Visualization of Kurukulla Mantra Practice　Yutang Lin

Disciple Jing Xing proposed the title of this article in Chinese and asked me to expound on the subject, with the hope that the explanation would also make it clear as to how to do visualization during recitation of mantras in general.

Repetition of a mantra, or a holy epithet, need not be accompanied by visualization. One need only concentrate on continuation of the repetition. However, at the very beginning and the end of the repetition practice it would be better to visualize that all holy beings and all those sentient beings in Samsara are also doing the practice together.

Repetition of Kurukulla's Heart Mantra as done by a practitioner visualizing oneself as Kurukulla can be performed according to the "Accomplishment" and "Spinning" sections in "Kurukulla Unification Sadhana." (They are quoted below for easy references.)

During recitation of Kurukulla Heart Mantra in daily activities, be it walking, standing, sitting or lying, one may visualize Kurukulla as one fore-arm length in height and staying in the space above and in front of one, watching over one with compassion, or as staying one fore-arm length above one's head, and facing in the same direction as one.

If Kurukulla had been adopted as one's Yidam, one would incessantly repeat the Heart Mantra in daily life, and in addition, one may visualize that the mantra wheel in the heart chakra continuously radiates red lights to bless all sentient beings. As to spinning of the mantra wheel, it is to be practiced only during a formal session of practice.

As expounded above, a practitioner could easily infer therefrom as to how to apply them to visualization of repetition of other Yidams' mantras.


Appendix

Disciple Jing Xing asked: Visualizing Kurukulla and Guru as "non-dual" means that Kurukulla and Guru are in oneness; is this correct? What would be the function of such view?

Guru Lin replied: Correct. The whole Dharmadhatu is originally in limitless oneness; therefore, Kurukulla and Guru are originally in oneness. Reminding that they are "non-dual" so as to diminish the differentiating mentality of the practitioner, and thereby help the practitioner to attain sooner the original oneness. Believing that Kurukulla is Guru, one could easily receive Kurukulla's blessing directly. Believing that Guru is Kurukulla, one could easily receive Guru's blessing.

October 6, 2008
El Cerrito, California

Quoted from Kurukulla Unification Sadhana:

7. Accomplishment
Visualize that, through the nectar blessing of Kurukulla, all sentient beings in the whole Dharmadhatu have returned to the original purity; they all transform and merge into a boundless sky-blue light. Kurukulla, 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 moon cushion and a sun cushion. At the center of the sun cushion there appears a red seed word "Hrih" standing upright. Hrih transforms into Kurukulla with red brilliant rainbow body, appearing as a teenage maiden, who has one face, three eyes, four arms and complete with all adornments of a Sambhogakaya. Her red-orange hair streams upwards, she wears a crown of five skulls, a necklace of fifty freshly severed human heads. Her earrings, bracelets, necklaces, armlets, anklelets, etc. are ornaments of bone and jewels. Her first left hand holds a red upala flower bow and her first right hand holds an arrow, decorated with red upala flower, in shooting position and stretches the bow to its full. Her second right hand holds a red upala flower hook upwards, and her second left hand holds a rope of red upala flower downwards. She wears a tiger-skin skirt, standing in a dancing posture with the right leg drawn up and the left leg pressing on the heart area of the corpse of a female demon. She is completely surrounded by a circle of burning flames of wisdom fire, emitting great bright red lights. In the heart chakra of Kurukulla there is a lotus, above which is a moon cushion, and a sun cushion atop. Standing upright at the center of this sun cushion is a red seed word "Hrih," . Evenly distributed around and above the circumference of the sun cushion are the words constituting the Heart Mantra of Kurukulla. All words of this mantra wheel are red in color and are arranged clockwise in their regular order (as in the diagram below).

The Mantra Wheel of Kurukulla’s Heart Mantra

Weng Gu Lu Gu Li Ye Suo Ha

8. Spinning
Recite the Heart Mantra and simultaneously visualize that the mantra wheel in the heart chakra is spinning. The word Hrih at the center remains still. The mantra wheel spins counterclockwise (left spin) 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 red light spreading in all directions throughout the whole Dharmadhatu. With each wave of red light countless numbers of transformations of the Kurukulla are sent forth. These Kurukullas surf the waves of light to all corners of the Dharmadhatu in order to salvage all sorts of sentient beings.

 

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