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The Aura of Wisdom
- Book 154: The Aura of Wisdom
- Chapter 57: The Body Mandala
- Written by Sheng-yen Lu
- Translated and edited by True Buddha Foundation
- Translation Team (Cheng Yew Chung, Victor Hazen, Dance Smith)
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Once, I went mountain climbing with many of my disciples. Several of them had come from Europe, and their departure flight was that afternoon. Two of the disciples found out that their principal deity was the Medicine Buddha, and immediately knelt down on the spot, gave their offerings and requested for the Principal Deity Empowerment.
At that time, I was dressed only in my lama outfit without the necessary pure vase, the Buddha crown and Dharma throne. Needless to say, there was no mandala available for this purpose. I thought about this and agreed to their request. I said, \`All right. I`ll give both of you the Principal Deity Empowerment. I want you to form the Medicine Buddha Mudra and recite the Medicine Buddha Mantra, and visualize the Medicine Buddha seated on top of your crown.\`
I extended my hand and touched their crowns. In a short moment of time, the empowerment was completed. Later, I explained to my disciples: The Tantric empowerment should ideally take place in the sanctuary of a mandala, because the mandala shrine accumulates the combined merits of all buddhas and deities. When the Vajra Master wears the Buddha crown, and ascends the Dharma throne, he gives one the respective empowerment either with the image of the deity or the pure vase. This symbolizes an empowerment given to the disciple with the power of the principal deity, the power of the Guru, and the power of the Dharma realm. Only then can an empowerment be considered legitimate. Otherwise, it is not permissible and not in accordance with the law to offer the empowerment in the wild mountain areas. Without his Buddha crown, without the Dharma throne to which the Guru ascends, without ritual objects and the mandala, the entire empowerment is considered illegitimate.
Yet I could give the empowerment. Why? I wish to say that I have already achieved spiritual union with the Five Buddhas. In an instant, the Five Buddhas resided on the top of my head and transformed themselves into a precious crown. The ground that I stood on was instantly transformed into the lotus throne. My hands were my ritual objects and, abiding within my five chakras, namely the brow chakra, throat chakra, heart chakra, navel chakra, and root chakra were the Five Buddhas?Five Vajras. Hence, you shall find the assembly of sages residing within my body, where a multitude of meritorious virtues converge. My body itself is the mandala.
Today, I wish the True Buddha practitioner to know that by the cultivation of winds, channels and drops, one can develop the Body Mandala.
Chi - The mover of all accomplishment.
Channels - Transformed into every realm, and the Buddha Pure Land.
Drops - Buddhahood.
Inner fire - Clear light.
If one can cultivate and make attainments in one`s practice of winds, channels and drops, reaching a point in cultivation where a transformation may arise, one will then recognize True Reality. True Reality is without individual nature, and adjusts to changes without holding to a fixed self-nature. Impurity and purity, truth and delusion intertwine with no hindrances in an infinite matrix of interaction.
Tantric Buddhism places the utmost importance in the sadhana ritual. If the ritual is incomplete, then all is considered improper and illegitimate!
Yet, only by cultivating and attaining the Body Mandala can one rise above and beyond all things! Only then can one hold the key to infinite Buddhadharma without fail!
Who can verify this statement?: \`The True Reality is that which I am.\`
My reply: \`One who practices winds, channels and drops.\`
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