White Manjushri daily practice

THE SADHANA AND VISUALIZATION

Anyone can engage in these prayers as a daily practice you do not need permission or
initiation. If you wish to take this as you personal sadhana, it is very important to note the
following:
*The most important aspect of this practice is to set a very strong and determined motivation, as
has been explained below: namely, you understand that all sentient beings, including yourself,
do not have penetrative insight or wisdom, or understand the true reality of life. This is what
causes us to create thoughts, speech and action that ultimately bring us unhappiness, difficulties
and problems. Realising this, you engage in this practice to gain penetrative insight and wisdom,
to help yourself and all beings. You must be consistent in your prayers.
*Do the meditations and prayers daily to be able to gain and experience the results of a clearer
mind. You can do the practice as I have layed out for you below in either Tibetan phonetics or
English. Up to you. Recite as I have layed it out for you below. Good to recite the 11 Reversals
and Atishas advice daily as part of the sadhana which I have included. It is good to take up
Manjushris practice. You can never go wrong with any form of Manjushri. I wish everyone luck
and happiness. Compiled in Kuala Lumpur by myself holding the name Tsem Tulku Rinpoche
October 26, 2012.

TAKING REFUGE
I take refuge in the Guru
I take refuge in the Buddha
I take refuge in the Dharma
I take refuge in the Sangha (3x)
THE FOUR IMMEASURABLES
May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes,
May all sentient beings be free of suffering and its causes,
May all sentient beings never be separated from sorrowless bliss,
May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger.

THE ELEVEN REVERSALS BY LAMA TSONGKHAPA

1. The indication of having trained in the practice of relying upon the Spiritual Guide is the
reversal of our previous lack of faith in our Spiritual Guide such that we have
unchangeable faith.
2. The indication of having trained in the practice of meditation on precious human life is
the reversal of our previous lack of interest in pure Dharma practice.
3. The indication of having trained in the practice of meditation on impermanence is the
reversal of worldly concerns; or a reversal of our attachment to the things of this life.
4. The indication of having trained in the practice of meditation on the sufferings of the
lower realms is the reversal of our previous lack of fear of lower rebirth.
5. The indication of having trained in the practice of refuge and karma is the reversal of our
previous lack of actual protection from lower rebirth.
6. The indication of having trained in the practice of meditation on the disadvantages of
samsara is the reversal of our previous lack of renunciation.
7. The indication of having trained in the practice of the three higher trainings is the
reversal of our previous lack of progress on the path to liberation.
8. The indication of having trained in the practice of bodhichitta is the reversal of our selfcherishing mind.
9. The indication of having trained in the practice of emptiness is the reversal of our selfgrasping.
10. The indication of having trained in the practice of generation stage is the reversal of our
ordinary appearance and ordinary conception.
11. The indication of having trained in the practice of completion stage is the reversal of our
subtle dualistic appearance.

ADVICE FROM ATISHAS HEART

When Venerable Atisha came to Tibet, he first went to Ngari, where he remained for two years
giving many teachings to the disciples of Jang Chub . After two years had passed, he decided to
return to India, and Jang Chub requested him to give one last teaching before he left. Atisha
replied that he had already given them all the advice they needed, but Jang Chub persisted in
his request and so Atisha accepted and gave the following advice.

How wonderful!
Friends, since you already have great knowledge and clear understanding, whereas I am of no
importance and have little wisdom, it is not suitable for you to request advice from me.
However, because you dear friends, whom I cherish from my heart, have requested me, I shall
give you this essential advice from my inferior and childish mind.
Friends, until you attain Enlightenment the Spiritual Teacher is indispensable, therefore rely
upon the holy Spiritual Guide.
Until you realize ultimate truth, listening is indispensable, therefore listen to the instructions of
the Spiritual Guide.
Since you cannot become a Buddha merely by understanding Dharma, practise earnestly with
understanding.
Avoid places that disturb your mind, and always remain where your virtues increase.
Until you attain stable realizations, worldly amusements are harmful, therefore abide in a place
where there are no such distractions.
Avoid friends who cause you to increase delusions, and rely upon those who increase your
virtue. This you should take to heart.
Since there is never a time when worldly activities come to an end, limit your activities.
Dedicate your virtues throughout the day and the night, and always watch your mind.
Because you have received advice, whenever you are not meditating always practise in
accordance with what your Spiritual Guide says.
If you practise with great devotion, results will arise immediately, without your having to wait
for a long time.
If from your heart you practise in accordance with Dharma, both food and resources will come
naturally to hand.
Friends, the things you desire give no more satisfaction than drinking sea water, therefore
practise contentment.
Avoid all haughty, conceited, proud, and arrogant minds, and remain peaceful and subdued.
Avoid activities that are said to be meritorious, but which in fact are obstacles to Dharma.
Profit and respect are nooses of the maras, so brush them aside like stones on the path.
Words of praise and fame serve only to beguile us, therefore blow them away as you would
blow your nose.
Since the happiness, pleasure, and friends you gather in this life last only for a moment, put
them all behind you.
Since future lives last for a very long time, gather up riches to provide for the future.
You will have to depart leaving everything behind, so do not be attached to anything.
Generate compassion for lowly beings, and especially avoid despising or humiliating them.
Have no hatred for enemies, and no attachment for friends.
Do not be jealous of others good qualities, but out of admiration adopt them yourself.
Do not look for faults in others, but look for faults in yourself, and purge them like bad blood.
Do not contemplate your own good qualities, but contemplate the good qualities of others, and
respect everyone as a servant would.
See all living beings as your father or mother, and love them as if you were their child.
Always keep a smiling face and a loving mind, and speak truthfully without malice.

If you talk too much with little meaning you will make mistakes, therefore speak in moderation,
only when necessary.
If you engage in many meaningless activities your virtuous activities will degenerate, therefore
stop activities that are not spiritual.
It is completely meaningless to put effort into activities that have no essence.
If the things you desire do not come it is due to karma created long ago, therefore keep a happy
and relaxed mind.
Beware, offending a holy being is worse than dying, therefore be honest and straightforward.
Since all the happiness and suffering of this life arise from previous actions, do not blame
others.
All happiness comes from the blessings of your Spiritual Guide, therefore always repay his
kindness.
Since you cannot tame the minds of others until you have tamed your own, begin by taming
your own mind.
Since you will definitely have to depart without the wealth you have accumulated, do not
accumulate negativity for the sake of wealth.
Distracting enjoyments have no essence, therefore sincerely practise giving.
Always keep pure moral discipline for it leads to beauty in this life and happiness hereafter.
Since hatred is rife in these impure times, don the armour of patience, free from anger.
You remain in samsara through the power of laziness, therefore ignite the fire of the effort of
application.
Since this human life is wasted by indulging in distractions, now is the time to practise
concentration.
Being under the influence of wrong views you do not realize the ultimate nature of things,
therefore investigate correct meanings.
Friends, there is no happiness in this swamp of samsara, so move to the firm ground of
liberation.
Meditate according to the advice of your Spiritual Guide and dry up the river of samsaric
suffering.
You should consider this well because it is not just words from the mouth, but sincere advice
from the heart.
If you practise like this you will delight me, and you will bring happiness to yourself and others.
I who am ignorant request you to take this advice to heart.
SETTING THE MOTIVATION

Our mother and father are to our left and right, as usual. Our enemies are in the front of us. All
mother sentient beings of the six realms are all around us. We especially stress the point that all
mother sentient beings around us really do not have the in-depth wisdom to be able to
penetrate into the reality of life; to penetrate into the projections that chain us to our actions,
and our actions and result bring us much, much more unwanted, unwarranted problems,
difficulties and neurosis. Contemplate all of this deeply before going further in the practice. Get
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the motivation correct by contemplation this. We are setting the motivation as to why we are
engaging in this holy practice.
So therefore, realise that all sentient beings around us, including ourselves, are really, really in
need of supreme wisdom, supreme insight and supreme intelligence. It is not just intelligence,
but meritorious intelligence where we can penetrate into the reality of our lives, our existence
past, present and future. Simply to have intelligence and understand or grasp things quickly, or
be able to see things quickly doesnt help much because there are many, many intelligent
people out there whose intelligence is geared more towards self-benefit or short-term benefit,
which means that it is just for this life. Very rare is their intelligence penetrative into future
lives.
So realising this, and thinking very strongly that all sentient beings and myself have this type of
unrecognized suffering which is not having true penetrative wisdom then we take refuge in
White Manjushri sitting in front of us, as pictured in the thangka. We shouldnt think of him as
flat. We should think of him as three-dimensional. The special refuge we take in him is with the
motivation explained above.
WHITE MANJUSHRI PRAISE AND VISUALISATION

With as much clarity as possible, we visualise Manjushri on a vast, unending ocean of milk. The
ocean is vast like the Pacific or Atlantic Ocean and the milk is white, auspicious and nurturing.
We are at the shore. At the shore, there are beautiful white elephants, walking all over with
their trunks up, with their tusks facing up, undamaged, peaceful and happy, wandering around.
We can also visualise that White Manjushri is on an island, on this ocean in front of us. On this
island, surrounding White Manjushri, are a lot of white elephants also, and dakas and dakinis
dancing, rejoicing and singing songs of emptiness.
From Manjushris heart, we visualise lights going out, inviting Tsongkhapa, Chenrezig and
Vajrapani, and then to all Buddhas. It goes especially to these three deities, and then we
visualise then coming and dissolving into Manjushri. And then all Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Deities
come and Manjushri is completely empowered. The Manjushri in front of you is really actually
Manjushri, the Wisdom of all Buddhas, past, present and future.
With this clear, concise visualization in mind and we have practice every day to make it clear
we recite White Manjushris holy mantra. As we recite his holy mantra, we visualise white lights
from Manjushri coming, entering our foreheads or crown, washing away our ignorance, disease
and problems. Believe this is happening.
From our bottom anus side, black, horrific lights f that are disgusting, putrid, smelly, diseased,
toxic, with scorpions, snakes and reptiles all go out to 7 levels below the ground. The Lord of
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Death is there. (The Lord of Death is pictured around the wheel of samsara. He is black,
ferocious; he is the one who comes to take our lives away). Visualise the Lord of Death rising,
opening his mouth and accepting all of this putrid, horrible negative karma, ignorance, disease
and doubt. He swallows it completely. We have to visualise that hes very happy to eat and
drink this. Then, he lays down, closes his eyes and goes to sleep; that he will not disturb us
anymore. This part is important, according to Zong Rinpoche that he actually lays down and he
goes to sleep. We have to visualise that. Our life is extended, our merits grow, our
health becomes vibrant and our mind becomes free from disharmony we should think strongly.
Then the ground under us seals up all seven levels. On top of the ground is a double vajra,
sealing the ground so that the Lord of Death cannot come to disturb our mind, our body and our
speech. The Lord of Death represents the potential of our own negative karma also catching up
to us.
Then, we are sitting on top of the ground and our bodies are filled with white light and a great
amount of wisdom, compassion, penetrative insight. An in-depth understanding into the
Buddhas teachings which will be applicable and which we can apply just pours into our bodies
and fills us, as we recite the mantra. This blessed white light comes from Lord Manjushri.

We should do this every single day with a lot of conviction, a lot of trust and a lot of faith in
Manjushri. Then, you will see your mind turn around better and better.

WHITE MANJUSHRIS PRAISE AND MANTRA

(composed by His Holiness the 2nd Dalai Lama)

To be recited with the motivation and visualisation explained above.
I make humble obeisance to you, Manjushri
Great destroyer of mistaken perception,
Wide like the lotus petals are your eyes,
Your mind the pinnacle of expansive bliss.
Your body resplendently white as the effulgent moon,
A sword of Wisdom and Holy Writ in hand,
Your hair coiled in five knots: thus you
Epitomise the splendour and tranquillity of eternal youth.

MANTRA:
OM WAKEY DHA-NE-MA
(At least one rosary per day minimum or more, as time permits. Do as much as you can with the
above visualization or you can contemplate on Lam Rim subjects also.)

DEDICATION

Precious supreme Bodhimind,

May it, where unborn, arise,
And, where born, never decline,
But increase forever more!
Precious view of Shunyata
May it, where unborn, arise,
And, where born, never decline,
But increase forever more!
May whatever virtue that I have gathered here,
Bring benefit to all beings and the Dharma,
And may it make Venerable Losang Drakpas
Essence teachings specially shine forever!
(Prayer by Je Tsongkhapa)
In all lives may I never be parted
From perfect Gurus and may I enjoy the glory of Dharma.
By perfecting the qualities of the paths and stages,
May I quickly attain the state of Vajradhara!
(Dedication of Virtue)
Through this virtue may I swiftly
Attain the Guru Devas state,
And place each and every being,
Without exception, in that state!
May all obstacles be pacified
And all good conditions be complete
For the fully pure Dharma system
Of Dharma King, Tsongkhapa, to flourish!

Because of the combined two accumulations

Of myself and others in the three times,
May the Teachings of the Conqueror Tsongkhapa Losang Drakpa,
brightly blaze forever!
(Auspicious dedication)
May all be auspicious, day and night!
May auspiciousness increase both day and night
Like the sun rising to its highest in the heavens!
Three Jewels of Refuge, please bless us!
Three Jewels of Refuge, please bestow attainments!
May there be auspiciousness of the Three Jewels!
(Dedication for the Gurus long life)
May the Venerable Gurus life be completely stable,
May pure deeds spread to the ten directions,
And may the lamp of Lama Tsongkhapas Teachings,
Always remain, dispelling the darkness of the ignorance of beings!
(Dedication for the long life of H.H. the 14th Dalai Lama)
In this land encircled by snow mountains,
Source of every benefit and joy,
May Lord Tenzin Gyatso, Chenrezig,
Remain in this life until samsaras end!