OM GURU CHAKRASAMVARA VAJRAYOGINI SAPARIVARA OM AH HUM

1. OM GURU CHAKRASAMVARA VAJRAYOGINI SAPARIVARA OM AH HUM

2. The Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi practice is a complex series of meditations, including at least four meditations: The puja to the teacher (Guru Puja) 2) The Generation-Stage meditation, in which the yogin prepares the environment and creates the phenomenal realm 3) The Inner Offering meditation, which is the ultimate purification 4) The Completion-Stage, in which the yogin dissolves the phenomenal world into the noumenal world

3. The Inner Offering meditation is seen in the kiosk in Section Eleven C: “Ritual Implements”

4. Puja to Guru Chakrasamvara

5. The yogin is to take refuge in his or her own teacher (guru), who is envisioned as Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi generation-stage form. Zimmerman Family Collection

6. This painting of Chakrasamvara has the Refuge icons of Buddha, Dharma, Sangha on the top register: The five Victor Buddhas as the Buddha, Prajnaparamita as Dharma, and Avalokiteshvara as Sangha at the right and left ends. Zimmerman Family Collection

7. The central painting contains the five Buddhas reiterated as forms of Chakrasamvara. This painting is therefore an actual refuge painting of Guru Chakrasamvara. Zimmerman Family Collection

8. It consists of the six preliminary practices: Taking refuge and generating bodhichitta Receiving the blessing of the all Buddhas and Chakrasamvara Purifying the Body, Speech, and Mind Purifying other beings, environment, and enjoyments Purifying defilements, downfalls, and obstacles Guru Yoga: Visualization of the field of merit with one’s own Guru in the center as Chakrasamvara

9. While visualizing the field of merit, the yogin recites the mantra OM GURU CHAKRASMAVARA VAJRAYOGINI SAPARIVARA OM AH HUM. Then he or she presents the offering of the Mount Meru mandala. With the offerings, the entire Mount Meru world system is recreated. It consists of 23 precious objects: 4 continents 8 subcontinents 7 precious jewels The treasure vase The sun The moon Mount Meru itself

10. While visualizing the field of merit, the yogin offers the Mount Meru Mandala. A field of merit to Tsongkhapa, the one for Chakrasamvara would be similar but with Chakrasamvara in the center. The Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Margaret M. Hibbard in memory of George E. Hibbard (260:1992)

11. While visualizing the field of merit, the yogin offers the Mount Meru mandala. Detail from the previous painting.

12. Guru Puja Mandala can be elaborate or symbolized by a simple hand gesture. In either case, the yogin offers the entire Buddhist world system to his or her guru. Musee national des Arts asiatiques Guimet (EG 632)

13. The four empowerments are like a rehearsal for the actual meditation that is to follow. Repetition and redundancy are key aspects of the Buddhist meditative techniques and are used extensively in the full Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi meditations. The Four Empowermentsresulting from the Guru Puja

14. Vase Empowerment Chakrasamvara generates from his heart Vajravarahi and the four Yoginis, who hold the vases filled with the nectar of insight. By pouring water through the crown, the body is purified from all defilements and obscurations. This empowerment causes the yogin to realize the generation-stage.

15. 2 ) The Secret Empowerment The yogin visualizes Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi in union, with all the male deities melting into his white bodhichitta, while the female deities melt into her red bodhichitta. Through tasting this secret substance, the channels, drops, and inner winds of the subtle body are purified, and the yogin experiences great bliss, thus receiving the secret empowerment. This empowerment causes the yogin to realize the completion-stage practices related to the illusory body (maya deha).

16. 3) Insight Seal Empowerment The yogin visualizes the female insight “seal,” (jnana mudra), who is an emanation of Vajravarahi. She serves as the insight aspect of the yogin, as he realizes the union of his own adamantine body as Buddha Chakrasamvara with Vajravarahi. Through this unification, the bodhichitta, now envisioned at the crown, melts. As it descends, the yogin experiences the four joys.

17. The Four Joys: 1. As bodhichitta descends from the crown to the throat, the yogin experiences Joy (ananda). 2. As it descends from the throat to the heart, one experiences Supreme Joy (parama ananda). 3. As it descends from the heart to the navel, one experiences Extraordinary Joy (vira ananda). 4. As it descends from the navel to the sex organ, one experiences spontaneous Great Bliss (mahasukha ananda).

18. The Insight Seal (jnanamudra) empowerment concludes the completion-stage practices related to the clear light of bliss (prabhasvara). The experience of the clear light of bliss is the consummating methodology of the Chakrasamvara system. Although this preliminary stage is simply imagined, the four joys are visualized in this manner.

19. 4. Precious Word Empowerment After the Insight Seal empowerment, the yogin visualizes himself as Chakrasamvara/Vajravarahi’s united body. Through the practice of the precious word empowerment, the yogin attains the actual body and mind of Chakrasamvara/Vajravarahi, resulting from the union of the illusory body (maya deha) and clear light (prabhasvara). This is the goal of ultimate truth of shunyata—the union of No-More Learning (asheksha yuganaddha) and the state of attaining the Rainbow Body (indrachapa kaya).

20. Concluding the Guru Yoga Puja All the deities of the Merit field dissolve into radiant light and dissolve into the heart-mind of the root Guru Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi. The view is then consolidated by the yogin.

21. The Guru Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi are then visualized as diminishing in size.

22. They gradually become smaller and —

23. enters the yogin’s crown, and descends through the central channel.

24. In this manner, the yogin understands that he or she is the nondual Adi-Buddha Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi.

25. The Generation-Stage Meditation

26. As part of the preparation for the meditation, the yogin prepares a space by cleansing it, pouring a circle of water and decorating it to the best of his ability as the mandala palace atop Mount Meru. The Environment of Transformation

27. The Mount Meru world system is the location both of the total “real world” and the place of all transformations is in Akanishta paradise.

28. No matter what the real setting, the grandest of temples or a teacher’s mud hut, the practitioner is always seated on the Vajrasana at Bodhgaya. It is both in Akanishta heaven and Akanishta exists only in his or her own heart-mind (chitta).

29. Conventionally, the mandala palace that resides in Akanishta is depicted above a Mount Meru that has vishva vajra (universal Vajra) protruding from the four sides. Usually the heaven worlds are omitted in three dimensional representations, but it is understood that the mandala palace is in Akanishta.

30. The Actual Practice

31. The Outer Mandala First, the yogin generates the outer body as Chakrasamvara’s phenomenal mandala. The yogin prepares by focusing his mind.

32. Then from a green YAM syllable he generates the wind (or air) chakra. He symbolizes this by spreading his legs in the shape of a bow.

33. From a red RAM syllable he generates the fire chakra.

34. From a white VAM syllable he generates the water chakra.

35. From a yellow LAM syllable he generates the earth chakra.

36. From SUM the spine is generated as Mount Meru.

37. From a PAM syllable, the thousand-petaled lotus emerges. By definition, the lotus is both the thousand-petaled lotus of attainment and the great lotus of Akanishta paradise upon which Vairochana resides

38. DHRUM emerges from the torso and converts the torso into the great mandala palace.

39. Beyond the core of the mandala is the ring of protection.

40. Beyond the core of the mandala is the ring of protection and beyond that are the eight charnel fields.

41. The eight charnel fields are the beginning of the transformative process. The flames the consume the body are considered the final purification of all transgressions.

42. To ascend to Akanishta, the practitioner must symbolically cross the life-death threshold by traversing the cremation fires and the charnel fields where one’s own dead body is devoured by the flames and carrion-eating animals. There is a ritual song that is sung going through the entire eight charnel fields that surround Mount Meru and the mandala field in Akanistha.

43. Generation-Stage, Part 2:The Inner Mandala

44. The outer mandala is now complete. Next the yogin must generate the inner mandala. To do so he must completely understand the six energy centers (chakras) and the three channels (nadis).

45. "Basal" or Earth chakra Base of the body Blood red petals with white center Central lotus has 4 petals Either Ganesh or Airvata is associated with the chakra. Sanskrit syllable LAM

46. Water Chakra (Ap/Varuna) Abdomen Red petals with white center Central lotus has 6 petals Sanskrit Syllable VAM

47. Nirmana (Transformation) Chakra Navel Blue Central Lotus has 64 petals Supports an upward facing triangle Sanskrit syllable AM

48. Dharma Chakra Heart Central lotus has 8 petals and is supported by eight natural colored lotuses Variegated colors Sanskrit syllable HUM, facing downward

49. Sambhoga (Bliss) Chakra Throat Red Central lotus has 16 petals Sanskrit Syllable AUM

50. Mahasukha (Great Bliss) Chakra Crown of head No color, ethereal Central lotus has 4 petals outside of which is a downward facing triangle on a lotus with 32 petals Sanskrit syllable HAM