Then, Lharje Rok Sherap-o has said that:
Mahayoga is creative because the deity is gradually created by means of three contemplations.
Mahayoga is creative because the deity is gradually created by means of three contemplations.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
5] The first, or is under the headings of essence, verbal defimtlOn and classIfication.
The first 0 these, [the essence], is that, ultimately, the purity that is free from the four extremes is realised, and, relatively, one resorts to the skilful means which aspire and strive towards accomplishments externally [conferred
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. 332
Secondly, the verbal definition is that [the Sanskrit] kriya conveys the meaning of activity [or action] because it emphasises external activ- ity. Such is also said in the Commentary on the Final Meditation (Dhyan- ottarapatalatfka, T 2670):
This tantra is called Kriyatantra because it emphasises The activities of body and speech.
Thirdly, the Kriyatantra is classified according to six topics. Of these the first, the entrance, is twofold: There is the initial entrance [or empowerment] which effects maturation and the actual entrance itself. According to the former, the student is made into q worthy recipient [for the teaching] by the conferral ofthe water and crown empowerments along with their aspects (chu-dang cod-pan-gyi dbang 'khor-bcas bskur- ba). 333 It says in the Seminal Point of Pristine Cognition (Jiianatilaka- tantra, T 422):
The water empowerment and the crown Are well known in Kriyatantra.
And as for the latter: The [actual] entrance is effected by means of ablutions, cleanliness, and the three purities (dag-pa gsum). The Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness says:
As to the entrance, it is entered
By the three purities, ablutions and cleanliness.
And on the subject of the three purities, it also says:
What, one might ask, are the three purities? They are the purity of the deity and the mal). 9ala, The purity of substances and rapture,
And the purity of mantra and contemplation.
Secondly, the view of Kriyatantra refers to the two truths, as it is said in the Sequence of the View (Ita-rim, T 4356):
According to Kriyatantra, living creatures are without bewilderment
When reality is regarded as the ultimate truth,
And when, relatively, mal). 9alas of three enlightened
families of deities appear,
Endowed with enlightened attributes of intrinsic
ro
348 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 349
by the deity]. It is said in the Sequence of the Path:
awareness.
350 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
. Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 351 The BeIng of Commitment (samayasattva)336
by means of the six real [sequential m d must therefore be created
Kriyarantra, namely, the deit of em 0 . es of] the deIty to the
deity of syllables (yi-ge'i lha) Yth d (stong-pa-nyzd-kyz lha), the ,eeity0sound( "lh) .
of form (gzugs-kyi lha), the deity of seals (ph ,slf,a z a , the deIty
of symbols (mtshan-ma'i lha) Th' , . ,yag-rgya zlha) and the deity
words from the extensive TTar;r ,IdS_IS stated in the following v j 'J avz ara1Ja 1 antra:
Thesixare[thed'f ] f .
Of d Ii el Ies 0 emptIness and syllables
Concerning the ultimate truth, it is held that mind-as-s
pristine cognition [which coalesces] emptiness and radiance, is free from the four extremes of being, non-being, appearance and emptiness; as it is said in the Determination and Distinction (la-zla-ba-dang shan-
'byed-pa lta-ba'i sgron-me, P 4727): Since the mind itself is awareness,
Without the four extremes,
It is none other than pristine cognition.
Now the relative truth [is held] to comprise both correct and incorrect modes, of which the incorrect one refers to all relative appearances which are considered to be both correct and incorrect [by those who
adhere to the philosophical systems] from the Madhyamika downwards, and the correct relative truth is held to refer to the enlightened attributes which are the realisation of reality and which appear as the maJ). qala
of deities belonging to the three enlightened families. As the previous
text continues:
Through the pristine cognition of the appearances
Which creatively arise,
The sublime, gentle and rough phenomena which appear
Are said to be pure when seen 334 In the maJ). qala of the three enlightened families.
Thirdly, on the subject of moral discipline, the Miraculous Key of Further Discernment speaks of eleven commitments:
The Three Precious Jewels and the enlightened mind, The mantras and seals - do not abandon them;
The vajra and bell should not be abandoned,
And similarly the deity and the guru. These are the subsidiary commitments. As for the five basic commitments:
One should not sleep on a [high] bed,
One should neither eat meat nor drink ale, And one should not eat garlic or radishes.
Then, there is also the Secret Tantra ofGeneral Rites (Sii:r/llinyavidhfnii1fl guhyatantra, T 806) which explains that there are three general commit-
ments and thirteen particular commitments; and so forth.
Fourth, meditation is both symbolic and non-symbolic. Concerning
the former, the Heruka Galpo says:
The meditations are on [the deities] of reality,
Sound, syllables,335 form, buddha-mind,
And the attainment of the perfect body of pristine
cognition.
uch
, the pure
soun , orm, seals and symbols. ' Thereafter, the Being of Pristine Co . , '- -
offerings, praises, recitations and 0nanasattva) is invited; is acquired h a ' so ort are perf? rmed; and ac- the deity and oneself] as regarded [the relatIonship between
Tantra ofthe Great Natural Aa ? , a and servant. It says in the rzszng OJ wareness:
The deity and the yogin respectively Are regarded as a master and subject.
And in the Tantra which A ' h
(rigs thams-cad-pa'i dngos_grucbqulzres t"e Accomplishment of All Families
en-pa z rgyud):
By regarding [the deity] in the manner of a lord a master or a king,
And perceiving oneself as a servant The of accomplishment, ' That IS attained through the mantras Is accepted as the unsurpassed boon. '
'
Concerning the second [or non-symb r
nate meditation on the t h 0 IC medItatIOn]: There is alter-
pure disposition [of absorption occurs in the nng to those [aforementione t e our WIthout refer-
symbolic deities, are meditated onas and Dzstinction: 1 e. t says In the Determznatzon
Appeara. nces and emptiness are successively establIshed.
. ,
and with food, attire clea r e WIt. t for entering [the vehicle],
Fifth, conduct [according to th K ' -
namely, the activities connect d e. compnses SIX activities,
tion of mantras. It i; supports and the recita- er S31 In the Heruka Galpo:
Concerning pIa t [ d
And Ii d ,ne s or ays], stars and seasons,
00 ,attIre and cleanliness
The austerity, of discipline is pe;formed.
. ,
352 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
And in the Garland of Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instructions:
Conduct concerns the images of [the deity's] body, The implements symbolic of his mind, Recitations and so forth.
Sixth, concerning the result, it is held that within seven human lifetimes the level of a Holder of Indestructible Reality of the Three Enlightened Families, endowed with the essence of the three buddha- bodies and five pristine cognitions, will be obtained. The Heruka Galpo says:
Recapitulation o fResultant Vehicles 353 Those who uphold the Tantra of Both
Though conforming to Kriyatantra in conduct Do conform to Yogatantra in their view. ' Therefore their enlightened families and view
Are superior to those [of Kriyatantra].
And in the Sequence of the View:
Those who uphold the Tantra of Both Conform upwards in their view - And downwards in their conduct.
The also to be somewhat superior [to Kriyatantra] the VIew and medItatIon are directed towards four enlightened
famIlIes of the conquerors.
Sixth, concerning the result: It is held that within five lifetimes the of a o. f Reality belonging to the Four En- FamIlIes IS obtamed. The fourth enlightened family to which refers. subsumes the. Enlightened Family of Activity (las-kyi rigs)
In. th. e EnlIghtened FamIly of Precious Gems (rin-chen rigs). It is also m the Heruka Galpo:
One abides on the level of Vajradhara339 Endowed with four enlightened families.
And in the All-Accomplishing King:
It is a deviation which obscures
Non-duality for five human lifetimes.
Yogatantra
Thirdly, the vehicle of Yogatantra is considered under e of essence, verbal definition and classification. First, [ac- is rdmg t? the The blessing of the non-symbolic reality which . truth IS regarded as a deity belonging to the expanse of
reality, which relatively appears, and it is held that the
re' t. IS attamed in the acceptance of positive and the
S )ectlOn of negatIve Ideas [in relation to that deity]. It is said in the equence ofthe Path:
Since they are not seen to be present and equivalent,
The blessmg of pristine cognition Through which all things are Becomes an emanational [deity]
Of the expanse of indestructible reality
Adh. ,
n t e yogm . acts in terms of acceptance and rejection.
337
The Lords of the Three Families instruct living beings.
Ubhayatantra
[215b. 5-216b. 3] The second, the vehicle of Ubhayatantra, is referred to under the headings of essence, verbal definition and classification. First, [the essence] is that one resorts to the skilful means which attain accomplishment by practising the view and meditation in the manner of Yogatantra, and conduct in the manner of Kriyatantra. It is said in the Garland of Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instructions:
Accomplishment is attained by relying on both.
Secondly, [as to the verbal definition]: Ubhayatantra is so called because the [Sanskrit] word ubhaya ["both"] indicates that both the outer activities of body and speech and the inner yoga are equally performed. The Tantra ofthe Great Natural Arising ofAwareness says:
Ubhayatantra is as follows:
The view is observed as in Yogatantra,
And conduct is performed as in Kriyatantra. Therefore it is known as the Tantra of Both.
Thirdly, the Ubhayatantra is classified under the six topics, ofwhich the first, the entrance, has two parts. The former is empowerment, which here refers to the three empowerments of the vajra, bell and name (rdor-dril-ming-gsumi 38 in addition to those of water and crown. As the Seminal Point of Pristine Cognition says:
The vajra, the bell and likewise the name [empowerments]
Are well clarified in the Caryarantra.
The actual entrance, along with the third topic, moral discipline, and the fifth, conduct, largely conform to Kriyatantra, whereas the second topic, or the view, and the fourth, meditation, largely conform to Yogatantra. It is said in the Turquoise Display:
Within seven lifetimes on the buddha level
354 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret A1antra .
fi . , ]" Derived from [the Sansknt] yoga,
Secondly, [the verbal de ImtIOn . 't emphasises or teaches the inner . so called because 1 .
the Yogatantra IS V' . A C llection of Esoteric Instructwns says: yoga. The Garland of zews. 0 .
Accomplishment is attained with emphasIs on yoga.
. . d d under six topics. The first,
the entrance, IS
dbang to th. e dbang), the sixth empower- indestructIble (r . 1] ifP" Cognition states:
ment. 340 The Semmal Pomt 0 nstme
The empowerment of the irreversible vase
The blessing of realisation appears as a deity. Accordingly, the perceptions of [mundane] Living creatures are bewilderment.
And also in the Turquoise Display:
Derived from the pure pristine cognition of the expanse,
In which both intrinsic awareness
And the signs of its actual vision are indivisible, The blessing arises as a deity of indestructible
reality'S expanse,
And the deity is regarded as a friend.
Thirdly, moral discipline includes the general commitments belong- ing to the five enlightened families, which are said to be the highest. The enlightened mind is first generated, and subsequently training in the three aspects of moral discipline is earnestly applied. Then there are said to be fourteen particular commitments, namely, three connected with Vairocana, four each with and Ratnasambhava, one with Amitabha, and two with Amoghasiddhi. The Miraculous Key of Further Discernment, however, claims that they number thirteen when two uncommon commitments are added to the eleven commitments of Kriyatantra. In its own words:
The limits guarded by the Yogatantra,
In addition to the limits guarded by the above
[Kriyatantra] ,
Include [the commitments] not to drink water
In a locality [inhabited by violators of commitments] And not to converse with such violators.
Fourth, meditation is both symbolic and non-symbolic. The former is meditation with reference to the yoga of the male and female deities, which applies the four seals (phyag-rgya bzhi) by means of the five awakenings (mngon-byang lnga) and four miracles (cho-'phrul bzhi). The Garland of Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instructions says:
Without emphasising outer paraphernalia, and by means of contemplation in which the male and female deities that are uncreated and unceasing in ultimate reality and the mind- stream in which they are represented are entirely pure, one becomes accomplished by emphasising the yoga of medita- tion on the sublime body ofform endowed with the four seals.
After the Being of Commitment (samayasattva) has been created and the Being of Pristine Cognition (jiiiinasattva) has been invited, [the deity] should then be regarded without the dichotomy of good or evil,
Thirdly, the Yogatantra ISC'consl empowerment which refers, . twofold The lormer IS . ,.
: ] fi powerments of awareness (ng-pa z
in addition to the [prevIouS lVe empowerment of the master of f
h '
The latter is the actual 7h' h is effected by means ofsymbohc
Has been clarified in Yogatantra.
This is a particular empowerment among t e SIX
And it is called the empowerment of the master. .
lC . n the All-Accomplishing King: and non-symbolic contemplatIOn. t says 1
One who desires the Bounteous Array of Having entered by symbolic and non-symbohc
methods. . .
Secondly, the VIew [0 o. g . ner radiance or emptiness, the
ultimate truth refers to all thmhgs m f conceptual elaboration. The nature of which is free from t e sIgns o.
Tantra of the Summation of the Real says.
Since all things are naturally radiant,
They are essentially pure from the begmnmg.
. f Y atantra] concerns the twO truths. The
wIt In . . . . f blessing derived from the realIsatIon 0
Heruka Galpo:
rea
lity Such IS a so sal 1 .
. .
. . d b en an incorrect relatIve whIch
The relative truth IS and a correct relative truth,
is similar to that of the prevIOUS [ve lC es] 'd' erned by living creatures h ld t efer to the appearances ISC .
whichis e not 0 r h' th t everywhere appears IS in their own minds because mg . a, e which is the . h' the mandala of indestructIble realIty s '1 'd 'n the
One who wishes to abide in the vehicle of Yogatantra Should look upon as the expanse of
indestructible reality.
And in the Sequence of the View: . .
f reality's expanse, .
Within the pristine cogmtIOn 0
Which is the purity of ultimate truth accordIng to
Y ogatantra,
. .
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 355
356 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
and in the manner of a relative or friend. Offerings, praises, recitations and so forth should be made. So it is also said in the Tantra ofthe Great Natural Arising of Awareness:
The deity and oneself, the yogin,
Are held to relate as relatives or friends.
Now the five awakenings (mngon-byang lnga) are the awakenings which occur through emptiness (stong-pa-nyid), through the visualisa- tion of a- lunar throne (zla-gdan), through seed-syllables of buddha- speech (gsung yig-'bru) , through hand implements symbolic of buddha- mind (thugs phyag-mtshan) and through the perfection of the [deity's] body (sku yongs-rdzogs). The four miracles (cho-'phrul bzhi) are the miracles of contemplation (ting-nge-'dzin), empowerment (dbang-bskur- ba), consecration or blessing (byin-gyis rlob-pa), and offerings (mchod- pa). Concerning these the Heruka Galpo says:
Non-conceptualisation, moon, buddha-speech, vajra-emblem,
And radiance of the [deity's] body during meditation
On the emanation and absorption [of light]; Contemplation, blessing, empowerment and offerings: Such are the five awakenings and four miracles.
Though these are the activities of meditation and offering, They are to be performed in order that merit might be
possessed.
The four seals (phyag-rgya bzhi) are so called because meditation ensues when the body, speech, mind and activity have been respectively sealed by: the great seal of buddha-body which secures the ground-of-all as the mirror-like pristine cognition (me-long kun-gzhi sku phyag-chen); the doctrinal seal of buddha-speech which secures the mental faculty as the pristine cognition of discernment (sor-rtog yid gsung chos-rgya); the commitment seal of buddha-mind which secures the mind of conflicting emotions as the pristine cognition of sameness (mnyam-nyid nyon-yid thugs dam-rgya); and the action seal of enlightened activity which secures the five senses as the pristine cognition of accomplishment (bya-ba sgo-lnga phrin-Ias las-rgya). Such are the four pristine cognitions which are to be actualised and with which they are connected. The [fifth] pristine cognition of the expanse of reality (chos-dbyings ye-shes), on the other hand, abides as the natural expression of them all.
The second [or non-symbolic meditation] refers to meditative absorp- tion in the disposition where there is no dichotomy between the essential nature of ultimate reality which cannot be symbolised and the appear- ance of its blessing as a deity, which is the apparitional aspect of pristine cognition. It says in the Emergence ofIndestructible Reality (Vajrodaya, T 2516):
Recapitulation ofResultant TT h' l
The d' . . ve lC es 357
ISPOSItIOn of the non-d 1
Is taken as the most sacred expanse of reality
accomplishments. 0 unsurpassed
Fifth, concerning conduct· W'th '
practices such as cleanliness' Id the aSSIstance of external mundane
oth b ' ,con ucteffectstheb fi f
ers YmaIntaining above all th . ene It 0 oneself and
Peak says: ' , e yoga ofthe deity. The Indestrnctible
INNER TANT
Abiding in th
.
e contemplatIOn of th d '
Do not dismiss all sentient b ' A1w b ' emgs. Al ays e mmdfu1 of the buddhas.
e eIty,
ways hold offerings to the b ddh u
as as Supreme is attained on the level o/thwIthm three human lifetimes
.
SIxth,astotheresult:Itisheldtht ' , .
the essence of the three bodies and m the All-Accomplishing King:
One who desires the BounteouS
e Array, endowed five pnstme cognitions. It says
Is held to be liberated And in the Lock of'the U
'h ' h Array ofYogatantra WIt m tree human lifetimes
.
. ,
openSItIes of the subject-
' j neart: Having purified the five pr
object dichotomy,
And, by the expressive pOwe f ' . cognitions rs 0 the five pnstme
HaAving the level of the B rray,
The result gathering the fiv obtained.
ounteous
e enlIghtened families is
uncreated body of reality then
s
,m an uncreated manner on behalf of l' .
bemgs. 1vmg Its perfect rapture embod '
Fulfils the benefit of l' , the five kinds of seal And its ten thousand emgs a bodhisattva,
Teach everywh beings,'
, l I O n emanatIOns
[219bA-22Ia I] S
Sk'UI 1 . econdly, there is the
ere m the presen ,
f h .
ce0 teSIXclassesof
RAS OF SKILFUL MEANS
h' 1
u ,means (nang-pa thabs-6k i r IC e of the inner tantras of
gy):;,d-kYl theg,-p,a), concerning which reat atural Anszng of Awareness:
,
It IS saId in the Tantra ofihe
.
J
Ru Garap Dorje
said:
358
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 359
The inner [vehicle] is held to be threefold: Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga.
It therefore comprises the Mahayoga tantras, the Anuyoga transmissions
and the Atiyoga esoteric instructions.
Concerning the distinctions between these three, the master Zur- 341
cungpa said in reply to a request made by Lencap Parwa:
Mahayoga appears as the miracle of awareness. Anuyoga appears as the expressive power of intrinsic awareness. Atiyoga is awareness, manifest in and of itself. Therefore,
342
stage, Anuyoga emphatically teaches the perfection stage, and the Great Perfection is effortless in both respects.
Cel Lotsawa Ktinga Dorje also eloquently asserted this to be the distinc- tion between their verbal definitions.
[Finally], the great, all-knowing Longcenpa [in his Great Chariot] has said:
The Father tantras of Mahayoga are the natural expression of the skilful means of appearance, intended on behalf of those requiring training who are mostly hostile and possessed by many ideas; the Mother tantras of Anuyoga are the discriminative awareness of the perfection stage which is the reality of emptiness, intended for the benefit of those who are mostly desirous and delight in the tranquillity of the mind; and the Atiyoga is revealed as the natural expression of their non-duality, intended for the benefit of those who are mostly deluded and who are energetic. Therefore the Great Array says:
For one who would transcend the mind
There is the creative phase,
For one who would possess the essence of mind There is the perfecting phase,
And for those who are supreme and most secret There is the Great Perfection.
And also in Mind at Rest (sems-nyid ngal-gso), he has said:
Mahayoga emphasises vital energy and the skilful means of the creation stage.
Anuyoga emphasises the seed and discriminative awareness of the perfection stage.
Atiyoga emphasises the pristine cognition in which everything is without duality.
Mahayoga
Among them, first the vehicle of Mahayoga is con- under the three headings of essence, verbal definition and clas- As to [the essence]: Its nature is such that liberation is ob- through a union of realisation and experience in the indivisible meanmg of the superior truth, by emphatic reliance on the creation stage of skilful means.
[as to the verbal definition]: The [Tibetan] rnal-'byorchen- fO. IS denved from the [Sanskrit] Mahayoga which means great union. . t IS so called because it unites the mind with the non-dual truth and IS thus superior to the ollter Yogatantra.
They refer respectively to a miracle,
To expressive power and to the self-manifest.
This means that [the three] are particularly distinguished according to their view: Mahayoga realises all things to be the miraculous events of mind-as-such, in which appearance and emptiness are indivisible; Anuyoga realises all things to be the expressive power of mind-as-such, in which the expanse and pristine cognition are indivisible; and Atiyoga
realises all things to be manifest in and of themselves as mind-as-such, the naturally present pristine cognition which is without creation or cessation from the beginning. This was asserted to be the most precious point by both Datik [Cosak of Nakmore] and Len [Sakya Zangpo of Chuwar]. 343
Kyo Kongbupa [Kyoton Sakye of Kongbu]344 also said that:
They have a greater or lesser degree of emphasis: Mahayoga lays great emphasis on conduct, Anuyoga lays great emphasis on contemplation, And Atiyoga lays great emphasis on the view.
Then, Lharje Rok Sherap-o has said that:
Mahayoga is creative because the deity is gradually created by means of three contemplations. Anuyoga is perfecting because the deity is created in a perfect manner without relying on that [threefold creative phase]. And Atiyoga, the Great Perfection, is uncreatable because it is liberated from
both the creation and perfection phases.
Or else, Mahayoga is greatly motivated with respect to
the ten categories of tantra, Anuyoga is so motivated to a lesser extent, and Atiyoga is liberated from motivation.
And in the words of Menyak Jungdra [or Khyungdra]:345
Though the three aspects of creation and perfection are pres- ent in them all, Mahayoga emphatically teaches the creation
360 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Thirdly, Mahayoga is classified according to the six topics, of which the first, the entrance, is twofold: The former refers to the empower_ ment. There are four empowerments which are to be conferred because three higher, supreme uncommon empowerments (thun-min mchog_ dbang gong-ma gsumi46 are added to the common vase empowerment (thun-mong-pa bum-dbang). It is said in the Subsequent Root Tantra of the Magical Net:
There are the master, the secret,
And the discriminating [empowerments], And, immediately afterwards, the fourth.
Five empowerments are also enumerated when the vase empower- ment (bum-dbang) is divided into its aspects of beneficence and ability (phan-nus gnyis). 347 The Sequence of the Activity of Indestructible Reality (Vajrakarmakrama, P 4761) says:
Its aspects become fivefold
Because [the vase empowerment] Confers beneficence and ability on one.
The latter is the actual entrance which is effected by means of three contemplations, namely, the yoga of great emptiness which is dis- criminative awareness (shes-rab stong-pa chen-po'i rnal-'byor) , the illusory compassion which is skilful means (thabs snying-rje sgyu-ma), and the seals which are subtle and coarse (phyag-rgya phra-rags). Therefore, Mahayoga is the path which emphatically teaches the creation stage. In this respect, it is also said in the Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness:
The entrance is the threefold contemplation.
And in the Miraculous Key ofFurther Discernment: The entrance of Mahayoga
Is effected by the threefold contemplation.
Secondly, the view [of Mahayoga] refers to the ultimate truth as that in which awareness, appearing without conceptual elaboration, is held to be spontaneously present as the essential basis; and all the ideas which are the expressive power of this awareness itself are held to be the relative truth, manifest in and ofthemselves as a maI). <;lala body and pristine cognition. Neither of these truths refers in a biased manner to either appearance or emptiness because their essence is an indivisible sameness. If it is conventionally expressed by the term divisible", its indivisibility is free from the range of perception because it transcends the objects of thought and expressions which apprehend it. In this respect, the Array of the Path of the Magical Net says:
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles
The superior, indivisible truth of sameness Th. ough revealed everywhere by synonyms'
Is m truth beyond objects of speech and thought.
361
And in the Sequence of the Path:
And in order to loosen348 attachment to that d
It and inexpressible WIthm the two conventional truths.
' . esCnptIOn,
translations of the secret
the fourteen basic violations of the c uct on the. knowledge of d d (b b " ommltments whIch are to be
guar e srung- ya zdam-tshig rtsa-ltung bcu-bzhi) and to th d based on the knowledge of the nature of the . e con uct meats and the fiv . commItments of the five
tshig sha-lnga are to be practised (spyad-bya'i dam-
In_the terminology of the ancient translations th . Mahayoga are said to number twenty-eight 349 Th of
Further Discernment says: . e
Concerning the guarded by Mahayoga, There are three baSIC commitments
And twenty-five ancillary ones which are kept.
lracu ous Key of
the three basic are those of buddha-body speech the dam-tshig gsum) , As for the ancilla;y ones,
There are those to be practised Those not to be renounced ' And those to be adopted. ' There are those to be known
And those to be attained.
concerning meditation' Th . .
phaSlsmg the class of . . ere are two tradItIOns, one em-
emphaSiSing the class for(attamment (sgrub-sde), and the other classes of means t . antra rgyud-sde). The former includes five namely, the of the deities of pristine cognition, on the Four Centres f' the Body of,the Sugatas by Relying
bZhi-la brten-nas bde_gsOh the Body (Jam-dpal-gyi sku 'khor-lo Lo egssu1sgrub-pa)'th MeA "
tus Speech by R 1 . , e eans lor ttammg the gyi rta-skad thengs- on the Three Neighs of Hayagrlva (rta-mgrin-
Attaining the sgrub-pa);theMeans enuine and Uniqu A . ea Ity of Mmd by Relying on the Present Pristine C e . the Awareness and Naturally
thugS ri ogmtIOn whIch IS Yangdak the Mind (y d . g-pa rang-byung-;gi ye-shes yang-dag grub-pa
362 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
thugs rdo-rje'i sgrub-pa); the Means for Attaining Nectar Attributes which Perfectly Reveal All Things of Sarpsara and Nirval)a as the Enlightened Attributes of Mahottara (che-mchog-gi 'khor-'das-kyi chos-thams-cad tan-du rdzogs-par ston-pa bdud-rtsi yon-tan-gyi sgrub-pa); and the Means for Attaining the Enlightened Activity ofVajrakiia which Emphatically Teaches the Skilful Means for Training Malicious Beings by the Rites of Sorcery of Vajrakiia (phur-pa'i mngon-spyod-kyi las-kyis gdug-pa-can 'dul-ba'i thabs gtso-bor ston-pa phur-ba phrin-las-kyi sgrub-pa). Also cluded in this section are the three common classes of means for attain- ment, namely, the Means for Attaining the Liberating Sorcery of aral:1 (ma-mo rbod-gtong), the Malign Mantra (drag-sngags dmod-pa) and the Mundane Praise ()ig-rten mchod-bstod).
Concerning the latter [i. e. the class oftantras]: Mahayoga is generally classified according to three kinds of tantra, namely, Father, Mother, and Non-Dual. In the Father tantras such as the Guhyasamaja there is held to be experiential cultivation in a manner which is non-conceptual with respect to radiance and emptiness because they emphasise the area of skilful means according to the creation stage and also the vital energy according to the perfection stage connected with it.
In the Mother tantras such as Cakrasarrzvara, Hevajra and Yangdak (NGB Vol. 25), the conceptual elaboration of the creation stage is diminished, and there is held to be experiential cultivation in a manner which is non-conceptual with respect to bliss and emptiness, and in which the perfection stage of discriminative awareness emphasises the seed or seminal point of enlightened mind.
Then in the Neutral tantras such as the Magical Net (T 832-7, NGB Vols. 14-16) the phases of creation and perfection are coalesced and there is held to be experiential cultivation in a manner which emphasises the blissful, radiant and non-conceptual pristine cognition that is de- veloped through the energy channels, currents and seminal points ac- cording to the perfection stage, and above all, the supreme pristine cognition of inner radiance.
In this context, [meditation] is explained with reference to the Root
, . Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 363
is subdIvIded into the devotional meditation (mos-bs ' ive perfection (nges-rdzogs) The f i o ' , gom) and the defimt-
Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus. Accordingly, the Three Stages (rim-g P 4742)350 says:
There are said to be the two particular kinds of meditation:
The sequence of symbolic meditation And the nature of just what is.
,
o ,IS: supreme nature of the Transcendent Lord
Thus there is both symbolic and non-symbolic meditation.
The former comprises both the creation and perfection stages. ,AS for the creation stage: It refers to the experiential cultivation in whIch
the deity and ideas are meditated on as indivisible by emphasising the gradual creation of the mal)Qala through the three contemplations, It
from the undivided three
the, of pristine cognition, ' e obtamed m thIS very lifetime.
AndinthS,. ,
e emmal Pomt of Pristine Cognition:
Otherwise im d' 1
Th ' ,m e late y after abandoning [this body],
e result WIll be accomplished without any effort.
sum
v. 1I8): y present IS actualIsed. It says in the Guhyasamaja (Ch. 13, Th'
, " . rmer IS exemplIfied b th nal cUltIvatIOn which though firmn ' y
, ' essmcontemplatio h obtamed, completes the ritual branches ofth , n
'
e expenen-
b
Partner's body] ('
og-sgo in the Three Stages:
kh wer ams-gsum rol-p
oor [or sexual centre of one's " ,
a 1 man-ngag). Therefore It says
as not ' e creatIon stage dur'
een h
,, e Iveyogasbelongmgt [h h and connection which are endowed with 0 t, e pat s of]
four kmds of awareness-holders who ' h corruP:IOn, and the
course 0f a smgle evening session of d' . ,m g t e form. 351 The latter refers to th fi me ItatIOn on,a [partIcular divine]
' are WIt out corruptIOn eperectIOnstagerefer t b h h ' , .
which [the energy ch I S O ot t e esotenc mstructions through annes,currentsandse ' 1 ' ]
and trained within the "upper door of ' mlbna pomts are grasped , onesown ody"(t "'d
T h fi
gyl man-ngag), and the esoteric instructio . s eng-sgo ul- of the three realms through "the 10 d ns ,;Vhlch concern the dIsplay
There are oral instructions
According to the upper and lower doors.
meditation refers to the contemplation of real- Then, fifth, as to conduct· A h' b 1 '
practised wi h . . nyt, e ongmg to sarpsara can be skilful lIt IS :;tained by the foundation of
,
lracu ous l,-ey to the Storehouse:
The Mah. ayoga of the creation phase
the rites of "! iberation" and sexual practices352
Th
Ive nectars whIch are sacramental substances roug the conduct which observes great skilful
SIxth, as to the result· In th' l'fi ' , ,
[after death] the emb d' I or m the mtermediate state spontaneousl' ,0 m whIch the five buddha-bodies are
A. nuyoga
[224a 2-2
. 28a. 3] The vehicle of h A
transmissions (lung anu-
Yoga) is Considered under h h t e
t e tree headmgs ofessence, verbal definition
364 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
and classification. As to [the essence]: Its nature is such that liberation is obtained through a union of realisation and experience of the. truth in which the expanse [of reality] and pristine cognition. duality, by emphatic reliance on the perfection stage of dlscnmmatlVe awareness.
Secondly, [as to the verbal definition]: The [Sanskrit] Anuyoga is rendered [in Tibetan] as rjes-su mal-'byor or it emphatically reveals the path of desire in pursuIt of dlscnmmatlVe awareness (shes-rab ry'es-chags-kyi-lam).
Thirdly, Anuyoga is classified according to the six topics, of the first the entrance, is twofold. The former is empowerment, whIch refers t ; the thirty-six empowerment ceremonies subsumed by four categories of outer, inner, attaining and secret m the mandalas of Anuyoga (phyi-nang-sgrub-gsang-bzhls bsdus-pa l dbang-chog It says in the All-Gathering Awareness:
The outer empowerment and the inner empowerment, The attaining empowerment and the secret
empowerment
Are respectively complete with ten aspects,
With eleven, with thirteen and with two aspects.
According to some, the eight hundred and thirty-one ancillary em- powerments,353 which are derived from the basic thirty-six tioned, are the empowerments ofthe nine vehicles. Therefore, It IS saId in the Summation ofthe Meaning ofEmpowerment (dbang-don bsdus-pa):
Derived from the six vehicles including Yogatantra, The outer empowerment is to be conferred as a
continuous stream.
And in the Analysis ofthe Meaning ofEmpowerment (dbang-don mam-par
'byed-pa):
The ten empowerments bring about Possession of the enlightened family, The eleven empowerments bring about The inner secret meaning,
The thirteen empowerments are known As those of the "great guru",
And the two empowerments perfect The empowerment of the nine vehicles.
How is it, one might then object, that these become the empowerments of Anuyoga [which is only one of the nine f There is indeed no contradiction because, in accord with the 0 learned gurus, they are called the empowerment of the nine vehIcles
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 365
(thetdgu'i in so ,far as they correspond to nine sequences of the
vehIcle. There IS no basIs, however, for the opinion expressed by ordin-
ary of the empowerment for the Sutra which Gathers All
Intentwns [that they actually are the empowerments ofthe nine veh' I ] Ifth "b dl ICes.
, ey It IS a sur y implied that one would have to admit the hIgher Atiyoga empowerment to be gathered within the Anuyoga em- powerment. , By way of illustration, the uncommon doctrinal termino- logy of the mner [tantras] is not found in the outer tantras. The great
awareness-holder Terdak Lingpa has therefore said:
If one must refer to the fusion Of the basic rites of Anuyoga
With the details of the particular doctrines of the eight [other] vehicles,
How these [other vehicles] then define the illustrative basIs of Anuyoga [in particular]?
is therefore no contradiction inasmuch as he is of the former opmIOn [expressed by learned gurus].
,latter [aspect of the entrance into Anuyoga] is the actual entrance W h I C ? , I S e f f e c t e d b y m e a n s o f t h e n o n - d u a l i t y o f t h e e x p a n s e a n d
cogmtIOn. It says m the All-Accomplishing King:
entered into the expanse and pristine cognition WhIch, according to Anuyoga, are held to be
indivisible. . .
What, one might ask, is the nature of the entrance? It is effected in
the manner not of the creation but of the perfection stage. It says in the Lock of the Heart:
expanse itself is pristine cognition. Pnstme cogmtIOn, awareness, is the expanse itself.
The supreme bliss of this non-dual display Is not entered gradually.
In all the [divine] seals of apparitional existence 354
The great seal of apparitional existence is immediately encountered
In the manner of a fish leaping from the water. Secondly as t h ' A .
itself is th ' . 0 t e 11 thmgs are one's own mind, and that natu ' e pure celestIal space of the mother SamantabhadrI whose
I"
SPect th e mal)<;iala (ye Jl-bzhin-pa'i dkyil-'khor). I n this re-
re IS uncreated and fre f·
called th " e • conceptua elaboratIOn. It is also
, e eneral Satra which Gathers All Intentions also says: Since which has emerged from the mind is
emptmess,
All that hfls emerged from it is empty.
366 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
This uncreated [reality], unceasing in all respec,ts, is awareness
" ndala of naturally present hght. It IS called the whIch asarna:' bhadraorthespontaneouslypresent
In this ma1f<;lala of the outer, inner and secret arrays,
Apparitional existence is an expanse of pure male and female deities.
And in the Miraculous Key to the Storehouse: According to Anuyoga, the perfection phase,
The components, psychophysical bases and activity fields Are held to be uncreated, in a perfect manner,
In the ma1f<;lala of male and female deities.
Thirdly, concerning moral diScipline, the Summation ofthe Meaning of the Secret Satra says:
It is commitment which apprehends the basis. It guards and attains
The basic and ancillary aspects and so forth, In order to discipline the three media.
In this way, there are basic and ancillary commitments and so forth
which are to be guarded and attained by means of the three media [body, speech and mind].
When these commitments are classified, there are said, according to the sixty-sixth chapter of the General Satra which Gathers All Intentions to be nine enumerations, namely, four commitments definitive to the
important sutras (gal-mdo nges-pa'i dam-tshig bzhi), twenty-eight com- mon commitments (thun-mongs-gi nyi-shu rtsa-brgyad), four superior commitments (lhag-pa'i bzhi), twenty-three relating to discipline (brtul- zhugs-kyi nyer-gsum), twenty concerning attainment (sgrub-pa'i nyi-shu),
four relating to continuity of the path of conduct (spyod-lam rgyun-gyi
bzhz), five Maras which are to be renounced (bdud-Inga spang-ba), four
enemies to be destroyed (dgra-bzhi gzhom-pa), and the commitment of the view (lta-ba'i dam-tshig).
If, on the other hand, these are subsumed, they are gathered into the commitments which are acquired immediately with no limits to be guarded (bsrung-mtshams med-pa cig-car-ba'i dam-tshig) and the commit-
ments which are acquired gradually and have limits to be guarded (bsrung-mtshams-can rim-gyis-pa'i dam-tshig). It says in the General Satra
Which Gathers All Intentions:
pristine cogllltIOn that IS b h' ma1f<;lala of natural expreSSIOn rang- z m
The same text says:
Unseen upon inspection,
It itself appears everywhere.
lhun-grub-kyi dkyil-'khor).
'hd me bliss of their offspnng wherem t e expanse an
(a e _ hub sems-kyi dkyil- 'khor). As the above-cited enhghtened mm b'Yang c
text again says:
That which is called the way of secret mantra is real nature, in which appearance and non-appearance are duality which is liberated from the essence 0 ,t at and does not objectively refer to the mIddle [ground].
Therefore, all things are regarded as primordial, in the fundamental ma1f<;lala of enlightened mind, the l. ndlvlslble nature 0: the three kinds of ma1f<;lala. [The General Satra whzch Gathers All Inten tions] again says:
Since everything is therein identical,
The supreme bliss of primordial ? uddhahood.
Is itself the nucleus without creatIOn or
The three ma1f<;lalas where there is neither actIVIty nor
agent, I Are accomplished from the beginning, spontaneous y
present.
And in the Turquoise Display:
From the celestial space of SamantabhadrI, or apparitional existence, .
The uncreated ma1f<;lala, Samantabha? ra, anses. In its arising, there is nothing that anses. . The supreme bliss of father, mother and offspnng Is spontaneously perfect.
The essence 0 ' "
f these two mandalas, which radiate without differen-
. . ,
IS the r without duality, the fundamental ma1f<;lala of
' d d xpressive It is further held that the Ulllmpe e e .
tabhadra's display arises as the body of a deity. Awareness says:
Sam.
In the primordially evolved great perfection of Samantabhadra,
0 f
aW
That in which there is no pledge to be guarded Is the firm commitment of reality.
This commitment is most amazing, Since it is the most uncommon of all; But for all those of weak volition
There are limits' to be'guarded.
power
The All-Gathertng
And:
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 367
368 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Fourth, on the subject of meditation, the Summation of the Meaning
of the Secret Sutra says:
Its essence is of skilful means
And discriminative awareness.
Meditation therefore comprises both the path of skilful means (thabs-
lam) and the path of liberation (grol-Iam). The former refers to the yoga in which there is meditation connected with the four or six centres forming the "upper door" [of the body, steng-sgo], and to the skilful
means which develops co-emergent, pristine cognition by relying on the meditative absorption associated with the two secret centres [of the male and female consorts] forming the "lower door" ('og-sgo mkha'-gsang
gnyis). As the above text says:
Through skilful means of esoteric instructions,
Such as concerns the "source of all display" ,
One enters therein.
As for the latter, [the path of liberation]: It comprises both the array of truth and the display of its signs (don bkod-pa-dang rtags-kyi rol-pa). The first refers to the non-conceptualising contemplation that is free
from conceptual elaboration. It is an absorption derived from the dis- position of the nucleus of reality, just as it is, uncontrived by the meditating intellect. In this respect, the General Sutra which Gathers
All Intentions says:
Having established the intellect just as it is
In the corresponding reality,
There is an unwavering recollection Derived from that inexpressible disposition.
The second, [the display of its signs], refers to contemplation of the deity that is endowed with conceptual elaboration. It is the experiential cultivation which, by the mere recitation of mantra, emphasises im-
mediate meditation in which the world and its contents distinctly radiate as the mandala of deities, in the [immediate] manner of a fish leaping from the Such is also said in the Miraculous Key to the Storehouse:
In the vehicle of Anuyoga
There is uncreated meditation in a perfect manner, After merely the nucleus [of the mantra syllables] has been
recited.
And in the All-Gathering Awareness:
Pure apparitional existence is an expanse ofmale and female
deities.
The elements and elemental components
Are spontaneously perfect father and mother consorts.
Concerning path of definitively perfect meditation in general, [the Anuyoga] mcludes both corrupt and uncorrupt corms Th C
. h compnses t
fh . . 11 . e10rmer e yoga 0 t e splntual warrior who aspires ('dun-p k .
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 369
d'
. h 'b d ,. I' amIy
asems- yz by? r); the latter comprises the yoga which
'b )
rnal- an the yoga whIch reveals the great enlightened f: '1
(rzgs-c en -pa. zrna
confers the mspuation (dbugs-chen 'byin-pa'i rnal-'byor),
,;hlCh obtams the great prophetic declaration (lung-chen thob- pa z rnal- byor) and ,the yoga which perfects great expressive power (rtsal-chen rdzogs-pa'z rnal-'byor).
Fifth, as to conduct: The conduct of Anuyoga is one h' h ' I h ' w IC , m
genera, emp aSlses sameness. The Miraculous Key to the Stor h
The Anuyoga of the perfection phase Is the perfect rapture of the expanse And pristine cognition.
If in detail, there are three kinds of conduct n I co_nsecratlOn or blessing, overpowering and skilful means. The Sutra whzch Gathers All Intentions says:
The conduct which consecrates
The conduct which overpowers:
And the conduct of skilful means
Are exemplified respectively by space and by a king And by the water which quenches a fire. '
the result: Within one lifetime the essence is ac-
tua Ised, In which the twenty-five resultant realities are indivisible and
present. This is the body of supreme bliss, which is the
Sem? dl/n;;n,t of t? e four buddha-bodies. The Tantra of the Supreme zna omt (thzg-Ie mchog-gi rgyud) says:
or inner radiance is supreme bliss
WIthout the expanse and pristine in two. Whoever medItates on it will attain
The result of perfect buddhahood in this lifetime.
And in th M' I' . e zracu ous Key to the Storehouse:
The vehicle of Anuyoga
With'n rt' '
I. . one 1 etlme and without interruption,
Defimtlvely proceeds to the buddha level.
A. tiyoga
[228a. 3-229b. 6] T h "
consid d e vehIcle of Auyoga, the esoterIC mstructions is
, ,
ere under three headings of essence, verbal definition
370 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
I 'fi t' As to the first [the essence]: It is the skilful means c aSSI lca lon, , h d' d' tl liberated through which the truth of primordial buddha 0 0 IS ,
and I"t IS endowed WI'th a nature which is free from renunCIatIon, accep-
tance, hope and doubt. , ] A ' , Secondly, [the verbal definition] is that [the Sansknt rendered [in Tibetan] as shin-tu rnal-'byor or highest because It IS
the culmination of the perfection stage both the and perfec- , h s and because it is the summIt of all vehIcles.
tIOnpase, , ,fh'hh Thirdly, Atiyoga is classified according to the SIX tOPICS 0 W IC e
first the entrance, I'S twoJ'old• The former refers to empowerment whI,ch 11
her; is the maturation effected by the empowerment 0fslhe ower of awareness (rig-pa'i rtsal-dbang) and so T atter IS ihe actual entrance which is effected by not entenng anythmg. The
All-Accomplishing King says:
Since with respect to the doctrine There is nothing to be done,
It is entered effortlessly.
Secondly, as to the view, it is held that all things by apparitional existence, sarpsara and nirva1). a, are eff? rtlessly the pnmor- dial buddhahood in the essence of a supreme pOInt, body of reality, which is naturally present, supr,eme, is said in Vajrasattva the Great Space (rdo-rye sems-dpa nam m , NGB Vol. 2):
Having been effortlessly liberated , , Through the naturally present pristine cogmtIon, The path of liberation is indeed revealed.
For those who hold to space
There will be the Spatial Class;
For those who do not strive after stages There will be the Esoteric Instructional Class.
In this way, there is the Mental Class (sems-sde) which pertains to the absorption in awareness and emptiness, the disposition of the buddha-body of reality. There is the Spatial Class (klong-sde) which pertains to the absorption in the disposition of reality without activity
or effort; and there is the Esoteric Instructional Class (man-ngag-gi sde) which pertains to the absorption in the disposition of reality, primor- dially liberated and free from renunciation and acceptance.
In general, the meditation which accords with the tradition of the
Great Perfection is gathered into two categories, namely, Cutting
Through Resistance (khregs-chod) and All-Surpassing Realisation (thod- rgal). It is said in the Pearl Necklace:
Cutting Through Resistance And All-Surpassing Realisation Are experientially cultivated.
According to the former [Cutting Through Resistance]: There is absorp- tion without wavering from the disposition of the primordially pure
view. The Great Garucf,a says:
It is established because it spontaneously abides.
And the master Garap Dorje says:
The nature of mind is primordially buddha. In the mind, as in the sky,
There is no creation or cessation. Having realised the genuine truth Of the sameness of all things,
If it is established without being sought, That is meditation.
By meditating in that way there are four creative stages of the path:
There are the abiding and unwavering states, Sameness and spontaneous presence.
As for the All-Surpassing Realisation (thod-rgal): Through reliance on the six essentials (gnad-drug), the four visionary appearances gradu- aUy arise, and thereby the goal is reached. These [four] are, namely, the visionary appearance of the direct perception of reality (chos-nyid
the visionary appearance of increasing contemplative ex- (nyams-gong-'phel), the visionary appearance of reaching the hllllltS of awareness (rig-pa tshad-phebs) and the visionary appearance of
t e cessation [of 'apparitional] reality (chos-nyid zad-pa).
And in the Great Garucf,a (khyung-chen, NGB Vol. 1): The naturally present pristine ,
. . Universally abides, without conceptIon, Just as It IS.
Thirdly, on the subject of moral dlSCIP me, t e co include nothingness and plainness are not to be transce Miraculous Key of Further Discernment says:
nded.
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. 332
Secondly, the verbal definition is that [the Sanskrit] kriya conveys the meaning of activity [or action] because it emphasises external activ- ity. Such is also said in the Commentary on the Final Meditation (Dhyan- ottarapatalatfka, T 2670):
This tantra is called Kriyatantra because it emphasises The activities of body and speech.
Thirdly, the Kriyatantra is classified according to six topics. Of these the first, the entrance, is twofold: There is the initial entrance [or empowerment] which effects maturation and the actual entrance itself. According to the former, the student is made into q worthy recipient [for the teaching] by the conferral ofthe water and crown empowerments along with their aspects (chu-dang cod-pan-gyi dbang 'khor-bcas bskur- ba). 333 It says in the Seminal Point of Pristine Cognition (Jiianatilaka- tantra, T 422):
The water empowerment and the crown Are well known in Kriyatantra.
And as for the latter: The [actual] entrance is effected by means of ablutions, cleanliness, and the three purities (dag-pa gsum). The Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness says:
As to the entrance, it is entered
By the three purities, ablutions and cleanliness.
And on the subject of the three purities, it also says:
What, one might ask, are the three purities? They are the purity of the deity and the mal). 9ala, The purity of substances and rapture,
And the purity of mantra and contemplation.
Secondly, the view of Kriyatantra refers to the two truths, as it is said in the Sequence of the View (Ita-rim, T 4356):
According to Kriyatantra, living creatures are without bewilderment
When reality is regarded as the ultimate truth,
And when, relatively, mal). 9alas of three enlightened
families of deities appear,
Endowed with enlightened attributes of intrinsic
ro
348 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 349
by the deity]. It is said in the Sequence of the Path:
awareness.
350 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
. Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 351 The BeIng of Commitment (samayasattva)336
by means of the six real [sequential m d must therefore be created
Kriyarantra, namely, the deit of em 0 . es of] the deIty to the
deity of syllables (yi-ge'i lha) Yth d (stong-pa-nyzd-kyz lha), the ,eeity0sound( "lh) .
of form (gzugs-kyi lha), the deity of seals (ph ,slf,a z a , the deIty
of symbols (mtshan-ma'i lha) Th' , . ,yag-rgya zlha) and the deity
words from the extensive TTar;r ,IdS_IS stated in the following v j 'J avz ara1Ja 1 antra:
Thesixare[thed'f ] f .
Of d Ii el Ies 0 emptIness and syllables
Concerning the ultimate truth, it is held that mind-as-s
pristine cognition [which coalesces] emptiness and radiance, is free from the four extremes of being, non-being, appearance and emptiness; as it is said in the Determination and Distinction (la-zla-ba-dang shan-
'byed-pa lta-ba'i sgron-me, P 4727): Since the mind itself is awareness,
Without the four extremes,
It is none other than pristine cognition.
Now the relative truth [is held] to comprise both correct and incorrect modes, of which the incorrect one refers to all relative appearances which are considered to be both correct and incorrect [by those who
adhere to the philosophical systems] from the Madhyamika downwards, and the correct relative truth is held to refer to the enlightened attributes which are the realisation of reality and which appear as the maJ). qala
of deities belonging to the three enlightened families. As the previous
text continues:
Through the pristine cognition of the appearances
Which creatively arise,
The sublime, gentle and rough phenomena which appear
Are said to be pure when seen 334 In the maJ). qala of the three enlightened families.
Thirdly, on the subject of moral discipline, the Miraculous Key of Further Discernment speaks of eleven commitments:
The Three Precious Jewels and the enlightened mind, The mantras and seals - do not abandon them;
The vajra and bell should not be abandoned,
And similarly the deity and the guru. These are the subsidiary commitments. As for the five basic commitments:
One should not sleep on a [high] bed,
One should neither eat meat nor drink ale, And one should not eat garlic or radishes.
Then, there is also the Secret Tantra ofGeneral Rites (Sii:r/llinyavidhfnii1fl guhyatantra, T 806) which explains that there are three general commit-
ments and thirteen particular commitments; and so forth.
Fourth, meditation is both symbolic and non-symbolic. Concerning
the former, the Heruka Galpo says:
The meditations are on [the deities] of reality,
Sound, syllables,335 form, buddha-mind,
And the attainment of the perfect body of pristine
cognition.
uch
, the pure
soun , orm, seals and symbols. ' Thereafter, the Being of Pristine Co . , '- -
offerings, praises, recitations and 0nanasattva) is invited; is acquired h a ' so ort are perf? rmed; and ac- the deity and oneself] as regarded [the relatIonship between
Tantra ofthe Great Natural Aa ? , a and servant. It says in the rzszng OJ wareness:
The deity and the yogin respectively Are regarded as a master and subject.
And in the Tantra which A ' h
(rigs thams-cad-pa'i dngos_grucbqulzres t"e Accomplishment of All Families
en-pa z rgyud):
By regarding [the deity] in the manner of a lord a master or a king,
And perceiving oneself as a servant The of accomplishment, ' That IS attained through the mantras Is accepted as the unsurpassed boon. '
'
Concerning the second [or non-symb r
nate meditation on the t h 0 IC medItatIOn]: There is alter-
pure disposition [of absorption occurs in the nng to those [aforementione t e our WIthout refer-
symbolic deities, are meditated onas and Dzstinction: 1 e. t says In the Determznatzon
Appeara. nces and emptiness are successively establIshed.
. ,
and with food, attire clea r e WIt. t for entering [the vehicle],
Fifth, conduct [according to th K ' -
namely, the activities connect d e. compnses SIX activities,
tion of mantras. It i; supports and the recita- er S31 In the Heruka Galpo:
Concerning pIa t [ d
And Ii d ,ne s or ays], stars and seasons,
00 ,attIre and cleanliness
The austerity, of discipline is pe;formed.
. ,
352 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
And in the Garland of Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instructions:
Conduct concerns the images of [the deity's] body, The implements symbolic of his mind, Recitations and so forth.
Sixth, concerning the result, it is held that within seven human lifetimes the level of a Holder of Indestructible Reality of the Three Enlightened Families, endowed with the essence of the three buddha- bodies and five pristine cognitions, will be obtained. The Heruka Galpo says:
Recapitulation o fResultant Vehicles 353 Those who uphold the Tantra of Both
Though conforming to Kriyatantra in conduct Do conform to Yogatantra in their view. ' Therefore their enlightened families and view
Are superior to those [of Kriyatantra].
And in the Sequence of the View:
Those who uphold the Tantra of Both Conform upwards in their view - And downwards in their conduct.
The also to be somewhat superior [to Kriyatantra] the VIew and medItatIon are directed towards four enlightened
famIlIes of the conquerors.
Sixth, concerning the result: It is held that within five lifetimes the of a o. f Reality belonging to the Four En- FamIlIes IS obtamed. The fourth enlightened family to which refers. subsumes the. Enlightened Family of Activity (las-kyi rigs)
In. th. e EnlIghtened FamIly of Precious Gems (rin-chen rigs). It is also m the Heruka Galpo:
One abides on the level of Vajradhara339 Endowed with four enlightened families.
And in the All-Accomplishing King:
It is a deviation which obscures
Non-duality for five human lifetimes.
Yogatantra
Thirdly, the vehicle of Yogatantra is considered under e of essence, verbal definition and classification. First, [ac- is rdmg t? the The blessing of the non-symbolic reality which . truth IS regarded as a deity belonging to the expanse of
reality, which relatively appears, and it is held that the
re' t. IS attamed in the acceptance of positive and the
S )ectlOn of negatIve Ideas [in relation to that deity]. It is said in the equence ofthe Path:
Since they are not seen to be present and equivalent,
The blessmg of pristine cognition Through which all things are Becomes an emanational [deity]
Of the expanse of indestructible reality
Adh. ,
n t e yogm . acts in terms of acceptance and rejection.
337
The Lords of the Three Families instruct living beings.
Ubhayatantra
[215b. 5-216b. 3] The second, the vehicle of Ubhayatantra, is referred to under the headings of essence, verbal definition and classification. First, [the essence] is that one resorts to the skilful means which attain accomplishment by practising the view and meditation in the manner of Yogatantra, and conduct in the manner of Kriyatantra. It is said in the Garland of Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instructions:
Accomplishment is attained by relying on both.
Secondly, [as to the verbal definition]: Ubhayatantra is so called because the [Sanskrit] word ubhaya ["both"] indicates that both the outer activities of body and speech and the inner yoga are equally performed. The Tantra ofthe Great Natural Arising ofAwareness says:
Ubhayatantra is as follows:
The view is observed as in Yogatantra,
And conduct is performed as in Kriyatantra. Therefore it is known as the Tantra of Both.
Thirdly, the Ubhayatantra is classified under the six topics, ofwhich the first, the entrance, has two parts. The former is empowerment, which here refers to the three empowerments of the vajra, bell and name (rdor-dril-ming-gsumi 38 in addition to those of water and crown. As the Seminal Point of Pristine Cognition says:
The vajra, the bell and likewise the name [empowerments]
Are well clarified in the Caryarantra.
The actual entrance, along with the third topic, moral discipline, and the fifth, conduct, largely conform to Kriyatantra, whereas the second topic, or the view, and the fourth, meditation, largely conform to Yogatantra. It is said in the Turquoise Display:
Within seven lifetimes on the buddha level
354 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret A1antra .
fi . , ]" Derived from [the Sansknt] yoga,
Secondly, [the verbal de ImtIOn . 't emphasises or teaches the inner . so called because 1 .
the Yogatantra IS V' . A C llection of Esoteric Instructwns says: yoga. The Garland of zews. 0 .
Accomplishment is attained with emphasIs on yoga.
. . d d under six topics. The first,
the entrance, IS
dbang to th. e dbang), the sixth empower- indestructIble (r . 1] ifP" Cognition states:
ment. 340 The Semmal Pomt 0 nstme
The empowerment of the irreversible vase
The blessing of realisation appears as a deity. Accordingly, the perceptions of [mundane] Living creatures are bewilderment.
And also in the Turquoise Display:
Derived from the pure pristine cognition of the expanse,
In which both intrinsic awareness
And the signs of its actual vision are indivisible, The blessing arises as a deity of indestructible
reality'S expanse,
And the deity is regarded as a friend.
Thirdly, moral discipline includes the general commitments belong- ing to the five enlightened families, which are said to be the highest. The enlightened mind is first generated, and subsequently training in the three aspects of moral discipline is earnestly applied. Then there are said to be fourteen particular commitments, namely, three connected with Vairocana, four each with and Ratnasambhava, one with Amitabha, and two with Amoghasiddhi. The Miraculous Key of Further Discernment, however, claims that they number thirteen when two uncommon commitments are added to the eleven commitments of Kriyatantra. In its own words:
The limits guarded by the Yogatantra,
In addition to the limits guarded by the above
[Kriyatantra] ,
Include [the commitments] not to drink water
In a locality [inhabited by violators of commitments] And not to converse with such violators.
Fourth, meditation is both symbolic and non-symbolic. The former is meditation with reference to the yoga of the male and female deities, which applies the four seals (phyag-rgya bzhi) by means of the five awakenings (mngon-byang lnga) and four miracles (cho-'phrul bzhi). The Garland of Views: A Collection of Esoteric Instructions says:
Without emphasising outer paraphernalia, and by means of contemplation in which the male and female deities that are uncreated and unceasing in ultimate reality and the mind- stream in which they are represented are entirely pure, one becomes accomplished by emphasising the yoga of medita- tion on the sublime body ofform endowed with the four seals.
After the Being of Commitment (samayasattva) has been created and the Being of Pristine Cognition (jiiiinasattva) has been invited, [the deity] should then be regarded without the dichotomy of good or evil,
Thirdly, the Yogatantra ISC'consl empowerment which refers, . twofold The lormer IS . ,.
: ] fi powerments of awareness (ng-pa z
in addition to the [prevIouS lVe empowerment of the master of f
h '
The latter is the actual 7h' h is effected by means ofsymbohc
Has been clarified in Yogatantra.
This is a particular empowerment among t e SIX
And it is called the empowerment of the master. .
lC . n the All-Accomplishing King: and non-symbolic contemplatIOn. t says 1
One who desires the Bounteous Array of Having entered by symbolic and non-symbohc
methods. . .
Secondly, the VIew [0 o. g . ner radiance or emptiness, the
ultimate truth refers to all thmhgs m f conceptual elaboration. The nature of which is free from t e sIgns o.
Tantra of the Summation of the Real says.
Since all things are naturally radiant,
They are essentially pure from the begmnmg.
. f Y atantra] concerns the twO truths. The
wIt In . . . . f blessing derived from the realIsatIon 0
Heruka Galpo:
rea
lity Such IS a so sal 1 .
. .
. . d b en an incorrect relatIve whIch
The relative truth IS and a correct relative truth,
is similar to that of the prevIOUS [ve lC es] 'd' erned by living creatures h ld t efer to the appearances ISC .
whichis e not 0 r h' th t everywhere appears IS in their own minds because mg . a, e which is the . h' the mandala of indestructIble realIty s '1 'd 'n the
One who wishes to abide in the vehicle of Yogatantra Should look upon as the expanse of
indestructible reality.
And in the Sequence of the View: . .
f reality's expanse, .
Within the pristine cogmtIOn 0
Which is the purity of ultimate truth accordIng to
Y ogatantra,
. .
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 355
356 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
and in the manner of a relative or friend. Offerings, praises, recitations and so forth should be made. So it is also said in the Tantra ofthe Great Natural Arising of Awareness:
The deity and oneself, the yogin,
Are held to relate as relatives or friends.
Now the five awakenings (mngon-byang lnga) are the awakenings which occur through emptiness (stong-pa-nyid), through the visualisa- tion of a- lunar throne (zla-gdan), through seed-syllables of buddha- speech (gsung yig-'bru) , through hand implements symbolic of buddha- mind (thugs phyag-mtshan) and through the perfection of the [deity's] body (sku yongs-rdzogs). The four miracles (cho-'phrul bzhi) are the miracles of contemplation (ting-nge-'dzin), empowerment (dbang-bskur- ba), consecration or blessing (byin-gyis rlob-pa), and offerings (mchod- pa). Concerning these the Heruka Galpo says:
Non-conceptualisation, moon, buddha-speech, vajra-emblem,
And radiance of the [deity's] body during meditation
On the emanation and absorption [of light]; Contemplation, blessing, empowerment and offerings: Such are the five awakenings and four miracles.
Though these are the activities of meditation and offering, They are to be performed in order that merit might be
possessed.
The four seals (phyag-rgya bzhi) are so called because meditation ensues when the body, speech, mind and activity have been respectively sealed by: the great seal of buddha-body which secures the ground-of-all as the mirror-like pristine cognition (me-long kun-gzhi sku phyag-chen); the doctrinal seal of buddha-speech which secures the mental faculty as the pristine cognition of discernment (sor-rtog yid gsung chos-rgya); the commitment seal of buddha-mind which secures the mind of conflicting emotions as the pristine cognition of sameness (mnyam-nyid nyon-yid thugs dam-rgya); and the action seal of enlightened activity which secures the five senses as the pristine cognition of accomplishment (bya-ba sgo-lnga phrin-Ias las-rgya). Such are the four pristine cognitions which are to be actualised and with which they are connected. The [fifth] pristine cognition of the expanse of reality (chos-dbyings ye-shes), on the other hand, abides as the natural expression of them all.
The second [or non-symbolic meditation] refers to meditative absorp- tion in the disposition where there is no dichotomy between the essential nature of ultimate reality which cannot be symbolised and the appear- ance of its blessing as a deity, which is the apparitional aspect of pristine cognition. It says in the Emergence ofIndestructible Reality (Vajrodaya, T 2516):
Recapitulation ofResultant TT h' l
The d' . . ve lC es 357
ISPOSItIOn of the non-d 1
Is taken as the most sacred expanse of reality
accomplishments. 0 unsurpassed
Fifth, concerning conduct· W'th '
practices such as cleanliness' Id the aSSIstance of external mundane
oth b ' ,con ucteffectstheb fi f
ers YmaIntaining above all th . ene It 0 oneself and
Peak says: ' , e yoga ofthe deity. The Indestrnctible
INNER TANT
Abiding in th
.
e contemplatIOn of th d '
Do not dismiss all sentient b ' A1w b ' emgs. Al ays e mmdfu1 of the buddhas.
e eIty,
ways hold offerings to the b ddh u
as as Supreme is attained on the level o/thwIthm three human lifetimes
.
SIxth,astotheresult:Itisheldtht ' , .
the essence of the three bodies and m the All-Accomplishing King:
One who desires the BounteouS
e Array, endowed five pnstme cognitions. It says
Is held to be liberated And in the Lock of'the U
'h ' h Array ofYogatantra WIt m tree human lifetimes
.
. ,
openSItIes of the subject-
' j neart: Having purified the five pr
object dichotomy,
And, by the expressive pOwe f ' . cognitions rs 0 the five pnstme
HaAving the level of the B rray,
The result gathering the fiv obtained.
ounteous
e enlIghtened families is
uncreated body of reality then
s
,m an uncreated manner on behalf of l' .
bemgs. 1vmg Its perfect rapture embod '
Fulfils the benefit of l' , the five kinds of seal And its ten thousand emgs a bodhisattva,
Teach everywh beings,'
, l I O n emanatIOns
[219bA-22Ia I] S
Sk'UI 1 . econdly, there is the
ere m the presen ,
f h .
ce0 teSIXclassesof
RAS OF SKILFUL MEANS
h' 1
u ,means (nang-pa thabs-6k i r IC e of the inner tantras of
gy):;,d-kYl theg,-p,a), concerning which reat atural Anszng of Awareness:
,
It IS saId in the Tantra ofihe
.
J
Ru Garap Dorje
said:
358
Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 359
The inner [vehicle] is held to be threefold: Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga.
It therefore comprises the Mahayoga tantras, the Anuyoga transmissions
and the Atiyoga esoteric instructions.
Concerning the distinctions between these three, the master Zur- 341
cungpa said in reply to a request made by Lencap Parwa:
Mahayoga appears as the miracle of awareness. Anuyoga appears as the expressive power of intrinsic awareness. Atiyoga is awareness, manifest in and of itself. Therefore,
342
stage, Anuyoga emphatically teaches the perfection stage, and the Great Perfection is effortless in both respects.
Cel Lotsawa Ktinga Dorje also eloquently asserted this to be the distinc- tion between their verbal definitions.
[Finally], the great, all-knowing Longcenpa [in his Great Chariot] has said:
The Father tantras of Mahayoga are the natural expression of the skilful means of appearance, intended on behalf of those requiring training who are mostly hostile and possessed by many ideas; the Mother tantras of Anuyoga are the discriminative awareness of the perfection stage which is the reality of emptiness, intended for the benefit of those who are mostly desirous and delight in the tranquillity of the mind; and the Atiyoga is revealed as the natural expression of their non-duality, intended for the benefit of those who are mostly deluded and who are energetic. Therefore the Great Array says:
For one who would transcend the mind
There is the creative phase,
For one who would possess the essence of mind There is the perfecting phase,
And for those who are supreme and most secret There is the Great Perfection.
And also in Mind at Rest (sems-nyid ngal-gso), he has said:
Mahayoga emphasises vital energy and the skilful means of the creation stage.
Anuyoga emphasises the seed and discriminative awareness of the perfection stage.
Atiyoga emphasises the pristine cognition in which everything is without duality.
Mahayoga
Among them, first the vehicle of Mahayoga is con- under the three headings of essence, verbal definition and clas- As to [the essence]: Its nature is such that liberation is ob- through a union of realisation and experience in the indivisible meanmg of the superior truth, by emphatic reliance on the creation stage of skilful means.
[as to the verbal definition]: The [Tibetan] rnal-'byorchen- fO. IS denved from the [Sanskrit] Mahayoga which means great union. . t IS so called because it unites the mind with the non-dual truth and IS thus superior to the ollter Yogatantra.
They refer respectively to a miracle,
To expressive power and to the self-manifest.
This means that [the three] are particularly distinguished according to their view: Mahayoga realises all things to be the miraculous events of mind-as-such, in which appearance and emptiness are indivisible; Anuyoga realises all things to be the expressive power of mind-as-such, in which the expanse and pristine cognition are indivisible; and Atiyoga
realises all things to be manifest in and of themselves as mind-as-such, the naturally present pristine cognition which is without creation or cessation from the beginning. This was asserted to be the most precious point by both Datik [Cosak of Nakmore] and Len [Sakya Zangpo of Chuwar]. 343
Kyo Kongbupa [Kyoton Sakye of Kongbu]344 also said that:
They have a greater or lesser degree of emphasis: Mahayoga lays great emphasis on conduct, Anuyoga lays great emphasis on contemplation, And Atiyoga lays great emphasis on the view.
Then, Lharje Rok Sherap-o has said that:
Mahayoga is creative because the deity is gradually created by means of three contemplations. Anuyoga is perfecting because the deity is created in a perfect manner without relying on that [threefold creative phase]. And Atiyoga, the Great Perfection, is uncreatable because it is liberated from
both the creation and perfection phases.
Or else, Mahayoga is greatly motivated with respect to
the ten categories of tantra, Anuyoga is so motivated to a lesser extent, and Atiyoga is liberated from motivation.
And in the words of Menyak Jungdra [or Khyungdra]:345
Though the three aspects of creation and perfection are pres- ent in them all, Mahayoga emphatically teaches the creation
360 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Thirdly, Mahayoga is classified according to the six topics, of which the first, the entrance, is twofold: The former refers to the empower_ ment. There are four empowerments which are to be conferred because three higher, supreme uncommon empowerments (thun-min mchog_ dbang gong-ma gsumi46 are added to the common vase empowerment (thun-mong-pa bum-dbang). It is said in the Subsequent Root Tantra of the Magical Net:
There are the master, the secret,
And the discriminating [empowerments], And, immediately afterwards, the fourth.
Five empowerments are also enumerated when the vase empower- ment (bum-dbang) is divided into its aspects of beneficence and ability (phan-nus gnyis). 347 The Sequence of the Activity of Indestructible Reality (Vajrakarmakrama, P 4761) says:
Its aspects become fivefold
Because [the vase empowerment] Confers beneficence and ability on one.
The latter is the actual entrance which is effected by means of three contemplations, namely, the yoga of great emptiness which is dis- criminative awareness (shes-rab stong-pa chen-po'i rnal-'byor) , the illusory compassion which is skilful means (thabs snying-rje sgyu-ma), and the seals which are subtle and coarse (phyag-rgya phra-rags). Therefore, Mahayoga is the path which emphatically teaches the creation stage. In this respect, it is also said in the Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness:
The entrance is the threefold contemplation.
And in the Miraculous Key ofFurther Discernment: The entrance of Mahayoga
Is effected by the threefold contemplation.
Secondly, the view [of Mahayoga] refers to the ultimate truth as that in which awareness, appearing without conceptual elaboration, is held to be spontaneously present as the essential basis; and all the ideas which are the expressive power of this awareness itself are held to be the relative truth, manifest in and ofthemselves as a maI). <;lala body and pristine cognition. Neither of these truths refers in a biased manner to either appearance or emptiness because their essence is an indivisible sameness. If it is conventionally expressed by the term divisible", its indivisibility is free from the range of perception because it transcends the objects of thought and expressions which apprehend it. In this respect, the Array of the Path of the Magical Net says:
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles
The superior, indivisible truth of sameness Th. ough revealed everywhere by synonyms'
Is m truth beyond objects of speech and thought.
361
And in the Sequence of the Path:
And in order to loosen348 attachment to that d
It and inexpressible WIthm the two conventional truths.
' . esCnptIOn,
translations of the secret
the fourteen basic violations of the c uct on the. knowledge of d d (b b " ommltments whIch are to be
guar e srung- ya zdam-tshig rtsa-ltung bcu-bzhi) and to th d based on the knowledge of the nature of the . e con uct meats and the fiv . commItments of the five
tshig sha-lnga are to be practised (spyad-bya'i dam-
In_the terminology of the ancient translations th . Mahayoga are said to number twenty-eight 349 Th of
Further Discernment says: . e
Concerning the guarded by Mahayoga, There are three baSIC commitments
And twenty-five ancillary ones which are kept.
lracu ous Key of
the three basic are those of buddha-body speech the dam-tshig gsum) , As for the ancilla;y ones,
There are those to be practised Those not to be renounced ' And those to be adopted. ' There are those to be known
And those to be attained.
concerning meditation' Th . .
phaSlsmg the class of . . ere are two tradItIOns, one em-
emphaSiSing the class for(attamment (sgrub-sde), and the other classes of means t . antra rgyud-sde). The former includes five namely, the of the deities of pristine cognition, on the Four Centres f' the Body of,the Sugatas by Relying
bZhi-la brten-nas bde_gsOh the Body (Jam-dpal-gyi sku 'khor-lo Lo egssu1sgrub-pa)'th MeA "
tus Speech by R 1 . , e eans lor ttammg the gyi rta-skad thengs- on the Three Neighs of Hayagrlva (rta-mgrin-
Attaining the sgrub-pa);theMeans enuine and Uniqu A . ea Ity of Mmd by Relying on the Present Pristine C e . the Awareness and Naturally
thugS ri ogmtIOn whIch IS Yangdak the Mind (y d . g-pa rang-byung-;gi ye-shes yang-dag grub-pa
362 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
thugs rdo-rje'i sgrub-pa); the Means for Attaining Nectar Attributes which Perfectly Reveal All Things of Sarpsara and Nirval)a as the Enlightened Attributes of Mahottara (che-mchog-gi 'khor-'das-kyi chos-thams-cad tan-du rdzogs-par ston-pa bdud-rtsi yon-tan-gyi sgrub-pa); and the Means for Attaining the Enlightened Activity ofVajrakiia which Emphatically Teaches the Skilful Means for Training Malicious Beings by the Rites of Sorcery of Vajrakiia (phur-pa'i mngon-spyod-kyi las-kyis gdug-pa-can 'dul-ba'i thabs gtso-bor ston-pa phur-ba phrin-las-kyi sgrub-pa). Also cluded in this section are the three common classes of means for attain- ment, namely, the Means for Attaining the Liberating Sorcery of aral:1 (ma-mo rbod-gtong), the Malign Mantra (drag-sngags dmod-pa) and the Mundane Praise ()ig-rten mchod-bstod).
Concerning the latter [i. e. the class oftantras]: Mahayoga is generally classified according to three kinds of tantra, namely, Father, Mother, and Non-Dual. In the Father tantras such as the Guhyasamaja there is held to be experiential cultivation in a manner which is non-conceptual with respect to radiance and emptiness because they emphasise the area of skilful means according to the creation stage and also the vital energy according to the perfection stage connected with it.
In the Mother tantras such as Cakrasarrzvara, Hevajra and Yangdak (NGB Vol. 25), the conceptual elaboration of the creation stage is diminished, and there is held to be experiential cultivation in a manner which is non-conceptual with respect to bliss and emptiness, and in which the perfection stage of discriminative awareness emphasises the seed or seminal point of enlightened mind.
Then in the Neutral tantras such as the Magical Net (T 832-7, NGB Vols. 14-16) the phases of creation and perfection are coalesced and there is held to be experiential cultivation in a manner which emphasises the blissful, radiant and non-conceptual pristine cognition that is de- veloped through the energy channels, currents and seminal points ac- cording to the perfection stage, and above all, the supreme pristine cognition of inner radiance.
In this context, [meditation] is explained with reference to the Root
, . Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 363
is subdIvIded into the devotional meditation (mos-bs ' ive perfection (nges-rdzogs) The f i o ' , gom) and the defimt-
Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus. Accordingly, the Three Stages (rim-g P 4742)350 says:
There are said to be the two particular kinds of meditation:
The sequence of symbolic meditation And the nature of just what is.
,
o ,IS: supreme nature of the Transcendent Lord
Thus there is both symbolic and non-symbolic meditation.
The former comprises both the creation and perfection stages. ,AS for the creation stage: It refers to the experiential cultivation in whIch
the deity and ideas are meditated on as indivisible by emphasising the gradual creation of the mal)Qala through the three contemplations, It
from the undivided three
the, of pristine cognition, ' e obtamed m thIS very lifetime.
AndinthS,. ,
e emmal Pomt of Pristine Cognition:
Otherwise im d' 1
Th ' ,m e late y after abandoning [this body],
e result WIll be accomplished without any effort.
sum
v. 1I8): y present IS actualIsed. It says in the Guhyasamaja (Ch. 13, Th'
, " . rmer IS exemplIfied b th nal cUltIvatIOn which though firmn ' y
, ' essmcontemplatio h obtamed, completes the ritual branches ofth , n
'
e expenen-
b
Partner's body] ('
og-sgo in the Three Stages:
kh wer ams-gsum rol-p
oor [or sexual centre of one's " ,
a 1 man-ngag). Therefore It says
as not ' e creatIon stage dur'
een h
,, e Iveyogasbelongmgt [h h and connection which are endowed with 0 t, e pat s of]
four kmds of awareness-holders who ' h corruP:IOn, and the
course 0f a smgle evening session of d' . ,m g t e form. 351 The latter refers to th fi me ItatIOn on,a [partIcular divine]
' are WIt out corruptIOn eperectIOnstagerefer t b h h ' , .
which [the energy ch I S O ot t e esotenc mstructions through annes,currentsandse ' 1 ' ]
and trained within the "upper door of ' mlbna pomts are grasped , onesown ody"(t "'d
T h fi
gyl man-ngag), and the esoteric instructio . s eng-sgo ul- of the three realms through "the 10 d ns ,;Vhlch concern the dIsplay
There are oral instructions
According to the upper and lower doors.
meditation refers to the contemplation of real- Then, fifth, as to conduct· A h' b 1 '
practised wi h . . nyt, e ongmg to sarpsara can be skilful lIt IS :;tained by the foundation of
,
lracu ous l,-ey to the Storehouse:
The Mah. ayoga of the creation phase
the rites of "! iberation" and sexual practices352
Th
Ive nectars whIch are sacramental substances roug the conduct which observes great skilful
SIxth, as to the result· In th' l'fi ' , ,
[after death] the emb d' I or m the mtermediate state spontaneousl' ,0 m whIch the five buddha-bodies are
A. nuyoga
[224a 2-2
. 28a. 3] The vehicle of h A
transmissions (lung anu-
Yoga) is Considered under h h t e
t e tree headmgs ofessence, verbal definition
364 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
and classification. As to [the essence]: Its nature is such that liberation is obtained through a union of realisation and experience of the. truth in which the expanse [of reality] and pristine cognition. duality, by emphatic reliance on the perfection stage of dlscnmmatlVe awareness.
Secondly, [as to the verbal definition]: The [Sanskrit] Anuyoga is rendered [in Tibetan] as rjes-su mal-'byor or it emphatically reveals the path of desire in pursuIt of dlscnmmatlVe awareness (shes-rab ry'es-chags-kyi-lam).
Thirdly, Anuyoga is classified according to the six topics, of the first the entrance, is twofold. The former is empowerment, whIch refers t ; the thirty-six empowerment ceremonies subsumed by four categories of outer, inner, attaining and secret m the mandalas of Anuyoga (phyi-nang-sgrub-gsang-bzhls bsdus-pa l dbang-chog It says in the All-Gathering Awareness:
The outer empowerment and the inner empowerment, The attaining empowerment and the secret
empowerment
Are respectively complete with ten aspects,
With eleven, with thirteen and with two aspects.
According to some, the eight hundred and thirty-one ancillary em- powerments,353 which are derived from the basic thirty-six tioned, are the empowerments ofthe nine vehicles. Therefore, It IS saId in the Summation ofthe Meaning ofEmpowerment (dbang-don bsdus-pa):
Derived from the six vehicles including Yogatantra, The outer empowerment is to be conferred as a
continuous stream.
And in the Analysis ofthe Meaning ofEmpowerment (dbang-don mam-par
'byed-pa):
The ten empowerments bring about Possession of the enlightened family, The eleven empowerments bring about The inner secret meaning,
The thirteen empowerments are known As those of the "great guru",
And the two empowerments perfect The empowerment of the nine vehicles.
How is it, one might then object, that these become the empowerments of Anuyoga [which is only one of the nine f There is indeed no contradiction because, in accord with the 0 learned gurus, they are called the empowerment of the nine vehIcles
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 365
(thetdgu'i in so ,far as they correspond to nine sequences of the
vehIcle. There IS no basIs, however, for the opinion expressed by ordin-
ary of the empowerment for the Sutra which Gathers All
Intentwns [that they actually are the empowerments ofthe nine veh' I ] Ifth "b dl ICes.
, ey It IS a sur y implied that one would have to admit the hIgher Atiyoga empowerment to be gathered within the Anuyoga em- powerment. , By way of illustration, the uncommon doctrinal termino- logy of the mner [tantras] is not found in the outer tantras. The great
awareness-holder Terdak Lingpa has therefore said:
If one must refer to the fusion Of the basic rites of Anuyoga
With the details of the particular doctrines of the eight [other] vehicles,
How these [other vehicles] then define the illustrative basIs of Anuyoga [in particular]?
is therefore no contradiction inasmuch as he is of the former opmIOn [expressed by learned gurus].
,latter [aspect of the entrance into Anuyoga] is the actual entrance W h I C ? , I S e f f e c t e d b y m e a n s o f t h e n o n - d u a l i t y o f t h e e x p a n s e a n d
cogmtIOn. It says m the All-Accomplishing King:
entered into the expanse and pristine cognition WhIch, according to Anuyoga, are held to be
indivisible. . .
What, one might ask, is the nature of the entrance? It is effected in
the manner not of the creation but of the perfection stage. It says in the Lock of the Heart:
expanse itself is pristine cognition. Pnstme cogmtIOn, awareness, is the expanse itself.
The supreme bliss of this non-dual display Is not entered gradually.
In all the [divine] seals of apparitional existence 354
The great seal of apparitional existence is immediately encountered
In the manner of a fish leaping from the water. Secondly as t h ' A .
itself is th ' . 0 t e 11 thmgs are one's own mind, and that natu ' e pure celestIal space of the mother SamantabhadrI whose
I"
SPect th e mal)<;iala (ye Jl-bzhin-pa'i dkyil-'khor). I n this re-
re IS uncreated and fre f·
called th " e • conceptua elaboratIOn. It is also
, e eneral Satra which Gathers All Intentions also says: Since which has emerged from the mind is
emptmess,
All that hfls emerged from it is empty.
366 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
This uncreated [reality], unceasing in all respec,ts, is awareness
" ndala of naturally present hght. It IS called the whIch asarna:' bhadraorthespontaneouslypresent
In this ma1f<;lala of the outer, inner and secret arrays,
Apparitional existence is an expanse of pure male and female deities.
And in the Miraculous Key to the Storehouse: According to Anuyoga, the perfection phase,
The components, psychophysical bases and activity fields Are held to be uncreated, in a perfect manner,
In the ma1f<;lala of male and female deities.
Thirdly, concerning moral diScipline, the Summation ofthe Meaning of the Secret Satra says:
It is commitment which apprehends the basis. It guards and attains
The basic and ancillary aspects and so forth, In order to discipline the three media.
In this way, there are basic and ancillary commitments and so forth
which are to be guarded and attained by means of the three media [body, speech and mind].
When these commitments are classified, there are said, according to the sixty-sixth chapter of the General Satra which Gathers All Intentions to be nine enumerations, namely, four commitments definitive to the
important sutras (gal-mdo nges-pa'i dam-tshig bzhi), twenty-eight com- mon commitments (thun-mongs-gi nyi-shu rtsa-brgyad), four superior commitments (lhag-pa'i bzhi), twenty-three relating to discipline (brtul- zhugs-kyi nyer-gsum), twenty concerning attainment (sgrub-pa'i nyi-shu),
four relating to continuity of the path of conduct (spyod-lam rgyun-gyi
bzhz), five Maras which are to be renounced (bdud-Inga spang-ba), four
enemies to be destroyed (dgra-bzhi gzhom-pa), and the commitment of the view (lta-ba'i dam-tshig).
If, on the other hand, these are subsumed, they are gathered into the commitments which are acquired immediately with no limits to be guarded (bsrung-mtshams med-pa cig-car-ba'i dam-tshig) and the commit-
ments which are acquired gradually and have limits to be guarded (bsrung-mtshams-can rim-gyis-pa'i dam-tshig). It says in the General Satra
Which Gathers All Intentions:
pristine cogllltIOn that IS b h' ma1f<;lala of natural expreSSIOn rang- z m
The same text says:
Unseen upon inspection,
It itself appears everywhere.
lhun-grub-kyi dkyil-'khor).
'hd me bliss of their offspnng wherem t e expanse an
(a e _ hub sems-kyi dkyil- 'khor). As the above-cited enhghtened mm b'Yang c
text again says:
That which is called the way of secret mantra is real nature, in which appearance and non-appearance are duality which is liberated from the essence 0 ,t at and does not objectively refer to the mIddle [ground].
Therefore, all things are regarded as primordial, in the fundamental ma1f<;lala of enlightened mind, the l. ndlvlslble nature 0: the three kinds of ma1f<;lala. [The General Satra whzch Gathers All Inten tions] again says:
Since everything is therein identical,
The supreme bliss of primordial ? uddhahood.
Is itself the nucleus without creatIOn or
The three ma1f<;lalas where there is neither actIVIty nor
agent, I Are accomplished from the beginning, spontaneous y
present.
And in the Turquoise Display:
From the celestial space of SamantabhadrI, or apparitional existence, .
The uncreated ma1f<;lala, Samantabha? ra, anses. In its arising, there is nothing that anses. . The supreme bliss of father, mother and offspnng Is spontaneously perfect.
The essence 0 ' "
f these two mandalas, which radiate without differen-
. . ,
IS the r without duality, the fundamental ma1f<;lala of
' d d xpressive It is further held that the Ulllmpe e e .
tabhadra's display arises as the body of a deity. Awareness says:
Sam.
In the primordially evolved great perfection of Samantabhadra,
0 f
aW
That in which there is no pledge to be guarded Is the firm commitment of reality.
This commitment is most amazing, Since it is the most uncommon of all; But for all those of weak volition
There are limits' to be'guarded.
power
The All-Gathertng
And:
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 367
368 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
Fourth, on the subject of meditation, the Summation of the Meaning
of the Secret Sutra says:
Its essence is of skilful means
And discriminative awareness.
Meditation therefore comprises both the path of skilful means (thabs-
lam) and the path of liberation (grol-Iam). The former refers to the yoga in which there is meditation connected with the four or six centres forming the "upper door" [of the body, steng-sgo], and to the skilful
means which develops co-emergent, pristine cognition by relying on the meditative absorption associated with the two secret centres [of the male and female consorts] forming the "lower door" ('og-sgo mkha'-gsang
gnyis). As the above text says:
Through skilful means of esoteric instructions,
Such as concerns the "source of all display" ,
One enters therein.
As for the latter, [the path of liberation]: It comprises both the array of truth and the display of its signs (don bkod-pa-dang rtags-kyi rol-pa). The first refers to the non-conceptualising contemplation that is free
from conceptual elaboration. It is an absorption derived from the dis- position of the nucleus of reality, just as it is, uncontrived by the meditating intellect. In this respect, the General Sutra which Gathers
All Intentions says:
Having established the intellect just as it is
In the corresponding reality,
There is an unwavering recollection Derived from that inexpressible disposition.
The second, [the display of its signs], refers to contemplation of the deity that is endowed with conceptual elaboration. It is the experiential cultivation which, by the mere recitation of mantra, emphasises im-
mediate meditation in which the world and its contents distinctly radiate as the mandala of deities, in the [immediate] manner of a fish leaping from the Such is also said in the Miraculous Key to the Storehouse:
In the vehicle of Anuyoga
There is uncreated meditation in a perfect manner, After merely the nucleus [of the mantra syllables] has been
recited.
And in the All-Gathering Awareness:
Pure apparitional existence is an expanse ofmale and female
deities.
The elements and elemental components
Are spontaneously perfect father and mother consorts.
Concerning path of definitively perfect meditation in general, [the Anuyoga] mcludes both corrupt and uncorrupt corms Th C
. h compnses t
fh . . 11 . e10rmer e yoga 0 t e splntual warrior who aspires ('dun-p k .
Recapitulation ofResultant Vehicles 369
d'
. h 'b d ,. I' amIy
asems- yz by? r); the latter comprises the yoga which
'b )
rnal- an the yoga whIch reveals the great enlightened f: '1
(rzgs-c en -pa. zrna
confers the mspuation (dbugs-chen 'byin-pa'i rnal-'byor),
,;hlCh obtams the great prophetic declaration (lung-chen thob- pa z rnal- byor) and ,the yoga which perfects great expressive power (rtsal-chen rdzogs-pa'z rnal-'byor).
Fifth, as to conduct: The conduct of Anuyoga is one h' h ' I h ' w IC , m
genera, emp aSlses sameness. The Miraculous Key to the Stor h
The Anuyoga of the perfection phase Is the perfect rapture of the expanse And pristine cognition.
If in detail, there are three kinds of conduct n I co_nsecratlOn or blessing, overpowering and skilful means. The Sutra whzch Gathers All Intentions says:
The conduct which consecrates
The conduct which overpowers:
And the conduct of skilful means
Are exemplified respectively by space and by a king And by the water which quenches a fire. '
the result: Within one lifetime the essence is ac-
tua Ised, In which the twenty-five resultant realities are indivisible and
present. This is the body of supreme bliss, which is the
Sem? dl/n;;n,t of t? e four buddha-bodies. The Tantra of the Supreme zna omt (thzg-Ie mchog-gi rgyud) says:
or inner radiance is supreme bliss
WIthout the expanse and pristine in two. Whoever medItates on it will attain
The result of perfect buddhahood in this lifetime.
And in th M' I' . e zracu ous Key to the Storehouse:
The vehicle of Anuyoga
With'n rt' '
I. . one 1 etlme and without interruption,
Defimtlvely proceeds to the buddha level.
A. tiyoga
[228a. 3-229b. 6] T h "
consid d e vehIcle of Auyoga, the esoterIC mstructions is
, ,
ere under three headings of essence, verbal definition
370 Fundamentals: Vehicles ofSecret Mantra
I 'fi t' As to the first [the essence]: It is the skilful means c aSSI lca lon, , h d' d' tl liberated through which the truth of primordial buddha 0 0 IS ,
and I"t IS endowed WI'th a nature which is free from renunCIatIon, accep-
tance, hope and doubt. , ] A ' , Secondly, [the verbal definition] is that [the Sansknt rendered [in Tibetan] as shin-tu rnal-'byor or highest because It IS
the culmination of the perfection stage both the and perfec- , h s and because it is the summIt of all vehIcles.
tIOnpase, , ,fh'hh Thirdly, Atiyoga is classified according to the SIX tOPICS 0 W IC e
first the entrance, I'S twoJ'old• The former refers to empowerment whI,ch 11
her; is the maturation effected by the empowerment 0fslhe ower of awareness (rig-pa'i rtsal-dbang) and so T atter IS ihe actual entrance which is effected by not entenng anythmg. The
All-Accomplishing King says:
Since with respect to the doctrine There is nothing to be done,
It is entered effortlessly.
Secondly, as to the view, it is held that all things by apparitional existence, sarpsara and nirva1). a, are eff? rtlessly the pnmor- dial buddhahood in the essence of a supreme pOInt, body of reality, which is naturally present, supr,eme, is said in Vajrasattva the Great Space (rdo-rye sems-dpa nam m , NGB Vol. 2):
Having been effortlessly liberated , , Through the naturally present pristine cogmtIon, The path of liberation is indeed revealed.
For those who hold to space
There will be the Spatial Class;
For those who do not strive after stages There will be the Esoteric Instructional Class.
In this way, there is the Mental Class (sems-sde) which pertains to the absorption in awareness and emptiness, the disposition of the buddha-body of reality. There is the Spatial Class (klong-sde) which pertains to the absorption in the disposition of reality without activity
or effort; and there is the Esoteric Instructional Class (man-ngag-gi sde) which pertains to the absorption in the disposition of reality, primor- dially liberated and free from renunciation and acceptance.
In general, the meditation which accords with the tradition of the
Great Perfection is gathered into two categories, namely, Cutting
Through Resistance (khregs-chod) and All-Surpassing Realisation (thod- rgal). It is said in the Pearl Necklace:
Cutting Through Resistance And All-Surpassing Realisation Are experientially cultivated.
According to the former [Cutting Through Resistance]: There is absorp- tion without wavering from the disposition of the primordially pure
view. The Great Garucf,a says:
It is established because it spontaneously abides.
And the master Garap Dorje says:
The nature of mind is primordially buddha. In the mind, as in the sky,
There is no creation or cessation. Having realised the genuine truth Of the sameness of all things,
If it is established without being sought, That is meditation.
By meditating in that way there are four creative stages of the path:
There are the abiding and unwavering states, Sameness and spontaneous presence.
As for the All-Surpassing Realisation (thod-rgal): Through reliance on the six essentials (gnad-drug), the four visionary appearances gradu- aUy arise, and thereby the goal is reached. These [four] are, namely, the visionary appearance of the direct perception of reality (chos-nyid
the visionary appearance of increasing contemplative ex- (nyams-gong-'phel), the visionary appearance of reaching the hllllltS of awareness (rig-pa tshad-phebs) and the visionary appearance of
t e cessation [of 'apparitional] reality (chos-nyid zad-pa).
And in the Great Garucf,a (khyung-chen, NGB Vol. 1): The naturally present pristine ,
. . Universally abides, without conceptIon, Just as It IS.
Thirdly, on the subject of moral dlSCIP me, t e co include nothingness and plainness are not to be transce Miraculous Key of Further Discernment says:
nded.
