A Method for Meditating with the Mani Wheel
Homage to the Guru, Transcendant Avalokiteshvara, the Buddha of Compassion.
Om Mani Padme Hung
Refuge and Boddhicitta Motivation
I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To the Buddha, the Dharma and the Supreme Assembly.
By the virtuous merit that I create by practicing giving and other perfections
May I attain the state of a Buddha in order to benefit all sentient beings.
(Recite 3 times)
Recall:
The pupose of my life is not just to find happiness for myself and to solve all
of my own problems. The purpose of my life is to free other sentient beings who
are numberless, making myself useful and beneficial for them. I will free each
of them from suffering and lead them to happiness in this life, happiness in future
lives, perfect rebirths, the ultimate happiness of liberation from samsara, then
the peerless happiness of Full Enlightenment.
Visualization and Recitiation
Begin turning the Mani Wheel clockwise and reciting the mantra Om Mani Padme Hung!
While continuing to turn the Wheel and recite the mantra, go through the following
visualizations, spending as much time on each as possible.
Purifying Yourself:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of your negative
karmas, disturbing thoughts, and obscurations. These take the form of darkness
which is completely absorbed into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, you develop love, compassion, equanimity, joy
and bodhicitta. You complete the practice of the six perfections and you become
like the Compassion Buddha, completely dedicated to the welfare of all sentient
beings.
Purifying Hell Beings:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings in hell realms such as experiencing unbearable heat or cold, being
crushed alive, being boiled and being cut or beaten. The light beams also draw
out all the their negative karmas, disturbing thoughts such as anger, and obscurations.
All of this negativity takes the form of darkness which is completely absorbed
into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Purifying Hungy Ghosts:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings in hungry ghost realms such as experiencing unbearable hunger or
thirst, inability to find or take sustenance, exhaustion, fear and heat or cold.
The light beams also draw out all the their negative karmas, disturbing thoughts
such as greed, and obscurations. All of this negativity takes the form of darkness
which is completely absorbed into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Purifying Animals:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings in the animal realm such as being attacked or eaten by others, being
imprisoned or forced work by humans, heat or cold, fear, and stupidity. The light
beams also draw out all the their negative karmas, disturbing thoughts such as
ignorance, and obscurations. All of this negativity takes the form of darkness
which is completely absorbed into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Purifying Humans:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings in the human realm such as not getting what one wants, loosing what
one has,anxiety, depression, poverty, war, illness and death. The light beams
also draw out all the their negative karmas, disturbing thoughts such as desire,
and obscurations. All of this negativity takes the form of darkness which is completely
absorbed into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Purifying Demigods:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings in the demigod realm such as unbearble jealousy of the gods, mental
agitation, fighting, and losing in battle with the gods. The light beams also
draw out all the their negative karmas, disturbing thoughts such as jealousy,
and obscurations. All of this negativity takes the form of darkness which is completely
absorbed into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Purifying Gods:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings in the god realm such as remaining in samsara due to one's delusions
and disturbing thoughts, stil having to fear rebirth in the lower realms, and
the terrible suffering of death. The light beams also draw out all the their negative
karmas, disturbing thoughts such as pride, and obscurations. All of this negativity
takes the form of darkness which is completely absorbed into the Mani Wheel and
destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Purifying Being in the Intermediate State:
Beams of light are emittted from the Mani Wheel, drawing out all of the sufferings
of the beings who have recently deid and are now in the intermediate state. The
light beams also draw out all the their negative karmas, disturbing thoughts and
obscurations. All of this negativity takes the form of darkness which is completely
absorbed into the Mani Wheel and destroyed.
As the beams continue to radiate, all these beings develop love, compassion, equanimity,
joy and bodhicitta. They complete the practice of the six perfections. They attain
the fully enlightened state of the Compassion Buddha.
Dedication
By this virtue may I quickly attain the state of the Buddha of Compassion
And lead all beings without exception to that Enlightened State.
May the supreme jewel, Bodhicitta, that has not arisen, arise and grow
And may that which has arisen not diminish but increase more and more.
May the lives of those compassionate ones who've embodied in human form - His
Holiness the Dalai Lama, the virtuous friends, and all holy beings - Remain long
and stable.
As a result of these merits, by merely seeing, hearing, touching, talking with
or thinking of me,
May any being be freed immediately from all their sufferings, diseases, spirit
harms,
Negative karmas, disturbing thoughts and obscurations,
And may they abide in the peerless happines of Full Enlightenment forever.
* * *
Summary of Benefits
The Mani Wheel particularly helps one to develop great compassion and bodhicitta;
it helps one to complete the accumulation of extensive merit and purify obscurations
so as to achieve Enlightenment as quickly as possible.
The Mani Wheel embodies all the actions of the Buddhas and Boddhisatvas of the
ten directions. To benefit sentient beings, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas manifest
in the Prayer Wheel to purify all of our negative karmas and obscurations, and
to cause us to actualize the realizations of the path to Enlightenment. All the
beings - not only the people but also the insects - in the area where the Prayer
Wheel is built are saved from rebirth in the lower realms; they receive a deva
[godly] or human body, or are born in a pure land of Buddha.
If you have a Mani Prayer Wheel in your house, your house is the same as the Potala,
the pure land of the Compassion Buddha.
If you have a Prayer Wheel next to you when you die, that itself becomes a method
to transfer your consciouness to the pure land of Buddha Amitabha or of the Compassion
Buddha.
Simply touching a prayer wheel brings great purification of negative karmas and
obscurations.
Anyone who recites the six syllables while turning the Dharma Wheel at the same
time is equal in fortune to the Thousand Buddhas.
Turning the Dharma Wheel is better than listenening, refleting and meditating
for aeons.
Turning the Dharma Wheel once is better than attempting to practice the ten transcendant
perfections for a thousand years. It is even better than explaining and listenening
to the Three Baskets and the four Tantras for aeons.
One will control all three: human beings, wealth and sustenance. One will become
meaningful to behold by anyone with whom one has a connection. Sentient beings
who are touched by one's shadow will be liberated from the lower realms.
This practice purifies the the five uninterrupted karmas and the ten non-virtuous
actions; it purifies all evil-gone actions [causes of rebirth in the lower realms].
One will receive the blessings from the Lineage Lamas and will have one's wishes
fulfilled by the mind-seal dieties [Skt. yidmas], and will naturally fulfill the
Buddha's thoughts. Also, male and female angels [Skt. dakas and dakinis] will
eliminate your obstacles. The Protectors will act according to your wishes.
Even those lacking perseverence in their practice, who pass the time passively,
will be able to attain mystic powers [Skt. siddhis]. Those with perseverence for
reciting the mantra and turning the wheel will undoubtably attain the tenth ground
[Skt, bhumi].
Even if one has no thought to benefit oneself, encouraging another to write the
mantra and turn the wheel eliminates your negativity and completes your good qualities.
Not knowing the practice of the Dharma Wheel and relying upon other practices
is like a blind person trying to see - there is no way to succeed. A person with
small wisdom and great laziness is like a donkey stuck in mud. Therefore cherish
the practice of the Dharma Wheel.