Maha Tare Buddhist Centre is delighted to announce the observance of the Medicine Buddha sand mandala ritual will be held at the open area in front of Sri Krishnan Temple at Waterloo Street from 2 May to 11 May 2017. This sand mandala ritual is an extensive Mahayana Buddhist ritual that involves invocation and worship of Medicine Buddha, the Buddha of medicine and healing. During the ritual, monks qualified in Tantric practices will create a complex sand mandala of the Medicine Buddha, officiate a systematic ritual for health and recovery from physical and mental hindrances, discomforts and illnesses.
Event details
Date:
- Mandala Creation – 2 May 2017 to 8 May 2017 (7 Days)
- Vesak Prayer & Offering – 9 May 2017 & 10 May 2017 (2 Days)
- Mandala Dissolution – 11 May 2017 (Morning)
Time: 8am to 6pm daily
Venue: Open area in front of Sri Krishnan Temple at Waterloo Street
Event sponsors and volunteers
If you are interested in supporting us by being a sponsor or volunteer, please contact any of the following persons:
- Kelvin @ 9681 1326 (Dzambhala @ My Place #02-07 Fortune Centre, Singapore 188979)
- Katherine @ 9766 9088 (Maha Tare Buddhist Centre @ 512A Sims Avenue, Singapore 387572)
Map
What is a mandala?
A mandala is a representational blueprint of the celestial abode of an enlightened Buddha. In higher Tantric practices, it serves as a power meditative tool for cultivation of compassion, whereby one genuinely aspires to achieve enlightenment to save all sentient beings from their pain, suffering and dissatisfactions. Monks trained in Tantra will painstakingly create a sand mandala for purpose of invocation, visualisation and offering ritual in the beginning. At the end of the ritual ceremony, the mandala is dismantled through proper rites and rituals signifying impermanence in life.
Buddha of medicine and healing
Bhaishajyaguru, or more popularly ‘Medicine Buddha’, is the Buddha of medicine and healing who dwells in the pure Buddha realm called ‘the Land of Lapis Lazuli’ in the East. He is mostly depicted as seated, wearing the three robes of a Buddhist monk, and holding a vase of medicine nectar in his left hand and a Myrobalan stem in his right hand. His body emanates aura of blue Vaidurya (lapis lazuli). Acclaimed by Buddha Shakyamuni in the Sutra of the Medicine Buddha, the Medicine Buddha popularly emanates in his eight great manifestations.
The Medicine Buddha is widely known for his twelve great vows. In the Sutra of the Medicine Buddha, the Buddha Shakyamuni recounts how this Buddha, in his sixth vow, pledged: “I vow that in a future life, when I have attained the Supreme enlightenment, sentient beings with imperfect bodies and mind…will upon hearing my name, acquire well-formed bodies, endowed with intelligence, all the senses intact. They will be free of illness and suffering.” Further, in his seventh vow, he prayed: “I vow that in future life, when I have attained Supreme Enlightenment, sentient beings—afflicted with various illnesses, poor, miserable, and are without help, companion, physicians, medicine, family, and home—will, upon hearing my name, shall be relieved of all illnesses. Attaining a healthy mind and body, they will have home, family, and wealth, in abundance, and eventually attain enlightenment themselves.”
For centuries, Buddhists around the globe have worshipped Bhaishajyaguru in his varied forms for relief and recovery from pain and suffering caused by all forms of illness, diseases and ailments of both body and mind. It has become a common practice in many Buddhist countries to conduct Medicine Buddha ritual and recite his mantra when undergoing medication and treatment.
Medicine Buddha Wealth Treasure Vase
Treasure Vase is an ancient tradition in Tibetan Buddhism used to restore positive energy through balance, healing and abundance to both the spiritual and physical world. The Medicine Buddha Wealth Treasure Vase contains precious stones, ingredients and images of Medicine Buddha, mantra, mandala etc. These vases are carefully prepared, sealed and consecrated with sacred prayers by qualified tantric monks. By placing the vase at your home or office not only brings abundance of good health, longevity and prosperity, it also eliminates disharmony and illnesses caused by bad fengshui through neutralising negative energy in the area. Each vase is selling at only $128. You can purchase them at our Vesak Day Medicine Buddha Mandala event at Waterloo Street.
Benefits, merits and dedication
Medicine Buddha ritual is believed to help end all forms of pain and suffering caused illnesses, diseases and ailments associated with both mind and body and ensure well-being and happiness. As the ritual involves deep meditation on emptiness and sincere cultivation of compassion through reliance on Tantric deities and sand mandala, it generates enormous merits. As Mahayana Bodhisattva ideal prescribes, it is helpful to dedicate all merits for the sake of good health and well-being of all sentient beings and their swift attainment of enlightenment by way of the power of the Medicine Buddha.
Medicine Buddha mantra
Namo bhagavate bhaiṣajya-guru vaiḍūrya-prabha-rājāya/ tathāgatāya arahate samyak sambuddhāya/ tadyathā: oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya samud-gate svāhā /