Bodhisattva Earth Treasure Unification Sadhana

Yutang Lin


Preliminaries

Arrange offerings as usual.
Do prostration three times.


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 Bodhisattva Earth Treasure.


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, 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 Bodhisattva Earth Treasure, with Shakyamuni Buddha presiding in the space above him, and they are surrounded by all other 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 Bodhisattva Earth Treasure in the sky and recite together in unison:

I take refuge in the Vajra Guru.
I take refuge in the Bodhisattva Earth Treasure.
I take refuge in harmonious Buddha Dharma.
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. Bodhisattva Earth Treasure, on behalf of all holy beings, grants refuge to all sentient beings. From the heart chakra of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure rays of golden 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 golden 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. Offering

Visualize that all sentient beings take delight in participating the making of extensive and long-term offerings and donations, and that they join the practitioner in reciting in unison the following stanza:

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 blue, white, yellow, red and green color that enlighten the whole Dharmadhatu and give blessings to all sentient beings. Then all holy beings other than the Shakyamuni Buddha and Bodhisattva Earth Treasure transform into lights and merge into the Shakyamuni Buddha. And then the Shakyamuni Buddha also transforms into light that descends through the top of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure and merges into Bodhisattva Earth Treasure's heart chakra.


6. 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:

Capable of converting the difficult-to-convert ones, and rescuing beings at each recurrence of their fallings.

Entering mud without being polluted, hells transmit lights of original purity.

Having unified and harmonized the limitless oneness, thus through Your Holiness we abide in compassion.

Engaging in salvation activities through kalpas, laboring so much that you had forgotten about attaining Buddhahood.

Holy Bodhisattva Earth Treasure emits pure lights,
Spiritual nature of sentient beings in all directions are revealed!

Holy Bodhisattva Earth Treasure enunciates clear sounds,
Sorrows of sentient beings at all times are eradicated!

Holy Bodhisattva Earth Treasure always remembered,
Even trapped in the hells one is free from sufferings of sins!

Holy Bodhisattva Earth Treasure is the savior,
Even regressed or lost ones will still find salvation!

Visualize that Bodhisattva Earth Treasure, upon hearing this praise, is very pleased by the right faith of the practitioner and the sentient beings. Bodhisattva Earth Treasure emits bright golden lights from his heart chakra shining through the whole Dharmadhatu and giving blessings to all sentient beings. Then Bodhisattva Earth Treasure 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 compassion.


7. Accomplishment

Visualize that, through the nectar blessing of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure, 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 Earth Treasure, 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 seat supported by eight lions.

Then above the seat there appears, one after the other and one above the other, a lotus, a sun cushion and a moon cushion. At the center of the moon cushion there appears a golden seed word "Hsri" standing upright. Hsri transforms into Bodhisattva Earth Treasure with golden brilliant rainbow body, appearing as a monk wearing monk's robes, and sitting in lotus posture. His right hand is in the mudra of Granting Fearlessness. His left hand holds a lotus flower. In the heart chakra of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure there is a lotus, above which is a sun cushion, and a moon cushion atop. Standing upright at the center of this moon cushion is a golden seed word "Hsri." Evenly distributed around and above the circumference of the moon cushion are the words constituting the Heart Mantra of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure. All words of this mantra wheel are golden in color and are arranged counterclockwise in their regular order.

The Heart Mantra of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure

Weng, Yan Man Ta Shi, So Ha


8. Spinning

Recite the Heart Mantra and simultaneously visualize that the mantra wheel in the heart chakra is spinning. The word Hsri 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 golden light spreading in all directions throughout the whole Dharmadhatu. With each wave of golden light countless numbers of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure are sent forth. These Bodhisattvas Earth Treasure surf the waves of light to all corners of the Dharmadhatu in order to salvage all sorts of sentient beings.


9. 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 transforming into foul and black air, and yet are inhaled by Bodhisattva Earth Treasure out of great compassion. While holding the breath visualize that all such foul and black air has been purified by the profound wisdom and countless merits of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure into clean and fresh air of wisdom and compassion which will nourish the wisdom life of each and every sentient being. While exhaling visualize that this clean and fresh air of wisdom and compassion permeates the whole Dharmadhatu, nourishing and maturing all sentient beings so that they would open and expand their minds and attain full enlightenment soon.


10. Identification

Having merged through the communion in one breath of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure and all sentient beings, Bodhisattva Earth Treasure 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 Bodhisattva Earth Treasure appears in human form as the practitioner to facilitate teaching and salvaging sentient beings in this world in accordance with their various aptitudes and conditions. Then Bodhisattva Earth Treasure descends from the seat. Afterwards Bodhisattva Earth Treasure employs the form, speeches and activities of the practitioner to expand ingenious contrivances in limitless fashions toward the compassionate salvation of all sentient beings.


Epilog

On the eve of Mid-autumn Festival of this year I met disciple Stanley Lam in Hong Kong. Then he requested that I compose this sadhana for Buddhists interested in the Dharma Gate of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure to adopt as a daily practice. Since I returned to my residence in the United States I had been busy with many Dharma activities. Only until today had I found time and leisure to reverently compose this sadhana. May the merciful blessing of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure be granted so that all who adopt this as a daily practice will attain realization of Bodhisattva Earth Treasure soon!


Written in Chinese on November 25, 2006
Translated into English on November 26, 2006
A Study for the Cultivation of Harmony
El Cerrito, California, USA


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