Kunzang A Sal Preliminaries

Preliminaries of the Practice of the Aural Tradition of Kunzang A Sal

​​by Azha Lodrö Gyaltsen

Generating Bodhicitta

Thinking all sentient beings, equal to space, have been your own kind father and mother, reflect on how sad it is that they wander in saṃsāra and suffer. Then think: “For their benefit I should obtain complete Buddhahood and then guide them” and recite the verses of the ritual.

Just as the sublime Victors of the three times have done,

Likewise, by means of the power and glory of these virtues,

In order for sentient beings to obtain Buddhahood,

I produce the thought of supreme awakening.

Going for Refuge

Feel the lamas, Buddhas, the three supports (of body, speech, and mind), and the Shenrabs of the ten directions in the space above your crown or in the space in front of you, and generate intense devotion.

Then, thinking, "Please protect me from the ocean of suffering of saṃsāra," "please protect me from the obscurations of karma and mental afflictions," and generating the motivation, "please protect me from temporary obstacles and hindrances," orally recite the refuge formula for the four jewels.

To the master Shenrab: the glorious source of the three enlightened bodies,

To the Buddhas of the three times: the protectors of all sentient beings,

To the representations: images of their enlightened forms, relics, and the scriptures,

And to the Shenrabs of the ten directions: the lamps who show the path of liberation,

Prostrating to these four objects of refuge, I and all beings go for refuge.

Confession

Reflecting on all the negative actions and sins that I and all sentient beings have accumulated from beginningless lives until now, I generate intense remorse. Resolving not to repeat them, confess and repent, and recite the verses of the ritual.

Namo. From the formation of existence until now,

Lacking realization of enlightened body and primordial wisdom,

And the words and commitments I have received, I have obscured them.

In the magical maṇḍala of peaceful and wrathful deities,

With a reflective and remorseful mind, and these sorrowful words,

All degenerate commitments and all those with degenerate samaya

With whom I have. a one time or place, mixed with, appeased, and so forth,

All degenerations of food and eating, degenerations of beverages and drinking,

All these I completely confess to the magical peaceful and wrathful deities.

Having offered complete confession, may I be purified. A Om Hüng

Prayer to the Lama and Lineage

Feel your root lama, inseparable from Kunzang Shenlha, in the saṃbhogakāya form, a seat of sun, moon, and lotus on top of a throne supported by a lion, elephant, horse, dragon, and garuda, on the crown of your head. Above that, the lineage lamas are stacked up above.

Imagine outside of that, surrounding those principal root and lineage lamas, are the Buddhas of the ten directions, the assembly of bodhisattvas, and the protectors of the Bon teachings.

As we visualize, we begin with that sensation wherever it arises. If it is a visual picture of Kunzang Shenlha right above your crown chakra, that’s wonderful. If it's a different sensation of warmth or whatever may arise, that is okay too. It’s taught with Kunzang Shenlha sitting on the top of your crown chakra above your head but don’t shut down any experience that occurs.

Remain devoted to all the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and teachers with faith and yearning fervently pray "May the Awakened Thought of the Mind of the lamas and Buddhas, the full extent of their realization, the full extent of their Awakened Knowledge, and all the light rays of their compassion be revealed to me!" Pray to the lineage and recite the verses according to whatever manner of ritual.

In the palace of great bliss on the crown of my head,

Is my benevolent Root Guru to whom I pray;

Oh, Precious One who reveals my own nature of mind as Buddha,

Please grant me the blessing that I may recognize my own nature!

Having supplicated in that way, countless rays of light emanate from the hearts of the lamas and Buddhas, purifying the obscurations of all sentient beings, and all become gods and goddesses.

Imagine that the light rays gather back, incinerating all karmas and obscurations, including the gross ones, of my mental continuum.

Then, reciting the essence mantra once: Ā A KAR SA LÉ Ö A YANG OṂ DU, light radiates upwards, an offering to the lamas and Buddhas. From the heart of the lamas and Buddhas, a stream of wisdom nectar descends.

Imagine that the wisdom nectar dissolves from the crown of your head and the burnt remains are cleansed by washing, like wiping off a crystal egg or polishing it with white silk.

And then we allow that nectar which is indescribable open expansiveness to gently and naturally slide down the central channel from the crown of our head to our speech chakra in the throat. Which is brilliant yellow, warm and radiant light. The element associated is earth – the earth element. As we sit with the different elements that will arise. Envision or sense yourself as that element. Feel yourself as the earth element with the golden light of this chakra.

We allow the energy of the central channel to move downward to our heart chakra. Which is blue in color and the element is water. Just checking with some awareness that we are allowing the sensation of that to be just in front of the spine maybe experiencing this deep within us. Not a focused blue light, but a warm blue light. In experiencing the element of water, movement, flow, however it may arise for you.

We allow that energy to flow down to the naval chakra. Red in color, vibrant, alive, red light. The element is fire. Feel the fire element. Well-being, the brilliant red light. Feel that you are free. 

Allow the energy to move down to the secret chakra. The secret chakra is four inches below the naval resting just in front of the spine, wherever the sensation arises. Allow that sense of energy to arise green in color and the element is air. It is the generative mother of all life and creation. The subtle movement of air in which all life arises. Deep verdant, rich green life. 

Then, recite the essence mantra once more: Ā A KAR SA LÉ Ö A YANG OṂ DU.

Now we reverse, going up, starting with that green verdant light. Where all life arises, the element air. And we gently allow the air to do as it will. Which is often just to rise. Rising up the central channel till reaches the fire element. And organically when air meets fire, fire grows stronger and bigger, more alive. And we let that fire build with the air feeding it. Until the heat from that fire arises organically touching the water element of the heart chakra. Causing the water element of the heart chakra to grow hotter and hotter. Until the steam from the heated water naturally and organically rises and meets the yellow golden earth element at the throat. The steam from the water element feeds and nourishes the earth from its parched state to completely watered. So that anything and everything can grow and arise. And in this arising of all life – all manifestations – this infinite multitude of manifestations rises up into the crown chakra. Rising up into the spaciousness where life expands throughout all of space.  

The warm steam from this dissolves into the lamas, Buddhas, and their retinue. They melt into light, and then dissolve into the root lama. Then your root lama, together with the throne, melts into light and dissolves into your crown. Then we rest there. 

I become inseparable from the lamas, Buddhas, and protectors of the teaching. Then my body becomes filled as though by oil. If pressed, my body is soft. When stretched, it extends. When turned, it revolves. When pulled, it is flexible. When placed, it remains. If destroyed, it disintegrates. When scattered, it flows. When gathered, it rolls up. When touched, it is soft. Imagine being endowed with these nine signs of bliss in this way.

Then place the body in the five-fold posture of its natural state, and recite the nine-syllable mantra as much as suits you. 

A KAR SA LÉ Ö A YANG OṂ DU

We may notice at times some knots or tightness in our channel. Perhaps a tightness in our belly or naval chakra. Or maybe we don’t and everything is open and flowing. Perhaps these knots are a sense of heartbreak in the heart chakra. A sense of a need to vocalize and express ourselves in the speech chakra. Or even to hold back the energy to speak. Either one, or neither may arise. Or perhaps a hold in the crown chakra where everything feels constricted or spinning, with no spaciousness at all. Perhaps a hold in our secret chakra – almost painful – with a need to release. Or any other felt experience or none. When we experience that, we can very gently with the mantra, with opening the central channel, allow that energy to release and relax back into the central channel. Not held tightly in any place. 

The very sexual energy that may feel tight, just allowed as a sensation to slide back into the central channel and become the energy of life feeding the fire element. That anxiety that may be tensed or not in our naval chakra to slide gently back into our central channel and create that heat in the central channel. That very sense of held heartbreak “can’t take this. This is too hard.” we allow this to return back gently into the central channel. Allowing the fire and water to dance and rise and feed the earth element. That very tightness to need to express or hold back expression. We allow it to slide back into the central channel and become automatically the manifestation that opens into the spacious deep blue sky space expanse. 

If we are spinning in our crown chakra, we can allow that energy to gently relax into the central channel. To come down to the earth element in the central channel. Everything naturally without tightness or knots can simply flow in the central channel organically and naturally. This is the very aliveness of the universe permeating every aspect of space. 

Dedication

All pure virtue done through the three doors of body, speech and mind,

I dedicate to the welfare of sentient beings throughout the three realms of desire, form and formlessness.

After having purified all the karmic obscurations of the three times,

May we swiftly achieve complete Buddhahood of the three bodies.