Lineage of Palden Atisha
Lineage Transmission:
Buddha Akshobhya -> Vajrapani ->
Indian Mahasiddhas including Aryadeva -> Palden Atisha brought
into Tibet -> after number of Lineage Holders ->
Tsangpa Gyare -> -> -> Drukpa Choegon & Drukpa Yongzin
Rinpoches about 500 years ago.
Drukpa Kagyu's Lineage holds the main lineage
of Buddha Akshobhya, mainly in Dechen Choekhor (the seat of Drukpa
Choegon & Drukpa Yongzin Rinpoches), Khampagar (the seat
of Khamtrul Rinpoche) and Nangchen Garh (the seat of Adeu Rinpoche)
and all their lineage holders. This lineage is directly from Buddha
Akshobhya, Vajrapani, Arya Deva, down to Atisha who travel to
Tibet, and then, from Tsangpa Gyare to Choegon Rinpoche's Lineages
of Dechen Choekhor tradition. From there, the practice of Akshobhya
Buddha has spread to most Drukpa Kagyu monasteries in 16th
century.
Dechen Choekhor put particular emphasis in
Buddha Akshobhya practices. It has been their exclusive and
intensive practices for puja, Jangchok, retreat, purification and
other rituals. This blessings lineage was kept intact unbroken
through their perseverance and diligent practices, particularly the
Choegon Rinpoche Lineage, for over 500 years. The Akshobhya Buddha
practice is still a mandatory retreat practices in Dechen
Choekhor's tradition till today. It's regarded as one of
the Four Main Essential Practices of Drukpa
Kargyu.
Buddha Akshobhya, the 'Unshakeable One', Lord
of the Vajra Family, is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas or Five
Wisdom Buddhas (Skt: Dhyani for "Meditation"); representing the
fully purified skandha, or aggregates of form. In the Natural
Liberation, he represents the mirror-like wisdom and the
transmutation of the poison of aggression, anger and hatred. In
Tibetan He is known as "Mitrugpa", the one who never becomes
disturbed by anger or aggression. He is regarded as
especially powerful for purifying negative karma.
Buddha Akshobhya established the enlightened
intention that all sentient beings could purify any degree of
non-virtue, even the extreme non-virtue of hatred, violence, and
killing can be cleansed through relying on him as the focus of
meditation, acknowledging and abandoning non-virtuous actions, and
invoking his blessings of purification. In the Akshobhya's Sutra,
Buddha Sakyamuni himself extolled the perseverance of Akshobhya in
actualizing this intention so powerfully that countless beings have
been saved from the intense suffering of lower states of
existence.
Akshobhya's pureland is Abhirati, the Land of
Exceeding Great Delight, and according to the Sutra, it's said that
whoever reborn there will not be fallen back to a lower level of
consciousness.
Buddha Akshobhya, the immutable and
imperturbable, is associated with the east and represents the vajra
family. He is blue in coloured, sits on a lotus throne supported by
the elephant, symbolizes steadfastness and strength; his right hand
making the bhumisparsha mudra, the earth-touching gesture, denotes
unshakability; while his left hand rests on his lap holding a
vajra. Vajra denotes enlighten mind, the indestructible, adamantine
nature of pure consciousness, or the essence of ultimate
reality.
According to the Buddhist teachings, the
present age is one of degeneration when all beings in the cycle of
existence (samsara) are suffering in great deal because of
their negative actions and disturbing emotions.
The Akshobhya ritual and practice is a
very powerful purification practice done for the benefit of oneself
and the innumerable beings. It can liberate not only the
practitioners themselves from the fear of an unfortunate
rebirth, but all other beings. Akshobhya is also practiced for the
deceased. Akshobhya explicitly promised that the merit generated by
reciting 100,000 of his long dharani mantra and creating an image
of him could be dedicated to others, even someone long deceased,
and they would be assured of release from lower states of
existence, and take rebirth in spiritually fortunate
circumstances.
Meditation on Akshobhya is best for cleansing
karma related to negative actions. Through the power of this
practice of ritual purity and lustration, the force of negative
karma is weakened, and only then one can progress steadily in their
path to enlightenment.
Click on the links to view the Buddha Akshobhya Grand
Puja of Dechen Choekhor or listen to the Buddha Akshobhya Prayer
chanting by Dorje Jinpa Choegon
Rinpoche.
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