Sudarshana Garden
Medicine Buddha Mandala with Healing PlantsLet’s Create a Healing Medicine Mandala
Food is medicine and is filled with healing properties. It is important to have vitality and health in order to work to benefit sentient beings. We want to share the healing wisdom of the Kalachakra Medicine along with the world’s healing wisdom traditions in our Medicine Buddha Mandala. We are constructing Sudarshana, the city where the Medicine Buddha first taught the Medicine. The 42 meter wide herb garden is in the shape of the Medicine Buddha Mandala surrounded on all sides by magical trees including a Bodhi tree. Inside the Mandala are 4 gates with 16 prayer wheels filled with the mantras of the Medicine Buddha guarded by 16 dragons. In the outer ring of the Mandala will be the 6 additional Medicine Buddha’s according to Dolpopa’s text and 2 Taras linked to healing. In the center, is a precious Medicine Fountain filled with the healing water of Lama Lobsang Trinlé a manifestation of Vajrapani and the Medicine Buddha. The fountain will feature a blue marble Medicine Buddha statue donated by our Vietnamese community. It is shaded by of a Healing Tree with healing water dripping from the lotus at the top of the tree over the blue marble Buddha into the lotus pond. We aspire to extend the blessings of Lama Lutrin, revive Kalachakra Medicine and create an educational space that can integrate the various healing wisdom traditions of the world.
Current Status of Sudarshana the Medicine Buddha’s Mandala Garden
THE SHOWER OF BLESSINGS
Lama Lutrin’s Healing Water
Khentrul Rinpoche’s Root Guru, Lama Lobsang Trinle (Lama Lutrin) was a great Kalachakra master and healer. In a long retreat he healed himself of Leprosy and after that knew all the Tibetan Medicine teachings even ones he had not studied. He healed many people of normally incurable diseases. We are putting water blessed by him in the fountain. He spent many years praying with many monks and a lot of Medicine Pujas to bless this water. We hope it helps spread his blessing and the healing power of his water to millions of animals and people through out the world. Visitors to the fountain can take some of the healing water with them.
Healing Power of the Medicine Buddha
The vision for the healing garden of medicinal herbs grew out of the aspiration to connect the people of Australia and the world to Kalachakra through all of the Bodhisattva sciences including Kalachakra and Traditional Medicines. Food is medicine and the healing power of plants has been known for a long time and is something the Australian people are also very passionate about. While reading sutras and tantras are important, the Buddha was very skillful having 84,000 Dharma gates. Introducing people to the power and wisdom of the Medicine Buddhas through an experiential Mandala filled with their blessed statues, mantras and the traditioanl medicine herbs placed based on their solar and lunar healing properties will create another doorway into the teachings.
PLANTING THE MEDICINE BUDDHA’S GARDEN
Sudarshana, the Celestial City of Medicine
At the center of Tanaduk, on a mountain is the Medicine Buddha’s Celestial Realm of Medicine is Sudarshana, the city of medicine. This is where the Medicine Buddha is recorded as having appeared to the world and taught all of the Medical tantras to bodhisattvas, rishis and healers. This mystical paradise is surrounded by great forests of extraordinary medicine, full of potent and powerful remedies that cure all diseases known to humanity.
Each of the various directions are associated with healing properties such as the Lunar or Solar cycle. The plants that are located in that area of the realm have specific healing properties. We are planting as closely as possible according to the Medical tantras in each direction of the Mandala. The Kalachakra tantra specifically has a healing herb box of medicine used to help harmonize the subtle body. We one day in the future aspire to have this medicine available at Dzokden Shambhala.
Consecration of the Medicine Buddha Mandala
In 2023, Khentrul Rinpoche filled and blessed the 9 statues.
Statues in our Medicine Mandala Include
1) 20th Tara Ritrö Loma Gyönma dispels all deadly epidemics
2) 18th Tara Maja Chenmö protects from poison.
3) Medicine Buddha made of Marble – Healing Medicine Buddha
4) Tahtagatha of Excellent Name protects people from all beings who have fallen onto wrong paths and are harmed by forms of illness, dangers of poverty, predators and other enemies.
5)Tathagata Glorious One Free From Sorrow – protects people from states with inferior bodies, disturbed minds, darkness with nothing desirable, and hunger.
6) Tathagata Melodious Ocean of Proclaimed Dharma protects people from the emergence of wrong views on the side of evil, poverty, quarrels, and lethal weapons
7)Tathagata King of Clear Knowing protects people from beings from performing wrong deeds in work, business negotiations, entanglements, striking, short life and so forth.
8)Tathagata Stainless Refined Gold protects people from those who are born into families affected by poverty, quarreling, and negative emotions, from these states of distorted and negative thoughts.
9)Tathagata King of Melodious Sound is a one of the healing Medicine Buddhas that protects people from all beings of this from distraction, negative births, inferior bodies, thick darkness and mistaken vehicles where there is no chance for nirvana.
Consecration of the Medicine Buddha Mandala
In 2023, Khentrul Rinpoche Jamphel Lodrö has invited one of his favorite and highly respect masters, H.E. Kathog Rigzin Chenpo return to Dzokden Shambhala, this time to consecrate the statues and the completed Mandala. H.E. Kathog Rigzin Chenpo learned Tibetan medicine and about the healing qualities of herbs from Khamtsang Rinpoche who was also a Tibetan Doctor. Rinpoche spent many years in his youth searching the mountains for medicinal herbs. He taught him the Medicine Buddha Tantra text and how to understand Coded text and prophecies. He also studied Geography, Feng Shui, Medicine and Astrology from Thubten Norbu Rinpoche.
All 7 Medicine Buddhas and the 2 Tara were consecrated.
Consecration is an incredible important step for any holy object. It is when the Gurus embodied as the Buddha invite the essence of the Buddha to come forth in the object for the benefit of beings.
Sponsor the Mandala Gates
There are 4 traditional Tibetan gates being installed at the 4 directions of the Medicine Buddha mandala. Each one will eventually contain a painted interior ceiling depicting the realm of the medicine Buddha. We have also installed lighting so that all the gates, fountain and statue can be lit for visitors at night.
MEDICINE BUDDHA PRAYER WHEEL SPONSORSHIP
One of the most beneficial and fruitful ways to purify speech and create oceans of merit is through the offering and spinning of a prayer wheel. We have selected 16 new prayer wheels each containing 800,000 Medicine Buddha Mantras each to place at the entrance Gates to the Mandala Garden. People who walk by will be able to spin them creating the seeds for liberation and healing all beings.
Sponsor a Dragon Gate protector
The Dragon is one of the 4 divine animals. Dragons are a symbol the power of perfect communication. It is believed that dragons are able to see right through the slander. Since Dragons cannot be seen by naked eyes, they’re known to announce their presence by a thunderous sound that wakens people false beliefs and perceptions. Each gate will have 4 dragons atop it.
Sponsor a Sertok for the MANDALA Gates
The Sertok is the highest point and the final atop most Buddhist gates and temple. It represents a golden umbrella. This represents the victory of the pinnacle of the Buddhist teachings. Each gate of the Medicine Buddha Mandala will have 1 golden sertok on top of the Chinese style roof.