No More Learning

Secondly, the vehicle of bodhisattvas endowed with this particularly superior doctrine is explained under the three headings of essence, verbal definition and classification. The essence is that one realises all things to be without self and then firmly resorts to the means of perform- ing great benefits on behalf of others through great compassion.
As to the verbal definition, a bodhisattva [spiritual warrior set on enlightenment]23o is so called because the [Sanskrit] bodhisattva indicates one who is totally unafraid to attain the unsurpassed enlightenment by means of great mental power.
Thirdly, among the six aforementioned classifications, first the en- trance is effected through the two truths. The Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness says:
The vehicle of the bodhisattvas
Is entered through the two truths.
According to the texts of the Madhyamika, after the intellect, which perceives unanalysed and unexamined appearances to be without real essence in the manner of an illusion despite their appearance, has been grasped by the enlightened mind of loving kindness and compassion, [a bodhisattva] enters the relative truth by inducing virtue and opposing non-virtue. But when the abiding nature of ultimate, fundamental re- ality is known to be free from conceptual elaborations, the bodhisattva enters by means of the coalescence [of the two truths].
Concerning the two truths, the Heruka Galpo says: The doctrine revealed by the buddhas
Is genuinely gathered in the two truths.
Now, the extent of the knowable which forms the ground of this clas- sification is polarised between the apparitional mode or relative truth, and the abiding mode or ultimate truth. Therefore, the same text says:
In the appearances which form the knowable alone, The scope of the two truths indeed exists.
Of these, the relative truth refers to the symbolic apparition of reality which is the object perceived by the intellect. As [the Heruka GaZpoJ again says:
Deception and objectification of the intellect
Are the general characteristics of relative appearances.
Then, when classified, there is the correct relative which is causally effective in terms of phenomenal appearance, as when a man appears as a man, and the erroneous relative which is causally ineffective in terms of phenomenal appearance, as when a cairn of stones appears as a man. From the same text:
The divisions of relative appearance
Are called the correct and the erroneous relative. The characteristics of each should be well explained: The erroneous one is causally ineffective
In terms of what appears,
And the correct one is causally effective
In terms of what appears.
And also from the Analysis ofthe Two Truths (Satyadvayavibhangaktirikti, T 3881, v. 12):
Since they are similarly apparent
And since they are respectively
Causally effective and ineffective,
The classification of the correct and erroneous Relative has been made.
The ultimate truth, on the other hand, is free from all conceptual elaborations, as it is said in the Heruka Galpo:
Ultimate reality is characteristically Free from all conceptual elaborations.
And in ]etari'sAnalysis ofthe Sugata's Texts (Sugatamatavibhangaktirikti T 3899): '
Neither is it being, non-being,
Or neither being nor non-being,
Nor indeed an embodiment of them both
But it is genuinely liberated from the fou; extremes.
classified, there is the ultimate truth with synonyms which is
partIally free from conceptual elaboration, and the ultimate truth with-
O;:t synonyms which is free from all conceptual elaboration. As the eruka Galpo says:
Its are the ultimate truth with synonyms, And that WIthout synonyms which is free from the eight
extremes.
Then, one might ask, are these two truths the same or different? They
234 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofDialectics
are identical in their nature but different in their aspects, conventionally similar to the moon and the reflections of the moon in water, respec- tively. It says in the Commentary on Enlightened Mind (Bodhicitta- vivara1J,a, T 1800, v. 57):
Just as molasses is naturally sweet And fire is naturally hot,
The nature of all things
Similarly abides in emptiness.
Yet the ultimate reality can be expressed as neither an identity nor a difference. The Dialogue with Maitreya (MaitreyapariPfcchii, T 85-6)
says:
The expanse, which cannot be expressed through the bolic forms of habitual tendencies, is not this at all, and It is not anything else.
Although the Madhyamika do not differ in their ofdetermin- ing the ultimate reality, with reference to the relatIve t? ere are the Svatantrika who hold appearances to exist as a mere IllUSIOn, and the Prasailgika who maintain that from the very moment of appearance there is freedom from conceptual elaborations. .
The Mind Only (Cittamiitra) system holds the objects and subjects which are dualistic appearances of the to be the relative truth, and the intrinsic awareness, mtnnsiC :adiance, or the consciousness which is without duality, to be the ultImate When they are classified, there are those holding sensa to be . vendlCal,
who hold the sensa through which external objects are perceIved to be
veridical, and those holding sensa to be false, who claim that the status
of appearances is exaggerated by . . . Secondly, the view [of the bodhisattva vehIcle] IS the realisation of the two kinds of selflessness. Although relatIvely thmgs appear in the manner of [the reflection of] the moon in water,
the abiding nature of the two truths is realised by quiescence of all conceptual elaborations. It says m the Garland Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instnlctions:
Ultimately all things, including all-conflicting and pure [phenomena], are without independent but relatively the attributes of each exist distinctly m the manner
of an illusion.
And in the Sequence of the Path:
Without knowing the meaning of sameness,
The relative and ultimate truths are polarised; But if there is no self with respect to individuals,
This is the level of enlightenment.
Thirdly, on the subject of moral discipline, there are three aspects: the moral discipline of gathering the virtuous doctrine; that of acting on behalf of sentient beings; and that of controlling malpractices. The first refers to the attainment of the virtuous provisions of excellent conduct which are subsumed by the two provisions and six transcend- ental perfections; the second implies that all one's aspirations and ap- plications are acted upon for the benefit of sentient beings. As for the third, though in the Madhyamaka tradition the necessity of holding vows as a support for the cultivation of enlightened mind is uncertain, the moral discipline which controls malpractices on the level of the bodhisattvas includes the mind which aspires towards en- lightenment, and the mind which enters into union with the provisions and necessary actions for that enlightenment, in addition to a basis in which training according to the seven classes of vows231 is established.
These aspects of [moral discipline] are adopted by the proponents of Madhyamaka and Mind Only in their rites, and training in them is pursued. Mind Only holds that there are four root downfalls. As the Twenty Verses on the Bodhisattva Vow says:
These are to praise oneself and disparage others
Out of attachment to profit and fame;
Not to give the spiritual wealth of the doctrine, out of
avarice,
To one who suffers without protection;
To find fault with others out of anger, Without heeding the repentance of others; And to renounce the greater vehicle
And teach an imitation of the true doctrine.
According to the Madhyamika, on the other hand, nineteen or twenty precepts are upheld. It is explained in the Compendium of Lessons that according to the Sutra ofAkiisagarbha (Akiisagarbhasutra, T 260) there are nineteen root downfalls, namely, five which are certain for kings, five which are certain for ministers, eight which are certain for common and [the nineteenth] to abandon the mind of enlightened aspira- which is common to all. It is then said in the Pagoda of Precious liewels that . they number twenty when, in additi. on to these, en-
ghtened mmd of engagement is abandoned and VIrtue not applIed. ifConcerning these bodhisattvas, too, the Introduction to the Conduct
o a Bodhisattva (Ch. 5, v. 23) says:
I fold my hands in the prayer
That those wishing to protect the mind
or phenomena,
Recapitulation ofCausal Vehicles 235
236
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofDialectics
Recapitulation ofCausal Vehicles 237
May guard mindfulness and awareness of the present Even at the cost of their lives.
Thus, a bodhisattva untiringly endeavours, with undiminished mindful- ness and awareness of the present, to sustain [the precepts] by renoun- cing the four negative doctrines, accepting the four positive doctrines and so forth.
Fourth, in meditation, a bodhisattva generally meditates on the thirty-
seven aspects of enlightenment during the four paths of learning.
Sixth, concerning the result, when a bodhisattva has gradually traversed the ten levels and five paths, on the eleventh level of Universal Light (Samantaprabhd) during the path of no-more-Iearning, he is lib- erated for his own sake in the buddha-body of reality, and relying on the twO buddha-bodies of form for the sake of others, he acts on behalf of sentient beings until sarpsara has been emptied.
Furthermore, on this topic the Extensive Magical Net says: The yogin who has perfected the transcendental
perfections,
Who has realised the two kinds of selflessness,
And who has gradually traversed the ten levels, Will excellently attain, by means of the two truths,
The path through which the buddha level is reached And its status is attained.
This completes the anthology which explains the definitive order of the causal vehicles of dialectics, the third part of this book, the Feast in which Eloquence Appears, which is a definitive ordering of the precious
teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School.
Thatis hemeditatesonthefouressentialrecollectionsduringthelesser
,.
path of provisions, upon the four correct trainings during the middling [path of provisions], on the four supports for miraculous ability during the greater [path of provisions], on the five faculties during the feeling of warmth and its climax on the path of connection, on the five powers during the feeling of receptiveness and the supreme phenomenon [on the path of connection],232 on the seven branches of enlightenment during the path of insight, and on the sublime eightfold path as far as the ninth level233 during the path of meditation.
In particular, with reference to experiential cultivation from the be- ginning [of the path], as it is revealed in the sutras of definitive meaning which belong to the final promulgation: When [a bodhisattva] has comprehended the nature of the nucleus of the tathagata, and developed his mind in supreme enlightenment, being of the enlightened family, he meditates by combining tranquillity and higher insight. These are, namely, the tranquillity born of contemplation in which subjective thoughts concerned with unimpeded objective appearances are and the higher insight which views appearances according to the eight similes of illusion. This higher insight determines both the subtle and coarse subject-object dichotomies to be empty and then inspects as emptiness itself. It also includes meditative equipoise and absorptlon in the meaning of the Madhyamaka, free from extremes. As the Intro- duction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva (Ch. 8, v. 4) also says:
One should know that conflicting emotions are subdued By higher insight excellently endowed with tranquillity.
Fifth in conduct a bodhisattva acts on behalf of sentient beingsi
others as 'more dear than himself during the aftermath . [0
meditation]. As the natural expression of his conduct, he acts
to the six or ten transcendental perfections in the manner of a
illusion. The enumeration of six [transcendental 1
begins with liberality, and the enumeration of ten which adds . . d " . . 11 thered wlthlI1
means, power, asplratlOn an pnstme cogmtlon, are a ga . __ the transcendental perfection of discriminative awareness (pra}na- pdramitii) .
Part Four
Resultant Vehicles of Secret Mantra
Introduction
[131b. 2-131b. 4] Having briefly described the structure of the causal vehicles of dialectics, now the definitive order of the pitaka of the resultant secret mantra (gsang-sngags), the vehicles of indestructible reality, shall be expounded in two parts: the superiority [of the secret mantra] over the causal vehicles and an explanation of the nature of these extraordinary vehicles.
1 The Superiority of Secret Mantra
[131b. 4-143a. 6] This [vehicle] which makes the result into the path is
234
superior to the vehicle of the transcendental perfections
the cause into the path. There are adherents of the dialectical vehicle who object that, "When you proponents of the way of secret mantra make the result your path, it must either be a mature [result] which is made into the path, or an immature result which is made into the path. In the first case, this would lead to infinite regress because even after maturation, [the result] would be made into the path. You have accepted this logical entailment and it is proven that [the present instance] must be included therein, just as, for example, last year's fruit becomes the present's seed. So if this view is held, it is implied that the way of secret mantra is itself a long path. In the second case, it is not the result which is made into the path because this is immature. If this view were held, your own assertion would be refuted, and it is consistently proven that anything immature is not a conclusive result; witness for example a shoot and a stem. "
If this argument were raised, the reply would be that, from the standpoint of being, the genuine essence which is to be obtained abides intrinsically, and yet, because it is not understood from the standpoint of realisation, it is merely the means of realising it which is said to be made into the path. As it is said in the Sequence ofthe Path:
In this way, the pristine cognition
Which intrinsically abides
Is the essence of all the paths and results.
In order that the connection with it may be purified, The supreme means which make it manifest
emerge intrinsically.
b If it is sai? that when the intrinsically abiding result is manifested Ythe path, It must either have been produced on the basis of a previous result or not, then with reference to the essence, there is nothing to be produced. This is just as when a prince who wanders among the
which makes
244 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
populace is recognised as a prince his status does not essentially improve. Yet with reference to the manifest clarity [of the essence], it has been produced, just as when [the identity of] the prince has been confirmed he can hold sway over the populace. This vehicle of secret mantra should be known as such. It says in the Heruka Galpo:
Through the causal vehicle of dialectics
Mind-as-such is perceived as the cause of buddhahood. Through the resultant vehicle of mantras
Mind-as-such is meditated upon as buddhahood.
So, too, one should know well the tendency
Of any cause or result.
Therefore, in the vehicle of dialectics mind-as-such is merely perceived as the causal basis of buddhahood. Since it is held that buddhahood is obtained under the condition whereby the two provisions increasingly multiply, and since the purifying doctrines which form the causal basis of nirv31)a are made into the path, it is called the causal vehicle (rgyu'i theg-pa). Therein, a sequence in which cause precedes result is admitted.
According to the vehicle of mantras, on the other hand, mind-as-such abides primordially and intrinsically as the essence of the result, iden- tified in the buddha-bodies and pristine cognitions. Mind-as-such is thereby established as the ground which exists within oneself from the present moment as the object to be attained. It is then established as the path through its functions of bringing about recognition and remov- ing the provisional stains which suddenly arise by means of inducing the perception of just what is, and it is established as the result through its function of actualising this very ground. Since a sequence in which cause precedes result is not really distinguished therein, it is called the resultant vehicle ('bras-bu'i theg-pa) and the vehicle of indestructible reality (rdo-rje theg-pa). It is said in the Secret Nucleus (Ch. 12, v. 14):
From any of the four times and ten directions The perfect Buddha will not be found. Mind-as-such is the perfect Buddha.
Do not search for the Buddha elsewhere.
And (Ch. 13, v. 19):
The result, definitive and most secret, Has been turned into the path.
And also (Ch. 9, v. 29):
This wondrous, marvellous, amazing reality
Does not come into existence from elsewhere.
But it emerges in those dispositions
Which have the nature of discriminative awareness, Steadfast in skilful means.
Superiority ofSecret Mantra 245 Then, in the Tantra of the Extensive Magical Net it is said:
Since cause and result are primordially without sequence,
When the result has been turned into the path, They are simultaneously united.
Similarly, with reference to the outer tantras, the Sequence ofthe Path says:
Through discriminative awareness
And all branches of ritual
According to the tradition of Kriyatantra, The Sugata made the result into the path.
And with reference to the inner tantras, the same text says accordingly:
Other than this there is nothing to be obtained. When everything indeed has been ripened, There is nothing to be reached.
This reality is the essence of the path.
Our predecessors, too, have claimed that there exists a distinction be- tween [the resultant vehicle] which can make the relative appearances into the path and [the causal vehicle] which cannot. Through the tran- scendental perfections, the ultimate reality is to be attained and the relative appearances are to be renounced, but through the relative appearances are also made into the path without being re- nounced, since sameness with respect to all things is experienced.
! herefore, the mantra vehicles are superior because they do not fall mto biased tendencies with respect to the two truths. The Sequence of
the Path says:
Within the unsurpassed vehicle, there are those Holding ultimate reality to be indivisible
And relative appearances to include everything, Both the pure and the impure.
The great vehicle of skilful means, however, Does not divide even relative appearances According to purity and suffering.
The higher and lower views are just SO. 235
to this system [i. e. the vehicle of skilful means] also, the result IS made into the path because the essence of the result in which all are indivisible, is regarded as the buddha-body of reality in appearances and emptiness are coalesced, and experienced by skIlful means. It says in the Tantra of the Extensive Magical Net:
246
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Superiority ofSecret Mantra 247
In the nature of appearances,
Including the animate and inanimate world, There is no inherent essence.
This itself is the great body of reality,
The way of secret mantra is verbally defined as that which makes the result into the path and as the vehicle of indestructible reality because, through the outer mantras, one meditates with to the body, speech and mind of the deity and, according to the mner
mantras all things are realised and then experienced as the natural of the maI). <;ialas of buddha-body, speech and mind. The Miraculous Key to the Storehouse says:
Concerning the resultant vehicle of indestructible reality:
Moreover, if a somewhat detailed explanation is given according to the intention of the uncommon, inner tantras in this [Nyingma tradi- tion]: When the profound and vast abiding nature of inconceivable realit/37 is appraised according to the dialectical vehicle, ultimate truth is established through the valid cognition of inference by means of perceptive judgements made according to logical syllogisms, and so is an intellectually created ground. Tranquillity is then secured by means of efforts directed to the birth of intellectual certainty, and it is the ideas and scrutiny in relation to that [ground] which are merely labelled as higher insight. The mere profundity [of this dialectical vehicle] refers to the result as that which lies in the direction of attainment through causes compounded of countless provisions over a long period of time, and its vastness comprises the components, psychophysical bases and activity fields. All of these, having been established as the relative truth, are nothing but the rigid ensnarement of the perception which accepts and rejects.
The mantra [vehicle], on the other hand, does not refer to logical syllogisms and the intellectually contrived discriminative awareness produced by thought. Pristine cognition uncreated by the intellect is established as the non-conceptualising reality or nucleus of the buddha- body of reality by the third empowerment,238 by the irresistible descent of pristine cognition,239 and by incisively applying oneself to [practices associated with] the energy channels, currents and seminal points which depend on the body of indestructible reality. Then enlightenment is actualised in one lifetime, and so forth, after the ultimate truth has been realised by the intellect abiding naturally in this state.
In this way, the continuum of the ground (gzhi'i rgyud) is established both through that actual development of profundity and also through the vastness which is the expanse [of reality], primordially abiding as a maI). <;iala of inner radiance. Subsequently, it is revealed that the con- tinua of the path (lam-kyi rgyud-rnams) are to be experientially cultivated by realising that the entire world and its contents, along with the com- psychophysical bases and activity fields, which are the osten- relative appearances dependent on that [ground], are an array of celestial mansions and buddha-fields free from acceptance and re)ectl,on. And the continuum of the result ('bras-bu'i rgyud) is thereby estabhshed, including the eight common accomplishments and the un- common accomplishments which extend from the path of insight as far as the path of no-more-Iearning. Therefore, [the way of mantras] is unobscured with respect to profound and vast meaning.
In respects also, the mantras are superior through their swift- blIss and skilful means. If one inquires into the quality of their it is that enlightenment is attained through them within this ,Ife, SIxteen rebirths, three aeons or eight aeons. And if one inquires Into the reasons for their swiftness, it is that the mantras possess merit
When the maI). <;iala of the seals
236
has been made into the
path,
The result itself is then carried on the path. One's own body, speech and mind
Are united in the indestructible reality of Buddha-body, speech and mind.
Such is indicative of the vehicle of indestructible reality.
Yet [the way of secret mantra] also has other distinctive features, as it
is said in the Lamp of the Three Modes (Nayatrayapradfpa, T 3707):
Though they are identical in purpose,
The vehicle of the mantras is superior;
For it is unobscured and endowed with many means, It is without difficulty
And refers to those of highest acumen.
Although both the causal and resultant phases of the greater vehicle are identical in their purpose of seeking enlightenment with the aim of benefitting sentient beings, the mantras are superior through four dis- tinctive features. [First,] they are unobscured in the area of skilful means which includes meditation on the deity and the recitation of
mantras. [Second,] they are manifold because there are limitless ap- proaches among the tantrapi! aka, beginning with the Kriyatantra and Caryatantra, which correspond to the degrees of acumen [in who require training], without being confined to a single methodIcal ap- proach. [Third,] they are without difficulty because they are easIly accomplished without requiring that three "countless" aeons and the
like be arduously passed as in the causal path. [Fourth,] they are taught with an intention directed towards those of highest acumen who actually require training through the vehicle of these very mantras. So the mantras are superior in these four ways.
248 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Superiority ofSecret J\;[antra 249
which originates from total enjoyment because, through their special rites, the offerings which are made are actually accepted by the deities; it is that by the power of mantras even a single drop ofwater is multiplied to the extent of the sands of the River Ganges and gives rise to as many merits; and it is that the contemplation of purifying [lands into] buddha- fields in which impure appearances have ceased is actualised by a novice. Moreover, through each particular quality of the mantras and contemplations, those extraordinary causes which bring sentient beings to maturity exist even in one who has just entered this vehicle, and through their range of contemplation, [the mantras] possess, from first to last, the discriminative awareness which refers to form as an aspect of the result in terms of the two truths.
If one inquires into the quality of their bliss, it is the absence of coarse physical and mental sensations. And if one inquires into the reasons for their bliss, it is that in this [vehicle] even a body which endures for six aeons may be achieved, that many miraculous abilities and contemplations are obtained, that through the power of the mantras the buddhas become actually present, and that through the application of the mantras and the tantras all the wishes of sentient beings are attained.
Then, if one inquires into the nature of their skilful means, [the mantras] include the training in moral disciplines such as the unchang- ing bliss, the training in contemplations which are both symbolic and non-symbolic, the training in discriminative awareness through which the two truths are realised to be primordially of indivisible nature, and they include all else that enters the range of experience.
Moreover, it is revealed in the Tantra ofthe Inconceivable Rali Cakra- saJ'! 'lvara:
In the lesser vehicle which includes the pious attendants, There are no esoteric instructions.
The vehicle of the awareness-holders is superior Through fifteen· distinctive features:
The distinctions of its view, conduct and mind control, Of its cause, result, path and level,
Of its time, rapture and yoga,
Of its self- and other-oriented benefits, and its intention, Its renunciation of laborious extremes, and its ease,
And its accumulation of the provisions.
Concerning superiority [of the mantras] through the view, mind-as- such is essentially and spontaneously present from the beginning as the ultimate truth, which has seven aspects of spiritual wealth, as follows. Through its function of being the naturally pure essence, it is the ultimate truth of the expanse. Through its function of abiding as the ground in which all things of nirvaJ). a arise, clear and radiant without all obscurations and veils, it is the ultimate truth of pristine cognition.
Then, it is the ultimate truth of the result, which unimpededly abides, whatever enlightened attributes of buddha-body and pristine cognition arise. The resultant doctrines which are the great mystery of the buddha's fivefold body, speech, mind, enlightened attributes and ac- tivities, being spontaneously present within the latter, are the ultimate truth of natural, original cessation. 240
The expressive power of this ultimate reality which is mind-as-such, otherwise [known as] the apparitional array ofthe world and its contents which, to childish persons, are ostensible relative appearances, is mani- fest in and of itself as a great maJ). Q. ala of buddha-body and pristine cognition. Thus, the relative truth is perfect in that sameness where saqlsara and nirvaIfa or good and evil are not distinguished. It is the great, superior body of reality wherein the truth is indivisible, and in
which these two truths [both ultimate and relative] abide from the beginning as the identity of a single essence, coalesced in the manner of gold and the colour gold, or of a butter lamp and the light of a butter lamp, without alternating between acceptance and rejection. Only in conventional terms is [this body of reality] called the indivisible truth, transcending thought and expression. Indeed, it genuinely transcends
the thoughts and expressions which apprehend it. It is neither improved by buddhas, nor worsened by sentient beings, because this doctrine of primordial origin, not being a contrived doctrine which suddenly arises, abides in the fundamental, natural state of mind-as-such. It is said in the Sequence of the Path by Buddhaguhya:
Since it is neither created nor contrived
By the conquerors or living beings,
Its natural expression is intrinsically indivisible,
And in order to loosen attachment to its descriptions It is unthinkable and inexpressible
Within the two conventional truths.
Although this abiding mode of the two truths is the superior view of th. e mantras, certain scholars of Tibet hold that, in general, there is dIstinction between the view of the vehicle of transcendental perfec- hons and that of the way of secret mantra. In particular, they disapprove of relative appearances being held within the view, and profess instead [the pure divine appearances] are similar to meditations on loving kIndness, compassion, enlightened mind and so forth because they are
the conceptual aspects of meditation [performed] by a subject with to a relative object. This, however, is the prattle of minds are disinclined to the spiritual and philosophical systems of the vehIcle of indestructible reality. It is of crucial importance that the above explanation be known as the view of the mantras and it is also ;xcee. dingly important to . meditate it. This is becau;e, concerning he vIew, when the meanmg of the VIew appears to the unbewildered
250 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Superiority ofSecret Mantra 251
pristine cognition of sublime beings, through the eye of discriminative awareness which accords with the primordial abiding nature of all things, it is the abiding nature of all things, the measure of the ultimate truth. This is also because the things which appear as the objects of consciousness, which is the bewildered intellect of sentient beings, are false in that they are the apparitional nature or relative truth. For example, the six classes of living beings perceive the same water in many apparitional modes, but to the buddhas it appears as the expanse of the consort MamakI. 241
The abiding nature [of reality] is also exclusively free from the con- ceptual elaboration of any objective referent. If it is said in this Context that there is no difference between the views of the sutras and mantra texts because the dialectics explained in the sutras are not erroneous, they are similar in the sense that it is the aspect of the buddha-body of reality, derived from the expanse free from all conceptual elabora- tions, which is made into the path according to the explanations in the causal phase of the greater vehicle. However, in that freedom from conceptual elaborations, which is exclusively one of explicit negation, the emptiness endowed with all supreme aspects, the ground in which all uncorrupted things arise, and also the enlightened attributes of supreme bliss distinguished by the way of mantras, are incomplete. Therefore it says in the Taintless Light:
The emptiness of all aspects in space and the things which are uncreated are genuinely perceived in the manner of im- ages on a mirror. This is remote from the emptiness of empty nihilism which scrutinises the properties of the self, compris- ing the aggregate of atomic particles, in order to equate the conceptual elaborations manifested by one's own mind with dreams. The inner bliss, a phenomenon of which one is intrinsically aware, is passionately adhered to, and the bliss- ful phenomena of which one is aware through the external sense organs are totally abandoned.
And so it is explained in the Brief Teaching on the Tenets of the View P 4610):
The emptiness which scrutinises the components, Coreless as a plantain tree,
242
to this emptiness
Which is endowed with all supreme aspects.
Uncreated and unceasing,
The knowable appearances discerned therein
Are emptiness in the sense that they are substantially
empty,
And not in the sense of a scrutiny of the components.
The proponent of dialectics, apart from merely establishing that the characteristics of relative appearance are non-existent, does not know the essence which abides from the beginning as great purity and same- ness; and by not knowing that, he does not know the meditation which makes the precise aspects of the auspicious coincidence of the two buddha-bodies of form into the path. 243 By not knowing that, in turn, he does not know the means of accumulating the extraordinary provi-
sions through which the desired qualities244 are rapturously experi- enced, so that, being bound by the antidote of renunciation, he is obliged to aspire to a goal within three "countless" aeons. In the way of mantras, however, this utterly pure, original abiding nature of reality, in which the truest of results - that of the non-dual essence of the expanse and pristine cognition, the coalescence of bliss and emptiness
- is spontaneously present from the beginning, is known as the object
of the view. And thereafter meditation is the training which relates to
this real disposition or enters into the experience of it. In this way, the
intellect is purified by making that reality and its aspects into the path
during the illusion-like creation stage (utpattikrama) and during the
extraordinary perfection stage (sampannakrama) in which [practices as-
sociated with] the energy channels, currents and seminal points are incisively applied.
When all the apparitional modes ofsuddenly arisen deluded thoughts,
originating from impure dependence - including the world, its contents,
components, psychophysical bases and activity fields - have gradually
:anished, the essence is present, in which the primordial abiding nature
IS actualised as a malfc;lala of utterly pure buddha-body and pristine
cognition. So, it is because the view and meditation of the mantras are
superior that it is proven to be the resultant vehicle. As it is said in the
Lotus Peak (Padmasekhara):
Concerning the natural expression of the taintless expanse, Along with the three bodies and four kinds ofpristine cognition: When, in that pure state,
An image of actualised intrinsic radiance Is made into the path,
It is correctly called the resultant vehicle.
r As for the meditations of loving kindness, compassion and en-
Ightened mind: There is no occasion to identify them with the uncom-
l11? n view and meditation of the mantras because the subjective con-
SCIOusness by which they refer to their appropriate appearances is a
sUddenly' . fi' I . ,
h" ,ansen, Impure IctlOn. t can be SImply realIsed even by
Intellects these are details ,concerning the
, elopment of enlIghtened mInd accordIng to the relatIve truth which ISt h' - ,
o aug t In the sutra texts. Therefore, as previously cited, the Sequence
if the Path of the Magical Net says:
Is dissimilar
252
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Superiority ofSecret Mantra 253
Within the unsurpassed vehicle, there are those Holding ultimate reality to be perfect in sameness245 And relative appearances to include everything, Both the pure and the impure.
The great vehicle of skilful means, however,
Does not divide even relative appearances According to purity and suffering.
The higher and lower views are just so.
Still greater than that is the distinction between the following two kinds of view. First, there is the view that pristine cognition, the great intrinsic abiding reality which is the naturally pure inner radiance of the expanse, remains incontrovertibly as the abiding nature ofimmaculate awareness, transcending the three times and free from all conceptual elaborations, present as a naturally occurring fundamental nature, liberated from the bondage of created doctrines, and pure from the start without requiring to be artificially contrived by an intellectually applied analysis. The second view is laboriously created, adhering to extremes which accept or reject the mind and its mental events since, through the intellect and analysis, it claims to clarify eternalist and nihilist extremes. The distinction between these two views is similar to that between heaven and earth, and with reference to the abiding nature of the view, the former would appear to be genuine and the latter conventional.
Therefore, when a deity is observed [through the mantra vehicles]: according to the Kriyarantra, a deity of pure reality is realised; according to the Yogatantra, a deity blessed with great dynamic pristine cognition is additionally realised; and according to the Unsurpassed Yogatantra, in addition to both of these, [the deity] is realised within the spontane- ously present maJ). <;iala. Otherwise, there would be no basis for purifi- cation in the abiding nature of the ground, there would be no need for the coincidence of the object of purification and of the act of purification, and one would instead cling to that which does not exist as if it did. It would be equivalent to meditation on the horns of a hare.
Now this refers to the distinction of the view [in the way of mantras]. Yet the master Indrabhuti has also explained that:
There is a distinction of guru, a distinction of vessel, a dis- tinction of ritual, a distinction of ritual action, a distinction of commitment, a distinction of view and a distinction of conduct.
And [in his Point ofLiberation) Muktitilaka, T 1859], Buddhajiianapada has also said:
This vehicle is uncommon in three respects: the one who becomes accomplished through it, its path and its result.
In thi. s the latter, who explains that [mantras] have distinctions in theIr VIew result, also makes a distinction between the attainment of buddhahood m the causal and resultant [vehicles].
[the mantras] are revealed to be superior through three distInctIve. _These are elucidated in the Definitive Order of the Three Vehzcles (Trzyanavyavasthana, T 3712):
The vehicle pure in its visualisation,
Its power of assistance and level of conduct, To those who are endowed with intelligence Is well known to be the greatest.
Accordingly, [the mantras] are revealed to be superior because therein ? ne. three maJ). <;ialas246 in which all things are mdivisible, namely: a VIew pure in its visualisation, for it regards the natural and their utterly pure range of activity; a power endowed WIth the vows of uncommon commitment to assist it; and the deeds of the Tathagata as conduct.
Again, it is revealed in the Sublime Lasso ofSkilful Means (,phags-pa thabs-kyi zhags-pa, T 835):
The mantras are superior through four greatest qualities, namely, the greatest of visualisations, and similarly, the greatest of attainments, the greatest of pristine cognitions and the greatest of skilful means.
And 1)0mbI Heruka has also said:
In this [tradition], the vehicle of mantras is superior Through the distinction of its recipients,
Through the properties which mark its recipients, Through the distinction of its texts and paths,
And through the distinction of its results.
the resultant view is one which realises the abiding nature of
d d · · .
IstmctIOns are revealed within it. For these reasons it is h . ,
at t . e VIew [of the mantras] holds distinction [over that of e causal vehIcle].
realIty
,an
proven th th
Similarly, concerning [the second distinction of the mantras] 247 trough th . d · . . ' and . con uct. The of dIalectIcs continues to accept
in reJect. m terms of a corruptIble moral discipline because he abides
b perCeptIOns which abandon and obstruct the five poisons that are to
The mantras, however, are superior through their pro-
h
th Ions, offenngs, unchanging moral discipline and so forth because e SOurce [of s - ] . d
nature . . arpsara IS into the path by means of its [true] The' whIch IS of purity and sameness.
111· d n, concermng [the thIrd dIstmction of the mantras], through In -control: The proponent of dialectics requires that the contempla-
254 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret
tions of tranquillity and higher insight be attained over a long period of time by the most exhaustive of efforts in mind-control. The mant. ras, however, are superior because pristine cognition is instantly reahsed through the extraordinary yoga ofthe two stages and their coalescence.
Concerning [the fourth distinction of the mantras], through their causal basis: The proponent of dialectics holds that ultimate reality is seen by one who has previously gone through the provisions s. o forth, whereas the mantras are superior because the truth of realIty IS realised by one who has been forcibly introduced to pristine cognition, which intrinsically abides as the causal basis of separation from obscura- tions (bral-rgyu).
As for [the fifth distinction of the mantras], through their path: The proponent of dialectics requires that the path be over many great aeons by the alternation of meditative absorptIon and ItS once the provisions have been accumulated. The mantras are supenor since one who enters the path in which meditative absorption and its aftermath are indivisible progresses swiftly.
Also, concerning [the sixth distinction of the mantras], through their result: In the dialectics [the result] is considered to emerge after a long period of time, whereas the mantras are superior because it is held that the ground and result are indivisible and spontaneously present here and now.
Concerning [the seventh distinction of the mantras], throug. h their levels: In the dialectics [the levels] are held to number eleven by dIfferen- tiating the successive renunciations and antidotes. 248 The mantras, how- ever are superior because [they progress] to the twelfth level of the Lotus Endowed (ma-chags padma-can), the thirteenth level of the Holder of Indestructible Reality (rdo-rje 'dzin-pa) and so on.
As for [the eighth distinction of the mantras], that of time: The proponent of dialectics loiters for three great, "countless" aeons the like, whereas the mantras are superior because one whose commIt- ments are unimpaired achieves [the goal] in one lifetime and so forth . .
Concerning [the ninth distinction], that of rapture: In dialectics attaIn- ment comes after desired qualities have been renounced, while the man- tras are superior because the friendship [ofdesired qualities] is cuItivated.
Concerning [the tenth distinction], that of yoga: The prop. onent of dialectics differentiates between meditative absorption and ItS after- math, whereas the mantras are superior because the inconceivable yoga in which they are indivisible is made into path. . elf-
Then concerning [the eleventh], that of theIr benefits WhICh are s and other-oriented: The proponent of dialectics does not mobre than provisional slight benefits, whereas the mantras are supenor e- cause through them one acts on behalf of oneself and others by many approaches which cut off [evil] and bring [others] into the fold, whichever deeds are appropriate.
Concerning [the twelfth], that of intention: In dialectics nothing is known apart from the mere causal vehicle, whereas the mantras are superior since they ascertain the great mystery of the result.
[By the thirteenth distinction] the mantras are superior to dialectics because the fault of fatigue is easily renounced, and [by the fourteenth] are so great benefit is achieved with little hardship.
Fmally, concernmg [the fifteenth distinction], that of the accumula- tion of provisions: The proponent of dialectics requires that the conduct of the six transcendental perfections, beginning with liberality be ex- tensively over countless aeons. In the mantras, 'though
[the are somewhat smaller, they are vast because liberality to be practIsed after [the provisions of offering] have been multiplied In the storehouse of space through the blessing or consecration of the mantras. All. objects are perceived as buddha-fields, all raptures are
mto offerings and conflicting emotions are naturally
pure without havmg been renounced. The provisions of merit and
pristine cognition are swiftly contracted and perfected. Therefore the mantras are superior.
Furthermore, according to the dialectics the appearance of the has an illusory nature and, by means of the ordinary actIOns of the body, one does no more than enter into virtue. According to. th. e mantras the of the buddha-body is that all appearances
wlthm the world and Its contents are deities and celestial mansions and the maI)<;iala of buddha-body, the emanation and
Hon [of lIght] from the deity's seal are not bypassed. 249 Therefore [the mantras] are superior.
According to the dialectics, buddha-speech is empty in the manner of an and when ordinary speech is cut off one does no more than enter mto virtue. The mantras, on the other hand, are superior because the mystery of buddha-speech is a raincloud of doctrine. It is perceived
as the natural expression of a great, imperishable vibration of melody and11d . , a soun s, words and tones anse as the natural intonation of
mantras, because ordinary speech abides from the beginning in the
maI)<;iala of buddha-speech. Thereby all that is said is potent and unim- pededly effective.
th The proponen: of dialectics seals the buddha-mind with the [view] and thought are without independent existence, Ill" avmg obstructed the ebb and flow of thoughts in the ordinary does . no. more than cling to the contemplations of tranquillity bUddh The mantras are superior because the mystery of
remel a mmd as the expression of reality, where sup-
su
Y unchangmg great blIss and the emptiness endowed with all Preme aspect h' h . . .
s, w IC IS essentIally deVOId of substantial existence Pontaneously present, without the duality of meditative absorption
ar
s e Coalesced. All recollections and thoughts of the ordinary mind
Superiority ofSecret Mantra 255
256 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
and its aftermath, in the maQQala of the non-conceptualising yoga, a continuous stream of contemplation, which is reality'S display.
This alone serves to illustrate that one should know the other distinc- tive features [of the mantras] to be inconceivable. But if are ab- breviated, they should be condensed according to the followmg words from the Prophetic Declaration of Intention (Sandhivyakara1Jatantra,
T 444):
That which is known by the buddhas
Over utterly countless aeons
Is the perfect enlightenment attained in one moment And within one lifetime by the mantrins.
2 The Essence and Definition of Secret Mantra
V ajrasattva
[143a. 6-147b. l] The extraordinary vehicles are expounded in two parts, one giving a detailed exegesis of the overall meaning according to their general classifications and the other recapitulating the meaning sub- sumed in their particular sections.
The first is outlined under the three headings of the essence, verbal definition and classification. First, [the essence] is that the of the greater vehicle, which was taught by the Teacher, Vajradhara, observes that the ground and result are indivisible and spontaneously present, owing to which the natural expression of the truth of the origin [of sarpsara] appears as the truth of the path, and the natural expression of the truth of suffering appears as the truth of cessation. Thus, in respect of action, the result is swiftly accomplished by experientially cultivating the abiding nature of the ground, without rejection and acceptance.
Secondly, concerning the verbal definitions: The [Sanskrit] mana(s), which conveys the meaning of mind, and traya, which conveys that of protection, become "mantra" by syllabic contraction, and therefrom the sense of protecting the mind fyid-skyob in Tibetan] is derived. It says in the Guhyasamaja Tantra:
Whatever has arisen through the conditions Of sense organs and objects is the mind. This mind is explained by [the term] man, And tra has the sense of granting protection.
And also, in the Great All-Radiating Seminal Point which is an Ancient Translation (snga-'gyur thig-le kun-gsal chen-po, NGB Vo1. 5):
Concerning the verbal definition of the three kinds of mantra,
They are so called because they protect consciousness. According to such explanations, mantras are [so called] because they easily and swiftly protect the consciousness of the mind.
On the subject of protection by their ease, it says in the Mahamaya Tantra (T 425):
258
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret
Essence and Definition ofSecret Mantra 259
As for the five sensual raptures: It is by freely indulging therein That accomplishment is attained.
And on the subject of protection by their swiftness: Without to provisions amassed over three "countless" [aeons] and the lIke, result can be actualised through the skilful means [of the m one lifetime, and so forth. Hence they are and resultant vehicle. As it is said in the Glorious Semzna oznt OJ m race (Srfsarrzputatilaka, T 382):
Though over many millions of aeons. . . . There are buddhas who have difficulty m thIS, It is granted [by the mantras] in this very lIfetIme. Hence they are called the resultant vehicle.
And in the Buddhasamayoga (T 366-7):
Through countless millions of a e o n s . . All the buddhas do not obtain actual [enlIghtenment], The secret mantras, by the rites of this life,
Obtain it in this very lifetime.
Then again, the great seal of [the deity's] bodily form, reflecting the. emptiness endowed with all supreme aspects (mam-kun mch? g-ldan-gyz stong-gzugs phyag-rgya chen-po), is introduced by [the a melting bliss, which is symbolised by [the syllables] T? IS cognition or unchanging supreme bliss, which coalesces m a essence the emptiness and co-emer. gent arising' from the pu;;oe the seminal point of great desire, IS oblIgatory for al. l buddhas, h' too is [defined as] mantra because it easily and sWIftly protects t e and constrains the objects to be renounced, namely, the sities symbols and ideas which respectIVely transfer h the v;riable [desire realm] and the blissful [form realm]. It says m t e Kalacakra Tantra:
The collection of vowels and consonants is not The unchanging sound refers to the, cognition of supreme, unchanging blIss. SImIlarly, smce th y are the reality which protects the min? , ,the too, are called the supreme, unchanging pnstme cogmtIOn.
And in the Indestructible Peak (Vajrasekhara, T 480):
The characteristic of all the mantras
Is the mind of all the buddhas. . Since they cause the nucleus of reality to be attamed, They are genuinely endowed with reality's expanse.
The collection of transmitted precepts which extensively teach this [way of mantras] is called the Piraka of the Awareness-holders or the Pitaka of the Vehicle of Indestructible Reality. Derived from the pitaka, which conveys the meanings of a container or a
measuring basket, the most extensive piraka is so called because it establishes in accord with the abiding nature and reveals in detail all conditions which are knowable, from the doctrine concerning the com- ponents, psychophysical bases and activity fields to the buddha-body and pristine cognition. Because all the meanings of the three lower piraka are gathered and perfected in this, it is also called the source of
all the piraka. The Tantra of the Extensive Magical Net says:
Concerning the king of intrinsic awareness, Which realises the meaning of sameness: Just as all rivers flow into the great ocean, In these most skilful means,
Which realise the unsurpassed meaning,
The inconceivable vehicles of liberation are all
gathered.
Then, concerning the expression "awareness-holder" (rig-'dzin, Skt. vidyadhara), [when referring to the realized exponents of secret mantra,] there are three [mundane] kinds. First, there is the lesser one who holds
the awareness of the accomplishment of eight great activities. These are:
Medicinal pills, eye-salve and swift feet, The penetration of matter
And accomplishment of the enchanted sword, Sky-faring and invisibility,
And that of immortality and the supression of disease. 2S 1
The middling one is the common sort who holds the awareness of the
desire realms; and the greater one holds the awareness of the desire
and form realms. The life-span, rapture and so forth of the latter endure for either six aeons or immeasurably.
The supramundane awareness-holders are either the coalescent be-
ings (Yuganaddhasattva) who abide on the level [of the paths] of learning
beginning with the path of insight, or those who possess the taintless bOdy of pristine cognition.
,Also, there are those [awareness-holders] who are endowed with the rambow body but do not possess a body of form belonging to the three realms, and these have seven distinctions of enlightened attributes, namely, they abide in contemplation, possess the five supernormal Cognitive powers, act in various fields on behalf of living beings, are
Without desire or covetousness, enJoy limitless desires as supreme bliss,
260 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
transcend the span of life, and abide in a mental body. However, those in whom the basket of the components [i. e. the physical body] has not diminished possess only the body of pristine cognition, and when it has been diminished by deeds and contemplation, it is called the aware- ness-holders' body of pristine cognition.
In the Mahayoga, [awareness-holders} are classifie? kinds: those holding the awareness of maturatlO. n (rnam-smzn rzg- th? se holding the awareness of power over the hfe-span dzzn), those holding the awareness of the great seal (phyag-chen rzg- dzzn), those holding the awareness of spontaneous presence (lhun-grub 'dzin). And, in the Buddhasamayoga Tantra, the [above] enumeratIOn of seven is given. .
The Pitaka of the Awareness-holders is thus named eIther because it is the to be studied by these [awareness-holders] or because one who enters this vehicle comes to attain these common and supreme accomplishments. As explained in the Commentary on the Tantra ofthe Dialogue with Subahu (Subahuparipfcchiitantrapi1JeJiirtha, T 2671):
That which is called the Pi1aka of the Awareness-holders is
the ground studied by the holders of gnostic mantras. Its
savour of the enlightened mind subsumes these. Now this is the contemplation of Vajrasattva [the spiritual of indestructible reality] and this nature is the indestructible reality. The vehicle of indestructible reality, inasmuch as it
is both the indestructible reality and a vehicle, means the same as the mantra vehicle. It is called unsurpassed because it is the supreme reality of all vehicles.
In the Taintless Light Avalokitesvara says:
teaching accords with this spiritual and philosophical system . . . th . 252
reality is supreme indivisibility and insepara- bilIty, and the vehicle which leads to it is the vehicle of indestructible reality. The style of the mantras and the style
of the transcendental perfections which [respectively] are
identified as the result and the cause are blended together [in it].
of transmIssIons concermng e vIew.
Now this [way of mantras] is also known as the vehicle of indestruc- tible reality (rdo-rye theg-pa, Skt. Vajrayana). By definition, this conveys the sense of "undivided" (mi-phyed) and "imperishable" (mz- shigs). That which is not divided into anything never . wavers from mind-as-such in the abiding nature of reality, despIte the dIfferent apparitional modes of both saI11sara and nirvaJ)a. Therefore, as it is said [Hevajra Tantra, Pt. 1, Ch. 1, v. 4a]:
It is the undifferentiated nature that is expressed in the word vajra.
The mind of all the buddhas is imperishable because it is the essence of reality which cannot be destroyed by any symbolic doctrine. Since it is similar to a vajra, the so-called indestructible mind of all buddhas abides, as previously explained,. as the ess:nce of mantra. . T? e "vehicle" is used both metaphoncally and lIterally because It IS eIth the support for the attainment of this [reality] or else the [path] through which it is traversed. It is explained in the Commentary on the Guhyasamaja:
Concerning that which is called the vehicle of reality: The entire greater vehicle is subsumed by the SIX transcendental perfections. They in turn are subsumed by skilful means and discriminative awareness, and the common
And also:
The vehicle of indestructible reality is the vehicle of the
perfect buddhas. Since it cannot be changed by
the vehIcles of the extremists, pious attendants and self-
c:ntred buddhas, it is the vehicle of indestructible reality.
one proceeds through it to liberation, it is the vehicle of Indestructible reality.
In such ways [the definition of the vehicle of indestructible reality] has been extensively taught.
F. urthermore, the [Sanskrit] tantra also conveys the meaning of pro-
tectmg the mind, for cetana has the sense ofmind and traya ofprotection.
on entitled Endowed with Pristine Cognition nbuddhakapalatantrapanJzkaJnanavatl) T 1652) says:
Tantra is so called because it protects the mind from conceptual thoughts.
Tantrapiraka are so called because they form the collection or class of the tantras.
TheWordt I· h
th antra a so, In t e manner of the strings of the lute conveys e sen f . . . ,
PUre
se? contInuIty: It IS so called because it subsumes the naturally realIty of the mmdfrom sentient being to buddha within the
Essence and Definition ofSecret Mantra 261
:vhich ! s . said to be the indestructible reality is the pnstme cognition, the indestructible reality of the mconceIVable buddha-mind. Whatever possesses it is en- dowed with indestructible reality.