Abhisekha
Secret Abhisekha
When the Acarya cannot perform all the rites of Abhisekha due to lack of time, he should instead perform the Secret Abhisekha. During this ritual, all the Buddhas would pat the receiver's head with their hands. 4. Holy water Abhisekha During this ritual the Acarya uses water in five vases to pour on the student’s head. At the same time, the Buddhas use the Holy Water of Intelligence to pour on him. By doing so, all the bad karmas of the receiver will be eliminated and he will gradually attain salvation. IV. Magic Symbols: Dharani (Mystic formula-Mantra) Yantra (seals) – Mudra (fingers code)
1. Dharani - To maintain, to maintain all, or the ability to maintain. In this sense it is to maintain all the connections from Heaven, to collect good doctrines, and to protect the good seeds. Having the patience and strong will to face the challenges in this life and in future lives is the main definition of Dharani. Dharani is also the ability to conceal. It is the energy to conceal bad seeds and wrong thoughts and to stop them from developing. Dharani is therefore a supporting force, a perfect tool to facilitate meditation by eliminating the mind's turmoil. There are four types of Dharani: - Literature Dharani – Helps to always remember Buddha’s doctrine (Buddha dharma). - Meaningful Dharani – Helps to remember the logical meaning of Buddha’s doctrine. - Mantra Dharani or True Words Dharani - Helps to eliminate all wicked actions, sorrows and obstacles from the mind. The Mantra Dharani goes together with Yantra and Mudras. Dharani is the mystery of words.
Mudra is the mystery of the body. Yantra is the mystery of the Mind. - Essence Dharani or the Highest Dharani of Secret Buddhism - At this stage, the person becomes the true nature of various virtues: endurance, peace, and detachment from the body and mind. In this sense, Dharani has become Nirvana. The Mantra Dharani and the Essence Dharani are the tools of the Secret Buddhism, while the Literature and Meaningful Dharani belong to the Hinayana Buddhism. The followers of Secret Buddhism recite the powerful mantras transmitted by the tantric Adept, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. The Shingon sect (True Words sect) pays special importance to the magical force of mantras, which are the summary and the essentials of magical formulas. Dharani originated in India and was handed down over thousands of years in Sanskrit. It was not translated to native language for fear of losing its power. The mantra represents the miraculous and active energies in the cosmos condensed into one sentence.
Being completely proficient, the masters arduously gather and re-arrange these powerful energies to give to the disciples. Magic formulas are also symbols representing the promises of Buddha and other divinities to save anyone devoted to walk on the Virtue Path. This is the Power of the Vow that the Buddhas left behind before they departed this world. Anyone who recites the magic formula and commits to practicing Buddhas’ virtues will have this supernatural force. We recite the mantra to ask Buddha and the saints to support and protect us, and to respectfully invite divinities to come to our assistance.
