Wishfulfilling Jewel
The Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa
combined with the sadhana of his Dharma Protector
This sadhana includes two practices
revealed by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri. The first
is a special Guru yoga in which we visualize our
Spiritual Guide as Je Tsongkhapa, who himself is
a manifestation of Manjushri. By relying upon this
practice, we can purify negativity, accumulate
merit, and receive blessings. In this way, we shall
naturally accomplish all the realizations of the
stages of the path of Sutra and Tantra, and in
particular we shall attain a very special Dharma
wisdom.
The second
practice is a method for relying upon the Dharma
Protector Dorje Shugden.
Through this, we can overcome obstacles to our
practice and create favourable conditions so that
we can nurture and increase our Dharma realizations.
If we rely upon the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden
sincerely, our faith in Je Tsongkhapa will naturally
increase and we shall easily gain experience of
the pure Buddhadharma transmitted directly to Je
Tsongkhapa by the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.
These two practices are the very
essence of the New Kadampa Tradition of Mahayana
Buddhism. If we practise them regularly and sincerely,
we shall reap a rich harvest of pure Dharma realizations,
and eventually come to experience the supreme joy
of full enlightenment.
An extensive explanation of this
sadhana can be found in the book Heart Jewel,
by Geshe Kelsang Gyatso available from Tharpa Publications
Offering to the Spiritual Guide
A special Guru yoga practice of
Je Tsongkhapa's tradition
Offering
to the Spiritual Guide is
a special Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa in conjunction
with Highest Yoga Tantra. It was compiled by the
first Panchen Lama, Losang Chökyi Gyaltsän,
as a preliminary practice for Vajrayana Mahamudra.
The main practice is relying upon the Spiritual
Guide, but it also includes all the essential practices
of the stages of the path (Lamrim) and training
the mind (Lojong), as well as both the generation
stage and completion stage of Highest Yoga Tantra.
The essence of Guru yoga is to develop
a strong conviction that our Spiritual Guide is
a Buddha, to make prostrations, offerings, and
sincere requests to him or her, and then to receive
his or her profound blessings. According to the
Guru yoga of Offering to the Spiritual Guide, we
develop conviction that our Spiritual Guide is
the same nature as Je Tsongkhapa, who is an emanation
of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.
By relying upon Je Tsongkhapa, our
compassion, wisdom, and spiritual power naturally
increase. In particular, because Je Tsongkhapa
is an emanation of the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri,
his faithful followers never experience difficulty
in increasing their wisdom. There are many other
benefits from practising Offering to the Spiritual
Guide. These are explained in the book Mahamudra
Tantra, which contains a complete commentary
to the practice.
Melodious Drum Victorious in
all Directions
The extensive fulfilling and
restoring ritual of the Dharma Protector, the
great king Dorje Shugden, in conjunction
with Mahakala, Kalarupa, Kalindewi, and other
Dharma Protectors
This practice consists of five parts:
Praise to Manjushri, the Guru Yoga of Je Tsongkhapa,
Self-generation as Heruka, the Fulfilling and Restoring
Ritual of the General Protectors, and the Fulfilling
and Restoring Ritual of the Great King Dorje Shugden.
Of these, the last is the principal practice.
A Dharma Protector is an emanation
of a Buddha or a Bodhisattva whose main functions
are to avert the inner and outer obstacles that
prevent practitioners from gaining spiritual realizations,
and to arrange all the necessary conditions for
their practice. Beings in this present time have
a strong karmic link with Dorje Shugden, and
so he is the Dharma Protector who is most able
to help them. Therefore it is said that, Now is
the time to rely upon Dorje Shugden. Dorje
Shugden always helps, guides, and protects
pure and faithful practitioners by granting blessings,
increasing their wisdom, fulfilling their wishes,
and bestowing success on all their virtuous activities.
There are many brief and middling-length
sadhanas of Dorje Shugden, such as Heart
Jewel and Wishfulfilling Jewel. This
extensive sadhana is called Kangso in Tibetan,
which means Fulfilling and Restoring Ritual, and
it is usually performed once a month in Dharma
Centres. During this puja we make extensive offerings
and perform other practices:
- To fulfil our heart commitment
to rely upon the Protector sincerely, regarding
him as inseparable from the Guru and Yidam, and
to practise the pure Dharma of Lamrim, Lojong,
and Mahamudra
- To restore any degenerate or broken
commitments we may have incurred
We begin the practice with Praise
to Manjushri to remember that the Guru and
Protector are in reality emanations of the Wisdom
Buddha. We then perform the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa
and, after dissolving the Guru into our heart,
perform self-generation as Heruka. We then invite
the general Dharma Protectors such as Mahakala,
Kalarupa, and Kalindewi, before beginning the
actual sadhana of Dorje Shugden. The fulfilling
and restoring ritual of the general Protectors
is interwoven with the sadhana of Dorje Shugdän.
Further information on the Guru yoga of Je Tsongkhapa and on
the Dharma Protector Dorje Shugden can be found in the book Heart
Jewel, and further information on self-generation as
Heruka can be found in the book Essence
of Vajrayana.
Quick Path to Great Bliss
Vajrayogini self-generation sadhana
The
instructions on the Highest Yoga Tantra practice
of Venerable Vajrayogini were taught by Buddha
Vajradhara in the forty-seventh and forty-eighth
chapters of the Condensed Root Tantra of Heruka.
This particular lineage of instructions, the
Narokhachö lineage, was passed directly
from Vajrayogini to Naropa, and from him through
an unbroken lineage of realized practitioners to
the present-day Teachers.
After Buddha Vajradharma had taught
the practice he left the mandalas of Heruka and
Vajrayogini intact in twenty-four auspicious places
in this world. Thus even to this day there are
countless manifestations of Vajrayogini in this
world who help sincere practitioners to gain realizations
by blessing their mental continuum.
In many respects the practice of
Vajrayogini is ideally suited to the present day.
By relying upon this practice sincerely, with a
good heart and a mind of faith, it is definitely
possible to attain full enlightenment; but to accomplish
such results we must practise the extensive sadhana
regularly.
This particular sadhana, Quick
Path to Great Bliss, was composed by the
great Lama Phabongkha Rinpoche. Compared to other
sadhanas it is not very long, but it contains
all the essential practices of Secret Mantra.
To practise the sadhana successfully we should
first receive the empowerment of Vajrayogini,
and then study authentic instructions on the
practice such as those found in the book Guide
to Dakini Land.
This sadhana
is suitable both for our regular daily practice
and for retreat; and we can practise it alone
or in a group.
Open to those who have received Vajrayogini
Empowerment.
A Pure Life
The practice of taking and keeping
the eight Mahayana precepts
The practice of taking and keeping
the eight Mahayana precepts is a special practice
of moral discipline that is performed with bodhichitta
motivation. The essence of the practice is to take
eight precepts and to keep them purely for a period
of twenty-four hours. By doing this practice again
and again we acquaint ourself with the practice
of moral discipline and thereby make our human
life meaningful.
We receive many great benefits from
practising moral discipline in this way. It helps
us to solve the problems of this life by avoiding
the causes of suffering; and it creates the cause
for us to take fortunate rebirths in future lives
and thereby protects us from the sufferings of
lower rebirth. In particular, because it is performed
with bodhichitta motivation, this practice is very
powerful for purifying negative karma. It accumulates
a vast collection of merit and creates the cause
for us to attain the unsurpassed happiness of enlightenment.
We first need to receive these precepts
from a qualified Preceptor, and then we can take
them on our own as often as we wish. Instructions
on both these methods are included in this sadhana.
If we wish to take the essence of this precious
human life we should strive to engage in this practice
as often as we can.
Liberation from Sorrow
Praises and requests to the Twenty-one
Taras
Tara is a female Buddha, a manifestation
of the ultimate wisdom of all the Buddhas. Each
of the Twenty-one Taras is a manifestation of the
principal Tara, Green Tara. Tara is also known
as the `Mother of the Conquerors'.
Tara is our common mother, our Holy
Mother. When we are young we turn to our worldly
mother for help. She protects us from immediate
dangers, provides us with all our temporal needs,
and guides and encourages us in our learning and
personal development. In the same way, during our
spiritual growth we need to turn to our Holy Mother,
Tara, for refuge. She protects us from all internal
and external dangers, she provides us with all
the necessary conditions for our spiritual training,
and she guides us and inspires us with her blessings
as we progress along the spiritual path.
Tara means ‘Rescuer’.
She is so called because she rescues us from the
eight outer fears (the fears of lions, elephants,
fire, snakes, thieves, water, bondage, and evil
spirits), and from the eight inner fears (the fears
of pride, ignorance, anger, jealousy, wrong views,
attachment, miserliness, and deluded doubts). Temporarily
Tara saves us from the dangers of rebirth in the
three lower realms, and ultimately she saves us
from the dangers of samsara and solitary peace.
If we rely upon Mother Tara sincerely
and with strong faith she will protect us from
all obstacles and fulfil all our wishes. Since
she is a wisdom Buddha, and since she is a manifestation
of the completely purified wind element, Tara is
able to help us very quickly. If we recite the
twenty-one verses of praise we shall receive inconceivable
benefits. These praises are very powerful because
they are Sutra, the actual words of Buddha. It
is good to recite them as often as we can.
Avalokiteshvara Sadhana
Prayers and requests to the Buddha
of Compassion
Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened
being who is a manifestation of all Buddhas' compassion.
He is known as the Buddha of Compassion.
He usually
appears as white in colour with four arms. His
first two hands are pressed together at his heart,
symbolizing his respect for his Spiritual Guide,
Buddha Amitabha, who is on his crown. Even though
Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened being, he still
shows respect to his Spiritual Guide. His first
two hands hold a jewel, which symbolizes his
own enlightenment. This mudra is indicating, "I attained jewel-like great enlightenment
through receiving blessings from my Spiritual Guide
Amitabha".
His second left hand holds a white
lotus flower. A lotus grows in the mud at the bottom
of a lake, but its flowers bloom on the surface
of the water, completely free from the stains of
mud. By holding a lotus flower Avalokiteshvara
is showing that, because he attained enlightenment,
he is free from all obstacles and has a completely
pure body, speech, and mind. His second right hand
holds a crystal mala, symbolizing that he can free
all living beings from samsara and lead them to
liberation.
If we rely sincerely upon Avalokiteshvara
and recite his mantra with strong faith, temporarily
we will improve our realizations of the stages
of the path, especially our realization of great
compassion, and ultimately we will attain supreme
Buddhahood in Avalokiteshvara's Pure Land, the
Pure Land of Bliss.
This sadhana is very blessed. The
main body of the sadhana was composed by a great
Tibetan Yogi called Drubchen Tangtong Gyalpo, who
came from Ngam Ring Monastery in eastern Tibet.
The prayer of seven limbs, offering
the mandala, requesting the five great meanings,
and the final dedication verse were later added
by Venerable Geshe Kelsang Gyatso.
Treasury of Wisdom
The sadhana of Venerable Manjushri
Manjushri is the Wisdom Buddha, the
embodiment of the wisdom of all the Buddhas. By
relying upon Manjushri, we will naturally increase
our wisdom. Wisdom is a virtuous, intelligent mind
that understands its object unmistakenly and functions
to dispel deluded doubt. Since it is a virtuous
mind, wisdom always causes happiness; it never
causes suffering or problems. Moreover, because
it understands its object unmistakenly, wisdom
always leads to correct paths and correct actions;
it never deceives living beings. Wisdom is like
an inner Teacher that we carry in our hearts, and
like a Protector that protects us from engaging
in wrong actions and having to experience their
unpleasant results. With wisdom, our mind is always
balanced and comfortable.
In this sadhana, we first practise
self-generation as Manjushri according to the instructions
of Action Tantra, a commentary to which can be
found in the book Tantric Grounds and Paths.
After meditating on divine pride and clear appearance,
we then engage in the practice of receiving the
attainments of the seven types of wisdom in conjunction
with the recitation of Manjushri's mantra. An explanation
of the seven types of wisdom is given in the book
Heart Jewel. Finally, we offer tormas and praises
to the in-front-generation.
If we practise this sadhana regularly
and sincerely, we will definitely improve our Dharma
wisdom, and eventually we will attain the ultimate
peace of full enlightenment.
This booklet also contains a special
prayer entitled Praise to Manjushri, which
we can recite at any time.
The Yoga of Buddha Amitayus
A special method for increasing
lifespan, wisdom, and merit
There is nothing more precious to
us than our life. Because we have a precious human
life, we have the opportunity to experience both
temporary and ultimate happiness. We usually regard
material possessions as very important and put
much effort into acquiring them, but in reality
our human life is our most important possession.
We all need a long life. If we lose
this life, we shall lose our opportunity to enjoy
a human life, to practise Dharma, and to attain
liberation and enlightenment. This is why Je Tsongkhapa
said that for those who wish to experience pure
happiness, the greatest obstacles to the fulfilment
of their wishes are death and ignorance. Death
destroys our opportunity to take the essence of
our precious human life, and ignorance destroys
our opportunity to develop a pure experience of
Dharma.
To overcome these obstacles, we need
to increase our lifespan and our wisdom, and the
principal method for doing this is the yoga of
Buddha Amitayus. This yoga is also a special method
for increasing our merit.
The Mahayana Sutra of
the Three Superior Heaps
- 35 Confession Buddhas
The purification practice of the
Mahayana Sutra of the Three Superior Heaps
In our previous lives, while under
the influence of deluded minds, we created a great
deal of negative karma, and we also transgressed
our commitments and incurred root and secondary
downfalls. As a result we now experience difficulties
in developing faith and conviction in Dharma, and
in making progress on the stages of the path to
enlightenment. Moreover, if we do not purify all
this negativity while we have the chance we shall
have to experience great suffering in the future.
Any living being, even a worm or
an insect, can commit negative actions, but only
humans have the fortune to be able to purify them.
We have been accumulating non-virtuous actions
and experiencing their suffering results since
beginningless time, but we now have the opportunity
to purify them completely. We should make use of
this precious opportunity to purify our negative
karma, not to create more! Since purification is
the root of future happiness and spiritual realizations
we should strive to cleanse our mind of delusions
and negative karma.
One of the best methods for purifying
negativities and downfalls is the Mahayana Sutra
of the Three Superior Heaps, otherwise known as
The Bodhisattva's Confession of Moral Downfalls,
or the Bodhisattva Mahayana Confession Sutra.
This sadhana contains the root text
of the Sutra and a short explanation of the practice.
A more detailed explanation of this
practice can be found in the book, The Bodhisattva
Vow.
Avalokiteshvara Sadhana
Bodhisattva’s Confession of Moral Downfalls
Condensed Essence of Vajrayana
Dakini Yoga
Drop of Essential Nectar
Essence of Good Fortune
Essence of Vajrayana
Feast of Great Bliss
Great Compassionate Mother
The Great Mother
Great Liberation of the Father
Great Liberation of the Mother
Heart Jewel
Heartfelt Prayers
The Kadampa Way of Life
Liberating Prayer
Liberation from Sorrow
Mahayana Refuge and Bodhisattva Vow Ceremony
A Meaningful Life
Medicine Buddha
Meditation and Recitation of Solitary Vajrasattva
Melodious Drum
Modern Day Kadampas
Offering to the Spiritual Guide
Path of Compassion for the Deceased
Pathway to the Pure Land
Prayers for Long Life
Prayers for Meditation
A Pure Life
Quick Path to Great Bliss
Treasury of Wisdom
Vajra Hero Yoga
The Vows and Commitments
Wishfulfilling Jewel
Yoga of Buddha Amitayus
Yoga of White Tara
