Medicine Buddha Mantra

Bhaiṣajyaguru is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahayana Buddhism. In the English language, he is commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha" or the "Medicine King Bodhisattva". The use of the analogy of a Buddha being depicted as a doctor who cures the illness of suffering using the medicine of his teachings appears widely in Buddhist scriptures.

The practice of Medicine Buddha, the Supreme Healer is not only a very powerful method for healing and increasing healing powers both for oneself and others, but also for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance, thus to meditate on the Medicine Buddha can help decrease physical and mental illness and suffering.

The ancient teachings that tell us even seeing an image of the Medicine Buddha can confer inconceivable benefits also reveal that just hearing the name of the Medicine Buddha brings the same benefits. (Click on the image to enlarge. Image courtesy of Osel Shen Phen Ling)

"If one meditates on the Medicine Buddha, one will eventually attain enlightenment, but in the meantime one will experience an increase in healing powers both for oneself and others and a decrease in physical and mental illness and suffering."

—Lama Tashi Namgyal

Teaching on the Medicine Buddha given by Sakyamuni Buddha:

"Therefore the World's Most Venerable entered into a Samadhi called the Removal of Suffering for All Beings. While He was in this contemplation a great radiance of light was sent forth from his Ushnisa, and he pronounced the great Dharani as follows: 

OM namo bhagawate Bhaishjaya guru

vaidurya prabha rajaya tathagataya

arhate samyaksam buddhaya teyatha

om bekhajye bekhajye maha bekhajye

bekhajye rajaya samudgate svaha

When He, in his radiance, had spoken this mystical formula, the earth was shaken and emitted a great light. All beings were delivered from their diseases and miseries, they are now happy because their bodies and minds are at rest. "

Directly translated it means:

1. OM:  we begin with Om, the under-current tone of the universe

2. namo:  means yielding or full of trust; can also mean to bend or bow, and might mean to melt into

3. Bhagawate: means in intimate relation to the Divine and often means the entire cosmos

4. Bhaishjaye:  a name for the Medicine Buddha

5. Guru: Spiritual Master; also means the “that” which transmutes ignorance into wisdom

6. Vaidurya prabha:  Divine deep blue light, like that of Lapis Lazuli

7. Rajaya:  means Great King

8. Tathagataya:  means once came or once gone

9. Arhate:  one who has conquered the cycle of birth death

10. Samyaksam buddhaya:  perfectly enlightened

11. Teyatha:  do it like this

12. OM:  again we begin with Om, the under-current tone of the univers

13. Bekhajye bekhajye:  do away with the pain of illness

14. Maha bekhajye: do away with the pain of illness (of the darkness of Spiritual Ignorance

15. Bekhajye:  do away with the pain of illness

16. Samudgate:  means the supreme heights. Like this, go go go

      (my prayer shall go to the highest and the widest and the deepest)

17. Svaha:  I offer this prayer and now relinquish it …  (to you Medicine Buddha)

Invocation of the Medicine Buddha mantra means in short:

May all beings be auspicious!  I make my prostration to you who destroyed the enemy of negative life cycle changes, who has thus gone to the state of enlightenment like other Buddhas, who perfectly accomplished the quality of the Buddha, the supreme physician who is fully liberated and awakened, the enlightened one, Medicine Buddha. Bedurya, King of the physicians.

The Art of Healing: A Tibetan Buddhist Perspective

Tibetan Buddhists consider the Medicine Buddha Empowerment to be the most powerful blessing for healing, dispelling sickness and for awakening the innate healing wisdom that lies within every individual. 

"The distant causes of the diseases are seated in the past mental environment which was influenced by "afflictive emotions" -- mental factors that are the root cause of all illness. While these factors are impossible to enumerate, they are all the consequences of ignorance. Ignorance generates other negative states of mind such as desire, hatred, jealousy and pride. Such negative emotions drive our mentations, and our mentations contribute to our suffering."

"Understanding one's emotions is an essential part of the Buddhist journey to full awakening and freedom form unwanted conditions of all sorts. However, since most of us have very little ability to work with our emotional energies without creating negative experiences, medicines and other remedies are required." 

"One can also petition the healing powers of the Medicine Buddha by visualization practices .... Even the name of the Medicine Buddha is believed to have the power to free one from the pattern of negative thoughts and emotions. Healing can occur just by speaking, hearing or concentrating on his name. Thus, for example, conceited persons will become humble, greedy persons will become charitable and those who cause dissent will become cooperative and loving just by hearing or saying his name." 

"Some examples of ritual involving the Medicine Buddha which are believed to have a curative or strengthening influence for the ill include meditating upon the deep blue color of lapis lazuli; making puja offerings of flowers and incense to the image of the deity; mentally or physically constructing an image of the deity; playing musical instruments and chanting; reading sutras; constructing altars, mandalas or banners; and lighting lamps."

"The significance of the Medicine Buddha as the Supreme Healer in Tibetan medicine for liberating the individual from suffering is an exemplary metaphor for the mystical elements which are universally inherent in the healing tradition. The tradition is truly a holistic approach to the problem of suffering, both individual suffering and suffering as a universal condition."

More information:

World Wide Healing Circle

With the short version of the Medicine Buddha Mantra

Medicine Buddha Mantra