Dzogchen Practice Fundamentals
In all of the recitation rituals, including those for the Medicine Buddha puja, visualize yourself as the Medicine Buddha.The recitation rituals are not mere utterances; rather, they contain powerful meanings. For example, when reciting the Fourfold Refuge Mantra, visualize yourself as being united with the Guru and yidams with the three Vajras of body, speech and mind. Here, it is to be noted that ”body” refers to one’s outward behavior and actions, “speech” refers to one’s spoken language, and “mind” refers to our thoughts. Today, many adherents do not receive the full benefits of ritual recitation due to their elementary stages along the spiritual path. Thus, many gurus do not impart the seven methods of chanting to the disciples due to their limited spiritual development - not due to their lack of compassion. During the Medicine Buddha puja ceremony, we should visualize the Medicine Buddha as our spiritual parents.Visualize yourself not as “you”, but instead as a spiritual child of the Medicine Buddha. This is how one can receive the blessings of the Medicine Buddha by establishing a spiritual connection in this manner. If we also make these visualizations while engaged in spiritually uplifting activities such as studying sutras or meditating, we can elevate ourselves to a purer, supramundane, spiritual level. By abandoning our sense of self-attachment, and by applying these dharma methods to our daily lives, we can engender our wisdom and compassionate nature while overcoming our physical and mental afflictions. And by sincerely performing the recitations during the Medicine Buddha puja, in addition to the Guru, the Medicine Buddha yidam, you are effectively supplicating the presence of all lineage gurus, deities and dharma protectors in the ten directions Thus, during the puja chanting, visualize the Medicine Buddha in front of you and the countless Buddhas surrounding yourself in all the ten directions. Your demeanor towards your dharma parents and Medicine Buddha deity should be the same as with a young child towards his or her parents When reciting the Refuge Prayers, since you have already taken refuge in the Three Jewels and Three Roots, you will have fulfilled taking refuge. You have become a spiritual child of the Medicine Buddha, and your vows are that of the Medicine Buddha. Thus, you are no longer taking ordinary refuge as a lay disciple.Because it is a vow of the Medicine Buddha, you must also generate the Medicine Buddha’s bodhicitta from within your heart. The Twelve Vows of the Medicine Buddha are essentially the bodhicitta vows to relieve all sentient beings of their illnesses, disasters, suffering, mental afflictions, and to forever direct them toward the Bodhi path of Pure Land nirvana. This is a critical point. Meanwhile, visualize in front of you all of your karmic creditors, your countless fathers on your left, your countless mothers on your right, your relatives and friends behind you, both living and deceased, are all taking refuge with you under your guidance. As those having strong karmic connections with us are taking refuge together, the Buddhist traditions require us to kneel down when seeking refuge. （ I ）