Читать книгу Essence of Vajrayana - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - Страница 13
ОглавлениеTraining in the Basic Practices
These instructions are explained under two headings:
1 Generation stage
2 Completion stage
The effectiveness of Heruka body mandala practice depends upon receiving the empowerment. There are two ways to receive the empowerment of Heruka body mandala. The first is a common instruction, and the second is an oral instruction. According to the first instruction practitioners first receive the empowerment of the five Deities of the outer mandala and then receive the empowerment of Heruka body mandala. According to the second instruction practitioners receive the empowerment of the Heruka body mandala without receiving the empowerment of the five Deities of the outer mandala. This oral instruction is the main intention of Mahasiddha Ghantapa.
In general, Buddha explained four mandalas – the sand mandala, drawing mandala, body mandala and concentration mandala – in which practitioners receive the empowerments. However, Mahasiddha Ghantapa said that the first two, the sand mandala and drawing mandala, are not real mandalas but just creations. The reason why Buddha explained them was to temporarily benefit those who believe these two mandalas to be so important.
GENERATION STAGE
The explanation of the Heruka body mandala is based on the sadhana Essence of Vajrayana, which can be found in Appendix II. This explanation has two parts:
1 How to practise during the meditation session
2 How to practise during the meditation break
HOW TO PRACTISE DURING THE MEDITATION SESSION
This has three parts:
1 The preliminary practices
2 The actual practice of generation stage
3 The concluding practices
THE PRELIMINARY PRACTICES
Before engaging in the meditation session, we prepare offerings in front of our shrine, which should contain statues or pictures of Buddha Shakyamuni, Je Tsongkhapa, Heruka, our root Guru, and Dharmapala Dorje Shugden. Buddha Shakyamuni is the founder of Mahayana Buddhism. Je Tsongkhapa and Dorje Shugden are manifestations of the wisdom of all the Buddhas, and Heruka is the manifestation of the compassion of all the Buddhas. Maintaining faith in these holy beings causes us to increase our wisdom and compassion, which are the most important practices of Mahayana Buddhism. Faith in our Spiritual Guide is the root of all spiritual realizations.
We set out three tormas, which can either be made in the traditional way according to the illustration here, or can consist simply of any clean, fresh food such as honey or cakes. The shapes of the traditional tormas symbolize the development of spiritual realizations. The central torma is for the principal Deities, Heruka Father and Mother and the four Yoginis, who together are known as the ‘Deities of the great bliss wheel’. The torma to its left is for the supramundane retinues of Heruka, and the torma to its right is for the mundane retinues of Heruka.
In front of the tormas, we set out three rows of offerings. The first row, nearest the shrine, is for the supramundane in-front-generated Deities, and the second row is for the mundane Dakas and Dakinis. Both these rows start from the left side of the shrine, our right, and comprise water for drinking, water for bathing, flowers, incense, lights, perfume and food. Nothing is set out for the music offering because music is not a visual object. The third row, which is for the self-generated Deities, starts from the right side of the shrine, our left, and comprises water for drinking, water for bathing, water for the mouth, flowers, incense, lights, perfume and food. On a small table in front of our meditation seat we arrange from left to right our inner offering, vajra, bell, damaru and mala. In front of these we place our sadhana text. Then, with a pure motivation and a happy mind, we engage in the preliminary practices.
The preliminary practices are now explained under six headings:
1 Going for refuge and generating bodhichitta
2 Receiving blessings
3 Purifying our own mind, body and speech
4 Purifying other beings, the environment and enjoyments
5 Purifying non-virtues, downfalls and obstacles
6 Guru yoga
GOING FOR REFUGE AND GENERATING BODHICHITTA
This has four parts:
1 The causes of going for refuge
2 Visualizing the objects of refuge
3 The way of going for refuge
4 Generating aspiring and engaging bodhichitta
THE CAUSES OF GOING FOR REFUGE
Our final goal is to attain enlightenment, the ultimate refuge, in order to benefit countless mother beings. Right now, however, we need to accomplish a refuge that prevents us from falling into lower rebirths. Without this inner protection, if we simply engage in the meditations of Highest Yoga Tantra expecting to attain enlightenment quickly, we are like someone who attempts to climb a high and dangerous mountain without safety equipment.
The time of our death is very uncertain. Perhaps we will die today, perhaps tomorrow – we have no idea when we will die. If we die without refuge, we will lose all the spiritual progress we have made. At death we will forget everything we have learned in our life and lose everything we have built up. After death, without any choice, we will experience another samsaric rebirth with all its associated sufferings. Remembering nothing from our previous life, we will be unable to maintain the continuum of our spiritual practice. By some miracle we have managed to obtain a precious human life with all the conditions necessary for spiritual practice; but unless we accomplish the inner protection of basic refuge we will not find another similarly endowed rebirth, and this wonderful opportunity for spiritual development will be lost forever.
To protect ourself from the danger of a lower rebirth, and to create the special opportunity to maintain the continuum of our spiritual practice in life after life, we need to go for refuge to the Three Jewels, avoid non-virtuous actions, and practise giving, moral discipline, patience, effort, concentration and wisdom. If we practise Highest Yoga Tantra on the firm foundation of this basic inner protection, then, even if we do not gain higher realizations in this life, we can at least carry our practice through death and the intermediate state into our future life. We will die happily, with confidence. For us death will be like going on holiday.
How do we prepare for our future lives? By practising moral discipline we create the cause for higher rebirth; by giving we create the cause for future wealth; by practising patience we create the cause for beauty; by applying effort to our Dharma practice we create the cause to gain spiritual realizations with ease; by practising concentration or meditation we create the cause to experience mental peace; and by increasing our wisdom we create the cause to attain permanent liberation from suffering. We should integrate these basic practices into our daily life.
Although it is obviously essential that we protect ourself from lower rebirth, as Mahayana practitioners, and especially as Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners, our main motivation for going for refuge should be compassion. To generate compassion we can begin by considering the possibility that we may die this very day, and concentrate on the feeling it evokes. After death, wherever we are reborn in samsara we will have to experience untold suffering. Contemplating and meditating in this way, we cultivate a strong fear of taking rebirth in samsara in general and in the lower realms in particular. If we then switch the focus of our contemplation from ourself to others, we will find it difficult to bear their suffering, and compassion will arise naturally. Fear of samsaric rebirth and compassion for all those trapped in samsara are the first two causes of Mahayana refuge. When we develop a mind that cannot bear the sufferings of samsaric rebirth, both for ourself and for all mother sentient beings, we will naturally seek a dependable source of refuge.
The Dharma Jewel, the realizations of the stages of the vast path and the profound path, is our actual refuge; the Buddha Jewel is the source of our refuge; and the Sangha Jewel, the assembly of Superior beings, are those who have already accomplished refuge. Through building the Dharma Jewel within our mind, we become a Sangha Jewel and finally a Buddha Jewel. We are then in a position to protect not only ourself but all living beings from rebirth in the lower realms in particular and from samsara in general. When we understand clearly that only the Three Jewels are perfect, infallible objects of refuge, deep faith and conviction in their power to protect living beings from suffering will arise. This is the third cause of Mahayana refuge.
To summarize, the causes of Mahayana refuge are fear of taking samsaric rebirth, compassion for all living beings, and faith in the Three Jewels. Cultivating these three causes within our mind encourages us to go for refuge to the Three Jewels and to avoid non-virtuous actions.
VISUALIZING THE OBJECTS OF REFUGE
We visualize the objects of refuge – the Buddha Jewel, the Dharma Jewel and the Sangha Jewel – as follows. We imagine with strong conviction that in the space before us is the Blessed One Buddha Shakyamuni appearing in the form of glorious Heruka Father and Mother, surrounded by the assembly of Gurus, Yidams, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Heroes, Dakinis and Dharma Protectors. At the beginning we should be satisfied with just a vague image; the most important thing is to believe that the holy beings are actually present before us. Imagining that the principal object of refuge, Guru Heruka, is surrounded by all the other holy beings like the moon surrounded by stars, we recognize the Gurus, Yidams and Buddhas as the Buddha Jewel; the Bodhisattvas, Heroes, Dakinis and Dharma Protectors as the Sangha Jewel; and the inner realizations of the stages of the vast and profound paths of all these holy beings as the Dharma Jewel. Reflecting that only the Three Jewels have the power to protect all living beings from the dangers of lower rebirth, samsaric rebirth, and all suffering, we generate deep faith in the Three Jewels.
THE WAY OF GOING FOR REFUGE
First we recall the feeling of fear of taking rebirth in samsara in general and in the lower realms in particular, and then, by realizing that countless mother sentient beings are in exactly the same situation as ourself, we generate compassion. Then we develop deep conviction that only the Three Jewels have the power to protect us from these dangers. With these three causes of refuge – fear, compassion and faith – from the depths of our heart we make a strong determination:
I will always rely upon Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and will accomplish them as my ultimate refuge.
While concentrating on this determination, we recite the refuge prayer from the sadhana:
Eternally I shall go for refuge
To Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
These two lines and the two lines on bodhichitta that follow are very blessed and are extracted from Buddha Vajradhara’s Tantric scriptures.
GENERATING ASPIRING AND ENGAGING BODHICHITTA
Bodhichitta is a primary mind that spontaneously wishes to attain enlightenment, motivated by compassion and love for all living beings. The way of generating bodhichitta according to Highest Yoga Tantra is superior to the way of generating it according to Sutra. In the practice of Heruka Tantra, for example, bodhichitta is a primary mind, motivated by great compassion, that spontaneously wishes to become Buddha Heruka. This bodhichitta can only be generated by Highest Yoga Tantra practitioners who clearly understand how they can become Buddha Heruka through the practice of the generation and completion stages of Heruka Tantra. When we develop this bodhichitta we enter the path of Highest Yoga Tantra of Heruka.
We should know the difference between entering the gateway of Highest Yoga Tantra and entering the path of Highest Yoga Tantra. We enter the gateway of Highest Yoga Tantra by receiving empowerment, but to enter the path of Highest Yoga Tantra we need to develop the uncommon bodhichitta of Highest Yoga Tantra. Initially we generate fabricated uncommon bodhichitta, and later, through continuous training, this transforms into spontaneous uncommon bodhichitta. When we received the empowerment of Heruka body mandala, we entered the gateway of Highest Yoga Tantra of Heruka body mandala. Only through receiving this empowerment do we have the opportunity to study and practise these instructions.
There are two types of bodhichitta: aspiring bodhichitta and engaging bodhichitta. In the practice of Heruka, aspiring bodhichitta is a bodhichitta that simply aspires to become Buddha Heruka. We can generate this bodhichitta by contemplating the meaning of the following words:
For the sake of all living beings
I shall become Heruka.
Engaging bodhichitta is more than the mere aspiration to become Buddha Heruka; it is the sincere determination to engage in the actual path that leads to the state of Buddha Heruka. We can generate this bodhichitta by contemplating the meaning of the following words:
To lead all mother living beings to the state of ultimate happiness,
I shall attain as quickly as possible, in this very life,
The state of the Union of Buddha Heruka.
For this purpose I shall practise the stages of Heruka’s path.
RECEIVING BLESSINGS
The practices explained above include generating the three causes of refuge, visualizing the refuge assembly, going for refuge to the Three Jewels, and generating uncommon bodhichitta – the determination to engage in the actual path that leads to the state of the Union of Buddha Heruka, the union of his Truth Body and Form Body. These practices are powerful methods for delighting all the holy beings. We are now ready to receive their profound blessings.
We imagine that all the other holy beings melt into light and dissolve into the principal object of refuge, Guru Buddha Heruka. Out of delight he comes to the crown of our head, diminishes to the size of a thumb, enters through our crown chakra, and dissolves into our mind at the centre of our heart chakra. We feel that our mind has become one with Heruka, the synthesis of all objects of refuge, and that we have received his profound blessings.
PURIFYING OUR OWN MIND, BODY AND SPEECH
Uncommon bodhichitta has two intentions: the intention to lead all mother beings to the state of Buddha Heruka, and the intention to attain the state of the Union of Buddha Heruka ourself. The first intention is the cause of bodhichitta, and the second is the assistant of bodhichitta. Fulfilling these two intentions depends upon purifying our own mind, body and speech and transforming them into Heruka’s mind, body and speech by relying upon the practice known as the ‘yoga of the three purifications’.
The practice of the generation stage and completion stage of Heruka body mandala, the main body of the practices explained in this book, is an extensive practice of the three purifications. We need to integrate the entire practice of generation stage and completion stage into the practice of the three purifications, and to indicate this we practise a brief yoga of the three purifications at this point. This practice also reminds us that our motivation for studying and practising Heruka body mandala should always be uncommon bodhichitta. With this motivation all our study and practice will become powerful methods for fulfilling the two intentions of uncommon bodhichitta.
Purifying our own mind, body and speech has three parts:
1 Purifying our own mind
2 Purifying our own body
3 Purifying our own speech
PURIFYING OUR OWN MIND
Buddha Heruka, the principal object of refuge, is a manifestation of the great bliss of all the Buddhas. Because he dissolved into our mind and our mind became one with him, we should now develop the conviction that our mind is the nature of great bliss. We imagine that we are experiencing spontaneous great bliss and briefly meditate on this feeling. We then recall that nothing exists from its own side, that everything is the nature of emptiness, and briefly meditate on this understanding. We feel that our mind of great bliss mixes with emptiness like water mixing with water, and firmly believe that our mind has become the union of the great bliss and emptiness of Heruka. We meditate on this union for a short while. This meditation is called the ‘yoga of the vajra mind’. It acts as a cause to purify our mind and transform it into Heruka’s vajra mind, the inseparable union of great bliss and emptiness.
PURIFYING OUR OWN BODY
While we are meditating on the union of great bliss and emptiness, our mind of great bliss perceives nothing other than emptiness. Then we think:
From the state of bliss and emptiness, like a cloud arising from an empty sky, I instantly appear as Buddha Heruka, with a blue-coloured body, one face and two hands, holding vajra and bell, and embracing Vajravarahi. I stand with my right leg outstretched. I am Buddha Heruka.
We meditate on this self-generated Deity for a short time. This meditation is called the ‘yoga of the vajra body’. It acts as a cause to purify our body and transform it into Heruka’s vajra body.
PURIFYING OUR OWN SPEECH
While maintaining the strong divine pride that thinks ‘I am Buddha Heruka’, we recite the essence mantra of Heruka: OM SHRI VAJRA HE HE RU RU KAM HUM HUM PHAT DAKINI DZALA SHAMBARAM SOHA. We think that our speech is purified and has transformed into Heruka’s mantra, which has the power to fulfil the wishes of all living beings, and we meditate on this special recognition for a while. This meditation is called the ‘yoga of the vajra speech’. It acts as a cause to purify our speech and transform it into Heruka’s vajra speech.
The practice of the yoga of the three purifications indicates that we should perform all our daily actions with the three recognitions: (1) that our own mind is Heruka’s mind of the Dharmakaya, (2) that our own body is Heruka’s divine body and (3) that our own speech is Heruka’s mantra. By practising in this way, we purify our ordinary appearances and conceptions.
As we fall asleep at night we should try to maintain the first recognition, regarding our mind as Heruka’s mind of the Dharmakaya experiencing the union of great bliss and emptiness. As we wake up in the morning we imagine that we arise from the state of great bliss and emptiness as Heruka, we recite the essence mantra, and we then engage in the yoga of experiencing nectar and so forth. The yoga of experiencing nectar is explained in the book The New Guide to Dakini Land. Apart from the times when we are training in common paths, such as going for refuge and purifying negativities, we should try to maintain the three recognitions throughout the day and night.
PURIFYING OTHER BEINGS, THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENJOYMENTS
This practice is a powerful method to fulfil our main intention to lead all living beings to enlightenment as quickly as possible. To show that we need to maintain this intention throughout our practice, and to fulfil it as quickly as possible, we now bring the resultant deeds of a Buddha into the path. In this way we create a powerful cause to accomplish our final aim of leading all mother beings to the ultimate happiness of enlightenment.
We imagine that from the letter HUM at the heart of ourself generated as Heruka, infinite rays of wisdom light emanate throughout all directions, purifying all worlds and the beings within them. The worlds become Heruka’s Pure Land and all beings become Heroes and Heroines. Everything becomes immaculately pure, completely filled with a vast array of offerings, the nature of exalted wisdom and bestowing uncontaminated bliss. We firmly believe that we have fulfilled the two intentions of our bodhichitta, and develop a feeling of joy. We meditate on this feeling for a short while. This meditation acts as a powerful cause to awaken our Buddha nature. Gradually our Buddha nature will transform into actual enlightenment, and we will then be truly able to lead all living beings to the happiness of enlightenment.
PURIFYING NON-VIRTUES, DOWNFALLS AND OBSTACLES
This has two parts:
1 Why we need to purify non-virtuous actions and downfalls
2 The actual practice of purification
WHY WE NEED TO PURIFY NON-VIRTUOUS ACTIONS AND DOWNFALLS
In the Vinaya Sutras Buddha says:
Abandoning non-virtuous actions,
Practising virtuous actions,
And controlling the mind;
This is Buddhadharma.
Here ‘Buddhadharma’ refers to the actual refuge that directly protects living beings from suffering. We accomplish this protection by abandoning non-virtuous actions, practising virtuous actions and controlling our mind.
First we need to develop the inner realizations that directly protect us from lower rebirth. As mentioned before, without this basic protection we are like someone attempting to climb a treacherous mountain without safety equipment. The main cause of all suffering, including lower rebirth, is non-virtue, or negative actions. Once we understand this we can gradually stop creating the causes of future suffering.
However, we have already accumulated infinite non-virtuous actions earlier in this life and in our countless previous lives, and if we do not purify these they will definitely throw us into a lower rebirth where it will be impossible for us to continue with our Dharma practice. Even now, these non-virtuous actions and downfalls are seriously obstructing the fulfilment of our wishes and progress in our Dharma practice. It is vital that we purify them without delay. This ability to purify our non-virtuous actions is one of the main advantages of a human rebirth. Animals have very little capacity to engage in virtuous actions, and naturally perform many negative actions such as killing; but human beings have the freedom not only to refrain from non-virtue but also to purify the potentialities of all their previously accumulated negative karma.
THE ACTUAL PRACTICE OF PURIFICATION
This has four parts:
1 The power of regret
2 The power of reliance
3 The power of the opponent force
4 The power of promise
These are known as the ‘four opponent powers’ because they have the power to purify completely all the non-virtue we have accumulated since beginningless time. Every non-virtuous action gives rise to four different effects: the ripened effect, the effect that is an experience similar to the cause, the effect that is a tendency similar to the cause and the environmental effect. The action of killing, for example, has as its ripened effect rebirth in any of the three lower realms – the animal realm, the hungry spirit realm, or the hell realm. The experience similar to the cause of killing is that in subsequent rebirths we suffer from physical pain, poor health and a short life. The tendency similar to the cause of killing is that in life after life we have a strong propensity to kill living beings. This is the worst effect because it traps us in a vicious circle of killing. Finally, the environmental effect of killing is that the place where we live is impure, making it hard to find uncontaminated food, air, water, and so forth, which in turn causes us to suffer from ill health.
The power of regret purifies the potential for the effect that is an experience similar to the cause; the power of reliance purifies the potential for the environmental effect; the power of the opponent force purifies the potential for the ripened effect; and the power of promise purifies the potential for the effect that is a tendency similar to the cause. By engaging in sincere purification using the four opponent powers, we can destroy the potentialities for the four effects of all non-virtuous actions, thereby attaining permanent freedom from mental and physical suffering, and especially from rebirth in the three lower realms. In this way we can take the real essence of our precious human life. How wonderful!
THE POWER OF REGRET
If we swallowed even the tiniest drop of poison, we would be terrified of its imminent effect, but our terror of the effects of our past negative actions should be far greater. External poison may cause us to become sick or even to die, but it can harm us only in this life. The internal poison of previous negative karma, on the other hand, harms us in all our lives, causing endless physical and mental pain and preventing us from attaining higher rebirth and spiritual realizations. Since this poison is already within our mental continuum, we must develop strong regret and make a determination, to purify the potentials of our negative actions as quickly as possible. Having meditated on this determination, we then put it into practice.
THE POWER OF RELIANCE
Through sincerely relying upon the Three Jewels we can completely purify all our non-virtuous actions and accomplish the ultimate refuge of Buddhahood. Therefore, at this point we need to go for refuge by sincerely relying upon Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This is the meaning of the power of reliance.
We first visualize the objects of refuge. Above our crown on a lotus and moon seat sits Vajrasattva, who is inseparable from Guru Heruka. He has a white-coloured body, one face and two hands, holds a vajra and bell, and embraces his consort. His body is the synthesis of all Sangha Jewels, his speech the synthesis of all Dharma Jewels, and his mind the synthesis of all Buddha Jewels. We firmly believe that the living Buddha Heruka is actually present above our crown in the form of Vajrasattva, and with strong faith in the Three Jewels we contemplate:
Through relying upon Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, I will purify all my non-virtuous actions and accomplish the Buddha Jewel so that I can benefit all living beings without exception.
We meditate on this intention for a short while.
THE POWER OF THE OPPONENT FORCE
Whereas the other three opponent powers are like limbs supporting a body, the power of the opponent force is like the body itself because it is the direct opponent to all the negative effects of our non-virtuous actions.
To practise the power of the opponent force according to the sadhana, we visualize as follows. At the heart of Vajrasattva above our crown, in the centre of a moon seat, is a white letter HUM, which is the nature of the principal Deity Heruka. Standing in a circle counter-clockwise around the HUM is the white hundred-letter mantra, which is the nature of the one hundred Deities emanated by Heruka to pacify the non-virtues, downfalls and obstacles of practitioners. At our heart we visualize the potentials of all our negative actions in the form of a dark mass, and with a mind of strong regret we request Vajrasattva:
O Guru Vajrasattva please listen to me.
There is great danger that I may die before I purify my negativities.
So with the water of your compassion
Please purify all my non-virtues and downfalls.
While concentrating on the meaning of this request, we recite the hundred-letter mantra of Heruka Vajrasattva as many times as possible. We think:
As a result of making these requests, wisdom lights and nectars flow down from the HUM and mantra rosary at Vajrasattva’s heart. These enter my body through my crown, reach my heart, and completely destroy the mass of darkness, the potentials of all my negative karma, just as the light of the sun destroys the darkness of night.
We repeat this recitation and visualization many times in each session.
THE POWER OF PROMISE
The definition of non-virtuous action is any action of body, speech or mind that is the main cause of suffering. Since we wish to avoid suffering, we must stop creating its causes. With this thought we first develop and maintain the intention to refrain from all non-virtuous actions of body, speech and mind, until eventually we are ready to make a promise to refrain from them completely.
The power of promise depends upon the strength of our determination to refrain from negative actions. If our determination is strong and unchangeable, we are ready to make this promise, but if it is weak we cannot yet do so. Therefore we first practise the power of promise by developing the intention not to commit any more non-virtuous actions. We then need to train in this intention until it becomes stable, at which point we will have accomplished the actual power of promise.
To generate the power of promise, we contemplate how every non-virtuous action gives rise to the four types of effect. In this way, we will develop deep regret for all the negative actions we have committed in the past, and a strong determination to refrain from committing them in the future will arise naturally. If with this virtuous determination we then refrain from engaging in non-virtuous actions, this is the practice of moral discipline, which directly protects us from future suffering. Without making and keeping a promise to refrain from further negative actions, it is impossible to purify completely the negative actions we have committed in the past.
In summary, to purify our non-virtues we first develop strong regret for having created them by remembering that they are the main cause of all our present and future sufferings, problems and unfulfilled wishes. Then we think:
Since only Buddha, Dharma and Sangha have the power to protect living beings from suffering and its causes, I must rely upon them from the depths of my heart and, through receiving their blessings, completely purify all my non-virtues.
Having generated this motivation we practise the power of the opponent force, and at the end of each session we develop the strong determination, or at the very least the intention, to refrain from all non-virtuous actions of body, speech and mind in the future.
Saraha
