r/vajrayana
Image: Avalokiteśvara
Guru Rinpoche told King Mutig of Tibet and the close disciples, “Listen, king of Tibet, nobility and subjects! OM MANI PADME HUM is the quintessence of the Great Compassionate One, so the merit of uttering it just once is incalculable. The possible multiplication resulting from a single seed of the lotus flower lies beyond the reach of thought. But compared to that, the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once is even greater. A single sesame seed can multiply into many, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once is even greater. The four great rivers and countless other minor rivers flow into the salty ocean, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once is even greater.
All needs and wishes are granted when you supplicate the precious wish-fulfilling jewel, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once is even greater. 0M MANI PADME HUNG. It is possible to count the number of raindrops falling during twelve years of monsoon, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be counted. It is possible to count all the grains sown on the four continents, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be counted. It is possible to count the drops of water in the great ocean, one by one, but the merit Of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be counted. It is possible to count each hair on the bodies of all animals in existence, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be counted.
OM MANI PADME HUNG. The Six Syllables are the quintessence of the Great Compassionate One. It is possible to wear down a mountain of meteoric iron that is eighty thousand miles high by rubbing it Once every aeon with the softest cotton from Kashika, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be exhausted. It is possible for the merutsey insect to finish eating Mount Sumeru to the core, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be exhausted. It is possible for the tito bird to remove the sand of River Ganges with its beak, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be exhausted. It is posstble for a small breeze to scatter the earth of the four continents and Mount Sumeru, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be exhausted.
OM MANI PADME HUNG. It is possible to calculate the merit of creating a Stupa made of the seven precious substances filled with relics of the buddhas of all the world-systems and making constant offerings to it, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be calculated. It is possible to calculate the amount of merit from Offering incense, lamps, perfumes, bathing water, music, and so forth to buddhas and buddha realms in a number that equals the grains of sand found in the entire world-system, but the merit of uttering the Six Syllables just once cannot be calculated.
OM MANI PADME HUNG. These six syllables are the quintessence of the mind of noble Avalokiteshvara. If you recite this mantra 108 times a day, you will not take rebirth in the three lower realms. In the following life you will attain a human body and in actuality you will have a vision of noble Avalokiteshvara. If you recite daily the mantra correctly twenty-one times, you will be intelligent and able to retain whatever you learn. You will have a melodious voice and become adept in the meaning of all the Buddhadharma. If you recite this mantra seven times daily, all your misdeeds will be purified and all your obscurations will be Cleared away. In following lives, no matter where you take birth, you will never be separated from noble Avalokiteshvara.
When someone is afflicted by disease or an evil influence, compared to any mundane ritual of healing or of repelling obstacles, the merit Of the Six Syllables is much more effective for warding off obstacles or disease. Compared to any medical treatment or cure, the Six Syllables are the strongest remedy against sickness and evil. The virtues Of the Six Syllables are immeasurable and cannot be fully described even by the buddhas of the three times. Why is that?
It is because this mantra is the quintessence of the mind of the noble bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, who continuously looks upon the six classes of sentient beings with compassion. Thus, recitation of this mantra liberates all beings from samsara.
Kings and disciples of future generations,
Take the Great Compassionate One as your yidam.
Recite the Six Syllables as the essence mantra.
Be free from the fear of going to the lower realrns.
Avalokiteshvara is the destined deity of Tibet,
so supplicate him with faith and devotion.
You will receive blessings and attainments
And be free from doubt and hesitation.
To the knowledge Of me, Padmakara,
A teaching more profound and more swift
Has never been taught by the buddhas of the three times
I, Padmasambhava, am now taking leave.
Keep this in your hearts,
Tibetan followers, kings, and disciples,
Who are present now or will appear in the future.
Requesting info about this thangka
I received this piece from a family member recently. My background is mostly in Hindu practice and I'm pretty much clueless about what is pictured here. Any info is appreciated.
One probably wouldn't want to hang a painting of Smashan Kali in their bedroom unless they were a legit bhakta...so if the Being(s) pictured here are considered quite fierce or more ascetic in nature then I'd probably remove it from the wall...this is just an example of the questions raised around keeping the piece in the room/house.
Thanks folks.
Philosophical question and existential questions about living and enlightening
Hi, I shared this while commenting on another post prior but I 'd like to also invite u/everyone u/members here:
'Rather than a formal lecture, this will be an open conversation. We can explore questions around Buddhist philosophy, compassion, meditation practice, our rapidly changing world, the teachings of the Buddha, the Dalai Lama’s vision, and whatever else naturally emerges through our shared curiosity.
One of the beautiful things about Substack is the possibility of direct connection. In a time when so much communication feels fragmented and hurried, I hope these gatherings can become a space for deeper reflection, humor, humanity, and meaningful exchange.... (Bob)'
Please throw all your questions to Bob Thurman this Wednesday, May 13 (Wednesday tomorrow) to his LIVE Q & A, NY (ET) 12 noon. Bob lives in update NY.
https://bobthurman.substack.com/p/live-q-and-a-this-wednesday
Bob is a 84-years old prof. emeritus and I'm sure have lived life and compounded knowledge to give some great insights into any questions. Please come.
Can I get initiated into this path being and stayng Hindu
As someone who wants to go intro Tantra and being Hindu I have a keen interest into this path tho different from Hindu Path I want to go into Bodhisattva path of Tantra but keeping my Hindu identity and basic rituals alive is it possible let me know
Thank you
Feeling lost and confused
A few years ago I (a primarily Shakta Hindu) joined this little online space of Buddhist practitioners who helped me sort some stuff out in my own spiritual life. I’m a Kālī devotee, but I had been interested in Buddhism for basically as long as I’d been interested in Hinduism and this little space was helping me learn more and get closer to the Buddhadharma. They encouraged me to attend a live-streamed empowerment held by the Vajrayana Foundation since they felt it would help me in my practice to have something formulated and strict, and told me the days I would need to attend in order to practice. I attended the empowerment on the days I was supposed to and after that took up the concise sadhana for a time and felt pretty good about what I was doing and the progress I felt I was making.
Eventually though this space started to feel less and less safe for myself as arguments broke out, egos ran high, and I started feeling like parts of my practice (namely my views on Kālī) were being belittled semi-often. I tried to practice on my own without being involved in that space but at the time they were the only community I had so I ended up going back and leaving a few times before ultimately giving up on it last year. The final straw was learning that there were parts of taking an empowerment that the community I was in had never told me, and in my ignorance I wasn’t aware to ask about. I was a baby Buddhist and was unknowingly learning and being encouraged to practice things far beyond what I felt I was capable of really understanding, so I left. Ever since then I’ve felt a kind of listlessness and dispassion in both my life and my practice that have been (for lack of a better term) soul-crushing. I feel torn between wanting to practice, feeling like I’m not ready for it, and even wondering if the empowerment I performed was even valid considering how little I understood at the time.
What I want to ask is if anybody has been in this position before, and have any advice or words of wisdom to share? I feel almost at the end of my rope because I keep running in circles in my own head and feeling like a failure, but being unsure of what to even do.
People who study and practice from a traditional temple, do u socialize with the Tibetan/ Cutural Buddhist community there? Why or why not?
People who study and practice from a traditional temple, do u socialize with the Tibetan/ Cultural Buddhist community there? Why or why not?
I have had partners in the past whose core values did not really match mine and now I have a wish to practise with a partner who studies the dharma or is practising. I looked up dharma dating sites, but none of them really worked. I am part of a really small sangha and every one is much older. I don’t have any dharma centres to visit close by.
I’m not sure how it helps posting this here but I thought I’d try to get any insights on this.
Prayer to the Guru
I wrote this to my guru some years ago, in the middle of my first attempt at ngöndro. I’m having difficulty returning from retreat, and revisiting it brought back some tender feelings, so I thought it might be nice to share….
Omniscient Lord Vajrabhairava,
Quintessence of the perfect Guru’s thoughts and activities,
Look upon this reckless one,
Sickened through dining heedlessly on the three poisons,
And fill him with the manna of your boundless wisdom.
This animal,
Caught completely in the snare of his own beliefs and emotions,
Pretending to hold your instructions dear
Without knowing their actual meaning,
Only seeks refuge with you, his kindest friend.
When, as now, your glorious face is turned away,
And no empty words will bring you close,
May this serve as a heartfelt expression of truth
Continually blessing the mind of the faithless
To make unavoidable the fulfillment of your wishes.