 The Medicine Buddha - Empowerment |
The Medicine Buddha - Empowerment |
 In Tibetan images of the
Medicine Buddha the left hand typically holds a blooming myrobalan plant.
Tibetan medicine recognises three basic types of illness, the root causes
of which are the conflicting emotions -- passion, agression, and
ignorance. Myrobalan is the only herb in the Tibetan pharmacopea that can
aid in healing each of these three types of diseases. This is like the
action of the Buddha of Healing, who has the power to see the true cause
of any affliction, whether spiritual, physical or psychological, and who
does whatever is necessary to alleviate it.
 Medicine Buddha
Sangye Menla Teachings
on the Medicine Buddha Medicine
Buddha in Tibetan Medicine Meditation
on the Medicine Buddha Mandala
of the Medicine Buddha Top of This Page |
The practice of the Medicine Buddha meditation (sadhana) is said to be much more effective when one has received the Medicine Buddha Empowerment from a qualified lama (Tibetan Buddhist meditation master). This empowerment is given periodically at various Tibetan Buddhist centers around the world. It can be taken with the intention of practicing the Medicine Buddha meditation (sadhana) or as a blessing. In either case it would be expected to enhance ones practical and spiritual efforts for the healing of oneself or others. In general, a Tibetan Buddhist empowerment (Tibetan: lung; Sanskrit: abisheka) sets up an intimate relationship with three members: the practitioner (meditator), the vajra master (lama), and a particular embodiment of awakened mind, which is an aspect of the practitioner's (and the vajra master's) true nature. Specifically, in this case the facet of the
practitioner's true nature which is being invited to awaken is the Medicine
Buddha aspect.
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Teachings on the Medicine Buddha Sadhana
This superb 50-page article is presented in the Shenpen Ösel online dharma
magazine. Click on VOLUME 4, NUMBER 1 JUNE 2000.
Tibetan Medicine Conference Tapes Available TMC98-004 Medicine Buddha Teaching and Meditation
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Excerpts from The Art of Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective, by Bonnie Pasqualoni. "Thus, the distant causes of the diseases are seated in the past mental environment which was influenced by "afflictive emotions"--mental factors that are the root cause of all illness. While these factors are impossible to enumerate, they are all the consequences of ignorance (Donden, p.15). Ignorance generates other negative states of mind such as desire, hatred, jealousy and pride. Such negative emotions drive our mentations, and our mentations contribute to our suffering." "Understanding one's emotions is an essential part of the Buddhist journey to full awakening and freedom form unwanted conditions of all sorts. However, since most of us have very little ability to work with our emotional energies without creating negative experiences, medicines and other remedies are required." "The Tibetan physician focuses his attention on spiritual factors even in the treatment of the simplest illnesses. Every Tibetan physician vows to 'regard medicine as an offering to the Medicine Buddha and all other medicine deities' and considers his 'medical instruments as holy objects' (Dummer, p. xix). Even the pharmaceuticals, which are mixtures of vegetable, animal and mineral compounds, are prepared with meticulous attention to religious ritual." "One can also petition the healing powers of the Medicine Buddha by visualization practices .... Even the name of the Medicine Buddha is believed to have the power to free one from the pattern of negative thoughts and emotions. Healing can occur just by speaking, hearing or concentrating on his name. Thus, for example, conceited persons will become humble, greedy persons will become charitable and those who cause dissent will become cooperative and loving just by hearing or saying his name." "Some examples of ritual involving the Medicine Buddha which are believed to have a curative or strengthening influence for the ill include meditating upon the deep blue color of lapis lazuli; making puja offerings of flowers and incense to the image of the deity; mentally or physically constructing an image of the deity; playing musical instruments and chanting; reading sutras; constructing altars, mandalas or banners; and lighting lamps." "The significance of the Medicine Buddha as the Supreme Healer in Tibetan medicine for liberating the individual from suffering is an exemplary metaphor for the mystical elements which are universally inherent in the healing tradition. The tradition is truly a holistic approach to the problem of suffering, both individual suffering and suffering as a universal condition." Top of This Page |
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The orange-colored image of Medicine Buddha Parantaj, above, came from the Galery of Tibetan Art at Dharma Center in Finland (no longer available on the Web). Click here to see a larger image. The Dharmapala Centre School of Thangka Painting site in Denmark offers images of the Medicine Buddha and the Central Palace of the Medicine Buddha and the Mandala of the Medicine Buddha. Each includes detailed description of various aspects of the painting -- the extensive description of the central palace includes eighteen pages of enlarged details with descriptive text. Also at this site are several Medical Thangkas used for training students of Tibetan medicine. A fine traditional thangka of the Medicine Buddha is available at the Web site of the Dutch Foundation for Tibetan Medicine. The Virtual Thangka Gallery at the Osel Shen Phen Ling Web site has a Medicine Buddha image that was created entirely in the computer. (All these other images were scanned from photographs of thanka paintings.)
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