Introduction

At the age of eight. the Mahasiddha Tangtong Gyalpo was leading a commitment to recite one hundred million manis (mantras). Many people gathered to take part. The practice commenced on the Tibetan New Year. On the eighth day just before daybreak Tangtong Gyalpo had a vision of a gigantic tree growing out of the ritual vase which was in front of him. It was laden with the most beautiful leaves, flowers and fruit. Inside the tree he could see Chenrezig with one face and two arms sitting on a lotus. Above him was another form of Chenrezig with one face and four arms seated on a lotus. Above him was a third form of Chenrezig with one face and eight arms seated on a lotus. Above him was a fourth form of Chenrezig with eleven faces, a thousand eyes and a thousand arms standing on a lotus. The figures of Chenrezig were surrounded by a host of Yiddams and Lamas. The Mahasiddha was so moved at the sight that he addressed a seven-branch prayer to Chenrezig. The eleven-faced Chenrezig replied, "I am your spiritual teacher until you reach enlightenment. Please accomplish the good of beings through the six-syllable mantra." Chenrezig then recited the prayer which Tangtong Gyalpo wrote down, and which is reproduced in these prayers.

The Chenrezig Puja which is most used in most Dharma Centres in the West has some prayers inserted after the wish-prayer which are not in the original text. For private practice the shorter, original version is preferable. Each section should be chanted and then fixed in the mind by a period of silent meditation before going on to the next section. We should then finish with the Dewachen Prayer which has been included at the end of the puja in this edition, although it is not part of the original text.

1. Refuge and Bodhichitta

I visualise my guru in the form of Chenrezig sitting on a lotus and a moon-disk in the sky before me, surrounded by all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. I imagine that my father is sitting beside me to the right, and on my left is my mother. My enemies are in front of me. Around us are all other beings. As I recite the refuge prayer I imagine that all beings are saying it with me making a roaring sound. I imagine that the mind of my guru is the Buddha, his speech is the dharma (the teachings of the Buddha), and his body is the sangha (the Buddhist community). I take refuge in the three jewels with my body holding my hands in the position of prayer; and with my speech, reciting aloud; and with my mind thinking that I will place absolute trust upon the object of refuge until enlightenment is reached.

Then I think that all beings have, at some stage, been my mother and then I project onto all beings the feelings that I have for my own mother to be free from suffering. With this attitude I recite the Bodhichitta aspiration prayer. Then I remain silent for a while. As I breathe in I visualise a black cloud and imagine that I am inhaling the sufferings and impurities  of all beings, and I pray, "May all beings be free from suffering". As I breathe out I imagine that I am sending out white light to all beings representing all my own happiness and virtue, and I pray, "May all beings have happiness". This practice embraces the Four Limitless Virtues of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and impartiality.

Then, still in silence, I visualise my guru as Chenrezig radiating brilliant light. As the light touches me and all beings, our obscuration, sins and negative tendencies are purified and our bodies become like transparent crystal vases. My guru, representing the three jewels, dissolves into light which is absorbed into us and I think that we are receiving the body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas, which becomes inseparable from our own body, speech and mind. Then I let the mind rest naturally in the state of non-distraction. This is the absolute-refuge, whereas the refuge visualised externally is only relative.

2. Visualization

Having arisen from the meditation of absolute refuge, I imagine that I and all beings have upon our heads a white lotus with open petals - representing skilful means and compassion, and on the stamens is a brilliant full-moon disk - representing transcendental wisdom,, upon which is the syllable HRI - which is the embodiment of all the power of the Buddhas to liberate beings. From the HRI, light bursts out to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as an offering. The light then bursts out to all sentient beings purifying them. The HRI then dissolves into light and out of light appears Chenrezig.

The visualisation of Chenrezig is described in the texts, and the symbolism is as follows:

• The whiteness of his body is the purity of mind.
• Brilliant light of the five colours but predominantly white shines up to the Buddhas summoning them to help all beings, and shines on all beings purifying them.
• His smile is of love and compassion like a mother bestows on her only child.
• The four arms are the four limitless virtues of loving kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and impartiality. The first pair of hands are in the posture of prayer, praying to the Buddhas to act for the benefit of beings. The rosary in Chenrezig's white hand represents his ability to lead all beings to liberation. The open lotus in the other hand is the vast compassion, unsullied by samsara.
• The silks and jewels are associated with the sambhogakaya in peaceful form. Things pleasing to the senses are not rejected but integrated with the practice.
• The deer skin over his left shoulder represents compassion and bodhichitta. It reminds us that the Bodhisattva took birth as a deer and when he was being hunted his compassion for the hunter was so great that he laid down his own life.
• Amitabha on top of his head is his guru, the head of the Pema family of Buddhas, the speech aspect of Buddhahood.
• His legs in the vajra posture represent the union of samsara and nirvana.
• The moon backrest represents Chenrezig's ability to protect against the painful burns of defilements.
• Chenrezig is inseparable from all other sources of refuge. He is the essence of all refuges.

3. Short Prayer

Having visualised Chenrezig, I pray to him with complete devotion. It is not necessary to get up from the meditation seat and prostrate, but I do so mentally.

4. Awareness of Our Identity with Chenrezig

The light streams from Chenrezig's body and purifies the false appearances created by karma. The world seems solid, which it is not, and beings assume illusionary forms in the six realms. The light purifies our erroneous perceptions of the impermanent as permanent, of suffering as happiness, of voidness of self entity as having self entity. The light purifies the very environment into Dewachen. It purifies our bodies into the body of Chenrezig, our speech into his speech, and our minds into his mind. The light reveals all phenomena as empty of substance.

5. The Mantra

I keep in my mind the contemplation of our identity with Chenrezig as described in the previous section as I recite the mantra.

• OM closes the door to birth as a god, with it's suffering of fall and transmigration.
• MA closes the door to birth as a jealous demi-god with the suffering of fighting and quarrels.
• NI closes the door to human rebirth with it's suffering of birth, old-age, sickness and death.
• PE closes the door to birth as an animal with the suffering of dullness, stupidity and enslavement
• ME closes the door to birth as a craving spirit with the suffering of hunger and thirst.
• HUNG closes the door to birth in the hell realms with the suffering of heat and cold.

The mantra thus closes the door to samsaric rebirth and opens the door to rebirth in Dewachen.

6. Silent Meditation

I stop the mantra. I dissolve the visualisation. I let my mind dwell in it's natural state without distinguishing between the deity, the meditator and the meditation. Realising the voidness of the mind and resting in Mahamudra is meeting with Chenrezig face-to-face.

I try to spend as long in this section of the practice as the others put together.

7. Prolonging the Meditation into a Continuous Practice

Suddenly out of the voidness Chenrezig reappears  like a fish jumping out of water. I prepare to return to ordinary samsaric life from the meditation by recalling our identity with Chenrezig and by resolving that I will live my life with the same motivation that inspires Chenrezig to commit himself to benefitting beings.

8. Dedication

If the merit of the practice is not dedicated, we will reap but the fruit once. But if we dedicate the merit to the end of attaining the level of Chenrezig for the benefit of all beings, the fruit will be inexhaustible.

9. Dewachen

Finally I dedicate the merit of the practice for the rebirth in Dewachen, which will give me a much greater power to work for the benefit of all sentient beings. This is possible through the strength of Amitabha's compassionate wishing-prayers. Chenrezig made a vow to Amitabha to lead his devotees to Dewachen, and in response Amitabha gave Chenrezig the mantra, "Om Mani Peme Hung".