I'm back

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



Well, I'm back from the retreat. What a wonderful experience! The focus of the retreat was Medicine Buddha, which was good for me to experience. Medicine Buddha is the embodiment of all the healing power of all the buddhas. He is a brilliant blue, the color of lapis-lazuli, which to me suggests soothing. The color is also related to the pure buddha mind we all share, which is like the sky. In any event, to cure sickness, one can take standard medicines and medical treatment to cure the physical part, and do the Medicine Buddha ceremony, and/or chant the Medicine Buddha mantra to cure the spiritual part. Here is the medicine buddha mantra:

tayata om bhekandze bhekandze maha bhekandze radza samungate soha (medium length version)

om bhekandze soha (short version)

"Tayata" means thus. "om" means a million different things. The lamas translated it for us as meaining "auspiciousness, longevitty, prosperity, supreme good things." "bhekandze" means healer or rejuvenator and refers to medicine buddha.
"maha" means "great". "radza samungate" means something like "king within that state." "Soha" is another difficult to translate word, but it ends almost every mantra. It's comparable, I think to "amen" in this sense. The lamas translated it as "established."

By the way, this reminds me, I also took refuge vows at the retreat. This is comparable to baptism is protestant churches. As the lamas explained it, it's not anything I haven't already done in my heart, just an official recognition that I have become a Buddhist, specifically in the Ngingma tradition. I received a dharma name, which is Pema Dharje. The family name "Pema" means Lotus, and everyone taking refuge received that name. "Dharje" means "prosperity", so you might translate my name as Lotus of Prosperity, which I think is an aupicious name.

I'll post some more a bit later.