12 Meditations on White Tara Meditations on White Tara 1

Meditations on
White Tara
with the mantra of
Infinite Light Buddha, Amitayus
Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition
Education Services
2 Meditations on White Tara Meditations on White Tara 11
FPMT Education
Short White Tara Meditation
Colophon:
Department
Composed by Lama Zopa Rinpoche in Taipei, Taiwan, March 1994. Lightly edited by Ven.
Constance Miller, FPMT Education Services, April 1999.
© Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, 1999, 2003
White Tara Sadhana
Colophon:
Original text by Kyabje Pabongkha Dechen Nyingpo.Translated from the Tibetan by Barry
Clarke, with additional instructions from Venerable Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, 1982.
The contents of this booklet were extracted from the Dharma files of Lama Zopa Rinpoche.
The practices and mantras herein were lightly edited and compiled for FPMT centers and
students by Ven. Constance Miller, FPMT Education Department, May 1999.
Revised edition, June 2001.
Second revised edition, August 2003. The aim of the Education Department at FPMT International Office is to
serve the needs of Dharma centers and individuals in the area of Tibetan
Buddhist educational and spiritual materials. This includes prayers and prac-
tice texts, retreat sadhanas and other practice materials, a variety of study
texts and translations, deity images for meditation, and curricular materials
for study programs in FPMT Dharma centers.
One of our principal objectives is to serve as a repository for a wide variety of
practice texts primarily within the Gelug tradition, especially those authored
or translated by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Thubten Yeshe. We work
in close collaboration with the Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, Boston, Mas-
sachusetts, which serves as a repository for the commentaries and tran-
scripts of teachings by Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Lama Yeshe.
If we can be of service to you in any way, please contact us at:
Education Department
Practice Requirements FPMT International Office
As with all tantric practices, an empowerment, or initiation, into the practice of the specific
deity is required (in this case, White Tara) in order to visualize oneself as the deity. If you do P. O. Box 888
not have such an empowerment, then it is advised to visualize the deity either above the Taos, New Mexico 87571 USA
crown of your head or in the space in front of you. Tel: (505)737-0550 ext. 1#
Email: materials@fpmt.org
10 Meditations on White Tara Meditations on White Tara 3
Short White Tara Meditation
for Long Life
Care of Dharma Books
Before the practice, generate the motivation that you are doing this practice
not just for yourself but for the benefit of all sentient beings. Then from the
Dharma books contain the teachings of the Buddha; they have the power to heart take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.
protect against lower rebirth and to point the way to liberation. Therefore,
they should be treated with respect – kept off the floor and places where Visualize White Tara above your head or in front of you at the height of your
people sit or walk – and not stepped over. They should be covered or pro- forehead. Visualize long life nectar coming from Tara’s heart. This blissful
tected for transporting and kept in a high, clean place separate from more white light energy enters your crown and completely fills your body. Feel
mundane materials. Other objects should not be placed on top of Dharma strongly and concentrate clearly that all your negative karma, obscurations,
books and materials. Licking the fingers to turn pages is considered bad spirit harms, and sicknesses are completely purified.
form as well as negative karma. If it is necessary to dispose of written Dharma
materials, they should be burned rather than thrown in the trash. When Meditate on the above visualization in the following way. While reciting one
burning Dharma texts, it is taught to first recite a prayer or mantra, such as mala of Tara’s mantra concentrate on the nectar entering and filling your
OM, AH, HUM. Then, you can visualize the letters of the texts (to be burned) body. After this, at the completion of one mala, feel strongly that your life
absorbing into the AH and the AH absorbing into you, transmitting their has been increased, your merit developed, and your scriptural understand-
wisdom to your mindstream. After that, as you continue to recite OM, AH, ing and wisdom increased, and that you have achieved undying realizations.
HUM, you can burn the texts.
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MAMA AYUR PUNYE JÑANA PUSHTIM
Lama Zopa Rinpoche has recommended that photos or images of holy be- KURU YE SVAHA
ings, deities, or other holy objects not be burned. Instead, they should be
placed with respect in a stupa, tree, or other high, clean place. It has been
suggested to put them into a small structure like a bird house and then seal
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the house. In this way, the holy images do not end up on the ground.
At the completion, dedicate the merit to all sentient beings so that you achieve
the state of buddhahood in order to benefit all sentient beings.
4 Meditations on White Tara Meditations on White Tara 9
Infinite Light Buddha, Amitayus
Artist unknown
White Tara
Artist unknown
8 Meditations on White Tara Meditations on White Tara 5
For those who have a daily mantra commitment of Amitayus, the following prayer of praise
and the recitation of the mantra of Amitayus can be inserted in the White Tara practice after
the Tara mantra recitation. The various length mantras of Amitayus have all been included
here for convenience.
Praise to Amitayus
Amitayus, principle guide for this world;
White Tara Sadhana
Destroyer of all untimely death;
Refuge for all who suffer without a protector;
The brimming nectar of immortality born on the
Homage to Buddha Amitayus. continuum of wish-fulfilling wheel holy White Tara.
Amitayus Long Mantra
NAMO RATNA TRAYAYA / OM NAMO BHAGAVATE / APARIMITA
AYUR JÑANA / SUPINISH CHITATAYE / JORA JAYA / TATHA-
GATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAK SAM BUDDHAYA / TADYATHA / OM
PUNYE PUNYE / MAHA PUNYE / APARIMITA PUNYE / AYU PUNYE /
MAHA PUNYE / AYUR JÑANA / SARVA RUPA SIDDHI / AYUR
JÑANA / KE CHE BHRUM / OM BHRUM / AH BHRUM / SVA
Refuge and Bodhichitta
BHRUM / HA BHRUM / CHE BHRUM / OM SARVA SAMSKARA / I go for refuge until I am enlightened.
PARISHUDDHA DHARMATE / GAGANA SAMUDGATE / SVABHAVA To the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Supreme Assembly.
VISHUDDHE / MAHA NAYA PARIVARA YE SVAHA By my practice of giving and other perfections,
May I become a buddha to benefit all sentient beings. (3x)
Amitayus Middle-length Mantra Emptiness Meditation and Self-Generation
OM NAMO BHAGAVATE / APARIMITA AYUR JÑANA / SUPINISH OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO
CHITATAYE / JORA JAYA / TATHAGATAYA / ARHATE SAMYAK HAM
SAMBUDDHAYA / TADYATHA / OM PUNYE PUNYE / MAHA PUNYE / (OM I am the embodiment of the purity of all subjective and objective
APARIMITA PUNYE / APARIMITA PUNYE JÑANA / SAMBHARO phenomena SVAHA)
PACHITE / OM SARVA SAMSKARA / PARISHUDDHA DHARMATE /
GAGANA SAMUDGATE / SVABHAVA VISHUDDHE / MAHA NAYA
From the sphere of emptiness appears a white lotus and on it a moon disk.
PARIVARA YE SVAHA
On that appears my own mind in the form of a white syllable TAM, which
transforms into an utpala flower marked by TAM. This transforms into self-
This has unbelievable benefits, by purifying and collecting infinite merits. generated, life-granting Arya Tara with one face and two arms. My right
hand is in (the gesture of) supreme giving, and my left at my heart holds an
utpala flower. In youthful aspect, I am adorned with all the major and
Amitayus Short Mantra minor marks of a tathagata and endowed with seven eyes.
OM AMARANI JIVAN TIYE SVAHA
Screened by a full moon behind me, my three places are marked by three
syllables OM, AH, and HUM. From the seed syllable TAM at my heart, light
6 Meditations on White Tara Meditations on White Tara 7
is emitted, inviting the wisdom beings and initiating deities. The wis-
dom beings merge inseparably with me, Tara, and the initiating deities then:
confer empowerment. By the overflow of nectar, my crown is adorned OM TARE TUTTARE TURE SVAHA
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with Amitayus. From the TAM at my heart light is emitted, activating the (at least one mala, or as many times as possible)
infinite nectar of longevity from beyond cyclic existence and dissolving it
back into my heart.
Mantra Recitation and Visualization If one has a mantra commitment for the deity Amitayus, one can insert here the praise and
From the red HRIH at Amitayus’ heart, rays of red light shine out into the recitation of Amitayus’ mantra found on pg. 8.
ten directions, hooking back the essence of long life from all samsaric and Think strongly:
non-samsaric beings and from the four elements, and also hooking back all The hindrances that cause my guru to appear sick or that prevent his holy
the life previously stolen by black magic and so forth. All this is drawn into wishes from being fulfilled are all purified. All sentient beings are purified.
the nectar in the long life vase in Amitayus’ lap. The nectar increases limit- All human beings who are accumulating virtue by even merely taking refuge
lessly and overflows into my crown, completely filling my body. or by repeating OM MANI PÄDME HUM achieve long life.
At my heart on a moon disk is the white syllable TAM. In the tigle of the Dedication
TAM sits my own guru (or anyone whose long life you want to pray for).
Surrounding him on a moon disk are all sentient beings: enemies, friends, Upon seeing the signs of untimely death, by clearly beholding the holy body
and strangers. Surrounding them, on the edge on the moon disk, are the of the wish-fulfilling wheel Tara, may I intrepidly and instantaneously con-
+%
letters of the mantra: quer the lord of death and swiftly attain the rank of an immortal master of
knowledge.
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MAMA AYUR PUNYE JÑANA PUSHTIM
KURU YE SVAHA Perform other dedication prayers as you wish.
The nectar flowing through my body completely eliminates from my guru
(or whomever you are doing this practice for) all hindrances to long life
(which are, in fact, my own karmic vision*). The nectar also purifies the
hindrances to life and the black karmic vision of all sentient beings. At the
same time, light from the letters of the mantra fills my own Tara body and
the bodies of all sentient beings at my heart, especially those practicing vir-
tue in the three worlds.
While doing this visualization, first repeat:
OM TARE TUTTARE TURE MAMA AYUR PUNYE JÑANA PUSHTIM
KURU YE SVAHA (21x)
* This applies to the appearance of sickness in regards to the guru.
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