Yesterday we said that in order to transfer our consciousness to Amitabha's pure land we have to create the proper causes, or karma. What is the actual cause for such a rebirth? It is strong refuge in Amitabha, actualizing bodhicitta and dedicating all virtuous activities to rebirth in Amitabha's pure land, while continuously remembering the good qualities of his pure land. If we accumulate all these causes, it is definite that we shall attain the desired pure land rebirth.
Tibetan prayers often emphasize the request to be saved from rebirth in one of the three lower realms. But there is no way for anyone who has realized the three principal paths (renunciation, bodhicitta and the correct view of emptiness) to be reborn in these unfortunate states of existence. Even if during your lifetime you are responsible for the death of millions of people, you can be saved from lower rebirth by developing the compassionate thought of bodhicitta for all others. Thus bodhicitta is the real powa. If you have bodhicitta there is absolutely no way that you will find yourself born in a lower realm. Therefore, although it is a very good idea to learn the technical method of transference of consciousness, it is enough to have generated the mind of bodhicitta; with such a mind at death, you will definitely obtain an upper state of rebirth. For those of us who find it difficult to generate the three principal paths to enlightenment, there are the technical methods of powa being explained here.
It is stated in the Abhidharma texts that once the third section of the second path—the patience section of the path of preparation—has been reached, it is impossible to fall to any of the lower realms ever again. What this means is that at such a state a bodhisattva gains a special, complete confidence that he or she will never fall again. If, however, even before this stage is reached, the three principal paths have been developed, the door to the three lower realms is closed.
One technical method being presented here is referred to in the text as "The forceful method for evil beings to escape from lower rebirth." It is possible that beings like us are worse than Hitler; we don't know what we have done in our past lives. But it makes no difference what even the cruelest person in the world has done. If, when the signs of death appear, such a person develops a greatly compassionate mind, invokes the four remedies that oppose the power of negative karma, and practices the forceful technique of powa, he or she will definitely escape from rebirth in one of the lower realms. Therefore, you should never let yourself become obsessed with your negativities, but realize that they are interdependent phenomena and can be altered through the practice of appropriate methods. Knowing these techniques of powa can release your mind from its obsessive vision and allow you to use the pure land vision instead.
The various commentarial texts list the good qualities found in Amitabha's pure land. First of all, as already indicated, if you are reborn in this pure land there is no longer any danger of falling to a lower rebirth. Furthermore, rebirth in this pure land frees one from the eight states of no leisure, which usually prevent beings from practicing Dharma. In other words, all the situations encountered in Amitabha's pure land are conducive for the practice of the spiritual path. There is also complete freedom from the indecisive mind; once you have achieved this pure land it is definite that you follow the Mahayana path to full enlightenment. There will be no longer any danger that you will give up the Mahayana aspiration and work only for the self-liberation that is the goal of the Hinayana path. Also, beings reborn in this pure land always do so intuitively via a lotus and, once reborn there, never experience untimely death. All enjoyments come effortlessly and instantly; merely thinking of something pleasurable brings the experience. One's body has the thirty-two characteristic marks of a buddha and one's mind automatically possesses the five types of telepathic power. These include (1) being able to travel to countless buddha fields within one second of time, (2) being able to remember all of one's own and others' previous lives, (3) having unobstructed vision of the pure lands and the environments of sentient beings, (4) being able to hear the teachings of countless buddhas and (5) being able to know the mind and attitude of other beings.
It is not only extremely worthwhile for a disciple to have these extraordinary qualities of mind, it is essential that a teacher possesses them as well. When Shakyamuni Buddha was on this earth, by merely saying a few words he was able to lead thousands of disciples to states of realization. This was the result of his ability to know the minds of his disciples directly and intuitively.
In summary, when you gain Amitabha's pure land you have the uninterrupted ability of meeting with fully-enlightened beings and receiving teachings from them. Thus it is obvious how powerful such a pure land mind is. Think how powerful your mind would be if it remained focussed on bodhicitta twenty-four hours a day. For such a mind, enlightenment is certainly not far away. At present, however, our minds are occupied with mundane thoughts, and thus we waste most of our time. In Amitabha's pure land the mind is uninterruptedly focussed upon method and wisdom. It is for this reason that enlightenment is attained very quickly. Through understanding all of these outstanding qualities of Amitabha's pure land we should develop the strong wish to be born there.
To some extent we all understand our present situation in life and have some faith in our ability to improve our mind. Such sincere faith in the Mahayana path is necessary if we are to avoid the negative results of misusing these transference techniques. Therefore, at this time visualize that Amitabha Buddha is purifying you of all obscurations and hindrances, thereby ensuring that your practice of powa will indeed lead to rebirth in his pure land, and meditate with great compassion on the technical methods for transferring your consciousness to Amitabha's pure land.
[Recitation of the prayer for the development of refuge, bodhicitta and the four boundless thoughts.]
As we visualize Amitabha Buddha upon the crown of our heads, light descends from his heart, enters our crown and becomes one with our central channel. Thus there is one uninterrupted passageway connecting Amitabha Buddha's heart with our own. This passageway is completely sealed and has no cracks or flaws. As the great mahasiddha Naropa said, "There are nine doors to our body and eight of them are samsaric. It is the ninth, the entrance at the crown of our head, that is the door to mahamudra, the great liberation." The other doors lead to rebirth in the various samsaric realms, and are therefore not appropriate gateways through which our consciousness should depart. It is for this reason that Amitabha sends down the tube of white light through our crown and into our central channel forming an indestructible passageway through which our consciousness can travel. Thus, from four finger widths below our navel straight up to Amitabha Buddha's heart there is one indestructible, uninterrupted tube of radiant white light.
In our own heart center, within our central channel, resides the essential seed-syllable of our mind, the size and shape of a tiny pea. It is white in color and vibrates with a reddish glow. This white drop is extremely light, so light that it is almost ready to fly upwards by itself. It is extremely delicate, clean, clear and radiant: it is as if there were a small star in our heart, shining with a rainbow light.
This radiant drop signifies our very subtle consciousness. Normally this subtle consciousness only functions at the time of death. At the appropriate place in the technical method you should focus your mind single-pointedly on this drop with the strong wish of becoming one with the mind of Amitabha Buddha. It is very important to develop this strong desire, to overcome the dualistic gap between your mind and that of Amitabha. You should try to become one with this Buddha as much as possible. At the same time your mind, in the form of this tiny seed-syllable, or drop, should look upwards through the central channel and directly into the heart of Amitabha. Then listen, as Amitabha's voice comes down the central channel from his heart and invites you to go up and join him. Then Amitabha Buddha sends down from his heart, a shaft of radiant red light which, like a hook, attaches itself to our mind, which is in the aspect of the seed-syllable. This red, radiant hook of light comes down through the white tube of light and hooks our mind, exerting an upward force upon it.
[Recitation of the prayers.]
Then breathe in through your nostrils and press down at the area of your navel. Then tighten your lower pelvic muscles, thereby bringing the lower energies upwards. Feel that the seed-syllable, full of devotion towards Amitabha Buddha, is ready to fly upwards. At the same time that the lower energies are pushing the seed-syllable upwards from below, the red hook of light from above is also drawing the mind upwards. Empowered in this way, the very subtle mind travels up through the throat and crown chakras, passes through the lotus and moon bed and finally reaches the center of Amitabha Buddha's heart. There it becomes one with Amitabha's omnipresent wisdom of non-duality, seen as a blissful radiance in his heart.
With the utterance of the first sound—the mantra HIC—your subtle consciousness in the form of the seed-syllable flies upwards into Amitabha Buddha's heart. Recognize his heart as the main destination for your mind. Recognize the white radiant tube of light as the path to your destination. Finally, recognize your very subtle consciousness in the form of the seed-syllable as the traveler following this path to its destination. It is very important to keep these three recognitions clear while doing this practice. Then, with the recitation of KAAH, see your mind as returning back down the tube of light into your own heart.
To repeat, while reciting the first sound you should feel that your mind is going upwards until it becomes inseparable from Amitabha Buddha's omnipresent and blissful wisdom. Then, when the second syllable is recited, you should feel that your mind is descending from this state back into your own heart. This entire process is divided into the following steps:
(1) contemplate your very subtle consciousness in your heart, radiant and very light;
(2) with this mind develop the wish to become united with Amitabha Buddha's mind;
(3) take a long and deep inhalation without letting your concentration degenerate;
(4) hold the breath at your navel and tighten your lower muscles, bringing the lower energies upwards;
(5) as this energy pushes from below and the red hook pulls from above, recite HIC;
(6) contemplate the unity of your very subtle consciousness and Amitabha Buddha's mind;
(7) then send your consciousness downward while reciting KAAH.
After practicing these steps a number of times, focus your attention on Amitabha Buddha's begging bowl. The nectar within this bowl overflows and flows down your central channel, thereby filling your entire nervous system with white, blissful, light-nectar energy. This renews all the energy you may have lost through this practice. Then, as explained in the practice, Guru Amitabha Buddha melts into light, descends the central channel and also becomes one with your heart. In this way he becomes unified with your very subtle consciousness. Then perform the dedication.
