[3) Without a Guru for their eyes,
They have not seen and will not see
The true arrangement of the Mahayana Path.
They have not seen and will not see
The true arrangement of the Mahayana Path.
Richard-Sherburne-A-Lamp-for-the-Path-and-Commentary-of-Atisha
Here and in my root text I [simply] set down some of the means for accumulating the Two Equip- ments [of merit and knowledge], for a bodhisattva who is in the Generation Stage,3 and confine myself to that.
Rites
The Two Equipments can be swiftly and perfectly achieved in an extraordinary [way] by the system of Mantra. And with this in mind I wrote the stanza:
THROUGH THE RITES OF "APPEASEMENT" AND "PROSPERITY" AND THE REST, EFFECTED BY THE FORCE OF MANTRA,
AND ALSO BY THE STRENGTH OF THE EIGHT GREAT POWERS, STARTING WITH THAT OF "GOOD FLASK", AND OTHERS, [60]
? When I say "EFFECTED BY THE FORCE OF MANTRA", I mean all dhiira1Ji4 rituals in general, but also include the Powers effected on the strength of muttering5 Mantras taken from any of the Tantras - such as the dhiiralJfs of the Action Tantra. What are these rites? The rituals for "Domination" and "Destruction", for" APPEASEMENT AND PROSPERITY" and the rest of the eight kinds of ritual. 6
Powers
"THE EIGHT GREAT POWERS; STARTING WITH THAT OF 'GOOD FLASK', AND OTHERS" refers to [1] the Good Flask Power, [2] Fleetness of Foot, [3] the (Invincible] Sword, [4] the Commander, (5] the Underworld [Power], (6] Invisibility, [7] the Wishing-Tree, and [8] Supremacy. 7 By "AND OTHERS" I mean all the many Powers that are associated with the rites that put an end to anything, and follow upon the [principal] Eight Powers; for example, eye-medicine,
pills, flying in the sky, showers of grain, producing various shapes out of a conjured mustard-seed, superknowledge by augury, and the [Four] Miraculous Powers. 8 When, through Muttering and Concentration, one has accom-
plished these Eight Great Mundane Powers and the [rites of] Appeasement-Prosperity-Dominion-Destruction, one thereby perfects the Two Equipments of Merit and Knowledge, swiftly and effortlessly. [332a)
Tantra Scripture
Seven Classes ofTantra
What is this "Vehicle of Mantra" from which such Powers come so swiftly and effortlessly? I say:
IT IS MAINTAINED THAT THE EQUIPMENT FOR ENLIGHTENMENT IS PERFECTED WITH EASE;
AND IF. ONE WANTS TO PRACTISE MANTRA AS PRESCRIBED
IN THE TANTRAS: ACTION, PRACTICE, AND ON ? ? ? [Stanza61]
And these are: [1] Action Tantra, [2] Practice Tantra, [3] Skill Tantra, (4) Combined Tantra, [5] Union Tantra, [6] Great Union Tantra, and [7] Supreme Union Tantra. 9 The extent of each of these Tantras is immeasurable, as the
TANTRA 167
? 168 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY Blessed One says about their number in the Glorious
Compendium o f Diamond Knowledge: A Great Tantra:
"There are four thousand Action Tantras. There are eight thousand Practice Tantras. Their are four thousand Skill Tantras. There are six thousand Combined Tantras. There are twelve thousand Great Union Tantras. But if these are taken in their complete entirety, they are
[1]
Bibliography ofTantras
The four thousand Action Tantras include such texts as:
the All Dhiira~Jfs [Ot. 141],
the Highest Wisdom [Ot. 402],
the Excellent Dancer [Ot. 424],
the True Power Maker [Ot. 431],
the [Questions of] Subiihu [Ot. 428],
the Great: Basic Tantra ofManjuiri [Ot. 162], the Secret Tantras ofMaiijuirf[Toh. 544-52], the Diamond Crowners [Toh. 590-603],
the Tantra ofAmoghapiiSa [Ot. 365],
and the Great Victory Tantras [Toh. 604-13]. [332b] The Practice Tantra with its eight thousand texts has: the Perfect Enlightenment of Vairocana Tantra [Ot.
126],
and the Initiation ofVajrapii~Ji Tantra [Ot. 130].
The four thousand texts in the Skill Tantra collection contain the Tantra of Tiirii's Arising [Ot. 390], the Royal Tantra Setting Forth the Triple Pledge [Ot. 134], and the Compen,dium ofSkills.
Among the Combined Tantra in its six thousand text
collection are the Illusion-like [Ot. 102] and the Lord ofLotus Dancers.
The Union Tantra contains innumerable texts such as: the Compendium ofThatness [Ot. 112],
the Glorious Original [Aeon] [Ot. 119], the Conquest ofthe Triple World [Ot. 115], the Higher Union Conquest,
and the Diamond Summit [Ot. 113].
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
numberless. " 10
? [6] The Great Union Tantra in its twelve thousand collection contains such texts as the Glorious Union o f the Secret [Ot. 81] and its Explanatory Tantras [Toh. 443-53], and
[7]
the Beauty Mark o f the Secret Moon [Ot. 111], the Black DestroyerofYama [Ot. 103],
the Gloriolis Original [Aeon] [Ot. 119],
the Assembly ofAll Gods,
the Secret ofAll [Ot. 114],
the Unfailing Discipline,
the Compendium o f Diamond Knowledge [Ot. 84], the Marvels ofVairocana [Ot. 126],
the short Space-like [Buddha] [Ot. 31],
the Tantra o f Unique [Buddha's] Conquest [Ot. 87],
and the Diamond-Crowners Tantras.
In their entirety these texts are numberless.
The Supreme Union Tantra has fourteen thousand
texts in its collection and includes the Glorious Cakrasainvara: the Hundred Thousand Verses ofthe Space-like Buddha [Ot. 30; 59], and the Diamond Imp [Ot. 18],
the Four Diamond Seats [Ot. 68],
the Great Illusion [Ot. 64],
the Buddha-like Practice [Ot. 8],
the Buddha Death's Head [Ot. 63],
and the Five Hundred Thousand Verses on Hevajra
[Ot. 10].
Taken in their entirety the texts would be endless. It is the vastness of each of these Tantra collections that makes the Vehicle of Mantra so extremely broad and unlimited. [333a] The Gurus say that all dharalJis without exception, such as the DharalJis Blazing From the Mouths o f Ghosts and the Great Peacock-like DharalJis, are Tantras of the
Action class.
Initiations
Permission
In the line "IF ONE WANTS TO PRACTISE MANTRA AS
TANTRA 169
? 170 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
PRESCRIBED", [Stanza 61], you may ask what is meant by the words "AS PRESCRIBED", and SO I say:
THEN, TO GAIN THE PRECEPTOR-INITIA TION,
ONE MUST FIRST WIN A HOLY GURU
BY GIVING HIM ATTENDANCE AND PRECIOUS THINGS AND BY OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD. (Stanza 62]
That is, if you desire to practise the Mantra Vehicle in the Action Tantras and the rest, I indicate by my mention of "PRECEPTOR-INITIA TION" that you ! I1USt look not merely to your resolution and actually making progress [toward Enlightenment], but you must also receive the Flask Initiation [that is essential to the Preceptor-Initiation ritual],11 becauseotherwiseyouwouldbetakingMantraby yourself. That is why the Tantras say:
"Without [first] winning a Preceptor and Without [first] acquiring the Initiations, Even to begin the study [ofTantra] Would be ineffectiveness itself. "
And again:
"Without even the Permission'2 for Initiation Is to take Mantra by oneself. "
Taking Mantra by oneself means to perform the dhiiralJf rituals while still relying on methods of the Perfection Path in the Mahayana siitra sense- without even [so much as] the Permission of a Guru for entering the Mal)qala13 and for Initiation. It is taking Mantra by oneself when one listens to and cultivates visualisations14 such as venerable Tara's, or
practises Muttering [of mantras] or Fire-offering or Food- offering's or the Mal)qala and the like- [without a Guru's Permission]. [333b] The Permission to enter the Mal)qala and to receive Initiation is granted [explicitly] by the Preceptor's saying, "Your god is this one. This is the muttering you must do. " 16 Hence the Tantras say:
? "This taking Mantra by oneself
Leads only to destiny in Hell;
Even the Mantra is not effective,
And the body is only wasted in afflictions. "
These are the things I meant by my words" AS PRESCRIBED", and all the Tantras, all the Acaryas of old, and every single Guru today say that the prescription is explicit. If someone says that certain persons, because of the dreams and omens of mundane and supramundane deities they have, are persons who practised Mantra in previous lives [and
therefore need no Permission], then let a method [for determining] their achievement be applied - [presuming) they had pleased a Guru and were given his blessing and re- ceived his Permission to "practise in this certain manner". The method to be used can be that of the Setting Forth the
TriplePledgeand PalaceoftheGreatJewe! andGloryofthe Blessed One, Vaiqurya, Teacher ofHealing: if by these methods they have cleansed themselves of sin and built up their equipment [of merit and knowledge], and then auspicious signs occur, these persons [indeed] had permission to enter Mantrayana; but they are not thereby [necessarily] persons who [actually] practised it in previous lives. Moreover, their Permission to teach Mantra, or to hear, study and practise it, was not given merely because they had taken the Three Refuges and had the resolution for Enlightenment and made progress toward it. The Paths
on which one progresses are each different, and the [methods of] liberation of the particular Vehicles should not be mixed up. [334a] The Blessed One preached the various paths of the Vehicles because He knew the capability of persons, their potential and disposition. And that is why I wrote the way I did in the root text:
IF ONE WANTS TO PRACTISE MANTRA . . . THEN TO GAIN THE PRECEPTOR-INITIATION . .
That is, if you wish to enter and practise in the Vehicle of the Perfections, then you must school yourself in the Three Kinds of Trai,ning I explained earlier. 17 But if you wish to
TANTRA 171
? 172 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
practise Mantra and perform visualisations like venerable Tara's, then you must request the Flask Initiation [that is essential to) the "PRECEPTOR-INITIATION". That is the meaning of my stanza.
Winning a Guru
Now then, if you ask whether this can be done when you have no worldly goods or lofty presents for the initiating Guru, the words "BY GIVING ATTENDANCE AND PRECIOUS THINGS" indicate it cannot. But then, what should those who are poor and bereft of worldly goods do? They should give "OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD". For even men of means must [still] offer their own bodies over and above the Seven Precious Things of Royalty. For example, King Devapala, after offering his entire kingdom to Acarya Buddhajnanapada, offered his queen and himself also. 18 And later he enticed him, as it were, with gold equal [in weight] to b<;>th himself and the queen. The poor must make do with repeated offerings of obedience and bodily
attendance, of mandalas and flowers, and in this manner they "MUST FIRST wiNA HOLY GURU".
When the Guru has been pleased and won, and Initiation has been acquired, and you are freed from all sin of body [speech, and mind], you will be worthy of achieving all mundane and supramundane Powers, by reason of being cleansed of sin (Stanza 63].
Misunderstanding of Tantra
Having taught that in keeping the Vehicle of Mantra one is effortlessly and swiftly, directly and perfectly Enlightened, and having shown that it is a means that perfects the good of others, I now give [a stanza] to refute two misconceptions about the Mantra Vehicle: [334b]
THE SECRET AND INSIGHT INITIATIONS
SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN BY RELIGIOUS CELIBATES, BECAUSE IT IS EMPHATICALLY FORBIDDEN INTHEGREATTANTRAOFPRIMALBUDDHA. 19 (Stanza64]
? The misunderstandings of Mantra here are of two [extremes]: either making exaggerations about it, or defaming it. The former we should put an end to; in the latter case, we should defend it.
Exaggeration
Now in this matter there are some who still do not under- stand the intent of the endless great Tantras of Mantra, and because they trust in even holy Gurus who have not grasped it [either] or in sinful Spiritual Friends, they rely on their interpretations without really having learned the true nature of Mantra. "W e are Mantrists! " they claim. "W e are
doing all the practices with great exactness, and we will all swiftly achieve even the Powers of the Great Seal! "20 But those who continue in this bragging are heading for evil destinies. They heap contempt on the word of the Tathagata, and, by their defiling religious celibacy, they
cause the Teaching of the Buddha to decline. They exercise their Harsh Destruction [Powers to harm others], and, by their keeping women, Expulsion offences are committed. 21 Here is what glorious Jiianakirti said about them:
"They proclaim ever more loudly, 'We have permission for this yoga from the Blessed One! ', and further, they even perform all the practices with exactness, but [alas], they are heading for evil destinies. " 22
And my Guru, the monk Pai:q. cJ. apatika Avadhutipa:
"If th. ose two Initiations [the "Secret", and "Insight"] are taken, the Preceptor together with the disciple are bothgoingtoevildestinies. "23 [335a]
The Blessed One says in the Great Tantra Elucidating Meaning:
"Those who are in Yoga without guidance,
Are practising [elephant-taming] without the goad; They say, 'I am a Yogin! ' [but]
They are treating the Teaching with deceit.
TANTRA 173
? 174 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
They perform [rituals] even for livelihood With their practice of mantras and the Seal; And [to avenge] even only tiny offences, They use the Harsh Destruction [Powers].
From their knowledge of one certain visualisation They will explainthe whole great Tantra;
And whenever some profit may be got,
They will teach the Holy Doctrine. "24
And He speaks on at length in that vein. The glorious Padmavajra likewise has much to say about the penalties for that k1nd of behaviour:
"Their practices, and they themselves Are all full of sinful activity;
They keep to a Path that is unholy, And are hurrying to their hells. " 25
There are indeed many more sources, but my text would 1Jecome too long. [In short], we must put an end to such
[exaggerations] in a compassionate way.
Defamation
Then, in this matter [of defaming Mantra], there are some who say, "Why bother with the Mantra Vehicle when no one knows how the great method of Mantra works? Why not simply make progress in the clear Vehicles of the Perfections, and of the Hearers and Solitary Buddhas? If Expulsion offences against religious celibacy and against the taking of life come from [the Mantrist's] use of women
and the Harsh Destruction [Powers], then that [Vehicle] should not be entered. "
But in so saying these persons are defaming [Mantra] without knowing its [true] intent. It is wide and deep, a sphere of action for those of keen powers, and the [very] heart of the Buddha's teaching. And he who condemns it as a field of activity for those who have the capacity, dis- position, and development for it is going to hell- have no
doubt about it - because he is belittling the word of the Tathagata and rejecting His profound Doctrine. Here is what the holy Finely Woven Sutra says about the [karmic] maturation of an act of rejecting the Doctrine: [335b]
? "If anyone says, 'Some of the Doctrine is good; some of it is bad', he is rejecting the Doctrine. "26
And that is because he does not see the Doctrine [rightly]. As the Guru-Monk Pai~qapatikasays:
"Therefore, do not scorn the Mantra Vehicle
By saying it is the talk of the Evil One.
As well reject all Vehicles [then] too!
Indeed, in keeping this one, the Great Seal is got! "27
And so, against such [defamers], we must uphold [Mantra] in a compassionate way.
Defaming is twofold: defaming the Doctrine and defaming persons. The Doctrine should not. be defamed, as these words from the Questions o f Kiisyapa say:
"When one enters into the doctrine taught by the Tathagatas, and his mind does not understand all the profundities of it concerning the limitlessness of Buddha- enlightenment and the variety of preferences among creatures, and he says, 'Although I do not understand
this, the Tathagata himself does; He perceives it directly', [then he does not reject or defame the Doctrine]. " 28
Study that Siitra itself, for it is a point I have seen made in all the Siitras and Tantras. And as to not defaming persons either, [the Blessed One says] in both the Exhortation to Higher Intention and the Instruction on Non-production of All Phenomena: [336a]
"For one person- except myself or someone [enlight- ened] like me- to judge the measure of [another] person is harmful. "29
And the evil of [such judgement] is frequently seen in the Siitras.
TANTRA 175
? 176 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Prohibited Initiations
(THE SECRET AND INSIGHT INITIATIONS
SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN BY RELIGIOUS CELIBATES, BECAUSE IT IS EMPHATICALLY FORBIDDEN]
IN THE GREATTANTRA OF PRIMAL BUDDHA. (Stanza 64]
(IF THOSE INITIATIONS WERE TAKEN BY ONE WHO STAYS
IN THE AUSTERITY OF A RELIGIOUS CELIBATE,
IT WOULD VIOLATE HIS VOW OF AUSTERITY
SINCE HE WOULD BE PRACTISING WHAT IS FORBIDDEN. (65]
TRANSGRESSIONS WOULD OCCUR WHICH DEFEAT THE MAN OF RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE;
AND BY HIS CERTAIN FALL TO BAD DESTINIES,
HE COULD NOT EVEN SUCCEED (IN MANTRA PRACTICE]] (66]
The meaning in these twelve lines I have based on the instruction of Suvarr:tadvipa and the monk who was my [Mantra] Guru, Pair:tqapatika.
Laymen and Religious In his Initiation Set Forth, this Guru says:
"In this matter, there are two kinds of Initiations: those based on the lay state, and those based on the celibate religious state. Which are based on the lay state? All the Initiations spoken of in all the many Tantras. And which are based on the celibate religious state? All of the same
Initiations, except for the Secret and Insight-Knowledge ones. And why are these two excluded? In this way: all the many virtues that have come about in consequence of the Buddha's Doctrine have happened because His teaching has continued. But the continuation of His
teaching depends solely on the celibate religious life; and these two Initiations [are excluded] because they envision states which are not in harmony with religious celibacy. Consequently, these two Initiations cause religious celibacy to perish, and when religious celibacy perishes the teaching of the Buddha will decline. Because of its decline, there would be an end to the gaining of merit. And hence, because of the immeasurable loss of
virtue that would come from such a state of affairs, these two [Initiations] are excluded for the religious celibate. " 3 0
? Religious Celibate
Permitted Initiations
If that is the case, you may say, it is not right for religious celibates to engage in Mantra. But to that I say:
HAVING ACQUIRED THE PRECEPTOR-INITIATION,
HE MAY LISTEN TO ALL TANTRAS AND EXPLAIN THEM; (336b) PERFORM FIRE-OFFERING, GIFT-WORSHIP AND THE LIKE: 31 (THERE IS NO WRONG IN WISDOM ABOUT REALITY. ) (Stanza 67)
If a celibate Mantrist wants to listen to the Tantras, to study and explain them to others, to perform Fire-offering and Gift-offering and [mantra-] muttering, then every Tantra and every ritual for the Mal). qalas clearly says that it is all right, [provided he has] the Flask initiation of the
"Preceptor-Initiation". The Guru-Monk Pail). qapatika A vadhutipa says this also:
"If that is so, you may say, then religious celibates
[who practise Mantra], although Mahayanists, are being
untrue to Mahayana. [But I say,] that would assuredly be
treating this matter mistakenly. Whoever has obtained
an Acarya and his Permission and the Flask - because of
his [very] Initiation to practise those Tantras, to hear,
study, and explain them- is [entirely] true to Mahayana.
But then, you may say, if that is so, there is no need of the
Secret and Insight Initiations even for laymen. [And I
say, yes,] it is unnecessary and they are dissuaded from it. "32
And then he continues at length on that subject.
Wisdom of Thatness
THERE IS NO WRONG IN WISDOM ABOUT REALITY. 33 (Stanza67)
My Gurus have given much specific instruction to me in this matter, and this is what some of these holy men say:
[a] "If a bodhisattva in his compassion knows the good of creatures and is governed by compassion in all that he does, then wrong does not exist in his Tantra, and in
TANTRA 177
? 178 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
[b]
consequence of it, his merit will even greatly increase. "
This. interpretation means he has reached the weak [degree] ofPatience. 34
According to other holy men, there could never be wrong [coming] from a yogin who knows all phenomena to be illusion and is wise in the reality [of Emptiness]:
"Any yogin who knows [that all phenomena] [337a] Are like unto the water-reflected moon,
Will never be clothed in such things
As sin and merit.
All his inner and outer states
Are [of the] mind and illusion-like to him: He conceptualises no longer [the Proofs of] Non-permanence and Non-destruction
And of them both taken together; Untouched by the poison of entity-grasping, Who has seen his like? Wrong does not exist In his wisdom [of all] as illusion. "
[This interpretation] means that wrong does not exist for one who has reached the weak [degree of] Highest Mundane Phenomena. 35
As to there being no wrong [according to] the Guru- Monk, Paii). qapatika, you must study that same [previously quoted] text which was made from his lectures. In his interpretation, wrong does not exist even for one who is at the very start of the Beginner's Level. 36
Still other holy men say:
"There will be no wrong [in practising Mantra] according to methods in such texts as the Questions o f KiiSyapa Sutra, the Injunctions on Dealing with Women Sutra, the Glorious Original [Aeon] Tantra, the Unfailing Discipline and other Tantras in that section, and in [the works of ]Arya Nagarjuna and Acarya Aryadeva. This means there is no wrong for one who knows the Thatness [of Emptiness], if he has reached the weak [degree of] Summits. " 3 7
[c]
[d]
? [e]
Others again:
"Wrong does not exist for him who has the Enlightenment Thought in the ultimate sense [of] the non-arising of all phenomena, and it is growing in his [conscious] stream; for there can be no wrong when one knows the Thatness of phenomena. "
This [interpretation] means there will be no wrong for those [who are on the Path of] Vision of the Truths. 38 Consequently, the yogin who is following the Paths must learn both what is and what is not wrong (for him]. 39
Concluding V erses
That wish-granting jewel, the Apparition Body.
[1)
Has passed away, and no longer are there
Great scholars like Arya Nagarjuna and the rest;
And in these times of the approaching decline
Of the Sage's holy Doctrine, many persons come forth [337b] With the erroneous conceptions of madmen.
[2) They see the libraries of sutra and sastra,
But are lost to the guidance of Guru-tradition;
Like blind men, they embark
On scripture's vast ocean of meaning.
They do not know Mahayana's superior Path, and
Their misunderstanding of it ought not be followed.
[3) Without a Guru for their eyes,
They have not seen and will not see
The true arrangement of the Mahayana Path.
[4) Like the ocean, Mahayana is deep,
And, like the sky, it is very vast;
Y et they preach as they please, without Guru, Satisfied they've seen the books of
Siitra and sastra, but no reliance on Guru for them. [5) I f they do not know even so much
As the steps of the Mahayana plan,
How do they view its deep and vast meaning?
[6) A person whom a holy Guru has chosen Because of his right disposition for Mahayana- Follow that wise one, whoever he be.
[7) This is a time of great trepidation,
TANTRA 179
? 180 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Now is the hour of the Teaching's decline,
So ask in what country and which direction
Lives that man of the good Gurus' tradition,
Awed by his wise [teachers'] true comprehension- And, when you find him, serve him for months or years, And in careful attendance you will win him.
[8] Even if this person behaves very badly,
In the manners he has of body and speech,
Pay no attention [but instead] accept the holy Doctrine. As the bee, for example, in selecting a flower,
Carries off the honey, leaving the flower behind;
So a wise man too conducts himself like that,
Listening to instruction, not looking at manners.
[9] When the mind becomes skilled through his counsel, Then for the Enlightenment to be gained in this very life,
Beg instruction in the Guru tradition [338a]
On the mantra of Cakrasamvara40 and the like.
If you do not learn the method of the Mantra texts, Excluding the two Initiations [of Secret and Insight], You are chained by much discursive thought,
And Buddhahood will not be swiftly won.
Again I say:
[1] The lustre of the Sage's teaching now fades, And the Teacher's holy Doctrine is perishing.
If outsiders and inferior men, and even
The Buddha's own disciples are destroying it,
Then who cannot destroy the Sage's teaching?
[2] The destruction comes especially from religious: Some, in following the Mantra of the Tantras, Practise it falsely and teach others to stray;
And others, not knowing the true meaning of
The Perfection of Insight as it really is,
Preach, "Eliminate the relative truths,
Like cause and effect, and intrinsic nature is pure"! 41
[3] And some have given up everything in
The training that Priitimolqa and Vinaya teach, Mingling with laymen in field and trade, Conducting business even in assembly hall.
In the Descent into Lanka Sutra:
? "It will come about in the future (that] The wearing of the saffron robe and the Preaching that it does not matter,
Will be the disgrace of my Teaching. . . A t the end of this Age of Strife,
The world will not cultivate the HolyDoctrine. "42 And in the words of the great scholar Vasubandhu:
[1] "The Teacher, the Eye of the world, is closed; And men of mastery are all but gone. [338b]
His Teaching is confused in the misunderstanding Of men who practise as they please, not having seen Thatness. [2] The Self-arisen One has passed Excellently to Calm; they that held the Self-arisen
Teaching dear are deprived of their Lord. Unleashed is Corruption, destroying virtue, sporting at will today. [3] And so this fair teaching of the Sage
Emits, as it were, its dying gasp; and knowing
It is the hour when impurities are in power, Those desiring liberation act with care. "43
Colophons
[BENEDICTION]
May the instruction on the Superior Person, set forth
More fully here, endure as long as the Buddha's teaching; And possessed of the compassionate Enlightenment Thought, May you practise it with zeal by day and by night.
(TRANSLA TOR'S COLOPHON]
This Commentary on "The Lamp for the Enlightenment Path" which ends here, was composed by Diparilkara- srijfiana qf the royal family of Bengal, a great and learned
monk of Sakya, who lives the Bodhisattva's life.
[1] There lives a Bodhisattva who is like a holy Tree:
Its seed of Conduct was sown in the soil of Faith;
Its sprout of Love dewed by the water of Concentration; Its root is Compassion; Enlightenment Thought itstrunk; Its boughs are the Perfections, leaves the Attractions;
TANTRA 181
? 182 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
It flowers with the Seven Riches,
Bears the fruit of the Six Mindfulnesses,
And is filled with the Ten Virtues' fragrance; Birds of distiples are its [friendly] flock.
[2] Dipamkarasrfpada is he, born of Bengal, Envoy of the Buddha's race in our present day, Born like a Sun in the midst of men,
In fame renowned, wise in true religion,
By his vows well bound, and a scholar of ability,
Worthy to be Guru to those of rank.
[3] Cherished like an only child by the Buddhas,
With a mind and high intention like gold and crescent moon, He is a teacher attuned to the thoughts and ways [339a]
Of those who stray from the explanation of Doctrine.
He would never think to avoid these persons
Who have no faith, as though they were poison;
But simply rejecting their bad ways, his own unharmed,
His friendly strength is instantly ready.
[4] Born in cultured country because of good karma, Born of royal family, a good rebirth;
Born of Mahayana Family, the good tradition;
Born a Buddha's Son by his good resolve.
[5] Such is this Guru Bodhisattva,
Diparilkarasnjfiana, the Compassionate One;
And th~ disciple who aspires [to be] his "Superior Person" Is this Sakya monk, Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba.
[6] And he says, having given his own careful
Service with reverence and faith, that [this text]
Is the essence of [Attsa's] solemn oath: "This is the
Heart of hearts of the Royal Union Tantra: Cakrasamvara; As well of the 84,000 collections of Doctrine;
Cultivate in the mind all your days and nights. "
[7] There has never been another Tibetan disciple Besides myself alone, Nag-tsho, to whom he granted So unstintingly of his personal instruction.
With faith and devotion, I will always pay homage To that Guru, with my body and speech and mind.
Translated and corrected by the $feat Indian scholar and Bodhisattva Guru, the Bengali Sri-dipainkarajiianapada, and the monk-translator, Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba.
[Sde-dge version ends here].
? (SECOND BENEDICTION)
In fame renowned, versed in the best religious tradition,
Like the Sun, labouring only for others' good;
Such is this holy and Venerable One
Who reformed Mnga'-ris' three regions in Holy Doctrine.
When Byang-chub-'od and Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba
With sincere mind and heart begged a Commentary [339b] On the Lamp for the Path, this is what he composed, With wisdom and love as the heart of the matter.
"Do not show it to all," he said; "class it as secret. "44
Since he wrote this for virtue's sake,
May I and all others understand the entire meaning Of this text exactly, and swiftly attain the rank
Of the Omniscient King, and may the measureless
Good of creatures be marvellously achieved!
2
3
4
5 6
Notes to Chapter 7
Ot. 4530, Vol. 81:115. 2. Tripi~akamala was quoted at the end of the pre- ceding chapter, concluding the explanation of the Perfection Vehicle; hence the statement "And again. ". The "one and only Goal" which both the Perfection Vehicle and the Mantra Vehicle have in common is the resulting Enlightenment. The Goal must be kept "unobscured" (ma-rmongs/ asaf! 1mllqha); that is, the Mantra Vehicle must be as carefully and correctly followed in its proper order and details as the Vehicle of the Perfections and its paths.
The Enlightenment Thought in its ultimate sense (as opposed to its relative sense) refers again to the cultivation of Emptiness. Madhyamika teaching on Emptiness is the basis ofMantrayana. See Chapter 6, note 13.
bskyed-pa'i rim-pa/utpatti? krama: Generation Stage. Two stages are referred to in the practice of the highest class ofTantra, the Supreme Union:
1) Generation Stage,
2) Completion Stage (rdzogs-pa'i rim-pa/saf! lpanna? krama).
The first refers to preparatory study, initiations, and practices in the lower classes ofTantra as well as ofSupreme Union Tantra itself; the second is the ultimate initiation and experience in Supreme Union. See A. Wayman, FBT, Chapter 9; and TBT, pp. 47-8.
gzungs/dhiirarJf: the actual syllables and sounds of a mantra, often with no meaning outside of their applied symbolism. The word mantra is more generic; dhiirarJfs are the specific mantras of particular deities and Vajrasattvas as found in their particular Tantras.
bzlas,-brjod/jiipa: muttering, or whispering.
Atisa mentions eight kinds of rites, but lists only the four more commonly known ones:
1) Appeasement (zhi-ba/siintikam);
2) Prosperity (rgyas-pa/pawftikam);
TANTRA 183
? 184 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY 3) Domination (dbang-dubyed-pa/vasf-kararJam);
7
4) Destruction (mngon-spyod =drag-shu/ spyod-pa/iibhiciirikam).
There are various listings of the Eight Great Powers (dngos-grub/siddhi) in both Brahmanic and Buddhist tantric practice. See Yogasutra, III:46ff. , for an example of the former. Wayman (FBT, p. 220, n. 13) has equivalated the Tibetan and Sanskrit terms for most of the powers in Atisa's list:
8 9
See Glossary for the Four Bases of Miraculous Powers.
A lisa's division ofT antras into seven classes differs from the division of four classes established by Bu-ston for the arrangement of the Tantra in Kanjur. Bu-ston's Rgyud-sde spyi'i rnam-par-bzhag rgyud-sde rin-po-che'i mdzes- rgyan [Ot. I, Vol. 1] is the opening treatise of the entire Tibetan canon, listing the Tantras in order, beginning with the highest, and their individual sub-groupings according to Tantric "Family" (rigs/kula) with its Progenitor
(gtso-bo/kulesa) and progeny (rigs-can). The four_ classes of Tantra of Bu- ston have been described by Wayman [TBT, p. 33] in this way:
10 11
As will be seen from Atisa's following quotation, still another division offive classes ofTantra exists. Judging from the titles which Atisa later presents for bibliography of his seven classes, it becomes apparent that his division is simply a more detailed listing and designation of the same groupings which Bu-ston has under only four classes. For example, Bu-ston's Supreme Union class contains two important divisions of Mother Tantras (stressi'ng Wisdom and Insight) and Father Tantras (stressing Means). Atisa's Supreme Union corresponds to Bu-ston's Mother Tantra; his Great Union, to the Father Tantra.
Ot. 84, Vol. 3:253. 3.
slob-dpon dbang-bskur/iiciirya-abhiSeka. The full title of this Initiation in the Union and Supreme Union Tantra class is "Vajra-Preceptor" (rdo-rje slob- dpon/vajra-iiciirya). In this section of the Commentary, I translate iiciirya with the English "Preceptor" to distinguish this office and Initiation from the connotations of Acarya seen in the Path of the Perfections and in the
I) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)
Good Flask (bum-pa bzang-po! gola-bhadra); Fleetness of Foot (rkang mgyogs/piidalepa); Sword (ral-gri! khaqga);
Commander (mngag-gzhug/pre~aka); Underworld (sa-'og/piitiila-siddhi); Invisibility (mi-snang-ba/antardhiina); Wishing-Tree (dpag-bsam gyi shing = Royalty (rgyal-srid/riijya).
1) 2) 3) 4)
Supreme Union (rnal-'byor b/a-na-med/anuttara): for those who delight in inner concentration completely;
Union (rnal-'byor/yoga): for those who delight predominantly in inner concentration over external ritual;
Practice (spyod/caryii): for those who delight equally in external ritual and inner concentration;
Action (bya-ba/kriyii): for those who delight mainly in external ritual over inner concentration.
Pratimok~a sense. See Chart II, and Wayman, FBT, pp. 311-17.
12 rjes-gnang/anujnii. ?
13 marJ4ala. A symbolic representation of a deity's realm of existence,
generally a geometric design showing all aspects of the universe. "Entering the mal)<;lala" is the meditational construction of this representation within
kalpa vrksa);
? 14
15 16
17 18
19
oneself, seeing and experiencing the Emptiness of the universe. Such meditation is both part of Sevenfold Worship (see Glossary) and of Tantric Initiation.
sgrub-thabs/siidhana: the formal yogic meditation procedure of exercise of evoking a deity within oneself or in front of oneself. Hundreds of such siidhanas are found in the Tantra section of the Tanjur; for example, Atlsa's own Tiirii-bha(! iirikii-siidhana [Ot. 4508] for his own patroness, whom he mentions here.
sbyin-sreg/homa: fire-offering.
gtor-ma/bali: food-offering.
The devotee must be assigned a deity and the mantra appropriate to its service; for example, Tara (the "Saviouress") and her mantra: Om ta-re tuttiire tu-re svii-hii.
See root stanza 32 and its commentary.
For the account of this Acarya and the king. see the sources from Taranatha
and 'Gos lo-tsa-va given by A. Chattopadhyaya. Atisa and Tibet, pp. 47ff. Substantially they are in agreement with Atfsa's statements here. Adi-buddha-mahii-tantra = Kiilacakra-tantra [Ot. 4, Vol. 1]. This Tantra is classified by Bu-ston as "Neither Father nor Mother" tantra of the Supreme Union class. and strangely is omitted from Ansa's bibliography in this chapter of the Commentary.
Stanza 64 states the two of the Initiations which are parts of the Preceptor- Initiation (see Chart II) are forbidden to religious celibates - the "Secret Initiation" (gsang-ba! guhya) and the "Insight Initiation" (shes-rab/prajiia). These two Initiations involve contemplative yogic practices with a female partner called the "Wisdom" (rig/vidya) or sometimes the "Seal" (phyag- rgya/mudrii); the basic symbolism being that of the union of Emptiness (female = mother) and Means (male = father), but, in the terminology of Tantra, the union of Emptiness and Bliss. The symbolism ofthe sexual union
is very complex and profound in Tantra, and the interpretation of Tant(ic practice allows for both the contemplation of the sexual embrace with the mudrii/vidyii mentally, and contemplation of it with an actual or "concrete" partner. (See Chart II, under "Seal". ) It is the latter type that is involved in the Secret and Insight Initiations of the Preceptor-Initiation, and which is forbidden to religious celibates by the Kalacakra itself, by the very nature of
the Pratimok~ vows and the chastity it implies. Because of the abuse of Tantra in Tibet at the time, and its literal and unguided practice, Ansa's view (as he validates from his teachers) is that the two Initiations are dangerous,
not to say forbidden, to laymen as well.
Because the language ofTantric literature is correctly known only to those
who have been initiated and carefully guided by a Guru, the Sde-gzhung Rin-po-che has kindly pointed out to me the passages in the Kiilacakra (Great Tantra ofPrimal Buddha) where the prohibitions mentioned by Atlsa are found. Both places occur in Chapter 5 (ye-shes/jiiiina) of the famous scripture [Ot. 4, Vol. 1), the first in indirect language which indicates that physical continence must be preserved [p. 166. 4ff], and the second [p.
168. 4f] where it states that those yogins who are observing the vows [of religious celibacy] must at all times avoid the practices involved in the yogic union with a woman in the Insight-Wisdom Initiations.
phyag-rgya chen-po/mahii-mudra: Great Seal. The pledge (dam-tshig/ samaya) of the Great Seal is part of the Preceptor-Initiation. See Chart II, and Wayman, FBT, pp. 225-39.
For Expulsion offences, se~ Chapter 3, note 4.
20
21
TANTRA 185
? 186 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
22 The quote is possibly from Jiliinaklrti's general commentary on Tantra classes and the Vehicles at the end of the Tanjur Tantra section: Tattva- avatiira-sakala-vacas-vyiikhya-pra-kar! Ja [Ot. 4532].
ya-ba-'di-pa. According to sources in A. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit. , p. 74, Pai! )<;lapatika = Avadhiitipa = Advayavajra = Maitripa. For a brief history of this early Tantric teacher of Atisa, see Blue Annals (Roerich), II, p. 732. Ot. 83, Vol. 3: 233. 3f.
23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
For identification of this author, see A. Warder, Indian Buddhism, pp. 485f. Ot. 893, Vol. 35:121. 5
Unidentified.
Ot. 760(43), Vol. 24:189. 3
Ot. 760(25) and Ot. 847. The same quotation occurs in SS: 102.
Ot. 3097, Vol. 68. What is given as an actual quotation from this short text by Pairy<;Japatika (= Maitripa) is Atisa's own synopsis of it, interpreting the meaning of his Guru.
Atisa's "Thirteen Mantras" are good examples. of the types of ritual suggested here: [Ot. 4856-68]
32 33
3. 4 35 36 37 38 39
40
41
Ot. 3097, Vol. 68. See note 30 above. The quotation is again Atisa's para- phrasing of his Guru's instruction.
{de nyid rig Ia nyes pa med/. The line is open to interpretation because of the word rig (= vidyii), which can also refer to the female partner of the Secret and Insight Initiations, as well as the meaning I have translated here, viz. "wisdom".
See Chart I and Glossary: Aids to Conviction. See Chart I and Glossary: Aids to Conviction. Sec Chart I.
See Chart I and Glossary: Aids to Conviction. See Chart I.
The importance of learning what is and what is not wrong in practice is stressed in all Paths and Vehicles, from the Hearer's knowledge of his Pratimoksa rules to the Bodhisattva's "Pratimoksa" for his Conduct, and now for the Mantrayana as well. See Wayman, FiT , pp. 328-9.
This is the same Supreme Union Tantra mentioned in the bibliography given earlier in the chapter. The Vajrasattva to whom it is dedicated is also the being to whom Atisa paid obeisance at the opening of the Commentary. The very concise statement means that it is a false understanding of the Perfection of Insight to think that mere analysis of entities (such as cause and effect) for their emptiness of intrinsic nature is complete on the level of relative or everyday knowledge. The Insight must penetrate to the level of Ultimate Truth as well, seeing the emptiness of Emptiness.
Rites
The Two Equipments can be swiftly and perfectly achieved in an extraordinary [way] by the system of Mantra. And with this in mind I wrote the stanza:
THROUGH THE RITES OF "APPEASEMENT" AND "PROSPERITY" AND THE REST, EFFECTED BY THE FORCE OF MANTRA,
AND ALSO BY THE STRENGTH OF THE EIGHT GREAT POWERS, STARTING WITH THAT OF "GOOD FLASK", AND OTHERS, [60]
? When I say "EFFECTED BY THE FORCE OF MANTRA", I mean all dhiira1Ji4 rituals in general, but also include the Powers effected on the strength of muttering5 Mantras taken from any of the Tantras - such as the dhiiralJfs of the Action Tantra. What are these rites? The rituals for "Domination" and "Destruction", for" APPEASEMENT AND PROSPERITY" and the rest of the eight kinds of ritual. 6
Powers
"THE EIGHT GREAT POWERS; STARTING WITH THAT OF 'GOOD FLASK', AND OTHERS" refers to [1] the Good Flask Power, [2] Fleetness of Foot, [3] the (Invincible] Sword, [4] the Commander, (5] the Underworld [Power], (6] Invisibility, [7] the Wishing-Tree, and [8] Supremacy. 7 By "AND OTHERS" I mean all the many Powers that are associated with the rites that put an end to anything, and follow upon the [principal] Eight Powers; for example, eye-medicine,
pills, flying in the sky, showers of grain, producing various shapes out of a conjured mustard-seed, superknowledge by augury, and the [Four] Miraculous Powers. 8 When, through Muttering and Concentration, one has accom-
plished these Eight Great Mundane Powers and the [rites of] Appeasement-Prosperity-Dominion-Destruction, one thereby perfects the Two Equipments of Merit and Knowledge, swiftly and effortlessly. [332a)
Tantra Scripture
Seven Classes ofTantra
What is this "Vehicle of Mantra" from which such Powers come so swiftly and effortlessly? I say:
IT IS MAINTAINED THAT THE EQUIPMENT FOR ENLIGHTENMENT IS PERFECTED WITH EASE;
AND IF. ONE WANTS TO PRACTISE MANTRA AS PRESCRIBED
IN THE TANTRAS: ACTION, PRACTICE, AND ON ? ? ? [Stanza61]
And these are: [1] Action Tantra, [2] Practice Tantra, [3] Skill Tantra, (4) Combined Tantra, [5] Union Tantra, [6] Great Union Tantra, and [7] Supreme Union Tantra. 9 The extent of each of these Tantras is immeasurable, as the
TANTRA 167
? 168 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY Blessed One says about their number in the Glorious
Compendium o f Diamond Knowledge: A Great Tantra:
"There are four thousand Action Tantras. There are eight thousand Practice Tantras. Their are four thousand Skill Tantras. There are six thousand Combined Tantras. There are twelve thousand Great Union Tantras. But if these are taken in their complete entirety, they are
[1]
Bibliography ofTantras
The four thousand Action Tantras include such texts as:
the All Dhiira~Jfs [Ot. 141],
the Highest Wisdom [Ot. 402],
the Excellent Dancer [Ot. 424],
the True Power Maker [Ot. 431],
the [Questions of] Subiihu [Ot. 428],
the Great: Basic Tantra ofManjuiri [Ot. 162], the Secret Tantras ofMaiijuirf[Toh. 544-52], the Diamond Crowners [Toh. 590-603],
the Tantra ofAmoghapiiSa [Ot. 365],
and the Great Victory Tantras [Toh. 604-13]. [332b] The Practice Tantra with its eight thousand texts has: the Perfect Enlightenment of Vairocana Tantra [Ot.
126],
and the Initiation ofVajrapii~Ji Tantra [Ot. 130].
The four thousand texts in the Skill Tantra collection contain the Tantra of Tiirii's Arising [Ot. 390], the Royal Tantra Setting Forth the Triple Pledge [Ot. 134], and the Compen,dium ofSkills.
Among the Combined Tantra in its six thousand text
collection are the Illusion-like [Ot. 102] and the Lord ofLotus Dancers.
The Union Tantra contains innumerable texts such as: the Compendium ofThatness [Ot. 112],
the Glorious Original [Aeon] [Ot. 119], the Conquest ofthe Triple World [Ot. 115], the Higher Union Conquest,
and the Diamond Summit [Ot. 113].
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
numberless. " 10
? [6] The Great Union Tantra in its twelve thousand collection contains such texts as the Glorious Union o f the Secret [Ot. 81] and its Explanatory Tantras [Toh. 443-53], and
[7]
the Beauty Mark o f the Secret Moon [Ot. 111], the Black DestroyerofYama [Ot. 103],
the Gloriolis Original [Aeon] [Ot. 119],
the Assembly ofAll Gods,
the Secret ofAll [Ot. 114],
the Unfailing Discipline,
the Compendium o f Diamond Knowledge [Ot. 84], the Marvels ofVairocana [Ot. 126],
the short Space-like [Buddha] [Ot. 31],
the Tantra o f Unique [Buddha's] Conquest [Ot. 87],
and the Diamond-Crowners Tantras.
In their entirety these texts are numberless.
The Supreme Union Tantra has fourteen thousand
texts in its collection and includes the Glorious Cakrasainvara: the Hundred Thousand Verses ofthe Space-like Buddha [Ot. 30; 59], and the Diamond Imp [Ot. 18],
the Four Diamond Seats [Ot. 68],
the Great Illusion [Ot. 64],
the Buddha-like Practice [Ot. 8],
the Buddha Death's Head [Ot. 63],
and the Five Hundred Thousand Verses on Hevajra
[Ot. 10].
Taken in their entirety the texts would be endless. It is the vastness of each of these Tantra collections that makes the Vehicle of Mantra so extremely broad and unlimited. [333a] The Gurus say that all dharalJis without exception, such as the DharalJis Blazing From the Mouths o f Ghosts and the Great Peacock-like DharalJis, are Tantras of the
Action class.
Initiations
Permission
In the line "IF ONE WANTS TO PRACTISE MANTRA AS
TANTRA 169
? 170 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
PRESCRIBED", [Stanza 61], you may ask what is meant by the words "AS PRESCRIBED", and SO I say:
THEN, TO GAIN THE PRECEPTOR-INITIA TION,
ONE MUST FIRST WIN A HOLY GURU
BY GIVING HIM ATTENDANCE AND PRECIOUS THINGS AND BY OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD. (Stanza 62]
That is, if you desire to practise the Mantra Vehicle in the Action Tantras and the rest, I indicate by my mention of "PRECEPTOR-INITIA TION" that you ! I1USt look not merely to your resolution and actually making progress [toward Enlightenment], but you must also receive the Flask Initiation [that is essential to the Preceptor-Initiation ritual],11 becauseotherwiseyouwouldbetakingMantraby yourself. That is why the Tantras say:
"Without [first] winning a Preceptor and Without [first] acquiring the Initiations, Even to begin the study [ofTantra] Would be ineffectiveness itself. "
And again:
"Without even the Permission'2 for Initiation Is to take Mantra by oneself. "
Taking Mantra by oneself means to perform the dhiiralJf rituals while still relying on methods of the Perfection Path in the Mahayana siitra sense- without even [so much as] the Permission of a Guru for entering the Mal)qala13 and for Initiation. It is taking Mantra by oneself when one listens to and cultivates visualisations14 such as venerable Tara's, or
practises Muttering [of mantras] or Fire-offering or Food- offering's or the Mal)qala and the like- [without a Guru's Permission]. [333b] The Permission to enter the Mal)qala and to receive Initiation is granted [explicitly] by the Preceptor's saying, "Your god is this one. This is the muttering you must do. " 16 Hence the Tantras say:
? "This taking Mantra by oneself
Leads only to destiny in Hell;
Even the Mantra is not effective,
And the body is only wasted in afflictions. "
These are the things I meant by my words" AS PRESCRIBED", and all the Tantras, all the Acaryas of old, and every single Guru today say that the prescription is explicit. If someone says that certain persons, because of the dreams and omens of mundane and supramundane deities they have, are persons who practised Mantra in previous lives [and
therefore need no Permission], then let a method [for determining] their achievement be applied - [presuming) they had pleased a Guru and were given his blessing and re- ceived his Permission to "practise in this certain manner". The method to be used can be that of the Setting Forth the
TriplePledgeand PalaceoftheGreatJewe! andGloryofthe Blessed One, Vaiqurya, Teacher ofHealing: if by these methods they have cleansed themselves of sin and built up their equipment [of merit and knowledge], and then auspicious signs occur, these persons [indeed] had permission to enter Mantrayana; but they are not thereby [necessarily] persons who [actually] practised it in previous lives. Moreover, their Permission to teach Mantra, or to hear, study and practise it, was not given merely because they had taken the Three Refuges and had the resolution for Enlightenment and made progress toward it. The Paths
on which one progresses are each different, and the [methods of] liberation of the particular Vehicles should not be mixed up. [334a] The Blessed One preached the various paths of the Vehicles because He knew the capability of persons, their potential and disposition. And that is why I wrote the way I did in the root text:
IF ONE WANTS TO PRACTISE MANTRA . . . THEN TO GAIN THE PRECEPTOR-INITIATION . .
That is, if you wish to enter and practise in the Vehicle of the Perfections, then you must school yourself in the Three Kinds of Trai,ning I explained earlier. 17 But if you wish to
TANTRA 171
? 172 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
practise Mantra and perform visualisations like venerable Tara's, then you must request the Flask Initiation [that is essential to) the "PRECEPTOR-INITIATION". That is the meaning of my stanza.
Winning a Guru
Now then, if you ask whether this can be done when you have no worldly goods or lofty presents for the initiating Guru, the words "BY GIVING ATTENDANCE AND PRECIOUS THINGS" indicate it cannot. But then, what should those who are poor and bereft of worldly goods do? They should give "OBEDIENCE TO HIS WORD". For even men of means must [still] offer their own bodies over and above the Seven Precious Things of Royalty. For example, King Devapala, after offering his entire kingdom to Acarya Buddhajnanapada, offered his queen and himself also. 18 And later he enticed him, as it were, with gold equal [in weight] to b<;>th himself and the queen. The poor must make do with repeated offerings of obedience and bodily
attendance, of mandalas and flowers, and in this manner they "MUST FIRST wiNA HOLY GURU".
When the Guru has been pleased and won, and Initiation has been acquired, and you are freed from all sin of body [speech, and mind], you will be worthy of achieving all mundane and supramundane Powers, by reason of being cleansed of sin (Stanza 63].
Misunderstanding of Tantra
Having taught that in keeping the Vehicle of Mantra one is effortlessly and swiftly, directly and perfectly Enlightened, and having shown that it is a means that perfects the good of others, I now give [a stanza] to refute two misconceptions about the Mantra Vehicle: [334b]
THE SECRET AND INSIGHT INITIATIONS
SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN BY RELIGIOUS CELIBATES, BECAUSE IT IS EMPHATICALLY FORBIDDEN INTHEGREATTANTRAOFPRIMALBUDDHA. 19 (Stanza64]
? The misunderstandings of Mantra here are of two [extremes]: either making exaggerations about it, or defaming it. The former we should put an end to; in the latter case, we should defend it.
Exaggeration
Now in this matter there are some who still do not under- stand the intent of the endless great Tantras of Mantra, and because they trust in even holy Gurus who have not grasped it [either] or in sinful Spiritual Friends, they rely on their interpretations without really having learned the true nature of Mantra. "W e are Mantrists! " they claim. "W e are
doing all the practices with great exactness, and we will all swiftly achieve even the Powers of the Great Seal! "20 But those who continue in this bragging are heading for evil destinies. They heap contempt on the word of the Tathagata, and, by their defiling religious celibacy, they
cause the Teaching of the Buddha to decline. They exercise their Harsh Destruction [Powers to harm others], and, by their keeping women, Expulsion offences are committed. 21 Here is what glorious Jiianakirti said about them:
"They proclaim ever more loudly, 'We have permission for this yoga from the Blessed One! ', and further, they even perform all the practices with exactness, but [alas], they are heading for evil destinies. " 22
And my Guru, the monk Pai:q. cJ. apatika Avadhutipa:
"If th. ose two Initiations [the "Secret", and "Insight"] are taken, the Preceptor together with the disciple are bothgoingtoevildestinies. "23 [335a]
The Blessed One says in the Great Tantra Elucidating Meaning:
"Those who are in Yoga without guidance,
Are practising [elephant-taming] without the goad; They say, 'I am a Yogin! ' [but]
They are treating the Teaching with deceit.
TANTRA 173
? 174 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
They perform [rituals] even for livelihood With their practice of mantras and the Seal; And [to avenge] even only tiny offences, They use the Harsh Destruction [Powers].
From their knowledge of one certain visualisation They will explainthe whole great Tantra;
And whenever some profit may be got,
They will teach the Holy Doctrine. "24
And He speaks on at length in that vein. The glorious Padmavajra likewise has much to say about the penalties for that k1nd of behaviour:
"Their practices, and they themselves Are all full of sinful activity;
They keep to a Path that is unholy, And are hurrying to their hells. " 25
There are indeed many more sources, but my text would 1Jecome too long. [In short], we must put an end to such
[exaggerations] in a compassionate way.
Defamation
Then, in this matter [of defaming Mantra], there are some who say, "Why bother with the Mantra Vehicle when no one knows how the great method of Mantra works? Why not simply make progress in the clear Vehicles of the Perfections, and of the Hearers and Solitary Buddhas? If Expulsion offences against religious celibacy and against the taking of life come from [the Mantrist's] use of women
and the Harsh Destruction [Powers], then that [Vehicle] should not be entered. "
But in so saying these persons are defaming [Mantra] without knowing its [true] intent. It is wide and deep, a sphere of action for those of keen powers, and the [very] heart of the Buddha's teaching. And he who condemns it as a field of activity for those who have the capacity, dis- position, and development for it is going to hell- have no
doubt about it - because he is belittling the word of the Tathagata and rejecting His profound Doctrine. Here is what the holy Finely Woven Sutra says about the [karmic] maturation of an act of rejecting the Doctrine: [335b]
? "If anyone says, 'Some of the Doctrine is good; some of it is bad', he is rejecting the Doctrine. "26
And that is because he does not see the Doctrine [rightly]. As the Guru-Monk Pai~qapatikasays:
"Therefore, do not scorn the Mantra Vehicle
By saying it is the talk of the Evil One.
As well reject all Vehicles [then] too!
Indeed, in keeping this one, the Great Seal is got! "27
And so, against such [defamers], we must uphold [Mantra] in a compassionate way.
Defaming is twofold: defaming the Doctrine and defaming persons. The Doctrine should not. be defamed, as these words from the Questions o f Kiisyapa say:
"When one enters into the doctrine taught by the Tathagatas, and his mind does not understand all the profundities of it concerning the limitlessness of Buddha- enlightenment and the variety of preferences among creatures, and he says, 'Although I do not understand
this, the Tathagata himself does; He perceives it directly', [then he does not reject or defame the Doctrine]. " 28
Study that Siitra itself, for it is a point I have seen made in all the Siitras and Tantras. And as to not defaming persons either, [the Blessed One says] in both the Exhortation to Higher Intention and the Instruction on Non-production of All Phenomena: [336a]
"For one person- except myself or someone [enlight- ened] like me- to judge the measure of [another] person is harmful. "29
And the evil of [such judgement] is frequently seen in the Siitras.
TANTRA 175
? 176 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Prohibited Initiations
(THE SECRET AND INSIGHT INITIATIONS
SHOULD NOT BE TAKEN BY RELIGIOUS CELIBATES, BECAUSE IT IS EMPHATICALLY FORBIDDEN]
IN THE GREATTANTRA OF PRIMAL BUDDHA. (Stanza 64]
(IF THOSE INITIATIONS WERE TAKEN BY ONE WHO STAYS
IN THE AUSTERITY OF A RELIGIOUS CELIBATE,
IT WOULD VIOLATE HIS VOW OF AUSTERITY
SINCE HE WOULD BE PRACTISING WHAT IS FORBIDDEN. (65]
TRANSGRESSIONS WOULD OCCUR WHICH DEFEAT THE MAN OF RELIGIOUS OBSERVANCE;
AND BY HIS CERTAIN FALL TO BAD DESTINIES,
HE COULD NOT EVEN SUCCEED (IN MANTRA PRACTICE]] (66]
The meaning in these twelve lines I have based on the instruction of Suvarr:tadvipa and the monk who was my [Mantra] Guru, Pair:tqapatika.
Laymen and Religious In his Initiation Set Forth, this Guru says:
"In this matter, there are two kinds of Initiations: those based on the lay state, and those based on the celibate religious state. Which are based on the lay state? All the Initiations spoken of in all the many Tantras. And which are based on the celibate religious state? All of the same
Initiations, except for the Secret and Insight-Knowledge ones. And why are these two excluded? In this way: all the many virtues that have come about in consequence of the Buddha's Doctrine have happened because His teaching has continued. But the continuation of His
teaching depends solely on the celibate religious life; and these two Initiations [are excluded] because they envision states which are not in harmony with religious celibacy. Consequently, these two Initiations cause religious celibacy to perish, and when religious celibacy perishes the teaching of the Buddha will decline. Because of its decline, there would be an end to the gaining of merit. And hence, because of the immeasurable loss of
virtue that would come from such a state of affairs, these two [Initiations] are excluded for the religious celibate. " 3 0
? Religious Celibate
Permitted Initiations
If that is the case, you may say, it is not right for religious celibates to engage in Mantra. But to that I say:
HAVING ACQUIRED THE PRECEPTOR-INITIATION,
HE MAY LISTEN TO ALL TANTRAS AND EXPLAIN THEM; (336b) PERFORM FIRE-OFFERING, GIFT-WORSHIP AND THE LIKE: 31 (THERE IS NO WRONG IN WISDOM ABOUT REALITY. ) (Stanza 67)
If a celibate Mantrist wants to listen to the Tantras, to study and explain them to others, to perform Fire-offering and Gift-offering and [mantra-] muttering, then every Tantra and every ritual for the Mal). qalas clearly says that it is all right, [provided he has] the Flask initiation of the
"Preceptor-Initiation". The Guru-Monk Pail). qapatika A vadhutipa says this also:
"If that is so, you may say, then religious celibates
[who practise Mantra], although Mahayanists, are being
untrue to Mahayana. [But I say,] that would assuredly be
treating this matter mistakenly. Whoever has obtained
an Acarya and his Permission and the Flask - because of
his [very] Initiation to practise those Tantras, to hear,
study, and explain them- is [entirely] true to Mahayana.
But then, you may say, if that is so, there is no need of the
Secret and Insight Initiations even for laymen. [And I
say, yes,] it is unnecessary and they are dissuaded from it. "32
And then he continues at length on that subject.
Wisdom of Thatness
THERE IS NO WRONG IN WISDOM ABOUT REALITY. 33 (Stanza67)
My Gurus have given much specific instruction to me in this matter, and this is what some of these holy men say:
[a] "If a bodhisattva in his compassion knows the good of creatures and is governed by compassion in all that he does, then wrong does not exist in his Tantra, and in
TANTRA 177
? 178 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
[b]
consequence of it, his merit will even greatly increase. "
This. interpretation means he has reached the weak [degree] ofPatience. 34
According to other holy men, there could never be wrong [coming] from a yogin who knows all phenomena to be illusion and is wise in the reality [of Emptiness]:
"Any yogin who knows [that all phenomena] [337a] Are like unto the water-reflected moon,
Will never be clothed in such things
As sin and merit.
All his inner and outer states
Are [of the] mind and illusion-like to him: He conceptualises no longer [the Proofs of] Non-permanence and Non-destruction
And of them both taken together; Untouched by the poison of entity-grasping, Who has seen his like? Wrong does not exist In his wisdom [of all] as illusion. "
[This interpretation] means that wrong does not exist for one who has reached the weak [degree of] Highest Mundane Phenomena. 35
As to there being no wrong [according to] the Guru- Monk, Paii). qapatika, you must study that same [previously quoted] text which was made from his lectures. In his interpretation, wrong does not exist even for one who is at the very start of the Beginner's Level. 36
Still other holy men say:
"There will be no wrong [in practising Mantra] according to methods in such texts as the Questions o f KiiSyapa Sutra, the Injunctions on Dealing with Women Sutra, the Glorious Original [Aeon] Tantra, the Unfailing Discipline and other Tantras in that section, and in [the works of ]Arya Nagarjuna and Acarya Aryadeva. This means there is no wrong for one who knows the Thatness [of Emptiness], if he has reached the weak [degree of] Summits. " 3 7
[c]
[d]
? [e]
Others again:
"Wrong does not exist for him who has the Enlightenment Thought in the ultimate sense [of] the non-arising of all phenomena, and it is growing in his [conscious] stream; for there can be no wrong when one knows the Thatness of phenomena. "
This [interpretation] means there will be no wrong for those [who are on the Path of] Vision of the Truths. 38 Consequently, the yogin who is following the Paths must learn both what is and what is not wrong (for him]. 39
Concluding V erses
That wish-granting jewel, the Apparition Body.
[1)
Has passed away, and no longer are there
Great scholars like Arya Nagarjuna and the rest;
And in these times of the approaching decline
Of the Sage's holy Doctrine, many persons come forth [337b] With the erroneous conceptions of madmen.
[2) They see the libraries of sutra and sastra,
But are lost to the guidance of Guru-tradition;
Like blind men, they embark
On scripture's vast ocean of meaning.
They do not know Mahayana's superior Path, and
Their misunderstanding of it ought not be followed.
[3) Without a Guru for their eyes,
They have not seen and will not see
The true arrangement of the Mahayana Path.
[4) Like the ocean, Mahayana is deep,
And, like the sky, it is very vast;
Y et they preach as they please, without Guru, Satisfied they've seen the books of
Siitra and sastra, but no reliance on Guru for them. [5) I f they do not know even so much
As the steps of the Mahayana plan,
How do they view its deep and vast meaning?
[6) A person whom a holy Guru has chosen Because of his right disposition for Mahayana- Follow that wise one, whoever he be.
[7) This is a time of great trepidation,
TANTRA 179
? 180 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
Now is the hour of the Teaching's decline,
So ask in what country and which direction
Lives that man of the good Gurus' tradition,
Awed by his wise [teachers'] true comprehension- And, when you find him, serve him for months or years, And in careful attendance you will win him.
[8] Even if this person behaves very badly,
In the manners he has of body and speech,
Pay no attention [but instead] accept the holy Doctrine. As the bee, for example, in selecting a flower,
Carries off the honey, leaving the flower behind;
So a wise man too conducts himself like that,
Listening to instruction, not looking at manners.
[9] When the mind becomes skilled through his counsel, Then for the Enlightenment to be gained in this very life,
Beg instruction in the Guru tradition [338a]
On the mantra of Cakrasamvara40 and the like.
If you do not learn the method of the Mantra texts, Excluding the two Initiations [of Secret and Insight], You are chained by much discursive thought,
And Buddhahood will not be swiftly won.
Again I say:
[1] The lustre of the Sage's teaching now fades, And the Teacher's holy Doctrine is perishing.
If outsiders and inferior men, and even
The Buddha's own disciples are destroying it,
Then who cannot destroy the Sage's teaching?
[2] The destruction comes especially from religious: Some, in following the Mantra of the Tantras, Practise it falsely and teach others to stray;
And others, not knowing the true meaning of
The Perfection of Insight as it really is,
Preach, "Eliminate the relative truths,
Like cause and effect, and intrinsic nature is pure"! 41
[3] And some have given up everything in
The training that Priitimolqa and Vinaya teach, Mingling with laymen in field and trade, Conducting business even in assembly hall.
In the Descent into Lanka Sutra:
? "It will come about in the future (that] The wearing of the saffron robe and the Preaching that it does not matter,
Will be the disgrace of my Teaching. . . A t the end of this Age of Strife,
The world will not cultivate the HolyDoctrine. "42 And in the words of the great scholar Vasubandhu:
[1] "The Teacher, the Eye of the world, is closed; And men of mastery are all but gone. [338b]
His Teaching is confused in the misunderstanding Of men who practise as they please, not having seen Thatness. [2] The Self-arisen One has passed Excellently to Calm; they that held the Self-arisen
Teaching dear are deprived of their Lord. Unleashed is Corruption, destroying virtue, sporting at will today. [3] And so this fair teaching of the Sage
Emits, as it were, its dying gasp; and knowing
It is the hour when impurities are in power, Those desiring liberation act with care. "43
Colophons
[BENEDICTION]
May the instruction on the Superior Person, set forth
More fully here, endure as long as the Buddha's teaching; And possessed of the compassionate Enlightenment Thought, May you practise it with zeal by day and by night.
(TRANSLA TOR'S COLOPHON]
This Commentary on "The Lamp for the Enlightenment Path" which ends here, was composed by Diparilkara- srijfiana qf the royal family of Bengal, a great and learned
monk of Sakya, who lives the Bodhisattva's life.
[1] There lives a Bodhisattva who is like a holy Tree:
Its seed of Conduct was sown in the soil of Faith;
Its sprout of Love dewed by the water of Concentration; Its root is Compassion; Enlightenment Thought itstrunk; Its boughs are the Perfections, leaves the Attractions;
TANTRA 181
? 182 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
It flowers with the Seven Riches,
Bears the fruit of the Six Mindfulnesses,
And is filled with the Ten Virtues' fragrance; Birds of distiples are its [friendly] flock.
[2] Dipamkarasrfpada is he, born of Bengal, Envoy of the Buddha's race in our present day, Born like a Sun in the midst of men,
In fame renowned, wise in true religion,
By his vows well bound, and a scholar of ability,
Worthy to be Guru to those of rank.
[3] Cherished like an only child by the Buddhas,
With a mind and high intention like gold and crescent moon, He is a teacher attuned to the thoughts and ways [339a]
Of those who stray from the explanation of Doctrine.
He would never think to avoid these persons
Who have no faith, as though they were poison;
But simply rejecting their bad ways, his own unharmed,
His friendly strength is instantly ready.
[4] Born in cultured country because of good karma, Born of royal family, a good rebirth;
Born of Mahayana Family, the good tradition;
Born a Buddha's Son by his good resolve.
[5] Such is this Guru Bodhisattva,
Diparilkarasnjfiana, the Compassionate One;
And th~ disciple who aspires [to be] his "Superior Person" Is this Sakya monk, Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba.
[6] And he says, having given his own careful
Service with reverence and faith, that [this text]
Is the essence of [Attsa's] solemn oath: "This is the
Heart of hearts of the Royal Union Tantra: Cakrasamvara; As well of the 84,000 collections of Doctrine;
Cultivate in the mind all your days and nights. "
[7] There has never been another Tibetan disciple Besides myself alone, Nag-tsho, to whom he granted So unstintingly of his personal instruction.
With faith and devotion, I will always pay homage To that Guru, with my body and speech and mind.
Translated and corrected by the $feat Indian scholar and Bodhisattva Guru, the Bengali Sri-dipainkarajiianapada, and the monk-translator, Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba.
[Sde-dge version ends here].
? (SECOND BENEDICTION)
In fame renowned, versed in the best religious tradition,
Like the Sun, labouring only for others' good;
Such is this holy and Venerable One
Who reformed Mnga'-ris' three regions in Holy Doctrine.
When Byang-chub-'od and Tshul-khrims rgyal-ba
With sincere mind and heart begged a Commentary [339b] On the Lamp for the Path, this is what he composed, With wisdom and love as the heart of the matter.
"Do not show it to all," he said; "class it as secret. "44
Since he wrote this for virtue's sake,
May I and all others understand the entire meaning Of this text exactly, and swiftly attain the rank
Of the Omniscient King, and may the measureless
Good of creatures be marvellously achieved!
2
3
4
5 6
Notes to Chapter 7
Ot. 4530, Vol. 81:115. 2. Tripi~akamala was quoted at the end of the pre- ceding chapter, concluding the explanation of the Perfection Vehicle; hence the statement "And again. ". The "one and only Goal" which both the Perfection Vehicle and the Mantra Vehicle have in common is the resulting Enlightenment. The Goal must be kept "unobscured" (ma-rmongs/ asaf! 1mllqha); that is, the Mantra Vehicle must be as carefully and correctly followed in its proper order and details as the Vehicle of the Perfections and its paths.
The Enlightenment Thought in its ultimate sense (as opposed to its relative sense) refers again to the cultivation of Emptiness. Madhyamika teaching on Emptiness is the basis ofMantrayana. See Chapter 6, note 13.
bskyed-pa'i rim-pa/utpatti? krama: Generation Stage. Two stages are referred to in the practice of the highest class ofTantra, the Supreme Union:
1) Generation Stage,
2) Completion Stage (rdzogs-pa'i rim-pa/saf! lpanna? krama).
The first refers to preparatory study, initiations, and practices in the lower classes ofTantra as well as ofSupreme Union Tantra itself; the second is the ultimate initiation and experience in Supreme Union. See A. Wayman, FBT, Chapter 9; and TBT, pp. 47-8.
gzungs/dhiirarJf: the actual syllables and sounds of a mantra, often with no meaning outside of their applied symbolism. The word mantra is more generic; dhiirarJfs are the specific mantras of particular deities and Vajrasattvas as found in their particular Tantras.
bzlas,-brjod/jiipa: muttering, or whispering.
Atisa mentions eight kinds of rites, but lists only the four more commonly known ones:
1) Appeasement (zhi-ba/siintikam);
2) Prosperity (rgyas-pa/pawftikam);
TANTRA 183
? 184 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY 3) Domination (dbang-dubyed-pa/vasf-kararJam);
7
4) Destruction (mngon-spyod =drag-shu/ spyod-pa/iibhiciirikam).
There are various listings of the Eight Great Powers (dngos-grub/siddhi) in both Brahmanic and Buddhist tantric practice. See Yogasutra, III:46ff. , for an example of the former. Wayman (FBT, p. 220, n. 13) has equivalated the Tibetan and Sanskrit terms for most of the powers in Atisa's list:
8 9
See Glossary for the Four Bases of Miraculous Powers.
A lisa's division ofT antras into seven classes differs from the division of four classes established by Bu-ston for the arrangement of the Tantra in Kanjur. Bu-ston's Rgyud-sde spyi'i rnam-par-bzhag rgyud-sde rin-po-che'i mdzes- rgyan [Ot. I, Vol. 1] is the opening treatise of the entire Tibetan canon, listing the Tantras in order, beginning with the highest, and their individual sub-groupings according to Tantric "Family" (rigs/kula) with its Progenitor
(gtso-bo/kulesa) and progeny (rigs-can). The four_ classes of Tantra of Bu- ston have been described by Wayman [TBT, p. 33] in this way:
10 11
As will be seen from Atisa's following quotation, still another division offive classes ofTantra exists. Judging from the titles which Atisa later presents for bibliography of his seven classes, it becomes apparent that his division is simply a more detailed listing and designation of the same groupings which Bu-ston has under only four classes. For example, Bu-ston's Supreme Union class contains two important divisions of Mother Tantras (stressi'ng Wisdom and Insight) and Father Tantras (stressing Means). Atisa's Supreme Union corresponds to Bu-ston's Mother Tantra; his Great Union, to the Father Tantra.
Ot. 84, Vol. 3:253. 3.
slob-dpon dbang-bskur/iiciirya-abhiSeka. The full title of this Initiation in the Union and Supreme Union Tantra class is "Vajra-Preceptor" (rdo-rje slob- dpon/vajra-iiciirya). In this section of the Commentary, I translate iiciirya with the English "Preceptor" to distinguish this office and Initiation from the connotations of Acarya seen in the Path of the Perfections and in the
I) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8)
Good Flask (bum-pa bzang-po! gola-bhadra); Fleetness of Foot (rkang mgyogs/piidalepa); Sword (ral-gri! khaqga);
Commander (mngag-gzhug/pre~aka); Underworld (sa-'og/piitiila-siddhi); Invisibility (mi-snang-ba/antardhiina); Wishing-Tree (dpag-bsam gyi shing = Royalty (rgyal-srid/riijya).
1) 2) 3) 4)
Supreme Union (rnal-'byor b/a-na-med/anuttara): for those who delight in inner concentration completely;
Union (rnal-'byor/yoga): for those who delight predominantly in inner concentration over external ritual;
Practice (spyod/caryii): for those who delight equally in external ritual and inner concentration;
Action (bya-ba/kriyii): for those who delight mainly in external ritual over inner concentration.
Pratimok~a sense. See Chart II, and Wayman, FBT, pp. 311-17.
12 rjes-gnang/anujnii. ?
13 marJ4ala. A symbolic representation of a deity's realm of existence,
generally a geometric design showing all aspects of the universe. "Entering the mal)<;lala" is the meditational construction of this representation within
kalpa vrksa);
? 14
15 16
17 18
19
oneself, seeing and experiencing the Emptiness of the universe. Such meditation is both part of Sevenfold Worship (see Glossary) and of Tantric Initiation.
sgrub-thabs/siidhana: the formal yogic meditation procedure of exercise of evoking a deity within oneself or in front of oneself. Hundreds of such siidhanas are found in the Tantra section of the Tanjur; for example, Atlsa's own Tiirii-bha(! iirikii-siidhana [Ot. 4508] for his own patroness, whom he mentions here.
sbyin-sreg/homa: fire-offering.
gtor-ma/bali: food-offering.
The devotee must be assigned a deity and the mantra appropriate to its service; for example, Tara (the "Saviouress") and her mantra: Om ta-re tuttiire tu-re svii-hii.
See root stanza 32 and its commentary.
For the account of this Acarya and the king. see the sources from Taranatha
and 'Gos lo-tsa-va given by A. Chattopadhyaya. Atisa and Tibet, pp. 47ff. Substantially they are in agreement with Atfsa's statements here. Adi-buddha-mahii-tantra = Kiilacakra-tantra [Ot. 4, Vol. 1]. This Tantra is classified by Bu-ston as "Neither Father nor Mother" tantra of the Supreme Union class. and strangely is omitted from Ansa's bibliography in this chapter of the Commentary.
Stanza 64 states the two of the Initiations which are parts of the Preceptor- Initiation (see Chart II) are forbidden to religious celibates - the "Secret Initiation" (gsang-ba! guhya) and the "Insight Initiation" (shes-rab/prajiia). These two Initiations involve contemplative yogic practices with a female partner called the "Wisdom" (rig/vidya) or sometimes the "Seal" (phyag- rgya/mudrii); the basic symbolism being that of the union of Emptiness (female = mother) and Means (male = father), but, in the terminology of Tantra, the union of Emptiness and Bliss. The symbolism ofthe sexual union
is very complex and profound in Tantra, and the interpretation of Tant(ic practice allows for both the contemplation of the sexual embrace with the mudrii/vidyii mentally, and contemplation of it with an actual or "concrete" partner. (See Chart II, under "Seal". ) It is the latter type that is involved in the Secret and Insight Initiations of the Preceptor-Initiation, and which is forbidden to religious celibates by the Kalacakra itself, by the very nature of
the Pratimok~ vows and the chastity it implies. Because of the abuse of Tantra in Tibet at the time, and its literal and unguided practice, Ansa's view (as he validates from his teachers) is that the two Initiations are dangerous,
not to say forbidden, to laymen as well.
Because the language ofTantric literature is correctly known only to those
who have been initiated and carefully guided by a Guru, the Sde-gzhung Rin-po-che has kindly pointed out to me the passages in the Kiilacakra (Great Tantra ofPrimal Buddha) where the prohibitions mentioned by Atlsa are found. Both places occur in Chapter 5 (ye-shes/jiiiina) of the famous scripture [Ot. 4, Vol. 1), the first in indirect language which indicates that physical continence must be preserved [p. 166. 4ff], and the second [p.
168. 4f] where it states that those yogins who are observing the vows [of religious celibacy] must at all times avoid the practices involved in the yogic union with a woman in the Insight-Wisdom Initiations.
phyag-rgya chen-po/mahii-mudra: Great Seal. The pledge (dam-tshig/ samaya) of the Great Seal is part of the Preceptor-Initiation. See Chart II, and Wayman, FBT, pp. 225-39.
For Expulsion offences, se~ Chapter 3, note 4.
20
21
TANTRA 185
? 186 A LAMP FOR THE PATH AND COMMENTARY
22 The quote is possibly from Jiliinaklrti's general commentary on Tantra classes and the Vehicles at the end of the Tanjur Tantra section: Tattva- avatiira-sakala-vacas-vyiikhya-pra-kar! Ja [Ot. 4532].
ya-ba-'di-pa. According to sources in A. Chattopadhyaya, op. cit. , p. 74, Pai! )<;lapatika = Avadhiitipa = Advayavajra = Maitripa. For a brief history of this early Tantric teacher of Atisa, see Blue Annals (Roerich), II, p. 732. Ot. 83, Vol. 3: 233. 3f.
23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31
For identification of this author, see A. Warder, Indian Buddhism, pp. 485f. Ot. 893, Vol. 35:121. 5
Unidentified.
Ot. 760(43), Vol. 24:189. 3
Ot. 760(25) and Ot. 847. The same quotation occurs in SS: 102.
Ot. 3097, Vol. 68. What is given as an actual quotation from this short text by Pairy<;Japatika (= Maitripa) is Atisa's own synopsis of it, interpreting the meaning of his Guru.
Atisa's "Thirteen Mantras" are good examples. of the types of ritual suggested here: [Ot. 4856-68]
32 33
3. 4 35 36 37 38 39
40
41
Ot. 3097, Vol. 68. See note 30 above. The quotation is again Atisa's para- phrasing of his Guru's instruction.
{de nyid rig Ia nyes pa med/. The line is open to interpretation because of the word rig (= vidyii), which can also refer to the female partner of the Secret and Insight Initiations, as well as the meaning I have translated here, viz. "wisdom".
See Chart I and Glossary: Aids to Conviction. See Chart I and Glossary: Aids to Conviction. Sec Chart I.
See Chart I and Glossary: Aids to Conviction. See Chart I.
The importance of learning what is and what is not wrong in practice is stressed in all Paths and Vehicles, from the Hearer's knowledge of his Pratimoksa rules to the Bodhisattva's "Pratimoksa" for his Conduct, and now for the Mantrayana as well. See Wayman, FiT , pp. 328-9.
This is the same Supreme Union Tantra mentioned in the bibliography given earlier in the chapter. The Vajrasattva to whom it is dedicated is also the being to whom Atisa paid obeisance at the opening of the Commentary. The very concise statement means that it is a false understanding of the Perfection of Insight to think that mere analysis of entities (such as cause and effect) for their emptiness of intrinsic nature is complete on the level of relative or everyday knowledge. The Insight must penetrate to the level of Ultimate Truth as well, seeing the emptiness of Emptiness.
