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The Aura of Wisdom
- Book 154: The Aura of Wisdom
- Chapter 70: Essentials of Tantric Cultivation
- 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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Tantric practice involves the preparation stage, the main stage, and the conclusion stage. Here are the essentials of the main stage of practice.
The practitioner sits before the principal deity at the mandala shrine, forms the deity`s mudra and visualizes the deity appearing clearly in the upper space in front of the practitioner. The principal deity radiates a brilliance of light and illuminates all sentient beings of the ten dharma realms. Once illuminated by this light of the deity`s bodhicitta, aeons of transgressions, karma, mara hindrances, illnesses and calamities weighing on these sentient beings are being removed and eliminated. All sentient beings of the ten dharma realms arouse their bodhicitta and practice the path of the bodhisattva and Buddha.
Next, visualize all sentient beings of the ten Dharma realms transformed into the bodies of the principal deity, radiating lights, then combined as a single principal deity and appearing before the practitioner. The principal deity radiates light towards the practitioner, empowering him so that all his past aeons of transgressions, karma, and mara hindrances, illnesses and calamities are transformed into dark energy which are released through the pores. The practitoner should arouse bodhicitta, and practice the path of the Bodhisattva and Buddha.
Next, visualize the principal deity entering into the central channel through the top of the crown of the practitioner, and sitting on the lotus at the heart chakra of the practitioner. The deity radiates light, and enlarges to the exact size of the practitioner. And in an instant, the practitioner is the deity, and the deity becomes the practitioner, both indivisible and indistinguishable from each other.
Release the mudra by touching the head. Recite the deity`s mantra 108 times or more, or one thousand and eighty times. The more recitations the better.
When you complete your recitation, form the Samaya Stability Mudra, and imagine yourself entering into the seed syllable OM. The syllable OM then enters into the moon disc. The moon disc shrinks into a drop of light which shoots straight into the space and merges with it. Beyond space there is no existence of body and mind.
I am space, and space is me. Tathagata, the Thus Come One, remains in constant stillness and non-abiding.
I teach my True Buddha disciples how to visualize and cultivate in this way, practicing once a day or three times a day. These essentials of main practice constitute the most supreme form of the Tantric practices.
The main practice includes visualization, mantra recitation, and entering into Samadhi.
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