4   Tooth-Stick, Water, Kusha Grass, and Thread

           CASTING THE TOOTH-STICK AND GIVING HANDFULS OF WATER AND SO FORTH

A tooth-stick [an old-fashioned tooth brush] is cast [or dropped onto a square board drawn in four sections and a central portion] for the sake of analyzing what type of feat (dngos grub, siddhi) the student is to work at achieving. For this, the student has to repeat a Sanskrit mantra in which the seed syllables of the six lineages are first recited and then there is mention of the four doors of liberation. The three doors of liberation are signlessness, wishlessness, and emptiness, and in addition here there is a fourth, non-activity – referring to the fact that although causes produce effects, they do not do so inherently. The meaning of the mantra is that body, speech, and mind are cleansed by way of exalted body, speech, and mind that are undifferentiable in entity from the reality of the four doors of liberation.

           Then, wash with fragrantly perfumed water a twelve finger-width tooth-stick, grown from a milk-fruit tree such as Ficus Glomearata (udumvāra),¹¹ that is without any living beings, straight and not split, with non-deteriorated and unscarred skin and bark. At the head [of the tooth-stick] hold a garland of flowers, and having made offerings with scents and so forth say [and have the students repeat]:

           Oṃ āḥ hūṃ hoḥ haṃ kṣhaḥ vajra-danta-kāṣhṭha-chatur-vimokṣha-mukha-vishuddha-svabhāvaṃ kāya-vāk-chitta-jñāna-mukha-dantādi-malaṃ vishodhaya svāhā. [May the seed syllables of the six lineages – oṃ āḥ hūṃ hoḥ haṃ kṣhaḥ – and the vajra tooth-stick having the nature of the purity of the four doors of liberation purify the defilements of the teeth and so forth of the faces of exalted body, speech, mind, and pristine consciousness svāhā.]

           Give it to the student who is facing east. Having uttered:

           Oṃ āḥ hūṃ

           seven times, [the student] casts [that is, drops the tooth-stick] onto the mandala – which has a cubit on each side, four corners, and is annointed with the five cow-products.12 Through this, one knows that [the student] will achieve the manifold activities concordant with the direction of the head of the tooth-stick.

           [GIVING HANDFULS OF WATER]

Next is the giving of handfuls of water as a means of purifying the three doors of body, speech, and mind.

           Then, having uttered:

           Oṃ hrīḥ suvishuddha-dharma-sarva-pāpaṃ nichāmasya shodhaya sarva-vikalpanā-apanaya hūṃ. [Oṃ hrīḥ purify all ill-deeds of this aggregation by way of the thorough purity of phenomena, remove all conceptuality hūṃ.]

           pour three handfuls of fragrant water along with the five ambrosias [into the student’s] hand.

First, take a little of the water poured into your hand and use it to rinse out your mouth. Then, take the remaining water in three sips, considering them as means of purifying respectively body, speech, and mind.

           GIVING KUSHA GRASS

In connection with advice, given later, for analyzing tonight’s dreams, kusha grass is given for the sake of having unmistaken, clear dreams. It is also for the sake of clearing away pollutants and uncleanliness so that your mind will be clear.

           Then, clear away [obstructors from] kusha grass, the tips of which are not deteriorated and are large, and having said:

           Generated from hūṃ.

           repeat hūṃ and the six syllables [oṃ āḥ hūṃ hoḥ haṃ kṣhaḥ]. It is for the mattress, whereas the smaller one, having said:

           Arisen from dhīḥ.

           and repeated dhīḥ and the six syllables [oṃ āḥ hūṃ hoḥ haṃ kṣhaḥ], is for the pillow. These are given between the pressed palms of the two hands of the student, [299] uttering:

           Oṃ vajra-tīkṣhṇa baṃ. [Oṃ vajra sharpness baṃ.]

The larger one is to put under your mattress, and the smaller, under your pillow.

           GIVING A PROTECTIVE THREAD

           Then, cleanse and purify a red thread the length of the student’s body, wound three times:

           Arisen from hūṃ.

           Having repeated hūṃ and the six syllables [oṃ āḥ hūṃ hoḥ haṃ kṣhaḥ] seven times, tie three knots in it. Uttering:

           Oṃ buddha-maitri rakṣha rakṣha sarvān svāhā. [Oṃ protect, protect against all (the unfavorable) with buddha-love svāhā.]

           tie it on the student’s shoulder. The purpose of these is like that explained elsewhere.

The mantra uses the word for love, “maitri”, because love is the real protection. As much as love increases in your mind, so much do harmful forces not affect you. Since this is the case, the actual method for protecting against harm is the cultivation of love.