No More Learning

The tantras intended by the Sugata
Are correctly explained to be of four kinds: Kriya, Carya, Yoga and Unsurpassed Tantra.
While there are many dissimilar ways of dividing them, the reas? n for this division into the four which are well known: IS they are taught as the paths respectively for those of lowest, mIddhng, superior and highest acumen [who require training], and as the means by which those beings are gradually led. the . result. In the [Indestruct- ible} Tent (Vajrapafijaratantra, T 419) It IS Said:
The Kriyatantra is for the basest, .
And Caryatantra256 is for those who are . The Yogatantra is for the supreme among sentIent bemgs, And Unsurpassed Yoga is for those who are yet more
superior.
The four tantrapitaka are also said to be taught with reference to the
For those who are devoted to the distinctions of activity but are disinclined to abandon the inner identification which indeed unites with the vast conduct of skilful means and discriminative awareness, there is the Ubhayatantra [i. e. Caryatantra] which is derived in common from both the Kriyatantra and Yogatantra.
four temporal as found in the following words [from the Tantra . ' ]257
And so on. Then in the Commentary on the Tantra of the Awakening of Great Vairocana (Mahavairocanabhisambodhitantra(fka, T 2663) it says:
The [Yogatantra] including the Sublime Tantra ofthe Summa- tion of the Real emphasises inner union, and yet it is not without external conduct.
KRIYA TANTRA
The first of these Kriya, means action, . ecause it emphatically teaches the actions of body and speech. Its view IS that ultimately there are enlightened attributes through which one's real nature is realised to be pure and without conceptual elabora- tIons of the four: extremes, and, distinct from these, there are relative
which Genuinely Gathers All the Deztzes:
The Kriyatantra is [emphasised] during the first age or
the Tretayuga, .
The Yogatantra is emphasised during the thIrd age or
. '
the Krtayuga,
The Caryatantra is emphasIsed dunng the second age 0
r
the Dvaparayuga,
And the Unsurpassed Tantra is emphasIsed dunng the
fourth age or the Kaliyuga.
. '
The Four Tantrapi(aka 269
270 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
appearances which have the characteristics of an utterly pure deity. Through this view, one resorts to skilful means, aspiring and striving towards an accomplishment externally [conferred by the deity]. It is explained in Buddhaguhya's Sequence of the Path:
Since they are not known to be the same, without duality, The level of action requires alternate meditation
On an ultimate truth which is simply the pure reality
And a deity of relative appearance endowed with
The enlightened attributes of pristine cognition.
Meditation in this context therefore refers to the yoga associated with three enlightened families of pure deities of relative appearance. By means of the deity's six modes, namely, the deity of emptiness, the deity of syllables, the deity of sound, the deity of form, the deity of seals and the deity of symbols,260 whether one is oneself visualised as the deity or not, one aspires towards accomplishment, relating to the Being of Pristine Cognition (jiianasattva) as a master, and [considering] oneself as a servant. The Tantra ofthe Great Natural Arising ofAwareness says:
The deity and the pure yogin
Are seen respectively as master and servant.
The deity is delighted by ablutions, cleanliness, fasting and other such austerities in conduct, and, by maintaining the appropriate ascetic discipline, the mind becomes immersed in the sound which is the reality of [mantra] recitation, in [the deity's] mind and in the ground. The reality of this concentration also has three aspects, as explained in the following passage:
Abiding in the flame of secret mantra, Accomplishment is given;
Abiding in its sound, the yoga is conferred; And at the limit of sound, freedom is granted.
As a result of having made these [meditations and conduct] into the path, one becomes provisionally accomplished as a sky-faring aware- ness-holder who is equal in fortune to a god of the desire realm, and, having practised the conduct of the mantras on that basis, the level of the Holder of Indestructible Reality belonging to the Three Enlightened Families (rigs-gsum rdo-rje 'dzin-pa), which is explained in this Kriya- tantra, is conclusively actualised. The Heruka Galpo says:
Within seven lifetimes on the buddha level
The Lords of the Three Families instruct living beings.
The pilaka which reveals these [practices of Kriyatantra] includes the Tantra of the Dialogue with Subahu, the Tantra of the Emergence of
The Four Tantrapitaka 271 Tani (Sarvatathagatamatrtaravisvakannabhavatantra T 726) th K '
of Commitments T 502) SubJugatzon of Dem. ons (Bhutaejamaratantra, T 747).
T. h. en, when is classified according to its enlightened famIlIes, there are SIX types namely those of th T h- L
V . W Ih . ' , e atagata, otus aqa, . ea t , Ennchment and enlightened families. Each
of these IS further analysed accordmg to its cent 1d - ra
consort, u$1Jz$a, male and female wrathful d 't'
. d" el Ies, ma e and female
mterme lanes, and male and female servants 'Yet all [K . -
h b d . nya tantras]
w en su ,are gathered within the two classes of the secret mant ' and the gnostIc mantra. 261 ra
UBHAYATANTRA
. . 4-153b. 5] the Ubhayatantra [or Caryatantra] is prac- _In accordance WIth the view of Yogatantra and the conduct of it is called the tantra of equal parts or the tantra
o oth, formIng the connecting link between those two The Y; t
of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness says:
The Ubhayatantra is as follows:
The view is seen as in Yogatantra
And conduct performed as in Kriyatantra. Therefore it is known as the tantra of both.
is IS . vlew and conduct have been established as the ground
an ra
there
o h"
should meditate definitively on the symboli; sylla-
tion' s deItIes. of form, t. hen become steadfast in contempla-
Vair roug on:-P? Inted_ As the Awakening of [Great]
ocana (Mahavazrocanabhzsambodhitantra, T 494) says: When the syllables are conjoined with syllables262
And the of reality is made into the ground [of medItatIOn],
With utmost mental concentration
One should make a hundred thousand recitations.
ure 0 u tlmate reality and h are provisional 1 so on,
Then When the vog . h
in the nat f 1'· a WIt out symbols, In whIch the mind is absorbed
een experienced, there Reality bel . ' addItIOn: the level of a Holder of Indestructible
as
as the accomplishment of the body of an
Pa) is c 0 to Four EnlIghtened Families (rigs-bzhi rdo-rie 'dzin- 1
onc USlve y actualised b h ' .
basis either' fi I'''' Y avmg practIsed the mantras on that
. SIngle
aeon.
In Ive lletlmes or if I' . h
Th ' , one oIters, In tree aeons, or in a
e Heruka Galpo says:
'.
b
.
eIty, master, female
I
.
272 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
The Four Tantrapitaka 273
One abides on the level of Vajradhara Endowed with the four enlightened families.
The pitaka in which these [Ubhayatantra] are revealed, Awakening of Great Vairocana and the Empowerment of VaJrapa'f}l T 496).
YOGA T ANTRA
[153b. 5-l54b. 5] Thirdly, concerning the Yogatantra (rnal-'byor), the master Anandagarbha says:
This Yogatantra emphasises meditation, for therein recita- tion is optionally revealed.
And in his Epitome of the Illumination of the Real (Tattviilokiipi'f}qiirtha, T 2510) also:
This tantra is called Yogatantra because it emphasises con-
templative meditation.
The view of Yogatantra is therefore that of pristine cogni- tion, which ultimately realises the natural mner free fron: the conceptual elaboration of all things, to ? e IS seen relatively as a deity of the expanse of indestructIble reah. ty. Consequently, the
result is held to be attained by perseverance [m the and rejection] of positive and negative ideas in relation to that [deny]. The
Sequence of the Path says:
Since they are not realised to be spontaneously
present and the same, .
The blessing of pristine cognition, the punty of all
things,
Becomes an emanational deity of the expanse of
indestructible reality,
And the level of action is one of acceptance and
rejection.
The meditation of Yogatantra emphasises the yoga of. skilful g
One meditates on oneself as a deity with his or her retmue throu. lya
. d C' 263 hich are progressIVe sequence of five awakemngs an lour yogas w . em-
connected with the four seals. Inner are or
hasised including meditative equipoise in the pnstme P , rth d'srea1. individual intuitive awareness, which actually rea. Ises e m m 'd in the
Then by relying on conduct such as cleanhness as an a1 '. d- manner'of the previous [vehicles], there are provisional
i n g t h a t o f a s k y - f a r i n g a w a r e n e s s - h o l d e r . . T h e n , t h . e e l 1 Seal (phyag-rgya chen-poi64 is accomplIshed wnhm three or Sixt
lifetimes, after which buddhahood is gradually attained on the level of the Bounteous Array of the Five Enlightened Families (rigs-Inga stug-po bkod-pa), in the essence of the five pristine cognitions and by means of the five awakenings. The All-Accomplishing King says:
One who desires the Bounteous Array of Yogatantra Is held to be liberated within three lifetimes.
The pitaka in which this [Yogatantra] is revealed includes the Sum- mation ofthe Real and the Glorious Paramiidya (5rfparamiidya, T 487-8). Then, if Yogatantra is classified according to its enlightened families, they comprise the Fundamental Enlightened Family, along with the following five: the Buddha, Vajra, Jewel, Doctrine and Activity enlightened families. Each of these is also subdivided into five minor families; and there is an additional eightfold division when [the major and minor families] are each divided into their four parts - nucleus, seal, secret mantra and gnostic mantra.
Ifthese Yoga tantras are then condensed, they are gathered into skilful means and discriminative awareness. For example, the term "male consort" [i. e. skilful means] is expressed in the Summation of the Real and the term "female consort" [i. e. discriminative awareness] is expres- sed in the Hundred and Fifty Verses on the Modes of Discriminative Awareness (Nayasatapaficasatika, T 17).
UNSURP ASSED YOGA T ANTRA
[l54b. 5-156a. 2] Concerning the vehicle of overpowering means or the Unsurpassed Yoga (Anuttarayogatantra): The three lower tantrapitaka are established as the three outer tantrapitaka, or the lower tantrapitaka. This is because they are mostly in harmony with the vehicle of dialectics, in that they are guided by the perceptions of purity and impurity which entail acceptance, rejection, renunciation, antidotes and so forth. They are deluded with respect to the abiding nature of supreme bliss by their separation of skilful means and discriminative awareness and so forth. This extraordinary path of Unsurpassed Yoga, on the other hand, is known as the short path and also the tantra of skilful means because, W? en one has entered into it, one is united in the result by this alone, Without having to extend into other vehicles. Whereas in other vehicles th: three poisons are to be renounced, here, by having driven in the naII. of the view which is without objectification, the three poisons are on the path without being renounced - desire as the essence of
hss and emptiness, hatred as the essence of radiance and emptiness, as the essence of awareness and emptiness. In this way, e skIlful means which achieves the extraordinary rank of coalescence In a single is amazing. The three outer tantrapitaka are therefore
274 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
said to be a long path. Although they do belong to the path of mantra in general, and so are contained within the swift path, they are explained to be long in relation to this vehicle, because adherents of them are finally obliged to enter into this unsurpassed path.
The Unsurpassed Yoga is, in addition, superior through many dis- tinctions. For example, it reveals the embracing union of the father and mother deities, which symbolises the coalescence of the naturally present pristine cognition that is skilful means and the emptiness that is discriminative awareness, and it reveals the extraordinary yoga of skilful means through which the five meats, the five nectars and so forth are rapturously enjoyed. It says in the Guhyasamaja Tantra (Guhyasamajatantra, T 442-3, Ch. 18, v. 32):
The meditative equipoise in skilful means and discriminative awareness
Is explained to be yoga.
The non-substantiality of anything is discriminative
awareness
And substantiality is the characteristic of skilful means.
When the Unsurpassed Yoga is classified, it comprises the Father Tantra of Skilful Means (thabs pha-yi rgyud), the Mother Tantra of Discriminative Awareness (shes-rab ma-yi rgyud) and the Coalescent Non-Dual Tantra (zung-'jug gnyis-med-kyi rgyud). When these are clas- sified according to their enlightened families, the Father tantras are sixfold, comprising the enlightened families of Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi and Vajradhara. In the same way, the Mother tantras are assuredly classified into the six enlightened families ofVajrasattva, Vairocana, Vajraditya, Padmanartesvara, Asvot- tama and Heruka. Thus there are twelve excellent divisions of the Unsurpassed Tantra. Then on further classification, there are said to be limitless enlightened families, and just as many tantras.
If [the Unsurpassed Yoga tantras] are subsumed, they are gathered into skilful means and discriminative awareness, and these, too, are without exception gathered within both the creation and perfection stages, which are then actually gathered into the Great Perfection. So it is that the unsurpassed vehicle of overpowering means is classified [by the Nyingmapa] into the three subdivisions of creation, perfection and great perfection, among which the first, the creation phase oftantra, is the Mahayoga.
5 Mahayoga
THE GROUND
OR VIEW OF
MAHA YOGA
[I56a. 2-I57a. 5] Mahayoga or Great Yo ( l ' .
because it unites the mind in the IS so to the outer Yogatantra. Although th . ;hICh IS supenor

general [Mahayoga] to the the . continuum of the ground is of
realIsed, but it is not established by the ostensibl WhfICh IS ,to be Rather it is established by the th k d e reasonmg 0 S,ophIstry.
cognition and should be realised b s of awareness. y t e Irect perceptIOn of mtrmsic
establish this [ground], namely, ' rea IsatIOn the axio f h h ' ,
theaXIOmofth (' d '
, e lour mo es of samen
Identity. Among them the fir ' , an , t e aXIOm of supreme
from the Tantra of th '[. 5 jstNaxIOm IS gIven m the following passage e ecret ucleus (Ch. l1, v. 2):
T
Thesi 1b '
Th b ng aSIS and the manner of seed-syllables
T e lessIng and the direct perception' ' [these] four kinds of realisation
t mgs are the great king, manifestly perfect. '
hroughtheaxiomofth ' 1 b .
naturally present d e smg e aSIS, all things are established as
anuncreated'thr hh '
seed-syllables all th' , , oug t e aXIOm of the manner of
the axiom of are establIshed as an unceasing display; through essence; and throu all, things established as the indivisible
established to be ,e t hdIrect all things are of the four kinds f I,m ectua c aractenstICS. Such are the axioms
C o re a IsatIOn.
oncerning the second . [ h
(Ch. lI, v. I5): . aXIOm, t at of the three purities,] it says
motetreepuntIes d h ' ,
276
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Mahiiyoga 277
The world, its contents and the mind-stream Are realised to be pure.
So through the axiom of the three purities, the outer world, its
contents and all the components, psychophysical bases and actIVIty
fields are established as a great purity.
Concerning the third axiom, [that ofsameness,] it says (Ch. ll, v. lS):
266 Through the two samenesses
And the two superior samenesses
The ma1). 9ala is the field of Samantabhadra.
So through the axiom of the four modes of all things subsumed by the relative and ultimate truths are estabhshed as a gr. eat
Concerning the fourth axiom, [that of supreme Identity,] It says (Ch. 9, v. 3s):
The naturally present pristine cognition Appears without abiding.
Thus, through the axiom of supreme identity, things are established as primordially abiding in the identity of a smgle, naturally present, pristine cognition, which The ab. ldmg nature of the natural continuum of the baSIS whIch IS dIrectly
these axioms of appraisal is the uncommon spiritual goal of the Mahayoga. Such is also said in the Oceamc MagIcal Net:
In the manner of a clear reflection in the ocean, Without making an echo in the mind,
The intrinsic awareness of direct perception
That is without objective referent,
Intrinsically radiant, without the three [times] and
without wavering,
Which is confident in its certainty,
Concludes the view of study, reflection and meditation.
And in the Flash of Splendour (]niiniiscaryadyuticakrasutra, T 830): If direct awareness is determined,
The level of yoga is reached.
THE PATH OF MAH. AYOGA
and liberation, concerning the first of wh1ch 1t 1S Said [m the 0 Magical Net]:
The path to liberation is taught as skilful means.
Through the path of skilful means, one who has practised deeds which bind one [to sarpsara] obtains the result of liberation. Above all, the distinctive feature of skilful means is that if one has practised the dis- cipline of conduct which directly overpowers the three poisons without renouncing them, one is endowed with the foundation of the view, and, in consequence, is not only unfettered but also swiftly obtains the result of liberation. If, on the other hand, one who is not so endowed were to practise [this discipline], liberation would not be obtained and there would indeed be a great risk of falling into evil existences, so that there is great danger, as in the [alchemical use of] mercury [for the sudden transformation of iron into gold]. 267
This path of skilful means (thabs-lam) is twofold, as it is said [in the above text]:
Its oral instructions concern the upper And lower doors [of the body]. 268
Concerning the former: In a gradual manner the pristine cognition of supreme bliss is experienced through union [resulting from] the blazing and secretion [of seminal points]. 269 This depends on [practices associated with] the six centres which form the "upper door of one's own body" (rang-Ius steng-sgo), as indicated in the Exegetical Tantra of the Oceanic Magical Net.
And concernmg the latter: In an immediate manner, the pristine cognition of bliss and emptiness is irresistibly generated in a single through the four unions of ritual service, further ritual service,
ntes of attainment and rites of great attainment. 270 These depend on [practices associated with] "the lower door of one's partner's body" (gzhan-lus 'og-sgo) in which the two secret [or sexual] centres (mkha'- gsang gnyis) of the male and female consorts are united, as indicated in
the Penetrating Exegetical Tantra a/the Magical Net (bshad-rgyud thal-ba, NGB Vol. IS).
The second path, that of liberation (grol-lam), is above all established
through the three kinds of discriminative awareness: After the bondage
one's own mind has been naturally cleansed by realisation, one is
lIberated in the space of reality. Though it contains no distinctive feature
? f speed, as does the path of skilful means, there is no difference
as one is united in the result, and the danger is less. It is
SImIlar to the Kaustubha gemstone [which gradually draws gold from ore]. 271
. ! he path of liberation is also divided into two modes, one of which IS Immediately attained and the other gradually attained, according to the degree of acumen [of those requiring training]. The first is eXemplified by Indrabhuti who attained liberation at the time of his
. ng of the view as the ground, the path comprises skIlful
. [lS7a. S-lS8b. 6] Having so estabhshed the
d fi . ,
e mlt1Ve eans
278 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
empowerment. The latter is described as follows in the Tantra of the
[Secret] Nucleus (Ch. 12, vv. 8-9):
Retention which is endowed with the characteristics Of discriminative awareness and entrance
Is the basis and condition
Which brings the result to maturity. Those who transform it into a potent force Are known as awareness-holders
In the fields of the Conqueror.
The path ofliberation therefore has three aspects: as [discriminative] awareness is the view; the charactensed as the entrance are contemplation; and the result whIch has been about by the path is the awareness-holder. The first has been descnbed
. 'I'. The second aspect of the path of hberatIon, contemp In-
cludes meditation through devotion and. defimtIve perfection. The former is referred to as meditation because n the general features of some [divine] object and devotion n lllto th. e path. The latter
refers to training until the five contemplative expenences of sta es [of creation and perfection] have been In _ a Meditative Absorption in the Mudra (Maya}alamudradhyana,
Mahayoga 279 rgya gcig-pa), the elaborate seal (phyag-rgya spros-bcas) and the attain-
ment ofthe mal). gala clusters (tshom-bu tshogs-sgrub), making five in all. The Creation Stage ofMahayoga
[l58b. 6-160a. 3] Within this [framework of meditation] there are two modes of purification, one through the coarse creation stage (rags-pa bskyed-rim) and the other through the subtle perfection stage (phra-ba rdzogs-rim). Concerning the first of these, when the consciousness of corporeal beings is transferred at the moment of death, after the outer and inner sequences of dissolution have been completed,272 the condi- tion of death arises as the inner radiance of the buddha-body of reality. In order that this [inner radiance] may be carried on the path, there is meditation on the contemplation of just what is, according to which all things subsumed in sensory phenomena (snang-grags) are the unelabor- ate buddha-body of reality.
If this nature of inner radiance is not recognised, there is the all-per- vasive meditation on great compassion, the essence of contemplation on all that appears, without objective qualification, which purifies the provisional propensities of the apparitional mental body273 during the intermediate state [after death].
So long as, on this basis, one is not liberated in the intermediate state, there are both the subtle and coarse aspects of the single seal which purifies the propensities from conception in the womb to the moment of birth. Now, the essence of the subtle contemplation of the causal basis, which purifies the rebirth situation immediately prior to entering into any birthplace conditioned by the growth of craving, is a training in the seed-syllables which have eight dimensions of radiance and constancy. And the coarse [contemplation], which purifies the situations from the moment [of conception], when [consciousness] in- termingles with the male and female seminal fluids, to the moment When it awakens to the external sense organs and objects, is a training which, corresponding to the four kinds of birthplace, generates the body of a deity through the four awakenings (mngon-byang bzhi), the three kinds of rite (cho-ga gsum) and so forth.
Then there are four aspects of the training in the elaborate seal which Purifies the propensities from the moment of birth to adult maturity. As explained in the Sequence of the Path:
These are mal)galas, clusters, numbers, And faces and arms [of the deities].
The elaborate seal therefore comprises an emanation of mal)galas, an emanation of mal)gala clusters, an emanation of a number [of deities] an emanation of the [deities'] faces and arms. These four respect- Ively comprise: the expansive, middling and condensed mal)<;lalas of
above.
P 4732) iris said:
Wavering, attainment, skill, firmness and These five are the modes in which the expenence of
meditative absorption arises.
Concerning the paths that are the object of thIS me nation,
of the [Secret] Nucleus explains:
Through their maturation during the sequence of
the Tantra
rebirth,
The aspects of the to be five. Because all that is substantial IS llltnnsic awareness,
Death is [the moment of] the The intermediate state before hfe IS relatIve
appearance
And the three phases of life are the non-dual truth.
h h
In this way Mahayoga perfectly reveals the s t roug d h three
h which the , h ' d ate state an t e
rebirth process including death, t. lllterme 1h h which
phases of life, is punfIed. great emptinesS ponds to inner radiance at the moment 0 . diate state (stong-pa chen-po), the path to the pathS [after death] is great compaSSIOn chen PO! , I
which correspond to the three phases of hfe are the Slllg e sea
. d"
.
280 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
, , 't ' or quintet of mandala the peaceful and thousand a clusters; enumerauons ,of o? e eaceful deities, and of one thousand spontaneously present mfimty of th usand eight hundred and fifty, four hundred and fifty, wrathful deities; and the faces
and a spontaneously have extensive, middling and and arms [of the delues w lC
condensed formatio,ns, , t of the mandala clusters, which [Finally], there l,S, toold Thishaslimitless purifies the prop,enslues rom d der the three headings: apprehend- subdivisions whIch five excellences; straightening the
ing the ground attame t h f ritual service and rites of attain- path by means, of fohur , accomplishment of the result as
ment; and indlcatmg t e ume or
an awareness-holder, h t d with corrupt states downwardly
Thus, these five pat s :nd its propensities are refined and
correspond to saJ. 1lsara so tha, h three buddha-bodies along with 'fi d U dly they sustam t e
pun Ie, pwar, ' d conduct so that the result is perfected;
the of ,theIr actlons a foundation through which those on
and mtermedlately est h' h th for which reason they are a lower path can meditate on a 19, er pa ,
a means of progressing to maturauon,
The Perfection Stage of Mahayoga
I fi
[160a,3-61a. 4] Sec? ndly, there a stage (phra-ba rdzogs-rim),
purification to e per conclusion the [aforementioned] The first is the trammg t'ng through the fusion of day five experiences by expenentla ,y cu Iva is a training in non-con-
and night, the of the methods of absorption, and
ceptual conte,mplatlon ,by either of of the night. The twO methods the inner radiance dunng the deep P l e s s ("";g-pa spl. . ,i-blugs),
blisS274 [experienced] through the contemplation in which great compas- sion is projected to appearances without partiality,
The fourth is the entry into the experience of the deity's body, the maf,lQala centre, periphery and clusters, in which all appearances are coalesced, and which become distinct and perfect through the increasing magnitude of that divine apparition, And the fifth is meditation which relies on any maf,lQala cluster in harmony with either the elaborate creation stage or the unelaborate [perfection stage], in which the male and female yogins and the male and female central deities are assem- bled/75 or on the extremely unelaborate phase in which there is the coalescent union of the father consort or unchanging, supreme bliss and the mother consort or emptiness endowed with all supreme aspects,
During these meditations, conduct consists of either the conduct of [overpowering] discipline during the path of skilful means, or the con- duct of self-restraint during the path of liberation, The former is explained to be direct and the latter to have eight divisions, namely, the conduct of faithful perseverance, the conduct which is in harmony with discriminative awareness, that which is in harmony with compas- sion, the conduct which is one-sided, that which is elaborate, that which concerns the feast offerings, that which consists of miraculous abilities and that which is immediate,
Since these [methods of the Mahayoga] are classified according to the superior, middling and inferior degrees of intelligence [in those who require training], one is united in the uncorrupted path of insight over a period of six months, one year and two months, or one year and four months, It says in the Sequence of the Path:
The supreme accomplishment of empowered
276
Will be achieved in six or twelve months, Or in fourteen or sixteen,
, h' d'acyoftota awaren ,. na
ofabsorptIOnaret elmme 1, h t' Iofthebody(lus-g , h d wed with t e essen Ia
f]
THE RESUL T
OF MAHA YOGA: THE
A W ARENESS-HOLDER
through WhlC one en 0 , 'Whl'ch [the prick 0 bd d ' gaconcentraUonm ,ved
a becomes absor e , urm" ' fresh and uncontn ,
I' t t mwhIchawarenessIS " and the absorption whIch ather mSlg f that [awareness] after
i'
thorn is not le t, In a s e f ' 'ht (mthong-ba'i rjes-la )og-
[I61a. 4-162a,6] As to the third [aspect of the path of liberation], the result, or the awareness-holder who is brought forth by the path: Through having meditated in this way, the four kinds ofawareness-hol- der subsumed in the three uncorrupted paths of insight, meditation and conclusion are actualised, On the path of insight, through the greater or lesser power ofintelligence, one becomes either an awareness- holder of maturation (rnam-smin rig-'dzin) whose mature body has not been transformed into a body of pure essence, or an awareness-holder With power over the life-span (tshe-dbang rig-'dzin) who has perfected the supreme path and transformed [the coarse physical body] into a
a) inwhichoneisabsorbedmt state0 d d
'h
P,
recalling the view whIch as,s u]' the sealing which is execute
The second [mode of pun lcat,lOn IS d' by clinging neither to during this state of or disposition in which the formal images of emptmess ]enve ro 11 the appearances of inner
the mind has ceased [to operate nor to a
radiance which arise night, arances arise by means, of
The third is the seahng of whatever, ted with the meltIng
' , b dy ThIs IS connec the single seal of the delty s o '
corresponding modes of
t dIedandpon ere ' d
J d)
awareness
Niahayoga 281
282 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
body of pure essence. The remaining nine [bodhisattva] levels and the path of meditation are subsumed by the of great seal (phyag-rgya chen-po'i rig-'dzin), who IS . to deeds and conduct into the awareness-holder of mdestructible (rdo-rje'i rig-'dzin) on the second to the mclu- sively, the awareness-holder of the wheel ( khor-Io 1 dzzn) on both the sixth and seventh levels, the awareness-holder ofprecIOUS gemstones (rin-po-che'i rig-'dzin) on the eighth level, the awareness-holder of the lotus (padma'i rig-'dzin) on the ninth level, and the of the sword (ral-gri'i rig-'dzin) on the tenth level. These subdIVIsIons as far as the path to the liberation of the tenth level are all subsumed under [the awareness-holder] of the great seal. Then the path of conclu- sion or the path which is distinguished over and above the tenth level [results in] the awareness-holder of spontaneous rig-'dzin), exemplified by the Lord of Secrets Va}rapal). l] who acts as the sixth regent,277 assuming the gUIse of Va}radhara, the spontaneous presence of the five buddha-bodies. . .
Although the limits of the levels [traversed] by of the causal vehicle and the awareness-holders of thIS M. ah. ayoga are identical, the intentions [of these beings] differ greatly. ThIs IS because the first level of the causal vehicle and the awareness-holder of matura- tion are equal in their intention, as are the eighth level . of the causal vehicle and the awareness-holder with power over the hfe-span, and the tenth level and the awareness-holder of the great seal. Furthermore, the level of Universal Light (Samantaprabha), which corresponds to [the path of] no-more-Iearning, eous presence are also equal in theIr mtentIOn. As IS explamed m th Lesser Path (sgyu-'phrul drva-ba lam rnam-bshad chung-ba, DZ Vol. l, pp. 12-13):
Now the first [level bodhisattva] and first [awareness-holder] have the same The second holder of the enlightened famIly
And the spiritual warrior of the eighth [level] have the same fortune,
The third and [the spiritual warrior of] the tenth [level] have the same fortune.
By oceans of conduct and intention, [the fourth and eleventh] are superior [to these].
Mahayoga 283
symbols, the speech of expressive words, the speech of indivisible indestructible reality and the speech of the blessing of awareness' five kinds of buddha-mind, namely, the pristine cognitions of ex- panse of reality, of sameness, of accomplishment, of discernment and
the mirror-like pristine cognition; the five enlightened attributes, namely, the pure buddha-field, the dimensionless celestial palace, the radiant and pure rays of light, the exalted thrones and the rapturous enjoyment of acting as desired; and the five enlightened activities namely, pacifying suffering along with its causes, enriching the
provisions, overpowering those who require training, forcefully uproot-
ing those that are difficult to train and spontaneously accomplishing whatever emerges without effort.
After finally being united on the highest path, the. rank of one embodies the twenty-five resultant realities is actuahsed. . These prise: the five buddha-bodies, namely, the body of real. lty, the ctibl of perfect rapture, the body of emanation, the body of mdestru h
reality and the body of awakening; the five modes of namely, the speech of uncreated meaning, the speech of mtentl
e
THE TEXTS
OF MAHA YOGA
[162b. I-162b. 4] The pilaka in which these [Mahayoga teachings] are revealed comprises both the class oftantras (NGB Vols. 14-19) and the class of means for attainment (NGB Vols. 20-33),278 of which the former includes the Eight Sections of the Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul sde-brgyad,
NGB Vols. 14-15), including the Tantras of the Magical Net of Vaj- rasattva, and the latter, the eight general and particular classes ofmeans for attainment. These are [the cycles of]: MafijusrI the Body ('iam-dpal sku, NGB Vols. 20-2), Lotus the Speech (padma-gsung, NGB Vols.
23-4), Yangdak the Mind (yang-dag thugs, NGB Vol. 25), Nectar the Attributes (bdud-rtsiyon-tan, NGB Vol. 26), VajrakIla the Activity (phur-ba phrin-las, NGB Vols. 27-9) Matarah the LIberating Sorcery (ma-mo rbod-gtong, NGB Vols. 30-1, 33), the Mun-
dane Praise ('iig-rten mchod-bstod, NGB Vol. 32), and the Malign Mantra (dmod-pa drag-sngags, NGB Vol. 32). 279 In addition, there are Father tantras such as the Guhyasamaja, the Red) Black and Bhairava Tantras
fnYamantaka (gshin-lje-? shed gsum, T 468-70, 473-5, 478), d those such as the Hzdden Poznt ofthe Moon (Candraguhyatilakatantra
1 _477), Mother tantras such as the Cakrasarrtvara (1 368) and
kalacakra,
which should also be subsumed within [Mahiiyoga].
6 Anuyoga
of the expanse and pristine cognition, and in whom both of these [rnaI). Qalas] abide in coalescence, essentially without differentiation.
These form the ground which is to be realised and, together with the path through which it is realised, are all subsumed and then explained under three yogas. The General Sutra which Gathers All In- tentions says:
Friends! what, one might ask, is the inconceivable form? One unites with the form of all things, which is inconceiv- able, through three kinds of yoga. Just what are these three? are the yoga which is an object of activity, the yoga WhICh performs that activity and the yoga which is not an object of activity.
In the Root Tantra ofAll-Gathering Awareness (rtsa-rgyud kun-'dus rig-pa, T these are also spoken of as the yoga of the basis, the yoga of condltlOnS and the yoga of the result.
Subsuming and teaching the intention of both these tantras, the root and the exegesis,281 in a single meaning, the Summation ofthe Meaning of the Secret Sutra (GuhyasutrapirJ4artha, P 4751) says:
from the definitive vehicle of ultimate reality, WhIch, with all-positive compassion on behalf of living
beings,
Instructs through the appearance of three vehicles, The truth of the siitras and tantras,
Which illustrate the secret approach,
Should be known to be of three kinds:
The yoga of the basis which is an object of activity, That of the conditions which perform the activity, And that of the result which is free from activity, Are explained to be the root of all things.
. In way, there are three yogas, namely, those of the basis which IS an object of activity, of the conditions which perform the activity and of the result which is free from activity, among which the first as follows. The abiding nature of all things is the reality which abides r;rfectlyand distinctly, as the nature of the three This
ummatwn of the Meaning] says:
All things, as many as there are outer and inner distinctions,
Primordially abide in the disposition of enlightened mind.
This is the meaning of tantra which is to be known.
. Concerning the second of these yogas: Rebirth in mundane existence IS transcended . by persevering on the path. This refers to the three
[162. b. 4-163. a. 2] Secondly, concerning the Anuyog. a transmissions [which emphasise] the perfection [stage]: The [Sansknt] Anuyoga con- veys the sense of subsequent yoga. It forms the connecting link between the Mahayoga of the creation [stage] and the vehicle of extremely perfect yoga [i. e. Atiyoga]. The view which is to be realised according t? is
[Anuyoga] is that all things are buddhahood from the very in the fundamental maI). Qala of enlightened mind, charactensed as a coalescence of the expanse [of reality] and pristine cognition, in which the three kinds of maI). Qala are indivisible. It says in the General Sutra
which Gathers All Intentions:
Since everything is therein identical,
The supreme bliss of primordial buddhahood Is the nucleus without creation or cessation. The three maI). Qalas, where there is no activity,
Are accomplished from the beginning, spontaneously present.
THE GROUND OF ANUYOGA
[163a. 2-164b. 1] Now the three kinds of maI). Qala are, firstly, the
dial maI). Qala (ye ji-bzhin-pa'i gathers all thmgs
sl
phenomenal existence, sarpsara and mrvaI). a, m the natural expres power of the mind, and which is uncreated free all extremes of conceptual elaboration, the pure spaclOus expanse
the mother consort SamantabhadrI: The second. is the
present mandala of natural expresslOn (rang-bzhm lhun-grub-kyz dky 'khor), the present pristine cognition that is which all-pervasively arises manifest in and of itself, without unimpeded throughout the entire extent of this [expanse]. The thl! .
is the fundamental maI). 9ala of enlightened mind (rtsa-ba dkyil-'khor), the supreme bliss or offspring in whom there is no duahty
Anuyoga 285
286 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
vehicles of pious attendants, self-centred buddhas and bodhisattvas which cause one to enter into the provisional result of tranquillity. As
the above text says:
This vehicle, in which guidance is effected By conduct endowed with perseverance,
Is the condition which performs the activity.
As for the third of these yogas: It refers to the outer and inner vehicles of the mantras which are without the hopes and doubts connected with the laborious attainment that seeks the result extraneously, because the reality of the mind is naturally pure from the beginning. This same
text again says:
Proceeding through study, thought and meditation, One enters in three ways:
The mind [pursues] ideas and scrutiny,
Truth, and syllables.
First, [the mind] which pursues ideas and scrutiny establishes the
view that precedes the path. The spiritual and philosophical
system of [Anuyoga] holds the apparitions of reality as the objects
THE
Without hoping or striving for a result elsewhere, The path abides in that which is to be attained. So it is that this vehicle of supreme skilful means
Is free from activity.
P A TH OF ANUYOGA
Concerning the second [way ofentering the liberating path ofdiscrimina- a w a r e n e s s ] : T h e w h i c h p u r s u e s t h e t r u t h a b i d e s i n t h e n o n - s y m - bolIc, non-conceptualIsIllg contemplation. The meditating intellect is es- tablished just as it is in the corresponding disposition of reality which is the object of meditation. The Siltra which Gathers All Intentions says:
Having established the intellect just as it is284 In the corresponding reality,
There is an unwavering recollection
Derived from that inexpressible disposition.
As for the third [way of entering the liberating path of discriminative The mind which pursues syllables refers to contemplative medItatIOn on the symbolic deity. The uncommon distinction of this pat? is that, by the mere recitation of the seed-syllables or mantras, the different supporting [celestial palaces] and supported III the manner of a fish leaping from the water,285 there is an expenential cultivation which emphasises clear, distinct meditation on all worlds and their contents as the deity's celestial palace and the circle of the maI)qala.
THE RESULT OF ANUYOGA
[l6Sb. 1-166a. 6] Concerning the result which is accomplished through
the attainment of these [paths]: Beings of great intellectual power be-
free from the effort involved in traversing the sequence of levels
a. nd paths because they have all at once reached the limit of all realisa-
tIons and experiences. Those of middling and inferior intelligence who
hav . h '
e. en er gradually or all-surpassingly traversed the four paths of
Iearn h' h
clu . mg w IC correspond to the ten levels, are united with the con-
Slve result of the path of no-more-Iearning.
Now the first level, that ofindefinite transformation (,gyur-ba ma-nges-
Pa'i s ) 286 d h . .
a , an t second level, that of the basIs of rehance (brten-pa
[164b. 1-16Sb. l] The two latter kinds of yoga are called the path which is common to all, and if, among them, the path of this extraordinary [Anuyoga] is classified, it comprises both the definitive path of skilful means (thabs-kyi nges-pa'i lam) and the liberating path of discriminative
awareness (shes-rab rnam-par grol-ba'i lam). As the same text says: Its essence is of skilful means
And discriminative awareness.
The former path is the skilful means whereby the supreme, ing bliss, or the co-emergent pristine cognition of melting bliss, IS attained. It includes both esoteric instructions concerning the door of skilful means" (thabs steng-sgo'i man-ngag) through which medI- tation connected with the four centres gradually leads to the co-emergent
pristine cognition, and esoteric instructions concerning the "lower door of skilful means" (thabs 'og-sgo'i man-ngag) which immediately lead to the co-emergent pristine cognition by relying on the meditative absorp- tion connected with the secret [or sexual] centre [of the consort]. That
[Summation of the Meaning of the Secret Sutra] says:
Through skilful means of esoteric instruction, Such as concerns the "source of all display" ,282 One enters therein.
Concerning the latter, [the liberating path of discriminative aware- ness], the above-cited passage continues:
to be cogmsed, and, by a particularising analysis through the axioms 283 h'h . h h . .
of w I. C cogmse t em, t e abIdmg nature of all things is establIshed as the meffable, unthinkable, inexpressible nature of the three primordial maI)qalas of reality.
Anuyoga 287
288 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
gzhi'i sa), are subsumed by the yoga of the spiritual warrior who aspires on the path of provisions (tshogs-Iam 'dun-pa sems-'dpa'i mal-'byor) and bring the accomplishment of the divine body of devoted conduct, the clairvoyance of common accomplishment, supernormal cognitive POWer and so forth.
The next three levels [the third, fourth and fifth], which are called the level of important purification (gal-chen sbyong-ba'i sa), the level of the continuity of training (bslab-pa rgyun-gyi sa) and the level of suPpOrt- ing merit (bsod-nams rten-gyi sa), are subsumed by the yoga which reveals the great enlightened family of the path of connection (sbyor-Iam rigs-chen 'byed-pa'i mal-'byor), and bring accomplishment of the divine body [which coalesces] vital energy and mind.
After all corruption has then ceased and the coarse, transitory bliss which depends on progress in conduct connected with the provisions has been destroyed, the [sixth] level of superior progress through re- liance (brten-pas khyad-par-du 'gro-ba'i sa) is subsumed by the yoga which confers the great liberating inspiration of the path of insight (mthong-Iam dbugs-chen 'byin-pa'i mal-'byor), and brings the accomplish- ment of the divine body in which bliss and emptiness [are coalesced] in inner radiance.
Then, there is the [seventh] level which gives birth to the result with reference to the aftermath of inner radiance on the path of insight (mthong- lam 'od-gsal-las langs-pa'i rjes-la dmigs-pa 'bras-bu skye-ba'i sa). This is subsumed by the yoga which obtains the great prophetic declaration of the path of meditation (sgom-lam lung-chen thob-pa'i rnal_'byor),287 and brings the uninterrupted accomplishment of the divine body in which pristine cognition and the pure [path of] learning are coalesced.
The next three levels, that is, the [eighth] level of unchanging abode (gnas-pa mi-'gyur-ba'i sa), the [ninth] level of expanding reality (bdal-ba chos-nyid-kyi sa) and the [tenth] level of riding on perfection (rdzogs-pa ci-chibs-kyi sa), are subsumed by the yoga which perfects the great expressive power of the final path (mthar-Iam rtsal-chen rdzogs-pa'i rnal- 'byor).
Thereafter, the resultant empowerment is conferred according to the path of great desire ('dod-chags chen-po'i lami88 which depends on the unobstructed path at the conclusion of the path of no-more-Iearning, and the subtle propensities which transfer consciousness to the three appearances (snang-gsum) are also purified. 289 The rank of the glorioUS Samantabhadra, who is the identity of the four buddha-bodies and five pristine cognitions, is mastered. This is the essence in which the twenty- five resultant realities are indivisible and spontaneously present, coalesced in the path of no-more-learning, and it is thereby that deeds on behalf of those requiring training are performed through enlightened activity which is permanent, pervasive and spontaneously aCCOlnp- lished. It is said in the Summation of the Meaning of the Secret Sutra:
Anuyoga 289
Concerning the nature of the result:
The perfect Buddha is an infinity
Subsumed in the twenty-five aspects
Of speech, mind, enlightened attributes and aCtIVitIes;
This is a spontaneously perfect omniscience.
THE TEXTS OF ANUYOGA
Now the pitaka in which this [Anuyoga] is revealed the. Four Root (rtsa-ba'i mdo bzhi, NGB Vols. 11-12) ":lth All-Gatherzng Awareness, the Six Tantras which Clarify the Szx Lzmzts (mtha'-drug gsal-bar byed-pa'i rgyud-drug, NGB Vol. 13), the Rare bcu-gnyis, NGB Vol. 13) and the Seventy Lzterary Transmzsszons (lung-gi yi-ge bdun-cu).
7 Key to the Appraisal of Secret Mantra Texts
continuu. m of the basis, the nucleus of the tathagata and the supreme, unchangmg Great Seal. For example, it is said in the Hevajra Tantra (Pt. 1, Ch. 1, v. 12):
The great cognition abides in the body;
It has genumely renounced all conceptions
And it pervades all substances. '
It abides in the body but is not born from the body.
Intention is explained to be that which is understood with reference to the intentional of the meaning, when bound by the use of [apparently] contradIctory expressions. This is because there are differ- phrases of reality which express a single point pertain- mg to the creatIOn and perfection stages. And there are also intentions diverse meaning in a single phrase of indestructible reality, wIth reference to whIch there is an intention directed towards time an intention directed towards meaning and an intention directed thought. The first. kind of intention is exemplified by the following words the Lztany of the Names of Manju§rf, v. 141c] which were spoken wIth an intention directed to events in future time:
Perfect buddhahood is attained in an instant.
. The sec? nd kind ofintention [that which is directed towards meaning] IS by t? e quotation from the Mahamaya Tantra whIch has an mtentIon duected t? the necessity ofpermanently enjoying of buddhas, . PraJfiaparamita, who, in the manner of a
eflected Image, IS the emptmess endowed with all supreme aspects:
Having been snatched away from all the buddhas, The daughter born from the supreme deity Should be enjoyed.
is ;he thi:d kind of intention [that which is directed towards thought] . xemp. hfied by the following quotation from the Hevajra Tantra
whlchwItha. t. d' d ' , n mentIOn Irecte toward the necessity of slaying egotism
under the name of the "vital energy of great life-breath" (smg- c en-po 1 rlung) says:
You should slay living creatures (smg-chags). 290
there are passages which are clearly understood regarJ the rev. elatIOn their actual words of expression, without and ar or the basIs of meaning. These are not intentional,
e exemplIfied m the following quotation:
You should not slay living creatures.
You should. not speak words of falsehood.
[166b. l-166b. 2] The uncommon tantras, literary transmissions, esoteric instructions and definitively secret tantras in which phrases of in- destructible reality (vajrapada) are most profoundly contained, are never established by the scriptural authority and reasoning of pretentious
sophistry, but they are to be understood by means of the six limits and the four styles of appraisal.
THE SIX LIMITS
[166b. 2-168a. l] It is said in the Root Tantra ofthe Kiilacakra (Kiilacakra-
mulatantra) T 362):
Tantras are characterised by these six limits:
There are those which employ the language of [hidden]
intention
And likewise those which do not,
Those which are literal and likewise those which are not, And those of provisional meaning and ofdefinitive meaning.
A single string of phrases of indestructible reality (vajrapada) reveals
different meanings with an intention directed toward those who e
and those who possess the fortune to understand the meaning of genUln reality. Among these [vajrapada] there are those of provisional meaning which refer to skilful means and its aspects and introduce the inner structure of the mandalas including those made of coloured powder, of offerings, hand gestures or seals, and of burnt offerings,
the creation stage and the attainment of ritual feast offerings and SO forth. There are also those of definitive meaning, referring to the textS which teach the binding of the energy channels, currents and "en- lightened mind" [i. e. seminal points] according to the perfection stage, and the abiding nature of the naturally radiant mind which is the
Key to Secret Mantra Texts 291
292 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Those texts which are literal are the rituals including maJ)Qalas, burnt offerings and torma offerings, which are taught through the language familiar in treatises, and so forth, mundane in word and meaning. Those which are not literal are unknown in the mundane treatises and
bound by the mysterious, symbolic language of the Tathagata, as exemplified by kotiikhyii and so forth among the names for the ten kinds of vital energy, and by iilikiili ["vowels and . consonants"]: which
is employed as a name for the rites concerned WIth sexual umon and "liberation,,291 in the Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus. Since all secret expres- sions and meanings do not bypass these, they are called the six limits.
THE FOUR STYLES
[168a. 1-169. 4] Secondly, concerning the four styles [employed the exegesis of these texts], it is said in the Tantra of the CompendIum of the Indestructible Reality of Pristine Cognition (Vajrajiiiinasamuccaya-
tantra, T 447):
The four styles of exegesis are the lexical,
The general, the concealed and the conclusive.