Tibetan Buddhist Altar » Seven Line Prayer

Potent Nectar of the 7 Line Prayer: Full Length Video Teaching

Jetsunma — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 16:35:10 +0000

The following is a full length video teaching offered by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo at Kunzang Palyul Choling:

Mother Song and 7 Line Prayer

anisonam — Fri, 25 Nov 2011 13:30:26 +0000

Mother Song & Seven Line Prayer

The following are the lyrics to The Mother’s Song, recorded by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo in 1992. You can listen to the recording by clicking the link above.

The Mother’s Song

This morning I woke up

With the sounds of suffering

Speaking their names

In my ear

Spoke of a time

When the Bodhisattvas

Could no longer appear

How can my heart bear the sorrow?

How can my eyes bear to see?

All of my babes lost and fearful

Having no means to be free.

No way to know of liberation

No way to cross samsara’s sea

How can I comfort the sick and dying?

How can I hold them within me?

If they are called, will they hear?

Will they see?

© Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo, March 1992

Contemplating the True Nature of the Guru

Jetsunma — Mon, 30 May 2011 12:30:23 +0000

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Guru Yoga”

We should think in such a way that we know if we practice deeply enough, we will look at Guru Rinpoche and see that innate wakeful state which is the true face.

Guru Rinpoche said before he left, “I will appear as your Root Teacher.” What that means is we should practice considering that the teacher who comes to teach us and gives us blessing, gives us empowerment, gives us commentary teaching, who makes it possible for us to practice the path, is actually an extension of Guru Rinpoche’s activity. The teacher cannot be separated from Guru Rinpoche’s activity, and is Guru Rinpoche’s activity—an extension of miraculous enlightened compassion, enlightened intention.

If we, in our ordinary perception, separate the two and say, ”Oh, Guru Rinpoche is over here, and the Root Teacher’s over there, and I’m over there,” and practice in a superficial way, we won’t get very far. But if we see the whole event as the miraculous intention of the Buddha, as enlightenment itself, if we understand that the path is inseparable from the benefit, inseparable from the nature itself, and if we understand this activity to be this enlightened process, inseparable from the true face, and we practice focused in that way, the blessing cannot be counted. It is incredibly profound. It’s an entirely different process, really, than the kinds of ordinary activity that we always engage in. We’re always working hard at something,,but that’s not the point. The point is to see the face, to know the nature. The point is to be awake.

If one uses the thoughts that I have just described, contemplating in the way that I have described, practicing Guru Yoga as I have described it, one dispels the delusion that comes from the fixation on self-nature and phenomenal existence as being inherently real and solid. By dispelling fixation, one can know the nature that can only really be described as “suchness,” that which is beyond.

So, I hope that you will take this into your heart and begin to practice. Perhaps you can begin to practice the Seven Line Prayer and Vajra Guru Mantra. But most especially, I really hope that you will think in the way that I’ve described: understanding what is ordinary and what is not ordinary; understanding what is of the world; understanding what is part of the process of fixation and what is a direct display of the Mind of Enlightenment. Thinking on these things and practicing accordingly, one can have great results.

Choices – Like a King or a Queen

Jetsunma — Wed, 18 May 2011 12:30:36 +0000

The following is an excerpt from a teaching by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo called “Entering the Path”

It is not only in the beginning of the path that obstacles happen; they occur periodically throughout your experience of the path. They don’t end. They are like PMS. So each and every time obstacles arise, you have to simply support and nurture yourself. Go through it. Simply take yourself by the hand as if you were a child. Think of this as your kingdom, and you’re a good king or a queen. What should you do to responsibly negotiate yourself through this? You think like that.

Remember the first and most important point to consider: not to make it a big deal. Don’t get yourself all worked up. Try to keep your mind calm, because remember, the obstacles will ripen more quickly and more violently if the mind is excitable, emotional and violent, if it has so many ups and downs. So take yourself to a movie or something, you know, calm down and walk yourself through this. Remember that the biggest tool that you have right now is the accumulation of merit. Within the continuum of your mindstream there are cause-and-effect relationships that have not yet fully ripened. The causes are deeply embedded within your mind. Accumulate more merit and the more meritorious causes from the past will be drawn forth and will come to your rescue.

The name of the game is to pacify obstacles and to draw forth and accumulate as much merit as possible. The mind will become spacious so that we can awaken in incremental degrees to our own nature. To the degree that we begin to awaken to our nature, to that degree, obstacles will no longer affect us.

Upon attaining the Bodhisattva path and moving through that path to the higher bhumis, one is no longer susceptible in the same way to cause-and-effect relationships. They become pacified within the mindstream. They are still expressed in some way, to exhibit the normal characteristics of life. Yet the high level Bodhisattva is not hooked and condemned by these obstacles the way ordinary sentient beings are. These obstacles do not cause them to wander in samsara the way ordinary sentient beings do. So that’s what we have to look forward to. The name of the game is pacifying obstacles and bringing forth as much merit and opportunity as possible until that day happens. For this you can use the practices.

The moment you decide to be on the path and practice, you should immediately begin to accumulate the Seven-Line Prayer. Repeat it on a regular basis every day. That is a merit machine for you. Then as soon as possible, as soon as you have accumulated approximately 10,000, begin to practice Ngöndro or preliminary practice. The reason why it is set up that way is so that the mind can develop and open up to the primordial wisdom nature.

This is the opportunity that you have, and this is the method that you should use. Be your own best friend. Be a good king or queen. Be intelligent and responsible and think beneath the surface. Do not read the things on the surface any more. That’s for children; that’s not for you. You’re on the path now. Look deeper and see what’s happening. Antidote unhappiness with virtue because unhappiness is caused by non-virtue. Accumulate virtue to the degree that you can begin to experience the truly virtuous nature that is your nature. Because if that nature that you truly are were allowed to express itself unimpeded, the display of that nature is the very Bodhicitta or great compassion that we try so hard to emulate.

Your nature is in truth that great unequalled Bodhicitta. You are not a bag of non-virtue; you are suchness, you are that great kindness. When you practice in that way, it’s like cleaning a glass by which the sun can shine through, and the sun is your nature. But do not let your image of the sun be closed down or distorted because of your own habitual tendency to simply ride on the surface and do whatever you think seems right. For the first time, look deeper and understand cause-and-effect relationships. Implement the causes that will bring about happiness and freedom, and pacify, through suppression, those non-virtuous characteristics that will bring you unrest and suffering.

How does this suppression look? Not like faking it and pretending you don’t have these things. That is not suppressing, that is neurosis. That is acting inappropriately. Suppression means that you take the antidote, and you apply it through practice, through contemplation, through offering, through generosity, through kindness. Practicing these things is suppression because the mind remains firm and stable in the way of virtue rather than remaining caught up in amplifying non-virtue.

You are a creature of choices. Isn’t it amazing! A creature of choices! At every turn you can make choices. You cannot choose what experiences seem to come to you because the cause-and-effect relationships have already been laid out for them, but you can choose how to respond, and you can choose how to create future causes. And for this I am exceedingly glad. Choose well then, not like a child. Choose like a king or a queen— noble, thoughtful, educated and sound in your mind. Create the habit of virtue and you will create a kingdom of virtue that will be your life.

The Two Eyes of Your Practice

Jetsunma — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:30:11 +0000

An excerpt from the Mindfulness workshop given by Jetsunma Ahkon Lhamo in 1999

Guru Rinpoche himself said, “I will appear as your Root Guru,” and that appearance is to be recognized. It demands to be recognized. One of the reasons why I harp so much on reciting the Seven line Prayer is because the Seven line Prayer is a prayer, the blessing of which creates the capability of seeing the Guru in all things, and of following the Guru and of practicing in such a way as to discriminate that absolute nature. The nature of that prayer is to begin to awaken our inner psychic channels and to bless our psychic channels and winds and fluids in such a way that everything within us that is the Buddhanature begins to awaken. That’s the power of that prayer, and it is done through the practice of recognizing and discriminating what is extraordinary. In order to provide for that kind of recognition, we have to put a lot more effort into that aspect of our practice than we have up until now.

Maybe I am giving you the impression that it’s all about Guru Rinpoche. For me it is, but maybe that’s because I’m lucky enough to have had enough teachings to have an understanding of Guru Rinpoche’s nature. When we talk about the nature of the Guru, we are talking about the perfect mating of wisdom and compassion, of emptiness and appearance. When you see the image of Guru Rinpoche, you always see that staff crooked in his arm, and that is the symbol of his consort. It indicates that the Lama is never separate from his consort, and the meaning of that is the non-duality and union of emptiness and appearance, of wisdom and compassion, or bodhicitta. That is the meaning of that union of Lama and consort. So Guru Rinpoche is always seen that way. We are to understand from that, then, that His nature is the perfect union of wisdom and bodhicitta, of the view of emptiness and the understanding of the display of appearances. That is Guru Rinpoche’s nature.

That being the case, we have to find a way to not only recognize the physical form of the Guru, the picture that looks like Guru Rinpoche or the picture that looks like your teacher. We really have to get past that and go into a deeper sense of trying to awaken and potentiate our own meditation, our own understanding, of the nature of emptiness and of the nature of appearances. We have to begin to potentiate and practice and meditate in such a way that we see wisdom and compassion as being like the two eyes of our practice.

Click here for a teaching on the Seven Line Prayer and audio files of Jetsunma chanting the Seven Line Prayer.

The Seven Line Prayer

Jetsunma — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:46:37 +0000

First, before a teaching or practice, we always establish motivation. In Mahayana or Vajrayana – the Liberation of all beings from suffering.

Today we discuss the immutable Seven Line Prayer. In Nyingma, this is the King of Prayers. In fact, it is a complete Puja in itself.    Within are contained Refuge, Bodhicitta, making offerings, request for blessing and samaya. The prayer has three levels of meaning.

The three levels are Outer, Inner, and Secret. The Secret level should not be taught until an aspirant has accumulated 300,000 repetitions!

The first, outer level of meaning is as it seems. This is a Prayer to Guru Padmasambava, second emanation of Buddha, who brought Dharma to Tibet. His Birth and Death were not ordinary. He was born on the pollen heart of a Lotus, appearing as an eight year old, a golden Sublime Child. His body had ALL the major and minor marks of Buddhahood. He was born stainless, fully awake, and realized. This is described in the Prayer.

In describing this way, Devotion is generated purely. He is surrounded by a retinue of Dakinis. Dakinis are female aspects of Buddha. Dakinis are varied. Some are Primordial Wisdom. There are Vajra Dakinis and Offering Dakinis. Dakinis are “Sky-Dancers” and are the activity aspect of the Buddhas. So the meaning is Guru Padmasambava has accomplished all activities, qualities, and wisdom of all the Buddhas. This is acknowledged in the prayer.

Next is the Samaya-commitment to follow and to practice. Then the request for the Guru to bless us. In Vajrayana that Blessing means everything, as it ripens and deepens one’s consciousness, without which we remain ordinary, unfulfilled.    The inner meaning is that we are connecting with and awakening to our OWN Enlightened Nature. Through devotion your mind mixes with the Guru’s like milk with water, and they become inseparable; same taste and essence.

We are taught that to recite this prayer brings Enlightenment within seven lifetimes. To accomplish this prayer can bring enlightenment within one life. Accomplishing is 300,000 times or more. E MA HO! One not only awakens, but also accomplishes Buddha’s activities, qualities, and blessings. (Remember? Dakinis).

As I’ve said the secret level cannot be taught at this stage, not on twitter! A very broad explanation is that the sacred syllables purify psychic winds, channels, and fluids. All of which are invisible to the unawakened mind. This is the very means to Enlightenment! One should have wind (lung) transmission, which I cannot confer here, so you may commit to seek out Lung Transmission from a qualified Nyingma Lama. So here we go.

HUNG – ORGYEN YUL GYI NUB JANG TSAM
On the northwest border of the country of Urgyen

PEDMA GESAR DONG PO LA
In the pollen heart of a lotus

YA TSEN CHOG GI NGODRUP NYE
Marvelous in the perfection of your attainment

PEDMA JUNG NE ZHE SU DRAG
You are known as Lotus Born

KOR DU KHANDRO MANG PO KOR
And are surrounded by your circle of Dakinis

KYED KYI JE SU DAG DRUP KYI
Following you I will practice

JIN GYI LOB CHIR SHEG SU SOL
I pray you, come and confer your Blessings.

GURU PEDMA SIDDHI HUNG!
(Not translatable. Sacred words)

That is the prayer and translation. You can accumulate prayer like Mantra, Counting on a Mala (prayer beads) AND should repeat this prayer three times before any other practice, such as the Amitaba recitation from yesterday.

After reciting, the Guru melts into light and pours into the crown chakra, accomplishing the great blessing. May all beings benefit!

And as always, one considers Guru Padmasambava as inseparable in essence from one’s own Root Guru. This then is inseparable from your mind.

One more thing, the condensed essence of the Seven Line Prayer is the Vajra Guru Mantra. OM AH HUNG BENZAR GURU PEDME SIDDHI HUNG!

May my mistakes in transmission be fully purified by OM BENZAR SATO HUNG!

I have so far accumulated over a Million. My goal is 5 million, but I’m a slacker! LOL! I love to chant this prayer, my favorite.

Here is a recording of me chanting the prayer at three different speeds to facilitate progress. I ask new students to accumulate 10,000 repetitions. Easy!

Jetsunma chanting slowly-for beginners

Jetsunma chanting the prayer a little faster

Jetsunma chanting the prayer rapidly

7-Line Prayer and Guru Rinpoche

anisonam — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 12:05:56 +0000

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