A SHOWER OF BLESSINGS FOR YOU

SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA'S MEDITATION

& MANTRA FOR SPIRITUAL AWAKENING

"Do not engage in any harmful actions; perform only those that are good, subdue your own mind- this is the teaching of the Buddha”. Guru Shakyamuni Buddha

Recently my mind has been drawn more and more to Shakyamuni Buddha. Perhaps this is because I know that the path to total enlightenment is founded on his teachings, this historical Buddha, Shakyamuni, who was thirty-five years old when he attained enlightenment. At that time, he attained a total cessation of all suffering of body and mind. Time and space vanished and all ties melted away giving him total clarity, compassion and wisdom consciousness - a state that is formless with no beginning and no end, the state of knowing, the state of no sorrow and the state of never-ending happiness and bliss. Wow, who wouldn’t want to achieve enlightenment like this?

Shakyamuni Buddha taught that the root of all suffering lies in ignorance which leads to misconceptions about our true nature of existence. Ignorance leads to attachment which in turn leads to desire, greed and cravings resulting in jealousy and anger, killing, war and many other negative events that create suffering. Suffering leads to bad karma, which in turn leads to the endless cycle of birth, death and rebirth, also known as “samsara”. This is something we all want to escape from, the endless cycles of rebirth and suffering.

The Buddha’s teaching is to eliminate ignorance and although he cannot change our karma, he can teach us how to purify it which will reduce its severity. He also teaches the wisdom of “dependent arising” – knowing that your existence is dependent on and related to others. 

TAYATA OM, MUNE, MUNE, MAHA MUNEYE SOHA

You can recite one mala or more (repeat Buddha’s holy mantra once for each of the 108 beads) while at the same time visualizing Shakyamuni Buddha. Chant silently to yourself or softly aloud and closing your eyes can intensify the visualization experience.

Visualization: Hold a mental image of the beautiful Shakyamuni Buddha – if you have a Thanka or picture of Shakyamuni this will be very useful. As you chant the mantra, visualize golden light rays emanating from the Buddha’s body and entering your own body through the crown of your head. These light rays bring down a shower of blessings. When you have finished, sit quietly to appreciate and feel your receiving Buddha’s blessing.

Don’t forget to make a dedication at the end of this practice to lock in the merit of the meditation.

Love
Lillian