Simple Takla Mebar Boundary

Takla Mebar practice is a very useful and important practice. Before we dive into the practice, we should first examine why we do Takla Mebar practice. We don’t do Takla Mebar practice for ourselves, but for all sentient beings. Our motivation to practice should be to benefit all beings, world peace, the end of all wars, and for all sentient beings to become successful and happy. This is why we practice Takla Mebar. We set our aspirations, “Please protect all beings from difficulties and problems in this life.” 

This specific teaching is being taught at this time for its usefulness and helpfulness in creating a healthy mind as a foundation for the upcoming Dzogchen and Tummo mediation practices. This Takla Mebar practice is preparation of the mind for these precious teachings of Dzogchen and Tummo. Takla Mebar is very helpful to purify all our obstacles and problems that get in the way of our Dzogchen and Tummo practice. Takla Mebar purifies all obstacles, especially mental health and physical health obstacles. This is why the practice was chosen today.

Rinpoche practiced Takla Mebar as a preliminary/foundational practice for his dark retreat practice and found it very helpful. For Rinpoche, it helped clear all his obstacles to aid him in his dark retreat, and his wish is to teach this today so it can be just as helpful for us in our meditation practice. It can help us with our own mental chaos. It can open one up to all the positive qualities of their own mind.

Takla Mebar is a wrathful (compassionate) manifestation of the Buddha Tonpa Shenrab. Takla Mebar manifested to bring us a very simple practice that is easy to practice and brings results very quickly. It is a practice that protects us from illness, harm, and negative influences of the mind. It can help our mental attitude, allowing us to practice smoothly with favorable conditions in our spiritual practice. When we find ourselves struggling in difficult meditations, this practice can help transform the difficulties in meditation into supportive conditions for practice. This is very important to our life. Takla Mebar is Rinpoche’s family yidam. 

Story of the Mahasiddha Takla Mebar

The Mahasiddha Takla Mebar lived near Mount Kailash, with his brothers. At that time, Takla Mebar was practicing Phurba. His brother was doing terrible actions, killing many others and destroying precious statues and masters.  

The Mahasiddha Takla Mebar was worried about his brother, so he practiced Phurba. He practiced Phurba until he attained Buddhahood. Then as a Buddha, he was able to kill his brother, to protect all beings. This is a powerful story. But it’s important to know that when the story says “killed his brother” what it means is that he helped his brother attain Buddhahood – not physical killing.

How to Practice

First we start with the visualization. We do not visualize Takla Mebar as being separate from us – such as in front or above us. Instead we only visualize ourselves as Takla Mebar. You are Takla Mebar. She is Takla Mebar. He is Takla Mebar. We are all Takla Mebar. This is the first step. 

You can look at an image of Takla Mebar to help. He holds a golden-wheel in his right hand, a sword-wheel in his left hand, and is red in color. When you visualize Takla Mebar it can be difficult with all the specific details. You don’t have to visualize all the details. Just feel that “I am Takla Mebar.” Just feel yourself as Takla Mebar is enough for this practice. Always remember “I am Takla Mebar.” Don’t get caught up in the details, or get confused about what to visualize, simply be Takla Mebar. 

This visualization is the important part in this section. If you visualize clearly, your inner space will open up and your practice will manifest naturally.

The protectors or deities you make offerings to are not externally existing. This is very important. If you practice the Drupchen of Takla Mebar it explains in detail that you are Buddha, you are Kuntuzangpo – there is no other. In the sutras and tantras some practitioners do not notice that they are Buddhas. They visualize and imagine the Buddhas, protectors, and masters are different than us, better than us, at a different level than us. For practitioners who think like this, it is very difficult for them to achieve Buddhahood. This is the reason why Takla Mebar is not separate from us. We are Takla Mebar, and Sipe Gyalmo, and Kuntuzangpo. This is the most important part and we have to understand this. We have to have no doubt in this. You just have to trust and believe you are Takla Mebar. 

Mantra Visualization

Having imagined ourselves as Takla Mebar, we begin to recite the mantra. For this we visualize a dark red SO syllable with blazing flames in the center of our heart. All of Takla Mebar’s power, mandala, manifestations all come from this root syllable SO in our heart. From the dark red SO the spark of the fire blazes. The dark red SO is the most important part at this stage in the practice. You no longer have to think “I am Takla Mebar” during this section, just focus on the dark red SO syllable.

Mantra Recitation

Continue visualizing the dark red SO syllable, and then start to recite the mantra. You can imagine the mantra spinning around the dark red SO syllable in the heart in a counterclockwise circle. The mantra spins faster and faster until it’s a blur of spinning flames and sparks.

Then from the dark red SO syllable in the heart, many countless flaming dark red SO syllables are flung outward in all directions filling the universe. Like the sparks that rise as you throw a log on a fire. Recite the mantra for as long as you wish. 

So A Ram Drum

Om Ram Drum

Hum Ram Drum

Se Ram Drum

Yung Drung Ram Drum

Tsa Tra Ram Drum

Rena Ram Drum

After all obstacles in the universe have been purified by wisdom fire, you can rest in the natural state. Release the visualization of the dark red SO, and rest in the stability absent of any disturbing emotions. You can continue to recite the mantra for as long as you wish as you rest in the natural state. 

If negative thoughts and emotions begin to arise, at that time just return your focus on the dark red SO and recite the mantra. Once they have been purified, release the visualization and return to resting in the natural state. This is called natural state recitation practice.

Prayer:

SO! I am Takla Mébar, whose body blazes with fire.

O hosts of obstructing forces, harmful spirits, and negative beings,

Do not remain here. Go elsewhere!

If you refuse to leave and remain here,

Nine layers of a protective tent will be formed.

The harmful spirits and negative forces will be burned and consumed.

They will be reduced to ashes and crushed into dust.

Listen, all you hosts of harmful and obstructing forces!

I am the wrathful king, blazing with a mass of fire.

Takla Mébar, supreme among the wrathful ones.

Sacred weapons marked with the Yungdrung form a blazing tent of fire.

Above, below, and throughout the space in between, it is filled with emanated wrathful deities.

All have terrifying faces, bared fangs, and fearsome, magnificent forms.

Their sacred implements and wheels of weapons blaze with fire.

If you cross the boundaries, you will be cut and severed.

Therefore, go back, each of you, to your own place.

If you refuse to leave and remain here, you will be subdued and destroyed.

The nine layers of the protective Yungdrung tent are: Yungdrungs made of crystal, conch-shell, coral, copper, iron, turquoise, gold, silver, and ruby. Outside these are the nine layers of the protective tent of weapons made of crystal, conch-shell, coral, copper, iron, turquoise, gold, silver, and ruby. Beyond these are the tent of the sun, blazing with intense heat and fire, and the tent of the moon, cool and filled with swirling water.