Page 159 - Popular Deities of Chinese Buddhism (Illustrated) and Symbols

e training in Vajrayana must always be carried out under the

direction of a teacher since it entails a variety of complicated

ritual practices. Since such practices are never written in full, it

is not advisable for anyone to practise them by relying mainly on

written texts. Vajrayana teaches that every Buddha or Bodhi-

sattva is associated with a particular mantra or mudra, which

when recited or performed correctly, can link one with the deity

in question and partake its transcendental powers. ‘A mantra

consists of a number of syllables which when translated literally,

may be quite meaningless but it can be extremely effective when

pronounced by one who has undergone the proper training and

discipline and is familiar with its operations. A mantra, when

uttered correctly, can have the power to drive off evil spirits

or thwart the actions of black magic sent by enemies. It must

be warned that mantras should not be learned from books or

freely used. However there are a number of universal mantras

which may be recited by anyone and Avalokitesvara’s mantra,

“O M P H”, is one of them. is great mantra of

compassion, when recited by one who is pure in mind, can bring

about beneficial effects to oneself and others.

uru admasambhava

e founder of Tibetan Buddhism or Lamaism is Guru Padma-

sambhava, often endearingly addressed by his devotees as ‘Guru

Rinpoche’ or the ‘Precious Guru’. He is undoubtedly a histori-

cal figure but since his life is so entwined with many fantastic

legends which displayed supernatural powers, modern men, save

 