Vajrapani Guru Yoga Method

Refuge and Bodhichitta

In order to lead all motherly beings to the
Supreme state of complete Buddhahood,
I go for refuge to the Three Precious Gems.
To the guru I go for refuge
To the Buddha I go for refuge
To the Dharma I go for refuge
To the Sangha I go for refuge
To the guru, the deity, and the three jewels I go for refuge. (3x)
La ma la kyab su chi wo
Sang gy la kyab su chi wo
Ch la kyab su chi wo
Gen dn la kyab su chi wo
La ma yi dam kn chog sum la kyab su chi wo (3x)

Initial Visualization
I am seated here in ordinary form,
And above the crown of my head is a lotus and moon seat.
Upon it rests the unified essence
Of the Guru-Buddha Vajrapani,
Appearing in the form of my most kind root guru.

His body is white, with a healthy red glow.

In his right hand he holds a vajra
Symbolizing his transcendent method.
His hand shows the mudra of teaching the Dharma:
Thumb and forefinger touching and palm facing outwards.
His left hand, posed near his lap
Is holding the bell of his transcendent wisdom.
He is is dressed in the gold-colored robes of a monk.
His legs are crossed in the full vajra posture.
He is seated with a transparent aura
Of rainbow light streaming forth from his glorious body.
In his heart stands Vajrapani, Lord of the Secret,
Deep blue in color, with two arms, one face, and a third wisdom eye.
His right hand outstretched wields a vajra of gold,

While his left at his heart is in the conquering mudra,

With the thumb and the two middle fingers touching.
His yellow hair streams forcefully skywards,
While an upright vajra adorns the crown of his head.
For a lower garment he wears
The skin of a tiger draped round his waist.
With his right leg bent and his left leg outstretched,
He stands in the midst of a violent blaze:
The raging fire of his encompassing wisdom.
In the crown of his head a white OM shines forth,
In his throat a red AH,
At his heart a blue HUM.
The HUM, on a lotus and sun,
Is surrounded by the glowing lights of the mantras.
My root gurus body,
Of transcendent wisdom-emptiness nature,
Appears in the aspect of radiant light.

Invocation
From Vajrapanis heart blue light radiates forth,
Spreading out into infinite space,
Invoking the buddhas and great bodhisattvas.
This light is drawn back, dissolving into his heart.
Thus my root gurus essence is seen
As the union of all supreme beings.

Seven-limbed Prayer
Reverently, I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind;
I present clouds of every type of offering, actual and imagined;
I declare all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless
time,
And rejoice in the merit of all holy and ordinary beings.
Please, remain until the end of cyclic existence,
And turn the wheel of Dharma for living beings.
I dedicate my own merits and those of all others to the great
enlightenment.
Go sum g pi go n chhag tshl lo
Ng sham yi trl chh trin ma l bl
Thog me n sag dig tung tham ch shag
Kye phag ge wa nam la je yi rang
Khor wa ma tong bar du leg zhug n
Dro la chh kyi khor lo kor wa dang
Dag zhn ge nam jang chhub chhen por ngo

Short Mandala Offering

This ground, anointed with perfume, strewn with flowers,
Adorned with Mount Meru, four continents, the sun and the
moon:
I imagine this as a buddha-field and offer it.
May all living beings enjoy this pure land!

Sa zhi p kyi jug shing me tog tram

Ri rab ling zhi nyi d gyn pa di
Sang gy zhing du mig te l wa yi
Dro kn nam dag zhing la ch par shog

Inner Mandala Offering

The objects of my attachment, aversion and ignorance
Friends, enemies, strangers and my body, wealth, and enjoyments;
Without any sense of loss I offer this collection.
Please accept it with pleasure and bless me with freedom from the
three poisons.
Dag gi chhag dang mong sum kye wi yl
Dra nyen bar sum l dang long ch ch
Phang pa me par bl gyi leg zhe n
Dug sum rang sar drl war jin gyi lob
IDAM GURU RATNA MANDALAKAM NIRYATAYAMI

Mantra Recitiation
Now I concentrate strongly on the heart of my guru.
The seed syllable HUM has two encircling mantras;
The inner is that of my holy root guru,
The outer Vajrapanis, Lord of the Secret.
OM VAJRA PANI HUM PHAT
The outer mantra then sinks into that of my guru.
OM AH GURU VAJRADHARA SUMATI MUNI JNANA
SHASANA DHARA SAMUDRA SIDDHI HUM HUM
And this mantra in turn sinks into the HUM.

Request
O holy root guru, Lord of the Secret,
Please enter my heart
To bless my body, speech, and mind.

Purification
With this request lights descend
From the OM, AH, and HUM of Vajrapani,
Entering my brow, throat, and heart,
Purifying my body, speech, and mind.

Dissolution
Then my root guru dissolves into blue Vajrapani,
Who melts into light and flows into my crown,
Down the main channel and into my heart.
Now I meditate in oneness with Guru-Vajrapani.

Dedication
Due to the merits of these virtuous actions
May I quickly attain the state of a guru-buddha
And lead all living beings, without exception,
Into that enlightened state.
Ge wa di yi nyur du dag
La ma sang gy drub gyur n
Dro wa chig kyang ma l pa
De yi sa la g par shog
8 Short Vajrapani Sadhana

Vajrapani Yoga Method

Refuge
To the guru I go for refuge
To the Buddha I go for refuge
To the Dharma I go for refuge
To the Sangha I go for refuge
To the guru, the deity, and the three jewels I go for refuge. (3x)
La ma la kyab su chi wo
Sang gy la kyab su chi wo
Ch la kyab su chi wo
Gen dn la kyab su chi wo
La ma yi dam kn chog sum la kyab su chi wo (3x)

Generation of Bodhichitta
For the sake of all beings I shall gain full enlightenment,
And so for this purpose, from the depths of my heart,
I shall practice the most profound yoga method
Of Vajrapani, Lord of the Secret.

The Shunyata Mantra of Purification

OM SVAHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA
SHUDDHO HAM
All phenomena are pure by nature, and so am I.

Working the Two Purposes

From the open space of emptiness,
Upon a lotus and a sun seat,
My own mind manifests as the blue syllable HUM.
From this HUM brilliant light radiates outwards,
Filling the vastness of infinite space.
These blue rays of light go out and transform
Every environment into blue radiant energy.
As they reach and make contact with motherly beings,
They purify their negative energy completely
Thereby leading them all to the most lofty state
Of supreme Vajrapani, Lord of the Secret.
Then this blue light itself serves as an offering
To the transcendent wisdom of all supreme beings;

Draws forth the vast power

Of their body, speech, and mind;
Returns and sinks into my mind the seed syllable HUM.

Self-transformation
Then the mind syllable HUM completely transforms
And I appear as Vajrapani, Lord of the Secret,
Deep blue in color, with two arms, one face and a third wisdom eye.
My right hand outstretched wields a vajra of gold,
While my left at my heart is in the conquering mudra,
With the thumb and the two middle fingers touching.
My hellow hair streams forcefully skywards,
While an upright vajra adorns the crown of my head.
For a lower garment I wear
The skin of a tiger draped round my waist.
With my right leg bent and my left leg oustretched,
I stand in the midst of a violent blaze:
The raging fire of my encompassing wisdom.
In the crown of my head a white OM shines forth,
In my throat a read AH,
At my heart a blue HUM on a lotus and sun.

Invocation
From the HUM blue light streams into limitless space
Invoking the powerful energy of all supreme beings
Whose essence appears a infinite Vajrapanis.
All of space around me is filled up completely
With a countless assembly of supreme wisdom beings,
All in the appearance of the Lord of the Secret.
And I, Vajrapani, make offerings to them
Until the sky is suffused with sights, sounds, and smells,
Tastes, and sensations,
Magnificently beautiful, evoking great bliss.

Blessing the Objects of Offering

OM VAJA AMRITA KUNDALI HANA HANA HUM PHAT
All of these most magnificent objects,
Appearing in the aspects of the various offerings,
Have a transcendent wisdom-emptiness nature
And serve to elicit the feeling of bliss.

Offerings to the Wisdom Beings

OM VAJRA PANI SAPARIVARA ARGHAM PRATICCHA HUM
SVAHA
PADYAM (foot washing water)
PUSHPE (flowers)
DHUPE (incense)
ALOKE (light)
GANDHE (perfume)
NAIVIDYA (food offering)
SHAPTA (music)

Homage and Praise

O wrathful Vajrapani, the enlightened minds power,
The mere memory of you can banish all fear,
Transforming completely all adverse conditions
Into the path of supreme Dharma wisdom,
Bringing our mind the full realizations
Just as your faithful disciples all wish.
And so, from this moment until we are enlightened,
We send forth this praise and pay homage to you.

Absorption of the Wisdom Beings

Now into the vajra at the crown of my head
Melt the wisdom beings envisioned around me.
JAH HUM BAM HOH
They flow down the main channel
Becoming one with my heart.

Mantra Recitation for Purification

On a lotus and sun at my heart stands the mind syllable HUM
Encircled by the mantra of radiant light.
From the HUM and the mantra many light rays stream forth
Destroying all negative forces completely,
Purifying all sickness, removing all hindrance,
And leaving our surroundings stainless and pure.
OM VAJRA PANI HUM PHAT

Mantra Recitation for Receiving Inspiration

Then the inspiring strength of all supreme holy beings
Enters my mind in the form of great light,
Merging as one with the HUM and the mantra,
Bringing insight and knowledge, power, and long life.

OM VAJRA PANI HUM PHAT

Offerings to Oneself as Vajrapani

OM VAJRA PANI SAPARIVARA ARGHAM PRATICCHA HUM
SVAHA
PADYAM (foot washing water)
PUSHPE (flowers)
DHUPE (incense)
ALOKE (light)
GANDHE (perfume)
NAIVIDYA (food offering)
SHAPTA (music)

Homage and Praise

The unified power of all supreme beings
Has appeared as Vajrapani, Lord of the Secret.
The mere remembrance of his glorious name
Awakens the pure, indestructible energy
And eliminates completely all negative karma,
Delusion, harm, and every obstruction.
To the Holder of the Secret Treasure, I prostrate.
Gyl wa kn gyi thu dob ma l pa
Chig tu yong shar sang dag drje tsn
Drn pi m la l nyn dn geg nam
Jom dz sang wi dz dzin la chhag tshl

Dissolution
Into infinite space I emit glorious light rays,
Which unite with the universal force of existence.
Then this light absorbs back into myself as the Lord,
Who dissolves from the bottom and top towards the heart.
Merging at last in the syllable HUM.
Then this dot becomes smaller
And then even smaller,
And disappears into the nature of shunyata.

Re-Emergence
Then from the open space of emptiness
I reappear as Vajrapani,
Lord of the Secret.

Meditation on the Graded Path to Enlightenment

For meditation on the graded path, you may use any of the lam-rim prayers from
Essential Buddhist Prayers, Volume One, or the lam-rim prayer from Lama
Chpa. For convenience, the Foundation of All Good Qualities is included
here.
The foundation of all good qualities is the kind and venerable guru;
Correct devotion to him is the root of the path.
By clearly seeing this and applying great effort,
Please bless me to rely upon him with great respect.
Understanding that the precious freedom of this rebirth is found
only once,
Is greatly meaningful, and is difficult to find again,
Please bless me to generate the mind that unceasingly,
Day and night, takes its essence.
This life is as impermanent as a water bubble;
Remember how quickly it decays and death comes.
After death, just like a shadow follows the body,
The results of black and white karma follow.
Finding firm and definite conviction in this,
Please bless me always to be careful
To abandon even the slightest negativities
And accomplish all virtuous deeds.
Seeking samsaric pleasures is the door to all suffering:
They are uncertain and cannot be relied upon.
Recognizing these shortcomings,
Please bless me to generate the strong wish for the bliss of liberation.
14 Short Vajrapani Sadhana
Led by this pure thought,
Mindfulness, alertness, and great caution arise.
The root of the teachings is keeping the pratimoksha vows:
Please bless me to accomplish this essential practice.
Just as I have fallen into the sea of samsara,
So have all mother migratory beings.
Please bless me to see this, train in supreme bodhichitta,
And bear the responsibility of freeing migratory beings.
Even if I develop only bodhichitta, but I dont practice the three
types of morality,
I will not achieve enlightenment.
With my clear recognition of this,
Please bless me to practice the bodhisattva vows with great energy.
Once I have pacified distractions to wrong objects
And correctly analyzed the meaning of reality,
Please bless me to generate quickly within my mindstream
The unified path of calm abiding and special insight.
Having become a pure vessel by training in the general path,
Please bless me to enter

The holy gateway of the fortunate ones:

The supreme vajra vehicle.
At that time, the basis of accomplishing the two attainments
Is keeping pure vows and samaya.
As I have become firmly convinced of this,
Please bless me to protect these vows and pledges like my life.
Then, having realized the importance of the two stages,
The essence of the Vajrayana,
By practicing with great energy, never giving up the four sessions,
Please bless me to realize the teachings of the holy guru.
Like that, may the gurus who show the noble path
And the spiritual friends who practice it have long lives.
Please bless me to pacify completely
All outer and inner hindrances.

In all my lives, never separated from perfect gurus,

May I enjoy the magnificent Dharma.
By completing the qualities of the stages and paths,
May I quickly attain the state of Vajradhara.

Dedication
Due to the merits of these virtuous actions
May I quickly attain the state of a guru-buddha
And lead all living beings, without exception,
Into that enlightened state.
Ge wa di yi nyur du dag
La ma sang gy drub gyur n
Dro wa chig kyang ma l pa
De yi sa la g par shog

Colophon
Compiled at the Yucca Valley Meditation Course under the guidance of Lama Thubten
Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche, March 1977. Reformatted and lightly edited by Kendall
Magnussen, FPMT Education Services, April 2003.
Short Vajrapani Sadhana 3

This practice was compiled during retreat with Lama Thubten Yeshe at the Yucca Valley
Meditation Course, March 1977.
It includes a guru yoga practice on the basis of Vajrapani followed by a self-generation practice
and mantra recitation.

Good for dispelling obstacles and increasing ones power and ability to help others. If one does
not have the requisite empowerment, one can still do this practice, although one cannot generate
oneself as the deity, but rather must visualize Vajrapani in the space in front or above ones
crown. One should also have permission to practice this from a qualified lama.
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