True Buddha Dharma-character Treasury – Simhamukha
Interlace fingers inward. Straighten the thumbs and keep them touching. Straighten the middle fingers and the little fingers while keeping the fingertips touching.
Chuli
Ah-jia-sa-ma。la-za-sha-da。la-sa-ma-la-ye。pei.」
Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsqrOg-d5f0
Simhamukha Dharmalakṣaṇa Brief Introduction
Simhamukha is azure in color. She wears a crown adorned with five skulls and has the head of a lion. She is naked and wears a necklace of 50 human skulls. She has one face and two arms, carries a kartika in her right hand and a skull cup in her left hand while holding a khatvanga on her shoulder. Her right leg is bent as her left leg is extended outward stamping on a corpse atop a sun disc and a moon disc within a lotus platform.
Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu Dharma talk – Simhamukha Background and Key Cultivation Formula】
The Lion-faced Dakini, ”Simhamukha” in Sanskrit, is venerated by all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism. In the Nyingma Sect Simhamukha is one of the three principal dharma protectors and the foremost one. She is also the foremost dakini of all dakinis. The other two principal dharma protectors of the Nyingma Sect are Ekajati and Rahula.
Simhamukha vowed to be the utmost dharma protector of TBS! She is the guru of Padmasambhava as well as his personal deity and dharma protector. Therefore, Simhamukha’s power is infinite.
The Dharma Body of Simhamukha is Mahaprajnaparamita Buddha Mother. Her Bliss Body is Dorje Phagmo, namely Vajravarahi. Simhamukha is the Emanation Body. Simhamukha is therefore the integration of Mahaprajnaparamita Buddha Mother, Vajravarahi, and Simhamukha. One may therefore say that Simhamukha is the foremost Buddha Mother and the preeminent Tara! Her dharma power is the greatest!
Simhamukha’s mantras are extraordinary and the Boomerang Shield Mantra is (Reversing Mantra) is especially well-known. What is the Boomerang Shield Mantra? Regardless of how powerful an attacker may be, any attack will be completely blocked and reversed back to the attacker with equal power. Simhamukha’s Boomerang Shield Mantra is a highly secret mantra and a secret transmission.
As long as one recites the Boomerang Shield Mantra, one will be protected from any attacks by sorcery or black magic. Whatever magic spells are cast, when one chants the Boomerang Shield Mantra the one casting the magic spell will be utterly defeated. By one’s chanting the Boomerang Shield Mantra the caster of the magic spell will fall off their bed crippling their foot when intending to cripple one’s foot. This is how powerful Simhamukha’s mantra is.
Simhamukha holds cymbals in her hands. What are cymbals? They are what we used to make a ”crashing” sound when we were children. One puts one’s resentful enemies between the cymbals and crashes the cymbals a few times. The enemy becomes deaf. By crashing the cymbals a few more times one’s enemies will bleed from their seven orifices. Having such awesome power Simhamukha is regarded as the utmost wrathful and ferocious dakini.
How is it that Simhamukha is Padmasambhava’s guru, personal deity, and dharma protector? At one time Patriarch Padmasambhava was having a dharma battle with 500 heretics in the forests of northern India. All 500 heretics were masters of magical spells. Everyone of them could cast magic spells. Finally, Simhamukha appeared and transmitted the Boomeranging Shield Mantra to Padmasambhava. Hence, Simhamukha is the guru of Padmasambhava.
In Vajrayana we know about ”transformation.” Padmasambhava’s true personal deity is actually Amitabha Buddha of the Western Paradise of Ultimate Bliss. Padmasambhava and Amitabha share the same seed syllable ”chuli.” Amitabha Buddha transformed into Padmasambhava and Simhamukha is a transformation of Padmasambhava. Therefore, Padmasambhava is the personal deity of Simhamukha and Simhamukha is also the personal deity of Padmasambhava. They are interrelated.
What is the characteristic of dakinis? It is that Dakinis are extremely wrathful. In Tibetan Vajrayana, a dakini’s face is always depicted with a very wrathful expression. They are dakinis but their depiction always expresses extreme wrath and ferocity.
Simhamukha is also wrathful, a wrathful dharma protector. Being fierce and wrathful dharma protectors, dakinis are highly venerated in Vajrayana Buddhism.
Also, among all the different types of animals, lions are the most powerful. Hence, Simhamukha is an extremely powerful and magnificent dharma protector.
Lions are the most ferocious animal and all other animals naturally run away as soon as they come across a lion. Similarly, as Simhamukha is the most fierce and powerful dakini, spirits and demons will escape upon encountering her. Her manifestation with a lion face represents that Simhamukha is the utmost wrathful dakini and dharma protector. No one would dare perform sorcery on an accomplished practitioner of this deity.
To form Simhamukha’s mudra, one first interlaces the fingers inward. One then straightens the thumbs, the middle fingers, and the little fingers. The inward interlaced mudra along with the straightened thumbs, middle, and little fingers resembles a lion face. Her ”All-conquering Lion King Mudra” symbolizes the ”always victorious lion king” mudra.
Simhamukha’s mantra is: ”Ah-jia-sa-ma。la-za-sha-da。la-sa-ma-la-ye。pei。”
As this mantra carries extreme power it should not be chanted too loudly. If one chants the mantra too loudly one will cause all the deities of the four directions to run away. But if one recites the mantra within the scope of the boundaries set by Grandmaster, then it does not matter. Otherwise, a lot of spirits including Dragon Kings are going to be in trouble when they run into this mantra. Therefore, this mantra should not be recited at any shore including the seashore. A lot of practitioners just recite this mantra to themselves, silently.
By cultivating Simhamukha dharma one can dissolve obstacles, eradicate evil spirits, destroy resentful enemies, protect one’s body and life, increase love and respect, successfully accomplish all of one’s undertakings, and overcome all natural disasters caused by sun, moon, stars, earth, water, fire, and wind, as well as man-made calamities such as war.
On Feb. 8, 1998 at Meydenbauer Center, Dharma King Living Buddha Lian-sheng Sheng-yen Lu presided over the debut transmission of ”Simhamukha Uncommon Practice.” In addition to discoursing the deity’s background and key cultivation formulas, Living Buddha Lian-sheng also transmitted practices to eradicate obstacles and subjugate demonic hindrances as follows:
Practice 1
Simhamukha’s heart chakra is surrounded by blue light. This light is called ”mantra hair” and is razor sharp. Visualize the the mantra hair revolving while all obstacles are shredded into fine dust. Just as dust flies off into the wind, all hindrances are cut up and destroyed.
Practice 2
Visualize that Simhamukha holds a cymbal in each hand: one cymbal is the sun and one cymbal is the moon. Then visualize one’s ”resentful enemy” or an ”obstructing demon” between the two cymbals. Crash the enemy or demon into pieces by striking the two cymbals together. This is ”subjugation dharma.”
Practice 3
Carry an image of Simhamukha and her mantra syllables with one. Chant her name and invoke her presence at all times. This is Samaya. Pray to her three times per day. If one encounters difficulties or obstacles all one needs to do is pray and Simhamukha will definitely send down light to follow and protect one.
Simhamukha Sadhana Transmitted Through Practicing Padmasambhava Simhamukha’s Boomerang Shield Mantra
!!Please be aware that before engaging in any True Buddha Vajrayana practices, one must first take refuge and receive the respective empowerment.!!
