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Intent: To Recognize Mind’s Nature

Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche

Kunzang Tuktig belongs to the Great Perfection, and, therefore, its exclusive focus is on recognizing mind-essence. That is the entire intent. The sadhana involving the one hundred peaceful and wrathful sugatas is a very precious and profound support for that. The mandala of peaceful and wrathful deities includes any possible yidam, the Three Jewels, the Three Roots, the deities of the three kayas, and so forth, in myriad ways. They are not something different from the inner core of our basic nature. Often they are called the deities naturally dwelling in the mandala of one’s vajra body. In other words, through this practice and training, we realize the various aspects of our basic nature.

That is the support of this practice, which is not limited to a retreat situation or a certain stretch of time. This practice of Kunzang Tuktig is a sufficient path for our entire life; it is not something we finish after a while.

It is not like that at all; it is for our entire life. Yidam practice means something we bring into our life in any situation, at any moment, not only when we’re sitting down. Therefore, the Kunzang Tuktig is something you bring along, whether you sit or walk, in whatever you are doing. Don’t have the idea that you should stop after a set number of recitations. On the contrary, continue it for your entire life. You may not count in the same way or do the practice with the same number of sessions, but still it would be excellent to do the sadhana at least once a day for your entire life and to do a certain number of recitations in that session.

This is such a profound support, because it contains all the different aspects of Vajrayana practice. Since it belongs to Dzogchen, you’re not limited by a material situation; you also have what is mentally created—both materially present as well as mentally created. So the offerings, the praises, all the different aspects you usually find in the Seven Branches—prostrating, apologizing, making offerings, rejoicing, requesting to turn the wheel of dharma, beseeching not to pass into nirvana, and dedicating the merit for all beings—you can train in all these on a mental level. You don’t need to have something materially present, and the same is true for all the other aspects of the sadhana that are the support.

To do this practice is an immense great fortune, because the tantras are contained in Mahayoga, which is contained in the scriptures of Anu Yoga, and these are contained in the pith instructions of Ati Yoga. Ati Yoga is contained within the sadhana practice, and the sadhana is contained within the daily, personal application. Mahayoga has an incredibly extensive and profound scope or perspective, which is primarily presented in the eighteen tantras of Mahayoga. Anu Yoga has the four major or grand scriptures. Ati Yoga has the seventeen Dzogchen tantras, in addition to the tantra of The Brilliant Expanse of the Blazing Sun of Samantabhadri and a nineteenth one, The Tröma Nagmo Tantra of Ekajati. That is the perspective of Ati Yoga, but all of that is included within one sadhana text, and the sadhana text is embodied in one’s personal application. To practice a sadhana text such as Kunzang Tuktig as a daily sadhana accumulates immense merit and will purify a vast amount of obscurations. It is a great fortune.

When the buddhas teach, they teach in various ways adapted to the different types of recipients. When the recipients are shravakas, it is not possible for the buddhas to teach the three principles of deity, mantra, and samadhi. They are not taught to the pratyekabuddha type either. To some extent, these three principles are taught, but not completely, to Mahayana type people. Only the Vajrayana has two main aspects, called the outer and inner tantras. The outer tantras—Kriya, Upa, and Yoga—do not give the complete teaching either. The divine principles are introduced, but in Kriya Yoga they always appear as superior to oneself, and one is an inferior ordinary being. In other words, the deity is like a king, and one is like a subject, with an emphasis on the purity of the deity. In Upa, the perspective changes slightly, where the deity becomes like an older brother. In the Yoga Tantra, one is equal to the deity, but it is still dualistic.

In the inner tantras, the perspective is radically different. From the very onset, everything is all-encompassing purity. In other words, this body in itself is a mandala of the victorious ones, in the sense that the five aggregates, in their pure nature, are the five male buddhas. The five elements are the five female buddhas. The sense bases², (ayatanas), the consciousnesses, and their objects are the male and female bodhisattvas, and so forth. The nirmanakaya quality of disturbing emotions, symbolized by the arrival of the buddhas into this world in different realms, is also included. Buddha Shakyamuni, for example, is one of thousands of nirmanakaya buddhas of this aeon, but only in one of the six realms.

In the mandala of the forty-two peaceful deities, all the buddhas of the six realms are represented. In total, there are forty-two peaceful forms. Right now, even without the sadhana, this mandala of deities is present. The mandala of forty-two peaceful deities is present within our own heart; the wrathful forms of these are present inside our skull, within what is called the “bone mansion.” In our throat is the mandala of the pure vidyadharas with consorts. In our navel chakra is Vajra Yogini, and in the secret chakra is Vajra Kilaya—not just as a single deity but surrounded by the mandala of the eaters, slayers, sons, and dancers, seventy-two altogether. This is what is called the “original mandala of the victorious ones, the mandala of the human body.” This is the extraordinary aspect of Vajrayana.

Vajrayana, in short, is characterized as having an abundance of methods with minor hardships and being suited to people of sharper faculties. This is why Vajrayana is extraordinary. When condensing all the extensive and profound principles into the very basics, then all the mandalas of all deities are included within the sole indivisible unity of emptiness and cognizance. Training in that as the main principle is what will allow you to accomplish all buddhas. Our experience is comprised of two basic aspects, mind and objects, or phenomena. Mind, the doer, is Samantabhadra; objects, the deed, are in essence the female buddha, Samantabhadri. These two represent the nonduality of emptiness and experience, which itself is the primary source, the root of all tantric deities.

The fact that everything perceived, all sights, are of divine nature, is called all appearances are the deity; whatever is heard, all sounds have the nature of mantra; and all activity of mind has the nature of awakened state, samadhi. Bringing this to mind, reminding oneself of this, is to acknowledge things to be as they are. That is the main principle of Vajrayana. But this is relating to things in an external way. Internally, we focus on the main training of recognizing the undivided empty cognizance, which is in fact the three kayas of the awakened state. In this way, the special quality of Vajrayana is to not have any separation between inside and outside in the training of development and completion; in the training of deity, mantra, and samadhi; and in the recognition of mind-essence as the three kayas.

When you actually chant it, start with the supplication to the lineage masters, refuge, and bodhichitta all the way down to the mantra, ending with the verse of auspiciousness. Learn how to do the tunes and the traditional application. It is pretty simple.

Vajrayana is also represented as the “four great gates”³. The first is the gate of mudras, the second is the gate of offerings, the third is the gate of recitation, and the fourth is the gate of samadhi. These are extremely important. When looking at a person who knows these four gates and can manifest or apply them, it seems like a lot of childish play. Practitioners move their hands in the air, carry stuff around, sing different tunes, recite verses and mantras, wear hats and costumes, and so forth. All this looks like childish play, and some people find it extremely superficial and beside the point, whereas the “real thing” is to look into mind-essence. Anyone who says this lacks real understanding, because it is incredibly significant. All four gates are important. Never regard them as pointless or insignificant. It is said that if the three yogas are disconnected from the melodious tunes, the tradition of Vajrayana will fade away and vanish.

One may wonder, “What is the use of practicing a sadhana like the Kunzang Tuktig? What is the benefit?” Actually, the words one says aloud are all reminders of the great, naturally existing mandala of deity, mantra, and samadhi. There are no other words than those, and they are all significant. It is an incredibly practical way to embody the intent of the inner tantras as the sadhana application.