Lions Among Men - the Manifestations of Mañjushrī

Namo!  I bow before the Victor’s Son,
Mighty and melodious Mañjughoṣha!
In Mañjushrī, the Wisdom Being—
Consummate embodiment of the Three Jewels—
I constantly take refuge.
Until I reach enlightenment’s essence,

I go for refuge in the Buddhas.

In the Dharma and the assembly

Of Bodhisāttvas, too, I go for refuge.

Just as the Sugātas,
The Bliss-Gone Buddhas of the past

Aroused the mind of bodhicitta;

Just as they followed step-by-step

The training of the Bodhisāttvas,

So, too, shall I, arouse the mind of bodhicitta
To benefit all those who wander.

So, too, shall I, follow step-by-step,
The Bodhisāttvas’ training.

Recite this three times.

Perfection of Wisdom,
Your magnificent and melodious speech
Soothes and refreshes all who hear it,
Streaming like a cascading nectar
Down into the mind-streams of beings.

Despite being beyond arising, abiding and ceasing,
And transcending Samsaric rebirth, aging, and death,
You have manifested myriad Nirmānakāya,
Emanating amongst us in forms which tame and teach
Due to your unceasing loving-kindness and compassion.

Shantideva, most learnéd of panditas,
Met you face-to-face.
You both recited the Bodhicāryavatāra
And levitated into space.
May I and all beings,
Whenever we wish to see your smiling face
And call upon your omniscient wisdom,
Likewise be able to view you
With clear seeing and pure vision.
May we proclaim the Lion’s Roar,
The Buddha’s excellent doctrine!

As King Trisong Detsen,
Patron of Secret Mantra,
You invited the Dharma
Into the Land of Snows.
Thus you tamed the Tibetans
And sowed the seeds of salvation
In an entire people,
Ensuring the victory banner would
Fly high on the Roof of the World.
May we join your retinue,
Raising the victory banner
Of practice and instruction.
May all beings live up to your standard
And be transported via the Vajrayana,
Most excellent of chariots.

Sakya Pandita,
Lion of Debate,
Made clear the interrelation
Of patronage and politics.
Refuting wrong views,
Your scholarship was famed far and wide.

Supreme scribe, drinker of ink,

You invented the Pakpa script.
It was you who caused the Khans
To enter the path of Dharma,
Establishing the Vajrayana in Mongolia.
May the Dharma flourish in the ten directions.

Jé Tsongkhapa, Mañjushrī in person,
Most skilled scholar and reformer
Founded the Ganden school.
Thus you ensured the propagation
Of wrathful compassion
In the form of Vajrabhairava,
The Adamantine Terror.
As Yamantaka, Death’s Conqueror,
You subdue the demons of anger,
Terrifying even the most cunning,
Treacherous creatures into practicing.
May I and others subdue all hatred.
And attain the state of deathlessness.
Striking with tough love where necessary,
Yet always with a tender heart,
May we serve sentient beings.

As Jamgön Mipham,
Lama & Protector,
You made your presence known
Through an emanation
Who upheld the unbiased teachings.
May I and all beings be
Unbiased in our sight,
Recognizing all dharmas
As manifestations of emptiness.
All beings and phenomena,

The entire ocean of Samsāra
Is illusion, the wisdom display;
Rainbows and holograms
That dance for our erudition.

Longchenpa, too, was you.
Manifesting as the Infinite,
Vast Expanse of Space,
The treasures of the Profound Secret
Were revealed and clarified,
The Great Perfection expounded.
Brilliant author and tertön,
To you we owe great gratitude.
Your legacy—the Seven Treasuries,
Three Trilogies and Three Essences,
Profoundest of the profound—
Continue to guide and tame.
May we all be guides to those who wander.

Sakya Trizin, Sage of yore,
Wish-granting king of power,

Member of the Family of Conquerors,

You descended from the Celestial Race.

The syllable DHĪH was written
Upon your vajra tongue.
Thus you speak softly,
Teaching the truth,
Imparting skill and knowledge.
May all beings become students
Tamed through enlightened speech.

Drikung Chungtsang,

Holder of the Lion Throne,
Supreme refuge and protector,

You are the transcendent moon,
Reflection of pristine perception.
Lamp of Wisdom & Lord of Speech,
You illuminate the path to liberation,
Shining forth from the Realm of Peace.
May I and all beings be blazing lamps,
Beacons that beckon beings
Out of the darkness of delusion
And into the clear light,
Dispelling all confusion.

Lord Mañjushrī-ghoṣha,
I carry worldly weapons,
Blades of little mettle.
You hold the Sword of Wisdom
In your heart and in your mind.

Thus you are twice-armed;
None can withstand your onslaught.
In your fearless courage,
You charge headlong into the fray,
Words roaring above the din.
Your keen blade is vajra-sharp,
Able to cut through diamonds,

And blazing with wisdom fire.
Dispel the darkness surrounding my heart!
Slice through the gloomy shadows of my afflictions!
Hack even the slightest obscurations to tiny bits!
Slash all suffering to shreds!
Cleave samsāra into non-duality!

By virtue as pure as the white snow of the mountains,
May the Buddha’s blessings fall upon one and all.

Recite dedication prayers before engaging in the four actions.

Thus Jamyang Sengé earnestly prayed, supplicating and paying homage to all Mañjushrī’s manifestations.  This was composed on the 30^th day of the 1^st month of the Water Dragon year (i.e. March 23, 2012).  It was translated into the language of the Land of Snows by lotsawa Sherab Zangpo.

This ranting of a madman, the howling of a cat who once died in Dergé, issued forth upon listening to Thubten Sönam Yeshé’s teachings on Mipham’s Sword of Wisdom.  May it not be seen as whining, but a sincere yearning to be one with the yidam and realize the nature of emptiness, thus attaining the perfection of wisdom and realizing the state of Buddhahood.  May all beings become inseparable from the precious guru, Mawey Sengé.

Sarva Mangalam!  May all be auspicious!

Welcome Back, Lama

This past week Khenchen, the first lama i ever met and received teachings from --- who effectively sealed the deal on me becoming a Buddhist --- returned to the Pensacola area to give another set of teachings @ Palyul Changchub Chöling (Gulf Breeze Dharma Center).

Khenchen Tsewang Gyatso Rinpoche, senior abbot of Palyul Namdroling monastery

This trip back to Pensacola was very productive.  I spent a good deal of time at my lama's side, whether it was getting Khenchen's blessing to become a translator and his practical advice on how to stick with that goal, or painting the butter sculpture offerings (torma) for the Guru Rinpoche day feast (tsok) and helping hold/cut the Mahakala text, or getting all my religious paintings (thangka) and statues (buddharupa) consecrated... Whatever i was doing, it was either in the lama's presence and we were laughing, or i was carrying the lama with me in my mind.  This must've been a taste of truly living in the present moment.  In a word:  inspiring.

While obligations to school and work (and a slight lack of planning) led to me being unable to attend the entire week, i was able to receive teachings on Mipham Rinpoche's Sword of Wisdom and an empowerment, retake refuge, and repair my individual liberation (pratimoksha) vows.  Let me take a minute to break it down.

The vows of pratimoksha (Skt. pratimokṣa-saṃvara; Wyl. so thar gyi sdom pa) or vows of ‘individual liberation’ (Skt. pratimokṣa; Wyl. so sor thar pa) mainly emphasize disciplining one’s physical behaviour and not harming others.

Pratimoksha discipline is called the foundation of Buddhism because for ordinary people physical discipline is the beginning of spiritual training and the basis of spiritual progress. The aspiration of the pure pratimoksha discipline is the achievement of liberation for oneself, as it belongs to the shravaka training. However, since Tibetan Buddhists are automatically followers of the Mahayana, they emphasize taking the pratimoksha vows with the attitude of bodhichitta.

~ RigpaWiki.org

The Five Pratimoksha Vows for Laypeople (Non-monastics):

1. to refrain from killing
2. to refrain from stealing
3. to refrain from lying
4. to refrain from sexual misconduct
5. to refrain from taking intoxicants

As they were explained to me, the first 4 are considered root vows, and the 5th regarding intoxicants is considered a branch vow.  This means that transgressing the first four directly leads to non-virtuous action, whereas something like drinking alcohol is not inherently non-virtuous, but rather being unmindful while becoming intoxicated is what leads to non-virtuous action.  Pratimoksha vows are like a clay pot:  if they are minorly transgressed, such as in an instance where one's motivation is pure and one is helping protect another sentient being from harm, the pot gets scratched.  If one wantonly transgresses and/or motivation is not pure, the vows are broken and the pot shatters.  Having taken them before and transgressed, i therefore decided to retake the vows and get a new clay pot that i'll be be much more careful with.  A new year, a fresh start.