Two powerful Tibetan Mantras for healing and transformation.

Medicine Buddha
LINER NOTES
By Jonathan Goldman

The Medicine Buddha is known as the Healing Master of Lapis Lazuli Radiance (Sanskrit: Bhaishajyaguru Yaiduryaprabha/ Tibetan: Sangye Menla). He is one of the most honored figures in the Buddhist tradition. In Tibet, the Medicine Buddha is revered as the source of the healing arts, for it is through him that the teachings embodied in the basis of Tibetan medicine came into being.

Visualized as a radiant dark blue monk, the Medicine Buddha is seated in full cross-legged position. His left hand is in the meditation mudra, resting in his lap and holding a begging bowl filled with medicinal nectar and fruit. His right hand rests upon his knee with palm facing outwards in the mudra of granting blessings and holding a stem of the myrobalan plant, renowned as the greatest of healing plants. The Medicine Buddha embodies the power of all the Buddhas to overcome suffering.

Through the Medicine Buddha, one may receive an antidote to the three poisons; ignorance, attachment and hatred. These poisons can influence and affect us both body and mind, bringing imbalance. To heal ignorance, attachment and hatred means to transform them into nobler qualities of enlightenment. As we transform these poisons, we transform our consciousness and release our limited perspective. In this way, through the Medicine Buddha, we may heal ourselves of any barriers (physical, emotional or mental) which may interfere with our being conduits for assisting the enlightenment of all sentient beings. Ultimately, with pure and compassionate hearts, we see ourselves as intimately connected to each other and every being. Our healing is therefore dedicated for the betterment of all.

The Medicine Buddha Mantra (Sanskrit: Tadhyata Om Bhaishajya, Bhaishajya, MahaBhaishajya, Raja Samudgate Svaha) is phonetically written and pronounced as: Tayatha Om Bay Kunze Bay Kunze Maha Bay Kunze Radza Samu Gate Soha. The meaning of this mantra is to pay homage to the Medicine Buddha, invoking and honoring this divine energy. This mantra may be literally translated as “Oh Healer, the Great Healer, King of the Healers who has perfectly gone beyond (and transcended ordinary reality), please bless me!” Repetition of this mantra is said to assist in the transmutation of imbalances, which keep us from healing others and ourselves.

Heart of Wisdom Sutra

Of all the teachings of the Buddha, one of the most important is the “Heart of Wisdom Sutra”, (Sanskrit: Maha pranjanparamtia hridaysutra). These major wisdom teachings have extended into thousands of verses and have been contracted, as well, into the single syllable “Ah”. The Heart Sutra summarizes much of the essence of these teachings in a single sentence. This extraordinary text contains not only all the Buddha’s teachings on wisdom, but also implicitly contains teachings on compassion and the way to achieve enlightenment.

This sutra teaches the essence of the concept of emptiness (Sanskrit: sunyata). This concept does not mean nothingness, but rather the connectedness of all things. The concept holds that all phenomena are empty of inherent existence and are merely collections of parts that arise due to causes and conditions. Each experience points beyond itself and cannot be limited to something that exists in itself, but only in relationship to other experiences.

From one perspective, the Heart Sutra teaches of the fluidity of all things—a sort of super relativity, which allows the perceiver to be open to the potential change inherent in the relationship of all things. Nothing is as it seems, for all is constantly in a state of transformation, dependent upon its relationship to everything else. This nothingness is utterly beyond the realm of language or conceptual thought. It cannot be defined or limited.

Frequently, visualization of the deity Prajnaparamtia may accompany the reciting of the Heart of Wisdom. Prajnaparamita is the Great Mother, the embodiment of the wisdom truth body of all Buddhas. Seated in the heart of Buddha Shakyanumi, she has a body of golden light with one face and four arms. In one right hand she holds a golden vajra with nine prongs at each end. In her opposite left hand is the Wisdom Sutra; her remaining two hands rest in her lap in the pose of meditation.

The mantra: Gate Gate Para Gate Para Sum Gate Bodhi Svaha, literally translated as “Gone, gone. Gone beyond. Gone beyond the beyond. Hail to the awakened one”, tells us that “Form is no other than emptiness, emptiness is no other than form”. These words and their meaning embodying the essence of our inability to define reality in cogent terms. Through meditation on this mantra, one may be able to come to direct understanding of reality as it is, freed from the false imaginings of conceptually influenced consciousness. Such an understanding does not come from fixed teachings, but by an intuitive process that is spontaneous and natural. So highly revered is this sutra that even the sound of it is believed to bring wisdom to those who hear it.

The Recording

This recording of the ‘MEDICINE BUDDHA’: Medicine Buddha and the Heart of Wisdom are my own humble attempts at creating continuous, repetitive short mantric forms for each of the practices. It is my belief, particularly for Westerners, that short mantras that may be effectively learned and recited while listening to recording such as this, enjoying both the mantra and the music. These mantras are holographic, if you like, inherently possessing the encodement of enormous information and teachings.

Please note that these recordings are based upon my own meditations and inner guidance on what to create and do not necessarily utilize traditional Tibetan melodies. They are different and unique, created as a tool for Westerners to use in assisting their resonance with the energies of the Medicine Buddha and the Heart of Wisdom. I am pleased to say that in other recordings I have created of this nature, such as “Trance Tara”, the reception of both Westerners and Easterners has been both positive and powerful.

For both the Medicine Buddha Mantra and the Heart of Wisdom Sutra, offerings were always made to the specific energies of the recordings, as well as many other beneficial entities, in other to create a harmonious vibratory resonance that would assist the listener.
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Both selections on “MEDICINE BUDDHA” begin with the Tibetan Buddhist Homage, Mantra and Dedication for the specific recording, courtesy of Venerable Tashi, a Chant Master of the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India. Through use of modern recording technology, we were able to use this chanting. Ven.Tashi has not heard the completed recording yet, but I trust he will be pleased with this project, as I trust you will be.

May enlightenment come to all sentient beings!

Jonathan Goldman

Jonathan Goldman is a writer, musician and teacher. He is an authority on sound healing and a pioneer in the field of harmonics. Jonathan is the author of HEALING SOUNDS; THE POWER OF HARMONICS (Element Books), SHIFTING FREQUENCIES (Light Technology) and THE LOST CHORD (Spirit Music). He has studied with masters of sound from both the scientific and spiritual traditions, including the Dalai Lama’s Chanting Gyuto and Gyume Monks. He is the president of Spirit Music, which produces music for meditation and healing, including his own award winning recordings: “Trance Tara”, “Chakra Chants” and “The Lost Chord” as well as “Sacred Tibet” by the Gyume Monks. Jonathan is director of the Sound Healers Association in Boulder, Colorado. Jonathan teaches throughout the world.

For information on Jonathan Goldman’s workshops, recordings, and other pertinent material, contact him: website: www.healingsounds.com, email: soundheals@aol.com, P.O. Box 2240, Boulder, CO 80306 USA, Tele: (303) 443-8181, Fax: (303) 443-6023

Cover: “MEDICINE BUDDHA” cover by Donald Beaman. Donald is a mystic teacher and visionary artist whose work includes the TAROT OF SAQQARA. The cover displays the Medicine Buddha and Prajnaparamita, the Divine Mother. Woven throughout this picture are elements found in sacred Tibetan artwork, as well as other universal mystical elements, including sacred geometry. During the creation of this artwork, Donald would listen to the recordings sent to him by Jonathan Goldman, and utilize the music as an inspiration for the artwork.

MEDICINE BUDDHA
Jonathan Goldman

Produced, Engineered & Mixed by Jonathan Goldman
Recorded at Spirit Studio, Boulder, CO
Cover Art by Donald Beaman
Graphic Design by Tom Rome

Jonathan Goldman—Tibetan Overtone & Mantric Chanting, Vocal Harmonics, Singing Bowls & Bells, Synthesizers, Tuning Forks, Guitars, Fxs, Heart Drum, Conch Shell

Ven. Lama Tashi —Homage, Mantra & Dedication for Medicine Buddha & Heart of Wisdom

John Galm & David Rugenstein—Percussions on Medicine Buddha

Alec Sims—Vocal Harmonics on Medicine Buddha

Andi Goldman—Ah Sound on Heart of Wisdom

James Tanner—Vocal Improvisations on Heart of Wisdom

Riki Newell—Native American Flute

MEDICINE BUDDHA (c) (p) 2001 Spirit Music

Thanks to: Weave for Eq assistance & midi drum programming, Kathleen Pratt for Project Inspiration, Janis Page for Wisdom, Tae Darnell for support, Andi & Joshua Goldman for their love

Dedicated to H.H., the Dalai Lama and to all sentient beings.

May this recording assist both personal and planetary evolution and enlightenment.

A portion of the proceeds from this recording will benefit Tibetan Monasteries