Mewa 8 Birth Buddha: Shakyamuni
Introduction
Shakyamuni (Tib: rgyal ba shAkya thub pa; རྒྱལ་བ་ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ།), the founder of Buddhism, is popularly known as the historical Buddha of this aeon and the compassionate one who turned the Wheel of Dharma in this fortunate time.
Benefits
- Removes obstacles and hindrances
- Purifies negative karma
- Accumulates vast amounts of merit
History
Shakyamuni Buddha was born amidst many great auspicious signs as an Indian prince named Siddhartha Gautama in 623 BC. At birth, it was predicted that he would either be an incredibly compassionate King to his subjects or a great Spiritual Master. Due to this prophecy, the King did his best to ensure the life of Prince Siddhartha was absent of any form of suffering, so that he would not go down the spiritual path. However, despite the King’s best efforts of providing a luxurious life and shielding his son from the reality of suffering, Prince Siddhartha eventually renounced the worldly life and at the age of 29, he left the palace to pursue a life of asceticism.
Siddhartha then practiced with great effort for six years and eventually discovered the Middle Way which led to his awakening as a fully enlightened being. The Buddha gave his first teaching on the Four Noble Truths to five students in Deer Park. He continued to teach the Dharma for many years thereafter, gaining more students as time passed. The Buddha turned the Wheel of Dharma until the end of his physical manifestation at the age of 80.
Iconography
One of the most common depictions of Buddha Shakyamuni is in the Bhumisparsha mudra. This is also known as the Earth Touching Gesture (Tib: sa gnon; ས་གནོན།), where the Buddha’s right hand is extended downwards to touch the ground with his fingertips. This symbolizes the moment Prince Siddhartha gained Enlightenment and from that point onwards, he was known as Shakyamuni Buddha. At this time, the Buddha also destroyed an army of Maras and summoned the earth Goddess, Sthavara to witness his actions.
His left hand rests on his lap in a gesture of meditation. Together, these two mudras symbolize the perfect harmony of applying skilful methods to overcome our inner demons, which is achievable through attaining perfect wisdom through deep meditation on Emptiness.
Prayer
Note: This short prayer can be recited daily on its own or as part of a longer set of prayers.
To the Guru, founder,
Bhagawan, Tathagatha, Arhat,
Perfectly completed Buddha,
Glorious Conqueror Shakyamuni Buddha,
I prostrate, make offerings and go for refuge.
Please grant me your blessings.
LAMA TONPA CHOM DEN DEY
DEZHIN SHEG PA DRA CHOM PA
YANG DAG PAR DZOG PEY SANG GYE
PEL GYEL WA SHAKYE THUB PA LA
CHAG TSEL LO CHOE DO KYAB SU CHI WO
JIN GYI LAB TU SOL
Mantra: OM MUNI MUNI SHAKYAMUNI YE SOHA
(Recite 108 times or more)
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Please could you let me know if you could clear my negative energies.
I like your predictions.I like to know more.
Maheshwar