Every year at Menri Monastery on the 22nd-29th lunar days of the 7th lunar month, there is the retreat of the Namdak Péma Long Yang, The Vast Expanse of the Completely Pure Lotus Deities. In 2024, these dates correspond with September 22nd-Oct 1st. This practice clears away the suffering and misery of sentient beings and purifies all defilements and wrongdoing.

This ritual cycle is part of the Outer Mother Tantra and is traditionally practiced within the Shen tradition, the system followed by Menri Monastery. The Tantra of Vast Expanse of the Completely Pure Lotus was a terma, or hidden treasure text, rediscovered by the tertön Shenchen Luga. (For more information about Shenchen Luga, see previous article: https://ravencypresswood.com/2017/04/23/lord-of-the-teachings-shenchen-luga/ ) The 15th Menri Trizin Khenchen Yungdrung Tsultrim also wrote a practice text entitled, A Bouquet of Utpala, Practice of the Completely Pure Lotus Mother.

The principal deity of this practice is the Enlightened Mother Satrik Érsang. She is golden and has a turquoise crown ornament on her head. She sits upon a lotus seat above a throne of intertwined, energetic lions. She is adorned with the thirteen peaceful ornaments. Her right hand holds a golden vase of healing nectar and her left hand holds a clear, magical mirror.

Surrounding her in every direction and pervading all of space are the completely pure lotus deities who are her emanations and her assistants who work for the benefit of clearing away the suffering and misery of all sentient beings.

“I, and the limitless other sentient beings, pay homage and go for refuge to the multitude of enlightened ones. By offering this divine palace that is filled with precious treasure, please be seated and remain inseparable from the objects of support. Please pay heed to us!

Come here with the power of your great love and pacify the actions of the poison of anger and hatred!

Come here with your great compassion and seize the six causes for cyclic existence! From a state of compassion for the six kinds of migrating beings, bring those causes to ruin!

Come here with your great wisdom and clear away the darkness of mental dullness!

Come here with your great openness and destroy the prison of jealousy!

Come here with your great peacefulness and destroy the mountain of pride from the top!

Come here with your great generosity and pacify the raging fire of desire and need!

Come here with your great joyful diligence and remove the apathy of sentient beings within cyclic existence!

Come here with your great patience and pacify the enemy of the afflictive emotions!

Come here with your great concentration and pacify suffering due to change for sentient beings!

Come here with your great, skillful methods and loosen the tethers of misconceptions!

Come here with your great discipline and ethical behavior and tame the afflictive emotions of sentient beings that are difficult to tame!

Through your great prayers of aspiration, may I and all the limitless sentient beings obtain the unsurpassable fruit!”

Excerpt from The Victorious Enlightened Activity of the Completely Pure Lotus Mother

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