RIME SADHANA TEXTS

RIME BUDDHIST CENTER

ACHIEVING PEACE THROUGH
COMPASSION
L ama M atthew Palden Gocha Vision Statement
Spir itual Director
The Rime Buddhist Center is a
non-sectarian center dedicated to the
Shr ine Room Etiquette and Protocols cultivation of wisdom and compassion.
The Center is a refuge for the nurturing
These guidelines are simply a matter of courtesy. Courtesy that springs from of inner peace, kindness, community
the heart, a result of respect, has since ancient times, formed a part of understanding and world peace.
spiritual disciplines. To be courteous, respectful, and polite is not superficial,
The Center?s primary objective is to
but can be a great practice of mindfulness and a way to develop bodhisattva
provide a qualified program of Buddhist
actions. It is with this attitude that one may approach the particular kind of
studies and Tibetan culture taught by
attention to detail that showing respect involves, be it to a lama, in a shrine
monks, lamas and other Tibetan
room, or in ordinary daily interactions.
teachers, and to promote a harmonious
- Shoes should be removed and left at the door. relationship of understanding between
- Hats should never be worn in the shrine room. Tibetans and Westerners.
- Short clothing or revealing garments are not appropriate attire. If
lower garments are revealing, it is wise to bring a shawl to drape M ission Statement
over the legs while sitting. The Center has two major purposes:
- Do not sit with legs outstretched in front of you if you are facing the
shrine or the teacher. This is considered a sign of disrespect, and of - To provide a center for the study and
course, lying down shows great discourtesy. If you must stretch your practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
legs out in front of you, be sure they are pointing away from the - To help preserve the endangered Tibetan
teacher or shrine. culture by offering classes in Tibetan
- Dharma books and puja texts should never be placed directly on the language, arts, and religion for Western
floor, out of respect for the truth that they contain, but should be students and scholars, and to have these
placed on a table or cushion. Texts should never be stepped over, resources available to the Midwest.
stepped on or sat on.
- When entering the shrine room, a Buddhist practitioner may do three
prostrations facing the shrine, or make a short bow with hands
folded.
Rime Center Sadhana Pr actice
A sadhana is a ritual text presenting the means to accomplish one or several Yidam
deities, who in essence are the ultimate state of a Buddha. As we follow the
tantric sadhana practice texts and actualize their meaning, we develop an A meditation deity that is said to confer
enlightened vision of the world: we visualize and invoke the presence of the supreme accomplishment on the
Buddha or yidam deity in the sky before us, and our surroundings as a pure meditator. A practitioner of the tantras
realm or ?Buddha field?, while recognizing that all sounds are mantra, and all seeks to experientially cultivate union
thoughts are primordial wisdom. This process is at first artificial, something with that deity through the generation
which is developed or generated through the practices of creation and stage of meditation.
completion, but the visualizations correspond to the visionary experience of Yidams assume diverse forms. They
enlightened beings. By adopting these new habits of perception, we can may be peaceful or wrathful, single or
weaken the ordinary habits of gross perception based on ignorance and united with a consort, alone or
emotional tendencies, and put ourselves in touch with a more subtle level of accompanied by retainers. In all cases,
experience. however, it is essential that the
These sadhana texts contains supplications and prayers to Green Tara and meditational deity should not be
Medicine Buddha in the form of Padmasambhava, along with a short period perceived as an externally existing or
of meditation and mantra chanting. Prayers in Buddhism are not aimed at independent being but rather as a form
some higher being, but rather to the innate qualities of enlightenment we all or resonance of Buddha-mind itself.
have that are temporarily obscured by our negative emotions. Prayer is better
understood as aspirational in nature.
GREEN TARA SADHANA
L ama M atthew Palden Gocha Vision Statement
Spir itual Director
The Rime Buddhist Center is a
non-sectarian center dedicated to the
Green Tar a Sadhana Pr actice cultivation of wisdom and compassion.
The Center is a refuge for the nurturing
This a wonderful practice to do that helps eliminates fears and obstacles (i.e. of inner peace, kindness, community
fears within your mind) from one?s life. Tara is a completely enlightened understanding and world peace.
Buddha who made a promise in the distant past that after reaching complete
The Center?s primary objective is to
enlightenment she would always appear in the form of a female for the
provide a qualified program of Buddhist
benefit of all beings. She especially protects all sentient beings from the eight
studies and Tibetan culture taught by
great fears.
monks, lamas and other Tibetan
Green Tar a teachers, and to promote a harmonious
relationship of understanding between
Tara embodies many of the qualities of feminine principle. She is the source,
Tibetans and Westerners.
the female aspect of the universe, which gives birth to warmth, compassion
and relief from bad karma as experienced by ordinary beings in cyclic M ission Statement
existence. She engenders, nourishes, smiles at the vitality of creation, and has
The Center has two major purposes:
sympathy for all beings as a mother does for her children. As Green Tara she
offers protection from all the unfortunate circumstances one can encounter - To provide a center for the study and
within the samsaric world. practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
- To help preserve the endangered Tibetan
Her right hand is in the mudra of giving, and her left hand the mudra of
culture by offering classes in Tibetan
fearlessness through going for refuge to the three jewels. Her left leg is
language, arts, and religion for Western
tucked up in the meditation posture and her right leg is stepping down into
students and scholars, and to have these
the world. The left leg symbolizes her meditation, while the right symbolizes
resources available to the Midwest.
her compassionate activity in the world.
Eight Great Fear s
The eight great fears are considered to have an outer aspect and an inner
aspect? the mental defilements they represent. While the outer fears, or
dangers, threaten our life or property, the inner ones endanger us spiritually
by obstructing or turning us away from the path to enlightenment. They are
the fears of: drowning or water, thieves, lions, snakes, fire, spirits or Yidam
flesh-eating demons, captivity or imprisonment, and elephants.
A meditation deity that is said to confer
Their respective inner counterparts are: craving or attachment, wrong or false supreme accomplishment on the
views, pride, envy or jealousy, hatred or anger, doubt, avarice, and delusion meditator. A practitioner of the tantras
or ignorance. seeks to experientially cultivate union
Another way to think of them is to consider the flood of attachment, the with that deity through the generation
thieves of wrong views, the lion of pride, the snakes of jealousy, the fire of stage of meditation.
anger, the carnivorous demon of doubt, the chains of miserliness or greed, Yidams assume diverse forms. They
and the elephant of ignorance. may be peaceful or wrathful, single or
Why We Do This Pr actice united with a consort, alone or
accompanied by retainers. In all cases,
According to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, "There are so many inner obstacles to however, it is essential that the
the development of your mind, and these inner obstacles create many outer meditational deity should not be
obstacles. Therefore, for the success of your Dharma practice, of your perceived as an externally existing or
actualizing the graduated path to enlightenment, you must rely upon a special independent being but rather as a form
deity, or Buddha, such as Tara. All the actions of the Buddhas have or resonance of Buddha-mind itself.
manifested in this female aspect of Buddha, Tara the Liberator, in order to
help living beings to accomplish successfully both temporal and ultimate
happiness."
 The Shor t Pr actice of Green Tar a Seed Syllable - B?j ?
Praises to the Twenty-One Taras
In Buddhism, the Sanskrit term B?j?,
literally seed, is used as a metaphor for
NAMO ARYA TARAYE the origin or cause of things and cognate
I pay homage to Arya Avalokitesvara, the treasury of compassion. with bindu, "point" or "dot".
From the supreme place, the Potala, born from a green syllable TAM, In Vajrayana Buddhism the term b?ja is
used for mystical "seed syllables"
liberating beings with the light of TAM,
contained within mantras. These seeds
Tara, I pray that you approach with your retinue. do not have precise meanings, but are
thought to carry connections to spiritual
principles. The best-known b?ja syllable
The Seven-Br anch Pr ayer is OM, first found in the Hindu
I pay homage to the mother Tara, scriptures the Upanishads.

to whose lotus feet the gods and asuras lower their crowns, TAM

who liberates from all poverty. The Seven-Br anch Pr ayer

To the noble Arya Tara and to the buddhas and bodhisattvas This supplication relates directly to the
seven offering bowls of water on the
in the ten directions and the three times, shrine. The seven limbs of the
I bow to you with complete faith. supplication are prostrating, offering,
confession, rejoicing in the good
I make offerings both actual and imagined
qualities of oneself and others,
of such things as flowers, incense, lamps, food, music, and much else. requesting the Buddhas to remain in this
world, beseeching them to teach others,
I beseech the holy assemblage to accept these offerings.
and dedicating the merit. This particular
From beginningless time until now, I repent all the ten unvirtuous acts, prayer includes language that reflects
the five actions of immediate consequence and all the other negative actions the healing nature of this sadhana.

I have committed when influenced by mental affliction. Seven branches as antidotes:

I rejoice in the merit of whatever virtue - Prostration, the antidote to pride

- Offering, the antidote to avarice
sravakas, pratyekabuddhas, bodhisattvas, and ordinary people - Confession, the antidote to
have gathered throughout the three times. aggression
- Rejoicing, the antidote to jealousy
I pray that the wheel of the dharma be turned - Requesting to turn the wheel of
in the form of the greater and lesser vehicles for as many different aptitudes Dharma, the antidote to ignorance
- Requesting not to pass into
as are present in the motivations of all sentient beings. parinirvana, the antidote to wrong
I beseech the buddhas not to pass into nirvana but, views
- Dedication of merit, the antidote
until samsara is completely emptied,
to doubts
to look with great compassion on all sentient beings
who flounder in this ocean of frustration and sorrow.
May whatever merit I have accumulated become a seed
for the enlightenment of all beings. On reaching enlightenment myself,
may I develop, without delay, the qualities of a savior of beings.
Pr aise to the Twenty-One Tar as Or igin on the Pr aise
I pay homage to Jetsunma Arya Tara. The Praise to the Twenty-one Taras is a
prayer most used in Tara Practice. The
praise is extracted from a Tara Tantra
Homage to Tara the liberator, quick and heroic, called The Seven Hundred Thoughts,
Who removes fears with TUTTARA, The King of the Tara Tantra.
The praise addressed to Tara is based on
Who bestows all benefits with TURE.
the recognition of Tara's greatness. Tara
I bow to you of the syllables SOHA. is in essence, Prajnaparamita, the origin
or "Mother" of all the buddhas. She also
gathered into herself the activity of all
Homage to Tara, the quick and heroic, the buddhas and bodhisattvas. The
Whose eyes flash in an instant like lightning, quality of her body, speech, and mind
are infinite. Therefore, she is worthy of
And who arose from the open stamens the praise.
Of the lotus-face of the lord of three worlds. When we recite the praise, we think that
we produce an infinite number of bodies
similar to ourselves who all together
Homage to her whose face is like prostrate and recite the text. Our mind,
One hundred full autumn moons in an attitude of great reverence and
profound confidence, prays for the deity
And who blazes with light like that to protect us from all suffering and all
fears of samsara and to fulfill our
Of thousands of stars.
request. As for our speech, during
recitation of the text, we think of all the
Homage to her whose hands are adorned pleasant sounds in the universe
accompanying it.
By golden blue lotuses and who enacts
The recitation of the praise requires
Generosity, exertion, austerity, tranquility, intense devotion, a total trust in Tara
Patience, and meditative stability. that we pray from the bottom of our
heart with the request, "Protect us!"
We receive thus the blessing that
Homage to her whose crown is the tathagata,
purifies us, makes us accumulate merit,
Who revels in boundless complete victory, protects us, and helps us obtain what we
wish.
And who is thoroughly relied upon by bodhisattvas
Who have attained the perfections without exception. Preliminar y Stanza
This stanza is not part of the tantra.
Homage to her who, with the syllables TUTTARA HUNG, Added later, it is not considered to be
one of the 21 stanzas of the praise. As it
Fulfills wishes and fills all directions and all space, includes tara's mantra OM TARE
TUTIARE TURE SOHA, it is
Who tramples the seven worlds underfoot
sometimes called the "praise of the
And is able to summon all without exception. mantra."
Homage to her to whom Indra, Agni, Brahma, The Twenty-one Tar as
Vayudeva, Vishvakarman, and Isvara present offerings; There are several forms of Tara, which
produced abundant iconographic
Who is praised by elementals, material. There are representations of
Green Tara and White Tara. There are a
Vampires, scent-eaters, and yakshas. series of twenty-one Taras and a series
of the Taras offering protection from the
eight fears. These two series appear
Homage to her who thoroughly conquers with many variants so one should not be
surprised to find them elsewhere in
The machinations of others with TRE and P?HE, substantially different forms.

Who tramples with right leg contracted and left outstretched, For the twenty-one Taras, each form of
the deity is effectively distinguished by
And is totally blazing with swirling flame. variants in color and symbolic objects
set on a lotus. Artists following the
twenty-one
Homage to TURE, the terrifying one aspects are generally collected together
in the same painting.
Who totally conquers the fiercest maras,
As for the Taras offering protection
Who, with a frowning lotus-face,
from the eight fears, we can see that
they are all painted in the same posture
Kills all enemies, without exception.
accomplishing, as it is required, the
protecting mudra with the right hand,
Homage to her whose fingers while at the feet of each one is shown
the danger from which she protects
Adorn her heart with the mudra those who pray to her.

Indicating the three jewels, Tar a Pr actice - Outer

Whose radiant swirling halo adorns all directions. The outer practice has two main aspects:

- Accumulation of merit
Homage to her who is crowned by garlands of light, accomplished through the Seven
Branch prayer, offerings, and
Resplendent with great joy, praise.
- Attitude of praying: the
Who overpowers maras and the world practitioner requests protection of
Tara, and asks her to grant what
With her laughter of TUTTARA. he or she wants. Because of this
position of "requesting" adopted
by the practitioner, accent is
Homage to her who can summon placed on the deity's presence in
the sky in the form of 21 Taras in
All guardians of places, front of the practitioner.
Who fully liberates from all poverty Those who wish to perfectly accomplish
the outer practice, must commit to
With the syllable HUNG of her grimace.
reciting 100,000 mantras as many times
as there are syllables in the mantra OM
TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA, that is,
one million mantras.
Homage to her who blazes Tar a Pr actice - I nner
With all adornments, The inner practice places an accent on
the creation phase during which we
crowned with a sliver of the moon, visualize ourselves in the form of the
deity. This practice gathers 13 deities in
From whose topknot Amitabha continually illuminates. a celestial palace:

In the center, Green Tara as the

Homage to her who abides in the midst of garlands of flame practitioner

Like the fire at the end of a kalpa, who totally conquers Around Tara, the eight Taras protecting
from the eight great fears, sitting in the
Hoards of enemies of those who delight in the turning of the dharma wheel, same posture as Green Tara, the mudra
of giving with the right hand and
With her right leg outstretched and her left contracted. holding a lotus on which there are
various objects in the left hand.

Homage to her who pierces the ground 1. Tara protecting from lions, blue,
with a vajra on the lotus
With the palm of her hand and stamps with her feet, 2. Tara protecting from elephants,
yellow, with a hook on the lotus
Who overthrows the seven levels 3. Tara protecting from fire, white,
with a water crystal on the lotus
With the syllable HUNG as she grimaces.
4. Tara protecting from snakes,
green, with a sublime medicine on
the lotus
Homage to her who is bliss, virtue,
5. Tara protecting from thieves,
And tranquility, enjoying the peace of nirvana, white, with a bow and arrow on
the lotus
Who conquers great wrongs 6. Tara protecting from
imprisonment, green, with a
With the perfect possession of SOHA and OM. sword on the lotus
7. Tara protecting from water, red,
with a fire crystal on the lotus
Homage to her who overthrows the enemies 8. Tara protecting from demons,
black, with a stick on the lotus
Of those who delight in the turning of the dharma wheel
Outside the palace, the "four female
And liberates with the awareness mantra, HUNG, guardians," each guarding a gate of the
palace facing the four directions. They
Surrounded by the ten syllables. stand up, lunging, their faces marked by
a wrathful expression, each one· holding
special objects in her hands. In the east,
Homage to TURE, who stamps with her feet, the white female guardian holds a hook
in her right hand and a bell in her left In
Whose seed is HUNG, the south, the yellow female guardian
holds a rope in her right hand and a bell
Who shakes Sumeru, Mandara, in her left In the west, the red female
guardian holds a chain in her right hand
Bikjay, and the three worlds.
and a bell in her left In the north, the
green female guardian performs the
threatening mudra with her right hand
and holds a bell in her left
Homage to her, who holds in her hand Tar a Pr actice - Secret
That which bears the sign of a hare in the form of a divine lake, The inner practice places the accent on
the completion phase introducing the
Who dispels all poisons without exception work on subtle energies (channels,
winds, and drops). Nine deities are
With the dual repetition of TARA and P?HE. present:

In the center of the celestial palace,

Homage to her on whom the kings of the gods, Samaya Tara, green, in union with the
male deity Hayagriva
The gods, and the miamchi rely,
Around her, there are four other aspects
Who dispels disputation and bad dreams of Tara who, as in the inner practice,
perform the mudra of giving with their
With the armor of her delightful majesty. right hand and hold in the left hand a
lotus on which various symbolic objects
are placed.
Homage to her whose radiant two eyes
1. In the east, Vajra Tara, blue, with
Are like the sun and full moon, a vajra on the lotus
2. In the south, Ratna Tara, yellow,
Who dispels fierce contagion with with a jewel on the lotus
3. In the west, Padma Tara, red, with
The dual recitation of HARA and TUTTARA.
a hook on the lotus
4. In the north, Karma Tara, black,
with a sword on the lotus
Homage to her who genuinely possesses
Outside the palace, there are the four
The power to pacify through the establishment of threefold thatness,
female guardians of the four gates as
And to the supreme TURE, previously described.

Who conquers döns, vampires, and yakshas. These three levels form a profound
succession that is easy to follow and
easily may form the practice of an entire
life.
This is the praise of the root mantra and the twenty-one homages.
Ver ses on the Benefits of Tar a
Whether you do this practice in the
morning or evenings, if done with a
Anyone who has genuine respect for the Goddess and recites this clearly,
clear mind, it will remove all obstacles
Recollecting it at dawn upon awakening and at dusk, and fears. Even thinking of Tara will
bring total calm, peace, and protection
Will receive protection from all dangers. from all fears and all frightening
situations. Tara's practice removes the
All their harmful actions will be fully pacified. two obscurations: negative emotions
and subtle conceptual thinking. It will
All their bad migrations will be conquered. increase the two merits: accumulation
merit and wisdom merit. From the
They will quickly attain empowerment by seventy million victors. moment you start praying to and
practicing Tara, your life will be always
under the protection of the Great
Mother. From then on rebirth in the
lower realms will be prevented.
Greater than this will be obtained, and finally, buddahood. Ver ses on the Benefits ...cont.
Virulent poison, whether abiding in the firmament or within beings, If you do this prayer for others, it will
bring them the same benefits; it will
Whether eaten or drunk, will be dispelled by recollecting this. protect them in their lifetimes as well as
uproot future births in the lower realms.
So there is great benefit.
The sufferings of affliction by döns, contagion,
When you practice Tara, all the
And poison will be totally relinquished. numberless Buddhas and enlightened
beings always bless you, empower you,
And this is also true for other beings. and protect you.

Practicing Tara will also transcend all

If it is recited twice, three times, and seven times, bad circumstances. Poisons can be
transformed into medicines by
Those wishing children will obtain children, meditating on her. Therefore, she is a
great healer. By transcending or
Those wishing wealth will obtain wealth. transmuting all the bad circumstances,
negativities, contagious diseases, and
poisons into a beautiful state, you will
All wishes will be fulfilled, remove all the troubles that need Tara's
benefits. All suffering and difficulties
And all impediments destroyed.
are removed by chanting these beautiful
verses. They are for you; they are for all
May it be so.
beings.

M antr a Recitation
M antr a Recitation
Mantras are sacred syllables used in
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SOHA Vajrayana practice to protect the minds
of practitioners from negativity and
ordinary impure perceptions. They also
serve to invoke the yidam deities and
Supplication & Aspir ation their retinues. Often mantras are
Sanskrit, not only Sanskrit words but
Through this virtue, they could be whole sentences in
Sanskrit.
May I quickly accomplish Arya Tara
The first syllable OM invokes
And establish all beings without exception in that state. auspiciousness, peace, and balance.
TARE, just like Drolma, Tara's Tibetan
name, refers to her as the swift and
Compassionate Jetsunma Bhagavati: heroic liberator. TARE liberates us from
fears and troubles; more profoundly, she
May my two-fold obscurations liberates us from samsara. TUTTARE
reflects her powerful activity of
And those of all limitless sentient beings be purified. fulfilling all wishes; more profoundly,
she brings us to nirvana. With TURE,
May the two accumulations be quickly be completed. we move beyond both samsara and
nirvana to the ultimate nondual state of
Please cause the attainment of perfect buddhahood. the dharmakaya. Finally, SOHA
establishes us in the state of complete
enlightenment.
During all our lives, until we attain that, Supplication and Aspir ation
Pr ayer s
May we obtain the excellent happiness of gods and humans.
We also include supplication and
Please quickly pacify and eliminate all obstacles aspiration prayers. Aspirations are
sources of courage and commitment.
To the accomplishment of omniscience ? They restrengthen our bodhichitta and
confidence, which increases our
capabilities. Make supplication and
All döns, all impediments, all contagions, sickness, and so forth; aspiration prayers at the end of every
session of practice, as well as every time
All varieties of untimely death, bad dreams, bad omens, we complete some
helpful work for ourselves, another
The eight dangers, and so forth ? all that is harmful. person, or other beings in general.
Noble Lady Tara is the true embodiment
Please cause the spontaneous effortless flourishing of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas,
arhats, and realized beings. Tara is also
And increase of all mundane the true embodiment of all the lineage
masters who shared their realizations,
And supramundane auspiciousness, happiness, excellence, thereby continually inspiring and
sparking students to the enlightened
And abundance, without exception. state. When we practice Tara, we
connect our minds to every one of these
great ones. We receive their blessings,
May we be diligent in practice. energy, love, compassion, courage, and
commitment for our path to realization
May the sacred dharma flourish. for the benefit of other beings.
May we do your practice continually and see your face.

May we realize the meaning of emptiness.

May the precious bodhicitta flourish and increase like the waxing moon.

In the excellent and joyous mandala of the victors,

May I be born from a beautiful pure lotus.

May I also receive a direct prophecy there from the Victor Amitabha.

May there be auspiciousness of the deity I practice in all lives,

Who is the activity of all buddhas of the three times,

The quick one, the pacifier, who is green,

With one face and two hands, the mother who holds an utpala.

Written by the Venerable Drakpa Gyaltsen

The Auspicious Wish The Auspicious Wish
Tara, mother of the victors, may we attain a body like yours
In this supplication we are generating
And also retinues, longevity, realms, and the best of the wish that through this practice we
will connect to our own potential as a
Excellent names, all of these, just like yours.
Buddha and help others attain that same
state so all will benefit from that state of
Through the power of praising and supplicating you,
peace and wholeness.
May sickness, poverty, strife, and warfare in all regions be pacified.
Vaj r asattva M antr a
I pray that you will cause the flourishing of the dharma and auspiciousness.
Our Tara practice needs to be simple,
Without physical defect, you have the major and minor marks. meaningful, and accurate. In order to
repair, purify, or fix any mistakes in our
Without verbal defect, your voice is the melody of the Kalapinka bird. practice we conclude with a recitation of
Without mental defect, you know all that is to be known. the 100 syllable mantra of Vajrasattva.
May there be glorious auspiciousness. Dedication of M er it
Buddhist practices always close with the
dedication of merit. The purpose of this
Vaj r asattva M antr a (Everyone once) supplication is to dedicate any merit or
OM BENZAR SATO SAMAYA MANU PALAYA benefit that was gained from the
practice or meditation for the benefit of
BENZAR SATO DINO PA-TEE-TRA DRE-DO MAY BAWA
all sentient beings.
SUTO KY-YO MAY BAWA SUPO KHA-YO MAY BAWA
AH-NU ROCK-TO MAY BAWA SARWA SIDDHI MAY BA YATZA
SARWA KARMA SU-TSA-MAY SI TAM SHRI-YAM KU-RU-HUM
HA HA HA HA HO BA-GA-WON
SARWA TA-THA-GA-TA BENZAR MA MAY MOON-ZA
BEN-ZEE BAWA MAHA SAMAYA SATO AH HUM PHET

Dedication of M er it (Everyone 3 times)

By this merit, may all obtain omniscience,
May it defeat the enemy wrongdoing.
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death,
From the ocean of samsara, may I free all beings.
000
ORGYEN MENLA SADHANA

RIME BUDDHIST CENTER

ACHIEVING PEACE THROUGH
COMPASSION
L ama M atthew Palden Gocha Vision Statement
Spir itual Director
The Rime Buddhist Center is a
non-sectarian center dedicated to the
Shr ine Room Etiquette and Protocols cultivation of wisdom and compassion.
The Center is a refuge for the nurturing
These guidelines are simply a matter of courtesy. Courtesy that springs from of inner peace, kindness, community
the heart, a result of respect, has since ancient times, formed a part of understanding and world peace.
spiritual disciplines. To be courteous, respectful, and polite is not superficial,
The Center?s primary objective is to
but can be a great practice of mindfulness and a way to develop bodhisattva
provide a qualified program of Buddhist
actions. It is with this attitude that one may approach the particular kind of
studies and Tibetan culture taught by
attention to detail that showing respect involves, be it to a lama, in a shrine
monks, lamas and other Tibetan
room, or in ordinary daily interactions.
teachers, and to promote a harmonious
- Shoes should be removed and left at the door. relationship of understanding between
- Hats should never be worn in the shrine room. Tibetans and Westerners.
- Short clothing or revealing garments are not appropriate attire. If
lower garments are revealing, it is wise to bring a shawl to drape M ission Statement
over the legs while sitting. The Center has two major purposes:
- Do not sit with legs outstretched in front of you if you are facing the
shrine or the teacher. This is considered a sign of disrespect, and of - To provide a center for the study and
course, lying down shows great discourtesy. If you must stretch your practice of Tibetan Buddhism.
legs out in front of you, be sure they are pointing away from the - To help preserve the endangered Tibetan
teacher or shrine. culture by offering classes in Tibetan
- Dharma books and puja texts should never be placed directly on the language, arts, and religion for Western
floor, out of respect for the truth that they contain, but should be students and scholars, and to have these
placed on a table or cushion. Texts should never be stepped over, resources available to the Midwest.
stepped on or sat on.
- When entering the shrine room, a Buddhist practitioner may do three
prostrations facing the shrine, or make a short bow with hands
folded.
Rime Center Sadhana Pr actice
A sadhana is a ritual text presenting the means to accomplish one or several Yidam
deities, who in essence are the ultimate state of a Buddha. As we follow the
tantric sadhana practice texts and actualize their meaning, we develop an A meditation deity that is said to confer
enlightened vision of the world: we visualize and invoke the presence of the supreme accomplishment on the
Buddha or yidam deity in the sky before us, and our surroundings as a pure meditator. A practitioner of the tantras
realm or ?Buddha field?, while recognizing that all sounds are mantra, and all seeks to experientially cultivate union
thoughts are primordial wisdom. This process is at first artificial, something with that deity through the generation
which is developed or generated through the practices of creation and stage of meditation.
completion, but the visualizations correspond to the visionary experience of Yidams assume diverse forms. They
enlightened beings. By adopting these new habits of perception, we can may be peaceful or wrathful, single or
weaken the ordinary habits of gross perception based on ignorance and united with a consort, alone or
emotional tendencies, and put ourselves in touch with a more subtle level of accompanied by retainers. In all cases,
experience. however, it is essential that the
This sadhana contains supplications and prayers to Medicine Buddha in the meditational deity should not be
form of Padmasambhava, along with a short period of meditation and mantra perceived as an externally existing or
chanting. Prayers in Buddhism are not aimed at some higher being, but rather independent being but rather as a form
to the innate qualities of enlightenment we all have that are temporarily or resonance of Buddha-mind itself.
obscured by our negative emotions. Prayer is better understood as
aspirational in nature.
ORGYEN MENLA SADHANA
The Seven L ine Pr ayer (Repeat seven times) An Explanation of the Ser vice
HUNG: On the northwest border of the country of Orgyen,
The Seven L ine Pr ayer
In the pollen heart of a lotus,
When you invoke Padmasambhava you
Marvelous in the perfection of your attainment.. can do so by chanting the ?Seven-Line
You are known as the Lotus Born, Prayer?, the prayer that is most
commonly used in the Nyingma and
And are surrounded by your circle of many sky dancers. Dzogchen traditions. ?To this very
By following in your footsteps, prayer, you can give your whole mind,
in devotion,? said Guru Rinpoche. He
I pray you will come to confer your blessings.
also said:
GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG
"When a disciple calls upon me with
yearning devotion, and with the
melodious song of the Seven-Line
Prayer, I shall come straightaway from
Zangdokpalri, like a mother who cannot
resist the call of her child."

Taking Refuge and

Engender ing Bodhichitta
We recite the Refuge Vow to renew our
vow. Bodhichitta is translated as
?awakened heart? or ?awakened mind.?
This is considered the most important
motivation to one?s practice in Tibetan
Buddhism. Bodhichitta is the desire to
alleviate another?s suffering. In this
supplication we are stating our wish to
generate bodhichitta for the benefit of
all sentient beings.

Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche said, ?In

Refuge Vow (Repeat three times) the Buddhist tradition, the purpose of
In the Buddha, Dharma and the Sangha, taking refuge is to awaken from
confusion and associate oneself with
I go for refuge until enlightenment is reached. wakefulness. Taking refuge is a matter
May my generosity and accumulations of merit of commitment and acceptance and, at
the same time, of openness and
Bring benefit to all beings, and may beings actualize perfect Buddhahood. freedom. By taking the refuge vow we
commit ourselves to freedom.?
 The Gur u Sadhana of Or gyen, the Healing Gur u Refuge and Bodhichitta
from the Great Perfection: The Heart Drop of Padma
Just as before we recite the Refuge Vow
Revealed by H.H. Kusum Lingpa
to renew our vow and aspire to awaken
our hearts with bodhichitta. This prayer
Namo Guru Bhaishajaya
uses the Medicine Buddha as our focus.
Homage to Orgyen, the Healing Guru, the transcendent and accomplished
Medicine Buddha is a healing Buddha
conqueror!
from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
Even Shakyamuni Buddha was likened
Refuge and Bodhichitta (Repeat three times) to a healer, the Dharma as medicine, and
the Sangha as our support to help us
Homage! I take refuge in Orgyen, the healing guru, heal our inner sickness the which are
In the pure realm of Lovely to Behold in the East, our defilements and obscurations.

I arouse the motivation that all beings attain the state of the healing deity, The Seven-Br anch Pr ayer
By entering the gateway of the mandala of healing nectar. This supplication relates directly to the
seven offering bowls of water on the
shrine. The seven limbs of the
supplication are prostrating, offering,
The Seven-Br anch Pr ayer confession, rejoicing in the good
HO: I pay homage to the nectar of immortality. qualities of oneself and others,
requesting the Buddhas to remain in this
I offer the nectar of longevity and immortality.
world, beseeching them to teach others,
I confess the negative karma, harmful actions, and dedicating the merit. This particular
prayer includes language that reflects
And obscurations that shorten life and bring many illness.
the healing nature of this sadhana.
I rejoice in the medicine that bring liberation upon taste.
Healing in the Tibetan
I urge the wheel of dharma of healing nectar to be turned. Tr adition
I pray for the hosts of the healer, the protector of beings,
In Buddhist tradition the first and
To remain always present. primordial healer was the great Buddha
himself. Known popularly as the
I dedicate all the limitless roots of virtue that promote healing.
Medicine Buddha he is said to have
May all attain the enlightened for of Orgyen, the Healing Deity. revealed the teachings embodied in the
sacred bodies of texts known as the
Four Medical Tantras. The whole of
Buddhist medicine is said to have
derived from this sacred scripture.
Buddhist science of medicine grants
only a limited application to external
medicine. These are considered
sufficient only up to the level of
removal of external symptoms of the
disease.
Tibetan medicine asserts that all
suffering ? including illness ? ultimately
results from ignorance. The cure for
humankind's root illness is stressed to be
spiritual enlightenment, the way to
which lies within our own selves. By
practicing this sadhana you are healing
yourself from the inside out.
The Self-Visualization Visualization in Tantr a
AH: The pure realm of Lovely to Behold manifests naturally in the east, In tantra the generation?stage of
practice? otherwise known as
An expanse filled with billowing clouds of the nectar of immortality. visualization practice? has the goal of
Gods and goddesses sing songs of praise and emanate divine offerings. which is to purify our perception into
the purity of our inherent nature.
Within the immeasurable mansion of healing nectar,
We mentally visualize that the yidam
On a jeweled lion throne, lotus, and moon disk, deity (Orgyen Menla) is in front of
oneself . Here we are working with the
Is the one in whom the oceans of victorious ones of the Three Roots unite, imagination. When we work with the
Orgyen, the Healing Guru, the holder of the vajra. imagination we?re not only working
with imagined sights, but also with
His form is the color of the sky, with one face and two arms. imagined sounds, smells, physical
sensations, feelings ? emotional feelings
His right hand holds a vajra and the king of medicines,
? and so on. Obviously, we do that with
His left an alms bowl filled with nectar. our minds, not with our eyes. If we
think of the Western psychological
He wears sambhogakaya ornaments and garments, and a jeweled cap. division of the brain into a right side and
Playful and charming, he is irresistibly lovely to gaze upon, a left side, Tibetan Buddhism develops
both sides ? both the intellectual,
With his major and minor marks of physical perfection. rational side and the side of creative
imagination. Therefore, when we speak
He sits surrounded by a retinue of Buddhas
of visualization in Buddhism, we?re not
As numerous as the pores of his skin. talking about some magical process.
We?re talking about something quite
To his right and left are Manjushri and the supremely powerful Vajrapani, practical, in terms of how to develop
As well as inconceivable numbers of bodhisattvas and use all our potentials, because we
have potentials on both the right and left
Of the tenth level of realization. sides of the brain. When we work with
the imagination, we?re dealing with
Surrounding them are hundreds of thousands creativity, artistic aspects and so on.
Of those who are seers among nagas, gods, and humans. The main purpose of visualization
At the four gates, the four great kings stand guard. practice is to purify our ordinary, impure
perception of the phenomenal world by
Blazing with the limitless splendor of ten million suns, developing ?pure perception.? ?Impure?
does not mean that the object of our
The world of appearances and possibilities is totally pure visualization is covered with dirt or is
As the mandala of the Healing Guru. polluted or defiled in any way; the
impurity isn?t ?out there.? ?Impure,? in
Light shines from the syllables OM, AH, and HUNG this context, means that the problem is
?in here?? that is, we look at the world
At the three places of the deities?forms.
through emotional filters that we label
This invites Orgyen, the Healing Guru, and his retinue. ?desire,? ?jealousy,? ?pride,?
?ignorance,? and ?aggression.?
Illnesses, malevolent influences, the effects of harmful actions, Everything we perceive is colored by
And obscurations are all refined away without exception myriad variations of these five
emotions.
And with no trace remaining.
The key to visualization is to do the best
you can and not worry too much about
whether what you are doing is right or
wrong; eventually you will get the hang
of it.
M antr a Recitation M antr a Recitation
TADYATHA OM BHAISHAJE BHAISHAJE MAHA BHAISHAJE Mantras are sacred syllables used in
RAJA SAMUD-GATE SVAHA Vajrayana practice to protect the minds
of practitioners from negativity and
Tye-Ya-Ta Om Ba-Con-Zee Ba-Con- Zee Ma-Ha Ba-Con-Zee ordinary impure perceptions. They also
Ra-Za Sa-Mu Ga-Tee So-Ha serve to invoke the yidam deities and
their retinues. Often mantras are
(By repeating this ten million times, you will become free of all illness.) Sanskrit, not only Sanskrit words but
they could be whole sentences in
Sanskrit.
Offer ings
TADYATHA - Means "like this"
Water for Drinking: OM VAJRA ARGHAM AH HUM SVAHA
Water for Bathing: OM VAJRA PADYAM AH HUM SVAHA OM - is composed of the three pure
sounds A U and MA, which signifies
Flowers: OM VAJRA PUSHPE AH HUM SVAHA one?s own body, speech and mind that
Incense: OM VAJRA DHUPE AH HUM SVAHA get transformed into the vajra holy body,
speech and mind.
Butter Lamp: OM VAJRA ALOKE AH HUM SVAHA
Perfume Water: OM VAJRA GANDHE AH HUM SVAHA SVAHA - to establish the foundation in
the heart, the blessing, the devotion
Celestial Food: OM VAJRA NAIVIDYE AH HUM SVAHA from which the realization comes.
Music: OM VAJRA SHABDA AH HUM SVAHA
The mantra could roughly be translated
as ?Healer, Healer, Great Healer, King
of an Ocean of Goodness!?
Supplication & Dissolution
HUNG: Your form is the color of a mountain of sapphire. Offer ings
You dispel the sufferings of beings that are brought on by illness. Offerings are the various inner and outer
things that are presented with an
You are surrounded by a retinue of seven tathagatas. intention to physically, verbally, and
I pay homage to and praise the transcendent mentally please and revere the recipient.

And accomplished conqueror, the Healing Guru. Completion Phase

I dedicate the virtue of practicing Dissolution is one of the concluding
sections a sadhana. The purpose of
The guru sadhana of Orgyen, the Healing Guru,
dissolution is to purify the clinging,
So that all beings may be reborn in the pure realm of the healing deity. present in the mind-streams of sentient
beings, to the limited belief that deluded
Gaze into the expanse of the mandala of the healing deity,
perceptions are permanent.
Free of increase or decrease.
The method is to gradually dissolve
A A A everything, the external world and its
inner inhabitants, that was previously
visualized as the celestial palace and the
mandala of the deity, into emptiness.
This is achieved by visualizing the
dissolution of the mandala and the
deities from the outer periphery inwards
until you are left with only the seed
syllable (A). You then dissolve that as
well into the primordial and
M editation Session self-existing great sphere of luminous
emptiness.
The Auspicious Wish The Auspicious Wish
Through the virtue of practicing
In this supplication we are generating
The guru sadhana of Orgyen, the Healing Guru, the wish that through this practice we
will connect to our own potential as a
May I and all other beings throughout the three times
Buddha and help others attain that same
Enjoy all that is auspicious! state so all will benefit from that state of
peace and wholeness.

Samaya! The seals of enlightened form, speech, and mind. Dedication of M er it

This is by Orgyen Kusum Lingpa, in response to Lama Howard, Neil, and others. Buddhist practices always close with the
dedication of merit. The purpose of this
supplication is to dedicate any merit or
Dedication of M er it (Everyone 3 times) benefit that was gained from the
By this merit, may all obtain omniscience, practice or meditation for the benefit of
all sentient beings.
May it defeat the enemy wrongdoing.
Engender ing Bodhichitta
From the stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness, and death,
The attitude of awakening must go
From the ocean of samsara, may I free all beings. along with that. The attitude that one
engenders when one speaks of
bodhichitta is an attitude that is with
Engender ing Bodhichitta (Everyone once) reference to all sentient beings; the
Bodhichitta is precious, actual essence of one's consideration of
all beings is compassion. Therefore it is
May it arise for whom it has not arisen, said that "the engendering of bodhichitta
Once arisen, may it not diminish, and the carrying of it through one's
activities is like the magical elixir that
But ever grow and flourish.
turns to gold what ever metal it is
painted on."
Pr ayer to Spread the Dhar ma (Everyone once) Pr ayer to Spread the Dhar ma
All difficulties without exception being pacified, This an aspirational prayer that reflects
our wish that difficulties and obstacles
With harmonious situations like the treasure of the sky,
be overcome. It also wishes that the
May the teachings and practice of the Rime tradition philosophical tradition of Rime
Live long and shine brightly! (non-sectarianism) be spread far and
wide.
000