of Eliminating Fixed Karma for 3 rounds of mala beads.

The mantra is: OM PUN LAH MOH LIN TOH LIN SOHA

(transliteration; in Sanskrit: Om Pramardani Svaha)

During the first round of the mala, visualize yourself as Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva himself. The pearl of light on his hand radiates light towards all the spirits and helps remove all grievances and enmities, releasing them from all handcuffs and locks and purifying them from all filth.

For the second round of the mala, visualize the pearl of light radiating light upon all the spirits, delivering them from the suffering of the three evil paths.

For the third round of the mala, visualize the pearl of light radiating light upon all the spirits, allowing them to gain rebirth at will.

Sprinkle the nectar water to purify their spiritual bodies and empower them with a blessing by the sound of the vajra bell leading them to liberation.

9) Recite the Mantra of Opening the Blockage of the Throat 7 times:

OM BHU PUTERI KADORI TATHAGATAYA.

Recite the Mantra of the Ocean of Milk 7 times:

NAMO SAMANTA BUDDHANAM VAM.

Recite the Mantra of Offering of Food 7 times:

OM MU LI LIN SVAHA.

Perform offering of nectar water and dharma food.

10) Recite the respective names of the four Tathagatas 7 times, and visualize the four Tathagatas radiating light towards the spirits

Namo Prabhutaratna Tathagata, the Abundant Treasures Buddha who is able to break the hungry ghosts karma of greed so that they may receive perfect blessings and merits.

Namo Surupakaya Tathagata, the Fine Form Body Buddha who is able to remove the hungry ghosts form of ugliness so that they may receive wholesome features and forms.

Namo Vipulakaya Tathagata, the Broad Extensive Body Buddha who is able to enlarge the hungry ghosts throats so that they may consume the offered food.

Namo Abhayankara Tathagata, the Freed-from-Fear Buddha who is able to remove all the hungry ghosts fears so that they may leave the realm of ghosts.

11) Perform the Mahamudra of Bardo Deliverance Yoga. Visualize all spirits being guided by the light radiating from the Ksitigarbha Mudra, which helps them gain complete liberation. Their spiritual bodies are producing great brilliance, and each spirit rides on a lotus flower and gains rebirth through the light. Empower them with the sound of the vajra bell, and offer the nectar water and dharma taste again.

12) Recite the Deliverance Mantra 108 times. Visualize the appearance of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss in space emitting great luminance, radiating lights upon the spirits. The sound of the mantra manifests countless lotus flowers. Amitabha Buddha radiates great light, and the lotus he is holding in his hand transforms itself into countless lotus flowers, each emitting light. As the spirits receive the lotus flowers, their spiritual bodies become bright and they receive deliverance.

Recite Vajrasattva Hundred Syllable Mantra 3 times.

OM, BENZA SATO SAMAYA, MANU PALAYA, BENZA SATO TENO PA TISHA, DRI DRO MEY BHAWA, SUTO KAYO MEY BHAWA, SUPO KAYO MEY BHAWA, ANU RAKTO MEY BHAWA, SARWA SIDDHI MEM PRAYATSA SARWA KARMA SU TSA MEY TSI TAM SHRI YAM KURU HUM, HA HA HA HA HO, BHAGHAVAN SARVA TATHAGATA BENZA MA MEY MUN ZHA BEN ZHI BHAWA MAHA SAMAYA SATO AH HUM PHAT

13) Recite the Verse for Dedication of Merits.

The merits gained from performing the supreme act of deliverance,
These infinite blessings shall all be dedicated.
I pray that all lost and fallen souls
Quickly make their way towards the buddha realm of infinite light.
The buddhas of the ten directions and three times,
Manjusri, Samantabhadra, Avalokitesvara,
All Bodhisattvas and Mahasattvas
Mahaprajnaparamita.

Recite the Mantra for Arousing Bodhicitta:

OM BODHICITTA BENZA SAMAYA AH HUM

14) Perform the great homage and exit the mandala.

Sprinkle the nectar and make offerings of food. Burn the spiritual tablets, burn the gold and silver ingots made from folded paper, Ksitigarbha paper money and deliverance paper money.

This completes the dharma ceremony and everything has become auspicious.

Note: This practice is the Sadhana of Ksitigarbha Deliverance Yoga. If you wish to include the chanting of Mahayana sutras, you can recite the Amitabha Sutra or the Sutra of the Original Vows of Ksitigarbha, as you choose. How much recitation to schedule depends on the length of the dharma ceremony. Tantric practice hinges mainly on visualization, and the visualizations must be clear and precise. The Holy Red Crown Vajra Guru Sheng-yen Lu Noble Lian-sheng emits the buddha light in every dharma ceremony, and allows the participants to witness the presence of the spirits of their loved ones and communicate with them. This is evidence of the supreme power of Mahamudra. This has even made some American professors take refuge. The dharma of Tibetan Buddhism has been spread to the world. This is the age where Buddhism shall propagate in the west.

Ksitigarbha, the Sanskrit name of Earth Store Bodhisattva, is the principal deity of Guru Lian-sheng. The Sutra of the Ten Wheels of Ksitigarbha describes Ksitigarbha in many of his manifestations, such as the forms of Brahma, Mahesvara, Buddha, and Sravaka. His manifestations in the six realms of cyclic existence are given different names. He resides in the Ksitigarbha Court in the Womb Mandala, while in the Diamond Mandala he takes the form of Vajraketu Bodhisattva in the retinue of Ratnasambhava Buddha.

Ksitigarbha is depicted in many forms. He is commonly seen wearing a five-buddha crown with a luminous pearl in his hand, dressed in a kasaya or monks robe, and seated on a lotus throne. He is often seen holding a staff in his hand. Standing statues of shaven-headed Ksitigarbha (Jizo in Japanese) are seen along the country roads of Japan, where his popularity is unsurpassed. His other epithets include Jizo Bosatsu, Jichi Bosatsu, Ruciraketu Bodhisatttva and the Limitless Heart Bodhisattva.

This Bardo Deliverance Yoga of Ksitigarbha was originally transmitted to Vajra Guru Lian-sheng by Ksitigarbha Himself. Vajra Guru Lian-sheng in turn transmitted the method to his disciples. This practice text was transcribed by my Hong Kong disciple Lian-han and edited by Lian-jing. Those who receive this method may use it to deliver their loved ones and other spirits. The merits of this deliverance practice are most supreme.

  Sadhana