I was introduced to the Medicine Buddha in my Lamrim Class and his twelve vows.
My class will be doing some of the practices and mantras associated with the Medicine Buddha.
Interested to find out more, I googled for some topics:
Reciting the Medicine Buddha’s name (佛号）will be one of the practices I will be doing.
南无药师琉璃光如来
Blessed be Medicine Buddha of Pure Crystal Radiance
The recitations can be done in rounds of 3, 7 or 108 depending on whether one has sufficient time.
There are of course many variations of the recitation. I think what is important is the sincerity and belief and motivation involved.
Sharing one variation that I find calming:
There is also the Medicine Buddha Mantra:
tayatha om
bekandze bekandze maha bekandze
radza samudgate soha
The meaning referencing this page:
http://landofmedicinebuddha.org/about-medicine-buddha/meaning-of-mantra-and-praise/
Tayatha – means “like this”.
Om – is composed of the three pure sounds A U and MA, which signifies one’s own body, speech and mind that get transformed into the vajra holy body, speech and mind.
Then bekandze bekandze -“eliminating pain, eliminating pain”. What eliminates pain is medicine. This pain is not ordinary pain – even animals do not want to experience that. The first eliminating pain is true suffering, the second is the true cause of suffering. The medicine that eliminates pain is first the graduated path of the lower capable being, and second the graduated path of the middle capable being.
Then maha bekandze -“the great eliminating pain” is the graduated path of the higher capable being, which eliminates the subtle defilements.
So bekandze bekandze maha bekandze contains the whole path to enlightenment, the ultimate medicine.
Radza – is king.
Samudgate – (ocean of goodness)
Soha – to establish the foundation in the heart, the blessing, the devotion from which the realization comes.
The Medicine Buddha Mantra I am following has an extra “Bekanze”
Tayata Om Bekanze Bekanze
Maha Bekanze Bekanze
Radza Samudgate Soha
I found this video of the Dalai Lama’s recitation of the Medicine Buddha mantra and if you listen closely, this version contains the extra “Bekanze” too.
BW Monastery is organising Medicine Buddha Pujas from 28 October 2018 to 4 November 2018 at the Woodlands monastery.
Check it out here: