An Avalokitesvara Sadhana Janet Gyatso For All eings Throughout Space san example ofa tantric shana, or “ean for accomplishing” asthe term is wanslated in Tibetan grub thas). Astana isa reditatve visualization techmique by which a Buddhist attempts to “accomplish” ‘dentfeation with the Buddha Sakyamun, or any’ of the other buddha, bodhi- sats, or enlightened dees in the taste Buddhist pantheon. For All Bigs Throughout Space describes a visualization of Avaloktesvara, the bodhisatea of compassion, depicted here in his fout-armed guise. Avaloliesvarais wel known Jn Mahayana sotras and unra as wel asin local waditons thoughout Asia and appeat ina varey of forms in ation to the one described here “The theory of sidhana mediation is discussed in a numberof Sanskrit and ‘Tibetan works, lo brie, practitioners imagine themselves as having become @ paricular buddha figure. This visualized dent is efected in three dimensions ‘of personhood: body form, verbal expression, and mental state. tis believed {at by visualizing themselves as having the preserbed features of the buddha figure in these tree dimensions—as looking like che buddha figure, as chanting its mantr, and as assuming is mental state—the mediator wl eventually be- ‘come tat buddha i reat. The assumption is that a person's dent, exper ‘ence, and existence are sell-ceated, and therefor can be manipulated at wil, given the appropiate ining and (a universally supulated prerequisite) a prot recwipt of the sidhana technique in a wansmision ritual given by a qualified teacher. Another assumption underlying sidhana practice is thatthe manifest features ofthe bud figure so depicted in the text—that ts iconography, its rants, and the deseripons of its sate of mind—precsly rele that figures enlightenment state as Such, and thus ae elicacous tools to effect the desired teansformaton from imagined identity to reality. Such a transformation in the practitioner i aid tobe posable n a single iftime, a claim thats ofen made about the efcacy of tantric practice in order to contrast it favorably with the sore gradually obtained results of stbarbased practice, said to require many Iiecimes. ; AN AVALOKITESVARA SADHANA 267 Although the theory of sidhana practice would seem to imply thatthe manifest features of a buddha figure ae srcly determined, in fact the many stdhanas exant in Sanskrit and Tibetn for a given buddha or delty figure vary consider aby, both in the description of the deity and its mantra and inthe visualization technique prescribed. Ths is du to the nature ofthe source ofthe sidhanas, which in many cases is characterized asa vision experienced by the sidhana’ suthor. Since the deity seen ina vision can difer from its normative iconography, sotoo the sidhana based on that vision can be innovative as wel. Such vaviation is sctioned by standard Mahayana theory, which posits that buddha and bo- dbisattvas change appearance at wil in order to accord with the varying needs of sentient beings. This theory also made possible the incorporation of local Tibetan deties into Buddhist canons The For Al Beings Throughout Space stdhana is std to be based upon @ vision ofthe Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara (a “direct transmission") experienced by Tang- tong Gyelpo (Thang stong rayal po) This eclectic Tibetan yogin and Buddhist teacher ofthe fourteenth to filteenth centuries was also a civic engineer who built ‘over fifty iton-chain suspension bridges in Tibet, westem China, and Bhutan. For AllBeings Throughout Space is universally atribsted to Tangtong Gyeipo but the text isnot signed, and there is no independent historical information on its com- poston; the fist commentary onthe text that assumes his authorship is written {nthe early sixteenth century. Tangtong Gyelpo's interest in public works i reflected in the pithy brevity of the For Al Beings Throughout Space stdhana, features that distinguish t from other ‘Tibetan Avalokitesara sidhanas, which tend to be long and complex. Valued for its simple yet suggestive content incorporating the metitation styles of the "inner tartrs." the text is perhaps the most popular (and shonest) AvalkiteSvara si ddhana in Tibet. It can be chanced by heart by many persons, both lay and mo- nasi, of both genders, from many parts ofthe country, in all the Tibetan Bud- hist Sets, and at al levels of society For All Belngs Throughout Space employs several notable techniques. One con- ‘ems the relationship between the practioner andthe visualized figure. Some sidhanas instruct practitioners to imagine the buddha figure sing in the arin front of them, sending rays of ight and blessings into them, but not effecting an ‘denifcation ofthe practitioner with the buddha, a technique called the “gen ention in front; other sidhanas prescribe that the practioner imagine his orher ‘mundane body and experience as having dissolved into emptiness and been re plied by a new appearance of the self as the buddha figure, called the "slf- generation” (ee chapter 14). The For All Beings Throughout Space sidhana rep- resents 2 middle position between these “in-ront” and “asself” types of visualization: it begins with athied variation, a visualization ofthe buddha figure “on top ofthe head” of the practitioner, but culminates with a fll identification ofthe practioner with that figure. The sidhaha sats, sis standard in Buddhist practice, when the practitioner “takes refuge” in the Buddha, his teachings, and the community of his followers ‘The sidhanas author does nat supply a tury fr this inital sep, instead allow-268 JANET GYATSO ing practitioners to insert verses of their choice. The stdhana proper commences ‘when the practitioner imagines him or herself to be seated in mediation and Ssurounded by all beings in the universe. That the ensuing images are seen as ‘ccutTing simultaneously in the experience of al these beings, rather than being limited to the practitioner, is another distinctive feature of this sAdhana, vA lotus flower sprauts out of the practitioner's (and all beings) fontanelle at the top ofthe skull. Poised sbove the tips of the flower’ petals is a moon-shaped ‘cushion upon which the visualized bodhisatva will st. Reflecting tanri theories of embryology, the appearance ofthe bodhsattva is preceded by a mantrc “seed syllable,” which is thought to encode the enlightenment of the figure tha it sym- bolizes and to be capable of generating the fgureislf,just asthe seed of parents ‘ives rise to a child. The syllable bere is hth, whichis often associated with “Avalokitesvara, As the commentaries on the For All Beings Throughout Space sia~ hhana explain, the practitioner imagines the hrthto be formed of brilliant white light rays that become so intense that they spontaneously reformulate into the fall-blown figure of the bodhisattva. The practitioner then focuses on imagining the bodhisatva on his or her head as described in the sidhana. The description {is close to the four-armed Avaloktesvara's traditional iconography. Fach element is significant: the white color of his body signifies cool compassion; the lot held in his band symbolizes the bodhisatwa, whose beauty grows right in the “raud” cof samsita the antelope hie signifies the bodhisattva’s compassion forall sentient beings; and so forth, The two “upper” hands here are in the homage geste; other our-armed Avalokitesvaras hold a wish-flfilling gem in those hands. The buddha ‘Amitabh sits on his crown because Avalokitesvara belongs to the "amily" headed by thar buddha. “The prayer of praise that the practitioner, along with all sentient being, sings to the bodhisatva functions as an invocation. The bodhisstiva, moved by the sincerity with which the praise is uutered, emits liquid light rays that enter che top of the head of the practitioner and all sentient beings, filing their bodies, dispelling ll confusion and bad kaema, and transforming the practitioner into “Avalokitesvara, Simultaneously, the light rays spread over the entire universe and ‘um the envionment (the auter container?) into the pure land of Avaloktesvata, and all beings (the “inner contents") into Avalokitesvara. While visualizing this “sequence, the practioner repeats the most famous ofthe AvalokiteSvara mantras, ‘om mart padre ham (see chapter 2). All he while, the practitioner remains focused ‘upon the empry nature ofthe manta’ sounds, and of the images bein visualized, which are maintained in mind during the mantra recitation period. ‘At the end of the mantra repetition, the practioner enters into meditative absorption, endeavoring to seaside all conceptions, including those prescribed by the sidhana itself, Such a cdntemplative phase is often included in sidhanas, and its description is close to that of other sorts of Buddhist practices, such as insight meditation or Chan siting, with the exception that itis framed, and ‘evoked, by visualizations preceding and succeeding it. “The final portion of the For All Beings Throughout Space sidhana corresponds AN AVALOKITESVARA SADHANA. 269 ‘to whats termed “carryover practices" in certain tantric traditions. Emerging from the meditative sbsorption and returning to daly lif, the practioner endeavors to continue to see all perceptions of body. speech, and mind as those of the enlightened bodhisstva. All sentient beings, including the self, ae to be seen as ‘the bodhisattva all sounds are undersiod to be his mantra all mental phenor- fenaare seen as his mind. The sadhana concludes with the conventional "baring ‘of merit” that has been gained by performing the practice, here phrased as an aspration to win enlightenment as Avalokitesvara in order to help the rest of the ‘world achieve liberation as well ‘The waclton below ifthe “Gro do i Mya ma, sige page black pig, wey aval The tes pblted in sever colecton, including Jam lynge yen brs dba po and nn dyangs bo ler dang po, ee Seb team ea Dan Ly, NG, and nga 9), Further Reading Formore on he Me ad acompishnens of Tangong Geo ant Gyo, “Cane, Auhorhip. aud Tanomision In Vslonary Beda The Ley Talons of Thangstong sGylpy in Tan din: Reason and Rear td Stren Goodman and Ronald Bison (bay, NY. SUNY Pres 199), pp. 93-106. Fors detaled nud of Tian tne Mngy and sadhana, st phan Reyer, The Ca of Tar Mag and dln Tete: Univers Calfomia ess, 1979) The tet Tansmision ofthe Great Adept Tangtong Glo, "Ki ofthe Epy Psi Ente or al eng Troupe Space (Fis cake refuge (nm the crown of my head ‘And hat of al cient beings throughout space Ibe ous nds moon shaped seal On top of that is [the syllable] hrth From vhich feppes] ‘The precious, sabe Aralokitefara Het wht nd luminous ‘nde rats ight ye of fe color ets beat and sling dnd he es wih eompastonate ees,270 JANET GYATSO (Of his four hands, ‘The palms ofthe upper two are held together, In the lower two He holds a crystal rosary and a white lotus. Silks and precious ornaments adorn him. He wears the hide of an antelope across his chest, ‘And a crown omamented by Amitibha. ‘Seated with his two leg in the crossed thunderbolt position, “He leans his back against a pure moon. He is, by nature, the epitome ofall refuges. ‘Think that and all sentient beings are praying to him, in one wee Lord, You are unmarved by fault, ‘And white in body hue. ‘The perfect buddha omaments your crown, [And you see beings with compassionate eyes. how to you, Avalokitesvara, Rectte that thre, seven, of as many ies as posible AAs a result ofthis one-pointed prayer, Light beams radiate out From the body ofthe noble one, ‘And purify defiled karmic appearances and confusion, ‘The outer container becomes the Land of Bliss. ‘The inner contents—the body, speech, and mind of beings— ‘Become the perfected form, teachings, and heart-mind of Avalokitesvara Appearance and sound turn into indivisible awareness-emptiness. ‘While meditating om that, elt the six syllables [the mantra om mani padme him). At the end, remain absorbed in the own-state of no-conception about the thre circles doer, dane, o ded ‘My and others’ bodies are the perfected form of the noble one. ‘Voices and sounds are the rhythm ofthe six syllables. “Memories and thoughts are the expanse of great primal consciousness, “Through the merit resulting [from performing this visualization} ‘May I quickly come to achieve [identification with} Avalokitesvars, ‘And then may [establish every single being without exception in that A Fasting Ritual ger Jackson Fasting rtuals have been an important element of religious life in Tibetan culture ares for centuries, The collected writings of many of Tiber’ greatest amas include the tet of fasting rituals, and, in mare recent times, anthropologists have ex- plored the social and performative dimensions of the rue. In most places, the fasting ritual or myungre (smyung gras) is held annually and draws members of the laity to the local monastery or temple for thee days of prayer, prosation, sand ascetic practices focused on the great compassionate bodhisatva, Avaloki- tesvara or Chenrezi(Spyan ras gzgs). Though there is no solid historical evidence thatthe type of fasting ritual practiced in Tibet culture areas originated in India, ‘Tibetans writers do trace the lineage ofits practice back to India, and the Tibetan rite clearly combines in ita number of elements that ae crucial to Buddhism in Indi, and elsewhere in Asia Socially, the fasting ritual isan instance of a common Buddhist phenomencn: ‘ocessions on which laypeople are permitted for a time to participate in the lif of their sociey’s most valued religious institution, the monastery or temple. The hallmark of such occasions, whatever their locale or duration, is the assumption ‘by iypeople of some ofthe vows incumbent upon monastic, In lands throughout Budihist Asia, laypeople will gather on new- and/or full-moon days (in Tibetan ress, more often the Iunar tenth or cwenty-fith days) at their local monastery or temple, observe eight vows (against kiling, stealing, ling, sexual activity, using Ioxicants, eating after noon, entertainment and omamentation, and taking a ‘exaled seat), and spend the day praying, making offerings, and listening to reli ‘ious discourses, The eight vows also may be taken for life by men or women ‘who wish to renounce the world outside the monastic context, or women who ‘wish olive a monastic life but are barred from doing so by the los ofthe lineage of edination. Women also may take for life the same ten vows asa nvice monk. (Ghe eight listed, with the seventh divided into two and the promise not to handle rmotey added asthe tenth). The Tibetan fasting ritual is most closely modeled on the traditions involving lay attendance at monasteries and temples on lunar cycleRELIGIONS OF PRINCETON READINGS IN RELIGIONS susp TIBET IN PRACTICE TITLES IN THE SERIES Religions of nda in Practice eited by Donald S. Lope, J. Budahion in Practice edited by Donald S. Lopez, J r Religions of China n Practice edited by Donald S. Lopez Je. Donald S. Lopez, Jr, Edivo Religions of Tibet in Practice edited by Donald S. Lopez J. — ae | ruinceron, wew Jensey¢lem use ct vey fe Wn Se, Ba Fe, on Ince Une ego Macs Ue) om Ue, We see 7620 ep om Ty Rar epi sb Dn ge waitin tn Cone ny Hd R45 eas {Ds} aga eck Css Care OE eee ore aero ‘ily tad dCi wh pal pomaon “Sosohit Ras te 6 ne) een ge ved wc oe bam Maio ast Cie, “A Sent Pa Sn etd em Te ang Were mg il ‘earn re pa yg Negl po. Tea’ ed ed yt eh fon Comte 1s Cope ge ‘End eulon © 1 Dagon td Ten cnme. ‘Celt end emo Sum gs te nds Tse See mde goers moval eras acta ee re Soon Se “Een eer eee! ‘nator eae ae ee ce cetrcs Ecateaeiane ate enolate anes eet te coos ree cise ae eoelee eet ee ome ere eee ere Soh eaccesee cena eee eee eo PRINCETON READINGS IN RELIGIONS Frinceton Readings in Religions isa new series of anthologies on the religions of the word, representing the significant advances that have been made in the study «f eligions inthe lat tiny years. The sourcebooks used by previous generations cf students, whether for Judaism and Christianity or forthe religions of Asia and. the Middle Eas, placed a heavy emphasis on “canonical works” Princeton Read- ings in Religions provides a different configuration of texts in an attempt bester to represent the range of religious practices, placing particular emphasis on the ‘vays in which texts have been used in diverse contexts, The volumes in the series therefore include ritual manuals, hagiographical and autobiographical works, ‘popular commentaries, and folktales, 2s wells some ethnographic material. Many ‘works are draw from vernacular sources. The readings ithe series are new in two senses, Frst, very few of the works contained in the volumes have ever have ‘made available in an anthology before; inthe case of the volumes on Asia, few have even been translated into @ Westem language. Second, the readings are new in the sense that each volume provides new ways to read and understand the ‘eigions of the word, breaking daw the sometimes misleading stereotypes in- Trerted from the past in an ellort to provide both more expansive and more focused perspectives on the richness and diversity of religous expressions. The series is designed for use by a wide range of readers, with key terms translated and technical notes omitted. Each volume also contains an introduction by a distinguished scholar in whic the histories of the traditions are outlined and the _sgificance ofeach of the works is explored Religions of Tbe in Practice is the fourth volume of Princeton Readings in Re- ligion andthe ist substantial anthology of Tibetan religious Inerature to appear in English, The seventeen contributors ae leading scholars of the religions of “Tibet, each of whom has provided one or more tansiations of key works, mest ef which are translated here forthe frst time. Each chapter in the volume begins with an introduction in which the translator discusses the history and influence cf the work, identifying point of particular difficulty or interest. The works they Trave translated here represent many genres; they are drewn from a millenium of Tibetan hisory and from many regions of te Tibetan cultural domain, ‘m addition to acknowledging the cooperation and patience ofthe contributors 1 Religons of Tet in Practice, I would lke to thank Ze Bjrken for his assistance in the inal editing ofthe manuseript.