the benefits of reciting the vajra guru mantra

From the Revealed Treasures of Reincarnate Lama Karma Lingpa

A Commentary Explaining the Benefits of Reciting the Vajra Guru Mantra and the

Import of its Syllables

ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY

mike dickman

A

BENZAR GURU DEWA DAKKINI HUNG—To the Vajra Guru, deity of meditation and the dakini, HUNG

To the Master, meditation deity and dakini I bow down.

Having made a vast outer, inner and secret offering of mandala, I, the woman Yeshe Ts'ogyäl, asked the following question:

“KYE—Please listen!—Revered Master Padmasambhava, there never has been nor ever will be a kindness as great as yours for the beings of Tibet, myself and others, or one that brings so great a profit in this and future lives. Though I am a mere woman, I have no doubt that the practice of your own self you have given us is like a quintessential nectar.“Nevertheless, the sentient beings of the future will be extremely distracted and impatient and will have wrong views as regards the supreme teachings. Particularly, since they will misinterpret the peerless doctrine of the secret mantras, for all beings at that time disease, famine and warfare will become widespread and China, Tibet and Central Asia, especially, will be destroyed like anthills and a time of suffering will come upon the Tibetan people.“You have taught many methods to counter all this, but those beings of the future will have no time to practice them. Even if, occasionally, there are those who wish to practice, they will be beset with powerful obstacles. Beings will not agree amongst themselves and supplies and necessities will be inadequate. Evil times such as these will be extremely difficult to overcome.“If, in such a period, they were to base themselves solely upon your means of accomplishment which is the Vajra Guru Mantra, what sort of benefit would there be? For the benefit of those weak–minded beings of the future I humbly beg you tell us.”

The Great Master then spoke:

“What you have said there, my faithful daughter, is perfectly true. It will certainly bring both temporary and ultimate benefit for sentient beings during such future times. Though I have concealed many earth treasures, water treasures, rock treasures, sky treasures and so on, all containing innumerable pith instructions and means of

attainment, during that evil time it will be extremely difficult to bring together the causes and conditions of the skilful means of a destined disciple—a true sign, indeed, that the merit of sentient beings is exhausted.“However, if, at such a time, a yogin or yogini maintaining their tantric commitments, a monk or nun who faithfully keep their vows, a devout layman, perfectly qualified female practitioner or someone like this, dwelling in the vast, open–minded attitude of enlightenment, should recite this essence of the Vajra Guru in a great place of pilgrimage, a monastery, on the peak of a great mountain, the banks of great river or in the uplands and lowlands inhabited by gods, demons and evil spirits, a hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, ten million or a hundred million times and so on, as many as they can, the resulting power and benefit will be inconceivable. All disease, famine, conflict, war, crop–failure, inauspicious signs and evil omens throughout that land in all directions will be reversed and there will be timely rains, abundant crops, thriving cattle, and the entire region will flourish. “In this life, in future lives and in the dangerous passageway of the bardo they will meet with me again and again, the best of them in reality, the middling in visions and even the lowliest in dream, and, having achieved the levels and paths, will certainly be reborn among the ranks of male and female holders of pure awareness in the realm of Chamaradvipa.“Even a single uninterrupted repetition of one hundred will make them pleasing in the eyes of others and they will effortlessly obtain food, wealth and prosperity. With a thousand or ten thousand repetitions, with their splendour they will subdue the minds of others and attain unhindered spiritual energy and power. If they recite it a hundred thousand or ten million times they will bring all three worlds under their control, subjugate the three realms of existence, bind gods and demons as their servants and spontaneously realise any of the four enlightened activities they wish to accomplish thus attaining the power to bring immeasurable benefit to all sentient beings in whichever way they wish.“If they can recite as many as thirty or seventy million and the like, indivisibly one with me they will never be separated from the buddhas of the three times and the eight classes of gods and spirits will obey their orders, praise their words and accomplish whatever tasks they entrust them.“The very best will attain the rainbow body, ‘mother’ and ‘son’ luminosities will meet and merge for the middling ones at the moment of death, and even for the least accomplished, all perceptions will be liberated into their natural condition on seeing my face in the intermediate state and they will be reborn in the realm of Chamaradvipa and accomplish infinite benefit for sentient beings.”

Thus he spoke.

“Great Master, we thank you for your immense kindness in revealing to us these sublime blessings and infinite powers in this way. However,” I requested, “although the powers and benefit of the seed syllables of the Vajra Guru Mantra are immeasurable, for the benefit of beings of the future, please give us a succinct explanation as well.”

So the Great Master said:

“O Noble Daughter, not only is this Vajra Guru Mantra, as it is called, my essence, but it is also the life–force of the deities of the four classes of tantra, the nine vehicles, the eighty–four thousand sections of the Dharma and so forth. It encompasses the heart–essence of all buddhas of the three times and of all spiritual masters, deities of meditation, dakinis, Dharma protectors and so on.“And why should it be so all–embracing? Listen well and bear in mind what I say. Recite it, write it down, and teach it to all future beings.”

OM AH HUNG VAJRA1 GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM AH HUNG is the sublime essence of the enlightened body, speech and mindVAJRA is the supreme essence of the Vajra FamilyGURU is the supreme essence of the Ratna FamilyPEMA is the supreme essence of the Padma FamilySIDDHI is the supreme essence of the Karma FamilyHUNG is the supreme essence of the Buddha Family

OM AH HUNG VAJRA GURU PEMA SIDDHI HUNG

OM is the perfect splendour and wealth of the five buddha families of the sambhogakayaAH is the utter perfection of the unchanging dharmakayaHUNG brings the presence of the nirmanakaya guru to perfection before oneVAJRA is the perfection of the divine host of herukasGURU is the perfection of the divine host of spiritual teachers, masters of pure awarenessPEMA is the perfection of the divine host of dakinis and their attendantsSIDDHI is the life force of all wealth gods and lords of treasuresHUNG is the life force of all protectors of the Dharma without exception


OM AH HUNG is the life force of the three types of tantraVAJRA is the life force of the collected texts of the Vinaya and SutraGURU is the life force of the Abhidharma and the Kriya tantrasPEMA is the life force of the Upa and Yoga tantrasSIDDHI is the life force of the Mahayoga and Anuyoga tantrasand HUNG is the life force of Atiyoga, the Great Perfection


OM AH HUNG purifies obscuration arising from the three poisonsVAJRA purifies the obscuration stemming from anger and hatredGURU purifies the obscuration stemming from pride and arrogancePEMA purifies the obscuration that arises from grasping and cravingSIDDHI purifies the obscuration from envy and jealousyHUNG purifies the obscurations arising from delusion and all the negative mental attitudes


By OM AH HUNG one obtains the three kayas, dharmakaya, sambhogakaya and nirmanakayaby VAJRA the ‘mirror–like’ primordial awareness becomes manifestby GURU the primordial awareness of ultimate sameness becomes manifestby PEMA the primordial awareness perceiving all individual detail becomes manifestby SIDDHI the primordial awareness of spontaneously accomplished activity becomes manifestby HUNG everything that stems from primordial awareness is accomplished

1 . Although I have never heard a Tibetan pronounce this as anything but BENZAR, or—at the very

most—BADZRA, for reasons of cohesion I have chosen to represent it in this—‘more–or–less’ phonetic—

representation of its original Sanskrit.


With OM AH HUNG one gains controls over gods, demons and menby VAJRA one controls all malevolent influences from gandharvas and fire spiritsby GURU one controls all malevolent influences from the lords of the dead and cannibal rakshasa spiritswith PEMA one controls the malevolent influences of the water gods and lords of the windswith SIDDHI one controls the malevolent influences of yaksha spirits and powerful demonsby HUNG one controls the malevolent influences from planetary genii and lords of the soil


OM AH HUNG grants realisation of the six transcendent perfectionsVAJRA realises all activities that are peacefulGURU realises all activities of enrichment and enhancementPEMA realises all activities of overpowering and enchantmentSIDDHI realises all activities of any kindand HUNG realises all wrathful activities


By OM AH HUNG one reverses all back magic practised by Buddhist and Bönpo priestswith VAJRA one turns back the curses of the wisdom deitiesGURU reverses the curses of the eight classes of gods and spiritsPEMA reverses the curses of worldly gods and demonsSIDDHI reverses the curses of nagas and lords of the soiland HUNG turns back the curses of gods, demons and men


With OM AH HUNG one vanquishes the armies of the five poisonsVAJRA defeats the armies born of anger and hatredGURU defeats the armies stemming from arrogance and pridePEMA vanquishes the armies of desire and cravingSIDDHI defeats the armies of envy and jealousywhile HUNG will vanquish the armies of gods, demons and men


By OM AH HUNG one attains spiritual accomplishment of the enlightened body, speech and mindby VAJRA one attains the accomplishments of the peaceful and wrathful deities of meditationby GURU one attains the accomplishments of the spiritual teachers, masters of pure awareness by PEMA one attains the accomplishments of the dakinis and the Dharma protectorsby SIDDHI one attains all accomplishments, ordinary and supreme and with HUNG one attains all conceivable accomplishments


With OM AH HUNG one transmigrates to the primordial buddhafieldwith VAJRA one is reborn in the pure realm of Abhirati—‘Manifest Joy’—in the eastern directionwith GURU one takes rebirth in the pure realm called ‘The Glorious’ in the southwith PEMA one is reborn in the western buddhafield of Sukhavati—‘Endowed with Bliss’with SIDDHI one takes rebirth in the pure land of ‘Perfect Activity’ in the northand with HUNG one is reborn in the ‘Unshakeable’ buddhafield in the centre


By OM AH HUNG one attains mastery of pure awareness as it relates to the three kayasby VAJRA one attains the state of a master of pure awareness established on the stages of the pathby GURU one attains the state of a master of pure awareness with power over life forceby PEMA one attains mastery of the pure awareness of the ‘all–encompassing seal’by SIDDHI one attains the state of a spontaneously realised mastery of pure awarenessand by HUNG one becomes a fully matured master of pure awareness


“If a single repetition of the Vajra Guru mantra were to assume form, the entire earth would be too small to hold it. Any sentient being who sees, hears or thinks of it will most certainly be born amongst the ranks of the male and female holders of pure awareness. The infallible Vajra Guru mantra is the word of truth. If what is wished for does not materialise as I have promised, then I, the Lotus Born Lord, am fooling sentient beings. Since, however, it is certain that there is no deception here, practice as I have told you.

“If you cannot recite it, raise it up on the peak of a victory banner and the wind that touches it will certainly free all beings it then comes in contact with. Alternatively, inscribe it on surfaces of clay, wood or stone which, when merely seen along the path where they have been placed, will purify from the obscurations of disease and malevolent spirits and destroy the routes by which the malicious demons and rakshasas of that place seek to circulate. If you wear it as an amulet written in gold on purest indigo–coloured paper, no evil spirit, spirit of obstruction or elemental will be able to harm you. If, following your death, you are cremated without that amulet being removed, rays of rainbow light will shoot from your body and you will definitely be reborn in the Realm of Great Bliss. The benefits of writing it out, reading or reciting it are utterly beyond measure.”

Having set this down for the benefit of beings of the future, I have hidden it. May it meet with a fortunate and karmically destined son.

SAMAYA GYA GYA GYA—Thrice sealed commitment

Thrice sealed with secrecy from those with wrong views—GYA GYA GYAThrice sealed for and entrusted to those with pure tantric commitments—GYA GYA GYA

The incarnate lama Karma Lingpa called this forth from the treasury and copied it down from the golden scroll.

the benefits of reciting the vajra guru mantra

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