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Bhaiṣajyaguru (Sanskrit: भैषज्यगुरु, Chinese: 藥師佛, Japanese: 薬師仏, Korean: 약사불, Standard Tibetan: སངས་རྒྱས་སྨན་བླ), formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja (“Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light“; Chinese: 藥師琉璃光(王)如來, Japanese: 薬師瑠璃光如来, Korean: 약사유리광여래), is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the “Medicine Buddha“, he is described as a doctor who cures dukkha (suffering) using the medicine of his teachings. The Medicine Buddha is a healing Buddha from the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Many cultures have healing deities or rituals, and the Medicine Buddha is a profound practice for healing physical, mental, and emotional ailments. It is even more powerful when a group practices together, focusing on the loved one or person who needs healing. I have seen so many what could only be called miracles related to this practice. Giving a simplified description of the practice, we can say that it begins with preliminary mantras and prayers and then—and this is the wonderful part—one visualizes the Medicine Buddha, blue in color like the Vaiduriya jewel. One then goes on to visualize the Medicine Buddha’s healing energy radiating in all directions, especially to the person named, practicing the healing mantra Tadyatha Om Bhekhaze Bhekhaze Maha Bhekhaze Bhekhaze Radza Samungate Swaha for at least one mala or 108 repetitions, and then one dissolves into the “great seal of emptiness,“ or rests the mind in the natural state, and dedicates the merit to all sentient beings. It is a beautiful, transformational sadhana which heals both the person who is the focus of attention as well as the practitioner. The practice is most effective when the person suffering is engaged in the process—they also practice the healing mantras and invite the healing in.
