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The Medicine Buddha Celebration
is an empowerment of healing which embraces an aspect of Buddha’s grace in the shape of dynamic healing energies and blessings. His deep lapis blue hues and rays shine onto and into the physical, psychological and emotional bodies for good health and well being. Good health and well being are the very foundation for spiritual excellence. Medicine Buddha is called here to merge into me and to heal this one and all of those who dwell in this world. He is the Bodhisattva Physician of vitality. Let us celebrate his skill in healing. Let us offer to him our joy that is aroused by his appearance in our life.
What great fortune to have the Medicine Buddha literally knock on our door and pour his grace and medicine onto us.
A little History of the Venerable Menla’s arrival
In Terre de Sacha in the summer of 2000, while I was giving an intensive, these words flowed out of my lips "What is in the Medicine Buddha’s bowl?" I had not thought of the Medicine Buddha at all before that moment. I could not trace the origin of that question but it was hauntingly there. It was there and familiar, but until that moment, I had known nearly nothing about the Medicine Buddha. A few years earlier I had purchased a picture of the Medicine Buddha while in Australia for a disciple there. But Medicine Buddha was his interest and not mine.
However, when I looked within my heart, I saw inside Menla’s bowl and discovered countless great medicines, the true remedies for illnesses of every kind. In the pot there is compassion, understanding, patience, insightfulness, mindfulness, care, wisdom and there are many other elixirs as well: herbs, frequencies, colors, blue lights and of course wisdom.
After the initial question about what is in the Medicine King’s bowl in Terre de Sacha last summer, the Medicine Buddha made many unexpected visits and became a central theme in many conversations about the healing arts. As he continued to make his way into our hearts more and more every day, I knew he would pursue me to introduce his blue lapis lazuli rays into the awareness of people everywhere. And, that is exactly what is happening right now.
I also promised the Koln sangha (and guests) that we would have a Medicine Buddha celebration in the Spring, which we will.
While I was in Katmandu, a fine form of the Medicine Buddha caught me and insisted that I take him with me. He came to India with me and is now a permanent resident of Sacha Dham (my Master Maharajji’s ashram). This Medicine Buddha form has been filled with prayers for healing from the celebration and will continue to be filled with prayers from other celebrations that will occur in Sacha Dham Ashram.
One morning during the 5:00 AM silent meditation, I was having a particularly difficult time focusing into the silence. It is usually quite easy to get a deep meditation early in the morning, but this morning I was constantly disturbed and so I listened into the disturbance. I heard the Medicine Buddha say, "You must give a three part empowerment and mandala meditation Sunday". I had not told anyone about the message because I always leave the hall in the early meditation without a word. At about 10:00 AM that same morning, a disciple came to my door with a horoscope for the time of the Sunday bodhisattva meditation (which is the exact time I would also give the empowerment that I was told to give). The horoscope was a perfect harmony for the Menla empowerment. The disciple had no idea that the horoscope was a confirmation of the request I had heard that morning in meditation.
I feel that it is very auspicious to begin the Blue Buddha’s trail of blessings in our Sacha Dham Ashram in India on the banks Sacred Ganges.
Everyone who participated in the three-day empowerment and visualizations directly felt the Medicine Buddha’s grace and healing power. Many spoke about direct experience with the Blue Buddha and immediate result.
This gift of Menla’s healing tantra will be celebrated in Koln in the Springtime.© Medicine Buddha has several names: Menla, Medicine king, King of Lapis Lazuli,
Bhaisajya samudgate’ and Bhaisajya raja which are twin Medicine Buddhas.
(there are more names as well.)
Excerpts from The Medicine Buddha Sutra
Bodhisattva Manjushri once asked The Buddha,
"World Honored One! We wish that you would speak about Dharmas such as the Buddhas' names, the vast vows they made in the past, and their supreme merit and virtue, so that those who hear it will be rid of their karmic hindrances. This request is also for the sake of bringing benefit and joy to all sentient beings who live in the Dharma-image age."
The Buddha told Manjushri,
"Passing from here to the east, beyond Buddhalands as numerous as the grains of sand along ten Ganges Rivers, is a world called 'Pure * Vaidurya.' The Buddha there is named Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata, One Worthy of Offerings, Of Proper and Equal Enlightenment; Perfect in Clarity and Practice, Well Gone One, One Who Understands the World, Unsurpassed Lord, Taming and Regulating Hero, Teacher of Gods and People, Buddha, Bhagavan. Manjushri, when that Buddha, World Honored On. Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata, was practicing the Bodhisattva way, he made twelve great vows that enable all living beings to obtain what they seek.
*Vaidurya means Lapis Lazuli
Here are but a few of the vows that he made.
Vows of the Medicine Buddha:1. I vow that my body shall shine as beams of brilliant light on this infinite and boundless world, showering on all beings, ridding them of ignorance and worries with my teachings. May all beings be like me, with a perfect status and character, upright mind and soul, and finally attaining enlightenment. 2. I vow that my body be like crystal, pure and flawless, radiating rays of splendid light to every corner, brightening up and enlightening all beings with wisdom. With the blessings of compassion, may all beings strengthen their spiritual power and physical energy, so that they could fulfil their dreams and move on with virtue.3. I vow that I shall grant boundless wisdom to all beings and endow with the things that they require. And I shall relieve them from every kind of pain and guilt resulting from materialistic desires. Although clothing, food, accommodation and transport are essentials, these must be utilized wisely. Taking what one needs, let the remaining be generously shared with the community so that all may live harmoniously together.After all the vows were made (these are but a few) Buddha again spoke.Buddha said to Manjushri
"Moreover, Manjushri, when Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata attained perfect enlightenment, by the power of his past vows he contemplated all the sentient beings who were suffering from the many kinds of diseases, such as emaciation, paralysis, tuberculosis, biliousness, or fevers. Some were afflicted by voodoo or by poisonous spells. Some died naturally when young, while others experienced a violent death. At that time, wishing to put an end to all these various sicknesses and sufferings, and to supply whatever those beings sought after, the World Honored One entered a samadhi called "extinguishing the suffering and distress of all living beings."
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