Takla Mebar’s Threefold Contemplations

In Tantra there are three concentrations, contemplations, or three samadhi(s).

The first contemplation is to meditate on emptiness by staying on the nature of mind. This is the first contemplation on emptiness, meditating on empty space.

The second contemplation is the contemplation on compassion. Meditation on empty space is not enough. We also need to generate love and compassion for ourselves and all beings. So we meditate on love and compassion.

The third contemplation is the meditation on the seed syllable. The main syllable for Takla Mebar is the syllable SO. SO is the essence of Takla Mebar and the essence of the mantra. SO is a very powerful syllable used by many powerful protectors such as Sipe Gyalmo and others. 

Important for tantra practice are the three stages of practices. The three stages are generation stage, completion stage, and unification stage. When we do tantra practice our perceptions and thoughts created by the power of imagination are important for practice. 

The First Contemplation is: Absolute Bodhicitta

“First, stay in the state of non-conceptual emptiness as much as you can. Separate grasping from reality as all phenomena are empty in nature.”

To contemplate emptiness, simply stay on the nature of your mind. The meaning of the nature of mind is slightly different in tantra from the dzogchen meaning of the nature of mind. In tantra to stay on our nature of mind, we can make use of wholesome thoughts. We can imagine ourselves dwelling in emptiness, as emptiness, none other than emptiness. This is generation stage emptiness practice. Here in this emptiness, you can imagine Takla Mebar in front of you in empty space. The entire creativity and play of mind is available for us to use even when contemplating emptiness. This practice is to open the emptiness or spaciousness in our heart.

There are many ways to meditate on emptiness. Choose whatever meditation or reflection helps you connect to emptiness to the best of your ability. 

The Second Contemplation is: Relative Bodhicitta

“Then, contemplate on loving kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. Pervasive nature equally pervades its greatness to all. Therefore, generate a pervasive compassion to all.”

The second practice is contemplation on compassion. We can reflect on what we are doing at this moment. In this moment we are practicing, and the reason we are practicing is to be a more loving and compassionate person for not only myself but my family, friends, and all sentient beings. We can connect with our creative intentions and aspirations and allow them to vividly arise as the vitality of love and compassion. Here we are generating an arousal of love and compassion for all beings. This practice is to open the love and compassion in our heart.

There are many ways to meditate on loving kindness and compassion. Choose whatever meditation or reflection helps you connect to the heart of love and compassion to the best of your ability. 

The Third Contemplation is: Union of Emptiness and Compassion

“From within, manifest your awareness as an AH. When light radiates from an awareness of AH, it dispels the obscurations of sentient beings. When it gather inwards, it dissolves (the obscurations) into the light, contemplate that you are in the form of Buddha’s body.

Light radiates from the AH of pure mind. Having invoked the deities of the space, Again (the manifestations) gather into the AH. AH dissolves into light and is transformed into the SO. Light radiates from the SO and is surrounded by nine circular layers of palaces. Again, SO gathers inwardly, transforming into splendidness and dissolves into the crown of your head.

Recite SO SO SO loudly as the glorious SO manifests. The SO has dissolved into light.”

Contemplate and try to find your awareness. Where is your awareness arising and appearing? You may wish to visualize a white shining AH syllable in your heart. Slowly, slowly, slowly from the heart’s AH syllable emerges the red SO syllable in the space in front of you. SO is the essence mantra of Takla Mebar. The SO syllable shines brightly, getting bigger and bigger in the space in front of us. The SO grows radiating the mandala of Takla Mebar in front of us. 

Then you can imagine Takla Mebar sitting in the center of the square mandala of Takla Mebar. This is Takla Mebar’s temple or celestial palace. Surrounding Takla Mebar are eighteen petals which represent his retenue. His retenue are tiny wrathful versions of Takla Mebar. This is the generation stage, the Takla Mebar separate from you which you are inviting to the altar. 

In the center of the mandala, there is a white AH syllable. If you do not know what the different syllables look like, you can imagine a white sphere. Then the AH syllable in the center of the mandala, light shines out in all directions throughout the whole world purifying all the obscurations of the world and all sentient beings.  This light shines to all beings all over. No being is left out. If that is challenging to visualize, just start with holding your family members or sangha members in this radiating space. Then all the light that has illuminated the hearts of our loved ones, friends, and all sentient beings slowly, slowly comes back to the AH syllable in the center of the mandala. 

Then the light from the AH syllable in the center of the mandala in the space in front of you comes into your own heart in the center of your body. You are filled with all the light and love of all beings. From your heart, light shines out to all sentient beings across the world. Your compassion shines out to all beings. 

Then, Takla Mebar in front of you and all of his retenue slowly begin to dissolve into the red SO syllable in the heart of Takla Mebar. The SO syllable shines in a bright red light. This red light shines out and comes down your central channel from the crown of your head into your body underneath the navel at the junction of the three channels. This is similar to the location used in tummo practice. Here the red light grows and rises up through the central channel sending the blessing out to every cell in your body. 

Then with every cell of your body receiving the blessing of the red light dissolved into it, you become Takla Mebar. This is the unification stage. There is no separation from the invited Takla Mebar and yourself as Takla Mebar.  At this time, chant “SO SO SO” slowly as a reminder that you are Takla Mebar. 

Continually feel yourself as Takla Mebar, reading the physical description of Takla Mebar from the root text.

“Takla Mebar, with a red body, one face and two hands, his body burning, a mass of flames of the eons (a fire that is so powerful it can destroy the cosmos). Wearing the fur skins of thousands of tigers, lights radiating from many weapons, a flame of fire gathers on the peak of the universe. His three fierce eyes glare angrily. His white canine teeth appear as a menacing crescent moon. His right hand is spinning a golden wheel, the left hand is holding nine interlaced swords, having subdued the protector of Rutra (protector of the enemies), they are laid out as a mat. Visualize this... extremely terrifying and majestic.”

Then you can recite the following:

“From the SO a terrifying and majestic body of Takla Mebar manifests. With one face and two hands, he is flaming red and splendid. His body is a burning mass of flames from eons (powerful enough to destroy the cosmos). (Wearing) fur coats as a weapon, a wide open mouth baring threatening fangs and a body poised majestically, with wheel and sword emblems. He cuts the life-force of enemy spirits. Visualize his blazing, terrifying and majestic body.”