Padma Gyancha (Jewel in the Lotus) is a healing technique based on ancient Tibetan healing practices. The purpose is to create balance of sun and moon energies within oneself which promote health, healing and stability. Sun and moon energies are also known as Yin-Yang, warm-cool or male-female energies.
The method is related to a meditation that His Holiness the Dalai Lama requests his students to practice every day called the All-Encompassing Yoga Mind Meditation:
“I myself contemplate and meditate on bodhicitta [Compassion] and emptiness [wisdom] regularly every morning as a core practice. Therefore,I urge all of you, my Dharma friends, to also make every effort to cultivate a good understanding and meditate on emptiness and bodhicitta as much as possible.”
Although the All Encompassing Yoga Mind is a tantric practice, (as is the Padma Gyancha) his Holiness says: “However, for those who have a sincere and keen interest to develop bodhicitta and the wisdom realizing emptiness, I see no reason why it wouldn’t be appropriate for you to adopt this meditation practice.”
Padma Gyancha uses sound, light and gentle movement to invoke healing for ourselves or for others. The practice uses sound in the form of a mantra. The mantra is known as the six-syllable mantra of Chenrezig, the Buddha of compassion. Gentle movement is known as the lotus mudra which are hand positions and movement that help move subtle energies. Visualization of light brings forth the energy of healing wisdom-love.
The mantra is
Om Mani Padme Hung
ཨོཾ་མ་ཎི་པདྨེ་ཧཱུྃ
Om is the sound of the essence of the universe. Scientific research shows that chanting Om can produce a calm state, increase relaxation and ease. Mani means jewel and represents compassion and love. Padme means lotus and represents wisdom. Hung is a sound that represents union.
This mantra literally means jewel in the lotus. Its’ inner meaning is the union of love and wisdom or the energy of wisdom-love.
In this practice we sing the mantra slowly to help allow the calm and peaceful energies to arise. Another powerful way to recite the mantra is whispered just under the breath.
As one chants the mantra the visualization is also done. You visualize an open lotus flower in your heart centre. The lotus is made from multi-coloured light, like a hologram. This represents wisdom. Sitting in the centre of the lotus is a jewel, a crystal like diamond, representing compassion and love. Together they are the union of love and wisdom, wisdom-love.
One starts with this visualization in the heart centre while singing the mantra for a time. Then one can imagine rainbow light from the lotus and crystal white light from the diamond radiate out, filling your body. Blissful waves of wisdom-love bathe every particle of your body. A rainbow of light fills every cell of your body with light and healing energy.
You can also imagine the light going to any place in your body that needs healing. Imagine the energy bathing, healing, and energizing that injured or ill part of your body.
You can stay with this vision for as long as you want, imagining healing waves of light from the lotus and jewel at your heart.
This is followed by the lotus mudra. Hands are held in angeli (prayer position) at the heart centre. Slowly fingers pull away like the unfolding of a flower. Palms separate as you move the hands upward from the heart centre to just over your head. Hands unfold away from one another. Base of palms remain together.
With hands over your head, you turn the palms toward you and bring them down over your body as if your pouring water over your head and body. This is pouring the blessing of wisdom-love over your whole body. Hands move down over your body without actually touching your body. Then hands are brought back to heart centre in prayer position. Repeat twice more.
You can do the mudra sequence while chanting the mantra and visualizing the jewel in the lotus.
You can also create a protective shell for yourself if you feel you are being influenced by negative forces, energy vampires or negative energies. Do the heart centre visualization and recite the mantra. As rays of rainbow light and crystal white light radiate out from the lotus and jewel imagine they move out into a protective energy shield that completely surrounds your body. Your body is surrounded in a sphere of light. No negative energies or forces can penetrate, you are completely protected.
You can create your energy light shield anytime, anywhere it is needed.
If you are doing this healing practice for yourself, it is important to spend an equal effort on others. This will help increase your own power with this practice.
Start with the healing practice for yourself, completely filling yourself with healing light. As you keep singing or whispering the mantra, send light out to others. Send it to loved ones who are sick, then to strangers, then to those who may irritate you. Lastly send healing light out to all beings.
Spend time with each type of being; loved ones, strangers, un-liked and then all beings. Imagine them being filled with blissful healing light the energy of wisdom-love. Imagine this light is curing their illness, destroying cancer, filling them with strength and health or whatever they may need.
The mudra associated with this stage starts with angeli at the heart centre. As you recite the mantra the palms turn toward you and are swept down and toward you, sweeping over your heart. Then turn the hands around with palms facing out.
This is a scooping of the healing energy from your heart and then pushing it outward as a blessing to others.
Lastly it is important to rest in open space of awareness. Rest in the feeling generated by your practice without thought, just open awareness.
Below is a video link to get the direct transmission from HH Dalai Lama for this meditation.
“All-encompassing Yoga Mind Meditation”
From: Day Two of Chandrakirti’s Entering the Middle Way” (1:24:29)
NOTE: Mainly watch the seven minutes from 1:15:15 to 1:22:35
Here is an Outline of Each Step in the Padme Gyancha Meditation
Sing the mantra 3x or more to invoke its’ power
Visualize lotus and jewel at heart centre – they are made of light – rest with the visualization for a moment
Chant, sing or whisper the mantra and visualize the jewel and lotus at your heart centre
As you continue to chant, visualize radiant light waves fill, purify and heal your body
Create a protective sphere of light if needed
Chant or sing the mantra and visualize sending healing rays of light to
a. Loved ones
b. Strangers
c. Those that irritate you
d. All beings
7. Drop the visualization and rest in open awareness with whatever feelings have arisen
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