#Nirmāṇakāya

[turiyatitta]

The Trikaya and the Trinity

[sophieinwonderland]

you switch between arguing that tulpamancy has nothing to do with tibetan buddhism and arguing that it's actually cultural exchange which are contradictory and also the second is just regular cultural appropriation but also, what exchange? i've repeatedly seen people in the tulpamancy community assert that southeast asian buddhists can't be accurate sources on what tibetan buddhists think(as opposed to non-buddhist northern americans, who are somehow more accurate sources) because tibet is in china. it's in southeast china which directly borders southeast asia and has centuries of cultural exchange with southeast asia because they are neighbors and at many points in history did not have borders between them..... and to that end i have to ask, what cultural exchange? if you can't be bothered to do any deeper research than the first page of the google panel and every time a buddhist tries to argue with you it's time to whitesplain wikipedia to them, forgive me for doubting that you even have surface level knowledge of tibet let alone any actual connections to any region with a prominent buddhist population and history. like the accusations of orientalism are because your engagement with the topic is fundamentally shallow and all you are doing is taking. exchange is when you EXCHANGE. if a buddhist invites you to celebrate vesak with them, that's cultural exchange because you're participating in their religion with them and sharing your time and enthusiasm. if your tibetan friend gifts you a chuba, that's cultural exchange because you're friends sharing culture with each other. that's what distinguishes exchange from appropriation, that the people whose culture you're being inspired by are relevant to you and that you have made an attempt to understand them beyond the ways their culture can be useful to you, which i have seen mountains of evidence is not the case in the tulpamancy community. and while i do think this community should consider talking to and befriending modern practicing buddhists beyond one redditor who claimed to be a tibetan buddhist once, perhaps even with the respect to consider that asians might know more about asia than you do( and not even to force them to litigate whether or not sna tshogs sprul pa can be fire emblem characters i just think yall should diversify your social circle a little), i should also say that on this topic that i actually don't care if you would rather just switch to saying that tulpamancy has nothing to do with tibetan buddhism to avoid learning about tibetans/buddhists/tibetan buddhists. firstly thats just another excuse for your shallow engagement with those cultures because that's still the origin. that's still where the name is from. and it's still cultural appropriation to ignore that- actually it's the first examples of cultural appropriation. the term was invented to describe white people taking aspects of nonwhite cultures and pretending that they invented them and doing their best to separate themselves from any responsibility to treat the people whose culture they're taking with any respect. so if you want to use the term tulpa, and especially if you want to insist that it's not cultural appropriation, your community needs to do the work to not just be shallowly appropriating. instead of only bringing up religious tulpas in the context of christianity, look into the actual nirmāṇakāya. talk to some of the buddhists you're currently focusing on epicly owning the second they don't 100% agree with you. also tenzin gyatso was a slaveowner pre-exile so you should consider not using him as an authoritative source. now, of course, this runs the risk that you might run into people who disagree with your view of tulpamancy or even outright reject it as a thing you should do(as a lot of buddhists on here have), which is again the point, to care about people beyond how they can serve to reinforce the thing you already wanted to do. if the tulpamancy community became known for their strong bond with/respect for practicing buddhists this would be a non-issue

You... don't think the Dalai Lama... should be used as an authoritative source... on Tibetan Buddhism?

Wow! That's certainly a take!

Sorry, I'm going to circle around back to this in a bit.

In any case, the arguments are not contradicting. When we discuss Western tulpas, there are two distinct types of tulpas that come up.

The first is the Alexandra David-Neel tulpa, which I'll call the ADL tulpa for short. The ADL tulpa was first brought to the West by Alexandra David-Neel, a French Buddhist and the first European woman to be given an audience with the Dalai Lama.

This version of the tulpa was recorded by Alexandra David-Neel who relied on the translation services of Lama Kazi Dawa Samdup, who himself had an interest in esotericism and may have influenced an interpretation of the tulpa that incorporated concepts from Western Theosophy.

The ADL tulpa was a creation of a cultural exchange. This was the type of tulpa that permeated Western culture for nearly a century prior to modern tulpamancy which came about in 2009.

The tulpa of tulpamancy borrows its concepts from the ADL tulpa rather than any practices the ADL tulpa was based upon.

It is so distant from the sprulpa and tulku as to be unrelated in anything but a vague etymology. Even the word "tulpa" isn't one typically used by actual Tibetan Buddhist practitioners. Basically, nothing in tulpamancy from the concept to the name is directly from Tibetan Buddhism.

With that explanation, back to the Dalai Lama.

This actually highlights one of the key reasons why I'm hesitant to just believe any story by anyone who lives in or has come from the general area.

Tibet and its history is incredibly politically charged with bias and misinformation on both sides.

It's true that the structure of Tibet resembled that of European Serfdoms, which is naturally unacceptable and indefensible. But I will point out that many scholars would draw a distinction between this system and what we think of when we discuss slavery.

But accusations of the Dalai Lama being a slave owner persist, being pushed heavily by the CCP as a justification for their invasion of Tibet and their dismantling of the Tibetan religion and culture. Conquerors always love to portray themselves as liberators, as we can see happening right now with Russia trying to justify their invasion of Ukraine by claiming to be trying to "denazify" it, and pushing a narrative that the people of Ukraine are supporting Russia's invasion.

I also have to point out that the Dalai Lama took power at 15, and China bullied Tibet into signing the country's sovereignty over to them that same year. He was a kid managing a country thrown into chaos. And he ultimately was forced to flee his home at 23.

I find it unrealistic to expect a kid with no real first-hand leadership experience while surrounded by aristocrats who don't want to lose their power to just be able to instantly change the entire governing system while dealing with an outside force trying to take its rights.

All of this is huge red herring though.

The Dalai Lama's past doesn't invalidate his authority as a source on Tibetan Buddhism, as the most prominent member of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism and as one of the most respected Buddhist figures around the world.

Who else would you prefer us listen to? The puppet Panchen Lama chosen by the secular CCP invaders who have claimed exclusive right to choose the reincarnations of Lamas over the will and the traditions of Tibetans?

But who really knows? Perhaps I'm overstating the importance of the Dalai Lama in modern Tibet. I would love to see survey results from modern Tibetans. Perhaps the CCP propaganda is true and the Dalai Lama is actually hated by modern Tibetans.

But then, I honestly wouldn't trust the validity of such statistics anyway. After all, who would admit to supporting the Dalai Lama in a country where that can get you arrested or just disappeared without explanation? "Yes, I do support the Dalai Lama, now take me away for splitism."

The complete oppression of free thought and expression in Tibet and massive propaganda put out by the CCP has made it impossible to trust information coming out of the region in relation to the Dalai Lama. Especially from non-Tibetans who are going to be drawing a lot of their impressions of Tibet and its history from the CCP's state-run media.

When the propaganda campaign is that strong, proximity creates more opportunity to be informed, yes. But it also creates opportunity to be disinformed. Again, look to how many Russians legitimately believe they're fighting to denazify Ukraine at this moment. Despite being neighbors, would you consider the Russians well-informed on the opinions of Ukrainians or qualified to speak for them?

Can you understand why I'm hesitant to believe non-Tibetan Buddhists speaking for Tibetan Buddhists on this actually have the best interests of Tibet in mind?

And can you understand yet why I find the concept of "we're the same race as Tibetans and live nearby so we get to decide what's offensive to their culture" problematic? After all, silencing and speaking for Tibetans and Tibetan Buddhists is what the CCP has been doing for 70 years.

So moving back to the topic of tulpamancy: The Dalai Lama has said other religions can benefit from Tibetan Buddhist meditations and has encouraged that. If the specific practices tulpamancy was based on, and their terminology, were super closed and sacred and off-limits to outsiders, then that should be decided by other Tibetan Buddhists. (Ideally, actual spiritual leaders and teachers.) It's not up to any random people who just happen to reside in the same region to decide when Tibetan culture is being appropriated or in what ways they're allowed to share their culture.

Especially not ones like you who come at me parroting CCP propaganda and arguing that I should trust non-Tibetan Buddhists in the same region over the Dalai Lama on the matter of Tibetan Buddhism.

[hyakinthou-naos]

Hello!

I want to apologise, if my ask would come as weird or inappropriate.

I saw you commenting on how always feeling presence and talking to your Gods is relatively recent Tumblr phenomena. So, my question goes, from your years of practice, what would you say appeared pretty recently and people should not worry that much?

Thank you for your answer, if you will.

Dear Anon,

Thank you for your question! I will admit that I am not 100% sure what you are asking - but I assume you are referencing this post where I talk about those who lie about deity communication on social media - and/or this post where I talk about Intuitive Insight

To answer your question and clarify my previous post - I do not think that individuals claiming to be in direct communication* to their Gods is a new phenomena.

I explore this more in the answers to my previous asks - but in this context "direct communication" refers to being able (or claiming to be able) to hear/see The Gods in the same way someone can hear/see another human.

Across cultures and religions, people have claimed for thousands of years to be in direct contact with deities. From the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, to the Prophet of the Mormon Religion. And even in Pagan circles - Wiccan Priests and Priestesses have claimed similar things since Wicca's creation in the 1940s/1950s.

I do think, however, that social media (especially TikTok) has made it easier for those who claim to be in direct communication with deities to be seen and heard by a wider audience. And it has also made it more rewarding - as the individuals who lie are able to receive the attention/fame/monetary incentive that they desire.

It's important to remember that those who are posting on TikTok/social media are not the majority of all religious/spiritual practitioners. They are just the practitioners you see the most due to their ability/desire to post on social media. There are many many many practitioners who have no interest in posting about their practice on social media - and I would venture to say that their beliefs and practices are very different than those we see on social media.

But, to address the latter part of your ask - below are a list of a few spiritual and religious concepts that I would warn new/newer practitioners against believing in:

1. Tulpas / Thoughtforms

I've seen a lot of TikToks and Instagram reels that talk about Tulpas. In these videos Tulpas are described as one of two things. The first is a thoughtform - a thoughtform is a "materialized being (...) typically in human form, that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration" (wikipedia). The second description I see often, is that Tulpas are a type of trickster spirit or evil entity. Both of these are bastardizations of what the word Tulpa originally meant.

"The concept of Tulpas has origins in the Buddhist nirmāṇakāya, translated in Tibetan as sprul-pa (སྤྲུལ་པ་): the earthly bodies that a buddha manifests in order to teach those who have not attained nirvana." (wikipedia)

So if you see anyone trying to warn you against Tulpas - or attest to the reality of thoughtforms - be very wary as these concepts are relatively new and (in my opinion) completely made up as a scare tactic.

2. Twin Flames

Twin Flame is a term that can often be synonymous with the concept of a "soul mate". The two most common explanations that I have seen regarding Twin Flames are

1: Every person only has half of a soul/is only half of their true self - and there in one other person on the planet who has the other half of your soul/true self. You are meant to find this other person and marry them. 2: Every person has one perfect companion on Earth, and ONLY one perfect companion. Unless you meet and are married to your Twin Flame/Soul Mate you will never be happy or fulfilled.

This concept is not new, it's actually existed in one form or another since the first human religions were created. However - the idea of a Twin Flame / Soul Mate is incredibly toxic and unhealthy. Love, relationships, marriage - all of that is about consent, not destiny. Not to mention that these ideas completely erase/invalidate polyamorous and ethically non-monogamous relationships.

There is also the "Twin Flames Universe" which is an American cult that I would advise anyone and everyone to STAY AWAY FROM.

3. Feminine vs Masculine Energy

A lot of spiritual practices, both new and old, focus very heavily on the idea that gender/sex is a dichotomy. Even some seemingly "progressive" spiritual and religious groups claim that femininity and masculinity aren't tied to gender - but in reality most groups that focus heavily on this dichotomy are not as progressive and inclusive as they appear.

If you see anyone saying things along the lines of "feminine energy is nurturing, receiving energy" and/or "masculine energy is protecting, giving energy" - turn around and go the other way. These are just a repackaging of gender roles with some *woo woo* added in.

I hope that helped to answer your question and provide some additional context to my other asks - if Anon or anyone else has any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out!

Eirene, peace and farewell,

- Aön

[santoschristos]

Nirmāṇakāya Nirmāṇakāya is the third aspect of the trikāya and the physical manifestation of a Buddha in time and space. In Vajrayāna it is described as "the dimension of ceaseless manifestation." An fully enlightened Buddha is said to have the power to manifest in many forms in order to help the sentient beings. Space Buddha by Mahaboka, m/j

[jhavelikes]

Tulpa is a concept originally from Tibetan Buddhism and found in later traditions of mysticism and the paranormal of a materialized being or thought-form, typically in human form that is created through spiritual practice and intense concentration.[1][2][3] Modern practitioners, who call themselves "tulpamancers", use the term to refer to a type of willed imaginary friend which practitioners consider to be sentient and relatively independent. Modern practitioners predominantly consider tulpas to be a psychological rather than a paranormal concept.[4][5][6][7] The idea became an important belief in Theosophy. Origins The concept of tulpas has origins in the Buddhist nirmāṇakāya, translated in Tibetan as sprul-pa (སྤྲུལ་པ་): the earthly bodies that a buddha manifests in order to teach those who have not attained nirvana. The western understanding of tulpas was developed by twentieth-century European mystical explorers, who interpreted the idea independently of buddhahood.

Tulpa - Wikipedia

[lesbianalanwake]

@thelivingautomaton no, wait, you're on to something. since the AWE DLC, I haven't been able to shake the feeling that "Zane" is some secret Third Thing (which is exactly how Hartman, his buddy, is described). it's so much that we never see the "real" Zane, only the Diver and the thing that looks like Alan. that so many details about his life are constantly shifting and subject to one mysterious whim or another. that Alan and then Alice supplant Zane's role and symbolism in the story as light-bearers and guides and creators etc

and "tulpas" are in Twin Peaks, a direct inspiration. funny that in this case, "Zane" conceptually fits (somewhat) into both:

the esoteric / occult and copped-from-Tibetan-Buddhism Western notion of a thought-form made manifest

the loose idea of emanations / illusions of Buddhism, especially the nirmita / nirmāṇakāya, the third body of a Buddha's form and the most "physical" Form of an otherwise mostly immaterial triad of being (and especially the śilpanirmāṇakāya - the artisan). something something "his nirmāṇakāya consists in the activity of all the buddhas, the fact that it soaks everything, just like rain." Buddhism is also home to varying concepts like a "mind of clear light," among other things. (Alan Watts was also a notable occult successor and writer who introduced Buddhism, Daoism, etc to the Western world and, like many writers who did so, had his own spin on things. he was also a contemporary of Carl Jung, who is another direct inspiration for these games)

obviously Norse and Finnish mythos has the biggest presence, but Control and the Alan Wakes pull a little bit from just about everywhere else along the way, from Pythagoreanism to Buddhism. huh

the significance of Zane calling Alan on the pay phone, until the voice on the call is Alan. then Alice. let's discuss

[normal-horoscopes]

it's also worth bringing up that tulpas are apart of specific religion, buddhism. I haven't scrolled all the way thru this entire conversation but yea that's something ppl seem to be forgetting

There's some nuance here. Basically a bunch of theosophists travelled to Tibet and came back with stories about "tulpas" that eventually became what we understand as tulpas. Thing is, they wer either vastly misunderstanding what they were seeing, or just lying. They did that a lot. It would be a mistake to think that tibetan Buddhists practiced anything even remotely similar to what we in the west consider tulpamancy.

Imagine if a bunch of Buddhist monks came to America to study Christianity, and went back to Tibet and said "Christianity is a complex sport similar to tennis played by American mystics." That's how different "Tulpas" and Nirmāṇakāya are.

Not saying there's no appropriation going on here, I just don't want y'all to come away with any weird ideas about what Buddhists are up to.

[queerautism]

I am not the anon who brought it up. This is a delicate situation and I’ve moderated/watched (Discord) many conversations where this discussion has has gone badly. I’ll give you all the information I know.

The word and concept of “tulpas” appears taken from Tibetan Buddhism. Specifically, the term originates from the concept of “Nirmāṇakāya” in Buddhism which is “the physical manifestation of a Buddha in time and space”. Another claimed origin is that tulpa is “a practice through which monks would primarily create tulpas to overcome attachments” also from Tibetan Buddhism.

Buddhism is not a closed religion in that it’s not considered a religion (which is another ongoing conversation) and is open to all.

The first appearance of the tulpa concept as we know it appears to be from the book Thought-Forms: A Record of Clairvoyant Investigation by a Theophysist named Annie Besant in 1901.

Theosophy was a religion created in the United States of America in the 19th century by a Russian immigrant named Helena Blavatsky. Theosophy is described as “as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism, it draws upon both older European philosophies such as Neoplatonism and Asian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism” on its Wikipedia page.

Theosophy is credited with the creation of the current concept of “tulpas”. Several other people mentioned or were involved with shaping the concept, notably Alexandra David-Neel.

The 1990s and early 2000s appears to be when the concept of tulpamancy more known due to the creation of the communities of people who had or wanted to form tulpas.

I don’t have access to it but this journal article has shown up several times during my research and appears to have more detailed information about the history of tulpas. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.1525/nr.2015.19.1.87 Tracking the Tulpa by Natasha L. Mikles and Joseph P. Laycock

-Cloud (signing off because I might speak later)

I really appreciate the information, and the further reading. I will look more into it :)

[vajranam]

Without The Lama There’s No Path

Of all the Buddhas of the three times,

the Guru is the root of all accomplishments.

-- Marpa Lotsawa

Milarepa without Marpa would had totally different outcomes, today it’s Marpa Paranirvana and we need to remember the very big importance of our teachers.

Without our kind teachers we will be unable to truly understand the path and relate on the psth.

Marpa Story

Marpa the Translator, or Marpa Lotsawa (ca. 1012 - ca. 1097), was a founding father of the Kagyu tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He is credited with translating many Buddhist teachings into Tibetan - teachings of Vajrayana and Mahamudra. He also worked to transmit teachings of value to disciples in his lineage.

Marpa's full name was Lhodak Marpa Choski Lodos. He was born as Marpa Chökyi Lodrö, in Lhodrak Chukhyer in the southern part of Tibet.

He was born into a quite prosperous family, began studying at a young age, and came to master Sanskrit. He travelled to India to study with renowned Indian Buddhist teachers, and then came home to Lhodrak, where he traded away his entire inheritance for gold to fund his travel expenses and to be better able to offer gold to teachers to pay for their teachings and initiations.

First he went to Nepal. There he studied with two students of Naropa. One of the students later accompanied Marpa to somewhere near Nalanda University, where Naropa taught. Marpa spent twelve years studying with Naropa and other Indian gurus that Naropa sent him to to study beneath, or get instructions from, and most prominently Maitripada. After twelve years he travelled back to Tibet to teach and carry on. He now married Dagmema, and they prospered as farmers.

After some years, he went south again to study for a further six years with Naropa. Before leaving to go home again, he promised his guru he would return to complete his training. And finally, well into middle age and against objections of his family, he set out for a third and final journey to India.

In India, he learned that Naropa had disappeared into the jungle and that his whereabouts were unknown. However, eventually Marpa found him and got the final teachings and instructions from him. On this occasion Naropa foretold that Marpa's lineage would be carried on by his disciples; not by his kin, although , Marpa and Dagmema had seven sons.

Calling Lama From Afar

༄༅། །བླ་མ་རྒྱང་འབོད་ཀྱི་གསོལ་འདེབས་གཉུག་མའི་ཐོལ་གླུ་ཞེས་བྱ་བ། །

Spontaneous Song of the Genuine Nature: A Prayer of Calling the Guru from Afar

by Dudjom Rinpoche

 ངོ་བོ་གདོད་ནས་མི་འགྱུར་སྤྲོས་བྲལ་གྱི་གཤིས་ལུགས། །

ngowo döné mingyur trödral gyi shiluk

The essence, never changing, the natural, unelaborated condition,

ཀ་དག་གཏིང་གསལ་གཞོན་ནུ་བུ��་སྐུ་རུ་བཞུགས་པ། །

kadak tingsal shyönnu bum ku ru shyukpa

Primordially pure, profoundly luminous—you who dwell in the youthful vase body,

ཆོས་སྐུའི་བླ་མ་ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེ་དེ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། །

chökü lama yeshe dorjé dé khyen no

Dharmakāya guru Yeshe Dorje, care for me!

ལྟ་བའི་གདིང་ཆེན་ཐོབ་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རང་རློབས་ཤིག །

tawé ding chen tobpar jingyi rang lob shik

Inspire me to gain the vast assurance of the view.

 རང་བཞིན་མ་འགགས་ཟུང་འཇུག་འོད་གསལ་གྱི་ཚོམ་བུ། །

rangshyin magak zungjuk ösal gyi tsombu

The nature, unceasing, the maṇḍala gathering of the union of luminosity—

ལྷུན་གྲུབ་ངེས་པ་ལྔ་ལྡན་རོལ་པ་རུ་བཞུགས་པ། །

lhündrub ngepa nga den rolpa ru shyukpa

You who dwell in the spontaneously perfect display complete with the five certainties,

ལོངས་སྐུའི་བླ་མ་བདེ་ཆེན་རྡོ་རྗེ་དེ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། །

longkü lama dechen dorjé dé khyen no

Saṃbhogakāya guru Dechen Dorje, care for me!

སྒོམ་པའི་རྩལ་ཆེན་རྫོགས་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རང་རློབས་ཤིག །

gompé tsal chen dzokpar jingyi rang lob shik

Inspire me to perfect the great strength of meditation.

 ཐུགས་རྗེ་ཕྱོགས་ལྷུང་བྲལ་བ་མཐའ་གྲོལ་གྱི་ཡེ་ཤེས། །

tukjé chok lhung dralwa ta drol gyi yeshe

The compassion, unlimited, wisdom that is free from extremes—

ཀུན་ཁྱབ་རིག་སྟོང་རྗེན་པའི་ངོ་བོ་རུ་བཞུགས་པ། །

künkhyab riktong jenpé ngowo ru shyukpa

You who dwell in the essence of all-pervasive, naked awareness and emptiness,

སྤྲུལ་སྐུའི་བླ་མ་འགྲོ་འདུལ་གླིང་པ་དེ་མཁྱེན་ནོ། །

tulkü lama drodul lingpa dé khyen no

Nirmāṇakāya guru Drodül Lingpa, care for me!

སྤྱོད་པའི་བོགས་ཆེན་འབྱོངས་པར་བྱིན་གྱིས་རང་རློབས་ཤིག །

chöpé bok chen jongpar jingyi rang lob shik

Inspire me to master the great enhancement of action.

 རང་རིག་གདོད་མའི་གཞི་ལ་འཕོ་འགྱུར་ནི་མི་འདུག །

rangrig dömé shyi la pogyur ni mi duk

The primordial ground of self-awareness is unmoving and unchanging.

གང་ཤར་ཆོས་སྐུའི་རྩལ་ལ་བཟང་ངན་ནི་མི་གདའ། །

gang shar chökü tsal la zang ngen ni mi da

Whatever arises as the play of dharmakāya is neither good nor bad.

ད་ལྟའི་ཤེས་པ་སངས་རྒྱས་མངོན་སུམ་དུ་འདུག་པས། །

danté shepa sangye ngönsum du dukpé

Since this present awareness is the actual buddha,

གུ་ཡངས་བློ་བདེའི་བླ་མ་སྙིང་དབུས་ནས་རྙེད་བྱུང༌། །

guyang lodé lama nying ü né nyé jung

I find the guru of openness and contentment within my heart.

 གཉུག་མའི་སེམས་འདི་བླ་མའི་རང་བཞིན་དུ་རྟོགས་ཚེ། །

nyukmé sem di lamé rangshyin du tok tsé

When I realise that this genuine mind is the very nature of the guru,

འཛིན་ཞེན་གསོལ་འདེབས་བཅོས་མའི་སྡུག་ཡུས་ནི་མ་དགོས། །

dzin shyen soldeb chömé dukyü ni ma gö

There is no need for attached and grasping prayers or artificial complaints.

མ་བཅོས་རིག་པ་རང་བབ་ཁ་ཡན་དུ་ཀློད་པས། །

machö rigpa rangbab khayen du löpé

By relaxing in uncontrived awareness, the free and open natural state,

གཏད་མེད་གང་ཤར་རང་གྲོལ་བྱིན་རླབས་དེ་ཐོབ་བྱུང༌། །

temé gang shar rangdrol jinlab dé tob jung

I obtain the blessing of the aimless self-liberation of whatever arises.

 བྱས་པའི་ཆོས་ཀྱིས་སངས་རྒྱས་འགྲུབ་དུས་ནི་མི་གདའ། །

jepé chö kyi sangye drub dü ni mi da

Buddhahood is not attained by fabricated dharmas;

ཡིད་དཔྱོད་བློས་བྱས་སྒོམ་འདི་བསླུ་བྱེད་ཀྱི་དགྲ་རེད། །

yichö löjé gom di lujé kyi dra ré

Speculative meditation, fabricated by the intellect, is the deceiving enemy.

ད་ནི་འཛིན་སྟངས་ཞིག་པའི་མདོ་མེད་ཀྱི་སྨྱོན་པ། །

dani dzintang shyikpé domé kyi nyönpa

Now clinging to style and manner is destroyed with crazy abandon.

བྱུང་རྒྱལ་གཅེར་ཉལ་ངང་ལ་མི་ཚེ་འདི་སྐྱེལ་གཏོང༌། །

junggyal cher nyal ngang la mitsé di kyeltong

Let this life be spent in this state of uninhibited naked ease.

 གང་ལྟར་བྱས་ཀྱང་དགའོ་རྫོགས་ཆེན་གྱི་རྣལ་འབྱོར། །

gangtar jé kyang gao dzogchen gyi naljor

Joyful in all action, the Dzogchen yogi,

སུ་དང་འགྲོགས་ཀྱང་སྐྱིད་དོ་པད་འབྱུང་གི་བུ་བརྒྱུད། །

su dang drok kyang kyi do pejung gi bu gyü

Happy in any company, son of the lineage of Padmākara,

མགོན་ལ་འགྲན་ཟླ་མེད་དོ་གཏེར་ཆེན་གྱི་བླ་མ། །

gön la drenda mé do terchen gyi lama

Lord who has no peer, great treasure-revealing guru,

ཆོས་ལ་དོ་ཟླ་མེད་དོ་མཁའ་འགྲོ་ཡི་སྙིང་ཐིག །

chö la doda mé do khandro yi nyingtik

Dharma without equal, heart-essence of the ḍākinīs.

 རྨོངས་ཆེན་སྙིང་གི་མུན་པ་རང་མལ་དུ་སངས་ནས། །

mong chen nying gi münpa rangmal du sang né

Having naturally purified the great delusion, the heart’s darkness,

འོད་གསལ་ཉི་མ་འགྲིབ་མེད་འཁོར་ཡུག་ཏུ་འཆར་བའི། །

ösal nyima dribmé khoryuk tu charwé

The radiant light of the unobscured sun continuously arises.

སྐལ་བཟང་འདི་ཀོ་ཕ་གཅིག་བླ་མ་ཡི་སྐུ་དྲིན། །

kalzang diko pa chik lama yi kudrin

This good fortune is the kindness of the guru, my only father and mother.

དྲིན་ལན་འཁོར་མཐའ་མེད་དོ་བླ་མ་རང་དྲན་ནོ། །

drin len khorta mé do lama rang dren no

Guru of unrepayable kindness, I only remember you!

 ཞེས་པའང་རང་གི་རྡོ་རྗེ་སློབ་བུའི་ཐུ་བོ་སྤྲུལ་པའི་སྐུ་འཇིགས་མེད་ཆོས་དབྱིངས་ནོར་བུ་དོན་ཐམས་ཅད་འགྲུབ་པ་སྡེའི་གསུང་གི་ངོར། འཇིགས་བྲལ་ཡེ་ཤེས་རྡོ་རྗེས་འཆོལ་གཏམ་དུ་སྨྲས་པ་དགེ །སརྦ་དཱ་ཀ་ལ་ནཾ་བྷ་ཝན་ཏུ། །

At the request of my foremost vajra student, the tulku Jigme Chöying Norbu Dön Tamché Drubpé Dé, this was spoken as delirious chatter by Jikdral Yeshe Dorje. May virtue abound!

[flamesofthebodhisattva]

Phowa Commentary

Commentary on Transference of Consciousness

Practices › Transference | Tibetan Masters › Karma Chakme

Buddha Amitābha, 'Boundless Light'

Courtesy of Himalayan Art Resources

Extensive Instructions on the Transference of Consciousness to the Land of Great Bliss

From the Namchö Wisdom-Mind Treasure

by Karma Chakme, aka Rāga Asya

Guru Deva Ḍākinī Hūṃ!

What follows is a commentary on Transference to the Land of Great Bliss, which is part of the secondary literature connected with the Land of Great Bliss (bde chen zhing) sādhana from the cycle of the profound aural lineage of the Namchö wisdom-mind treasure.

To tell a little of the history of this teaching, “The Chronicle of the King”, which is one of The Five Chronicles, says that at the end of time, thirty-three vidyādharas, lords of secret mantra, will appear. In the prophecy of their supreme enlightenment, it is written:

In the buddhafield of Śākya[muni] known as Do Kham,[1] a yogi who practises the secret mantra of the Great Vehicle, a lord of mantra, Dorje Drakpo, will appear. Having transferred from there, he will perform vast activities. In the northern direction of this three thousand-fold world-system in the pristine buddhafield known as Forest of Sandalwood, he will become a tathāgata, a guide to beings, an unsurpassable teacher nurturing a gathering of three-thousand, the victorious one known as Jñāna Samantabhadra (Yeshe Kunzang).

Thus, the nirmāṇakāya known as Mingyur Dorje, who was foretold in many treasures, such as the prophecy just cited, is the essential embodiment in a single emanation of both the great lotsāwa Vairotsana and Shüpu Palseng. And in the future he will become the buddha Jñāna Samantabhadra.

While performing the deeds of a bodhisattva, at the age of thirteen, on the seventh day of Saga Dawa[2] in the year of the Golden Pendant (hemalamba, i.e., 1657)[3] he actually saw the face of Buddha Amitābha and his two attendants, their bodies as vast as mountains and immeasurable in their splendour. At that time, he received directly the sādhana of the Land of Great Bliss, the method for seeing the Land of Great Bliss in dreams, the longevity sādhana of Amitāyus, the transference of consciousness to the Land of Great Bliss, the prayer for the Land of Great Bliss, the aspiration for the Land of Great Bliss, and the empowerment for the Land of Great Bliss. Then, that evening, having once again seen the face of Buddha Amitābha and his retinue, he was given both the prayer for dream yoga and the oral instructions.

All of this is reminiscent of the following statement from the Bodhisattva Piṭaka:

Bodhisattvas, who remain devoted in this way, are recognized by all the buddhas, the transcendent conquerors, as fit vessels for the Dharma. Appearing before them, the Buddhas perfectly reveal to them the bodhisattva path.

Even though there are many traditions for the transference of consciousness in the school of Early Translations and the New Schools, this is a very recent lineage, one still warm with the speech of Amitāyus, and is therefore especially blessed. Moreover, the Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna said:

I, the Lotus-born, and those like me Have, for the sake of lazy yogis, Revealed the instruction on transference.

Distracted practitioners may have received profound teachings on the Great Perfection and the like, but still not find any time to train. Then there are those who, because of the afflictive emotion of laziness have not yet gained the indwelling confidence of liberation. For such practitioners, this oral instruction is for attaining Buddhahood at the time of death without the need for further training. As a powerful method, applicable even to great wrongdoers, it is a vitally important instruction on attaining buddhahood.

It is best if, by training from now on, you are able to practise the transference by yourself when you are certain that you are about to die. Yet, should you be unable to do that, even to receive the oral transmission for the transference of consciousness now will make it easier for a guru to perform the transference of consciousness for you when you die.

As for the benefits of the skilful means of the transference of consciousness, it is said in The Four Vajra Seats:[4]

Completely untainted by evil deeds, You will cross to saṃsāra’s supreme and distant shore.

And:

This opening of brahma above Is directly[5] explained as “transference.” Emao! It is the path of the supreme teaching. Emao! It cuts through saṃsāra. Emao! It remains in the state of freedom. Emao! Primordial wisdom is amazing!

Also:

One stained by every fault Is freed through the practice of transference.

The Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna also said:

Through transference at the proper time, Even perpetrators of the five deeds of immediate fruition[6] Will gain rebirth in the higher realms or liberation.

Therefore, the benefits are extremely great. It is also said:

If you perform the transference of consciousness in this way, then no matter how severe your evil deeds may be, through the blessings of the visualisation you will take the extraordinary form of a god, or a human being and so on for as long as the teachings of even a single buddha remain. Then, having quickly exhausted your remaining karma, you will attain Buddhahood. And some individuals will attain the state of a vidyādhara in the extraordinary buddhafield of Manifest Perfection.

Moreover, there are several types of transference, including:

dharmakāya transference,

sambhogakāya transference,

nirmāṇakāya transference,

ordinary transference,

forceful transference, and

the transference of entering another body.[7]

Dharmakāya Transference

Through excellent practice of Mahāmudrā, or the Great Perfection’s practice of Trekchö in this lifetime, the mother and son luminosities will meet at the time of death. You will then remain in that state [of luminosity] for seven days or some other length of time. As this is the ultimate form of transference, free from the concepts of something to be transferred or one who transfers, there are said to be no good or bad openings.

If you perform the dharmakāya transference in this way, the outer sign will be a pure, immaculate sky; as the inner sign, the body’s radiance will not fade for a long time; and as the secret sign, syllables, such as a white ĀḤ, or a blue HŪṂ, will appear.

Sambhogakāya Transference

This is the form of transference to be explained here on this occasion.

As a sign of having performed it the sky will be filled with rainbows and lights. As an inner sign, blood or serum will emerge from the brahma-aperture at the crown of the head, and a dew-like moisture will appear there. The same part of the head will swell up, and steam or vapour will rise from it. Just below the brahma-aperture, hair will fall out and the body’s heat will be concentrated there. As a secret sign, as many as five types of relics, or the deities’ bodies and hand implements will manifest.

Nirmāṇakāya Transference

For this you lie down on your right side, and breathe through your left nostril. You place an image of Śākyamuni, or the Lotus-born, or a similar figure, in view, visualize the deity’s presence, and then transfer your consciousness through the left nostril. You then generate the intention to appear as a nirmāṇakāya for the benefit of beings, and make prayers of aspiration. As an outer sign of performing this kind of transference, there will be clouds or rainbows in the form of wish-fulfilling trees, and rains of flowers will fall. As an inner sign, blood, serum or bodhicitta will emerge from the left nostril, or shimmering dewdrops will appear. As a secret sign, the whole skull will remain [even after cremation], or the hand implements of the deities or many tiny ringsel will appear.

Forceful Transference

It is wrong to practise forceful transference. Even if all the signs of impending death are present, you must perform the ritual for deceiving death three times. To enact the transference without having performed such a ritual would be to incur the fault of murdering the deities. Even in the case of punishment by the state,[8] chronic illness or severe pain—no matter what might occur—it is still wrong to perform the transference before the actual time for death arrives, as it would bring about the transgression of killing deities.

Therefore, even when life is at an end, the transference should not be performed until it is certain that the vital channel in the neck has actually been cut. If the lifespan has not been exhausted and there is still a chance of revival, the transgression of killing deities can and will occur. ‘Deities’ here means the assembled deities of the hundred sublime buddha families, who reside within the body. This is the equivalent of killing them all. Thus, to perform the transference at any time other than when the lifespan has definitively run its course will not only be of no benefit, it will actually lead to the lower realms. And this holds the key as to why the forceful method of transference is unacceptable. As The Four Vajra Seats Tantra says:

When the time is right, perform the transference, But to do so at other times would be deity murder.

It is also said in the verses of an authentic scripture in the chapter on transference:

To transfer at the wrong time is to kill the deities. As long as you are alive, practise Dharma, And for that long the flow of virtue will increase.

Similarly, the Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna said:

Then, earnestly practise the ritual for deceiving death in accordance with the signs of impending death. Even though the signs and marks of death may be complete, if you were to practise transference without having first performed the ritual for deceiving death, you would incur the transgression of killing the deities and the transgression of suicide. As this is even than worse than the five deeds of immediate fruition, perform whichever general or particular rituals for deceiving death are most appropriate.

Transference of Entering Another Body

It is well known that the right interdependent circumstances did not come together for this teaching to be passed on in Tibet. And that is why, although the textual transmission exists, there is no lineage of actual practice.

Ordinary Transference

Even though this is not a forceful transference it is still referred to as ‘instantaneous transference’. As the circumstances of death—which include ravines, water, arrows, piercing weapons, strokes and more—can arise unexpectedly, whenever fear or panic strike train in focusing your awareness on Amitāyus or the Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna at the crown of your head. Doing this continually will ensure that if serious life-threatening circumstances should occur all of a sudden, you will direct your consciousness to the crown of your head through the force of habit, and your consciousness will exit there. The Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna said, “Directing your intentions toward the guru at your crown is of inconceivable value.”

For the ordinary transference, you should lie on your right side with your head pointing north. Visualize a deity such as Buddha Śikhin, or the Buddha of Medicine (Bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūryaprabharāja) above the crown of your head. Then recite any names of the Three Jewels with which you are familiar, as well as blessed dhāraṇī mantras, and make aspirations. By doing so, it said, you will avoid rebirth in the lower realms.

Furthermore, the vajra song that encapsulates the six dharmas says:

Eight doorways open on to saṃsāra, One door is the path to Mahāmudrā.

The Profound Inner Meaning, which draws upon several classes of unsurpassable tantras, also teaches:

Then, if the all-ground consciousness departs From the brahma-aperture this means the formless realm; From the bindu, the great goddess; From the navel, a god of the desire realm; From the eyes, a powerful person in the desire realm; From the nose, the realms of the yakṣa; From the ear, a god of accomplishment; From the door of existence, a hungry ghost, it is said; From the urethra, we will become an animal; From the lower door, the eight hells.

This means that if you have not trained in the instructions for the transference of consciousness, and still, under the power of karma, your consciousness leaves the body through the brahma-aperture, you will be reborn in the formless realm. Through the oral instructions on transference, however, departure through the brahma-aperture will lead to rebirth in pure celestial lands. This is one tradition of explanation. The Vajra Verses of the Hearing Lineage says:

When the signs of death arise, be joyful,[9] and cast away attachment. Block the nine doors, apply substances and adorn with aspiration.

Thus, in this case [i.e., when nine doorways are blocked], another 'brahma-aperture' is being referred to: a cranial opening, which is four finger-widths back from the hairline, and if consciousness departs from there you will be reborn in the formless realm. The actual brahma-aperture, however, is located in the centre of the coil of hair eight finger-widths back from the hairline. And if consciousness leaves from there you will be reborn in the celestial lands.

Although there exist these two traditions of explanation, the Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna also said:

There are great differences in the various paths of transference: three each for superior, middling, and inferior, making nine in all. As the brahma-aperture on the crown of the head is the path for travelling to pure celestial lands, if consciousness emerges there you will obtain liberation. Therefore, since this is the supreme path it is crucially important that this is where you direct your intentions. If consciousness departs through the eyes, you will be reborn as a cakravartin king. If consciousness exits from the left nostril you will be reborn in a clean human body. These are the three superior doors. If consciousness exits through the right nostril you will be reborn as a yakṣa; from the two ears, as a god in the form realm; from the navel, a god in the desire realm. These are the three middling doors. If consciousness exits from the urethra, you will be reborn as an animal; from the so-called ‘door of existence’, the path journeyed by the cause and seed, the white and red essences, you will be born as a hungry ghost; from the anus, you will be reborn in the hells. These are the three inferior doors.

Now, as for the actual instruction for the transference of consciousness, The Four Vajra Seats Tantra says:

That to be purified, the one and a half syllables. Drawn up with the third to the last of eight. This seed, a fierce fire, Rests on a maṇḍala of wind. Focus on this with the mind. Above, the brahma-aperture Is supreme on account of the nine. Without a body, the entity that is mind’s essence Meditates on entities.

The Vajra Verses of the Hearing Lineage says:

The alchemy of transference, which brings Buddhahood without meditation… …Draw HŪṂ and prāṇa-mind indivisible up into the central channel (avadhūti). Visualise the syllable KṢA and propel it through the path of brahma. Transferring it to the dharmakāya-guru and buddha-realm.

The Precious Master of Oḍḍiyāna said:

Should you fail to accomplish nirvāṇa without remainder in this life, Since you wish to find the celestial lands at the time of transference Apply yourself to the necessary trainings and actions!

And:

This instruction is a powerful means for bringing buddhahood even to great evildoers. This instruction, a transformative golden dharma, through which a yogi can leave the seal of the body and simultaneously awaken, is revealed herein.

What follows is in two parts: 1) training in transference, and 2) the actual application.

1. Training in Transference

In order to request the teaching on the visualisations for training in transference, it is necessary to offer the maṇḍala. For this, repeat the following:

Having transformed this maṇḍala of bronze into precious substances, And these grains of barley too into gold and turquoise, I offer them with devotion to the one nirmāṇakāya, the compassionate guru: Look on me with your compassion!

Then, for taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, repeat the following three times:

Namo! In the three jewels and the three roots, In all the sources of refuge, I take refuge. In order to lead all beings to buddhahood I set my mind upon supreme awakening.

Now, consider that in an instant you appear as the Great Compassionate Lord (i.e., Mahākārunika, a form of Avalokiteśvara), with a body that is white in colour, and with one face, peaceful and smiling. You have four hands: the palms of the first two joined at your heart, and the lower two holding a white crystal rosary and a white lotus flower. With your legs in the vajra posture, you sit on a lotus and moon-disc seat. Your topknot of hair is adorned with the five small crests of jewels. You are wearing silken garments and jewel ornaments, and you are radiant and resplendent with all the marks and signs. Meditate on this vividly.

From the outside, the Great Compassionate One’s body is like a white silk tent, while on the inside it is empty like an inflated balloon.[10] Inside this clear, empty space is the central channel with its four characteristics: as a sign of bliss, it is white on the outside; to symbolize clarity, it is red on the inside; to signify the bodhisattva path, it stands perfectly upright; and to signify that the doors to the lower realms have been closed, its lower tip, which is below the navel, is sealed. To allow for travel along the path to higher realms, the upper tip opens straight onto the brahma-aperture at the crown. Visualize this.

Above the crown of your head, On top of a lion-throne, lotus, and moon-disc seat, Is the protector Amitābha, his body red in colour. With one face, and two hands in the gesture of equanimity, On top of which he holds an alms-bowl; he wears the dharma robes; He is seated with his two legs in the posture of Maitreya, And his two big toes At the upper tip of the central channel. To his right is Lokeśvara, Lord of the World, white in colour, With one face and four hands: two joined at the palms, And the remaining two, to the right and left, holding a rosary and lotus. He is in the standing posture, upon a lotus and moon. To his left is Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might (i.e., Mahāsthāmaprāpta). He has one face, two hands and is blue in colour. He holds a vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left. He is in the standing posture, upon a lotus and moon. They are surrounded by countless buddhas, bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats. Light shines out from the three seed-syllables At the three centres of each of the three main figures, Inviting the deities from Sukhāvatī to merge indivisibly.

Then, there is the prayer for transference:

Emaho! Exceedingly wondrous protector, Amitābha, Great Compassionate One, and Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might, With a one-pointed mind, I pray to you: Grant your blessings so that I may master the profound path of the transference. When the time of death eventually arrives, Grant your blessings so that my consciousnesses may be transferred to Sukhāvatī.

Pray like this as much as possible, and then consider the following.

At your heart-centre, inside the central channel, is, like a knot in a length of bamboo, an eight-petalled red lotus. On top of it is a moon-disc, about the size of half a grain. On top of that is the essence into which prāṇa-mind and consciousness are gathered, a white bindu, and red syllable HRĪḤ (ཧྲཱིཿ), complete with the long-vowel sign and the visarga, and radiant and bright. Consider that it is on the point of ascending, just about to rise.

From that HRĪḤ there emanates a single ray of light in the form of another HRĪḤ syllable, which seals off the lower gateway, the doorway to the hells. Then, another HRĪḤ emerges to seal the doorway to rebirth as an animal, the urethra. Then two further HRĪḤ syllables shoot out, sealing the doors of the secret place and the mouth, gateways to rebirth as a hungry ghost. Then, another HRĪḤ appears, sealing the navel, which is the gateway to rebirth as a god in the desire realm. Then, two more HRĪḤ syllables shine out, blocking the two ears, which are gateways for rebirth as a demi-god, in the form realm, or as a kumbhāṇḍa. Next, two further HRĪḤs emerge, block the two nostrils, gateways to rebirth as a yakṣa or a human being who must experience birth, ageing, sickness and death. Then, three HRĪḤ syllables shine out to block the spot between the eyebrows, which is the gateway to rebirth in the form realm; the right eye, which is the gateway for rebirth as a human king; and the left eye. Then, another HRĪḤ shoots out and blocks the cranial opening, which is the gateway to rebirth in the formless realm. You can also verbally recite HRĪḤ during this process.

Then, consider that as you utter HIK, your mind, which is represented by the bindu and the white syllable HRĪḤ, shoots upwards through the path of the central channel. It just about touches the big toe of Amitābha, who is on the crown of your head. Then, consider that as you utter KA, it descends again and remains on the moon seat at your heart centre.

You can combine this with expelling the stale breath three times, and holding the prāṇa. While holding the prāṇa, keep it sealed for a long time. Consider that as you mentally utter HIK, the prāṇa from the right and left channels emerges from the central channel at the crown of the head as blue smoke just as the bindu touches Amitābha’s big toe. As you mentally utter KA it falls back down and remains in the heart centre. Then send it up again. As you send it up you can hold vajra-fists at the top of the thighs and gather together the prāṇa, mind, and all appearances in the upper part of the body.

If you do not know how to control the prāṇa like this, you should consider that as you utter HIK the bindu shoots up through the central channel and touches the big toe of Buddha Amitābha’s foot. And as you say KA it descends and remains in the heart centre. Visualise this clearly, sending the bindu up and bringing it back down again, about twenty-one times in all.

Then recite the following prayer of aspiration:

Emaho! Amitābha, magnificent Buddha of Boundless Light, With the great compassionate lord Avalokiteśvara to his right, And Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might, on his left, Surrounded by an assembly of countless buddhas and bodhisattvas In the place of wonder and boundless joy and happiness That is the heavenly realm of Sukhāvatī, the Blissful Paradise. When the time comes for me to leave this present life, May I go there directly, without any other birth upon the way, And being reborn there, may I see Amitābha face to face! May this, my fervent prayer of aspiration, Be blessed by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions So that it is accomplished, without the slightest hindrance! Tadyathā pañcendriya avabodhanāya svāhā.

Consider that making these aspirations causes a stream of deathless amṛta nectar to flow from the alms-bowl in Amitābha’s hands, dissolving into and filling your body.

Then, as a prayer for longevity, recite the following:

Emaho! To the perfect Buddha Amitāyus, The Great Compassionate One, Vajrapāṇi, and All the countless buddhas and bodhisattvas, With a devoted mind I prostrate and praise you all. I pray to you: please bestow the siddhi of longevity! Oṃ amideva āyusiddhi hūṃ

Recite this for a single rosary or as many times as you can.

Consider that the main deity, Amitābha, and his retinue melt into light and then dissolve into you, and your brahma-aperture is blocked by HAṂ and various vajras.

By practising like this in six, four or however many sessions, the signs of having perfected the transference will arise: warmth and heat at the brahma-aperture, or itchiness, stinging, numbness, and swelling; the crown of the head may feel soft and pulpy; and blood or serum may emerge at the brahma-aperture. When such signs appear, carefully examine the spot eight finger-widths behind the hairline. If you insert a stalk of kuśa grass there, it should stay firmly planted.

When this happens, to persist any further could create obstacles for your life-force, so put the visualisation aside. Don’t send the bindu up and down in the central channel, and don’t recite HIK or KA.

There are also some people who do not have a brahma-aperture or cannot locate it, and who may find that they get headaches or become dizzy. In this case, you should visualize Amitābha a forearm’s length above their head, and consider that the bindu, which is combined with the syllable HRĪḤ, ascends into the sky until it touches his lotus seat. Then, having returned, it remains in their heart centre inside the central channel. By meditating like this for a few sessions the brahma-aperture will open, and blood or serum will emerge from it.

This concludes the explanation of how to train in the transference of consciousness.

2. The Actual Application

i. Transference for Oneself

When performing transference for yourself, if all the signs of death are fully present, perform the ritual for deceiving death[10] three times. If even this should prove ineffective however, then it is said [in The Root Verses on the Six Bardos]:

Kyema! Now when the bardo of dying is dawning upon me, I will abandon all grasping, yearning, and attachment, Enter, undistracted, a state in which the instructions are clear, And transfer my own awareness into the sphere of unborn space; As I am about to leave this compound body of flesh and blood, I will know it to be a transitory illusion.

As this indicates, you must offer your own body, possessions and relatives as a maṇḍala to Buddha Amitābha. Then, having offered them, let go of all attachment.

As when training in the visualisation for transference, block the nine doors by means of the syllable HRĪḤ, and meditate on the main deity, Amitābha, together with his retinue, in the sky about a forearm’s length above you. Propel your consciousness—represented by the bindu and HRĪḤ—so that it shoots upwards and dissolves into the heart centre of Amitābha. Repeat this visualization again and again until your breathing stops. Recite the prayer and the aspiration for transference as many times as you can. Dharma friends and others too should also recite these on your behalf. Through this, your consciousness will depart at the crown of the head, and it is certain that you will be reborn in Sukhāvatī in your next life.

ii. Transference for Others

When it is certain that a person who was very ill has died and their outer breath has ceased, arrange the corpse so that the head is upright. Then begin by reciting aloud the verses of taking refuge and generating bodhicitta, as well as any buddhas’ names that are familiar. Then, when it is certain that the vital channel has been cut, go through the visualization for the transference in your mind, while reciting the following verses in a gentle and melodious voice:

Kyema! Noble child, whose life has ended, Your body is that of the yidam, the white sattva, Inside your body is the central channel, like an arrow of bamboo, At your heart, imagine a red syllable HRĪḤ, Complete with long vowel and visarga. Then, as six further HRĪḤ syllables emerge, They seal the gateways to rebirth in the six classes, While the brahma-aperture at your crown is open. Above your crown, on a lotus and moon-disc seat, Is the protector Amitābha, his body red in colour, With one face, and two hands in the gesture of equanimity, On top of which he holds an alms-bowl; he wears the dharma robes, And is seated in a cross-legged posture. To his right is Lokeśvara, Lord of the World, white in colour, With one face and four arms: two joined at the palms, And the remaining two, to the left and right, holding a rosary and lotus. He is in the standing posture, upon a lotus and moon disc. To his left is Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might. He has one face, two hands and is blue in colour. He holds a vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left. He is in the standing posture upon a lotus and moon. They are surrounded by countless buddhas, bodhisattvas, Śrāvakas, pratyekabuddhas, and arhats. Light radiates out from the three seed-syllables At the three centres of each of the three main figures, Inviting the deities from Sukhāvatī to merge indivisibly. Then visualize that this consciousness of yours, In the form of a white bindu marked with the syllable HRĪḤ, Is transferred into the heart of Amitābha. Emaho! Exceedingly wondrous protector Amitābha, Great Compassionate One, and Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might, This departed one prays to you with one-pointed mind: Grant your blessings so that their consciousness may be transferred to the land of great bliss!

Repeat this, together with the necessary visualizations, seven or twenty-one times. Recite KA and HIK as many times as you can. Then, utter a loud PHAṬ, and pull a single tuft of hair from the crown of the deceased, eight finger-widths back from the hairline. The hair should come out as easily as if it had moulted. There might also be a “Kak!” sound, and the appearance of steam, or swelling, or serum or dew-like moisture. There could also be some gentle warmth or more intense heat. When practising for someone without hair, you should continue to press your finger until you notice some swelling or serum, or the other signs occur.

Consider that rays of light shine out from Amitābha’s heart, so that the whole retinue and the aggregates of the deceased all melt completely into light, which then dissolves into Amitābha’s heart. Then recite the following prayer three, five or seven times:

Emaho! Amitābha, magnificent Buddha of Boundless Light, With the great compassionate lord Avalokiteśvara to his right, And Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might, on his left, Surrounded by an assembly of countless buddhas and bodhisattvas In the place of wonder and boundless joy and happiness That is the heavenly realm of Sukhāvatī, the Blissful Paradise. As soon as the deceased transfers from the present life, May they go there directly, without any other birth upon the way, And being reborn there, may they see Amitābha face to face! May this, my fervent prayer of aspiration, Be blessed by all the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions So that it is accomplished, without the slightest hindrance! Tadyathā pañcendriya avabodhanāya svāhā

Then, in a melodious voice, recite the following verses of showing the way:

Emaho! Exceedingly wondrous protector Amitābha, Great Compassionate One, and Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might, This departed one prays to you with one-pointed mind: Grant your blessings so that their consciousness may be transferred to the land of great bliss! Kyema! Noble child, whose life has ended, Without becoming attached to saṃsāra, And without even the slightest doubt or hesitation, Go directly to the land of great bliss! Phaṭ! Phaṭ! Phaṭ!

With this, consider that Amitābha travels to the realm of Sukhāvatī as swiftly as an arrow in flight. Then recite the verses beginning, “Not experiencing the sufferings of the lower realms…”[11] and “Like a lotus, unsullied by the mire…”

If you can practise the transference for the deceased in this way, without being corrupted by pursuit of personal wealth, and with love and compassion, it will be of unimaginable benefit.

If there are no signs of the transference having been effected, it might mean that the consciousness had already transferred—for it may remain no longer than an instant or the time taken to eat a meal.

If you arrive to perform the transference before the outer breath has ceased, you should perform the mental visualization of sealing the nine gateways and so on, and spend a long time simply reciting the names of the buddhas and prayers of aspiration, without causing consciousness to ascend and so forth. By proceeding in this way, it is certain that the transference will be effected properly.

It is well known that consciousness remains in the body for up to three nights and a day, and it is therefore crucial that transference is performed during this time. Still, as The Book of Kadam[12] explains that it might remain for three to seven days, it is also acceptable to practise the transference up until the seventh day. Those who conduct village rituals also say that it is appropriate to send consciousness from an effigy or name-card, and they have a tradition of summoning consciousness into a corpse after many days have passed, so that it can then be re-transferred from there. Although this is not taught in the tantric scriptures, I do not think there is any real contradiction.

All this has been by way of commentary. Now, as it is extremely beneficial to cite the root text of the Namchö wisdom-mind treasure itself, I shall do so.

Root Text

The stages of the transference:

At my heart I visualize a red syllable HRĪḤ, Complete with the long vowel sign and visarga. From this there emerge six further HRĪḤs, To seal the gateways to rebirth in the six classes, Leaving the brahma-aperture open at my crown. Then, at my crown is Amitābha, ‘Boundless Light’, I visualize him and the two attendants as described above. Then my own consciousness appears As a white bindu marked with a syllable HRĪḤ, Which, I consider, transfers into Amitābha’s heart. Without even the slightest doubt or hesitation, I pray that I may be reborn in the land of great bliss. Samaya. Gya. Gya. Gya.

Then, the prayer for transference:

Emaho! Exceedingly wondrous protector Amitābha, Great Compassionate One, and Vajrapāṇi, the one of great power and might, With one-pointed mind, I pray to you: Grant your blessings so that my consciousness may be transferred to the land of great bliss! Samaya. Gya. Gya. Gya.

The prayer of aspiration was already cited above.

I, Rāgāsya composed this elaborate explanation of the transference of consciousness to Sukhāvatī, having been urged to do so by the words of the nirmāṇakāya [Mingyur Dorje] himself. Whatever contradictions, mistakes, and faults I may have made I hereby confess. Through this virtue may all sentient beings who see or hear this text be reborn in Sukhāvatī!

| Translated by Lhasey Lotsawa Translations and Adam Pearcey, 2016.

Bibliography

Tibetan sources

Padma chos rgyal. "gNam chos thugs kyi gter kha las bde chen zhing du 'pho ba'i gdams pa rgyas par bsgrigs pa" In dKar rnying gi skyes chen du ma'i phyag rdzogs kyi gdams ngag gnad bsdus nyer mkho rin po che'i gter mdzod. TBRC W20749. 21: 171 - 202. Darjeeling: Kargyu Sungrab Nyamso Khang, 1978-1985.

Secondary sources

Halkias, Georgios, T. "Pure-lands and Other Visions in Seventeenth-Century Tibet: A gNam chos sādhana for the Pure-land Sukhāvatī Revealed in 1658 by gNam chos Mi 'gyur rdo rje (1645–1667)" in Power, Politics, and the Reinvention of Tradition: Tibet in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century, Bryan J. Cuevas and Kurtis R. Schaeffer (eds) Leiden: Brill, 2006, pp. 103–128.

Kapstein, Matthew, T. "Pure Land Buddhism in Tibet? From Sukhāvatī to the Field of Great Bliss" in Richard K. Payne and Kenneth K. Tanaka (eds) Approaching the Land of Bliss: Religious Praxis in the Cult of Amitābha. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 2004, pp. 16–51. (includes a partial translation of this text)

Patrul Rinpoche. The Words of My Perfect Teacher. Translated by Padmakara Translation Group. Boston: Shambhala. 1998.

Skorupski, Tadeusz. "Funeral Rites for Rebirth in the Sukhāvatī Abode" in The Buddhist Forum: Volume VI. Tring: The Institute of Buddhist Studies, 2001, pp. 137–156 (includes a partial translation of this text)

Notes

i.e., Eastern Tibet  ↩

The fourth month in the Tibetan calendar.  ↩

The thirty-first year in the Tibetan cycle of sixty years.  ↩

Catuṣpīṭha. Although the Tibetan translators took the Sanskrit title of this tantra to be a reference to four seats (gdan bzhi), Péter-Dániel Szántó, has noted that the original meaning of pītha(m) in this context is more likely ‘heap’, and by extension ‘collection’, and by extension of that, ‘chapter’, so that a better translation might be The Four Vajra Chapters. See Péter-Dániel Szántó, Selected Chapters from the Catuṣpīṭhatantra: Introductory study with the annotated translation of selected chapters (D.Phil. Thesis), Balliol College, Oxford University, 2012, Part 1, p. 26.  ↩

Although some versions of the Tibetan have “mdo las” meaning “from the sūtras”, the texts of the Catuṣpīṭha preserved in the Tibetan canon have the similarly written “mod las” and it is the latter reading which has been followed here.  ↩

1) killing one’s father; 2) killing one’s mother; 3) killing an arhat; 4) creating a schism in the sangha; and 5) with a harmful intention, drawing blood from the body of the Tathāgata.  ↩

grong du 'jug pa'i 'pho ba (Skt. purapraveśa) literally means 'the transference of entering the city', but 'city' here signifies another's body.  ↩

Literally 'by the king'.  ↩

Although the Tibetan of Karma Chakme's text has skol, the original text of Nāropa’s Vajra Verses reads dga’ in all available versions and the translation has been made accordingly.  ↩

phru ma phus btab pa. Literally ‘like an inflated bladder’.  ↩

i.e., Bodhicaryāvatāra, X, 47.  ↩

bka' gdams glegs bam. See The Book of Kadam: The Core Texts, translated by Thupten Jinpa, Boston: Wisdom Publications, 2008, p. 248.  ↩

[bisiji3]

When did Maitreya become Buddha?

It’s very difficult to meet one.

Gautama Buddha had entered the Nirvana.

Below him, Maitreya became Buddha.

How long did he take?

From his end in Tuṣita to his manifestation as a Buddha in this world.

One day in Tuṣita is equivalent to 400 years in the mortal world.

One year there also takes 360 days.

By this calculation, each day there takes 400 years here.

He lived for 4,000 years.

So it approximately took 5.67 billion years

for him to incarnate.

5.67 billion years!

Our world, Jambu-dvīpa, has been through numerous small kalpas.

One small kalpa symbolizes one reduction of human life span.

The Buddhism scriptures said that humans can live as long as 84,000 years old.

One year is reduced per 100 years, down to 10.

We are in this reducing state.

In the time of Gautama Buddha, humans can live for 100 years.

Three thousand years have passed since then.

Nowadays, people live for 70 years in average.

One year will be reduced in the next century.

Reducing to 10-year old needs another 60 years of reduction.

So people will live for 10 years after 6,000 years.

Then one year will increase per 100 years, all the way to 84,000 years.

That is a small kalpa.

Maitreya became Buddha by taking 5.67 billion years.

That’s 70 million years at the end.

So we’re in this increasing-decreasing kalpa in this world.

It has to take numerous increasing-decreasing kalpas for Maitreya to come.

If now you say that Maitreya has come, that’s only the Nirmāṇakāya instead of incarnation in this world like Gautama Buddha, who manifested with fulfilled eight deeds.

No.

That incarnation is difficult to meet.

- Master Chin Kung

Excerpt from 彌勒菩薩什麼時候成佛？

[ngakpakonchokdorjetsondonmystic]

Refuge what make you Buddha student

An Essential Instruction on Refuge and Bodhicitta

by Patrul Rinpoche

In the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly I take refuge until I attain enlightenment. Through the merit of practising generosity and so on, May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.

Here I shall explain taking refuge, which is the foundation of the path to liberation, the basis of all vows, the source of all enlightened qualities and the point of differentiation between buddhists and non-buddhists, together with generating the mind of bodhicitta, which is the foundation for accomplishing the level of complete enlightenment and the source of all that is positive in existence and peace.

1. Taking Refuge

This has three sections: (i) the objects in which we take refuge, (ii) the duration of refuge and (iii) the actual practice of taking refuge.

i. The Objects of Refuge

There are three objects: the perfect Buddha who is the unsurpassable teacher, the sacred Dharma which is the unsurpassable protection and the supreme assembly of the noble sangha, who are the unsurpassable guides.

Buddha

The Buddha is the one endowed with the four kāyas and five wisdoms.

The four kāyas are:

The svābhāvikakāya, which is the nature of phenomenal reality devoid of any obscurations.

The dharmakāya, which is the unceasing aspect of wisdom.

The sambhogakāya, which is the self-appearing rūpakāya adorned with major and minor marks.

The nirmāṇakāya, which appears in order to tame disciples who are to be tamed.

The five wisdoms are:

The wisdom of dharmadhātu, which is the inherent purity of absolute space.

The mirror-like wisdom, which is wisdom’s unceasing clarity aspect.

The equalizing wisdom, which is the absence of attachment and aversion towards anyone or anything, near or far.

The wisdom of discernment, which knows objects without confusing or conflating them.

The all-accomplishing wisdom, which effortlessly brings about the welfare of others.

Dharma

The Dharma is identified as scripture and realization.

The Dharma of scripture consists of the three collections (piṭakas):

The Vinaya collection, which tames ('dul ba) the disturbing emotions in one’s mindstream.

The Sūtra collection of summarizing (mdo) texts in which points are arranged in categories.

The Abhidharma collection for generating the wisdom that clearly (mngon par) realizes the way things are.

The Dharma of realization is the threefold higher training:

The training in higher discipline, which is the subject matter of the vinaya collection.

The training in higher meditation, which is the subject matter of the sūtra collection.

The training in higher wisdom, which is the subject matter of the abhidharma collection.

The two truths [of cessation and the path] come from taking these three trainings into one’s experience, as abandonment and realization develop on the five paths and ten bhūmis. The truth of cessation is the perfect abandonment and the truth of the path is the perfect realization.

Sangha

The sangha is the irreversible sangha of bodhisattvas. These are the bodhisattvas on the ten bhūmis, who can not revert to saṃsāra, because they have realized emptiness directly through their wisdom, and who do not fall into the extreme of quiescence, because in their compassion they care for beings with the love of a mother for her only child.

ii. The Duration of Taking Refuge

The verse says “…until I attain enlightenment.” In this context, the mahāyāna level of taking refuge is distinguished by three features.

Difference in terms of Objects

The followers of the hīnayāna take as their refuge the supreme nirmāṇakāya Śākyamuni, who is “The Buddha, the supreme of all humans (literally ‘those on two legs’).” They do not accept the dharmakāya and sambhogakāya, and they believe that even the nirmāṇakāya stops benefitting beings once it has passed beyond this world. They believe that the Dharma jewel refers only to the state of nirvāṇa, which is the truth of cessation. They refer to this as “peace and supreme freedom from passions.” For them, the “sangha, which is the supreme of all assemblies” consists of the noble śrāvakas and pratyekabuddhas, the stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners and arhats.

In the mahāyāna, on the other hand, it is as I have explained above.

Difference in terms of Duration

The followers of the hīnayāna take refuge temporarily for as long as they live, and ultimately until they attain their own particular fruition.

Difference in terms of Attitude

The followers of the hīnayāna take refuge with an attitude of renunciation, wishing to find freedom from all the sufferings of saṃsāra for themselves alone. The followers of the mahāyāna take refuge with bodhicitta, in the wish that all sentient beings might attain buddhahood.

iii. The Actual Practice of Taking Refuge

When taking refuge with the words “I take refuge…” and so on, consider that in every atom appear buddhas as numerous as all the atoms in existence, each surrounded by an assembly of their bodhisattva heirs, reaching to the very limits of phenomenal reality. Consider that the enlightened minds of all these victorious buddhas and their bodhisattva sons and daughters are filled with the sacred Dharma of scripture and realization, and they all remain before you as great leaders, ready to care for and guide you and all sentient beings with their vast qualities of wisdom, love and power. As you remain before them, together with all other sentient beings, all clasping your palms together, you think the following, “From this moment on, until the essence of enlightenment is reached, we rely on you, Three Jewels, as our objects of refuge. We make offerings to you. You are our only practice. We have no other refuge or hope but you.” Then with total trust and heartfelt conviction, take refuge.

The Precepts of Taking Refuge

In this, there are six specific precepts and five general ones.

Six Specific Precepts

In the specific precepts, there are three things to avoid and three things to do.

Three Things to Avoid

Having taken refuge in the Buddha, you should not worship any gods who are still bound within the cycle of saṃsāra.

Having taken refuge in the Dharma, you should not inflict harm upon any sentient being.

Having taken refuge in the Saṅgha, you should not associate with friends who hold extreme views.

Three Things to Do

Practise according to the words of the Buddha and then, without forgetting them, generate faith and devotion. Show respect even for broken fragments of statues and images of the Buddha.

Exert yourself in studying, reflecting and meditating on the sacred Dharma. Show respect even for torn scriptures that represent the Dharma.

Respect the saṅgha who are followers of the Buddha, associate with virtuous friends, and treat even tiny pieces of yellow cloth as objects worthy of reverence.

Five General Precepts

Do not forsake the Three Jewels, even at the cost of your life.

Even in important ventures, do not seek other methods.

Do not interrupt your regular practice.

Encourage yourself and others to take refuge.

Pay homage to the buddha of whichever direction you travel.

2. Generating Bodhicitta

Generally there are said to be two levels to bodhicitta, the relative and the ultimate. Relative bodhicitta is the mind that is intent upon attaining perfect enlightenment for the sake of others, and ultimate bodhicitta is the wisdom that directly realizes emptiness.

Relative bodhicitta itself can be further divided into aspirational bodhicitta, which is like the wish to go somewhere, and the bodhicitta of application, which is like actually making the journey. In both cases, bodhicitta is generated through formal practice, and so it is known as ‘coarse bodhicitta arising from signs’.

Ultimate bodhicitta only arises through the power of meditating on the path, and is therefore known as ‘subtle bodhicitta, which is gained through reality itself’.

Relative bodhicitta has two points or aspects: compassion, which is focused on sentient beings, and wisdom, which is directed towards perfect enlightenment. If either of these two aspects is lacking, then it will not be the bodhicitta of the Mahāyāna, so it is important that they are both complete.

Here in the present context, the generation of aspirational bodhicitta alone has two aspects: focusing on merit which is the cause and aspiring towards perfect enlightenment which is the result.

The first of these is covered in the phrase “practising generosity and so on.” When all sources of virtue are categorized, they may be included within what are called ‘the three bases for creating merit’. These are the creation of merit through generosity, the creation of merit through discipline and the creation of merit through meditation. When we relate these to the six pāramitās, the first two relate to the pāramitās of the same name, and the creation of merit through meditation relates to patience, concentration and wisdom. Diligence assists them all.

These six pāramitās are also based on specific states of mind:

Generosity is an attitude of giving.

Discipline is an attitude of renunciation.

Patience is an attitude of imperturbability.

Diligence is an attitude of enthusiasm.

Concentration is non-distraction.

Wisdom is the precise discernment of phenomena.

The second aspect of aspiring towards the result of perfect enlightenment is covered in the phrase, “May I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all beings.” This is the actual bodhicitta endowed with the two points or aspects. “For the benefit of all beings” is the thought of who we are practising for, and is focusing on sentient beings with compassion. “May I attain buddhahood” is longing for what we are practising towards, and is wisdom directed towards complete enlightenment. It is therefore the aspirational bodhicitta, which is to think, “Through all these sources of virtue of mine, may I attain buddhahood for the benefit of all sentient beings who are as infinite as space!”

The Precepts of Aspirational Bodhicitta

In addition, there are the five precepts of aspirational bodhicitta, which are as follows:

Never giving up on sentient beings.

Continually reflecting on the benefits of bodhicitta.

Exerting yourself in the methods for accumulating merit and wisdom.

Applying yourself to the training in bodhicitta.

Adopting and abandoning the eight wholesome and unwholesome dharmas.

Giving up on just a single sentient being causes you to lose your bodhicitta of aspiration completely, so develop a wish to benefit all beings.

Reflecting on its benefits causes you to develop enthusiasm and apply yourself to arousing bodhicitta, so reflect continually on the benefits to be gained from the generation of bodhicitta.

Gathering the accumulations increases the strength of your bodhicitta, so accumulate merit and wisdom in various ways, such as the seven branch practice.

The training in bodhicitta has three elements:

training in the cause by meditating on the four immeasurables,

the actual training, which is to practise taking the vow of bodhicitta three times during the day and three times at night,

and the training in the precepts, the meditations on equalizing and exchanging yourself and others, and consider others as more important than yourself.

The four immeasurables are as follows:

Love, which is the wish that all beings who are unhappy may find happiness.

Compassion, which is the wish that all who are suffering may be freed from suffering.

Sympathetic joy, which is the wish that those who are happy and free from suffering may never be separated from their happiness.

Equanimity, which is the wish that those who feel attachment and aversion towards anyone, close or distant, may pacify their attachment and aversion.

The actual training in bodhicitta is to take the vow of bodhicitta by means of any formal practice—whether elaborate, medium or short—at the six times of the day and night, i.e., at dawn, mid-morning, midday, afternoon, dusk and midnight.

‘Equalizing self and others’ means recognizing the equality of yourself and others in wishing to find happiness and wishing to avoid suffering.

‘Exchanging self and others’ means giving your own happiness to other sentient beings, and taking their suffering upon yourself.

‘Considering others as more important than yourself’ means setting aside your own benefit and accomplishing the benefit of others.

The eight wholesome and unwholesome dharmas consist of four wholesome dharmas to be adopted and four unwholesome dharmas to be abandoned.

The four unwholesome dharmas are as follows:

Deceiving anyone worthy of veneration.

Feeling misplaced regret.

Abusing a holy person.

Cheating others.

The four wholesome dharmas are as follows:

Being careful never to lie, even at the cost of your life.

Setting everyone on the path to enlightenment.

Showing similar respect to bodhisattvas as you would to the Buddha.

Being honest to all beings.

If you apply yourself to these practices, then you will never forget the mind of bodhicitta in all your future lives, and all the qualities of the bhūmis and paths will develop and increase like the waxing moon.

Virtue!

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2004.

Namo GuruBhe Namo Buddhaya Namo Dharmaya Namo Sanghaya,

Taking refuge is realizing that our life is suffering, today some of us take refuge like we get batasie in church for luck what is wrong.

The real meaning of refuge is we understood the four noble truth, meaning that we had hard look to ourselves our life and others that yes life is suffering.

After understood this we saw that yes life is impermanent that body, that wealth , all of that well is there now but for how long ? Do we know what is our expiration date is ?

Third not the least well we see that we suffer we are here in time limits maybe time to give some real meaning to our life !

To my personal experience I took refuge many times, with many different Lamas till found Garchen Rinpoche who I took refuge two times with him so much I comit myself to free myself and other from samsara.

Taking Refuge is the start of the path we not just tsking refuge with a Lama, we take refuge with a lineage who liberated beings for centuries.

From my personal experience been Kagyu for long time from karma to Drikung because teachings of Drikung kagyu resonates better with me. That also what one needs to reflect when one take refuge, do the teacher resonates with me or not, do the teachings resonates with me or not.

Garchen Rinpoche and I share the same devotion for Lama Milarepa, same view on lot if things and yes some views I had for long time some I learned from him. That the power of refuge we commit on understood our world is suffering and we commit like the Buddha did to free ourselves from samsara and we understand that Maya illusion and disillusion are great.

One of my teacher say samsara show you a rose garden, but forgot to tell you all the torns on it, meaning we go for finding love in relationships for example forgetting that yes love is sweet but arguments are soar, or we aim for career well yes reputation good till someone decides to put your reputation to pieces.

All of that are the wake up call of samsara some stay a sleep forever some decides to awaken no matter what .

Now is your turn

[ubu507]

Nirmāṇakāya

[37q]

btw

dharmakāya:

saṃbhogakāya:

nirmāṇakāya:

if you even care

[forgetpast]

Như Lai (zh. 如來, sa., pi. तथागत tathāgata) là một danh hiệu của Phật được dịch từ tathāgata của tiếng Phạn. Chiết tự của tathāgata là tathā + āgata, và có thể được hiểu là "Người đã đến như thế" hoặc "Người đã đến từ cõi chân như". Sinh thời, Thích-ca-mâu-ni sử dụng danh từ này để tránh sử dụng ngôi thứ nhất "ta", "tôi" trong lúc giảng dạy, thuyết Pháp, để thể hiện sự khiêm tốn. Về sau, Như Lai được biến đổi thành một danh hiệu chỉ một Thánh nhân đã đến bậc giác ngộ cao nhất, bậc Chính đẳng chính giác (sa. samyaksambuddha). Như Lai là một trong mười danh hiệu của một vị Phật.

Với sự phát triển của Phật giáo theo thời gian, ý nghĩa của danh từ Như Lai đã biến đổi. Trong Đại thừa, Như Lai chỉ Ứng thân (sa. nirmāṇakāya, Tam thân) của Phật. Đó là con người toàn hảo, có thể xuất hiện dưới mọi dạng khác nhau, có Thập lực (sa. daśabala) của một vị Phật. Như Lai cũng là sự biểu hiện cụ thể của Chân như (sa. tathatā), thể tính của vũ trụ, được xem là sứ giả trực tiếp của Chân như, là gạch nối giữa hiện tượng và bản thể. Trong nhiều trường hợp, Như Lai được xem là đồng nghĩa với Trí huệ (sa. prajñā) và tính Không (sa. śūnyatā).

Trong kinh Kim Cương, đức Phật giảng: Như Lai là một thực tại như thế, không từ đâu đến cũng chẳng đi về đâu.

Ngũ trí Như Lai là 5 vị Phật tối cao của Phật giáo Tây Tạng và Mật tông.

[tashitobgay]

#Repost @translate84000 ・・・ SUNDAY QUOTE |The Three Bodies | While the Buddha is dwelling on Vulture Peak in Rājgṛha, the Bodhisattva Kṣitigarbha asks whether the Tathāgata has a body, to which the Buddha replies that the Tathāgata has three bodies: a dharmakāya, a saṃbhogakāya, and a nirmāṇakāya. The Buddha goes on to describe what constitutes these three bodies and their associated meaning. Read the fully translated sūtra [link in bio] here: http://read.84000.co/translation/toh283.html #HaveYouReadASutraYet #Education #Translate84000 #Translation #TranslationForPreservation #Preservation #WordsOfTheBuddha #BuddhaWords #WordsOfWisdom #WisdomHeritage #CulturalHeritage #PhilosophicalHeritage #LiteraryHeritage #Buddha #Buddhism #Dharma #Dhamma #History #Kangyur https://www.instagram.com/p/B6WuCcTACkwzIC4_WpFJ2_Jlv9gQTcIh1ubS800/?igshid=1rv54yd2u9cbe