The preliminary practices
Taking refuge
(From a state of deep faith visualize the assembly of enlightened beings and take refuge while reciting the following:)
I and all other mother sentient beings
Equal in number to the vastness of space
From this moment until we reach enlightenment
Take heartfelt refuge in the three Rare and Precious Gems
And especially in Maitreya Buddha. (x3)
Taking refuge and generating bodhicitta
I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly.
By my practice of giving and other perfections,
May I become a buddha to benefit all sentient beings. (x3)
The four immeasurables
(a) Immeasurable equanimity
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings
Were to abide in equanimity,
Free from hatred and attachment,
Not holding some close and others distant.
May they abide in equanimity;
I myself will cause them to abide in equanimity;
Please, guru-deity, bless me to be able to do this.
(While reciting this and the three following prayers, first visualize white purifying light coming from the objects of refuge, cleansing you of all obstacles that interfere with the generation of each immeasurable thought; then visualize golden yellow light coming from the objects of refuge, granting you the full realization of each thought.)
(b) Immeasurable love
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings
Had happiness and the causes of happiness.
May they have happiness and its causes;
I myself will cause them to have happiness and its causes;
Please, guru-deity, bless me to be able to do this.
(c) Immeasurable compassion
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings
Were free from suffering and the causes of suffering.
May they be free from suffering and its causes;
I myself will cause them to be free from suffering and its causes;
Please, guru-deity, bless me to be able to do this.
(d) Immeasurable joy
How wonderful it would be if all sentient beings
Were never separated from the happiness of higher rebirth and liberation.
May they never be separated from these;
I myself will cause them never to be separated from these;
Please, guru-deity, bless me to be able to do this.
Generating special bodhicitta
(Recite and think deeply about the following:)
For the sake of all mother sentient beings
I shall quickly, quickly, in this very life,
Attain the state of enlightenment.
Therefore, I shall now practice
The profound yogic method of Buddha Maitreya.
The Main body
Emptiness meditation
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM
I and all universally existent phenomena are recognized as non-duality.
(While reciting this mantra, contemplate on the non-dual nature of all phenomena, including yourself. Meditate upon the emptiness of inherent existence; then from the space of this emptiness arise as follows:)
Emergence from emptiness
In the empty space of non-duality
Appear eight mighty snow lions
Supporting a precious jeweled throne
Upon which rests a lotus and moon disc.
And upon this vast, white moon disc
My mind manifests as a syllable HUM,33
Brilliant golden light, the size of a sesame seed.
(Let your mind sink into this syllable completely and try to contemplate without differentiation of subject and object. You are this golden syllable HUM.)
Accomplishing the two purposes
From this syllable
Radiant light shines out in all ten directions
Making offerings of exquisite beauty to all buddhas and bodhisattvas
And then purifying the negative energy of all sentient beings,
Leading them to the state of enlightenment.
Once these two purposes have been accomplished
This light dissolves back into my mind.
Self-generation
Instantly
I become Maitreya Buddha,
With a clear light body, golden in color,
With one face and two arms.
My two hands are poised at my heart
In the mudra of turning the wheel of Dharma.
In each hand I hold the stem of a lotus;
Upon the right is a wheel; upon the left is a vase.
My black hair is pulled back and tied in a knot
And my head is crowned with a stupa of enlightenment.
My face wears a smiling, peaceful expression
And my body is adorned with the eighty qualities
And thirty-two marks of magnificence.
Precious ornaments decorate my body
And I emanate an aura of five-colored light
As I am seated in the majestic position
With my feet planted firmly upon the ground.
Three syllables adorn my body:
A white OM at my crown,
A red AH at my throat
And a blue HUM at my heart.
Invocation of the wisdom beings
From the blue HUM at my heart,
Much brilliant blue light radiates out to Tushita,
Invoking the wisdom beings in the form of Maitreya,
Who come back with the light and melt into me.
(Generate the strong divine pride that you have actually become Maitreya Buddha and visualize yourself vividly as having a brilliant form made of clear light, as transparent as crystal.)
Offerings to oneself as Maitreya
(a) Removing interferences
(Recite the following mantra while visualizing that all impure energies— particularly those deriving from the mistaken view of inherent existence—are chased away from the objects of offering:)
OM VAJRA AMRITA KUNDALI HANA HANA HUM PHAT
(b) Dissolution into emptiness
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM
Everything becomes empty
(c) Transformation and blessing
All the offerings are recognized as non-duality,
Yet manifesting in the form of the individual offerings
And functioning to elicit the experience of bliss,
As objects to be enjoyed by all the six senses.
(The elaborate visualization can be done as follows. The eight objects of offering dissolve into emptiness, from which the eight syllables OM appear. These transform into offering bowls each containing the syllable HUM. The HUMs dissolve into light and transform into the individual objects of offering. Then visualize that above each offering bowl are the syllables OM, AH, and HUM in ascending order. Recite the following eight blessing mantras. As you recite OM, white light radiates from the syllable above the first offering into the ten directions of space and draws the enlightened quality of the holy body of all buddhas and bodhisattvas back into the OM, which then sinks into the offering bowl. In a similar fashion, red light from the AH and blue from the HUM draw back the enlightened qualities of the speech and mind of these holy beings. In this way all eight offerings are transformed and blessed.)
OM ARGHAM AH HUM
OM PADYAM AH HUM
OM PUSHPE AH HUM
OM DHUPE AH HUM
OM ALOKE AH HUM
OM GANDE AH HUM
OM NAIVIDYA AH HUM
OM SHAPTA AH HUM
(d) Presentation of the offerings
(While reciting the following offering mantras and performing the appropriate mudras, visualize offering goddesses emanating from your heart, presenting the offerings to yourself as Maitreya Buddha and then dissolving back into your heart.)
OM ARYA ARGHAM PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA34
OM ARYA PADYAM PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
OM ARYA PUSHPE PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
OM ARYA DHUPE PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
OM ARYA ALOKE PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
OM ARYA GANDE PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
OM ARYA NAIVIDYA PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
OM ARYA SHAPTA PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA
Praise
(Thinking deeply about the excellent qualities of Maitreya Buddha, recite the following prayer:)
I pay homage and offer praise to Maitreya Buddha
Who, by accomplishing the meditation of loving-kindness,
Has conquered all enemies and harm: the negative forces of Mara,
And cares for all mother sentient beings with great compassion.
Recitation of the mantra
(With strong concentration visualize the following as clearly as possible:)
At my heart is a moon disc
Upon which rests the golden syllable HUM 35
Surrounded by the glowing letters of the mantra:
OM AH MAITRI SARVA SIDDHI HUM
From these much brilliant light radiates in all ten directions
Filling the entire universe and purifying all negative energy
—Just as the rays of the sun instantly eliminate darkness—
And leading all beings to the state of Maitreya Buddha.
Again light radiates forth in the form of magnificent offerings,
Which are presented to Maitreya, residing in Tushita,
And also to the buddhas and bodhisattvas in all ten directions.
The blessings and inspiration of the three doors of these holy beings
Are drawn back in the form of nectar and radiant light
That melt into the syllable and mantra at my heart,
Infusing my mind with the bliss of enlightenment.
(Now recite the mantra as many times as possible, maintaining divine pride and the clarity of the visualization. During the recitation, the meditations on loving-kindness and compassion and the visualization of purifying light and nectar can be continued.)
Optional offerings and praise
(At this point, if desired, you may repeat the offerings to oneself as Maitreya and the praise above.)
Meditation on the graduated path to enlightenment
(At this point you may do a glance meditation on the entire graduated path to enlightenment—using short texts such as The Foundation of All Good Qualities, The Three Principal Aspects of the Path, Lines of Experience or A Glance Meditation on All the Important Points of the Lamrim36—or you may select a particular point and meditate upon its meaning.)
Conclusion
Dedication
(By means of the following prayers, dedicate whatever positive energy has been generated by this meditation to the complete enlightenment of all mother sentient beings:)
Due to the merits of these virtuous actions
May I quickly attain the state of Buddha Maitreya
And lead all living beings, without exception,
Into his enlightened state.
May the supreme jewel bodhicitta
That has not arisen, arise and grow;
And may that which has arisen not diminish
But increase more and more.
Colophon: This sadhana was prepared from teachings given by Lama Thubten Yeshe at Tushita Retreat Centre Dharamsala, India in March, 1981, in response to requests made by members of Maitreya Institute, Netherlands. It was first edited by Jonathan Landaw and re-edited for this book by Nicholas Ribush. May all beings be happy!
NOTES
33 Or you can visualize the seed syllable of Maitreya, MEM. [Return to text]
34 Or OM ARYA MAITREYA ARGHAM PRATICCHA HUM SVAHA…etc. [Return to text]
35 Or MEM. [Return to text]
36 See Appendix 4. [Return to text]
