Manjusri Unification Sadhana
Yutang Lin
Preliminaries
Arrange offerings as usual.
Regular Practice
Ascend the seat and practice in accordance with the sadhana as follows:
1. Motivation
Fold palms together and sincerely recite:
In a blink the swift changes of impermanence may arrive,
Sentient beings are drifting in the ocean of suffering,
This altruistic session born of sober clarity is all too precious,
For all beings this sadhana is practiced to realize Manjusri.
2. Original Purity
Rest the hands in Dhyana mudra, and silently recite three times:
All things are conditional phenomena,
Mutually dependent and coexistent;
Renouncing antagonistic discriminations,
All appear as original purity in oneness.
Visualize the whole Dharmadhatu return to original purity, and appear as boundless sky-blue light.
3. Totality
Visualize that all the four classes of saints and the six realms of sentient beings appear from this blue light.
Visualize that one's father and mother are to the right and left side, all beings related to one through past karma to the front, and the rest of the sentient beings behind. Among the six realms of sentient beings behind one, those in hells who need salvation most are closest to one, and then are the other beings in the order of hungry ghosts, animals, humans, asuras, and finally the heavenly beings. All sentient beings are facing the same direction as the practitioner.
Visualize that in the space in front of the practitioner are all the holy beings: Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Arahats, Pratyeka-Buddhas, Dharma Protectors, etc. At the center is the orange color two-armed Bodhisattva Manjusri with youthful features, right hand holding the sword of Wisdom, and left hand holding the stem of a five-color lotus that upholds "The Heart of Sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion Sastra." He sits in the lotus posture on a sun cushion that is above a moon cushion at the center of a five-color lotus, and the lotus is above a throne supported by eight snow-lions. Manjusri is surrounded by layers after layers of all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and holy beings. With great compassion all holy beings look attentively at all the sentient beings below.
4. Taking Refuge
Fold palms together and sincerely recite three times the following refuge formula while visualizing that all sentient beings are gazing with admiration at Manjusri in the sky and recite together in unison:
I take refuge in the Vajra Guru.
I take refuge in Bodhisattva Manjusri.
I take refuge in the Compassion Sastra.
I take refuge in holy beings of Bodhi.
Visualize that all holy beings are rejoicing over sentient beings' ability to recognize and choose the path toward liberation. Manjusri, on behalf of all holy beings, grants refuge to all sentient beings. From the heart chakra of Manjusri rays of orange light radiates forth to each and every sentient being. In this way each sentient being's bad karma is eradicated, merits increased, and Bodhicitta nurtured. This ray of orange light then stays, like a candle flame, in the heart of the sentient being, shines forth the light of Bodhi, and sheds light on the right path of Bodhi forever.
5. Prostration
While repeating each of the fifteen salutations below make one prostration. With each prostration visualize that light of the color cited after that salutation permeates the whole Dharmadhatu.
I reverently salute the Earth Element that permeates the whole Dharmadhatu! (Yellow)
I reverently salute the Water Element that permeates the whole Dharmadhatu! (White)
I reverently salute the Fire Element that permeates the whole Dharmadhatu! (Red)
I reverently salute the Wind Element that permeates the whole Dharmadhatu! (Green)
I reverently salute the Space Element that permeates the whole Dharmadhatu! (Blue)I reverently salute the Wisdom of Equal Nature! (Yellow)
I reverently salute the Wisdom of All Comprehensive Mirror! (White)
I reverently salute the Wisdom of Wondrous Observation! (Red)
I reverently salute the Wisdom of Achieving Accomplishments! (Green)
I reverently salute the Wisdom of Dharmadhatu Nature! (Blue)I reverently salute the Sambhogakaya of Buddha that is the harmonious union of Wisdom and Compassion! (Yellow)
I reverently salute the Sahajakaya of Buddha that is the harmonious union of Wisdom and Compassion! (White)
I reverently salute the Mahasukhakaya of Buddha that is the harmonious union of Wisdom and Compassion! (Red)
I reverently salute the Nirmanakaya of Buddha that is the harmonious union of Wisdom and Compassion! (Green)
I reverently salute the Dharmakaya of Buddha that is the harmonious union of Wisdom and Compassion! (Blue)
6. Offering
Visualize that all sentient beings take delight in participating in the making of extensive and long-term offerings and donations, and that they join the practitioner in reciting in unison the following stanzas:
Filling the whole Dharmadhatu with treasures,
Pouring all attainments of the wisdom path,
Offered without reluctance nor omission;Beg to accept out of compassion and empathy,
Exhibit skillful display of the wondrous Dharma,
Salvage without neglect nor omission.
Visualize that all holy beings are delighted by the Bodhicitta, which is the pure motivation underlying these offerings, and therefore gladly accept and enjoy the offerings. Each and every holy being obtains complete enjoyment of all sorts. All holy beings emit lights in yellow, white, red, green and blue color that enlighten the whole Dharmadhatu and give blessings to all sentient beings. Then all holy beings other than Manjusri transform into lights and merge into Manjusri's heart chakra.
7. Praise
Recite with ardent devotion and may use accompanying Dharma instruments such as bell, drum, inverted bell (Yin Qing) and wooden fish; visualize that all sentient beings join the practitioner in ardently reciting in unison the following praise:
Bodhisattva Manjusri swings the sword of Wisdom,
Sorrows of sentient beings in all directions are cut off!Bodhisattva Manjusri enunciates the Lion's Roar,
Upon hearing it sentient beings at all times are awakened!Bodhisattva Manjusri always remembered,
Even trapped in the mire of five pollutions one remains spotless!Bodhisattva Manjusri is the savior,
Comprehending all phenomena as of Blank Essence, one escapes Samsara!Wondrous Wisdom profound, thorough and free from grasping to forms,
Amid forms create applications that could extensively benefit sentient beings.
Myriads of things are used at ease as they arise to provide Dharma teachings.
As nothing is not accommodated the Wisdom of Sunyata would be realized.
Visualize that Bodhisattva Manjusri, upon hearing this praise, is very pleased by the right faith of the practitioner and the sentient beings. Bodhisattva Manjusri emits bright orange lights from his heart chakra shining through the whole Dharmadhatu and giving blessings to all sentient beings. Then Bodhisattva Manjusri sprinkles showers of nectar upon sentient beings to purify their karma of body, speech and mind. The nectar is also granted for sentient beings to drink in order to nourish their wisdom and expand their life span.
8. Recite Sastra
Recite from memory the following Sastra three times.
The Heart of Sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion Sastra
Dr. Yutang LinWherever Bodhisattva Manjusri practices sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion effortlessly, He intuitively understands that the five aggregates are of one essence, thus enduring all suffering and difficulties. “Sudhana! Phenomena are inseparable from essence, and essence is inseparable from phenomena; phenomena are identical to essence, and essence is identical to phenomena. Feeling, conceptualization, motivation and consciousness are also inseparable from and identical to essence.”
“Sudhana! The Limitless-Oneness of all these things transcends existence and non-existence, attraction and repulsion, plurality and singularity. Therefore the Limitless-Oneness contains phenomena, contains feeling, conceptualization, motivation, consciousness; contains eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; contains color, sound, odor, flavor, touch, impression; contains eye-species up to and including perceptual-consciousness-species; contains Ignorance and elimination of Ignorance, up to and including senility and death and elimination of senility and death; contains suffering, its causes, its transcendence, the path toward its transcendence; and transcends Loving-kindness and loss. Since there is transcendence of loss, by sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion, a Bodhisattva's mind is free from attachment. Since there is no attachment, there is no criticism. There is freedom from prejudiced discriminations, and Nirvana is realized.”
“Buddhas of the past, present and future attain the Unsurpassable Right and Full Enlightenment by sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion. Therefore sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion is known to be the great mind mantra, the great loving-kindness mantra, the indiscrimination mantra, the all-encompassing mantra, capable of enduring all suffering, absolute and joyous. Hence, the mantra of sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion is to be proclaimed.” So He utters the mantra:
9. Accomplishment
Visualize that, through the nectar blessing of Bodhisattva Manjusri, all sentient beings in the whole Dharmadhatu have returned to the original purity; they all transform and merge into a boundless sky-blue light. Bodhisattva Manjusri, having thus purified all sentient beings, also transforms and merges into this light of original purity. The whole Dharmadhatu becomes a limitless and indiscriminative Oneness.
In this vast expanse of blue brilliance, suddenly there appears a karma vajra. Above the karma vajra, there appears a magnificent Dharma throne supported by eight snow-lions. Then above the throne there appears, one after the other and one above the other, a five-color lotus, a moon cushion and a sun cushion. At the center of the sun cushion there appears an orange seed word "Di" 
standing upright. Di transforms into Manjusri with brilliant orange rainbow body, complete with all adornments of a Sambhogakaya, with youthful features, right hand holding the sword of Wisdom, and left hand holding the stem of a five-color lotus that upholds "The Heart of Sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion Sastra." He sits in the lotus posture. In the heart chakra of Manjusri there is a lotus, above which is a moon cushion, and a sun cushion atop. Standing upright at the center of this sun cushion is an orange seed word "Di." Evenly distributed around and above the circumference of the sun cushion are the six syllables that constitute the Heart Mantra of Bodhisattva Manjusri. All six words of this mantra wheel are orange in color and are arranged counterclockwise in their regular order.
The Heart Mantra of Bodhisattva Manjusri
Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance for all, tolerance with joy, bodhi svaha!
A La Ba Zha Na Di
10. Spinning
Recite the Heart Mantra and simultaneously visualize that the mantra wheel in the heart chakra is spinning. The word Di at the center remains still. The mantra wheel spins clockwise with ever increasing speed. After a long while of spinning, the mantra wheel gradually slows down until it comes to a complete stop. As the mantra wheel spins, it simultaneously emits waves of orange light spreading in all directions throughout the whole Dharmadhatu. With each wave of orange light countless numbers of Bodhisattva Manjusri are sent forth. These Manjusris surf the waves of light to all corners of the Dharmadhatu in order to salvage all sorts of sentient beings.
11. One Breath
With mouth closed and tongue touching the upper front palate, practice deep breathing through the nostrils. While inhaling visualize that the ignorance, sinful karma, sickness, suffering, sorrows, karmic hindrances, etc., of all sentient beings are thoroughly comprehended through the Wisdom of All Comprehensive Mirror. Then transform them by the Wisdom of Equal Nature into foul and black air, and then with the complete fearlessness of the Wisdom of Dharmadhatu Nature inhale all of them. While holding the breath visualize that all such foul and black air has been purified by Bodhisattva Manjusri's Wisdom of Achieving Accomplishments and transformed into clean and fresh air of the Wisdom of Wondrous Observation that will nourish the wisdom life of each and every sentient being. While exhaling visualize that this clean and fresh air of wisdom permeates the whole Dharmadhatu, nourishing and maturing all sentient beings so that they would comprehend and realize the Wisdom of Dharmadhatu Nature. Thus practice deep breathing ten times.
12. Identification
Having merged through the communion in one breath of Manjusri and all sentient beings, the Bodhisattva and sentient beings transform into light and become one in the brilliant blue light of original purity. The nominal distinction between "Bodhisattva" and "sentient being" gradually fades away.
The whole Dharmadhatu again appears as limitless blue brilliance. From this brightness of original purity Manjusri appears in human form as the practitioner to facilitate teaching and salvaging of sentient beings in this world in accordance with their various aptitudes and conditions. Then Manjusri descends from the seat. Afterwards Manjusri employs the form, speeches and activities of the practitioner to expand ingenious contrivances in limitless fashions toward the compassionate salvation of all sentient beings.
Auspicious Completion
Epilog
This Sadhana was written in Chinese on February 19, 2005. On the 18th, a 10th day of the lunar month when tantric practitioners make offerings to Gurus, before wake up I received instructions in a dream that I was to compose Manjusri Sadhana based on Sunyata philosophy. Therefore, based on the Chinese original of the White Chenrezi Unification Sadhana and the Chinese ritual on Manjusri Virtuous Name Sutra, both composed by me, I composed the Chinese original of this Manjusri Sadhana.
Thanks to my disciple Detong Dakini for obtaining the Tibetan words for use in this work.
To help understand "The Heart of Sublimation through Limitless-Oneness Compassion Sastra" please read my work, "Wisdom and Compassion in Limitless-Oneness."
February 26, 2005
A Study for the Cultination of Harmony
El Cerrito, California
[Home][Back to list][Back to Chinese versions]