Ocean Of Amrita: A Vajrayana Mending and Purification Practice

PART ONE

Homage to Guru Tötreng Tsal inseparable from Shri Vajrasattva.

The one who clears away all the anguish of existence,

By merely bringing to mind his supreme name,

Is the lord guru, the bestower of the amrita of siddhis.

Having bowed to Padma Tötreng Tsal,

I will now write down the profound instructions of Padma,

The method for catching with the hand of compassion

All beings who, completely shrouded in the darkness of the two veils,

Are falling into the abyss of Narak due to their violations.

Although you have entered the gate of Secret Mantra Vajrayana, if you violate the samayas there will be no fruition and instead you will have misfortune. Therefore, when samayas have been violated a method for mending and purification is extremely important for all practitioners.

Condensing the meaning of the teachings on this method found in various tantras, I will explain it by combining the treasure root-text taught by Guru Padma in the Tukdrub Barchey Künsel with the guru’s oral instructions.

To mend violated samayas is ‘mending,’ and to apologize and perform the cleansing is ‘purification.’ There are, indeed, the general ways of mending and apology, but they should be embraced by oral instructions. So, if you simply put this profound oral instruction into practice, uniting the meaning of the tantras and statements [lung], it will become a special mantric-mending purification.

There are three main themes in this practice:

I. The Preliminaries and Following the Mandala Text

II. Performing the Actual Mending and Purification (page 103)

III. The Concluding Activities (page 239)

I. Preliminaries & Following the Mandala Text

This has two parts:

Arranging the Shrine Offerings and The Actual Text

ARRANGING THE SHRINE OFFERINGS

It is said:

Time and time again, exert yourself

In the ritual of mending violations.

When one of the fourteen root downfalls has occurred, if one-sixth part of the day has passed, it is called a transgression of period and thus is an actual root downfall. If up to one day has passed, it is called a ‘breach’ and thus the person who has transgressed should offer a ganachakra of mending breaches to the guru personally or to his chief disciples. If up to one month has passed, it is a ‘violation’ and thus one should offer one’s body, wealth, and all one’s possessions. If up to one year has passed, it is a ‘severe transgression’ and thus one should offer one’s children, spouse, cattle, and so forth. After that, if up to three years have passed, it is a ‘complete break’ and thus one should accomplish whatever pleases the guru without concern for one’s own life.

Mending the fourteen root violations through performance of the above-mentioned ritual is called definite timing. Daily mending and purifying all breaches of branch samayas is called indefinite timing. Whichever is the case, it is said:

In a blessed and auspicious hermitage,

Arrange beautiful objects of Body, Speech, and Mind.

Place your congenial Dharma brothers and sisters in a line,

And open up the great mandala

Of the profound Heart Practice.

Gather whatever you have on the new moon, full moon, the eighth or the tenth day of the waxing and waning moon. In an auspicious place full of blessings, clean the site and arrange the shrine objects of Body, Speech, and Mind and whatever you have of pleasing feast articles. If it is a site that hasn’t been tamed, perform the land-ritual.

If you have a [mandala] of colored sand or a painting, perform the root and branch consecrations. If not, arrange the root mandala in three tiers, as in the meditation liturgy, upon a covered platform. Over that, arrange the respective mandalas of the peaceful and wrathful ones in accordance with the Gyutrül. Outside the lotus fence, it is surrounded by [rings of] five-colored lights.

In front of the mandala of the wrathful ones, place the vase with the 35 substances, neck-band, lid-ornament, and the attached dharani-cord; the secret vase of the wrathful ones; the skull filled with nectar; and a mirror smeared with sindhura upon which is drawn a source-of-dharmas marked with MUM. On top of this place a crystal as well.

Behind the mandala, place the great guru torma [lamey torchen], which has four levels, and the jewel octagon upon which is a blazing jewel surrounded by four petals.

To the right of the mandala, place the peaceful torma which is round, has four levels, lattice-work and petals. Upon this, place the round torma [dumtor] which has four lotus petals and is marked with 42 pellets on its levels.

To the left of the mandala, place the wrathful torma which is square, has four levels, lattice-work and petals. Upon this, place the glorious torma [paltor] which has four lotus petals and (is marked with) 58 triangular pellets on its levels.

All three tormas possess the five-fold ornament marked with sun, moon, and flame designs. Also, place the red round-torma of the guru, the white and round peaceful torma, and the glorious torma for the wrathful ones. As a very condensed method, if you only make the round-torma of the guru, no fault of omission is incurred.

Erect a silken parasol over the tormas, and encircle them with whatever you have of various kinds of food and incense.

On the right and left, arrange: skull vessels containing the amrita mixed with wine, the thirty-two substances mixed with rakta, the images of the peaceful and wrathful ones, the mudras, the mantra-inscriptions, and a mirror.

Place the action-vase (leybum) in the northeast. At the edge of the mandala, arrange 42 peaceful tormas and 58 glory-tormas [paltor] with pellets; also amrita, rakta, and 108 butterlamps. Everything is placed in successive circles.

In front of this or behind, whichever is convenient, place the general ‘shouldered’ torma of the Dharma protectors and fifteen similar tormas as a retinue. Fill the spaces in-between with pellets. The general torma of the dakinis has two corners above and pellets and is sprinkled with samaya substance. The general torma of the wealth gods has a bulging mid-section, the shape of a jewel. It is arranged on a square base and surrounded by pills and different foods.

The guardian of the teachings, Gönkar with consort, has a ‘shouldered’ torma with two points. Action Yama, Leyshin, has a triangular torma, black and pointed, with eight pressed pellets for the retinue resembling itself. Mahakala’s torma is triangular and black and has a shirt of changbu with flame designs. The torma for Depön Sumchu is a red ‘shouldered’ torma with thirty pellets. All these are adorned with shatrak.

The Lord of Prosperity, Künkhyil Chesum, has a torma with three upright changbu, the top of which is ornamented with three jewel eyes and surrounded by a variety of choicest edibles. The terma guardian Tseringma’s torma is circular and white and encircled by five like itself with eleven pellets and filled with the choicest of edibles headed by the three whites. In front of it, or at its side, is the torma for Khyung Tsünma which is crescent shaped.

If you are unable to arrange all these, then condense both the torma ritual and the arrangement for the Three Roots, wealth gods, and Dharma guardians.

At the borders place drinking water, rinsing water, flowers, incense, lamps, perfume, and foods, either encircling or in rows. In addition, array, as convenient, cleansing water, the feast torma, Blazing Jewel, upon a zhing-skin, mamsa, madana, khurwa, ladu, dagye, datrom, fruits, and so forth, as is available.

For the Covenant use a red ‘shouldered’ torma with eight pellets. For the Tenmas, the central is triangular and black while the right is square and yellow and the left is circular and white, each with three pellets.

The Chigyü torma is circular and white with a pellet. The Gektor is circular and red with a skirt of changbu and a pellet with a lamp.

Having arranged the appropriate seats for the chief and retinue facing the mandala, place in front of the master the inner offerings, damaru, vajra, and bell, yabdar, stabbing dagger, mustard seeds, and strewing grains. In front of the vajra server, leydor, place incense, censer, and frankincense. In front of the vajra siblings place the available musical instruments and other necessary articles. All these materials should be neat, clean, and complete, in a beautiful and dignified way, as to be delightful and inspiring. Rather than that, don’t make anything messy, sloppy, and trivial, which is the cause for displeasure and upset attitude. This is the vital point of auspicious coincidence.

THE ACTUAL TEXT

This has three sections:

Section One: Following the Text for the General Root Mandala

Section Two: Following the Root Text for the Special Mandalas of the Peaceful and Wrathful Ones

Section Three: Performing the Vase Recitation and the Torma Ritual

SECTION ONE: THE GENERAL ROOT MANDALA

This has two parts:

A) The Preliminaries and B) The Main Part

A. THE PRELIMINARIES

This has seven points:

For this, first, gather the accumulations.

Second, draw the boundary for the hordes of obstructers.

Third, apologize for the adversity of misdeeds and failings.

Fourth, take the vajra pledge.

Fifth, shower down the great resplendence of wisdom.

Sixth, consecrate the offering articles.

Seventh, confirm natural awareness.

I. Gathering the Accumulations

This has three parts: a) Paying Homage, b) Giving the Torma, and c) Taking Refuge and Arousing Bodhichitta.

A.PAYING HOMAGE

This has three parts: 1) The Homage of the Line and Position, 2) The Lineage Supplication, and 3) Consecration of Musical Instruments, etc.

1. THE HOMAGE OF THE LINE AND POSITION

The master and the male and female disciples should first bathe themselves and don their respective pleasing markings, dresses, clothing, and ornaments. They should then recite the Hundred-Syllable [mantra] and pay homage to the deities.

The monk vajra-holders should sit in the right-hand row and the lay vajra-holders in the left-hand row. [Seating arrangements are made consecutively beginning with] those who are elders in their precept-holding while deference is paid to those of superior wisdom. However, there is no conflict if persons of special realization or [with special] functions sit at the head of the row or in the front row. Otherwise, female novices and lay vajra-holders should sit in the second left-hand row.

Everyone should be seated comfortably, generate strong faith, exertion, and intelligence, and control their body, speech, and mind.

2. THE LINEAGE SUPPLICATION

With intense devotion and longing towards all the lineage gurus: chant the Seven-Line Supplication, and whatever chapter is suitable from the Seven Chapters, Leu Dünma. At the end say:

Protector of the Blissful Realm, all-pervasive lord dharmakaya,

Glowing with thousands of effulgent marks, deathless god of gods,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Lord of the vessel, Vairochana sambhogakaya,

Sovereign of Compassion, lord of beings, White Lotus Holder,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Glorious nirmanakaya born from a lotus,

Splendorous subjugator of the phenomenal world, Tötreng Tsal, king of victorious ones,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Chief of the gatherings of wisdom dakinis,

Mistress of secrets, Dhatvishvari Tsogyalma,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Regent Vairochana, single eye of the world,

Manjushrivajra Trisong, father and sons,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Incarnation of Damdzin, lord of one hundred places and treasures,

Tamer of the beings of the dark age, Chokgyur Dechen Lingpa,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

All-pervasive lord, Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo,

And sovereign of the mandala, Lodrö Thaye,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Upholders of the profound and secret teachings, possessing the fortune of karmic aspirations,

Predicted holders of the teachings and lineage masters,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Yidams, dakinis, vow-holders, and protectors of the places and treasures,

Circle of you who revel in the wisdom union,

I supplicate you, dispel the outer and inner obstacles!

Please bless me, bestow the supreme and common siddhis!

Supreme divinities of the Three Roots, until enlightenment,

Accept me and pacify the eight fears, four Maras, and five poisons,

As well as the outer, inner, and secret obstacles,

And let me swiftly attain the state of the Trikaya Guru.