Part One

YAMANTAKA SELF INITIATION – TEACHING BY GESHE TEGCHOG, NALANDA, 1985

THE SOURCE

Buddha Shakyamuni is said to be the originator of the Yamantaka Tantra. The story goes that the Buddha taught the tantra and manifested the form of Yamantaka at a place west of Buddhagaya, India, known at the time as Luktre. This particular place had been cherished and taken care of by many dakinis, who, it is said, spirited away the tantra given by the Buddha. Thus the Yamantaka tantra was lost for many years.

Centuries later a disciplinarian and academic from Nalanda monastery known as Lalita Vajra, born in a village called O.di.bi.shi., was studying a tantra called Jampal Tenkye and came across the name “Dorje Jigje pag pa,” which means “the vajra terrifier terrifies”. He became obsessed and determined to find and learn this lost tantra. After seeking without success for twenty years, his perseverance finally paid off. He achieved a vision of Manjushri who told him to go to the west.

Lalita Vajra finally arrived at a place called Odikanaling and met the kadroma, the dakini Ro.lang.ma who was the consort of Yamantaka. From her Lalita Vajra received the teachings, initiation, and rituals of Yamantaka. After a three month meditation in a cave, he accomplished the results of his search. He memorized the texts and received permission to bring the tantra back to India.

Because of the difficult nature of the tantra, Lalita Vajra and many other scholars such as Shantipa later wrote extensive commentaries. The root text was later translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan by three authors from Tibet, Ra, Kyu, and Shang. Later yet, other Tibetan commentaries were written, and finally, Lama Tsong Khapa studied these texts and went through in detail the origins of the root tantra of Yamantaka, relying mainly on the text written by by Lalita Vajra himself.

CLASS OF TANTRA

In the four classes of tantra, the Yamantaka Root Tantra belongs to the Highest Yoga Tantra, is very similar to Father tantra but also includes subjects of Mother Tantra, and has five specific attributes uncommon to other classes of tantra and therefore considered very blessed and capable of giving results very quickly. Very high Lamas such as Tsong Khapa, Kedrup, and others devoted themselves to Yamantaka as their uncommon yidam. Such high Lamas have said that the Yamantaka Root Tantra should be practiced because it is very rare, a subject appearing only to those with merit and with a certain amount of karma.

THE FIVE SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES OF YAMANTAKA

1: At the time of the fifth degeneration, sentient beings are said to be very lazy, have wrong views, and unable to observe their vows. They are ignorant in understanding scripture, and are disrespectful. They are elevated by desire, have little merit, and have a very short life. Thus, they are very disadvantageous to practitioners. Having Yamantaka as a yidam is protection from harm by such beings.

2: Yamantaka holds in his hands a fire stove and entrails symbolizing that within the Yamantaka practice one can attain the illusory body and the clear light taught in Father Tantras such as the Guhyasamaja Tantra.

3: Yamantaka holds a khatavanga symbolizing the achievement of the exalted wisdom of inseparable bliss and void taught in Mother Tantras such as Chakrasambhara, Heruka and such.

4: Yamantaka’s fire stove also symbolizes an incredible particular powerful wisdom which blazes like fire, and the uncommon special visualizations for psychic heat.

5: Manjushri, the deity who is the essence of all the wisdom of all the Buddhas, must be relied upon to attain perfect enlightenment. Also, the Yamantaka practitioner is happily taken care of by Manjushri because there are two vajra holders. The vajra holder at the casual time which is to visualize oneself as Manjushri and do other practices, and the vajra holder at the resultant time symbolized by the ninth face of Yamantaka, both of which are included in the Yamantaka practice.

All of Yamantaka’s hands are in the “threatening mudra” which means he commands or has power over all the gods who are with him in the transitory world and beyond the transitory world because he possesses all the things concerning mother and father tantra. The implement of the man on the stick symbolizes that practitioners of Yamantaka with any kind of heavy karma, even the five heinous crimes, the ten negative karmas and so forth can be purified. The two horns symbolize that Yamantaka practice contains the two causes, method and wisdom, of attainment of the Rupakaya (form body) and Dharmakaya (formless or truth body).

These attributes were explained by Manjushri to Tsong Khapa. Jetsun Rendawa, Tsong Khapa’s guru had asked Tsong Khapa to petition Manjushri regarding a path that would lead one to enlightenment within one life time. After a lengthy meditation, Tsong Khapa saw Manjushri and was given the explanations of the implements and the symbology of the tantra.

QUALITIES OF THE PRACTITIONER

The practitioner should not be superstitious or have broken pledges, should avoid creating the cause of ripening karma, and should do the practice secretly. He should be warm hearted and affectionate toward miserable beings, and be well grounded in the common practices common to great, medium and small beings. He does not require full realization within these three scopes, but should have some degree of understanding.

The person should have received initiation of Yamantaka, and observe the vows and pledges, at least being very aware. To observe them purely would be very difficult, but if the vows and pledges are broken, the practitioner should have regret and make effort to confess and renew the vows.

The practitioner should have a good motivation or attitude which is the mind in relation to the tantric path which means to think “I am going to meditate on this practice in order to attain the unified state of Yamantaka during this lifetime so I will be able to lead all other sentient beings to this state also.”

FOUR CAUSES OF QUICK ATTAINMENT OF SIDDHIS

1: One should have an irreversible faith in the gurus and deities.
2: One should have no doubt about the qualities or teachings of the
gurus or deities.
3: One must have single-pointed thinking to attain the state of the
deity, an attitude which is never lost.
4: One must be “Extremely Secret” and keep your practice secret,
not telling people that Yamantaka is your deity or that you are
doing this practice.

THE MEDITATION PLACE

If you have good concentration, you can meditate in a cemetery. Or near a single tree, by the side of a river, or at a cross-roads. If your concentration is good enough you can meditate at dangerous places where it is difficult to live, where devils are present and so on. Whether you meditate in such sites or not, it is good to meditate in a place where holy beings have previously meditated. If such a place is unavailable, then choose an isolated place which is comfortable for your mind.

For good meditation upon the deity, you should have a statue or picture. Also, the two washings should be performed, the external cleansing of your body with water, and the internal washing of cleansing yourself of negativity and broken vows and pledges. For your cushion you should use a corpse. If you cannot find one, imagine sitting on a dead body. You could place a drawing under your seat. After washing there is a special white powder( cremation powder from the fire) to put on your naked body, or you can imagine the washing and powdering. You should face the southern direction, and if this is not possible, imagine so. And if you are not in a cemetery, imagine that you are. Your meditation practice should begin at midnight.

SELF ENTRY

To do self entering of Yamantaka, first one has to do the Gaden Lha Gyama, The Hundred Gods of Tushita, finishing with a large repetition of Avalokiteshvara, Great Treasure of Boundless Compassion…. Then the four lined prayer beginning with Oh Precious Root Guru… in which the second line has to be changed in three places, the first, second and third repetition. The first line has to be “upon the crown of my head”, which means inviting Lama Tsong Khapa to abide or sit upon the crown of one’s head. The second repetition has to be “sit upon the lotus of my heart, ” which is a request for Lama Tsong Khapa to sit upon one’s heart chakra. The third repetition is to ask him to sit inside one’s heart.

The self entry has several phases. First, the mandala is generated, one then makes offerings and praises to the generated mandala and finally one takes initiation from them. The self generation and the generation of the deity in the space before oneself are not to be considered different. Self-generation means ourselves generated as the deity. The front generation is the deity in the mandala visualized in front of ourselves. Yet they are one entity. Thus the front generation should not be thought of as different from oneself.

MEDITATION SUBJECT
Generation Stage
Preliminary
1. Requesting the lineage gurus, necessary for receiving
the blessings which are dependent upon the guru.
2. Bless the vajra and bell.
3. Bless the inner offering and preliminary torma and offer
to Yamantaka, Gods of the white side, and protectors.
4. Bless offering for self generation.
5. Meditation on Vajrasattva.
Actual Practice

REQUEST TO THE LINEAGE GURUS

The lineage gurus are visualized in two ways, above the head or in the space in front of you. In the market assembly, a lotus is visualized above the head. In the center is a moon disc upon which stands your root guru in the aspect of Yamantaka around which are all the lineage gurus from Vajra Vetali onwards in a clockwise progression. All are to be visualized as clear and bright in the nature of light. While saying the prayer, receive light from each which purifies negativity, eliminates all adverse conditions to your dharma practice, and also brings all amicable conditions together. Imagine the power of their blessings removes sickness, demons, and negative karma. Imagine that you are receiving all collections of goodness, especially the power to meditate on the subjects of this sadhana. Then they are absorbed to the root guru, Yamantaka, into the moon, lotus and then yourself.

The stacked lineage of gurus begins with Yamantaka on top, the secession of gurus in the form of Yamantaka to the root guru in the form of Yamantaka on the crown of your head. As the prayer is recited, receive purification and blessings from each with their name. Thus they are absorbed in order into you.

The short Yamantaka sadhana has four lines of request to the lineage gurus, you should still try to visualize them all, the only difference is that in the long sadhana there are verses for each of the gurus. Both sadhanas have the instantaneous transformative generation.

INSTANTANEOUS TRANSFORMATIVE GENERATION:

This is done because we must be in the aspect of the deity to bless the vajra and bell which cannot be done in our ordinary aspect. Thus we generate ourselves as the deity out of the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. Imagine that your old aggregates vanish into blue light and all the environment, phenomena other than your aggregates, become emptiness. From out of the emptiness appears a multi-colored eight petaled lotus, red petals in the four main directions, yellow in the south-east and north-west, green in the south-west, and black in the north-east. In the center is a sun disc upon which is your mind in the state of exalted wisdom realizing all phenomena in the nature of emptiness of true existence and sustained by great bliss. This mind, the union of bliss and void, is like the primary substance which now takes the aspect of solitary Yamantaka, one face and two arms.

Yamantaka’s face is that of a buffalo manifesting great wrath. He holds a curved knife and a skull cup. His body is black, it is not solid or obstructive, but transparent and in the nature of light. His right leg is bent and his left is outstretched, the gap between his feet is 5 hand spans. (One tha is the distance between the thumb and the little finger when outstretched). The base of his nose and forehead are wrinkled with wrath. His eyebrows are blazing, his nostrils flared and red like red-hot iron pipes. His three eyes are wide and surrounded by red veins which indicate the great bliss circulating in his body. His mouth is opened wide with a ferocious expression baring his four fangs and his tongue is moving. His two horns have flames at their tips, his palms and soles have red spots of blood on them and the nails are as strong as iron. His body and limbs are heavily muscled and he is wearing the six bone ornaments. They are

1. Head Ornament: An elaborate structure of bones forming wheel and other shapes. Both sexes wear the same type of crown, mainly it is a wheel upon which is a five spoked vajra at the hub. There are five “togams” or heaps of bone which represent the five dhyani buddhas at the five forward spokes of the wheel.

2. Earrings: Each has a small wheel with six spokes of bone.
3. Necklace: Has a wheel at the throat with 16 spokes of bone.
4. Pairs of bracelets, armlets, and anklets and other ornaments at the shoulders and knees.
5. Chest ornament: At the heart in front is an eight spoked wheel and a second eight spoked wheel at the back. These are connected by links of bone going over the shoulders.
6. White human ashes: Only worn by make deities.

There is another ornament, not included in the six called a “kerag” (apron) which is a belt worn by both male and female deities. It has a sixty-four spoked wheel at the navel, an eight spoked wheel at the back, and two six spoked wheels at the hips, connected by a chain of bone. Female deities wear a mala of human skulls around their necks which hangs down to their knees. Some texts say it goes down to the ankles. The male deities have a similar mala but the human heads are fresh and bleeding, and strung together with human entrails. This mala is called a “tosha” (necklace). The female has the “five mudras” (they are not called five bone ornaments”) and a kerag and tosha as well.

The crown ornament has a wheel symbolizing the chakra of great bliss at the crown and represents Akshobya. The ear ornaments represent Amitabha. The necklace represents Ratnasambhava and it’s wheel symbolizes the throat chakra. The Bracelets , armlets and anklets represent Vairocana. The chest ornament represents Vajradhara and it’s wheel symbolizes the heart chakra. The kerag represents Amoghasiddhi and it’s wheel symbolizes the navel chakra. When we visualize that we are wearing these bone ornaments we have a natural sense of pride, like when we take a good bath and put on our make up.

BLESSING THE VAJRA AND BELL

The “meaning vajra and bell” refers to the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The “symbolic vajra and bell” are the instruments we use in order to remind ourselves to not be separated from the blissful exalted wisdom realizing emptiness. Thus we bless the vajra and bell at the beginning of the ritual because we use them constantly and they will constantly remind us of the meaning which they represent.

A bell with a rosary of vajras around it’s rim is a “Vajrasattva bell”. It can have either a five spoked or a nine spoked half vajra as the handle. A bell with jewel strands hanging around it is a “Bell of Brave One”. A “Bell of Tathagata” has Vairocana’s face in the middle of the handle, it does not have a rosary of vajras around the rim. Another bell has Ratnasambhava’s face and a rosary of precious gems around the rim. The one having Amithaba’s face has a rosary of swords. These are the four types of Tathagata’s bell.

The empty space inside the bell symbolizes emptiness of true existence, the clanger symbolizes the great blissful wisdom of the resultant time, and the sound symbolizes the sound showing non-true existence.

With the bell and vajra together, the vajra can symbolize Vajrasattva, the bell his consort, and holding them in the right and left hands symbolizes the state of seven kisses. Also, the vajra symbolizes the male organ the the bell the female organ.

The central part of the vajra symbolizes the lower part of the energy channel called the duti (nerve). It has eight angles signifying the eight energy channels at the secret jewel chakra. The clanger of the bell symbolizes the duti of the female consort, this is not the clitoris, it is deeper, it is the female channel which enters the make urethra. If a bell is properly make the clanger should have eight angles signifying the eight energy channels in the secret chakra of the female consort. The “Symbol of usual action” is performed when we first take up the vajra and bell. We brandish the vajra in the eight directions and also the bell in the eight directions. Placing the vajra in the eight directions symbolizes that the eight energy channels of the female are opened, ringing the bell in the eight directions symbolizes that the eight energy channels of the male are “moved”. The top half of the bell being a vajra symbolizes the union of male and female. When we make the mudra of embracing with the vajra and bell in our hands, it signifies that we have experienced great bliss with the heat of tumo (psychic heat) and the climax of the red and the white substances functioning.

The vajra represents Buddha’s holy mind, the bell his holy body, and the sound of the bell his holy speech. Blessing the vajra and bell means that we are engaging in the practice of remembering all these definitive meanings. In this practice we do not have to go through the three steps of purifying, transforming and generating in order to bless the vajra and bell while reciting “The vajra is method and the bell is wisdom….” The vajra is the method from guru devotion to Buddhahood. The bell is wisdom from guru devotion to Buddhahood. The two are the nature of ultimate bodhicitta – the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. Now recite the mantra for taking up the vajra:
“OM SARVA TATHAGATA….” I firmly hold the pledge of all tathagatas
“HI HI HI HI….” represent the five dhyani Buddhas
“HUM HUM HUM” the inseparability of Buddha’s body, speech and mind. While repeating these think of the samaya of vajra. If you repeat this mantra while aware of its symbolism it will become greatly beneficial.
“OM VAJRA GHANDA HUM” is the mantra for taking up the bell. The bell symbolizes the equality of all phenomena being empty of true existence. “Vajra bell” means that we have to remember we have generated the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void and we have to please all Buddhas such as Vajrasattva. Ring the bell while saying this mantra. “Hung” is like a song which pleases all the Buddhas. “Hung, to generate the resultant vajra in myself is so good, by generating the exalted wisdom of inseparable bliss and void I am able to perform great beneficial actions to free sentient beings from ignorance.” Hold the vajra and bell with great pleasure in order to create the cause to have the real exultant wisdom realizing voidness.
“HUM HUM HUM ” – are the inseparability of Buddha’s body, speech and mind.
“HO HO HO” represent the fact of liberating sentient beings from the three realms of samsara.

“OM VAJRA DHARMA ( phenomena) RANITA (ringing) PRARANITA (ringing very much) SAMPRARANITA (ringing always) SARVA BUDDHA (all Buddhas) KSHETRA (a Buddha realm) PRACALINI (moving) PRAJNA PARAMITA (perfection of wisdom) NADA (sound) SVABHAWA (nature) VAJRASATTVA HRIDAYA (holy mind) SANTOSHANI (always pleasing) HUM HUM HUM HO HO HO SVAHA”

“The sound of the Prajnaparamita is always resonating and shaking the Buddha’s realms, pleasing the inseparable body, speech and mind of Vajrasattva and liberating the three levels of being from samsara.” To take up the bell symbolizes the Buddha’s holy speech, the vajra symbolizes his holy mind, and your generation of yourself in the aspect of the deity symbolizes the holy body. The purpose of using the vajra and bell is to remind yourself of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void during the following ritual. This blessing of the vajra and bell is not normally done in the general tantric sadhanas, only in the self- initiation and fire-puja rituals. Nevertheless, while performing the ordinary sadhanas you should always be aware of the significance of the vajra and bell.

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Part Two

BLESSING THE INNER OFFERING

The purpose for doing this is to facilitate the blessing of the remaining offerings. If we use inner offering without blessing it, it will not be of much use.
Removal: This first step is to remove interferences which are abiding on top of the inner offering. To do this we need a basis upon which to work. A small capala made of bone or a small bottle will do. Fill the container leaving one third empty. When you say “OM HRIH SHRIH…” take off the lid of the container but do not sprinkle the liquid. While reciting the mantra remind yourself that you are Yamantaka and at your heart is a sun disc at the center of which is an azure HUM and around that are the syllables of the ten syllable mantra running clockwise. Imagine many Yamantakas of different sizes, all with the same aspect as yourself, emanate from the HUM and chase all interferences away from the area of the container so far that they can never return. Have strong confidence that you can do this. Since the exalted wisdom of bliss and void can eliminate one’s own afflictions there is no doubt that it is able to chase away those interferences.

The Yamantakas are in fact the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. If we do not chase away the interferences we will not be able to bless well with the inner offering. Expelling the interferences here is similar to when we bless the torma and the offering objects in the following ritual.

TRANSFORMATION

Recite the next mantra and imagine that all phenomena, including the container and the liquid inside, become the entity of emptiness of true existence. “OM” has three parts, “A” symbolizing transforming, “O” is the object to be transformed, and “Ma” ( or M) is the state of having been transformed. While reciting this mantra hold the divine pride of the Dharmakaya, thinking you have become the entity which is the purification of the conception thinking that subject and object exist truly. “SVABHAWA” (nature) SHUDDHA (purity) SARVA DHARMA ( all phenomena) SVABHAWA SHUDDHO HANG. “All phenomena are purified by removing the conception thinking things exist truly.”

GENERATION

From the emptiness, at the place where the container was, appears a blue Yam which becomes a blue bow-shaped wind mandala, it’s flat side facing you. At both corners are vases containing flags. (Some inner offering containers have a place for these flags) On top of the wind mandala appears a red RAM which becomes a red, triangular fire mandala with one angle pointed towards you at the center of the flat edge of the wind mandala. Above this appears three white AHs which become human heads at the three corners of the fire mandala, they face outwards and are fresh. On top appears a white AH which becomes a capala supported by the backs of the heads, the front part (forehead) of the capala points towards you. It contains the five meats and five nectars, which are not the same as in Guhyasamaja or Heruka tantras, the meats are in the four main directions and the center, and the nectars are in the four intermediate directions and the center. Some texts say that the outside of the skullcup signifies great bliss and the inside signifies emptiness. Others say it is the white color of the outside which signifies great bliss and the red color of the inside which signifies emptiness. The second way is better but it does not matter because in both cases, the skull cup itself is the nature of the exalted wisdom of inseparable bliss and void.

THE FIVE MEATS For each animal the skin has been taken off, the meat inside all cut up into pieces and made ready to enjoy, and then put back within the skin so that the animal appears to be in its ordinary aspect. The animals are lying down and facing inwards. You can also visualize the animals as completely cut up into pieces and gathered into a pile. The animals are lying on their right sides.
In the East appears a white BHRUM, the nature of the mirror-like wisdom of Vairocana, which becomes cow meat marked by white GO.
In the South appears a yellow AM, the nature of the wisdom of equality of Ratnasambhava, which becomes dog meat marked by yellow KU.
In the WEST appears a red JRIM, the nature of the wisdom of individual analysis of Amithaba which becomes elephant meat marked by a red DA.
In the NORTH appears a green KHAM, the nature of the wisdom of accomplishment of Amoghasiddhi, which becomes horse meat marked by a green HA.
In the CENTER appears a blue HUM, the nature of the wisdom of Dharmadhatu of Akshobya, which becomes human meat marked by a blue NA.
In the SOUTH-EAST appears a white LAM, the entity of Locana which transforms into feces marked by a white VI.
In the SOUTH-WEST appears a blue MAM, the entity of Mamaki, which transforms into blood marked by a blue RA.
In the NORTH-WEST appears a red PAM, the entity of Vandravarsi, which transforms into semen marked by a red SHU.
In the NORTH-EAST appears a green TAM, the entity of TARA. which transforms into marrow marked with a green MA.
In the CENTER appears a blue BAM (in front of the human meat) the entity of Vajrapetali, which becomes urine marked by blue MU.

Visualize these substances as clearly as possible. All the syllables are standing up, half in and half out of the substances. The five syllables which give rise to the meats are the seed syllables of the five Dhyani Buddhas. The five syllables which give rise to the five nectars are the syllables of the five consorts. The syllables marking the substances are the first letters of their names, to remind us that everything is merely labelled.

The purpose for visualizing these ten substances within the skull cup is to show that they all arise from the exalted wisdom of inseparable bliss and void. The five meats are the “substance” of nectar. In tantric texts it is said that a yogi should enjoy the meats of horse, elephant, and so on. Therefore we should bless them and offer them to our yidams who will be pleased and will quickly give us siddhis. The five meats are like a hook to bring the siddhis. The five nectars are necessary for illuminating the siddhis that are hooked – like a lamp removes the darkness from an object so that it can be clearly seen.

Above the ten substances in the skull cup is a white OM, above that a red AH, and above that a blue HUM. From the HUM in our heart light radiates and causes the flags on the wind mandala to flutter. The wind blows, the fire blazes, and the ten substances melt. The white OM radiates light in the ten directions and invokes the blessings of the holy bodies of the Buddhas of the ten directions in the aspect of Vairocana. These come and absorb into the white OM which becomes very powerful. The red AH radiates light in the ten directions invoking the blessings of Amithaba. These come and absorb into the AH. The blue HUM radiates light in the ten directions invoking the blessings of mind of all the Buddhas of the ten directions in the aspect of Akshobya. These come and sink into the HUM. The three syllables are very powerful, they now sink down into the skull cup and become one with the boiling liquid. First the HUM falls, purifying all faults of color, smell and potentiality. Then the AH transforms them into nectar. Then the OM increases the nectar making it everlasting. Repeat OM AH HUM three times while you do this visualization.

A second visualization you can do is to remind yourself that you are in the aspect of Yamantaka, at your heart is a moon disc, on this is yourself in your ordinary aspect, To your right is your father, to your left your mother, behind you are all your friends, in front of you are all sentient beings. Imagine that all the negativity and obscurations of body, speech and mind of all these beings go out in the form of black liquid into the skull cup, and the beings become completely pure and attain the Dharmakaya. This will help you to remember bodhicitta.

The HUM is able to purify all faults of color, smell, and potentiality because it is the seed syllable of the holy mind, the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, of all the Buddhas of the ten directions. This wisdom expels all external interferences and in the same way it purifies the faults of all sentient beings. The AH is able to transform the ten substances into nectar because it is the entity of the holy speech of all the Buddhas of the 10 directions, Amithayus, who has a vase in his hand which shows he has the special power to transform things into the nectar of immortality. The OM multiplies the nectar because it is the seed syllable of the holy body of all the Buddhas of the ten directions which is in fact the form which is the manifestation of the exalted wisdom of inseparable bliss and void. Such a body has the ability to emanate many forms to work for others, thus Om has the power to increase. We can also say that OM is the syllable of Vairocana, the symbol of purity of the form aggregate, and is related to the continuation of taking form again and again.

These ten substances are mixed with red and white sandalwood to make inner offering pills. The inner offering is very precious, it is used as the principal substance for making dutsi ribus. It is important because in the practice we again and again go through the three steps of removing, transforming, and generating the offering objects. Because the inner offering is so blessed, if we taste some each morning we will have less sickness.

BLESSING PRELIMINARY OFFERING SUBSTANCES

As the deity is father tantra we arrange the offerings from his right to his left. The perfumed water comes after the water for washing, this is not always the case in Yamantaka practices, but here it is. A bell can be placed in the position for music, or you can just visualize music. The three steps are, removing hindrances and transforming into emptiness as before, while saying the matras, then out of the emptiness appear eight AHs which transform into skull cups, inside red and outside white. Within each is standing a HUM blue in color, and the eight HUMs become the various offering substances which please the sense organs of the main deity. We bless each substance by placing its name in between the syllables OM AH HUM etc. The three syllables represent the body, speech, and mind. The HUM is the vajra mind, the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, and it is this which transforms into the offering substances, thus it is clear that the nature of the offering substances is also the exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

Question: What does it mean, their nature is the wisdom of bliss and void?
Answer: It is like saying “product” is the nature of impermanence.
Question: It sounds like wisdom is the substantial cause of the substances.
Answer: According to tantra everything is the manifestation of wisdom of bliss and void, even the small parts of the mandala. All the Buddhas mansions, his entourage, pleasure objects, which his mind enjoys are the same in that they have come from accomplishing these two great accumulations. Also, the Cittamatrins say that form and the valid cognizer apprehending form are one substance, this is similar but not exactly the same to the situation here. The HUM is the seed for the indestructible mind of Buddha and it is the basis from where the substances arise.

ARGHAM: is drinking water, do not visualize it as ordinary water but as the heart blood of your enemies and interferences.
Padyam: is water for washing the feet, also visualize it as the heart blood of enemies and interferences. Wash the foot below the ankles.
Ghande: perfumed water, visualize the skull cup contains blood, fat, and bile of enemies and interferences, it is offered to the chest area.
Pushpe: flowers, visualize the five sense organs, eyes, ears, nose, tongue and hearts of enemies and interferences. One tradition offers flowers to the head, the second to the eyes as a pleasing object to look at, we follow the second tradition here.
Dupe: incense, visualize the smells coming from burning dried meat and fat, and it is offered to the nose sense.
Aloke: the light is offered to the eyes, a lamp of burning fat.
Naividya: food, visualize the five solid organs, liver, lung, heart, spleen and kidneys.
Shapta: sound, visualize the sound produced by human thigh-bone trumpets and a drum of skull tops. When you arrange the offerings use ordinary water, flowers, and so on but visualize these things above.

PRELIMINARY TORMA OFFERING

After offering, this is not taken outside as we do in the Vajrayogini self-initiation. According to the uncommon tradition, the central torma for the main deity is heart shaped. To it’s right (your left) is the preliminary torma, and it its left is the later torma, the later two are triangular. You can also make tormas for the dakas and dakinis and the landlord but these are not obligatory. The skull cup of inner offering is not on the altar, but is on the table in from of the vajra master. This is according to Pabonka Rinpoche. Another way of arranging the tormas is for the later and Dharmaraja tormas to be on either side of the main torma, and the preliminary torma on a plate separate from these three. “Preliminary” means that we offer it to the direction protectors in the beginning. We do the three steps of removing hindrances, transforming and generating as before for the inner offering. We can use the short prayer from the brief sadhana. Although we visualize the offering torma as an ocean of nectar within the skull cup, when we offer it, it has the aspect of food, not liquid.

Invoke the direction protectors with rays of light from the HUM at your heart which go out like hooks to the ten directions, bringing them back to abide in the space in the four main and four intermediate directions. Another tradition is to emanate many wrathful Yamantakas from your heart which go out and bring the direction protectors back, but we do not do that here. In the East is (1) Indra, to his left is (2) Vishnu, and to Indra’s right is (3) Moon, then (4) Sun, then (5) Brahma. In the South is (6) Members of Shinje (Yama). In the West is (7) Chu Lha (Water God) and to his right is (8) Keti Devi (Earth Goddess), then (9) Taksam (Chief of Asuras). In the north is (10) Nujen (Yaksha) and to his left (11) Ganesh. In the North-East is (12) Mahadeva (Shiva), in the South-East is (13) Agne Deva (Firle God), in the South-West is (14) Zinpo (cannibal), and in the North-East is (15) Vayu Deva Wind God).

These are the fifteen main direction protectors who come surrounded by their large entourages, many of which are horrifying to look at. The seven members of Shinje are (1) The Dharmaraja called “Inner Accomplishment”, (2) Palden Lhamo (to his right) (3) Chamundi (to his left). With these three in the center there are four Yamas in the four directions surrounding them. East has white Yama, South yellow Yama, West, red Yama, and North, green Yama.

We may wonder about these direction protectors. Usually the sun, Moon, Indra, Vishnu, are seen trodden beneath the feet of the deity, so why do we invoke them from their abodes and offer tormas to them? In general, the name Direction Protector can apply to (1) Gods pertaining to the white side, (2) Gods pertaining to the black side, and (3) Gods whose entity is exalted wisdom of bliss and void. Indra, Vishnu and so on can be the names of Gods belonging to each of these three groups. The gods pertaining to the black side are those beneath the feet of the deity, the Gods we invoke to offer the torma are those belonging to the white side. Some of the fifteen worldly gods, such as Chu Lha (Water God), and others are enlightened, such as Palden Lhamo and Chamundi, but manifesting in the aspect of worldly gods.

Lama Jhampa Rinpoche says that the direction protectors can be visualized with the seven members of Shinje in the center and the others around them in their respective directions. In this case, there would be no protector in the South because that is the Seven Members of Shinje who are in the middle. However the main deity of that group, Dharmaraja, has two aspects, Inner Achievement and Outer achievement. So the inner Dharmaraja can be visualized in the center and the outer Dharmaraja in the Southern direction so then the circle of direction protectors is complete again, In the description given above, Outer Dharmaraja is visualized in front of the other seven Members of Shinje. It makes no difference which of the visualizations we do.

When we invoke these fifteen chief direction protectors they come with their entire entourages. Each member of the entourage has his own servants, and the servants have servants and so on until every single demon, evil interference, and harmful being is represented. It is very beneficial to now make offerings to the chief direction protectors and to request them to help you in accomplishing your practices, to have good meditation, and to receive help whenever it is needed. At the same time, think about the extensive entourage and say to them “You also should be kind to me even though you are usually harmful. If you can’t help me directly, at least be good and leave me alone.” This is like inviting the Home Minister here and he comes with his lesser officials such as the man who gives visas in Albi, we please them by offering lunch and at the same time we request the Home Minister for help in obtaining a visa, then it is impossible for the official from Albi to say no.

When we actually offer the torma to the direction protectors and their entourages they all transform into the aspect of Yamantaka, on their tongues is a HUM which becomes a one- spoked vajra and through this they take the essence of the offering. The vajra is in the nature of white light. Before we offer to the direction protectors and their entourages, we imagine Yamantaka’s entire supporting and supported mandala appears in the space before us. As we recite “OM YAMARAJA..” we first offer the torma to Yamantaka and the deities of the mandala who have instantly appeared in the space before us. When they have been completely satisfied we imagine that they give us permission to offer the remainder of the torma to the direction protectors and their entourages. This is necessary because the direction protectors have previously promised that they would never enjoy blood meat, and so on without first obtaining permission from Yamantaka. The mantra “OM YAMARAJA…” is the root mantra. Now we recite the secondary mantra which has seven phrases, the first letter of each is from the essence mantra OM YAMANTAKA HUM PHAT and the rest of each phrase is the name of each of the seven members of Shinje (Yama).

OM BHUCHARANA – Dharmaraja
YA PATALA CHARAYA – Chamundi, his consort
MAN KHECHARAYA – Shri Devi (Palden Lhamo)
TA PURVA NIGANAM -Eastern Yama – Yama of Peace
KA DAKSHINA DIGAYA – Southern Yama – Yama of Increase
HUM PASHCHI MANAN – Western Yama – Yama of Influence
PHAT UTTARA TIGAYA – Northern Yama – Yam of Wrath

Thus while reciting this mantra you are reciting the names of the seven Members of Shinje as well as Yamantaka’s essence mantra. Next comes the ten groups of syllables, the first letter of each group is from the heart mantra ON HRIH SHRIH… And the other letters are the syllables from the first part of the names of the direction protectors.

OM I – Indra
HRIH YA – Yama of Outer Achievement
SHRIH VA – Varuna Deva (Water god, Chu Lha)
VI KSHI – Yaksha (Nujen)
KRI KO – Sun, Moon, and Brahma
TA E – Agne Deva ( Fire God)
NA A – Zingpo ( Cannibal)
NA DE – Vayu Deva (Wind God)
HUM BHYOH- Keti Devi (Earth Goddess) Taksam (Chief of Asuras)
PHAT SARVA BHUTE BHYAH – All elves including Vishnu, Ganesh.

Yamantaka’s mantras are mixed with the names of the direction protectors in order to bless their continuum. When offering the torma to Yamantaka and the deities of the mandala and then to the direction protectors, one text says to emanate Vajra Petali from your heart who carries the cake to them, another text says to emanate Rupavajra.

Now recite the mantras “OM DASHA DIKA LOKAPALA…” and make the eight outer offerings to the direction protectors. According to the root tantra, when you arrange these offerings of the altar you should use real blood, meat and so on in the place of flowers etc. But this is real difficult. One custom is to make a dough from tsampa and make shapes representing the five sense organs, the heart, liver etc. Also one can dry some blood and sprinkle the powder in the torma dough. The OM at the beginning of the offering mantra has the three parts “A” “O” “M” symbolizing the body, speech and mind of the Buddha, or we can say that these three parts symbolize the three things in the sphere of emptiness, offering object (recipient), offering substance, and offerer ( oneself). “Dasha”= ten, “Dika” = direction, “Loka” = world, “Pala” = to guard, “sapariwara” = together with entourage, the substances, “Praticha hung svaha”= each of you please take ( and establish goodness in me).

As you offer each substance to the direction protectors, she then returns to your heart and another goddess takes the next offering. The last line “OM Dasha dika…..OM AH HUM” is for offering the inner offering. The direction protectors are in the aspect of Yamantaka and the entity of the offering substance is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

PRAISING THE DIRECTION PROTECTORS
“You direction protectors, who have sworn in the presence of the Opponent to Yama, Wrathful Manjushri, (Yamantaka), that you would guard Buddha’s doctrine and keep out all hindrances, I bow to you and request you to help my self entry into the mandala.” Ia.kyi.shin.je = Dharmaraja: ma.mo = “nymph”, this refers to Shri Devi and Chamundi. Shin.je (Yama) has three aspects, inner outer and esoteric. Yamantaka has overcome all three. Outer Yama is the Lord of Death. Inner Yama is our own karmic actions and afflictions. Esoteric Yama is the three visions, white, red and black, at the time of death.

If we are having a difficult time with many interferences, we can do another visualization. Imagine that the direction protectors hook all those who are giving us harm and bring them before us. They then emanate many sharp wheels of iron from their hearts which these spin in space above the harmful ones, cutting them into pieces, and the direction protectors enjoy their meat and blood and their consciousness are transferred to the Pure Realm.

Next recite the Vajrasattva mantra to purify any mistakes and negative karmas you may have made during the offerings. “Please forgive me for not having the proper objects for offering and for having done anything in the wrong way.” Having completed the offerings to the direction protectors be fully convinced that you have pleased them and they have accepted your request for help in obtaining all that is needed and for meditating well upon the following subjects. Now send them back to their abodes, “OM AH VAJRA MUH”, by snapping your fingers. They can either go completely back to their abodes, or with the intention to return and give help when ever needed. The purpose of doing this is to ensure that there are no obstacles for doing the self- entry into Yamantaka’s mandala. When you make offerings to the direction protectors hold them in high esteem, regarding them as superior beings. Offering in this way pleases your personal Yidam and the direction protectors themselves are pleased because of having your respect. The wrathful visualization of iron wheels chopping up interferences can be done just after the torma is offered. The wheels cut up the interferences out of compassion.

OFFERING FOR THE SELF GENERATION

Bless the offering in the same way as blessing the inner offering. Arrange the offering bowls on the altar from right to left, beginning with three waters. While saying the mantras perform the three steps of removing hindrances, transforming the offerings into emptiness, and generation as before. Some texts add five extra offering substances, here, these are the five objects of sense pleasure of the Desire Realm.

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Part Three

MANDALA OFFERING

When one is only doing the sadhana, the mandala offering is not performed. The external mandala offering is to offer everything in the universe that is not conjoined with the consciousness of a being. Thirty-seven heaps are offered: Mt. Meru, the four continents, eight sub-continents, four specific properties of the four continents, eight precious royal things, eight goddesses, Sun, moon, Precious Umbrella, and a Victory banner. We should visualize that we are holding the entire universe in our hands which we offer to the deity. To think that the environment around us is as it is, and not in our hands, is not a proper mandala offering. At this time we make the mandala offering with the request to be given blessings and siddhis, therefore the Eastern continent is facing towards ourselves. When we make a mandala offering in order to accumulate merit, then the Eastern continent should face towards the deity.

Before you place the heaps on the mandala base, first rub it many times in an outwards spiral to remove all negativity and obscurations. Then rub it three times with an inwards spiral signifying receiving the blessings of body, speech and mind of the Guru (Buddha). Now place a heap for Mt. Meru in the center and heaps for the four continents beginning with the Eastern continent in front of you and ending with the Northern continent to your right. Now place the heaps for the eight sub-continents in the same order, placing the left Sub-continent before the right. Now place the first ring on the mandala and the heaps for the eight previous royal things above the eight directions (visualize them in space above the eight directions). Add the next ring and the heaps for the eight Goddesses who are on Mt. Meru in the eight directions. Now add the third ring and heaps for the sun, moon, precious umbrella, and victory banner. Usually these are in the East, West, south and North respectively, but here we should place the victory banner in the East in front of us as this has great significance. The Tibetan for Victory Banner means, “Victory in all directions”.

Lama Tsong Khapa mentioned a mandala offering of 27 heaps where the four specific properties of the four continents are included in the heaps for those continents, and the heaps for the eight goddesses are not placed on the mandala because they are already on Mt. Meru. So this makes 25 heaps, we now add 2 heaps, one for the great iron fence and the other for the golden ground. In the Vajrayogini sadhana there is a mandala of 23 heaps. Mt. Meru, four continents, eight sub-continents, eight precious royal things, sun and moon. The sutra mandala offering has only seven heaps, Mt. Meru, four continents, and the Sun and the Moon.

A “THRICE-THOUSAND-FOLD WORLD SYSTEM” is much larger than this mandala here. When we visualize ourselves as a deity we make the simple mandala offering. When we are in our ordinary aspect we can visualize ourselves as Brahma, the owner of the thrice-thousand-fold world system, and imagine that we are offering all this to the deity. Such a world system is the result of the collective karma of all sentient beings, and as we are some of those sentient beings, we can offer it to the deity. Above and around the mandala we can also visualize the eight auspicious things and material possessions of gods and humans filling every available space. It we can imagine many vases made of sapphire stacked one above the other and filled with nectar and precious things we can finish all hindrances to our long life. So we offer all these things to the principal deity who is inseparable from our root Guru in order to have successful yoga practice in the self entry.

“sa.zhi. po.kyi…..” By the merit of offering this mandala built on a base resplendent with flowers, incense, saffron, adorned with Mt. Meru and the four continents, as well as the sun and moon, may all sentient beings be led to these pure realms. I offer the body, speech and mind of myself and others, our wealth, and our virtues, together with a mass of Samantabhadra’s offerings, to you my Guru, my yidam, and the Three Precious Gems, accept these out of compassion and bestow upon me waves of inspiring strength.”

INTERNAL OFFERING

As in the Lama Chopa, in conjunction with the Heruka practice, imagine your skin as the golden ground covered in your blood and juices, and your meat and organs on top representing Mt. Meru and the four continents and all the precious things.

ESOTERIC MANDALA OFFERING

Is related to generating the four types of bliss by meditating on the crown to the secret chakra, imagine this bliss taking the form of a HUM and from that HUM cones all the heaps of the mandala.

SECRET MANDALA OFFERINGS

Is related to the wisdom realizing emptiness, this exalted wisdom is in the form of a HUM from which the heaps appear as above. The esoteric offering was blissful wisdom, this is the blissful wisdom realizing the object emptiness.

VAJRASATTVA PURIFICATION

Recite the Vajrasattva mantra 21 times to ensure that negative karmas of breaking your samaya do not increase by doubling each day. If we recite 100,000 mantras, we can purify tantric root downfalls. The visualization is proceeded by the taking of refuge and generating Bodhicitta. This is using the opponent power of support to overcome negative karmas created in relation to sentient beings and to the triple gem. Negative karmas committed in relation to the triple gem are purified by taking refuge in the triple gem (the support or basis of the the negative karma) and any negative karma created in relation to sentient beings can be purified by developing the thought of Bodhicitta towards them. (they are the basis of these negative karmas). This is like when we fall upon the ground, we use the ground as a support to stand up again.

From a white PAM above your crown appears a white eight petaled lotus, in the center is an AH which transforms into a moon disc on which appears a white HUM which becomes a white five-spoked vajra with a white HUM at the center. Light radiates from the HUM and the vajra frees all sentient beings from their sufferings and makes offerings to all the Buddhas. The light rays return to the HUM and vajra and they become Vajrasattva, white, one face, two arms, embracing his consort. Both have ON AH HUM at their three places. The HUM at Vajrasattva’s heart radiates light in the 10 directions invoking all Buddhas in the aspect of Vajrasattva who absorb into him. Again light rays go out from the HUM invoking the initiating deities who give initiation to Vajrasattva, the excess water bubbles up and Akshobya adorns his crown. You may now request Vajrasattva to destroy all negativity of all sentient beings including yourself. Light radiates from the HUM at his heart and purifies the negativity of all sentient beings. Then again from his heart light rays go out invoking the knowledge and qualities of all Buddhas, bringing these back to sink into the HUM. Due to this Vajrasattva becomes extremely powerful and magnificent.

Imagine that on the moon-disc in your heart is yourself in ordinary aspect surrounded by your father and mother and all sentient beings in human aspect. From the HUM and the hundred syllable mantra at Vajrasattva’s heart light and nectar rays pour down. At the tip of each ray is a tiny Vajrasattva, the number is equal to the number of sentient beings in the universe. These rays come down through the point of union of Vajrasattva and his consort to your heart and each sentient being receives a Vajrasattva with consort above his head. From the HUMs at the hearts of all these countless Vajrasattvas and consorts light rays radiate and make offerings to all the Buddhas, then they return to the HUMS and all the Vajrasattvas and consorts become even more powerful and magnificent. Now recite the mantra.

There are three purifying visualizations. (1) downward cleansing – the light nectar flows down and pushes all negativity and obscurations out through the lower orifices. (2) upward cleansing – the light nectar fills the body and pushes all negativity up and out of the upper orifices.
(3) heap – all negativity is visualized in a heap at one’s heart and the light nectar instantly dispells it like darkness disappears from a room when the light is switched on.

From the hearts of all the countless Vajrasattvas light nectar pours down through the points of union entering the crowns of every sentient being purifying in the three ways. If it is too difficult for you to visualize all sentient beings at your heart, you can visualize them in the space around you. Imagine that all the negativity goes down through a crack in the nine levels of earth to the open mouth of the Lord of Death who is waiting for you to die and to cause you harm. He receives all these dirty objects and is fully satisfied, he closes his mouth and the ground seals over them.

OM VAJRASATTVA SAMAYA MANUPALAYA – look after this pledge
VAJRASATTVA TVENO PATISHTA – close to Vajrasattva, make me
DRIDHO – steady
ME – myself
BHAVA – nature
SUTOKAYO ME BHAVA – have the nature of happiness for me
SUPOKAYO ME BHAVA – have the nature of being delighted with me
ANURAKTO ME BHAVA – have the nature of affection for me
SARVA SIDDHI ME PRAYACCHA – please grant me all siddhis
SARVA KARMA SUCHA ME – grant me actions of peace, increase, power etc.
CHITTAM SHRIYAM KURU – keep me as a cherished ornament
HUM – vajra mind
HA HA HA HA HOH – symbols for the five exalted wisdoms
BHAGAWAN – Buddha
SARVA TATHAGATA – all tathagatas
VAJRA MA ME MUNCHA – do not reject
VAJRA BHAVA – indestructible nature
MAHA SAMAYA SATTVA – great being with great pledge
AH HUM PHAT – phat is the sound which makes the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void clear, also it is the mantra for destroying all adversities.

Now every being bows down to the Vajrasattva above his head saying, “out of ignorance I have transgressed my pledges to you, please care for me even though I have done this. I take refuge in the Gurus, the Buddhas, and especially in you, Vajrasattva, the essence of great compassion.” Reciting the mantra is the opponent power of application and the prayer contains the opponent powers of regret and determination to not repeat the actions in the future. Vajrasattva now says to you, “Oh son of the family, you are cleansed and purified of all negative karmas and obscurations, as well as your degenerated samaya.” He sinks into you becoming oneness with you. He does not become oneness with your gross body and mind, but with your extremely subtle body (wind) and mind. These are the ones which migrate within samsara and which will become enlightened.

THE ACTUAL PRACTICE
TAKING DEATH AS THE PATH TO THE DHARMAKAYA AND PREPARATIONS
TAKING THE BARDO AS PATH TO SAMBOGAKAYA, meditating on the mandala
when enlightenment is attained, yoga of causal vajra holder
TAKING REBIRTH AS PATH TO NIRMANAKAYA, the yoga of the resultant
vajra- holder, blessing one’s sense bases.

TAKING DEATH AS THE PATH TO THE DHARMAKAYA
(1) MAKING OFFERINGS TO THE MERIT FIELD, an action similar to the meritorious karma required to take a rebirth from a womb of a body having the six elements so that one can practice tantra
(2) MEDITATING ON EMPTINESS WHICH IS SIMILAR TO THE DEATH CLEAR LIGHT
(3) MEDITATING ON THE PROTECTION WHEEL, HAVING MADE THE MANDALA OF THE FOUR ELEMENTS

INVOKING THE MERIT FIELD

You are Yamantaka, one face, two arms, at your heart is an eight petaled lotus symbolizing the eight-spoked heart chakra. In the center is a Sun disc the size of a half pea, symbolizing the indestructible drop. Upon this is a blue HUM the size of a mustard seed symbolizing the extremely subtle wind and mind. The HUM is extremely bright. Visualize it as in the nature of the five exalted wisdoms and radiating light rays of five colors which fill your body, purifying all negativity and obscurations. Then the light rays go out through the pores of your skin to all the ten directions where they illuminate the entire universe. No darkness is left anywhere. Gyalwa Kalsang Gyatso says that if it is too difficult to imagine the entire universe as illuminated by these light rays, then just visualize as many worlds as are comfortable for your mind.

These light rays bring before you Yamantaka, all the Buddhas including the five Dhyani Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, including the Bodhisattva “Sharp Vajra”, and female Bodhisattvas such as “Dojema”, all wrathful deities including “Vajra Hook” who all come as Yamantaka’s entourage.

Yamantaka is invoked together with your Guru who appears in the aspect of Vajradhara above the root (buffalo) face of Yamantaka. This Guru is the one from whom you have received teachings and explanation of tantra. All these beings are visualized in the space before you at the level of your forehead. It is necessary to invoke the deity together with your Guru because all your knowledge gone beyond the world is gained in dependence upon the Guru who is also the source of all siddhi. Making offerings to a member of the Guru’s retinue is more powerful than making offerings to all the Buddhas. This is why the Guru is invoked within the merit field. You can do this in several ways, the first is the way of Guhyasamaja where you invoke the Guru as inseparable from the principle deity of the mandala. The second way is from some Heruka tantra where you invoke the Guru from a lion throne in the cemetery of the Eastern direction of the mandala. The third is the way of Hevajra and Yamantaka tantra where the Guru is invoked as the lord of the family, in the form of Vajradhara above the root head of the main deity. There is no mistake here if you use the first or third method. Above the root face of Yamantaka is a cannibal face, and above that is the face of Manjushri. The Guru is on top of the root head and in front of the cannibal face. Lama Changa Thamche Kempa said that the Guru here is the essence of all the Gurus from whom you have received teachings.

The light rays from the HUM have absorbed back into the HUM. This syllable is used in the following practices to emanate goddesses carrying offerings and to absorb them back. The reason why we emanate out from the HUM and absorb back into it is because all phenomena are merely labelled by the mind and the HUM symbolizes the Vajra Holy Mind, and we have said that here it is the entity of the subtle wind and subtle mind. Everything, whether it is attaining liberation or entering samsara, is due to the most subtle wind and most subtle mind. In tantra these two are recognized as the final basis of imputation of the person. During the Completion stage we radiate many light rays and absorb the coarse winds and mind into the subtle wind and mind at the heart and through this we are able to perceive the clear light.

After having invoked Guru Yamantaka and his entourage we must now accumulate merit by prostration, making offerings, confessing negative karmas, rejoicing, dedicating, taking refuge, and developing Bodhicitta. In sutra there are seven branches, in tantra there are seven purities which are not exactly the same as the seven branches. Then we also accumulate merit by offering our body, promising to follow the path, holding the vows of the five Dhyani Buddhas, and meditating on the four immeasurables. The order of all these is not necessarily fixed. The action of offering your body to please the Guru and the merit field can be done at the time of making offerings in general. The four immeasurables are meditated upon in order to not forget Bodhicitta and to increase it more and more.

PROSTRATION

“I prostrate to the Guru and the deities of the merit field. You, Guru, who are abiding in the state of Vajradhara, through your kindness you enable us to attain the state of Vajradhara within one instant, an attainment which usually takes so long. You are like jewels fulfilling the wishes of all sentient beings, I bow down at your vajra feet.” With great respect you bow down with your entire body, speech and mind to the lowest part of the Guru’s body, contemplate on this while you repeat this prayer. The next stanza refers to the supreme form of Yamantaka which has appeared out of the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. He shows this most supreme and wrathful aspect to beings in order to give explanation on the paths and grounds of tantric practice and also to tame the maras and destroy Yama, the Lord of Death. He is brave (pa.wo) because he has overcome the two types of obscuration and the four Maras. “Supreme object of enjoyment” means that Yamantaka has such inconceivable qualities of his body, speech, and mind, that they can only be seen by Buddhas, not by ordinary persons. This verse can also be interpreted that Yamantaka himself is a supreme enjoyer of objects, he has the four pure things: pure body, pure environment, pure enjoyments, and pure actions.

“You show actions which tame the most difficult to be tamed” the most difficult to be tamed are the three Yamas, inner, outer and esoteric. “I prostrate to you the Vajra Terrifier”. The definitive Vajra Terrifier is the inseparability of the exalted wisdom perceiving emptiness and simultaneously born great bliss. When these appear in the wrathful aspect of Yamantaka this is the interpretative Vajra Terrifier. “I prostrate to you who have taken the form arising out the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void”. Saying the words is prostrating with our speech, faith in our hearts is prostrating with our minds, and doing the physical action os prostrating with out bodies. As you prostrate imagine that you are surrounded by your parents and all sentient beings who are also prostrating to Yamantaka.

MAKING OFFERINGS

The HUM at your heart is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, light rays radiate from it with offering goddesses (whose mature is exalted wisdom of bliss and void) who can be of many types, the names given here- white Charchika and so forth – are just examples. The goddesses are in the aspect of virgins. Snap your fingers and they go out carrying the offering substance in their hands. Make the mudras and then absorb the goddesses back into your heart.

OM HRIH SHRIH HA – offering of drinking water to Yamantaka whose mouth is wide open showing that his magnificence outshines all others. This phrase shows the object (Yamantaka) to whom we are making offerings.
OM HUM HUM PHAT – Shows water for washing feet and also the nature of the offering substance which is exalted wisdom of bliss and void.
OM VIKTITANA DUSTAM SATTVA DAMAKA GAH GAH – perfumed water, shows the cause of the offering substance, the perfumed water is the heart blood of all enemies and obstacle makers.
OM KUMARA RUPINE JAH JAH HUM PHAT – flowers, shows the aspect of the offerings as being very attractive, like flowers.
OM HRIH HAH HAI PHAT – incense, shows the result of making offerings, is to please the deity.
OM DIPTA LOCANA VIKRITANA MAHA ATTATTA HASANA DINI DIPTAYE SVAHA – light, shows the parts of the body to which all the offerings are made ( water to the lips, to the feet and so on.)

OM VAJRA NAIVIDAYA AH HUM – food, makes perfect the previous six offerings
OM VAJRA SHAPTA AH HUM – music, clarifies the pervious six offerings.

To offer substances with the above six attributes is a perfect offering making perfect merit. Five things are included in the offering, the substance itself, mantra, hand mudra, mental concentration (making the offering substance abundant and everlasting), and offering according to instruction (seeing the offerer, substance, and recipient in the sphere of emptiness). The mudras are the normal mudras we use for highest yoga tantra.

CONFESSING NEGATIVE KARMAS

Visualize all sentient beings as well as all your previous incarnations, in human aspect, surrounding you. You all confess before the Guru, the deity, and the merit field, all your negative actions, feeling strong regret, doing this as a clear action, like splitting wood. Confess the negative karmas of the past, the present and the future. Expressing these before the merit field shows the opponent power of determination to not repeat them, and asking for them to be purified shows the opponent power of regret. It may be difficult to determine to never repeat a negative action, if so, you can state a certain period during which you will not commit that action. If you cannot even do that, then determine to make less negative actions that you would usually do. For example, if you will be obliged to make 20 negative actions in the next month, promise to make only 10. Or you can think, “I cannot abandon this negative action now but I shall do so in the future.” By taking refuge in the merit field and developing Bodhicitta there is the opponent power of the support. The opponent power of application is regarding the three things in the sphere of emptiness – oneself, the negative karma, and the object with whom we made the negative action.

REJOICING

You should rejoice in all the virtues of the three times of those who have entered the path and those who have not. You may wonder how it is possible to collect merit by rejoicing at the virtues of others. It is like when a poor son finds a treasure, everyone is pleased because they will share the result with him. Others are as happy as the boy who found the treasure. We have declared that we will work for the happiness of all sentient beings, so when sentient beings create virtue, it is good to rejoice at these actions because without any effort from our side, they are creating the cause for happiness

DEDICATION
“I dedicate the virtues of myself and all sentient beings to the “Happy migration” (the merit field) to attain enlightenment”. If a virtue is dedicated by thinking of the three things in the sphere of emptiness, then it cannot be destroyed by anger. So contemplate yourself, the virtue, and the object to whom you dedicate it as being empty of inherent existence, this is the ultimate dedication.

TAKING REFUGE

We take refuge in the triple gem because when we become enlightened we become the triple gem. We will become a Buddha, we will be a Buddha Superior, the Sangha, and our realizations of true cessation and the true path will be the Dharma. Thus we take refuge in the triple gem as the resultant refuge object. The beings we have invoked in the space before us have the power to make us become the triple gem in the future. Previous lamas, Jimi Rinpoche, and Gyalwa Kalsang Gyatso said that we should take refuge in the merit field by having confidence that they will make us become the triple gem in the future. There are many benefits from taking refuge. Whatever actions we perform with respect to the triple gem, either positive or negative, the results are unimaginable (unimaginably good or bad!)

DEVELOPING BODHICITTA

“I will generate the Bodhicitta which is directed towards the purpose of others, I will liberate all beings from their suffering and from samsara and will place them upon the seat of enlightenment, in order to do this I am going to perform the practice of Yamantaka.” This is aspirational Bodhicitta.

OFFERING OUR OWN BODY

I offer my body to the ocean of knowledge, please use it in whichever way it is useful. Offer your body which you have cherished so much to the merit field without any taint of miserliness. “There is only one path through which all the previous Buddhas and Bodhisattvas have passed, this is the six perfections, with admiration I shall also rely upon this path.” This is engaging Bodhicitta.

HOLDING THE VOWS OF THE DHYANI BUDDHAS

At this point the vows we already have are increased. We do not receive the vows, or purify degenerated vows until we actually enter the mandala when we take the Bodhisattva and the tantric vows. By increasing the vows we already have, all the Gurus in the merit field are pleased, and this is the offering of working according the the Gurus instruction. So think that you are holding well all the individual and common vows of the five Dhyani Buddhas. “Buddhas and Bodhisattvas please pay attention to me, I who am called (tantric name) from now until I attain the seat of enlightenment, will generate the Bodhicitta just as the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the past have done to attain their enlightenment.” Generating Bodhicitta here is the foundation for taking the tantric vows. After this we have to observe the individual vows of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

SIX VOWS OF VAIROCANA
Three are related to morality and three to refuge. The three vows of refuge are at the beginning of the six session yoga. The three vows of morality are
(1) morality of accumulating virtue, which is shown in the six session yoga “I will liberate sentient beings by every means.”
(2) Morality of working for others, “I will rescue all beings from their sufferings”, which comes in the line “including the four tantric classes and the three vehicles”
(3) morality of refraining from committing misdeeds.

FOUR VOWS OF AKSHOBYA

The first three are the pledges of Vajra, Bell, and Mudra. The vajra is related to the vajra holy mind, the bell to the vajra holy speech, and the mudra to the vajra holy body. The fourth vow is the vow of the instructing Guru (tantric master). These four vows are in the six session yoga at the beginning, “I visualize in the space before me Guru Vajradhara…” etc. The pledge of mudra comes where we hold the divine pride of being Vajrasattva embracing his consort. Holding the vajra and bell and reminding ourselves that they symbolize exalted wisdom and great bliss and performing the mudra of embracing is the pledge of vajra and the pledge of the bell. Regarding your root Guru as Vajradhara is the pledge of the tantric master (instructing Guru).

FOUR VOWS OF RATNASAMBHAVA

These are related to the generosities of giving protection, giving love, teaching Dharma, and giving materials. Giving materials is the wish to give food and clothing to others. The generosity of Dharma is to give teachings and also dedicating your merit for the sake of others. The generosity of love is to wish all beings have happiness and freedom from suffering. The generosity of protection is meditation on equanimity which protects oneself and others from the fears of attachment and aversion. These generosities come in the six session yoga where it says “I will give my body, enjoyments, and virtues of the three times to sentient beings without any miserliness.” The generosities of protection and love come in the lines, “I will attain Buddhahood for the sake of all beings…may they all have happiness and the causes of happiness.”

THREE VOWS OF AMITHABA

These are related to the different collections of Dharma. Holding the Dharma of the three vehicles, holding the dharma of the two lower tantric classes, holding the dharma of the two upper tantric classes. Yoga and highest yoga tantras are practised in secret. Action and Performance tantra are practiced in an open way. This samaya is vast because there is no doctrine which is not included in these three groups, and intending to hold all three is a vast undertaking.

TWO VOWS OF AMOGHASIDDHI

The first is the promise to keep all the above pledges to the Dhyani Buddhas, and the second is the pledge to make the four types of offering.
OUTER OFFERING is the things offered on the altar for enjoyment.
INNER OFFERING is the blessed nectar.
SECRET OFFERING is the offering of the blissful feeling generated by visualizing union with the consort to the deity.
EMPTINESS OFFERING is to offer the realization of emptiness which is the combination of the previous blissful mind and the wisdom realizing the object emptiness, to the deities who abide within this concentration.

Think “I shall hold all the common and all the individual samayas of the five Dhyani Buddhas.” The individual samayas are explained above. The common samayas are root samaya and branch samaya. The root samaya are the fourteen root tantric vows of eating, abandoning, devotion.
Vow of abandoning is to abandon all actions of taking other’s lives.
Vow of devotion is to decide to devote oneself to a spiritual guide.
Vow of eating is to do the three things of purifying, transforming, and increasing all food that you take, just like the way we purify, transform, and increase the inner offering. The vows of devotion and of abandonment are similar in that they include all other vows not included in the root vows. If we are able to do all these things them we should make these vows here. Even if we cannot keep them all, we should pray to be able to do so in the future.

When we do the six session Guru yoga we have to remember these pledges six times a day. If we ask “What am I going to do by keeping all these individual and common vows?” the answer is “you will liberate all sentient beings.” In the text it says, “I will liberate all Bodhisattvas from their place to the state of enlightenment.” Even those on Very high bhumis you will liberate and lead to enlightenment. “I will liberate those beings such as Brahma and Indra who are not free from the obscurations to liberation and enlightenment.”
“I will make those beings who do not receive a breath of happiness in the three lower realms have happiness. I will free all sentient beings from the fears of samsara, of the three lower realms and of the peaceful state, and I will place them in the non-abiding Nirvana of enlightenment.

THE FOUR IMMEASURABLES

Love, compassion, joy equanimity. These are called the “Four places of Brahma”, they are the main causes for attaining the non-abiding Nirvana of Buddhahood. They are “immeasurable” because their object, sentient beings, are immeasurable. Because they refer to measureless sentient beings, they acquire measureless merit and we experience measureless happiness. “May these be unperturbed by the eight worldly feelings”, happiness when receiving materials, unhappiness when not receiving materials. Happiness with fame, unhappiness with no fame. Happiness with pleasure, unhappiness with pain. Happiness when praised, unhappy when criticized. “May the four immeasurable thoughts be unperturbed by conceptualizations grasping at subject and object”, the subjects are the five sense consciousness, the objects are the five sense objects. These are related to the immeasurable thought of equanimity.

DISSOLVING THE MERIT FIELD

Can be done in several ways.
(1) Send them back by saying, “Return to your place”, this is not an order, they go back on their own accord.
(2) Think that the merit field alone simply vanishes into emptiness.
(3) The merit field absorbs into you giving you blessings.
(4) Think that the merit field and all other phenomena around vanish into emptiness.

At this point in the self-initiation we do the blessing of the vase. In the long sadhana the three kayas are done now, and we will do it this way because it will be easier for us.

Back to Tabs

Part Four

We have discussed the way of accumulating merit and now we discuss the way of accumulating exalted wisdom.

MEDITATING ON TAKING DEATH AS A PATH TO THE DHARMAKAYA

This involves meditation upon emptiness. There are six benefits of meditating on emptiness.
(1) One can realize emptiness newly if it has not been realized before.
(2) Having realized it before, we remember our realization
(3) Having realized it before, the realization abides.
(4) Having realized it before, the realization becomes stable.
(5) Having realized it before, the realization increases more and more.
(6) We accumulate exalted wisdom.
Other benefits are that the meditation on emptiness is the best protection for oneself, and also one will understand the following subjects of the supporting and supported mandala being manifestations of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

People in this world who are born from the womb and who have bodies with the six elements will see the death clear light when they die. Also they experience the eight stages of the death absorption, four related to the absorption of the elements, and the four to the subtle visions. Just as there are these eight steps in the death evolution, when we meditate on emptiness here we go through the eight stages.
(1) The environment and all beings absorb into you.
(2) You absorb into the HUNG at your heart.
(3) The vowel “u” absorbs into the HAH.
(4) The HAH absorbs into the bar.
(5) The bar absorbs into the crescent.
(6) The crescent absorbs into the circle.
(7) The circle absorbs into the nada.
(8) The nada absorbs into emptiness.

Imagine that these happen one after the other and as they absorb you experience the eight visions,
MIRAGE – as the earth elements absorbs,
SMOKE – as the water element absorbs,
SPARKS – as the fire element absorbs,
A DYING FLAME – as the wind element absorbs,
THE WHITE VISION – like clear moon shine on an Autumn night, as the white bodhicitta from the father descends from the crown to the heart chakra,
THE RED VISION -“radiant red increase” as the red bodhicitta ascends from the secret chakra to just below the indestructible drop in the heart chakra,
THE BLACK VISION “near attainment” which occurs when the two substances meet,
DEATH CLEAR LIGHT – there is no color, just completely empty like an autumn sky at dawn.

“Absorption” of the elements means that as the former element becomes weak, the next element grows stronger, one element does not actually “absorb” into the next. We must know the whole process of death, bardo, and rebirth in order to perform the following meditations well. When we die, there is a cessation of twenty-five gross things: Five aggregates, Five objects of the senses, Four elements, Six sense powers, Five exalted wisdoms of the base. (There are five exalted wisdoms in the continuum of a Buddha Superior and we have the bases of the foundations of them now). These are

(1) MIRROR-LIKE WISDOM – the mind realizing many objects at one time, such as both ugly and beautiful objects at the same time.
(2) WISDOM OF EQUALITY – a mind realizing that the three feelings of pleasure, pain, and indifference are equal in terms of being feeling: or we can say the mind realizing that product and impermanent are synonymous.
(3) WISDOM OF INDIVIDUAL DISCRIMINATION – a mind able to remember the different names of family members and friends and so on.
(4) WISDOM OF ACCOMPLISHMENT – a mind able to accomplish the goals of this life and also can accomplish actions directed to the future life.
(5) WISDOM OF DHARMADHATU – our own mental consciousness which becomes the Wisdom Truth body.

The death clear light is the vacuity appearing after the proceeding seven visions. This vacuity is a feeling of emptiness, ordinary emptiness, and can remain in an ordinary person for up to three days if the body is not interfered with. This is called “ABIDING AT THE DHARMAKAYA OF THE BASE”. For those who are chronically ill it is difficult to maintain the clear light for three days. High yogis can maintain concentration even if their bodies are moved, but it is better not to do so. It is said that, for ordinary people, if we touch the upper part of their body the mind will leave from the upper part and a higher rebirth will be attained, and if we touch the lower part of the body the mind will leave from the lower part and a lower rebirth will be attained.

If a person has some understanding of emptiness but has not realized it directly, it is possible that he can realize emptiness during this period of the death clear light. This is one of the six benefits mentioned before, realizing emptiness newly. With the understanding of emptiness we can remain longer, seven days or more, at the clear light vision. This ordinary death clear light is called the “BASE TO BE PURIFIED”. There are several paths to purify it, such as the example clear light and meaning clear light which come during meditation on the completion stage. When we purify (transform) the death clear light, we attain the result, the Dharmakaya. So, the basis of purification is the death clear light, the path which purifies is the realizations of example and meaning clear light, and the result of purification is the Dharmakaya.

When taking death as a path to Dharmakaya, we must fully recognize these three steps. While performing this yoga we meditate on the example and the meaning clear light in order to see the death clear light. Once this arises, we then meditate on the yoga of taking the path to the Dharmakaya by meditating on the death clear light as if it actually were the Dharmakaya. Even though we are not dying, we attain the death clear light by meditating on the absorption of the HUNG and the experience of the eight visions. This is the way of meditation on the generation stage.

The yoga of taking death as the path to the Dharmakaya on the generation stage is a cause for transforming the ordinary death clear light into a meaningful one, but the actual transformation (purification) of that basis can only be done by meditation on the example clear light and the meaning clear light during the completion stage. This meditation on the generation stage is an artificial path or tool with which we purify the death clear light. The real path or tool is the example clear light and the meaning clear light of the completion stage.

The death clear light is called the “VISION OF VACUITY” because for our mind at this point there is a feeling of vacuity, of emptiness. The next step is to have ascertainment of that emptiness, not merely the feeling or appearance. And then the third step is to imagine that the mind which is ascertaining the emptiness has the nature of bliss. When we eventually come to the level of the isolated mind, there is the example clear light where we are able to experience the bliss of the bodhicitta drop descending from the crown, but this bliss only occurs when we have attained the completion stage. Therefore, in order to imagine the blissful mind attaining the Dharmakaya during the generation stage, we have to remember the bliss of ordinary sexual intercourse. By remembering the bliss or orgasm, we imagine that we are experiencing this at the same time as we are ascertaining the emptiness of the clear light vision, our mind is transformed into a “fabricated bliss”. So we imagine that our gross mind becomes the nature of bliss and we should also think that this blissful mind realizes emptiness, becomes exalted wisdom of bliss and void, and that we have attained the Dharmakaya of Yamantaka. This is the practice of the base time, even though we have not yet attained the final Dharmakaya of Yamantaka, we think that we have gained this result and we hold the divine pride, and this is called “TAKING THE RESULT AS THE PATH.” It is like having a lump of clay with which we would ordinarily make a vase, but we make a Buddha statue instead. Death is ordinary and usually leads to a samsaric rebirth. But instead, we use the death and turn it into the meaningful path to the Dharmakaya.

There are three bases to be purified, the ordinary death clear light, the ordinary intermediate state, and ordinary rebirth. We purify or transform these during meditation on the generation stage, and then the path which actually purifies them is the meditation done at the completion state. We can say that the yoga of taking death as the path to the Dharmakaya on the generation stage is like a secondary tool which purifies the three bases. Then the actual path or tool with which we really purify the three bases is the yoga of the completion stage where we go through the example clear light and the meaning clear light. Once we stop the ordinary death clear light we stop the ordinary intermediate state, and once we stop that we stop ordinary rebirth. If we attain the example clear light of isolated mind it is certain that we will attain enlightenment in this lifetime because the ordinary intermediate state and ordinary rebirth have been stopped by stopping the death clear light.

How is it possible to purify or transform the ordinary death clear light with the example clear light? While meditating on the completion stage there are signs of the winds entering the central channel. We will be able to insert the winds through our meditation and when the clear light vision arises, it will the the example clear light. The clear light of the path, the ordinary death clear light will not arise at all, it has been transformed into the clear light of the path. Usually, when the ordinary death clear light occurs, as soon as we move away from it we come to the ordinary intermediate state. In the context of the path here, when we move away from the clear light of the path, we come to the impure illusory body, which is a substitute for the ordinary bardo body taken after the ordinary death clear light. This the intermediate stage has been stopped and there will be on ordinary death.

The “EXAMPLE CLEAR LIGHT” is so called because it is only the blissful mind realizing emptiness through a generic image. For this reason, the body taken after the example clear light is the impure illusory body. Later on, this mind directly realizes emptiness and then the blissful mind (the subject) will become the meaning clear light. And when we move from the meaning clear light we will take the pure illusory body. After the pure illusory body is taken and there is the unification of the learner’s and non-learner’s stages, and thus we definitely attain enlightenment. The reason why we say that the meditation done on the completion stage is the actual path which purifies the three bases is because the meditations on example and meaning clear light on the completion stage are the actual purities of the three bases.

In the generation stage we just imagine that the mind becomes the nature of bliss, that it realizes emptiness, and that it attains the Dharmakaya. The eight steps of the ordinary death process are meditated on in both the generation and the completion stages, even for the attainment of Buddha’s Dharmakaya. After attaining Dharmakaya, Buddha manifests as the Sambhogakaya and the Nirmanakaya, performs many actions for sentient beings, but never “awakens” from the clear light of the Dharmakaya. He is able to do all these things without awakening from the clear light of the Dharmakaya because he no longer has the eighty indicative conceptions, and when these no longer exist there can be no condition which will move, or disturb the clear light of the Dharmakaya.

Now we return to the text. OM HRIH SHTRIH…. hindrances removed
OM SVABHAVA ..nature SHUDDHA.. purity SARVA DHARMA.. all phenomena SVABHAVA SHUDDHOH.. completely pure nature HANG.. I am. Refers to divine pride. The first SVABHAVA refers to all objects of consciousness, and the second refers to the nature of all subjects (apprehenders). A HANG means “I am the one who is the purity of the nature of all subjects and objects.”

OM SUNYAYA (voidness) JNANA (exalted wisdom) VAJRA (indestructible) SVABHAVA ( nature ) ATMAKO (entity) HANG (I am ). “I have the mind which is the nature of the (subject) blissful mind and the (object) emptiness, these are inseparable.”

Saying the third mantra and thinking of its meaning is indicating that we hold the divine pride of Dharmakaya. There is no dualistic appearance to this mind, true existence does not appear, and there is no object (emptiness) appearing as separate from oneself. The reason why there is no dualistic appearance is because everything, including oneself, the deities of the merit field, and all phenomena of the environment are merely labelled by name and sound and therefore free from the four extremes of (1) existing naturally, (2) entirely not existing, (3) existing both as naturally and not at all, (4) neither existing naturally nor entirely not existing. At this point oneself and all the deities of the merit field and all other phenomena vanish into emptiness.

Through the yoga of taking death as the path to the Dharmakaya we “drive” the death clear light towards the Dharmakaya while on the generation stage. This makes the cause to be able to actualize the example and meaning clear lights of the completing stage, and by doing so we will actually attain the Dharmakaya. When we are meditating on the generation stage it sometimes seems that we can attain enlightenment, but we must meditate on the completion stage first because it is the actual path which transforms the ordinary death.
Question: If we only practice the generation stage is it possible to meditate on the visions at the actual death time and have the example clear light, or must we have meditated on the example clear light during the lifetime?
Answer: You must have prior meditation on the completion stage.

From the stage of emptiness appears a YAM which becomes a wind mandala. When we say “from the state of emptiness” it means that your mind remains within the Dharmakaya, meditating on emptiness, and the various syllables appear from their side. If you find it difficult to remain in the state of the Dharmakaya you can make the plan that “I am going to appear in the aspect of the Rupakaya.” Now think “I am going to establish the four great cushions of the four elements.” So the YAM appears and transforms into a wind mandala, bow-shaped, and with two flags at the corners. On top of this appears RAM which becomes a fire mandala, triangular with each angle marked by flames. The syllables can be either standing up or lying down. Now appears a white BAM which becomes a white, circular water mandala. On this is the syllable LAM which becomes a yellow earth mandala, square with three spoked vajras at the corners and one corner facing you. Each of the mandalas is exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The four syllables are visualized to indicate that all phenomena are merely labelled, the syllable is the first letter of the name of it’s corresponding element. The size of the mandalas is proportionate to the size of the mansion, if the mansion is vast, they are also vast. If it is small, they are small. The order of the elements, wind, fire, water, earth, is such because these four are the equivalent to the bases of purification. For a world system to begin there is need of a previous destruction of another world system and from the empty space a wind appears and then the other elements in turn.

We may ask how is this equivalent to the evolution of a world system, because in the evolution of a world system there is no fire. The answer is that there is no mistake because the atoms of fire element exist within the atoms of the other three elements. So the basis of purification is included within them. We should not think that there is no fire element within the bases of purification, it is said to be included there in the texts of the Kalachakra tantra where the evolution of the universe is explained in a different way and the fire element is included.

Above the earth mandala appears a blue HUNG which becomes a multi-colored double vajra marked at the center with HUNG. The hub is blue, the Eastern part white, south yellow, west red, and north green. The HUNG sends light downwards which forms the vajra ground, then it sends light out laterally creating the vajra-fence, then it sends light upwards to form the vajra-canopy, then more light to create the vajra-ceiling. The entire mandala is egg shaped and is composed of many flaming vajras, big ones, small ones, filling every space on the ceiling. The vajra-ground, fence, canopy and ceiling seem to be different but in fact are one unit and cannot be separated. They are so solid that they cannot be destroyed even by the strong wind that blows at the end of the aeon. Outside the mandala is a blazing wheel of fire, like the fire at the end of an aeon which destroys the entire world up to the first trance. The wheel of flames turns in a clockwise direction. Shooting out in all directions is a shower of vajra-arrows with five spokes which keep out all demons and interferences who are not stopped by the fire. The fire and the arrows are extremely powerful in preventing evil beings from coming near, they cannot even look at the fire and arrows. But for beings on the white side, the fire and arrows look like beautiful rainbows.

This mandala is round and its color is blue, it is the common protection wheel. It’s size is enormous, including the entire universe from highest level of the Form Realm (Og Min) to the lowest part, the wind mandala. Others say it goes from the Form realm to the great golden ground. We can imagine it in which ever way is comfortable for our minds. This common protection wheel is shared by all four tantric classes.

THE UNCOMMON PROTECTION WHEEL.

This occurs only within the Highest Yoga Tantra. In the center of the fence appears a yellow BHRUM which melts into light and becomes a yellow ten-spoked wheel. The upper and lower spokes are sharp, like tips of spears, they are like two cones put together at the bases, one pointing up, the other pointing down. The remaining eight spokes are horizontal, four in the main directions and four in the intermediate directions. These eight are like double edged swords and also have sharp tips. The yellow BHRUM symbolizes the earth element which has the quality of solidity, the wheel is very solid. The spokes go out to the vajra fence but do not touch it, and the wheel can revolve clockwise.

The central cones are hollow, in the center slightly above the level of the horizontal spokes (and not touching them) are three seats each made up of lotus, moon, and sun discs. The three parts of the cushion indicate that the deity sitting on it has perfect renunciation, bodhicitta and wisdom of emptiness. On the central cushion is your own mind in the form of a blue HUNG which melts into light and becomes Sumbharaja with three faces, central blue, right white, and left, red. There are three faces but only one forehead and one neck. Each face has three eyes and the hair on the head flows skywards. He has three pairs of arms, the upper pair embrace his consort who looks similar to him. The second right hand holds a jewel and the third a hook. The second left hold a lotus and the third a lasso. His right leg is drawn in and the left outstretched. Concentrate for sometime on yourself having this aspect of Sumbharaja. Many light rays go out in the ten directions from the point of union with your consort and from the HUNG at your heart.

These invoke all the Buddhas in the aspect of the ten powerful wrathful deities who all enter through your mouth and go down to your heart where they melt into light becoming drops of sperm with colors corresponding to the ten wrathful deities. These go down your central channel and enter your consort through her lotus. They then go up through her central channel to her heart where they turn into ten syllables of HUNG with colors corresponding to the ten wrathful deities. These ten HUNGs transform into the ten wrathful deities who take up their usual positions at her heart, one above, one below, and eight in the eight directions.

The wrathful deities again become HUNGs and descend to her lotus where they leave from the point of union of male and female and take up their places on their own cushions within the protection wheel. A second way of doing this is, when the HUNGs first go up to your consort’s heart, they remain as HUNGs, then go down the central channel again entering your central channel through the point of sexual union, go up to your heart, then go out from your heart to their respective places in the ten directions. We do the first visualization where the ten HUNGs emerge from your consort’s lotus. They emerge as you say “HUNG” in the aspect of the ten wrathful deities.

The first wrathful deity takes his seat at the base of the EASTERN spoke, he is Blue Yamaraja with three faces, central face is blue, right white, and left red, six arms, the first two embrace his similar consort, the second right holds a jewel, third right a vajra-hammer, second left a lotus, third left a sword.

In the SOUTH is white Aparajita, three faces, six arms embracing his similar consort. His central face is white, right azure and left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, the third a truncheon, the second left had holds a lotus, the third a sword.

In the WEST is red Hayagriva, three faces, six arms embracing his similar consort. His central face is red, right azure and left white. His second right hand holds a jewel, the third a lotus, the second left had holds a wheel, the third a sword.

In the NORTH is blue Amrita-kundalini, three faces, six arms embracing his similar consort. His central face is blue, right white, left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, the third a vajra, the second left had holds a lotus, the third a sword.

In the SOUTH-EAST is azure Takki-raja, three faces, six arms, embracing his similar consort. His central face is azure, right white, left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, the third a hook, his second left hand holds a lotus, the third a sword.

In the SOUTH-WEST is blue Niladanda, three faces, six arms, embracing his similar consort. His central face is blue, right white, and left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, third a staff, second left hold a lotus, and the third a sword.

In the NORTH-WEST is blue Mahabala, three faces, six arms, embracing his similar consort. His central face is blue, right white, left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, third a trident, second left a lotus, and third a sword.

In the NORTH-EAST is azure Achala, three faces, six arms, embracing his similar consort. His Central face is azure, right white, left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, third a sword. second left a lotus, third a sword.

In the UPPER direction, on a seat slightly above and before myself, the main deity, is yellow-green Ushnisha-chakravartin, three faces, six arms, embracing his similar consort. His central face is yellow-green, right white, left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, third a wheel, second left hand holds a lotus, third a sword.

In the LOWER direction, on a seat below and slightly behind myself, is azure Vajra-patala, three faces, six arms, embracing his similar consort. His central face is azure, right white, left red. His second right hand holds a jewel, the third a vajra, second left hand holds a lotus, the third a sword.

All ten wrathful deities have their right legs drawn in and their left stretched out. The protection wheel turns but these deities, who are inside, do not turn because their seats are not attached to the wheel. There are many types of protection wheels we can visualize to stop demons and devils from causing us harm. Among them all, the protection wheel of Yamantaka is the most powerful for stopping all interferences. It is always turning in a clockwise direction. If we have specific problems or hindrances due to spirit interferences there is a special visualization we can perform.

First we remind ourselves of being Sumbharaja sitting in the central axis of the wheel with the ten wrathful deities looking towards us. Now glace at the deities with “EYES LOOKING IN A DOMINATING WAY”, a fierce, terrible look that gives the deities the understanding that they must bring all the devils and obstacle makers under their power and give them a hard time. The wrathful deities not emanate many wrathful aspects from their hearts which go out and bring back all the harm givers and hold them before the ten wrathful Deities who now turn and look outwards at these beings. The ten Deities now grab those evil beings by their feet and hold them at the level where the sharp double edged swords are spinning in an anti-clockwise (?) direction, and the evil beings are sliced into pieces by the wheel. Each of the ten Wrathful Deities is abiding within a great aura of flames and whatever pieces of flesh and blood fall down these are immediately consumed by the intense heat. The minds of these beings are then transferred to the Pure Realm. All the emanations now absorb back into the hearts of the wrathful deities who now turn and face inwards again, looking at you.

A second way of doing this is for you, Sumbharaja, to radiate light from your own heart which carries many wrathful emanations in all directions who bring back the evil harm-givers and the ten wrathful deities destroy them as before. In the first case the protection wheel is called “The Wheel of Command” because by your wrathful glance you give the command to the ten deities to perform their deeds. This method of visualization is preferable, it is closer to the text.

The next visualization you can perform is the “BLAZING OBJECT TO BE ACHIEVED”. Remind yourself of being Sumbharaja with a blue HUNG at your heart. Within the curve of the shapkyu (vowel sign for “u”) is a moon disc and on this is yourself in ordinary aspect or any person or persons who are in need of protection. These people must be close to you, there is pure samaya between you and them. If they are not close to you, this visualization is not appropriate. Now you give authority to the ten wrathful deities to perform actions with respect to the person on the moon disc.

ACTIONS OF PEACE The ten deities emanate white goddesses from their hearts who carry white vases filled with white nectar. They give initiation to the person on the moon disc within the shapkyu who becomes completely purified of all negativity and obscurations. Negativity here included all sickness and negative potentials. As a result, that person’s body becomes bright and transparent.

ACTIONS OF INCREASE. The white goddesses absorb back into the hearts of the ten deities who now emit yellow goddesses with yellow vases containing yellow nectar. They give initiation to the person at your heart and as a result, he develops all positive qualities, glory, goodness, and enjoyments. The goddesses dissolve back into the hearts of the main deities.

ACTIONS OF POWER. The ten deities now emit red goddesses from their hearts who carry red vases containing more red goddesses with hooks. These goddesses hook relatives, friends, any person necessary for giving protection to the person at your heart. This can include gurus and others to help in Dharma practice. Also materials for use in one’s practice and for making offerings. The goddesses now absorb back into the hearts of the ten Deities.

ACTIONS OF WRATH. The ten deities emit black goddesses who give initiation to the person at your heart, he finishes all negativity, sickness, and all bad things which leave him in the form of blood and pus which is taken away by the black goddesses and they absorb back into the hearts of the ten deities.

Thus we can see why the protection wheel of Yamantaka is so powerful. This visualization cannot be performed for someone who has died. It should be someone close to you and even someone who has asked you for help. After these four actions the person at your heart becomes very bright and special. In some texts it says that this person may be visualized within the “o” of the HUNG. and you recite mantras visualizing purifying nectars removing his problems.

In reality the ten Wrathful Deities are the Ten Types of Consciousness of a Buddha Superior. These are (1) Knowledge of Phenomena (2) Subsequent knowledge (3) Knowledge of True Suffering (4) Knowledge of True Origins, (5) Knowledge of True Cessation (6) Knowledge of True Path (7) Knowledge of conventional truth (8) Knowledge of other’s minds, (9) Knowledge of Exhaustion, and (10) Knowledge of non-growth. Each of these knowledges is the same in the sense that they are omniscient mind of a Buddha superior. The reason why we meditate on the protection wheel is to a be free from hindrances and calamities white practising the Yamantaka yoga method. It is particularly important for beginners to meditate on this uncommon protection wheel in order to free ourselves from hindrances.

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Part Five

TAKING THE INTERMEDIATE STATE AS THE PATH TO SAMBHOGAKAYA

CONSTRUCTION OF THE MANSION

This is the place where you will attain enlightenment and generate the casual vajra-holder. You are Sumbharaja standing in union with your consort experiencing great desire, you now transform into Vajrasattva, white, three faces, six arms. Holding divine pride, you are in union with your consort through desire and because of the bliss you experience you transform into a reality source which is, in fact, the entity of exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. The outside of the reality source is white, the inside red.

The point of the reality source goes down into the lower cone of the protection wheel. At this point appears a PAM which transforms into a variegated lotus, the root and stem coming from the lower part and the flower opening at the level of the upper surface of the reality source. The petals are different colors not necessarily corresponding to the directions. There may be sixteen, thirty-two, or sixty-four petals. If you are pointing this lotus each petal is white at the edge and different colors inside. Between the petals it is red, this shows its connection with the reality source which is also white outside and red inside.

In the center of the lotus is a blue HUNG which transforms into a multi-colored double vajra whose “heads” are in the four directions and take the colors of their corresponding directions. East is white, south yellow, west red, north green, and the hub blue. In the middle of the hub is a white BHRUM which radiates rays of light each carrying tiny Buddha Vairocanas going out and absorbing back several times. Finally, they all absorb back into the BHRUM which transforms into a white wheel with eight spokes. This special wheel has a handle beneath made of a half vajra with five spokes. At the hub of this wheel (which is horizontal) is another BHRUM which transforms into Buddha Vairocana, white, three faces, six arms. The central face is white, right azure, left red. He embraces his similar consort with the first pair of arms. In the second right hand is a wheel, third a sword. In the second left hand is a jewel and in the third a lotus.

Buddha Vairocana now transforms into the celestial mansion which has four doors, in front of each is a porch with eleven layers. The mansion is so large that one needs a ladder to climb up to the porches in the space between the heads of a double vajra. All the things of the mandala take the color of their corresponding direction. The white objects of the mansion are composed of tiny particles of wheels, the yellow objects are composed of tiny particles of jewels, the green composed of tiny particles of swords, and the blue composed of tiny particles of vajras. These particles are not to be regarded as solid matter but rather are the nature of the five exalted wisdoms. The dimensions of the mansions are not necessary to know, because in the meditations, one visualizes the house and then concentrates on the subjects inside the mansion.

The foundation for the mansion is the variegated lotus and the multi-colored double vajra which are inside the reality source which is inside the uncommon protection wheel. There are reasons for all these transformations of seed syllables into other objects, of Buddha Vairocana into the mansion, and so on. We should not think that the process can be simplified by leaving out any of these stages. The reality source comes from Vajrasattva because it stands for the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, and this wisdom is the DEFINITIVE VAJRASATTVA. The white color of the outside of the reality source shows the purity of the natural stain, and the red inside stands for great bliss and it also indicates the female lotus. The three edges of the reality source indicate the three doors of liberation. These are:

(1) the entity of things is empty of true existence
(2) the causes of things have no sign of true existence
(3) results arising from things are not objects to be aspired in the basis of having true existence.

For example, the three things, basis, path and result, for all three their entity is empty of true existence. This means that all phenomena included within the three bases are empty of true existence, the three bodies of the base, the three bodies of the path, and the three bodies of the result all have an entity which is empty of true existence. Likewise, none of these phenomena has a cause which has the sign of true existence, and there is no truly existing result to be aspired within the basis, path or result.

The reality source standing with it’s point downwards and its broad part above symbolizes the way in which our knowledge develops, from small to great. Thus we have seen that the reality source is the nature of exalted wisdom of bliss and void and everything built upon the basis of the reality source is also this wisdom. This includes the variegated lotus, the double vajra, and all the supporting and supported phenomena of the mansion.

A second way to look at it is, by meditating of the reality source symbolizing the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, we come to attain all the results of the base and of the path. The main thing that is implied by this process of things arising from the reality source, the foundation and so on, is that the two stages are generated upon the basis of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The two stages are the unified stage of the learner’s level and the unified stage of the non-learner’s level. Or, this evolution can indicate that all the splendid things of a Buddha’s realm, the Buddha’s deeds, the enjoyments, the high knowledge, all result from exalted wisdom of bliss and void. Also it can indicate that once when Buddha taught root tantra he did so by emanating a reality source in the shape of a female lotus and gave the teaching from there. Another interpretation is that the evolution of the reality source symbolizes that the lotus grows from mud but is never dirtied by it. And in the same way, all the supporting and supported mandalas are not sullied by the faults of samsara. The exalted wisdom of bliss and void is attained by utilizing attachment as a path, but although it has arisen from attachment it is not stained by it. In fact, it eliminates the fault of attachment.

If we visualize the lotus as having sixty-four petals it symbolizes the navel chakra, with thirty two petals it symbolizes the crown chakra. The exalted wisdom of bliss and void is one thing, but it can be differentiated into the five exalted wisdoms which are symbolized by the five colors of the double vajra on the top of the lotus. The double vajra may be visualized with twelve horns, symbolizing that a Buddha has completely severed the chain of the twelve links. If you visualize the double vajra with twenty horns, it symbolizes that Buddha has completely eliminated the twenty types of transitory view, the intellectual obscurations to be abandoned, Jig.ta. There are four transitory views associated with each of the five aggregates. For example, the aggregate of form has the transitory view of form as self, the view that such self has form, the view that the form is a support for the self, the view that the self is supported by that form.

The mansion built upon the double vajra shows that the entire mansion arises as a result out of Buddha’s consciousness because the double vajra is the five exalted wisdoms of a Buddha’s consciousness. Buddha Vairocana is the beginning of the mansion because he is the deity symbolizing the purity of the aggregate of form, and the mansion is the purified aggregate of form. The four sides of the mansion represent the purification of the four noble truths (translator is not sure) . The four corners show that a Buddha and an ordinary person are equal at the ultimate level because there is no difference in the entity of the emptiness of the mind of a sentient being and the emptiness of the mind of a Buddha. The four doors indicate the four groups included within the thirty-seven aides to enlightenment, the four correct abandonments, the four magical legs, the four essential recollections, and the five powers.

The four pediments above the doors, which can have eleven layers, show the four types of dhyana. Around the outside of the mansion is a ledge for the offering goddesses, each of whom represents a quality of Buddha. The knowledges symbolized within the mansion are not the knowledges possessed by bodhisattvas, they are only the knowledges held by Buddhas.

There are many small jewelled objects on each door symbolizing that a Buddha fulfills the wishes of all sentient beings. Beside the mansion are pendants with bells which make the sound of Dharma, symbolizing Buddha giving teachings. In the spaces between the ornaments are strands of jewels, half nets and full nets. These stand for the seven branches of enlightenment. A rosary runs all around the mansion symbolizing that tantric teaching is given there without discontinuity. Everything we have mentioned, including the deities inside the mansion and the cemeteries outside with the beings in them, has all arisen from the exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

THE EIGHT CEMETERIES

Outside the vajra fence and the mountain of fire are the eight cremation grounds, such as the “EXTREMELY FIERCE ONE” with eight trees such as NAGAKESARA, at the bases of which are the eight direction protectors. The Sanskrit “Shasana”, is cemetery or cremation ground, a place where corpses are put. These are also places where zombies walk, where corpses are hung from trees, where they are lying on the ground, and where they are impaled with sticks going from the anus to the head. The cemeteries are in the eight directions and are called:
(1) East – Extremely Fierce
(2) South – Skeleton
(3) West – Vajra-Blazing
(4) North – Billowing Smoke
(5) North-East – Laughing “HA-HA”
(6) South-West – Extremely Dark
(7) South-East – Guardian of Auspiciousness
(8) North-West – Sound of “KLI KLI”

Each cemetery has a tree: (1) East – Nagakesara (2) South – Mother Tree (3) West – Water Tree (4) North – Ashuta Tree (5) North-East – Naruta Tree (6) South-East – Panya Tree (7) South-West – Sangye. shing (8) North-West – Anzunati.

THE EIGHT DIRECTIONAL PROTECTORS
(1) East – Indra, white or sometimes yellow, riding a white elephant, one face, four arms, embracing his consort. The upper pair of hands have their palms together, the second right has a vajra, second left holds a skull-cup and embraces his consort.
(2) South – Blue Yamaraja riding a buffalo, one face, four arms, first pair embracing consort. (The remaining direction protectors all have one face and four arms, only difference is the implement in the second right hand). (3) West Sita Baruna Deva – with seven snakes behind his head, like Nagarjuna, riding a crocodile, second right hand holds a lasso.
(4) North Yellow Yaksha riding a human being, in his second right hand is a mongoose (which vomits jewels)
(5)North-East – Mahadeva, white, riding an ox, a trident in his second right hand
(6) South-East – Agnedeva, red, riding a goat, holds mala and a Brahmin vase
(7) South-West – Blue Cannibal, riding a zombie, has a special ornament of human skulls on his head, holds a sword in his second right hand
(8) North-West – Bayudeva, smoke colored, rides a deer, holds a yellow flag.

Direction Protectors are of two types, those having the nature of wisdom and those belonging to the white side. The ones in the cemeteries are those having the nature of wisdom. All the phenomena within the cemeteries, the deities, the corpses, the trees and so on are all of the nature of exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The direction protectors who were invoked and offered the preliminary torma are those direction protectors belonging to the white side. We offer the later torma to the direction protectors abiding within the cemeteries.

THE EIGHT FIELD PROTECTORS

These are the fierce deities who abide at the crowns of the trees. The lower parts of their bodies are within the foliage and the upper parts protrude from the foliage. Their faces correspond to the animals ridden by the direction protectors at the bases of their corresponding trees. They all hold a torma in their right hand and a skull cup in their left hands, they have one face. (1)East – Elephant Face (2) South – Buffalo Face, black (3) West – Crocodile Face, white 1(4) North – Human Face yellow, (5)North-East – Ox Face, white (6) South-East – Goat Face, red (7) South-West – Zombie Face, black (8) North-West – Antelope Face, green.

THE EIGHT LAKES AND NAGAS

These do not have specific names. Abiding in the lakes are the eight Nagas, in the Eastern lake is No.gya Karpo, white with a head ornament of several snakes above which is an utpala flower. In the Southern lake is Pema Karpo who has a white dot on his forehead. In the Western lake is Karkuta, red with three lines on his neck. In the northern lake is Chapo Marpo, red and decorated with the sign of eternity on his forehead. In the North-East is Pema Chenpo, white, holding a trident and snakes are above his head, like Nagarjuna. In the South-West is Reshnon, white, decorated with snake heads on which is a crescent moon. In the North West is Thaye, multi-colored, decorated with lotus on his head. The upper parts of the bodies of all these nagas are in human aspect, and the lower parts of their bodies are like snakes. Their hands are together at their heart holding jewels between their palms as offerings to the main deity of the mandala. The order of nagas here is according to Kunye Jedang She.

Above each Naga are eight clouds.
East – is the cloud “Sound Maker” (dog.pa); South – is “Fluctuating” (yowa); West – is “Wrathful One” (dagpa); North – is “Great Sound Maker (chendogpa); North- East – is “Very Stable” (jenpo); South-East – is “Full One” (kangwa); South-West – is “Making Rain” (bepa); North-West – is “Fierce One” (tungsha).

The clouds have different qualities such as making the sound of thunder, quiet and very loud, lightening, wrathful cloud, deluge, and so on.

THE EIGHT MOUNTAINS

East – Lhunpo, made of jewels: South – Malaya, yellow: West – Kailasha, white; North – Mandara, green; North-East – Ongden, black; South-East – Bonyeden, yellow; South-West – Baliglire, blue; North-West – Kangchan, white.

On each mountain is a stupa, each stupa is shaped like a stupa of enlightenment, Dejuden, and they are white. Also on each mountain is a wisdom fire, and a great yogi (thub.chen). The yogis are all marked with their hair hanging down their bodies and wearing the six bone ornaments. They hold various implements in their hands, skull cups, damarus, katavangas and so on. The eight ascetics are paying their respect to the main deity of the mandala, saying words like “Ha Ha, Hi Hi”. They are doing various things, some are entering the cemeteries, others are leaving and so on.

At the bases of the mountains there are various things such as frightful, skeletons, corpses, zombies, corpses hanging from trees, corpses impaled on sticks. Other corpses are being burned, others are being eaten by vultures who are circling in the sky, and by wild animals such as lions, tigers, hyena tearing the flesh of th corpses. There are many dangerous animals in the mountains such as snakes with heads like cows, elephants and so on. There are zombies, (rolangs), yakshas, elves, and other fierce spirits walking around making frightening sounds, some are running, others standing, sitting or crawling.

GENERAL SYMBOLISM OF THE CEMETERIES

All the bodies and possessions which have been left in the cemeteries have been completely abandoned, they have no owner. This state of not being possessed by anyone symbolizes selflessness. The skeletons show impermanence. The dangerous animals show that our minds wish to leave samsara. The lakes indicate that our practice must be moistened (sustained) by bodhicitta. The eight Nagas holding jewels shows that after generating bodhicitta we have to engage in the practices of all Buddha’s sons by using the four means of gathering disciples. The wisdom fires show that the wisdom realizing emptiness burns the root of samsara. The stupas symbolize the final attainment of the holy body, speech and mind of a Buddha. The eight yogis show that by following the practices to achieve the holy body, speech and mind, we will attain the result.

SECRET SYMBOLISM OF THE CEMETERIES

The trees symbolize one’s central channel at the completion stage practice. The direction protectors at their bases symbolize the energy winds flowing downwards, the field protectors at the tops show the life-force energy wind. The mountains indicate that the wisdom realizing emptiness makes us to never be shaken by conceptions of true existence or any other superstition. The fire on the mountains shows the heat of tumo. The clouds show the white and red drops. The eight groups of eight things show the eight types of bliss coming as a result of downward and upward flowing of the energy winds during the completion stage meditation when the fire at the navel blazes, the heat rises and melts the bodhicitta drop at the crown, which flows downwards and we experience the four forward blisses, then it rises again from the lower chakra and we experience the four reverse blisses.

The unshakeable mountains also show the path beginning from the meaning clear light up to the final state of unification of the non-learner’s stage. The general symbolism does not directly show the completion stage, the secret, or uncommon symbolism does not show the completion stage. The objects of meditation of the mandala come at each of the three times, the time of the base, the time of the path, and the time of the result. Thus the visualization of the mandala, the mansion, and all its parts is very profound, right from the beginning where the evolution of the mandalas of the elements is like the evolution of the universe. This very stable foundation of the mansion is equivalent to the objects of meditation at the time of the base.

The same mansion with its firm foundation is an object to be meditated on at the time of the path because there is a house for the impure and the pure illusory bodies taken on the completion state. The impure illusory body is a body taken while one has not abandoned the obscurations to liberation, and the pure illusory body is taken when these obscurations are abandoned. These bodies are made of light, they are not physical, and cannot be seen by ordinary persons, still, they are at the stage of learning, not at the level of Buddhahood. At the resultant time the mansion is the object of meditation because it is the place where you will reside when you attain enlightenment. The result of meditating on the entire mandala is to destroy the cause for rebirth in an impure environment. In In relation to the path, meditating on the mandala creates the cause to have such a mansion to live in when we attain the illusory body in the future.

In brief, the purpose of meditating on the mansion is to eliminate the causes for us to be reborn in impure environments in the future and to create the cause to have such a mansion and environment when we have the realizations of the completion stage. We should remember that from the beginning to the end, the entire mandala is always made of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, there is not particle of matter. When we visualize the mansion as this wisdom, this is taking the result as the path, the house will come in the future but we are using it now as the path.

QUESTION: Light is included in matter, so why is the mandala “in the nature of light”?
ANSWER: Light is matter, but the light here is not that ordinary light. It is the wisdom of bliss and void. We do talk about the shape and color of the mansion, and these are qualities of form, but in fact, we should not feel that the mansion is form, the colors and shapes are not ordinary colors and shapes. It is similar to the way the Cittamatrins assert things to be. They say that everything is completely the essence of mind, nothing exists externally with atoms or form. We also say that the Buddha’s realms do not have form, it is all “Light” coming from the Buddha’s exalted wisdom of bliss and void.
QUESTION: How do the arya bodhisattvas perceive the Sambhogakaya aspect of the Buddha in the pure realm?
ANSWER: They see the Sambhogakaya aspect with both their eye and their mental consciousness. The visual consciousness does not have to have form as it’s object. Even Buddha Shakyamuni had an aura of light which we could perceive with our visual consciousness, but this was not particulate corm. The Cittamatrins accept that the visual consciousness sees forms and colors but they do not say that these objects of visual consciousness have to be composed of atoms. This tantric commentary is according to the Madhyamika Prasangika school, but the way they talk about light is close to the Cittamatrins. In the commentary it says “Yamantaka’s mansion cannot have dimensions or measurement because it comes from the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, and consciousness cannot be measured.” However, according to individual yogis, even though there can be no measurement in general, for them there can be shape according to what is comfortable for his mental capacity.

INSIDE THE MANSION

From a blue YAM comes a blue wind mandala on top of which is an A which melts into light and becomes a white moon disc. Hold the divine pride of being the moon disc for awhile, and then, like a bubble coming up out of water you arise as a yellow DHIH which is the nature of Manjushri’s knowledge. Again hold divine pride of being this for some time. The DHIH then turns into a blue sword, double edged, a handle of a golden half vajra marked by DHIH. The sword stands upright on the moon disc, it now radiates much light in the ten directions invoking the Buddhas from their abodes in the aspect of Manjushri, his left hand holding a text and right right holding one of the implements of the five Dhyani Buddhas. Thus there are five types of Manjushri, their colors correspond to the color of the Dhyani Buddha whose instrument they hold. All the Buddhas in these five aspects of Manjushri absorb into the DHIH on the handle of the sword.

You can also visualize that they are all invoked in the aspect of the causal vajra holder Manjushri. Now the sword transforms into Manjushri. This is the preparation for you to become the casual vajra holder in the future. He is yellow, has a youthful aspect, one face and two arms. In his right hand is a blazing sword, in his left he holds a text at his shoulder. If you are studying a particular subject you can visualize that this is a text on that subject, and imagine that you receive particular teachings from Manjushri. This will help you to understand the text. The face is slightly wrathful with one wrinkle at the forehead. He is wearing robes and has the eighty minor and thirty-two major marks. His hair is tied back into a knot and there is a piece of wood with a small vajra on it to hold his hair in place. This causes the hair to have five knots. He is wearing eight ornaments on his head, neck, arms, anklets, wrists, and waist, including a long rosary from his neck to his knees. This Manjushri is established from the most subtle wind and most subtle mind, so subtle that he cannot be seen by ordinary beings, only by highly realized beings. This aspect is made out of the light of the mere energy wind and subtle mind. It radiates five colored light rays. Hold the divine pride of being this Manjushri for some time. Meditating on yourself as being the causal vajra holder at this point is equivalent to meditating on the basis, path and result.

QUESTION: What does meditation on the basis mean?
ANSWER: The “basis” refers to the things which come to ordinary people. Ordinary death, intermediate state and rebirth. These happen to ordinary people under the control of karma and afflictions. Death is the “base body” of the Dharmakaya, bardo is the “base body” of the Sambhogakaya, rebirth is the “base body” of the Nirmanakaya. These are the “bases” because they are the bases to be transformed into the path and into the real result.

MEDITATION ON THE PATH

Refers to the meditations on the generation and completion stages. We have already discussed how we come to hold the divine pride of the Dharmakaya after experiencing the death clear light, and now we are at the point of holding the divine pride of the Sambhogakaya. Finally we will arrive at the point of holding the divine pride of the Nirmanakaya, thinking that we have become the real Yamantaka, and these are the three bodies of the path. Even though during the generation stage we meditate on stopping the death clear light and attaining the divine pride of the Dharmakaya, in fact, ordinary death under the control of karma and afflictions still exists. Our meditation creates the imprint to actually stop the clear light of death when we come to completion stage practice, meditating on the energy channels and attaining the example clear light, the experience of simultaneous bliss with the experience of emptiness through a mental image. After some time we will then come to realize emptiness directly and this will be the moment of attaining the meaning clear light. When a person attains the example clear light, he eliminates ordinary death under the control of karma and afflictions. So, meditating on the base by imagining that we have attained the Dharmakaya helps to attain both the path realizations and the resultant realizations at the level of Buddhahood.

When performing the yoga of taking the bardo as the path to the Sambhogakaya we need strong imagination that we have actually attained the Sambhogakaya. The intermediate state under the power of karma and afflictions has not actually been stopped, but we imagine that we have done so. The syllable A transforming into the moon disc is equivalent to the Base of entering the intermediate state, it is like the subtle wind and mind being the substantial causes for the bardo being. For the path it is equivalent to the mind attaining the example and meaning clear lights. After attaining the example clear light we have the impure illusory body, and after attaining the meaning clear light we have the pure illusory body. This step of the A becoming the moon disc is also equivalent to the subtle wind and mind which are the nature of the meaning clear light existing at the final learner’s level where one is about to become a non-learner.

The DHIH appearing on the moon disc, at the level of the base is equivalent to the speech of the bardo being. In relation to the path it is the speech of the impure and the pure illusory bodies. In relation to the result it is equivalent to the speech of the Sambhogakaya.

In relation to the base, the sword transforming into Manjushri is equivalent to the instantaneous arising of the body, speech and mind of the bardo being immediately after the cessation of the death clear light. In relation to the path it is the impure illusory body arising from the example clear light and the pure illusory body arising from the meaning clear light. In relation to the result it is equivalent to the Sambhogakaya arising after the final learner’s level of the meaning clear light.

Visualizing the sun disc at Manjushri’s heart has a relation with the path and with the result, but not with the base. According to the path, it is equivalent to the example and the meaning clear lights. According to the result, it is equivalent to the hold mind of the Sambhogakaya. In the text it says “meditate on the sun disc which burns away all conceptions and superstitions”, this means that already at the learning level when we come to the example and the meaning clear lights we burn up superstitions – because those two clear lights are the realization of emptiness, first by a meaning generality and then by direct perception. When we attain the Sambhogakaya there is a meaning clear light at this level and all the conceptions and superstitions are totally abandoned. It is like… the sun eliminates the present darkness, it has eliminated the past darkness, and it will prevent future darkness. This means that the meaning clear light of the Buddha’s Sambhogakaya has eliminated the darkness of conceptualization, the meaning clear light of the pure illusory body and the example clear light of the impure illusory body are currently eliminating conceptualizations now. Thus the yoga of taking the intermediate state as the path to the Sambhogakaya involves different meanings in relation to the base, path, and result. This meditation on Manjushri eliminates the base – the intermediate state coming from karma and afflictions – and it leads to the attainment of the path level of the example and meaning clear lights, and then it leads to the attainment of the result, the Sambhogakaya. While using this technique of taking the result (Sambhogakaya) as the path we should not have “double imagination” thinking, “I am just imagining that I have attained the Sambhogakaya.” You must feel without any doubt at all that you are the Sambhogakaya.

Usually we talk about the bardo existence following the death existence. And so far we have taken death as the path to the Dharmakaya which was done on the basis of the death existence, and taking the aspect of the causal vajra holder was done on the basis of the bardo existence. We may now have the doubt, “these two yogas cannot be equivalent to the ordinary death and bardo existences because they are so complicated. It takes so much time to visualize the mansion and so on but the ordinary end of death existence and the beginning of the bardo existence takes place within one moment.” The answer to this doubt is that it is true that the bardo existence begins immediately after the death existence but still, the dying being has to go through the process of finding the place for its bardo rebirth and therefore there is no mistake in meditating on the mandala because it is the equivalent of the dead person experiencing the transition from the death existence to the bardo existence where he has to find a place to be reborn.

Just as there are three kayas at the base level, there are also the three kayas at the level of the path, but these are still not the real Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya or Nirmanakaya. Attaining the example clear light on the completion stage is like taking the Dharmakaya at the path level. Taking the impure and pure illusory bodies on the completion is like taking the Sambhogakaya at the path level. The illusory bodies re-entering their old bodies is like taking the Nirmakaya at the path level. When going through the three kayas, we do so by changing our mental intention. At first we contemplate the divine pride of being the Dharmakaya, then we should think, “if I remain in this state the Arya bodhisattvas will not be able to see me, but if I take the Sambhogakaya this will benefit them.” So you appear as Manjushri, the Sambhogakaya. Then, after holding the divine pride, you think, “Only a few high beings can see me, if I take the Nirmanakaya many ordinary beings will see me and I can help them.” And so you take the Nirmanakaya.

TAKING REBIRTH AS THE PATH TO THE NIRMANAKAYA

Having held the divine pride of being the Sambhogakaya, make the intension to take a form visible to ordinary beings. At your heart appears a red AH which transforms into a sun disc which radiates rays of exalted wisdom of bliss and void in the ten directions. These invoke all the Buddhas, either in the aspects of the forty-nine deities or as the five types of Manjushri, or in the aspect of Manjushri the same as yourself. All the Buddhas absorb into the sun disc. There is a moon disc beneath the sun disc, (it has been there all the time). The sun mandala now radiates light rays as hot as the fire at the end of the aeon which burns all obscurations, hindrances, and evil beings. Hold the divine pride of being this sun mandala. Now an azure-black HUNG, the nature of the five exalted wisdoms, appears on the sun disc. It resonates with a terrifying sound. This HUNG sends five colored light rays out in the ten directions and these invoke all the Buddhas in the aspects of the forty-none resultant deities or in the aspect of the resultant vajra holder, Yamantaka. They all sink into the HUNG which now transforms into a black, wrathful, nine-spoked vajra, so huge that it reaches up to the Land of Brahma. The vajra is marked by a HUNG at it’s center and it resonates with an even more terrifying sound.

The wrathful vajra now radiates light rays in the ten directions, on the tips of the rays are countless tiny wrathful vajras which destroy any beings who were not able to be subdued by the peaceful manner. The bodies are destroyed and their consciousness sent to the pure realm. These vajras of different sizes now transform into the forty-nine deities, different aspects of Yamantaka with and without consorts, implements, filling all of space. The Yamantakas with consorts enter into union above the heads of all beings and send down drops of bodhicitta which purify all negativity and they attain the state of Yamantaka. Now all the emanated beings, light rays, implements and all the beings who have been transformed into Yamantaka, absorb into the black vajra. The vajra, moon, and sun now transform into seats of a variegated lotus, moon and sun, upon which you are standing as the resultant vajra holder, Yamantaka, with a blue-black body, nine faces, thirty-four arms and sixteen legs, with your right legs drawn in and your left legs stretched out. You are the unity of the wisdom, concentration, and symbolic beings.

You have generated as “YAMANTAKA THROUGH EVOLUTION”. This is compared to the earlier generation of “INSTANTANEOUS TRANSFORMATION”. Generation through evolution has five steps
(1) – white moon disc has the entity of the mirror-like exalted wisdom.
(2) – sun disc has the entity of the exalted wisdom of equality.
(3) – azure HUNG has the entity of exalted wisdom of individual discrimination
(4) – Black vajra has the entity of the exalted wisdom of accomplishment
(5) – moon, sun and vajra become Yamantaka, through this step we have attained the wisdom of the Dharmadhatu.

Some commentaries count the third and fourth steps as one and then add the step of the deeds performed by the numerous vajras radiated out from the central vajra. In this case, this step is the wisdom of accomplishment and is called the “STEP OF ENLIGHTENING IN AN INSTANT”. The first way we have shown of enumerating the five steps is from the root tantra of Guhyasamaja, the second is from the root tantra of the “Kissing State”. Both have been used by many great yogis, in both all steps are complete, it is the same path.

There are five ways of taming beings during the two occasions when you are the causal and the resultant vajra holder.
(1) – for sentient beings who are ripe to be subdued, in a peaceful way, you do so in the aspect of the causal vajra holder.
(2) – those with “small evil” who are unable to be subdued in a peaceful manner, you subdue them by becoming the sun disc which intoxicates them and they become Yamantaka.
(3) – those with “great evil” you subdue by taking the aspect of the HUNG emitting a horrifying sound.
(4) – the “Extremely evil” beings you subdue as the black wrathful vajra radiating countless different sized vajras which destroy their bodies and they attain the state of Yamantaka in the pure realms.
(5) – The “Extremely extremely evil” beings you subdue by taking the form of Yamantaka himself, nine faces, and thirty-four arms.

You must have a clear image of yourself as Yamantaka. Your azure-black body is as big as a mountain, or whatever is comfortable for your mind. The root face and the three on the right and three on the left all share a single neck and a single scalp. The six lateral heads are like bubbles on the root head. The “Cannibal face above the root face is red and has it’s own neck arising from the back of the root head. Above is a yellow head of Manjushri, with it’s own neck. There are different ways of visualizing the faces according to different traditions. Lama Tsong Khapa researched these and found that Lalitavajra received instruction on these from Yamantaka’s consort.

There are thirty-four arms, on each side they are in two groups of eight plus a single arm at the top. The eight legs on the right are drawn in and the eight on the left are stretched out. Between the two sets of legs is a gap of five hand-spans. The feet press down on Indra and Brahma who are said to be the most powerful beings in the world. So, if the two most powerful beings are subdued, there is no need to mention the lesser deities. This shows that Yamantaka has overcome all beings of the world, he is able to to “devour the three realms”.

The root buffalo face emits the laugh of threat, “HA HA” the laugh of happiness, “HE HE”, the laugh of pride “HI HI” and the laugh which out-shines all others, “HO HO”. All eight syllables are the laugh of the Hero. These ways of laughing were introduced by Nagpo, the Black Saint. Thus the head has eight wrathful faces and one peaceful face.

Each of the eight tongues move fast like lightening, going in and out between fangs as white as snow. There are wrinkles of wrath between the base of the nose and the forehead. His eyes and eyebrows move like the fire at the end of an aeon, his yellow-brown hairs stands up. The left hands are in the mudra of threat, threatening all the worldly demons, obstacles and other evils. The right hands are also all in the mudra of thread and are turned slightly upwards whereas the left hands are turned slightly downwards. The right hands facing upwards is a demand to all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas that they quickly give siddhis to sentient beings. The left hands threaten worldly beings so that they will stop harmful actions towards practitioners. With these threatening mudras Yamantaka shouts the thundrous roar “PHEM”. Some scholars say that all the eight wrathful faces say it, but this text says only the root face utters PHEM. It is so loud, like a thousand dragons thunders, and is shouted to call the dakinis. “Ka.rai” shows that all the dakas are under his power. He devours human blood, fat, marrow and lymph- signifying he destroys all evil beings.

Each wrathful five has a bone wheel of eight spokes and each head is adorned with five human skulls. On the crown of each skull is an emblem of a Dhyani Buddha, in the mouth of the skulls are strands of bone hanging down which shake when he moves his heads. There is a garland of fifty fresh human heads threaded on human entrails tied to their hair, the rosary goes down to the level of his thighs. A “kasha”, an ornament of snakes, makes a cross over his shoulders. He has the six bone ornaments as well as the kerag belt and his skirt and the chest ornament. The eight spoked wheel on the root face is in front of the cannibal face, that on the cannibal face is in front of the Manjushri face. The ear ornaments of the root face circle each ear, the ear ornaments of the remaining wrathful faces hang in the usual fashion. The stomach is large and round because of wrath. He has no need of clothes because he wears the real clothes of shame and consideration for others, he stands naked with his organ erect. his eyebrows, eyelashes, beard, and body hair all bristle and emit flames of fire.

In the Heruka root tantra the Jig Je face is angry and fierce but not the same as here. There are different intensities of wrath, the wrath of the sage is anger, like that of Heruka or the deity Geba Dorje. The wrath of a Yaksha is like that of Mahakala, thick muscles and very angry. The wrath of a cannibal and the wrath of Yamaraja show extreme wrath with wrinkles of the face, this is the wrath of the root face of Yamantaka.

He has two blue horns with sharp points and blazing with fire. The red cannibal face has blood dripping from it’s mouth. It represents all
knowingness and the blood symbolizes that he gives teachings to all beings. The yellow Manjushri face is slightly wrinkled with wrath, and adorned by a “youthful ornament”, a crown with five flowers between the emblems. The first right face is yellow, second, azure, and third red. The first left face is smoke-colored, second white, and third black.

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Part Six

HAND IMPLEMENT

The first pair of hands hold an elephant skin by the rear and fore-legs, skin outside, flesh inside. On the right, the first hand of the front group of eight arms holds a curved knife with a five spoked vajra handle. The second holds a pointed instrument with a round top holding five peacock feathers; the third a wooden pestle; fourth a fish-knife, squiggle shaped and made of glass; fifth a short harpoon with a cord of animal entrails; sixth an axe with a “dorje chepa” handle; seventh a long spear; eighth an arrow. In the eight hands at the back, the ninth has a log-handled iron hook; tenth a vajra skull club; eleventh a khatavanga, the handle of which is a single spoked vajra, on top is a yellow vase with a double vajra with a blue hub and four horns the colors of the four directions, on top of the vajra is a fresh black human head dripping with blood, above this is an old red human head, and above this is a white human skull upon which is standing a black vajra, the bottom of the case is adorned with jewelled strands. In the twelfth hand is a wheel of sharp edged and pointed spokes but no rim, the handle is a half vajra; thirteenth a gold five spoked vajra hammer; fourteenth a hand in the threatening mudra; fifteenth a sword with a vajra handle, and in the sixteenth a damaru made of two human skull tops.

On the Left, the first and of the front group of eight arms holds a skull cup full of blood; second a head of Brahma, yellow with four faces; third a bat-shaped shield; fourth a human leg; fifth a lasso with a vajra at each end; sixth a bow made of two horns; seventh twisted human entrails; eighth a bell. In the back group of eight left arms: the ninth holds a human hand cut off at the wrist; tenth a shroud; eleventh a man impaled on a stick (still alive) which runs from anus to the top of his head; twelfth a burning triangular brazier as in the inner offering; thirteenth a scalp; fourteenth holding another hand in the threatening mudra; fifteenth a trident with flags; sixteenth a stick and cloth fan. All the hands are stained with fresh blood, the nails are sharp and pointed.

The first right foot treads on a human; second a buffalo; third an ox; fourth a donkey; fifth a camel; sixth a dog; seventh a sheep; eighth a fox. All are lying on their stomachs with their heads in the direction of the toes. The first left foot treads upon a vulture; second an owl; third a crow; fourth a parrot; fifth a hawk; sixth an eagle; seventh a mynah; and the eighth a swan. Beneath the animals on the right are Brahma, yellow with four heads. Indra, yellow or white; Vishnu black; Rudra, blue. All four are on their stomachs. Lying beneath the birds on the left at Youthful six faced Kumara whose faces are all in the horizontal plane and is red; Ganesh who is white; Chandra the white moon god; and Surya the red sun God. These are the eight proud worldly gods.

Have the divine pride of being Yamantaka in this aspect. If it is too difficult to visualize everything, do it slowly. At the beginning just meditate on the yoga of taking the bardo as the path to the Sambhogakaya and when you come to this visualization, remember the thanka and think that you have taken this aspect. Slowly start to visualize all the implements. Meditating on yourself as Yamantaka is the symbolic being, yellow Manjushri at your heart is the wisdom being. In the Guhyasamaja root tantra the wisdom being is red, in the Heruka tantra it is blue, in some other tantras it is white, and here it is yellow.

In the center of Yamantaka’s heart is yellow Manjushri upon a white moon disc. He is the aspect of our own subtle wind and mind. At his heart is a sun disc upon which is a blue HUNG radiating light of five colors. Focus upon this for some time, it is the concentration being. When we meditate on this stack of three beings we eliminate the stains of the three beings at the base level. This means that we are trying to meditate on the three beings at the path level. In the future we will actually attain them at the path level and through them we will attain the three beings at the resultant level. So we finish the stains of the three beings at the base level, we attain the three beings at the path level, and through them we will attain the three beings at the resultant level. Our gross body is the symbolic being at the base level. Our subtle wind is the wisdom being at the base level, and our subtle mind the concentration being at the base level. At the path level, the old body of the possessor of the two illusory bodies is the symbolic being, the illusory bodies are the wisdom being, and the example and leaning clear lights are the concentration being. At the resultant level, the emanation body is the symbolic being, the pure illusory body which makes the final non-learning level of unification is the wisdom being, and the clear light which is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void at the final stage of non-learners unification is the concentration being.

“Symbolic Being” is so called because it serves as a basis (or pledge) to radiate out wisdom beings and absorb them back, “samaya” is the pledge upon which things happen, “being” because it intends to work for all beings. “Wisdom Being” is called “wisdom” because it is the manifestation of the exalted wisdom of inseparable bliss and void appearing in deity aspect: it has the nature of exalted wisdom. “Concentration Being” is so called because one concentrates single-pointedly on the object, and through that one develops supreme concentration, i.e. by meditating on the HUNG at our heart.

SYMBOLISM OF THE TAKING OF THE RESULTANT VAJRA HOLDER

1. At the Base Level
– the white moon disc, bodhicitta drop from the father
– sun disc radiating light invoking bodhisattvas, wrathful deities..
and then absorbing into sun = consciousness of bardo being entering
the fertilized egg of the rebirth existence
– sun disc vast and hot = first developmental state of embryo in womb
– HUNG on sun disc = fetus having the potentiality to talk in future
– HUNG transforming into black vajra = mentality of fetus
– multiple vajras radiating and wrathful deities absorbing back into
vajra, = fetus growing larger, aggregates and sense organs developing
– Vajra, sun, and moon becoming Yamantaka, = birth of developed fetus.

This is the yoga of taking rebirth as the path to the Nirmanakaya.

2. At the Path Level
– Manjushri and invoked deities dissolving into sun disc = the owner
of the illusory body at the path level taking his old body again.
Taking back the old aggregates is like taking the Nirmanakaya at the
path level.
– HUNG on the sun disc = speech of person taking Nirmanakaya at path
level.
– HUNG becoming a vajra = the mind of this person.
– Vajra radiating multiple vajras = deeds performed by the Nirmanakaya
for the benefit of sentient beings
– Vajras and deities absorbing back into the main vajra = taking the
real Nirmanakaya, the form of Yamantaka
– the moment when Manjushri and all the deities absorb into the sun
disc = the subtle body (Sambhogakaya) taking the gross body
(Nirmanakaya). This happens because if we remain in the Sambhogakaya
we cannot benefit those with low realizations.

3. At the Resultant Level
– HUNG = speech of person taking the Nirmanakaya
– Vajra = mind of person taking the Nirmanakaya
– Vajra radiating multiple vajras = Nirmanakaya performing many deeds
for sentient beings
– The moment of taking the aspect of Yamantaka = the real Nirmanakaya
of the resultant level. Yamantaka has a black, fierce aspect but he
is never separated from the moisture of love.
– nine faces = nine branches of scripture
– thirty-four arms = eighteen elements, two truths, ten powers, four
fearlessnesses. This indicates that a Buddha possesses all these
qualities. Another interpretations that that we add the body, speech
and mind to the thirty-four arms then have the thirty-seven aids to
enlightenment.
– sixteen legs = sixteen types of emptiness, he directly realizes them
all
– Yamantaka’s power to devour the three realms and his eight syllables
of laughter = he has overcome all unruly minds and devils, he
terrifies them
– four bared fangs = he has overcome the four Maras
– strong wrinkles of wrath = he totally destroys all unruly beings
(before he just frightened them)
– fire eyebrows, beard, moustache and body hair = he eradicates both
internal and external interferences at the same time
– hair bristling upwards = he has abandoned all obscurations and faults
and has attained the highest place, nirvana
– all left and in threatening mudra = telling the Maras and others to
not cause harm to Dharma practitioners
– all right hands in the threatening mudra = telling those who have
gone beyond that they should grant siddhis like rainfall to
practitioners
– eight proud gods beneath his feet = Yamantaka overshadows them, no
need to mention the others
– syllable PHEM KARA = exclamation to dominate all dakas
– eating human blood, marrow fat and lymph = to frighten others
– five skull ornaments = he has attained the five exalted wisdoms
– rosary of fifty fresh human heads = he has attained the purity of the
fifty syllables of the alphabet (sixteen vowels , thirty-four
consonants)
– snake ornament = he has attained the purification of aversion
– five ornaments (excluding ashes) = he has attained complete knowledge
of the five dhyani Buddhas
– big stomach = extremely fierce
– naked = he has attained the clothing of shame and consideration for
others and does not need to depend upon ordinary clothes
– buffalo face = he has destroyed Yamaraja, the Lord of Death. This
means he has destroyed the Yamaraja who is common to all beings
– two sharp horns = method and wisdom at the base level
– two sharp horns = illusory body and clear light at the path level
– two sharp horns = two bodies at the resultant level
– red cannibal face = he looks after others through love and
compassion; or he has power over all beings
– cannibal face dripping blood = omniscient mind
– dripping blood = teaching beings out of compassion
– Manjushri face = in reality Yamantaka is Manjushri taking this
wrathful aspect to tame certain beings
– Manjushri’s five hair knots = Yamantaka-Manjushri has attained this
state through the five gradual evolution
– three eyes = omniscience realizes all phenomena like an olive in the
palm
– first pair of hands holding elephant skin = blissful mind of oneness
with the object of emptiness
– sixteen right hands = sixteen types of joy
– sixteen lift hands = sixteen types of emptiness (he has gained
integration of these two)

THE IMPLEMENTS
– (Right), curved knife = a tool to cut ignorance (he possesses)
– feathered pointer = he pierces conceptualizations from the side of
the subject and of the object
– pestle = he stops all degeneration of memory
– fish-knife = he cuts through samsara
– harpoon = he cuts all faults of body, speech and mind
– axe = he eradicates the imprints of the obscurations
– spear = he pierces wrong views
– arrow = he pierces mental sufferings resulting from superstition
– iron hook = he hooks and destroys unruly beings and then hooks
blessings and siddhis from the holy beings
– Skull-cup = he demolishes heavy karmas such as the five heinous
actions
– khatavanga = great bliss
– wheel = teaching sentient beings through compassion
– five spoked vajra = essence (embodiment) of the five exalted wisdoms
– vajra-hammer = destroying the stain of miserliness
– sword = granting siddhis such as the eight common siddhis
– damaru = persuading other Buddhas to teach sentient beings
– (Left), blood filled skull cup = confessing and purifying all
negativity of breaking samaya by following the practice of Yamantaka
– Brahma’s head = performing deeds for sentient beings out of
compassion
– shield = he has gained victory over the Maras
– human leg = reaching enlightenment quickly through this practice
– lasso = the mind of a person at this level is bound to exalted wisdom
– bow = he is victorious over the three realms
– entrails = he has gained realization of all phenomena as being like
an illusion
– bell = he never ceases to teach the sound of the dharma
– hand = his countless deeds of peace, increase, power, and wrath
– shroud = he has removed the veil of ignorance from his mind
– impaled man = he has clearly realized reality
– brazier = he possesses the greatest clear light, clarifying all
objects
– scalp = he has important points of other root tantras (joys, blisses,
nectars, and so on)
– human hand in threatening mudra = he frightens all unruly beings
– trident = at the ultimate level his body, speech and mind are equal
within the sphere of emptiness
– fan = he has realized that all phenomena completely lack true
existence

Thus all the hands and their implements are signs of his attainments, and they show us the results we can achieve by following this practice.

The sixteen creatures beneath his feet symbolize that he has entirely cut off the sixteen types of conceptualization resulting from the conception of true existence and has gained the realization of emptiness to true existence. Yamantaka is the symbolic (samaya) being, it is the pure body which is the gross Nirmanakaya. Thus the symbolic being is the emanation body here, the wisdom being is the Sambhogakaya, the primordial (bamboo) mind, and the concentration being is the Dharmakaya possessed by the bamboo mind.

BLESSING THE SENSE ORGANS AND THE THREE DOORS

This can be done in several ways, either by placing a syllable at each place, or placing a solitary deity, or a deity with his consort. Here we use syllables which represent the deities. Syllables are placed on the root face only, and not on the third eye of the root face.

On the right and left eyes of the root face are white syllables KSHIM, the nature of Kshitigarba; on the two ears are black JRIMs, the nature of Vajrapanni; on the nose is a yellow KHAM, the nature of Akashagarbha; on the tongue a red RAM, the nature of Avalokiteshvara; on the forehead a green KAM, the nature of Sarva-nivarana-viskambini; at the navel os a white SAM, the nature of Samantabhadra; at the crown a white OM, the nature of Vajra-body; at the throat a red AH, the nature of Vajra-speech; at the heart a blue HUNG, the nature of Vajra-mind.

Thirteen Faced Yamantaka has an entourage around him within the mandala, but Solitary YAMANTAKA does not. However, in reality he is the same as the thirteen Faced Yamantaka and the entire entourage is included within him. His erect penis signifies that his bliss is complete, he experiences the four blisses forever. Skt. “lingam” is penis, “to penetrate the lotus of the consort”. When you receive the secret initiation you imagine that Yamantaka is in union with his consort and you receive nectar from them. In the secret offering, you the disciple enter union with your consort and offer your bliss to the objects of offering. The consort is there when the occasion is needed, even if she has not been described in this visualization. In the tantric path there is always the use of attachment as the path to attain the goal of enlightenment and so the consort is always there in reality.

While practising the yoga method of Yamantaka we eventually reach the level where we must enter into union with a fully qualified consort. This is explained in the hidden meaning of the generation and completion stages of the different tantras. So, even though we are following the practice of Solitary Yamantaka, or the thirteen faced Yamantaka, or the Four Headed Yamantaka, we always go through the stage of using a consort.

MEDITATION ON THE THREE BEINGS

In order to have clear visualization remind yourself of the three beings. Next, you must invoke and absorb the wisdom beings into yourself, the samaya being. Then invoke the initiating deities and after initiation, you must define the Lord of the Family.

INVOKING THE WISDOM BEINGS

First you describe the qualities of the three bodies: “JAH! Jam.pal rang.zhin….” “The Nature Body (Svabhavivekakaya) of Manjushri is like space, free from coming or going.” The nature of all phenomena has been there since beginningless time. There is no nature, or entity, coming into existence now which has not existed before, and there is no nature which has disappeared. Space covers all physical phenomena, this fact has not come from somewhere, nor will it ever change or go somewhere else. The Nature body is the cessation of the obscurations in the mental continuum of Manjushri.

We usually understand that true cessation is something which happens within the sphere of emptiness and, just as for space, it is the same for emptiness – there is no phenomenon that is not covered by emptiness. The statement “The true cessation in the continuum of Manjushri pervades all phenomena” gives us something to think about. Manjushri’s knowledge pervades all phenomena, the Dharmakaya pervades everything. There are two types of Dharmakaya (1) the Wisdom Truth Body, and (2) The Nature body. The Nature body is in fact the state of the cessation of the obscurations within the Wisdom Truth Body. If we ask, “Are the Wisdom Truth Body and the Nature Body existing in equal terms of pervading all phenomena?” We can say yes, there is no difference in their pervasion. For a Buddha Superior there is no difference between the space (dimensions) of his Wisdom Truth Body and the objects of knowledge. In the Ganden Lha Gyema it says – “You Lama Tsong Khapa have the mind embracing all phenomena”.

The next lines refer to the Wisdom Truth Body which is also free of coming and going. This refers to the coming and going of time, like Spring following Winter, and Autumn following Summer. The four seasons do not come from anywhere nor do they go anywhere. They maintain their own identities wherever they are existing, and the Wisdom Truth Body is like this. In the same way, the blessings of the compassion of Manjushri have no coming or going. “D’u.kyi K’am.zhin” – the “element of time” is shown here as an illustration of coming and going. Manjushri’s compassion is free from coming and going because it always encompasses all beings of the world. We may ask, “If Manjushri’s compassion covers all beings in the world, does it also cover the beings of the three lower realms?” The answer is yes, it does pervade them because we said it pervades all beings in the world. However, even though the blessings of Manjushri’s compassion encompass all beings, sentient beings cannot immediately receive all the benefits because they lack the immediate conditions. They have immense negative karma and obscurations, very little merit, then engage in non-virtuous actions, do not follow the law of cause and effect, nor do they respect the triple gem, so they cannot receive the compassionate blessings embracing all existence.

There is no partiality from the side of Manjushri, the problem is with the sentient beings. This like when the rain falls, it falls equally over the country side, but in high places there are no seeds and no growth of crops, in low places there are many fields where the seeds are sown and the crops grow well. Also, if the seed is defective, no crop will grow. Compassion and any knower existing in the mind of Manjushri is separate from coming and going, like the seasons, and such exalted knowers encompass all beings. Nevertheless, they experience happiness and suffering because they lack the right conditions to receive these blessings, this includes beings of both the upper and lower realms.

The next line states that the Nirmanakaya of Manjushri is also free of coming and going, just like a reflection. When a perfect mirror and a face come together, the reflection naturally arises, and even though the reflection is there it does not mean the real face is not existing. The reflection arises when the conditions are there, it does not come from anywhere or go anywhere else. In the same way, Manjushri’s Nirmanakaya arises in many aspects to help sentient beings according to their fortune, karma, and temperament. This occurs without effort whenever the sentient beings create the right conditions. So a world where an emanation body of Manjushri is not manifesting is not through something lacking from Manjushri’s side.

Thus all three bodies, Nature body, Wisdom Truth Body, and Emanation Body are the same in being free from coming and going and they appear without effort. They do not have the choice to go and come because Manjushri’s compassion covers all sentient beings with impartiality. We may ask “If his compassion covers all beings, why is it necessary to work to invoke him?” The answer is that even though from the side of Manjushri his mind is equally disposed to all beings, from our own side we need to make effort through prostration and offerings to Manjushri in order to make the conditions to connect with him.

For example, when the moon rises it shines equally every where and will reflect wherever there is water, but it will not reflect in a pot without water. Making prostrations and offerings is like filling our bowl with water, we can have the appearance of Manjushri and receive his blessings. If we have no faith we are like empty vessels, there is no doubt that we will receive the blessings of Manjushri’s compassion if we do positive actions. So in the recitation we say, “Please Yamantaka, descend to this place together with your retinue and supporting mandala.” Manjushri is the essence of the wisdom of all the Buddhas, he has no anger from his side, and yet he appears in a wrathful aspect shown in order to tame unruly beings who are completely negative and too difficult to be tamed by other methods. “You who appear in a wrathful aspect like Yamaraja, with your retinue who help to accomplish the four types of actions, please come to this place.” When doing this invocation burn incense and recite the mantra “OM HRIH HABHO….” The umze keeps the incense stick in his hand, the mantra in the long sadhana is slightly different to the mantra in the self-initiation text. The meaning of the mantra is “please come here and make use of the different offering substances for each of your sense organs, and having accepted them, bestow upon me the blessings of siddhis, internal, external and secret.”

From the blue HUNG at your heart light rays go out in the form of numberless iron hooks and invoke the complete supporting and supported mandala, with the mountain of fire and the cemeteries, of Yamantaka. Make the hand mudra, both hands with index and little fingers extended, left hand above, right hand below with its index finger hooked around the little finger of the left hand. The entire supporting and supported mandala comes to the space before you. Now recite the mantra to dispel interferences which may have come along after the mandala, emanate wrathful deities from your heart carrying curved knives and skull cups who chase away all interferences. This is necessary to be done because when we invoke the Buddhas with their entourage and mandala, interferences attach themselves to the mandala and come along as well.

Now make offerings with the mantras, “OM HRIH SHTRIH HA….” The six offerings before the food offering are the same as when we made offering to the merit field, food and music make eight. In this self initiation text perfumed water comes after water for washing feet because Yamantaka is Manjushri, he is the exalted wisdom realizing emptiness which is accompanied by bliss. Wisdom is a mental consciousness and is related to the heart, and the offering of perfumed water is to rub it over the chest, close to the heart. When you make these offerings do the normal hand mudras and emit offering goddesses from your heart.

OM MUNGARA JAH – this has the same meaning as DZA HUNG BAM HO
OM MUNGARA JAH – the wisdom beings come above the symbolic form
OM DANDA HUNG – the wisdom beings absorb into the symbolic form
OM PADHA BAM – the wisdom and symbolic beings become inseparable
OM KHANGA HOH – their inseparability becomes blissfully stabilized

You are still in the aspect of Yamantaka, the symbolic being, and all the wisdom beings have absorbed into you, their heads into your heads, their limbs into your limbs, and all the parts of the supporting mandala have absorbed into the corresponding parts of your mandala.

INITIATION AND ESTABLISHING THE LORD OF THE FAMILY ON YOUR CROWN

Reciting the mantra, “OM HRIH HABHO MAHA….” light rays go out from the HUNG at your heart and invoke the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions before you. Previously we chased away the interferences who were attached to the mandalas but here it is not necessary because the initiating deities come from OG MIN where there are no such beings. Make the offerings as before reciting the mantras “OM HRIH SHRIH HA…” emitting goddesses from your heart who offer this substances to the initiating deities and then absorb them back into your heart. Now request them to give you initiation. Think that they accept your request and then they emanate goddesses from their hearts, such as Charchika and so forth, who are singing auspicious songs, throwing flowers, and holding vases as white as the moon, containing five colored nectar which they pour over your head. The nectar fills your body and the goddesses say, ” Today we are washing you just like the previous Nirmanakaya of Buddha was washed when he took rebirth in the God realm.” Feel that you are filled with great blissful wisdom, the nectar is the nectar of blissful exalted wisdom, it goes up to your crown and takes the form of blue Akshobya, one face, two arms, above the root face.

You can visualize him alone or with his consort, Mamaki, who is holding a curved knife and a skull cup. Akshobya holds a vajra and bell. If you visualize Akshobya alone, his right hand is in the earth-touching mudra and his left hand is in the mudra of meditative equipoise. You can visualize Akshobya on the crown of the central skull of the five skulled ornament of the root face or above that, in front of the cannibal face. Akshobya is not placed there to have control of power, he is there because he has accepted with satisfaction to be the Lord of the Family. The reason why we visualize the Lord of the Buddha Family in this position is to create the cause to attain the ushnisha and also to indicate the class of Buddha family to which we belong. A practitioner of Yamantaka belongs to the Buddha Family Akshobya will require a consort who is of the Mensha (“Desire”) class. There are four classes of consort, such as Blacksmith, Carpenter, and other artisans. Atisha said that there were eight purposes for receiving this initiation and the adornment of the Lord of the Buddha Family.
(1) you will not be overcome by devils and other hindrances
(2) you will purify different types of obscurations
(3) you will be safe from the lower vehicle
(4) you will become a proper vessel
(5) you will be able to accomplish the four actions of peace, increase, etc.
(6) you will renew your bodhicitta if it has degenerated
(7) you will restore broken pledges and tantric vows
(8) it makes the cause to be able to receive direct initiation from Buddha in the future.

Now the initiating deities and goddesses dissolve into you.

The steps we have followed up until here, apart from the Vase Performance which we have yet to discuss, are common to both the long sadhana and the self-initiation. Now we discuss the OFFERINGS TO THE SELF GENERATION, which in the long sadhana are simply the eight offerings. In the self- initiation they are not extensive. Another difference is that in the self-initiation we emit a replica of ourself, Yamantaka, who goes out the Eastern door of the mansion and makes offerings to the Yamantaka in the center of the mansion. In the long sadhana, you make offerings to yourself, Yamantaka, by emitting offering goddesses from your heart who offer the various substances to you. In the first case, sending out a replica, the replica can go out the Eastern door and then can turn and make offerings from outside, or he can go all the way out of the mandala, beyond the cemeteries, turn and make offerings from there, emitting offering goddesses from his heart who go back to the mansion carrying the offerings. So in this tantra, the self-generation and the front-generation are one entity in reality. In the Vajrayogini self -initiation, the self-generation is outside and the front generation is inside the mandala, and the two are recognized as being completely separate entities.

The offerings may be made repeating the mantras alone or by repeating the mantras and a stanza for each substance. Whichever way we make the offerings, the action should have five qualities and four “separations”. The five qualities are right cause of the offerings, right nature, right aspect, right purpose, and right correspondence between the object and the sense organ to which it is offered. The four separations are:
(1) Separation from doubt: you should not make the offering thinking, “maybe this is not a good thing to offer”, or “maybe this will please him, maybe it will not”.
(2) Separation from attachment to ordinary appearance: you should always view the substance as perfect and which causes the deity to experience blissful wisdom.
(3) Separation from conception grasping at true existence: offer the object with the understanding of it’s emptiness of true existence.
(4) Separation from expectation: offer it without expecting an immediate result such as recovery from sickness or something associated with only this life. You should have the attitude dedicating the result to the benefit of all sentient beings

EXTENSIVE OFFERING VERSES

The verse is similar for each substance, “You the Conquer who is pure” refers to Yamantaka within the mansion, he has no stain or dualistic appearance, he is far from the conception of true existence. “You have no stain”, he does not have the inner dirt of superstitions, and so he certainly has no outer dirt. “Although you are without stain, I offer this drinking water to you in order for my own development of respect and “Dharma service, please accept it.” In the fourth line, “Sugata” is one who has gone from bliss to bliss and has reached the final bliss of Nirvana. It can also refer to a Buddha awakening from his contemplation of Dharmakaya and taking the Nirmanakaya. “OM YAMANTAKA ARGHAM…” Please, Yamantaka, accept this drinking water for your mouth.” HUNG indicates the generation of great bliss in the mind of the principal of the mandala. “SVA HA ” means “please establish the foundation of bliss in me.”

The next verse is similar, water if offered for cleaning the feet. Then there is the offering of scented water with a longer verse. “You the Conqueror have completed all knowledge that are to be completed, your body is free from all faults which are to be abandoned, you have the natural perfume of morality spontaneously arising, you have the exalted wisdom perceiving all phenomena as like an illusion, you are free from the two stains (natural stain, conception of true existence, incidental stain, attachment, aversion etc.) although you are free of bad smell offer this perfumed water out of respect and as a Dharma service to accumulate merit and purify my own negative karma (to complete the accumulations of wisdom and merit and to have all necessary things and favorable conditions to attain the great enlightenment.)”

The verse for flower offering is similar, offering flowers has three qualities
(1) it creates the cause for completing the great enlightenment
(2) placing them as beautiful decorations on the head helps the white bodhicitta to melt, descend in the central channel and cause the four blisses to be experienced,
(3) in the same way offering flowers to the head causes the white bodhicitta to melt and one finally experiences the simultaneously born bliss.

Incense offering at the navel, the chakra of emanation, the palace of exalted wisdom, is the fire of tumo. This rises up and melts the energy drop at the crown and it begins to burn, the smell of the white bodhicitta burning is the meaning of the incense offering.

Light offering, you offer “the Light of exalted wisdom of bliss and void which eliminates all darkness”. For the food offering, transform the seven Arya’s jewels plus the satisfaction of understanding into blissful nectar. The seven jewels are: Faith, generosity, listening, morality, consideration, shame, and wisdom. The meaning of the secret mantra vehicle is exalted wisdom of great bliss and void in the continuum of a Buddha Superior. This takes the sound of music, the music of wisdom which is the voice of Buddha having sixty attributes. “I offer sound with the qualities of a Buddha’s speech in order for the wheel (host) of devils to be eradicated, you who have the wisdom of great bliss and void, please accept this offering of music.”

Thus the “eight close offerings” have been performed. There now come five offerings which are the five offerings of the Desire Realm, to the senses. Our lives are mainly lived in dependence upon these five. The first is “I offer to you the best forms findable in this world and all the other continents.” Think of all the best shapes and forms of all the continents appearing before you and then emanate white Rupavajra from your heart. She holds a red mirror, polished on both sides which she holds up and offers the reflection of all these forms to Yamantaka. You say “I offer all these forms to you without fear (without limited mind, these are the best forms in the universe). ” Make the mudra of your left hand in a fist and the right hand on top of it with the palm open and facing outwards.

The offering of sound includes all four sounds conjoined with consciousness and the four not conjoined with consciousness, you emanate many goddesses including Shaptavajra who is yellow, one face, two arms, they are carrying various musical instruments and playing them.

The offering of aromas includes single and mixed scents such as sandal wood and other perfumes. You emanate the goddess Ghandavajra who is red and carries a conch containing perfumes which she offers to the nose (not the chest) of Yamantaka.

The offering of taste includes all six tastes, imagine all the best food in the world offered by the goddess Rasavajra, red, who hold a jewelled vessel containing these foods which are offered to the tongue.

The offering of tangible objects is soft materials which give a blissful feeling when touched, very light, and can be folded up onto tiny volumes, carries by the blue goddess Sparshavajra. All the goddesses are very beautiful, they glance approvingly at Yamantaka, have red lips and white teeth, full breasts, narrow waists,full buttocks, an expression of serenity and magnificence, wearing precious clothes, sweet voices, nice smell from their bodies, pretty, tongue and lips are sweet and sucking, they are soft to touch and contain the five inner objects of sense pleasure.

THE SEVEN PRECIOUS OBJECTS

These have come into existence through the merit of the Universal Monarch. The first is the precious wheel. “I offer all realms filled with precious wheels which the wise ones create through their wisdom.” The precious wheel is made of gold and covers 500 Phagstas of space. It has a hub, 1,000 spokes, and rim. It’s brightness surpasses that of the sun. Imagine an enormous heap of such wheels and offer them to Yamantaka. The mudra is to place the backs of your hands together, with your right hand closest to your body, and intertwine the fingers which are stretched upwards, the fingers represent the spokes.

The Precious Jewel – has six, eight or nine sides. It’s color is blue, yellow, and red. Its function is to grant whatever temporal objects are needed such as cool air for those suffering from heat. Its bright light reaches as far as 100 Phagstas. The mudra symbolizes an eight sided jewel, place your hands together with the little and ring fingers stretched out straight, the thumbs curled in, and the other four fingers bent inwards but with their distal joints straight.

The Precious Queen – has none of the faults of ordinary women, her body radiates blue light, she is pretty, good manners, soft to touch, has a sweet scent from her mouth and body. The mudra is to place your hands together with the index and middle fingers stretched out and the ring and little fingers curled in, like a lotus.

The Precious Minister – has many rich materials, he does all that he is asked, he can guess the wishes of the king before being told, and can accomplish all the King’s wishes. His mind is upright and very honest. The mudra is to hold the hands apart with the middle fingers extended and the other fingers curled in, not too tightly.

The Precious Elephant – is white and can travel through the sky. His limbs are strong and he has the power of a thousand ordinary elephants. He gains victory in all battles with foes. The mudra is to wave the right hand loosely, like a swinging trunk of an elephant.

The Precious Horse – is blue or green, beautiful, able to travel around the world three times in one day. The mudra is to place your palms together, the little, ring and middle fingers are extended against their opposites, the thumbs are extended, together, and sticking out (representing the ears) and the index fingers are curled inwards.

The Precious General – is blue-black, knows precisely when to start and finish a war, giving orders before hand, and overcomes all adversaries. The mudra is crossed index and middle fingers, right fingers on top.

THE INNER OFFERING

When doing the self-initiation as a group, each person should have a capala, if you do not, you can have an offering bowl containing some drops of inner offering from the vajra-master’s skull cup. If the group is very large, place a big container of tea of the altar and distribute it when the time comes to make the inner offering because there will not be enough nectar in the vajra-master’s container. When the vajra-master’s inner offering is distributed there is no need to bless it as this has already been done. But if the inner offering is distributed from the container of plain tea on the altar, then you move to bless it as we did earlier. The moment before making the inner offering, turn the front of the capala to face you. When taking the substance, turn it in the opposite direction. If your practice is related to father tantra, stir the nectar three times in a clockwise direction. if you are doing mother tantra, stir it three times anti-clockwise. When sprinkling the inner offering, imagine that your thumb is a woman’s lotus and your ring finger is a male vajra. Imagine that he nectar is produced from the contact of the two as the male and female substances and this is offered to the deity.

Sprinkle the inner offering to your root guru at the level of your crown, to the lineage gurus at your forehead, to the deities of the four tantric classes at your heart; to the Dharma protectors, Dakas and Dakinis at your navel; to the landlords and the beings of the six realms at your knees (downwards). The one making the inner offering is the replica who has gone outside the mansion and is facing the Eastern door either from just outside or from outside the area of the cemeteries. The Lord of the Buddha Family, Akshobya, is above your root face. He is the embodiment of all the root and lineage gurus and when you make the inner offering to him you are making it to all of them.

A second way you can visualize your root guru is sitting at Akshobya’s heart on a throne, lotus, and sun disc, in the aspect of Vajradhara and surrounded by Yamantaka and all the lineage gurus from Vajra Patali, Vajra Lalita and so on in a clockwise circle.

A third way you can visualize your root guru is in space above your crown, in the aspect of Vajradhara surrounded by Yamantaka and all the lineage gurus “the market assembly”.

A fourth way is the “stack visualization” of your root guru above your crown and all the lineage gurus and Yamantaka stacked one above the other above him. You can use which ever of these visualizations is comfortable for your mind.

When making the inner offering to the deities of the four classes of tantra these can also be visualized in two ways. The first way is that they all appear instantaneously in the space before you and you offer to them. The second way is to visualize that all the yidams of your root gurus appear clearly at your crown, like a reflection in a mirror, and you offer to them there. Then all the yidams of the lineage gurus appear like a reflection at your throat chakra and you offer to them there. Then all your personal yidams appear like a reflection at your heart and you offer the inner offering to them there.

When offering to the Dharma protectors, Dakas and Dakinis, imagine that they are either inside the mandala or outside at the cemeteries. When offering to the Direction protectors, field protectors, nagas and so on, imagine they are at their places in the cemeteries. When offering to the landlords and all sentient beings you can imagine them either within the cemeteries or outside the limits of the cemeteries.

While sprinkling the inner offering imagine that you emanate offering goddesses, especially Rasavajra, who scoop up the blessed inner offering from your container with their skull cups and offer it to the beings. Meditate on the circle of three being emptiness, the beings to who we make offerings, the inner offering nectar itself, and those making the offering.

Having made the inner offerings you now radiate light from the HUNG at your heart invoking all Buddhas of the ten directions in the aspect of Yamantaka who dissolve into your body. “OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRITANANA….” take a drop of the inner offering with your ring finger and place it on your tongue, imagining that Rasavajra is offering it to you. OM AMRITA SVADHANA VAJRA SVABHAVA ATMAKO HANG” all the numberless Yamantakas who have dissolved into you are delighted by this nectar of pristine awareness. Now you, the replica, go back inside the mansion and become oneness with the main deity.

Pabongkha Rinpoche is the thirty-sixth lineage guru, the thirty-seventh is Yong dzin Ling Rinpoche, thubten lung-tog namgyal trinley pakzangpo zhal du OM AH HUNG. The thirty-eighth is His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Gyalwai wangpo ngawang Losang Tenzin Gyatso pal zangpo zhal du… For your root guru, insert his full name. When you make the inner offering to the Yidams visualized at the three places, touch them with the inner offering.

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Part Seven

THE EXTENSIVE PRAISE

In the long sadhana this praise is a short one. The HUNG symbolizes the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void and is expressed here in order to “give a hit” to the holy mind of Yamantaka. “Jampel means “soft glory”. At the definitive level it refers to the exalted wisdom realizing emptiness and becoming oneness with the object. This definitive state is free from all fabrications of the conception of true existence which are are to be abandoned, it is like space, free of obstructing contact. The next line refers to Manjushri’s golden colored body, he is praised because of the qualities of his holy body. “Jampel Tukla.” is praise to his holy mind, he has attained the level where the five exalted wisdoms exist and where the obscurations together with their stains have been eliminated. Having achieved this state, there are no more veils to seeing all phenomena in both their relative and their ultimate aspects. He sees the past, present, and future as clearly as an olive in his palm. “Jampel sung gi..” is praise to Manjushri’s holy speech. He is totally free from the roughness of obscuration and afflictions and has the pleasant voice of sixty qualities. He is able to present Dharma through his magnificent speech.

“With a wishful mind, I and all sentient beings bow down to you Manjushri. While concentrating on emptiness you engage in many actions for others out of your compassion, even those very difficult to be subdued, for who you take the form which threatens even those who are able to threaten the three realms. Your terrifying body has flames continuously emerging, with wrinkles of wrath on your face, your mouth stretched wide, your beard and eyebrows flashing like lightening, your eyes wide and fangs bared, you are making the wrathful sound of the Vajra-horse, the eight syllable laugh, and your cannibal face makes the sound PHEM to control the Dakas. In your standing posture you shake the three realms by stamping your feet, your hands are all in the threatening mudra, subjugating the vain gods who think they are the most powerful. Your tongue darts in and out and your fangs drip the blood, fat, marrow and lymph of humans. Your bodily magnificence is so great that you can devour the entire transitory world if you wish. You wear the ornament of a fresh elephant skin and the mala of fresh human heads. Your naked aspect indicates that you have removed the veils of ignorance, your penis is erect in the manner of the great Mahadeva.”

Your root buffalo face expresses great anger with it’s mouth open. Your nine faces can devour the three realms, the thirty-two implements in your hands are to tame the different types of beings, your sixteen hands on the right are pointed upwards exhorting all those who have gone beyond to quickly grant siddhis to Dharma practitioners, your sixteen hands on the left pointing downwards tell the worldly gods not to give harm to Dharma practitioners, your right legs drawn in and left legs stretched out show that you control the eight types of devil, to you mighty Yamantaka with such a great terrifying body, I bow down forever.

Your three faces on the right are all wrathful and growing, the middle one is azure, to its right is red and its left is yellow. Your three faces on the left have their mouths open round, the middle one is white, to its right is smoke-colored, to its left is black. The upper cannibal face is less wrathful than those seven and the Manjushri face is peaceful. Your arms radiate powerful rays of light. The implements in your sixteen right hands are for striking and destroying, the sixteen in your left hand for performing and encouraging. Your first left hand holds a capala of blood as an offering.

Your legs are bright and horrifying, your right legs drawn in with power to suppress the eight proud worldly gods, your left legs stretched out showing that you always sport with the the eight gods. (Pride is of the nature of anger, the eight proud Gods of the world offer the different animals from human to a fox for Yamantaka to use as a cushion for his right feet. The eight proud goddesses offer the birds from a vulture to a swan as cushions for his left feet) His penis is forever erect to tame the one with so much attachment, Mahadeva. Also this symbolizes that he experiences the great bliss. He has no female consort here but there is still a definitive consort. “I prostrate to you whose body subjugates all beings by destroying their various afflictions of attachment, ignorance, and hatred by showing that you have overcome them yourself and making others do the same.

Yamantaka subjugates the beings abiding within cemeteries, devils, Yamarajas, through many means. He dominates the Dakas and Dakinis by using them as a means to attain enlightenment, so “To you who have subjugated them all, I bow down.” “Wang.chuk” refers to his richness of power, a storehouse of power, Yamantaka has the richness of the secrets of his body, speech and mind. “Your immeasurable secrets which are difficult to understand make others to attain the same result, enlightenment. As you are so powerful, all other gods such as the eight proud ones lose their magnificence and come to worship you. You, Yamantaka and the deities of your mandala are entirely made of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, I prostrate to you. You perform countless deeds without ever departing from the blissful contemplation of emptiness, thus all your actions are equal, I bow down to you who possess this great equality of action.”

This praise may or may not be made, according to your inclination. While reciting it, hold the vajra and bell up for the first line of each stanza, ring the bell on the second line, offering mudra for the third and prostration mudra for the fourth. Down to tak. tu du, make a mudra (like a Hawaiian dancer) then after dul.ku kyo,la chak. tsal.lo, go back to the original mudra.

THE SHORT PRAISE

In the long sadhana it talks about the non-duality of Manjushri’s mind, which is the non-duality of the blissful mind being oneness with its object, emptiness. Such bliss is not shared by the practitioner on the generation stage. Emptiness pervades all phenomena and Yamantaka’s blissful mind pervades all emptiness, this blissful wisdom embraces all objects of knowledge. “You who possess such a body at this level of realization, you have the compassionate mind which works equally for all beings, this is the mind through which all Buddhas are born.” This this mind is called “Father of all Conquerors”. You Yamantaka have the wisdom of the state of extinguishment of the incidental and natural stains, this wisdom is that which gives birth to all the Buddhas and is called, “Mother of all Conquerors”. Manjushri has taken the youthful aspect, like a prince born from these parents, he is the wisdom being. I prostrate to you Yamantaka, who have the unity of the father and mother and the son, the prince. Your blissful mind forever remains in contemplation of emptiness, the Dharmadhatu. It is impossible for you to have aversion or attachment for others. In spite of remaining forever in blissful contemplation of emptiness, you take the wrathful aspect to tame the beings who are difficult to tame, I prostrate to you.”

THE FORTY-NINE DEITIES – these were mentioned before when the wisdom being and the sun disc radiated light and invoked the forty-nine deities. These are:

THE FIVE BUDDHAS – Vajra Ignorance; Vajra Miserliness; Vajra Attachment; Vajra Jealousy; and Yamantaka himself

THE THIRTY-TWO BODHISATTVAS – Sharp Vajra; Sword; Love; Jampel; Exalted Wisdom Body; Speech Body; Moon Beam; Treasury of Exalted Wisdom; Diversity; Yaksha; Fist; Dharma; Mentioned One; Sharp One; Gyu; Light of Low One; Mind-Blowing (sempel); King; Attachment; Goodness: Precious; Sunshine; Glory; Accepting; Elephant of Po; Exalted Wisdom Top. All; Walking by Means; Ocean of Intelligence; Inexhaustible Intelligence; Light of Nectar.

THE EIGHT WRATHFUL DEITIES : Vajra Hook; Noose; Iron Chain; Bell; Nose; Ushnisha; Action of HUNG; Undefeated by Demons.

THE FOUR FEMALE BODHISATTVAS : Vajra Mind; Vajra Dharma; Precious Jewel; Karma Vajra.

IMPORTANCE OF INDUCING A CLEAR APPEARANCE OF THE DEITY WITH DIVINE PRIDE

There are four gradual steps within the generation stage practice:
(1) Knowing the difference between the subtle and gross generation stage.
(2) Knowing the difference between ordinary appearance and attachment to ordinary appearance
(3) Knowing the difference between clear imagination of the deity and divine pride.
(4) Knowing the difference between profundity and extensiveness.

Acquainting ourselves with the clear appearance (imagination) of the deity and holding the divine pride is the measurement of meditating on the gross generation stage where we meditate over and over on ourselves appearing as the deity, increasing the clarity of our imagination as we progress. Holding the divine pride is, after much meditation, coming to the thought, “this is me”, we are the deity. The subtle generation stage is meditating on different objects in relation to the upper and lower apertures of the central channel, such as energy drops. These just give us the idea of the subtle and gross levels of the generation stage, there are more meditations than simply meditating on the energy drops at the apertures in the subtle level. In the gross level, the meditation of the clear appearance begins from the prayer to the lineage gurus, blessing the inner offering, the yogas of the three kayas, and then the whole body visualization.

The purpose of developing divine pride and clear appearance is to eradicate the ordinary appearance and grasping at ordinary appearance. To do this we must transform the three bases of transformation, death, intermediate state, and rebirth, into the three things of the path – clear light, illusory body, and the Learner’s unified stage. By continuing on these three things of the path we come to have the three things of the result, the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and Nirmanakaya. These six results coming in the path and resultant times only come by meditating on the level of the completion stage. They cannot be generated merely through meditation on the generation stage, but one does create the foundation upon which those results can arise in the future. After gaining the actual realizations at the level of the path we continue to meditate and we will attain the three resultant bodies of a Buddha.

“ORDINARY APPEARANCE” is the way we perceive things with our afflicted minds. The emphasis here is on the way things appear to our mental consciousness, not the visual consciousness. After we negate the ordinary appearance of our human form we must replace it with the appearance of the deity. The clear appearance of our body as the deity is the antidote to ordinary appearance, it is the method of stopping the ordinary appearance from coming to our mental consciousness. Grasping at ordinary appearance is the mind grasping at our ordinary aspect to exist in the way it appears. This also has to be rejected. We have to imagine that our body is that of Yamantaka, our speech is that of Yamantaka, and our mind is that of Yamantaka.

We can ask “When we have the appearance of ourselves in the form of the deity, is this divine pride?” The answer is no, it is not divine pride because our original physical form has been transformed into emptiness. After emptiness there appeared the evolutionary steps, a YAM, wind mandala, fire mandala, and so on up to the point of the resultant vajra holder arising from the causal vajra holder. The divine pride that we need to develop is the divine pride of being Yamantaka who has arisen from this process. So we have originally transformed our body into emptiness, then undergone the yogas of the three kayas until we eventually took rebirth as the path to the Nirmanakaya and attained the state of Yamantaka. At this point we should hold divine pride, having clear appearance of ourselves as Yamantaka. Thinking of ourselves as the deity, the idea of being an ordinary person naturally stops, we cease to think that we have a body, speech, and mind arisen through karma and afflictions. To induce the clear appearance we must meditate on the parts of our body in detail. Once the clear appearance arises, we will be able to hold it longer and longer.

If we have already attained zhi.ne, then at the generation stage we do not have to develop it again, it is easy to have clarity and the power to hold concentration. But if we have not attained Zhi.ne we must do so on the generation stage in order to have the two things, clarity and the power of holding concentration. In detail, the generation stage includes constructing all the things required for the mansion and the mandala, the main effect of this stage is to stop grasping at ordinary appearance.

In the past people said “ordinary appearance” related to the visual consciousness, but Lama Tsong Khapa denied this, he said that attachment to ordinary appearance refers to the mental consciousness. Clear appearance does not only refer to the deity but also to the entire mandala. Contemplating on oneself as being the deity and non-inherently existent is the profound meditation. Developing and holding clear appearance and seeing this as non-inherently existent is called the yoga of non-duality of profundity and clarity. This yoga does not exist in the lower tantra classes. They do not have a yoga of inseparable profundity and clarity, but this is not the one of the generation stage here because here it is something which begins with the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, and this beginning does not occur in the lower tantras.

The lower tantras do have general meditation on the expansive mandala and on the clarity. According to the sutra vehicle, there is no meditation on the profound yoga (thinking of oneself as the deity and the deity as non-inherently existent). The Sutra vehicle uses the two truths, conventional and ultimate, all phenomena are conventional truths when we think of extensiveness, and when we think of non-inherent existence this is ultimate truth. When the level of the two truths becomes more subtle, it become the yoga of the non-duality of profundity and clarity. So the generation stage here is the subtle yoga of non-duality of profundity and clarity of the lower tantric classes, and when it becomes even more subtle it becomes the unification of the illusory body and the example clear light, and when it becomes even more subtle it becomes the three kayas.

It is not so difficult to induce the clear appearance of the deity and the mandala and to hold the divine pride, but it is very difficult to maintain concentration on the yoga of non-duality of profundity and clear appearance, the Dharmakaya. While in the state of emptiness the Dharmakaya observes emptiness, one ascertains the non-inherent existence of the object. It is necessary for us to have a blissful mind. In the lower tantric classes the subject (mind) realizing the object (emptiness) is a gross primary mind. Here, the mind realizing emptiness is a mind whose entity has become blissful, this is the profound point of the Highest Yoga Tantra. So there is the blissful mind realizing emptiness. These three points (1) object emptiness (2) subject mind (3) mind having entity of bliss, all belong to the Highest Yoga Tantra, yet these three are not enough to accomplish the yoga of taking death as the path to the Dharmakaya. In addition you need the point of thinking the result to be the real resultant Dharmakaya. After you have these four points you begin to construct the whole mandala, the vajra ground, vajra fence and so on. This is the reason why everything in the mandala is made out of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

In this context, the bliss of inserting the winds into the central channel has no pervasion, you cannot do this in actuality at this stage so you try to remember the ordinary bliss of sexual intercourse and use that as a basis for the blissful mind realizing emptiness and as the foundation for constructing the mandala. You remember this pleasure and then think that your mind is the entity of this bliss. Your mind is not realizing emptiness directly, nor even through a meaning generality. But think,”I am realizing emptiness with this blissful mind in the way that the Madhyamika Prasangikas establish emptiness.” This is called meditating on the sound generality of emptiness, the explanations you have heard about emptiness. If you have attained realization of emptiness through a meaning generality you can combine that realization with the bliss here. We are discussing the basis which will become the resultant wisdom of bliss and void in the future. We are taking the result as the path.

The main practice thus begins from the meditation on Dharmakaya. To induce a clear appearance is to have a familiarity between the object of meditation and the mind which is meditating. To obtain divine pride we need to maintain clear appearance and familiarity for a long time. If we lack the view of the deity and the mandala being empty of inherent existence, then our meditation on the generation stage will not be an antidote to the root of cyclic existence. The conception of true existence is also eliminated by the Hearers and Solitary realizers, but this does not mean that they have also eliminated the attachment to ordinary appearance.

When we discuss clear appearance here, it seems that we are the subject here looking at the deity there, but this is not how it should be. We are the deity whose appearance is to be made clear. In the beginning it is difficult to immediately have clear appearance. It is recommended to concentrate on a small part of the body, such as each of the faces, and when they appear clearly maintain the appearance for some time. Only then begin to look at other parts of the body, limb by limb, until they all appear clearly. In the commentary it also says to meditate on the different parts of the mandala, one after the other, the cemeteries, four doors, vajra fence, etc., then slowly bring them all together as the entire mandala. After familiarizing yourself with the parts of the mandala you will naturally be able to see the whole mandala. It is said that the point where we can have the clear appearance of the whole mandala is like the instant when we see all one hundred and seventy three aspects of the three exalted knowers appearing simultaneously to the mind. There are many objects in the mandala but only one mind to which they all appear, and such appearance can only come after long meditation. For example, a person makes many plans to have an easy life, as he contemplates the good time he could have, all the clothes, cars, food, women, etc. appears to his mind at once. In the same way, when you have gained acquaintance with the mandala, all the objects contained in it will easily appear to your mind simultaneously.

It is recommended to work hard in the beginning when you have no acquaintance with the mandala, when the object of meditation becomes clear, lengthen the time of your session. Recite more mantras in the beginning, equal recitation and meditation later. There are two types of concentration to develop on the generation stage, gross and subtle. Stability on the gross stage is the ability to meditate on the entire mandala for four hours (one sixth of the time sunrise to sunrise). Stability on the subtle generation stage is where you can maintain concentration on the syllables placed on the body of Yamantaka for four hours. To attain this result you have to begin from the beginning by eliminating gross laziness by meditating on the benefits of concentration on the stages of generation and completion and the attainment of Buddhahood. If you lack concentration on the generation stage you cannot induce the concentration of the completion stage and you cannot attain the three kayas. When you spend time contemplating the benefits you aspire to develop concentration with pleasure, you want to engage in concentration and the various types of laziness naturally cease.

With the strong thought to gain concentration you begin to have the clarity and the ability to maintain it. We do not meditate on clarity, intensity and holding concentration themselves, but we meditate on the qualities of the consciousness which is perceiving the object. If we cannot maintain our mind upon the deity it goes away, this is sems trowa, it does not mean mental excitement – that only occurs when the mind goes away to an object of attachment. There are different virtues things which can cause the mind to go away from the object while you are on the generation stage, these are not mental excitement either. However, the mind going away harms the concentration. As the mind just goes out, we need a remedy to bring it back, to “de-activate” it. To attain a passive mind we must meditate on death and impermanence, this will help us bring our mind back to the object. We can also meditate on the sufferings of the three lower realms, then, when the mind is subdued, bring it back to the object of meditation, the deity. To do this we do not need to stop the session, we just continue from where the mind drifted away. We can apply this remedy several times in one session. If it is still difficult to pacify the mind, stop the session and go outside in the fresh air. The mind can drift away by forgetting the object, as above, or also it can go away even without forgetting the object of the meditation. This happens because the mind is held too tightly upon the object, you should loosen your tension here. If loosening the tension does not help, meditate on “striped vajra”, visualize the central channel, in the center is a blue five spoked vajra which descends to the lower aperture.

To achieve concentration at the generation stage is the same as attaining zhi.ne, there are different methods but the same result. The difference however, is the object of concentration, the texts of “common practice” have the usual objects of meditation, so we need to know how to apply their methods of gaining concentration to concentrate on the object in this tantric tradition. Gross laxity is when we are concentrating on the object but the clarity is poor, it is not forceful. To improve the clarity go through the objects of meditation, the faces, different parts of the mandala, and so on until the object becomes clear. When the power of clarity is weak it means the mind is low, we need to raise it. Jing.wa comes when the mind is low. To raise the mind, meditate on the benefits of concentration, or on the perfect human rebirth.

Meditation on “UPPER STRIPE”: the root face of Yamantaka has the aperture of the central channel at the forehead. From the blue HUNG at your hear appears a blue vajra which moves to the upper aperture, this breaks down mental dullness. When you move on from one object of the mandala to another object, do not forget the former object. You should have both analyzing and stabilizing meditation, when you lose clarity, analyze to make it better, then focus your mind on the clear object with stabilizing meditation. If you only do stabilizing meditation without analyzing, it is not so good. If you only do analyzing meditation without stabilizing it is not so good either! The two must be mixed together.

Some lamas used to meditate on an image of the deity obtained by hanging one mirror in front of them and one mirror behind. The sunlight would come through the door and illuminate a statue or thanka on the altar in front of them, this would cause a reversed reflection on the mirror behind the meditator which, in turn, would cause a correct reflection to appear in the mirror in front of the meditator. In this way they could imagine that the reflection in the mirror was a reflection of their own body as Yamantaka and at the same time they could meditate on its non-inherent existence, it is clearly not what it appears to be. They would open their eyes, look at the reflection, then close their eyes and try to make the image of the reflection appear to the mental consciousness and see that image as themselves. Once the clarity of appearance has been stabilize, one maintains that clarity for some time and then contemplates that all these steps do not exist as they appear, they all lack true existence.

Also think that all the environment and all sentient beings melt into light, absorb into you, the light disappears, and you become emptiness. This is the state of the Dharmakaya, contemplate upon it and then again take the form of Yamantaka. This is like taking a body through the Dharmakaya. In the meantime, imagine that where you are is the real mansion of Yamantaka and your body, speech and mind are the real body speech and mind of Yamantaka and hold this divine pride. To maintain concentration on this you need clarity of appearance and power. When you are able to hold this for four hours, this is the measure of attainment of stability of the gross level of the generation stage. The measure of culmination of the gross level of the generation stage is when you are able to maintain stable concentration on divine pride for as long as you like without any interruption by attachment to ordinary appearance.

There are four types of practitioner on the generation and completion states: (1) Beginners (2) Those with slight exalted wisdom, (3) Those gaining slight influence over exalted wisdom, (4) Those with perfect domination of exalted wisdom. The first three levels can exist at the generation stage, the fourth can only exist at the completion stage.

(1) The Beginner – his range of meditation is from the gross object, the supporting and supported mandala up until the time where these become clear to him.
(2) Receiving slight exalted wisdom – meditates from the moment when all the gross objects can appear to him in one instant until the time when it is necessary to visualize subtle objects, the deities, on the different parts of his body.
(3) Gaining slight influence – (over exalted wisdom) is from the moment where he can perceive both subtle and gross objects of meditation within one instant. The subtle objects are the syllables on the body and also things like the colors and shapes of the different eyes of the face.

So the beginner must learn all the gross aspects of the mandala, then when these all appear in one instant. The second being must learn each of the subtle objects one by one and when these are all able to appear together with the gross objects in one instant, the third level is reached. Before we said that meditating on the striped drop of the upper and lower apertures was the subtle generation stage, this is no so. There is not much contradiction because we meditate on the striped drop when there is the hindrance of laxity or excitement, the purpose of this meditation is only to eliminate those two faults.

Meditation on the drops at the apertures is one way to remove these faults, but there is an even more subtle meditation. Imagine that a white vajra, five spoked, as small as a mustard seed, comes from the HUNG at your heart, goes up the central channel and abides at the upper aperture at the forehead upon a moon disc shaped like a half pea. When the clarity of this vajra is as strong as you can make it, emit a second vajra, stabilize it, them emit a third, fourth and so on. You emit the second vajra from the first, then absorb it back, then emit the second again then the third from the second. In this way, the vajras go out and come back immediately. They are not all in one line, some go sideways, others upwards, but when they reabsorb, they go in the exact order that they came out. A straight line would be too easy, make a cluster of vajras around your face, then fill in all of space. Emanate, absorb, emanate, absorb. Always follow the same sequence in which they arose. Whenever you gain stability, add another vajra. Once your meditation on this is excellent, change your object. Imagine an entire supporting and supported mandala the size of a mustard seed at the upper aperture. This emits a second which absorbs back, then it comes out again and emits a third and so on. At the end of the session you must absorb them all back into yourself. The drops at the apertures were to quell the two hindrances of excitement and laxity. This meditation is to achieve the same result, but it is much more elaborate.

The same meditation is done in a different way when we are meditating on Thirteen Faced Yamantaka. The drop descends from your heart. Imagine it is a tiny drop of white bodhicitta. It goes to the tip of your penis. At the same time imagine a tiny drop of red bodhicitta comes from your consort’s heart to the tip of her organ. The two fuse together within the male urethra where your consort has inserted the dhuti energy channel. Inside this combined drop imagine the entire supporting and supported mandala of Yamantaka, and at the point of union of Yamantaka and his consort, with in that there is another mixing of the red and white drops, and within that appears a third entire mandala, and so on. We do not do this visualization with the Solitary Yamantaka practice. When we are able to maintain concentration on the vajras at the upper aperture coming and going, this is the measurement of gaining the level of the subtle generation stage. We have been discussing what is mentioned in the text, “Deal with divine pride, clear appearance, and other practices such as the subtle and gross generation stage, single pointed concentration, and other trainings according to the ear whispered lineage.”

RECOLLECTING THE PURE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE MANDALA

We now recollect the clear visualization of the deity and the qualities which the different parts of his body represent.

The nine faces symbolize the purity of the nine branches of scripture. There are twelve branches of scripture but three are included in the section of narration. The twelve are the branches of sutra; pleasant intonation; prediction; versification; special mention; narration; most extensive; outstanding; throughly established; and the three, expressing realization; Jataka tales; “which came like that”. These twelve contain many sutras, they are all condensed into the three baskets.

The two horns symbolize the two truths according to the ordinary explanation. According to the extra-ordinary explanation, they symbolize the illusory body and the clear light existing at the path time, and at the resultant time they symbolize the Dharmakaya and Rupakaya.

The thirty-four arms and Yamantaka’s body speech and mind, symbolize the thirty-seven aides to enlightenment, the four essential recollections, four perfect abandonments, four immeasurables, four faculties, five powers, seven branches of enlightenment, eight fold Arya path.

The sixteen legs are the sixteen types of emptiness, he has demolished the sixteen conceptions of true existence which are the opposites of these.
Erect penis is the expression of his blissful mind and the mind realizing emptiness, the final stage of unification. If we lack the body constituents we cannot have the bliss and if we cannot have the bliss we cannot have the exalted wisdom realizing emptiness strongly, it is there but has no strength, the unity cannot be attained.

The eight animals beneath the feet signify the common siddhis:
the siddhis of the pill – the ability to mix medicines together with prayer and ritual, and taking one pill each day which develops the bodily constituents to magnificence, good color, and ability to take pleasure in practicing Dharma.
eye medicine – to make an ointment through ritual and prayer which when put in the eye, can make you invisible to others, and you can also gain dominance over them merely by looking at then, and also enables you to see treasure buried beneath the ground.
subterranean – through puja you are able to go beneath the ground to swim under water like a fish. You can pass through the ground without obstruction.
sword – through puja you bless your sword so that whatever you touch with it will turn into the object you need.
flying – you can fly and also make your body indestructible to weapons through utilizing substance and prayer, also this will gain for you the siddhis of invisibility. Other texts mention different siddhis such as the eight common ones. There is making an elixir to turn iron into gold as Nagarjuna did, During a famine, he offered gold to the monks at Nalanda. Also there is the siddhi of walking fast, and the siddhi of chu.len, taking the essence. Pawo Dorje Chang had taught this to his servant who once walked from Lhasa to Nepal and back in three days. Also there is difficult to die, and destroying sickness.

The eight birds beneath the left feet symbolize the eight Mighty ones, holy body, holy speech, holy mind, holy magical power, holy going everywhere, might of finding whatever is needed, virtuous conduct, excellence.

Nakedness shows he has no veils of ignorance or afflictions.
Hair on end shows he has gone beyond the sorrowful state.

In brief, the subjects of the nine branches of scripture are about the two truths. The path for comprehending these is the thirty-seven aides to enlightenment. The subject, the blissful mind, and the object, the two truths, become more and more subtle until at the end they are inseparable and the common and uncommon siddhis are attained. Thus the aspect in which Yamantaka appears includes the entire explanation on the basis, path, and result. We can understand from this that by following the practice of Yamantaka we will definitely obtain these results. The symbolisms are mentioned in brief here to increase our understanding. The text says “after remembering these pure signs one may become fatigued and therefore one should recite the mantra with the corresponding visualization.

In general the purpose of mantra recitation is to develop a close relation with the deity. There are different types of mantra, essence, near essence, and so on. Recitation is at the generation stage where one purifies negative karmas and obscurations and one’s speech becomes powerful enabling one to accomplish the four types of action of peace, increase, power, and wrath. Mantra recitation is a way of creating the causes to ripen the root of virtue in order to have good meditation on the vajra recitation which comes at the completion stage where we meditate on the syllables within the central channel. Finally, mantra recitation is done in order to make the imprint for attaining Buddhahood.

BLESSING THE MALA

A mala of human skulls is the best, then a bone mala, then one made of Bodhiseeds, then one make of raksha wood. “OM HRIH SHTRIH…” – emanate many one faced two armed aspects of Yamantaka from your heart with curved knives and skull cups which chase away all hindrances. OM SVABHAVA… – everything becomes emptiness. Out of the emptiness each bead of the mala appears as a lotus and sun cushion. On the suns is a HUNG which becomes a one-faced, two-armed, Vajra Terrifier holding curved knife and skull cup, right leg bent and left out stretched. They have the three syllables OM AH HUNG at the three places. Light radiates from the HUNG at your heart invoking the wisdom beings who absorb into the Yamantakas of the rosary “DZE HUNG…” Again you radiate light invoking the initiating deities who come and our the initiating water on the Yamantakas, the excess forming Akshobya on their heads. Now make the eight offerings and then the inner offering to them. Then the mantra “OM YAMARAJA…” many times. All the Yamantakas of the rosary melt into light and become a rosary of fresh human heads dripping with blood. However, if we are going to recite the mantra of combined peace and wrath, OM ARAPATSANA DHI, we do not transform the mala into heads but into precious beads. This is not mentioned in the long sadhana or the commentaries but there is a purpose. For example:

RECITATION OF MANTRA OF ACHIEVEMENT OF MIXING PEACE AND WRATH

Remind yourself of the concentration being, HUNG, at your heart. The sun disc on which it stands changes into a moon disc and the HUNG becomes a yellow, six spoked wheel with the syllable DHI on the hub. On the spokes are the six syllables O N A RA PA TZA NA – beginning in front of the DHI and going clockwise. The syllables are very bright and there are no gaps between them. They stand up and radiate much light which, in reality, is exalted wisdom and it fills your body washing away all negativity and obscurations accumulated from the past, in particular the darkness of not knowing. Feel that you have gained the wisdom comprehending all phenomena without obstruction. Again light radiates from the syllables and goes out through your body pores to the ten directions, enters the bodies of all sentient beings, cleansing their negativities and obscurations in general and their darkness of not knowing in particular. They then come to comprehend all phenomena without difficulty. Imagine that you have transformed them all into the state of Manjushri.

Again light radiates from the syllables and carries offering goddesses on the tips to all sentient beings who have become Manjushri and to all those who were Buddhas before. Offerings are made to them. Now imagine that you receive the blessings of all these new and old Buddhas of the ten directions which come as Manjushri in different sizes of his body, other blessings as his implements, others as the syllables of the mantra representing his speech, and others as the syllable DHIH representing his mind. After absorbing all these blessings, imagine that you have gained the wisdoms of listening, thinking, and meditating, explaining, debating, and so on. Meanwhile, repeat the mantra “OM ARAPATSANA DHI” which means, “I bow down to you who causes the ripening of all beings of the three realms.”

MEDITATION TO GAIN WISDOM

Change the concentration being, DHIH into a sun disc upon which is a yellow wheel with six spokes of double sharp edges. At the hub appears a sword, it’s handle is a half vajra and at the point where the handle meets the blade is an orange DHIH in the standing position. In the space above the six spokes are the six syllables of the mantra, between the syllables, in the gaps between the blades are syllables DHIH. Inside the vowel sign for “I” of the DHIH in the center imagine yourself surrounded by all sentient beings. As you recite the mantra, the wheel turns clockwise and the syllables turn anti-clockwise. While this happens imagine that the negativity and obscurations of yourself and all beings come to the wheel where they are chopped into pieces, all the general negativity is destroyed. And in particular, the darkness of not knowing is destroyed. All the pieces fall down onto the sun disc and are burned completely, the ashes descend down through your heart and go out from your lower orifices, this is the visualization of severing non-knowing.

VISUALIZATION OF WASHING AWAY IMPURITY

With the original visualization of the mantra garland and the DHIH at the center, as you recite the mantra imagine that white goddesses are emitted from all the syllables. They carry white skull cups in their hands filled with nectar with which they give you and all sentient beings initiation, washing away all impurities. An alternate way is to imagine that the mantra garland and the seed syllable DHIH in the center emit light rays which invoke the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions who then emit goddesses from their hearts who initiate and purify as before.

VISUALIZATION TO INCREASE WISDOM BY DEPENDING ON BODY

Radiate light from the mantra garland and the DHIH. The light strikes all Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions and invokes their knowledge which comes to you in the form of countless Manjushris of different sizes, some as big as Mt. Meru, others as small as an atom, all this knowledge absorbs into you like falling snow flakes, feel that you have gained the wisdom able to discern the meaning of all Buddha scriptures.

VISUALIZATION TO INCREASE WISDOM BY DEPENDING ON SPEECH

This is necessary because it is not enough to just have great wisdom, it must be made clear. From the DHIH and the mantra, light radiates and strikes the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions, invoking the exalted wisdom knowledge in the form of mantra syllables which come and absorb into you like snow flakes falling. Feel that you have obtained a wisdom which clearly discriminates the meanings of all texts of all holy beings as clearly as Manjushri can discriminate them.

VISUALIZATION TO GAIN WISDOM BY DEPENDING ON MIND

Radiate light as before, it strikes all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas and invokes their knowledge in the aspect of the seed syllable DHIH and the vowels and consonants of the alphabet. These absorb into you. Feel that you have gained the quick wisdom, as quick as that of Manjushri.

VISUALIZATION TO GAIN PROFOUND WISDOM IN DEPENDENCE ON THE IMPLEMENTS

Radiate light out as before and invoke the profound wisdom from all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the aspect of the two implements, the sword and the texts, which absorb into you. Feel that you have gained the profound wisdom which can deal with the subtle meanings of all scriptures.

VISUALIZATION OF DEVELOPING DIVINE PRIDE FOR GIVING TEACHINGS

Radiate light from the seed syllable and mantra which invokes the knowledge of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the aspect of volumes of texts which absorb into you. Feel that you have gained the power to explain Dharma without difficulty.

VISUALIZATION TO OVERCOME THOSE WHO EXPRESS WRONG VIEWS

Radiate light as before invoking all knowledge in the form of swords which absorb into you. Feel that you have gained the wisdom to overcome those who hold wrong views in debate.

VISUALIZATION TO GAIN KNOWLEDGE TO DELIGHT HOLY BEINGS BY COMPOSING TEXTS)

Radiate light as before and invoke the wisdom of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the aspect of swords and texts. These sink into you. Feel that you have gained the necessary wisdom to compose these texts. It is recommended that beginners do not visualize the wheel turning too much, otherwise they will get lung disease and go crazy. You can do any of these nine meditations, either alone or in sequence as you wish. At the end of each recitation recite DHIH as many times as you can in one breath. As you do so, imagine a DHIH lying on your tongue and as you recite the seed syllable, many replicas come out of this DHIH and fill your body. As you recite the last DHIH, swallow the DHIH with a little saliva and it absorbs into the DHIH at your heart.

Now you perform the achievement of mixing peace and wrath, recite the Manjushri mantra and pacify all obstacles to your practice. Being able to achieve both the wrathful and the peaceful aspect of the deity is the reason why Lama Tsong Khapa told Khedrup Je that the Yamantaka practice is special, having five special qualities. Khedrup Je made a mandala offering of gold and asked Lama Tsong Khapa what were these five special qualities. Lama Tsong Khapa said, “Now in this time of increasing degeneration of sentient beings, they are lazy, they have little wisdom, do not keep their vows or pledges, hold wrong views, ignore the meaning of the texts and teachings, have no respect for their gurus or their Dharma friends, little compassion for sentient beings, no shame or consideration, they are stained with the negative karma of rejecting Dharma, they are proud, engage in activities leading to the abyss of wrong views, they are intoxicated by desire objects, their minds are gross through the strong arising of afflictions, and because their minds are gross, they spontaneously engage in negative actions of body, speech and mind. As a result, all the good qualities of the world and of sentient beings are lost. Because the sentient beings are in this situation, even the gods of the white side become feeble and lose their power. There are many inauspicious and evil omens. When one tries to create virtue there are many hindrances from others. And so, when there are all these things, we are in dire need for powerful help, a yidam who can overcome these enormous problems and dominate all the harm givers such as the yakshas. This Yidam must be a supreme deity, and Yamantaka, possesses this quality of supremacy.

Yamantaka’s second special quality is that he possesses the implements, the entrails and brazier, which show that he has the illusory body and clear light instructions in his tantra as explained in the Guhyasamaja tantra.
His third special quality is that his tantra has the practice of tumo, indicated by the khatavanga he is holding, and the practitioner of his tantra can develop bliss through tumo.
The fourth special quality is shown by the man impaled on a stick, he has the instructions for a person to attain enlightenment even if he has committed the heaviest negative karmas of the ten non-virtues or the five heinous acts.
The fifth special quality is that Yamantaka has the possibility to perform the achievement of mixing peace and wrath. In general, Manjushri has three wrathful aspects – Wrathful Yamaraja; Da.ngak (Black … ) and Yamantaka. Although all three are manifestations of Manjushri, Yamantaka is special because he includes the peaceful aspect of Manjushri whereas the others do not. Therefore, when we follow the Yamantaka practice, at the times of both the casual and the resultant vajra holder, there is the possibility to perform the nine meditations we have described to attain the specific types of wisdom.

There is one source for the three beings: “guru” refers to Lama Tsong Khapa who originated from Manjushri; “yidam” refers to Yamantaka who originated from Manjushri; and “Dharmaraja” originated from Manjushri.

There is a saying, “One’s practice must never separate the three deities, Yamantaka, Heruka, and Guhyasamaja”. If one wants to attain enlightenment it is essential to practise guru yoga and one can do so in relation to these three deities. Taking guru yoga as the vein of life means keeping it as the essential point of one’s practice, we can also understand the integration of guru yoga and these three deities as one. Yamantaka is the deity coming as the preliminary part, Guhyasamaja is the deity of the actual path, and Heruka is the deity of the branch of the path. For example, the guru yoga of Lama Tsong Khapa, in the Lama Chopa, at the beginning we do the instantaneous transformation into Yamantaka and in the middle when we do the blessing of the inner offering, the relieving of hindrances, transforming into emptiness, and generation, are all done in relation to Yamantaka. This is what is meant by Yamantaka coming as the preliminary. Guhyasamaja coming as the actual practice means that, in the Lama Chopa, de.tong.yer.me, we visualize Lama Tsong Khapa in the middle of the merit field and place many deities on him as the body mandala, the deities are placed according to the Guhyasamaja tantra. Heruka as the branch of the path means that the practices of making offerings, Song of the Spring Queen, and the eight limbed praise, are all done in the Lama Chopa according to the Heruka tantra. Also, after the absorption of the guru into ourself, we do the mantra recitation and the tradition in the Lama Chopa is to insert the mantras of Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, and Heruka. So this is the meaning of doing the practice of integrating the guru yoga with the three deities.

Another practice is “The practice of not being apart from the generation stage”. This means that we do a particular sadhana, such as Yamantaka, once or more each day, and we only do this. We do not mix it with the sadhana of Heruka or Guhyasamaja. However we can do one session of Yamantaka, then a session of Guhyasamaja, then a session of Heruka. Or we can alternate then every three days, or every three weeks, or every three months, or every three years.

Then there is the practice of “Never being apart from the completing stage”, for example, a practitioner whose main yidam is Yamantaka forever, he has the particular practice of inserting the winds at the heart chakra. If he does Heruka tantra there is the practice of inserting the winds at the navel, and for Guhyasamaja there is the practice of meditating on the “Stripe” at the lower aperture, all these are done with the aim to insert the winds into the central channel. We can also insert the winds through meditation.

For the quick attainment of Buddhahood, we should practise these three deities together, never separating them. The specific cause for attaining the Rupakaya are the illusory body and the clear light. To generate these two causes we must know how to awaken from the illusory body and how to work on the clear light, and to do this we must depend upon the root tantra of Guhyasamaja. This has two traditions, the Arya tradition and the “Base of Exalted Wisdom”. The Arya tradition is not different from the usual Guhyasamaja sadhana where there is an elaborate explanation, the essential point of which is that the specific cause for the Dharmakaya is the exalted wisdom of great bliss and this comes from entering, abiding, and dissolving the winds.

Thus, this special wisdom must be preceded by blazing and flowing of the white bodhicitta causing the four upwardly flowing blisses and the four downward flowing blisses. To have the blazing and flowing there must be the heat of tumo. To ignite the tumo there must be flexibility of the energy winds and channels, to make these flexible we must meditate on the deities within us at certain places. This process is explained well in the root tantra of Heruka. Thus, in order to have the Dharmakaya we need the specific cause, blissful exalted wisdom, and to have this we depend upon the Heruka tantra.

To understand the clear light and the illusory body we need to follow the root tantra of Guhyasamaja, especially the Arya tradition. To unify them together we depend upon the yoga of Yamantaka, and thus we do all three deities together. We have to maintain the practice of the Yamantaka deity yoga and while doing so we depend upon the Arya tradition of Guhyasamaja root tantra for the illusory body and clear light. And also we have to deal with the exalted wisdom of bliss and void by depending upon the root tantra of Heruka. Instruction on this was given to Lama Tsong Khapa by Manjushri.

Both Lama Tsong Khapa and his guru, Jetsun Randewa, had a very close relationship to Manjushri. They were able to directly ask him questions. One day Jetsun Randewa asked Lama Tsong Khapa to find a way to quickly quickly attain Buddhahood. Manjushri told Lama Tsong Khapa that first he must keep the Highest Yoga Tantra as the vital tree (vein), then he should consider his guru and yidams inseparable, then he should practice the Guhyasamaja, Yamantaka, and Heruka tantras without separation, and finally, he should have all the other common requirements of the basis, Dharma protectors and so on, and then through diligent practice a person can attain enlightenment within one short lifetime of this degenerate age.

We should know this if we want to be serious in our practice. Other sadhanas simply say that a disciple should find out this information by depending upon his guru’s speech, but here it is elaborated.

The Guhyasamaja Arya tradition is definitely related to illusory body and it is father tantra, but here it is emphasizing how vast and profound it is. It contains the causes for both results, the Rupakaya and the Dharmakaya. Also the Yamantaka root tantra has the causes for both results. We said that the Heruka tantra was to focus the mind on the explanation of exalted wisdom, it is special. So we are talking about the general contents of these tantras, the Guhyasamaja root tantra has the general order of isolated body, speech, and mind, illusory body, meaning clear light, learner’s and non-learners unified stages. It contains the subject of the clear light, but we are discussing the general contents of the root tantra.

The illusory body is pure and impure illusory body. There is a way to awaken from the impure illusory body and another way of awakening from the pure illusory body. This explanation is also contained in mother tantra. So we are simply saying that there is the Yamantaka deity yoga here, the mandala and so on, and while doing it we have to know more information about the specific causes to attaining the Rupakaya and this can be found in the extensive explanation in the Guhyasamaja root tantra. Then it is recommended that while doing the Yamantaka deity yoga we should depend upon the Heruka root tantra where there is an elaborate explanation on attaining the cause for the Dharmakaya, the development of great bliss. So it does not mean that mother tantra does not explain clear light, it is a matter of whether it is explained in detail or not. We do not need to go into the details of the point on the lower aperture as explained the Guhyasamaja root tantra, nor into the details of the “separation from the cloud”, concerned with the navel chakra as explained in the Heruka root tantra, nor do we have to discuss the order of absorption at the level of the navel chakra.

In the practice of the Yamantaka deity yoga, it is necessary to only focus on igniting the tumo, it is not necessary to do the two meditations of focussing on the power aperture or the absorption at the navel, and this point has been admired by the pervious yogis.

So we were at the point where the rosary beads had become fresh human heads dripping with blood. The wheel with the DHIH at the hub melt into light and on the sun disc appears a white five spoked vajra marked at the center by a blue HUNG standing on a sun and moon disc. This emits five colored rays of light. It is surrounded by the mantra OM YAMANTAKA HUNG PHAT which you can recite three times or more if you wish, it is the essence mantra. Next is the action mantra, “OM HRIH SHTRIH..” then the root mantra “OM YAMARAJA SADOMEYA…” While you are reciting the mantras you can visualize these syllables standing up or lying down as you wish.

The blue HUNG radiates many light rays with tiny Yamantakas at the end of each. As you exhale, imagine that the air goes out of your right nostril of the buffalo face, the Yamantakas go to all sentient beings, where they radiate light which purifies the beings of all negative karmas and they become Yamantaka. When you inhale, imagine that all the light rays return through the left nostril of the buffalo face and absorb back into the mantra garland and the HUNG. This is the visualization while reciting “OM YAMARAJA..” It is not necessary to visualize the light going in and out with each breath, you can do this more gradually.

You can also do other visualizations while reciting the root mantra, you can emanate fire-like rays from the HUNG which go out to all sentient beings. First these hot rays fill your own body and all sickness, interferences, demons, are burned. Then the light rays go out through your right nostril and destroy all these things related to all other sentient beings. Then the fire returns through your left nostril. A third visualization you can do for the root mantra is to focus upon the light emitted from the HUNG and the mantra garland at your heart, and retain concentration upon this, you may choose any of these three visualizations.

At the forehead of each of the fresh heads of the mala is a complete supporting and supported mandala of Yamantaka. As you count each bead, imagine that the complete mandala of that bead comes and enters the HUNG at your heart. When counting the beads imagine that your thumb is like a hook which hooks the head towards you and then the mandala comes off and goes up to your heart. You should recite the mantras not too fast, nor too slow, do not be distracted by anything and do not stop the recitation. Your voice should not be so loud that it can be understood by others. Think that the root face is the “umze” and it leads the recitation while all the other faces follow. This is called “recitation gone beyond the transitory world”.

Then there is the “worldly recitation”, where you imagine that the cannibal face is “the umze”. The root mantra is in the outer circle around the HUNG. When you finish its recitation it absorbs into the next circle, the action mantra, and when you have finished reciting the action mantra it absorbs into the inner most circle, the essence mantras.

Question: What is the significance of “worldly recitation”?

Answer: The difference is divine pride, the root face needs more intense divine pride. The cannibal face is less wrathful and so the divine pride is less intense.

When you finish recitation of the essence mantra it absorbs into the HUNG. When doing retreat, recite the essence mantra 10,000 times, the action mantra, 100,000 times, and the root mantra 10,000 times. Then recite Yeshe Penga 10,000 times (OM HRIH SHTRIH VITRITANANA HUNG PHAT HUNG AH AHDZE SOHA). While reciting the Yeshe Penga mantra, visualize light rays going out from yourself and hooking back the Buddhas of the ten directions in the aspect of Yamantaka, big, small, and absorbing into you.

When you start retreat you do not count the mantras recited on the first evening. An auspicious day to begin retreat on Yamantaka is the ninth day of the ninth month. This is the best. Less good, in order, are the nineteenth day of the ninth month, twenty-ninth day of the ninth month, or ninth, nineteenth, or twenty-ninth day of any other month. For Vajrayogini the best days of the month to start retreat are the tenth and twenty-fifth days.

The custom from previous gurus is to do four sessions each day of the retreat. You can do four sessions daily for the first seven days, and then increase or decrease the number of sessions according to the number of positive actions you perform during the day. For people like us who are studying we can do just one session a day because our other actions are Dharma actions. However, even if we are only doing one sessions a day we should still not be relaxed and go beyond the boundary. Until we finish the retreat we should never absorb the protection wheel. In the evening when we absorb the mansion we should think “the cemeteries absorb into the mansion, and the mansion absorbs into me”. Never think “the cemeteries and the protection wheel absorb into the mansion.”

At the beginning of the retreat, think that all the people you will come in contact with during the retreat are inside the protection wheel. Reserve some places for ten people without naming them just in case someone appears who you are not expecting.
Question: Does the uncommon protection wheel dissolve?
Answer: Yes it does dissolve, it is the common protection wheel that does not dissolve during retreat.

If we are doing retreat to attain the actions of peace,increase, power, and wrath, then we recite the root mantra 100,000 times. The action mantra 300,000 times, and the essence mantra 700,000 times. The commentary said “100,000 for each syllable”, this refers to the essence mantra. When we recite so many mantras it is possible that signs will appear and we will be able to engage in the “countless actions.”

After the mantra recitation recite the 100 syllable mantra, concentrating on the Lord of the Family on top of th root face on whose forehead is a HUNG on a moon disc and sun disc and surrounded by the 100 syllable mantra. As you recite, light rays come from the mantra and wash away negative karmas of not properly reciting the mantra, as black liquid.

MEANING OF THE ROOT MANTRA
“I and all others have always been afflicted by the Lord of Death, taking rebirth in the inexhaustible places of rebirth, we are afraid of being here under the influence of the Lord of Death. Please Yamaraja, (opponent to the Lord of Death) give us your supreme generosity of protection against the dread of cyclic existence and enable us to become free from cyclic existence.

MEANING OF THE ACTION MANTRA

Literally, “The one having a face with its mouth wide open in wrath.” The actual meaning is “The simultaneously-born blissful wisdom takes pleasure in the object emptiness and this wisdom without remainder acts against the three Lords of Death, the Inner, Outer, and Secret. Therefore you have taken this aspect of a wrathful cannibal. “Please pounce upon true sufferings and true origins, and destroy them.”

MEANING OF THE ESSENCE MANTRA

“You, the opponent of the three Lords of Death, the outer, inner and secret, please pounce on the three Lords of Death together with their causes”. The Outer Lord of Death is ordinary death. The inner Lord of death is our own afflictions. The esoteric Lord of Death is “the near attainment” and other subtle imprints left upon the consciousness. The “near attainment” refers to the three different types of appearances, the white, red and black visions which arise during the death process because of karma and afflictions. We ask Yamantaka to destroy these subtle imprints. When one reaches the clear light, all the subtle imprints such as the near attainment are totally demolished.

When repeating OM YAMARAJA…” we offer the first syllable of the names of thirty-two different proud worldly beings such as certain gods, nagas, yakshas and gandharvas to Yamantaka. This is the general explanation. Another way of interpreting this mantra is to put one syllable of the names of different bodhisattvas and wrathful beings such as “Female Bodhisattva” and “Sharp Vajra”, wrathful deities together with one syllable of of the principal deity or root mantra, which blesses the names which then become the root mantra.

At the end of the mantra recitation, we do the hundred syllable mantra to purify whatever we have done wrong. Akshobya is visualized on the crown of the head. At his heart is a moon disc upon which stands the hundred syllable mantra. Light rays and nectar descend through out head which purifies the negative karma of any mistakes. What we have done in excess is removed by the hundred syllable mantra, and what we have done improperly is filled in by the hundred syllable mantra.

After this comes a short offering and praise starting with OM YAMANTAKA ARGHAM….. When we meditate on the generation stage we make many offerings and praises to Yamantaka similar to the many praises and offerings made to the Buddha when he was in the world. We transform into the aspect of the Resultant Vajra Holder, Yamantaka, and make offerings to him. Previously we talked about the meditation upon the “striped spot” Meditating on this is equivalent to when the Buddha absorbed into concentration. The mantra repetition is equivalent to the different deeds done through his speech.

TORMA OFFERING

If we were doing this torma offering without doing the self-entry, the torma for the principal deity would be in the shape of a heart with a wing to either side with a moon shaped crescent and dot and nada on the top as usual. This is blessed in the same manner as blessing the inner offering. The later torma offering is put on the right side of the Principal torma. A torma for Dharmaraja is put on the left side of the principal torma. The three as a group have the shape of one dharmadayo or reality source, and should be triangular on the bottom. They are red, and the right and left tormas also have butter ornaments, the crescent and squiggle and dot on the top. The preliminary torma and later torma have the same shape and are put on a separate plate, the space between the torma is filled with dough cut with the thumb, index and middle finger so there is no empty space on the plate. Another tradition puts the preliminary torma to the left of the principal torma, and in this case the torma for Dharmaraja is put in front of the principal one. These four tormas are the essential tormas for the sadhana. In the long sadhana, the principal torma is offered at the beginning, the others at the end. During retreat, one adds two more tormas, one for the general dakas and dakinis, and another for the Shidak, the land lord, which are offered in order to have an auspicious retreat. The torma for the landlord is white with a round bottom made from three types of white food without containing any black food such as meat, onions and garlic. The torma for the general dakas and dakinis is red. However they are optional. According to the Yamantaka commentary we should have the four principal tormas, the later two if we wish. Some practitioners choose to make extra tormas for their dharma protectors, but we should not copy them because it is not necessary.

When doing the self-entry it is not necessary to arrange the kapala of “nang chu” on the altar, it is enough to have the kapala in front of oneself. Sometimes an inner offering is arranged on the altar with the kapala and torma if an annual torma is made.

It is recommended to those doing the Yamantaka long sadhana to arrange a tin of biscuits on the altar (this is only necessary for a retreat) in which the contents can be divided into three hundred and sixty four parts, and then visualize offering one part per day for the year which is alright. But if you have a chance to change the whole offering daily, this is fantastic!

When making self-entry, the main requirement are the three tormas, the principal in the center, the preliminary torma on the right, and later torma on the left arranged according to custom. Apart from these three, no other offerings are made. There is no mantra for offering the torma to Dharmaraja, if we want to do that we have to insert the mantra into the text. In the Yamantaka practice, the self and front generation are one entity, there are not two generations saying “this is self and this is the other.” Although they are one entity, one still needs to arrange the two sets of offerings, one for each, and this is derived from custom. When arranging the altar, one arranges one set of offerings and this offering is sometimes called the offering for the deer or for the mandala, or offerings for the five Dhyani Buddhas.

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Part Eight

Altogether there are nine sets of offerings. The food offering for the vase offerings is white, but the remaining eight sets have red food offerings, this according to Pabongka Rinpoche. But according to the tantric college, all the food offerings are white. Yet according to Sera Ngake Tatwang, red food offerings are made. Personally I do not know anything about their reasons. A white food offering for the vase offering as according to Pabongkha Rinpoche is also common to Vajra Yogini, Heyvajra and Heruka.

In the self-entry of Yamantaka there is no custom of playing the damaru, it is only the Vajra master playing the damaru because the damaru in general is a symbol of lighting the inner hear, tumo, which belongs to the mother tantra. So the Vajra master plays the damaru to symbolize that this practice of inner heat has been explained in the mother tantra. During the self entry, when the inner offering is offered, the karma vajra comes and distributes the offering to all people present. There is a system where the vajra-master gives a drop of inner offering from his own kapala in all the containers. But when it is a large group, the inner offering from the Vajra Master is not enough, then another container is arranged on the altar, and from this the inner offering is distributed. But before it’s distribution, it is necessary to bless this another time. In the case of the Vajra Master distributing his own inner offering this is not required because it has already been blessed in the beginning of the sadhana.

When making the torma offering to the deity, first comes the Principal, then the guests invoked for the later tormas. They are all blessed at the same time in the same way as the inner offerings. When offering the tormas, one visualizes the invoked beings in the space in front of oneself. First the complete mandala of Yamantaka is visualized. Then light rays radiate from the HUNG at one’s heart which invokes the wisdom beings in the same aspect as the complete mandala from their own abode. Then DZA HUNG BAM HO, each part of the invoked mandala absorb into their respective objects. Then the wisdom beings and the symbolic beings become one. All the invoked beings, have a white syllable HUNG on their tongues which transform into white straws of light through which they take the essence of the torma. The one recites the mantra and offers the torma to the Principal. OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRIT….” is repeated three or seven times. Then one offers a set of offerings “OM HRIH SHTRIH HA…” Thus the inner offering is offered.

Then one prays to the Principal as explained before who gives permission to offer to the direction protectors to take their torma and enjoy. One offers a torma to the Direction Protectors, “OM YAMARAJA…” first to the principal and “OM BUCHARANAM…”, the mantra to offer the torma to the Direction Protectors. We invoke the gods of the white side and offer to them. The mantra of the former or preliminary offering is the same mantra, the only difference is the objects of offering. Here they are in the nature of wisdom and in the case of the preliminary torma offering, one offers the torma to the beings from their own abodes and they are called the gods of the positive side, because they are gods who help dharma practitioners.

BLESSING THE VASE

The vase with a spout is called the Action vase because it is used often in the ceremony and has many activities. The vase without a spout is called the Victory Vase which is only used when performing the Vase. After that, it is put back on the altar and used only one more time during the self-entry.

On the two vases are emblems. On the neck of the Action vase is placed a white kata with three knots, in Tibetan called “chog”. The Victory vase has the same cloth with three knots formed like a triangle. Each has a cushion. When performing the vase one needs a table, a helper, flower petals, and a stick of kusha grass which is placed in front of ones-self the tip to our left.

Water from the Action vase is put into the small conch which is put on the Victory Vase, it’s bottom towards the altar, upon which is put a small vajra. Then hold the string and put the vajra on the Action Vase leaving the conch on the Victory vase, holding the string while reciting the mantra. The two vases can be performed together or separately. If one does them together, one puts the vajra back on the Victory vase and ties the string around the spout a few times and holds it with one’s hand. The one puts a few drops from the conch in both vases. The vases should be three quarters filled with water. If we are performing the vase according to the maha-anutara-yoga tantra class, we have to use a special substance. Each class of tantra has it’s own special substance that can obtained from the tantric colleges that collect and prepare the substances.

THE VICTORY VASE – should be free of dirt and free from bad shape. The neck of the vase should be long, the belly big, and the color white, If it is not white, it should be painted white, even just a small spot as a symbol,the rest can be visualized at white. In Tibet many different metals were used for the vase, but they tried to make the bottom and the spout with white silver. The emblem on paper is a small dharmakaya with a lotus in the center upon which is a white moon disc, in the center of the lotus is one of the principal implements, a curved knife or a vajra.

THE ACTION VASE

Basically the same as the Victory Vase, the Action Vase has a cloth around the neck with three knots. If it has not been previously used, one needs to tie a white thread around it seven times while saying HUNG seven times. At the end one recites the mantra OM VAJRA SHEKARA…VISHAM BANDHA HUNG, and then the mantra OM SUMBANI SUMBANI HUNG while emanating wrathful deities from the HUNG at one’s heart to chase away all hindrances and interferences to the performance of the vase. Then fill the vase three quarters full with water and add the substance for the vase, the type of substance depending on which class of tantra one is using it for. Then we need a twig with leaves from a non-poisonous tree for sprinkling.

So we need good scented water, and chasing away hindrances by throwing mustard seeds, we continue with the following activities:
Chasing away hindrances with the mantra OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRI.., we then transform into emptiness. From the state of emptiness appears two syllables BAM which transform into two jeweled white vases with big bellies and long necks and spouts. They have all the characteristics of the proper vases.

We recite the mantra”OM TAPTE TAPTE MAHA TAPTE SVAHA two times and visualize the waters of the vase and the waters of the divine river Ganges becoming inseparable. Although the outside of the Victory Vase appears as a vase, on the inside we visualize the mansion. Within are cushions on which the syllable HUNG forms the seat for the Principal. This transforms into a vajra marked with a blue HUNG at it’s center; the vajra and HUNG transform into the Resultant Vajra Holder, full Yamantaka with Youthful Manjushri as the wisdom being at the heart of Yamantaka. At Manjushris’s heart is the syllable AH which transforms into a sun disc with a blue HUNG at it’s center that radiates five-colored rays of light. So we have Yamantaka, the symbolic or samaya being, Manjushri, the wisdom being, and the syllable HUNG, the concentration being. These three beings are now inside the mansion in the vase on top of the cushions.

The sign of the Victory Vase, formerly a curved knife or a vajra, now transforms into a variegated lotus on the top of which is a sun disc and the syllable HUNG which transforms into a vajra marked at its center by a HUNG. This azure HUNG transforms into the vajra Terrifier having one face and two arms, holding curved knife and skull cup.

On the sign of the Action Vase, there is also a variegated lotus and sun-disc on top of which is the syllable HUNG which transforms into a vajra marked by HUNG at the center. This also transforms into Yamantaka with one face and two arms holding a curved knife and skull cup. Altogether there are four Yamantakas now, one in each vase and one at the sign of each vase.

Next, these four deities are marked with with syllables. On each of the eyes are the syllables KSHIM; on each of the ears, the syllable JRIM; on each nose a KHAM; at the tips of the tongues, RAM; and on the foreheads KAM; the navels, SAM; and at the crown of their heads OM; at their throats, AH’ and at the hearts, HUM. So in the Victory Vase we have the resultant Vajra Holder with the symbols on the root face.

The wisdom beings are invoked with the mantra OM HRIH HA BHO… First there is the exclamation, “OM, you great magnificent one, take away the magnificence of the beings in the three realms, please come and eat our offerings we have offered to you for different purposes, please make my mind clear. SVAHA, please establish the foundation of goodness in me.” Then one radiates light rays from the HUNG at the heart and light rays invoke the mandala of the wisdom beings which is identical with the mandala visualized in front of oneself.

The mantra OM HRIH SHTRIH… is recited to cast away all hindrances that may have come along with the wisdom beings. Whenever we invoke the wisdom beings from their natural abode, there is always the possibility that others may follow them. Therefore, it is necessary to chase away these hindrances. But when we invoke the initiation deities, because they are invoked from Og Min from which no interferences follow the initiation deities, there is no need to do so.

Then we have the following six groups of mantras beginning with OM HRIH SHTRIH HA… ending with aloke. The remaining two are as usual. Then
OM MUNGARA JAH – think that the wisdom beings comes on top of the samaya being.
OM DANDA HUNG – they absorb into the samaya being
OM PADMA BAM – they become inseparable
OM KANGA HO – the inseparability becomes stable.

To invoke the initiation deities: OM HRIH HABO MAHA KRODDHA… From the HUNG at one’s heart light rays emanate invoking all the Buddhas and their sons in the space in front of oneself. We make offerings to the initiation deities including the wrathful deities such as “Vajra Sharp One”, bodhisattvas such as “Female Vajra” and so on. With the mantras “OM HRIH SHTRIH HA …” we make offerings to them. The initiation deities emanate many offerings goddesses from their hearts such as Charchika, and holding vases, white like the moon, and filled with nectar, they give initiation to to the three stacked beings in front of oneself while proclaiming many nice words – “sang gyi nam nyi tamche…” which means that today the initiation goddesses grant you initiation just like the Buddha was given initiation when he was born by the previous gods in the ancient time.” So the three beings together receive the initiation. The initiation water fills up their bodies cleansing all stains of the fresh or new Yamantaka, and the excess water that stays on the crown transforms into Akshobya. This happens to all four Yamantakas, the two in the vase and the two on the signs or emblems.

Then one makes offerings to these newly generated beings. First we bless the offerings by first eliminating interferences with OM HRIH SHTRIH.. Visualize many wrathful deities emanate from the heart of oneself as Yamantaka and exit through our nostrils to chase away all hindrances and interferences from this area so we will have no problem to complete what we we are doing. Then with OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA…SVAHA, because it is not enough to just clear away interferences, we have to transform the substance offerings in front of us into emptiness. These two steps are called “relieving and transforming”. Thirdly, we have generation from the syllables appearing from the empty state, into the eight kinds of offering.

At the line “dewa chenpa…” one should think that one has made such offerings, whose nature is the exalted wisdom of the great bliss and having the aspect of the individual offerings, flowers, incense, and so on. They have the function to generate bliss to the different sense organs of the deity. The flower for the head and gives pleasure to the body. The different substances have different functions. So we bless these offerings in front of oneself. The offerings begin from the right side of the vase, so the drinking water is on the right side of the vase as this tantra belongs to father tantra.

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Then it talks about the offerings, that the exalted wisdom is originally pure. First is the pure dharmadatu – meaning that the reality of phenomena is pure from the beginning, and the exalted wisdom realizing such fact,the dharmadatu. So this exalted wisdom induces the following different types of offering goddesses who are like illusions, they appear holding the offering substances. The vajra and the goddess of the drinking water, holds the drinking water and then offers it to the deities. “I offer such a water offering to the host of the Vase” referring to Yamantaka who has destroyed all obscurations together with their imprints and gained all the levels of realizations. We request him, “Please be happy with this offering.” We should remember that everything here, the water, the goddess and such, come from the source of exalted wisdom. The vajra here has the meaning of the object emptiness and the subject emptiness as inseparable.

“OM YAMANTAKA ARGHAM….” and we do the usual mudra. The stanzas of the self entry texts beginning with “chu nyi…” – the only difference is the inseparability of the exalted wisdom and the object emptiness, and this appears in the form of the different goddesses holding the different offerings. Here we have the drinking water, then, water for washing the feel, flowers, incense and so on. Everything is the same except the substances are in a different order. The drinking water can be interpreted in different ways. In this text it says that drinking water is for the mouth, but in some other texts it says that this water is for washing the hands. Then the goddesses reabsorb into our hearts and we do the inner offering:

OM YAMANTAKA HUM PHAT OM AH HUNG.

Then the praise is given, “As the wisdom body of non-duality…”

OM VAJRA AMRITA UDAKATA HUM – one visualizes that the water in the conch above the vase becomes the nectar of exalted wisdom with the nature of many countless atoms of vajras. Remembering the three mantra garlands within oneself: the “close essence mantra”; the “essence mantra”; and the “root mantra”; together with the HUNG. At this point the mantras starting with the “root mantra” goes from our heart to coil around the string we held in our hand; from the there to the vase and then to the deities in the Vase; the holy mind of the deities then radiates many light rays which fill the vase.

OM YAMARAJA.. should be repeated many times
OM HRIH SHTRIH… many times
OM YAMANTAKA HUM PHAT many times

In the text is says that one should recite the mantras as many times as possible, depending on time. Having finished performing the Victory Vase, we perform the second vase, the Action Vase. This time we must place the vajra on top of the Action Vase, but leave the small conch on the Victory Vase.
OM HRIH SHTRIH… a hundred times.
Then we place the vajra back on the Victory Vase again, and connect the thread with the Action Vase by tying it three times around the spout of the Action Vase, and holding the thread that goes from the Action Vase to the Victory Vase while reciting
OM VAJRA UDAKA HUM..Then recite the hundred syllable mantra
OM YAMANTAKA SAMAYA MANU… to purify or adjust everything that has been done improperly.
OM HRIH… at this time one pours half the water from the conch into the Action Vase, and the other half into the Victory Vase.
OM HRIH SHTRIH…..PHAT
One then offers three flowers to each vase. Reciting this mantra the second time, we request the two deities in the vases to “Please make sure there will be no obstacles for the actions I will do, entering the mandala and so forth.” Then the two deities in the vases melt and become the nature of bodhicitta which becomes inseparable with the water in the vase. This is the inseparability in the vase. And the two deities of the two signs melt into the implement that was earlier visualized, whether the curved knife or the vajra. With the Victory Vase already performed, we can place it on the altar and cover it with a cloth, as it is used only when we enter the mandala. Keep the Action Vase in front of yourself as you have to use it. Then think that one has entered the center of the mandala.

OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRI… think that you have gone back to the Principal in front of the mandala. One then does the three yogas such as taking the death, bardo and rebirth into the three kayas.

OPENING THE DOORS OF THE MANDALA

Up to this point one has visualized oneself as Principal Yamantaka, but here another Yamantaka emanates from the Principal Deity, a wrathful deity called Hung kara Nangpa, one of the forty-nine previously mentioned and also one of the ten wrathful deities. Then one takes a flower garland and turns into this deity, who has one face and two arms: one makes the mudra also holding dorje, bell, and flower garland, and at this point visualizes one suddenly appearing from the bottom of the mansion, lifting up the curtain, and entering the mansion. The curtain is not really lifted up, but is opened by his power because of his powerful mudra. He has two legs, one bent and the other outstretched; and then one suddenly enters the mansion without amy obstacles. Then one raises up the vajra and rings the bell; at the same time visualize circumambulating the mansion three times, making the sound OM SUMBANI SUMHA HUNG….
After, recite the hundred syllable mantra.

“OM chek tu de wei….she su sol.”

We are standing at the eastern door and facing the mandala. “Please, Principal, take this flower garland.” You must make the embracing mudra. If the Principal deity has a consort, then think he embraces his consort. Here the Principal deity is Solitary so he just makes the embracing mudra, with his two arms.

JAH HUM BAM HOH HI HI HI HI HI” Focus the mind on the flower garland in ones hand and say to the deity, “You, the Savior, please accept this flower garland”, and offer it. Then one goes around the mandala and opens the door from the opposite side with the HUNG mudra. Recite the mantra four times, one time for opening each of the four doors. As we return to the eastern door,
OM SAMAYA PRAVISHAYA MI Visualize the flower garland we offered is returned to us, with some “dancing” mudra, we place it on our head.
OM PRANAMA MISARVA TATHAGATA MA is a mantra for making prostration to the mandala. Then one says “Please grand me and all other sentient beings all the siddhis.”

After making the outline of opening the door, one comes to the third outline of receiving initiation which has three divisions:
(1) entering the mandala
(a) enter the mandala with an eye ribbon
– approach the gate
– enter the gate
(b) enter the mandala without a blind-fold
(2) receive initiation
(3) perform the concluding rights.

We are now outside the eastern gate. A long staircase leads up to the eastern door at the top. Oneself is on a variegated vajra in the aspect of a disciple, and is ready to receive the initiation from the Principal. A person is required to act as a servant, passing down flowers, blind-folds, etc, and this person is to be seen as a replica of the Principal Yamantaka himself.

One then has to bless the offerings to the initiation deities; we first have to relieve hindrances; then bless and generate the substances of the offering, argham, padyam… shapta. This is done in the usual way. So first we have the two waters.

Then we make a long mandala offering in order to take the self initiation. Think that you offer all roots of virtue, even the body and material offerings, everything one has, to the Principal who is inseparable from one’s guru. One offers also all the external objects that are not possessed by any beings, and we offer them mentally. These external objects can be the four continents and the eight sub-continents. So visualize making such offering to the real Yamantaka.

There is the usual prayer, “sa zhi pokyi…” Then there is an extra stanza which makes a request to the Guru saying, “I have become a vessel of the training in the common path, please make me enter the supreme vehicle, the vehicle for those of great fortune, and this supreme vehicle is the tantric vehicle.”

Then one makes another request to the Principal deity “You the founder who is like the great bliss..”, this is Vajradhara. The founder here refers to the Guru who is inseparable from the Principal deity, and it says “You who are the leader of the tantric or supreme vehicle, please pay attention to me. “jang chub chen” Jang is used because the Principal deity has completely purified the two obscurations together with their imprints; “chub” which means to contain, this is so because he perceives all objects of knowledge and has also gained all other knowledge; “chen pei” means you have such great realization, enlightenment, which is the state of splendid realizations and splendid abandonment.

“Tsul ten pa” means you have followed a path where you have gained these realizations, and the spiritual path that you have followed is a way that definitely leads to the result enlightenment, without doubt.
“Gen pe chen po..”, please, the great Savior, I am searching this great enlightenment, please grant it to me.
“Dam tsig de ni” , you, please, bestow on me the samaya. The samaya refers to the different sacred vows in the tantric vehicle, which must one never abandon. So we make a request for this samaya.

“Please also give the vows to me, including the aspirational bodhicitta vows.”
“kyab sum dag la…” bestow on me the refuge vows. I have to take refuge according to the Great Supreme vehicle, which is the tantric vehicle and follow the practice and to take refuge in the three refuge objects.
“tar pa chen pui…” is a request made to the Principal deity Yamantaka, please give me the initiation and the permission to enter the mandala and grand me the conditions to attain the supreme siddhi of Great Liberation. This supreme siddhi refers to the state gone beyond sorrow, the non-abiding Nirvana.

The lines starting from “ka chin kyu dag…” are to be recited three times, and then think that the principal deity has accepted this request very happily.

“rang nyi dir je…” means that I become Yamantaka with one face and two arms. First we were in the aspect of Yamantaka at the eastern door, then in the aspect of a disciple. If we have the deity robes, then clearly imagine them at this moment. In order to have a clear image of oneself as Yamantaka, one has to spend some time visualizing at this moment in order to increase the divine pride. Then one takes the flower garland, this is in order to be ready to give something to the principal deity inside the mandala shortly. The karmavajra gives this flower garland. This is Guru Karmavajra who is in the form of Yamantaka with one face and two arms.

The flower garland one receives is to be imagined as the entity of the resultant wisdom of the five Dhyani Buddhas. Meanwhile, one recites the mantra
AH KHAM VIRA HUNG
We should visualize these five syllables first, and then transform into the flower garland with five colors. So one has this flower garland in order to have an offering for the Principal. Receiving the flower garland and blindfold is done with the right hand because this practice belongs to the father tantra. But in the case of mother tantra practice, one does everything with the left hand.

The meaning of the five syllable mantra is “the hero of space” Then Guru Karmavajra comes to oneself with the eye ribbon – he has one face and two arms, then from this moment keep the eye covered with the blind-fold, done by Guru Karmavajra. This is done because one has not gained all the conditions to see the inner mandala. When putting on the eye ribbon, one repeats the mantra
OM CHAKSHU BHANDHA… OM, the head of the mantra; Chakshu, eyes; Bhandha, to cover; Wara, secret; man, mind; meaning “in order for the mind to become supreme, one covers the eyes.

OM HRIH SHTRIH…. in order to remove hindrances. The Guru radiates many wrathful deities in the aspect of Yamantaka from his heart who expel all hindrances that prevents the success of this ceremony.

THE COMMON RECEIVING OF THE BODHISATTVA VOWS

It is called common because these bodhisattva vows are common to all four classes of tantra. Before taking them we must have a very good aspirational bodhicitta; we need strong conviction in the Principal who is inseparable from the Guru; and around them are many Buddhas and bodhisattvas filling up space. One then receives the bodhisattva vows with all these beings as witnesses. Before receiving the vows, we first think “I am going to attain enlightenment for the sake of all others and for this purpose I am going to take these bodhisattva vows, and then I will engage in the practice of each and every perfection, such as generosity and so forth.” So we make a strong determination that “I will train very hard to attain the six perfections until my enlightenment, and also engage in all other practices of the sons of the Buddhas.” Prior to receiving the bodhisattva vows, it is very important understand the aspirational bodhicitta. And understanding this bodhicitta, we need one with effort and one without effort. Even if one does not have either of these two, we need at least some understanding of them.

“kung chog sum la…” The first line is about refuge. We go for refuge to the Supreme Assembly, we take refuge in Buddha as a guide. We take refuge in the dharma, which means the realizations of the Buddha, such as the true cessation and the true path, regarding them as the actual or real refuge object. Then think that “I am going to follow the path just exactly as the Buddhas and bodhisattvas have trained themselves on the path.” So we try to emulate those Buddhas of the past and these great bodhisattvas, this is already taking refuge in the Sangha, as we take them as examples to follow and we copy their practice. So this is taking refuge in the Sangha as our helpers.

“dig pa tam che so ser chag..” I confess the negative karmas individually. In order to receive the vows, it is necessary to have a very smooth base, because if the base if rough, it is difficult to develop anything; good plants do not grow in a rough field. This line, confessing the negative karmas individually has many interpretations. One is to confess the negative karmas of the body, speech, and mind individually, meaning that we purify the negative karmas done through our body, with our body, and those done through our speech we purify through the speech, and those done by the mind, we purify with the mind. Likewise there are other interpretations of this, like the vows of individual liberation counted as one, bodhisattva vows as two, and thirdly the tantric vows. So confessing these negativities concerning the different vows, according to the different sources, is exactly as is said in the sutras, or in the tantras. In brief, we must feel strong regret, having created negative karmas, and because of this we come to purify, and when the negative karmas are purified, the basis are well cultivated.

“Dre wei ge la ye yi rang” I rejoice in the virtues of other transmigrators. This is because if we do not have much merit it is difficult to receive the bodhisattva vows, so to facilitate or to have the merit, one rejoices. Among the many ways of accumulating merit, rejoicing is one of the best.

“Sangye chang chub yi kyi sung” I hold Buddha’s enlightenment in my mind, meaning that one has set up one’s motivation of “I will attain Buddhahood for the sake of others”, therefore I will keep this in my mind.

“sangye chu dang tsog chog la” This is another taking refuge, we confirm the refuge we already took before. I take refuge in Buddha, Dharma, and the Superior community until I attain enlightenment.

“rang shim den mi rab drub…” This is generating bodhicitta again, concerning self purpose and other purpose. Self purpose has two parts, completion of abandonments, and completion of realizations. Self purpose is to have all abilities to place all beings in temporal and ultimate happiness, and other purpose is to achieve that ability. So in order to accomplish self and other purpose, we need bodhicitta.

The first lines from which we receive the vows of aspirational bodhicitta are general for both types of bodhicitta. The next lines are particular in that they are for the bodhicitta of engagement. Meanwhile we have to think about the seven branches as explained by sutra. In these seven branches there is no request for giving the teachings, or for the Buddha not to pass away because everything here is based on the Sambhogakaya where teaching to Arya bodhisattvas continues constantly, and where the Buddhas do not pass away. Therefore it is not necessary to make these two requests.

RECEIVING THE TANTRIC VOWS

The tantric vows are called uncommon or specific because they come only in the maha-anutara-yoga tantra.
“Kerko jir mi tog pei wang” Is a request to the deity to give tantric vows. The first line talks about the “Irreversible Initiation”, called the “Vajra Master initiation”, which plants the seed of irreversibility from this stage or from the state of being mansion in the disciple. Thus we make the request, Vajra master, please give this foremost or excellent initiation to me
“tam po dag …ui” With this initiation I will become a vajra master.
“kun po kerp..ki” talks about the reality of the supported and supporting mandala. Kun means Savior or Lord, so this is a call made to the Vajra Master. Then
“Lo pen trin le tang” which talks about the different virtuous actions that are to come from the Vajra Master’s side.
“sangye kunb gyi dam tsig dang” The the pledges of the five Dhyani Buddhas
“dem pa sang chog dag du ni” the vows are to be kept secretly and not revealed to those who have not become proper vessels. The purpose is to keep them for the welfare of other sentient beings, and therefore they are secret. Previously there were the virtuous actions and the vows, so we say, “Please perform these things, give the supreme vows to me, I want them.” All this is to work for others.
“Lop pon dag gyur sung du sel” “Vajra-Master, tell me the method through which I will become a Vajra-Master”. After receiving the initiation of the Vajra Master, then one has permission to work as a Vajra master and will also become a Vajra Master, impossible without this initiation. So this is the request to the Vajra Master to give one initiation and the tantric vows.

Before receiving the tantric vows, one must visualize all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas surrounding the Principal Guru-Deity in front of oneself. When a person takes the bodhisattva vows and becomes a bodhisattva, there is no difficulty in taking rebirth in any of the samsaric realms, because he is doing it only for the sake of others. So a practitioner takes these tantric vows by thinking how pitiful other sentient beings are in their constant suffering, “Therefore I must find a way to liberate these sentient beings from suffering very quickly’. This means that from his side, he does not have to remain in samsara, but if he does not remain in samsara he cannot help to free other sentient beings in samsara. So one has to set up the motivation that one takes these tantric vows in order to find a way through which one can attain enlightenment quickly and be able to quickly liberate all other beings.

Before taking the vows, one should set up an intense desire to keep them.

“sangye jang chub sem pa kun…tse du sel” These two lines are a request to the deities to pay attention. The literal meaning is “sangye jang chub sempa” which means Buddhas, and bodhisattvas, Buddha is so called because he is a being who has completely awakened from obscurations and whose mind has completely opened to all objects of knowledge. And a being with these two qualities is a being who works for others and are thus called here, Buddhas, bodhisattvas. Then the word “kun” means all Buddhas and so on.
“Please pay attention to me.”
“dag ….” I called _____ , want to take the vows from this moment until the time of attaining the seat of enlightenment.” The seat of enlightenment refers to the state gone beyond sorrow, what we call the non-abiding nirvana. Because this is the real nirvana ne needs.

“che tar du sum…” there are two types of bodhicitta, aspirational and practical bodhicitta. “I am going to generate these two types within me just like all the Buddhas of the three times have done, because they have developed this mind and attained enlightenment, so I will follow them.” So again we receive the two types of bodhicitta, because in order to receive the tantric vows, one makes bodhicitta again as a basis.

“Tsul trim kyi ni lab pa dang” “I am going to observe the morality of refraining from committing misdeeds.” This refers to the ten non-virtuous actions. “I will also collect any kind of virtue, even the tiniest. I will also keep the morality of working for others continuously.”

“Sangye cho dang….chog sum” Sangye refers to all the Buddhas such as the five Dhyani Buddhas. “Chu” -dharma – is a phenomena or an object which holds its own entity. Dharma here refers specifically to the true path and the true cessation, and it eliminates the different types of afflictions and holds the entity which is to have the cessation of these obscurations and afflictions.

“Gen dun de” – the one aspiring to liberation, this means the sangha is someone whose attitude is totally turned towards virtue. So when taking refuge one takes it to both refuge objects, meaning one is the objects of refuge that has already existed at the present time; the second three refuge objects are those to develop in oneself in the future. So we have six kinds of vows from Vairocana, “I am going to hold the six pledges of Vairocana from now until enlightenment. These six are referring to the three types of morality and three refuge objects.

“dorje reg chog chen po yi” is talking about Akshobya, and usually all supreme unshakeable holy minds of all Buddhas are embodied in the aspect of Akshobya. So we receive the vows or pledges of Akshobya, the first is the vajra, inseparability, this is the exalted blissful mind of all the Buddhas, and the object emptiness; so these two, the subject, the blissful mind, and the object emptiness; one reminds oneself here of their inseparability, so therefor we take the vajra pledge.

“Drilku” means bell; one does not only just remember the inseparability of the two but that the sound produced through the combination of the two, the sound of playing the bell. When playing the bell we must remember the blissful mind, therefore we have the pledge of the bell.

“Chag kya yang” is mudra and in order to stop all ones attachments to ordinary appearance, one takes the aspect of a deity; here we make the physical embracing mudra in order to stop this attachment to ordinary appearance. “I also hold the next pledge which is holding the Vajra Master as a source of all siddhis”.

“Richen rig choh chen pe yi” the pledge of Ratnasambhava. “I am also going to receive the pledge of this Buddha.
“Tam dsig yi du ong wa la” – a pledge of seeing all other sentient beings with love. Then one says “I will also maintain the pledge of the generosity of protection, dharma, and material things every day. The protection here refers to – by meditating on equanimity, one secures oneself from any fear of being under the influence of attachment and aversion.

“Jang chub chen po..” is the pledge of Amitabha. “Chi tang” refers to the first two tantric classes, the practice of Action tantra and Performance tantra. According to the Action tantra one must put a lot of emphasis on cleanliness, and according to performance tantra, there is also emphasis put on both the external and internal. Secret, refers to yoga tantra and maha-anutara-yoga tantra. After this one has the pledge of the perfection vehicle- the Hearers, Solitary realizers, and bodhisattvas vehicles. So the first two are counted as one “I will hold the advice explained by the four tantric classes and the three vehicles.” The words are few but this includes all levels of practice.

“Leg gyi rig…” refers to the pledges of Amogghasiddhi. In the case of taking this vow, one says “I will hold all the previously taken pledges of the four Dhyani Buddhas and their common pledges. We also promise to make offerings to all Buddhas and bodhisattvas by making outer, inner, and offerings of reality to them. I will strive to make as many offerings as possible. I will also generate all the peerless methods in order to become a Buddha. This refers to generating the two types of bodhicitta, the aspirational and the practical. This comes here as a summary of the two bodhicittas.

“Sem chen kun…lu suag” I will keep these vows, not only for myself, but for the purpose of others. I will also hold the common vows of the Five Dhyani Buddhas and the individual vows. This is another summary to remind oneself.

“Ma drel wa nam…” If I am going to keep these vows, not only for myself but for the sake of all others, how is this so?
“Ma dral was nam..” – clarifies for oneself what has to be done, which methods to follow. There are beings like the Solitary Realizers and Hearers who have already overcome the gross obscurations, i.e. the obscurations to liberation, but they have not overcome the subtle obscurations, i.e. obscurations to omniscience. I will liberate these beings from these obscurations that they have not yet overcome, Another thing to do is to free those beings who are not free from any obscurations.

“Ug ma jin pa..” I will also facilitate for the beings in the lower realms who are completely suffering, they do do not even have a breath, to give them breath, which means to give them happiness.

“Sem chen nya…” A summary of all the previous lines, which means I will place all beings in the state gone beyond sorrow. This whole prayer should be recited three times, thinking you are repeating this after Guru Karmavajra.

When we go through these pledges we should know exactly what they are and how many pledges are to be kept. We should repeat this knowing what we are doing. So we should remember that all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and deities are in front of oneself and in their presence, we take the vows. So in brief, we make these three premises with all of them as witnesses, all Buddhas, etc., to keep the pledges of the five Dhyani Buddhas in general and also to keep all the individual vows separately and to liberate all suffering beings from their suffering, and to lead all of them to the state gone beyond sorrow. So we make this big promise.

We do three repetitions. After the third repetition think that all the tantric vows we have taken before are renewed and in the case of taking them for the first time, then think that you have received these tantric vows with all these Buddhas as witnesses.

The vajra master asks the disciple, “Who are you? What do you take delight in?” The disciple answers “I am a person of good fortune being able to work for the sake of all others and ask to be able to attain enlightenment.” “Kelsang” means, I am a person who has the fortune to be able to attain enlightenment and who is also able to work for the same for all others. I am a person belonging to the rank of a bodhisattva.”
“Da wa chen po lao” “I desire the great bliss through which one attains enlightenment very quickly”

The Vajra Master asks this question in order to check if this person should receive this initiation or not, asking “What are you going to do with this great bliss?” The disciple thinks, to work for others the supreme enlightenment is indispensable and says, “I will use this great bliss in order to attain enlightenment, without which is impossible to complete the work for others.

Then there is another generation of the two bodhicittas called the “mind generation of a yogi for all”.

Question regarding the purification of negative karmas in relation to taking the tantric vows. – One purifies the negative karmas from breaking the tantric vows at the end of the third repetition, the main reason for taking initiations and doing self-initiation. All negative karmas in relation to tantric practice could be purified unless it was a particular mother tantra negative karma. The main emphasis here is on the pledge of the Five Dhyani Buddhas and the negative karmas of breaking individual pledges. These are the principal tantric vows. If we have received Yamantaka initiation, there is no need to make tsog offering on the tenth and twenty-fifth. According to mother tantras like Heruka and Vajrayogini, one has to make tsog offerings on these days. This case is different. Excluding these particular pledges of the mother tantras and the other one??? One does purify the fourteen root vows and the eight bonpos.

Question: is it possible for a gelong to purify negative karmas of receiving a pampa, the defeat, which is a vow of individual liberation? The answer is no, it is not possible. But if we ask if it is possible for a tantric practitioner to purify negative karma of breaking the tantric root vows, the answer is yes. They can be purified by taking initiation and doing self-initiation. There is no other clear indication in the text. One should not think I can do anything because I can do self-initiation another day and purify everything, this is not correct. It is like saying, I can break a leg because it can be fixed up again by going to a doctor, of course this is possible, but the logic is a bit crazy.

It is equivalent only in terms of purifying the root downfalls. Generally speaking, Vajrasattva is a very powerful practice for purification, especially when sone one does retreat, saying mantras and putting a lot of energy into it. After one has done the Vajrasattva retreat, there is much energy to continue other practices also. This means that when we talk about the gradual meditation from death and impermanence, then one follows a way which makes the mind very stable. I think that instead of putting so much energy into doing a Vajrasattva retreat, it is more reasonable to go through the gradual meditations such as death and impermanence. In this gradual way, the realizations increase gradually and this makes a very stable foundation. But I am not insulting people who are making Vajrasattva retreat. If someone can develop renunciation and bodhicitta, this would be really marvellous.

“The mind generation for a yogi” – First we generate bodhicitta by thinking about the sufferings of sentient beings. We have to develop love and compassion here by generating a mind that can not bear the suffering of others, and wishes to give them happiness. Then there is the mind that wishes to provide happiness for others. This means that we have to think about the conventional bodhicitta, the mind generation that wishes to attain enlightenment for the sake of others. So we visualize this conventional bodhicitta in our heart in the form of a full moon disc. This full moon disc is equivalent to the object of the mind generation, because it encompasses all sentient beings. Then we must think about emptiness, that all phenomena are merely labelled by the concept and that nothing exists from its own side. Then we think that this meditative mind transforms into the entity of bliss; it becomes a blissful mind realizing the object emptiness. This mind becomes one with the object emptiness and is thus called the ultimate bodhicitta. This ultimate bodhicitta is powerful and eliminates objects to be abandoned and therefore just like a vajra.

We must understand the ultimate virtue and ultimate non-virtue. So ultimate virtue is – there is the object emptiness of the blissful mind realizing emptiness; this object emptiness is called the ultimate virtue because it is a virtue on the ultimate level. In general, emptiness is not virtue. Therefore we have to visualize this ultimate virtue as a white vajra, with five spokes, symbolizing that the mind is one. But in terms of name, it is divided into five types of exalted wisdoms, mirror like, discriminating, and so on.

The reason this is called “the mind generation for the yogi of all” is because this conventional bodhicitta refers to all sentient beings, and the ultimate bodhicitta observes all phenomena. So conventional bodhicitta which observes all sentient beings, takes the form of white moon disc, and the ultimate bodhicitta takes the aspect of a white five spoked vajra. And this is what we call “A mind generation for a yogi for all.”

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Part Nine

THE MIND GENERATION OF A YOGI FOR ALL
Conventional bodhicitta takes the form of a white moon disc at the heart, and the ultimate bodhicitta, a white five spoked vajra. We use the term “mind generation for all” because the conventional bodhicitta observes all sentient beings, and ultimate bodhicitta observes all phenomena as non-truly existent. Now recite the mantra
OM SARVA YOGA CITTA UPATAYAMANI
OM- the beginning of the mantra SARVA – all; YOGA – yoga; CITTA – mind; UPATAYAMANI – generation. Yoga is union, the union of the conventional and ultimate bodhicitta. These are both primary minds, not mental factors. Generation refers to the generation of the two types of bodhicitta as the moon disc and vajra. Generating these two bodhicittas is the foremost method for approaching Buddhahood. Next, recite the mantra

OM SURATE SAMAYA SATVAM HOH SIDDHI VAJRA RATHA SUKHAM
Here the guru Karmavajra comes to you and touches your heart with a vajra and flower to stabilize the two types of bodhicitta established in your heart. The flower symbolizes growing out of the mud but not stained by attachment. This blissful wisdom realizes the vajra-like emptiness and becomes inseparable with the object emptiness, and this is why the vajra is used here.

SU – extremely; RATE – to be happy; SAMAYA – pledge; TAM – you; HOH – seed syllable for pleasing the deity; SIDDHI – siddha; VAJRA – vajra; YATHA – in this way; SUKHAM – happiness. So the mantra means, “You who are the one having the pledge of extreme happiness having accomplished the bliss and vajra in this way. You are the inseparability of bliss and void.” When reciting this mantra, think that the moon and vajra at the heart of the guru send replicas which can merge with the moon and vajra at your own heart.

Now, guru Karmavajra puts the vajra on your head and says “Do not reveal this to anybody.” By keeping the commitment of secrecy, the disciple is like a person being shown the great storeroom of the king. To be taken inside he must be a special person, not someone who will tell others what he has seen. The guru says to you “Today you will enter the mansion and all the Tathagatas will give you blessing (initiation). You should not talk of this initiation to those who practice the lower levels of tantra. Keep this subject secret from those who have not received Maha Annutara Yoga initiation and even keep it from those who have entered the mandala but have little faith. ” These are the things to be done before passing the door curtain. Once you pass through the curtain there are three things to be done
(1) circumambulation and prostration
(2) taking a pledge
(3) expressing the power of truth by establishing wisdom.

Guru Karmavajra comes to the Eastern door which automatically opens. Holding you by the right hand he leads you into the mansion, circumambulating the central deity. As you do this, think of the great fortune you have to be able to be within the mandala and see the deities who abide inside. (At this point remove the curtain from the front of the Eastern door of the mandala on the altar. Circumambulate three times while repeating the mantra

MAHARATA SUDRIDA SUTO KO SUSU KO VAJRASATTVA ADYA SIDYA MAM
MAHARATA – great happiness; SUDRIDA – extreme; SUTO KO – extreme delight; SUSU KO – stable; VAJRASATTVA; ADYA; SIDYA – make achieve now; MAM – to me. So this mantra means “Today please enable me to experience the great happiness which is extremely stable and delightful.” After completing the third circumambulation, stand before the Eastern door and make three prostrations to the main deity while reciting

OM SARVA TATHAGATA PUJA UPASTANAYA….
This mantra is a request to the main deity, Yamantaka, in the center of the mansion. You yourself are in the form of Yamantaka, imagine that a replica of the main deity comes and absorbs into you, and think that because of receiving this replica you have gained the energy to make extensive offerings and to make service to all beings. The meaning of the mantra is OM SARVA TATHAGATA – OM all tathagatas, PUJA – offering; UPASTANAYA – for purpose of making offering; ATMANAM – essence (entity); NITYATAYAMI – I am going to offer; SARVA TATHAGATA VAJRASATTVA; ADITISHTA – please bless; MAM – me. “I make offering to you in order to make offerings and do service.”

Again you prostrate to the main deity who is indistinguishable from your root guru. You are still at the Eastern door and you recite, OM GURU CHARA NAYA PUJA…”At your feel, in order to make service, I offer myself to you in order to liberate all sentient beings from their sufferings and teach them to follow the path.

TAKING THE PLEDGE

Your promise to the deity is made in relation to four things: benefits of works done here in the initiation, disadvantages of the opposite to work, point of view of both advantages and disadvantages, speech of the deity being pleasant to the ear.

Guru Karmavajra again takes you outside the Eastern door curtain where he tells you of the advantages and the disadvantages and that you must make the pledge of secrecy. He puts the vajra upon your head and says, “Today you are born in the Buddha family and there is established within you the seed, the ability, for attaining Buddhahood. I will invoke all wisdoms and make them enter into you.” This means the vajra-exalted wisdom which is the wisdom embracing all the three times without obstacle. As a result of invoking all the wisdoms of all the Buddhas and making them dissolve into you, you gain the faculty to attain the siddhis of all tathagatas. Guru Karmavajra continues “If this exalted wisdom makes you attain the supreme siddhis of all the tathagatas then the eight common siddhis need not be mentioned (will easily be attained). Today you have entered the mandala and received all these things, you should not tell them to those who have not entered the mandala. If you do you will break your samaya and will experience hardships in this and in future lives, these are the opposite to the benefits.”

Guru Karmavajra places the vajra upon your head and says, “If you do not keep secrecy your head will burst.” He then places the vajra at your heart and says, “OM tering dorje sempa…” The pledge of the vajra is to be kept without telling anyone, which means those whose mental continuum are not ready for tantra and those who have not well received tantric initiation. If we do reveal the secrets our heads will burst. Guru Karmavajra says “Today all the Buddhas such as Vajrasattva absorb into your heart, their blessings enter you due to your fervent request. If you keep this practice secret you will continuously receive their blessings in future lives. If you reveal the secrets to those who are improper to receive them, all the tathagatas such as Vajrasattva will quickly leave you and the blessings you have received in your heart will depart.” You now recite OM VAJRA UTAKATA seven times.

At the completion of the vase performance some water had been kept aside in a conch on the altar and not poured back into the vase. As you make this third pledge, Guru Karmavajra gives you this “vajra pledged water” which is scented with camphor and sandalwood, and you drink it after reciting the mantra. Guru Karmavajra says “After drinking the vajra-pledge water you must keep the pledge properly otherwise it will be like drinking water which is a cause for rebirth in hell. If you keep all the pledges of this tantric practice then you will attain all siddhis. Drink the water, it is like beneficial nectar and is also like a vajra with which you can defeat all adversaries.”

The fourth pledge is one of obedience to Guru Karmavajra’s commands. Guru Karmavajra holds your hand and says “From today, as I am the Vajradhara guru here, you have to do exactly as I tell you to do, if you want to attain all the common and uncommon siddhis.” You should never have contempt for the guru such as saying “You are of low caste, you are no good, you have much attachment…” If you scorn the guru you will definitely be reborn in hell. This fourth pledge is easy to break, one can easily develop contempt for the guru and this is why the pledge is emphasized here.

REQUEST TO THE MAIN DEITY

“Dezhin shekpa…” three times. You request all tathagatas to please bestow their exalted wisdom upon you. Guru Karmavajra removes hindrances to this by reciting the mantra, OM HRIH SHTRIH… Then, OM SOBHAVA SHUDDO..Everything, including your own aggregates dissolves into the empty state. Out of the emptiness appears your mind as a HUNG which transforms into a a vajra marked with a HUNG. This transforms into Yamantaka, azure body, one face and two arms, holding curved knife and skull cup. At your crown is a white BAM which transforms into a white water mandala, the nature of white bodhicitta, round and marked with a vase which itself is marked by a HA, the entity of Buddha Vairocana. At your heart is a yellow LAM which transforms into a square earth mandala, all four corners of which are marked by three spoked vajras either standing or lying. Each vajra is marked by a HUNG, the entity of Buddha Akshobya (and one’s own mind). At your navel is a red RAM which transforms into a triangular fire mandala, very hot, and marked by a red AH, the nature of vajra speech and the entity of Buddha Amitabha.

Beneath your heels are two YAMs which transform into two blue wind mandalas, half cheese shaped, the two corners marked with fluttering flags, marked with the syllables DZAH. The flat edges of the wind mandalas face behind oneself. The flags flutter and the wind blows causing the flames at the navel to rise and heat the earth mandala at the heart. The heat continues to rise and causes the white bodhicitta at the crown to melt. Nectar flows down from there and fills the entire body with blissful nectar. The syllables DZAH on the flags are the nature of fire and very hot. As the hot wind goes up to the the navel, these syllables travel upon the wind.

Due to the rising heat, nectar flows down from your crown, and due to the wind blowing up from the wind mandalas beneath your ankles you are lifted up into the sky. Guru Karmavajra rings the bell in his left hand and burns incense making a pleasant smell. In order to invoke the wisdom beings, he recites the mantra OM HRIH SHTRIH VIKRITANANA HUNG PHAT PHAT ABESHAYA… many times. This mantra is the full Yeshe Pengma mantra, he recites it white burning the incense.

Concentrate on the HUNG at your heart. Light from the fire at your navel goes out through your body pores in all directions and invokes the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas of the ten directions in the aspect of Yamantaka, all different sizes, and they absorb into you. ABESHAYA – make it fall away; STOMBAYA – make it happen now; RA RA RA RA – make it fall now, now; TSALAYA TSALAYA – make it quiver; HUNG HA ADZA – these are the three syllables for causing the unity of inseparability of the three things, vajra body, speech and mind to move. When invoking the wisdom beings, these knowledges of the vajra body, speech and mind shower down upon us.

In order to stabilize the wisdom beings as oneness with ourselves, Guru Karmavajra places the vajra upon the disciples head and recites TSSHTA BENZA which means “stabilizing vajra”. You are still standing outside the Eastern door and Guru Karmavajra recites the prayer of “Power of Truth”. He is standing facing the deity in the center of the mansion and holding the vajra aloft. When he finishes reciting this prayer, he rings the bell. “In this mandala of the non-duality of exalted wisdom of bliss and void I am going to lead this disciple into the mandala in order to offer flowers. May the flower fall exactly on the spot according to his corresponding Buddha family. May there be an exact indication of the type of siddhis he will attain.

When you offer the flower there is an indication of the class to which you belong, according to your level of merit and the posture you are connected to a specific class of Dhyani Buddha. There are signs showing for which Dhyani Buddha you are a vessel, which siddhis you will develop and how long it will take to gain them. After Guru Karmavajra recites this prayer three times you enter past the door curtain holding the flower garland from before. When Guru Karmavajra says “TRAM” this turns into a precious jewel garland which you toss. It falls upon the place indicating the Buddha family to which you belong. This is the second way of entering the Mandala, called “Seeing the Mandala.”

Standing just inside the Eastern door you throw the flower while saying PARTISHTA BENZA HO. PRATISHTA means individually HO means pleasing all deities. If the flower falls upon the central deity you will quickly attain the siddhis. When you offer the flower you do not throw the whole garland, just one bead from the jewel garland. The Guru Karmavajra takes this bead and places it upon your head, reciting “OM PARTIGRIHNA STOM IMAM SATVA MAHABALA” Think that you have been given the ability to attain the state of the Buddha with whom you have a special connection. Placing the flower upon your head is called the “Empowerment of the flower garland”, nectar flows down from it and fills your entire body with the essence of the five exalted wisdoms. By receiving this nectar, all general negativity and obscurations are cleansed, particularly the obstacles to developing you Buddha potential, that is, the potential which will become the Dharmakaya, free from the two extremes. During the self-entry we recite all these words, imagining that the Guru Karmavajra is actually reciting them.

When you purify the particular obstacles here, think that you have gained the condition to receive the empowerment of the flower garland and you have been taken into the care of the Yidam. You have received the unity of blissful wisdom and the object emptiness and have been taken into the care of the Yidam from now until you attain enlightenment. In the mantra, PARTI – excellently, GRIHNA – hold, STOM – by you. IMAM of this, SATTVA – being, MAHABALA – great powerful one. Although this means “You the great powerful one, hold it excellently”, these words are spoken to which ever Yidam has been touched by the falling flower.

Guru Karmavajra now says to the Yidam, “The disciple having your potentiality is to be taken into your care until he reaches enlightenment.” At your heart is a moon disc with HUNG on it. At your forehead is RAM. Your two eyeballs are in the aspect of radiant white OMs which are obscured by many stains, negativity, and the darkness of ignorance. The HUNG at your heart radiates light and the RAM on your forehead, which is the nature of fire, receives the light-rays and bursts into fire which flares. The heat and light of this fire removes the darkness of the obscurations from the two OMs and they shine brightly. More light goes out from the HUNG at your heart and strikes the main deity. Light-rays and nectar then come from his eyes and sink into you, turning the two OMs at your eyes into Vajra eyes which clearly see all phenomena.

Guru Karmavajra now recites the prayers “OM dorje sempa deng kyo…” and takes away the eye ribbon from your eyes. He is saying to the main deity,”You who are one with Vajrasattva have given the facility to remove all obscurations and veils from the disciples eyes which, as a result, are like the eyes of a Buddha, seeing all phenomena. The vajra eye is peerless.” He takes away the eye ribbon with his right hand which is holding the vajra.

Now Guru Karmavajra says to you, “look well at this mandala which is the unity of blissful exalted wisdom and have faith.” In the future when you see a symbol of the mandala drawn on material and Guru Karmavajra says “look” you should imagine that you see such a mandala. He goes on to say “Through Buddha’s blessing you have now been born in the Buddha family. In the following time you will be blessed by mantras of the deities within the mansion, you will attain all excellent siddhis, you will become a supreme practitioner of the Maha Annuttara Yoga Tantra by keeping all samayas. You will be able to accomplish all secret mantras with the union of the two by experiencing the union of the lotus and vajra.”

“HE VAJRA PASHYA” “Hey look around!” Imagine that you are able to see the entire mandala as clearly as something you can touch. Feel that this appearance is the resultant mandala of Yamantaka which you are actually seeing.

Om dorje kyil kor…. I have entered the great mandala of the vajra hold mind.
OM naljor kyil kor…. The mandala of yoga is the union of method and wisdom. “Great Mandala” here is the mandala of resultant wisdom, it is great because it is superior to the mandalas of learners and the mandala of exalted wisdom. The phrase means “Now I have seen such mandala of great exalted wisdom.”

OM sangway kilkor… This secretive mandala is to be kept secret from the lower tantric classes, it is great because it is superior to those lower classes of tantra.
Samaya HO HO HO I have entered, seen and been initiated.” These three things are to be kept stable. HO HO HO is expressing happiness at having had this opportunity. Thus, “Today I have entered the vajra mandala, I have seen the great mandala of yoga, and have been given the empowerment of the secret mandala.”

HAVING ENTERED THE MANDALA, RECEIVING INITIATION

Empowerments to be received
(1) initiation of vajra disciple
(2) vajra master’s initiation
(3) secret empowerment
(4) precious word empowerment

IMITATION OF VAJRA DISCIPLE

(1) water – related to Akshobya
(2) crown – related to Ratnasambhava
(3) vajra – related to Amithaba
(4) bell – related to Amogasiddhi
(5) word – related to Vairocana

These five common initiations are also called the Five Knowledge Initiations. In order to receive them you make a mandala offering. “I am offering this mandala to the insurability of the guru and the main deity.” -insert this in the normal mandala offering.

With your palms together holding a flower and kneeling on your right knee make the request “Sangyay sherab…” “You the great Vajradhara, the nature of exalted wisdom of the Dharmadhatu, just as other deities such as Vajrasattva give initiation into their mandala, please give me these five initiations and grant to me the supreme siddhis.”

AKSHOBYA

OM HRIH SHTRIH.. Guru Karmavajra recites this mantra and radiates many wrathful deities from his heart that expel all hindrances from himself and the vase water.
OM SOBAWA SHUDDO… Oneself and the vase water transform into emptiness. From emptiness appears a HUNG which transforms into a vajra, which transforms into Akshobya, blue with one face and two arms, embracing consort Mamaki who holds a curved knife and skull cup. Akshobya holds dorje and bell.

The main deity Yamantaka, radiates light from the HUNG at his heart and invokes the wisdom beings who are in the same aspect as the symbolic being, and also the initiating deities. The wisdom beings dissolve into the symbolic being. Again light radiates from the HUNG at Yamantaka’s heart invoking all the male and female deities from the ten directions who come to the space before Yamantaka. One makes offerings to all the invoked beings and then makes the request. “To the Buddha who is one with the vajra, and the Five Dhyani Buddhas, grant me the initiations just like it is granted to other beings in order to protect them from suffering and to receive the seeds of many excellences.” This is repeated three times.

“The one with the Vajra” refers to the Conqueror Vajradhara who has achieved the great exalted wisdom of bliss and void, the combined method and wisdom. He also called the sixth Buddha potential, referring to Vajradhara and the Five Dhyani Buddhas.

After the request is made, all the male and female deities in space in front of the main deity enter into union and from the fire of their great desire, their bodhicitta drops melt and produce the different blisses from the top of the crown and down, and then in the reverse order. These melted drops also come through our own crown, (us in the aspect of Akshobya with consort) and we receive the initiation. Initiation is also bestowed on the substance of the initiation, the vase in the aspect of Akshobya and consort, and crowned by Akshobya. Then we make offerings to them
OM SARVA TATHAGATA ARGHAM….

Then the male and female deity in the vase melt into light and become the water in the vase, the empowering implement. Then we begin the water initiation of Akshobya. The mandala has already been performed on the altar, the deities in the mandala are just looking at the initiation water being given.

The Guru, inseparable from the Principal One radiates light from the HUNG at his heart, and invokes all the Buddhas, male and female wrathful deities, Knowledge Ladies dakas and dakinis and so on from the ten directions, to the space in front of oneself to give the initiation. The deities of the mandala request the initiation deities to give empowerment. Those remaining in the space hold banners, umbrellas, Knowledge Ladies play music, others dance and sing and toss flowers. Holding white vases they pour the nectar and bestow initiation. Other Goddesses like Rupravajra and Shaptavajra sing vajra songs of auspiciousness. At the same time the wrathful deities prevent interferences.

The initiation goddesses in the sky and the main deity inseparable from the root Guru, pour down nectar simultaneously on ones head. Vajra songs are always sung at the time of initiations. It begins with the subject that makes auspiciousness, and this is the emptiness existing in the continuum of all sentient beings, the entity of the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void, the essence of all Conquerors, the Lord of all holy beings, all the Buddhas. This essence is also the definitive Vajradhara, that exalted wisdom of great bliss and void appearing or arising in different forms. Now appearing in the form of Akshobya. Akshobya is the Buddha for transforming or purifying the aggregate of consciousness and therefore is a Buddha superior to the remaining other Buddhas in terms of transforming the different aggregates, because consciousness is the vital main thought. Therefore Akshobya is superior in this context.

Then a prayer said by the Guru or main deity in order to make the disciple pleased. He also gives some initiation water to the disciple. But when we do self-initiation, it is one’s self who takes the water while saying the prayer. In the context of the Guru deity giving the initiation, then he says the prayer and also puts the vase on your head and gives some water to taste. And that is the measurement of receiving the water initiation of Akshobya. In the context of the self-entry, we take some water from the vase. The result of drinking the initiation water is that ones body is filled with the nectar of exalted wisdom, imagine that you have generated the special exalted wisdom of bliss and void. Because of the body being filled with this nectar, one is cleansed of all ones negativity and obscurations, particularly one purifies aversion and all obstacles that prevent the accomplishment of the practice and meditations done in connection with Akshobya. Consequently one’s body becomes completely purified and clear, transparent, and ones consciousness is also cleansed. Think that you have obtained the exalted wisdom of Dharmadatu. Having taken this water initiation one has the empowerment to receive all the different siddhis of the Akshobya Buddha family.

Each of the five initiations purify their own particular stains, for example, aversion is transformed by the Akshobya water initiation. Also they transform their own particular aggregates, and here it is the aggregate of consciousness that is transformed.

OM A VAJRA UDAKA ABHI SHINCHA HUNG SURATA STVAM AHAM” “I grant well the initiation to you, you should become very happy.”

Receiving initiation is involved in the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void and therefore is the definite vajra that is initiated. In this way it is also the object of veneration by all the beings in the three realms, because it is something gone beyond the three realms. The guru says, “Today you are born in the Buddha family. I give this water in the presence of all the Buddhas who are invoked in the sky above.” So there is the great exalted wisdom given through the initiation, this is the entity of the initiation. One should think that one has generated the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void, by depending on the water initiation by Akshobya.

Another initiation is given to stabilize the previous one. Initiation goddesses and deities again pour water on the disciple which again fills the body with nectar and one experiences great bliss and cleansing of all stains. The excess water swirls to the crown and transforms into Akshobya. Then one absorbs the initiation deities that have been invoked.
JAH HUNG BAM HOH they come to the crown of our head and then sink in to become one with oneself.

The guru deity radiates offering goddesses from his heart who make offerings to oneself. The guru raises up some offerings in his hand as a symbol of offering to all the disciples who are in the aspect of the deity.

With the water initiation of Akshobya, the stains of aversion have been purified, aversion defined as a mental factor desiring to give harm to the animate or inanimate objects. The initiation also transforms your aggregate of consciousness, from visual to mental consciousness, each of them have their own particular objects that clearly appear to them. This initiation also makes the person attain the exalted wisdom of Dharmadatu – the realizations of emptiness in the continuum of a person who has totally eliminated the two obscurations. So the previously mentioned consciousness transforms in the consciousness of a Buddha superior, or Exalted Buddha, the person, so we reach this consciousness, the clear mind of knowing all phenomena.

THE TIARA INITIATION OF RATNASAMBHAVA

The main deity, inseparable from the Guru radiates wrathful deities from his heart with OM HRIH SHTRIH….who expel all interferences. OM SVABHAVA SHUDDO…. Oneself and the crown dissolve into emptiness from which appears the syllables TRAM which transforms into jewels which transform into Buddha Ratnasambhavas, with one face and two arms, holding a jewel and a bell, embracing consort, who holds a curved knife and skull cup. Both oneself and the initiation substance, the crown, are transformed into Ratnasambhava. The main deities radiate light from the HUNG at their hearts invoking the wisdom being and initiating deities from their natural abodes. The wisdom beings absorb into the two pairs, the initiating deities remain to give initiation to the initiating substance. The main deity again radiates light-rays from the HUNG at his heart, which go into the ten directions and invoke all the make and female Buddhas who come to the space in front of the main deity. Offerings are made to them. OM SARVA TATHAGATA…

The Guru deity makes request as in the previous incitation, and all the male and female deities in the sky enter into union, their bodhicitta is melted through the force of their Great Desire, and descends from their crown and they experience the blisses, downwards and in the reverse order. These melted bodhicittas come to oneself and one comes to receive the initiation.

The initiation deities give initiation to the two Ratnasambhavas (oneself and the initiation implement). Then one should think that this initiation substance gets crowned by Ratnasambhava. The then makes offerings to these Buddhas, the crown tiara that has become the pair of Ratnasambhava with consort, melts into light and becomes the crown tiara. Then again much light rays emanate from the heart of the Main deity from the HUNG, and invoke many Conquerors together with their entourage in order to grant initiation to oneself, and they come from their places and abide in the sky above oneself. Then the deities in the mandala gives the command to the initiating deities, and as before, different initiating goddesses hold banners, umbrellas, and such for the initiation, other goddesses play music and sing, and others shower flowers and saffron in the sky. The one holding the white vases pour the nectar of bodhicitta and one receives this initiation. While this nectar is poured, Rupravajra and others make vajra sounds and music, the auspicious verses as in the previous initiation are sang. At the same time, wrathful deities protect us from hindrances.

In the auspicious songs, it says that Buddha Ratnasambhava is the Buddha possessing all types of jewels and precious things. In his hand he holds a jewel as an implement which abundantly fulfills the wishes of beings in the present life. He is striving to liberate all sentient beings from their sufferings and he outshines those who are so proud of themselves and their material possessions. Thus, Ratnasambhava over comes and transforms the stain of pride. In this stanza the emphasis is placed upon the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void, saying that this is the object of veneration of beings of the three worlds. “Today I grant you this initiation by which you can increase the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, you are born in the family of three secrets, the holy speech, hold body, and holy mind of all the Buddhas.”

OM VAJRARATNA KULA MUKUTA ABISHINDZA MI “Today I give you the initiation of the crown of vajra jewels.”

Imagine that the crowns in the hands of all the deities in the sky sink into one another and finally absorb into the crown held by Guru Karmavajra. During the self-entry take the crown and put it on your head. If there is only one, pass it onto the others. Imagine that by placing the crown on your head, you purify all negativities particularly pride and miserliness. Think that you have attained the exalted wisdom of equality and through the crown empowerment you are able to quickly gain siddhis. Pride is the stain which comes from the mind feeling very high. This mental factor can arise on the basis of any quality you possess, material, mental, or physical. The condition for this mental factor to arise is JIG.TA, the transitory view. The function of pride is to engage in various actions that are against other people, that they would not like, Miserliness belongs to the section of attachment, it is a mental factor holding tightly to one’s material possessions, offerings and so forth, not wanting to share them with others.

The crown initiation transforms the aggregate of feeling which is the experience of the three feelings. The exalted wisdom which engages in working for all other sentient beings with impartiality. To gain this wisdom one meditates on equalizing self with others, and there are other meditations as well.

At the beginning of this initiation cloth is distributed for the upper and lower parts of the body, the crown is only given now, not at the beginning. If you do not have these materials it does not matter. When Guru Karmavajra places the crown upon your head, you should feel great bliss as during the water initiation when all the vases held by the deities in the sky absorb into the vase in Guru Karmavajra’s hand and he gives you the water to drink. So the sequence of events is that we attain wisdom, purify the stains, and stabilize that which has been generated with water which fills our body with bliss, purifying all stains, and comes to our crown and appears in the aspect of Ratnasambhava. Our root guru inseparable from the main deity radiates light and all the initiating deities come to our head, DZA HUNG BAM HO They become inseparable with ourself. We now make offerings to ourself OM SARVA TATHAGATA …

“You have received the empowerment of the crown, you have purified the stain of miserliness, transformed the aggregate of feeling, have attained the exalted wisdom of equality, and have been empowered to attain the siddhis of Buddha Ratnasambhava’s family.

THE VAJRA INITIATION OF AMITHABA

OM HRIH SHTRIH..hindrances are removed
OM SOBHAVA… All is transformed into emptiness, self and vajra. Out of the emptiness oneself and the vajra appear as two HRIHs. These transform into two lotus which then become two Amithabas. Amitabha holds a lotus and bell, red in color, and embraces his red consort Pandravarsi who holds a curved knife and a skull cup. Light radiates from the HUNg at the heart of the main deity, Yamantaka, invoking the wisdom beings and the initiating deities from their natural abodes. The wisdom beings come and absorb into ourself and the vajra, both of whom are in the aspect of Amithaba. (Light is emitted from the HUNG twice.) The initiating deities come and abide in the sky before you. Guru Karmavajra makes offerings to them and makes the request as before. All the male and female conquerors in the sky enter into union, the nectar comes to you and you are initiated. At the same time the initiating deities give initiation to the vajra in the aspect of Amithaba and consort. You make a set of offerings to this Amithaba and the deity of the vajra melts and becomes a vajra. Yamantaka again radiates light rays which invoke all the Buddhas of the ten directions and their entourages who come and abide in the sky before the main deity, Yamantaka.

The deities of the main mandala are observing the proceedings. In the sky the goddesses such as Locana, Rupravajra, and so on hold parasols, initiating substances, play music, sing and shower down flowers. To make the initiation they pour our nectar from full vases while Shaptavajra sings auspicious songs. Wrathful deities and viras remain around the periphery to prevent hindrances.

“tashi gang shik malu pemai…” “The Buddha Amithaba is the essence of all the Lord Lotus of all the worlds and is so magnificent. He is the destroyer of the net of cyclic existence.” Amithaba symbolizes purification of attachment and thus he destroys the attachment of others and this is destroying the nect of cyclic existence. “In this auspicious way I give empowerment to you”

“With the definitive vajra (the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void) of all the Buddhas, today I initiate you. To give this initiation I use the symbolic vajra and pass it to you.” The vajras of all the initiating deities in the sky absorb into each other and finally into the vajra held by Guru Karmavajra. With the vajra he touches your heart, throat, crown and right hand. Take the vajra and hold it aloft in your right hand, imagining that you are the deity experiencing the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. When you first touch the vajra, have the divine pride of being the deity experiencing great bliss, and when you hold it up it emits light rays which absorb into you and again you experience the great bliss, purifying the stains of all afflictions especially attachment, and you gain the exalted wisdom of Individual Realization, and are empowered to meditate on the yoga related to the family of Amithaba and attain the siddhis of Amithaba.

Attachment is a thought craving for the body and other enjoyments, seeing them as attractive and wanting to remain with these things and meet them again and again. The function of attachment is to produce suffering. This empowerment transforms the aggregate of discrimination. Discrimination is the mental factor which clearly distinguishes between things such as a male and female. The exalted wisdom of individual realization exists in the continuum of a Buddha superior who is able to view the different thoughts of individuals without mixing and is able to work for them according to their individual desires. One now takes the water initiation for stabilizing as before. Feel that your body is filled with nectar, and the excess water comes out on the crown of your head as Amithaba Buddha.

Light radiates from the HUNG at the heart of the main deity and invokes the initiating deities who come to you and dissolve into you through all of your body pores DZA HUNG BAM HO becoming inseparable. You now make offerings to yourself OM SARVA TATHAGATA … Thus you have received the Vajra Initiation of Amithaba, you have finished the stain of attachment, transformed the aggregate of discrimination, acquired the exalted wisdom of individual realization, and been empowered to perform the yoga method of the family of Buddha Amithaba and to achieve the siddhis of Buddha Amithaba.

THE BELL INITIATION OF AMOGHASIDDHI

“OM HIRIH SHTRIH..” to expel hindrances from self and initiating substances; OM SOBAWA…” self and the bell dissolve into emptiness. From the emptiness you and the bell arise as two KHAMs which become two swords which transform into green Amoghasiddhis with one face, two arms, holding sword and bell, embracing his consort green Samaya Tara who holds a curved knife and skull cup. Light rays radiate from the HUNG at the heart of the main deity invoking the wisdom beings and initiating deities from their own abodes. The wisdom beings absorb into you and the initiating implement in the form of Amoghasiddhi. Again rays of light go out from the guru inseparable from the main deity and invoke in the sky before you all the male and female Buddhas. Guru Karmavajra makes offering to them, OM SARVA TATHAGATA…. and then requests them to give the initiation. They enter into union, the bodhicitta melts and they experience great bliss. Liquid comes from them and initiates you and the initiating implement, you both become ornamented by Amoghasiddhi upon your crowns. You now make offerings to the initiating implement which is in the aspect of Amoghasiddhi, OM SARVA TATHAGATA…. and Amoghasiddhi and his consort melt and become the bell.

Light again radiates from the HUNG at the heart of the main deity invoking the Buddhas of the 10 directions and their entourages to the sky before you. The main deities within the mansion are witnesses, the goddesses in the sky do auspicious things as before, pour down nectar, sing the vajra song, wrathful deities protect from hindrances. “Buddha Amoghasiddhi is the condensation of all accomplishment and action within the world.” Among the actions, the most virtuous is to give the Dharma teachings to other sentient beings, motivated with a compassionate mind. Of all the mental actions, wrong views are the worst because one denies the law of cause and effect and this denial is extinguished by this initiation. It is extinguished by giving teachings to others with a compassionate mind, Buddha Amoghasiddhi represents the purification of wrong view. “By the auspiciousness of this accomplishment of action I have today given you the initiation.”

The mantra means, “To you, with vajra pledge, I give the initiation of empowerment of owner of the vajra and you agree to receive it.” The bell is called the owner of the vajra. When emptiness and compassion are merged they become the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void, and this vajra inseparability is the dominant condition for giving teachings to all other sentient beings. It is the subjective condition for all Buddhas, no matter which teaching they are giving. Since all teachings are brought about by this inseparability it is called “Owner of the Dharma” and also “Owner of the Vajra”. The upper part of the bell is a half vajra, thus we can see why this initiation is called the initiation of the owner of the vajra. The lower part of the bell symbolizes emptiness and the upper part symbolizes great bliss, for each of these initiations imagine that you have generated great bliss and wisdom together. The bells of all the initiating deities absorb into each other and finally into the bell held by Guru Karmavajra who gives it to you. Take the bell in your left hand and make the mudra of embracing with the mantra OM VAJRA ADHPATI.. Feel that you have generated the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. This initiation mainly purifies the stain of jealousy, it transforms the aggregate of volition, you attain the exalted wisdom of accomplishment, and you are empowered to meditate on the yoga of the family of Buddha Amoghasiddhi and achieve his siddhis.

Jealousy is a mental factor belonging to the section of anger, it has attachment to one’s own qualities and possessions, it can not bear the positive attributes and possessions of others; its function is that it renders discomfort to the mind, not allowing it to abide in happiness. The aggregate of volition is transformed here, this includes all products except forms which are in the first aggregate and primary consciousness which are in the fifth aggregate, and the mental factors of feeling and discrimination which are the second and third aggregates.

This aggregate also contains the compositional factors which are neither consciousness nor form, such as “functioning thing” impermanence, product, and soon. When we say that the aggregate of volition is transformed, then all these things are transformed. The exalted wisdom of accomplishment is a final wisdom which is able to bring all works to their completion, a Buddha superior can culminate all the works of sentient beings.

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Part Ten

THE NAME INITIATION OF VAIROCANA

OM HRIH SHTRIH…hindrances are removed from self. There is no initiating substance. OM SVABHAVA …. you transform into emptiness. From the emptiness a white OM appears which becomes a wheel which becomes white Buddha Vairocana, one face, two arms, holding wheel and bell, embracing his consort Lochana, white, holding curved knife and skull-cup. Light radiates from the HUNG at the heart of the main deity invoking the wisdom beings in the aspect of the symbolic being Vairocana, who come and absorb into you. Again light radiates from the HUNG at the heart of the main deity, invoking all male and female conquerors of the ten directions who abide in space before you. Guru Karmavajra makes offerings to them, OM SARVA TATHAGATA… The request for the initiation is made and the conquerors enter into union, the bodhicitta melts through the heat of attachment, and the nectar comes down and initiates you in the aspect of Vairocana.

The deities within the mansion are witness to this, goddesses in the sky do the auspicious things and wrathful deities keep away interferences. While the nectar is poured from the vases held by the goddesses, Rupavajra and Shaptavajra sing an auspicious song “Buddha Vairocana is the essence of the wheel family. He is the symbol of the purification of confusion, he has overcome all confusion and has completely destroyed its result of suffering within samsara. He is far superior to those who are still overcome by confusion. Today I grant you the initiation of the deity with all these qualities.”

OM VAJRA SATTVA STVAM… Guru Karmavajra comes to you, ringing his bell, he places the vajra upon your head and recites the name of the Buddha which whose family you are connected. The mantra means, “To you, Vajrasattva, I grant initiation of the Vajra name.” When you are doing the self-entry, you can all use the same name, Mikyo Dodrje. The secret name is mentioned above, telling the disciple that he will attain enlightenment in the aspect of the Buddha having that name. While Guru Karmavajra is ringing the bell, imagine that all the initiating deities in the sky ring their bells and say the same words, generate great bliss and the wisdom realizing emptiness.

Give the water initiation to stabilize the name empowerment. The water fills your body, purifies all stains, comes to your crown in aspect of Vairocana. Light rays radiate from the HUNG at the heart of the main deity, invoking the initiating deities from the sky and they come down and absorb into you through all of your body pores, DZA HUNG BAM HO, and offerings are made to yourself.

“In this way you have received the initiation of name, you have purified the stains of confusion, transformed the aggregate of form, attained the mirror-like wisdom, and been empowered to meditate upon the yoga methods of Buddha Vairocana and to achieve his siddhis.”

Confusion is a mental factor which does not perceive its object. With this basic definition, some say that it must have wrong realization but others say that is not necessary to be included within the definition. According to the Pramanavartika, confusion belongs to the opposite class to the cognition which is exalted wisdom, that is, an exalted wisdom realizing selflessness. Confusion views at the same object as the exalted wisdom, but it has different realization, seeing the self to exist from it’s own side. Usually, marigpa, ignorance, is defined as a light of superficial level, that is, “A mental factor not realizing reality – the selflessness of person and of phenomena.” When ignorance is defined more deeply, this is not enough, it has to be more exact: “a mental factor which has the same object as the correct mind but having wrong realization.”

The specific attributes of marigpa are, it can generate affliction to affliction, it can generate karma to affliction, it can generate affliction through rebirth. This means that we have ignorance, afflictions arise, actions are performed, and rebirths are taken. The mirror-like wisdom is an exalted wisdom realizing the three times without obstacle, their reality and their conventionality at the same time. The aggregate of form is those phenomena composed of the four elements.

In brief, among the five initiations of the vajra disciple, the water initiation signifies washing away your negativities and obscurations, the crown initiation signifies establishing the cause to achieve the Ushnisha and rigda “Lord of the Family” because it is the highest among the thirty-two marks. The vajra initiation is to establish the cause for attaining the Buddha’s vajra holy mind, and the bell initiation is to establish the cause for attaining the Buddha’s holy speech. These five initiations transform the five aggregates which arose from karma and afflictions. By transforming them one attains the five exalted wisdoms.

By receiving these initiations one purifies the stains of the five afflictions and gains the essence of the five Dhyani Buddhas who symbolize the purification of the five afflictions, and you gain empowerment to do the specific meditations associated with the five Dhyani Buddhas. You should do the rituals of this initiation in the best way possible – wear the costume of the deity in order to develop divine pride. Many things are auspicated during the ceremony, the five aggregates are changed, the costumes show external change, internally you should think of purification and transforming your aspect. This makes many positive imprints for the future. These are the five exalted wisdom initiations, exalted wisdom is a clear and knowing cognizer and we establish the seed to attain them in the future.

Question: Do these five all come from the exalted wisdom of bliss and void?
Answer: Yes. They are based on the exalted wisdom of a Buddha Superior who has the exalted wisdom of bliss and void which is simply given within these five names. The substantial cause for each of the five is within us now and it will become the exalted wisdom of bliss and void of an Arya Buddha.

Question: When an Arya attains single pointed concentration on the blissful realization of emptiness is it exalted wisdom of bliss and void?

Answer: No because these exalted wisdoms refer to the final exalted wisdom of a Buddha Superior. A person who is not a Buddha can have the exalted wisdom of bliss and void but these five ate the exalted wisdom of a Buddha.

Question: If we attain enlightenment in the aspect of Yamantaka how does this fit in with attaining enlightenment in the aspect of one of the five Dhyani Buddhas?

Answer: Yamantaka is a deity with the Buddha potential of Akshobya, he belongs to this family as does any deity who is crowned by Akshobya, it is not contradictory to say that attaining enlightenment in the aspect of Yamantaka is doing so in the aspect of Akshobya.

The five initiations, or the five exalted wisdoms, can also be recognized as the initiating goddesses, the consorts of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

THE UNCOMMON INITIATION OF THE VAJRA MASTER

This has two, the actual initiation and the stabilizing initiation. To receive this initiation, make a mandala offering “At the feet of the main deity inseparable from my root guru I offer this mandala in order to receive the uncommon initiation of the Vajra Preceptor.” “With the power of your initiation, I, the vajra disciple, will give initiation and show the root tantra and other tantric subjects to others, to do so I depend upon your kindness, Vajra master, in giving the initiation. Hello great treasure of compassion, please now grant me the initiation of Vajra Master.”

You request the vajra master to grant the initiation now, it is important for you because without it you cannot be of great benefit to others. The previous five initiations are good but with the vajra master initiations you can do much more good for others by showing tantra and giving initiation yourself. Make this request three times.

Imagine you are sitting upon a white lotus with eight petals just inside the Eastern door. Remove hindrances as before OM HRIH SHTRIH.. OM SVABHAVA… You and everything turn into emptiness, from the emptiness appears a throne supported by lions. On the throne is a variegated lotus and noon disc. You appear on the moon disc as the syllable HUNG which transforms into a white vajra which transforms into white Vajradhara, one face and two arms holding vajra and bell, embracing consort Vajradhatu Ishvari, white holding curved knife and skull-cup. The main deity inseparable from your root guru radiates light from the HUNG at his heart invoking the wisdom beings from the ten directions who come and absorb into you. Again light goes out from the HUNG invoking the make and female conquerors from the ten directions who come to the sky before you. Guru Karmavajra makes offerings to them, OM SARVA TATHAGATA… and makes a request for them to bestow the initiation. The make and female deities enter into union and their bodhicitta melts through the heat of strong attachment, it comes down to you.

Before you receive the actual Vajra Master initiation you have to make three pledges. First, the Pledge of the Vajra . OM HRIH SHTRIH.. to expel interferences OM SVABHAVA….he vajra becomes empty. From emptiness appears HUNG which becomes a vajra which is the entity of the exalted wisdom of the non-duality of bliss and void. Thus it appears like a great sword cutting through the afflictions of attachment throughout the three realms. This definitive vajra, the exalted wisdom of non-duality of bliss and void, is cherished by all the Buddhas. It is supreme because of its function of cutting through attachment. Contemplating the definitive vajra, hold up the symbolic vajra and imagine that you have attained the definitive vajra. The great blissful wisdom in the continuum of all Buddhas is totally inseparable from emptiness and is recognized as the secret vajra. Holding the symbolic vajra, remember the secret vajra.

PLEDGE OF THE BELL

OM HRIH SHTRIH.. removes hindrances, OM SVABHA…the bell becomes empty. From emptiness appears AH which becomes a bell. Guru Karmavajra says, “Disciple son, hold this bell with respect in order to achieve the real vajra and bell, method and wisdom, think that this bell produces the sound showing that all phenomena do not inherently exist.” Hold the bell in your left hand and ring it, imagining that you are making the sound of the teaching of emptiness.

Cyclic existence is the cause for sentient beings to take rebirth naturally, under the control of karma and affliction. It is a fact which is pure by nature, that is, it does not inherently exist. Emptiness of true existence is dependent upon the entity which is empty of true existence, by gaining wisdom in this one can liberate oneself. A bodhisattva with this wisdom can exhaust the cause of cyclic existence and attain the “sacred cyclic existence”, the non-abiding nirvana. While saying this verse we ring the bell at each line thinking that we are making the sound showing emptiness through which we gather disciples…the guru has given us permission to gather disciples.

To receive the Vajra Master’s initiation, there are three samayas one must keep. The commitment of the vajra, the commitment of the bell, and the commitment of the mudra. We have discussed the first two, the mental object of the male and female consort i.e. Vajradhara and consort. Focusing upon them is the blissful mind. The commitment of the mudra is the wisdom of bliss and void and is expressed to be superior to the three lower tantras. The body in sanskrit is called “kaya” and is composed of of an assembly, referred to here as the male and female consort. It is not to be given up of one wants to realize the exalted wisdom of bliss and void because it is indispensable to the realization of the exalted wisdom of the two.

The symbolic mudra is the physical mudra of embracing. The definitive mudra is the assembly of the male and female consort embracing each other. The visualization one should make is “I visualize myself in the aspect of Vajradhara with consort, in such way I am going to enjoy the objects of sensual pleasure with the mudra of exalted wisdom. In this way I will accomplish all kinds of siddhis.” Enjoying the objects of sensual pleasure with the mudra of exalted wisdom means that one enters union with the female consort and experiences the different blisses.

The real meaning of the Vajra Master initiation is this, visualizing oneself as Vajradhara and embracing the female consort, and experiencing the bliss. With this blissful mind one comes to visualize that one has realized emptiness. So one has the unity of the two, method and wisdom, and for this we have the two external symbols, vajra and bell. Vajra is the method and the bell is the wisdom realizing emptiness. So keeping these three commitments, one receives the Vajra Master initiation.

Then the guru, non different from the main deity, radiates light from the HUNG at his heart and invokes all the conquerors, different Knowledge Ladies such as Pandravasini, wrathful deities who dispel interferences, and the supported mandala, all come to abide in the in the space above oneself. The offering goddesses offer songs. Prayer is made and with the mantra OM SARVA TATHAGATA ABHISHE… another water initiation which is the final stabilizing initiation is given. The Guru inseparable from the Principal deity radiates light rays from his heart and the initiating deities dissolve into the pores of one’s skin.

The mantra OM SUPARTISHTA VAJRA SVAHA, SU – witness, PAR – excellent, TISHTA – abiding, VAJRA – indestructibility (method and wisdom) or indifferentiability. “Please establish the vajra here, the indifferentiability here inside me.” This is the sixth initiation of the five Dhyani Buddhas, the initiation of Vajradhara called “the uncommon initiation of the Vajra Master.”

Having finished this sixth initiation, there are six topics to deal with called the final stability.
1: explaining the reality and the order of actions
2: focus on the mantra and giving the eye-medicine
3: showing the mirror and shooting the arrow
4: consent for generality and particularity
5: vajra conduct and the prediction
6: explaining the secrets and breathing away

1. EXPLAINING THE REALITY AND THE ORDER OF ACTIONS

Ordinary people view the supporting and supported mandala by perceiving the deity inside the mandala as something different from the mansion, and the mansion different from the deity inside. They think the principal deity and his entourage are different from each other and that the visualized deities in our body and their minds as completely different. But the reality is that the mansion, mandala, and the deities themselves and the Principal Deity and his entourage, are all an emanation of the unity of the the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. When re recognize this point, what reality is and what it is not, all these are emanations of bliss and void.

Reality, as used here, can be interpreted as knowing that all sentient beings and all Buddhas are equal, in the context of being void of inherent existence and do not exist in the way we usually see them.

The four even corners of the mandala symbolize that all sentient beings and the Buddhas are equal in that they are empty of inherent existence. The four doors of the mandala are the emanations of the exalted knowledge of the deity. The eastern door is the purification of the four close mindfulnesses, like body, feeling, phenomena, and mind. The southern door is the symbol of the correct abandonment:
1: not producing a non-virtue that has not yet arisen
2: abandoning the non-virtue that has already arisen
3: generating the virtuous actions that has not arisen
4: increasing the virtue already generated.

The western door is the symbol of the four magical legs, aspirations, analysis, intention, and effort. The northern door is the symbol of the five faculties, faith, effort, remembrance, concentration, and wisdom.

The whole mansion arises from the mind of the Principal deity Yamantaka. He has all knowledge such as the four magical legs and five faculties which take the form of these doors. The vajra ledge inside the mandala symbolizes a Buddha teaches the dharma of the vajra vehicle without discontinuity. The double-vajra is the symbol of purity of the twenty transitory views. Yamantaka himself is the symbol of the dharmadatu wisdom.

The first part of the order of the different actions is (1) observing different samayas including the fourteen root vows, the eight bonpos, and (2) another samaya of eating including the five meats and the five nectars, meaning that whenever we eat we must first bless it and see it as the five meats and the five nectars before we enjoy it. (3) to make different torma offerings. such as the first to Yamantaka and the preliminary and later tormas. (4) To guard the disciples, protecting them from different hindrances as one has granted them the Vajra Master initiation. To turn away hindrances for the disciple one can draw a mandala of the deity Yamantaka and give this to the disciple to keep around his neck in order to have good protection, and to help the disciple in many other ways.The guru has to do these things. First (5) performing the mandala and then(6) place the disciple in the mandala and then do the (7) initiation.

When the guru gives the Vajra master initiation to the disciple, he has to explain the reality to the disciple and then the things mentioned, the commitment of observation, eating and making the torma offerings and turn away the hindrances from the disciple and to perform the mandalas and to make the disciple enter and then give them initiation.

2 FOCUS ON THE MANTRA AND GIVING THE EYE-MEDICINE

Focusing on the mantra means visualizing the different Yamantaka mantras very clearly at the heart of the deity inseparable from the Guru, the mantras then come and inter oneself, taking mantra initiation. The unity of the Guru and deity have become to the gathering of the three beings, the symbolic, wisdom and concentration beings. This concentration is referring to the seed syllable in the heart of the guru inseparable from the deity, this syllable HUNG is surrounded by the three mantra garlands. The outside circles is the mantra, OM YAMARAJA…, the middle circle is OM HRIH SHTRIH… and the inner circle is OM YAMANTAKA HUNG PHAT.

Then one makes a request to the Principal guru-deity three times to receive the mantra initiation from the unity of the two, the Guru-deity. “I am going to hold the interpretative mantra which is an aid to accomplish the definitive mantra which is referring to the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. Please give this to me.”

OM YAMARAJA… is repeated three times. One visualizes a replica of the mantra in the Guru’s heart comes thru his mouth and sinks into us to a clockwise position around our heart. We then recite OM HRIH…and then OM YAMANTAKA… At the first repetition, visualize the mantra as a substitute of the symbolic beings. During the second repetition, that it as the substitute of the wisdom beings, enters through the mouth, and during the third repetition that the symbolic beings become inseparable with the wisdom beings.

JAH HUNG BAM HO. Usually said once, in this case it is repeated three times, first time as a substitute for the symbolic beings, the second as a substitute for the wisdom beings, and third as a method to stabilize these two beings. Then visualize the three mantra garlands at the heart radiate light rays which completely fill our body and eliminates all sickness and different types of negativity. This also empowers the person to recite the mantra. Think this initiation has established within oneself the imprint to accomplish the different kinds of actions, peace, increase, power and wrath, and also think that one has received the imprint to gain temporary and ultimate siddhis. Thinking that this potency is made within oneself is to gain the two kinds of siddhis and the different kinds of actions, is the essence of mantra initiation.

Next is the application of the eye-medicine. One visualizes a black syllable PRAM in each eye which radiate light rays that invokes all negativity together with their imprints. They absorb into the syllable PRAM in each of our eyes. The PRAMs are now the unity of all the negativity and obscurations. One then visualizes that the guru comes to the disciple to smear the eye-medicine, holding it with a golden spoon, and this completely removes or eliminates the black syllable PHAM together with all the negativity and obscurations while repeating the mantra OM VAJRA NETRA APAHARA PATALAM HRIH, much like a qualified doctor treating an eye disease enabling blurred vision to be transformed into clear sight. In this case, the eye is covered with the darkness of ignorance, the Guru inseparable from the main deity is the equivalent of the doctor, and the result is seeing both conventional and ultimate levels of reality very clearly. So think that the Guru has removed the darkness of ignorance and that one has come to see things clearly with the eye of exalted wisdom.

The meaning of the mantra, OM VAJRA NETRA – vajra eyes, APAHARA – you recover PATALAM – obscurations, HRIH – seed-syllable for the lotus family, standing for the exalted wisdom seeing all phenomena very clearly. ” You please with this vajra, take off the veil from my eyes and make me have an eye of exalted wisdom.” This eye-medicine is made of butter and honey, and it should be kept in a golden container if possible, and using a golden spoon if possible, then when one actually puts the substance on the eye, it is not really necessary to apply the liquid to the eyes, it is enough to do is symbolically by lifting the hand towards the eyes.

3 SHOWING THE MIRROR AND SHOOTING THE ARROW

We meditate on an AH that transforms into a mirror. The guru holds a mirror at this time which he shows to his disciples. The mirror has the reflection of all forms. The purpose is to introduce or make the disciple approach the realization of emptiness “All phenomena, although appearing as inherently existing, are like reflections in a mirror. The reflection in a mirror seems to be real, but is not. The essence of all phenomena is something completely pure, it is not stained by the different obscurations of mental anxiety. All phenomena including the mind, has never any stains like laxity or mental excitement, etc. This unstained nature is realized by the exalted wisdom of all Arya beings such as the Buddha’s as their exalted wisdom can see the entity of all phenomena as clearly as an olive in the palm of the hand, without going through a mental image in order to see the object. So there are people at different levels who see emptiness at different levels. Some realize emptiness through a meaning generality and some realize emptiness directly, as the example of the olive. Even a person who has not entered a path cannot realize emptiness directly, but through a meaning generality, like a person who is at the path of accumulation and preparation. But from the path of seeing onwards, this person realizes emptiness directly without depending on a meaning generality. This fact that the exalted wisdom of the Arya beings see emptiness very clearly cannot e expressed through sound. This fact cannot be conceptualized by depending on a meaning generality. Emptiness is called “the one without expressions, gone beyond expressions and conceptions”. This object emptiness is only an object for the exalted wisdom that meditates on it. This object emptiness is also like a mother through which the Conquerors of the three times are born. This is because when a yogi meditates on the object emptiness their realizations increase and finally their realizations turns into an omniscient mind. The cause, emptiness, is just like a cause, because when one focuses on this object then their realizations develop and this realization will in the future turn into the omniscient mind which is the result.

Arising gradually through the actions, which means developing the three things of listening, contemplation and meditation in relation to emptiness, one then develops the wisdom, and this wisdom together with the help of the tantric path one will reach the unified state of Vajradhara. Emptiness gone beyond expression, even at our ordinary level, when we taste a candy, we know this taste through the experience of it on our tongue. But if we had to tell others what it tastes like, it is impossible.

It is the Guru who introduces the disciple into emptiness and explains the emptiness of phenomena is like the reflection in a mirror. Although seemingly real, the thing does not exist in the mirror. Likewise with all phenomena. It is explained that emptiness is like a cause, but cause is not to be interpreted as the usual meaning of cause implies. Normally it is said that the seed is the cause for the stem, and fire is the cause of smoke. But here, because emptiness is permanent, it cannot function like fire that produces smoke. Yet emptiness is similar to a cause because when a yogi meditates on the object emptiness, his realizations are developed more and more.

In one text it is said that things are produced through the fact of being empty. So, in a general sense, from the basis of emptiness many different actions are done, like virtuous and non-virtuous and neutral actions. Things are growing from emptiness and this means that phenomena, because of being empty of true existence, we can posit the discussion of cause and effect saying, a cause can produce a result. Like a non-virtuous action produces suffering, and virtuous actions bring happiness. This is because both virtue and non-virtue are empty of true existence. Because phenomena are empty of true existence, we can also posit all other things like the lower realms, etc. By making the manifested actions one takes rebirth in the lower realms. This kind of phenomena can be posited . Also because of the same reason that phenomena are empty of true existence, we could posit the whole process of virtuous things. For example, by creating good karma one receives higher results and more knowledge. Because emptiness is like the ground or the foundation, even in the cause of tantric practice, first we have the transformation of things into emptiness, and after this we have to visualize a certain seed-syllable after which the different generations are done.

This has also some connection with the creation of this whole world. This also begins with emptiness, the vacuity, and from this empty space, for example, a wind mandala existed, and after that the following elements came into existence.

The Vajrasattva like mirror means we have an ordinary mirror whose nature clear and pure and not mixed with dirt or pollution yet can be still stained by temporary dirt. This incidental dirt can be removed by certain methods because the nature of the mirror is pure and unstained. The definitive Vajrasattva is the exalted knowledge of a Buddha Superior. Just as the nature of an ordinary mirror is completely free from dirt or pollution, the nature of the exalted knowledge of the Buddha Superior is completely pure, free from both natural and incidental stains such as attachment and aversion. These three, clear, pure, and without pollution, means that Buddhas exalted knowledge is clear because of having no natural stains and not having incidental stains such as attachment aversion and ignorance. The second, pure, is called pure because Buddha’s exalted knower has no more force of afflictions which induces new afflictions. Without pollution this is expressed here, because Buddhas exalted knowledge is free from the obscurations to omniscient mind which could be left by the previous manifested afflictions.

Buddhas exalted knowledge of the non-duality of bliss and void is something that possesses the two purities, for example the purity of the natural stain and the incidental stains. Such exalted knowledge, this exalted wisdom of bliss and void, this is also a resultant refuge object for us and here the Vajra Master says this prayer, “Today we have made an imprint in you that will cause you to attain such definitive Vajrasattva in the future. All phenomena do not produce things by existing inherently, and also they no not abide and cease by existing inherently. You, Disciple, knowing this, have to work or do supreme benefit to sentient beings. If you do this you are born as the child of the Buddhas. ”

Then the Guru introduces another point saying, “You should know that all phenomena in general are just like a reflection in a mirror and the seed established in you now is just like the reflection in a mirror.”

During the actual time this is taking place, during the initiation, a mirror is shown to the disciple who should imagine that just by looking at the mirror some kind of imprint is made in himself that enables him to see all phenomena as illusory in the future when he will wake up from meditative equipoise to his post meditation.

In general when we look into a mirror we see the shape of our body. Yet that kind of reflection is not really composed of the usual things like the different elements. Thus we must think that just as a reflection in a mirror is completely unobstructed, it cannot be stopped by something, one should also think that Vajrasattvas body is like that. Vajrasattva’s body is like a mental body that cannot be touched physically. We should also think that the imprint to have such a body is made at this time. If the mirror reflection was an obstructed object, that which could be touched, then it could not have gone into that mirror. So feeling here that the imprint has been made is the real function of the mirror initiation.

3 SHOOTING THE ARROW

Visualize a syllable HO that transforms into a bow and an arrow. The bow is marked with the syllable HA. During the initiation the Guru places the bow and arrow to the disciple while reciting the mantra OM SARVA TATHAGATA ANURAGAYA SVA. Then the disciple says OM SARVA TATHAGATA ANURAGA YAMI. The guru says “you should make all the Tathagata happy. You say “I will make them happy.” Then the disciple takes the bow and arrow and visualizes shooting the arrow into the four main directions and above and below. This is an activity on piercing the object.

The previous distribution of the eye-medicine was the cause of the disciple to have the eye of wisdom realizing emptiness through the help of meaning generality. So the disciple should feel that he has realized this emptiness through a meaning generality. When the Guru presents the mirror, a seed is established to be able to see all appearances as illusory during his post-meditation in the future. Saying all phenomena are illusory, this means that they are not true or real, they do not exist in the way they appear to us. We can understand the example of reflection in a mirror, why it is not real. Because we can see very clearly the reflection of our face in the mirror,and easily understand that it is not there, just a reflection appearing in the mirror. A person who is in post meditation sees all phenomena as truly existent, but he knows they are not existing in this way, so this person has realized emptiness before through a meaning generality.

When we are pretending to shoot the arrow, one should think one is directly realizing emptiness because of shooting the arrow one eliminates the obstructions or hindrances which prevent the realization of emptiness directly. Up to this point, the student has realized emptiness through a meaning generality. Now, when the disciple shoots the arrow he eliminates the meaning generality or the subtle hindrances that prevent direct realization. So the seed to realize emptiness directly is planted.

4 CONSENT FOR THE SUBSEQUENT GENERALITY AND PARTICULARITY

Visualizing the syllable BHRUM, it transforms into a wheel. When we talk about generality, it refers to the initiations of the five Dhyani Buddhas. So the disciple receives the permission to do the initiation of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

Think the syllable BHRUM arises from the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. It then melts into light and transforms into the initiation substance of the wheel. OM VAJRA HETU MAM. This mantra means casual vajra, and while it is recited, it is shown to the disciple. This means that “you will turn the wheel of dharma for the sake of sentient beings.”

Then the exalted wisdom of bliss and void takes the form of the syllable AH which melts into light and becomes a conch shell. At this time the Guru passes a conch to the disciple while repeating the mantra OM VAJRA BAKSHA RAM. Then the disciple takes the conch with his right hand and then blows it. This symbolizes the resonance of the sound of the dharma. The mantra means “a vajra which expresses dharma sound.”

Then we visualize the syllable AH which transforms into a text of “the opponent to the lord of death”, Yamantaka. This text is handed to the disciple’s left hand. The disciples right hand should be in the mudra of giving teachings, these are the same mudras as Gyaltsabje and Kedrubje. So the left hand with the text we hold in the mudra of concentration. “From the moment of the generation of the bodhicitta mind, you give teachings to sentient beings according to their different dispositions, interests and temperaments, and you facilitate for all these beings to have the teachings.”

Then we visualize another syllable AH which arises from the exalted wisdom of bliss and void which transforms into a bell. We should always know that the one who possesses the bell is the Guru who is inseparable from the main deity. So then the Guru passes the bell to the left hand of the disciple who rings the bell four times, one for each line received, thinking that we are explaining the meaning of voidness. The four lines are, first, the definition of all space. Space is not existing self inherently, likewise all phenomena are not existing inherently. So all phenomena has the same characteristic as space. Space is something that has not been born inherently from the very beginning. When we say that all phenomena are just like the characteristic of space, this means that the characteristic of space is the state which is merely empty of contact and touch. So space and sky never have any characteristics of being touchable and obstructable, that is, something that can be touched and contacted.

By integrating the mind with the object of all phenomena as empty, one attains the clarity of equality. That is, all phenomena are equal in terms of being empty and pervaded by bliss, this fact is clear to the yogi. Such clarity of the equality is the supreme or final thing of all phenomena. So when we ring the bell we should think that all phenomena are like space without any characteristic of touch or contact. So placing the mind on that we come to have the clear appearance of these two things. This is the rough meaning of these four lines.

Up to this point is called the permission for the subsequent generality which means it has not really been specified, like “You have to turn the dharma wheel of a Buddha to some beings, and Vairocana to others.” The Guru has simply said “You have to turn the dharma wheel of the five Dhyani Buddhas to beings. This is the general permission.

The permission to the subsequence, which is the particularity. From this moment the Guru non separable from the main deity comes to give the different implements of the five Dhyani Buddhas and tells the disciple “You give the dharma wheel of this particular Buddha to sentient beings”, in such way it is specified. To begin the subsequent permission for the particularity, first one has to visualize oneself as Yamantaka. Then the Guru says five types of stanzas which are the same except for the last line of each. The Guru gives the different implements of the five Dhyani Buddhas while saying “You, disciple, should turn the dharma wheel of the different Buddhas to the beings of the world who have different interests. “For the sake of all sentient beings throughout the transitory world, there are diverse ways of taming sentient beings. Turn the wheel of dharma to him. If there is someone with the predispositions of hearing teachings of Buddha Vairocana, this disciple should be placed in Vairocana’s mandala. Giving the dharma wheel of Buddha Vairocana, in this case mainly means that the disciple will in the future be able to place beings into the mandala of Vairocana and give teachings of Buddha Vairocana to this person and also give this person initiations.

The second stanza means one has to give the Dharma Wheel teachings associated with Akshobhya to beings so inclined. If that person is met in the future, the disciple must then admit that person into Akshobhya’s mandala. Third refers to the Dharma Wheel of Ratnasambhava, the fourth is that you should turn the dharma wheel of Buddha Amitabha to those inclined to those teachings, and fifth, the disciple should turn the of dharma of Buddha Amoghasiddhi for those beings who are proper vessels for the Buddha family Amoghasiddhi.

During the initiation, at the end of each of the stanzas, the specific substances are distributed. When many people are in attendance, to save time, all the implements are put on one tray and the Karmavajra goes around and lets each person just touch the try. In the case of self-initiation, one simply visualizes that one goes through the different implements, bow and arrow, mirror, bell, vajra, and wheel, that one has arranged.

5 VAJRA CONDUCT AND PREDICTION

The Guru gives the disciple permission to turn the dharma wheel of the five Dhyani Buddhas to other beings and permission to do their specific things. The disciple visualizes himself as Vajrasattva. The exalted wisdom of bliss and void then appears as the syllable HUNG which transforms into a vajra. At this time the Guru places a vajra into the disciple’s right hand which is to be regarded as the interpretive vajra, the symbol of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void of all the Buddhas. “Just as Vajrasattva is holding the vajra, likewise you have to hold this vajra in order to realize the five exalted wisdoms in the future.” This is the conduct of Vajrasattva or Vajrapani, the one who holds the vajra. You should hold this vajra even if you are told to move it away in order to remember the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The Guru then tells the disciple that this vajra is the symbol of the five wisdoms, although there is only one exalted wisdom, it is divided into five, and one should never be separated from them. Saying this, the Guru hands the vajra to the disciple who holds it at the level of his heart.

The mantra OM SARVA TATHAGATA…all the Buddhas…SIDDHI VAJRA SAMAYA… the commitment of “siddhi of the vajra” one receives from the Guru…ASHA STVAM… that one, reality…DHARAYAMI VAJRASATTVA…with the vajra held or kept in the mind…HI HI HI HI HI…the five exalted wisdoms …HUNG… inseparability, not being separated from the five wisdoms …TISHTA… entering such siddhi of all Tathagatas into one’s heart. The essence of the five exalted wisdoms is the siddhi that is entering into one’s heart. In other words, all the vajra siddhis of all the Tathagatas of all the Buddhas enter into me. I also hold the dharmadatu that is inseparable of the five exalted wisdoms which means that oneself imagines becoming Vajrasattva.

With the prophesy, the disciple transforms back into Yamantaka as the Guru inseparable from the main deity appears in the aspect of Shakyamuni Buddha amidst all the invoked beings, Buddhas and so on, wearing the yellow monk’s robe, holding the two corners of the Chogu in his left hand, like two ears of a lion. The guru is standing on the throne at this time. His right hand is in the mudra of giving teachings and holding a vajra. The prophesy is, you will attain enlightenment in the aspect of the Buddha family you are connected with. This process establishes the seed for future enlightenment in the disciple. It is important that the disciple visualizes these things very clearly. “You will turn all samsaric things into a purified state, for example, you will take the form of Samboghakaya. In other words, you will purify all enjoyments and your body into the pure Samboghakaya of a Buddha.

If many are taking the initiation, the guru would read off all the names quickly. If there are few, he would say this line to each after which the mantra SIDDHI, action achieving or the result achieved, SAMAYA actualizing STVAM the person who actualizes BHUR BHUVA and SVAH are the three objects, reality of phenomena on the ground, beneath the ground, and above the ground, realized previously. It is saying, you disciple will realize these three realities and you will also actualize the different levels of ground from the first, the extreme hoy and eventually you will come to attain enlightenment in the form of a particular Buddha family.

6 EXPLAINING THE SECRETS AND THE BREATHING

Enjoying the objects of the sense organs such as food, clothing, making love and so on are not to be negated. These things are not criticized because for a tantric practitioner at a certain level, the different afflictions can be used as a tool or a path for the attainment of enlightenment. To say that adhering oneself to a female consort is bad one creates very negative karma. This is because afflictions such as attachment is a phenomena can be helpful when used as method to attain enlightenment. To use such afflictions as attachment makes the tantric path very short or the quick path to enlightenment.

Knowing this, the disciple should not criticise this but know that one has to wait until one has reached a level of direct realizations to use afflictions as a path.In the case of person who is ordained, a monk or nun, this is not allowed. An ordinary person should not copy the people who have high realizations. As an analogy, in Tibet it is said, just as a weak animal cannot jump as far as a tiger, so the weak animal should not copy the tiger.

The mantra that ends the section on explaining the secret is, MAHA great SAMAYA commitment HANA destroy HUNG to place PHAT. In the mahaanutarayoga tantra one is using attachment as a path to enlightenment. This means that this commitment is to be considered as a path so we should not have the idea that attachment is bad. This idea is destroyed here. According to the tantric vehicle it is almost impossible for a person to attain enlightenment within one short lifetime without depending on attachment as a path to enlightenment. According to tantra we have to understand that a person on the sutra path can only reach the tenth ground, the end of cyclic existence. At the tenth ground this person definitely has to enter the tantric path. This is according to tantra. On the basis of tantra and concerning Shakyamuni Buddha, we have to understand that after attaining the tenth ground, all Buddhas of the ten directions sent him a knowledge woman called “tigli chonam” who gave him initiations and teachings whereby he attained enlightenment. So when a person reaches this high level, he is able to use the afflictions as a path.

Also illustrated by by the example of a peacock,ordinary birds cannot eat poison whereas a peacock can. The peacock thereby becomes stronger and has a glowing complexion while an ordinary bird dies.

In general it is said that when a yogi on a high level is enjoying alcohol and consorts, these objects then develop the energy channels and energy within their nervous system. This is because when the yogi develops his body strength, this enables the yogi to have an abundance of energy drops. These energy drops include both the red and white energy drops. When they increase, this helps the yogi to have more bliss, when there is a great quantity of energy drops flowing up and down, this helps the yogi experience more bliss yet. Then as a result of experiencing great bliss, the yogi comes to ascertain or realize emptiness under more favorable conditions, so the yogi comes to have the integration of bliss and void. But this is only in the context of a person who has reached a high level. When a yogi reaches this level but his body strength is not very strong, he will not have very strong energy channels and energy drops and then does not have good conditions. So this prevents the yogi from experiencing bliss and because of that, there is not much help or conditions for realizing emptiness.

In EXHALING: the Guru explains the benefits of the initiation to the disciple. The Guru tells the disciple that today you nave been given the vajra master initiation and therefore are allowed or permitted to do the actions of the Guru Vajra master, which means that you can do all the actions of a vajra master.

The exhalation is a supreme secret, such a practice cannot be told to other disciples who are only proper vessels for the three lower tantric classes. The secret is the process or the different ways of entering into the mandala of Yamantaka. One way is wearing the eye ribbon and another way without the eye ribbon. You have gone through the process of remaining at the eastern door and then entering and circumambulating and have entered the mandala and as such you are allowed to do all the tantric activities and your negative karmas have been purified. From now on you will abide in the state of happiness because you have finished all the causes to be born into the lower realms. Therefore you will always abide in the states of pleasure of gods and humans.

Because you have gone through the process of the tantric initiation, and gained the tantric shortcut or this blissful vehicle, you will be free of death under the control of afflictions and karma. You will go beyond the enjoyment of cyclic existence and will live with the enjoyment of Samboghakaya and will have those objects of enjoyment.

When the guru previously handed the disciple the vajra to hold at his heart level while thinking of the two types of bodhicitta, conventional symbolized by the moon disc at the heart level, and ultimate symbolized by the vajra standing on the moon, this established a strong cause to attain the two types of bodhicitta. With this visualization very strong seeds to attain Buddhahood were established. The principal cause of enlightenment is bodhicitta. If this is kept close within the heart, it is almost like creating the main cause of enlightenment. This happens with the visualization of the moon disc and the vajra, and also with the mind generation of a yogi of all phenomena.

Thus, you should not give up this seed of enlightenment. To keep this seed is very important. From that seed, many things grow. In the case of mind generation of a yogi for all, one has already made the main seed and from that moment one has a very strong basis from which one continues to approach Buddhahood. Even in our ordinary life, when we have a seed, then we have the stem, branches and leaves constantly arising.

In the text it says, from now on I will not have contempt for the dharmas of the different vehicles by questioning what kind of result the Hinayana will give, or what kind of result the Mahayana will give. Verbally we cannot do this. Even mentally we should not do think this way. So even mentally we should not give up the dharmas of the three vehicles.

Also, the Yamantaka teachings and mandala should not be explained or presented to other people who have wrong views and lack faith. The disciple is not to ever give up the mudra of the vajra and bell in order to remind his self of the vajra as the blissful mind and the bell symbolizing the wisdom realizing emptiness. He should not consider vajra and bell as insignificant like questioning what kind of result the vajra can give.

The disciple should never criticise the Vajra master as having broken or loose vows. If a disciple should make something negative in connection to the Vajra master, he creates very heavy negative karma. Likewise if a disciple does something positive to a guru it is likewise very positive. Therefore the Guru is like all the Buddhas which means that both negative or positive things become very big in this connection.

The disciple should never have contempt for his own karmicly taken aggregates, for example not caring for his body. In the context of a yogi who does this tantric practice, if his karmicly taken aggregates are very weak there would be the risk of degenerating the energy etc. In other words, if a yogi goes through a lot of ascetics, there is the risk of decreasing the power of the body and mind, in particular his energy to follow the tantric path. On the contrary, this yogi should enjoy life, eat and dress well for this goal. “You are now a disciple who is irreversible from your state, that is, you will continuously increase your realization.” Since this disciple is sure to develop more and more, it is necessary for him to keep his karmicly taken aggregates very well and have good energy with which he can attain enlightenment.

The Guru tells the disciple from this day he is a vajra master for other disciples, can drawn a mandala and give teachings on the root tantra and give initiations to other disciples. This permission has been given today by all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities of the mandala who have all agreed to give this initiation to you. You should give teachings to other disciples who are correct vessels for this tantric path, should give the different teachings on the root tantra and the explanatory tantra, should teach them how to draw a mandala, should teach them how to make the rituals of this tantra and do the rituals of the mandala house,and should also fulfill their wishes by teaching then any of these things they like.

Exhaling means the Guru tells the disciple he has received this today and is now allowed to do these activities to other disciples.

About the sign of the vase initiation, the Guru tells the disciple that he has received the vase initiation in the outer mandala. There are two ways to make a mandala, drawn on cloth, or constructed by different coloured powders. The disciple has received the initiation through the help of the outer mandala, either drawn or by colored powder. The inner mandala is involves the lotus of the female consort. The word mandala means “taking the essence”. The exalted wisdom of bliss and void is the essence, and is also called the center. Kyil, “center,” Kor. “receive or take”. This means one takes the essence which is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. So here one has received the initiation of the outer mandala and specifically the mandala drawn on a cloth.

Abishekata is the sanskrit word for empowerment, initiation, or blessings. Empowerment means that the disciple receives the right to do certain paths whatever is suitable for him. In receiving the different initiations such as the vase, word, secret, and wisdom, one receives the permission to practice the different deity practices to attain their particular results. For example,in the context of receiving the initiation of the five Dhyani Buddhas with the different types of implements such as the vajra and bell, one receives particular power to do a particular practice that purifies a particular aggregate.

Giving the vajra master initiation is just like a coronation of a king. The vajra master and his place is very important for the coroneted disciple is the next person to take power of the kingdom of dharma. This same initiation is also called the irreversible initiation or the “Initiation for the irreversibility” because when given, a seed is planted in the disciple for continuous progression to enlightenment without going back. This is the same initiation which is given to a person who has attained the tenth ground of a bodhisattva.

Then there is one particular initiation called the “Initiation of the Great Light Ray”. All the Buddhas of the ten directions come to this bodhisattva and give this initiation in order for him to quickly attain enlightenment, and this initiation is also called the “Irreversible initiation” because this bodhisattva is determined to reach Buddhahood. All these different things we have gone through are all belonging to the vase initiation.

It is called the vase initiation because it is given at the end of the initiations of the five Dhyani Buddhas. So by receiving this vase initiation one has purified all the physical negative karmas of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct and determined not to repeat these negativity in the future. As a result of this initiation, the disciple is able to meditate on the coarse and subtle levels of generation stage in relation to the different deities such as the six Buddha families. And it also empowers the disciple to make fire-pujas, to cleanse all the stains of gross and subtle attachment to ordinary appearance, and has also established the seed to attain a vajra body in the future. So one has the empowerment to meditate on the gross and subtle generation stage and its branches, like fire puja, the wrathful, peaceful, increasing and power. For the wrathful way there are different ways of suppressing deities by making certain rituals. The results of the vase initiation is that the disciple has planted the seed to attain the emanation body of a Buddha, the Nirmanakaya.

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Part Eleven

REQUESTING THE SECRET EMPOWERMENT

First a mandala is offered. One first visualizes all the virtue of oneself created in the past, present and will be created in the future, imagines the material objects of oneself and other virtuous actions one has done, and also ones own body, speech and mind, and this is all offered to the Guru. Here we have to imagine a very beautiful, intelligent and experienced knowledge woman to offer to the Guru. She must have already received the initiation and have kept the vows and commitments purely, and she must be expert in the four levels of the completion stage yogas. After one has offered all these things, a request, repeated three times, is made to the Guru for the secret initiation.”To Vajradhara and Buddhas such as Vairocana, great offerings worthy of veneration by all beings. Just as you have given initiation to other beings, to protect me from cyclic existence, you Guru, please give me the vajra of the space ( great exalted wisdom) which is the definitive vajra.”

The blindfold is put on because, it is said, one has offered the knowledge woman to the guru, and if the disciple sees the Guru and knowledge woman enter into union, there is a risk the disciple will loose faith in the guru, so the blindfold is put on. The Guru, one with Yamantaka, is a combination of the three beings, wisdom, symbolic and concentration beings. The knowledge woman transforms into Vajra Vetali. Before they enter into union their “Noble Houses” or vajra of the male consort and lotus of the female, are blessed. First the vajra of the male consort transforms into emptiness and then arises as a blue HUNG which transforms into a blue five-spoked vajra. A syllable OM is then visualized in the channel of the vajra which transforms into Phat which remains at the tip of the vajra to stop the energy drop from being emitted.

The lotus of the female consort transforms into emptiness and from this appears a syllable HUNG which transforms into an eight petaled red lotus. Inside the channel of the lotus arises a syllable AH which transforms into the syllable PHAT to stop the energy drop.

There are two ways that Yamantaka enters into union with his female consort. First, that the knowledge woman transforms into Vajra Vetali. Second, Mamaki, the consort of the Lord Family on the crown of Yamantaka comes down and they enter into union. Either way is acceptable.

When the male and female inter into union there is the sound of “joy” literally, and this sound of joy invokes all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions who melt into a drop of bodhicitta above the crown of their heads and then enters. This white bodhicitta drop descends through the crown of the male consort down to the tip of the vajra and is not allowed to be emitted from the vajra tip.

When they enter into union different things can happen. In the case of a Guru with previous experience of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, when the vajra is inserted into the lotus, a vein with the face of a crow in the lower aperture of the female consort enters into the tip of the vajra of the male consort. This process is called the “vajra position of the energy channels”. The energy wind going through the hole at the tip of the vajra of the male consort through the lower aperture of the central channel of the female consort rises up to the navel level and causes the tummo heat to light. The same wind returns back to the navel level of the male consort and the inner heat of the male consort is lit. This process of the wind going from the male navel to the female and back again is called the “vajra position of the energy winds”.

The energy winds going to the female consort and the energy winds returning to the male consort are not the same wind.
0Once this tummo at the navel has been lit, the white energy drop descending from the crown of the male consort to the tip of the vajra, melts because of the heat. While it descends, the person experiences the four blisses. The first is called bliss, the second, supreme bliss, third is special bliss, and the fourth is called the simultaneously born bliss. The drop descends from the crown to the throat, to the heart, to the navel, and finally the secret place. In the same way, the energy drop coming from the female consort by having gone through these four blisses. Then finally these two drops meet in the tip of the vajra of the male consort and this is called “the vajra position of the energy drops.”

After this meeting of the two energy drops, then again the respective energy drops return to their crowns and they again experience the four types of bliss. First, when the drop ascends from the secret place they experience the bliss, then supreme bliss, then special bliss and then finally when the drop reaches the crown comes the experience of the “simultaneously born bliss”. While they have these experiences they would both realize emptiness and integrate their blissful emptiness. But this would depend on the two persons, the yogi and yogini. For example, if one has realized emptiness before then, it is already very easy for them to integrate the bliss and void and this whole process is called “the vajra position of bliss and void.” So there are two processes of descending and ascending. The way this process happens is that we have first the energy channels then the energy winds and the energy drops, then finally there is the unity of the two, bliss and void. The there is the energy drop remaining at the tip of the male consort and this energy drop is squeezed out by the Guru KarmaVajra and this is given to the mouth of the disciple. So the disciple should think that he is given this substance from the main deity. This is the real entity of the secret initiation. Here we only mentioned the energy drop from the male consort but it is also the same thing coming from the female consort. So the male and female consort, both squeeze their own energy drops with their left ring fingers and thumbs and gives this to the disciple to taste. And each of them gives this to the disciple. And this is the meaning of the secret initiation.

So the purpose of putting on the eye ribbon is to not see this process. otherwise the disciple might lose faith or develop wrong views about the Guru.

Next, the Guru while reciting, gives this energy drop to the disciple. When the disciple tastes this energy drop, this substance should be thought of as the entity of all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas of the ten directions. We have already visualized that all of them have entered into the male and female consort, and this is not the result. Then one should think that ones own energy channels and so on are blessed by experiencing this energy drop. With the mantra HA HO MAHA SUKHA great pleasure arising from experiencing the energy drop is expressed. We should try to think that we have generated the great exalted wisdom of bliss and void and this pleasure should be even greater than if one entered into union with a youthful consort. So the meaning of this stanza recited by the Guru is, first that when we experienced the precious drink or extracted secret substance, we come to experience feeling completely full of bliss and happiness. Therefore it is called precious. One should feel as happy as if you have attained the illusory body, because this causes great happiness. Drink this water which has arisen from the mind. Such secret substance came from the mind and mind here refers to the exalted wisdom of the great bliss and void. When the disciple experiences this secret substance, he should imagine he is experiencing the four descending blisses of the bodhicitta drop melting. As he reaches the simultaneous born bliss, he should feel that he is also covered with voidness, that he has realized voidness.

So when saying this mantra, this is an exclamation from having experienced such great bliss, this is the sound from this deep or profound bliss, it is like he shows the sign of his realization of voidness to the Guru by saying this mantra.

Then one comes to experience the secret substance from the female consort. We can visualize either Vetali or Mamaki. So here the energy drop is extracted from the lotus of the female consort and she gives this red energy drop to the disciple with her left ring finger and thumb. The drop from the male consort, previously was white. Also when this female consort gives this substance to the disciples mouth, the Guru again recites these four lines. And having received the red energy drop and having this experience, one makes the same exclamation as before, AH HO MAHA SUKHA. So in both these cases of the experience of the energy drops one experiences the great bliss and if one really experiences the great bliss this is fantastic, but if one does not, then one has to imagine that one experiences this bliss.

During the actual time of the initiation then there is the substance, the mixture of alcohol and molasses and this is given to the people taking the initiation. The disciples should know the meaning of the secret substance and the male and female consorts. If one does not know this whole process there is no way of receiving this initiation. This mixture is already blessed in the same way as the inner offering.

Then there is the auspicious verses, what is auspicious here is the many things like emptiness that is existing in the continuum of all sentient beings. Also the bliss that is accompanying all these beings who have this dharmadatu or emptiness. Then it says that Vajradhara and the five Dhyani Buddhas are like the essence or founder of the bliss and void. Their realizations of the unity of these two and other realizations like arising in deity form, in this case this particular deity so in one way the form is the unity of the bliss and void and in the form of the particular deity Yamantaka here, these are the ones with which the initiation is given to you.

As a conclusion, the real entity of the secret initiation is the fact that the male and female consorts give their own secret substances and the disciple experiences these different types of bliss and with this bliss they realize emptiness which they integrate with voidness.

(page 171)…………the basis with which the secret initiation is received or given. One condition is the conventional bodhicitta which means that this is the one through which the secret initiation is received. So there are the bodhicitta drops from both the male and the female consort and this is called the conventional bodhicitta. And by experiencing this bodhicitta drop from them one generates the great bliss of the exalted wisdom and this is the essence. We talked before about the meaning of the mandala, essence and we take this essence which is the meaning of the mandala, and take this essence by depending on the conventional bodhicitta. It is also called the secret initiation because it is an initiation which is given with the secret substances. The negativity purified by taking this initiation is the different negativity created by the speech such as lying, slandering, harsh speech and gossiping. The subtle negativity which are purified are grasping at appearance of the energy wind and the speech as being separate, we can also say that the energy wind and mantra appears separate.

First we have to recognize the three coarse modes of body speech and mind. And the gross body is our ordinary body we see. The gross mind are the five sense consciousness and the mental consciousness. When we identify the subtle body, we have to define the subtle body by saying that it is the vehicle that is mounted by the subtle mind. When we define the subtle speech, it is the vibration made by the wind which is the vehicle of the subtle mind. So we have the subtle mind and that is moving and the subtle mind moves the same way and at the same time there is the subtle speech arising. These three, the subtle body, speech and mind all belong to one package, but we do not have the right understanding of the fact and when we receive this initiation, this purifies our grasping at this wrong understanding. Also in the context of the vajra position of the energy wind, there is also a way in which one has to send out and bring in the energy winds, and there is a way when we do the mantra OM AH HUNG. But people who do not have any understanding, they see the mantra and the speech very separately, as if they have no relation. Which means that the grasping at this appearance is purified by taking this initiation. Because of having received the secret initiation one has made a very powerful ability within oneself to purify the stain of grasping at the appearance of the two separate objects as the mantra and the energy wind as separate, so this conception is purified. This purification is the main specific or uncommon purification that is done in the case of the secret initiation. So the common one is to purify the stains of the speech, the four negativity. This secret initiation empowers the disciple to meditate on the illusory body…. before this he has already gone through the isolated body, speech and mind and now here this initiation gives this permission.

The completion stage has five states, the isolated body speech and mind and the illusory body and the unified stage. So it says that you disciple has the empowerment to meditate up to this stage of the illusory body as this is something that comes after the three isolations. In general, we have to understand that when the subtle mind develops more and more, and finally it will go through the isolated body, speech and mind. It also says in the text that one is empowered to do the self blessing, this is just another way to say that one has th empowerment to meditate on the illusory body. The usual way is that first it is the subtle mind that has to be developed more and more and finally this acts as a substantial cause for the illusory body. And after the illusory body one will attain the learners unified stage. From there the same subtle mind will become the pure illusory body and then one will attain the non-learners unified stage. At that moment one will attain the Sambogakaya. As a path he has the power to meditate on the illusory body and as a result he has established the seed to attain the Sambogakaya.

Then comes the third initiation which is the wisdom initiation. For receiving this initiation one first makes a mandala offering and offers a knowledge woman with complete qualifications as before and one ends with the mantra IDAM GURU… then one makes the request as before and then one puts on the blindfold. The purpose of putting on the eye ribbon is also to not hinder the Guru and his consort to produce bliss. One should think that we offer this knowledge woman directly to the Guru. Then comes the following prayer, the Guru repeats this while holding his knowledge woman in his left hand and his right hand help on our head. The goddess of form, it is indispensable to have this action mudra. This attractive one, qualified, knows the arts of love. She is checked up by all the Buddhas to see if it is suitable for you to have the experience. You should experience the bliss by putting your vajra in the lotus of this form goddess. If you abandon such knowledge woman and if you do not experience the bliss, then there is no way for you to attain enlightenment. In other words, if you give up this knowledge woman with complete qualifications you can not attain enlightenment by other means no matter how much effort you exert. The sentient beings in the three realms transmigrate due to karma and afflictions and if you are in such position and you adhere yourself to a knowledge woman, then it is possible for you to be free from this transmigration.

You should not be a coward in order to adhere yourself with an external mudra, you should do it instead of always being afraid of the sufferings in samsara. If you adhere yourself to a knowledge woman with complete qualifications you will quickly be free from samsaric existence. Then the Guru tells the disciple that you have to adhere yourself to this knowledge woman in order to attain the siddhis of all Buddhas. If you do not, you will not attain any supreme siddhis, not even the common siddhis explained in the root tantra.

There are two things that you have to know. In the case of the secret initiation, there is a need to offer a knowledge woman to the Guru during the initiation. But if the Guru is not really ready to adhere himself to a knowledge woman then the disciple should not make this offer. Also when a Guru gives initiation to a disciple, if the disciple is not ready to have an external mudra, then the Guru should not give one. It depends on the situation, for example if the Guru is a getsul or a gelong, then it is not allowed to have a knowledge woman, likewise if the disciple is likewise, it is not allowed. In these different cases one can only depend on an internal or mental mudra. In general when we talk about external mudras, this only refers to someone on a very high level of completion stage.

……for the wisdom initiation one makes the mandala offering and within this include another new knowledge woman with complete qualifications according to the root tantra, or one can simply think of the knowledge woman as before, like during the secret initiation. With the prayer asking Buddhas like Vairocana to grant the wisdom initiation, the great offering which is the same as you have granted it to others in the past. Great offering can have many meanings, in the case of the secret offering this can refer to the secret initiation and here it refers to the wisdom initiation which means that the great offering, the wisdom initiation, please grant it to me like you gave it to others. Then you put on the ribbon to not prevent or give the Guru and his consort any hindrances to grant the initiation, for protection. This prevents them from feeling shy, because if they get shy it is difficult for them to have the exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

The disciple should think that he is holding the knowledge woman in the left hand and the Guru is touching the woman, and the right hand holding the vajra. The right hand of the Guru holding the vajra also touches the disciples crown while he says, the goddess of form is an object to be kept by a person on the completion stage. This is indispensable. Such a qualified knowledge woman has been checked by the Buddhas to see if she is the correct one to rely on, then they have given this to you. Then the Guru says that the lotus and the vajra must be conjoined, and by conjoining them one has to experience the sacred bliss. With other methods, enlightenment is not obtained. This means that if we abandon a knowledge woman with qualifications, one cannot attain buddhahood by any other means. Such method is something that is necessary at completion stage. By depending on this method one purifies all the negative of all the three realms together with their imprints. Therefore the disciple should not refuse to enter into union with a knowledge woman and should not abandon this, this is the method to rely on. Such conduct is the way that was followed by all the Buddhas of the three times to attain enlightenment. This is the peerless conduct in order to attain the supreme siddhis. If one abandons this conduct, there are no supreme siddhis to be gained, neither can such a person achieve the common siddhis explained in the root tantra. Then this knowledge woman we are holding hands with shows her lotus to the disciple. She is naked and she says some words to check up of the disciple is a proper vessel for the secret mantra or not.

She asked the disciple, are you able to enjoy the five different types of meats and nectars without any superstition, thinking they are pure or impure? Are you willing to adhere to a knowledge woman without disrespect? Are you willing to do this or not?

Then the disciple replies, I delight in devoting myself to a knowledge woman and also to adhere myself to the lotus and also to enjoy the five meats and nectars. The form goddess gets delighted and says, I am pleased and it is very good that this lotus is a source of bliss. As this lotus is the origin of bliss, you disciple, has to devote yourself to the lotus with the rituals as according to the way they are explained in the root tantras. Then she says that in front of such a disciple who acts according to the root tantras, I present myself in front of such a disciple and I give you the bliss.

Then there is a line saying, such is a quick path that will please all Buddhas. You have to attain the great blissful wisdom by relating with the lotus. Also he says to the disciple that in order to have the simultaneously born bliss, one has to depend on such an object as the lotus. The knowledge woman says the above to the disciple.

The mantra BHAJA MOKSHA HOH… things which shows the way to liberation and here it means that the definitive liberation is the liberation vajradatu which is free from all conceptualizations that come from a the idea of true existence. Such liberation, the vajradatu is here integrated with the blissful wisdom and this kind of state is given to you, the integration of bliss and wisdom. There is the blissful mind and this enters into the object emptiness and in this way there is the integration. The mantra means that “I have shown the way to liberation. This means that the disciple has to contemplate the object emptiness with the bliss that the disciple is experiencing. So by depending on the lotus of the knowledge woman there are the four blisses coming. So these four blisses are experienced when the bodhicitta melts and descends from the crown down to the tip of the vajra. So the purpose of experiencing this bliss is to have the integration of the bliss and the object emptiness. So before entering into union oneself and the knowledge woman must be in the aspect of deities. So here one visualizes oneself as Yamantaka and the consort in the form of Vajra Vetali.

Visualizing self as Yamantaka, one first visualizes the Syllable HUNG at the heart of oneself and this transforms into a vajra marked by a HUNG at the center. This vajra transforms into Yamantaka with nine faces and thirty-two arms, oneself. The same happens to Vetali, first she dissolves into emptiness and from the state of emptiness appears the syllable HUNG which transforms into a cleaver marked with a HUNG which transforms into the blue consort Vajra Vetali.

Then the “noble houses” or two secret organs are transformed. To bless the secret organs one first transforms the vajra into emptiness and from this state of emptiness appears a syllable HUNG which transforms into a blue five-spoked vajra. The syllable OM transforms into the usual jewel and the hole at the tip of it is plugged with the syllable PHAT. This is inside the jewel but right at the end.

The lotus is also transformed into emptiness and then arises as the syllable HUNg which is transformed into a red eight petaled lotus. On this appears the syllable AH from which comes a stem which is plugged with the syllable PHAT which prevents the energy from going out.

The mantra OM SARVA… is said in order so that both of them has an intense desire to continue this action. At the point the Guru radiates so many light rays from his heart and they invoke all the Buddhas etc, in the space, and the male and female Buddhas enter into union and the nectar from their secret organs comes to the crown of the disciple. When this nectar enters our crown and comes down to the throat one experiences the bliss, and when this descends to the heart, one experiences the supreme bliss, and when it descends to the navel one experiences the distinguished bliss, and then it descends to the tip of the secret region one experiences the simultaneously born bliss. This bliss is something that comes only when the energy drop reaches the tip of the secret place. So the further down the bliss descends, the more bliss one experiences. When we have the simultaneously born bliss we have to realize emptiness with this blissful mind.

When this bliss is reached, one realizes emptiness and to have this integration at the end is the purpose of this third initiation. There are different levels of receiving this wisdom initiation. Like someone who has already had direct realization of emptiness, this person can realize the same object again through this exalted wisdom. Someone who has realization of emptiness through a meaning generality, can also realize emptiness with a meaning generality through the bliss. In the case of a person who has neither direct nor realization of emptiness through a meaning generality, then he has to imagine that he has this blissful wisdom, and that he realize the object emptiness through this bliss. Those are the three levels of receiving the wisdom initiation. But in the case of a person who has not reached the point of the blissful exalted wisdom, then this person should simply imagine he has realized this blissful exalted wisdom. But for a person who has this blissful wisdom, he should use it at this time.

When this initiation is being given, the disciple is not allowed to physically give a knowledge woman to a Guru in case the Guru is a gelong or a getsul.

Common to the case of both the secret or word initiation, one is only allowed to visualize that one is making this offering. In one way it seems like to have the experience of bliss through the lotus is very important, but this subject is only for someone on the completion stage. For beginners, they have to abide at the pure conduct level, they have to keep away from sexual conduct.

In the LAM DRON, written by Atisha at the request and questioning of Jang chub o, one question answered concerned the offering of a knowledge woman during the secret and word initiations. Atisha replied that a beginning ordained person without having reached a certain stage is not allowed to rely on a knowledge woman during the secret, word or vajra master initiation. Shakyamuni Buddha has forbidden ordained people to have sexual activity. If such a person does under these circumstances, he receives the negative karma called “tung wa” and falls into the lower realms.

There are two types of simultaneously born bliss, one artificial and one real. The artificial simultaneously born bliss is the blissful mind which has not realized emptiness directly but through a meaning generality. In the case of someone who has realized emptiness directly, this is the real simultaneously born bliss. “Sherab yeshe” is the word for a female. Exalted wisdom refers to a mind which has realized emptiness and which has also become a blissful mind. The blissful wisdom realizing emptiness is something which comes by depending on a youthful knowledge woman and therefore is called “Sherab Yeshe” or wisdom initiation. When one enters into union one has to do that with the three recognitions. 1. To regard both oneself and ones consort as a deity. 2. To regard the speech as mantra. 3. to regard the mind as dharma. Both the male and female consort should think that they do this function here to produce the great blissful exalted wisdom which is not contaminated.

There there are some lines talking about how to open the central channel of the knowledge woman. Before opening this one must know where it is and then it must be opened and then conjoined with ones own lower aperture of the central channel with that of the female consort. This is called the “vajra posture of the energy channels.” The vajra posture of the energy winds is that the energy wind goes from the navel level of the male consort to the navel level of the female consort through the lower aperture through the central channel and this causes the tummo of the female consort to be lit. And vice versa, the energy wind in the navel of the female consort goes to the navel level of the male consort through his central channel and that lights his tummo energy. So the purpose of this is that once the inner heat of both is lit and then this fire melts their energy drops and this descends to their conjunction and then both of them has to prevent their energy drops from going out and both of them has to induce the different types of blisses. Then one comes to have the bliss that is free from appearance, radiance and the near attainment, this is called the clear light. This bliss os for the purpose to enable oneself to integrate with the object emptiness. This clear light does not last for a long time if one is not very familiar with this object. But if this is well acquainted one can stay in this bliss for a long time, so to have this experience we have to practice this.

The Guru tells the disciple to contemplate on the unity of the blissful wisdom and the voidness.

In detail, this means that the yogi has the support of the bodhicitta “kunta” which is a support of bliss. And he should not let this come out from the vajra. The yogi has this bliss without any cessation as long as he does not let this bodhicitta out, as this is maintained within himself, therefore the bliss which is the source is always there and he continuously experiences this bliss. The sense of joy by conjoining the vajra with the lotus produces bliss. Such bliss is supreme and there can be no other bliss superior to this bliss. Such method is just like the treasury of all the different kinds of siddhis.

If the bodhicitta is let out, the karmically taken aggregates loose the continuous bliss and therefore they cannot attain supreme siddhis. So this is about the source of the simultaneous born bliss. We we loose the support of this bliss, on cannot achieve the supreme siddhis which are not belittled by anyone.

Now we come to the subject of the space element in the lotus. By the touching of the two organs, the different types of blisses are produced, one has to recognize then and maintain them.

The lower aperture of the central channel of the female consort is inserted exactly into the small channel of the vajra of the male consort, so the vajra holds onto the flower aperture of the central channel. There are different types of vajra positions of the energy winds and channels. Through these different positions, all the energy winds of both consorts absorb into their central channels. First the white bodhicitta drop coming from the crown of the male consort descends to the tip of the vajra. As it descends, the yogi experiences the four different types of bliss. With the final bliss he experiences the greatest which is the ornament for a yogi at this level. With such exalted wisdom of great bliss, the yogi realizes emptiness and this integration of emptiness and blissful mind is free from the three obscurations, the appearance , the radiance, and the near attainment. The emptiness here is just like the clear light and is the object for the blissful mind. This blissful mind realizes the object emptiness here, the clear light, and this is an object that remains constant or abides on the object without changing. This combination can last for different amounts of time depending on a yogi. A yogi with lower realizations can remain there for a session and those with higher realization can remain therefor a day, and with greater realizations yet, a week, month, year. The highest can remain for thousand eons.

When dealing with this wisdom initiation, what is mainly done is to visualize that one generates the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. At best, one can actually generate this exalted wisdom. At least, one can simply visualize that one is give n knowledge woman, imagine one enters union with her and imagines generating the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void.

Such exalted wisdom is something which comes after the three steps of the winds entering, abiding and dissolving in the central channel. Then the great blissful wisdom is generated and with it, one realizes emptiness according to one’s capacity. Someone who has realized emptiness directly before could still have the same realization now with this wisdom. In the case of someone who has only had realizations of emptiness through a meaning generality, then with this blissful wisdom, he can have the realization again. In the case of someone who has not had any of these realizations neither having the winds entering, abiding, or dissolving, he should simply visualize that he has gone through these three steps and visualize that he has gained this blissful wisdom and with this wisdom he should visualize that he has realized the object emptiness.

Then one takes off the eye ribbon. Then we come to know under what circumstances we have received this wisdom initiation. It has taken place in the mandala of the lotus of the female consort. In the lotus of the female consort there is the central channel and at the tip of the central channel is the bodhicitta drop and the drop is a basis which supports or maintains the bliss. One takes this essence, the bodhicitta drop itself is the essence. So the house is the lotus and the essence is the drop, and we take this and this is the meaning of taking this wisdom initiation. The wisdom initiation is received here by depending on a knowledge woman with wisdom. Therefore it is called the wisdom initiation. The common obscurations that are purified here are the negative karmas created through the three negative actions of mind, covetousness, harmful intent and wrong views. At the same time one also makes a determination to not repeat the in the future by blessing all the energy winds and channels in ones body. The uncommon negativity purified are the stains preventing us seeing all external objects as the miraculous exhibition of the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. Through contemplation during the initiation one sees all phenomena as creations of the non-duality of bliss and void. With this initiation one is empowered to see all phenomena in the future in such aspect. One is empowered to meditate on the mahamudra which is the clear light, that is, permission is given to the disciple to meditate on the final simultaneously born bliss. The seed established here is the seed which will yield the result, the Dharmakaya through familiarizing oneself with the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. This exalted wisdom of great bliss and void increases its own entity, more and more, until finally its entity becomes the Dharmakaya.

THE WORD INITIATION

(1) mandala offering and request
(2) receiving the actual initiation
(3) causing the disciple to know the benefits through which great bliss is generated, pleasure in oneself, and taking the pledge
(4) accepting the pledge
(5) explaining the purity or the meaning of the initiation

(1) One offers the mandala and requests the fourth initiation. “Through the kindness of you, Vajradhara, I have received the three previous initiations, Vase, Secret, and Wisdom, through which I am empowered to meditate on the different levels, the generation stage, illusory body, the great mahamudra of clear light. These initiations are not existing in the three lower classes of tantra. I have become a proper vessel to do these meditations, Please bestow upon me the fourth initiation which I hold so precious.

(2) Actual Initiation: This is given very clearly explaining things to the disciple and eliminating the confusion from his mind. There is no offering or a consort, discussion about blissful wisdom, or initiating substance as in the others. The main purpose of this word initiation is to explain the meaning of the unified stage to the disciple. If the unified stage is not well understood then the word initiation cannot be received. Before discussing the unified stage of body and mind we should know that the simultaneously born blissful exalted wisdom exists before the level of Buddhahood. But what is not existing before this level is the simultaneously born blissful wisdom that is free from the obscurations to omniscience together with their imprints. This is only existing in the continuum of a Buddha and is also called “The exalted wisdom of the meaning clear light”. It is also the hold mind of the Buddha. Whoever possesses it also possesses the exalted blissful wisdom body of the Buddha which is thus the manifestation of this blissful wisdom. This body is adorned with the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks and is also called the Pure Illusory Body. Thus this exalted blissful. wisdom and the pure illusory body are dependent upon each other. Although being two, these are one entity. Such blissful exalted wisdom of the Buddha realizes or absorbs into the object emptiness clearly, entering and mixing like water mixed with water, becoming one thing. Such great exalted blissful wisdom is apart from even the slightest stain of duality. The body of the Buddha arose through the subtle wind and subtle mind and is adorned by the thirty two and eighty marks. It s substantial cause is the subtle wind and the cooperative cause is the subtle mind which accompanies that subtle wind. This body is also called the Enjoyment Body or the body of full use.

These two things are existing at the same time, they are existing as the supporting and the supported objects, and they are existing as one entity. Such a state is called the non-learners unified stage because when it is attained there is nothing else to be learned. The substantial cause for the non-learners unified stage is found in the continuum of the person at the previous level, the learners unified stage. A person at the last moment of the learner’s unified stage is one who is about to become a Buddha, who has almost finished the last subtle obscuration to omniscience. At the level of the learner’s unified stage we must know that there is the pure body (illusory body) and the pure mind ( the clear light) existing, but the pure illusory body and the clear light here are a little bit different to the pure illusory body and the clear light existing at the non-learners unified stage. At the learners unified stage, these two simply refer to the fact that they are free from the obstacles to liberation, at the non-learners unified stage they are free from the obstacles to liberation and the obstacles to omniscience, and all their imprints.

The clear light has two things, example clear light and meaning clear light. Illusory body has two things, one belonging to the learners unified stage and one belonging to the non-learners unified stage. The meaning clear light of the fourth stage is the blissful mind which directly realizes emptiness. This blissful exalted wisdom directly realizing emptiness has a mounted wind which is the main cause for the illusory body of the learner’s unified stage because the blissful exalted wisdom of that person will become the meaning clear light of the learners unified stage. When this meaning clear light of the learner’s unified stage develops its entity becomes free from the gross and subtle obscurations and it eventually becomes the meaning clear light of the non-learners unified stage, that is, the Buddha’s mind. This explanation of the exact meaning of the learner and non-learners unified stages is the granting of the word initiation, the wisdom initiation is taken as an example.

(page 186)

It is said that the third initiation, the wisdom initiation, is taken as an example for the fourth initiation. This means that previously one had the whole process, the disciple oneself and the knowledge woman had been visualized in the form of deities. The inner visualization to be done at that time are the different types of bliss arising and through the final blissful wisdom one realizes emptiness and finally one integrates this blissful exalted wisdom with the object emptiness. These two are always together. By familiarizing oneself with the exalted wisdom of bliss and void, ones body will eventually become the body of complete enjoyment. At that time one will attain the non-learners unified stage and at the same time there is the knowledge woman and she also has the same form, similar to oneself. In the previous initiation one has been integrating everything like the exalted wisdom with the object emptiness and with the female consort and after this one comes to the fourth initiation and during it we have to familiarize ourself with this practice and finally one will attain the non-learners unified stage.

The moment one receives the word initiation is when one feels that oneself has the potentiality to attain such unified stage just like the Guru has explained. When explaining the unified stage of the learning level. Then the Guru explains the common things of the word initiation, and when the guru explains about the unified stage of the non-learning level, there he gives the uncommon world initiation. A body of complete enjoyment is an exalted wisdom of bliss and void in reality but taking the aspect of a peaceful deity with the form of hands arms etc. When this level is attained, then we can say that this person has attained the stage of the seven kisses.

(1) the body which has complete enjoyment, this is an exalted wisdom of bliss and void but taking the aspect of a deity with the major and minor marks.
(2) to really kiss the female consort. Now we are talking about the body of complete enjoyment which is according to a vehicle which is different from the perfection vehicle which means that a body of complete enjoyment can exist without the real kissing. It could be attained in the perfection vehicle.

(3) the great bliss. When one actually kisses a female consort there is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void arising. Then in the vase of the wisdom initiation there is also the same thing as here but it is superior. In the case of the wisdom initiation one has a female consort, but this bliss is still inferior to the bliss that exists at the level of the non-learners unified stage. This is because the bliss arising during the wisdom initiation is within oneself, but it does not pervade the who nervous system, the whole body. The bliss here is mainly located in the secret region or organ and does not pervade the whole body as in the word initiation. The bliss arising in the wisdom initiation is contaminated but the bliss that is the third branch of the seven kisses here is uncontaminated. The bliss arising in the wisdom initiation simply arise because of the activities of the knowledge woman and it is instantaneous, that is, it does not last for a very long time, whereas the great bliss here in the seven kisses has a very long duration. Also the great bliss existing in these seven branches is auspicious, but the great bliss during the wisdom initiation is not. The bliss arising during the wisdom initiation is a bliss that arises in dependence on a knowledge woman, but in the seven branches, this bliss is something that comes naturally without depending on the gross effort of a knowledge woman, therefore it is auspicious, it is also called the unceasing one, it lasts until samsara ends.

(4) without nature. This state of seven kisses is not existing inherently and such a state where there is the blissful exalted wisdom, this is something that has become one with emptiness just like water mixed with water.

(5) full of compassion. This is because a person at this level would work for the benefit of sentient beings out of compassion without having any conceptualizations, without effort, unceasing. The state of being one with these seven branches is something that is in the middle of the two extremes of cyclic existence and the peaceful state. Also this state is something that does not go out of existence. But the Nirmanakaya can sometimes come into existence and sometimes go out of existence.

(6) the branch without discontinuity. This state having one with the seven branches is something which abides between the two extremes of cyclic existence and the peaceful state. This state does not go away nor come into existence, it is just there. The emanation body of nirmanakaya can come into existence and can disappear from time to time.

(7)The Unceasing branch. The body of complete enjoyment lasts until the end of samsara. Thus the sixth and seventh branches are close to one another. The sixth, without discontinuity, gives the idea that the sambogakaya remains within existence as long as there are sentient beings with the fortune to receive benefit from it. This branch also refers to the nirmanakaya. The seventh branch, unceasing, has a wider connotation, it says, the sambogakaya lasts until the end of samsara. It does not include or refer to the nirmanakaya. So the non-learners unified stage is qualified by these seven kisses. It is a body of complete enjoyment which (1) is qualified by the thirty-two and eighty minor marks,
(2) is simply a manifestation of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void,
(3) it is not a solitary state but a state of union with the female consort,
(4) it is non-inherently existent, a phenomenon existing independence upon causes and conditions,
(5) out of great compassion this body turns the wheel of Dharma for sentient beings without any conceptualizations,
(6) this body of complete enjoyment remains at the level wherever there are sentient beings with the fortune, and it words for them,
(7) it exists until the end of samsara. Thus the word initiation is given in this way.

3 BEING PLEASED WITH THE BENEFITS OF INITIATION AND EXPLAINING THE PLEDGE

During the actual initiation the Guru recites the prayer, “Today you have entered a mandala which is to be kept secret, this entering frees you from all negativity. If you keep all the commitments and vows you have made today, you will no longer experience the death dominated by karma and afflictions within this vehicle of great bliss. By entering the mandala today you have eradicated the infinite sufferings of samsara therefore you no longer need to be afraid to enjoy the objects of sense pleasure. You are no longer bound by superstition and doubt as to whether you are allowed to enjoy sense pleasure or not, you have to enjoy without fear, like a lion behaves without fear among all animals. “Today you have been empowered to meditate upon the cause for pacifying exalted wisdom, therefore you are free from transmigration within cyclic existence.

With the body of complete enjoyment one can accomplish all the existing objects of sensual pleasure, one can achieve everything, so the guru is saying “In the future you will attain this body of complete enjoyment. Although you have made imprints to attain the common and uncommon siddhis by taking the initiation vows, you cannot have these pleasures if you do not keep your vows, you must follow the commitments of this vehicle. These things which have been explained to you have been mentioned by all the Buddhas and this injunction cannot be changed. Buddha’s word can be interpretive at times, but here it is to be understood exactly as it is spoken.”

EXPLAINING THE COMMITMENTS: the fourteen tantric root vows

(1) You should not criticise or belittle the vajra master or not respect his advice. Show humility and do as he requests.

(2) Do not go beyond the injunction of the Sugatas, if you break any of the three types of vows knowingly you will break this second root vow. Also, having contempt for any of the three vows thinking them unimportant and therefore breakable and so on, breaks this root tantric vow.

(3) Finding fault and getting angry at members of your vajra family, anyone with whom you have received an initiation into any of the four classes of tantra.

(4) Abandoning universal love for all sentient beings, the limit of this abandonment is to wish sentient beings to not have happiness.

(5) Abandoning bodhicitta, first we generate the wish to work for all sentient beings, then to abandon this attitude breaks this vow.

(6) Not to disparage the Dharma of others, not to criticise any Dharma taught by Buddha, such as the Hinayana.

(7) Not to reveal secrets to those whose continuum are not ripened, such as a person without the complete initiation who does not hold the commitments and we tell him tantric secrets such as the profound meanings. Also, if we show the secrets of tantra to an initiate who has not received higher initiations such as the completing stage.

(8) Not to neglect one’s karmically taken aggregates. If we say that we cannot visualize our five aggregates as the deity, such as instantaneously transforming into Yamantaka, we think we cannot do this, also this can refer to experiencing asceticism to decrease our body weight, such as the pill retreat, not eating proper food, etc.

(9) Not to deny emptiness, such as by saying that the teachings on emptiness according to the Cittamatrins and the Madhyamika are incorrect because phenomena do inherently exist.

(10) Not to abandon love for those who are harmful. We should not show physical or verbal friendliness towards negative beings who harm Dharma practitioners because they will criticise and do bad things to those preserving the Dharma. We should destroy them but with the motivation of compassion. The specific vow is to not abandon universal love towards such beings, even though we physically and verbally do unpleasant things to them, mentally we should still love them.

(11) Not to remember the correct view every day. Each day we must meditate on emptiness according to our level of understanding.

(12) To not deceive any being who has faith. This means to not turn someone away from the object of their faith, for example, if someone has strong faith in tantra we should not discourage them by saying there are too many commitments and he cannot keep them.

(13) To always adhere to the sublime samaya. This means to
a) make tsog offerings to the assembly of yogis and yoginis
b) perform the spectacle of yogis alone
c) perform the spectacle of yoginis alone

In all three above one must adhere to the secret substances, the five meats and the five nectars. If you see these as dirty you break this vow. Also this refers to the importance of keeping internal and external objects, if we think the vajra and bell are not important but we can meditate on them internally, this breaks the vow.

(14) To not disparage the knowledge woman. The exalted wisdom of bliss and void comes independence upon a woman and so we should not fault her. This cow can refer to faulting a woman who is a physical emanation of Vajravarahi. We should not criticise women in general.

To be able to keep all fourteen vows our mind must be naturally balanced, one who is loose-tongued, crazy, tending towards crazy, can have wrong actions. To break the vow of not abandoning bodhicitta we do not need to have four complete branches, but the other thirteen need four complete branches. Within the eighteen root bodhisattva cows there are two, abandoning bodhicitta and generating wrong views, which also do not need four branches to be complete. The four branches are
1) not to think about the disadvantages
2) not to turn back the desire to act
3) willingness to perform the action
4) to have no shame or consideration

If there are less than four branches the root vow is not broken but a Bompo broadness, is received.

“Nal.jor long mo mi….” This needs definitive and interpretive explanations. The interpretive is “A yogi should not run in a city to beg for food or clothing with greed.” The definitive is “There are the syllables which are different from the subtle energy wind and these are to be known as “beggar”. So, not to eat by begging means not to recite mantras which are different to the subtle energy wind. To be a beggar is to see the wind energy and the seed syllables as different. On the contrary, if we cannot eat by begging, we should consider the mantra syllables and the energy winds as being one. The vibration of the winds is taken from the mantras, OM AH HUNG. When we breathe in and out, it is the unity of the two. This means that to do the vajra recitation we have to know that the entity of the mantra syllables and the wind is oneness.

The yoga is not to be abandoned, a yogi should rely upon a consort through whom the exalted blissful wisdom is necessarily generated. We should constantly recite the secret mantras, if we are doing Yamantaka practice we should constantly recite the essence, root and near mantras. We should always adhere to the commitments of the external and internal mudras, the consort, the vajra and bell, etc.

“If an tantric practitioner becomes careless through disrespect to the guru, then he can receive a root downfall and degenerate his tantric vows. The solution os to make confession, to re-make the mandala and confess in front of the sugatas. After confessing we have to again take a new initiation. If the conditions for taking an initiation are not available then we must perform the self-initiation, enter into the mandala without depending upon a lama, doing so we will purify all our negativity and broken vows. When doing the self-initiation we also renew the tantric vows. Today your rebirth has been made fruitful, you have been able to receive the four initiations which have firmly established the seeds for attaining the four types of body. After receiving initiation and taking these commitments, if you observe them well you have made a fortune equal to that of the deities within the mandala. You have certainly done this. You have been initiated by the sixth Dhyani Buddha, Vajradhara, and today you have been crowned as king of the three realms, an object worthy of veneration by all beings of the three realms, because you have received these initiations. You have attained victory over the maras and have entered the supreme city. You have well received the seeds for attaining Buddhahood, there is no question that you will attain this result swiftly. The way you should keep your mind clear is by not breaking the vows, maintaining vajra-like strength with respect to the vows and to your Guru. By keeping these vows and commitments you will attain bliss. Today you have entered upon the road to Buddhahood called, “The greatly blissful quick path.” You will have the blissful exalted wisdom which is similar to Vajrasattva.

Thus concludes the explanation of the commitments. In other contexts such clarification may be given in words which require interpretation such as “You must kill these creatures; you must enjoy the women of others; you should take that which is not given to you; you should tell lies to others.” These have interpretative meanings like the injunction about begging for food, and they can also be literally true. Interpretatively, “Creatures” can refer to the immoral actions of body, speech and mind; literally, bodhisattvas at high levels can kill creatures if there is great purpose. If the purpose is great, one can commit any of the seven immoral actions of body speech but only when the action can be transformed into a meaningful one. For example, at high levels there is the practice of locating the energy wind of the life force. When one inserts the winds into the central channel the winds in the right and left channels stop functioning. This can be interpreted as “taking the life of those creatures”, i.e., the side channels. At the relative level we cannot distinguish phenomena existing at the ultimate level, and at the ultimate level we cannot distinguish inner and outer phenomena be we can do so at the relative level where they are distinguished but they still lack true existence, like an illusion. Telling a lie at the conventional level is saying that inner and outer phenomena do not exist, they are just like an illusion.

“Take that which is not given” can refer to Buddhahood which is not given to us, we do not have to wait until someone offers it to us, so, among all phenomena Buddhahood is the best and we should take it without waiting to be given it. “Enjoying the woman of another” refers to the Dharmadhatu, by taking a woman as the dharmadhatu we have to contemplate emptiness. Thus these are the four commitments of this fourth initiation given in another context. Having had all of these explained well, the disciple should strongly feel that he will keep all the commitments as well as possible and with deep feeling he recites, “I will do everything that you have told me.”

Explanation on purity (results) “Di.dak gi don….” refers to the fact of the two truths being indistinguishable and being united is non-deceptive. With these two a being is able to accumulate so much merit this is called ultimate bodhicitta. Bodhicitta here united with the direct realization of emptiness is the most essential thing. Grasping this essence is the meaning of the mandala. This means, “You have received the word initiation by depending upon the mandala of the ultimate bodhicitta mind. The imprint left in your continuum by this word initiation is the energy to be able to cleanse all the obscurations of body, speech and mind in the future. Today you have been empowered to meditate on the completing stage which is the unified stage of the two truths which are indistinguishable. The fortune you have received today is that you will attain the body of Vajradhara, the result of total unity.

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Part Twelve

Having received initiation, one makes a mandala offering to the Guru in gratitude. After OM VAJRA BHUMI AH HUM one adds, “The basis to be achieved to attain the two types of siddhi is to observe all the vows and commitments taken when receiving the four initiation. Please bless me to be able to keep all vows the vows even at the cost of my life after I have found complete faith in these vows. To keep our vows purely will be of great benefit in the future. If we do not keep them, then we will have many problems in future lives, but if we give up just this life, this is not a big thing. Then the mantra IDAM GURU…

Next us the conclusion at the end of the thanks giving, the making offerings and praises. Before this we add some water to the offering bowls. Before making the offerings we bless them the same way as the inner offerings. OM ARGHAM…..

The greeting water offering: this sublime and divine outstanding offering of greeting water. Divine means that it has the aspect of greeting water but in reality is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The purpose is to please the beings we offer it to. Each of the offering substances has the three qualities of aspect, entity and function. “Please, Deity of the mandala, please enjoy this. Pay attention to me with your affectionate compassion to all sentient beings.” In such way we accumulate merit. “You the saviour, please enjoy this offering with your universal love which is turned to all sentient beings.”

After the offering of greeting water, and the offering which pleases the ears, Shapta, come the five objects of the desire realm, form, sound, etc. Form is represented by the form goddess who we have to hook. Her body color is blue and we offer her to the deities in space in front of us. When making this offering of form think that this goddess is holding many things that please the eye such as mirrors, etc.

The second offering is many goddess of sound invoked from the heart and offered to the deities and for this we visualize many sound goddesses singing beautiful songs. When they have made their offering, they are absorbed back into the heart.

Then we offer a goddess or goddesses of smell-offering good smells like camphor, olive oil and nutmeg?

The next object is that of taste. Food. So we offer this goddess of taste who emanates from our heart and she holds many types of food of the six primary tastes such as sweet, sour, etc. to the deities.

All these goddesses or knowledge women here should have many different qualities like beautiful, charming, nice shapes, good smell, tongue, etc. So we offer this knowledge woman, externally there is only the form etc. which are only experienced by the sense organs but internally they have the quality of being very soft and a pleasure to touch. The last of the desire realms objects is the tangible object, so one emanates a tangible knowledge woman with the quality of having a good lotus and this gives much bliss when the lotus and vajra are joined and this also allows the deity to have kisses, embracing, etc. She offers good quality clothing to the deities and then OM YAMANTAKA SPARSHA PRATICCA… which means that to you Yamantaka, I offer these tangible objects. Then comes the mantra for offering the inner offering. OM YAMANTAKA HUNG PHAT OM AH HUM

After this offering comes the praise we previously went through. Then an additional praise made to all objects of veneration including all deities inside and around . “I emanate many forms of offering equalling the countless number of Buddha realms, Having done this, I constantly bow to you.”.

Now we come to the concluding part. Previously we have talked about all the explanations concerning the generation stage and after that we have discussed about the empowerment or the initiation. In general, there are fourteen empowerments in the highest yoga tantra. When positing the fourteen empowerments the case initiation is divided into eleven, and then comes the secret, wisdom and word empowerment. In other sadhanas there can be eleven divisions of the vase initiation but in this sadhana it has only six divisions. The water, vajra, bell, crown, and the vajra master and the name initiation. When the 11 are counted, the seventh is focussing on the mantra. Eighth division is the permission for the subsequence which is the generality and the particularity. The generality is the wheel, etc. But the particularity are the different implements such as the wheel for Vairocana, lotus for Amitabha, Jewel for Ratnasambhava, Sword for Amoghasiddhi, and vajra for Akshobhya. Ninth is the vajra conduct. Tenth is the prophesy and sending out the air. Eleventh is the conduct of the performance. One behaves like a deity, this includes embracing a consort. This is the external conduct, and the internal conduct is to integrate the bliss and void.

The generality means the disciple is allowed to do the general actions such as giving teachings on Yamantaka, anything which pervades the actions of the five Dhyani Buddhas. The particularity is that one is allowed to give teachings to anyone who for example is about to have connection with a particular Buddha family.
…

The vajra empowerment means that the vajra dissolves into emptiness and transforms in Buddha Amitabha and again he melts into a vajra and this is then handed to the disciple who is already in the form of Amitabha. The different effects from this vajra empowerment is to cleanse all the impurities of attachment and it transforms into the aggregate of discrimination and empowers the disciple to attain th4e wisdom of individual realizations. Then about the second, the vajra commitment, we have previously been talking about the oath and this had different commitments like the vajra and bell and mudra commitment, these three are pertaining to the vajra commitment. Vajra commitment here is that there is the Guru handing down the vajra to the disciple and this vajra is simply the symbolic vajra, the interpretive vajra and the purpose of giving this to the disciple is to remind him of the definitive vajra which is the great exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The vajra conduct means that the Guru gives a vajra to a disciple who is generated in the aspect of Vajrasattva and meanwhile the Guru tells him that he holds this vajra which is the essence of the five Dhyani Buddhas and the purpose is for you to attain the state of Vajrasattva.

In general whenever an empowerment is received it is very important that one feels that one has received such and such an empowerment and because of having received this, particular negativity are purified. For example if we are talking about the five Dhyani Buddhas then there are the different implements handed down like the water initiation of Akshobhya. So at the end of these empowerments there are particular effects given.

Akshobhya purified the stains of anger and it transforms the aggregate of consciousness and this empowerment leaves an imprint in the disciple to attain the wisdom of dharmadatu. In the case of Ratnasambhava, which is that of the crown then this cleans the impurities of pride and miserliness and it transforms the aggregate of feeling and makes as seed to attain the exalted wisdom of equality. When receiving the empowerment of Amitabha this purifies the negativity of attachment and transforms the aggregate of recognition and plants the seed to attain the exalted wisdom of individual analysis. The bell initiation of Amoghasiddhi purifies the stains of jealousy and transforms the aggregate of composition factor and plants the seed to attain the all-accomplishing wisdom. Then there is the empowerment of name, Vairocana, one purities the stains of ignorance and it transforms the aggregate of form and the seed to attain the mirror-like wisdom is planted.

In summary, whoever receives these five empowerments purifies the five different types of afflictions and at the same time the five aggregates are transformed and also the seed are planted to achieve the five different types of wisdom of a Buddha Superior.

In the vajra master initiation the different types of commitments are given like that of the bell, vajra, and mudra. These six empowerments are parts of the vase empowerment.

The effects of the vase empowerment is that it cleans the stains of ordinary appearance and the stains of grasping at that appearance and it empowers the person to meditate on the generation stage and it establishes energy to attain the emanation body. All these six empowerments are called the vase empowerments because they are empowerments which at the end of each ends with a water initiation in order to make it stable.

Then the first we have the vajra master initiation that has two names. The vajra master empowerment, the irreversible empowerment. Then it says that all these six previously mentioned empowerments are labelled vase empowerment as they are all related to the water at the end of each of them. The effect of this vase empowerment is mainly to purify the three stains of the body and also to cleanse the stains of ordinary appearance and the grasping at them and as a path it empowers a person to meditate on the generation stage and to achieve the emanation body as a result. So each of these four initiations has both common and uncommon stains that are purified. So in the case of the vase empowerment it is mainly the stains of physical negativity that is purified. And the uncommon stains are that of ordinary appearance and the grasping at them. In the case of the secret initiation, the common stains that are purified are the verbal stains. The uncommon stains in this initiation is the conception of the energy winds and the mantra as being totally separate. As a path it empowers the person to meditate on the illusory body and empowers the person to attain the body of complete enjoyment.

In the case of receiving the wisdom initiation, the common stains that are purified are the mental negativity. The uncommon stains are the obstructions that prevent the disciple to see all appearances as the wisdom of bliss and void. As a path it empowers the person to meditate on the clear light and the energy or fortune is to attain the dharmakaya.

When receiving the word empowerment the common stains that are purified are all the stains of body, speech, and mind. The uncommon stains are not divided in this initiation, here it is only the common stains. As a path this initiation empowers the disciple to meditate on the two truths as being completely indifferentiable, the unified stage. The result is that the person can attain the unified stage of Vajradhara, which is the completion stage. The obscurations that are purified here is the obscurations to omniscience.

In one text it says that by possessing the seeds of the four kayas one receives the four types of empowerments, so both are received at the same time. In the case of the vase and secret initiation there is the cause for attaining the two bodies, nirmanakaya and samboghakaya. In the context of the wisdom initiation on one receives the result to achieve the dharmakaya. There are two types of dharmakaya, the wisdom truth body and the nature body, both are included in the dharmakaya. At the end of the word initiation there is make the fortune to attain the unified stage. This unified stage can refer to many levels.

One interpretation is the unified stage of the pure body and mind. Another possibility is that it is the combination of the two, the dharmakaya and the rupakaya. Or a third possibility is that it refers to the unified stage of bliss and void which is completely free from the two obscurations together their imprints. And in the context of the fourth initiation, the word, it just says that you have these effects in you.

When doing the self-initiation, then it is very important to feel very strongly that one has restored all the broken vows and commitments of all kinds. If one has not broken any of these then one should feel that they have been increased. So one has to think of all these things, the purifications, the imprints of having particular results, at the end of each different empowerment. As a conclusion, we have dealt in depth with the generation stage of Yamantaka. These things are not immediately clear but by familiarizing oneself with these teachings, then it will become clear. Knowing these teachings here we know the mantra vehicle, there is no other way to know the mantric vehicle. So now we only have the wishing or extensive prayer to go through and the auspicious verses. The self initiation puja does not have many different tunes.

The completing prayer includes all points of sutra and tantra. Yamantaka is the opponent to the different Yamas, the inner (the afflictions, three visions at death etc.) outer and esoteric. The Vajra Terrifier is the one who subjugates the lords of death. You Yamantaka have appeared together with the mandala of the mansion, out of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. This appearance is like the reflection of a rainbow in a mirror. We have generated ourselves in the aspect of the deity and have gained clear visualization of the supporting mandala. As the same time we have performed recitation of the peaceful and of the wrathful mantras. We have created virtuous karma equivalent to the waters of the Ganga, broad and vast. Through the combination of this merit and the merit of all sentient beings, may I succeed in generating the mind renouncing cyclic existence, culminating the path of liberation, generating well the practice of all Buddha’s sons, the bodhicitta, cultivating well the different practices of the path. After culminating all these paths may I and all sentient beings be filled with the nectar of knowledge contained in these paths.” This prayer includes all the revels of realization from Guru devotion up to calm abiding and higher seeing, which is the common path we must follow before dealing with the tantric path.

The crown, water, bell, vajra, and Vajramaster initiations were all completed by the stabilizing water initiation, this is referred to here “The divine water of the vase empowerment purified the negative karmas of body and the negative of grasping at ordinary appearances. The vase initiation empowers one to meditate on the generation stage, the path and to attain the emanation body, the result. After the vase initiation there are three empowerments, when receiving the secret empowerment the Guru and his consort into into union and grant to us their energy drops which we taste. This is the meaning of receiving the secret initiation which loosens or blesses, our energy winds and channels so the we can meditate upon the completion stage. The secret empowerment purifies negativity of lying and the stains which cause us to see the mantra and energy winds as being completely separate. The path of the secret empowerment enables one to meditate on the illusory body, the result is that we gain the seed to attain the sambhogakaya.

The Guru gives us a knowledge woman and we bless the two noble houses, the lotus and the vajra, and go through the three recognitions:
(1) recognizing our own body as the body of the deity
(2) recognizing our own speech as mantra, and the two syllables PHAT blocking the two secret organs
(3) recognizing our mind as Dharma because through the induction of the great blissful wisdom we will be able to have the exalted wisdom of bliss and void of Buddhahood.

This stanza also discusses the wisdom initiation. Receiving the wisdom empowerment gives one the ability to meditate on the path, the clear light, and the result to achieve the dharmakaya. The stains purified are those arising from covetness and those preventing us from seeing all phenomena as the miraculous exhibition of the exalted wisdom of bliss and void. The word empowerment is received by taking the wisdom initiation as an example. There is an explanation of the seven kisses, one purifies the three negative karmas of body, speech and mind, is empowered to meditate on the path, the completion stage which is the indifferentiability of the two truths, and attain the result, the seed to attain the final unified stage of Vajradhara.

“May all sentient beings receive the same empowerments in the way that I have received them.” Next is the emphasis on keeping all the commitments and promises to the Gurus made when receiving the different empowerments. Keeping them is the root for attaining the different empowerments. Keeping them is the root for attaining all siddhis. “May I keep these roots just as a protect my own life from any danger.” If one does not follow these vows and commitments made before all those holy beings, then one’s subsequent actions will be weak and unstable, like building a house upon loose foundations. If they are kept well, then all the common and uncommon supreme siddhis will be attained. Vajradhara said “Even if one does not have good meditation, one will attain enlightenment within seven or at the most one lifetimes, simply by maintaining the commitments and vows without a root downfall. If we are of dull faculty it will take sixteen lifetimes, if we are sharp faculty, seven lifetimes. Keeping all the vows refers to the different levels of people. Ordained people must keep their tantric vows on the basis of the Pratimoksha vows. Tantric vows here refers to the common commitments of the five dhyani Buddhas and also the specific vows of the individual Dhyani Buddhas.

“Dzog.rim yong.dzog kye…” A path which allows a person to have the completion stage ripening in his continuum is to meditate on the generation stage, or the first stage which has two yogas. The yoga of the coarse aspect of the generation stage and the yoga of the fine aspect of the generation stage. Fine meditation on the generation stage is like meditating on the drop at the forehead, emanating another through it, and another and so on. The same can be done at the tip of the vajra where one tiny yab yum emits another and so on. This fine yoga is done to free oneself from mental excitement and laxity. The coarse generation stage simply refers to visualizing the mandala in a gross way. Meditating upon these objects in four daily sessions with much effort can cut off the attitude grasping at ordinary appearance. “May I be able to meditate on the first stage by making four sessions with great effort, and may I be able to cut off attachment to ordinary appearance.” Great effort means to do these four sessions continually, not giving up after some time after beginning with much energy, this is like when we make a fire by rubbing two pieces of wood, if we start and stop there will be no fire but if we continually perform the action then the result, fire, will come.

“Pawo chog.gi…” “Supreme hero, (oneself in the aspect of Yamantaka, the symbolic being) with the pile of light rays at one’s heart (the concentration being, HUM) emit light rays in the ten directions invoking the merit field to the sky before me. By praising these beings of the merit field may they be pleased.” Here you make offerings such as the inner offering, obeying the Guru’s wishes, by pleasing their minds one completes the great accumulation of merit. “May I be able to do all this.”

The next line is concerning one part of the generation stage, the meditation on generation stage has several parts, one is taking death as the path to the Dharmakaya, and this is the part referred to here. When dealing with this yoga we have to meditate on emptiness. We think of the mantra OM SOBHAWA… and while ascertaining the meaning of emptiness, or the mantra, we do so through pure logical reasoning. We have to generate the wisdom understanding how phenomena do not ultimately exist, and with this wisdom we hold the divine pride of being Yamantaka. This is a mind of blissful exalted wisdom, not an ordinary mind. So the Dharmakaya is the object, emptiness, and the mind holding the divine pride is exalted wisdom. “Holding divine pride” means at this level here we imagine a wisdom realizing Dharmakaya. “May I be able to achieve the Dharmakaya by familiarizing myself with these meditations on divine pride, blissful exalted wisdom, and realizing emptiness.”

Within the yoga utilizing death as the path to the Dharmakaya there are four attributes
(1) the appearance being completely empty
(2) the appearance being non-truly existent in reality
(3) the mind realizing this is blissful exalted wisdom
(4) one must feel this exalted wisdom is the REAL resultant Dharmakaya.

So “May I be able to complete these four attributes.

“Rab.bar drak…”The next stanza is related to the inner protection wheel. Remember there is a DRUM at one’s heart, from this a ten spoked wheel is generated, at the center is Sumbharaja, within the wheel, on the spokes, are ten wrathful deities, in reality they are the ten types of consciousness of a Buddha Superior. Meditate with force upon these ten and through this force comes the idea in the prayer “May I be able to remove all interferences and negativity influencing Dharma practitioners together with their entourages.”

“Dze kun. bhik…” In the center of the protection wheel is a mansion of jewels, the nature of exalted wisdom, which is incomparable even to a heap of all precious substances in the world. “By meditating on these houses existing on the one level at the causal time, may I be able to quickly receive the resultant level, Yamantaka’s mansion, of which the causal vajra holder, youthful Manjushri, is in the center. “By constantly meditating on the casual vajra holder may I be able to eliminate the different obstacles of the bardo, obstacles to attaining the Sambhogakaya at the intermediate stage.” To be free from negativity which prevent attaining the sambhogakaya means that one has to purify the intermediate state, or transform it, into the samboghakaya.

“Nam.tok pung.po….”The next line refers to the pile of conceptions thinking the subject and object are truly existent. These are to be burned here. The sun is enormous and burns the piles of conceptions. The HUNG which is the entity of five exalted wisdoms, transforms into a black vajra with a HUNG at the center. The moon, sun and black vajra all transform into Yamantaka. Up to here is the meditation on the way to the resultant vajra holder complete with nine faces. Rough meditation on this form is gross meditation on the generation stage and clear, precise meditation on each aspect of this form is subtle meditation on the generation stage. “With this gross and subtle yoga of the generation stage may I be able to abandon the stains which oblige me to take rebirth within cyclic existence again and again. Instead of taking an ordinary rebirth through karma and delusion may I be able to help sentient beings by emanating as an emanation body and help them according to their level.”

In other words, “May I be able to take a supreme emanation body of Yamantaka by meditating on this yoga and in this way be able to benefit all sentient beings according to their inclinations and desire.” The many teachings given by Buddha can be summarized within the twelve branches of scripture, which can be condensed into nine sets, and the main topic of the nine sets is the thirty-seven aides to enlightenment. “May I be able to have the realizations of the completing stage which are related to the thirty-seven aides to enlightenment.” The completing stage is called the actual liberator.” And the generation stage is called the ripener.

The next part refers to the process of meditation on the completion stage. When we go through the energy winds and channels we must be able to understand the meaning, this does not come easily to beginners.

THE ENERGY WINDS AND ENERGY CHANNELS

There are three main channels which arise at the heart
(1) Central channel – different root texts give different descriptions of its diameter and length. Here it goes from the center of the forehead, curves backwards, and goes down to the lower aperture of the secret organ. It is towards the back of the body.

(2) right Channel – is red, its lower aperture comes down to the secret region and the upper aperture is at the base of the nose at the level of the eye, on the right side.

(3) Left Channel – is white and similar to the right channel, bit it is on the left side of the body. The diameters of these channels are about the size of a stalk of wheat.

At the level of the base we meditate on the right and left channels occupied by the energy winds, going back and forth, there is no flowing of the winds within the central channel. At the level of the path we meditate on inserting the winds into the central channel so that the wind can flow there. The next channels are

(4) Eastern root channel
(5) Southern root channel
(6) Western root channel
(7) Northern root channel
(8) Dojma, a channel running behind and parallel to the central channel. These are the eight principle channels grown at the heart and are not to be confused with the eight channels of the Dharma Wheel, which are in another context. The eight Dharma Wheel channels are the four channels of the four main directions and for more, one growing from each of these. The second are the “four channels of the intermediate directions” but in fact they grow from the main channels. thus, among the “eight channels grown from the heart,” the central, right, left, and Dojma are not among the eight Dharma wheel channels, but the other four direction channels do belong to both sets of eight.

…. we will talk about minds and body.
There are three types of bodies, gross, subtle and extremely subtle. The karmically taken aggregate we have now is the gross body. When we talk about it, the wind, channels and drops refer to the subtle body. Then there is the wind mounted by subtle mind and this is the extremely subtle body. Then there are six different types of sensory consciousness such as the visual consciousness and is the gross mind. There is the mind with “appearance, radiance and near attainment” and this is the subtle mind. The extremely subtle mind is the mind in the indestructible drop and it is the mind that takes rebirth. The wind and mind act as a cause for beings to take rebirth in samsara and it also acts as a cause to attain liberation. The subtle wind will eventually transform into the illusory body and finally will become the body of enjoyment. At the same time there is the mind mounted on the very subtle body and this will turn into the wisdom truth body or dharmakaya. The mount itself becomes the rupakaya, and the very subtle mind becomes dharmakaya.

…When sentient beings create karmas with afflictions, the mind mounted by the afflictions acts as a cooperative cause for making karmas. In general there is the gross bodies and minds and when the person is dying then these gross things, objects, absorb to more and more subtle states and finally the different elements absorb and at the end there will be the subtle mind and wind. These two are what everything finally absorbs into. The subtle mind and wind has their own functions. The wind is considered as a person with perfect legs without eyes and the perfect mind is like a person with perfect eyes without legs. When a person has both of them, subtle mind and wind, then there is the capacity to do many things. When a blind person has the good vehicle, mount, but there is no eyes with which to see the road, and another person who has the opposite, also that would not function properly. But both of these together function very well.

The extremely subtle body and mind are also the final basis of imputation of a person. These two are also called the “eternal drop”, they will never be destroyed, whereas the indestructible drop stops at the time of death. The indestructible drop is the two energies from the mother and father, they are indestructible because they exist from the moment of conception up to the death time.

The extremely subtle wind is also called the “indestructible wind” or the “wind of the clear light”. This is because at the time of death all the different levels of grossness absorb into the finer ones and finally one arrives at the level of mind called the death clear light, because the mind see the clear light. This is also called the “simultaneous wind” because it is a wind which is always abiding together with the extremely subtle wind. It is also called “the final wind supporting the life” or the “Bamboo wind” because it is a subtle mind which is distinguished from the two, the extremely subtle wind and mind.The extremely subtle wind and mind are inseparable, the are one entity with different names. In tantra, this pair is the root for both designations of samsara and liberation. This pair is also the root of all the different afflictions such as attachment. There is the wind mounted by the afflictions and this subtle wind is the cause for taking rebirth in samsara. Before coming to have the death clear light all the different gross levels of mind would already have absorbed. Then after the death clear light, is to take rebirth in any realm by four means. It is always the extremely subtle mind that continues. This is why the very subtle wind is the root for taking rebirth in samsara and in the context of being the basis for attaining liberation. The wind becomes the illusory body at the path level and the samboghakaya at resultant time.

The heart chakra has eight branch channels and each has three branches, these twenty four symbolize the twenty-four places. These twenty-four are multiplied by three, therefore seventy-two, and they are multiplied by a thousand, which equals seventy-four thousand. On the DR one need some understanding of how these three, the channels, winds and drops exist. There are five main energy channels. One chakra at the secret region is just between the two knots of the right and left channels. This is around the level of the pubic hair. This chakra has first four channels, one in each direction and each of these are divided into two and each of these sixteen are divided into two, or thirty-two in the secret chakra. Another name for this chakra is the wheel holding bliss as this bliss is held at the secret region.

At the navel level are sixty-four branches, it is between the knots of the channels. This chakra is also canned the “wheel of manifestation” because from the tummo heat the bliss starts to function by melting.

The wheel at the heart level is called the “dharma wheel”. This is at the level between the two breasts. This chakra has eight branches and this chakra is also between the three pair of knots in between the six knots. It is called the dharma wheel because it is the area of thing which which one can see the death clear light at the time of death, and at the level of the path it is the basis on which the illusory body and the clear light are realized.

At the throat there is the wheel of enjoyment and it is located at the level of the Adam’s apple. This can also be called the wheel of utilization because through this one can enjoy things like eating and talking. This has sixteen branches.

At the crown there is the “wheel of the great bliss” because within this the “jasmine like bodhicitta drop” is situated, and this has thirty two branches. The way they are turned is downward band the branches of the throat chakra are turned upward. The branches of the secret region are turned downward.

The number of knots of each chakra are, two at the wheel of great bliss, two at the wheel at the throat, six at the wheel at the heart, two at the navel, two at the secret region.

The main purpose to work on the inner heat or tummo at the navel is to be able to enable oneself to insert the winds into the central channel. In order to do that the six knots at the heart level just be opened or untied. Therefore after this one will be able to insert the winds and many things will happen. When we use the word untie, it does not mean the way we usually untie a knot on a rope. It is more like we loosen up the knots so that the wind can go through. These are called the five great wheels of the energy channels because these are the principal ones.

There is another way of talking about the energy channels. These are called the three minor wheels of energy channels. One of these three are at the forehead and this has six branches. THis is called the “wheel of the wind” The second small wheel is located just below the throat chakra just above the heart chakra and this has only three branches. This is called the “Wheel of fire.” The third small one is situated at the sex organ and this has six branches and is called the “Channel wheel”.

Now we will talk about the winds.

FIVE PRIMARY WINDS
1 – the life supporting wind
2 – the downward moving wind
3 – the upward moving wind
4 – the balancing wind
5 – the pervasive wind.

FIVE SECONDARY WINDS located at the doors of the five sense organs

1 – moving wind, located at the eyes
2 – running well wind, located at the ears
3 – perfectly running, located at the nose
4 – running excellently, located at the tongue
5 – running definitely, located all over the body

These five secondary winds are based on the root tantra called “Vajra Garland”. In other texts they have different names such as, naga, turtle, tsangpa, devadatta, and the one victories over Ishvara the bow.

The life supporting wind has many levels like gross, subtle and very subtle. There is another division of wind called holding. So first we have the five secondary winds and then the wind supporting life is the sixth. These six are called the six holding winds because they apprehend six different types of objects which as form, sound, etc. They are also called the “Six winds with the objects” because six different types of objects appear to them. The first six were called apprehenders because they were subjects which holds those objects.

In summary: The first five secondary winds are mentioned in the root tantra called the “vajra door”. The second divisions of secondary winds are mentioned in a text called the “vajra Garland”. There are many different names on these winds. And the two winds we talked about previously can be called “the winds of subjects and the winds of objects”.

The subject wind is so called because it apprehends or maintains those six objects. It is also called the object wind because there are six different types of objects which appear very clearly to these six. In general these primary winds are said to have connection with the five dhyani Buddhas. Like the life supporting wind is connected with Akshobhya. It is mainly located at the heart. The downward moving wind is related with Ratnasambhava located at the secret region. The upward moving wind, Amitabha, located at the throat. The balancing wind, Amoghasiddhi, located at the navel. The pervasive wind, Vairocana, covering the whole body.

The five secondary winds are running through the doors of the five sense organs. For example, when the visual consciousness apprehends an object like form and at the same time this running wind goes there through the visual consciousness.

Q: Does the wind actually go out to the objects?
A: There is the visual consciousness and the mount, the wind and by this mounting of the wind the visual consciousness goes there.

Whenever a consciousness encounters any kind of object, there is always a wind functioning or going away. Without the wind there is no function of the mind. For example, we have the wind running everywhere, and with the help of the tactile consciousness and the wind one is able to experience the objects touched by the body. Through the help of the wind coming with a conception one is able to apprehend or grasp an object. All the winds are summarized into these five primary and five secondary winds.

FUNCTIONS OF THE WINDS

1 – the life supporting wind helps inhalation and exhalation at the nostrils, and it maintains the life span.
2 – The downward moving wind helps production of sperm, blood, urine liquids which go downward.
3 – Upward moving wind helps to speak, and to swallow food.
4 – Equalizing wind helps absorb the purified part of food and drink into the body.
5 – All pervading wind helps in the movement of the body.
6 – The moving wind enables the eye consciousness to see forms.
7 – The well running wind helps the ear consciousness
8 – The perfectly running wind helps the nose consciousness
9 – The running excellently wind helps the tongue.
10 – The running definitely wind helps the touch consciousness.

To establish the common and uncommon siddhis yogis have to do the vajra recitation of the five principal winds. To attain five clairvoyance they do vajra recitation of the five secondary winds.

DROPS
Those which do not disintegrate until the end of the life and that which is indestructible. At the heart level there is a red drop and a white drop facing each other. These two are like a palace where the very subtle mind lives. They never separate until you die, when the red drop leaves from the upper part of the body and the white drop leaves from the lower part. The very subtle wind is called indestructible, it will never disintegrate. To establish the chakras, one part of the white drop goes to the crown in the form of a HANG also called “that which has the rabbit”. One part of the red drop goes to the navel in the aspect of AM also called “the fire of Brahma”, tummo. at the crown the part of the white drop is principal existent. The lower part of the body also has white chakras, for example, the tip of the sex organ. The principal place for the red drop is at the navel chakra but it can appear at other places such as the sex chakra and the throat chakra. When all the winds of the upper part of the body gather at the heart and the winds of the lower part of the body gather at the sex chakra we have very deep sleep. When the upper winds gather at the throat and the lower winds gather at the secret chakra we have a dreaming mind. When the upper winds are at the crown and the lower winds at the navel, we are awake.

PRACTICING THE PATHS

To practice the completing stage one needs to first practise Guru yoga in order to collect merit and do the Vajrasattva practice to purify negativity. These are common to all completing stages.

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Part Thirteen

YAMANTAKA GURU YOGA

HH Serkong Rinpoche taught this to Allen as a special gift. The teaching came from Kyabje Ling Rinpoche, and although there are few words, it is a big practice.

First take refuge and generate bodhicitta, do purification and transform into emptiness (before blessing the inner offering), meditate on emptiness and then arise as Yamantaka. While contemplating emptiness we are not Yamantaka because we have done purification and transformed ourselves into emptiness. The correct way is to first meditate on emptiness and then arise as the deity. We instantly arise as Yamantaka, one face, two arms, holding curved knife and skull cup, embracing consort. Next, from our heart light radiates and touches all the environment and all beings therein. The environment becomes the pure realms of Yamantaka and the beings become deities. As in the Lama Chopa, if we have time we do the blessings of the offerings in a detailed way. If there is less time, OM AH HUM is said three times.

Now recite the prayer from Lama Chopa “ngo.wo yeshe la…”. Think that the offering substance is the nature of exalted wisdom of bliss and void and satisfies all the deities completely, filling all space. Again purify and transform into emptiness. From emptiness appears HUNG which becomes a multicolored vajra with HUNG at the center. In the east is a white spoke, in the south a yellow spoke, in the west a red spoke, and in the north a green spoke. Light radiates from this vajra just as in the protection wheel of Yamantaka. Contemplate on the vajra fence, vajra tent surrounded by the five colored fire of Yamantaka.

In the space before you is a precious jewelled throne supported by lions. On lotus, sun and moon seats and on the moon seat is your root Guru in the aspect of Yamantaka, nine faces, thirty four arms. At his heart is the wisdom being, youthful Manjushri. At his heart is a sun cushion and standing on that is the concentration being, a HUNG, radiating five colored light. Yamantaka embraces his consort, “Arising Corpse”. He is also called the “heap of three beings”, concentration, commitment, and wisdom. On the crown of his root face is a white Yamantaka. On the throat is red Yamantaka, heart is blue Yamantaka, navel is yellow Yamantaka, secret place is green Yamantaka. These five Yamantakas have one face, two arms and hold curved knife and skull cup, and embrace consorts. At the crown of the white Yamantaka is a white OM, at his throat is a red AH and at his heart a blue HUNG. These are equivalent to the entities of the body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas.

From all six Yamantakas, the three syllables radiate light, white, red, and blue. The sentient beings throughout the universe become the nature of the three vajras. Each hair on the body of Yamantaka performs various activities for sentient beings, such as Buddhas streaming out and in again, performing unimaginable activities in benefitting sentient beings and turning the environments into pure realms.

Again from the HUNG light radiates. After transforming the universe you now invite all the Buddhas, bodhisattvas, dakas dakinis, protectors, which come like falling rain and dissolve into Guru Yamantaka. Think that Yamantaka has now become inseparable with all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas etc of the three times, they are of one taste. DZA HUNG BAM HOH, they become stabilized.

Now recite the prayer of prostration as in Lama Chopa. Then do the external offering, emanate offering deities from your heart who take the offering substances from the altar and offer them to Yamantaka. OM YAMANTAKA ARGHAM…. etc, RUPA… etc. If there is time also do offering of the seven precious offerings with the appropriate mantra. If you wish you can do the detailed offering as in the self-entry. Internal offering, OM YAMANTAKA OM AH HUNG If you are making the offering to Yamantaka surrounded by deities, you say OM YAMANTAKA SAPARIWARA OM AH HUNG. We can say this because there are five Yamantakas within Guru Yamantaka. Secret offering, contemplate on great bliss experienced by Yamantaka and his consort. Suchness offering, contemplate on the three rounds, non-inherent existence of offering, of substance, and of recipient. Confession, if there is time, confess all degenerated vows of Pratimoksa, bodhisattva and tantra. Apply all four antidotes. If there is no time, say the prayer from Lama chopa…”du.nay…” This includes the seven limbs.

Next, make a mandala offering: the great 1000 universe is the external mandala offering, the aggregates are the internal mandala offering; transforming the great bliss of mother and father into the environment and offering it is the secret mandala offering; making offering of all three in the nature of emptiness is the suchness mandala offering. All four offerings can be done by contemplating the meaning without having to recite the words.

Receiving the four initiations from the Guru, first you make request for Yamantaka to give you the complete four initiations to purify the four obscurations and to attain the four bodies. Repeat this request three times. From the white Yamantaka at Guru Yamantaka’s crown, light radiates and enters your crown, purifying all negativity of body, filling your body, imagine that all sickness and negative influence of evil spirits and harm givers go away, and thus you receive the vase initiation. Think that you have received the blessings of the Guru and of Yamantaka and the imprint to attain the vajra body of the Buddha.

From the red Yamantaka at Guru Yamantaka’s throat red light radiates, containing all the qualities of speech of all Buddhas and bodhisattvas. It enters your throat, fills your body, and all faults of speech are purified and you receive the secret initiation. Think that you have received the blessing of the root Guru and Yamantaka and the imprint to attain the Buddha’s vajra speech.

From the blue Yamantaka at Guru Yamantaka’s heart blue light radiates containing the essence of all qualities of the Buddha’s and bodhisattvas minds. It enters your heart fills your body, purified all negativity of mind, removes all harms and interfering spirits. You receive the wisdom initiation, the blessing of the mind of your Guru and of Yamantaka, and the imprint to attain the vajra mind of Buddha.

Now white, red, blue, yellow and green light radiates from the five Yamantakas and dissolves into your five places. Your body is filled with light which purifies all negative actions of body, speech and mind together with their imprints, and you receive the fourth initiation, all blessings of the body, speech and mind of the Guru and of Yamantaka, and the imprint to attain the state of Vajradhara who is inseparable from the three vajras of body, speech and mind.

After finishing receiving the four common initiations and before taking the bodhisattva vows, a prayer is said to receive the four kayas, purify obscurations, etc. Then you take the vows. These are the four common initiations. If you do the uncommon initiations begin with taking refuge in the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha, take the bodhisattva vows and the tantric vows.

From the heart of Guru Yamantaka the five Dhyani Buddhas come with their consorts holding vases. They pour water from the vases to wash just as Guru Shakyamuni Buddha was washed by all the Buddhas and bodhisattvas after taking birth. The water fills your body and purifies all negativity, the remaining water comes to your crown and takes the aspect of Akshobhya. This is the uncommon vase initiation.

For the following secret empowerment, one visualizes the Guru as inseparable with and in the aspect of the male and female consorts who enter into union, go through their different experiences of bliss, and finally the white and red bodhicitta drops are put on the tongue of the disciple who tastes this and in this way receives the secret empowerment. One has to imagine that one has generated the great exalted wisdom of bliss and void that purifies the verbal negativity.

…..
This text does not mention all the different results that come from receiving this initiation. In the previous self entry it was mentioned that by receiving this vase empowerment one is able to meditate on the generation stage stage and one has received the seed to attain the result, nirmanakaya. Here one visualizes that a replica of the female consort, who is ones own Guru comes and absorbs into oneself who is in the aspect of the female consort, Vajra Vetali.???? … And then oneself who is in the aspect of Yamantaka enter into union with her and one thinks that a great exalted wisdom of bliss and void is generated.????… This purifies the mental negativity and obscurations and empowers one to meditate on the path of clear light and thereby establishes a seed to attain the completion stage. These steps are the same as in the case of the self entry.

The fourth empowerment is the word, and here the main point is to receive an introduction to the non-learners unified stage from the Guru so the disciple has to understand the meaning of these words. There is the illusory body which is the pure body, and there is the clear light which is the pure mind, and these two are unified at the stage of Buddhahood. ……Such unified stage is the non-learners unified stage and there is also the clear light of no more learning and when explaining these things the disciple has to understand these things in order to receive the word empowerment. And the Guru also explains how this fourth initiation is related to the three previous initiations: “During the third empowerment there has been all the exalted states like the bliss and through the bliss one attains the exalted wisdom and through this bliss one realizes emptiness – the clear light and through this clear light one attains the final unified stage and at the same time one attains the pure illusory body. So these two are unified at the stage of no more learning.” This initiation purifies the negativity of the three doors, body, speech and mind and as a path this allows the disciple to attain the final stage of Vajradhara-hood or the stage of “Seven Kisses.” At the end of this empowerment it is very important to imagine that a replica of both is coming into oneself and this replica and ones own extremely subtle mind becomes one and these are unified, this is very important.

During this practice of Guru-Yoga one visualizes the Guru in the space in front of oneself, making prostrations and offerings etc., but there is no certainty that just this practice is enough by just practicing at this level. In order to do the real practice of Guru-yoga we have to engage ourself into the absolute nature of the Guru. These is a relative and absolute level, so we must integrate ourselves into the absolute nature of the Guru.

The conventional level is the state where we integrate our mind with and we see our Guru as the essence of all Buddhas, a person who has gained all the complete knowledge that can be gained and a person who has finished all stains. So actually we first see our Guru like this and then we put our mind on that basis. Concerning the absolute one we have to integrate our mind on that absolute state. The intentions of our Gurus mind and the intentions of all the Buddhas are completely equal in the sense of dharmadatu.

Some people might say that there is no need to depend on a Guru in order to accumulate so much merits because one can simply meditate on a yidam like Yamantaka and this is sufficient, when someone has this kind of idea, the antidote to be applies is that one must engage in Guru yoga because one only receives the blessings of all the Buddhas through a Guru. There is no other way of receiving blessings from the Buddhas.

Someone practicing Yamantaka without being involved in a Guru, there are no great benefits, one cannot say that all the Buddhas enters the body of Yamantaka and they all enjoy the offerings through his body. But if we invoke them in the practice relating to a Guru and then it is sure that all the Buddhas come and enjoy all the offerings through the Guru. Sop this practice related to a Guru is required because the Guru is like a basis through which all the Buddhas help the numberless sentient beings. The way the Buddhas help beings primarily is by giving teachings. This is only done through a Guru. So we should think that the Guru is just like an emanation of Vajradhara. Since all the Buddhas enjoy the offerings through the Guru, then the Guru is considered to be the best object to make offerings to and this creates the greatest amounts of merits. So whenever we make an offerings whether the object is a Buddha or a bodhisattva or any other kind of holy being, one always need to think that this person is one with the Guru and then one makes the offering. In this way, making offerings are very meaningful.

A common way of practicing Guru yoga is that one sees the Guru in the aspect of Vajradhara. But one can also make the Guru yoga in relation to other deities like Manjushri, if one wants to develop three types of wisdom. An uncommon way to meditate on is that the Guru is in the form of the personal deity in order to increase the great bliss and then the Guru is the stack of the three beings.

Since we are involved in the two things to develop great wisdom and bliss, this practice is called superior, because there is one deity Yamantaka, abut still one does these two things in relation to one particular deity. There are two ways of doing this practice. One way is to visualize the Guru in the different aspects in space in front of oneself making offerings and prostrations etc. and finally visualizes that the Guru comes to ones crown and dissolves into oneself. Another way is that one visualizes the Guru in different aspects on ones head and then the Guru absorbs into oneself.

We have gone through the former one in these teachings by going through the gradual things of making offerings, etc. The guru comes to our crown and we make requests to to her\him who dissolves into us.

We should have said that in the former way a replica comes from the Guru in space and sinks into us.

When making requests to the Guru on our crown, one particular recommendation is that one should make the prayer the way Gyalwa Ensapa did who attained enlightenment in one life time. He prayed: “I go for refuge to you Yamantaka with respect. Please protect me from the dread of the three states, the present, future and intermediate state. Please grant me the two types of siddhis. ” This prayer is very concise but is a condensation of the whole Lam Rim. Like the first line “to Guru Yamantaka” this is about Guru devotion. And at the end, “grant me the two types of siddhis” is the summary of the whole Lam Rim. Then the fourth line, “You wrathful Guru Yamantaka, even recalling you for just an instance this destroys the host of devils of the three times.” Devils here refers to any kind of harm-giving beings.

The fifth line, “I pray to you, the Supreme Lord, Losang Dragpa.” This talks about the Guru being the unity of several beings like Losang Dragpa. If you can recite this line here it is very meaningful. Worthwhile, especially when one has different obstacles to ones practice, like interferences and mental problems. Then as we recite this line several times, then five colored light and nectar rays come from all the parts of the Guru’s body and enters through our crown and fills our whole body, and this cleanses all negativity we have created in the past and also all the sickness and demons in this present life are totally eliminated. Then think that one is able to develop all virtues more and more and have gained a long life, lengthened ones life span and gained positive influence on other people, and accumulated much merits.

Previously we said we had gained the two levels of the path, generation and completion, and then one has received extra blessings from the him\her and one must stabilize those realizations through imagination. So we do a prayer in order to really receive the blessings from the Guru and then the Guru with his throne comes and enters oneself. The throne sinks into the dharma chakra at the heart and the sun disc absorbs into the red substance which is already in the center of the heart. The moon disc absorbs into the white substance there. Guru Yamantaka comes through the central channel and sinks into the indestructible drop at the heart which contains the extremely subtle mind and wind.

This extremely subtle wind and mind, although it has this aspect, it is in reality Guru Yamantaka. This takes the form of the syllable HUNG. This last thing is optional, it is enough that the Guru absorbs into the indestructible drop. But if we do this thing continuing with the HUNG then one visualizes that this syllable transforms into the Guru, sun, and moon disc and the eight petalled lotus. We already have the eight branches at the heart chakra and they turn into the lotus, the white substance transforms into the moon disc and the red substance transforms ito the sun disc and on top of this the syllable HUNG transforms into Guru Yamantaka.

This is something we can do when we only do the Guru Yoga. Guru yoga can also be done in case we have broken commitments that are in common of all the five Dhyani Buddhas or from breaking the individual commitments. So the first way is to do it with the five Dhyani Buddhas who are all opponents to the Lord of Death.

At the five places of Guru Yamantaka, the crown, throat, heart, navel, and secret region, and each place have their own corresponding colors. The first at the crown is white, then red, blue, yellow and green. Each of these five places has one moon disc. At the crown is the white syllable Om surrounded by the white 100 syllable mantra. Throat, red AH surrounded by the red 100 syllable mantra, heart, a blue HUNG surrounded by a blue 100 syllable mantra.

Then there is the white OM at the crown of the white Yamantaka who is at the crown of Yamantaka (the Guru) and nectar rays emanate from this white OM, and also from the white 100 syllable mantra and this absorbs into oneself through ones crown and purifies all ones physical negativity and obscurations. Also the negativity and obscurations done in relation to all the Buddhas that belong to the Vairocana family who is the vajra body. It also restores those vows belonging to that Buddha family and while visualizing these things one recites the 100 syllable mantra one time.

Then we focus on the white Yamantaka, at his throat is the red 100 syllable mantra surrounding the red AH. Then light rays and nectars come from him and purify all the verbal negativity and obscurations. And this purifies all the negative karmas from breaking the different commitments of speech of all the Buddhas belonging to the same Buddha family, Vairocana. The light rays during the first purification was principally white, in this second purification they are mainly red and now in the third they are mainly blue. Because we have the blue HUNG surrounded by the blue 100 syllable mantra these emanate blue light rays and nectars and they come and absorb into oneself and purifies the mental negativity and obscurations and especially of all the commitments relating to the mind of all the Buddhas belonging to the Vairocana family and also those broken commitments are restored while repeating the 100 syllable mantra. So we have Vairocana and he has emanated white, red, and blue light rays of nectar that has entered oneself and purified the three different types of negativity and obscurations. Finally all these three rays come at the same time and purifies all the negativity and obscurations of the body, speech and mind, and those related to the body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas belonging to Vairocana family who is the vajra body and those commitments are restored.

Altogether we have four purifications and four restorations. Now we come to the second Yamantaka who is at the throat. He has the same thing, the white OM at the crown, the red AH at the throat, and the blue HUNG at the heart. So it is the same procedure as before, above, and this time one purifies the physical, verbal and mental negativity and in particular, the negativity of all the Buddhas belonging to the Amitabha family, who is the vajra speech.

Next is the blue Yamantaka at the heart and this purifies all the negativity of body speech and mind of all the Buddhas belonging to Akshobhya Buddha family who is the vajra mind.

Then there is the yellow Yamantaka at the navel of the principal Yamantaka. At his crown is the white OM from which white light emanates as in the previous visualizations. Also a red AH at the throat, and a blue HUNG at the heart. Here one purifies particularly all the negativity and obscurations belonging to the Ratnasambhava family and at the same time one receives the blessings of all the bodies of all the Buddhas belonging to this family.

At the secret region of the principle Yamantaka is a green Yamantaka, a white OM at the crown, a red AH at the throat, and a blue HUNG at his heart, surrounded by the 100 syllable mantra and this red light rays and nectars comes into ones self and purifies all the negativity and obscurations of speech related to this Amoghasiddhi family and at the same time one receives the blessings of all Buddhas speech who belong to this Buddha family.

The same corresponding visualization from the blue HUNG at the heart of Amoghasiddhi which purifies all the negativity of the mind created in connection to all the Buddhas belonging to his family.

Then there is the visualization of the white, red and blue light rays coming together at one time and purifying all the negativity of body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas belonging to this Amoghasiddhi family as well as one receives their blessings.

All these above visualizations have twenty steps. Then during the 21 recitation one should visualize that all the 100 syllable mantras at the five places of the principal Yamantaka dissolve into light and all these enter into oneself through our three places of body, speech and mind and meanwhile we recite the mantra one time. Doing this purification is very powerful to eliminate negative karma. This purification is also called “the purification of negative karmas in relation to the five types of opponents of the Lord of Death.”

During one set of visualization one can recite the 100 syllable mantra one time or seven times or more, there is no fixed rule. If one does not even have time to do the twenty-one recitations, then one can have shorter visualization. Visualize that the white OM and the 100 syllable mantras at the crowns of the five principal Yamantakas radiate light rays and nectar which come to oneself at the same time entering oneself and purifying all the physical negativity and obscurations. Then one thinks that all the negative karmas related to the bodies of the five dhyani Buddhas are purified.

The second visualization is from the red AH at the throat of the five principal Yamantakas radiates light rays which enter oneself and purify all verbal negativity and obscurations and also all the negative karmas related to the commitments of the speech of all the five Dhyani Buddhas.

Thirdly from the blue HUNG at the heart of each of those five light rays emanate and enter oneself and purify all the mental negativity and obscurations and especially the negative karmas from breaking the commitments related to the mind of the five dhyani Buddhas.

At the end one visualizes that all the mantra garlands at their different places melt into light and enters oneself. They purify all ones physical mental, and verbal megativity and obscurations and particularly all the negativity from broken commitments of body, speech and mind of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

This is a very powerful practice to guard oneself from different interferences and to purify different downfalls.

Regarding the commitment of body we visualize ourselves as an emanation of a particular deity and we hold the different implements of the five Dhyani Buddhas and at the same time we recite the respective mantras concerning that particular deity and mentally we also do the different yogas in the break time.

The Guru yoga we discussed earlier and this meditation on the five opponents of the Lord of Death, these are secret teachings and they were passed from Guru to disciple orally, they were not published in texts. And these teachings came from Lama Tsong Khapa and it is not sure that the self entry could be replaced by this Guru yoga with the four empowerments, but it is very close to the self empowerment because in this practice there is the process of taking the bodhisattva vows and tantric vows and the four empowerments. The only thing that is missing is the five initiations of the crown, bell, vajra, name and water initiation, but except for that everything is included in this practice here.

We usually do the Yamantaka sadhana “dakye” and there is always an occasion in that when we can do the 100 syllable mantra and the visualization related to the five Dhyani Buddhas, and if one inserts this practice it will be like the practice of the ear whispered lineage of Lama Tsong Khapa.

When we absorb the merit field then we are dealing with the extremely subtle mind and wind and the unit of these two takes the aspect of the Guru. This Guru here is to be considered as the essence of the person giving us teachings and advice. We should also regard him as the essence of the foremost dharma. This Guru is also the essence of the foremost sangha. He is also the essence of all lineage Gurus. The blessings of all the Buddhas only come through the Guru. The Guru is also the essence of all yidams because in order to receive siddhis we need to depend on a yidam. The Guru is also the “trinley”, virtuous action, how to achieve success in ones practice without problems and difficulties, one receives blessings from all the Buddhas activities through ones Guru. So he is the essence of all virtuous conduct.

When doing the Guru Yoga of Tsong Khapa one should regard the Guru the same way. There is one statement, “While the Guru is dwelling in ones heart oneself should also be able to dwell at the heart of the Guru.” This implies that one should always act by conforming to the Gurus order, by pleasing his mind.

In most sadhanas there is always the Guru yoga and Vajrasattva purification unless the sadhana is extremely abbreviated. The Vajrasattva meditation in the Yamantaka sadhana is a bit condensed. So regarding this purification, first we should visualize a jewelled throne supported by lions in space in front of oneself and on this throne is a lotus, moon and sun disc and on this one visualizes Yamantaka with his consort. Surrounding them are many Buddhas, bodhisattvas, Shravakas, and Pratyekabuddhas, but it is enough just to think they are there. Then we take refuge and develop the mind generation. “I go for refuge to the triple Gem and I will generate bodhicitta, I will place all sentient beings in the stage of Buddhahood. ” Refuge can be taken elaborately or just thinking that the Guru Buddhas is just like a guide, the dharma as the actual refuge object and the sangha the helpers of our dharma activity and oneself is afraid of the sufferings, so I take refuge in the Triple Gem. So thinking like this with the cause of fear and faith, this is the short way. Then one should think that “I will attain enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings.” This is the generation of bodhicitta mind. Then one visualizes all the surrounding beings absorbing into the Root Guru who is in the aspect of the unit of the two and the Guru then enters oneself.

After refuge and bodhicitta one visualizes a syllable PAM on ones crown and this transforms into a lotus and on top of that is a syllable AH which transforms into a white moon disc with a syllable HUNG on top. This HUNG transforms into a white vajra marked with a HUNG at the center. This HUNG radiates many light rays and helps sentient beings and then these light rays come back again. Then the white vajra with the HUNG transforms into Vajrasattva with one face and two arms with a consort. Vajrasattva is in the vajra position and at his heart is a moon-disc and in the center of this is a syllable HUNG, white, this radiates light rays which invoke the wisdom beings from their abodes and the wisdom beings absorb into Vajrasattva and they become non-dual. Again from the HUNG at the heart of Vajrasattva radiates light rays which invoke many initiation goddesses from many directions who are holding initiation vases in their hands. They grant the initiation and the nectar of exalted wisdom is poured and finally ones whole body is filled with this nectar. The excess water on the crown takes the form of Akshobhya.

Meanwhile one should visualize all sentient beings including ones parents surrounding oneself, and one makes a request to Vajrasattva. “Please Vajrasattva, purify all the negativity and obscurations of myself and all sentient beings.” Then many Vajrasattvas with female consorts emanate from their body and abide on the crown of each sentient being in the ten directions. Then we make another request to Vajrasattva, “Please purify myself and all sentient beings.” Here one acts as the leader of all beings. Then one visualizes a moon disc at the heart of each Vajrasattva with consort above each beings crown. On top of the moon disc is a syllable HUNG and this is surrounded by the 100 syllable mantra. All these Vajrasattvas send light rays to the beings through their place of union and this white nectar fills up the bodies of all sentient beings, then all their negative karma from breaking and degenerating commitments are purified. This also purifies all the sickness and demons and other problems of oneself and this leaves the lower doors of ones body in the form of spiders, scorpions, smoke and liquid. This is done in the same way as the three types of visualizations we discussed in the root teachings.

Question: Concerning if it is a contradiction to send out these different creatures when doing the Vajrasattva purification and the importance in completion stage to always re-absorb everything that is being emanated.

Answer: This point is discussed in a tantric text and a solution to this is to visualize that all the negativity transforms into emptiness as in the third visualization of Vajrasattva purification.

After the first visualization we make another request to Vajrasattva to purify all the negativity and obscurations of oneself and others. Then again white nectar comes from the heart of Vajrasattva on the crown of each sentient being and enters through their crown and as the bodies are filled up the negativity are coming up and going out through our upper doors.

Then as we make the same request to Vajrasattva again and nectar descends through the crown and all the negativity created in the past and all the sickness and other problems that are visualized at the center of ones heart are destroyed by this nectar which goes out through and heals all our lower doors.

Then we make a fourth request and one light ray comes and fills up the bodies of the sentient beings and this is like a flash light which eliminates the darkness in a room. Then one should think that ones body has become transparent like a crystal and one has received the possibility to develop the paths and grounds even further. Another part of the light ray emanates and makes many offerings to all the Buddhas of the ten directions. These light rays are transformed into offering substances. Then these light rays bring back all their qualities in the aspect of light rays into the moon disc at the heart of Vajrasattva and because of this all the Vajrasattvas become the essence of all the knowledge of all the Buddhas and meanwhile one recites the 100 syllable mantra one time or more.

Then oneself as the leader says to Vajrasattva, “Myself and all sentient beings have been under the influence of ignorance. Please Vajrasattva be my savior.” Then think that Vajrasattva replies to oneself,”Now you have finished all your negative karmas from breaking vows.” Then Vajrasattva enters oneself being very pleased, and then the body, speech and mind of Vajrasattva becomes one with ones own three doors. As all sentient beings have become Vajrasattva they are sent to the pure realms. Then one ends with the dedication. When doing this purification one should apply the four opponent powers.

Back to Tabs

Part Fourteen

Now we come to the actual practice.

1. Tantric Yoga
A: The yoga of the tantric basis
a. Absorption of the winds at the Navel
b: Meditation on Tummo
B: The actual Yoga Tantra1
a: Meditation on Vase breathing
b: the way to meditate on the vajra recitation at the heart

2. Yoga of commitment
3. Yoga of Shape
4. The immaculate Yoga

ABSORPTION OF THE WINDS AT THE NAVEL

This has to be done through time, body, energy wind, and object. It should be done early in the morning at dawn or in the evening at sunset. At these two times the wind energies function better because of the function of the fire wind.

One must sit in the seven point position of Vairochana and do the nine round breathing to loosen up the three central channels. It is recommended to meditate inside the chakra at the navel inside the central channel. To be able to focus at that place we must study the way the energy channels are going there. So during morning time or evening we should “exercise” the energy channels. Feel that the right and left channels and the chakras are very loose and that the winds are running smoothly.

The body refers to the instantaneous transformation of oneself into Yamantaka with one face and two arms, with nine faces and thirty-four arms, with consorts in both cases. If we visualize Yamantaka with one face and two arms he is holding a cleaver and skull cup. One reminds oneself of the chakras at the crown, throat, heart, navel and the three channels. One should not pay much attention to the secret chakra.

At the heart chakra inside the central channel between the three knots at the bottom and the three knots at the top. inside there one visualizes ones own extremely subtle wind and mind in the aspect of a blue small energy drop, the side of a mustard seed. It also says that this can be white with a red vibration, it does not matter which you choose. Then this subtle drop goes up through the central channel to the upper aperture, We should not feel that this is something separate from the extremely subtle wind and mind and we should feel that this is oneself. Then this drop goes halfway out through the aperture at our forehead and then this looks at oneself as Yamantaka, this is in order to include a clear picture of oneself.

When we go halfway out with this drop this makes the body were bright because the drop itself is very bright. As we have a clear visualization of ourselves this drop goes back inside the central channel to the crown chakra, remains there for awhile, and it then looks at the throat chakra and at the top aperture which is exactly at the forehead. The drop also looks around at the crown chakra and this makes all the energy channels very bright. Then this drop descends to the throat as if it were a pea rolling down the channel. This drop looks around as before, looking at the crown chakra and heart chakra, and the different branch channels at the throat. Then the drop descends to the heart chakra and again looks around. It sees all the root channels, how they all start from the heart chakra.

Then the drop descends to the navel chakra and looks around. As it looks down it can see the lower aperture of the central channel and looking up it sees the heart chakra, etc. Then it goes up again to the crown chakra and reminds itself of how the different channels appear. Going up and down like this is called “Exercising inside the channels”. This practice came from previous masters and was given in a whispered way. Some people say this drop is the combination of the gross mind and the wind, but this is not acceptable. More correct is to think that the drop in the central channel is the composition of the extremely subtle wind and mind.

Next is inserting or locating the wind at the central channel. The first part is to insert the wind at the navel level. But first one reminds oneself of being Yamantaka with consort. As the winds are inserted at the navel level one should think that the knots at the navel level are loosened. Previously we had the drop going up and down the channels and this drop goes then down to the navel chakra and from that point one starts to insert the winds at the navel. Then this drop transforms into the unity of the Guru and Yidam and the extremely subtle wind and mind, and it takes the aspect of Yamantaka. It is recommended to visualize this pea size, or it can be visualized slightly larger. In the text it is said that the color of this Yamantaka is blue but according to the different Gurus, they say it is white. This Yamantaka is always embracing a white consort, Vajra Vetali. YAMANTAKA has a buffalo face with the two horns blazing with fire and according to one text, it says that the face should be the wrathful red face on top of the buffalo face. But here according to the Yamantaka root tantra it is the buffalo face. Yamantaka is in the center of a fire on top of a moon disc.

The one visualizes the wisdom beings at the navel of this Yamantaka in the aspect of the syllable HUNG. White, or white with a red vibration. This HUNG has a nada on top ready to blaze. The HUNG is standing on a moon disc. The nada is the size of a mustard seed, and try to get a very clear picture of this. When meditating on this nada we should not have the feeling that we are looking at someone else. It is oneself and one familiarizes oneself with this nada. Also one should not feel that one is the syllable HUNG looking up at this nada. And we develop the divine pride of being the syllable HUNG.

From the union of the male and female consorts at the navel level many light rays of fire radiate in all the ten directions. These light rays fill up the body of oneself as Yamantaka, and the whole body becomes an entity of bliss. These light rays also radiate out to fill all the environment and the sentient beings which then transform into the supporting and the supported mandala of Yamantaka, each Yamantaka embracing a consort. Focus on this visualization until it is very clear. Then this environment turns into light which absorbs into the beings. When this becomes very clear, the Yamantakas with consorts also become light. This light then enters oneself who is the symbolic being Yamantaka. Oneself then dissolves into light which absorbs into the wisdom being in oneself. This process has to be visualized very clearly. Then this wisdom being is absorbed into the concentration being, the white HUNG at the navel. This concentration being is in the aspect of the syllable HUNG but it is in the face Yamantaka. This HUNG is very tiny and then the HUNG absorbs upwards into the HA and this into the head of the HA and this into the crescent moon, and this into the tigli, and this into the nada which dissolves upwards. As one is absorbed into the nada focus on this for awhile, how one has these three curves and the very sharp point at the top. This top is as small as the size of one atom. Then even this point dissolves into emptiness and then one maintains the mind in this state.

We keep the mind in this state of clear light completely forgetting the conventional truth. Thinking there is no inherent existence, focus the mind on this basis. When maintaining the state of the clear light one has to have the object of clear light right at the point where the atom size spot was. If one cannot meditate on this clear light, instead of thinking this atom dissolves into emptiness one can just focus on the atom without letting it dissolve, in order to keep oneself to something.

This meditation from becoming Yamantaka with consort up to this tiny little atom or emptiness has to be done repeatedly until it becomes very familiar. This process is what is called “the order of absorption at the navel level in the context of Yamantaka”. There is another tradition when the white HUNG is not absorbed.

Absorbing the white HUNG was the practice that the Gurus who are close to us followed. For someone who cannot visualize a small HUNG this person can visualize the HUNG slightly larger. If one wonders how this bigger HUNG can fit inside the central channel, it is no problem. It is the same principle as when we look through the eye of a needle and can see a whole mountain.

If it is difficult to visualize the HUNG at the navel, it can be visualized at the heart chakra instead. The ability to maintain this meditation on the HUNG for four hours without distraction is a sign that one has some success in exercising, having had the wind entered, abided, and dissolved into the central channel. In the root tantra it says, “if a person who have meditated a long time on this practice without having had any signs, then my words should not be trusted.” So the result will definitely come and one should meditate as advised. When the energy winds have entered the central channel, the breath through the two nostrils becomes even and balanced. The sign of the winds abiding in the central channel is that there is no respiration through the nostrils and the stomach stops moving. Yet respiration stopping through the nostrils can also happen to a person who has abandoned the subtle laxity, the difference is this person’s stomach would still be moving.

When the wind dissolves into the final state, then the different appearances of the absorption of the four elements occur as well as the three, white, red and dark visions. As the earth element cease the sign appearing to the person is a mirage. Water into fire, a vision of smoke like from a chimney. Fire into winds, vision of fire sparks. Wind into “white appearance”, a flame about to go out. Then comes the white red and dark vision. The white appearance appears when the appearance absorbs into the radiance. When the “radiance” turns into the near attainment one has the dark vision. As the near attainment absorbs into the death clear light then the person sees the natural color of space, clear without any spots. If a person has really inserted the wind energy into the central channel, abiding and dissolving, this causes the inner fire, tummo, to be lit and this gives rise to the above mentioned visions. Without the winds being inserted there are none of these signs.

When one is meditating on this, even if the wind is not inserted, there can still be some occasional bliss occurring. When locating the energy winds at the navel level and practicing the meditation of having the winds enter, abide and dissolve, one might have some failure so this practice has to done repeatedly. If one still has no success then there is a practice done by previous masters composed of certain rituals to eliminate hindrances and obstacles. If the meditation object is too small one can imagine that this tiny object radiates many light rays or if that is too difficult one can visualize that this tiny object radiates five colored light rays that fill up ones whole body.

Sometime one might have the subtle object moving up and down and the remedy for this is to think that this object of meditation is very heavy and in this way there is no way it can move around.

If one finds it difficult to visualize this tiny object in the central channel, then just think that the mind is in the central channel and when this is easy then also try to visualize the syllable HUNG. This may be an easier visualization for some people.

So in summary, if we find it easy we can have the object in the central channel at the navel, but if that is difficult then there is no need to visualize the syllable HUNG, it is enough just to feel that ones mind is there. While doing these meditations, some obstacles might arise. For example, sometimes the person has the object of meditation but then suddenly this object disappears. Or sometimes the object is there but then suddenly it seems like it is falling into may pieces. Sometimes the meditator might feel that his body becomes completely dry and vanishes into emptiness. Whenever any such obstacles arise, then this shows that the meditator has degenerated or lost his samaya which was made to the Guru. Also this person might dream about his Guru or Yidam having a black face and this is a sign of broken samaya in relation to the Guru. Also the face of the Guru might appear very wrathful.

In order to prevent or stop those obstacles one can do purification prayers or pujas. However they are not fixed for this practice yet can be applied in any of our practices where we do not have any success. If we have the different signs, we should go through the Guru yoga as mentioned in the Yamantaka practice, also do the “Five opponent of the Lord of Death”, and do the vajra recitation. While doing these purifications we should stop our other practices, returning to them after this purification is completed. If one knows someone who has broken pledges towards a Guru, the one should not eat food etc, with this kind of person.

Sometimes many distractions can arise for meditation or one has no energy for doing the actual meditation. In this case one should meditate on general topics such as the disadvantages of cyclic existence which gives energy towards practice.

Hindrances to continuing our practice can arise such as those which could come for the channels, winds, and drops (like losing energy drops or receiving harm and difficulties from evil spirits). For the channels, even if the physical body is healthy while we are meditating, if there is something wrong with the channels, some pain may arise in the upper and lower parts of our body. Sometimes one might feel very uptight and tense although one’s physical body is well. Other times, pain may arise with a sudden movement of some object. With this type of obstacle, one remedy is to visualize the syllable HUNG at the navel radiating sparkling light which fills the body in a manner similar to a spider web that covers everything. This light covers all the major and minor channels enabling them to function properly. Because of the light rays filling up the body, damaged channels are repaired, bent channels are straightened, and flat channels are restored.

Obstacles arising in relation to the winds are such that when we focus on the object of meditation we might develop a headache or feel very heavy. This is a result from having a wind disorder. The remedy is also to focus on the syllable HUNG radiating light rays that go through the different chakras and then out into all the branch channels from the different chakras and in this way is also like a spider web. In such a way all the channels become clear and one can clearly see them. So to get rid of these wind problems we should see these channels as having a slightly bluish light. Like that you should visualize the faulty wind, as not moving at all. For example, incense smoke that leaves a trace in the air. This is because the wind is not functioning. If the wind is functioning, there are no traces for it goes through our whole nervous system. So one should think that the bright light rays coming from the HUNG hook the non-functioning winds like a magnet and then one should feel that ones body is functioning well.

Another obstacle that comes from the wind is that sometimes one might have very sudden feelings of heat flashes in the upper or the lower part of the body. This experience is not intense yet it suddenly comes to prickle then vanish. This experience might occur several times. To cure this we visualize that the HUNG at the navel radiates light rays which approach and hook these heat spots, then this re-absorbs into the HUNG. And then one should feel that ones body is well.

When one meditates strongly for a long time, one might have the experience of having different creatures the body such like snakes, frogs, lizards, etc. One may also feel green light filling up the body. This is also a fault of the wind. In this case the meditator has not located well and inserted the winds into the central channel, or sometimes the wind has been located but all of it has not been inserted into the central channel and this gives rise to the experience. Some people have told me about these kinds of experiences. The remedy for this is to visualize the light rays radiating from the HUNG at the navel which hook the different creatures and the green light and all absorbs into the HUNG. And one should feel that all these feelings are eliminated.

Another problem that may arise if the winds are not functioning properly is one may experience a mirage going out of the body, seeing hairs falling and many light rays going out. The remedy for this is again to use the light rays which emanate from the HUNG which hooks the light rays going out of the body or the hairs, etc, so hook these and make them absorb back into the HUNG.

Sometimes one gets a very strange feeling between the skin and the flesh, the winds are gathering there and it seems one is swelling because of the winds. The remedy for this is to meditate on Guru Yoga, doing the purification with light rays coming from the Guru. Another method for this is to think that the wind swelling is the unity of the Guru and Yidam, countless manifestations throughout the body. But first one transforms this swelling into emptiness and then from this emptiness appears the Guru in the aspect of Yamantaka marked by the three syllables OM AH HUNG. The HUNG from the heart radiates many light rays and then one makes outer offerings, inner offerings, the short praise and then the request, “I make request to you Yamantaka, the embodiment of all refuge objects.” And this is also the essence of all the previous sicknesses, “Please Yamantaka help me to end this swelling sickness.” As this request is made the HUNG in Yamantaka radiates many light rays and absorbs into the HUNG at our navel. The syllable HUNG at our navel radiates light which go to the HUNG of the Yamantaka that we have visualized and then again these light rays return to our navel having brought all the sickness to dissolve there.

Sometimes one might get heart pain which is a result of the inproper functioning of thelife supporting wind. The remedy to be applied here is to visualize the heart upside down and cut into pieces like a blossoming lotus. In the space between the petals visualize that lymph and puss is falling from the petals and vanishes into emptiness. If the pain is not cured by this one should visualize the tummo at the navel is getting hotter and the heat ascends to the heart and burns it until it vanishes into emptiness. This heat is the unity of bliss and void, likewise the burnt heart turns into the unity of bliss and void. If this does not cure the pain then one should think that one cuts out the physical heart and throws it away. Another remedy is to think that the heart transforms into emptiness and then from the state of emptiness appears the root Guru in the aspect of Yamantaka. This we should apply in case the method of cutting up the heart does not work.

If we have heart pain this causes the “crazy” wind disease, and this person also feels heat on the cheeks and they feel like the are swelled and there are sudden flashes of fear. This is all arising from this wind disease. When we visualize the Guru inseparable from the Yidam we should take refuge and generate bodhicitta. Then one transforms the heart and the vital channel (a vein behind the central channel where the life force is maintained) into emptiness. Then from the state of emptiness there appears the root Guru in the form of Yamantaka marked by OM AH HUNG. The HUNG at the heart radiates many light rays in all directions and brings all the blessings into the HUNG while saying DZA HUNG BAM HO. Then make the offerings and the short praise. The Guru who is in the aspect of Yamantaka is the embodiment of all the Buddhas in the ten directions as they are already invoked with the light rays. Then pay respect to the Guru, “I pray to you the essence of all the Buddhas, the opponent of the Lord of Death. I request you to demolish the demons of the wind and pacify all these problems.” This request can be made 100 times or according to your ability. Then at the end think that the unity of the Guru and Yamantaka dissolves into bliss and void. Them make dedication.

When the wind at our throat that enables us to speak does not function, we have difficulties with our voice. The remedy for this is that light rays radiate from the HUNG up to the central channel and the throat chakra and all the faults in the wind are hooked and then dissolved into the HUNG at our navel.

When our whole abdomen is full of wind causing lack of appetite is another wind disease occuring because of the dysfunction the “Balanced Wind” which pervades the body. The remedy for this is also light rays emanating and hooking all these faults which absorb into the HUNG at the navel.

Sometimes one might feel that there are still some winds left over in the different chakras although the winds are functioning well. In this case the meditator should not feel happy nor afraid but should think that everything which appears to him is a manifestation of the Guru-Yidam. Then light rays radiate from the HUNG at the navel and go to the Guru Yidam who absorbed into the HUNG.

When meditating on the generation and completing stage one might think one sees the Guru Yidam in front of oneself. The meditator should then check if this is the real Yidam or the product of our desire to have this vision, or if it is a manifestation of a demon or evil spirit. The remedy for this is to check it out. Sitting in the vajra position focus both eyes at the center of our forehead and try to see the deity there. If the image becomes more clear and begins to radiate light rays, it is the real deity. Then make a request to this deity, “please Yamantaka, grant me the mundane and supreme siddhis”. Then think that the deity descends and dissolves into oneself.

In the deity we see does not change, does not become clearer, it is just an internal experience from having meditated on this particular deity. The meditator should regard it as simply appearing but not being inherently existent, like an illusion being empty of inherent existence. In the case that the previously seen deity looses his glory, this object is a manifestation of a demon and we must chase it away saying OM SUMBANI SUMBANI etc. One could scatter mustard seeds over this object. As we recite this mantra think that many wrathful deities emanate from our heart and chase them so far away they canot return. Then one should meditate on the protection wheel first and then continue to meditate on the previous subject. This advice came from Tsong Khapa. and all these explanations came from the out-line “THE ORDER OF THE ABSORPTION OF THE ENERGY WIND AT THE NAVEL”.

There is another way of locating this energy wind. For example, one might have the object of meditation very clear and also have good concentration yet not have bliss and heat. The method to include this is to visualize smoke light come continuously from the aperture of the central channel of the female consort through her lotus to oneself. So we must remind ourselves as being Yamantaka and sitting in union with our consort. This wind with the color of smoke enters the hole in our vajra and rises to the HUNG at our navel. The nada on top of this HUNG is in the nature of fire. As the wind strikes the HUNG at our navel the nada is ignited, the fire heat goes up through the heart, throat, and up to the crown chakra. Then the HUNG is just about to start dripping, like a mother’s full breast when she sees her baby, milk is just about to come out. Focus on this object which is about to drip for awhile and then visualize that it starts dripping down and goes to the HUNG at our navel which increases the fire and causes more heat. And think that you experience great bliss from this and think that ones mind has turned into exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

If this blissful heat is not generated very well then think that the fire at the nada is even bigger and then this heat rises to the crown chakra. This time the bodhicitta drop is not just dripping but in a continuous flow which increases the fire at the navel. Then think that the mind has become the very blissful exalted wisdom of bliss and void.

If you are unable to generate the heat at the navel, visualize the flame at the navel intensifies and rises to the crown where there is an upside down HUNG. This is heated and the white bodhicitta pours down continuously, not in a spurt like when you pull on a cows teat and the milk comes out once. The bodhicitta flows down and enters the flame on top of the HUNG at the navel. There is a loud sound, like the sound of heated oil in a pan, and the flame becomes hot, like red-hot iron. Your mind becomes inebriated by the bliss produced in this way.

If you do not have enough white bodhicitta at your crown, there is a remedy. Normally there is white bodhicitta existing in all the channels like frost upon glass. Within this bodhicitta there are small drops like mustard seeds. Imagine that when the heat rises from the HUNG it melts all these small drops and they flow downwards. In this way you can activate the bodhicitta when it is sluggish, and you can extend the bliss.

THE OBSTACLE OF LOSING SEMEN (white bodhicitta): to keep this inside, sit in the vajra posture and curl up all your toes. Then press your two heels together, constricting the channels of your lower aperture between them. Your abdomen is forced backwards towards the spine. Cross your arms in front of your chest, left arm in front, holding your hands in clenched fists with the tips of the thumbs touching the tips of the ring fingers, and each hand pressed against the opposite sided breast. With your eyes looking upwards tighten the lower sphincter muscles and imagine that you are pulling up the white bodhicitta from the lower part of the central channel, like when you suck up liquid through a straw. Repeat HUNG seven times. The winds come up from the lower parts of your body and the air goes out your mouth as you say HUNG. Concentrate on pulling up these winds. If you succeed in controlling the bodhicitta there is still the risk of sickness in the “chimba” organ, bladder or kidney, so you should imagine that the drops which you have held back disperse out into the channels of your body. Once the bodhicitta comes up to your crown say a loud HUNG and imagine that it shoots into the channels at the crown chakra. Then smoothly inhale and shake your whole body. When you succeed in this, think that you are also able to retain the white bodhicitta of the throat as well. So, this means that as the crown bodhicitta comes down to the throat chakra, pull it back up to the crown. In the same way, pull the white bodhicitta which has gone down to the heart chakra back up to the throat chakra, and next time, when the bodhicitta has gone from the heart down to the navel, pull it back up to the heart.

The loss of semen can also be caused by interference from demons and evil spirits at night. The solution for this is to obtain a thread as long as your body, give it to a female virgin and have her fold it into three, twist it, and dye it red. Now make seven knots along the thread. Visualize yourself in the aspect of the female consort Mamakyi and repeat the mantra, OM AH HARA AH HARA BENDANI SUGARDARANI SIDDHI TI SOHA, 1,000 times, and place this thread around your waist at midnight. This will prevent harm by demons causing loss of semen.

You can also lose semen by remembering previous sexual experiences. The solution is to not think about these before sleeping. Or you can lose semen because of having degenerated your samaya. The remedy is to meditate upon guru yoga, or to do the Damtsig Dorje practice, or perform the self initiation. You can also lose semen through sickness. The remedy is to purify as in the guru yoga or to meditate upon the yoga of Tummo.

These hindrances must be eliminated first before the knots at the navel chakra are loosened in order to localize the winds at the heart chakra. So far we have meditated upon the absorption of the HUNG up to the empty state. We now generate ourselves as white Yamantaka with consort. Reminding ourselves of the chakras at the four spots, imagine a moon disc the size of a half pea at the center of the crown chakra. Then imagine an upside down HANG, white because it is the nature of bliss, beneath this moon disc which is about to release a drop of white bodhicitta. Then focus on a red sun disc about the same size in the central channel at the center of the throat chakra. On it is an upright red OM, red because it is the nature of fire. Then focus upon the heart chakra in the center of which is a sun disc with an upside down HUNG. Now focus upon the sun disc at the center of the navel chakra. On this is an Atung, shaped like a thin cone, with a crescent, circle, and squiggle on top. This is the basis for lighting the fire of Tummo. Imagine that the squiggle is about to burst into flame. it’s color is red, the nature of fire. Imagine the two side channels entering the central channel four finger widths below the navel chakra. Strongly familiarize yourself with these four syllables, especially concentrating upon the Atung, feeling as if your mind is abiding there. The next steps are, Lighting the Tummo, Blazing and dripping, Special blazing and dripping.

LIGHTING THE TUMMO

Concentrate on the right and left channels. The wind enters the two upper apertures at the nostrils, goes to the back of the head, and then down to enter the central channel four finger widths below the navel chakra. Another wind comes from your female consort, your vajra is within her lotus, she sends wind into your lower aperture and it rises up to your navel. When the winds from the side channels and this smoke-like wind from your consort meet, they go up together and fan the fire on the Atung, like a bellows blowing upon red hot coal. Slowly inhale through both nostrils while you are concentrating on the fire at your navel.

BLAZING

Holding the same visualization, the wind intensifies the Tummo fire at the Atung and sparks and flames appear. Continue the slow inhalation while strongly concentrating on the blazing fire at your navel.

BLAZING AND DRIPPING

Holding the same visualization, the winds come down and next the wind from your consort. Again the fire on the Atung is fanned, and it burns with three attributes, (1) clear and red, (2) bright and hot, (3) small but very hot power. The shape is like a feather with it’s central shaft surrounded by flame narrowing up to the tip. This flame now extends up to the heart chakra where it heats the HUNG, the nature of nectar, until it is about to leak down. The flame continues to rise and heats the OM at the throat chakra until it becomes red hot. Then the flame goes up to the crown chakra where it heats the HANG whose nature is white bodhicitta. This melts and drips down like droplets on a spider’s web. These reach the OM at the throat, heating more, and down to the HUNG at the heart. The bliss already being experienced at your heart is greatly intensified. The droplets go further down to the Atung at the navel where the heat is so strong that it makes a sound like oil poured onto a hot fire. The fire blazes brightly, its light clarifying everything which is unclear in all the channels of the body. Inhale smoothly through both nostrils while concentrating upon this fire.

If you meditate well at this point you will gain some limited understanding of hidden phenomena. You will be able to make accurate guesses regarding the future. This is no clairvoyance, it is the result of your experience of the Tummo heat. When you can do this well you move onto the next step.

SPECIAL BLAZING AND DRIPPING

This is called the “Blessed Practice” because it gives certain blessings. Visualize as before and come to the point of the fire illuminating all the channels of your body. Imagine that the fire light goes out through your right nostril and also out of the upper aperture of the central channel like a flash of lightening, into the ten directions and strikes all beings who are then led to Buddhahood through the power of this light. Then the light radiating out from your right nostril enters the left nostrils of all the Buddhas of the ten directions, goes down to their their three places, crown, throat, and heart, and generates great bliss in them. At this point you imagine that the fire-light hooks back the uncontaminated bliss generated in all the Buddhas and it returns to you as drops of white bodhicitta which enter through your left nostril and go down to your three places, absorbing into the syllables at those chakras. Imagine that as a result of this you generate the uncontaminated great bliss, a more powerful bliss than before, and all the pores of your body are filled with the light of Tummo. Continuously maintain concentration on the Tummo fire at your navel.

In the Sutras it says that you must accumulate merit over three great unlimited aeons, but in the tantras you can attain enlightenment very quickly. The long time of the sutras is replaced by this practice of sending out fire light and transforming all sentient beings into Buddhas, and hooking back blessings from all the Buddhas of the ten directions. America seems very far away when we go there by swimming, but if we go by plane we arrive very quickly. However if the plane crashes we will be completely finished. It is the same with tantra, if we practise properly we will quickly arrive at Buddhahood, but if we break our vows we will fall down to hell. Sending out the fire light, transforming all sentient beings into Buddhahood, and hooking back the blessings of all the Buddhas enables us to be taken into the care of the Buddhas and bodhisattvas. If we have good meditation it will bring great benefit. Even if our meditation is not perfect the benefits are tremendous.

We talked about the four types of bliss because it is a very profound way for us to be under Buddha’s care. There is white bodhicitta in all the channels just like dew drops on morning grass, and they all melt due to the heat coming from tummo. All these white bodhicitta drops are brought together at the crown chakra which then descends to the throat chakra and one experiences bliss. When it descends to the heart chakra we experience “supreme bliss”. As it descends to the navel level we experience “special bliss” As it descends to the tip of the vajra we experience a much greater bliss called “simultaneous born bliss” because our mind becomes or turns into the nature of joy and thus becomes the “joyful mind”. And this is the way to experience the four joys going downward. Then this joyful mind absorbs into the object emptiness and becomes one with that emptiness. So we should contemplate on this fact for awhile. If we do not really have this experience we should imagine having it and contemplate on it for awhile. The mind we have at the present moment is the mind which will actually become the blissful mind realizing emptiness in the future. So by imagining this experience now and contemplating on it we will create the cause to have the real experience later.

So this is whole process from lighting the tummo and experiencing the different blisses, and then one achieves this blissful mind which is focus on emptiness.

Q: Is it right that it is only during the experience of the four blisses that we meditate on emptiness? What about the first three steps?
A: You only focus on the emptiness meditation during the fourth step of bliss. During the first three steps one mainly focuses on increasing the experience of bliss.

Having experienced the four descending blisses, one then comes to experience the four ascending blisses by causing the bodhicitta to ascend to the crown chakra like liquid is drunk through a straw. First the bodhicitta is made to ascend from the tip of the vajra to the navel chakra by which one experiences an ever greater bliss than the fourth bliss. Then the bodhicitta ascends to the heart and one experiences the “supreme bliss” which is even greater than the previous bliss. Then the bodhicitta ascends to the throat and the bliss is even greater. Finally, it ascends to the crown chakra “the wheel of great bliss”, and there one experiences the “simultaneous bliss” which is greater than all the previous blisses.

Before one enters into meditation on emptiness with the blissful mind and experiences theeight blisses, one must motivate pr make a plan such as “I will enter into the Dharmakaya and then will arise in the form of “complete enjoyment”, Yamantaka. From this aspect I will take the “emanation body”. And when meditating on emptiness one has to think that nothing exists inherently.

THE NINE DIVISIONS OF MEDITATION ON CLARITY

If we do this meditation well it is sure that there will be no future rebirths in lower realms. These nine divisions belong to three categories, three each to the waking-up stage, the sleep stage, and the death stage. If we have some understanding of these three we will not take lower rebirth in our next life.

THE THREE CLARITIES BELONGING TO THE AWAKENING PERIOD

(a) THE CLARITY OF THE DHARMAKAYA BELONGING TO THE WAKING PERIOD

For example, a rough understanding of the “clarity of the dharmakaya belonging to the waking stage” can mean one knows the different steps from the tummo up to the meditation on the clear light, and one meditates on this. The person who is in the meditative state of equipoise then acts according to the motivation he made before entering into this stage. So from being in the state of meditative equipoise on emptiness with the blissful mind, the extremely subtle mind and body takes the form of Yamantaka like a rainbow suddenly appearing in the sky. This body is separate from our own body of karmically taken aggregates which we leave to take the form of white Yamantaka with a female consort.

(b) THE CLARITY OF THE SAMBHOGAKAYA BELONGING TO THE WAKING PERIOD

While in this form, one should feel that one is experiencing the black vision. In the following moments one goes through the previous signs of the white and red visions, etc. ending with the mirage like vision. So all these signs arise in the reverse order.

So from the moment we take the aspect of the white Yamantaka we should experience the black vision, then the red, and so on, all the different signs as occur in the death process, but in the reverse order. While going through these different visions one has to be aware that these signs are empty of inherent existence and empty of true existence. Meditating in this manner is called “INDUCING THE CLARITY OF THE SAMBHOGAKAYA BELONGING TO THE PERIOD OF AWAKENING”. So we have to include the clarity by holding the divine pride of being Yamantaka.

(c) THE CLARITY OF THE NIRMANAKAYA BELONGING TO THE WAKING PERIOD

Then after this stage one takes the emanation body. The karmically taken aggregates of the old body has already been transformed into Yamantaka with consort and is called the emanation body of Yamantaka. When we take this emanation body we feel that we, like a wisdom being in the aspect of white Yamantaka, go through it’s crown and descend to the heart center. Then our old body starts to function as before with air going through the nostrils, the five sense organs again functioning, as the mind remains at the heart of the old body. As different objects appear to the five sense consciousness, one must meditate on all appearing objects as lacking inherent existence. That those objects do not exist inherently is the object for the blissful mind at that time. The subject, the blissful mind itself, is also lacking inherent existence, and in this way there is the integration of the two, bliss and void. So one should think that this is the origin of the form of Yamantaka and his consort. This meditation is called “THE MEDITATION ON THE CLARITY OF THE NIRMANAKAYA AT THE TIME OF AWAKENING”. What is done here is that one is as usual, then goes through the different stages of meditation like bliss and emptiness and Sambhogakaya, Nirmanakaya, and one imagines this whole process which is called the “meditation on the clarity of the nirmanakaya at the time of awakening”. So these are the three clarities belonging to the awakening period.

THE THREE CLARITIES BELONGING TO THE SLEEPING STATE

(a) THE CLARITY OF THE DHARMAKAYA BELONGING TO THE SLEEPING PERIOD

Just before going to sleep one must motivate and plan to be able recognize the clear light of sleep. “I will take the form of the Sambhogakaya at dream stage after having taken the dharmakaya of sleeping.” We have the HUNG upside down and also the short AH at the navel. When doing this practice we should imagine that the short AH absorbs at the HUNG at the heart whereby this HUNG, which was previously upside down, now turns into an upright position as usual. Then one should feel that the mind has entered the HUNG and with this feeling one goes to sleep in order to have the three steps of entering, abiding, and dissolving in the central channel perfect. The sign of the wind having entered the central channel is having a balanced wind through both nostrils. The sign of abiding is that breathing through the nostrils stops and movement of the abdomen ceases. The signs of the having the wind dissolved is first the mirage like vision, then the vision of smoke, fire flies, last flickering of a butter lamp, the white vision also called “empty”, the red vision called “very empty” and the black vision called “great empty”.

Then comes the clear light called “all empty”. It is important to know what the different visions are and their order of appearance. The clear light of sleep is the result of karma and afflictions, so one must mix this sleeping clear light together with the clear light belonging to the waking period. Having mixed these, one focuses the blissful mind on emptiness, mixing these two. Meditating in this way is called the “MEDITATION ON THE CLARITY OF THE DHARMAKAYA BELONGING TO THE SLEEPING PERIOD”. So in this meditation one is to focus the mind on the mixture of the two clear lights.

(b) THE CLARITY OF THE SAMBHOGAKAYA BELONGING TO THE SLEEPING PERIOD

Having done this for some time one must remember the motivation or plan one previously made to take an enjoyment body of dream. Taking a dream body here means to take another body separate from ones old body and that is the body of Yamantaka, white, with consort. Think that this arises from the stage of bliss and emptiness. As soon as one takes this dream body of Yamantaka then one has the black vision as mentioned previously and then goes through the different signs in reverse order. One must never mistake them and one must have divine pride of being white Yamantaka. This is the way one meditates on “the clarity of the sambhogakaya belonging to the dreaming period.”

(c) THE CLARITY OF THE NIRMANAKAYA BELONGING TO THE SLEEPING PERIOD

Then one must take the emanation body belonging to the dreaming period which means that one must go back to the old body, the karmically taken aggregates which is the emanation body of Yamantaka, and one enters this old body as if one is a wisdom being. This should happen the moment before waking up. The moment the mind of dream Sambhogakaya has entered the heart of the old body, the sense organs start to function, and different objects begin to appear for the different sense consciousness, one should think that all the sense objects lack inherent existence and this emptiness is accompanied by blissful wisdom. So we have the blissful exalted wisdom and appearing objects which are empty of inherent existence, and from the integration of these two there appears the emanation body, the old aggregates we already have. So this is the “meditation on clarity of the nirmanakaya belonging to the dreaming period.”

This is the first six of the nine. Before one can have clarity of the three divisions belonging to the sleeping period it is necessary to have meditated well on the three divisions of the waking period. This is easy to understand because while we are sleeping it is a completely different world. One would not be able to recognize the clear light of sleeping and also while dreaming, it is difficult to have control over the whole dream and to follow the plan one made before. In the case of the awakening period one knows exactly what is happening. As the second group of three is very difficult there is some further instruction.

First one has to be able recognize the clear light of sleeping. Then one must plan to take the dream Sambhogakaya just before going to sleep with the short AH absorbing into the upside down HUNG. One must feel ones mind absorbs into the HUNG. This HUNG radiates many light rays which go into all beings and the environment. The beings then transform into Yamantaka and the environment transforms into the mandala of Yamantaka, the palace. Then the habitation of Yamantaka becomes more and more clear to oneself until it turns into light which absorbs into the beings who have already become Yamantaka.

One form of practice for someone who is a light sleeper,involves having another person to help. This helper must be sensitive, able to recognize the depth of the sleeping person, and able to adjust the volume of his voice. At the appropriate moment, the helper must say close to the ear of the sleeping person, “Now you are sleeping and you must recognize that this is the sleep clear light. Meditate on the clarity of the dharmakaya belonging to sleep.” Using someone to help oneself like this makes it easy to recognize the sleeping clear light.

Another method deals with dreaming. The precise manner of dreaming was covered previously but this is an elaboration. The practice involves doing a three night retreat very strictly on the Guru Yoga previously explained. We do prostrations and offerings as before, but more importantly, here one makes a request to the Guru, “I pray to you, the opponent to the Lord of Death who is the embodiment of all refuge objects. Please Guru bless me to be able to recognize the dreams to be dreams, and bless me to be able to transform that dream body into the Sambhogakaya. Please give me blessings that I may be able to control the dream such as emanating things and re-absorbing them and to be able to come and go as I like.” Instead of the dream controlling oneself, one should have control over the dream. “I request you, Guru, that I may be able to eliminate all adverse conditions so I only have virtuous dreams and the good conditions to be able to have these.” This prayer is to recited 500 to 1000 times in each session during this three night retreat. At the end of this recitation one receives the four types of empowerments as mentioned before. This is the result of having made all these requests.

During break time one should remember that no appearance is truly existent, it is only like an illusion. Also in the post session one thinks that “today I will recognize the dream as a dream”. One also makes a decision many times that one will utilize the dream body to create virtue such as meditating on the Sambhogakaya as a dream.

You should make a plan before dreaming. Remind yourself that you are in the aspect of Yamantaka with consort, then focus upon the energy wheel at your throat. At the center is a curved knife marked by HUNG. The knife is red, you are white Yamantaka. Many light rays are emitted from the HUNG which strike the entire environment and all the sentient beings, transforming the environment into a pure realm and the sentient beings into Yamantaka. The light rays return and absorb into the HUNG, and the knife transforms into red Yamantaka with consort, the size of a pea. You are white Yamantaka with curved knife and skull cup. The red Yamantaka melts into light and becomes a pea sized red energy drop, concentrate on this. The drop melts into light and becomes a bright nada with three curves. Maintain concentration upon this and do the breathing exercise slowly through the two nostrils. Imagine that the inhaled air absorbs into the nada. If you cannot hold your breath for a long time, just breathe in and out through the two nostrils but feel your mind is inside the nada. Feel that the air you are breathing in and your own mind are oneness within the nada. Hold your concentration upon this and think that the entire event is unreal, like a dream. Think. “Tonight I will recognize my dream as a dream. I will preserve virtuous activity in the dream, such as transforming my dream body into the deity”. Try to go to sleep at this point with this motivation.

You can have a friend beside the bed saying, “Now you are sleeping, now you are dreaming.” But, he should be a qualified person. He whispers into your ear, “Now transform your dream body into Yamantaka, go to the different Buddhas and bodhisattvas in their realms and listen to their teachings, clarify your doubts” and so on. In this way you can have a good recognition during the dream that it is a dream. Once you can do this it is easy to transform the dream body into Yamantaka. The dream body is a mental body and can go anywhere without obstruction. When we dream of a place we arrive there and see many things. In this way the dream body is similar to the Bardo body. When we transform our dream body into Yamantaka we can go to the pure realms such as Shambala without any obstruction. Once this is accomplished we can go anywhere to receive teachings, clarify our doubts, in the bodhisattvas realms.

Next we have to wake up, and having done so we should remind ourselves that all the events which happened during the dream were untrue, like an illusion, and all the phenomena we experience in the waking state are also untrue, like an illusion. This practice is difficult. §eeing everything in the waking state as an illusion is difficult. The above method can help. The clarities of the waking and the sleeping periods can be meditated upon by people like ourselves. They may or may not be clear according to our karma, but still we can attempt to meditate upon the six clarities. When we go to sleep we can try to plan as clearly as possible to transform our dream body into the aspect of Yamantaka, then to take the Nirmanakaya and wake up. We should not leave these practices aside, thinking they are too high. Usually it is said that one should have realization of the generation stage first and then go on to completing stage meditation, but it is good to attempt the completing stage practices and create the karmic imprint to have success in the future. So we should read the notes throughly and meditate on the completing stage even if we have not yet realized the generation stage.

Meditation on the first three clarities helps meditation on the second. For the third we naturally come to be able to do the sleeping meditation. When we have gained familiarization in all six we will have good imprints when we die and will be able to handle the three clarities of the dying period. This period is usually quite traumatic and it is very difficult to meditate on the three clarities of dying, but with previous experience we can do so. While we are healthy it is good to familiarize ourselves with this subject so that we can easily meditate on the three clarities at the death time. When we see the signs of approaching death we should make offerings with all our remaining wealth to the sangha, and also think of the virtues we have accumulated in the past, present and will create in the future, and dedicate all these towards the attainment of enlightenment.

Pure Dharma practitioners should make the clear decision “nothing is so precious that it is worth being attached to, we all have to leave everything behind, and I will have to leave these things behind, so I will forget them and have a clear mind at death.” In this way, your minds will become free from bondage at death. We have many negative karmas from breaking tantric vows and so on, so we should confess these, do the self initiation, purify with all the complete requirements, doing proper confession if we have the right situation.

When we die, if there are people we used to anger and they still hold a grudge against us, we should ask for their forgiveness, this will help. Make torma offerings to the Dharmapalas and generosity offerings to the spirits, such as Jumbo, imagining that you are making offerings with your own body.

Up to here we have done the guru yoga, which included prostration to the guru and the host of deities, then we have made the general and the specific requests. The specific request is “Guru, the embodiment of all refuge objects, having taken the form of the deity Yamantaka, please bless me to not have suffering and torment when I die. Please help me to pacify all my conceptions arising from the root afflictions of aversion, attachment and so on. Give me blessing to not suffer from hallucinations during the dying process and the intermediate state.” These hallucinations can be imagining that we are sinking into the ground, being swept way by water, burned in fire, or blown away by the wind. Ask your guru for blessings to be able to recognize these hallucinations as being an illusion and not existing in reality, and to be able to transform them into pure appearance. Ask him for blessing to be able to recognize the intermediate state as the intermediate state and then to be able to transform the intermediate state body into white Yamantaka. Finally, also your guru for blessings to be able to take rebirth with a perfect basis upon which you can practice the Maha-Annuttara Yoga Tantra and for all interferences to such a rebirth to be removed, and for all hindrances to practicing the higher tantra to be removed. Ask “Please bless me to be able to mix the death clear light with the real clear light. May I be able to use the Bardo body as a way to the Sambhogakaya. Bless me to be able to mix my rebirth with the Nirmanakaya. Bless me to have a higher rebirth upon which I will be able to remember all previous knowledge I have attained, to accumulate more knowledge, and to attain the state of Vajradhara in that very life.”

When you know you are dying, lie down in the lion posture or sit upright in the full lotus position. Then request your guru to enable you to integrate the ordinary death clear light with the Dharmakaya. As soon as the death clear light comes remember your understanding of emptiness and integrate the meaning of emptiness as you understand it with the vacuity appearing to your mind. Then motivate, “After I reach the Bardo I will integrate that state with the Sambhogakaya, and after having taken the mental body in the Bardo I will take rebirth in the house of a family where there will be no obstruction to practicing tantra. Kyabje Trijang Dorje Chang has just done this. The family should not be one which will interfere with the child’s being able to follow Dharma. So make such plans before you die, remind yourself of being Yamantaka, visualize the three main channels, the five chakras, and so on. Imagine that the subtle object of meditation, the Atung, comes up from the navel and sinks into the HUNG at your heart. Concentrate strongly, imagining your mind has entered the HUNG, and the wind energy can enter here well because you have had some training while meditating on the previous six clarities. During the previous meditation it was not possible for the wind to enter the cental channel, but when you die it is possible. It definitely enters, abides and dissolves in the central channel and the various visions are experienced.

When you begin to have these visions you should be able to integrate the death clear-light which comes under the control of karma and afflictions with the clear light meditated upon in the waking and sleeping times. Being familiar with the visions, you will be able to integrate the three types of clear light at this point, the clear lights of waking, sleeping and death. This will come only if you have the right result of your previous prayers. If you die unexpectedly you will not have the opportunity to go through the meditations and so you should pray to die slowly with the right conditions for meditation. If you are a great yogi you can maintain the death clear light for many days, if not, it will pass quickly. A yogi at this point, even if his body is touched, will not lose his meditation, but ordinary practitioners should not be touched.

After death you leave your old body. There is a sudden tremor when this happens. If you have meditated well you will be able to recognize the Bardo state and transform the bardo body into the Sambhogakaya. Think “Now I will transform the bardo body into the sambhogakaya.” This thought, the last moment of the death clear light, and the coming of the intermediate state, all arise simultaneously.

The cessation of the death clear light is the first moment of the arising of the clear light of Bardo. One then goes through the remaining seven visions in reverse order to take the next rebirth existence. If you have meditated well you will be able to find the right parents and the right conditions for the rebirth existence. You will go to the future parents while they are engaging in intercourse, enter the crown of the father, and do down to the union of the sex organs. Thinking in this way is meditation on the clarity of rebirth into the Nirmanakaya.

A superior yogi can choose the right parents who will give him the best conditions for attaining enlightenment in that life. A lesser yogi is able to choose parents who can give him the right conditions to continue his practice but not necessarily gain enlightenment in that life. So, these meditations are at a very advanced stage, nevertheless, we can make useful meditation on the three clarities belonging to the waking state. While we are alive we can imagine the eight visions and prepare to recognize them in the future. By familiarizing ourselves with the clarity belonging to the waking state we create the ability to handle the actual death process with confidence. The text says that if a person has meditated well upon the nine clarities, it is certain that he will not be reborn in the lower three realms in his next life. Rough understanding is knowing the steps involved in the nine meditations, those brings the guarantee above. The same reasoning is used in understanding the Lam Rim, a rough understanding of the stages of meditations is a great protection.

The meditation on inserting the winds at the navel and the Tummo meditation we have just described are like the “preliminary practices” for the yoga of tantra. They are also called the basic tantra yoga. Meditation on locating the winds at the navel is to ensure that we can untie the knots at the navel and then the heart chakras. This basic tantra yoga belongs to the “Isolated Body”. Ones body is “isolated” from its ordinary appearance which we stop, and we view our bodies as the body of the deity. If we ask, “Since the isolated body seems to be restricted to the completion stage, is there also an isolated body in the generation stage?”

There is an isolated body in the generation stage, but it is not an isolated body in which the three processes of inserting, abiding, and dissolving the winds into the central channel occur. In the isolated body of the completion stage the wind completely dissolves into the central channel. These three processes are complete, the eight blisses are experienced, the exalted wisdom perceiving emptiness arises integrated with bliss, and out of this unity of exalted wisdom of great bliss and void there arises the body of the deity. Whenever a person generates great bliss by inserting, abiding, and dissolving the winds in the central channel he is arriving at the completion stage from the generation stage. So the isolated body of the generation stage comes from stopping the ordinary appearance and generating the divine pride of oneself as the deity. An indestructible body is imagined. It is not as good as the isolated body of the completion stage, but is still used in the meditations of the generation stage, such as concentrating at the upper and lower apertures of the central channel, multiplying objects and absorbing them back again, and so on.

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Part Fifteen

In the Guhyasamaja practice there are six levels:

1 isolated body
2 isolated speech
3 isolated mind
4 the illusory body,
5 meaning clear light,
6 unified stage.

The isolated body is included in the Yamantaka tantra as the two basic yoga practices of locating the winds at the navel and Tummo meditation. The isolated body here belongs to the completion stage, but it is also on the generation stage where we isolate the body from its ordinary appearance and generate the appearance of the deity. In general, the object to be abandoned on the generation stage is the conception grasping at the ordinary appearance. At the generation stage we perform insertion and abiding of the winds into the central channel but we do not perform the third process of dissolving.

Actual tantra yoga has two parts, meditation on vase breathing, and performing the vajra recitation.

VASE BREATHING AT THE HEART

First develop concentration by performing the nine round breathing meditation. Next, sit in the vajra position, check up your visualization of yourself as Jig Je with consort, remember the three main channels and the four chakras. At the center of your heart chakra visualize red and white energy drops combined together in a single drop the size of a pea. In the center of this drop is a moon disc and standing on this is a tiny white HUM the size of a mustard seed and very bright. Concentrate upon this. Now inhale through both nostrils, slowly and noiselessly, hold the breath, swallow saliva, and imagine that all the winds from the upper part of the body come down and absorb into the HUM. At the same time pull up all the winds from the lower part of your body and dissolve them into the HUM. “Vase breathing” means combining these winds together, it does not refer to something round like a vase. Some texts say to bring the upper and lower winds together in the form of a vase, but not in this text. Other texts do not focus the vase breathing at the heart, they simply meditate on the abdominal area, not specifically within the central channel or at any chakra. The winds are just brought together in the general abdominal region, but this is not the case here.

Strongly concentrate upon the HUM. Imagine wearing it as you would your clothing. Hold this concentration until it is too difficult to maintain the two winds there by holding your breath, then slowly release the air from your nostrils. Again inhale and combine the upper and lower winds as before and hold them as long as you can. While holding your breath you can test your ability by counting the number of times you can touch both knees, your forehead, and snap your fingers. Geshe said that doing this 36 x 9 times shows inferior ability, 72 x 9 times is medium, and 108 x 9 times is superior.

This is called the vase breathing at the heart because it is done at the heart chakra. There is also vase breathing at the navel and also vase breathing pervading the whole body, which is the technique we described before of holding the two winds in the general abdominal region. The function of vase breathing is to insert, abide, and dissolve the winds in the central channel. When doing it do not use too much force to bring up the winds and push them down, otherwise you will get a wind sickness. When the winds enter, abide, and dissolve, there are three signs. Inserting: the breathing through the nostrils becomes even. Abiding: the breathing stops, there is no movement of the diaphragm. Dissolving: the eight visions are experienced. When the clear light comes we must integrate that vacuity with the blissful mind, this is called “MEDITATING ON THE CLARITY OF THE DHARMAKAYA BELONGING TO THE AWAKENING STATE”.

The purpose of inserting, abiding, and dissolving, is to attain the clear light, mix this with ones blissful exalted wisdom, and focus on this object. Awakening from the contemplation, imagine taking the Sambhogakaya aspect of white Yamantaka with consort, and this is “MEDITATING ON THE CLARITY OF THE SAMBHOGAKAYA OF THE AWAKENING STATE”. As soon as you take this aspect, visualize the black vision, and then the other visions in reverse order.

Next, take the Nirmanakaya as we have already described, this is “MEDITATION ON THE CLARITY OF THE NIRMANAKAYA OF THE AWAKENING STATE”. When taking the Nirmanakaya think that you, as consciousness, are entering your old body now in the aspect of Yamantaka, which was like a corpse, and now becomes a living person again. You now see many appearances. Contemplate them all as in the nature of emptiness. And all the emptiness is bliss. In this way the wisdom of bliss and void is united. Similar to the post meditative contemplative wisdom, one arises from meditation thinking all appearances are empty of inherent existence, one integrates bliss and void, and in this way the form body is produced.

THREE CLARITIES BELONGING TO THE SLEEPING PERIOD

As one goes to sleep one must remember to do the three clarities belonging to the sleeping period, therefore strong resolution is required. Concentrate on the HUM within the red and white drop at the heart, go through the signs from the mirage to the clear light and meditate on the Dharmakaya. It is not necessary to do the vase breathing at this stage. Having contemplated on the Dharmakaya of Sleep we must now take the Sambhogakaya, experiencing the eight visions in reverse order. Next, the Nirmanakaya of the sleep period is taken. As before, your consciousness enters and activates the old body whereby you attain the Emanation body to which appearances come to the five sense consciousness. Think of them as all empty and the consciousness observing them as blissful.

These three things occur repeatedly because we are taking the ordinary death, intermediate, and rebirth, which arise from karma and afflictions, in order to attain the three kayas. If we do not attain enlightenment in this lifetime we will be obliged to die, be reborn, and go through the three clarities. Therefore it is important to remember all the practices and the sequence of the visions. Before we do we must make a strong resolution to do this practice during death. If we understand these nine clarities well, we will understand the entire practice of tantra.

In different contexts, the object of meditation is changed but the basis remains the same. For those who do not go to tantric college this system must be known. People in tantric college learn prayers and ritual yet do not necessarily know the meaning. Even if we do not go to the college we will have this basis upon which we can receive teachings on tantric subjects which are rare. Even receiving teachings on Dharma in general is rare.

VAJRA RECITATIONS

1 Vajra recitation on primary energy winds
2 Vajra recitation on secondary energy winds

1 a located in upper part of body
b located in lower part of body
c compression of the two at the heart level
d chasing the winds, the lower winds are brought up and at the same time the upper winds go out, then the upper winds are pushed down and the lower winds go out.

VAJRA RECITATION ON THE PRIMARY WINDS:
can also be divided into recitation at the heart and at the navel. There are five divisions of Vajra recitation on the secondary winds as before, the five winds of the senses. There are many ways to perform vajra recitation. Here it is based upon the root tantra of the “RED OPPONENT TO THE DEATH LORD”.

Vajra recitation deals with the three syllables, OM AH HUM. With the vibration OM we make the wind enter into ourselves. With the vibration AH the winds are forced to abide in the central channel. With the vibration HUM we are able to expel (exhale) the winds. This practice is also called “THE VAJRA RECITATION OF THE THREE GRAINS”, referring to the three syllables. Exhaling is equivalent to the Dharmakaya, HUM. Abiding is equivalent to the Sambhogakaya, AH. Inhaling is equivalent to the Nirmanakaya, OM. In terms of the three times, inhaling is past, abiding is present, exhaling is future. OM, AH, and HUM also symbolize the body, speech, and mind of Buddha. These three syllables are the essence of all mantras of all deities. The three places are marked by these syllables, the seeds of the vajra body, speech and mind of all Buddhas.

Since the three syllables are the essence of all mantras, vajra recitation upon them will give the same benefits as doing retreats on all deities. Also received are benefits such as protection from sickness, problems, and hindrances to our practice. Negativity and obscurations are purified. Such benefits are the secondary results of vajra recitation on the primary winds. The main purpose of this meditation is to untie the knots of the channels. With perfect meditation on vajra recitation of the primary winds, even if we are about to die, we can prolong our life another five years. The vajra recitation on the secondary winds also gives many benefits, such as gaining the five clairvoyance. It is preferable to do the vajra recitation meditation early in the morning before the cock crows. The session can be measured by the number of times you go through the process of inhaling, abiding and exhaling following the vibrations of the three syllables. 1000 is a suggested number, but it is not fixed.

The three syllables are not vocally expressed nor even whispered, nor mentally recited as in the Vajra Yogini practice. In fact the vibration of the three actions of inhaling, abiding and exhaling, becomes the aspect of these three syllables. If we practice for a long time and attain the example clear light of the isolated mind, it is sure that we will attain enlightenment in this lifetime. The object of meditation while performing the vajra recitation is the white HUM at the heart. When you inhale, the air sinks into this HUM, when you abide, it remains there, and when you exhale the air goes out from the HUM.

When you are breathing in and out, visualize the wind having the brightness of the three syllables. Breathing in, the wind has the vibration of OM, abiding it has the vibration of AH, and exhaling it has the vibration of HUM. If the mantra and the wind are visualized as separate, it is like confusing a mahla bead with the string. It is also incorrect to think that the air goes out like a mantra written on paper. Seeing the mantra and the wind as separate is opposed to vajra recitation.

Always focus your mind upon the white HUM, and while doing so, imagine being the white HUM. And you are listening to the sounds, the vibrations, of the three syllables as the air goes in and out. It is incorrect to think that you are inside a vase listening to a sound coming from the outside. In fact, you are in the vase, the OM vibration comes in through the opening, the AH vibration remains inside while the wind is kept in there, and as the wind is exhaled it has the vibration or intonation of HUM. The vibrations are like “OMMMMMMMM, AHHHHHHHH”. Listening to these vibrations is the mind in the central channel at the heart. Do not think that you are outside and listening to a sound arising from the vase. You are inside the vase and the wind is circulating with the three vibrations.

While listening to the vibrations you are in the aspect of a white HUM. Your mind does not flow in and out of the vase with the winds. Focus on the wind flowing in and out through the central channel and this is perfect. There are different ways of doing this meditation. Asanga says “Imagine the air comes and goes”. He does not specify focussing on the central channel, this breathing meditation is simply to pacify certain afflictions. Yet you must the central channel must be focused upon because the object of this meditation is to insert the winds into the central channel. Without focussing upon the central channel itself, there can be no success.

While the wind is flowing to and fro within the central channel, the channel should be visualized with all knots untied. Only after undoing the knots can we concentrate on the flowing of the winds. It is necessary to concentrate in this way because one day the knots will actually be untied. When you think of the knots always remember to include those at the heart level which are the most difficult to untie, yet without untying them, the clear light belonging to the isolated mind cannot be attained. Other texts mention vajra recitation done at the navel, but here it is done at the heart to facilitate the ability to untie those knots.

METHOD OF VAJRA RECITATION

Sit in the vajra position, your two hands in the mudra of contemplation, and do the nine round breathing. With yourself as Yamantaka with consort, visualize the thee main channels, four main chakras, the red and white pea sized energy drops combined at the heart (red below, white above), a moon disc inside with a mustard seed sized white HUM on the moon. Concentrate on this HUM and imagine five colored rays of light rising from the HUM, like smoke rising from an incense stick. Rising through the central channel, these rays touch your crown chakra and then return to the HUM at your heart with the vibration OM, you are breathing in. The rays dissolve into the HUM and abide there with the vibration AH, hold your breath. As you exhale, the rays go up the central channel with the vibration HUM, enter the right and left channels at the root of the nose where they connect with the central channel, and pass out through the nostrils. Breathe in again and the coloured light rays return through the same passage with the vibration OM to dissolve into the HUM at your heart. Continue as before.

It is difficult for us to hold our breath for long yet we should try to balance the times of inhalation, abiding, and exhalation. Eventually we will be able to hold our breath for a longer time and will not have to inhale and exhale so frequently. While on the path we have to visualize with much effort from our own side. But when the result is attained the sound of the three syllables will come from their own side without any effort. When our mind is able to abide naturally for a long time on the vibrations of the three syllables, we will also be able to produce the simultaneously born bliss and integrate bliss and voidness because the winds have entered and dissolved into the central channel, and the tummo fire which is the cause for the unification of bliss and void is lit. Tummo generates the four blisses and is the way to integrate bliss and void. If it were not so, we could not do the vajra recitation of the generation stage. Mainly we need the method to generate joy by following the method of simultaneous-born bliss and combining this mind with the object emptiness.

Maintain contemplative exalted wisdom upon the object emptiness for a long time. When you arise from meditation you have to make the winds move. Then, from the post meditative state you have to again re-insert the winds and attain meditative equipoise on exalted wisdom. Do this repetitively over a long time until you attain enlightenment. In this way you live your whole life utilizing bliss and void. This is the vajra recitation on the primary upper winds at the heart level.

VAJRA RECITATION ON THE LOWER PRIMARY WINDS

Meditate on the same object, the white HUM at your heart. In the aspect of light rays of five colors, the winds from the lower part of your body rise up from your penis within the central channel with the vibration OM as you breathe in. They enter the HUM and abide with the vibration AH. Then as you breathe out, the winds in the aspect of light rays go down the central channel and leave through your penis. The only difference between this meditation and the previous one is the door from which the winds leave the body. Due to the winds entering the central channel the various bliss are generated and the blissful mind concentrates on emptiness as before.

VAJRA RECITATION ON UPPER AND LOWER BREATHING

As you breathe in, imagine that the winds come down from above entering the HUM at the same time as the winds from below rise and enter the HUM, which remains as the same object of meditation. The vibration of the winds flowing from above and below into the HUM is OM, the vibration while they are abiding is AH, and as they leave through the two doors as you exhale, HUM.

VAJRA RECITATION ON CHASING

Focus on the HUM at your heart. As you breathe in the upper wind comes down through the nostrils with the vibration OM and enters the HUM from which it “Chases” the winds of the lower part of the body which leave the HUM and go down the central channel and out through the lower door, having the vibration HUM. The upper winds now abide at the HUM in the heart with the vibration AH. Then, as you breathe out, the lower winds come back up through the penis to the HUM with the vibration OM, and the upper winds leave the HUM and go out the nostrils which the vibration HUM. As you hold your breath the lower winds no abide within the HUM with the vibration AH. And so on.

VAJRA RECITATION ON THE PERVASIVE WIND

Focus on the HUM at your heart as before. Imagine that all the minor channels of your entire body, from head to heels, are connected to the central channel as the branches of a feather are connected to the central shaft. The minor channels of the right side entering the right side of the central channel, and those of the left entering the left side. Feel that you are within the central channel and can see through all these minor channels. And they are perfectly hollow. Think that even your body pores are perfectly clear, the winds enter the pores, flow through the minor channels, and enter the central channel with the vibration OM. The abide in the HUM at your heart with the vibration AH, and leave through the minor channels and the body pores with the vibration HUM. These last techniques of vajra recitation are a more profound method for entering, abiding, and dissolving the winds within the central channel. The last method is the most effective. These practices are done at the stage of isolated speech, next comes the isolated mind with the example clear light made very clear by the practice of vajra recitation.

VAJRA RECITATION ON THE SECONDARY WINDS

The Running Wind is related to eye consciousness. Focus on the HUM at your heart as before. Imagine that the two roots of the eyes are connected to the central channel at the level of the heart. At the eyes there are two clear apertures. Breathe in, the wind enters these apertures with the vibration OM, goes down to the heart where it abides in the HUM with the vibration AH, and as you breathe out it leaves with the vibration HUM.

The Running-Well Wind is related to ear consciousness. The two roots of the ears are connected to the central channel at the level of the HUM at the heart, and there are two clear apertures at the ears. Meditate on the air coming and going as above.

The Running-Perfectly Wind is related to the nose-consciousness. Focus on the HUM, visualize the two roots of the nose connected to the central channel at the heart and meditate on the air coming and going as above.

The Running-Excellently Wind is connected to the tongue consciousness. Focus on the HUM and visualize the root of the tongue connected to the central channel at the heart, a clear aperture at the tip of the tongue, and the air coming and going as above.

The Running-Definitely Wind is related to the touch consciousness. Focus on the HUM, think that all the body channels are connected to the central channel at the level of the HUM at the heart, and the outer ends of these channels open in clear apertures at the body pores. The wind comes and goes as above.

It is very important to know these vajra recitations and to practice them. To be able to untie the knots, it is recommended that you do the vajra recitation of the upper primary mind. This meditation is done at the stage of the isolated body in order to attain the exalted wisdom of isolated mind.

In summary: the signs of the dissolution are the signs from the earth absorbing upwards, mirage and so forth, up to the sign of the clear light and then the clarity of the Dharmakaya appears. One contemplates on this clear light for some time then moves from this state to take the Sambhogakaya. Simultaneous with this comes the signs in reverse order ending with the mirage vision. Then there is the clarity of the Sambhogakaya belonging to the waking period. Then one takes the emanation body visualizing that one enters into the old karmically taken aggregates through the crown down to the heart and takes the aspect of simple Yamantaka with consort. This is the clarity of the emanation body belonging to the waking stage. Once consciousness has entered the old aggregates, the sense consciousness begins to function and different kinds of appearances arise. Contemplate these appearances are empty and all is pervaded by the blissful exalted wisdom, and that this unity of blissful exalted wisdom and emptiness is the source through which the emanation body is taken.

The practitioner then does the three clarities belonging to the sleeping period. Using the HUM at the heart as the object of meditation, one goes through the same process as before up to the clear light of sleeping. When the vacuity appears to the mind, that is the moment of the appearance of the clear light. This clear light is to be mixed with the clear light that comes at the time of death due to karma and afflictions. One contemplates on this mixture then awakes from the Dharmakaya and takes Sambhogakaya from the dream body. Again one goes through the signs in the reverse order down to the mirage-like vision. This is the clarity of the Sambhogakaya belonging to the sleep. Then one takes the Nirmanakaya from this state of Sambhogakaya by entering through the crown of the old karmically taken aggregates and abiding at the heart just before waking. One then awakens to reflect that all appearances are empty and then integrates this emptiness with the blissful mind. This is the clarity of the Nirmanakaya belonging to the sleeping period.

At the time of death, the yogi must focus the mind on the syllable HUM at the heart and then do as previous, making the wind enter, abide, and dissolve. At the end of this is the moment of clear light. Because of being under the control of karma and delusions, when this “death clear light” or “the clear light belonging to the dying period” arises, it must be mixed with the ones belonging to the waking period and the sleeping period. So these three are mixed. The mixture of the three, and then the unification of the bliss and void together, must be contemplated upon for some time. This is the clarity of the Dharmakaya belonging to the dying period.

The yogi has to awaken from this clear light. This means there is time to leave the karmically taken aggregates for the intermediate state body. Yet instead of taking the ordinary intermediate state body, the yogi takes a body of Yamantaka with a female consort. As soon as this aspect is taken, one should think that one has a vision of the different signs in reverse order up to the mirage vision. And one has taken the Sambhogakaya. While in this intermediate state virtuous activity must continually be done. This is the clarity of the Sambhogakaya of the dying time. One must then awaken to the Nirmanakaya. From the intermediate state rebirth is taken. One’s consciousness enters a couple in union who will provide all the proper conditions for one to practise Dharma. One enters the father through his crown and is reborn in the womb of the mother. This is the clarity of the Nirmanakaya of the Death time.

We have completed the Tantra Yoga which is the first of the four yogas of the completing stage. It was divided into the basic tantra yoga of locating the winds at the navel and Tummo meditation, and the actual tantra yoga of vase breathing and vajra recitation at the heart.

GENERAL PRESENTATION OF THE COMPLETING STAGE

1 isolated body
2 isolated speech
3 isolated mind
4 illusory body
5 clear light
(a)- example clear light, the blissful exalted wisdom realizing
emptiness through a meaning generality
(b)- meaning clear light, the blissful exalted wisdom realizing
emptiness directly
6 the unified stage

Of these six, the basic yoga tantra is meditation on the ISOLATED BODY, and the actual tantra yoga is meditation on ISOLATED SPEECH. “Isolated body” is so called because we isolate the body from its ordinary appearance and see it as the deity. In the isolated body of the generation stage we abandon the conception grasping at ordinary appearance. In the generation stage the winds enter and abide in the central channel, but do not dissolve. In the completion stage isolated body there is all three.

In the generation stage, the basis of meditation is a seed syllable which transforms into the deity, the mansion, and so on. But in the completion stage the basis of meditation is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void which is the source from which the deity, the mansion etc. arise. The isolated body in the completion stage is isolating the body composed of the twenty-five gross things (five aggregates, four elements, six sources, five objects, five exalted wisdoms). This coarse aspect is to be stopped and the body state becomes the aspect of the deity.

In the vajra recitation, the wind and the mantra as indistinguishable is the basis of the whole meditation. The wind is the root of speech, and when regarded as the vibration OM AH HUM, ordinary speech is stopped and replaced by their vibration. So isolated speech refers to the speech, mantra, and wind as being oneness. In another way, the isolated body is called “concentration on the vajra body”, and isolated speech is “concentration on the vajra speech”. With isolated body we meditate on the dignity of taking the body of a Buddha, and with isolated speech we meditate on the dignity of having the speech of a Buddha.

Question: Are the five exalted wisdoms of the ordinary aspect which we abandon facsimiles of the real exalted wisdom, or what?
Answer: The five exalted wisdoms of the ordinary aspect are the five sensory consciousness of ordinary beings which are subject to become exalted wisdom in the future. Ordinary beings cannot have the real exalted wisdom but they do have the substantial cause which will become the real exalted wisdom when they attain enlightenment.

THE YOGA OF SAMAYA

Up to this point the practices have been the “substitute” for the levels of isolated body and speech, but the isolated mind has not yet been achieved. To do so should mean that we will attain enlightenment in this very lifetime. Although we have not achieved the example clear-light of the isolated mind, we still meditate on the nine clarities so that when we die we will have the security of a good basic training upon which we can take rebirth in a proper family where we can continue our tantric practice. If again we die without attaining the isolated mind then again we can be reborn in a suitable family and so on until we eventually succeed. When we have attained isolated body and speech but not isolated mind, we are still able to generate the different blisses through the energy drops going up and down within the central channel.

The yoga of Samaya is called the “Uncommon External Mudra” because we must depend upon an external mudra through which we generate bliss and then contemplate on the union of bliss and void. It is called the “Yoga of Blessing” because when we do this practice we have to transform the white, red, and black visions, etc, into the path. Before this stage the visions arose in their ordinary way, now we have to use them as the path.

Adherence with a mudra has two aspects, action mudra and mental mudra. Mental mudra is where the practitioner emanates a knowledge partner through concentration and enters into union with that partner. The partner is merely a conceptualization. The action mudra is a real fully qualified knowledge being with whom one enters physical union. When the vacuity or the clear light is induced in the context of isolated mind there is always the need to depend upon an action mudra, otherwise the clear light will not be a clear as it appears to a dying person.

At the beginning we must depend upon an action mudra to induce this clear light. However once the vacuity has been attained, the practitioner need no longer depend upon an action mudra to induce it again, a mental mudra will suffice. There are different levels of action mudra. Simultaneously born action mudra is one abiding at a level of realization such as the meaning clear light or the unified stage. Field born action mudra is a one who has attained realization of isolated body, isolated speech, isolated mind, or illusory body. Mantra born action mudra is one with realization of the generation stage.

A partner knowledgeable in all sixty-four arts of love would be the perfect condition required to gain siddhis. It is necessary to depend upon such an action mudra to attain the example clear light of isolated mind. With an action mudra, one will experience the two types of bliss, forward and reverse, which are not the same as before when the drops came drown from the crown and went back up again. Those two were existing at the stage of the isolated body. These two are the blisses needed for the cultivation of the exalted wisdom, and the example clear light of isolated mind, which is generated through inducing a very clear vacuity or clear light vision, as clear as the clear light of death.

Not just the clear light has to be very clear, but also all four vacuities, white, red, black, and clear light. These four vacuities are generated in a very clear way by absorbing all the winds and drops from the upper and lower parts of the body into the central channel at the heart. When all the winds of the body are absorbed there, the four forward blisses are experienced. When the drops and winds are sent back to their origion, the four reverse blisses are experienced.

DEFINITION OF ISOLATED MIND

“An exalted wisdom in which the four vacuities have been transformed into the entity of bliss and void.” This isolated mind realizes the Dharmadhatu, the nature of the mind, through a meaning generality. When each of the four visions arise we are able to transform it into bliss and void. When the black vision appears, there are two parts, “upper black vision” with memory; and “lower black vision” without memory. The lower black vision has a part which awakens from the unconscious state. This is the moment when the clear light vision comes. This wakening part of the lower black vision does not really belong to the black vision. It seems to be there, but in fact it is just the beginning of the example clear-light of isolated mind. “Black vision with memory is when we are conscious, then we go unconscious and experience black vision without memory. Then we regain consciousness to have the clear light vision which is not part of the black vision.

While we are using the external method of entering into union with the action mudra, we have to use the internal method of contemplating on locating the winds at the navel, contemplating on vase breathing, and contemplating on vajra recitation at the heart. We meditate on these three in a gradual way, all together or one at a time.

The question arises, can a yogi attain the example clear light of isolated mind immediately after entering into union with an action mudra? The answer is that one only attains the example clear light of isolated mind at the time when one has completely untied all six knots at the heart level by completing one of the above three meditations at the internal level and having entered union with an action mudra at the external level. It is because of these inner and outer methods that all the primary winds enter the heart and the six knots are untied. At this time it is just the beginning of the example clear light of isolated mind which is attained.

When all the primary and secondary winds have completely absorbed into the indestructible drop at the heart, then the complete example clear light of isolated mind is attained. When all the winds completely absorb into the indestructible drop, the yogi has the four visions, from the mirage down to the dying flame. Next he has the white vision, but this is not the same as before when there was simply the appearance like a full moon night in Autumn. It is different because the yogi generates this white vision into bliss and void, and it is called “ISOLATED MIND, THE EXALTED WISDOM OF APPEARANCE”. Then the red vision occurs and this also is not the usual vision, it is generated into the state of bliss and void called, “ISOLATED MIND, EXALTED WISDOM OF RADIANCE”. Then the black vision comes, the yogi does not grasp at it in the usual way but generates it into bliss and void called, “ISOLATED MIND, EXALTED WISDOM OF NEAR ATTAINMENT”. The black vision has the three parts we mentioned before, and the last part is not seen as the usual clear light but is generated into bliss and void called “ISOLATED MIND, EXAMPLE CLEAR LIGHT”.

The black near-attainment has three parts. The third is when one regains consciousness and at the same time the sign of the clear light appears. That clear light is transformed into the exalted wisdom of bliss and void instead of allowing it to become the ordinary clear light, and the example clear light of isolated mind is attained. “Isolated” means it is a mind separated from the ordinary appearance of all four ordinary visions, from the white to the clear light. The example clear light of isolated mind is called the “CONCENTRATION OF VAJRA MIND”.

To attain this result we have first contemplated on the exalted wisdom of bliss and void and then gone through the eight visions where it is essential to have mindfulness, thinking “now it is the mirage, the smoke vision will cone next….. the mirage has finished and I am seeing the smoke, the sparks will come next…” and so on. It is necessary at each step to have these three mindfulnesses of what has just passed, what is happening now, and what will happen next. While we are meditating on the level of isolated mind there is always the opportunity for us to perceive the nature of our mind. The nature of the mind has conventional and ultimate aspects, here we have the chance to perceive the ultimate aspect.

The conventional nature of the mind is that it has no color or shape, yet it is able to perceive it’s object. When it changes from one object to another all the accompaniments such as feeling, change to that object as well. The mind functions as a root of cyclic existence and of nirvana, this refers to the subtle mind. The ultimate nature of the mind refers to the real, profound, or actual nature of the mind. This is the fact that the mind is non-truly existent, not realized by ordinary beings.

If we do not perceive the ultimate nature of mind then we will not be able to transform the three visions into the aspect of exalted wisdom of bliss and void, and then the eighty indicative conceptions can arise. When these arise afflictions are present, karma is created, and the causes for future samsaric rebirths are made. If we clearly understand how to transform the three visions into exalted wisdom of bliss and void, then we will be able to attain both the example clear light and the meaning clear light.

There are thirty three indicative conceptions associated with the white vision, forty with the red, and seven with the black. When they arise they are preceded by the three appearances. This means that the black vision occurs. At these three levels of the red, black, and white visions the movement of the wind is different. At the white vision the wind moves forcibly, at the red vision it moves in a medium way, at the black vision it moves feebly. Since there are these three movements of wind, when the thirty three absorb, this is equivalent to forcible. When the forty absorb it is medium, and when the seven absorb it is feeble. Within these eighty indicative conceptions some are virtuous, some are non-virtuous, and some are unpredictable, but all are objects to be abandoned.

One of these is non-harmfulness, which is a conception and the meaning of compassion. We may doubt it as an object to be abandoned, if it is compassion. The compassion existing in the continuum of a learner depends upon conception and is a compassion where obscurations are still present. When one attains enlightenment, compassion is changed into the compassion without obscurations present. Thus compassion here is an object to be abandoned because it is accompanied with obscurations which change naturally when enlightenment is attained. This is why we say it is an object to be abandoned, otherwise it doesn’t make sense. From the broad point of view, compassion existing in the mind of an ordinary person is not an object to be abandoned. But from a fine point of view the compassion existing in the mind of a learner is an object to be abandoned because it is a compassion whose situation changes when enlightenment is attained.

There are eighty indicative conceptions of night and eighty of day. They exist upon the basis, all beings of the six realms. The white, red, and black visions can appear clearly when we die. They can also appear clearly for a yogi meditating on the completion stage as the winds are inserted into the central channel at the heart. When a practitioner inserts the winds into the central channel at another point such as the navel, the white, red and black visions appear but not as clearly as when the winds are inserted at the heart.

The conception of self identity is the main root for rebirth within cyclic existence and also the cause of the imprint which is an obscuration to omniscient mind. This means it is accompanied by a subtle wind which is a co-operative cause for anyone who has the self grasping conception to be reborn in cyclic existence again and again. To overcome the self grasping attitude we have to realize it is incorrect and also stop the way in which the object is conceived by this conception. This means that there is a mind which realizes that the conceived object does not exist in reality, but this realization is not enough, it has to be transformed in blissful exalted wisdom. To do this we have to absorb the different winds moving at the levels of the three visions. There are four blisses after absorption of these winds and it is not enough to just experience them, we have to transform them into the four vacuities at the four levels. If this is not done we cannot make the cause to obtain the Sambhogakaya.

After understanding this point we have to transform the three visions into the entity of bliss and void, thereby attaining the example clear light of isolated mind. The purpose of meditating on the example clear light of isolated mind is not only to integrate bliss and void, but also to create the cause for attaining the illusory body which comes after this practice. If we attain the final example clear light of isolated mind before we attain the illusory body, there will be signs of attainment appearing to us. When these signs fail to appear, we must continue meditation upon the example clear light of isolated mind. The signs come easily once we attain the final example clear light of isolated mind and, until they occur, we cannot take the illusory body. Therefore we need to repeatedly meditate on the example clear light of isolated mind, enter contemplative exalted wisdom, arising, going through the nine clarities, again and again.

To attain the example clear light of isolated mind for the first time we must depend upon an action mudra. From then on we can depend upon a mental mudra. We need an action mudra the first time because without this the clear light is not as clear as for a dying person. Subsequent meditation on the example clear light of isolated mind can be done with either an action mudra or a mental mudra and while doing so, any of the four meditations can be done, vase breathing, vajra recitation at the heart, energy wind location at the navel, ortummo.

The signs which arise before the illusory body is attained include dreams of oneself sitting upon a lion throne surrounded by Buddhas and bodhisattvas, dreams of our body being like a reflection in a mirror, a rainbow in the sky, or like a reflection of the moon in water, dreams of the body aura pervading the entire world, dreams of listening to many Buddhas giving teachings, dreams of giving teachings to many sentient beings, dreams of flying in the sky. Any of the classes of action mudra can help us to attain the example clear light of isolated mind.

PERFORMING THE YOGA OF SAMAYA

Samaya means sacred word, based upon the action mudra. Before entering union, you must remind yourself of the common basis practice. With the touching of the vagina with one’s ring finger, the energy channel called “The one having the face of a crow” will appear. This energy channel is inserted into the male urethra and then the vajra is inserted into the lotus. The kiss on the lips is called the “vajra position of the energy channels.” When meditating with a mental mudra you imagine performing these steps.

While doing this practice, with a mental or an action mudra, you must visualize yourself as Yamantaka with his consort Vajra Vetali. At your heart, within the indestructible drop, is white Yamantaka with consort, the wisdom being. And at Yamantaka’s heart is the concentration being, a white HUM the size of a mustard seed. You are the stack of three, the symbolic, wisdom, and concentration beings. Now imagine that the wind descends from your heart to the point of union of your sex organs. At the same time, wind descends from your consorts heart to this point. These winds are similar to incense smoke, forming a long line, they meet to remain together for sometime. This is the vajra position of the energy winds.

Visualize the wind from your heart descends down your central channel to enter the central channel of your consort to rise up to her navel and light her Tummo fire. The heat goes up the central channel to her crown chakra where the white bodhicitta melts and flows down to her heart. At the same time, the wind from her heart descends and enters your central channel, lights the tummo fire at your navel, the heat rises to your crown chakra, and the white bodhicitta melts and flows down to your heart. Finally the two winds, red and white, come down to the point of union of the sex organs where they combine and remain for some time, this is the vajra position of the energy drops.

While the drops are descending the feeling of bodily and mental pleasure is generated. The mind itself is turned into the entity of bliss in both the male and his female consort. With this blissful mind emptiness is focussed upon and bliss and void are integrated. Think that you are entering the Dharmakaya. Maintain this for some time, this is the vajra position of bliss and void. These four vajra positions are explained in the root tantra of Red Yamantaka.

Next, focus upon the HUM at the heart of the wisdom body at your heart. Externally you remain in union with your action mudra, internally you are focussing upon the HUM. Now imagine that the central channel at your heart is connected to all the secondary channels throughout your body. They all meet at the HUM. The external apertures of all these secondary channels are at the body pores of the body. Visualize the wind remaining at the outer tips of these channels, like dew-drops on the tips of grass, come inwards to the central channel and enter the syllable HUM at your heart. As they flow in they have the vibration OM and appear like blue incense smoke. They abide in the HUM with the vibration AH, and then go out again with the vibration HUM. This is the vajra recitation on the pervasive wind.

After this vajra recitation on the pervasive wind, again remind yourself as being Yamantaka, the stack of three beings, and from the HUM at your heart radiate many light rays out to all worlds purifying the environment into pure realms and transforming all sentient beings into Yamantakas with consorts. The pure realms then absorb into the sentient beings as Yamantakas and consorts, they absorb into you and your consort, and she absorbs into you, Yamantaka. You, the symbolic being, absorbs into Yamantaka the wisdom being at your heart, and he absorbs into the HUM, the concentration being at his heart. The HUM absorbs from the bottom upwards. This is the process of locating the energy winds at the heart in dependence upon the action mudra. You mix this internal meditation on vajra recitation of the pervasive wind with the external yoga.

You may need to continue this practice, for six, twelve, or eighteen months. The time taken depends upon how long it take you to untie the energy knots of the central channel. After meditation in this way for some time you will be able to untie all the knots of the central channel including the most difficult to untie, the ones at the heart. With the knots untied, the Tummo fire is lit and it can pervade the entire nervous system and through this effect, all the bodhicitta situated within the seventy-two thousand energy channels is melted and produces bliss greater than you have experienced before.

All the primary and secondary winds will be absorbed at the heart within the indestructible drop. The sign of this happening is the first four visions, from the mirage to the dying flame. When these are seen, all the winds and the bodhicitta drops from the seventy-two thousand channels have come to the heart. Now imagine that there are three layers of eight petals or spokes of the energy channels. At first, the winds and bodhicitta drops come to the outer layer, the external perimeter, and you experience bliss and the white vision occurs. This is the first of the blisses, the mere bliss, and also the mere vacuity. In the Guhyasamaja tantra the continents and Sanskrit vowels are placed on these layers of channels or petals, but here it is not necessary.

There are three layers of channels at the heart. The winds and drops absorb into the first, the “mere bliss” and “mere vacuity” are experienced and the white vision occurs. The winds and drops now go to the second layer and “supreme bliss” and the “vacuity of Extremely empty” are experienced and the red vision occurs. At this second stage the bliss and the vacuity is intensified. When these two things absorb into the third layer at the heart, the “great empty” and the “special bliss” are experienced and the black vision arises. When the energy winds and drops finally enter into the “indestructible drop”, the “simultaneous born bliss” arises and the sign of the clear sky at autumn. The vacuity is called “all vacuity”. The vacuity is more profound, and the bliss is increased and more intense.

For each respective bliss which arises comes the respective vacuity. The extremely subtle wind is also called the simultaneous born mind. This is because whatever rebirth a person takes, the consciousness is always existing simultaneous with the extremely subtle wind.

Simultaneous born bliss gradually arises and finally, the extremely subtle mind turns into the entity of that bliss. As the extremely subtle mind has turned into bliss one should contemplate on the fact that no phenomena is inherently existing. Meanwhile one should think that one has entered the state Dharmakaya and remain in this state for awhile. This is the clarity of the Dharmakaya belong to this specific case. All four blisses are different from the previous ones just as the process is also different from the previous ones because in the previous process the bodhicitta drop descended from the crown to the throat, to the tip of the jewel. Here the simultaneous born bliss is generated when the bodhicitta drop and all the winds absorb into the indestructible drop at the heart.

When one awakes from this Dharmakaya state one should think that one takes the form of Yamantaka which is different from ones own karmically taken aggregates. As soon as one takes this form one also has the different signs in the reverse order down to the mirage like vision. This is the Sambhogakaya belonging to the waking period. And then one takes the Nirmanakaya which has been on the old aggregates which means one enters the old aggregates through the crown and enters the heart of the old body. As the consciousness has entered and the sense consciousness begins to function, this would be the gross emanation body. And since the sense organs are functioning the different sense objects begin to appear and at that time one must contemplate on the fact that all appearances are empty and one must also integrate the emptiness with the blissful mind and understand that that is the source from which the gross emanation body arises.

To think that all appearances are empty is simple and means that whatever one sees is empty of inherent existence. But to say that all emptinesses are the entity of the bliss is a little different because we cannot really say that all emptinesses are bliss because in that case it would follow that whatever is empty of inherent existence is bliss, and that means everything is like a feeling. So when we say that all emptinesses are the entity of bliss this means that one has had the feeling of bliss during the whole time one has contemplated on the exalted wisdom and therefore those appearances are coming close to this feeling.

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Part Sixteen

Question: Is it because of the blissful exalted wisdom that we perceive all the different objects during the post session, or what?

A: Appearing due to the force of that blissful exalted wisdom is one way to interpret this. Another way is that all the emptinesses are pervaded by bliss.

Saying that one has to regard the Yamantaka form as the mere exhibition of the inseparable bliss and void, means that it is inseparable bliss and void that takes such an aspect. This is the clarity of the Nirmanakaya belong to the wakening period.

To go through the three clarities of sleeping one has to focus the mind on the HUNG at the heart while becoming sleepy. Then one makes the wind enter, abide, and dissolve in the central channel. This causes the different visions to arise such as the mirage, and then the clear light. At that time one should meditate on the Dharmakaya belonging to the sleeping period. Going from Dharmakaya to Sambhogakaya is the same as previously when one takes a separate body from the dream body. As soon as one takes the Sambhogakaya form as Yamantaka with a female consort, the different signs appear in the reverse order ending with the mirage vision. And one must recognize them for what they are. This is the clarity of the Sambhogakaya belonging to the sleeping period. After this one takes the Nirmanakaya from the Sambhogakaya state, entering the old body through the crown of the head and abiding at the heart. The moment the consciousness enters the heart is the moment when one awakens from sleep, and also the moment the sense organs start to function, and one must recognize the different appearances as empty.

The yogi described has now finished the six former clarities belonging to the waking and the sleeping period. Now he attains the example clear light of the isolated mind during the post session and therefore does not need to deal with the three clarities belonging to the dying process because death is stopped as soon as the example clear light is attained. One who attains the stage of the example clear light of the isolated mind is free from death and attains enlightenment within the present lifetime. When one has attained the example clear light of the isolated mind, the illusory body is taken and one goes through the remaining path to attain enlightenment and finally attains Buddhahood.

If the practitioner does not attain the complete example clear light during the present life, he is obliged to go through the three clarities belonging to the dying period. Attainment of the isolated mind does not necessarily mean attainment of the complete example clear light of the isolated mind. If this is not attained, the three clarities of the death process must be gone through.

There is no pervasion because there are the four signs, white, red, black, and clear light, arise gradually. These visions must be transformed into the entity of the blissful exalted wisdom, therefore there are four different levels of the exalted wisdom of the isolated mind. The first is the exalted wisdom of the appearance, the white vision. This is the transformation of the white vision into the entity of bliss. The second is the exalted wisdom or radiance, the red vision transformed into a blissful nature. and then transformation of the black vision, near attainment, into the blissful nature, and finally the transformation of the clear light into a blissful nature.

The moment one first transforms the white vision into a blissful nature is the moment of attainment of the first step of the isolated mind. For example, take the case of a yogi who has transformed the two former visions into the path, i.e. the blissful nature. Yet if he is unable to transform the black vision into the path of blissful nature, enlightenment must be attained during the intermediate state. In other words, a person who has attained the two former exalted wisdoms of the white and red visions but not the exalted wisdom of “near attainment” must attain enlightenment in the intermediate stage. Thus the clarities belonging to the dying period would have to be dealt with, and this means one would go through the process from the beginning of inserting the winds etc. up to the state of the clarity of the Dharmakaya belonging to the dying period. Then instead of taking a bardo body one takes an illusory body.

At the time of death there are two things present when the illusory body is taken. There is the wind which is the vehicle for the example clear light of the isolated mind, and there is the mount itself, the mind, which is the example clear light of the isolated mind. The wind is the substantial cause of taking the illusory body. The mind is the cooperative cause of taking the illusory body, which is then taken instead of the intermediate state.

The illusory body taken in this case is not the pure illusory body. Rather,it is the impure illusory body because according to the tantric system, the Arya path has not yet been attained. Finishing the remaining path through the illusory body means one has to actualize the meaning clear light, the learners unified stage, and the non-learners unified stage. When we say this person must attain enlightenment in the bardo, we mean that he must take the illusory body instead of the bardo body and then finish the remaining path. This is to clarify that the person does not take on a bardo body and then attain enlightenment with the bardo body.

The person we are talking about is one, who at the time of death, has got the example clear light of the isolated mind but has not completed it. One who is only about to attain the example clear light of the isolated mind would have to go through the three clarities belonging to the dying period and would attain an illusory body in the bardo. This illusory body, although not the real illusory body, is similar to the real illusory body because although the person has not attained the illusory body in the past, he has familiarity with taking the three kayas through imagination. So in this case the person arises in a similar illusory body in the intermediate state and then takes rebirth into a family where there would be no obstacles for doing tantric practice. This person grows up, goes through all the preliminary practices, and then depends on the two methods, the inner and the outer. Thus the example clear light of the isolated mind is then attained. This is because all the signs before the attainment of the example clear light of the isolated mind have been seen, and for that this person should depend on an external mudra method, and the internal method which is the vajra recitation at the heart. Then the gradual processes of meditation are gone through, such as absorbing the bodhicitta and wind into the indestructible drop, experiencing the different types of blisses gradually, and also going through the different vacuities. Finally the example clear light will be attained.

The wind referred to above is the absorbing of all the secondary and primary winds into the indestructible drop. After all the absorptions one has the last vision of clear light and then experiences the “simultaneously born bliss”. Among the vacuities there is the experience of the “all vacuity”. Such a basis is the perfect foundation to attain the illusory body in the future. When we talk about the natural space appearing to this person this means that space appears just as it is without any stains of white, red, and black visions, just the natural space appearing to this person. This blissful exalted wisdom here simply realizes emptiness through a meaning generality, the way the object emptiness is realized. The moment the person awakes or arises into the illusory body occurs after meditating on the unity of bliss and void, the “all vacuity” and the “bliss” at the same time. During this time the mind does not move from its meditative equipoise. Yet at some point the winds move, and because of this movement, this person awakes or arises into the illusory body.

tape 57 side B

…. the negation would have been recognized before. Even at our level of doing the common training on the path, there is training on how to recognize the object that is being negated. The meditator would already have known that the object of negation is what seems to exist inherently without depending on causes and conditions and this would already have been recognized because the meditator would already have been meditating on shi na and lag tong, etc. In general, the realization of emptiness could be experienced before entering a tantric path. Even an ordinary person could have this realization. It could also come after entering the path or also while on the generation stage.

The realization of emptiness that we are talking about here is the mind which is the blissful exalted wisdom, and this mind realizes emptiness through a meaning generality. So the subject, the blissful exalted wisdom, realizes emptiness at two levels. One, when one has to depend on a meaning generality, and secondly, when one does not need to depend on a meaning generality. These two levels are related to the two clear lights. On the level of the “example clear light of the isolated mind” one depends on a meaning generality, but during the “meaning clear light of the isolated mind” one is not dependent on a meaning generality.

While one is depending on the meaning generality at the time of the example clear light, one has the natural space appearing, but it is a dualistic appearance because one has a meaning generality. This dualistic appearance would not occur when the person attains the meaning clear light, and this automatically means that this person would not even have the color aspect of the natural space appearing.

In the beginning of the teachings it was said that while one is on the generation stage one simply transforms the basis only through imagination. The basis is the ordinary rebirth, intermediate, and death stages. We also said in the beginning that these three things are actually only transformed when the person is on the completion stage. So now we can understand how death is actually transformed because when one attains the example clear light of the isolated mind, the death that otherwise would occur is cancelled. Because the ordinary death is cancelled, then also the ordinary bardo as well as the ordinary rebirth that would otherwise come in the future are cancelled .

In the beginning we had the different yogas such as “the yoga of the sacred word” and the “yoga of shape” concerning the illusory body. We have finished the isolated body and the isolated speech and nearly finished the isolated mind. Then comes the arising of the illusory body. After the impure illusory body, the next step is the meaning clear light after which comes the learners unified stage, and then the non-learners unified stage which is the stage of Buddhahood.

There has been a lot of talk about the nine divisions, but it is very simple. Because we sleep and dream during our life, these six clarities can be practiced through meditating on the different kayas. By doing these repeatedly, at the end when we die we can really do the three clarities belonging to the dying process. The purpose of doing this is to have the blissful exalted wisdom quickly arising in oneself and also to exercise on the path that will eventually be realized in the future. These practices should be done like we live in our ordinary life, waking up and having breakfast, then eating lunch and perhaps dinner and then going to sleep and waking up again.

The clarities we have been discussing are in accordance with Yamantaka practice. But if we understand the nine relating to one deity, we will also understand all other deities because all have the same common practice. Without passing through the meditation of the nine divisions there is no other way of going through the tantric path.

YOGA OF SHAPE

The shape yoga comes here because when the extremely subtle mind and wind take the deity form which is like an illusion, there is a period when the extremely subtle mind and wind takes the shape exactly corresponding to the shape of the deity which will definitely come. This yoga has another name which is “the sequence of the conventional illusion” meaning that illusion is conventional.

To actualize the illusory body is extremely difficult. Thee are two types of illusory body, the real and the similar. We already have a level of the isolated mind which is not the complete one. There is the illusory body following the “incomplete example clear light of the isolated mind”. This is the similar illusory body, not the real one. The actual or real illusory body comes after finishing the example clear light of the isolated mind. This itself implies that this is a result coming after the isolated body, speech and mind and it is preceded by perfect meditation on the generation stage.

According to Guhyasamaja root tantra teachings, there are fifteen specific things to know about the illusory body and twelve examples. Five coming from this commentary, five similarities and the five specifications explained by the Guhyasamaja root tantra, and four attributes explained by a text called “cho du”. It says that although even if one does not actually attain the illusory body, if one simply meditates on the illusory body there are still so many benefits one can receive doing a complete meditation on the generation stage. So first you must understand what the illusory body is and then the aspiration to have this is greatly beneficial. It is the same as when a person imagines the great bliss. It also has many great benefits such as becoming a practitioner that is not reversing. Again, we must first understand what the great bliss is about and then aspire to have this.

THE FIFTEEN SPECIFICATIONS OF THE ILLUSORY BODY

1: Specification of cause. The extremely subtle mind and wind existing at the level of the complete example clear light of the isolated mind are the cause through which the illusory body is attained. The extremely subtle mind and the wind have their own specific function. One is the substantial cause and the other is the co-operative cause. From these two things, the illusory body arises.

2: Specification of time. The moment the signs arise in the reverse order, starting from the black vision, is the moment of the arisal of the illusory body.

3: Specification of place. Some say the awakening of the illusory body is from the inside, from the central channel. Others say to arise as the illusory within the central channel. A third interpretation is to completely separate from the old body, and this is the best way to arise.

4: Specification of the illusory body as like a rainbow and it is light because the cause is the merely subtle wind and mind.

5: Specification of color of the illusory body. It is white because when the substantial cause of the extremely subtle wind is transforming into the illusory body it is through the life supporting wind which is white.

6: Specification of shape. The illusory body corresponds to the particular deity one is practicing. For example if one is practicing Guhyasamaja one has three faces and six arms. If one follows Yamantaka one can have two types of illusory body, either the one with one face and two arms, or nine faces, etc.

7: Specification of who sees the illusory body. Ordinary beings who have not attained the illusory body cannot see another illusory body. According to tantra, one who has attained the illusory body is still an ordinary being, or one who has not attained the Arya path.

8: Specification of the radiating light. These light rays eliminate so many wo…. ???????? (page 281)TV

9: Specification of the objects enjoyed by one who has the illusory body. Having complete sense organs and secondary winds, one thus enjoys different objects, but still this person’s body can not be touched.

10: Specification of the plan that has already been made in the past when this person planned to awake from the illusory body just as he previously awoke as the illusory body.

11: Specification of the quality of the illusory body. With the quality of having found a treasure-like space, this person can gain whatever is wished for such as receiving initiations from the Buddhas. The illusory body could have similar signs to the Buddhas, and is also an object worthy of veneration by great yogis.

12. Similarity between the example. This will be explained later

13: Specification of enumeration, meaning the different labelled names. One enumeration is called “self blessing”, “the conventional truth”, “the illusory body”, and the “body of complete enjoyment”, “the sentient being, the Ghandarva (smell eater)”, “the vajra body”.

14: Specification of the usage of definitive words. We have to discuss the basis of imputation of “person”. This subtle basis is the extremely subtle wind and mind. This basis is transformed, and this is the self blessing. It is a blessing because we have the basis which is transformed into the form of a deity, and the definitive word here is the usage of self blessing.

15: Specification of the duration of the illusory body. This illusory body exists from the moment of the arisal of the example clear light to the very beginning of the fourth stage, the meaning clear light. This means it automatically exists simultaneous with the signs of the reversing order, the near attainment. So this “near attainment” and the illusory body come simultaneously. The illusory body arising at this time is the impure illusory body. It is called impure because it is still together with obscuration to liberation.

tape 58

There are two clear lights, the meaning and example clear light. The example clear light is the blissful exalted wisdom realizing emptiness through a meaning generality. The meaning clear light, sometimes called the fourth stage, is the blissful exalted wisdom realizing emptiness directly. This person’s former illusory body would vanish the moment the meaning clear light is attained because the meaning clear light does not have an illusory body. At the time of the meaning clear light the impure illusory body has vanished and the pure illusory body has not yet arisen.

According to the “perfection vehicle”, in order for a person to attain enlightenment, one would have to collect the two accumulations during a period of three countless great aeons. One great eon is spent on the path of accumulation and preparation. The second eon is spent during the first seven stages, “the seven pure stages”. The third eon is spent on the last three bhumis, eighth, ninth and tenth. In tantra, the attainment of impure illusory body is the substitute for collecting these two types of merit over three great aeons. The first two accumulations that comes during the first two great eons, according to the perfection vehicle, comes here during the period of the impure illusory body. And according to tantra, the person with an impure illusory body is still an ordinary being as he has not yet attained the path of seeing, which means that he is still on the path of preparation.

THE TWELFTH “SIMILARITY TO THE EXAMPLE”

(1) The illusory body is similar to an illusion. Like an illusion created by a magician, such as an illusion of a horse, these illusory beings seem to have bodies made of flesh, but they do not.
(2) It is similar to a reflection of the moon in water. This is because when the moon arises, in whatever still water there is in the world, in each of these waters the moon is reflected at the same time unless the water is covered. Similarly, when an illusory body is attained, one can perform many emanations wherever there are sentient beings to work for.
(3) The illusory body is similar to a shadow. The shadow of a being cannot be cut off and destroyed with different types of tools. Likewise the illusory body can not be destroyed by any type of weapon or elements such as water or fire.
(4) It is similar to a mirage. The mirage has the nature or aspect of moving or shimmering. Likewise, the illusory body has the same nature. It has the nature of moving because when the meaning clear light is attained, the illusory body vanishes.
(5) The illusory body is similar to a dream. During the time we dream we take a dream body which is the result of the clear light of a dream. The dream body is a mental body and can go everywhere. The dream body is also a phenomena separate from ones ordinary body and, no matter what activities are accomplished during the dreams, the dream body comes back to the old body. Likewise with the illusory body. The illusory body is the result of the example clear light of the isolated mind and it also comes separate from ones own karmically taken aggregates. And the illusory body finally returns to the karmically taken aggregates.

There are many examples of the illusory body which are beneficial to hear. Among the many examples, the dream is perhaps the best, because from sleep comes the clear light ,and from that comes the dream body which is separate from ones own karmically taken aggregates. And at the end of dreams, the different dream bodies come back to the old body. The same process happens with the illusory body.

(6) The illusory body is similar to a resonance. An echo is a sound completely apart from the chamber it resonates in, yet is dependent on the chamber. Also the illusory body is apart from ones old body, but still existing in dependence on the old aggregates.

(7) It is similar to the “city of a Ghandarva”. in these cities are many houses and different beings appearing to the beings who are there. Also the person who is doing Yamantaka practice and who has an illusory body is an appearance of the whole mandala.

(8) The illusory body is similar to a conjuration or visual distortion such as a multi-faceted lens. Although there is actually only a single object, so many objects may be seen that one may be confused. Likewise, although the illusory body is single, it still takes many different emanations.

(9) It is similar to a rainbow. This is because a rainbow has many different colors and appears to sense consciousness clearly or separate. Also the illusory body can appear very clearly. The faces and arms of Yamantaka can appear very clearly to the practitioner.

(10) It is similar to a flash of lightening that comes very suddenly. Likewise the illusory body suddenly arises from the old karmically taken aggregates.

(11) It is similar to a water bubble. When a bubble arises in water, it arises without any interruption, there is nothing in between. Also the illusory body and the example clear light of the isolated mind are without any interruption, therefore the illusory body comes immediately after.

(12) It is similar to a reflection in a mirror. Anything can be reflected in a mirror, for example Vajrasattva’s body can appear very clearly.

Q: Can the emanations of the illusory body be seen by other people or are they as subtle as the illusory body?
A: Although the illusory body cannot be seen because it is a mental body, the emanation body, which can be seen, can be produced very quickly. Thus the yogi can produce an emanation body in a place where there is a disciple to be subdued. For a person who has attained the illusory body, Yamantaka and entourage and place appears. This happens only for a person who has an illusory body.

THE FIVE EXAMPLES FROM THIS TEXT

(1) It is similar to a dream in that a body arises in the dream which is separate from the old karmically taken aggregates and also resulting from the clear light of sleep. At the end of the dream the dream body comes back to the old body, and likewise, the illusory body has the same process.

(2) It is similar to an illusion. A magician may create the illusion of a human being who seems to be a mixture of blood and flesh, but this is not reality. It is the same thing for an illusory body. When an illusory body appears to another illusory body, it then appears to the other as if it was make of flesh. A person who does not have an illusory body can only see the old gross aggregates, not the illusory body. Someone who has attained the illusory body can see the illusory body itself.

A magician can create, for example, a horse and know it is not real. Also, in general the body taken in the bardo is a mental body, it is something without obstructions. This means that the bardo body is only visible to other beings in the bardo. When a person attains the uninterrupted path of seeing, which is the first moment of the first ground, this body also turns into a mental body. While abiding on the path of preparation, one still has a body produced through karma and delusion. But when the path of seeing is attained, the old body is turned into a mental body. The true suffering on the path of preparation has been changed into a mental body because one has changed the situation. At the time of attaining the path of seeing, a mind generation called “the pure supreme thought” is attained. And because of the intensity of that mind generation, the old body automatically changes into a mental body. Although this person appears as having an ordinary gross body or ordinary beings, the body is actually a mental body.

Q: Is it the old aggregates that is transformed into a mental body?
A: The karmically taken body has turned into a mental body. It has totally changed into a mental body. This point is delicate as it only says that this body changes. What is not mentioned is how and why it changes. Yet according to previous great lamas, the old karmically taken body is changed into a mental body, as mentioned previously, because of the intensity of the mind generation of the moment. From the path of seeing onwards the person no longer has the old aggregates created by karma and delusion.

(3) It is similar to the reflection of the moon in water. This is the same explanation as before.

(4) It is similar to a water bubble, the same explanation as before.

(5) It is similar to a reflection in a mirror.

These are the five examples taught by this tradition.

THE FIVE SIMILARITIES FROM THE INSTRUCTION OF THE ROOT TANTRA GUHYASAMAYA

(1) The dream body awakening from the clear light of sleep is similar to how the illusory body awakes from the clear light.

(2) Just as the dream body is the result of the mere mind and wind, so too the illusory body arises from the same cause.

(3) Similarity of holding divine pride. Just as a person in the dream thinks the dream body is his own, also the person who takes an illusory body thinks it belongs to him.

(4) Similarity of parting. Just as the dream body is apart from the old body, the illusory body is separate from the old body.

(5) Similarity of coming back. Just as the dream body returns to the old body, also the illusory body returns to the old body.

THE FIVE SPECIFICATIONS COMING FROM THE INSTRUCTION

(1) Specification on the essential point of where the illusory body arises. Referring the point of the indestructible drop at the heart inside the central channel where the two halves come together, from which the illusory body arises.

(2) The Substantial cause of the illusory body is the extremely subtle wind.

(3) The force that awakens the illusory body. This is force of the plan or motivation which was made previously, such as thinking that one will awaken to the illusory body.

(4) The specification of the time one awakes as an illusory body. One wakes up into the illusory body as soon as the example clear light of the isolated mind ceases.

(5) The entity the illusory body wakes up in. This is into the deity form. The extremely subtle wind and mind is naturally in the state of bliss and void so it comes from there.

There are two ways the illusory body arise. Concerning how one awakens to the illusory body, two ways are debated. One is coming from the outside or outer waking, and the other from the inside or inner waking. This is a debatable subject because some scholars say there is a single waking, the outer. In the outer, it is said one goes outside the old body and then takes the illusory body which then comes into existence. On the other hand, those who accept the inner waking, such as Gyalwa Ensapa who attained the stage of total unity in his lifetime, say the illusory body comes from the central channel at the heart. That the illusory body first has to exist inside, coming from the indestructible drop at the heart, and then it goes out. The cause of the illusory body is the extremely subtle mind and wind so there is a question of whether the illusory body exists from these two causes inside, or only after these two have gone out. According to Ensapa first the illusory body manifests and then it goes out. The previous Gurus said this is a more acceptable way, and more secure.

The extremely subtle wind is not moving when the person is in meditative equipoise. But when this extremely subtle wind moves, at that moment the person moves from that meditation and takes the illusory body.

According to the text called “chuto”, this is not a direct object for those beings on the three isolations, body, speech and mind. Rather, the illusory body is explained by the Buddhas to those who are proper vessels, and something which has been experienced by the previous Gurus when they gained realizations. This illusory body is very subtle and cannot be attained even by high level bodhisattvas on the tenth ground of the perfection vehicle, by depending on their own path.

According to this text, the illusory body has four attributes. A person with an illusory body can see the bamboo body in the continuum of all sentient beings. That is, all beings have a bamboo mind which is also accompanied by a bamboo body. This person with an illusory body can also see all sentient beings and the environment as the manifestation of the extremely subtle wind and mind. It is not matter and has no substance such as blood and bones. Although it may appear as having substance or real, it is an illusion. Yet this same object is also not false because it is there and it has a function. It is not an ordinary body, but a body of mental consciousness. It is a body resulting from the extremely subtle mind and wind and appears very clearly as an object, like the body of Vajrasattva appearing in a mirror. The illusory body also has the major and minor marks similar to those of the Buddhas.

One’s extremely subtle mind and wind, perchance could emanate and appear in such form. This person could find himself somewhere and see these different forms or manifestations that seem to appear from their own side. The basis of the illusory body? This is the extremely subtle wind and mind existing as a basis in the continuum of all sentient beings. This is the bamboo mind and body in all sentient beings. If we take an animal rebirth our extremely subtle mind and wind become that of an animal. This clearly shows that the extremely subtle mind and wind can exist in any kind of sentient being, this continuum does always exist.

It is said that everything such as the environment and all sentient beings are the manifestation of the two. But that does not mean that they are born and produced. Here we simply say that those things are coming because of the existence of the extremely subtle mind and wind. When we say that all the environment and sentient beings are a manifestation of karma, this also gives an idea, so these two are very similar.

The illusory body is also a deity body. The extremely subtle wind and mind cannot appear as illusory body for those beings who are on a level lower than the three isolations. This means that beings on the three isolations cannot see this as an illusory body. During the generation stage, body isolation, speech isolation, and mind isolation, the wind and mind are not established as an illusory body, therefore those on these stages still visualize themselves as a deity during these different stages. One does not really deal with the subtle body but simply focuses the mind on the gross physical body and visualizes it as a deity.

Also when one meditates on the speech isolation, the coming and going of the winds as the vibration of the three syllables are simply imagined. The wind entering with the vibration of OM, abiding with AH, and leaving with HUNG. At that time the person does not really have the extremely subtle wind and mind which has actually become the body of the deity.

When one meditates on the mind isolation, one s just imagining transforming the white, red and black visions into bliss and voidness because the subtle mind and wind has not yet become the real deity’s body. The basis of the illusory body is the extremely subtle mind and wind but the gross body which is taken now cannot become or exist as an illusory body. The gross body is simply the body we have taken at birth and this is the body we leave when we die. So when we talk about the bamboo body, we are referring to the extreme subtle wind which we call the “life supporting wind”. The bamboo mind is referring to the mind which is one entity with the extremely subtle wind, one with the “life supporting wind”.

There are two levels of the basis of imputation of the person, the gross person and the extremely subtle person. The basis of imputation for the extremely subtle person is the extremely subtle wind and mind, but the the basis of imputation of the gross person is the gross aggregates. When one of these is functioning the other becomes dormant.

Q: Do you think that the extremely subtle mind and wind are functioning while dreaming? What about the dream body that goes everywhere?

A: Maybe it is the extremely subtle mind and body because the gross body is not functioning while these are working. I think it is probably the extremely subtle mind and wind which functions during the dream and bardo. Because these two are without any obstructions and when they go out it does not mean that there is no more any relation between the old karmically taken aggregates. But during the bardo it seems that there is no more relationship between that and the old body.

(page 291)

Q: What about the visions in the reverse order that occur when entering the bardo, because they are not very subtle?

A: The body of the bardo being is the result of the extremely subtle mind. This is the same process through which the illusory body arises. The illusory body has a substantial cause and the mind is the co-operative condition. The bardo body, the illusory body, and the dream body are all without obstructions.

Q: If you say that the most subtle mind and wind are the substantial causes of the body and mind of the bardo being, then it follows that the bardo being does not possess a very subtle mind and wind.

A: It does not follow, because the extremely subtle mind and wind can be divided in many ways. If we do not have this solution we come to a point when we almost cannot posit any substantial cause for the bardo beings body. If we follow what has just been said then it follows that when this bardo being takes a rebirth then that stops here and takes another without continuation. But in the usual way there is the extremely subtle mind and wind continuing from rebirth to rebirth. These points are very subtle and not really clarified in the text. What are the basis for the establishing of the impure illusory body? It also comes from the two most subtle ones, but when a person with an impure illusory body attains the meaning clear light then the entity of that impure illusory body stops and there is no more a continuation of that.

Q: Is the illusory body the very subtle body?

A: Yes. It is the same kind of division coming. We have the two most subtle ones which have to become the two of the Buddha in the future. On the other hand these two are also the basis of establishing the illusory body. When one attains the meaning clear light, then the illusory body stops, ceases. This is a precise point when the two most subtle ones are divided. In the perfection vehicle one spends three countless great eons to collect the two accumulations. In tantra this is replaced with the impure illusory body. This means that it is equal. After the impure illusory body comes the meaning clear light which is simply the blissful exalted wisdom realizing emptiness directly. The meaning clear light eliminates all the nine obstructions to liberation simultaneously. To eliminate them one needs great merit accumulated during the time of having the impure illusory body. This is because during that time one can go to many Buddha realms and listen to many Buddha teachings. The same thing happens in the perfection vehicle. When a bodhisattva attains the eighth bhumi he sometimes is absorbed in concentration on emptiness for long periods of time because there is great pleasure. Yet if they remain in this concentration too long, the Buddhas wake them up from their concentration to collect the two accumulations during their post meditation.

In the case of tantra there is no need to wake a person up. That is only in the perfection vehicle. The reason is, in the tantric vehicle, while the yogi is in union with a consort he can accumulate many merits by meditations such as inserting the wind at the navel, vajra recitations at the heart, and so on. Because this person enters into union with a consort he has all the signs up to the clear light, wakes up with the illusory body, and accumulates merits. When this person has done enough he returns to the old body and functions normally, eating food and so on, and at the same time benefitting sentient beings. The person at the state of the illusory body always goes back to the old karmically taken aggregates and then goes back and forth until the attainment of the meaning clear light.

At which point does a person wake up as an impure illusory body?

Differing opinions of scholars state two ways, an inner waking and an external waking. It is a question on how the two most subtle ones arise as illusory body. Internally the two most subtle ones arise or awake within oneself. Externally means that the two arise as an illusory body outside the central channel. Some debate, one way is to say that internal means within the abdomen. And outside, externally the most subtle one arise as an illusory body outside the central channel outside of the indestructible *drop. So in this sense the two are non contradictory.

According to Panchen Chogo Losang Gyaltsen, when regarded in this way they do not contradict each other. If we were to talk about the inner and outer among the basis there could be a contradiction because it is always from one point, the central channel. In that case the outside and inside are different. So if we talk about these two things among the basis then they are different, but it we talk about the two things on different basis they then become the same thing. When we talk about inside, it is referring to the abdomen. These things here depend on the basis on which we think. One way we think about the abdomen, and in another way we think about the central channel, so with these two things there is no contradiction. But if we have only one basis this would make contradiction.

So according to the Yamantaka commentary there are four outlines
1. The yoga of the tantra
2. The yoga of the sacred word
3. The yoga of shape
4. The yoga of pure exalted wisdom

This last is related to the previous discussion about the mind isolation of the example clear light and here we talk about the direct realization of emptiness which is also related to the blissful exalted wisdom. After having the example clear light of the mind isolation one makes or this this exalted wisdom becomes more and more intense or profound.

(tape 60 page 294)
…….

There are six different nominal clear lights or levels. First there is “clear light at the time of basis”. One “of the path”, another “of the result”, one “of the object”, another “on the subject” like the cognizing one, and one that is “of the meaning”.

We are discussing a clear light that is the combination of the three: that of the path, that of subject, and that of the meaning. It is called “clear light of the path” because it is a clear light that has become a path. It is called “the clear light of the subject” because it is a clear light realizing the object emptiness. It is called “the meaning clear light” because it is a clear light realizing the object emptiness with great bliss.

What is the clear light of the basis according to your comprehension?

Yes, it is a clear light appearing to a person at the time of death. That of the result is referring to the completion stage when it is attained. Object clear light is referring to the object emptiness.

1: The time the meaning clear light is attained in a yogis continuum, this is at dawn.
2: The method through which the meaning clear light is attained is through both the external and internal methods. External method means to adhere oneself to an external mudra, and internal method refers to the “holding perception”, or “complete absorption”, or “meditation on locating the wind energy at the navel”.

The process of locating the wind at the navel is the same as previously mentioned, that different light rays are emitted from the navel which spread out and transform the environment and the sentient beings, then the environment absorbs into the beings, who then absorb into oneself, etc. The second, the “complete absorption” is to focus on ones own body dissolving in the way that steam blown on a mirror dissolves.In this case one would not focus to the outside, such as on the environment and sentient beings, but simply focus the mind on oneself. One absorbs from bottom and tip into the center, like when one blows on a mirror, at the same time meditating on emptiness and having the subject, the mind, in the blissful exalted wisdom. These two, the object emptiness and the subject the blissful exalted wisdom, then become one like water mixed with water. When that takes place the impure illusory body has vanished and the meaning clear light is attained. Then the most subtle uncontaminated wind and mind acts as a substantial cause for the Rupakaya and Dharmakaya respectively. With them one eliminates all obscurations to omniscience and finally attains enlightenment.

Reply to inaudible question: Here it is talking about the entity, it is simply the meaning clear light and with the meaning clear light one ends the obscurations to liberation and after this one comes to attain the learners unified stage then the obscurations to omniscience and then one attains enlightenment.

THE ACTUAL METHOD FOR ATTAINING THE MEANING CLEAR LIGHT:

Before attaining the meaning clear light, many signs come to the illusory body, like the mind seems to pervade all of space. When these signs occur often, one has to imagine oneself being the stack of three beings. For example, Yamantaka. The HUNG at the heart is white and radiates many light rays which strike the environment transforming it into pure realms, and also strike all sentient beings who transform into Yamantaka with consort. The pure realms then absorb into the beings, the beings absorb into the source, i.e. one’s consort, who absorbs into oneself, and oneself absorbs into the concentration being. In between this, the symbolic being absorbs into the wisdom being who then absorbs into the concentration being. Then this HUNG absorbs upwards to the level of emptiness. All this is to make the wind enter, abide and dissolve in the central channel. Then one has the signs of these three, from the vision of mirage up to the clear light. The moment the clear light appears, one has to mix the blissful exalted wisdom with the object emptiness single pointedly. When these two are mixed, the most subtle mind and wind are there.

In other words, the blissful exalted wisdom has the most subtle mind and wind and these two are integrated with the object emptiness. At that point the black vision “the near attainment” ceases totally. And at the same time, the impure illusory body vanishes like a rainbow into space. So that impure illusory body turns into the meaning clear light. At that the simultaneous born bliss realizes emptiness, and one becomes an Arya being and attains the uninterrupted path which is against the obstructions to liberation. This person also attains the path of seeing of the highest yoga tantra.

(page 297)

There is the stage of the illusory body and the meaning clear light: The stage of the meaning clear light is the fourth in the tantric vehicle and when that is attained the person reaches the first bhumi in the tantric vehicle and also the path of seeing is attained.

The border of the “path of accumulation” on the tantric vehicle is the stage from which one is able to have the winds enter, abide and dissolve in the central channel through the force of meditation, but not being able to include emptiness directly. This is the border which extends up to the example clear light where there is “the exalted wisdom of appearance”, the white vision. So we have the body and speech and isolation. The mind isolation has several parts such as the exalted wisdom of “radiance”, “appearance” and the “near attainment”, so the path of accumulation is up to the part of the mind isolation where there is the exalted wisdom of the white appearance.

From that point up to when one realizes the object emptiness directly with the blissful exalted wisdom is called “the path of preparation” according to the tantric vehicle. The appearance of the exalted wisdom of the white appearance belongs to the path of preparation. One can also say that the path of preparation begins the moment one is able to induce the vacuity directly up to the moment one is able to realize the vacuity directly with the blissful exalted wisdom. The level when one realizes the vacuity directly with the blissful exalted wisdom belongs to the path of seeing.

When a person attains the completion stage, the body isolation is attained. At this stage one is already able to make the wind enter, abide, and dissolve in the central channel and at the end of these three the vacuity is included directly. The main point, to posit the border of the path of preparation, it begins from the stage when one attains the completion stage. In the text it is not clearly mentioned when the different paths start and end. So according to Geshela, the path of accumulation comes before one attains the completion stage. The period of the body, speech, and mind isolation and the illusory body belongs to the path of preparation.

When there is the blissful exalted wisdom realizing emptiness directly, at that time the path of seeing is attained, i.e. the uninterrupted path is seeing of the tantric vehicle.

After this there is the pure illusory body and beginning from the pure illusory body up to the moment the non-learners unified stage is attained, belongs or is the path of meditation of the tantric vehicle. When one attains the non-learners unified stage one is no longer a sentient being but a Buddha. The path of no more learning is strictly referring to the fact when one attains the non-learners stage. The learners unified stage is main thing on the path of meditation.

The meaning clear light or the forth stage, then one is talking about the path of seeing and this is also the first ground or path of the tantric vehicle. We have the impure illusory body and the mind isolation, speech and body isolation so all these four belong to the path of preparation. The path of accumulation of the tantric vehicle is to be posited before the attainment of the completion stage. This is just a very general picture, but on this basis there will be further information.

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Part Seventeen

THE FIVE STAGES

1: the vajra recitation (including body and speech isolation)
2: the mind isolation
3: the illusory body
4: meaning clear light
5: generality of the learners unified stage, this comprises both the learners and non-learners unified stage

When we hear about the fourth and fifth steps, this is what is referred to. There are these five steps in the Yamantaka text but they are not directly explained, but these five are coming from the four outlines we had some time ago. These four are related to three different types of Yamantaka, red, black, and white. There are different root tantras of the different Yamantakas so do not be confused by them.

The four outlines

1: yoga of tantra
2: yoga of the sacred word
3: yoga of shape
4: yoga of pure exalted wisdom

When these are specified one comes to the five different steps which mainly come from the Guhyasamaya practice. There are two yoga tantras,
(A) the basic yoga tantra,
1 the meditation on the process of locating the wind at the navel
2 the tummo meditation
(B) the actual yoga tantra
These two are the substitute of the body isolation explained in the Guhyasamaya tantra, so when doing those two one is doing the body isolation. So one visualizes ones own body in deity form and with this imagination one locates the wind at the navel level, and then one meditates on the tummo fire at that level.

Then we have two aspects of practice done, 1, the vase breathing, 2, vajra recitation at the heart. This is to do the different meditations on the vibrations of the three syllables.

When one is doing these two meditations one is doing the speech isolation of Guhyasamaya practice. When one is doing these two in Yamantaka practice this is exactly taken the place of the speech isolation which is done in the speech isolation of Guhyasamaya practice. Usually there are different types of objects of meditation in the Guhyasamaya practice like visualizing very subtle objects at the forehead and the heart and secret region, but in Yamantaka these (A and B) are practiced and they are equivalent.

Do not get confused about these different divisions and names. For example the yoga of samaya takes the place of the example clear light of the mind of isolation. The yoga of samaya talks about how one depends on the external and internal method in order to be able to attain the clear light. The yoga of shape is the substitute for the illusory body. The fourth yoga, the pure exalted wisdom, this implies the meaning clear light and the unified stage. So those four include the five stages, so when dealing with the four one is also dealing with the five in the Guhyasamaya practice. So now we have been dealing with the combination of Yamantaka and the Guhyasamaya practice.

Now we are at the point of the meaning clear light, and this from the view point of Yamantaka practice comes under the yoga of the pure exalted wisdom. Always when one is taking about different steps one is referring to the five.

When we are talking about the force of meditation, this should refer to the three things, enter,abide, and dissolve, and through the force of this one is not able to induce vacuity directly, when we say the common path, this is when one does the three things but is not able to induce vacuity directly, this is the path of accumulation. The part of having the wind actually dissolving is only on the completion stage but still one can try, this is because on the completion stage there is the body isolation. Some people say that this is not right because the body isolation also comes in the generation stage. But one should not get confused because the body isolation on the generation stage only have the body isolation of inserting and abiding, but not the dissolving one, as in the completion stage, therefore the limit of the body isolation is put on the completion stage and one attains the body isolation there.

So the fourth yoga of pure exalted wisdom, this contains the three paths of seeing, meditation and no more learning. This is because in that yoga there is an explanation on the meaning clear light and that is the path of seeing. There is also an explanation of the non learners unified stage and this is exactly included in the path of meditation of the tantric vehicle. The explanation of the non learners unified stage is the path of no more learning.

The third yoga of shape refers to the impure illusory body. In terms of path this belongs to the path of preparation. The yoga of the sacred word is the substitute for the example clear light of the mind isolation and this also belongs to the path of preparation. The first yoga of tantra has both the basic and actual one and the actual one has meditation on the vajra recitation which is taking the place of the speech isolation and the basic one is taking the place of the body isolation. Both of these belong to the path of preparation. The completion stage has these four different things and all these four belong to the path of preparation, so none of these belong to the path of accumulation. The path of preparation is only on the two levels of the generation stage, the gross and subtle stages.

In other words the tantric path of accumulation begins from the moment one trains oneself in all the common paths up to the time when one is meditating on the gross and subtle levels of the generation stage.

So first one trains in the common path and generates the mind generation of tantra and then deals with the gross and subtle levels of the generation stage until one attains the completion stage and this belongs to the path of accumulation. At the stage when the meaning clear light is attained the impure illusory body has already vanished. The stage when the meaning clear light is attained is called the”stage of thorough direct realization” This has two types, an internal and external.

When a person attains the illusory body one should be able to discriminate the two types, gross and subtle, from karma and afflictions.

The person who attained the mind isolation: There are different levels of mind isolation. It is not necessarily referring to the complete one. One has to meditate on the vajra recitation of the wind energy in order to stop the ordinary death. This means to transform the ordinary death and use it on the path. Also when the clear light comes that has to be transformed and then usually one would attain the bardo body but because of the transformation one is able to take the illusory body. Then one normally would have the reverse visions but instead of that one has to take the nirmanakaya. So one takes different manifestations as one wishes and one can do so much work and with that basis one is able to attain enlightenment. When a person attains the illusory body then the gross body arising due to karma and afflictions is totally thrown, there is still the subtle body remaining from karma and afflictions and that is the subtle mind and wind still being with oneself. When the subtle mind and wind begin to function then there is no more any function of the gross body because that is already stopped. When the gross body is function the subtle mind and wind cannot arise as the illusory body. So when the subtle mind and wind is functioning the gross body cannot move. So when one is functioning, the other is in a dormant state.

So then how one wakes as the illusory body is a matter of different opinions. Some say it is from inside, others from the outside, and again others say it is from both. From our position there is no contradiction even if one says that they arise from both. When a person attains the unified stage then the subtle mind and wind which had a karmic relation with the gross body is stopped. So these two which has been the supporting and the supported, when the unified stage is attained their relation can be used as the person likes. If this person only wants a subtle body, this can be chosen but if the person wants to keep the old body, because he sees its more benefits to do that, then this person has a power to keep that. When a person attains the unified stage, then the means for this person to attain enlightenment differs from the way a person attains enlightenment in the bardo. Just because of attaining the meaning clear light one impure illusory body just vanishes and this automatically includes the gross body which just stops naturally. So the illusory body cannot vanish before the meaning clear light. When one attains the meaning clear light there is the pure illusory body and there is the unified stage. Before the unified stage both types of illusory body has already been experienced by this person.

The reason the impure illusory body gets pure is because of the attainment of the meaning clear light. There is the most subtle wind which as been the vehicle for the example clear light and this wind has become more and more subtle. Then the illusory body is also absorbed into the clear light. During the time one has the example clear light the mind is still conceptual and it has not yet become an uncontaminated mind. The wind becomes uncontaminated only when the meaning clear light is attained. Because at that time both the subtle and gross conceptions are absorbed. Then the illusory body which is also resulting from the gross conceptions is naturally absorbed

So there are the five steps or stages, the vajra recitation and so on. There is not really the body isolation coming because it is already a preliminary practice for the vajra recitation. The vajra recitation is the substitute for the speech isolation. So it is already implied that the body isolation has been one through before the speech isolation.

In Guhyasamaya tantra there are six steps mentioned.
1: body isolation
2: speech isolation
3: mind isolation
4: illusory body
5: clear light
6: unified stage

Whether there are five or six steps, it os only a matter of counting. In the five steps we do not have body isolation but it is still there so there is nothing missing. The five stages os from a text by Nagarjuna. All these steps belong to the completion stage.

The fourth step, the meaning clear light has two divisions, “a perfect end” and “thoroughly enlightened”. This has two divisions, an internal and external. One is called external through enlightened because it is a realization attained after having transformed the white, red and dark visions. It is also a realization attained at dawn which has gone beyond those three visions. It is called external because it is related to external visions like that of the sun and moon, nothing of this is there. But for the internal there is the radiance, the appearance, and the near attainment and these are internal called internal thoroughly enlightened because one gains realizations by going beyond these three internal ones. So this meaning clear light is to be achieved at dawn because the dawn has the quality of being three from the light of the sun and moon and darkness. The person attain this meaning clear light is inside experiencing a realization very clear like space and free from obstruction.

The meaning clear light is the first bhumi of the tantric vehicle and this is also the tantric path of seeing. But it is supreme, not even a tenth bhumi bodhisattva of the perfection vehicle can attain this. This is because this bodhisattva still has subtle dualistic appearance of the radiance, appearance,and the near attainment. To overcome these, this bodhisattva needs to enter the tantric path. Here two subtleties must be distinguished. With the mere perfection vehicle it is not possible to attain enlightenment through the perfection vehicle. Secondly, it is possible to attain enlightenment through the perfection vehicle. So here comes a discussion. On the basis of the perfection vehicle there is never a statement saying that a person definitely needs to enter a tantric vehicle in order to attain enlightenment. It simple says; through the perfection vehicle one attains enlightenment by spending this much time and accumulating merits. So it says that everything is sufficient there in the sutra vehicle, because they have a cause to attain a Buddhas form body, when a person attains the eighth bhumi he already has the major and minor marks which will later be those of a Buddha.

In the tantric vehicle they say that the sutra vehicle is not enough, one has to enter the tantric vehicle after the attainment of the tenth bhumi because then one has already accumulated the two accumulations during three countless eons. When this person enters into the tantric path then he does not have to enter the tantric path from the beginning, nor from body or speech or mind isolation, but this person enters the tantric path from the meaning clear light. The reason it says in tantra that a person can never attain enlightenment through the sutra path such as making generosity with his own body or just cutting pieces off, because there is no way for this person to purify the three stains of the appearance, radiance, and the near attainment. in the same text it says, although a bodhisattva practices the six perfections for a long time with a lot of concentration he cannot attain enlightenment with only this. The reason for this is the same as before. According to this text, when a person attains the tenth bhumi and being in meditative equipoise then some Buddhas has to wake this person up from the contemplative exalted wisdom meditation. The Buddha would then say,”your mere concentration of this perfection vehicle is not enough in order to attain enlightenment. You have to actualize the meaning clear light.

According to this tantric text that particular bodhisattva can be of two types. 1, one who is interfered by one rebirth. This bodhisattva will attain enlightenment. 2, one who is direct. This bodhisattva can directly in that life attain enlightenment. The one who enters the tantric path is th direct one.

The fact that a bodhisattva arrives on the tenth bhumi and then enters the tantric path is the same as a Hinayana person who attains the Hinayana path of seeing who is almost obliged to become a Hinayana Arhat, instead enters the Mahayana path. Usually when someone follows a Hinayana vehicle for example on the path of accumulation, this person can still change direction and instead enter the Mahayana path of accumulation. Or from the path of preparation he could still turn direction, but when this person has attained the path of seeing, then somehow he just goes up to the Hinayana Arhat stage.

Same thing here. When a bodhisattva follows a Hinayana path up for example to the path of accumulation or preparation, he can still change direction. But once the mahayana path of seeing is attained it is almost sure that a person will go to the tenth bhumi, to be a being at the end of cyclic existence. Until reaching this point this person cannot enter or change direction into the tantric vehicle. This person who then enters the tantric vehicle does not abandon the perfection vehicle. All he has to do is to add some more tantric paths to this.

A general presentation on how one has to approach the tantric vehicle

1: attain a tantric initiation
2: meditate on the generation stage
3: meditate on the body, speech and mind isolations
4: impure illusory body
5: meaning clear light
6: pure illusory body
7: the learners unified stage
8: the non learners unified stage, this is equivalent to attain the path of no more learning.

So this presentation is just gradual steps, so one cannot jump and for example skip the first three.

This is a general presentation on how to attain enlightenment through tantra, but in the cause of a person who has gone through the perfection vehicle and has reached the tenth bhumi, this is an exception, so this person just goes through the meaning clear light and then reaches enlightenment. So this person does not have to go through the generation stage, for example, this person does not have to go through the three isolations and the impure illusory body.

Another exception for this person is that he is not obliged to have taken the first two initiations, the vase and the secret.

When the person reaches the stage of meaning clear light, this is a mind which has become the entity of great bliss, and it also has direct realization of emptiness. So this blissful exalted wisdom eliminates all the different obstructions to liberation at one time, both the intellectual and inborn ones. The reason the nine divisions of those obstacles can be eliminated at one time is because of the impure illusory body. With the impure illusory body one can make so many emanations in many realms and attend many Buddhas teachings and make offerings to them, so this vast activity is the substitute for the time spent in the perfection vehicle. So with this great amount of merits one is eliminating these nine divisions of obstacles at one time. When the person moves from the meaning clear light he moves to the pure illusory body.

The first illusory body which we call impure is because of the obstructions to liberation. The pure illusory body is called pure because it is free from the obstructions to liberation. Then one has to arise as a vajra body and this should happen through the wind which is the mount of that meaning clear light.

So here in the Yamantaka practice one takes a vajra body which is the illusory body in the form of Yamantaka, white with a female consort. This vajra body is separate from ones old body one used to have. With this one has the complete mandala of Yamantaka, the supporting and the supported, simultaneous with this, the meaning clear light ceases and the near attainment of the reverse order comes at that time.

The person at this stage becomes an arhat, and a pure illusory body possessor. This is called “the unified stage of abandonment” and this is because all the obstructions to liberation are abandoned. It is called unified stage because there is the pure illusory body and the fact that the obscurations to liberation are abandoned, so these two are unified.

Then comes the signs in the reverse order beginning from the black vision. This unified stage is called the learners unified stage. This has two divisions, 1) that of abandonment, 2) that of realization.

That of abandonment, called so because we have the illusory body, one, unify, and then two, the obstructions to liberation, so these two are unified. At this level one is still possessing the unified stage of abandonment but not that of realization. So this person has to adhere himself to the two mudras, the external and internal method and enter into union and then go through the signs from mirage to clear light. At the moment of clear light the pure illusory body and the pure mind which is the meaning clear light become unified. In other words, the conventionality and the ultimate have become one entity. When this is gained, this is the unified stage of realization.

In summary, there is the unified stage of abandonment and that is a unification of the pure illusory body and the fact that all obstructions to liberation are abandoned. The unified stage of realization comes at the moment the pure illusory body has entered into union with a consort and going through the different signs and finally the clear light appears and the pure mind focuses on that. This is the meaning clear light and the illusory body, and this combination is the unified stage of realization. This is the principal one, the first is considered as ordinary.

This is the internal mudra which means the vajra recitation. Even if one does this recitation still there is a possibility that the wind can enter, abide and dissolve and the different signs will arise. So the mind and wind is one package so when the mind is focussed in the central channel then also the wind is there.

The learners unified stage is still belonging to the time of meditative equipoise. To go from the learners to the non learners unified stage one has to make the plan with the motivation in the beginning like, “I am going to transfer from these old aggregates to a form of Yamantaka which is separate.” Because of having made this plan one gets a feeling as if one has already waken up in the non-learners unified stage. As soon as this happens then the near attainment of the reverse order arises, and continues to the mirage vision. At this point of the mirage the person focuses on the subtle mind and wind, this person is actually at such a subtle level, and while being there this person emanates so many manifestations and through those, many benefits are received. Then this person has a choice of remaining apart from the old body or within the old body. And then he can work in either way for so many beings as he likes. In case the person comes back to the old body, he will enjoy all the normal things like food, drink, action mudra, etc.

Once this unified stage is attained, all his different actions become a cause to attain enlightenment. But this persons behavior becomes like that of a crazy person. For example, when Gyalwa Ensapa attained enlightenment, his behavior was outrageous and people used to call him “Crazy Ensapa”. A person on this level always has an equal sensation, sometimes he will have so much self cherishing attitude as well as the cherishing of others, and sometimes he does not care for others, then also he will not care for himself either. Also sometimes this person enters into union with a consort without being shy or feeling shame, and sometimes when doing this he will feel shy. Sometimes this person will enter into union with his mother without shame, just as if we went to a prostitute. But sometimes he will feel very shy to enter into union with a prostitute as if he did this to his mother.

Another sensation that comes to this person is that he may consider a clean object dirty, and vice versa. Other equal sensations is that he may cherish a very trivial object more than ones body and sometimes he will not cherish the body as much as dirty trivial objects. Sometimes he will consider garbage more precious than gold. And so on, like drinking urine and wine, or considering then equally bad. Same with food and feces. Sometimes treating day and night as equal, doing day activities at night, and vice versa. Equal feelings towards enemies and friends, sometimes considering the friend as an enemy and vice versa. Same thing for happiness or suffering. Equal happiness towards the hell of suffering and the omniscient state.

In spite of this, he is concentrated on the inseparable bliss and void. When this yogi wakes up from the contemplative exalted wisdom to the actions, he will still never be separate from the state of bliss and void because of the very strong familiarity on that meditation. Everything that appears to this person in post meditation is separate from the attachment or conception of ordinary appearances and always lives within the state of unified bliss and void. So this person does all these crazy things in the post session and they become a cause for this person to increase the realizations and the abandonment. This is during the learners unified stage.

Then the person comes to abandon the obstructions to an Omniscient mind. As this person progresses there are no new objects of meditation to practice which has not been learned before. The only thing to do to abandon the obstructions to the omniscient stage is to increase and develop the knowledge and realizations which has been gained previously.

The things which are developed after this is to exercise again the pure illusory body and the pure mind, the meaning clear light. So these two entities are unified and the person on this stage familiarizes with this. With this familiarity with the concentration the nine divisions of the obstructions to the omniscient state is eliminated. So the obstructions to omniscient is the imprinting which has been left by the mistaken dualistic appearance. In other words, this is the level of ignorance imprint and this came from the previous obstructions to liberation. This imprint is divided into nine. One has to divide the concentration on two, the unity of the two entities into nine divisions. One concentration is divided into three and then the small, medium and large into three each. First comes the direct antidote for the great great obscurations to the omniscient mind. At the end there is a direct antidote which abandons the last nine divisions to the omniscient mind and this is called “the meaning clear light of the end of the learners unified stage”.

Sometimes these nine divisions are called “the nine divisions of clear light”. This is the clear light which is the subject, the exalted wisdom of great bliss and void. At the learners unified stage there is the exalted wisdom of bliss and void which is divided into nine divisions. The ninth is the “exalted wisdom of the meaning clear light at the end of the learners unified stage.” This is not belonging to the non-learners unified stage. According to the lower tantric college, this last ninth can eliminate these nine divisions of the obstructions to omniscient mind simultaneously. So they say that the meaning clear light which is at the end of the learners unified stage can act as a direct antidote to these nine divisions and eliminate them at one time. The reason they give for this is because they say it is the same as the meaning clear light which is the fourth stage which eliminates the inborn obstructions to liberation and the intellectual obstructions at one time.

The learners unified stage is from the point of view of path belonging to the path of meditation. According to the lower tantric college, if someone asks why the tantric path of meditation is not divided into nine, they say it can be so. But although this can be divided it is not divided for that purpose, to have the nine things in order to eliminate the nine divisions one after the other. The purpose of dividing it into nine is to provide a great deal of merit to be able to eliminate the obstructions to omniscience at one time. Because it is divided into nine, the nine divisions of merit can be made and through these one has an intense power to eliminate all these obstructions at one time.

In the sutra system there are differences of what is gained at different levels. so the fifth is much greater than the forth, etc. So this is equivalent to the process here, of dividing them into nine. According to the upper tantric college, the purpose of dividing the path of meditation to have nine divisions of direct antidotes to abandon the nine divisions of the obstructions to omniscience.

Without having abandoned the obstructions to liberation, one will never begin to eliminate the obstructions to omniscience. The way these two obstructions are abandoned in such a way is when the meaning clear light is attained then the path of seeing is attained and when this person comes to the second moment when the near attainment of the reverse order comes, then the second bhumi is attained as well as the path of meditation so at that time the person begins to eliminate the obstructions to omniscience. Before that one has already abandoned the afflictions which are to be abandoned by the path of seeing, the obstructions to liberation.

Sutra and tantra agree that first the obstructions to liberation are abandoned, then the obstructions to omniscience. The difference is that according to tantra, one begins to abandon the obstructions to omniscience on the second ground, and according to sutra, they are abandoned after attaining the eighth bhumi.

This mind of near attainment is the liberated path of meditation, so this person has the visions in the reverse order ending with the mirage. When the different visions arise, this is to be considered as post meditation. Again when this exalted wisdom of great bliss begins concentration one can say that this person begins to generate the uninterrupted path of meditation of the second bhumi. This comes repeatedly up to the learners unified stage. The only thing which differs is the mind of near attainment being the liberated path but the question is whether this realizes emptiness directly or not. We cannot consider this here in the same way as the perfection vehicle presents it. The two things begin in the opposite way, for example, realization, the concentration begins here from a small point, but the afflictions to be abandoned by the path of meditation, first starts the great one. So with the small small concentration of this path of meditation one eliminates the great great afflictions. When the antidotes become larger, then more afflictions to the smallest are eliminated until there are none left. The moon in it’s phases from new moon to full moon are used as an example. Starting from new moon it is dark, at the end it is white, so the white and black has the opposite beginning.

When a person on this learners unified stage abandons the first eight obstructions to omniscience, there are many signs of such being in process. One may see many people who are pleased with oneself and ones merits increase. Another sign is that the earth shakes in six ways. He may see fires such as the fire at then of the eon, or see shooting stars coming quickly from many directions. He may hear the sound of a stormy ocean, or see very bright lights. This yogi is surrounded by many gods making offerings and playing music, etc. There is great beauty around.

The yogi on this learners unified stage, the method and wisdom has become inseparable and has accumulated the merits, which are the cause for attaining the rupakaya, so there is not more need to make prostrations. The person at this stage has different names, “the one who has reached the other shores of the samsaric oceans”, “the one attaining enlightenment with the net of magical powers”, “the great yogi performing functions”, “the one abiding in the manner of the two truths”.

This has been the explanation of the non-learners unified stage. This comes under an outline we had in the beginning called the “means of attaining the result”, referring to the non-learners stage.

Having gone through the signs coming to the person who has abandoned the first eight divisions on the obstructions to omniscience, and the signs of attaining the non-learners unified stage, the person begins to contemplate on the exalted wisdom on the eighth day of the Tibetan month or any other auspicious day. On the dawn of the fifteenth of that month, he will make a tsog offering to many lamas and gurus, Buddhas of the ten directions. Then he must receive his third initiation, the wisdom. So then after the tsog offering has been done during the first session that morning, he received instructions on the non-learners unified stage from the guru. In the following session he adheres to an action mudra, the external method, they enter into union and he meditates on emptiness, the fact of the non-inherent existence of phenomena. Through the meditation, the winds enter abide, and dissolves and at the end there is the sign of the clear light. Then there are the four types of blisses and the vacuities are more profound that previously. During the third session, the first moment of clear light eliminates totally all the obstructions to omniscience.

As the small small obstructions to omniscience is finished, then during the second moment he dwells on the concentration on clear light and realizes both the conventional and ultimate phenomena very clearly just as a person can see an olive in ones hand and at that moment the first moment of the omniscient mind is attained, and likewise the continuation of the person who used to be on the learners unified stage turns into the person on the non-learners unified stage and attains the state of the seven branches.

So three things happen simultaneously
1) the first moment of omniscient mind
2) the attainment of the sambhogakaya possessing the seven branches
3) the ability to emanate countless forms

At this moment the person becomes a Buddha within the entity of the three bodies. When this is attained there is no further goal to be wished for.

In summary. Highest yoga tantra has generation and completion stages which are included within the five steps. The generation stage is included in the path of accumulation. The three middle paths, the path of preparation, seeing, and meditation, belong to the completion stage. The path of no more learning is the result at the end of the two previous stages.

The completion stage has different steps
1) The body, speech, and mind isolation and the illusory body which belongs to the path of preparation
2) The meaning clear light which belongs to the path of seeing.
3) The pure illusory body which comes together with the unified stage of the abandonment. Also at that time comes the unified stage of the realizations. So whether we say the pure illusory body, or the unified stage of realization of abandonment, all these belong to the learners unified stage and belong to the path of meditation.

Within this tantric subject we have used the word substitute and that means for example, when one meditates on the generation stage then one has to understand this word substitute, by asking, which level is he on from the point of view of the perfect vehicle?

The meditation on the gross and subtle generation stage is a substitute for the realization meditation of the eighth bhumi, of the perfection vehicle. This is implying that the first seven bhumis have been gone through. The person who attains the eighth bhumi of perfections vehicle, attains a pure realm. So this action of the pure realm, one already plans the abilities one will have in ones pure realm that is to come in the future. Likewise a person at the end of the generation stage is creating the ability or imprint of the realm he will be enlightened in, so therefore the eighth bhumi of the perfection vehicle is compared with this realization of the generation stage.

The body and speech isolation are compared with the ninth bhumi of the perfection vehicle. When a person attains the ninth bhumi he already attains the exalted wisdom of pure speech in order to give teachings. So also a person who has completed the body and speech isolation has stability over the root of speech, the wind energy.

The mind isolation of impure illusory body are compared with the tenth bhumi, which is divided into two, the former and later part. When a person in the perfection vehicle attains the tenth bhumi he gains control over the mind, in general there are ten powers attained at that time. In the tantric vehicle there is the mind isolation, and one gains control over the conceptions of ordinary appearance. The mind can do this very easily. Someone who has attained the tenth bhumi is able to receive many initiations like that of the “great light rays” from all the Buddhas of the ten directions. Also when a person attains the illusory body he is able to take may emanations in may Buddha realms to attend many teachings.

The later part of the tenth bhumi is the clear light of the unified stage. According to the perfection vehicle, when one attains the lower part of the tenth bhumi then A) there is a great support of the merit method. This is very strong that therefore one is able to attain the later part. B) There one possesses great energy to eliminate the obstructions to omniscience. The meaning clear light can have these two functions. C) The person on this tenth bhumi does not have to deal with a new path and this is also the same thing for the learners unified stage. The person at the end of cyclic existence of the perfection vehicle enters the tantric path. So there is the meaning clear light of the tantric vehicle and there is a lower part of the tenth bhumi. They are equivalent.

So the complete realization to the generation stage is equivalent to the eighth ground of the perfection vehicle. The body and speech isolation is the ninth ground. The mind isolation and the impure illusory body is the first part of the tenth ground. The meaning clear light and the unified stage is the second part of the tenth ground.

Many Indian Pandits have posed different numbers of grounds. According to the system of Tsong Khapa who followed the scholar and practitioner called “Am ba ya”, the tenth ground was divided into three divisions, A) the mere tenth, B) the specific path, C) the uninterrupted path.

The “specific path” is referred to in other texts as “The Incomparable Path”. The “uninterrupted path” is referred to in other texts as “The Path possessing the exalted wisdom.” So the second is counted as the eleventh ground and the third as the twelfth ground. Then, there is another ground called “Always radiant”, or, “the vajra garland ground” which means “the Buddhas ground”. So there is these thirteen, and if one more is added it can be called “The ground of conventional performance”, which is like the ground belonging to the two former paths of accumulation and preparation.

Some texts talk about the ten grounds and then say “the incomparable ground” and the “ground possessing the exalted wisdom”, but these texts would not mention the “specific paths” or the “uninterrupted paths”. So the whole thing is according to how one counts.

According to our system, whether one talks about thirteen or fourteen grounds, they are all included in the five paths.

-the thirteenth is pertaining to the path of no more learning.
-the second path to the ninth are pertaining to the path of meditation
-the first ground belong to the path of seeing, because several points have arisen at the same time like the meaning clear light and attaining the Arya stage.
-the ground of “conventional performance” belongs to the paths of preparation and accumulation, but if we only talk about the thirteenth instead of the fourteenth bhumi there would not be any discussion about the two paths.

The discussion over the obstructions to liberation and Omniscience are the same as according to the M-mika Prasangikas system, When one follows the perfection vehicle there is no need to depend on the tantric vehicle, because one can attain the four kayas just by following the perfection vehicle from beginning to end.

So it is only according to tantra that one has to follow or enter the tantric path in order to attain enlightenment. Because they say that just by following the perfection vehicle one cannot abandon the subtle dualistic appearance. So the tenth stage bodhisattva has to enter the tantric vehicle. But this bodhisattva does not have to follow the complete tantric path but can directly jump to the stage of the meaning clear light. This is because the two accumulations has already been collected. So this is equivalent to the illusory body.

In tantric texts it says that just by depending on the perfection vehicle one can not accumulate the substantial cause to attain the rupakaya. In the perfection vehicle they do not mention the causes of attain the four complete purities, but they say that a person who has reached the eighth bhumi already has the approximate major and minor marks. So they will become better and better and be completed at the end when Buddhahood is attained. According to the tantric vehicle one should understand that when Buddha Shakyamuni had been in concentration for a long time in the place called “nalang sara”, the Buddhas persuaded him to awake from that concentration because it, alone, was not enough to attain enlightenment. In the third part of the night a knowledge woman called “tigli chogma” was sent to the Buddha from whom he received his wisdom initiation. When entering into union with this goddess he went through the different blisses to the clear light and then awoke as an illusory body.

There is some discussion about the wisdom initiation because some texts says it is the actual initiation and others that it is the wisdom initiation. There is some difference between the two, In the cause of the actual empowerment there is the process of entering into union and at the end the pervasive winds are absorbed into the heart of the central channel, then the great bliss is produced.

As the Buddha had attain the illusory body he received the instruction on the unified stage and then received the fourth initiation. At dawn he attained the non=-learners unified stage, or attained enlightenment. This is the way the tantric vehicle presents the process on how to attain enlightenment. Also on the basis of the tantric vehicle one should say that it is simply an appearance shown to people, because Buddha attained enlightenment a long time ago.

So according to both the mahayana vehicle and the perfection vehicle, one has to say that he was simply showing appearances of things like this, to the common beings. Also being who follow the three lower tantras also has to deal with the highest yoga tantra in order to attain enlightenment.

On the basis of maha yoga tantra it says that in the lower tantric classes on can create the cause to attain the rupakaya, the cause which leads to the four complete purities, but there is no substantial cause for attaining the rupakaya.

The meaning clear light which is the blissful exalted wisdom which realizes the object emptiness directly is preceded by the impure illusory body. Without this, the blissful exalted wisdom cannot realize the object emptiness. The impure illusory body comes from the example clear light of the mind isolation which comes after having absorbed all the winds into the central channel, both the primary and secondary winds. At the root of the example clear light is the subtle mind and wind, the principal causes for attaining the impure illusory body.

The cause of the example clear light of the mind isolation is the method through which the different knots at the heart are untied. To accomplish this one needs to meditate on the speech isolation, called the vajra recitation at the heart. To untie the heart knots one has to first untie the knots at the navel, and to do this one has to meditate on the process of locating the winds at the navel level, which is the meditation on the body isolation. On the basis of this root text of Yamantaka, there is only the presentation of the four yogas, but they are still corresponding to the five paths. The divisions of four, five or six steps are divisions coming from different root tantras such as Heruka. In the root tantras the explanation on the illusory body, clear light, and unified stage are very clear.

There are different meditations like visualizing the mantra and syllables at the heart in order to untie the knots and this is equivalent to the mind isolation which comes in the context of GS root tantra. The vajra recitation done at the heart is equivalent to the speech isolation in other texts. To untie the knots at the navel one visualizes different things in the body and although this is not called the body isolation, it is still the real meaning of the body isolation. Preceding this is the generation stage.

Someone who has completed the completion stage can put all the energy into meditating on the completion stage during the four sessions. But in the case one has not completed the generation stage, this person should only glance through the completion stage on the fourth session.

This is done in order to establish imprints for realizing the completion stage in the future. Another way you can meditate is by doing two sessions on generation stage and two on completion stage.

Before you gain realizations on the generation stage you must have perfect observation of both primary and secondary tantric vows. To do this you need to receive tantric empowerment, without which you can never gain siddhis, just like we can never get butter by squeezing sand. Before tantric initiation we must keep bodhisattva and Pratimoksha vows, and before that we must meditate on the training of the common path to give us the experience of renunciation, otherwise, our practice can never become the cause for liberation. Also we must have the experience of meditating on the bodhicitta mind otherwise our practice will never become meaningful. And we need experience of meditation on the correct view of voidness otherwise we cannot deal with the many aspects of tantric practice which begins with meditation on the object emptiness.

The most important thing on the entire path is to have irreversible faith based upon clear comprehension, with no doubts, single-pointed concentration, and perseverance. These are the four causes to quickly attain siddhis. When we study tantra we must deal with the five steps of isolated body up to the unified stage. There are others ways of discussing the tantric path, as in the Vajra Yogini tantra where the emphasis is on Tumo which is isolated body and speech and helps to untie the knots at the navel and the heart. This practical method enables us to realize many things, yogis have great admiration for this Tumo practice. Milarepa told Rechung to meditate on the short “a” as this was so much better than having the clairvoyance to see long distances.

ADVICE ON TORMAS

The torma to the principal deity is heart-shaped and has two winds. To it’s right is the preliminary torma, triangular and red. To the left of the main torma is the later torma, triangular and red. Either in front of these, or on it’s own, there is the torma to Dharmaraja, triangular and red. If you wish you may place a torma for the Dakas and Dakinis to the right of the preliminary torma, but this is not obligatory. To the left of the later torma is the torma to the Landlord, round in shape and white in color.

The mandala should be arranged higher than the alter. It is surrounded by five sets of offerings, two in front and one on the other three sides. These are called “offerings to the mandala”, or “Offerings to the four doors”, or “Offerings to the five Dhyani Buddhas”. The Eastern door is in front. In front of that are the two sets of offerings to the mandala. In front of them is the principal torma with the preliminary and later tormas to each side of it. In front of the tormas is a set of offerings for the front generation, and in front of that is a set of offerings for the self-generation. Although the self and front generation are the same, it is customary to make two separate sets of offerings to them. On the table in front of you is a set of offerings for the vase. If there is not enough space this set can be placed upon the altar. The offering sets to the preliminary torma (in front of the set offered to the self generation,) the vase, the self and front generations, all have three waters at the beginning.

According to the tantric college and to Pabongkha Rinpoche, the food offerings are all painted red except for the food offering in the set offered to the vase, where it is white. This is the same in Hevajra, Vajrayogini, Yamantaka, and Heruka tantras, others may differ. All food offerings in the Guhyasamaja tantra are white. I don’t know why.

This is father tantra, so the Victory vase is arranged to the deities right and then the action vase. Before placing the vases on the table in front of you, lay down some kusha grass and flowers or rice. The victory vase will be to your left. Performing the Victory Vase is done by pouring water from the action vase into a conch placed on top of the victory vase, with the bottom of the conch turned towards the main deity. A small vajra is on top of the conch and you hold the strong attached to the vajra. Performing the Action Vase is done simply by transferring the vajra from the victory vase to the top of the action vase, you do not have to move the conch or pour water.

The mutual vase performance is done by replacing the vajra onto the conch on the victory vase, placing the string around the neck of the action vase and saying the mantra as before. “Greeting water” is added to the two vases by dividing the water in the conch in half and pouring one lot into the action vase and the other into the victory vase. This is during the self initiation. If we are giving an initiation to many people we should keep some of the conch water separate and give it out at the time of the Vajra Pledge when the disciple makes a commitment and takes this water to seal the pledge. Here we do not keep it aside, when the time comes for us to make the commitment we simply visualize that we are taking the water. While pouring water from the conch into the vases recite the syllable “HUNG”. Now place the victory vase aside on the altar. It will be brought back later on during the water initiation.

While doing the self initiation you do not use the damaru, only the bell. The umze can use the cymbals and the vajra-master can use the damaru and bell. If you are doing a self -initiation or a sadhana related to Tumo practice, then everyone uses the bell and damaru together because tumo mainly comes in mother tantra. Yamantaka is father tantra but it still has tumo practice and the vajra master uses both bell and damaru to indicate this fact.

When the ritual begins distribute inner offering to all participants. If there are very many people, a large container is prepared and distributed at the point when there is the offering of the seven precious royal things. Use the inner offering from your own container to bless the many things until the blessing of the action vase. After that you can bless with the water from the action vase. All these things are distributed by a servant who also hands out the eye-ribbons and flowers.

For the various empowerments we need to bless the initiating substances, the crown, vajra, bell etc. If you do not have a crown you can visualize one. You bless the objects to remove hindrances. When you bless the, place the object on the table in front of you and pick it up again after removing hindrances. During distribution of the vase water the victory vase is taken from the altar and placed in front of the vajra master. Offering bowls containing water from the victory vase are placed in front of the other participants. At the end of each initiation there is the stabilizing water empowerment. At this point take a drop of water from this bowl, or sprinkle some towards you. At the last empowerment the Vajra Master empowerment, completely drink all the remaining water.

When doing the secret empowerment add the stanzas from Lama Chopa to the mandala offering. Also arrange on the altar substitutes for the secret substances of male and female. Sweetened yoghurt for the make, plain tea for the female, and both together……

END OF COMMENTARY

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