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The cause, vital
force, and life of the impure cycle of existence and the miserable states
of existence is self-grasping, so the realization of identitylessness is
the transmission on the life of samsara. The nonconceptual, primordial
wisdom of reality-itself dispels the taints of afflictive and cognitive
obscurations into the absolute nature. That purification is the cleansing
transmission on the removal of the habitual propensities of those two
obscurations. Conventionally, by revealing the practice of deliverance,
deliverance is possible. But all enemies and malevolent beings are
self-appearances, delusive apparitions of conceptualization. Their
deliverance, too, is an appearance of conceptualization, so that is the
meaning of the ability to deliver them. Moreover, their deliverance is
merely the appearance of their being liberated. Summoning is also revealed
as gaining mastery over appearances. [259] As for binding, ultimately one
is bound by the cord of awareness. Conventionally, red light in the form
of cords is emitted from the heart of the being in front of you,
completely tying up and firmly binding the life force, life, and vitality
and the body, speech, and mind of your enemies and malevolent beings. All
their strength and ability to rise up and move about is constrained and
subdued, and you imagine them as if they were a corpse cast upon a plain.
As for isolating your
[enemies from their protective] gods, this is the method for isolating
inborn, primordial wisdom from the habitual propensities of ignorance,
which become conflated, and for causing primordial wisdom to become
manifest. That is ultimate reality. In terms of conventional reality, upon
a drub kung place two feathers and imagine them as the owl-faced protector
Tramen and as a crow-faced Tramen having a woman's body with wings and
feathers. Imagine them emitting a foul odor that causes the gods of your
enemies and malevolent beings to become intoxicated, fall unconscious, and
be driven away. As those two are emitting their own calls, they set to
fighting on
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the face of the drub
kung and the fluttering of their wings causes all the protective gods who
guard your enemies, to faint, leaving your enemies and malevolent beings
stranded. Innumerable, terrifying replicas of the two Tramen are emanated
from them, and they claw at [your enemies], flail their wings, [260] and
rip at them with their beaks. As they are being devoured, they are
banished into the darkness inside a mountain on an island on the far side
of the ocean. Imagine that they are so dazed that they cannot return, and
while reciting the mantra, flail them with a feather and fumigate them
with substances. That is the way to expel them with substances, mantras,
and samadhi.
Ultimately entering a
state of intoxication is revealed as means for arousing a sense of violent
joy before mental afflictions, karma, and habitual propensities have been
dispelled. Conventionally, you unify all the karmic energies of all
sentient beings of the three realms, which, in the form of blackness,
enters through the tips of the ring-fingers of your enemies and malevolent
beings. It then passes inside the vitality-channel, and by the power of
its movement, you imagine that they become intoxicated and pass out. That
visualization is the crucial aspect of this samadhi. Ferocious mantras
such as jva la pa ya are the crucial aspect of the mantras, and fumigation
with intoxicating incense is the crucial aspect of the substances.
Pulverizing in the
mortar demonstrates that ultimately by the great power of nondual method
and wisdom, the rudra of the view of the self is released to the point of
vanishing altogether. Conventionally, in the mortar of the vagina of the
Black, Female Wrathful Rolje all the forms, aggregates, elements, and
sense-bases of your enemies and malevolent beings are gathered. [261]
Hammered with the flaming vajra-pestle, the wrathful, crushing, supreme
method, they are pulverized into fine particles. Know that imagining that
is the gist
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of the samadhi, the
mortar and pestle are the essential substances, and the mantra ta tha ya
and so forth is the essential mantra.
By apprehending for
yourself the dharmakaya, the awareness that is present as the ground, the
siddhi of the four embodiments and the five primordial wisdoms is achieved
effortlessly; and that is the ultimate reality. Transforming siddhis into
the spiritual path in dependence upon substances is taught as skillful
means and as an auspicious act. In reality , even though you have mastered
the dharmakaya, the awareness that is present as the ground, residual
appearances and mental states of samsara may still be present. By
fathoming its inner depths and perfecting its power, they vanish into
reality itself. Conventionally, the remains of the ganacakra are offered
to the apparitional guests, the guardians of the remains. That is taught
simply as skillful means and as an auspicious act.
Just as the
aggregations of karma and mental afflictions and the array of thoughts of
the three times are vanquished by the power of natural liberation, by
summoning your enemies and malevolent beings to the torma, and
annihilating them with the visualization techniques, their life and merit
dissolves into yourself; their consciousness dissolves into the heart of
your principle chosen deity; [262] and their flesh, blood, and bones turn
into ambrosia. The assembly of haughty guardians of the doctrine gobble
them up, and they obey your commands for their actions. That visualization
is taught as a conventional reality.
Mundane existence that
occurs in the natural order of dependent origination consists of displays
of empty awareness, reality-itself. The Great Mother that realizes the
reversed order of the twelve links of dependent origination, the twelve
aspects of emptiness, is the manifestation of the absolute nature of the
dharmakaya; and that is ultimate reality. The inexhaustible tormas
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visualized as
wish-fulfilling ambrosia are offered to the matrka-drdhas, and they are
commanded to engage in the enlightened activities of protecting the
doctrine; and that is conventional reality.
As for the doctrine,
the source of all the Dharmas of scriptures and of realization is the
nature of being of suchness, reality-itself. All misconceptions, evils,
and arrays of afflictive thoughts are confined in the drub kung of
equality, the emptiness of samsara and nirvana; and they are overwhelmed
by the power of the displays of primordial wisdom. That is the ultimate
reality. Imagine that in the space of the black wind from the underlying
ground, the blazing opening of the triangular, metal structure of the
belly of the Lord of Death, Karmayama, suddenly gapes open. Innumerable
emanations of the enlightened activities of all the jinas of the three
times instantly and inexorably summon all the damsis, gabs, and pisacas,
like dust blown away by the wind. [263] As soon as they are cast inside
the drub kung, its surface closes over them, so that there is no chance of
their escaping. Swooning into a state of bliss, they remain for a hundred
eons, with no compulsive ideation arising in their mind-streams. Imagine
the viras and viras emanated by the jinas dancing [upon the drub kung],
and overcoming all types of roots of afflictions so that they can never
arise again. That is conventional reality.
Ultimately, virtue has
never been committed, the object of dedication is not established, and the
agent who dedicates is not established. There is one taste in the display
of great, pervasive reality-itself, so all collections of merit and
knowledge are left in a self-arisen, spontaneously perfected state; and
there is no dedication that is established apart from that.
Conventionally, all the collections of merit you have accumulated during
the three times are unified, and you should dedicate them--just as all the
jinas of the three times have dedicated and will dedicate--as causes for
the attainment of the state of Awakening of perfect
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omniscience for all
sentient beings without bias in terms of time or space.
[264] As for prayers,
in reality no object of prayers is established apart from gaining mastery
over the self-arisen, original state of the Protector. Conventionally, you
should pray that all sentient beings may attain the state of Awakening of
perfect omniscience. Ultimately, the perfection of all superb
qualities--such as serenity, coolness, limpidity , and freedom from
contamination--of great equality of primordially pure reality-itself is
its auspicious, essential nature. Accordingly, all the jinas and
jinaputras of the ten directions arise from the absolute nature of reality
as beautiful appearances of rupakayas. They perform auspicious dances in
the sky and with the melodious speech of Brahma they utter verses of
auspiciousness. Their minds are mercifully set on granting the glories of
such benefits to all sentient beings. A rain of various, lovely,
auspicious flowers falls from their hands. That visualization is taught as
being of the nature of conventional, skillful means.
Ultimately, in the
signless dharmakaya, the emanation and retraction of the displays of the
whole of samsara and nirvana are not established. Conventionally, the
stage of generation does not mistakenly slip into reification; [265] and
it dispels the extreme of a substantialist view. The stage of generation,
involving objects of attention with signs, is taught as a method for
manifesting objectless, primordially pure, enlightened awareness, free of
conceptual elaboration, and as a method for realizing the cycle of
existence of the three realms to be like an illusion and a dream. Just as
the pure appearances of primordial wisdom deities previously arose in
their natural order from their causal syllables, so do they revert back
into the state of reality-itself, suchness. Alternatively, all the
displays of the buddha-fields withdraw into the palace; the palace
withdraws into the assembly of deities; the entire assembly of deities
withdraws into the absolute nature of the principle deity; the principle
deity withdraws into the mantra-circle;
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the mantra-circle
withdraws into the hum; the hum dissolves into the crescent moon, which
dissolves into the bindu, which dissolves into the nada. Then the nada is
withdrawn into the absolute nature of reality. By remaining as long as you
can in meditative equipoise in the state of pervasive emptiness, free of
conceptual elaboration, the deities of meditative equipoise are withdrawn
into the absolute nature.
Ultimately, there is
nothing for self-cognizing awareness to generate or visualize as the
divine displays of original, primordial wisdom. As for that method:
instantaneously from the state of the absolute nature of reality ,
emptiness free of conceptual elaboration-like [266] the sudden appearance
of a rainbow even though no rainbow exists in the sky, and like the sudden
appearance of bubbles in water in which no bubbles exist--in that very
instant, from the absolute nature of emptiness you suddenly visualize
yourself as an assembly of primordial wisdom deities. Rays of light
emanate from your three places, drawing in all the inexhaustible circles
of ornaments of all the bodies, speech, minds, qualities, and enlightened
activities of all the jinas and jinaputras of the ten directions in the
forms of white syllables om, red ah, and blue hum. As a result, imagine
that your body is clothed in tightly woven vajra-armor, which cannot be
pierced or destroyed. Never being separated from divine pride is called
the path of conventional, skillful means.
Ultimately, there is
no invocation or coming and going of the deities. By manifesting the
self-arisen face of the ground-absolute nature as the spontaneous displays
of the three embodiments, thoughts of ignorance are banished into
oblivion. In general, all enemies and malevolent beings are nothing other
than apparitions of thoughts of your own mind, and deities fabricated by
thoughts arise as appearances to liberate you. As an analogy, one may
prepare a powder of various grasses, wood, flowers, minerals, flesh,
[267]
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and blood intended as
a remedy for an illness. With the healer's firm intention to benefit, and
the patient's unwavering conviction that it will relieve the pain of the
illness, an appearance of benefit certainly arises.
Conventionally, due to
anxiety about being harmed by enemies and malevolent beings, in response
to enemies and malevolent beings arising as aggressors, you emanate
countless rays of light from your heart as your chosen deity. They invoke
the jinas and jinaputras of the ten directions and the three times from
the absolute nature of reality in the forms of terrifying rupakayas. With
weapons and magical substances, they apply themselves to the tasks of
summoning and delivering all the evil enemies and malevolent beings. This
is analogous to taking revenge on one's enemy by sending an army against
him. Likewise, [those rupakayas] fill all the realms of the universe,
inexorably surrounding your enemies and malevolent beings, like dear
driven into an enclosure; and you imagine them vigorously killing and
mutilating them. Like a king arousing and summoning his troops and giving
them their wages, you imagine tormas turning into inexhaustible ambrosia
of primordial wisdom of the nature of mountains of flesh and oceans of
blood; and you dedicate that. [268] As for reversal, ultimately, all
enemies and malevolent beings of mental afflictions are reversed back to
intangible, nonobjective displays of reality-itself. That is done to
manifest the primordial wisdom of awareness. In accordance with that
method, from the heart and all other places of the deity visualized in
front of you are emanated a malodorous mass of flames and assemblies of
wrathful beings with iron scorpions, various weapons, and magical
substances spreading everywhere throughout all the realms of the universe.
These wrathful beings and their assistants deliver up all enemies and
malevolent beings. They hack them up with various weapons. Many garudas
and iron scorpions devour them, the remains are incinerated in a blaze of
fire, and they are dispersed by a
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razor-wind. Their
consciousnesses are delivered into the absolute nature in which delusion
is impossible, leaving not even a trace behind. That visualization is
taught as a conventional path of skillful means.
Ultimately,
ontological and phenomenological wisdom and great primordial wisdom, like
the conflagration at the end of the eon, incinerate all mental states and
mental factors. Like burning kindling in a fire, all adventitious
contaminations are incinerated in the state of awareness that transcends
causality. To indicate that method by way of an analogy, first of all
bhrum [269] turns into a dark blue tongue of fire of the nature of the
primordial wisdom of the absolute nature of reality in the center; in the
east it turns into a white tongue of fire of the nature of mirror-like
primordial wisdom; in the south it turns into a yellow tongue of fire of
the nature of the primordial wisdom of equality; in the west it turns into
a red tongue of fire of the nature of the primordial wisdom of
discernment; and in the north it turns into a blazing, dark green tongue
of fire of the nature of the primordial wisdom of accomplishment.
Imagine pacification as round, increase as square, power as semicircular,
and spontaneity as octagonal. Also imagine pacification as a white palace
of fire, increase as yellow, power as red, ferocity as green or blue-
green, and spontaneity as dark blue or multicolored. For all those, know
that their essential nature is primordial wisdom, while their form is
palaces of the nature of tongues of fire. In their center, imagine the
time of pacification in the morning as being of the nature of a white
assembly of deities; the time of increase at noon as a yellow assembly of
deities; the time of power in the evening as a red assembly of deities;
and the time of ferocity at dusk as being of the nature of a green
assembly of deities.
Imagine the essential
nature of all the substances to be burned in the process of pacification
as undefiled ambrosia of primordial wisdom [270] in the
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form of those
substances, which are offered to the mouths [of the deities]. As a result,
the minds of the entire assembly of deities are satisfied with the taste
of bliss and emptiness. Then white-colored rays of light emanate from
their bodies, completely clearing away all diseases, demons, vices,
obscurations, karmas, mental afflictions, and habitual propensities of
your own mind-stream and those of the beings you are visualizing, like the
sun shining upon frost. Repeatedly imagine them being totally purified,
without even a trace being left behind. That is the visualization for
pacification.
For increase,
visualize the entire assembly of radiant deities, invite all the jinas and
jinaputras of the three times in the form of your special deity, and
imagine them dissolving [into that assembly]. Imagine the essential nature
of all the substances to be burned as immeasurable, undefiled ambrosia of
the primordial wisdom of bliss and emptiness in the form of each of those
substances. Offering them to the mouths of the assembly of deities, their
minds are satisfied with the taste of bliss and emptiness; and all their
majesty, power, and ability expand greatly. Blazing rays of light are
emanated, drawing in the compassion, blessings, empowerments, siddhis,
primordial wisdoms, and qualities of the entire assembly of the jinas,
bodhisattva, gurus, chosen deities, Dharma Protectors, gods of wealth,
and treasure-masters, without exception; and they draw in all the life,
merit, radiance, power, and ability of all gods and demons, the eight
classes of lhamasin, and all the sentient beings of the three realms of
the universe. [271] Having dissolved into yourself and the visualized
[deity], repeatedly imagine that your life, merit, wealth, empowerments,
siddhis, power, and ability all greatly increase and grow. Imagine that
all the empowerments, blessings, and siddhis of the deity generated in
front of you also dissolve into yourself in the form of a yellow mass of
light, such that your vitality, merit, wealth, power, and creative
abilities are increased and stabilized.
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For power, all the
substances to be burnt are displayed in the form of each of those
substances, and their essential nature is bliss and emptiness, the vital
essence of the ambrosia of undefiled, primordial wisdom. The mere sight of
this brings fulfillment, the mere touch of it brings satisfaction, and the
mere experience of it has the ability to liberate. By offering that to the
mouths of the primordial wisdom deities, their minds are intoxicated by
the taste of the primordial wisdom of bliss and emptiness; the radiance,
majesty, power, and enormous might of their bodies blazes up, withdrawing
in the form of rays of red light all the power, empowerments, and siddhis
of the jinas and jinaputras of the ten directions and the four times, as
well as all the guardians of the doctrine, Dharma protectors, gods of
wealth, and treasure-masters. Dissolving into yourself, imagine that you
possess the power of mastery over both samsara and nirvana. [272]
Moreover, all the compassion, blessings, and siddhis of the deity
generated in front of you dissolve into yourself in the form of rays of
red light. From your heart and the heart of the deity generated in front
of you immeasurable rays of red light are emanated in forms like hooks
and nooses. All the enjoyments, wealth, and bedding of the gods, demons,
and humans of the three realms and the three worlds, of male and female
beings, and of the eight classes of lhamasin, yaksas, gods of wealth, and
treasure-masters are inexorably brought under your control and placed in
front of you. Consequently, faced with the majesty and unbearably glorious
luster of your own body and that of the deity generated in front of you,
they agree to be your servants and to work on your behalf; and they swear
to be your slaves forever. As a sign of their oath, vajras appear on the
crowns of their heads. Having received the vitality of their solemn
pledge, imagine that an unceasing flow of a torrential rain of all manner
of enjoyments descends upon your dwelling. With
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the use of such
visualizations you should become skilled in the transformations of the
objects of subjugation.
On occasions for
ferocity the substances to be burnt are visualized as being of the
essential nature of the combined flesh, blood, life force, life, and
vitality of your enemies and malevolent beings. [273] They are forcefully
summoned and inserted [in the drub kung]; and when they are finally
scooped up with the ritual ladle, all the life force, life, physical form,
vitality, and breath of those enemies is taken with the ladle, like fruit
scooped up by the handful. Then repeatedly imagine the clear, pale soles
of their feet dissolving into the mouths of the visualized deities in the
midst of the fire, like a pebble thrown into a pond. Even in the case of a
murdered person, you imagine his body and consciousness indivisibly
dissolving into the mouth of your chosen deity; and as you count the
number of scoops and offer them into the fire, by visualizing this
intently, that person will certainly not take birth among demons or
malevolent spirits. By engaging in the pacificatory visualizations with
respect to others, know that the mind of the dead person is drawn into the
absolute nature of your chosen deity. By repeatedly performing burnt
offerings in those ways, you have the advantage of accomplishing the four
types of enlightened activities; and those are taught as conventional
reality.
Imagine that the
divine palace of your own body is filled with the entire assembly of
deities of the mandala like an overflowing mound of sesame seeds; and with
the ritual ladles of your hands offer all your food and drink as displays
of the ambrosia of the primordial wisdom of bliss and emptiness. That is
the unsurpassed burnt offering of transforming food and drink into the
spiritual path. [274]
Ultimately, accurately
realizing and manifesting the primordial wisdoms and qualities of
reality-itself, the sugatagarbha, is the vase empowerment of the
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body; manifesting the
precious, spontaneous, absolute nature by means of pervasive, all-seeing,
great wisdom is the secret empowerment of the speech; manifesting
reality-itself, the nonconceptual, absolute nature, is the wisdom- gnosis
empowerment of the mind; and manifesting all the qualities of the
embodiments, primordial wisdoms, paths, and fruitions, which are unsought
and spontaneously perfected is the fourth empowerment of the word, or the
unsurpassed, supreme siddhi.
As the method for
that, a mass of white light marked by om is emanated from the absolute
nature of the bodies of all the deities generated in front of you. This
enters your body through the crown of your head, blessing your body as the
nature of the immutable body-vajra, and manifesting the fully maturated
state of a vidyadhara. All the secret empowerments, blessings, and siddhis
of the speech as a mass of red light marked by ah dissolve through your
throat into your voice, blessing your voice as the unceasing speech-vajra,
and manifesting the state of a vidyadhara with mastery over life. All the
empowerments, blessings, and siddhis of the mind [275] as dark blue light
marked by hum dissolve into your heart, blessing your mind as the
undeluded mind-vajra, and manifesting the state of a Mahamudra vidyadhara.
Once again, five- colored rays of light, like a mass of rainbows, from the
five places [of the deities in front of you] dissolve into your own five
places, utterly purifying your two obscurations and all habitual
propensities, and blessing you with all the inexhaustible, circles of
ornaments of their bodies, speech, minds, qualities, and enlightened
activities, and manifesting the state of a spontaneous vidyadhara. In
short, the meditation of imagining that you have achieved all the supreme
and mundane siddhis without exception is taught as a conventional reality.
Ultimately, all such
paths taught as skillful means of the stage of generation are
self-emergent, naturally complete in the ground- awareness, the
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great freedom from
extremes. All bodily and verbal activities of the path of skillful means
of the stage of generation are features of the dharmakaya, the awareness
that is present as the ground. Taking a metaphor for each one, they are
taught simply in terms of the field of experience of the mind caught up in
activities and agents. Know that they have no reality apart from that.
Until now, under the influence of ignorance, [276] the qualities of the
ground have been reduced to something ethically neutral, which is of no
benefit or harm. If you know how they are perfect in this way, that
perfection is made manifest, so that is an unsurpassed feature that
distinguishes the vehicle of the Great Perfection. By recognizing the
method aspect of the stage of generation in the absolute nature of wisdom,
[one knows that] the tantra of the union of the related wisdom and method
is none other than this.
As for the method of
transferring one's impure body, speech, and mind into the realm of the
three primordial wisdom vajras, small-minded people cannot accept pristine
space, the great mystery of all the jinas, the absolute nature free of all
extremes of conceptual elaboration, in which ultimately there is no body.
By practicing in accordance with that reality, they are finally liberated
into the realm of its essential nature. One's own body is instantaneously
[transformed] into red Vajrayogini, with a blazing curved vajra-blade in
her right hand subjugating all the three realms, and her left hand holding
a marked skull cup displaying the three realms as ambrosia of the
enlightened body, speech, and mind. With her legs in an advancing posture,
she is a youthful maiden of sixteen years, her body beautifully adorned
with the signs and symbols of enlightenment. [277] The braids of her hair
are adorned with five kinds of precious substances and are beautified with
a diadem, and her head is wreathed with various flowers. With a slightly
peaceful arid slightly ferocious countenance, her body is visualized as
appearing, and yet not inherently
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established, in the
midst of a blazing mass of rainbow fire. Its essential nature is empty and
primordially not established as anything; but to forcefully counteract the
delusion of clinging to it as a material composite, its emptiness is
presented not as inside; rather, emptiness is imagined as the limpidity of
the body. Imagining its limpidity inside in the center, as a means to
subdue the vital energy and mind in emptiness, her hollow body is
visualized as a pavilion of light. In its center is a hollow channel, a
tube of light, which is white on the outside, symbolizing bliss, red on
the inside, symbolizing clarity, and indigo blue in between, symbolizing
emptiness. Its interior is empty and unobstructed, symbolizing the Spirit
of Awakening; it is as long as a medium arrow shaft, and its surface has
no width at all. Its upper end at the cakra of great bliss at the crown of
the head is suddenly open, and its lower end below the navel is firmly
closed like a joint in a bamboo. Its characteristics are that it is as
straight as the trunk of a plantain tree, [278] as thin as a lotus petal,
as clear as a sesame oil lamp, and as shiny as the sap from a teak tree.
As a sheer emptiness, it abides in the essential nature of the dharmakaya.
On its right is the
red roma channel, red on the outside and white on the inside. On its left
is the white kyangma channel, white on the outside and red on the inside.
The lower ends of both of them are inserted inside the central channel
below the navel. Visualize their upper ends curving around the back of the
ears and opening out through both nostrils. Know that those three
symbolize the three embodiments.
The so-called five
stacked cakras in that central channel have secondary channels: in the
first cakra distinctly visualize thirty-two secondary channels, in the
second, sixteen secondary channels, in the third, eight secondary
channels, in the fourth, sixty-four, and in the fifth, twenty-eight
secondary channels.50
_______________
50 Those are the
crown, throat, heart, navel, and genital cakras respectively.
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However, ultimately
the whole of samsara and nirvana is pervaded by the center of emptiness;
the roma represents the primordial wisdom of its clear nature; and the
kyangma stands for the great primordial wisdom of omnipresent
compassion.51 All the aggregates, elements, and sense- bases are
emptiness, which is primordially not established and non-local. The
placement of emptiness in the center is taught as a basis for
purification, but it is certainly not established. [279] The three
embodiments are revealed as the three channels as great emptiness, which
is primordially self-arisen. The nine yanas are revealed as remedies to
purify the obscurations of ignorance, karma, and mental afflictions in the
absolute nature.
Accordingly, by
recognizing the karmic energies as being of the nature of karma, the
mental afflictions, and habitual propensities, the residual energies are
cleared out by means of the nine-fold expulsion. Imagine that all the
karma, mental afflictions, vices, obscurations, and habitual propensities
aroused by the affliction of hatred are expelled in the form of
smoke-colored air and disappear into space. Clear those out three times
through the right nostril. Imagine that all the karma, mental afflictions,
vices, obscurations, and habitual propensities aroused by the affliction
of attachment are expelled in the form of dark red air, and clear them out
three times through the left nostril. Imagine that all the karma, mental
afflictions, vices, obscurations, and habitual propensities aroused by the
affliction of delusion are expelled in the form of dark blue air and
disappear into space like a rainbow. Clear those out three times through
both nostrils equally. Imagine that all illnesses, demons, vices,
obscurations, and habitual propensities, together with the material
aggregate of flesh and blood, disappear into space in the form of minute
particles, like beating out a soiled cloth. [280] Imagine that in the
domain of the channels, vital energies, and
_______________
51Those three
symbolize the dhannakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya respectively.
Page 191
bindus, all the causes
that delude one in the endless cycle of existence, together with their
seeds and habitual propensities, are expelled as fragments of blackness
and disappear into space. Recognize this purification of the body as the
sublime, quintessential means for clearing out evils and malevolent
beings.
Then, in terms of the
vital energy of meditative equipoise and the vital energy of
post-meditation, ultimately the absolute nature of wisdom is apprehended
in the state of the great clear light, the awareness of primordial wisdom
of all the jinas. Leaving your body, speech, and mind in a state of
inactivity is the unsurpassed, supreme technique for inserting the vital
energy and mind into the central channel. In that technique, with your
physical posture imbued with the seven attributes of Vairocana, in the
space at the level of the tip of your nose imagine the synthesized
essential nature of all empowerments, blessings, and siddhis of the
bodies, speech, minds, qualities, and enlightened activities of all the
jinas and jinaputras of the ten directions and the four times in the form
of light blue air, like a covering of mist. Imagine that from your
nostrils the vital energy of blessings and primordial wisdom is drawn in
like a blue, silken thread or the wafting smoke of incense. [281] Imagine
that they swirl totally into the lower end of the central channel by way
of the roma and kyangma channels; and in the central channel, like an
inflated placenta, all the channel-knots come completely loose. Imagine
that the nutriment of the vital energies dissolves into the five secondary
channels, and the residues swirl into the lower end of the central
channel. During each session, three times rotate your torso and press
down, uninterruptedly drawing up a continuous stream of the gentle energy,
and hold that as long as you can. That is the vital energy of meditative
equipoise.
Alternatively, inside
the central channel at the level of your heart visualize a smooth, round
bindu of five lights, and in its center imagine a clear,
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shimmering, white
syllable a, pale like a full moon. In the lower end of the central channel
imagine the energies of the five primordial wisdoms in the form of a vajra-swastika.
As in the previous case, imagine that the nutriment of the energies
dissolves into the syllable a and the bindu; while the residue dissolves
into the variegated vajra, which is the basis of the energies. By
sustaining that visualization, the energies will be inserted into the
central channel, and the energies of the primordial wisdoms will rest in
their own place.
In post-meditation as
well, ultimately, you do not leave the domain of your own awareness,
without delusion with respect to appearances or the mind. Those who lack
such a crucial point should continually press down their vital energies
below the navel, without ever forgetting this, including during such
activities as eating, sleeping, walking, and sitting. [282] That is the
vital energy of the post-meditative state, and it is especially profound
to achieve stability in that.
Ultimately, the
primordial wisdom of knowing reality as it is makes manifest the center
that is present as the ground; and the primordial wisdom that sees the
full range of phenomena extinguishes the karmic energies in their own
place and establishes the energy of primordial wisdom in its place. The
flaming up of tummo, the great, inactive, empty awareness, the fire of
primordial wisdom, the union of bliss and emptiness, which blazes as a
creative expression of the power of the five primordial wisdoms, pleases
the mandala of self-appearing, primordial wisdom. Once all the deluded
karma, mental afflictions, and habitual propensities of ignorance are
naturally purified, you achieve in yourself the great depths of the
primordially pure dharmakaya. That is the ultimate tummo.
Conventionally,
visualize the essential nature of the vajra of the skillful means of great
bliss in the form of the syllable ham at the upper end of the central
channel of emptiness. At the lower end visualize the essential nature of
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the wisdom of great
emptiness in the form of a cone. That is struck by the essential nature of
the primordial wisdom of discernment, which is a creative expression of
awareness, in the form of the energy of the primordial wisdom of
blessings. Consequently, the tummo tongue of flame of primordial wisdom
bears four characteristics: it is red in color, of the essential nature of
bliss, of the nature of clarity, and hot to the touch. Its tip is of the
nature of wisdom, visualized as sharp and darting. [283] As it flickers
many times, you slowly inhale, there is a fullness at the navel, a
churning in the stomach, and the residue is shot up like an arrow. Due to
those four applications, the tongue of fire blazes in the navel cakra and
suffuses it, incinerating all karma, mental afflictions, and habitual
propensities so that none remain. The tongue of flame grows and totally
engulfs the cakra of the wheel of dharma at the heart, incinerating all
karma, mental afflictions, and habitual propensities so that none remain.
Growing upwards, it totally suffuses the cakra of the wheel of enjoyment
at the throat, burning to a singe all karma, mental afflictions, and
habitual propensities. Still increasing in size, it totally fills and
suffuses the entire cakra of great bliss at the crown of the head, burning
to a singe all karma, mental afflictions, and habitual propensities.
Flaming up again, it strikes the syllable ham at the crown, increasing the
sense of the primordial wisdom of bliss and emptiness in which skillful
means and wisdom meet. The ambrosia of the primordial wisdom of bliss and
emptiness from the bindu descends in a continuous stream, filling and
suffusing all the secondary channels of the cakra of great bliss, and
making immeasurable offerings pleasing to the body mandala of the buddha
sugatas. [284] Their minds are satisfied with the taste of bliss and
emptiness, the two accumulations are completed, and the two obscurations
are purified. Then imagine that you receive the vase empowerment of the
body and the great primordial wisdom of delight arises in your
mind-stream.
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Again the remains of
the ambrosia descend, pervading all the secondary channels of the cakra of
enjoyment at the throat, and making offerings pleasing to the speech
mandala of the sugatas. Imagine that their minds are satisfied with the
taste of bliss and emptiness, the accumulations are completed, the
obscurations are purified, you receive the secret empowerment of the
speech, and the primordial wisdom of supreme delight arises in your
mind-stream.
Again [the ambrosia]
descends to your heart, pervading all the secondary channels of the
dharmacakra at the heart, and making offerings pleasing to the mind
mandala of the sugatas. Imagine that their minds are satisfied with the
taste of bliss and emptiness, the accumulations are completed, the
obscurations are purified, you receive the wisdom-gnosis empowerment of
the mind, and the primordial wisdom of extraordinary delight arises in
your mind-stream and you experience it.
Again [the ambrosia]
descends to your navel, filling and pervading all the secondary channels
of the cakra of emanation at the navel and making offerings pleasing to
the mandala of the types of qualities of the sugatas. Imagine that their
minds are satisfied with the taste of bliss and emptiness, [285] the
accumulations are completed, the obscurations are purified, you receive
the precious word empowerment, and the primordial wisdom of inborn delight
arises in your mind-stream and you experience it.
Again [the ambrosia]
descends to your genital region, pervading all the secondary channels of
the cakra of sustaining bliss, and making offerings pleasing to the
mandala of the types of enlightened activities of the sugatas. Imagine
that the undefiled bliss of the ambrosia of bliss and emptiness is
generated, [285] the tummo fire of primordial wisdom is conjoined with
great warmth, the blessing energy of primordial wisdom generates power,
the accumulations are completed, the obscurations are purified, and you
simultaneously receive all the
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empowerments and
siddhis of the inexhaustible circles of ornaments of their bodies, speech,
minds, qualities, and enlightened activities. Imagine that inconceivable,
primordial wisdom arises in your mind-stream, and you experience it.
Again the ambrosia of
great bliss descends into the base of the tongue of fire of the cone, such
that you experience the great primordial wisdom of bliss and emptiness.
Again imagine that the
nature of the blessing energy of primordial wisdom, the tummo fire of
primordial wisdom, and the ambrosia of the primordial wisdom of bliss and
emptiness grows and bursts into flame, completely filling all the channels
and elements of the body. Then all obstacles, demons, malevolent beings,
compulsive ideation, and habitual propensities [286] are incinerated, like
tiny insects consumed in the fire at the end of the eon.
Again the central
channel together with the fire grows larger, such that the entire animate
and inanimate cosmos with its three realms are inserted inside the central
channel, and all concepts of grasping onto the animate and inanimate
cosmos and all karma and mental afflictions are burnt to a singe. Imagine
that they all become of the nature of emptiness. The entire central
channel together with all the fire remain as they were previously, and
while focusing your consciousness on them, count many full breaths of air.
Alternatively, with
yourself as Vajrayogini, visualize a red cone at your navel, together with
a bindu and nada, and an upside down, white syllable ham at the crown of
your head. In the space at the level of the tip of your nose, draw in,
like a silken thread, the mist-like, blue, blessing energies of primordial
wisdom through both nostrils. Passing through the paths of the roma and
kyangma, they unify at the lower end of the central channel. Agitating the
bindu in the cone, the tongue of flame of wisdom-gnosis blazes up,
incinerating all karma, mental
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afflictions, and
habitual propensities; all knots in the channels are loosened by the vital
energies, so that they dissolve naturally. Imagine that the fire fills the
cakras, and your entire body is suffused with great warmth. All great,
[287] medium, and small channels are filled with the fire-energy, and in
the entire network of channels within the body a white bindu rests on top
of each knot, and a red bindu rests below each one, so that they merge
indivisibly. All qualities of experience and realization are more and more
enhanced. The entire interior of the central channel is suffused with the
tongue of fire, and a continuous stream of the ambrosia of the undefiled,
primordial wisdom of bliss and emptiness of the melted bindu of the ham
syllable strikes the cone. Imagine that as a result, the fire and ambrosia
blaze nondually, such that the primordial wisdom of the four delights of
bliss and emptiness suddenly arises in your mind-stream and becomes
immutably stable. Retain many counts of the breath in accordance with the
duration of your meditation session.
At all times and in
all situations do not forget the growth of the tummo tongue of flame of
primordial wisdom in the central channel and all the cakras, and focus
your consciousness on pressing it down. That is the crucial point for the
post-meditative state, and that, too, will cause the warmth of bliss to
blaze mightily.
Some people take this
as the foundation and train in space yoga. This is done as follows.
Noisily sucking in the three times, such that everything, right down to
the last bit of space, [288] is drawn into your mouth, imagine that your
entire belly is filled with a blueness; and the full extent of space is
pervaded by your abdomen. Imagine that all of space is enclosed inside
your abdomen, space and your vital energies and mind indivisibly,
spaciously, and gently relax; and remain in meditative equipoise as long
as you can.
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Again suck in all air,
imagining it in the aspect of the color green, such that all air moving
through space, together with its nutriment and vital essence, completely
fills your abdomen. Again, with a sucking sound, imagine that all water in
the aspect of the color white are inhaled inside you, such that water,
together with its vital essence and power, completely fills your belly.
Again imagine all the earth of the three realms in the aspect of the color
yellow being inhaled with a sucking sound, leaving not even a trace of a
remainder, and totally filling your abdomen. Again sucking in all fire in
the aspect of red light, and the nutriment and vital essence of fire of
the cosmos, together with the warmth of bliss, completely fills your
belly. Placing fire and your mind-itself in the state of nondual
pervasiveness is the sublime path of the yoga of the display of vital
essence of the elements.
In reality, the
central channel is emptiness; [289] the fire and vital energy are reality
as it is and the full range of phenomena; the syllable ham is the skillful
means of great bliss; the cone is the essential nature of the wisdom of
emptiness; the cakras are the five kinds of primordial wisdom; the five
aggregates are the five sugatas; the five elements are the five consorts;
the eight faculties are the eight male bodhisattvas; the eight objects are
the eight female bodhisattvas; the four extremes of substantialism and
nihilism are the four gate-keepers; all assemblies of thoughts are the
spontaneously present assemblies of noble viras and yoginis of the
absolute nature which vanishes into emptiness. Thus, the support is the
channels; that which moves is the vital energies; and the display is the
essential nature called bodhicitta. They are perfected as natural
expressions of reality-itself, the sugatagarbha, so that is called the
Great Perfection of the four modes of existence. Accurately knowing the
manner in which they are perfected is called the Great Perfection of the
path of reality-itself. By establishing with discerning wisdom the
ethically neutral state of the Great Perfection that is present as the
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ground, one accurately
knows the nature of existence. Consequently, one progresses all at once
through the grounds and paths, and just that is the genuine Great
Perfection of the definite completion of the path.
In that way, due to
the qualities of training with the channels, bindus, and vital energies,
[290] the siddhi of the fruitional Great Perfection becomes manifest; and
one achieves mastery over the eight common siddhis. Moreover, The Tantra
of the purificatory Yoga of the Channels, Vital Energies, and Bindus is
none other than this."
At that point,
Bodhisattva Vidyavajra made this vast prayer:
"O excellent,
excellent, Bhagavan!
The empty vajra pierces jewels.
Empty Rahula conquers the sun and moon.
Empty tongues of flame burn up kindling.
The empty movement of the air disperses material things.
Empty space conquers the animate and inanimate cosmos.
Empty reality-itself conquers phenomena.
The buddhas conquer the maras.
The Sangha conquers false views.
May the view of emptiness be realized
With the precious truth of emptiness.
May the meaning of the Great Perfection be realized
With the precious view of emptiness.
By the power of the Great Perfection
May the cycle of existence be dredged from its depths."
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Then he continued, "O
Teacher, Bhagavan, thus, even if one correctly knows the nature of being
of the Great Perfection of Ssamsara and nirvana, the great expanse which
totally subsumes the inexhaustible ornamental wheel of the bodies, speech,
minds, qualities, and enlightened activities of the jinas and jinaputras
of the three times, [291] the great quintessence of all the dakinis and
viras, in what is that synthesized, what does it boil down to, and what
are its names? May the Teacher explain!"
He replied, "O
Vidyavajra, first simply determining the mode of existence of the ground
as discussed previously, then ascertaining emptiness is the
ground-emptiness, the great middle way. Therefore, the knowledge that all
the embodiments, primordial wisdoms, buddha-fields, and displays, and all
of samsara, nirvana, and the paths are not other than the nature of the
ground itself is called the Great Perfection of samsara and nirvana. To
sentient beings who have not gained liberation within themselves, the
ground appears as the nature of samsara, and clinging to it, they become
deluded. By turning away from the delusion of mental engagement with
self-concepts and signs and establishing the ground by means of
analytical, great wisdom, one comes to know the characteristics of the
ground as they are. Profoundly fathoming all the avenues of the path and
fruition and of skillful means and wisdom as the nature of the ground
itself is the synthesis [292] of the pristine space of the ground.
What does it boil down
to? However the various reflections of planets and stars may appear in the
ocean, they are not other than the ocean itself, so they can be boiled
down to the ocean. All appearances of the animate and inanimate cosmos and
sensory objects are not other than space itself, so they can be boiled
down to space. Likewise, know the way in which all of samsara, nirvana,
and the paths are not other than the nature of the space of the absolute
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nature of reality, for
they can be boiled down to the pristine space of the absolute nature of
reality.
How is it to be named?
The entire array of names in the realms of samsara and nirvana are
ascertained as names of the sugatagarbha. In particular, the names of all
the Dharmas that cause the path to become manifest are applied to this.
Since it is the unsurpassed transference and entrance to the manifestation
of the fruition--the state of the precious Spirit of Awakening--it is
called the Spirit of Awakening.
All authentic
realities are included in the precious Spirit of Awakening, so it is
reality; and just as the ocean is ascertained as the source of all rivers
and streams, that is ascertained as the ultimate source of all Dharmas, so
it is ultimate. Just that is free of all flaws and taints, so it is
purified; and [293] since all of samsara, nirvana, the path, and fruition
are perfected in the absolute nature of reality, it is perfected. All the
phenomena of samsara and nirvana are established by means of discerning
wisdom, and the wisdom of realizing identitylessness is made manifest.
Pervasive, all-seeing, great wisdom manifests the nature of existence, its
inner depths are reached within oneself, and by retaining one's own place
of rest, the cycle of existence of the three realms is dredged from its
depths. Not regarding this as being like dream appearances disappearing
into the absolute nature, or like the fabrications of an illusion
dissolving into the absolute nature, by the might of the great mind, the
cycle of existence of the three realms is liberated as displays of the
three embodiments. So that is called spirit.52
These teachings, far
more secret than any mystery, are of the nature of the synthesis of the
mystery of the minds of all the jinas, so they are called secret. As for
the way to practice the path to the nature of existence of this very
ground
_______________
52 The above paragraph
gives an etymology of the term ultimate Spirit of Awakening (Skt.
paramartha bodhicitta, Tib., don dam byang chub kyi sems).
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