Thus, through my virtues from correctly performing the offerings, praises, recitations and meditations Of the generation stage of Glorious Heruka, May I complete all the stages
Of the common and uncommon paths.
For the sake of all living beings
May I become Heruka;
and then lead every living being
To Heruka’s supreme state.
and if I do not attain this supreme state in this life, at my deathtime may I be met by the venerable Father and Mother and their retinue,
With clouds of breathtaking offerings, heavenly music, and many excellent, auspicious signs.
Then, at the end of the clear light of death, May I be led to the Pure Land of keajra, The abode of the knowledge Holders who practise the supreme path;
and there may I swiftly complete this profound path.
May the most profound practice and instruction of Heruka,
Practised by millions of powerful Yogis, greatly increase; and may it remain for a very long time without degenerating,
as the main gateway for those seeking liberation.
May the Heroes, Dakinis and their retinues abiding in the twenty-four supreme places of this world, Who possess unobstructed power for accomplishing this method,
Never waver from always assisting practitioners.
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THE YOGa OF BUDDHa HERUka
Auspicious prayers
May there be the auspiciousness of a great treasury of blessings arising from the excellent deeds of all the root and lineage Gurus,
Who have accomplished the supreme attainment of Buddha Heruka
By relying upon the excellent, secret path of the king of Tantras.
May there be the auspiciousness of the great excellent deeds of the Three Jewels –
The holy Buddha Jewel, the pervading nature Heruka, definitive Heruka;
The ultimate, great, secret Dharma Jewel, the scriptures and realizations of Heruka Tantra;
and the supreme Sangha Jewel, the assemblies of Heruka’s retinue Deities.
Through all the great good fortune there is In the precious, celestial mansions as extensive as the three thousand worlds,
adorned with ornaments like the rays of the sun and the moon,
May all worlds and their beings have happiness, goodness, glory and prosperity.
Prayers for the Virtuous Tradition
So that the tradition of Je Tsongkhapa, The king of the Dharma, may flourish,
May all obstacles be pacified
and may all favourable conditions abound.
Through the two collections of myself and others Gathered throughout the three times,
May the doctrine of Conqueror Losang Dragpa Flourish for evermore.
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MODERN BUDDHISM
The nine-line Migtsema prayer Tsongkhapa, crown ornament of the scholars of the Land of the Snows,
You are Buddha Shakyamuni and Vajradhara, the source of all attainments,
avalokiteshvara, the treasury of unobservable compassion,
Manjushri, the supreme stainless wisdom, and Vajrapani, the destroyer of the hosts of maras.
O Venerable Guru-Buddha, synthesis of all Three Jewels, With my body, speech and mind, respectfully I make requests:
Please grant your blessings to ripen and liberate myself and others,
and bestow the common and supreme attainments.
(3x)
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Condensed Six-session Yoga
Everyone who has received a Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment has a commitment to practise six-session yoga. If we are very busy, we can fulfil our six-session commitment by doing the following practice six times each day. First we recall the nineteen commitments of the five Buddha families that are listed below, and then, with a strong determination to keep these commitments purely, we recite the Condensed Six-session Yoga that follows.
THE NINETEEN COMMITMENTS OF THE FIVE
BUDDHa FaMILIES
The six commitments of the family of Buddha Vairochana: (1) To go for refuge to Buddha
(2) To go for refuge to Dharma
(3) To go for refuge to Sangha
(4) To refrain from non-virtue
(5) To practise virtue
(6) To benefit others
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MODERN BUDDHISM
The four commitments of the family of Buddha Akshobya: (1) To keep a vajra to remind us to emphasize the development of great bliss through meditation on the central channel
(2) To keep a bell to remind us to emphasize meditation on emptiness
(3) To generate ourself as the Deity while realizing all things that we normally see do not exist (4) To rely sincerely upon our Spiritual Guide, who leads us to the practice of the pure moral discipline of the Pratimoksha, Bodhisattva and Tantric vows The four commitments of the family of Buddha Ratnasambhava: (1) To give material help
(2) To give Dharma
(3) To give fearlessness
(4) To give love
The three commitments of the family of Buddha Amitabha: (1) To rely upon the teachings of Sutra (2) To rely upon the teachings of the two lower classes of Tantra
(3) To rely upon the teachings of the two higher classes of Tantra
The two commitments of the family of Buddha Amoghasiddhi: (1) To make offerings to our Spiritual Guide (2) To strive to maintain purely all the vows we have taken
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CONDENSED SIx-SESSION YOGa
CONDENSED SIx-SESSION YOGa
I go for refuge to the Guru and Three Jewels.
Holding vajra and bell I generate as the Deity and make offerings.
I rely upon the Dharmas of Sutra and Tantra and refrain from all non-virtuous actions.
Gathering all virtuous Dharmas, I help all living beings through the practice of the four givings.
All nineteen commitments are referred to in this verse. The words,
‘I go for refuge to the . . . Three Jewels’, refer to the first three commitments of the family of Buddha Vairochana – to go for refuge to Buddha, to go for refuge to Dharma and to go for refuge to Sangha. The word, ‘Guru’, refers to the fourth commitment of the family of Buddha Akshobya – to rely sincerely upon our Spiritual Guide.
The words, ‘Holding vajra and bell I generate as the Deity’,
refer to the first three commitments of the family of Buddha Akshobya – to keep a vajra to remind us of great bliss, to keep a bell to remind us of emptiness and to generate ourself as the Deity.
The words, ‘and make offerings’, refer to the first commitment of the family of Buddha Amoghasiddhi – to make offerings to our Spiritual Guide.
The words, ‘I rely upon the Dharmas of Sutra and Tantra’,
refer to the three commitments of Buddha Amitabha – to rely upon the teachings of Sutra, to rely upon the teachings of the two lower classes of Tantra, and to rely upon the teachings of the two higher classes of Tantra. The words, ‘and refrain from all non-virtuous actions’, refer to the fourth commitment of the family of Buddha Vairochana – to refrain from non-virtue.
The words, ‘Gathering all virtuous Dharmas’, refer to the fifth commitment of the family of Buddha Vairochana – to practise virtue. The words, ‘I help all living beings’, refer to the sixth 307
MODERN BUDDHISM
commitment of the family of Buddha Vairochana – to benefit others.
The words, ‘through the practice of the four givings’, refer to the four commitments of the family of Buddha Ratnasambhava – to give material help, to give Dharma, to give fearlessness and to give love.
Finally, the entire verse refers to the second commitment of the family of Buddha Amoghasiddhi – to strive to maintain purely all the vows we have taken.
More detail on the vows and commitments of Secret Mantra can be found in the book Tantric Grounds and Paths .
Colophon: This sadhana was compiled from traditional sources by Venerable Geshe kelsang Gyatso, June 2009, and revised april 2010
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Blissful Journey
HOW TO ENGaGE IN a CLOSE RETREaT OF
HERUka BODY MaNDaLa
Kyabje Trijang Rinpoche