Arrange offerings as usual.
Do prostration three times.
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.
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!