Consecration of mantras for statues in the various lineages
Posted: Mon Apr 08, 2013 5:12 pm
Last week at our centre the two resident geshes performed a rather elaborate consecration ritual. I will see if I can upload some photos.
One of the Dutch monks prepared mantra rolls using saffron water and set them out, along with the statues, in front of the altar. There was I believe
some kind of boundary purification ritual that day.
The following morning, when I did attend, we started the ritual with the 6 Session Guru Yoga and Yamantaka Sadhana. Then there followed an elaborate ritual which incorporated a bath offering, invitation to Yamantaka to reside together with the image and the recitation of various mantras (not necessarily in that order, I was struggling to follow as many texts were used and there was a lot of back and forth.
Then, there was a ritual inviting each of the 5 dhyani Buddhas to reside as well as as invitation and request verses to a wealth deity called Nojin as well as Dzambhala and Ganapati. We then recited many times a set of a number of mantras referred to simply as "mantras of the Fathers and Mothers".
I am wondering if with the exception of Yamantaka this is a pretty standard ritual across the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism. At a certain part we all held the a string that was attached to the statues and mantras while we recited certain sanskrit syllables.
One of the Dutch monks prepared mantra rolls using saffron water and set them out, along with the statues, in front of the altar. There was I believe
some kind of boundary purification ritual that day.
The following morning, when I did attend, we started the ritual with the 6 Session Guru Yoga and Yamantaka Sadhana. Then there followed an elaborate ritual which incorporated a bath offering, invitation to Yamantaka to reside together with the image and the recitation of various mantras (not necessarily in that order, I was struggling to follow as many texts were used and there was a lot of back and forth.
Then, there was a ritual inviting each of the 5 dhyani Buddhas to reside as well as as invitation and request verses to a wealth deity called Nojin as well as Dzambhala and Ganapati. We then recited many times a set of a number of mantras referred to simply as "mantras of the Fathers and Mothers".
I am wondering if with the exception of Yamantaka this is a pretty standard ritual across the various schools of Tibetan Buddhism. At a certain part we all held the a string that was attached to the statues and mantras while we recited certain sanskrit syllables.