The seven Medicine Buddhas are powerful in healing diseases as well as for purification.
Many eons ago, seven bodhisattvas strongly prayed for the temporal and
ultimate happiness of all sentient beings, that their names become
wish-fulfilling in order to heal both the mental and physical sicknesses
and diseases of sentient beings. They vowed that their prayers will be
actualized during these degenerate times when the teachings of
Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. When they became enlightened, one of
the ten powers of a Buddha is the power of prayer - that means that all
the prayers that have been made get fulfilled. As the Buddha's holy
speech is irrevocable, you can wholly trust in their power to quickly
grant blessings to help all sentient beings in these degenerate times.
They are called the Seven Medicine Buddhas, the main one is `Lapis
Buddha of Medicine, King of Light'. Buddha Shakyamuni taught the
teachings on the Medicine Buddha, and according to one tradition, is
also considered as one of the Medicine Buddhas, and hence the
Eight Medicine Buddhas.
The seven Medicine Buddhas manifested in order to pacify the
obstacles to the achievement of temporary happiness, liberation and the
ultimate happiness of full enlightenment. They are powerful in healing
diseases as well as for purification. The Medicine Buddha practice can be
used to help purify those who have already died and liberate them from
suffering. It is also very powerful in bringing about success, both
temporary and ultimate.
The reason why the Medicine Buddha practice brings success is that in the
past when the seven Medicine Buddhas were bodhisattvas practicing the path
to enlightenment, they promised and made extensive prayers to actualize
all the prayers of living beings of the degenerate time when the teachings
of Shakyamuni Buddha are in decline. They generated a very strong
intention to become enlightened for this reason; this was their motivation
for meditating on and actualizing the path.
Lama Zopa says, "It is very important that the elaborate Medicine Buddha
puja with extensive offerings be done regularly. The offerings should be
as extensive and as beautiful as possible, and done in order to benefit
all sentient beings."
Service Manual for Spiritual Program Coordinators, FPMT
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