On Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, 3:00 pm, at True Buddha Rainbow Temple, True Buddha School Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu will preside over a Simhamukha Homa Ceremony followed by the empowerment of Simhamukha Uncommon Practice and the teaching of the Lamdre. (Live Webcast Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLl20r-KQlapX_5fT-N3cOw/live)

【Simhamukha Mudra :】

Interlace fingers inward. Straighten the thumbs and keep them touching. Straighten the middle fingers and the little fingers while keeping the fingertips touching.

【Simhamukha Seed Syllable :】

Chuli

【Simhamukha Heart Mantra :】

「Ah-jia-sa-ma。la-za-sha-da。la-sa-ma-la-ye。pei。」

【Simhamukha Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction】
Simhamukha is azure in color. She wears a crown adorned with five skulls and has the head of a lion. She is naked and wears a necklace of 50 human skulls. She has one face and two arms, carrying a kartika in her right hand and a skull cup in her left hand while holding a khatvanga on her shoulder. Her right leg is bent while her left leg is extended outward stamping on a corpse atop a sun disc and a moon disc on a lotus dais.

【Dharma Discourse of Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu - Simhamukha Background and Key Cultivation Formula】
The Lion-faced Dakini, Simhamukha in Sanskrit, is venerated by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. She is one of the three principal dharma protectors of the Nyingma sect and the primary protector. The other two protectors are Ekajati and Rahula. Besides being the primary protector of the Nyingma sect, Simhamukha is just about the foremost dakini of all the dakinis and has vowed to be the primary dharma protector of the True Buddha School!

Because Simhamukha is the guru of Padmasambhava as well as his personal deity and dharma protector, her power is infinite. Simhamukha's dharma body is Mahaprajnaparamita Buddha Mother. Simhamukha's bliss body is Dorje Phagmo, namely Vajravarahi. Simhamukha is the emanation body. She is thus the integration of Mahaprajnaparamita Buddha Mother, Vajravarahi, and Simhamukha. One may therefore say that Simhamukha is the foremost Buddha Mother and the preeminent Tara! Her dharma power is the greatest!

Simhamukha's mantras are extraordinary. Her Boomerang Shield Mantra (Reversing Mantra) is especially well-known. What is the Boomerang Shield Mantra? Regardless of how powerful an attacker may be, any attack will be completely blocked and boomeranged back to the attacker with equal power. Simhamukha's Boomerang Shield Mantra is a highly secret mantra and a secret transmission.

As long as one recites the Boomerang Shield Mantra, one will be protected from any attacks by sorcery or black magic. Whatever magic spells are cast, when one chants the Boomerang Shield Mantra, the one casting the magic spell will be utterly defeated. Chanting the Boomerang Shield Mantra will cause the person casting a magic spell for the purpose of crippling one's foot to fall off their bed and cripple their own foot instead. This is how powerful Simhamukha's mantra is.

Simhamukha holds cymbals in her hands. What are cymbals? We used cymbals to make a ''crashing'' sound when we were children. One puts one's resentful enemies between the cymbals and crashes the cymbals a few times. The enemy becomes deaf. By crashing the cymbals a few more times one's enemies will bleed from their seven orifices. Because of this awesome power, Simhamukha is regarded as the utmost wrathful and ferocious dakini.

How is it that Simhamukha is Padmasambhava's guru, personal deity, and dharma protector? In the past, Padmasambhava was having a dharma battle with 500 heretics in the forests of northern India. All 500 heretics were masters of magic spells, that is, they were all able to cast magic spells. Simhamukha later appeared and transmitted the Boomeranging Shield Mantra to Padmasambhava. Hence, Simhamukha is the guru of Padmasambhava.

We know that in Vajrayana there is transformation. Padmasambhava's true personal deity is Amitabha Buddha of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Padmasambhava and Amitabha share the same seed syllable ''chuli.'' Amitabha Buddha transformed into Padmasambhava. Simhamukha was transformed from Padmasambhava. Padmasambhava is therefore the personal deity of Simhamukha and Simhamukha is the personal deity of Padmasambhava; they are interrelated.

What is the unique characteristic of dakinis? Being extremely wrathful is their unique characteristic. In Tibetan Vajrayana, the facial expression of a dakini is always depicted as exceedingly wrathful. Although they are dakinis, they are always drawn as tremendously wrathful and fierce. Simhamukha is also wrathful, a wrathful dharma protector. It is because dakinis are fierce and wrathful dharma protectors that they are highly venerated in Vajrayana Buddhism.

Just as the lion is the mightiest of animals, Simhamukha is an exceedingly formidable and magnificent dharma protector. Lions are extremely ferocious. All animals naturally try and get away as soon as they come across a lion. Similarly, as Simhamukha is the most fierce and powerful dakini, evil spirits and demons will run away upon encountering her. Her manifestation with a lion face represents that Simhamukha is the utmost wrathful dakini and dharma protector. No one would dare perform sorcery on an accomplished practitioner of this deity.

To form the Simhamukha mudra, first interlace the fingers inward, and then straighten the thumbs, middle fingers, and little fingers. The inward interlacing fingers and the straightened thumbs, middle, and little fingers resemble a lion's face. Her mudra is the ''All-conquering Lion King Mudra'' symbolizing that she is a lion king who is always victorious.

Simhamukha's mantra is: ''Ah-jia-sa-ma。la-za-sha-da。la-sa-ma-la-ye。pei。'' This mantra is extremely powerful and should not be chanted in a loud voice. If one chants this mantra too loudly, the deities of the four directions will run away. This mantra won't be destructive if recited within the scope of the boundaries set by Grandmaster. Otherwise, a lot of spirits, including Dragon Kings, are going to be harmed if they encounter this mantra. Therefore, this mantra should not be recited near the waterside or at the seashore. Many practitioners recite this mantra silently, to themselves.

The syllable ''pei'' in Simhamukha's mantra, ''Ah-jia-sa-ma。la-za-sha-da。la-sa-ma-la-ye。pei,'' means ''stop.'' In Vajrayana, when one has an improper thought, the ''pei'' syllable is used to eradicate the thought. Just by reciting ''pei,'' the inappropriate though that has emerged in one's mind will stop. This is the merit of the ''pei'' syllable.

Simhamukha has tremendous merit. With her image, mantra, and mudra one may proceed to cultivate Simhamukha as one's personal deity. It's best to recite Simhamukha's mantra silently, without making a sound, or at least in a low voice. Reciting this mantra loudly can cause injury. It can injure the person opposing one.

By cultivating Simhamukha dharma one can eliminate obstacles, eradicate evil spirits, destroy resentful enemies, protect one's body and life, increase love and respect, successfully accomplish all of one's undertakings, and overcome all natural disasters caused by sun, moon, stars, earth, water, fire, and wind, as well as man-made calamities such as war.

On Feb. 8, 1998 at Meydenbauer Center, Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu presided over the debut transmission of Simhamukha Uncommon Practice. In addition to discoursing the deity's background and key cultivation formula, Living Buddha Lian-sheng also transmitted practices to eliminate obstacles and subjugate demonic hindrances as follows:

【Practice 1】
Simhamukha's heart chakra is surrounded by blue light. This light is called ''mantra hair'' and is razor sharp. Visualize the mantra hair revolving while all obstacles are shredded into fine dust. Just as dust flies off into the wind, all hindrances are cut into pieces and destroyed.

【Practice 2】
Visualize that Simhamukha holds a cymbal in each hand: one cymbal is the sun and the other is the moon. Then visualize one's resentful enemy or an obstructing demon between the cymbals. Crash the enemy or demon into pieces by striking the cymbals together. This is the subjugation dharma.

【Practice 3】
Carry an image of Simhamukha and her mantra syllables with one. Chant her name and invoke her presence at all times. This is Samaya. Pray to her three times a day. If one encounters difficulties or obstacles all one needs to do is pray and Simhamukha will definitely send down light to follow and protect one.

Video link：https://youtu.be/Ebtw1Jx2clU

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