Smoke Offering Practice, Five Sublime Offerings of Food, Clothes, Residence, Means of Travel, and Happiness

煙供法供食衣住行樂五妙供

A discourse by His Holiness Living Buddha Lian-sheng, Sheng-yen Lu after the Yamantaka Homa
at the Rainbow Temple in Redmond, Washington on February 17, 2008.

Translated by Lian-hua Zhi-wei, Proofread by Jason Yu, Edited by Imelda Tan

Release Date: September 27, 2009

Release version: Final

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Homage to Reverend Liao Ming, Vajra Guru Sakya Zheng-kong, His Holiness the 16th Karmapa, and Vajra Guru Thubten Dargye. Homage to the homa’s Principal Deity Yamantaka. Homage to the Triple Jewels of the shrine. Vajra Master Lian-xiang, Vajra Masters, Reverends, Senior Reverends, Dharma Instructors, Dharma Assistants, fellow school members, and all the honored guests, may all of you have good fortune.

Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Guanyin Bodhisattva) had descended into the shrines at Seattle Lei Zang Temple’s Avalokitesvara Ceremony yesterday and Yamantaka had descended for Rainbow Villa’s Yamantaka Homa today. Hence, both these ceremonies were very extraordinary. Many honored guests from yesterday’s Avalokitesvara ceremony along with new guests have joined us at the Rainbow Villa today. Let us welcome them all.

Perhaps I was overly excited after finishing my talk yesterday because this senior citizen had a hard time falling asleep last night. While tossing and turning in bed, I kept wondering why couldn’t I fall asleep? I thought about the reason for a while and it came to me. It was because Vajra Master Lian-bao had said to me, "Old people sit in the back." I felt really uncomfortable being called old. (Grandmaster laughed)

Of course, Grandmaster was born with two very short legs. Being malnourished, I just never grew very tall. I can’t change that. So today, I am intentionally wearing a taller hat and the hat made me feel taller as I was leaving my residence. I wanted to tell Vajra Master Lian-bao, "Don’t feel that you are very young just because you have a new baby boy. You are about the same age as me!" I feel that Vajra Master Lian-bao has been in a very good mood, very joyful, and very happy recently. I wondered, could a person be considered a young man just because he fathered a new baby boy? This old-timer just couldn’t take his comment lying down. I really wanted to show him up. But, after tossing and turning in bed for a long time, I decided to forget about it because Vajra Master Lian-xiang is still around. I’ll let him win this one! Of course, this is a joke. But, I urge Vajra Master Lian-bao, please don’t always have this big grin on your face. This happiness of your is a private joy. Yet, you keep grinning at us, and it’s affecting us emotionally.

Speaking of exuberant smiles, Chuan-fang Chen told a funny joke. Three people died, and when they were taken to the funeral home, people noticed the happy expressions on these three dead people’s faces -- they were all smiling. The people in the funeral home thought that this was very strange, and asked what happened to the first dead person. Why was he so happy when he died? It turns out that when he was getting old, he went to Mainland China to start a new business, and married a very young wife. On his wedding night, he was so excited that he died. That’s why he got a big smile on his face. What’s the story with the second dead person? It turned out he had won a lottery jackpot. He felt like he was floating on air and he lost all sense of directions. He was still thrilled when he walked into the middle of the road where he was run over by a car, so that’s why he got a big smile on his face. What happened to the third dead guy? The third dead person was struck by lightning. He was mountain climbing and suddenly there were flashes of light. He thought someone was taking a picture of him, so he smiled as he was struck by lightning. That’s why he got a big smile on his face.

Yamantaka Practice has Three Levels of Accomplishments and Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment

Today we conducted the Yamantaka homa ceremony. Yamantaka is an incredibly great Dharma Protector, and is also Grandmaster’s root Dharma Protector. Yamantaka has nine heads, representing the nine levels of Vajrayana cultivation. His front face is black and is in the form of a buffalo with two horns. One horn represents the Generation Stage while the other horn represents the Completion Stage. He has thirty-four arms and hands, which all form the Tarjani (Karana) Mudra. Add his body, speech, and mind to the thirty-four arms, and you have thirty-seven. Overall, these symbolisms are called the Three Great Accomplishments and Thirty-Seven Aids to Enlightenment. He also has sixteen legs symbolizing the sixteen states of emptiness.

Yamantaka is the wrathful manifestation of Manjushri Bodhisattva. Long ago in Tibet, a holy saint revived himself as the Lord of Death, Yama, after he was murdered. Unleashing his wrath, he took the lives of many Tibetan people and threatened to kill off the rest. To save the Tibetan people, Manjushri Bodhisattva transformed himself into the image of Yama but infinitely fiercer and stronger. This emanation was Yamantaka, who subdued Yama. The merits from practicing the Yamantaka sadhana are enormous because the Lord of Death, Yama, was defeated by Yamantaka and became his subordinate. Therefore, if you were to practice his sadhana, you can gain mastery over your natural life and death, and extend your life expectancy.

It’s a shame that several vajra masters passed away rather young. When I had presided over the Kalachakra ceremony for the first time in Hong Kong, I saw that the color of an attending vajra master was poor because the light emitted by his body was dim. I asked him, "Do you know Yamantaka’s mantra?" and he didn’t know it. He had never received the Yamantaka empowerment nor did he know Yamantaka’s mantra. If he had devotedly chanted Yamantaka’s mantra, the Lord of Death would not be able to take him away even to this day. So, this was a shame.

Sometimes Grandmaster will tell everyone that although you haven’t cultivated a particular practice, you should still chant the heart mantra of that deity. So even if you don’t cultivate the Yamantaka Sadhana, you can still chant his mantra, and it can generate many merits and benefits. For example, not all Tibetans practice Vajrayana, but they still chant Om Mani Padme Hum, or the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s mantra.

Amitabha Buddha, Amitayus Buddha, Manjushri Bodhisattva, Yamantaka, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva -- they are all related. Amitabha Buddha transformed into Amitayus Buddha. His attendants are Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva; Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva also manifested as White Tara as well as Green Tara. On the other hand, Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva can manifest as Red Tara. Amitabha Buddha and Manjushri Bodhisattva are also related. Manjushri Bodhisattva manifested as Yamantaka. So if you merge as one with any of the principal deity while cultivating its sadhanas, you could undoubtedly go to Western Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

Grandmaster Got a Perfect Score on His Road Test

Yesterday when I was teaching the Smoke Offering Practice, I went over it very quickly, and it was over just like that. The main points were all mentioned. We don’t know if today’s honored guests are from the Pan Blue or the Pan Green camp (the two opposing sides in Taiwanese politics -- the 2008 Taiwanese Presidential election was only about five weeks away at the time of the talk). I am going to share a joke that was told to me by Chuan-fang Chen. It is a political joke, and it goes like this:

“The President of a country took part in the festivities on Children’s Day. One of the events involved splashing water, like Thailand’s water festival. You sing while splashing water. Everyone has a good time. To be closer to his people, the President joined in the fun with the children to splash water. After the water was splashed on the President, the President angrily exclaimed, "How could you splash this on me?" The Presidential aides tried to smooth the matter over by telling the President that splashing water is part of this event, and that this is how you join in the fun with the people. The President informed them that the children were using hot water!”

This was the joke that Chuang-fang Chen told me. I don’t know if this President was a man or woman or which country’s president is in the joke, so it has nothing to do with me. If you have any questions, go ask Chuan-fang Chen.

This simplified Smoke Offering practice is very good. Before this ceremony, I was at the Ling Shen Ching Tze Temple for a week giving divination and guidance. My heart was saddened when I saw that many students who came for guidance were severely ill.

I thought to myself, why are sentient beings’ karma for illnesses so severe? Why is there no remedy to free them of these diseases? Some people’s illnesses are just like the saying, "You are what you eat."

I know I don’t speak very good English. On the subject of speaking English, I often think back to my early days in America. Do you know how I passed the road test to get my driver’s license? Do you know how I took the test? The road test administrator told me what he wanted me to do several times during the road test, but I just couldn’t understand what he said. I tried to come up with a solution, so I told him, "My name is Sheng-yen Lu. I’m just new coming," so he would know that I was new to the country. "I speak English just a little. Please, you say slow." Talk slowly, that sentence he understood. But no matter how hard he tried to tell me what to do, I still couldn’t understand him, so I told him, "I write down the pictures." The first picture that I drew was "10 Miles Stop." The second picture was "Change lane." The third picture was "parallel parking." The fourth picture was "parking in reverse." The fifth picture was "parking on a hill." For that picture, I drew a slanted car and that was my parking on a hill. I drew them all. "I write down the picture, you see? What kind you like? You tell me."

The road test administrator was very happy and said ok! He must have thought to himself "Today I’ve actually met someone who needs diagrams to pass a road test." After that I started my driving test. He pointed at the first picture "10 Miles Stop," and then I knew to come to a stop after driving ten miles. Then he showed me the second picture, "Change lane" and so I signaled for a lane change and did a shoulder check. He said it was well done. Then it was parallel parking. Parallel parking took me a long time to learn. I drove my car parallel to the first car, then reversed in half way, turning the steering wheel until it couldn’t turn any further, and slowly slid in. Parallel parking. He said "Good." Then, I had to perform reverse parking with 90-degree turn. For parking on a hill, I also parked with same method. Then, I had to turn the wheels to brace the curb and pull the hand brake to prevent the car from rolling backward.

I got a perfect score. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas helped inspiring me with the idea of drawing pictures. By doing this, I passed my driving test. Later, I also passed my green card and then my citizenship test. It was just like this, very easy.

Cultivate the Smoke Offering Practice, Enabling Success and Good Health

Let’s discuss the Smoke Offering. What is the advantage of Smoke Offering? I’ve found that people not only have tangible hindrances, but they also have formless hindrances as well. All forms are illusory. Shakyamuni Buddha had taught that, "All appearances are illusions." The real obstructions are karmic hindrances you’ve accumulated over your countless previous lives. These hindrances are your past karmic creditors (all the people and living beings that you have offended, harmed, persecuted, injured, or killed in your numerous previous lives). If they have been reborn as ghosts or spirits, they will look for you. Even though you may be healthy, you need to be careful with what you eat and drink, and you have to exercise -- this is common knowledge.

However, if these formless past creditors find you, they will cause you to get sick or have cancer. It is not that if you watch what you eat, you won’t get cancer. If you are depressed, you can also get cancer. If you are moping around all day with all these anxieties and worries, your body’s immune system will be weakened and you can develop cancer. Your state of mind can affect your body. The formless still can influence that which has form. So, this Smoke Offering is a very important practice.

You will get sick. When you are sick, you should perform the Smoke Offering, but you should also perform this practice when you are not sick. Those who can do a fire offering (homa) should do a fire offering. Those who can do feast offering (called tsok in Tibetan) should do feast offering. If you can do water offering, then do water offering. These are all types of offering practices.

However, this Smoke Offering practice is specially for making offering to past [karmic] creditors, ghosts and spirits. The offerings items are just some incense sticks, some powders of five grains, fabrics of five colors, white and red sugars, and some milk powder. Mix them together into powder cake and allow to air-dry. When these items are dried and ready, you can use them for smoke offering.

Why would this offering make ghosts and spirits happy? There are a couple of reasons. When you chant the mantra, "OM AH HUM," this means that first you had transformed these small amount of offerings into abundant offerings. The OM syllable will transform the small offering into great offering filling up the entire Universe. This “Om” is the Universe. “Ah” is purity. This “Ah” syllable purifies the offering. “Hum” transforms them into dharma flavor. The fabrics become very fine clothing, the powders of five grains become very delicious food, the incense powders become very sublime perfume, and the sugar transforms bitterness into happiness, turning bitterness into sweetness. In Taiwan, we have a saying, eat something sweet, and have a new baby boy next year. This is an endearing way of wishing you to achieve your goal successfully, to turn a bad situation into a good one. The milk is to pacify all misfortunes. The color of milk is white and pure. It pacifies all misfortunes.

So, when you chant "Om Ah Hum" and "Lang Yang Kang," although the amount of Smoke Offering is small, these mantras transform into the offering into great abundance. By performing this practice, the ghosts and spirits who came to harm you, who are behind your illnesses, manifestation of your bad karmas, will all receive your offerings and accept your offering. There is the saying, that it is hard to bite the hand that feeds you. Of course, this is not a bribe -- we performed these offerings sincerely. The goal of this offering is to request the karmic creditors not to harm you. They originally came to seek reparations, but they will leave you now because you performed this offering. Thus, you business will flourish, your restaurant will be jam-packed, your supervisors will give you raises, you will be healthy, and you will be in a good mood. Those who hate you will adore you, and you will gain their respect. You were originally sick, and now you will gradually get better. If you weren’t sick, you will be healthier. This is the benefit of performing the Smoke Offering Practice.

The Smoke Offering practice can also be used to make offering to the Buddhas. The Smoke Offering for Buddhas can be performed between 5 AM to 9 AM. Offering to ghosts and spirits is done between 5 PM to 9 PM.

I have also already explained about the incense burner. For rectangular incense burner, the offering powder cake (dough) should be made into an elongated shape. If you roll your offering into a round shape, then use the type of round type burner that I used for the practice yesterday. Kindle the offerings like this. After you kindle the offering, you can start a group Smoke Offering as well. You can even use alms bowls, the alms bowls of monks and nuns, as the incense burner (offering container and burner). Or you can also use the Buddhist ching bell as the incense burner. As I have already explained earlier, the things you have to prepare are some incense powders, five grains powders, fabrics of five colors, brown and white sugar, some milk powder. Mix them together into a powder cake, and bake them dry. When these offerings are completely dry and combustible, use an incense stick to kindle it. Then, you can start the practice.

The Golden Winged Garuda Mudra Signifies the Smoke is Soaring in the Air

Yesterday, I explained that this Smoke Offering practice has to be performed at an area where air can circulate. Students from Singapore said that their residences don’t have balconies. Then, you should open your windows and perform the practice facing toward the windows.

I mentioned the principal deity of yesterday’s ceremony was the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. The Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s mantra is "Om Mani Padme Hum Seh." This syllable "Seh" doesn’t sound good in English. It sounds like you are cussing at someone, "shit on you." That is not good. In reality, this "Seh" is a mantra syllable in Vajrayana.

What good is this "Seh"? It is a mantra! It is Amitabha Buddha and Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva’s seed syllable. Starting from a moon disc, a "Seh" syllable transforms into Four-Armed Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. You need to know the Merging of the Self and Deity contemplation. Of course, before hand, you should perform the Great Homage, Great Offering, the Four-fold Refuge, the Armor Protection, and chant the Hundred-Syllable Mantra. You may also chant the High King Sutra. After you performed all these rituals, you can start to practice the Four-Armed Avalokitesvara practice.

Cultivate until you merge yourself with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva (Merging of the Self and Deity contemplation with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva). Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva has many mudras. One mudra has a thumb on the inside and a thumb on the outside, This is another one of Avalokitesvara’s mudras. Avalokitesvara also has the lotus flower mudra, some are partially blossomed, fully blossomed, and there is also a closed lotus flower mudra. These are all Avalokitesvara’s mudras. There is also the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara mudra. Your hands join like this, or open like this. These signify many arms. This is the Thousand-armed and Thousand-eyed Avalokitesvara mudra.

Avalokitesvara has many mudras, you may use any one of them. When you merge as one with Avalokitesvara during the practice, then you can start performing the Smoke Offering practice. So, you can add on the Smoke Offering practice to the Principal Deity practice.

Now, you can start this Smoke Offering. After kindling the fire and the smoke starts to rise, you have to visualize your container. Chant the Emptiness Visualization Mantra , "Om si-ba-wa su-da sa-er-wa da-er-ma si-ba-wa su-duo hang." This is the Emptiness Visualization mantra. It represents the entire empty space of the universe. You should visualize your Smoke Offering becoming a great offering, as endless as the infinite empty space. Then, visualize the emerging smoke transforming into the five sublime offerings, all the things that ghosts and spirits would favor such as the seven jewels and the eight treasures. You need to visualize them. Visualize the mansions that ghosts and spirits would love. It doesn’t matter how big it may be, you need to visualize them. Visualize cars like Ferrari sport cars filling the infinite empty space. Visualize the best food, some greens vegetable, these are less expensive. You can also visualize abalone and shark fins! Just visualize the most expensive food, swiftlet nest, and lobsters, etc. Let them eat the best food. I heard that one vajra master has this expression on his face that he only eats abalone and shark fins. It is as if everywhere he goes, school members must give him offerings of abalone and shark fins. It is always on his face, like that is the only thing he would eat. So, everyone just call him abalone-and-shark-fin vajra master.

For these five sublime offerings, offer them with the very best. Next time, when you make offerings to an acharya/vajra master, you can just use this practice to make the offering! Use this Smoke Offering to transform [the smoke] into the five sublime offerings of food, clothing, residence, means of travel, and joy. This offering includes them all, including even the offering of joy.

Then, form the great Golden-Winged Garuda Mudra. The garuda represents smoke because the garuda can soar into the sky. This mudra is very easy to remember because it resembles flying! The smoke is soaring like the garuda, flying to all corners of the Universe, and to all of ghosts and spirits who will receiving your offering.

When you have completed the act of offering, you have to chant a mantra, this is the completion of offering mantra. "Om Ah-bu-la-di Pu-ba-ye Soha" -- chant one time and snap your fingers once. Repeat this seven times. Chanting the mantra and snapping your fingers seven times represent perfect completion.

Why do you need to snap your fingers? If there are ghosts and spirits who are sleeping when you are making the offering, you will wake them up when you snap your fingers. The snapping of fingers symbolizes that you want to make an offering to them.

The Dedication of the Smoke Offering Practice Can Be Simple and Easy to Understand

With regard to the dedication, many people expressed the concern that they can’t remember the dedication recited by Grandmaster! Then, I will just recite it slowly again. Everybody listen carefully:

"Making this five sublime offering to

Gandharva King “Buduga”

Kinnara Kings and his retinue

Five hair-knots Gandharva Kings and his retinue

Naga Kings and its retinue

Gods of mountain, water, and the seas,

Especially all those beings who lost their previous bodies and are not yet reborn

Currently passing through the bardo state

All those who reside in suffering and sorrow

Wishing to obtain sublime wondrous offerings

Those of you in the bardo state must awaken

There is liberation from this fear and suffering

Emulate the Buddha and attain his perfect emanation form

Vow to swiftly realize the Buddha’s enlightenment

Even if you do not have the power to do so now

Nor the ability to be reborn in a good realm

Vow to practice and follow the highest true dharma

Vow to use this blessing power

Eliminate all your previous hindrances

The four great sufferings are like crashing waves

Vow to rescue all sentient beings in the Saha world."

Trying to recite this entire dedication is a bit troublesome. We could say this dedication in plain language, and I am good at speaking in plain language. You could say:

“This smoke offering is an offering to all gods and ghosts.

Making offering to all my past karmic creditors and enemies,

Making offering to all my creditors, both with and without form,

Enable them to gain fulfillment and happiness.

Hoping my karmic creditors will leave me alone

Go far away

I hope all my karmic creditor’s cultivation will be successful.

I hope all their sorrows turn into happiness.

Then I can have peace and good fortune.

Enjoy good health and cultivate diligently.

Om Mani Padme Hum.”

This doesn’t have to be complicated as though are speaking in a foreign tongue. In actuality, the long dedication and this plain language version is praying for the same thing.

"Pray my offerings to all gods and ghosts, offering to all the karmic creditors and angry past associates. Please don’t keep collecting on old debts! I am repaying you all of it now, so I can live in peace and good health, and diligently cultivate. I hope you follow my example and learn Buddha-dharma, chant Buddha’s name and achieve accomplishment. I will be able to be reborn in the Pure Land. You all can also be reborn in the Pure Land as well. Om Mani Padme Hum."

It can be like this example. This is even simpler. You know that this is the offering to all karmic creditors and all ghosts and spirits.

Dharma Practice Halls Exist Between Heaven and the Earth

Yesterday, I mentioned Xian-zheng Song. He is an accomplished cultivator. He is planning to build the Three Wheel Lei Zang Temple in Dallas. He is not seeking donations. He owns the land himself and plans to use his own means to build his own Lei Zang Temple. I named this temple Three Wheel Lei Zang Temple.

Don’t take these “three wheel” as the three wheels of a tricycle. The term “three wheel” signifies the three turnings of the dharma wheel by the Buddha, and hence it is named Three Wheel. He is a great sponsor of Buddhism. Originally, he was cultivating at Seattle. He left and continued to cultivate privately. You see his accomplishment is pretty good. So, I hope True Buddha students don’t put all their energy into building temples. We should build temples because it allows fellow cultivators to join together for group cultivation, and for good merits. However, these temples (dharma practice halls) exist between the Heaven and Earth, and do not belong to anybody.

Grandmaster has often said that although I am officially the abbot of Taiwan Lei Zang temple, that is really an honorary title. Vajra Master Lian-zhe is its acting abbot. All the executive, personnel, and financial decisions are made by the administrative staff at the Taiwan Lei Zang Temple. I don’t deal with any of these matters. On financial terms, the assets of Taiwan Lei Zang Temple such as temple property and the building structure should be worth around $100 Million Taiwan Dollars (approximately $3.13 million USD).

If I were really a greedy person, one hundred million dollars is great! Everyone knows that Chuan-fang Chen has said, "Money, it doesn’t come with you and you can’t take it with you. But, everyone still loves it."

If Grandmaster really loves money, I should go back to Taiwan Lei Zang Temple declaring that I am the abbot of temple, so the acting abbot and the assistant abbots can all take a break. All of this is mine! I should go look at all the big gold foiled plated temple columns, I should have such a joy in my heart that I need to hug them all. Those columns are too big to put your arms around. They are seven stories tall! The bodhisattva statues are seven stories tall as well. I should be ecstatic. I should be extremely happy. Look at the Amitabha Buddha statue, the more you look at it, the more dignified it is. I really should take it home with me. However, I can’t budge it, nor can I move it.

Although everything is legally under my name, it really belongs to this great earth. Can a person’s life-span out last the Lei Zang Temple? If you out last the Lei Zang Temple, then eat it as cake. However, your life span will not out last Lei Zang Temple! It really belongs to the great earth, you have to have an open mind about material possessions.

Chuan-fang Chen said that she is really carefree these day. She doesn’t desire anything now. She asked me, "Grandmaster, based on your observation, how is my cultivation progressing lately?" I took a look and said, "Oh! Your joke telling ability is getting better and better. I discovered that all four big moms have very good level of cultivation and are progressing very well. One of them has already merged with Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva. One of them can go to the Pure Land. Another one of them can go to heaven. Another one of the moms will become a president. All their cultivations have progressed and their accomplishments are all very good."

Understand the Key of Vajrayana Practice, Cultivate Practice to Achieve Accomplishment

Cultivating the Smoke Offering practice can aid efforts in worldly enterprises or letting go of mundane pursuit to become enlightened. You should know that this practice is basically a resource accumulation practice. Smoke Offering is a resource accumulation practice and a very good practice, especially for personal cultivation. I will now give a general overview of Vajrayana practices. Those of you who understand, you’ll understand. If you don’t, then you don’t. Vajrayana practice - at the brow point (or ajna chakra) there is a "Han" seed syllable (note: this is Sanskrit that is pronounced like the Chinese word “Han”) and four fingers width below the navel chakra there is a half "Ah" seed syllable. After being blown by the wind or qi, the Inner Fire (Tibetan: tummo) will be generated. There is a blue "Hum" seed syllable in your heart. This "Hum" seed syllable will transform into your principal deity. After the principal deity has been bathed in both the Inner Fire and drops in succession, it will become your "illusory body."

If you can cultivate in your dream, you can become proficient with the Dream Yoga. You will be able to cultivate in your dreams. Join into union with the clear light and you become the Clear Light. Then, seal off the eight openings, leaving only one opening open. Strive to push out your consciousness and heart’s prana using the wind. This is Phowa (Consciousness Transference). After you exit your body, you will see your principal deity. If you merge with your principal deity as one, this is "parakaya pravesha." I just covered, Inner Fire, Illusory Body, Dream Yoga, Clear Light, Phowa, and bardo body. If you understand what I just said, if you have the illusory body, you can use your illusory body and go directly to the Buddha Pure Land using your own power. Directly become the Buddha using your illusory body -- this is called achieving Buddhahood in the present body.

If you did not attain the illusory, you have to visualize your principal deity to be seated on your head, your central channel linked to the principal deity’s central channel. You move the wind that you have cultivated upward. Push your consciousness into the consciousness of the principal deity. Push your consciousness into the principal deity’s central channel and become one with the principal deity. When the principal deity goes to the Pure Land, you enter the Pure Land.

If you cannot attain the illusory body and cannot merge with the principal deity, you will only have the bardo body. Then you have to learn the Phowa practice (Consciousness Transference practice) quickly. You must remember to recite mantra, visualize your principal deity appearing, and merge into your principal deity; then, you use Phowa. If you want to be a president, a future president, then you must learn visualization. Use your visualization to find the woman who will be the mother of a future president. After you have found her, your bardo body must enter into her womb. This is call parakaya pravesha. After you enter her womb and assume the vessel, you will be born to this mother of the future president, and then you are destined to become a future president. This is called parakaya pravesha. Most normal people’s bardo bodies don’t have enough power, and thus they cannot decide their own fate. They can only attach themselves onto a butterfly. They attach their bardo bodies onto the butterfly flying by and fly to their relatives’ shoulders. The relatives should not kill these butterflies because maybe the spirits of their grandfathers or grandmothers are attached on the wings of these butterflies. Sometime, the bardo body of the dead will attach themselves on other insects. When you are performing a deliverance rite, sometimes an insect that you haven’t seen before will suddenly climb onto your offering table.

While I was performing a deliverance rite once, a bug showed up and was crawling in the room. The deceased person’s relatives saw the bug and were going to kill it. I told them, "Hold off. It’s your brother!" Their brother’s bardo body attached itself onto the insect and came back to see them. This is a form of parakaya pravesha. But, this kind of taking possession of a vessel is the lowest form. They can only attach themselves onto an insect or butterfly. They can’t attach themselves onto a bird and fly back to see their families. They will leave after seeing you. Don’t harm it.

Advanced vajrayana practitioners know this kind of practice. Some people want to be born into Bill Gates’ family. Then, as soon as you die, your bardo body must find his wife and enter into her womb to become their child. When you are reborn, you would be Bill Gates’s son and then you would be born rich. To do this, you must have sufficient cultivation, and then you can control your own destiny. If you want to be reborn in the Pure Land, you are reborn in the Pure Land. If you want to become a Buddha, you become a Buddha. If you want to reincarnate to become a president, you reincarnate and become a president. If you want to reincarnate into a rich family, then reincarnate into a rich family. You can go wherever you want to go - this is an achievement of Vajrayana cultivation.

In a moment, I will be giving the Yamantaka empowerment. I will ask one of the True Buddha Foundation vajra masters to write down the sadhana for the Smoke Offering practice. After I approve it, everyone can follow this sadhana to practice. I think everyone already knows the basics. We have cultivated the principal deity practice for so long now! You are only adding on a Smoke Offering. For the mantra that you will chant seven times in this practice. Let’s chant "Om Ah-bu-la-di Pu-ba-ye Soha," Don’t chant "Om Ah-Bu-La-Di Bu-La-Ya Soha." Just chant "Om Ah-bu-la-di Pu-ba-ye Soha" and write up a standard Smoke Offering procedure. That way everyone will perform the same practice. You can also continue to chant the High King Sutra.

I will give out the Yamantaka empowerment shortly. Although you may not cultivate the Yamantaka practice, you still can chant the Yamantaka mantra. This will enhance your longevity. Those of you who attended today are fortunate. As long as you know the Yamantaka mantra and often devotedly recite it, you will be free from many illnesses and live a long life.

Om Mani Padme Hum

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