medicine buddha, in ayurveda

[Guest guest]

Recently I had the opportunity to attend an empowerment in the

Medicine Buddha teachings with the Very Venerable Thrangu Rinpoche.

Similar to Lord Dhanvantari, the Medicine Buddha (in Sanskrit

"Bhaishajyaguru") is the patron "deity" of Tibetan Ayurvedic

Physicians, considered as an emanation of the great spiritual

physician, Lord Buddha himself. There is a very close similarity

between Tibetan and Indian Ayurveda, and even more similarity between

Ayurveda and Traditional Bon medicine. From an Ayurvedic

perspective, the Medicine Buddha is like an emanation of the buddhi,

our innate wisdom, that relates to our native healing intelligence.

Tibetan physicians invoke the Medicine Buddha prior to practicing

each day and also to energize their medicines by chanting the

following mantra (rendered here in Sanskrit):

 

Om Namo Bhagavate Bhaishajyaguru Vaidūryaprabharaajaaya Tathaagataaya

Arhate Samyaksambuddhaaya Tadyathaa Om Bhaishajye Bhaishajye

Mahaabhaishajye Raaja Samudgate Svaahaa

 

meaning:

 

Namo (I take refuge in) bhagavate (the honored one) bhaisajyaguru

(the teacher of medicine) vaidurya (the lapis lazuli colored ) prabha-

rajaya (king of light) tathagataya (the one thus gone) arhate (to

destroy suffering) samyaksambuddhaya (the perfectly enlightened)

Tadyatha (speak as follows) OM bhaisajye (divine medicine) bhaisajye

(divine medicine) mahabhaisajyaraaja (the great king of medicine)

samudgate (perfectly awakened) svaha! (hail)

 

The short version is:

 

OM bhaisajye (divine medicine) bhaisajye (divine medicine)

mahabhaisajyaraaja (the great king of medicine) samudgate (perfectly

awakened) svaha! (hail)

 

This mantra can be chanted freely by anyone, without harm or

hinderance, and does not require empowerment to practice (it's just

conducive to get it!). Traditionally, the mantra is chanted 108

times to empower a medicament and add potency to its effects, while

preparing or consuming it.

 

While some folks might think this mantra has no part in Ayurveda, the

mantra is clearly found in the Ashtanga Hrdaya, sutrasthana 18:17,

and thus may considered an important practice in Ayurveda.

 

the (romanized) sanskrit text can found here (just scroll down to the

correct location in the text):

 

http://www.sub.uni-goettingen.de/ebene_1/fiindolo/gretil/1_sanskr/

6_sastra/7_ayur/vagaah_u.htm

 

in lapis light... todd caldecott

 

PS - the tibetans believe that chanting this mantra instantly

liberates any being that is harmed in the processing or consumption

of food or medicine