Rabné

Rabné (wyl. rab gnas) - The practice of consecrating representations of enlightened body, speech and mind.

What is Rabné?

Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche says:

"Since the buddhas are embodiments of boundless compassion, if we make an image of a buddha and prostrate before it or make offerings to it, the result, the purification of our obscurations and accumulation of merit and wisdom, will manifest based on the power of the buddhas’ compassion. The buddhas generate the vast mind of bodhichitta and vow to work exclusively for others’ benefit, and, as a result of this, they gain this quality, which means that whoever makes a representation of their form and makes offerings to it or pays homage to it, will accumulate merit and wisdom. Yet it is entirely up to us to make use of this quality, because the buddhas themselves are completely beyond these concepts. It is a little bit like electricity: there might be electricity in a certain place, but unless we turn on the switch, we cannot make use of it.

If we don’t understand this point, then making offerings to the statues and images of the buddhas might not be so meaningful.

When we make an image of a buddha, whether peaceful or wrathful, as a support for our samaya, and then invoke the wisdom deities themselves through visualization and mantra so that they enter into it and transmit their blessings, it becomes an incredibly powerful basis for the accumulation of merit. This process is what we call rabné, or consecration."

Brief Rabné Practice

CHOK CHU NA SHYUKPÉ SANGYÉ DANG CHANG CHUB SEMPA TAMCHÉ DAK LA GONG SU SOL
All you buddhas and bodhisattvas who dwell throughout the ten directions, think of us!

JI SI NAMKHÉ TA DANG NYAMPÉ SEMCHEN TAMCHÉ MI NÉPÉ NYA NGEN LÉ DÉPÉ SA LA MA SHYAK GI BAR DU GYALWA NAM NYA NGEN LÉ MI DAWAR TENPAR SHYUK SU SOL
Until all beings, as infinite as space itself, are brought to the state of perfect nirvana beyond extremes, may you victorious ones remain here constantly, without passing into nirvana!

KHYEPAR DU YANG KU SUNG TUK KYI TEN DI NAM JI SI JUNGWA SHYI’I NÖPÉ MA SHYIK GI BAR DU TENPAR SHYUK SU SOL
In particular, may you remain here until these representations of enlightened body, speech and mind are destroyed by the four elements.

TENPAR SHYUK NÉ KYANG DAK DANG SEM CHEN TAMCHÉ LA CHOK TÜN MONG GI NGÖ DRUP MA LÜ PA TSAL DU SOL
And, as you remain here, may you grant us and all other beings all the supreme and ordinary siddhis!

Then:

DIR NI ZUK DANG LHEN CHIK TU
Remain here, one with these images and objects,

KHORWA SI DU SHYUK NÉ KYANG
Until samsara comes to an end;

NÉ MÉ TSÉ DANG WANGCHUK DANG
Grant us freedom from illness, long life, power and prosperity, and

CHOK NAM LEKPAR TSAL DU SOL
Make everything supremely auspicious: we pray!

OM SUPRATISHTA BENDZAYÉ SOHA

External Links

• A Brief Ritual for Consecrating Representations of Enlightened Body, Speech and Mind by Dodrupchen Jikmé Tenpé Nyima