Dear Seeking Wisdom:
The practice is to say "DHIH DHIH DHIH DHIH DHIH DHIH DHIH DHIH…" as many
times as can be uttered (preferably 108) on one breath. "DHIH" is the seed
syllable of Manjushri, the Bodhisattva of Divine Wisdom. According to the
Manjushri Sadhana, when doing this one-breath recitation, you visualize a
golden-orange DHIH on your tongue from which billions of DHIHs manifest and are
swallowed, filling your entire body, purifying all negative energy and its
imprints, especially the dark shadow of ignorance. The visualisation and the
quick recitation are connected with purifying energy winds within the body and
have a physical benefit. Recitation of the Manjushri mantra invokes such
qualities as the wisdom of explaining, the wisdom of debating, the wisdom of
writing and the power of not forgetting possessed by the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas
and realised practitioners, both Buddhist and non-Buddhist.
Dear Geshe Samsarananda:
When we visualize ourselves as a deity while practising a sadhana, why dowe
have to visualize a seed syllable before emergence of the deity?
Would Like to Know
Dear Would Like to Know:
What you are referring to is a profound practice of highest yoga tantra and
common to all deity practices of that class. In layperson's terms, it is part of
a meditative process transforming death, bardo and rebirth. In tantric terms,
this process is known as "taking the three kayas as path." The three kayas
(Buddha "bodies") are: Dharmakaya, Samboghakaya and Nirmanakaya. Arising as a
seed syllable symbolizes the Samboghakaya (literally, the "Enjoyment Body"), the
subtle mind of a Buddha, and purifies the bardo state. The "seed" then "grows"
into the form of the deity, the Nirmanakaya, or actual manifestation of a
Buddha, purifying rebirth. The seed syllable is the essence of the deity. It
arises from emptiness, Dharmakaya, into which one has previously dissolved,
purifying death. From emptiness comes the label, the concept in the form of a
seed syllable from which then arises the object, the actual form of a Buddha.
Visualizing the seed syllable is a natural, indispensable part of the process,
as everything has a basis for its arisal.
