Short Sadhana

of the

Black Six-Armed Wisdom Mahakala,

Remover of All Obstacles
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to grant me the supreme actual attainments, to grant me the fruits of all

samadhi states of single-minded concentration and to grant all sentient
beings the peerless actual attainments as they wish.

Torma Offering
OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRITA NANA HUM PHAT
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM
Everything becomes void. From the state of voidness,
from YAM comes wind, from RAM, fire, from AHs,
a grate of three human heads, on top of which, from
an AH, comes a white skull cup. Inside it are the five
meats and five nectars and on top of these appear OM,
AH, HUM.
From the HUM at my heart light rays emanate. The
wind moves, the fire blazes, and the substances inside
the skull cup melt and boil. From the three syllables
OM, AH, HUM, light rays emanate, hooking back
the three vajras, which dissolve into them. The syllables then fall into the
skull cup and melt. From HUM, the faults of color, odor, and potential are
cleansed. From AH, the substances are transformed into nectar. From OM,
the nectar increases and becomes inexhaustible.
OM AH HUM (3x)
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA IDAM BALIMTA KA KA
KAHI KAHI (3x)

The Puja for the Black, Six-armed, Quick-acting Wisdom Mahakala, Remover of All Obstacles
was compiled from the Rinjung Gyatsa text and from a text handed out by Khensur Rinpoche
Geshe Lobsang Tsephel at the Mahakala Empowerment in Palo Alto, CA in November 2002.
The text was slightly edited and formatted by Wolfgang Saumweber in November 2002.
Last Revised: 10/2004

OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA ARGHAM PRATICCHA

SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA PADYAM PRATICCHA
SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA PHUPE PRATICCHA SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA DHUPE PRATICCHA SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA ALOKE PRATICCHA SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA GANDHE PRATICCHA
SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA NAIVIYA PRATICCHA
SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA SHABDA PRATICCHA
SVAHA
OM SHRI MAHAKALA SAPARIWARA OM AH HUM.
Conclude with dedication prayer.

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Sadhana of the Black, Six-armed, Quickacting

Wisdom Mahakala, Remover of All Obstacles

Name mantra of Shri Devi:

OM SHRI DEVI HUM PHAT

Heart mantras of the four emissaries:

OM KSETRA-PALA VIGHNAN HUM PHAT

OM JINAMITRA VASAM KURU HUM PHAT

OM TAKKIRAJA SAMAYA BHYOH [DU JAH] HUM PHAT

OM DU YAG JA MAHAKALA TRAKSAD HUM PHAT

Final Dissolution
The cremation grounds dissolve into the celestial mansion. The celestial
mansion dissolves into me. I dissolve into the wisdom being. This dissolves
into the concentration being, HUM, and that too dissolves into clear light
voidness.
From the state of voidness, I clearly appear as Mahakala, my three places
marked with the three syllables.

Forbearance
OM VAJRASATTVA SAMAYA MANU-PALAYA, VAJRASATTVA
TVENO-PATISHTA, DRIDHO ME BHAVA, SUPOSHYO ME BHAVA,
SUTOSHYO ME BHAVA, ANURAKTO ME BHAVA, SARVA SIDDHIM
ME PRAYACCHA, SARVA KARMA SUCHA ME, CHITTAM SHRIYAM KURU HUM, HA HA HA HA HOH BHAGAVAN, VAJRASATTVA
MA ME MUNCHA, VAJRASATTVA BHAVA MAHA SAMAYA SATTVA
AH HUM PHAT. (1 x)

Preliminary Practice
Refuge and Generation of Bodhicitta
Recite three times with hands at heart:
I go for refuge to the Triple Gem.
I shall liberate all sentient beings.
To lead them to an enlightened state,
I generate purely an enlightened motive. (3x)

Four Immeasurables
May all beings have happiness and its cause.
May all beings be freed from suffering and its cause.
May all beings never be separated from the happiness that is beyond
all suffering.
May all beings dwell in equanimity, unaffected by attraction to dear ones
and aversion to others.

Seven Limb Prayer

With my body, speech and mind, humbly I prostrate,
And make offerings both set out and imagined.
I declare my wrong deeds from all time,
And rejoice in the virtues of all.
Please stay until samsara ceases,
And turn the wheel of Dharma for us.
I dedicate all virtues to great enlightenment.

Whatever slightest mistake I have made from my mind being deluded,

please be patient with all of these, O Protector Mahakala, for the same
reason why you are a refuge for all living beings. Whatever I have done
(incorrectly) because of not finding (the proper materials) or not fully
knowing or lack of ability, please be patient with all of these. I beseech you
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Yamantaka Self-Generation

The wisdom beings are invoked from the south-eastern Great Cemetary of
the Cool Forest and the Sandal Forest of One Tree Trunk.

Instantaneously I arise in the

form of glorious Vajrabhairava,
with one face and two arms,
holding a curved knife and skullcup.

From HUM at my heart spread light-rays, inviting from the foot of a sandalwood tree in the great charnel ground of Sitavana in the south-east Sixarmed, Quick-acting Wisdom Mahakala, above him my root and lineage
gurus, to his right the strong heroes, to his left the smiling heroines, and the
servants, fieldprotectors, messengers and armies of the ocean of pledged protectors. With a burst of rattling, crashing and ringing from damaru, bell and
so forth they come in an instant.

Blessing the Torma as

Inner Offering
OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRITANANA HUM PHAT

Recitation:
From the HUM at my heart come black mantra garlands emitting red lightrays, like the beads of a rosary, strung on a string of five-colored light-rays.
They emerge from my mouth, enter Mahakalas mouth, absorb into the HUM
in his heart, reappear from the HUM, emerge from his navel, enter my navel
and dissolve into the HUM in my heart.

OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA
SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM
All is empty.
From within the state of emptiness appears YAM, and from
that a blue, bow-shaped wind mandala marked by banners; above that is
RAM, from which arises a red, triangular fire mandala; above that, from three
AHs appears a tripod of human heads; above that, from AH appears a white
skullcup. Within the skull-cup, in the east from BHRUM comes bull flesh
marked by GO; in the south, from AM, dog flesh marked by KU; in the west,
from JRIM, elephant flesh marked by DA; in the north, from KHAM, horse
flesh marked by HA; in the center, from HUM,
human flesh marked by NA; in the south-east,
from LAM, excrement marked by BI; in the
south-west, from MAM, blood marked by RA;
in the north-west, from PAM, white bodhichitta
marked by SHU; in the north-east, from TAM,
marrow marked by MA; and in the center, from
BAM, urine marked by MU. Above these stand a
white OM, a red AH, and a blue HUM, one
above the other.

Visualizing a perpetual circulation like this, recite the heart mantra:

OM VAJRA-MAHAKALA KSIM KSETRA-VIGHNAN VINAYAKA
HUM HUM PHAT PHAT SWAHA.

Also recite theis mantra as much as you can:

OM VAJRA NARA KSHIM KSHIM HUM HUM PHAT SVAHA

For setting [spirits etc.] on, attacking or killing, use the fierce mantra (known as
the Sasana dharani):
OM SHRI MAHAKALAYA / SHASANA UPAHARINI / ESHA PACIMAKALO / AYAM IDAM RATNA TRAYAYA APAKARINAM / YADI
PRATIJAH / SMARASI TADAM IDAM DUSHTAM KHA KHA /
KHAHI KHAHI / MARA MARA GRIHANA GRIHANA / BANDHA
BANDHA / HANA HANA / DAHA DAHA / PACA PACA / DINAMEKENA-MARAYA / HUM HUM PHAT PHAT

Lights emanate from the HUM at my heart and strike the wind; the wind
moves, the fire flares, and all the substances in the skullcup melt and boil.
Light radiates from the three letters successively, drawing forth the vajra body,
vajra speech, and vajra mind, which the three letters respectively absorb.
These descend into the skullcup and all melts.

(e) Behind, from DZA comes the

Lord of Death, Takkiraja, dark red,
his right hand flinging a noose at
an enemy, his left threatening the
vicious with a raised forefinger.
(f) On the left, from DU comes
Traksad, great lord of demons
(maras), black, his right hand
piercing the heart of an enemy
with his trident, red-spear
ensign, his left holding a bloodfilled skull. His upper teeth press on his
lower lip. He is wearing a flowing cloak of
black silk, high boots of shagreen, and a
golden girdle, and riding a black demonhorse with white fetlocks.
All four are complete with the garb of
wrathful emissaries [of Yama].
Outside them are the ten directional
guardians: in the east: Indra; in the southeast: Agni (fire deity); in the south: the
Lord of Death; inthe south-west: (the
cannibal Raksasa; in the West: (the water
deity) Varuna; in the north-west: (the
wind deity)Vayu; inthe the north: Yaksa; in
the north-east: Bhuta; above: Brahma, and
below: (the owner of the earth) Parthiva.

HUM purifies all faults of color, smell, and potentiality;

AH transforms it into nectar; OM multiplies and increases it.
OM AH HUM (3x)

Blessing the Offerings to Mahakala

OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRITANANA HUM PHAT
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM
(Everything) becomes void. While in a state of Voidness, there arise the
first syllables of the (Sanskrit) names of each of the material offerings for
my wishes to be fulfilled, each adorned with a dot on top. These melt and
become the individual offering substances to bind me closer to the deities,
as well as wild animals and objects of offerings, beyond imagination, to
please the Gurus, Yidams and Mahakala of Quick-Acting Deep Awareness,
together with his entourage. Coming before the eyes of the Gurus, Yidams
and Mahakala of Quick-Acting Deep Awareness, together with his entourage, they become increased.
OM SARVA-VID PURA PURA SURA SURA AVARTAYA AVARTAYA
HO, VAJRA SPHARANAM KHAM. (3x)
OM ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GANDHE,
NAIVIDYA, SHABDA AH HUM.
OM RUPA, SHABDA, GANDHA, RASA, SPARSHA AH HUM.

In addition to the above appear: the eight great gods, the eight great nagas,
the eight great planets, the nine great terrifiers, the twenty-eight lunar constellations and the four great kings. These seventy-five lords of the pure clans
are each surrounded by a host of ten million attendants.
Outside them are the armies of the ocean of pledged protectors (OathBound ones), delighting in flesh, reveling in blood, merciless, openmouthed,
red-eyed, wielding all kinds of vicious weapons, sucking out the lifebreath of all living beings in an instant. They are dressed as yaksas,
raksasas, yamas, maras and mdtrkas and fill the whole expanse of the
earth, the air and the heavens. All are carrying out the wishes of the
practitioner.
On the brow of each is a white OM, on the throat a red AH, at the
heart a blue HUM.

Main Practice
Visualization
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HAM
All phenomena are by nature empty and thus are emptiness.
Out of Emptiness, from a HUM in front comes
the protection wheel, inside which, amid a great,
unbearable charnel ground, from PAM comes
a lotus, from RAM a sun, and upon these a
white GAM, which melts into light and becomes
the maginficent Owner of the Asembly, Shri
Ganapati, white, elephant-headed and with three eyes.
His right hand offers to his mouth the essence of earth, a radish complete
with leaves; his left holds a skull full of nectar. He is adorned with silks and
jewels and lying down.
(a) Above him, from a dark
blue HUM comes a knife
marked with HUM. From
it light-rays spread, annihilate all vicious, hindering
enemies, make offering
to the Aryas, benefit sentient beings, return, are absorbed
and transform it into Six-armed,
Quick-acting Wisdom Mahakala
(Great Black One), fulfiller of the
hopes of living beings. He is dead
black like the cloud at the end of
time, with one face and six arms,
gazing angrily with three round,
red eyes. He has a gaping mouth
with bared fangs and rolled-up tongue, laughing loudly, and tawny, upward
streaming beard, eyebrows and hair. He is anointed with dots of red lead on
the brow, and sealed with Aksobhya-raja on the crown of his head. His first
right hand holds a vajra knife, his first left a skull full of blood, one above the
other at his heart. The second right holds a rosary of dry skulls and the last is
violently playing a damaru. The second left holds a trident spear and the last
a vajra noose. With his two feet, strong enough to suppress the three realms,
together, he is trampling hard on the king of hindering demons (Ganapati).
His tiger-skin loincloth is tied with a girdle of green silk and he has a blue
snake binding his hair, earrings of red ones, armlets of multicolored ones, a
choker of a white one, bracelets of yellow ones, a necklace of a green one, and
anklets and belt of white ones. All his limbs have strings of little bells on. He
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is corpulent, dwarfish, stout-limbed and of infinite splendor, and is beautified with a crown of five dry human heads with jewel finials, a long necklace
of fifty fresh ones dripping blood, and the six bone ornaments. Giving a terrible, thunderous roar, he is destroying all
demons and obstructors and abides amid
a blazing mass of fire of Wisdom like the
fire at the end of the eon, with his back
resting on the trunk of a sandalwood tree.
(b) On his left, amid a turbulent sea of blood and fat,
from BHYOH comes Sri Devi
(Palden Lhamo, the Glorious
Goddess) Lady of the Desire
Realm, black. Her right hand
brandishes a demons black,
scored, magic stick (khram-sin) and her
left holds a bag of diseases. She is in the
middle of a gale of fire, riding a threelegged small mule and surrounded by a
hundred thousand flesh-eaters, mamos
and dakinis.
(c) In front of the principal, from
KSHIM comes the yaksa Ksetrapala (Field-protector), dark
blue, his gaping mouth with bared
fangs calling lamentation on enemies. From his nose rises a wind
of the end of time. His right hand
brandishes skyward a knife, frightening
all the gods and asuras; his left presents
to the mouth of the principal a skull of
blood and the hearts of hindering foes. He
is riding a frantic, black bear.
(d) On the right, from DZIM
comes Lord Jinamitra (Conquerors Friend), dark red, his right
hand playing a damaru and his left
holding a blood-filled skull.