CHENREZIG MEDITATION GIVEN BY KALU RINOCHE

I. Introduction Chenrezig is an emanation of all Buddhas and Boddhisattvas. He is the essence of their great compassion and is both a Buddha, a Boddhisattva, and a Jidam. In this meditation Chenrezig is a Jidam, which means "that which we always keep in our mind". To meditate on a Buddha-aspect is one of the effective means, which is utilized in the DiamondWay, and those who follow this Way will quickly attain Buddhahood. Since it it difficult to staunch the racing of the thoughts and disturbing emotions, the DiamondWay uses many means to transform and change these.

This meditation on Chenrezig works at numerous levels and is a very profound teaching. It is quite necessary to study it, but it is only through personal practise that we grasp its full significance. Through the joint actions of Chenrezigs blessing and our practise we will then attain to the various levels-of-realization and, finally, the state of Buddha.
The DiamondWay requires initiations and trust on the part of the practitioner in order to bear fruit, and the methods are given gradually to protect us while we are developing devotion and removing wrong views.

II.
COMMENTARY ON CHENREZIG MEDITATION GIVEN BY KALU RINOCHE.

Contents:

1. The Preparatory Part (ngöndro)

a. The Refuge (chabdro)
b. Development of the Realization-mind (semche) (Boddhicitta)

2. The Body(main part) of Meditation (ngöshji)

a. Build-Up phase with form (cherim)
b. Completion phase , formless (dzogrim)

3. The Finalizing Part (dje)

a. The Bestowing of Merit phase (ngöwa)
b. Wishful prayer (mönlam) that all living beings may be reborn in Dewachen, Chenrezig's Pure Plane of Consciousness.


III. Main Meditation Instructions

1. The Preparatory Part.
a. The Refuge.

Sang dje thjö dang thsog nam la/
chang thchub bardu da ni tjab sin thjui/

In Buddha, Dharma and the Group of all the Best
I take Refuge untill I reach Enlightenment.

Buddha is the first and actual Refuge and in Tibetan is called Sangdje.
"Sang" means fully cleansed ( of ignorance), and "dje" means with fully developed good qualities. The Buddha-hood is distinguished by the three conditions:

1. The State of Thruth (chöku/dharmakaya),
2. The State of Bliss (longku/sambhogakaya), and
3. The State of Emanation /tulku/nirmanakaya).

The first of these are without form, and the two other forms are manifested for the sake of other beings. All three states united is The State of Buddha(Buddhahood).


When we know the perfect qualities of the Buddha, there arises a profound trust in Him, and in the teachings He gives : the Holy Doctrine, (tchö/dharma). The significance of this word is huge, because "tchö" means everything that exists at all. There is a distinction made between worldly "tchö", worldly knowledge, and the Holy Teachings, which are Buddha's teachings, and which liberate us from the WheelofLife. This latter one, the Buddha's teachings, is our second Refuge.

The third Refuge is to the practitioners (gendyn or sangha), who are here called the "Group of all the Best ". "Ge" means the good and "dyn" means to strive for, to want to achieve, therefore "those, who want to achieve the good". A "gendyn" you become by taking Refuge with Body,Speech,and Mind, by taking external vows as a layman (genjen), a novice(getsyl), or as a fully ordained monk(gelong). Or you can do it by taking the inner Boddhisattva-vows (dchang chub sem gi dompa) or by taking secret DiamondWay vows. The people who do that make out the "Group of those seeking all the Best", because they are using their lives to do good things, to make sacrifices,and to chant Mantras and meditate.
Buddha, who is the highest subject for our devotion and our sacrifices, is in the State of Thruth, which is without form, and it is therefore very important, that we are in contact with those who study and practise His teachings.
When in the DiamondWay we take Refuge in "the Noble Sangha" (phagpe gendyn), we are talking about the highest of the Boddhisattvas.

b. Developing the Enlightened Mind

da gi djin sog dji pe sö nam chi/
dro la phen tchir snag dje drub par cho/

By the merit of Generosity etc. (i.e the 5 other liberating virtues plus the two phases of DiamondWay meditation (the one with form (kjerim) and the formless (dzogrim)) may the Buddhahood be reached for the benenfit of all beings.

By taking Refuge as the first thing we remove all hindrances to our practise and create good conditions for it, and by developing the Enlightended Mind, everything attains a depth, which can be likened to that of the ocaen. These two phases are therefore very important and are recited three times.

2. The Body of Meditation (MainPart).

a. Build-up phase with form.

In DiamondWay meditation the aim is to think of the Buddha-aspect and us as being one, but since this is difficult, we start out by concentrating on Chenrezig, the Essence of Refuge, as sitting above our heads and above all living beings.

First Visualisation:
I and all beings, as many as the sky is big, have on the top of our heads a white, open lotusflower. Inside it rests a flat moon-disc, on top of which is planted the white letter HRIH **, the RootSyllable of Chenrezig, the essence of limitless compassion. As an offering to all Buddhas lightrays now radiate from HRIH in all directions and in the 5 colours of the rainbow, white yellow, red, blue, and gren - mostly white.....
The rays reach all the Buddhas and Boddhisattvas, who receive them with joy, and then they send the light in augmented form back to HRIH as a blessing.

Now rays of light stream out from HRIH to all beings in the six worlds everywhere and cleanses them completely, and then the light returns to HRIH , which in a flash is transformed into the form of the Noble Illustrious Chenrezig. (If we have only very little time the HRIH is immediately transformed into the Noble form of Chenrezig.)

Visualization of Chenrezig.
Chenrezig has all the outer and inner signs of the Buddhas and the Boddhisattavas. He is white and clear, and from his body streams lightrays in the five colours of the rainbow, mostly white. His face is beatiful and smiling, and his sparkling and compassionate eyes look at all living beings. Chenrezig has four arms. The foremost two are joined in devotional prayer for the jewel of the mind, and in the two others he holds in the right hand a crystal mala and in the left hand a white lotus. Over his left shoulder is draped an antelopeskin as a sign that He does not harm any living being. He is adorned with the 13 outer signs of the state of Limitless Bliss.

The 13 signs consist of:
The five ribbons and clothes:
1. The ribbon which hangs from his crown.
2. The shawl, which wraps round his arms.
3. The upper garment, covering the shoulders.
4. The lower, outer grament.
5. The lower, inner garment.
PLUS
The eight Jewels.
1. The crown.
2. The earrings.
3. Short necklace.
4. Lang necklace.
5. Arm bands.
6. Bracelets.
7. Belt.
8. Ankle-rings.

He is shining and vibrantly clear, like freshly fallen snow in the strongest of sunlights, the perfect union of appearance and emptiness, and the red Buddha, Öpagme(Amitabha), adorns his head. He is wearing monks' robes and sits in meditation pose with a bowl in his joined hands. Chenrezig's legs are in the Dorje-posture and an unblemished moon supports his back. His mind is all-knowing and filled with non-distinguishing compassion for all living.

(If at first we do not see Chenrezig clearly, we should just visualize/imagine that he is really there above our heads. Since his nature is the all-knowing, penetrating truth, he will be wherever we open ourselves to Him.)


Prayer to Chenrezig:
While we in this way imagine/visualize Cherezig above our heads, we pray to him with deep sincerity. He is one with our Root-Lama and the essence of all Refuge.

djo wo chön dji ma gö kyn do kar/
dzog sang dje chi u la djen/
thug dje chen dji dro la sig/
chen re sig la thja thsal lo

Oh Noble One, copletele devoid of faults, with white body
the perfect Buddha adorns your head,
with compassionate eyes you look at all living,
to you Chenrezig I make obeisance.

We say this prayer, as much as we can.
(After the short prayer we can say the seven-lined prayer and after that the long prayer to Chenrezig, where we pray that He will free all beings in the six worlds.)

After having prayed to Chenrezig with an alert and open mind, there now emanates a strong light in the five colours - mostly white - from his body in all directions and cleans out all impurities and limitations. Thus cleansed the outer world appears as Dewachen, Öpagme's and Chenrezig's Pure Land. Our bodies, which consist of the five elements, becomes the pure body of Chenrezig, which is radiant and light like the rainbow, and which is the unification of appearance and emptiness (nangtong). The sounds which we both made and heard, and which were either pleasant or unpleasant, either harmful or beneficial, now become the pure words of Chenrezig, his Mantra OM MANI PEME HUNG, the unity of sound and emptiness (dratong). Our mind, which was impure, because it was constantly darkened by confused emotions, it too now becomes the pure mind of Chenrezig, which is the union of Realization and Emptines(rigtong).

We now say the Mantra OM MANI PENE HUNG while keeping in mind that everything is the Body of Chenrezig's body, speeech, and mind as well and as long as we can.

Then we can alternate between different ways of meditating. We can turn the mind toward Chenrezig sitting above our heads and pray singlemindedly to Him. We can hold on to His physical form and all His outer signs, and their meanings. We can concentrate on the seed-syllable HRIH , which is in His heart.

We can also concentrate on the meaning of the mantra.

OM		is white and removes the the causes of and the suffering of the God-world, i.e. pride and the suffering of only being able to fall to lower levels at death.
MA		is green and removes the the causes of and the suffering of the half-god-world, i.e. envy and eternal strife.
NI		is yellow and removes the causes of and the suffering of the Human-world, i.e. the whole dualistic perception and the suffering of birth, old-age, and death.
PE		is blue and removes the causes of and the suffering of the animal-world, i.e. ignorance and the suffering of not being able to learn and understand.
ME		is red and removes the causes of and the suffering of the spirit-world, i.e. attachment and the suffering of dissatisfaction.
HUNG		is black and removes the causes of and the suffering of the hell-states, i.e. hate and the suffering of heat and cold.

We can vibrate along with the sound of the Mantra.
We can work at the expansion of compassion, and think about how we all want happiness, but do not know how to attain it. We can think about how we want to avoid suffering but out of ignorance keep doing the actions which create suffering.

We often concentrate on the way the light, which emanates from His body, again and again cleans out all the outer world and its contents, all living beings.
We can think of ourselves as Chenrezig, and we may once in a while let the mind rest, complete in itself, understanding its own empty nature.

While we are saying the mantra Chenrezig dissolves into light above our heads and melts down into us. From top to bottom we become His radiant body, His perfect speech, and His perfect consciousness. We receive His blesing and are now really Chenrezig.

b. Completion phase. Formless.

In the heart of our Chenrezig stands the seed-syllable HRIH on a moon-disc inside a lotus, surrounded by the six-syllable mantra(Om-Ma-Ni-Pe-Me-Hung). A strong light radiates out from this and permeates the whole universe and purifies it. The outer world dissolves into light, which is absorbed in all living and in us, and we are all Chenrezig. All living beings, who are Chenrezig, dissolve into light and is absorbed by the lotus, the six syllables and HRIH .

The lotus and the six syllables are absorbed by the HRIH , which now gradually dissolves (see drawing) untill there is only a small speck left, which disappears into the emptiness like a rainbow in the sky ( or it all dissolves into light in a moment).

Everything is now dissolved into the original emptiness, and we let the mind rest in its natural state, without tension, completely awake and not distracted.
Should thoughts appear, we do not try to stop them, remove them, follow them , or evaluate them; we just let them slide by and see that they are there, they calm down by themselves, and disappear. We should not meditate on emptiness by thinking, "I am meditating on emptiness". We should just let the mind rest, just as it is. We stay in this state as long as we possibly can.
When we can hold it no longer, we and all living beings again become Chenrezig, whose body is like a rainbow, like a reflection of the moon in water. The outer world is the shining, perfect land of DewaChen, all sound is the mantra OM MANI PEME HUNG , and everything that arises in the mind is inseparable from the emptiness.
We stay in this state whether we walk, or sleep, or eat, or whatever.
By using these two phases, the construction- and the completion-phase, we learn to fathom the unreal nature of all things. In the constructive phase all the disturbing elements are swept away, and we experience, at still deeper levels, how all appearance, sound, taste,smell,and touch are empty, and how all things have no real nature, but that they arise, change and perish all the time.
In the completion phase all the various forms of consciousness dissolve into emptiness. Usually one would lose consciousness at such a dissolution, e.g. at the moment of death. But if we familiarize ourselves with this phase already now, we will be able to do it at the momemt of death as well. We will then avoid becoming unconscious and instead we will recognize the ClearLight that appears, and by doing this we will recognize the true Nature of the Mind (MahaMudra). If we are not able to keep our conscsiousness aware, we will then fall into three or four days of unconsciousness. The moment we regain consciousness, and all the illusory things appear in our minds, then, if we have become used to meditating, we will be able to meditate on the fact that all apparitions are the Body of Chenrezig and his Pure Land, and that all sound is mantra, and that our mind is His Mind; and through this deep profound understanding we shall be set free.

3. The Finalizing Part.

TheMerit earned by doing this profound practise, which takes us to Enlightenment very rapidly, is very big indeed. The last important part of the meditation is therefore that we pass all the merit, which we have accumulated, on to all living beings, and we pray that they quickly may attain the Pure State of Chenrezig and be reborn into his state of consciousness, DewaChen.

We say like this:

gewa di ji njur du da/
Chenrezig wang drub djur ne/
dro wa chik chang ma ly pa/
de ji sa la gö par sjo/

To this good thing I must quickly,
after I have realized almighty Chenrzig,
bring all beings without exeption,
at this plane.
AND

di tasr gom de dji pe sö nam chi
da dang da la drel thog dro wa kyn
mi tsang ly di bor wa djur m,a tha
de wa chen du dzy te che war sj
che ma tha tu sa tju rab drö ne
tryl pe chag chur chen dön dje par sjo

Thus by the merit from having done this meditation and chanting,
may I and all who are connected with me and all beings everywhere,
as soon as these impure bodies have been left behind, be born miraculously
in DewaChen. As soon as we are born there and have crossed the ten stages (Boddhisattva stages), we may then work as emanations in the ten directions as a benefit to others.

If in this life we have nourished strong wishes to be born in Dewachen, then when we die, we will be born there through the combined effort of Chenrezig's blessing and our own wishes .