Mindful Visualization of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta
A Mindfulness Practice Taught by Sakyamuni Buddha
Mindful Visualization of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta is the 11th of the sixteen visualization techniques directly extolled by Sakyamuni Buddha to Queen Vaidehi, the queen of the city of Rajagrha, some 2,500 years ago in response to her yearning for a place to be reborn that is free of afflictions and sufferings.
Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, an equal-enlightenment Bodhisattva representing the power of wisdom, often depicted together with Amitabha Buddha and Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara as the Three Sages in the Western Pure Land. Mahasthamaprapta will become the third Buddha in the Western Pure Land, after Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, who will be the second Buddha there. Amitabha Buddha is the first Buddha in the Western Pure Land and is currently teaching the Dharma there.
At the time of Queen Vaidehi, she requested Sakyamuni Buddha to teach her how to visualize such a place where she may hear no evil words, see no evil beings, and be reborn there. Among all the Buddha-lands that were revealed, the Queen chose to reborn in the Western Pure Land.
By the teaching of this 11th visualization, we are immensely grateful to Sakyamuni Buddha that we then have a detailed account of the miraculous physical features of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.
What’s better than learning to practice mindfulness directly from our teacher, the Buddha? Let’s dive into the words of the Buddha for the Visualization of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.
The Buddha said to Ananda and Vaidehi,
“The next visualization is that of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta, whose body is the same size as that of Avalokitesvara. The halo of light and this Bodhisattva’s face are each two hundred and twenty-five yojanas in diameter and illuminates an area of two hundred and fifty yojanas. The light which emanates from the body illuminates the lands of the Ten Directions, making them shine like purple-gold, and this light can be seen by all sentient beings who have a close karmic relationship with this Bodhisattva.
“Even if one sees only a single ray of light emanating from only one of the pores of this Bodhisattva, one can see at once the countless Buddhas of the Ten Directions and their pure and wondrous light. This is why this Bodhisattva is called ‘Boundless Light.’ And with this light of wisdom all beings are illuminated, enabling them to be freed from the Three Evil Paths and to attain unsurpassed powers. This is why this Bodhisattva is called Mahasthamaprapta, ‘The One Who Has Attained Great Power.’
“This Bodhisattva’s heavenly crown is adorned with five hundred jeweled lotus flowers, and each one of the jeweled flowers has five hundred jeweled pedestals. Within each pedestal, the boundless and glorious features of the pure and exquisite lands of the Buddhas of the Ten Directions are reflected in their entirety. The mound of flesh on this Bodhisattva’s head is like the padma (red lotus) flower, and in front of this mound of flesh is a jeweled vase filled with rays of light which reflect all the works of the Buddha. The remaining bodily characteristics are exactly like those of Avalokitesvara.
“When this Bodhisattva walks, the worlds of the Ten Directions all tremble and quake, and on this moving ground appear five billion jeweled flowers, each as splendid and brilliant as those in the Realm of Ultimate Bliss. When this Bodhisattva sits down, the seven-jeweled lands, from the Buddha-realm of Golden Light Buddha in the lower quarter to the Land of the Light King Buddha in the upper quarter, all tremble at once.
“From between those quarters, the manifested bodies of the Buddha of Immeasurable Life with those of Avalokitesvara and Mahasthamaprapta, as countless as particles of dust, all assemble like clouds in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, filling the entire sky. Sitting on lotus flower thrones, they proclaim the exquisite Dharma that liberates sentient beings from suffering.
“This visualization is the visualization of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta; it is also known as the visualization of the physical features of Mahasthamaprapta, which is called the Eleventh Visualization.
“For those who visualize this Bodhisattva, the evil karma binding them to infinite eons of birth-and-death is eliminated, and those who perform this visualization will no longer be subject to birth from the womb, but will roam freely throughout the pure and exquisite lands of the Buddhas. When this visualization has been completed, it is called the complete visualization of Mahasthamaprapta. Performing this visualization is called the right visualization. If one performs other visualizations, that is called an incorrect visualization.”
Consider it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to come across and practice this method, as one will then achieve non-retrogression (no falling back to lower realms) to ultimately attain the Highest Perfect Enlightenment. Sakyamuni taught the 16 wonderful visualizations to Queen Vaidehi so that she can be reborn in the Pure Land and attain Buddhahood in one lifetime. Any sentient being follows such technique and practices it persistently in this life will reap the same benefits too.
Buddha images and Buddhist art serve to convey a feeling of calmness and reflect proper mental discipline in an attempt to help us control over our negative emotions such as greed and fear. To gain a better understanding of how mindfulness and Amitabha’s Pure Land go hand-in-hand, one should read the full text of the Visualization Sutra.
Set aside time to practice it everyday. Immerse your mind in this visualization and cultivate a pure mind with the perception of Bodhisattva Mahasthamaprapta.
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