Vajrayogini Chod Practice PDF
Vajrayogini Chod Practice PDF
Chöd Practice
(Cutting Off the Truly-Existent ‘I’)
Motivation
1.
PHET! I clearly recall the life-story of the founder Buddha who descended in
the past. In order to achieve the essence of great meaning with this body, I cut
myself off from the superstitions that create the eight worldly dharmas, such as
neglecting gods and ghosts and wanting to use them as my servants.
2.
PHET!
I will liberate all transmigrators, chiefly gods and ghosts, who have been my moth-
ers, from the great ocean of samsara and the two obscurations. As the nature of
whatever appears is primordially empty, (I see everything) as an illusory dance;
(thus my meditation on emptiness) becomes an antidote to the mind’s creations.
After you have gone in that manner, perform at the place the visualization of the
three rounds of overwhelming, according to the written teachings. Those are the
stages of the preparatory practice.
As for the stages of the actual practice, there are two: the session and the break-time
retreat. The session comprises:
Vajrayogini Chöd Practice
9.
I and all transmigrators, without exception, equal to the extent of space take
refuge in the root and lineage gurus, in the hosts of meditational deities, and in
the supreme objects of refuge-Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha-until we attain the
essence of enlightenment. (3x)
10.
In order to liberate transmigrators who are drowning in the ocean of suffering, I
will generate the sublime mind of enlightenment, and will practice sincerely and
without discouragement the deeds of those gone to bliss and their children of the
three times. (3x)
12.
Her left arm is adorned with a khatvanga tucked under her shoulder. Wrathful,
but smiling with bared fangs, she is adorned with bone ornaments. Naked, her
hair falling loose, she stands with her right leg bent and left leg outstretched, in
the midst of blazing light.
13.
Her three places are adorned with the three syllables. Rays of light from the
HUNG invoke without obstruction Vajra Yogini, completely surrounded by hosts
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of peaceful and wrathful ones from emptiness, their natural abode. They become
inseparable (from Guru Vajra Varahi).
14.
Again, rays of light radiate from the HUNG at her heart to collect with force evil-
doers, demons, interferers, and all sentient beings of the six realms. They settle
around me, just as swans gather to decorate a lotus pond.
Blow the thigh-bone three times.
15.
PHET! I prostrate to you, Guru Vajra Varahi, who manifests in an enchanting
dancing pose from the play of Dharmakaya, the spontaneous great bliss; who has
glorious qualities and whose beauty captivates those who are firmly established
in the three realms.
16.
I present outer, inner, and secret offerings as well as the offering of suchness. I con-
fess individually all negativities and obscurations of body, speech, and mind, and
rejoice in the perfectly pure virtues of the three times. Please turn the Dharma-
wheel of the three vehicles for transmigrators.
17.
And remain in the nature of the three dharmas: permanence, (stability and
changelessness). I dedicate all merit towards attaining the state of the three divine
bodies.
18.
On my skin, the great and powerful golden foundation, is sprinkled my blood
and oils as scented nectar. In the center of my intestines, the iron fence, and my
limbs, the four continents, is my spine transformed into Mount Meru, piled with
precious particles.
19.
My eyes are the sun and the moon, and my two ears are the umbrella and victory
banner. My heart is the wish-fulfilling jewel. My external flesh and internal organs
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20.
As I am offering this pure mandala, a wish-granting sea, to you, oceans of gurus,
meditational deities, buddhas, bodhisattvas, and powerful protectors, I request
you to accept it with your compassion and grant me blessings and all attainments.
21.
PHET! The founder-Buddha and the venerable Manjushri, Aryadeva, the sole
father Padampa, and so forth-the gurus of the lineage of method, the father
tantra-please bless my mindstream.
22.
The Great Mother, Prajnaparamita, and the venerable Tara, Sukasiddhi, Machig
Labdron, and so forth-the gurus of the lineage of wisdom, the mother tantra-
please bless my mindstream.
23.
The founder-Buddha, venerable Maitreya, Arya Asanga, his sole younger brother
Vasubandhu, and so forth-the gurus of the lineage of unification, the son tantra-
please bless my mindstream.
24.
The great Vajradhara and the venerable Manjushri, Pawo Dorje, Losang Dragpa,
and so forth-the gurus of the lineage of blessing, the near lineageplease bless my
mindstream.
25.
jampel Gyatso, Baso Chogyen, Chbkyi Dorje, Gyelwa Ensapa, Sangye Yeshe, and
Losang Chogyen-please bless my mindstream.
26.
Losang Damcho, Losang Yeshe, Trinley Chopel, Losang Namgyel, Yeshe Gyeltsen,
and Losang Chojor-please bless my mindstream.
27.
Yeshe Tendzin, Thubten Gyatso, Yeshe Dondrup, Tendzin Kaydrup, Kelsang Kay-
drup, and jampel Lhundrup-please bless my mindstream.
28.
In the sublime Dharma land of Dechen Tashi Monastery is the supreme pillar
of the doctrine of the greatly blissful Smooth Protector (Tsongkhapa), Dechen
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Nyingpo, lord of love and compassionplease bless my mindstream.
29.
At Mogchog Tashi Dechen Monastery is the protector of transmigrators, who was
guided by Dechen Nyingpo: the venerable Yeshe Jampa Rinpoche-please bless my
mindstream.
30.
Losang Tsondru, possessor of the profound and clear wisdom of emptiness insep-
arable from infinite bliss, with the sound of PHET that proclaims the meaning
of the deep one, the unborn, you reveal the profound path-please bless my mind-
stream.
31.
Venerable Vajra Yogini, who bestows non-deluding bliss, the gurus, meditational
deities, and three precious sublime ones, who never betray, and the ocean of
powerful protectors of the teachingsplease bless my mindstream.
32.
Bless me to mentally abandon this life. Bless me to train in renunciation and bod-
hichitta. Bless me to realize selflessness, the absolute nature. Bless me to complete
the cutting-off of the object.
33.
Having made requests in this way, from the holy body of the guru-deity nectar
and numerous rays of light emanate, absorb into the bodies of myself and others,
and purify obscurations, negativities, demons, and disease. I realize the mind
being empty of projections, its absolute nature.
Thus make requests with fervent longing. Then visualize that at the heart of the
endowed transcendent subduer (Vajra Varahi) in front of oneself is the wisdom
being, the Great Mother, at whose heart is a moon-disc and syllable AH. By reciting
AH twenty-one times a stream of nectar flows from this AH. Entering the bodies
and minds of oneself and all sentient beings, it purifies all negativities, obscurations,
diseases, demons and interruptions. Contemplate this.
B. The actual practice: accumulating the two merits in order to lay imprints for the
two divine bodies.
This has two parts:
1. offering one’s illusory body to accumulate the collection of merit;
2. meditating on the non-existence of the (truly-existent) nature to accumulate
the collection of wisdom.
1. Offering one’s illusory body to accumulate the collection of merit has four parts:
a. the white distribution: offering the refined parts of one’s body by transforming
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35.
My old body has fallen down, abandoned, and it covers the billion universes with a
whitish, shining and glorious appearance.
36.
PHET! My mind issues from the heart of the gurudeity in the aspect of a dakini
holding a curved knife. Like a vulture circling over meat I swoop down and slit the
body with my knife from the crown to the crotch.
37.
I then cut from the heart to the tips of the right and left hands, and from the
crotch to the tips of the right and left feet. The peeled skin is spread out, reddish in
color. Above it, three human heads form a tripod.
38.
On top of the tripod is placed the severed skull and into this are poured the
brains, juices, marrow, and all the refined parts of the body. Stirred three times
clockwise with the curved knife, they are transformed into an ocean of medicinal,
lifeprolonging, and wisdom nectars.
OM AH HUNG (3x)
39.
PHET! This ocean of clouds of non-deluding nectar which the heart-issued dakini
has scooped up with her skullcup I present as an offering to the hosts of root and
lineage gurus. Please bless me to be able to live in the stainless life-deeds.
40.
I offer this as a torma to the hosts of meditational deities and dakinis. Please
grant me the general and supreme attainments. I present this as an offering to
the precious sublime ones, the revered guests. Please liberate me from the fears
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of samsara and nirvana.
41.
I offer this as a thanksgiving to the protectors, the qualified guests. Please help me
to accomplish yogic activities. I offer this to pay my debt to the guests to whom I
am karmically indebted: the demons and interferers. May you abandon the mind
of harmfulness and attain the mind of love.
42.
I give this as charity to the guests of my compassion: the six kinds of beings. May
you in turn be repaid for your kindness and may you be free from suffering.
44.
“PHET! The myriad gods and demons who appear and exist, and who dwell in
the realms from the peak of samsara to the hells, especially evil-doers, demons,
interferers, and local sprits-with loving mind, please gather and assemble here.”
45.
“PHET! Listen, you who are gathered here, all you gods and demons who appear
and exist, without fighting and without overpowering each other, enjoy this
mountain of flesh and blood in the manner of mothers and children with one
another.
46.
“PHET! Eat meat, those who are fond of meat. Drink blood, those who are fond
of blood. Chew bones, you gods and demons who are fond of bones. Enjoy the
internal organs and so forth, as you please.
47.
“PHET! All of you who are gathered here, you gods and demons who appear and
exist, enjoy this deluded body of flesh and blood. Abandon all evil and harmful
minds towards all transmigrators who are reborn, and actualize the minds of love
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and compassion.
50.
“Like this, all compounded phenomena are impermanent. All deluding things are
in the nature of suffering. All phenomena are selfless and are merely dependent
arisings. By meditating on these, one attains the peace of nirvana.
51.
“Do not commit any non-virtuous actions whatsoever. Put energy into perform-
ing perfect virtuous actions. Subdue your minds thoroughlyendeavour to engage
in this teaching of Buddha.”
52.
I now take into the center of my heart all transmigrators’ negativities, sufferings,
and two obscurations in ugly forms such as poisonous weapons, black light,
thunderstorms, hail, scorpions, and spiders.
53.
I transform my body, wealth, virtue, and the like into all desirable things that fulfill
beings’ wishes and into the blessings of the Buddhas’ cessations and realizations.
By obtaining these effortlessly, may all beings be liberated right now.
After giving Dharma and meditating on taking and giving, request (the guests) to
return home as follows:
54.
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“PHET! Having ripened and liberated all of you transmigrators by giving my
material body and giving Dharma, I request you to return to your respective
abodes in the sky, earth, mountains, valleys, water, and rocks, and to keep your
minds in a benevolent state.”
“Looking at this side, neither the body ‘nor the mind exist as objects to be harmed.
Looking at that side, the harmer is also like the ‘snake’ projected onto a multicol-
ored rope.
May I realize decisively that holding merely-labeled dependent arisings to be truly
existent
Is the projection of my hallucinating mind.”
With strong and definite understanding of the view as it is thus taught...
55.
PHET! The three circles of giving are merely labeled as names and sounds. Oth-
erwise, they do not exist from their own side, even so much as a tiny particle.
Although all stable and moving phenomena appear to truly exist, they are empty,
like illusions.
57.
May I swiftly cut the root of self-cherishing with the sharp weapon of the union
of method and wisdom, by keeping purely the moral laws of Shakyamuni as the
foundation, living in solitary places praised by the victorious ones.
58.
May the rocky mountain of the dualistic mind be swiftly destroyed by proclaim-
ing the dependently arisen, unborn thunder of PHET amidst the gathered clouds
of fervent compassion, and by the great blazing of the fiery meteor of emptiness.
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59.
May I swiftly enter the ocean of the three divine bodies, not remaining in the
wastelands of samsara and nirvana, by soaring in the space of the great deeds of
Buddha’s children on the wings of the unified two collections.
60.
May day and night be auspicious, always magnificent, by having pacified harmful
enemiesspirits and hindrances-with the blessings of the unsurpassable founder,
sublime greatest of the great, the Victorious One, the sun, Lord of Dharma.
61.
May day and night be auspicious, always magnificent, by having pacified the
enemy, the tormenting delusions, with the blessings of the unsurpassable, sublime
Dharma, the absolute truth, and the blessings of the truth of holy Dharmanectar.
62.
May day and night be auspicious, always magnificent, by increasing the collection
of virtues free of negativity with the blessings of the precious qualities of the
Sangha, who shine gloriously, and the blessings of the truth of the buddhas’ and
bodhisattvas’ beneficial deeds.
Perform fervent sealing with this dedication prayer. One can understand the prac-
tices of the break-time retreat and the stages of cutting off the end (by consulting)
the commentary to the Guide for Those Who Desire Liberation and Beautifying
Ornament of the Doctrine of the Ganden Lineage Practitioners and so forth.
The prayer of requests to the lineage gurus included earlier, and the expressions of
auspiciousness of the sublime three at the end were composed by Mogchog Tulku and
republished by the Nepali, Jnana Manseng. By this merit, may the doctrine of the
Ganden ear lineage prosper and remain forever.
If one wishes to do the thought training prayer after the above prayers and dedica-
tions, then:
63.
PHET! When my teacher, the Buddha, the endowed transcendent subduer, was
Prince Liberated from All on the path of mighty courage, he gave his son, daugh-
ter, and the kingship. In the same way, may I be able to give without clinging my
surroundings and possessions that are so dear to me.
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64.
When he was born as King Great and Powerful Compassion, he fed the tigress
with his own flesh. In the same way, may I be able to give with joy this cherished
illusory body to the hosts of flesh-eaters.
65.
When he was Prince Mighty Love he fed the yakshas with his own blood. In the
same way, may I be able to give with compassion the warm blood of my heart, so
difficult to part with, to the blooddrinkers.
66.
When he was the son of a merchant, and irrigating water, he liberated fish by
reciting the names of those thus-gone. In the same way, may I be able to practice
the giving of holy Dharma to all beings who are destitute of Dharma.
67.
When he was Prince Great Meaning of Virtue he was able to bear betrayal with
compassion. In the same way, may I cherish with great compassion those around
me who disturb with bad manners and perverse behavior.
68.
When he was the bodhisattva-monkey he rescued the evil man from the well. In
the same way, may I be able to benefit evil beings without discouragement, and
compassionately guide them without expecting favors in return.
69.
Alas! There is no one who has not been my mother and father. There is not a
moment of (pure) happiness in samsara. Therefore, may I be able to lead all my
mothers, including the gods and demons who appear and exist, from the realms
of samsara.
70.
May I always have love for those spirits who are still here and who dwell on the
earth or in the sky, as well as for all beings who take birth and die. May they all
enjoy the Dharma, day and night.
71.
By this merit, may I attain the state of seeing all existence and may I subdue the
enemy, the delusions. May I liberate transmigrators from the ocean of samsara
with its turbulent waves of old age, sickness, and death.
72.
May day and night be auspicious, always magnificent, by having pacified harmful
enemiesspirits and hindrances-with the blessings of the unsurpassable founder,
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sublime greatest of the great, the Victorious One, the sun, Lord of Dharma.
73.
May day and night be auspicious, always magnificent, by having pacified the
enemy, the tormenting delusions, with the blessings of the unsurpassable, sublime
Dharma, the absolute truth, and the blessings of the truth of holy Dharmanectar.
74.
May day and night be auspicious, always magnificent, by increasing the collection
of virtues free of negativity with the blessings of the precious qualities of the
Sangha, who shine gloriously, and the blessings of the truth of the buddhas’ and
bodhisattvas’ beneficial deeds.
75.
Just as the brave Manjushri has realized, as has Samantabhadra, things as they are,
I dedicate all these virtues in the best way, that I may follow after them.
76.
Whatever dedication the victorious ones gone to bliss of the three times have
admired as the best, I also perfectly dedicate all these roots of virtue in that way,
and that I may perform good works.
77.
May the venerable guru’s life be stable, and may perfectly pure actions prosper in
the ten directions. May the lamp of the teachings of Losang Dragpa always remain
to dispel the darkness of the three realm’s transmigrators.
78.
May all signs of hindrances be pacified, and may all necessary conditions without
exception be achieved, so that the practice of the teachings of Tsongkhapa, the
Dharma king, may increase.
79.
By the two accumulations of myself and others throughout the three times, may
the victorious Losang Dragpa’s teachings shine for a long time to come.
MANGALAM
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