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Essential Insights into the Avalokiteshvara Sadhana: Prayers and Requests to the Buddha of Compassion

Who is Avalokiteshvara? Avalokiteshvara is an enlightened being who is the manifestation of the compassion of all Buddhas; the compassion of all Buddhas appears as Avalokiteshvara. He is the synthesis of all Buddhas. In this context, sadhana refers to the ritual prayer for the attainment of Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion. The actual sadhana can be found in Appendix III.

The benefits of engaging in the practice of this sadhana are immeasurable. Through sincerely practising the instructions presented in this sadhana we can first solve our own daily problems by controlling our desire, anger and ignorance, and then with this ability we can lead people throughout the world to the correct spiritual path through which they can find the real meaning of human life.

The main practice of this sadhana is training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being, which is a very blessed instruction that comes from the Ganden Emanation Scripture. The six classes of living being are: gods, demi-gods and human beings, the three higher classes of living being; and animals, hungry ghosts and hell beings, the three lower classes of living being. There are seven stages to practising this sadhana.

THE FIRST STAGE: GOING FOR REFUGE AND GENERATING BODHICHITTA

GOING FOR REFUGE

In this context, going for refuge refers to seeking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This means that we apply effort to receiving Buddha’s blessings, to practising Dharma purely and to receiving help from pure spiritual practitioners, known as ‘Sangha’. If we are unable to do this practice we will not enter Buddhism, and if we do not enter Buddhism we will have no opportunity to attain permanent liberation from suffering or the supreme happiness of enlightenment. We will have then lost the real meaning of human life. Understanding this, in front of our Spiritual Guide, or an image of Buddha regarding it as a living Buddha, we make a promise to go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha throughout this life and in life after life. This promise is the refuge vow. We can take this refuge vow through reciting the following refuge prayer three times, while concentrating on its meaning:

I and all sentient beings until we achieve enlightenment

Go for refuge to Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

A detailed explanation of going for refuge can be found in Part Two of this book in the section Meditation on Going for Refuge.

GENERATING BODHICHITTA

‘Bodhi’ means enlightenment and ‘chitta’ means mind. Bodhichitta is a mind that spontaneously wishes to attain enlightenment to benefit each and every living being every day. We can generate this supreme good heart, bodhichitta, through reciting the following prayer three times while concentrating on its meaning:

Through the virtues I collect by giving and other perfections

May I become a Buddha for the benefit of all.

A detailed explanation of bodhichitta can be found in Part Two of this book in the section Meditation on the Supreme Good Heart, Bodhichitta.

THE SECOND STAGE: VISUALIZING AVALOKITESHVARA

On the basis of this visualization we can begin, make progress in and complete our training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being. To make a special connection with the six classes of living being we imagine that we are surrounded by the six classes of living being, all in the aspect of human beings. This will make our actions of benefiting the six classes of living being effective.

How do we visualize Avalokiteshvara? We contemplate again and again the meaning of the words from the sadhana, from ‘I and all living beings as extensive as space’ up to ‘He is the synthesis of all objects of refuge.’ Through this we will perceive a general image of Avalokiteshvara residing on our own crown and on the crowns of all those surrounding us, the six classes of living being. We should be satisfied with this rough general image. Then from our heart we strongly think, ‘How wonderful if I myself were to become the Buddha of Compassion. May I become the Buddha of Compassion so that I can benefit each and every living being every day through my blessings and through my countless emanations.’ With this supreme good heart we engage in the practice of the seven limbs.

THE THIRD STAGE: THE PRACTICE OF THE SEVEN LIMBS

The practice of the seven limbs are: prostration, offering, purification, rejoicing, requesting, making a special request and dedication. As mentioned above, training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being is the main practice, which is like the main body. The seven limbs are like limbs that support the main body. Without its limbs, a body cannot function. Similarly, without sincerely practising the seven limbs, training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being cannot function. Understanding this we should recognize that the practice of the seven limbs is our daily practice.

Every day we should continually practise prostration, offering, purification and so forth, without forgetting them. The objects to whom we prostrate, make offerings, confess, rejoice, request, and make a special request are the enlightened beings, and we dedicate our merit towards our own and others’ enlightenment. Because of this the practice of the seven limbs is a powerful method to continually grow our potential for attaining enlightenment, our Buddha nature; it causes our Buddha nature or seed to ripen very quickly so that we will attain enlightenment very quickly.

When we attain enlightenment through this special training we will have completed our training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being. This is because the moment we attain enlightenment we will be able to purify all the impurities of the six classes of living being and to bestow pure and everlasting happiness on all of them. Detailed explanations about each of the seven limb practices can be found in the book Joyful Path of Good Fortune, and in sadhanas such as Offering to the Spiritual Guide and The Hundreds of Deities of the Joyful Land and their commentaries.

THE FOURTH STAGE: REQUESTING THE FIVE GREAT MEANINGS

First we make a mandala offering and then we engage in the actual request. We imagine that the entire universe transforms into the Pure Land of Buddha, and we offer this mandala to the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara.

We then engage in Requesting the five great meanings, which are:

(1) Attaining permanent liberation from the cycle of impure life

(2) Developing and maintaining conventional bodhichitta and ultimate bodhichitta, the main paths to enlightenment

(3) Purifying non-virtuous actions and delusions completely

(4) Attaining the Pure Land of Buddha

(5) Attaining enlightenment

These are the general great meanings, and completing our training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being is a particular great meaning. From our heart we strongly request Avalokiteshvara who is inseparable from our Spiritual Guide to bless our mental continuum so that we can complete this training. While concentrating on this meaning, we mentally repeat many times the following request prayer:

O Guru Avalokiteshvara, Buddha of Compassion,

Please bless my mental continuum quickly,

So that I will quickly complete

The training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being.

THE FIFTH STAGE: THE ACTUAL TRAINING IN PURIFYING AND TRANSFORMING THE SIX CLASSES OF LIVING BEING

This has two parts:

1. Training in meditation

2. Training in subsequent practice

TRAINING IN MEDITATION

We imagine and think,

Due to my single-pointed request to Guru Avalokiteshvara residing on my crown, five coloured rays of light, the nature of the omniscient wisdom of Avalokiteshvara, radiate from his body and dissolve into the entire world and all living beings, the six classes of living being. All the impurities of the entire world and the living beings who inhabit it are purified. The entire world becomes the Pure Land of Buddha and all living beings, the six classes of living being, become enlightened beings.

We meditate on this belief single-pointedly for as long as possible. This belief is a correct belief because it is non-deceptive and gives us great meaning. In each session we can repeat this meditation many times with the above request prayer.

Through sincerely and continually practising this meditation we will develop and maintain a spontaneous belief that the entire world is purified and has become the Pure Land of Buddha, and that all living beings, the six classes of living being, are purified and have become enlightened beings. Through continually maintaining this belief, our ordinary appearance and conception will continually reduce and finally will cease completely. At that time we will have become an actual enlightened being, and we will be able to benefit each and every living being every day through our blessings and our countless emanations. We will have accomplished the real meaning of our human life. How wonderful!

TRAINING IN SUBSEQUENT PRACTICE, ALSO CALLED ‘THE THREE RECOGNITIONS’

We practise this as follows. Out of meditation we should recognize that whatever we see is not other than its emptiness, we should recognize that whatever we hear is not other than its emptiness, and we should recognize that whatever we remember is not other than its emptiness. These are the three recognitions.

In the Heart Sutra Buddha said that there is no form other than emptiness. The meaning of these words is as follows. Because the real nature of form is the emptiness of form, when we perceive form, in truth we perceive only the emptiness of form, but because of ignorance we cannot understand this. The emptiness of form is the mere absence of form we normally see. The way form really exists is in dependence on its mere name. If we are satisfied with its mere name, form really exists; beyond the mere name it does not exist. We should also apply this to sounds and to all phenomena.

From this explanation we can clearly understand the meaning of the three recognitions. If, with clear understanding, we continually practise the three recognitions day and night without ever forgetting them, this is the quick method for completing our training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being.

THE SIXTH STAGE: MANTRA RECITATION

The mantra we recite in this sadhana is OM MANI PÄME HUM. Externally it is a collection of six syllables, but internally it is the omniscient wisdom of Avalokiteshvara, which protects living beings from ordinary appearance and conception, the root of all suffering. The six syllables of this mantra indicate that if we continually recite this mantra with strong faith throughout our life we will be able to purify and transform the six classes of living being, including ourself. Understanding this we should enjoy reciting this mantra.

The meaning of this mantra is: with OM we are calling Avalokiteshvara, MANI means the precious jewel of enlightenment, PÄME means liberation and HUM means please bestow. Together the meaning is: ‘O Avalokiteshvara, please bestow the precious jewel of enlightenment to liberate all living beings.’ Through the recitation of this mantra we train in the compassionate mind of bodhichitta.

To accomplish a close retreat of Avalokiteshvara we need to recite this mantra one million times in conjunction with the sadhana.

THE SEVENTH STAGE: DEDICATION

We practise this as follows. Understanding that unbearable suffering pervades the entire world, and with deep compassion for all living beings, from our heart we mentally repeat the following dedication prayer continually, again and again, every day. This will cause Avalokiteshvara, who is the synthesis of all Buddhas, to enter and abide at our heart so that we can quickly complete our training in purifying and transforming the six classes of living being.

DEDICATION PRAYER:

Through the virtues I have accumulated

By training in compassion and wisdom,

May all the impurities of the six classes of living being be purified,

And thus may they all transform into enlightened beings.