■Book 51─Highest Yoga Tantra and Mahamudra
■Written by Master Sheng-yen Lu
■Chapter seven
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MA GAK ROL PAR CHHAR WAY GOM CHHEN LA
To the meditator who reflects upon the unobstructed play of the mind,
KHOR DÉ JER MÉ TOK PAR JIN GYI LOB
Grant your blessing that the inseparability of samsara and nirvana be realized.
KYÉ WA KÜN TU YANG DAK LAMA DANG
Through all my births, may I not be separated
DRAL MÉ CHÖ KYI PAL LA LONG CHÖ CHING
From the perfect Lama and so enjoy the glory of the Dharma.
SA DANG LA GYI YÖN TEN RAP DZOK NÉ
May I completely accomplish the qualities of the path and all stages,
DOR JÉ CHANG GI GO P'HANG NYUR TOP SHOK
And quickly attain the state of Vajradhara.
Those who recite this prayer in Tibetan should take note of these points:
1.This prayer is a Chinese transliteration from the Tibetan language, and is provided only as a reference. As the local dialect differs from province to province, correct pronunciation of the prayer may not be achieved. If one aspires to recite it properly, then it is best to seek guidance from a Tibetan lama. However, each lama may pronounce the prayer differently, as the Tibetan language is colored by many different local accents.
2.This phonetic transcription, taught to me by a disciple of the Sixteenth Karmapa, already approximates to the Tibetan sounds.
3.Words such as DANG, PA, SOK, PÉ, LA, ZHIN, DÉ and LOB signify the end of a sentence.
4.ER is an ending sound that can be pronounced half-tone, with the latter pitch dropped.
When one aspires to practice the Mahamudra, one must receive the necessary empowerments and oral teachings from the root guru. The practitioner must first establish yogic union with the living guru, and through him seek union with the lineage holders . Only by achieving union in this lineage sequence can one gain accomplishments. This is because the Mahamudra practitioner needs to rely on the blessings of the guru, and rely on the guru's holy mind to cleanse one's defiled mind. When the practitioner gains a secret union in which one's mind is in tune with the guru's mind, one shall have great accomplishment.
The guru is the embodiment of the Triple Jewels of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. When one takes refuge in the guru, it is tantamount to taking refuge in the Dharmakaya Buddha. Such great accomplishment must begin with taking refuge, where a person cleanses oneself of karma by transforming karma into right wisdom. This constitutes the first step of a mundane being stepping into buddhahood.
The grace of the guru bestowed upon the practitioner will open the spirit and mind, for the guru's spiritual light is omnipresent and resides in space. The guru is one who has realized the nirvana of perfect enlightenment through his practice of the Highest Yoga of Mahamudra. Such is the great spiritual mother light that spans all space. Through empowerment, the human guru and lineage holders are transformed into globes of spiritual light that enter the practitioner through his crown chakra. Only then can one gain Mahamudra fruition.
The guru's blessing in Mahamudra is performed by visualizing one's human guru on one's crown chakra. Above the guru, there are seated the lineage holders in yoga posture in multiple levels, arranged in ascending order, beginning with the human guru at the base and Vajradhara [Dorje Chang in Tibetan at the top]. In this case, the guru is Holy Red Crown Vajra Guru Master Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu. Above him, the Sixteenth Gyalwa Karmapa and so forth are seated. Visualize the lineage holders transforming into light drops that are absorbed into one's body, uniting with the gurus, and emitting the great spiritual light.
Here are the verses of praise for the blessings of Mahamudra:
To all gurus: I pray to you,
Bestow your great spiritual light upon me.
Grant that all is complete and continues without pause
In my practice of Mahamudra.
To all gurus: I pray to you,
Bestow your great spiritual light upon me.
Grant that I shall become the mandala itself
In my practice of Mahamudra.
-To Be Continued-
