Tantric Grounds and Paths Khenrinpoche - Oct 22 **For Highest Yoga Tantra Initiates Only At the present moment we have obtained the precious human rebirth which is difficult to obtain. We have met Mahayana spiritual masters and we have the perfect conditions to achieve the highest goal of our life which is enlightenment. When listening to the holy Dharma, there are 3 different ways of cultivating the motivation that based on the 3 scopes small, middle and high. We should think that as long as one remains in samsara, one is subject to problems, thus one should develop the altruistic intention in order to achieve enlightenment for self and others. For this purpose, one is going to listen to the Dharma of the Mantra Vehicle and will put them into practice as much as possible. This is the motivation to be cultivated. Today the teaching that we will be listening to are the Grounds and Paths of tantra. Just as we have the explanations of the paths in the Sutra/Perfection vehicle, there are similar Paths in the Mantra Vehicle. I will explain the different stages and the manner of progressing on those stages. There are different texts related to the explanations of the grounds and Paths of the Supreme Mantra. However the text I m going to explain is that by Yangchen Gawai Lodoe. In this text, the different types of tantra, as well as the different levels of the path and the progression from one level to the next are explained. The text begins with salutations to the Guru Vajradhara. This act of paying homage includes the practice of remembering the great qualities of one s Guru. The verse of salutation Respectfully I prostrate to the lotus feet of the Primordial Protector in the state of union, Who reveals the dance of the rainbow-like, superbly magnificent illusory body with the major and minor signs, from the pure space of simultaneous bliss and emptiness. prostrate to the lotus feet illustrates that even the lowest part of a holy being is appropriate for salutation. When we talk about Guru Vajradhara, one should regard one s root master as Guru Vajradhara himself. They are inseparable. Guru Vajradhara is the embodiment of all the Buddhas of the 10 directions and the basis of the emanations of all the holy beings and is the primordial Buddha. Next is the rarity of the Highest Yoga Tantra (HYT) which swiftly bestows the state of union with the 7 features which are: 1. Complete Enjoyment Body 2. Embracing each other 3. Great Bliss 4. Lack of inherent existence 5. Filled with Compassion 6. Uninterrupted continuity
7. Non-cessation. This verse explains the greatness of the HYT. It is generally difficult to encounter the teachings of the Buddha but to encounter the HYT teachings which enable full enlightenment in one lifetime is extremely rare. For instance it is said that 1000 Buddhas will descend on earth but the (first) one who has given the teachings about the Secret Mantra Vehicle is Shakyamuni Buddha. At this time, having come across the teachings of Tantra, in particular, the HYT, we need to engage in their practices. However, before entering into these practices, as a pre condition/right cause, we need to train very well in the common path of the Lam Rim e.g. the 3 Principal Aspects of the Path of cultivating renunciation, bodhicitta and the wisdom realising emptiness. Thereafter, one should receive the proper initiations from a qualified master and having received the initiations, to observe and uphold all the vows. By doing so, one will be able to achieve the enlightenment state in one lifetime, in this degenerate era. One of the important elements in the practice of tantra is the cultivation of unshakeable faith in the Guru. It shouldn t be a case of having devotion only when you feel like it. Devotion and respect that one need to cultivate must be very firm and strong. Once you have begun to rely on him as a spiritual Guru, one needs to regard that person as one s root guru at all times, under all circumstances. One shouldn t see faults in the spiritual master one should realise that it is merely the manifestation of one s own afflictions and a lack of devotion. By saying that one should have unshakeable faith and devotion to one s Guru from whom one received initiations from, it doesn t mean that the same level of respect and devotion shouldn t be given to other Gurus. The respect and devotion towards all of one s Dharma Gurus should be the same and equal as one has towards one root guru. If one s devotion, faith and respect are not equal, that would be inappropriate. The next verse Following the incomparable eloquent expositions of Manjunath Tsongkhapa and his spiritual sons, I shall briefly present in a readable way, The mode of progression on the 2 stages of the path and grounds.. this verse explains the pledge made by the author (Yangchen Gawai Lodoe) to compose the text. The author pledges to briefly explain the stages of the HYT in accordance with the teachings of Lama Tsongkhapa and his 2 spiritual sons. There are 4 classes of tantra in all (1) Action Tantra (2) Performance Tantra (3) Yoga Tantra and (4) Highest Yoga Tantra (HYT). To establish the Grounds and Paths of HYT, the text is divided into 2 major outlines: (I) The mode of progression on the paths and (II) the mode of establishing the 10 grounds and the 5 paths.. (I) The mode of progression on the paths of HYT itself is divided into 2 sub-headings: (a) The general explanation and (b) the specific explanations. There is also the explanation of the path of the 3 lower tantras (enabling a comparison between them and HYT).
(a) General explanation: In HYT, there are the generation-stage practices and the completion stage practices. In the 3 lower tantras, there are no generation nor completion stage practices but there are 2 types of yoga in place of these, namely the Yoga with signs and the yoga without signs. Further in HYT, there are practices which relate to the states of ordinary death, intermediate state and birth, not found in the 3 lower tantras. What is meant by yoga with signs and yoga without signs? Yoga with signs refers to the practitioner meditating on oneself arising as the deity but without a clear understanding of emptiness. If the generation of oneself as the deity is conjoined with a clear understanding of emptiness (but not the direct realisation of emptiness as yet), then it is called the yoga without signs. Further, during the yoga without sign, the practitioner and the deity yoga meditated upon are in oneness; there is no perception of any separateness between the meditator and the deity. Although in the 3 lower tantras (Action, Performance and Yoga tantras), there is no practice of meditating on death, intermediate state and rebirth on the level of the basis, there is the practice of the 4 purities of the resultant state of Buddhahood, namely the purity of place, body, resources and activities. Purity of place: This is where one mentally transforms one s place of practice from an ordinary place into the celestial mansion of the deity. Purity of body: We abandon holding ourselves as a ordinary being and mentally maintain the divine identity and appearance of the deity. Purity of resources: Whatever food or drink that one enjoys are not perceived as ordinary food but transformed into the uncontaminated nectar; Purity of activities: This refers to one emanating countless offering goddesses who then make offerings to the countless Buddhas of the 10 directions ; one then emanates oneself into numberless bodies, going to many places to benefit innumerable sentient beings, just like the Buddha spontaneously did in an instant. These are the activity of the 3 lower tantras. The 3 lower tantras however do not have practices that can be meditated upon according to the aspects of death, the intermediate state and rebirth as in the HYT. The afflicted class of phenomena is that which is produced through the power of afflictions and contaminated actions. Ordinary death, intermediate state and birth occur through the power of afflictions and contaminated actions. In HYT, there are generation stage practices and the completion stage practices. The generation stage practices are in relation to taking the 3 stages of death, intermediate state and rebirth, into the path i.e. practices which transform death to be in accord with the Truth (Wisdom) Body; the intermediate state to be in accord with the Enjoyment Body and rebirth to be in accord with the Emanation Body. If one is doing the deity yoga practice of for example, Vajrabhairava (Yamantaka), the first thing is to mediate on the dissolution process that occurs during death and be familiar with the signs that appear at each stage of this dissolution e.g the earth elements dissolving into water and water into fire and fire into wind etc and the signs appear during these dissolutions everything in one s environment melt into light and dissolve.
During the dissolution process of the earth element, the internal sign is the appearance of a mirage; during the dissolution of the water element, the internal sign is the appearance is smoke; during the dissolution of the fire element, the internal sign is the appearance of fireflies in the smoke; and during the dissolution of the wind element, the internal sign is the appearance of a sputtering butter lamp. There are external signs too when the earth element dissolves, his body feels stiff and the glow on his body diminishes; as the water element declines, the body dries out and so on. Before death actually occurs, 25 gross phenomena have to be dissolved. During the death process, there are 8 stages the first 4 is in relation to the elements and the next 4 in relation to one s consciousness. During the dissolution of the 4 elements, that there are different external signs which can be observed by people surrounding the dying person. However, when the dissolutions in relation to consciousness occurs, there will be no external appearance that is observable to others but only experienced by the dying person. When the 4 elements fully dissolve, the person is clinically dead but according to the teachings, that person is not dead yet i.e. the death process is not complete, as the remaining 4 stages of dissolution in relation to one s consciousness will next occur. As the mind become more and more subtle, there is first the white appearance, the red appearance, the black appearance and the dawn of clear light and only after this, is the death process complete. During this clear light mind, the mind is extremely clear and free of gross aspects. Clear light mind is the most subtle mind and the appearance experienced is one of complete vacuity. An ordinary person without knowledge of tantra may not be aware of this process of the 8 stages of dissolution. A practitioner of tantra however will be aware of this clear light mind and can utilise it to meditate on emptiness and gain direction realisations on emptiness at that time. In this one, one can utilise the clear light mind to achieve the resultant Dharmakaya/Truth Body. Other differences between the 4 classes of tantra The differences in practices are based on the are practitioners ability to use desire on the path to enlightenment. For example, in Action Tantra, the practitioner utilises desire by looking at the visualised goddess and cannot utilise desire stronger than that. For the practitioner of Performance Tantra, the practitioner is able to utilise desire in the manner of not only looking at the visualised goddess but desire that arises from laughing with the visualised deity and no more than that. In Yoga tantra, the practitioner is not only able to utilise desire derived from looking and laughing with the visualised-goddess but is capable of utilising the desire that comes from embracing the visualised goddess. In HYT, the practitioner is capable of utilising desire that comes from the preceding activities and also the desire that is derived from the union with the visualised-consort/goddess.
The other differentiations come from the type of actions performed in the various classes of tantra. In Action Tantra, the practises emphasise external activities such as observing strict cleanliness, which include outer cleanliness as well as cleanliness of food by avoiding food with strong odors and black foods. For example, the Chenresig yoga, cleanliness is emphasised this is in accordance with Action tantra. The practitioner of Action tantra must also perform all the learned mudras/hand gestures. Otherwise, the practice is incomplete. In Performance tantra, here the practitioner balances between internal and external activities. In Yoga Tantra even though the practitioners rely on external activities, the greater emphasis is on internal activities/internal yoga. In HYT, it is called the unsurpassable tantra because the practitioner is able to attain enlightenment in one lifetime with the proper causes and conditions. Whichever class of tantra one is following, what is necessary is obtaining the proper initiations from a qualified master because that is the entrance to the Secret Mantra Vehicle. The empowerments given in the different classes of tantra are also different. In Action Tantra there are only the water (vase?) and crown initiations. For Performance tantra, in addition to the water and crown initiations, there is vajra and bell initiation, there is the... For the Yoga tantra, there is the vajra master initiation; HYT the 4 complete (?) empowerments. There are also differences in terms of the vows that one takes during the initiations. In Action and Performance tantra, the vows taken are the Bodhisattva vows; no tantric vows. For Yoga Tantra and HYT, Bodhisattva vows and tantric vows are taken. Through following the Perfection/Sutra Vehicle and 3 lower tantras, one can progress all the way up to the 10 th ground but at that level, one needs the practice of the Secret Mantra/Supreme Mantra/HYT to achieve the full enlightenment state. Without engaging in HYT, it would not be possible to go beyond the 10 th ground. The reason for this need for practice HYT to attain enlightenment is to overcome the most subtle dualistic appearance. The method to achieve this most subtle dualistic appearance is contained only within the practice of HYT. To establish this reason, the great master Gyaltsab Je in his Ornament of the Essence of the Commentary of the Wisdom Gone Beyond said that to achieve thebuddha s Form body pursuing only the Perfection Vehicle would require 3 countless aeons; great master Kedrup Je added to this by saying that although one can reach the 10 th ground by the Perfection Vehicle alone, one needs to follow HYT, otherwise it will not be possible to achieve buddhahood. Today we briefly covered the difference between sutra and tantra; the basis of difference of the 4 schools of tantra. The main thing is that whatever we study here is for the purpose of being constantly mindful of all the practices and perfect the practices to achieve
Buddhahood for self and others. Whatever virtue that we have accumulated through listening and giving the explanations of the tantra become the perfect cause of the Guru Buddha to remain for a long time and the Dharma flourish in all worlds and may the virtue be the cause of the long life of all the holy masters and their fulfilled wishes and especially that the virtue will bring swiftly the understanding of tantra and culminate in the attainment of full enlightenment for self and others. Question and Answer: Q: Yoga of signs and yoga without signs is the conceptual mind is still there? Ans: During the yoga without signs (where one has understanding of emptiness, though not direct realisation of emptiness), one uses visualisation only and one holds the divine pride at a conceptual level and therefore, in that sense, there is still some level of ordinary/contaminated view. However, there is still much benefit in doing this practice of divine pride and divine appearance because one day the visualisation will become a reality. In the yoga with signs, where there is no clear understanding of emptiness, one should pursue the practice until a clear understanding is achieved. Q: If one has achieved yoga without signs, can one go straight into completion stage (since already realised emptiness)? Ans: Yoga without signs involves a clear understanding of emptiness but there, the practitioner has not gained the direct realisation of emptiness yet. Whether one follows the lower or higher tantras, it depends on inclination of individual practitioners. Generally speaking, if one has the pre conditions, it is better to follow the HYT as it is more beneficial as it is swifter and thus one can benefit others quicker. Q: When we take the HYT initiation, the master always says that it is essential to have understanding on the 3 Principles of the Path. What if you take the HYT and realise that you have no real understanding of the 3? Ans: If one feels that one has not developed the 3P A P, after having received the HHT, one should put more effort into cultivating them! Q: When a practitioner does intense practice and then faces great difficulties, does it means that one has very weak foundation in 3 P A P? Ans: One can take the problems that one faces as a sign of some weakness in the basis (the practitioner). However, as mentioned earlier, when one does the HYT, there should be a sound preliminary practice beforehand. Generally speaking, in the course of one s practice, when one faces obstacles, it indicates that one s merits and purification are not sufficient, so one needs to engage in accumulating more merit and engage in more purification practices
and make supplications to the Guru to be inseparable from the meditation deity. By doing this on a daily basis, one will gain realisations and success in whatever you do. Q: When a person gains realisation, what are the signs? Ans: If the experience that one develops is one that accords with what is described and taught in the text, then that is the mark of realisation. Or, one could go to the master to request for the meaning of that sign.