Sadhana Practice » Tibet Dharma

Sadhana means practice. In Buddhism and Hinduism, it denotes a deity or yidam practice. The point is to see oneself as fully enlightened without invoking ego. Ego donning the form of the deity is a significant danger in sadhana.

Sadhana in Buddhism originated from the Hindu tradition now exists similar to the Hindu ritual sadhanas but with a different view. The Hindu tradition of attaining Atman or the Supreme Self is replaced by the idea of attaining realization into awareness, emptiness, the Buddha nature, the wisdom mind, or the suchness and luminosity inseparable. Though it all means essentially the same thing – Buddhahood – many other ideas can be used to express it.

Sadhana is about bringing forth the full virtues of enlightenment. These virtues are considered to be fully manifest and ready to shine forth from the practitioner. This is the core Vajrayana perspective for practice of sadhana. The practitioner takes the view they (and all beings) are fully enlightened. The practice is to demonstrate that enlightenment. It is not nurtured and grown – it is brought forth. It is a critical difference for a few reasons.

First, it is much faster. Second, the obscurations are not considered to be flaws, but adornments of the enlightened mind. This is why sadhana can be dangerous. Arrogant practitioners can justify negative emotions as ‘enlightened activity.’

In brief, the deity is the embodiment or the manifestation of the enlightened virtues. It is also the manifestation of the enlightened activity of the enlightened mind.

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Key Takeaways for Sadhana

Sadhana, (druptap in Tibetan) a Sanskrit term, signifies a dedicated spiritual practice undertaken with discipline and devotion.
It translates to “accomplishment” or “means to an end” in the context of spiritual growth.
The yoga emphasizes integrating various practices like meditation, chanting, and yoga postures.
Visualization of the deity’s form is a central aspect, and most druptap are referenced by the Sanskrit name of the deity.
Keeping a practice journal helps track progress, record reflections, and identify areas for improvement.
Examples of the practices include mantra recitation, meditation, puja (ritual worship), and self-study of sacred texts.
Sadhanas typically have a common framework, but this is modified from one druptap to another.
A spiritual teacher or guide can offer support, direction, and encouragement on your path.
Druptap (Tib.) is a lifelong commitment leading to inner peace, enlightenment, and a deeper connection with the divine.

Entity	Description	Relationship to Sadhana
Practices	Various techniques used within a spiritual practice.	Sadhana incorporates many practices to achieve spiritual growth.
druptap (སྒྲུབ་ཐབས་)	Tibetan translation	Translation of base term
* Mantra recitation	Chanting sacred syllables or phrases for focus and inner purification.
* Meditation	Techniques like mindfulness or guided meditation to quiet the mind and cultivate inner peace.
* Puja (Ritual worship)	Offering prayers, flowers, or incense to deities for devotion and connection with the divine.
* Yoga	Practices like asana postures and pranayama breathing for physical and mental well-being.
* Self-study	Studying sacred texts or teachings from spiritual masters for deeper understanding.
Benefits	Positive outcomes gained from a dedicated spiritual practice.	Sadhana leads to these benefits.
* Inner peace	A state of calmness and tranquility within oneself.
* Spiritual growth	The ongoing development of one’s spiritual awareness and connection with the divine.
* Enlightenment	A state of awakened consciousness and liberation from suffering.
* Deeper connection with the divine	A stronger sense of unity and relationship with a higher power or spiritual reality.
Qualities	Essential characteristics needed for a successful sadhana practice.	Sadhana requires these qualities.
* Discipline	Consistent and committed effort in one’s spiritual practice.
* Devotion	Deep dedication and reverence towards one’s spiritual path.
* Dedication	A strong commitment and focus on the practice of sadhana.
* Consistency	Regularly engaging in the chosen sadhana practices.
Tools	Optional elements that can support and enhance a sadhana practice.	Sadhana may involve these tools.
* Sadhana journal	A space to record practices, reflections, and progress on the spiritual journey.
* Spiritual teacher/guide	A mentor who offers support, direction, and encouragement on the path of sadhana.

Sadhana: Tantric Method for Attainment

The word “sadhana” resonates within Hinduism and Buddhism, holding a profound significance on the spiritual path. It’s not a one-time act, but a dedicated practice, a journey of self-discovery and transformation. This post delves into the essence of it, its various forms, and how it guides us towards spiritual awakening.

Hinduism created most practice forms. Buddhist tantrikas then modified the texts, or rewrote them, keeping similar basic structures. They added in the essential Buddhist view of reality.

Sadhana Meaning

In Sanskrit, “sadhana” translates literally to “accomplishment” or “means to an end.” However, within the spiritual context, it signifies a dedicated spiritual practice undertaken with discipline and devotion. It’s the ongoing effort we put into cultivating our inner world, aligning ourselves with higher consciousness.

The Tibetan translation is druptap (སྒྲུབ་ཐབས་). Here’s a breakdown:

drup (སྒྲུབ) – to accomplish, achieve, complete
thabs (ཐབས་) – means, method, way

Therefore, druptap literally translates to “means of accomplishment” or “method of achievement.”

Structure of Sadhanas

Most Sadhanas have similarities in their structure. There would be a few opening chants which are not particularly part of the Sadhana and might be prescribed by the teacher based on the current conditions facing the Sangha or that the practitioners are working with. Then an optional period of shamata or relaxed focused mindfulness. The initial chant would include some supplications to teachers and lineage and so forth, which typically include some reference to the view and explanation of the view of Dharma within them.

The beginning of the Sadhana might have some kind of invocation of the essence or central quality of the deity, though not always there. An homage to the lineage will call on the lineage forefathers to bless the practitioner. A refuge vow is mandatory as is a bodhisattva vow. Sometimes these are put together into a single format and almost always repeated three times.

Some Sadhanas will have the invocation of protecting circles and casting out of ego. Some will have the invocation of the blessings of the local non-enlightened deities. Typically following that is a period of shamata or formless meditation in order to prepare the mind. Then most Sadhanas have a mantra indicating emptiness or the dissolution of the practitioner’s self and an arising of the deity based on a specific set of steps. Many times these are skipped over, just understood.

They include the arising from the source of Dharma as the suchness of reality. This builds into the four or five elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Often there is a lotus flower (purity), a sun disk (wisdom), and a moon disk (compassion). These factors are the causes of enlightenment. Also a corpse or a living being forms the seat for the deity. The corpse represents the subjugation of ego.

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The seed syllable then arises. It typically emanates light and receives light in the form of connecting with the world, dissolving the impurities and negative obscurations of sentient beings and awakening tham into enlightenment. The seed syllable then receives the merit from that. Then the seed syllable undergoes some transformation into the form of the deity. This is all in the text to chant. The practitioner visualizes it as they go along.

After that, there’s often a praise and offerings. These sometimes explicitly involve the emanation of offering and praise devas who emanate from the practitioner’s heart. They offer to and praise the deity form, which is generally a self-visualization. Sometimes there’s also a front visualization. Many sadhanas have both and they’re done in different sequences and at different times.

Following this, there is a typical period of mantra recitation. The offerings and praise are often repeated. Many sadhanas will have a ritual at some point that is special to that sadhana. The ritual invokes a magical influence that is especially related to that particular deity.

Then there are often optional pieces that can be included or pieces that only occur at specific times of the day. Examples are certain protector chants or a long life blessing and so forth. At that point, usually a dissolution of the form of the deity into emptiness and the Sampankrama period.

The first part, that of visualizing the deity and chanting, is called Utpatikrama or Kyerim, meaning Generation Stage. The dissolution of emptiness into pure wakefulness is Dzogrim or Sampanakrama, completion stage meditation.

After a period of time doing completion stage, the deity typically re-arises and there may be another set of offerings and praises. The offerings are intended to generate vast amounts of merit very, very quickly. There are usually seven offerings for the female deity (dakini) and eight offerings for the male deity (heruka). (see the following table for details).

Sometimes there are also inner offerings and the secret offering, the inner offerings are Amrita, Rakta and Torma, which are the symbolic manifestations of the three poisons which are offered in the deity in order to purify them into wisdom. Amrita, or sacred liquor, represents passion or purified desire. It becomes Bliss. Rakta is tea representing blood, symbolic of aggression. Enlightened aggression kills the ego and its obscuring tendencies. Purified aggression is clarity. Torma is a ritual cake, representing ignorance (sometimes other things). Ignorance purified is non-thought.

The secret offering would be the ultimate wisdom mind, the awakened mind itself or suchness. It’s secret because until one attains a level of realization it cannot be seen or understood.

The eight branches of accumulating merit is often inserted somewhere in most liturgies. Some confession liturgy is done, as well, sometimes. in connection to protector liturgies.

Many sadhanas have an optional feast liturgy, which is an enhanced ritual only done on occasions, more often in retreat of course. A feast is a ritual procedure of offering food and enjoying food and drink and relating to the sangha as also the form of the deity. Eating as the deity purifies Samaya and generate tremendous merit.

After the feast, there may be another dissolution and another re-arising. At this point, there would be typically an aspirational chant, perhaps a few protector chants, long-life chants for specific teachers, and a dedication of merit.

8 Outer Offerings in Tantric Practice

Offering	Sanskrit Term	Symbolic Meaning
Drinking Water	Argham	Represents the purification of body and mind, the offering of clarity and cleanliness.
Foot Water	Padyam	Cleansing the feet of the dust of samsara. The dakini does not receive Padyam because she is flying in the sky of wisdom, not touching the ground.
Flowers	Pushpa (པུཥྤ)	Represents impermanence, beauty, and the blossoming of enlightenment.
Incense	Dhūpa (དུག་)	Represents devotion, the offering of a pleasing aroma, and the transformation of negativity.
Lamp	Aloke	Represents wisdom, dispelling darkness, and illuminating the path to enlightenment.
Perfume	Gandhavya (སྤོས་)	Represents delight, purification of the senses, and the offering of a pleasant fragrance. Senses are pure in themselvs.
Food	Naivedya (ལྷག་མ)	Represents sustenance, generosity, and offering the fruits of one’s labor.
Music	Gandha (སྒྲ་)	Represents joy, harmony, and the offering of pleasing sounds.

Sadhana Meaning in English

There’s no single perfect translation in English. It encompasses concepts like “spiritual discipline,” “spiritual effort,” or “spiritual practice.” It emphasizes the dedication and commitment required for consistent growth on the path to enlightenment. Most practitioners use the term to mean their personal practice after ngondro.

Sadhana Yoga

This term refers to the integration of various practices within a dedicated spiritual regimen. Yoga, in its broader sense meaning “union,” emphasizes the unification of mind, body, and spirit. Druptap yoga encourages incorporating practices like asana (postures), pranayama (breathwork), meditation, and chanting to create a holistic approach to spiritual growth.

Sadhana Journal

A practice journal is a highly useful tool on your spiritual journey. Primarily, you should keep track of your sessions or mantras accumulated. It’s also a space to record your daily practices, reflections, and insights gained along the way. Jotting down challenges faced and breakthroughs experienced allows you to track your progress and celebrate milestones. A well-maintained practice journal fosters introspection and helps identify areas for improvement.

Here are some tips for keeping a journal:

Set realistic goals: Start with short, achievable entries and gradually increase the detail as you become more comfortable.
Be honest: Your journal is a safe space for honest reflection. Don’t shy away from recording challenges or moments of doubt.
Review regularly: Periodically revisit your entries to see how your practice has evolved and identify areas for continued growth.
IMPORTANT!: a practice journal is how you record your sessions or mantras, depending on the requirements for your particular practice.

List of Well-Known druptap methods

Different spiritual traditions offer various forms of druptap. Here are a few examples:

Mantra recitation: Chanting sacred syllables or phrases with focused attention, believed to purify the mind and cultivate specific qualities.
Meditation practices: Techniques like mindfulness meditation or guided meditations can help quiet the mind and develop strong focus to prepare for the more rigorous druptap meditations.
Puja (ritual worship): Offering prayers, flowers, or incense to deities, fostering devotion and a sense of connection with the divine.
Self-study: Studying sacred texts or teachings from spiritual masters deepens understanding and provides guidance on the spiritual path.

This list is not exhaustive, and many other practices can be incorporated into a sadhana depending on your chosen tradition and personal inclinations.

Major Sadhanas in Tibetan Buddhism

source: Wikipedia

FAQ:

How to establish a daily sadhana practice? Start small, with achievable goals. Consistency is key. Even 15 minutes of dedicated practice daily is more beneficial than sporadic longer sessions. Gradually increase the duration and complexity as your practice deepens.
Overcoming challenges in sadhana? Everyone faces challenges on the spiritual path. Don’t get discouraged by setbacks. View them as opportunities for learning and refining your practice. Consider seeking guidance from a teacher or joining a supportive community.
The importance of a teacher or guide? A teacher or spiritual guide can offer invaluable support and direction on your sadhana journey. They can help tailor practices to your needs, answer questions, and provide encouragement.

Sadhana is a lifelong journey, a commitment to self-discovery and spiritual growth. By incorporating dedicated practices into your daily routine, you embark on a transformative path towards inner peace, enlightenment, and a deeper connection with the divine.