Tsewang Rigzin

So Drum A Kar Mu La Ting Nam Ö Du Mu Yé Tsé Nri Dzah

Tsewang Rigdzin is known to Bon practitioners as the “King of Longevity.” He was the son of the 8th Century Tibetan master Drenpa Namkha. As a Dzogchen lineage master himself, he composed ritual texts aimed at relieving suffering. By practicing his wisdom teachings, we can heal physical, emotional and energetic imbalances in our lives. The result is an extended lifetime of service to others.

The great master of Bon, Tsewang Rigzin, is considered the main long life deity of Yungdrung Bon. He taught that clearing the soul of negative influences helps to increase the life span, heal the soul, and encourage a happy life.

In a deep meditative state, Tsewang Rigzin received the special teaching about soul healing. It was transmitted to him by the dakini, Yum Chen Thuk Je Kundrol. The teaching itself was identified as Tse Du Jha Ri Ma, which is composed of the long life empowerment rituals, soul retrieval, and life force retrieval. The related Long Life rituals help to facilitate healing and bring harmony. Lopon Rinpoche will present this ritual and empowerment with the aim of enabling the participants to achieve a long life and to heal the connection between body and soul.

Tséwang Rikdzin is the embodiment of the Five Buddha Families and can therefore bestow any quality or wisdom that is needed.

One of the most powerful healing practices in the Bön tradition is the Tibetan Soul Retrieval Ritual combined with an internal rebalancing of the Five Elements in each participant. In Tibetan medicine, each disease is described in detail and an imbalance of the five elements of Space, Air, Water, Fire and Earth. These elements are the essential building blocks of all phenomena expressing an energetic quality and taking a physical form. Each element needs, supports and affects the other elements. Together they provide a cohesive whole within an individual being. When the Five Elements are out of balance, illness, negative emotions, and disharmony manifest.

The soul is made up of five elements: earth, water, fire, air, and space. These elements pervade all life and are the foundation of health and a strong immune system. A traumatic event, shock, grief, stress, pain, chronic illness, viruses, infections, pandemics, and environmental disasters can cause one to lose connection with the elements and become dispirited. The shamanic rites of soul and life-force retrieval are methods of balancing and healing an individual by calling on the essences of these elements: elemental spirits.

Life force is the presence of energetic forces within oneself. It is possible to retrieve life force using meditation and symbols in rituals. Through mantra and ritual one can bring back the positive qualities that are missing or weak.

How can you tell if you are experiencing soul loss?

The most obvious signs are unexplainable long-term sickness, illness and disease that are undiagnosable or unresponsive to conventional medicine and treatments, depression, persistent lethargy, and lack of interest in life. Many patients say, “Something just doesn’t feel right.” One patient said, “I feel as if there is a hole in my heart.”

The shamanic practices of soul and life-force retrieval are methods for restoring the positive qualities of elements that have been lost, stolen, damaged or weakened. Restoration of the vitality of the elements and their spirits is brought about using chants and mantras. Chants and mantras release illness and remove obstacles to health and healing. Their sounds contain the power and blessings of loving-kindness from fully enlightened Bön protectors and goddesses. Reconnection to divine primordial energy and the elements has the potential for profound healing at all levels of experience—physical, energetic, psychological, and spiritual.

The Practice of the Tséwang Rikzin’s Supreme Collection that was received upon Jarima.

E Ma Ho! How wonderful!
You are the unborn self-originated Emanation Body
You are the supreme embodiment of all the Buddhas of the three times The young drung changeless long life deity
I praise Tsewang Rigdzin!

From the Secret Practice of the Accomplishment of Longevity, the most secret upadesha instruction for perfecting the essence. Whatever sentient being whose life is exhausted or life is weakened and so on will benefit from this practice. From Yumchen Thugje Kundrolma, the All Liberating Supreme Compassionate Consort, for the benefit of all sentient beings, at the place of Charitsugden, where all the Vidyadhara and Dakinis gather and reside, I, Khopo Lotro Thogmed, at that time, received the longevity accomplishment and longevity blessing lineage from Thugje Kundrol.

As for practicing the ritual preparation, in a hermitage, on the white floor on a mandala ritual altar, place grains shaped like young drung. In a ritual vessel put a variety of precious jewels and precious medicines and amrita of yuti chang. Fill the seven water bowls with the sacred substances of longevity. Place and recite the 108 mantras of longevity on the neck of the precious vessel and tie a cord around the neck of the vessel. On a round torma shaped like a heart, place butter and then put it on the mouth of the vessel. With an arrow with bird feathers, place beside it tsakli cards and five colored silk.

The refuge and bodhicitta are done first in the general way. Setting the outer border, the ritual for the land, making the mandala, and the amrita chang with the ritual of the vessel are the same like in the various peaceful and wrathful cycles of teachings or of the Father Tantra and the Mother Tantra ritual of arrangement. Then perform the prayer of drawing out the poison, the incense prayer, and water prayer to purify any negativities from the altar.

To establish the boundary, sound the bell and

So! I am the long life deity vidyadhara

Unborn and without death with an unchangeable young drung body

The nature of great unchangeable wisdom

In the state of the manifestation of emptiness

that is without obstacles

Through deluded thinking

The hidden ignorance and doubt of the mind

The Nyu le spirits and hindrances that take our life force

All are liberated into the space of reality

All obstacles are annihilated!

A Ti Tra Ma U Tsa Ta Ya Phat

Then the Contemplation of the Visualization:

Instantly yourself become Lama Tsewang Rigdzin, with one face and two hands
White complexion, in the form of a youth of eight years
Hands in the offering mudra and holding an orange young drung Wearing an eagle feather coat
Two legs, the right is straight and the left bent in a posture of meditation.

Then at your heart imagine a white A syllable
From which light rays emanate purifying the defilements of all sentient beings The light rays are reabsorbed and melt upon the precious vessel
The vessel transforms into a celestial palace
And inside the A syllable transforms into the King of Longevity, one face and two hands
Radiant white complexion, wearing a tiger skirt
Holding the mudra of equanimity seated on a swastika cushion

Visualize the young drung revolving
In front at the level of the heart visualize a moon disc
On the moon is a white A syllable surrounded by the mantra of longevity circling to the right
Imagine from that light rays emanate up
Inviting the wisdom beings from the expanse of the natural state of mind Imagine that all the generated beings dissolve into yourself Outwards, light emanates and gathers the luster of life of all sentient beings Feel all life, merit, and power is gathered back to your body increasing and flourishing
Then imagine the moon disc dissolves into light which melts into the vessel

Mantra

So Drum A Kar Mu La Ting Nam Ö Du Mu Yé Tsé Nri Dzah

(Recite the mantra until sign of success occur)

Then to visualize the celestial palace

A Yam Ram Mam Kham Drum Du

The syllables A Yam Ram Mam Kham Dhrum
From A The mandala of Space
From Yam the mandala of Wind
From Ram the mandala of Fire
From Mam the mandala of Water
From Kham the golden Base
In the center of that golden base from the syllable Dhrum a vessel like a celestial palace of light
At the outer zone is a tent of young drung
Beyond that a tent of wheels
Then a lotus Tent
Then a tent of precious jewels
Then a rainbow Tent
Then a vajra Tent
Then a weapon Tent
Then a fire mountain Tent
Visualize these nine levels and in the center of that is a two lion and two elephant throne with sun, moon, lotus and in the middle a circling Young Drung upon which sits the Great Deathless young drung King whose body is of light,

appearing yet insubstantial, deathless, and unceasing.
Visualize behind this are surrounding retinues of dharma friends of Shen, dharma brothers and sisters, patrons, human wealth, and practitioners

Then the emanation and gathering is:

In the middle visualize Rigdzin Tsewang, the Vidyadhara of Longevity and at the heart center is a white A syllable around which sharp seed syllables brightly project and sound thri li li, circling to the right. Spider silk streams upward radiating and reabsorbing, inviting the wisdom beings from unmanifest space. They dissolve into yourself and the precious vessel longevity substances. Think that the accomplishment of eternal longevity is attained.

Mantra

So Drum A Kar Mu La Ting Nam Ö Du Mu Yé Tsé Nri Dzah

(Recite the essence mantra many hundreds and thousands of times)

From the mantra, light rays emanate out to touch the vessel and heart of the deity and from the vessel and heart of the deity, lights rays emanate in all ten directions, to all of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, the Buddhas of the ten directions, Lamas, Yidams, Dakinis, and Protectors of Bön, to the crowns of the heads, the neck of the vessel, the endless knot of the heart, the wheel of the navel, and the secret place of union, from that however much power and blessings, the pinnacle of realization, the pinnacle of understanding, however many special qualities there are, all the essence of life, brilliant white and shining, lustrous red and shiny spinning measureless white A syllables dissolve into oneself, the vessel, and longevity substances. Imagine that the accomplishment of eternal longevity is attained.

Praise of the mantra:

SO is the unchangeable space of bon

Drum is the celestial palace of the gods

The white A is the state of unborn wisdom

Mu la is the seed of the vidyadhara

Ting nam is the self originated nectar water

Od du is the collection of longevity accomplishment

Mu ye is the mantra of auspiciousness and prosperity

Tse nri is the human essence

Dzah is the hook of light rays

To bring the accomplishment longevity from the place

And in this place the accomplishment is bestowed.

Thus practice for seven days. The signs of having accomplished the practice are:

Receiving prophecies from your lama, your hair and beard grow, your body wearing armor, climbing upward, staying in a castle, sounding cymbals, be able to pass through a narrow passage, collecting flowers, eating the three white foods (yogurt, milk, butter), the sun and moon rising, boiling a pot of water, a misty Torma descends, blowing a white conch, climbing up stairs, and so on, any kind of signs like this are an indication of successful practice.

The signs that one is not yet successful are: Descending, many harmful people running after you, wearing black clothes, sun and moon setting, meeting an unfamiliar person, Torma on vessel is split, flowers and crops drying out.
All such signs are indications that the practice is not yet successful.

One must check until one is successful.

Consecrating the offering articles

Transform Yourself in to Tsewang Rigdzin
Having the mudra of giving offering
Imagine in the left palm is one white A syllable
Imagine that white A dissolves into the mandala of the moon
The mandala of the moon dissolves into light and from that the white essence of amrita goes into the torma
The torma dissolves into light and becomes all that is desired and all necessities In front of the young drung King of Longevity who fulfills wishes
Your damaged life
Depleted life
Roaming life
All this is gathered
Then to oneself, the accomplishment of longevity, glowing white and lustrous red
Shining and spinning becoming a thigle,
Imagine that you become inseparable from the young drung King of Longevity

Practice the meditation and visualization six times a day in formal sessions and breaks
The manifestation of the gathering of all the deities of longevity, Tsewang Rigdzin, the Dakinis, and the Bön Protectors, hold in their hands hooks that collect life force, vessels, and lassos.
The ground and Mount Meru are dried out
And the ocean is shaken from its depths.
The haughty spirits are annihilated
The Lord of Death’s black lung and heart and brain are cracked into a hundred pieces;
in that the life and clear soul are the syllables of which many collect. Then the clarity of the syllables dissolves into you, the vessel, and that which is to be kept.
The eternal life accomplishment is attained.
Furthermore the blessings of the Buddhas
The power and strength of the Dakinis and Bön protectors
The miraculous power of the 70 Glorious Lords
The energy of the eight classes of gods and demons
The luster of life of the six realms of sentient beings
The vital essence of the five elements
All of this gathers and dissolves into you, the vessel, and that which is to be kept.
The eternal life accomplishment is attained.

The praise qualities of Tsewang Rigdzin,

(Sound the cymbals and bell, wave the arrow banner, and with a yearning tone of voice saying in these word)

E Ma Ho!

How wonderful!

At the blazing Tent of jewels

On a circling Young Drung cushion

Emanated god of within the nature

Is the Vidyadhara King of Longevity

Your body is the unborn essence of power

Your speech is the Young Drung unchangeable divine hero

Your mind is endowed with knowledge, compassion, and power

One face and two hands with a white complexion

Hair is like lotuses

Upon your head is a silk-ribbon crown ornament

Your body is white crystal with flourishes

Wearing a bright spotted tiger skirt

Your two hands are together in equipoise mudra at the heart level

The right hand transforms into an A wheel

Which makes the realization of the wisdom of emptiness

In the left hand holds an unchangeable young drung

Which means the unchangeable life of the seal of the scriptures

The emanation body Tsewang Rigdzin

Emanating from the heart distributing to the ten directions

Controlling all life of phenomenal existence

Protecting all the Shen practitioner’s life and fortune

From Eastern direction:

From the dominion of the Young Drung Family

All the luster of life of the earth element

Drawn there from the eastern direction

Dissolves into the practitioner’s flesh element

The mirror like accomplishment is bestowed

From north direction:

From the dominion of the Wheel family

All the luster of life of the wind element

Drawn there from the northern direction

Dissolves into the practitioner’s breath element

The equality wisdom accomplishment is bestowed

From west direction:

From the dominion of the Lotus Family

All the luster of life of the fire element

Drawn there from the western direction

Dissolves into the practitioner’s heat element

The individual discernment accomplishment is bestowed

From south direction:

From the dominion of the Precious Jewel family

All the luster of life of the water element

Drawn there from the southern direction

Dissolves into the practitioner’s blood element

The persistent activities accomplishment is bestowed

From Centre direction:

From the dominion of the Suchness Family

All the luster of life of the space element

Drawn there from the central direction

Dissolves into the practitioner’s mind element

The emptiness accomplishment is bestowed

The accomplishment of immortality

To me in this place bestow.

( Recite the life essence mantra however much )

So Drum A Kar Mu La Ting Nam Ö Du Mu Yé Tsé Nri Dzah

OM! The Great Vidyadhara Changeless Young Drung Body

Emanates mirror like wisdom

All the accomplishments of the Young Drung Family