The Collected Works of Chogyam Trungpa: Volume One (67 page)

7. T
HE
B
ULL
T
RANSCENDED

Even that joy and color become irrelevant. The mahamudra mandala of symbols and energies dissolves into maha ati through the total absence of the idea of experience. There is no more bull. The crazy wisdom has become more and more apparent, and you totally abandon the ambition to manipulate.

8. B
OTH
B
ULL AND
S
ELF
T
RANSCENDED

This is the absence of both striving and nonstriving. It is the naked image of the primordial buddha principle. This entrance into the dharmakaya is the perfection of nonwatching—there is no more criteria and the understanding of maha ati as the last stage is completely transcended.

9. R
EACHING THE
S
OURCE

Since there is already such space and openness and the total absence of fear, the play of the wisdoms is a natural process. The source of energy which need not be sought is there; it is that you are rich rather than being enriched by something else. Because there is basic warmth as well as basic space, the buddha activity of compassion is alive and so all communication is creative. It is the source in the sense of being an inexhaustible treasury of buddha activity. This is, then, the sambhogakaya.

10. I
N THE
W
ORLD

Nirmanakaya is the fully awakened state of being in the world. Its action is like the moon reflecting in a hundred bowls of water. The moon has no desire to reflect, but that is its nature. This state is dealing with the earth with ultimate simplicity, transcending following the example of anyone. It is the state of “total flop” or “old dog.” You destroy whatever needs to be destroyed, you subdue whatever needs to be subdued, and you care for whatever needs your care.

S
ELECTED
W
RITINGS

Om Mani Padme Hum Hrih
^*

T
HIS
M
ANTRA OF
seven syllables was, according to Tibetan Buddhist tradition, given to us by Gautama Buddha in his lifetime and is incorporated in many sutras or sermons of the Buddha. It is the mantra of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezik, in Tibetan). Avalokiteshvara is a manifestation of the Buddha in the sambhogakaya or celestial sphere (the body of bliss). He is a mahabodhisattva, having reached the heights of buddhahood, but out of compassion for the sufferings of the world, shows himself as a bodhisattva.

In the teachings of the
Perfection of Wisdom
(
prajnaparamita
literature), known as the second turning of the wheel of the dharma, and in the third (and last) Dharma-Chakra Collection, Avalokiteshvara is shown as asking questions of the Buddha on behalf of all men, since men find difficulty in asking questions directly and often do not know what to ask.

We call Avalokiteshvara the embodiment of the compassion of all the buddhas. This, his mantra, is therefore itself the essence of the Buddha’s compassion for all sentient beings.

Countless ages ago, a thousand boys vowed to become buddhas, and each one offered up a different resolution. One resolved to become the Gautama Buddha in a certain century; Avalokiteshvara resolved not to become enlightened until all the thousand boys became buddhas. He vowed to be a helper to all those wishing to become buddhas, asking questions for them, and teaching them.

Out of his great pity for the sufferings of beings in the six directions—the deva world, or world of the gods; the asura (Titan) world; the human world; the animal world; the world of pretas (tantalized ghosts); and the hells—he made special journeys to the hells, to save all those suffering there from their agonies.

He again prayed before the buddhas of the ten directions, “May I help all beings and if I get tired in this great work, may my body be shattered into a thousand pieces.” After that, he went first to the lower hells, climbing gradually through the ghost worlds up to the world of the gods. From there he looked down again and saw that although he had saved so many people from hell, thousands more were pouring in. This upset him, and at that moment his body flew into a thousand pieces like a pomegranate fruit. Then he shouted to all the buddhas, who came to his aid like snowflakes falling.

The buddhas with their beneficient influence made him whole again, and thereafter he had a thousand arms and nine heads. Then Amitabha Buddha gave a special head with his blessing of high wisdom. Vajrapani Bodhisattva gave him a head symbolizing the special powers of all the buddhas. In this form therefore Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezik) became more powerful than before, but he still continued to cry and lament when he saw the suffering of saṁsara, and he again repeated his vow before the buddhas, “May I not be enlightened before all beings reach enlightenment.”

That is why we depict Avalokiteshvara with a thousand arms and eleven heads. From the tear which fell from his eye, the goddess bodhisattva Drölma was born. She is sometimes called Tara (her Sanskrit name). Her name means “She who ferries us across (the ocean of samsara).”

In front of Avalokiteshvara, Drölma took the vow, “I will be your sister and I will help you to bring all beings to enlightenment.”

It is written in the mahayana sutras that Avalokiteshvara gave his mantra “
OM MANI PADME HUM HRIH
” to the Buddha, and the Buddha gave him the special task of helping all beings toward buddhahood. At this time the devas rained flowers on them, there was a tremor in the earth, and even the air reverberated with the sounds
OM-MA-NI-PAD-ME-HUM-HRIH
.

At this time the Buddha himself said that Avalokiteshvara/Chenrezik was the embodiment of the compassion of all the buddhas, the mahabodhisattva. Whoever recites this mantra will become enlightened, and meanwhile will enjoy health and prosperity and will be in the special care of Avalokiteshvara. Even if you feed all the buddhas for one hundred years, there is more punya for you in the recital of this mantra even once.

In a mantra, the power does not lie only in the words, but in the deeper spiritual meaning. If you meditate on shunyata, you reach buddhahood—not by wishing for it, but naturally, as evil thoughts stop. Evil thoughts are collected by our ego-thought, but the deeper experiences like shunyata arise by themselves. Mantra power does not come from reciting syllables, but arises naturally from inner meaning. All mantras have their outer meaning and their inner meaning.

The
OM MANI PADME HUM
means:

OM
—the auspicious beginning (a “germ” syllable)

MANI
—the jewel

PADME
—the lotus

HUM
—receiving the power, holding (a “germ” syllable)

As for
HRIH
, this is a sonorous symbol of the reality underlying all appearances; appearances veil or else reveal it according to how they are viewed. hrih provides a key to unlock this truth.

At a relatively external level, the above mantra may be translated as “Hail to the jewel in the lotus, so be it, hrih.” In fact, the words carry a plurality of meanings corresponding to different levels of awareness.

The deeper and inner meaning of
mantra
is wider than the mere sounds. In the broader consciousness all sounds are the voice of Avalokiteshvara, and by implication, all sounds are therefore mantras. Repeating a mantra is therefore symbolic of this wider wisdom. Proper recitation of the mantra means, therefore, not only thinking of the meaning of the separate syllables, but also of this wider interpretation.

It is customary in Tibet to repeat a mantra all day, while working or relaxing, trying not to forget it for a single second. For a beginner it is sufficient to say it one hundred times daily; it is easier to count on a mala or rosary (108 beads).

Faith is of great importance: If you recite the mantra in this way, Avalokiteshvara is not something outside yourself to which you pray—he is your compassion and part of you. This compassion is also the compassion of the Buddha.

Perfect concentration is also important. The compassion that grows within you embraces friend and enemy alike. It will lead you to nirvana; it is the water that brings to fruit the good seeds of karma within you.