Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this six-minute opening to a Medicine Buddha workshop, Choedak introduces the day’s structure: an introductory talk, meditation practice after a break, lunch, then the empowerment ritual and practice instruction. He traces the lineage of the Medicine Buddha teaching from Śākyamūni Buddha through the Tibetan masters, highlighting the crucial role of Shāntarakshita, the Indian pandita who came to Tibet in the seventh century to establish monastic discipline, and the famous trio of Shāntarakshita, Padmasambhava, and King Trissong Detsen. The lineage then passed through successive Tibetan religious kings to the present day. Before proceeding to recite the lineage prayer in Tibetan, Choedak explains why invoking these masters is essential: to consecrate the physical and mental space so participants can receive the teachings, transmission, and mantra practice with full benefit.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 01 MB.mp3
UUID: a61aa09a-ce10-4541-8bac-7d55d8c8e07a
Teacher: Choedak
Collection: Medicine Buddha (Choedak)
Date: 2002 (exact day not recorded)
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Words: ~395
Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this special workshop today we have, an empowerment of the Medicine Buddha, Medicine Buddha. First of all, we will begin this morning with an introductory talk, and then a special meditation practice that we will have after the break. And then after lunch, we will do the empowerment, and then followed by the practice of Medicine Buddha itself. First of all, as you all got a copy of the Medicine Buddha practice, we will do the prayer to the lineage gurus first to begin the day, for we have all gathered here in order to receive the blessings, transmission, knowledge, and the mantra practice of the healing medicine Buddha. And so it is pertinent to invoke all the lineage gurus to consecrate, to bless, and to create a conducive, not only physical space, but mental space within our own minds and hearts, so that we are receptive and able to extract the benefit from these practices and teachings as intended by each and every one of the lineage masters who have come from the from historical Śākyamūni Buddha himself through the great Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī and the great Indian Mahapandita Shāntarakshita who traveled to Tibet in early seventh century as one of the pioneer Indian Buddhist monks to establish Buddhism in Tibet and at the invitation of king Trisong Detsen of Tibet.
And so interestingly, you will see medicine Buddha lineage in Tibet starts with all the great kings, great Dharma kings of Tibet. And the first human teacher is Indian Pandita, Shāntarakshita. Shāntarakshita is the one who came slightly few years before Padma Sambhava to Tibet, but with an attempt to establish the Vinaya or monastic tradition in Tibet, but nevertheless faced numerous difficulties with the Tibetan evil spirits. And so nevertheless, Shāntarakshita then later on invited Padmasambhava. And so this famous trio, the great Pandita Shāntarakshita, great master Padmasambhava, and great king Trissong Detsen, which three are known as what we call Kenlopchasum, Ken Shāntarakshita, Lopan Padmasambhava, and the king Trissong Detsen.
So you can see the early lineage gurus of this Medicine Buddha practice starts with Shāntarakshita, king Trissong Detsen, and then about half a dozen of Tibetan religious kings. And and then it has come down to the present day. So that’s why first of all we will do this prayer together in Tibetan.