Читать книгу Essence of Vajrayana - Geshe Kelsang Gyatso - Страница 14
ОглавлениеThe Yoga of the Guru
Guru yoga is presented under two main headings:
1 A general explanation
2 The actual practice of Guru yoga
A GENERAL EXPLANATION
Guru yoga is a special way of relying upon our Spiritual Guide. ‘Guru’ refers to any Spiritual Guide who gives us unmistaken instructions on how to begin, progress on and complete the spiritual path, and who sets a good example for us to follow. Here the term ‘yoga’ reveals a special way of relying upon our Spiritual Guide that is a powerful method for accumulating merit and receiving the blessings of all the Buddhas.
At the moment, because our mind is impure – obstructed by ignorance and negative karma – we cannot directly perceive pure beings such as Buddhas. We see only impure beings who, like ourself, experience problems such as sickness, ageing and death. However, by practising Guru yoga we can communicate with all the enlightened beings through our Spiritual Guide; through him or her they accept our offerings, respect and devotion, and grant us their powerful blessings, protection and care. In the Lamrim teachings it says:
Whenever a disciple relies upon his Spiritual Guide,
Without invitation all the enlightened beings
Enter and abide within the Spiritual Guide’s body,
Accepting offerings and bestowing blessings.
Mahasiddha Ghantapa, for example, accomplished the state of the Union of Buddha Heruka by receiving the blessings of all the Buddhas through his Spiritual Guide, a woman who was an emanation of Vajrayogini. All the lineage Gurus of the instructions of Heruka body mandala, from Ghantapa up to Vajradhara Trijang Losang Yeshe Rinpoche, attained enlightenment by receiving the blessings of all the Buddhas through their Spiritual Guide.
In these impure times it is only through receiving the blessings of the enlightened beings that we can maintain the mental peace that is the root of our daily happiness. For this reason alone, we can clearly see that the practice of relying upon the Spiritual Guide is supremely important.
During the meditation session, Heruka body mandala practitioners visualize their root Guru in the aspect of Heruka and invite all the Buddhas in the aspect of Heruka to dissolve into his body. With the strong recognition that their Guru is the synthesis of all the Buddhas, they make prostrations, offerings and requests, and receive his or her blessings. They then integrate this special way of relying upon the Spiritual Guide into their daily life by remembering that he is a manifestation of Buddha Heruka and engaging in actions to delight him such as prostrations, offerings, requesting blessings, and, in particular, sincerely practising his teachings on Lamrim and Highest Yoga Tantra.
For such practitioners, Guru yoga is the actual quick path to enlightenment because, whenever they engage in any actions to delight their Spiritual Guide, the merit they create is multiplied by the number of enlightened beings. Since there are infinite enlightened beings, the virtue of any action done to please their Spiritual Guide is also infinite. For this reason, one moment of Guru yoga can accumulate as much merit as is accumulated over many aeons through other practices. Furthermore, the attainment of Buddhahood, which takes aeons to accomplish through other practices, can be accomplished in one life through the practice of Guru yoga. This was demonstrated by Dromtonpa, the heart disciple of Atisha, and by Khedrubje, the heart disciple of Je Tsongkhapa.
Geshe Potowa says:
Whether or not our Spiritual Guide is precious
Depends upon us and not upon our Spiritual Guide.
If we view our Spiritual Guide as a Buddha we will receive the blessings of a Buddha, if we view him or her as a Bodhisattva we will receive the blessings of a Bodhisattva, and if we view him or her as an ordinary being we will receive nothing. Knowing this is very helpful because for as long as our mind remains impure it is impossible directly to perceive anyone, including our Spiritual Guide, as a real Buddha. Our task at the moment, therefore, is to use our imagination and the many valid reasons explained in the book Joyful Path of Good Fortune to train in the recognition that our Spiritual Guide is a living Buddha. Through continually training in this recognition, our faith will increase and our mind will become purer and purer until eventually we will directly perceive our Spiritual Guide as a real Buddha. Ghantapa saw his Spiritual Guide as Buddha Vajrayogini; Dromtonpa saw his Spiritual Guide, Atisha, as Buddha Amitabha; and Khedrubje saw his Spiritual Guide, Je Tsongkhapa, as the Wisdom Buddha Manjushri.
THE ACTUAL PRACTICE OF GURU YOGA
This has six parts:
1 Visualizing the commitment beings of the Field of Merit, and inviting and absorbing the wisdom beings
2 Offering the practice of the seven limbs
3 Offering the mandala
4 Receiving the blessings of the four empowerments
5 Requesting the lineage Gurus
6 Accomplishing spontaneous great bliss by dissolving the Guru into ourself
VISUALIZING THE COMMITMENT BEINGS OF THE FIELD OF MERIT, AND INVITING AND ABSORBING THE WISDOM BEINGS
This has two parts:
1 Visualizing the commitment beings of the Field of Merit
2 Inviting and absorbing the wisdom beings
VISUALIZING THE COMMITMENT BEINGS OF THE FIELD OF MERIT
This has three parts:
1 Visualizing basis Guru Heruka
2 Visualizing Guru Heruka of the body mandala
3 Visualizing the other holy beings
VISUALIZING BASIS GURU HERUKA
In the space in front of us, level with our eyebrows, and at a distance from us of about one arm’s length, is a high, vast and precious jewelled throne. It is square in shape, and adorned with jewels such as diamonds, emeralds and lapis lazuli. Upon it are five smaller thrones, one in the centre raised higher than the others, and one in each of the four cardinal directions. The thrones are supported by two snow lions at each corner.
On the central throne on a lotus and sun, treading on Bhairawa and Kalarati, is our root Guru, Heruka. He has a dark-blue-coloured body like a lapis mountain. He has four faces, which counter-clockwise are dark blue, green, red and yellow. He has twelve arms. His two principal hands embrace Vajravarahi and hold a vajra and bell. He has two hands holding an elephant skin, two hands holding a damaru and a khatanga, two hands holding an axe and a skullcup of blood, two hands holding a curved knife and a vajra noose, and two hands holding a three-pointed spear and a four-faced head of Brahma.
He displays the nine moods of a Hero and wears six bone mudra-ornaments. His crown is adorned with a half-moon and a crossed vajra. He wears a long necklace of fifty human heads, the nature of wisdom, and a lower garment of a tiger skin. He stands with his right leg outstretched, in the centre of a mass of blazing fire. Vajravarahi is red in colour and adorned with five mudra-ornaments. She holds a curved knife and a skullcup, and is entwined in embrace with Heruka. This visualization of Guru Heruka is called ‘basis Guru Heruka’ because the gross and subtle parts of his body are the basis for accomplishing the supporting and supported body mandala of Guru Heruka.
VISUALIZING GURU HERUKA OF THE BODY MANDALA
This has two parts:
1 Visualizing the Principal
2 Visualizing the retinues
VISUALIZING THE PRINCIPAL
The gross parts of basis Guru Heruka’s body symbolize the various parts of Heruka’s mandala. His two legs forming the shape of a bow symbolize the wind mandala; the triangle at his secret place symbolizes the fire mandala; his round belly symbolizes the water mandala; his square-shaped chest symbolizes the earth mandala; his spine symbolizes Mount Meru; the thirty-two channels at his crown symbolize the lotus; and the trunk of his body, the upper and lower parts of which are equal in size, symbolizes the celestial mansion.
In the centre of basis Guru Heruka’s body, inside his heart chakra, his actual white and red indestructible drop appears as Heruka and Vajravarahi. Both Father Heruka and Mother Vajravarahi have the same aspect as basis Guru Heruka Father and Mother.
VISUALIZING THE RETINUES
This has three parts:
1 Visualizing the four Yoginis of the essence
2 Visualizing the Heroes and Heroines of the twenty-four places
3 Visualizing the eight Heroines of the doorways
VISUALIZING THE FOUR YOGINIS OF THE ESSENCE
We visualize as follows. The four channel petals in basis Guru Heruka’s heart, which are the paths for the winds of the four elements, appear as the four Yoginis. In the east is Vajradakini, who is a manifestation of Lochana, the consort of Buddha Vairochana; in the north is Vajralama, who is a manifestation of Tara, the consort of Buddha Amoghasiddhi; in the west is Khandarohi, who is a manifestation of Benzarahi, the consort of Buddha Amitabha; and in the south is Vajrarupini, who is a manifestation of Mamaki, the consort of Buddha Ratnasambhava.
VISUALIZING THE HEROES AND HEROINES OF THE TWENTY-FOUR PLACES
The twenty-four places of basis Guru Heruka’s body are: (1) the hairline, (2) the crown, (3) the right ear, (4) the back of the neck, (5) the left ear, (6) the point between the eyebrows, (7) the two eyes, (8) the two shoulders, (9) the two armpits, (10) the two breasts, (11) the navel, (12) the tip of the nose, (13) the mouth, (14) the throat, (15) the heart (the point midway between the two breasts), (16) the two testicles, (17) the tip of the sex organ, (18) the anus, (19) the two thighs, (20) the two calves, (21) the eight fingers and eight toes, (22) the tops of the feet, (23) the two thumbs and two big toes, and (24) the two knees. These are the nature of the twenty-four places of Heruka.
The channels of the twenty-four places appear as the twenty-four Heroines, and the drops inside these channels appear as the twenty-four Heroes. Thus, at the place of his hairline, Puliramalaya, are Hero Khandakapala, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Samantabhadra, with Heroine Partzandi as his consort. At the place of his crown, Dzalandhara, are Hero Mahakankala, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Manjushri, and his consort Heroine Tzändriakiya. At the place of his right ear, Odiyana, are Hero Kankala, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, and his consort Heroine Parbhawatiya. At the place of the back of his neck, Arbuta, are Hero Vikatadamshtri, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha, and his consort Heroine Mahanasa. At the place of his left ear, Godawari, are Hero Suraberi, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Vajrapani, and his consort Heroine Biramatiya. At the place of the point between his eyebrows, Rameshöri, are Hero Amitabha, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Maitreya, and his consort Heroine Karwariya. At the place of his two eyes, Dewikoti, are Hero Vajraprabha, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Akashagarbha, and his consort Heroine Lamkeshöriya. At the place of his two shoulders, Malawa, are Hero Vajradeha, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Akashakosha (Space Treasure), and his consort Heroine Drumatzaya. These sixteen Deities of the heart wheel are called the ‘Heroes and Heroines of the vajra mind family’ because they are a manifestation of all Buddhas’ mind.
At the place of his armpits, Kamarupa, are Hero Ankuraka, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Sarvanivaranaviskambini, and his consort Heroine Airawatiya. At the place of his two breasts, Ote, are Hero Vajrajatila, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Gadze Dhupe (Elephant Incense), and his consort Heroine Mahabhairawi. At the place of his navel, Trishakune, are Hero Mahavira, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Lodro Mitsepa (Inexhaustible Wisdom), and his consort Heroine Bayubega. At the place of the tip of his nose, Kosala, are Hero Vajrahumkara, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Yeshe Tog (Highest Exalted Wisdom), and his consort Heroine Surabhakiya. At the place of his mouth, Kalinga, are Hero Subhadra, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Monpa Kunjom (Dispelling all Darkness), and his consort Heroine Shamadewi. At the place of his throat, Lampaka, are Hero Vajrabhadra, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Powa Tseg (Accomplishing Confidence), and his consort Heroine Suwatre. At the place of his heart, Kancha, are Hero Mahabhairawa, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Ngensong Kunden (Liberating all Lower Realms), and his consort Heroine Hayakarna. At the place of his two testicles, Himalaya, are Hero Virupaksha, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Drawa Chenkyiö (Web of Light), and his consort Heroine Khaganana. These sixteen Deities of the speech wheel are called the ‘Heroes and Heroines of the vajra speech family’ because they are a manifestation of all Buddhas’ speech.
At the place of the tip of his sex organ, Pretapuri, are Hero Mahabala, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Daö Shönnu (Youthful Moonlight), and his consort Heroine Tzatrabega, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Gyenpung (Shoulder Ornament). At the place of his anus, Grihadewata, are Hero Ratnavajra, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Dorje Ö (Vajra Light), and his consort Heroine Khandarohi, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Sordang (Individual Liberator). At the place of his two thighs, Shauraktra, are Hero Hayagriva, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Nyimi Ökyi Nyingpo (Essence of Sunlight), and his consort Heroine Shaundini, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Macha Chenmo (Great Powerful One). At the place of his two calves, Suwanadvipa, are Hero Akashagarbha, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Dorje Öser (Vajra Light Rays), and his consort Heroine Tzatrawarmini, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Logyonma (One Wearing Leaves). At the place of his eight fingers and eight toes, Nagara, are Hero Shri Heruka, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Tuchen Tog (Powerful Attainment), and his consort Heroine Subira, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Dorje Lukugyü (Continuous Circle of Vajras). At the place of the tops of his feet, Sindhura, are Hero Pemanarteshvara, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Norsang (Excellent Wealth), and his consort Heroine Mahabala, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Chirdog Chenmo (Great Pacifier). At the place of his two thumbs and two big toes, Maru, are Hero Vairochana, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Sangden (Excellent Carer), and his consort Heroine Tzatrawartini, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Tsugtor Kharmo (White Ushnisha). At the place of his two knees, Kuluta, are Hero Vajrasattva, who is the same person as Bodhisattva Lodro Gyatso (Ocean of Wisdom), and his consort Heroine Mahabire, who is a manifestation of Bodhisattva Dorje Jigma (Wrathful Vajra). These sixteen Deities of the body wheel are called the ‘Heroes and Heroines of the vajra body family’ because they are a manifestation of all Buddhas’ body.
The twenty-four Heroes and the twenty-four Heroines listed above are distinguished only by their aspect and function. In essence all these Deities are a manifestation of definitive Heruka and no different from Heruka himself.
Nagarjuna
VISUALIZING THE EIGHT HEROINES OF THE DOORWAYS
The eight doors of the senses are: (1) the root of the tongue, (2) the navel, (3) the sex organ, (4) the anus, (5) the point between the eyebrows, (6) the two ears, (7) the two eyes, and (8) the two nostrils. The channel at the root of his tongue appears as Kakase, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Kaouri, who is the consort of Aparajita, one of the ten wrathful Deities. The channel at his navel appears as Ulukase, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Tzowri, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Amritakundalini. The channel at the door of his sex organ appears as Shönase, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Bukase, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Hayagriva. The channel at the door of his anus appears as Shukarase, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Petali, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Yamantaka. The channel at the point between his eyebrows appears as Yamadhati, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Kamari, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Niladanda. The channels at his two ears appear as Yamaduti, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Shawati, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Takkiraja. The channels at his two eyes appear as Yamadangtrini, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Dzandali, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Achala. The channels at his two nostrils appear as Yamamatani, the manifestation of Bodhisattva Tombini, who is the consort of the wrathful Deity Mahabala. These Heroines differ only in their aspect and function; in essence they are no different from Heruka himself.
The four Yoginis of the essence and the central Deity Heruka Father and Mother are the Deities of the great bliss wheel. These, together with the sixteen Deities of the heart wheel, the sixteen Deities of the speech wheel, the sixteen Deities of the body wheel, and the eight Deities of the commitment wheel (the eight Heroines of the doorways), are the sixty-two Deities of the body mandala. They all appear within basis Guru Heruka’s body, which indicates that Guru Heruka is the synthesis of all Buddhas.
VISUALIZING THE OTHER HOLY BEINGS
From the heart of Guru Heruka, light radiates to his right where he emanates as Maitreya seated on a throne, lotus and moon disc. Maitreya is in the aspect of the Enjoyment Body, adorned with ornaments and silk garments. He sits in the half-vajra posture. His body is orange, with one face and two hands held at the level of his heart in the gesture of turning the Wheel of Dharma. Between the thumb and index finger of each hand he holds the stem of a naga tree. Beside his right ear the flower of one of the stems blooms and supports a golden wheel. Beside his left ear the flower of the other stem blooms and supports a long-necked vase.
In front of Maitreya, on a lotus and moon disc, sits Arya Asanga. His legs are crossed in such a way that his left leg extends from under his right thigh with the sole of his foot facing outwards, and his right leg, crossed over his left, extends several inches beyond his left knee. His right hand is in the gesture of expounding Dharma and his left hand is in the gesture of meditative equipoise. He wears the three robes of an ordained person and a Pandit’s hat. To his left is a spherical vessel. All the lineage Gurus of the vast path form a circle starting with Asanga and going clockwise around the central figure of Maitreya.
From the heart of Guru Heruka, light radiates to his left where he emanates as Manjushri seated on a throne, lotus and moon disc. His body is the same colour as Maitreya’s and he has the same posture except that instead of holding the stems of naga trees he holds the stems of upali flowers. The flower that blooms beside his right ear supports a wisdom sword, and the flower that blooms beside his left ear supports a text of the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra in Eight Thousand Lines. This posture is known as ‘Manjushri Turning the Wheel of Dharma’.
In front of Manjushri sits Nagarjuna in the half-vajra posture, wearing the robes of an ordained person. His hands are in the gesture of expounding Dharma. He has a small crown-protrusion and, arched over his head without touching it, is a canopy of seven snakes. All the lineage Gurus of the profound path form a circle starting with Nagarjuna and going counter-clockwise around the central figure of Manjushri.
To the right of the lineage Gurus of the vast path sit the lineage Gurus of Kadam Lamrimpa, and to the left of the lineage Gurus of the profound path sit the lineage Gurus of Kadam Shungpawa. Behind the lineage Gurus of the vast path sit the lineage Gurus of Kadam Menngagpa. Each of these Kadampa Gurus sits on a lotus and moon disc.
From the heart of Guru Heruka, light radiates behind him where he emanates as Buddha Vajradhara, who in essence is our root Guru, seated on a throne, lotus, moon and sun disc. Surrounding him are all the lineage Gurus of Heruka body mandala, from Ghantapa up to Vajradhara Trijang Losang Yeshe Rinpoche.
From the heart of Guru Heruka, light radiates in front of him where he emanates as our principal Spiritual Guide sitting on a throne. We visualize him or her as radiant and youthful, without any physical imperfections. His right hand is in the gesture of expounding Dharma, indicating that he dispels the ignorance of his disciples. His left hand is in the gesture of meditative equipoise holding a life vase, indicating that he destroys the power death has over his disciples. These two, ignorance and death, are the greatest obstacles to our spiritual development. Ignorance prevents us from understanding Dharma, especially the instructions on superior seeing, which is the antidote to ignorance; and death destroys the very life that is the basis for practising Dharma. Surrounding our main Spiritual Guide, we visualize all the other Spiritual Guides who have taught us pure Dharma directly in this life.
In front of these groups of Gurus, we visualize the Deities of Highest Yoga Tantra. On the right is the assembly of Vajrabhairava, on the left the assembly of Guhyasamaja, and in the centre the assembly of Heruka. In front of these in successive rows are: Deities of Yoga Tantra, such as the assembly of Sarvavid, the main Deity of Yoga Tantra; Deities of Performance Tantra, such as the assembly of Vairochana Deities; Deities of Action Tantra, such as Amitayus, Green Tara and White Tara; Buddhas of Sutra, such as the one thousand Buddhas of this Fortunate Aeon, the Thirty-five Confession Buddhas and the seven Medicine Buddhas; Sanghas of Sutra, including Bodhisattvas such as the eight Great Sons, Emanation Solitary Realizers such as the twelve Solitary Realizers, and Emanation Hearers such as the sixteen Foe Destroyers; Sanghas of Tantra such as the Heroes and Heroines of the twenty-four auspicious places, and supramundane Dharma Protectors such as Mahakala, Dharmaraja, Dorje Shugden, Vaishravana and Kalindewi.
We should believe that all these holy beings are actually present before us and that they are the manifestation of definitive Heruka. They are called the ‘Field of Merit’ because they are like a field from which we can harvest inner crops of merit and realizations.
To begin with we should not expect to perceive the Field of Merit clearly or in detail. We should be satisfied with simply perceiving a general image of the whole assembly of holy beings. Through meditating on this with strong faith again and again, our faith and merit will increase and we will receive the blessings of the holy beings. As a result our mind will become purer, and when our mind is very pure we can receive a direct vision of these enlightened beings. We will then have no doubt that we too will become a pure being.
At this point we can practise three special meditations: (1) meditation on the assembly of the eight Heroines of the doorways at the places of the eight sense doors of Guru Heruka; (2) meditation on the assembly of the twenty-four Heroes and Heroines of the twenty-four places of Heruka’s body; and (3) meditation on the assembly of the Deities of the great bliss wheel. To do these meditations we simply concentrate on the assemblies of Deities while remembering their significance. The first meditation is especially auspicious for the inward gathering of the winds that flow through the channels of our eight sense doors. The second meditation is especially auspicious for the inward gathering of the winds that flow through the channels of our twenty-four places. The third meditation is especially auspicious for all the inner winds to gather at the heart and dissolve into our indestructible drop. When this happens, we experience the clear light of bliss. In the extensive dedication prayer from the sadhana it says:
Through meditating on the Goddesses of the doorways at the doors of the senses,
May I reverse the winds through the doors of the senses;
Through meditating on the Heroes and Heroines at the twenty-four places,
May I gather the winds into the twenty-four channels;
Through meditating on the Deities of the great bliss wheel on the petals of the Dharma Wheel,
May I gather the winds into the eight channels
Of the cardinal and intermediate directions at my heart,
And then may I gather them into my central channel at the heart.
INVITING AND ABSORBING THE WISDOM BEINGS
The three places of the holy beings are marked as follows. The crown, the place of the body, is marked by a white letter OM, the seed of the body of all Buddhas; the throat, the place of the speech, is marked by a red letter AH, the seed of the speech of all Buddhas; and the heart, the place of the mind, is marked by a blue letter HUM, the seed of the mind of all Buddhas. This indicates that each being in the Field of Merit is the synthesis of all Buddhas.
From the letter HUM at Guru Heruka’s heart, infinite rays of light radiate and invite all the Buddhas from their natural abode, the Dharmakaya, each in the aspect of the assembly of the entire Field of Merit. When we recite ‘DZA’ an entire assembly of wisdom beings comes above the crown of each commitment being; when we recite ‘HUM’ they dissolve into the commitment beings; when we recite ‘BAM’ they mix with the commitment beings; and when we recite ‘HO’ they are delighted to remain with the commitment beings.
Tantric practitioners have a commitment to visualize the Field of Merit, and so the visualized Field of Merit is called ‘the commitment being’. The Field of Merit that we invite from the Buddha Lands is called ‘the wisdom being’. The first is an imagined Field of Merit and the second is a naturally abiding Field of Merit.
OFFERING THE PRACTICE OF THE SEVEN LIMBS
One of the main purposes of visualizing the Field of Merit is to accumulate merit, purify negativities and receive blessings. We do this by practising the seven limbs. The seven limbs are: (1) prostration, (2) offering, (3) confession, (4) rejoicing, (5) beseeching the Spiritual Guide not to pass away, (6) requesting the turning of the Wheel of Dharma, and (7) dedication. These are called ‘limbs’ because they support meditation, the main body of our practice. Just as our body is powerless if not supported by arms and legs, so our meditation has no power to produce authentic Dharma realizations unless it is supported by an accumulation of merit, purification of negativities and blessings.
PROSTRATION
The practice of prostrations is a powerful method for purifying negative karma, disease and obstacles, and for increasing our merit, our happiness and our Dharma realizations. Temporarily, prostrations improve our physical health, and ultimately they cause us to attain the Form Body of a Buddha. Generating faith in the holy beings is mental prostration, reciting praises to them is verbal prostration, and showing them respect with our body is physical prostration. We can make physical prostrations by respectfully prostrating our whole body on the ground; by respectfully touching our palms, knees and forehead to the ground; or by respectfully placing our palms together at the level of the heart with the tips of the fingers touching and the thumbs tucked inside so that our hands form the shape of a jewel.
To make prostrations to our root Guru, we begin by contemplating his or her pre-eminent qualities and kindness, and with a mind of wishing faith we recite the following prayer:
Vajra Holder, my jewel-like Guru,
Through whose kindness I can accomplish
The state of great bliss in an instant,
At your lotus feet humbly I bow.
Although our Spiritual Guide is likened to a jewel, no matter how precious external jewels may be, they have no power to give us true happiness or protect us from suffering. There is nothing in the external world that can compare with our Spiritual Guide. In the sadhana, the words ‘jewel-like Guru’ simply reveal that our Spiritual Guide is very precious. ‘Vajra Holder’ means that he or she is a manifestation of Buddha Vajradhara.
Compared to the lives of beings in the god realms, a human life is very short, like an instant. However, if we sincerely rely upon our Spiritual Guide, through his or her kindness we can accomplish the great bliss of Buddha Heruka and become an enlightened being in this short human life.
According to Highest Yoga Tantra, placing our hands together at the heart when we prostrate shows that we want to experience great bliss by dissolving the ten inner winds into the central channel at our heart. In this context, our ten fingers symbolize our ten inner winds, while placing the fingers together and tucking the thumbs inside symbolizes the inward gathering of the ten inner winds. Touching the point at the level of the heart symbolizes the dissolution of the ten inner winds into the central channel at our heart, and the jewel-like shape symbolizes the great bliss of Buddhahood. It is in order to receive these attainments that we prostrate to our root Guru.
To make a special prostration to Guru Heruka Father and Mother, we begin by contemplating his pre-eminent qualities through concentrating on the meaning of the following prayer:
As times become ever more impure
Your power and blessings ever increase,
And you care for us quickly, as swift as thought;
O Chakrasambara Father and Mother, to you I prostrate.
Now we make prostrations to the entire assembly of the Field of Merit by concentrating on the meaning of the following prayer:
To the Gurus who abide in the three times and the ten directions,
The Three Supreme Jewels, and all other objects of prostration,
I prostrate with faith and respect, a melodious chorus of praise,
And emanated bodies as numerous as atoms in the world.
We generate deep faith that sincerely wishes to attain the great bliss experienced by all the holy beings, which arises through the dissolution of the inner winds into the central channel at the heart. Then we imagine that from every pore of our body we emanate another body, and that from every pore of these bodies we emanate yet more bodies, until our emanated bodies fill the entire world. While reciting the prayer from the sadhana, we strongly believe that all these countless bodies make prostrations to our root Guru, who is inseparable from the assembly of Guru Heruka and all the lineage Gurus, Yidams, Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, Dakas, Dakinis and Dharma Protectors.
Shawari
OFFERING
This has five parts:
1 Outer offerings
2 Inner offering
3 Secret offering
4 Thatness offering
5 Offering our spiritual practice
OUTER OFFERINGS
This has two parts:
1 The eight outer offerings
2 Offering the five objects of desire
THE EIGHT OUTER OFFERINGS
The eight outer offerings are water for drinking, water for bathing the feet, flowers, incense, lights, perfume, food and music. The purpose of making these offerings to the Gurus, Yidams, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas is to increase our collection of merit, or good fortune, and thereby create the main cause for our wishes to be fulfilled. In particular, by offering food and nectar we will gain freedom from the suffering of poverty and experience the enjoyments of the Buddhas. By offering bathing water and perfume we will become free from samsaric rebirths and attain the Form Body of a Buddha. By offering beautiful flowers we will become free from sickness, ageing and other bodily ailments, and we will attain the special attributes of the body of a Buddha. By offering incense we create the cause to keep pure moral discipline and attain pure concentration. By offering lights we will become free from the inner darkness of ignorance and attain omniscient wisdom. By offering beautiful music we create the cause never to have to hear unpleasant sounds but only to hear pleasant sounds, especially the sound of Dharma; and to receive only good news. Offering music is also a cause of attaining the speech of a Buddha. Knowing these benefits, we should try to make outer offerings every day, at least mentally.
To make water offerings we imagine that all the rivers, pools, lakes and oceans throughout infinite worlds appear in the aspect of water for drinking, water for bathing and perfume. As we do so, we recall that they are manifestations of their emptiness, their ultimate nature, inseparable from the wisdom of uncontaminated great bliss; that their function is to cause the holy beings to experience spontaneous great bliss; and that their aspect is that of the individual offering substances. In a similar way, when we offer all the flowers, incense, lights, food and music that exist throughout infinite worlds we maintain the same recognition of their nature, function and aspect. With this special knowledge we make the eight outer offerings.
From the letter HUM at our heart, we emanate infinite offering gods and goddesses, who are the nature of the exalted wisdom of uncontaminated great bliss and emptiness. They make infinite offerings of water for drinking, water for bathing the feet, flowers, incense, lights, perfume, food and music to the assembly of Guru Heruka and to all the other holy beings in the Field of Merit.
OFFERING THE FIVE OBJECTS OF DESIRE
We offer these special offerings by concentrating on the meaning of the verses from the sadhana, beginning with:
All forms that exist throughout infinite realms transform into a vast assembly of Rupavajra Goddesses,
With smiling faces and beautiful bodies, pervading the whole of space.
I offer these to you Guru Father and Mother and to the assembly of Deities;
Please accept, and through the force of all forms that exist appearing as Rupavajras,
May I and all living beings receive unchanging great bliss
And complete the supreme concentration of the union of great bliss and emptiness.
OM RUPA BENZ HUM HUM PHAT
We recall that not even the smallest atom of form exists from the side of the object and, by concentrating on this firm knowledge, we dissolve all appearances of form into emptiness, the ultimate nature of form. In the same way, we recall that sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects do not exist from their own side and, by concentrating on this firm knowledge, we dissolve all appearances of sounds, smells, tastes and tactile objects into emptiness, their ultimate nature.
We then imagine that the ultimate nature of all forms that exist throughout infinite worlds appears in the aspect of countless Rupavajra Goddesses – female Deities, white in colour, holding mirrors reflecting the whole universe, who are born from omniscient wisdom mixed completely with the ultimate nature of all forms. The whole of space is pervaded by these beautiful goddesses, and we offer them to the assembly of Guru Heruka and all the holy beings in the Field of Merit.
We then imagine that the ultimate nature of all sounds that exist throughout infinite worlds appears in the aspect of countless Shaptavajra Goddesses – female Deities, blue in colour, holding flutes that spontaneously produce enchanting music, who are born from omniscient wisdom mixed completely with the ultimate nature of all sounds. The whole of space is pervaded by these beautiful goddesses, and we offer them to the assembly of Guru Heruka and the other holy beings.
We then imagine that the ultimate nature of all smells that exist throughout infinite worlds appears in the aspect of countless Gändhavajra Goddesses – female Deities, yellow in colour, holding beautiful jewelled containers filled with special perfumes whose fragrance pervades the whole world, who are born from omniscient wisdom mixed completely with the ultimate nature of all smells. The whole of space is pervaded by these beautiful goddesses, and we offer them to the assembly of Guru Heruka and the other holy beings.
With the same understanding, we offer infinite offerings of Rasavajra Goddesses – female Deities, red in colour, holding precious containers filled with nectar possessing three qualities – medicine nectar that cures all disease, life nectar that overcomes death and wisdom nectar that destroys delusions – who are born from omniscient wisdom mixed completely with the ultimate nature of all tastes. We then offer infinite offerings of Parshavajra Goddesses – female Deities, green in colour, holding precious garments, who are born from omniscient wisdom mixed completely with the ultimate nature of all tactile objects.
These offerings have five functions. They cause us (1) to accumulate great merit, (2) to increase our knowledge of the profound view of emptiness, thereby accumulating a great collection of wisdom, (3) to develop and increase great bliss, (4) to purify ordinary appearances and conceptions, and (5) to gain the completion stage realization of isolated body.
Qualified practitioners of Highest Yoga Tantra have experience of the common paths of renunciation, bodhichitta and the profound view of emptiness. If we have deep knowledge of emptiness, the ultimate nature of phenomena, it is not difficult to offer these eight outer offerings and five objects of desire. Even if we are not qualified at the moment, we can still train in these practices continually so that sooner or later we will become a qualified practitioner.
Although this way of accumulating merit is a very special, higher practice, it is not a good sign if, despite the fact that we are making these mental and verbal offerings, we continue to have a miserly attitude towards our money and possessions, holding them very tightly and having no intention of using them to accumulate merit. We must have the intention to use our money and possessions to accumulate merit for the benefit of others and, every day if possible, offer actual water for drinking, water for bathing, flowers, incense, lights, perfume, food and music. We should always dedicate all our activities to the happiness of all living beings.
INNER OFFERING
From our heart we emanate countless Rasavajra Goddesses and imagine that from the huge skullcup containing the inner nectar, as vast as an ocean, they scoop up nectar with their skullcups and offer it to the countless holy beings in the Field of Merit. At the same time, we recite the offering prayer from the sadhana: OM GURU HERUKA VAJRAYOGINI SAPARIWARA OM AH HUM. We hold the inner offering container in our right hand, around the level of our forehead, and then, as we say OM AH HUM, we dip our left ring finger into the nectar, flick a drop into space, and imagine that Guru Heruka Father and Mother and all the Field of Merit experience spontaneous great bliss.
SECRET OFFERING
We make this offering by concentrating on the essential meaning of the following prayer:
And I offer most attractive illusory mudras,
A host of messengers born from places, born from mantra and spontaneously born,
With slender bodies, skilled in the sixty-four arts of love,
And possessing the splendour of youthful beauty.
By making this offering we create the cause to generate spontaneous great bliss ourself in the future by relying upon a consort, or mudra. The essence of Secret Mantra is to generate spontaneous great bliss by dissolving the inner winds within the central channel. This can be done to a limited extent through meditation alone, but to complete the practice in this life we need to accept an action mudra. Through completion stage meditation we can completely loosen the knots in the channel wheels at the crown, throat, navel and secret place; and by relying upon vajra recitation we can partially loosen the knots at the heart channel wheel. However, we cannot completely loosen these knots by meditation alone. These will naturally loosen completely at death, but, if the practitioner wants this to happen before death, he or she must accept an action mudra. Through the force of the two central channels uniting during embrace, the downward-voiding wind of the consort will enter the practitioner’s central channel, causing the knots at the heart channel wheel to loosen completely. The practitioner can then complete the path to enlightenment in that life.
The correct time to rely upon an action mudra is after having gained the experience of dissolving some of the inner winds within the central channel at the heart channel wheel. When through this practice we are able to perceive clearly the eight signs of dissolution from the mirage-like appearance to the clear light, and we have attained the experience of isolated body, isolated speech and isolated mind, it is appropriate to enter into union with an action mudra.
A mudra is called a ‘messenger’ because he or she fulfils our wishes by bringing great bliss. There are three types of messenger: outer, inner and secret. These are explained in detail in the book The New Guide to Dakini Land. In this context, an outer messenger is a knowledge consort. The verse from the sadhana mentions three types of outer messenger: those born from places, those born from mantra, and those who are spontaneously born. The first are Dakinis from the twenty-four holy places of Heruka, the second are messengers with realizations of generation stage or the first stages of completion stage, and the third are messengers with a realization of the union of clear light and illusory body that is either the union that needs learning or the Union of No More Learning.
We visualize countless action mudras of all three types emanating from our heart, merging into one, and dissolving into Vajravarahi, who is embracing Father Heruka. We imagine that through the force of this offering our Guru generates spontaneous great bliss. From his or her side, our Guru has no need of this offering because he or she already abides immovably in a state of great bliss; the purpose of making this offering is to create the cause for us to generate spontaneous great bliss in the future.
We should visualize all the knowledge women as youthful and extremely attractive. According to the words of the sadhana, these consorts are ‘skilled in the sixty-four arts of love’. In the Sutras, Buddha explains sixty-four arts in connection with sports such as archery, but in the Tantras he explains sixty-four arts of love as methods for inducing spontaneous great bliss. There are eight basic arts: embracing, kissing, biting, scratching, enticing walking, whistling, performing the actions of a man, and lying on top. Each of these can be performed in eight different ways, making sixty-four arts in all.
In Guhyasamaja Tantra Vajradhara stresses how important it is for Tantric practitioners to make the four types of offering every day, and he places special emphasis on the secret offering as a method for generating great bliss.
Luyipa
THATNESS OFFERING
We make this offering by concentrating on the essential meaning of the prayer from the sadhana:
I offer you the supreme, ultimate bodhichitta,
A great exalted wisdom of spontaneous bliss free from obstructions,
Inseparable from the nature of all phenomena, the sphere of freedom from elaboration,
Effortless, and beyond words, thoughts and expressions.
‘Thatness’ is emptiness, the ultimate nature of all phenomena. Strictly speaking we offer not emptiness but ultimate bodhichitta, which is a mind of spontaneous great bliss mixed inseparably with emptiness. We imagine that Guru Heruka generates this mind as a result of entering into union with the mudra offered to him during the secret offering. Although our Guru already has ultimate bodhichitta, we imagine that he or she generates it anew, as an auspicious cause for us to gain this realization in the future.
In Secret Mantra, the red and white drops that flow through the channels are sometimes called ‘bodhichittas’ because they are the basis for developing actual ultimate bodhichitta, spontaneous great bliss realizing emptiness directly. Without these drops, we would have no means of gaining any completion stage realization, let alone ultimate bodhichitta.
According to the words of the sadhana, Guru Heruka’s exalted wisdom of spontaneous great bliss is ‘free from obstructions’, which means that it has completely abandoned both the delusion-obstructions and the obstructions to omniscience. Not all spontaneous great bliss is free from obstructions. When we first generate spontaneous great bliss our mind is still covered by obstructions, but by training in the five stages of completion stage these are gradually removed. When the mind is finally freed from both obstructions we attain enlightenment. Thus, the words of the sadhana indicate that Guru Heruka is a Buddha because his ultimate bodhichitta is free from obstructions.
The phrase, ‘Inseparable from the nature of all phenomena, the sphere of freedom from elaboration’, is very profound and difficult to understand without some experience of Secret Mantra. The term ‘sphere’ refers to emptiness, and the term ‘elaboration’ refers to inherent existence, so the meaning is that ultimate bodhichitta is inseparable from emptiness, lack of inherent existence. Once we have a rough understanding of emptiness, we should try to generate spontaneous great bliss by training in completion stage meditation. When our inner winds are gathered and dissolved within the central channel at our heart, our gross minds will cease and the very subtle mind of clear light will manifest. This mind is very peaceful and free from distracting conceptions. It is hundreds of times more powerful than the concentration described in the Sutra teachings. When this mind meditates on emptiness it easily mixes with it, like water mixing with water; and it feels as if the subject, our mind of clear light, and its object, emptiness, have become completely one.
The reason why the clear light mind can mix so easily with emptiness is that it is totally free from conceptual distraction. When the inner winds are completely gathered and dissolved within the central channel, the gross inner winds are absorbed and so the gross minds that depend upon these winds cease to function. If there are no gross minds, there are no gross objects; thus, for the mind of clear light, gross objects do not exist. It is like falling asleep. At that time, because the gross minds of the waking state absorb, all the objects that appear to these minds disappear. For the sleeping or dreaming mind, the objects of our normal waking state do not exist. Being completely free from gross objects, the mind of clear light mixes with emptiness in space-like meditative equipoise. With respect to this mind, all phenomena are of one taste in space-like emptiness. Thus it is said that this mind is inseparable from the ultimate nature of all phenomena.
The mind that is described as ultimate bodhichitta in Sutra is not an actual ultimate bodhichitta because it still has subtle dualistic appearances. Therefore, to attain actual ultimate bodhichitta we need to engage in Secret Mantra practices. Once we understand how the mind of ultimate bodhichitta is inseparable from the nature of all phenomena, we will understand the real nature of the Guru. The actual Guru is definitive Vajradhara, or definitive Heruka. Vajradhara is sometimes called ‘kyab dag’ in Tibetan, which means ‘pervading all natures’. This means that the ultimate bodhichitta that is Guru Vajradhara’s Truth Body is inseparable from the nature of all phenomena. To appreciate this fully we also need to understand how the two truths are the same nature. This is more difficult to understand than emptiness itself because it is harder to abandon the mind grasping the two truths as separate entities than it is to abandon self-grasping. Bodhisattvas who have attained the union of meaning clear light and the illusory body, for example, have abandoned the latter but not the former. Only Buddhas are completely free from grasping the two truths as separate entities.
According to the sadhana, ultimate bodhichitta is ‘beyond words, thoughts and expressions’. This is because ultimate bodhichitta is necessarily a direct experience of emptiness, free from conceptuality. It is said that someone who has a direct experience of emptiness cannot adequately describe this experience in words, but can only point to it by means of analogies. Even so, great beings such as Je Tsongkhapa are able to give very clear descriptions of emptiness. Thus Changkya Rolpai Dorje praises Je Tsongkhapa, saying:
Emptiness is said to be inexpressible, but you have described it as clearly as something seen with the eyes.
OFFERING OUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
The offering that delights our Spiritual Guide the most is putting his or her instructions into practice, which is why offering our spiritual practice is called an ‘unsurpassed offering’. Whenever we practise Lamrim, Lojong and the Vajrayana paths of Heruka and Vajrayogini, we are making a supreme offering.
There are seven special spiritual practices, presented in many Tantric sadhanas, that contain the very essence of Buddha’s teachings. These are: (1) purification, (2) accumulating merit, (3) ultimate bodhichitta, (4) Mahayana refuge, (5) aspiring bodhichitta, (6) engaging bodhichitta, and (7) dedication. Remembering that these practices are the supreme offering, we should integrate them into our daily life.
We can make these seven offerings to our Spiritual Guide with the prayer from the sadhana:
I go for refuge to the Three Jewels
And confess individually all negative actions.
I rejoice in the virtues of all beings
And promise to accomplish a Buddha’s enlightenment.
I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To Buddha, Dharma and the Supreme Assembly,
And to accomplish the aims of myself and others
I shall generate the mind of enlightenment.
Having generated the mind of supreme enlightenment,
I shall invite all sentient beings to be my guests
And engage in the pleasing, supreme practices of enlightenment.
May I attain Buddhahood to benefit migrators.
These verses appear in many ritual sadhanas of both the lower and higher Tantras. The following explanation of the meaning of this prayer is given according to Highest Yoga Tantra. This prayer includes the essential practices necessary for making progress in our Mahayana training.
The meaning of the first two lines is that we need to purify our negativities by relying upon the Three Jewels. The third line indicates that we need to accumulate merit by rejoicing in all the special realizations and virtuous actions of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and other beings. With the fourth line we promise to accomplish the actual quick path to enlightenment, ultimate bodhichitta, the spontaneous great bliss that realizes emptiness directly, which is the very essence of Highest Yoga Tantra.
To engage successfully in the advanced practices for generating ultimate bodhichitta, meaning clear light, we first need to establish the firm foundation of the common paths. These are taught in the next two verses. The first two lines of the second verse, ‘I go for refuge until I am enlightened to Buddha, Dharma and the Supreme Assembly’, reveal Mahayana refuge. The next two lines, ‘And to accomplish the aims of myself and others I will generate the mind of enlightenment’, reveal aspiring bodhichitta. The third verse reveals engaging bodhichitta. To accomplish ultimate bodhichitta and great enlightenment we then need to engage in the meditations on generation stage and completion stage.
With the third verse we promise that, having generated and maintained bodhichitta, we will engage in the pleasing, supreme practices of enlightenment – the practices of the six perfections; and that having completed this training we will invite all living beings to our Buddha Land to enjoy the happiness of liberation. When we make this promise, we are generating engaging bodhichitta and we are taking the Bodhisattva vows. From this moment on, we should practise the six perfections sincerely and dedicate all our daily activities towards the happiness of others. The practice of dedication is revealed by the last line of the prayer. We then constantly pray every day with the following words from the sadhana:
May everyone be happy,
May everyone be free from misery,
May no one ever be separated from their happiness,
May everyone have equanimity, free from hatred and attachment.
A detailed explanation of the remaining limbs of the seven-limbed prayer – confession, rejoicing, beseeching the Spiritual Guide not to pass away, requesting the turning of the Wheel of Dharma and dedication – can be found in other books such as Joyful Path of Good Fortune and Heart Jewel.
OFFERING THE MANDALA
The practice of mandala offerings is very popular amongst practitioners of Mahayana Buddhism and is regarded as a very important practice. It is said that those who sincerely make mandala offerings will never experience poverty in this or future lives. Through her practice of making mandala offerings to Avalokiteshvara, the fully ordained nun Bhikshuni Palmo received a direct vision of the Buddha of Compassion. Through the practice of mandala offerings, Atisha received the blessings and a direct vision of Arya Tara, and Je Tsongkhapa received direct visions of all the enlightened beings in the Lamrim Field of Merit. After Je Tsongkhapa had passed away, Khedrubje, through his practice of making mandala offerings to Je Tsongkhapa, received a direct vision of him five times. These events demonstrate that the practice of mandala offerings is a powerful method for purifying our mind.
In Guhyasamaja Tantra Vajradhara says:
Those who wish for attainments
Should mentally and skilfully fill this universe
With the seven precious objects.
By offering them every day,
Their wishes will be fulfilled.
This verse teaches the mandala offering. Although it explicitly mentions only seven points, implicitly it refers to the full thirty-seven-point mandala.
It is important for practitioners to obtain a traditional mandala set, which consists of a base, three rings and a top jewel. The base and rings are used to support heaps of rice, or some other grain, which represent the various features of the mandala. Such simple things may seem useless to those who do not know their significance, but they can be very valuable in the hands of a practitioner who knows how to use them to accumulate a vast collection of merit.
To construct the thirty-seven-point mandala, we first take a little rice in our left hand and hold the mandala base with that hand. With our right hand we scoop up more rice and sprinkle a little onto the base. With the inside of our right wrist we rub the base three times clockwise, which symbolizes purification of the universal ground. As a result all rocky and uneven ground becomes smooth and level, and all our delusions are purified. We then rub the base three times counter-clockwise and imagine that all the blessings of the body, speech and mind of all the Buddhas gather into us. We think that the whole ground has been blessed and we recite the mantra for blessing the ground: OM VAJRA BHUMI AH HUM. We then sprinkle the rice that remains in our right hand onto the base and visualize the ground throughout the entire universe transforms into a pure golden ground.
While reciting OM VAJRA REKHE AH HUM we now put the largest ring on the base and, in a clockwise direction, pour a ring of rice inside it to symbolize the precious iron fence. We then place a heap of rice in the centre of the ring to symbolize Mount Meru, visualizing it as a huge mountain made of precious jewels. We then place another heap of rice in the east, the part of the mandala base nearest to us, to symbolize the eastern continent. Proceeding clockwise around the ring, we place heaps of rice in the three remaining cardinal directions to symbolize the southern, western and northern continents.
We then place eight small heaps of rice to symbolize the eight sub-continents. Beginning with the eastern continent and proceeding in a clockwise direction, we place one heap a little to the left and one a little to the right of each continent.
We then place four small heaps of rice inside the eastern, southern, western and northern continents to symbolize respectively the mountain of jewels, the wish-granting tree, the wish-granting cow and the unsown harvest. We imagine that there are countless continents and sub-continents, each possessing their own special wealth of resources and riches.
We now put the second ring on top of the rice and place a heap of rice clockwise in each of the cardinal directions – east, south, west and north – to symbolize respectively the precious wheel, the precious jewel, the precious queen and the precious minister. We then place a heap of rice clockwise in each of the intermediate directions – south-east, south-west, north-west and north-east – to symbolize respectively the precious elephant, the precious supreme horse, the precious general and the great treasure vase. We imagine countless numbers of each of these filling all of space. Again we place heaps of rice clockwise in each of the four cardinal directions – east, south, west and north – to symbolize the goddess of beauty, the goddess of garlands, the goddess of song and the goddess of dance; and then clockwise in each of the four intermediate directions – south-east, south-west, north-west and north-east – to symbolize the goddess of flowers, the goddess of incense, the goddess of light and the goddess of scent. We imagine that there are countless offering gods and goddesses filling space.
We now put the third ring on top of the rice and place a heap of rice in the east for the sun, one in the west for the moon, one in the south for the precious umbrella, and one in the north for the banner of victory. We imagine that all of space is filled with innumerable precious objects.
As we place the top jewel, which is the last thing we place on the mandala, we imagine an abundance of other precious jewels and resources enjoyed by both humans and gods. In the space above Mount Meru are the environments of the desire realm gods and above these are the form realms. These god realms transform into Pure Lands and the enjoyments of the gods become pure enjoyments.
Having constructed the mandala, we take a little rice in our right hand and hold the base with both hands. We imagine that all the innumerable world systems and everything contained within them have completely transformed into Pure Lands and pure enjoyments. We imagine that all these are present on the base in our hands, and yet the base does not increase in size and the universe does not become smaller. Just as a mirror can reflect huge mountains, or a small television screen can show images of entire cities, so we imagine that the mandala in our hands contains the entire universe. We concentrate single-pointedly on these countless pure worlds, enjoyments and beings, and with firm faith offer them all to our Gurus and the Buddhas.
While we construct this mandala, we recite the offering prayer from the sadhana. When we have recited the long mandala offering prayer we can continue, while still holding the base, to offer the twenty-three-point mandala. We do not need to construct a new mandala because the twenty-three precious objects are included among the precious objects of the thirty-seven-point mandala. The twenty-three precious objects are: Mount Meru, the four continents, the eight sub-continents, the seven precious objects (from the precious wheel up to the precious general), the treasure vase, the sun and the moon.
To offer the twenty-three-point mandala, we recite the verse from the sadhana:
O Treasure of Compassion, my Refuge and Protector,
I offer you the mountain, continents, precious objects, treasure vase, sun and moon,
Which have arisen from my aggregates, sources and elements
As aspects of the exalted wisdom of spontaneous bliss and emptiness.
With this verse we make outer, inner, secret and thatness mandala offerings. We offer the outer mandala by visualizing the mountain, continents, precious objects, treasure vase, sun and moon. We offer the inner mandala by mentally transforming our aggregates and elements into the form of the outer mandala. We offer the secret and thatness mandalas by imagining that our mind of indivisible bliss and emptiness transforms into the mandala. From the point of view of its having the nature of great bliss, the mandala is the secret mandala, and from the point of view of its being a manifestation of emptiness, it is the thatness mandala. If we wish to collect twenty-three-point mandalas as one of the great preliminary guides, we can construct them using the base, with or without the rings, and recite this verse.
Offering the mandala is the best method for freeing ourself from future poverty and for creating the cause of rebirth in a Buddha’s Pure Land. By making mandala offerings we lessen our attachment to worldly enjoyments and possessions and accumulate a vast collection of merit. As a result we experience a gradual increase of our enjoyments, wealth, and good conditions. Our temporary wishes are fulfilled and finally we will attain our ultimate goal, full enlightenment. If we wish to experience these benefits, we should familiarize ourself with the practice of offering the mandala.
Je Tsongkhapa was an enlightened being who did not need to accumulate merit, but to show a good example to other practitioners he offered a million mandalas during one of his long retreats in the south of central Tibet, in the cave called Ölga Chölung. For a base he used a flat stone, and through offering so many mandalas he rubbed the inside of his wrist until it was raw and bleeding.
If we are strongly attached to someone or something, we can imagine the object of our attachment on the mandala base, transform it into a pure object, and then offer it while praying, ‘May I be free from all attachment.’ In a similar way we can offer all the objects of our ignorance, anger, jealousy, pride, and so forth. While reciting the verse from the sadhana, we can offer all the objects of our delusions and pray to be free from those delusions.
To make mandala offerings as one of the great preliminary guides, we collect a hundred thousand mandala offerings. At the beginning of each session we offer a thirty-seven-point mandala, and we then collect seven-point mandalas. To construct and count seven-point mandala offerings we place a loosely threaded mala over the fingers of our left hand, take some rice in that hand, and then hold the mandala base with it. We then take some rice in our right hand and recite refuge and bodhichitta prayers while constructing the mandala. To do this we sprinkle a little rice on the base, and with the inside of the right wrist rub three times clockwise and three times counter-clockwise. We then place one heap of rice in the centre of the base, one in the east, one in the south, one in the west and one in the north, to symbolize Mount Meru and the four continents. We then place a heap of rice in the east for the sun and one in the west for the moon. We then take a little rice in our right hand and hold the base with both hands while reciting the following mandala offering prayer:
The ground sprinkled with perfume and spread with flowers,
The Great Mountain, four lands, sun and moon,
Seen as a Buddha Land and offered thus,
May all beings enjoy such Pure Lands.
IDAM GURU RATNA MANDALAKAM NIRYATAYAMI
After reciting the prayer, we tip the rice towards us into a cloth on our lap. This is counted as one mandala offering and so we move one bead along the mala. We make as many mandala offerings as we wish during each session. At the end of the session, we make a long mandala offering of thirty-seven points and then dedicate our merit.
RECEIVING THE BLESSINGS OF THE FOUR EMPOWERMENTS
By receiving the blessings of the four empowerments every day, we can purify our broken Tantric vows and commitments and maintain the special blessings that we received directly from our root Guru when he or she granted the empowerment. Through this, our meditation on generation stage and completion stage will progress successfully.
We first make requests to Guru Heruka to bestow the blessings of the four empowerments by reciting three times the verse from the sadhana:
O Guru Heruka, the nature of the Truth Body,
I seek no refuge other than you.
Please purify all negativities of my three doors,
And bless me to attain the four bodies of great bliss.
The ultimate blessings of the four empowerments are the attainment of the four bodies of a Buddha: the two Form Bodies, the Emanation Body and Enjoyment Body; and the two Truth Bodies, the Nature Body and Wisdom Truth Body. These attainments depend upon progress in generation stage and completion stage meditations, which in turn depends upon receiving and maintaining the special blessings of the four empowerments.
Receiving the blessings of the four empowerments has four parts:
1 Receiving the vase empowerment
2 Receiving the secret empowerment
3 Receiving the wisdom-mudra empowerment
4 Receiving the precious word empowerment
RECEIVING THE VASE EMPOWERMENT
We imagine that due to our request Guru Heruka emanates from his heart Vajravarahi and the four Yoginis, who hold precious vases filled with wisdom nectar. They grant us the vase empowerment by pouring the nectar through our crown. Our body is filled with wisdom nectar, and this purifies all the defilements and obstructions of our body. We imagine that we experience great bliss, and thus we receive the blessings of the vase empowerment.
If we experience even a slight feeling of bliss through imagining the wisdom nectars pouring from the precious vases through our crown, this bliss is the actual vase empowerment. This empowerment causes us to accomplish the realizations of generation stage and the Emanation Body of a Buddha. It is called the ‘vase empowerment’ because it is granted by using a vase.
RECEIVING THE SECRET EMPOWERMENT
We imagine that as Guru Heruka Father and Mother engage in union, all the Heroes, the male Tantric Buddhas, enter Heruka’s body through his mouth and melt into his white bodhichitta, the white drops; and all the Heroines, the female Tantric Buddhas, enter Vajravarahi’s body through her mouth and melt into her red bodhichitta, the red drops. These white and red drops unite at the tip of Guru Heruka’s sex organ, and Guru Heruka then places them on our tongue. Through tasting this secret substance, which is the nature of all the Heroes and Heroines, all the defilements and obstructions of our speech are purified. In particular, our channels, drops and inner winds are purified. We imagine that we experience great bliss, and thus we receive the blessings of the secret empowerment.
If we experience even a slight feeling of bliss through imagining that we taste the white and red bodhichittas of Guru Heruka Father and Mother, this bliss is the actual secret empowerment. This empowerment causes us to accomplish the completion stage realization of illusory body, called the ‘realization of conventional truth’, and the Enjoyment Body of a Buddha. It is called the ‘secret empowerment’ because it is granted by using a secret substance.
RECEIVING THE WISDOM-MUDRA EMPOWERMENT
We imagine that a knowledge woman, who is an emanation of Vajravarahi, appears in front of us. Guru Heruka introduces her to us, saying:
This is a supremely qualified knowledge consort for you. By relying upon her, you should accomplish the Union of Buddha for the benefit of all living beings.
We promise to do this, and the emanation woman is delighted. We recall that no phenomenon exists from its own side and, by concentrating on this firm knowledge, we dissolve all our ordinary appearances into emptiness. From the state of emptiness we generate ourself as Heruka with a blue-coloured body, four faces and twelve arms, embracing our consort Vajravarahi, who has a red-coloured body, one face and two arms; and we engage in union. Through this, our bodhichitta melts. As it descends from our crown to our throat we experience joy, as it descends from our throat to our heart we experience supreme joy, as it descends from our heart to our navel we experience extraordinary joy, and as it descends from our navel to the tip of our sex organ we imagine that we are experiencing spontaneous great bliss inseparable from emptiness. At this point we have received the blessings of the wisdom-mudra empowerment.
If we experience any of the four joys through concentrating in the way described above, this is the actual wisdom-mudra empowerment. This empowerment purifies all the defilements and obstructions of our mind and causes us to accomplish the completion stage realization of meaning clear light, called the ‘realization of ultimate truth’, and the Truth Body of a Buddha. It is called the ‘wisdom-mudra empowerment’ because it is granted by our Guru giving us a wisdom mudra. In this context the term ‘mudra’ means Tantric consort. A wisdom mudra is a Tantric consort who is a manifestation of omniscient wisdom, whereas a knowledge woman (Tib. rigma) is a woman who is a Tantric consort.
RECEIVING THE PRECIOUS WORD EMPOWERMENT
In this empowerment, Guru Heruka gives us a special instruction on what the Union of No More Learning is and how to attain it. We imagine that we hear the following words directly:
When you received the third empowerment, the wisdom-mudra empowerment, you generated your body as Heruka’s body. This is an imagined divine body. You also generated your mind as Heruka’s mind, an imagined Deity mind. Finally, through continual practice of this meditation you will attain the actual body and mind of Heruka, the resultant union of the illusory body and the mind of great bliss and emptiness of a Buddha. This is the Union of No More Learning, the final goal.
Through hearing these words, we imagine that we experience great bliss, and through this we receive the blessings of the precious word empowerment.
If we experience a feeling of joy through imagining that we hear Guru Heruka’s words, this is the actual word empowerment. This empowerment purifies all the defilements and obstructions of our body, speech and mind together, and causes us to accomplish the union of Buddha Vajradhara’s body and mind. It is called the ‘word empowerment’ because it is granted by instructions in the form of words.
REQUESTING THE LINEAGE GURUS
In the auspicious prayers in the sadhana, it says:
May there be the auspiciousness of a great treasury of blessings
Arising from the excellent deeds of all the root and lineage Gurus,
Who have accomplished the supreme attainment of Buddha Heruka
By relying upon the excellent, secret path of the King of Tantras.
As mentioned above, this prayer reveals that all the lineage Gurus of these instructions, from Ghantapa up to Vajradhara Trijang Losang Yeshe Rinpoche, are actual examples of practitioners who have attained the Union of Buddha Heruka through the practice of Heruka body mandala. We now rejoice deeply in their lives and accomplishments, and make a strong determination to follow their example. With strong faith we recite the request prayers from the sadhana, in particular requesting the lineage Gurus to bestow their blessings so that we too can attain the Union of Buddha Heruka’s holy body and mind, and thereby benefit all living beings without exception.
ACCOMPLISHING SPONTANEOUS GREAT BLISS BY DISSOLVING THE GURU INTO OURSELF
As a result of our sincere requests, we imagine that all the other holy beings in the Field of Merit melt into light, gather from the edges, and dissolve into our root Guru Heruka, the Principal of the Field of Merit. Out of affection for us, our root Guru develops the wish to unite with us, and from our side too we strongly wish for this to happen. Then we imagine that Guru Heruka becomes smaller from below and above, diminishes to the size of a thumb, enters our crown, and descends through our central channel to our heart, where he mixes inseparably with our root mind. Since the essence of Guru Heruka is the wisdom of spontaneous great bliss, we think, ‘Through mixing my root mind with Guru Heruka, my mind transforms into spontaneous great bliss.’ We meditate single-pointedly on this experience of spontaneous great bliss for as long as possible.
Darikapa
