On Sunday, Sep. 23, 2018, 3:00 PM, at Rainbow Temple, True Buddha School Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu will preside over a Red Tara Homa Ceremony, discourse Lamdre, and bestow empowerment of Red Tara Uncommon Practice. (Live Webcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLl20r-KQlapX_5fT-N3cOw)

【Red Tara Mudra :】


Interlace the fingers of both hands inwards. Place the middle fingers upright and touching. Point the index fingers apart. Touch the thumbs lightly against the middle fingers. (hold the mudra in front of your chest)

【Red Tara Seed Syllable :】


Dang
【Red Tara Mantra :】

「Om。 da-lie。dou-da-lie。sang-da-re-ni。seh。so-ha。」


【Red Tara Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】

Red Tara, smiling, has one head and two arms. She holds a hook in her right hand which lies upon her knee. Her left hand, in front of her chest, holds a red lotus (utpala), which is blossoming next to her ear. Her right leg is bent while her left leg is extended outward. She sits on dais on a red lotus, has three eyes, and wears a celestial garment with a multi-layered skirt. There is a ''seh'' syllable on her heart (which is the same as the ''chuli'' syllable), an ''om'' syllable at her brow chakra, an ''ah'' syllable at her throat chakra, and a ''hum'' syllable at her heart chakra.

Invocation: Inviting the principal wisdom deity Red Tara to descend from the void and merge as one with practitioner. (During the visualization, one's hands should form the Tara Mudra.) This moment is equivalent to one's receiving empowerment. Nectar fills one's entire body, and all karmic hindrances are eradicated and purified. Amitabha Buddha is atop one's crown.

【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma Discourse - Red Tara Background and Key Cultivation Formula】

Of the 21 Taras, Red Tara is the most important deity in regards to functions. Today, I will teach everyone this deity's practice. This practice must, of course, include a preliminary practice. What is the preliminary practice? The Great Homage, Mandala Offering, Fourfold Refuge, Repentance Practice, Four Immeasurables, Generation of Bodhicitta, and Armor Protection. These practices comprise the seven steps of preliminary practice. Vajrayana practitioners must learn all the seven steps.

Following the preliminary practice, one begins the main practice which is visualization. One visualizes an ''ah'' syllable at one's heart transforming into a red moon disc, that is, one visualizes an ''ah'' syllable within an eight-petaled lotus at one's heart transforming into a red moon disc. Within the moon disc is the seed syllable ''dang,'' which is the seed syllable of the 21 Taras. The ''dang'' syllable emits light and transforms into a red lotus, an utpala. An utpala is a type of lotus, a red lotus. Within the lotus is a ''dang'' syllable emitting light. The practitioner then transforms into Red Tara.

The transformation transpires in this way: one first visualizes an ''ah'' syllable at one's heart transforming into a red moon disc. Within the moon disc is a ''dang'' syllable which emits light and transforms into a red lotus, an utpala. Within the lotus is a ''dang'' syllable emitting light. One then transforms into Red Tara.

One can see the image of Red Tara behind me. She has one head, two arms, and is smiling. Her right hand holds a hook, a vajra hook, on her knee. Her left hand in front of her chest holds a red lotus, an utpala. The lotus is blossoming next to her ear. Her right leg is bent while her left leg is extended. She sits on a dais on a red lotus with her right leg bent. She has three eyes and wears a celestial garment with a multi-layered skirt. Within her heart is a syllable ''chuli'' which is the seed syllable of Amitabha Buddha. This indicates that she is transformed from Amitabha.

Red Tara has an ''om'' syllable at her browpoint, an ''ah'' syllable at her throat (on the neck), and a ''hum'' syllable at her heart. At this moment, one has transformed into Red Tara. From the void, Red Tara, a principal wisdom deity, descends and merges with one. This instant is equivalent to receiving empowerment. Nectar fills one's body and all karmic hindrances are eradicated and purified. Amitabha Buddha is atop Red Tara's crown. While visualizing, one forms the Red Tara Mudra, which is the same as the Jade Pond Golden Mother Mudra. After completing the visualization, one recites Red Tara's mantra: ''Om。 da-lie。dou-da-lie。sang-da-re-ni。seh。so-ha。'' 108 times. Please note! Although one recites the mantra 108 times each cultivation session, to produce the maximum power, one must recite the mantra 1.5 million times. 1.5 million mantra recitations produces great power, 500,000 recitations produces medium power, and 100,000 recitations produces small power. The three levels of power are great, medium, and small. The more one recites the better, of course.

Following visualization one enters samadhi. By using the meditative technique of cessation and contemplation, one enters into samadhi according to one's affinity with Red Tara. The cessation-contemplation technique uses ''pei'' to stop distracted or wandering thoughts which arise during meditation. If distracting thoughts arise while one is clearly visualizing oneself as Red Tara, one uses ''pei'' to terminate them. One stops distracting thoughts and continues with the visualization. By applying cessation-contemplation as needed, one will eventually enter samadhi. Later, one need not even visualize. One sits in forgetfulness. That moment of forgetfulness is called entering emptiness.

Here is the key cultivation formula of this practice: after emerging from samadhi, one turns the vajra hook three times. Grandmaster is holding a vajra hook right now. The vajra hook one uses need not be just like mine. Just visualize a vajra hook in one's hand turning three times. Turning three times means turning the vajra hook to the right three times and to the left three times. This is the key cultivation formula. If one holds the vajra hook without turning it, the vajra hook is not functional. By turning the vajra hook three times, it comes alive. One visualizes the vajra hook turning to the right three times and to the left three times. The vajra hook is now activated. This is the critical point and the key cultivation formula. One must perform this important key cultivation formula.

Next, I will give everyone an example. If one wants to perform calamity eradication, one visualizes a blue and cloudless sky. A ''hum'' syllable appears in front of Red Tara. The ''hum'' syllable is comprised of a dot, a sun disc, a moon disc, a horizontal line, and three hooks. The circle on top is the sun disc.

One visualizes a white ''hum'' syllable in a blue and cloudless sky. After turning the vajra hook three times, one visualizes hooking the sun disc with the vajra hook, thereby hooking the ''hum'' syllable. At this time, if a relative or someone in the household is sick and one wants to eradicate that person's illness, one visualizes the sick person appearing before one. The white ''hum'' syllable transforms into nectar which drips, drop by drop, into the sick person's mouth, flowing into the person's body until it is completely filled with white nectar. This is the function, the function of calamity eradication. If a person has karmic hindrances, one applies the same method, that is, one hooks a white ''hum'' syllable which transforms into nectar. The nectar then enters the person's body. The person's karmic hindrances are expelled through the person's skin pores as black water or black insects. Thereafter, the person's body completely fills up with white nectar. This is calamity eradication dharma.

As regards enrichment? It is even simpler! Turn the vajra hook to the right three times then to the left three times. The vajra hook hooks onto a yellow ''hum'' syllable appearing in the void. The ''hum'' syllable then gradually disappears. As the ''hum'' disappears, a lot of money falls all around one. One is completely surrounded by Benjamin Franklins, US $100 dollar bills, and one is sitting in the midst of the money. Finally, one is like a frog in a well. The money all around one becomes like a well, stacking up very high, surrounding one on all four sides, and it is all one's own money. This is enrichment dharma. It's a method to increase one's benefits.

Next comes magnetization. Magnetization dharma is for love and respect. Men are seeking a partner for themselves and women are also seeking a partner for themselves, but they are unable to find anyone no matter how hard they try. To practice this dharma, one visualizes, in the void, a vajra hook hooking onto a red ''hum'' syllable. As before, the ''hum'' syllable burns off and a beautiful, graceful girl appears before one. One's beloved object of affection appears in front of one. However, if she only appears in front of one, that would be pointless, right? It should be like Ganapati. What is Ganapati like? Mutual embracing, that is, one embraces the girl and the girl embraces one back. This is ''kabedon.'' This practice ends with kabedon. After the kabedon, the female object for whom one has affection will allow one to have kabedon with her. This is magnetization dharma. Can you perform it?

In terms of subjugation practice, how does one perform this practice? It's the same as before. Turn the vajra hook to the right three times, then to the left three times. The vajra hook hooks a blue ''hum'' syllable in the void and the ''hum'' syllable burns off. How does this burning occur? From its bottom tail, the ''hum'' syllable burns upward to the sun disc and all the way to the last point. The syllable then turns into ashes and disappears. What about the ashes? Suppose one has an adversary, enemy, or a person whom one dislikes. If one wants that person to leave his job or position, one visualizes the ashes transformed from the blue ''hum'' syllable falling into the person's mouth followed by one's reciting ''peng.'' A bomb explodes and the person's body is blown into pieces. Ah? One must then deliver the person to the pure land. I'm telling you though, it's actually not necessary to be so severe. Just transform the ''hum'' into ashes and visualize the person leaving his job, going out the door, and roaming the streets with a guitar. One will then move into the person's position. This is subjugation dharma. Do not use this ''peng'' sound along with putting a yellow bomb on someone. The ''peng'' sound can actually blow someone into pieces. This is subjugation dharma.

If I hadn't explained this practice today, you wouldn't have known how to use the vajra hook. You wouldn't have understood turning it three times and hooking the ''hum'' syllable in the void.

What is ''hum?'' ''Hum'' represents the totality of everything. ''Om'' is the void. ''Ah'' is one. ''Hum'' is everything. The void is zero. ''Om'' is zero. ''Ah'' is one. ''Hum'' is transformation into everything. ''Hum'' represents everything.

One uses the vajra hook to hook the white, red, blue, or yellow ''hum'' syllable. Each color has its particular function. The ''hum'' syllable burns off and becomes nectar, a yellow explosive, falling powder of love and respect, or gold, silver, pearls, jewels, and money around one that belongs to oneself. Depending on what one wants to practice, it can be a method for love and respect, calamity eradication, enrichment, or subjugation.


Red Tara Sadhana


!!Please be aware that before engaging in any True Buddha Vajrayana practices, one must first take refuge and receive the respective empowerment.!!

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