Refuge and Generating Bodhicitta (three times) I take refuge until I am enlightened in the Buddha, the Dharma and the Sangha. By the positive potential I create by practicing generosity and the other far-reaching attitudes, may I attain Buddhahood in order to benefit all sentient beings. The Four Immeasurable Thoughts May all sentient beings have happiness and its causes, May all sentient beings be free from suffering and its causes. May all sentient beings never be separated from sorrowless bliss. May all sentient beings abide in equanimity, free of bias, attachment and anger. The Seven Limbs Reverently I prostrate with my body speech and mind, And present clouds of every type of offering, actual and mentally-transformed I declare all my negative actions accumulated since beginningless time And rejoice in the virtues of all holy and ordinary beings. Please remain until cyclic existence ends And turn the wheel ofDharma for sentient beings I dedicate all the virtues of myself and others to the great enlightenment. Outer Mandala This ground, anointed with perfume, flowers strewn, Mount Meru, four lands, sun and moon, Imagined as a Buddha land and offered to you May all beings enjoy this pure land. Inner Mandala The objects of attachment, aversion and ignorance – friends, enemies and strangers, my body, wealth and enjoyments – I offer these without any sense of loss. Please accept them with pleasure and inspire me and others to be free from the three poisonous attitudes. idam guru ratna mandala kam nirya tayami (I send forth this jewelled mandala to you, precious gurus) Emptiness meditation om sobhawa shuddha sarva dharma sobhawa shuddho ham (I am the embodiment of the purity of all subjective and objective phenomena.) From the sphere of emptiness appears a white lotus and on it a moon disc. On that appears my own mind in the form of a white syllable tam which transforms into an utpala flower marked by tam. This transforms into the self-generated, life-granting Arya Tara with one face and two arms. Her right hand holds a utpala flower. In youthful aspect, she is adorned with all the major and minor marks of a tathagata and is endowed with seven eyes. Screened by a full moon behind her, her three places are marked by three syllables om ah hum. From the seed syllable at her heart, light is emitted, inviting the wisdom beings and initiating deities. The wisdom beings merge inseparably with me; Tara, and the initiating deities confer empowerment. By the overflow of nectar, my crown is adorned with Amitayus. From the tam at my heart light is emitted, activating the infinite nectar of longevity from beyond cyclic existence and dissolving h back into my heart. Mantra Recitation and Visualization From the red hri at Amitayus' heart, rays of red light shine out into the ten directions, hooking back the essence of long life from all samsaric and non-samsaric beings and from the four elements and also hooking back all the life previously stolen by black magic and so forth. All this is drawn into the nectar in the long life vase in Amitayus' lap. The nectar increases endlessly and overflows into my crown and completely fills my body At my heart, in the tigle on the white tam, sits my own guru (or anyone whose long life you want to pray for). Surrounding him on a moon disc, are all sentient beings: enemies, friends and strangers. Surrounding them, on the edge on the moon disc, are the letters of the mantra: om tare tuttare ture mama ayur punye jnyana pushtim kuru ye soha The nectar flowing through my body completely elminates from my guru (or for whomever you are doing this practice) all hindrances to his/her long life, (which are in fact my own karmic vision*). The nectar also purifies the hindrances to life and the black karmic vision of all sentient beings. At the same time, light from the letters of the mantra fills my own Tara body and the bodies of all the sentient beings at my heart, especially of those practicing virtue in the three worlds *This applies only to the appearance of sickness in regards to the guru. While doing this visualization, repeat the mantra 21 times: om tare tuttare ture mama ayur punye jnyana pushtim kuru ye soha Then as often as you like: om tare tuttare ture soha Think strongly: the hindrances that cause my guru to appear sick or that prevent his holy wishes from being fulfilled are all purified. All sentient beings are purified, and all human beings who are accumulating virtue by just even taking refuge or by repeating om mani padme hum achieve long life. Upon seeing the signs of untimely death instantaneously, by clearly beholding the holy body of the Wish- Fulfilling Wheel Tara, may I intrepidly conquer the lord of death and swiftly attain the rank of an immortal master of knowledge. Dedication of Positive Potential Due to this merit may I soon Attain the enlightened state of Arya Tara That I may be able to liberate All sentient beings from their suffering. May the precious bodhi mind Not yet born arise and grow; May that born have no decline, But increase forever more. Translated by Barry Clarke, with additional meditation given by the Venerable Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche, 1982 Revised and edited by the Education Department FPMT International Office, 1997 © Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition.

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