On Sunday, Jul. 8, 2018, 3:00 PM, at Rainbow Temple, True Buddha School Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu will preside over a Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Homa Ceremony, discourse Lamdre, and bestow empowerment for the Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Uncommon Rapid Travel and Protection Practices. (Live Webcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLl20r-KQlapX_5fT-N3cOw)

(Attention: Text written or picture border in blue indicates web link.)


【Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Mudra :】



Vajra Mudra (Interlace fingers to resemble a scepter)

【Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Seed Syllable :】


Hum (blue in color)

【Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Mantras :】

Skanda: 「Om。 wei-tuo-tian-duo。ma-ha-tian-duo。 so-ha。」
Sangharama Bodhisattva: 「Om。qie-lan。sid-dhi。hum。」


【Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】

↑Sangharama Bodhisattva

←Skanda Bodhisattva

Skanda is the head of 32 generals under the Four Heavenly Kings. He manifests as a celestial general, handsome, bright, and imposing. He is dressed in armor with a strap draped over his shoulder. He is standing in divine-traveling boots. He holds a demon subjugating vajra scepter in his hand (one hand may press the sceptre vertically to the ground while the other hand is on his waist or he may carry the sceptre horizontally on his elbows while joining his palms together.)

''Sangharama'' means temple, monastery, or cultivation venue. Sangharama Bodhisattva is a virtuous deity protecting temples. In the Seven Buddhas Eight Bodhisattvas Dharani Sutra, there are 18 Sangharama deities as follows: Beautiful Sound, Braham Sound, Celestial Drum, Amazing Wonder, Amazing Beauty, Vast Wonder, Thunder Sound, Lion, Wonderful Praise, Braham Echo, Human Sound, Funu, Praise Virtue, Wide-eyed, Wonder-eyed, Loud Listening, Seeing-through, and Seeing Everywhere.

According to legends of the Han, Sangharama Bodhisattva is the image of Guan Sheng Di Jun. [Holy Emperor Deity Guan] His face is red with a long beautiful beard. He is imposing and dressed in armor with a strap draped over his shoulder. He carries a green dragon crescent blade (Blue-green Dragon Scimitar). Sangharama Bodhisattva is either riding on a Red Rabbit Horse or merely standing without riding a horse. He may also be depicted as sitting and reading the Spring and Autumn Annals without holding a green dragon crescent blade.

【Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Previous Dharma Discourse - Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva Background and Key Cultivation Formula】
In temples in Taiwan, one will usually find the two great dharma protectors, Skanda and Sangharama Bodhisattva. In China, on the other hand, upon entering the first heaven gate of a temple, the first statues one sees are usually the Four Heavenly Kings. Maitreya Buddha (the future buddha) is directly facing the Four Heavenly Kings. Beyond the first heaven gate, upon turning around, one will see Skanda, who always faces the main hall of the temple. Sakyamuni Buddha, Medicine Buddha and Amitabha Buddha are found in the main hall.

Among the thousands of future buddhas of the Auspicious Aeon, the first buddha of the first thousand buddhas is Lotus Light Buddha. The first buddha of the second thousand buddhas is Rudita Buddha. Most people do not know who Rudita Buddha is, but he is none other than Skanda. As Skanda is Rudita Buddha, the future buddha, he is capable of everything. One can pray to Skanda for good health and wish fulfillment; for deliverance of netherworld spirits to the buddha pure land; to shine blessing light to increase wisdom and prosperity; to gain love and respect; and to banish all enemies and drive away karmic creditors with his demon subjugating sceptre.

Skanda's supernatural travel is the most famous. Long ago, in Kushinagar, after Sakyamuni entered nirvana under a sal tree and was cremated, a large number of relics appeared. At that very moment, a ghost monster by the name of Non-human came and stole Sakyamuni's relics. Known as ''fast moving evil spirits,'' these non-humans are able to travel at great speed. Just as the relics were being stolen, Dharma Protector Skanda appeared. Skanda caught the speedy monster and retrieved Shakyamuni's relics. Due to the efforts of Skanda, Sakyamuni's relics still remain and can be seen by devas and humans in the present day.

Sangharama Bodhisattva is greatly venerated among the Chinese people and is actually one and the same as Guan Sheng Di Jun. In ancient China, while in meditation, the great master Sramana Zhiyi of the Tientai Sect of Sui Dynasty saw Guan Di (Guan Yunchang) leading a host of netherworld soldiers on the battlefield. The great master then asked Guan Sheng Di Jun to be a protector of Buddhadharma. Sangharama Bodhisattva's magnificent and influential spirituality make him a divine and highly significant being.

Sangharama Bodhisattva is the symbol of loyalty and righteousness. Why loyalty? He was loyal to Emperor Zhaolie of the Han Dynasty in Western Shu. At that time, there were Three Kingdoms governed by Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan. At the beginning, Cao Cao offered Guan Sheng Di Jun the richest and most valuable rewards in hopes of persuading him to serve the Kingdom of Wei, but Guan Sheng Di Jun was not moved and remained loyal to Han.

As for righteousness, Guan Sheng Di Jun fought through five key checkpoints and slayed six captains to protect his two sisters-in-law who were Liu Bei's wives. Guan Sheng Di Jun brought them back to be with Liu Bei. This was the righteousness of the brotherhood. From beginning to end Guan Sheng Di Jun was loyal to his country and righteous toward friends and all sentient beings! He is therefore the symbol of loyalty and righteousness. Fighting through five key checkpoints and slaying six captains was extremely difficult. Therefore, Guan Yunchang is loyal, righteous, and a truly great and sacred figure.

Skanda has divine feet that chase the wind. Sangharama Bodhisattva has a Wind Chasing Red Rabbit Horse. Therefore, they both are very speedy. They can run as fast as the wind.

Skanda's divine feet and the Red Rabbit Horse of Sangharama Bodhisattva are both about feet. It is not Sangharama's feet, but the horse feet. Therefore, when praying to Sangharama, one must buy ''Jiama.'' There is a kind of joss paper called ''Jiama.'' Do you understand what I mean? One needs ''Jiama'' (armored horse) joss paper.

How does Jiama joss paper work? When one has accomplishment in Sangharama Bodhisattva Practice, Sangharama Bodhisattva will follow one's commands. One may also follow Sangharama Bodhisattva's commands. One may tell Sangharama Bodhisattva that one needs to see a friend tonight. That night, one ties the Jiama joss paper to one's feet and chants a mantra. What is the mantra? It's the Wind Chasing Mantra, ''Yang-yang-yang-yang。 yang.'' On the night one ties the Jiama joss paper to one's feet and chants the five mantra syllables, one's soul will exit one's body, mount an armored horse, and immediately go wherever one wants to see one's friend.

I am providing a simplified explanation. The first key point is to chant Sangharama Bodhisattva's mantra, ''Om。qie-lan。sid-dhi。Hum.'' Visualize Sangharama Bodhisattva and as explained previously, form his mudra, the Vajra Mudra. He also has another mudra: interlace the fingers outward with palms facing downward. The thumbs, index fingers, ring fingers, and little fingers of both hands are interlaced and held flat against each other. Straighten the middle fingers pointing upward and the tips are touching each other so that it looks like the Single Prong Mudra. This is Sangharama's mudra. It's also Skanda's mudra. It symbolizes holding the demon subjugating sceptre or the Blue-green Dragon Scimitar.

One forms the mudra, chants the mantra, and visualizes Sangharama Bodhisattva until one attains spiritual union with him. Sangharama Bodhisattva will then appear to one and say, ''You have attained spiritual union with me.'' One then ties the Jiama joss paper onto one's legs and prays to Sangharama Bodhisattva, ''I want to go to Africa.'' Immediately, in a dream, one will ride a Wind Chasing Red Rabbit Horse and go galloping across the grasslands of Africa. One can fly in the sky across all of Africa. One may go to any country one pleases as long as one has attained spiritual union with Sangharama Bodhisattva.

The key point is attainment of spiritual union. As I described, tie the Jiama joss paper to one's legs. Then, off one goes on the horse! One rides the Wind Chasing Horse and like the wind, one can go anywhere in the world one pleases. If one wants to go to Europe, there is no need to buy a ticket. Just tie on the Jiama paper and one can go there. The mantra one recites is ''Yang-yang-yang-yang。 Yang.'' In one's dreams, one's soul can travel all over Europe. This is for real. Sangharama Bodhisattva told me this directly. As long as one has spiritual union with Sangharama and ties on the Jiama paper, one can accomplish this. This is a very important key cultivation formula, and one should not reveal it to anyone.

What is the key cultivation formula that Skanda revealed to me? One recites: ''Om。 wei-tuo-tian-duov。ma-ha-tian-duov。so-ha.'' This is Skanda's mantra. Form the same mudra. One cultivates until Skanda enters one's body and says: ''You have attained spiritual union with me.'' I'm telling you to get a brush and write a syllable ''ha.'' Before one goes to sleep at night, think about wherever one wishes to go. Dip an ink brush in red ink, then write a ''ha'' syllable (in Sanskrit) on both of one's feet. Make a red dot and write a ''ha'' syllable. One then recites, ''ha-ha-ha-ha。 he.'' This ''ha-ha-ha-ha。 he'' is the same as the ''ha-ha-ha-ha。 he'' in the 100 Syllable Mantra. After reciting the mantra, pray to Skanda as follows: ''Today, I wish to go to Europe. I don't have much money but I want to go to Milan, Italy. I want to visit the Eiffel Tower and Palace of Versailles in France. I want to see Westminster Abbey in England. I want to see the Thames River in London. I want to see the windmills in Holland, visit Amsterdam, Rotterdam, France, Holland, Denmark, Sweden, Switzerland, Iceland, and Norway. I want to see Ambassador Liao Dongzhou.'' He lives in Sweden. It's easy for you to see him! Just make a dot and write a ''ha'' syllable. Recite ''ha-ha-ha-ha。 he.'' Don't tell anyone what you are doing. One can immediately see Ambassador Liao. It's just that miraculous! Write a ''ha'' on both insteps, not on the soles of the feet! One needs to tie the Jiama paper onto one's feet and write a ''ha'' syllable on each instep. This is what Skanda told me. As long as one has attained spiritual union with Skanda...do you know how many km/h his wind speed is? His divine feet are as fast as the wind! Xiu! You are there. Do you know the meaning of the ''ha'' syllable? The ''ha'' syllable means wind! Do you know what the ''yang'' syllable means? The ''yang'' syllable also means wind! (rang-yang-kang)
''Yang-yang-yang-yang。 yang.'' means wind, and ''ha-ha-ha-ha。 he'' also means wind.

Skanda taught us to write a Sanskrit syllable ''ha.'' Sangharama Bodhisattva taught us to tie Jiama paper on our feet because he rides a horse. Either way we can get where we are going.

I will tell you an important cultivation secret: ''I want to see Maha Twin Lotus Ponds in the Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss and all the pure lands of the ten directions.'' The key cultivation formula of Skanda is to write a ''ha'' syllable, whereas the key cultivation formula of Sangharama Bodhisattva is to tie Jiama paper onto one's feet. If one cannot find Jiama paper, one can just write the two characters ''甲馬'' [Jia-ma] and still get where one wants to go. Not only one can go to the saha world, but one can also reach a pure land. Who can tell this? I wanted Skanda to teach me the key cultivation formula. He did indeed teach me two key cultivation formulas, one about the horse, and the other about the ''ha.'' Both ''ha-ha-ha-ha。 he'' and ''Yang-yang-yang-yang。 yang'' are wind.



Skanda Bodhisattva Sadhana
Nov. 12, 2011 Dharma Discourse - Skanda Bodhisattva
Sangharama Bodhisattva Sadhana
Nov. 19, 2011 Dharma Discourse - Sangharama Bodhisattva


!!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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