5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization

5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization
Dharma Talk by Acharya Lian Ming at Calgary Pai Yuin Temple (Canada) 2009 (date to be given).
Translated by Ky Ly
Edited and Proofread by Jackie Ho

Let us put our palms together and pay wholehearted homage to our root guru Living Buddha Lian-sheng. Let us pay homage to our lineage masters, the three jewels of our shrine, and all buddhas, bodhisattvas, dharma protectors, devas, dragons, and heavenly beings.

                                                                                      
I want to wish good evening to our reverends, dharma assistant, and all dharma brothers and sisters (applause).
As for the story that was just spoken about the earth gods [following Reverend’s dharma talk], I can vaguely recall it. Today we will not talk about it.
Actually, there is one thing that I want to share with everyone. In my dharma talks, I never talk about my travel experiences, dharma excursions, or the kinds of delicious foods that I come across. I will rarely talk about these kinds of experiences.
Today I want to expound on a very important practice. This practice may not be suitable for everyone but one should listen to it.

This practice is called the 5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization.
Over the years, our temple has invited various masters to perform ceremonies and give dharma talks. However, these masters generally only stay for a short period of time. Therefore, most of the time their dharma talks are not expounded in depth and they are very general. They cannot expound too much in depth because half of the people are not interested in hearing about the pith instructions of the practice.
Generally, if a temple has a master that presides there for an extended period of time, then that master will be able to gradually teach the dharma practices in length and in great detail.

Generally, our main question is regarding how to do the 5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization?”

Today we will not talk about how to enter meditation. Many practitioners would like to know about what to do during meditation. In meditation, many people cannot clear their minds. If one is able to clear their mind, then what should one do after one merges with their personal deity? One cannot just sit there and be bored. So first, one should consider how long one should sit in mediation. Second, one should think about the kind of visualization that one will do.

If one has already merged with their personal deity, do you think that one should just continue to visualize themselves as one with their personal deity?
When one has merged with their personal deity in the ocean of light during meditation, what should one be doing? This question has recently been asked by many practitioners. When you are in samadhi, what should you do upon attaining spiritual union? For example, during today’s ceremony, when we were performing the three steps of the Kuan Yin visualization I had already entered into deep meditation. I was in deep meditation when all of you were just beginning the Nine-Cycle Breathing Practice, even until the time when all of you were just emerging from meditation.

Honestly speaking, during meditation one can perform many different meditative practices. However, we need to understand that these important practices should be performed while one is in samadhi.

One of these practices is called the 5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization.
For example, if we are cultivating the Kuan Yin Personal Deity Practice, then we need to visualize a very large sun disc in front of us. Inside the sun is your root guru. Then visualize your root guru entering the sun. Afterwards, visualize the personal deity of the particular practice session, along with the buddhas and bodhisattvas, entering the large sun. They appear like many sparkling lights melting into the sun. This visualization is very crucial.

When all of them become part of the sun, visualize the sun slowly moving towards you to reside on top of your head. Then visualize the sun entering into your head and then into your body. Now, you should feel the sun’s energy shining brightly inside your body. After this step, visualize this abundant light flowing out from your toes and the bottom of your feet. The energy that flows out is resembles milk pouring onto the floor. It flows slowly from your feet to your seat, and then outwards in all directions. The further that you visualize the flowing energy, the better that it is. For example, visualize your light energy flowing all the way to downtown. It further flows South, East towards the cemeteries, North towards Edgemont and Sandstone [these are neighborhoods in Calgary], and continues outward in all directions. Visualize this light energy flowing from your feet and filling up the space in all directions.

Now, visualize all of this light energy slowly rising up towards the mid air to become individual light sparkles. Visualize each sparkle becoming a very small Buddha. Then visualize all of these buddhas coming together on top of your head transforming into a large sun [just like the one visualized at the beginning]. Again, visualize this sun entering into your entire body and filling it with light energy that flows out of your body from the bottom of your feet and toes. One revolution of this is known as One Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization. You can do this visualization five times or you can do it as many times as you want. Normally speaking, if you do it twice then it should take you 20 minutes.

The main point of this visualization is to visualize in great detail. Furthermore, the key to this visualization is that the body must be visualized as being transparent. The outer shell and inner body must be transparent. It’s just like seeing milk being poured into your body and flowing out from your feet. However, as the energy flows out of your body, continue to visualize yourself radiating bright light. It is wrong if you visualize your body being transparent after the energy leaves your body.

As the sun descends into your body, it will be full of the sun’s radiant bright energy. The two very important points of this visualization is to visualize the outer body and inner body as being empty or transparent. When both your outer and inner body are empty, the sun’s energy will enter your body and the radiant energy will completely spread out through all the pores of your skin. Then it flows out from your feet and spreads outwards.

You may probably be thinking, why do you want to visualize this energy spreading in all directions as far as possible? There is a very important point to remember about this, and that is one day you will be able to attain full transcendental travel. This means that however far your energy can spread, it will determine the distance that you can travel transcendentally. This is a very important point.

Therefore, this practice may not be suitable for everyone. Many people say they are not capable of doing any visualizations. In that case, it’s best not to do this practice. To be honest, do not do this practice. Instead, just sit and chant “Namo Amitofo.” If your visualization skills are very good, then one can do this practice. This is visualization practice.

Other than having the ability to achieve transcendental travel, what other abilities can you achieve? Generally speaking, we visualize the sun and personal deity entering our body. In the past, I have spoken to many other dharma brothers and sisters regarding chanting techniques and visualization techniques. This 5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization is actually used for prayers or wishes.

This visualization can be used to attain ones wishes such as a good career, a successful job interview, or many other kinds of wishes. Tell your wishes to your personal deity, chant their mantra and enter meditation. During meditation, you would do this visualization practice and then your personal deity will complete your wish. This is the 5-Cycle Dharma Wheel Visualization. All wishes will be fulfilled! However, you do not have to visualize your boss giving you a promotion letter or getting rid of the people that you don’t like. You do not have to perform all of these minor visualizations [regarding your wishes]. All you have to do is tell your personal deity your wish, chant their mantra, enter meditation, and perform this visualization. Through this visualization, all wishes will automatically be completed.

Therefore, this visualization is a very important practice. Many people have asked, why is Vajrayana so efficacious? Why is it so efficacious? It is because it can help you to transcend birth and death. But, how does it work? You don’t know? You may think that after death, you will be reborn into the Western Paradise, and transcend birth and death. If this is the case, then you can just chant the Buddhas’ names everyday instead. Besides Vajrayana, Pure Land Buddhism and Hinayana can also bring you to the Western Paradise.

What makes Vajrayana so efficacious? You will not be able to answer this. This is because there are so many esoteric keys and pith instructions that they cannot all be taught by masters who only visit for a short period of time. [In the past, Calgary Pai Yuin Temple did not have a presiding master.] Only when your temple has an extended presiding master, will he or she be able to teach you. Many places organize short-term meditation seminars that are condensed. These seminars are so condensed that many don’t remember much from them. It is as if it goes in the left ear and goes out the right ear.

Therefore, everyone can go home and practice this visualization. It is very important. A tantrayana practitioner should perform this. Many people have asked, what do I do after I become one with my personal deity Kuan Yin? This is really what they asked me. Is meditation just about clearing the mind? No, it is not. However, today we will not talk about [this aspect of] meditation. What we are talking about here are the practices you can perform during meditation.

Om mani padme hum