17 - Chapter 9 PDF

CHAPTER IX
THE SECRET
MANTRA VEHICLE
CHAPTER IX
THE SECRET MANTRA VEHICLE
A. The Secret Mantra Vehicle552)
Atisa says that the Secret Mantra Vehicle belongs to the greatest
Mahayana and it is far more superior to Wisdom Perfection Vehicle.
Concerning the authoritative expression of Mantra Vehicle, Atlsa quotes
Acarya Tripitakamala's Lamp for the Three Modes:
"The teachings on Mantra are far more distinguished

When mastered by those of supreme capacities,
Because of the many methods without austerity
Provided the one and only aim is kept, unobscured."553)
Though Atisa and Tripitakamala say that the Secret Mantra Vehicle is
superior to Wisdom Perfection Vehicle, but their genuine intention is
not so. When we see from the viewpoint of generating an aspiration to
the highest enlightenment for the welfare of all living beings is not
different. Because the practitioners equally practise by way of Mantra
and the Perfection Vehicle in order to accomplish complete buddhahood
for the benefit of others. Therefore there is no difference of superiority
and inferiority in the enlightenment itself that they seek. The only
552) Mantra Vehicle (skt. mantrayana, tib. sngags kyi theg pa) contrast it with the Sutrayana,
Vehicle of the Sutras, or with Paramita as the other main branch of the Mahayana. An
alternative title is Vajrayana, 'Diamond Vehicle', 'diamond' symbolizing the unchangeable,
indestructible, non-dual nature of the ultimate reality, identification with which is the aim of
the student of each system. The origins of the Mantrayana seem to be datable to about the
6th century.
553) Lamp for the Three Modes (skt. Nayatrayapradlpa, tib. Tshul gsum gyi sgron ma) Ot.
4530, Vol. 8V 115.2. (Toh. 3707).
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difference between Perfection Vehicle and Mantra Vehicle is the use of
methods. The Mantra Vehicle uses many methods without austerity, so
the practitioners of Secret Mantra can accomplish the perfect
buddhahood effortlessly and quickly.
According to the Dalai Lama XIV, a Bodhisattva depends on Perfection

Vehicle, then he spends at least three countless eons on the paths of
accumulation, preparation, seeing, and meditation and finally reaches the
tenth level, but in order to remove the subtle small obstructions to
omniscience he still must enter the Secret Mantra Vehicle. If he were
fully qualified and had entered the Vajra vehicle from the beginning, he
would have been able to attain Buddhahood in just one life time.
Because tantra is the quick path for those who are fit vessels, but not
for those who cannot bear the difficulties of the long path. The
practice of tantra requires even greater compassion and greater
intelligence than are required by the sutra path. Tantra is limited to
persons whose compassion is so great that they cannot bear long time
in attaining Buddhahood, as they want to be a supreme source of help
and happiness for others quickly.554)
The Secret Mantra Vehicle is secret because it is attained secretly

through the direct teaching of the guru and in hiding and is not taught
to those with inferior capacities. Because there is difference between
the capacity of superior individual and inferior individual. The inferior
capacity can not understand correctly the profound meaning of tantra
and various methods. If they have misunderstanding of tantra and
perform themselves without correct teaching of the guru, it is seriously
dangerous. Therefore, Atlsa strongly emphasizes that in order to
practise Mantra Vehicle one must first generate the thought of
554) Jeffrey Hopkins, op. cit., pp. 111-2.
278
enlightenment in the ultimate sense, and should have correct
understanding of the three main aspects of the path to complete
enlightenment. The first is the thought to leave cyclic existence, the
second is the aspiration to perfect enlightenment for the good of all
living beings, and the last is the correct view of emptiness.
1. The Definition of Secret Mantra Vehicle
According to the Shraddhakaravarma's Introduction to the Meaning

of Highest Yoga Tantras,555) there are two kinds of Bodhisattva
Vehicles, the Cause Vehicle of grounds and perfections and an Effect
Vehicle of Secret Mantra.556) Tsong kha pa says that the Secret
Mantra Vehicle or Effect Vehicle or Vajra Vehicle are synonyms of the
Mantra Vehicle.557)
With regard to the Secret Mantra Vehicle, the Guhyasamajatantra

chap. XVIII says as follows:
"Whatsoever mind arises in dependence on sense organs and

sense objects, that mind is explained as the 'man', the 'tra'
in the meaning of its salvation. Whatever pledge and vow
said to be free from worldly conduct has protection by all
the vajras, that is explained as the mantra practice."558)
555) Introduction to the Meaning of the Highest Yoga Tantras (skt. Yoganuttaratantra-
thavatarasarjigraha, tib. rNal 'byor bla med pa'i rgyud kyi don la 'jug pa bsdus pa) Ot. 4536.
Vol 81. 154.5.7. (Toh. 3717)
556) Tsong kha pa, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Tantra in Tibet (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987),
p. 105.
557) Ibid.,
558) pratltyotpadyate yad yad indriyair viayair manah. tanmano man-itikhyatarn trakararn
trananarthatah// lokacarvinirmuktairi yad uktarn samayasambaram/ palanaki srvavajrais tu
mantracaiyeti kathyate// Quoted from Alex Wayman, Yoga of the Guhyasamajatantra
279 -
The path of Vajra Vehicle is distinguished by the realization of the
indestructible reality of buddha's body, speech and mind at the subtlest
energy level. This Vajra Vehicle is also called Mantra Vehicle because
proceeding in this path ensures the protection of the mind from
dualistic perceptions and conceptions. This vehicle has more skillful
means than the Perfection Vehicle, so is also called the Method
Vehicle.
Jnasri says in his Eradication of the Two Extremes:559) as follows:
"Because of indivisibility, it is the Vajra Vehicle. Because

just the effect becomes the path, it is the Effect Vehicle.
Because of the greatness of its methods, it is the Method
Vehicle. Because of its extreme secrecy, it is the Secret
Vehicle."560)
The Perfection Vehicle and Mantra Vehicle both pursue the path to
buddhahood, but the Mantra Vehicle depends upon the tantric texts and
their underlying three continua of ground, path and result. Generally
speaking, the Secret Mantra Vehicle is superior to Sutra Vehicle due to
its four perfect purities. These are, the perfect purity of abode, body,
resources and deeds. By naturally dissolving into emptiness all
perceptions and conceptions of ordinariness, in relation to the abode,
body, resources and deeds, the practitioner integrates the experience of
the resultant buddhahood while on the path.^SD
(Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1991), p. 58. See also, Tsong kha pa, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins,
Tantra in Tibet (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987), p. 106.
559) Eradication of the Two Extremes in the Vajra Vehicle (skt. Vajrayanakotidvayapoha,
tib. rDo rje theg pa'i mtha' gnyis sel ba) Ot. 4537, Vol. 81, 159: 3.7. (Toh. 3714)
560) Tsong kha pa, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, op. cit. p. 108.
280 -
Tsong kha pa also cites Vimalaprabha's Stainless Light in his the
Great Exposition of Secret Mantra as under:
"The Vajra is the great indivisible and unbreakable. That is

the Mahayana; this Mahayana is precisely the Vajrayana. It
is a union as one taste of the Mantra-way having the nature
of the effect or fruit and the Prajna-paramita-way having
the nature of the cause."562)
2. The Meaning of Mantra
According to Hevajra Tantra, mantra is so called because it recalls

(manana) the supreme essence and because it saves (trana) living
beings. Mantra is the supreme enlightened consciousness.
The different mantras, beginning with oiji followed by other syllables,
are called mantras because they issue from the enlightened
consciousness.563)
Herbert V. Guenther says that the word mantra comes from the noun
manas and the verbal root tra which means "to protect." The full
explanation runs as follows:
manastranabhutatvad mantram ity ucyate
561) Graham Coleman, op. cit., p. 392.

562) rdo rje ni mi phyed pa dang mid chod pa chen po yin la de nyid theg pa chen po yin pa
ni rdo rje theg pa ste/ sngag kyi tshul dang pha rol tu phyin pa'i tshul 'bras bu dang
rgyu'i bdag nyid gcig tu 'dres par gyur pa'o. Alex Wayman, Yoga of the
Guhyasamajatantra (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1991) p. 58. See, Tsong kha pa, tr. Jeffrey
Hopkins, Tantra in Tibet (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987), p. 107.
563) G.W, Farrow & I. Menon, The Concealed Essence of the Hevajra Tantra (Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1992), p. 25.
281
("Since it has become a protection of mind it is called
mantra")
Mantra is usually associated with certain syllables or combinations of

syllables. It is completely wrong to try to read a meaning into these
syllables as with ordinary words. This goes exactly counter to the
purpose of mantra, which is to protect the mind from straying away
into habitual fictions. These fictions are very much tied up with words.
The function of mantra is to preclude the tendency of the mind to, so
to speak, flow downward.564) Hence mantra literally means protection of
the mind. Another meaning of man is said to be knowledge of
suchness and traya to be compassion that protects sentient beings in
cyclic existence. The fundamental meaning of mantra here is the
protection of the mind from the overwhelming influence of the
protections and conceptions. Such ordinary perceptions and conceptions
give rise to deluded states of existence, thus inhibiting the full
expression of the buddhanature. Overcoming ordinary perceptions and
conceptions in tantra are accomplished through the development of the
perceptions and identity of oneself as a deity, a practice known as
deity yoga. Through repeated reciting of mantra the tantric
practitioners can forge their karma into the meditational deities and
internalize the divine qualities into themselves.565) As above mentioned,
mantra is a synonym of tantra and it denotes a special practice of
spiritual training concerning the above features. More specifically,
mantra refers to the pure sound which is the perfected speech of an
enlightened being. Mantras consist of the letters from A to Ka; these
mantras are called bija (seed). A bija-mantra is obtained by the
564) Herbert V. Guenther & Chogyam Trungpa, The Dawn of Tantra (Boston: Shambhala,
2003), p. 63.
565) See, John Powers, op. cit, pp. 230-233.
282
disciple from his preceptor (acarya) at the time of initiation; it
symbolizes the form of the desired deity. Because a seed is sown in a
soil which is cultivated, cleaned and watered. Likewise, the bija-mantra
is put into the disciple's heart which is pure, and has been drenched
by the water of deity's mercy.566) Through reciting and visualizing the
bija-mantra the practitioner can transform the mundane sound into
buddha-speech effectively.567)
3. The Preliminary Practices
To practise Secret Mantra Vehicle one should prepare preliminary

practices which purify the various hindrances and defilements of body,
speech, and mind. But how? Through elimination of hindrances that
would interfere with successful practice. These practices help to
produce a beneficial positive energy, or merit, that will lead to
realizations of the more progressive practices in one's mind. This
procedure of purifying and accumulating merit and knowledge can be
compared to the way in which a farmer prepares a field for cultivation,
first eliminating the rocks and weeds that would hinder growth and
then nurturing the soil with water, fertilizer, and the like. Just as such
preparations guarantee an abundant harvest likewise the proper practice
of the preliminaries guarantee effective Secret Mantra Vehicle practic
e.568) There are four preliminaries for cultivating Mantra Vehicle.
(1) Taking refuge in the Three Jewels and generating bodhicitta in

order to accomplish the Buddhahood
(2) Making mandala offerings in order to accumulate merit
566) S.C. Banerji, Tantra in Bengal (Delhi: Manohar, 1992) p. 11.
568) Geshe Kelsang Gatso, Clear Light of Bliss (Delhi' Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), p. 11.
283
(3) Meditation and recitation of the practitioner's own protective
deity, in order to purify negative activities and downfalls
(4) Practicing guru yoga569) in order to receive blessings.
4. The Tantric Rituals and Powers
[60] Through activities of appeasement and prosperity

And so forth, achieved by the power of mantra.
And also by the force of the eight great attainments
Starting with that of good vase, and others,5'70)
Atisa says that there are eight kinds of tantric ritual for domination
and destruction, for appeasement and prosperity and so forth, but he
lists just the four kinds of ritual in common. They are:
(1) Appeasement57i)
The activity of appeasement involves pacifying disease and obstacles.
(2) Prosperity572)
569) The essence of guru yoga is that a disciple perceives his guru as a Buddha, and becomes
one with the entity of the guru. This method is the actualizing of the Buddha nature in
oneself, by virtue of realizing the non-duality of oneself and the guru.
570) sngags mthu nyid las grub pa yi
zhi dang rgyas sogs las mams kyis
bum pa bzang grub la sogs pa
grub chen brgyad sogs stobs kyis kyang (stanza 60)
571) Appeasement (skt. santikam, tib. zhi bu)
572) Prosperity' (skt. pau^fikam, tib. rgyas pa)
284 -
The activity of Prosperity involves increasing life-span, healthy body,
vigorous acts, wealth and beneficial qualities.
(3) Controlling573)
The activity of controlling is the exercise of control by attracting

anything that is needed.
(4) Destruction574)
The activity of destruction is used towardss those who are still

damaging and cannot be restrained in any other way.575)
Through these actions one can attain the eight great powers such as
the good vase and others. They are:
(1) Good vase power576)

(2) Fleetness of foot577)
(3) Sword578)
(4) Commander579)
573) Controlling (skt. vasl-karanam, tib. dban du byed pa)

574) Destruction (skt. abhicarikam, tib. drag shul spyod, mngon spyod)
575) About these four rites, see, Geshe Sonam Rinchen, op. cit., p. 131. According to S.C.
Banerji, these eight kinds of siddhi are attained by reciting special mantras. They are: (1)
killing (marana); (2) causing expulsion or mental agitation of the enemy (uccatana); (3)
rendering the efforts of enemy abortive or causing paralysis to his body (stambhana); (4)
causing delusion or bewilderment in the enemy (mohana); (5) appeasement of hostile deities
(santika); (6) increasing physical vigour (pautika); (7) attracting others (akr$ti); and (8)
controlling others (vasa). S.C. Banerji, Tantra in Bengal (Delhi: Manohar pub, 1992), p. 81.
576) Good vase (skt. gola-bhadra, tib. bum pa bzang po).
577) Fleetness of foot (skt. padalepa, tib. rkand mgyogs).
578) Sword (skt. khadga, tib. ral gril).
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(5) Underworld580)
(6) Invisibilityssi)
(7) Wishing-tree582)
(8) Royalty583)
Atlsa enumerates the other eight powers which are associated with the
ritual that put an end to anything. They are eye ointment, pills, flying
in the sky, showering grain, making many shapes by a conjured
mustard-seed, supernatural power by augury, and the four miraculous
powers.584) Through mantra reciting and concentration one can attain
these eight mahasiddhis and also complete the two accumulations of
merit and wisdom, easily and quickly. Atisa's saying here, however, is
that these rituals can be performed only after being properly initiated
by a qualified spiritual teacher.585)
B. Classification of Tantra
1. The Meaning of Tantra
According to S.C. Banerji, there are various interpretations of the term

tantra. He introduces some ideals of the term which have been
579) Commander (skt. preaka, tib. mngag gzhug).
580) Underworld (skt. patala-siddhi, tdb. sa 'og).
581) Invisibility (skt. antardhana, tib. mi snang ba).
582) Wishing-tree (skt. kalpa vrksa, tib. dpag bsam gyi shing).
583) Royalty (skt. rajya, tib. rgyal srid). There are various accounting of the eight great
powers in Hindu Yoga and Buddhist tantras. These eight great powers are described in the
Buddhist tantra such as Sadhana-mala, Abdhayakaragupta's Kurukullasadhana. See, Alex
Wayman, op. cit., pp. 220-1, n. 13.
584) These four miraculous powers are desire to do so, diligence in practice, thought, and
examination.
585) BMP, pp. 280-283.
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suggested:
(1) Essence of a thing (satapatha Brahmana)

(2) A special set of doctrines, practices, mystic syllables, occultism,
and so forth
(3) Derived from root tan, it means that which spreads or extends
knowledge
(4) Derived from the above root, it menas a sastra which extends
upon tattvas and mantras
(5) Derived from tanu (body), it is so called as it saves the body
through yogic practices.
(6) Derived from root trai (to save), it means a sastra which saves
its followers
(7) Derived by some from root tantri (to explain) or tatri
(to understand).586)
In Tibetan Buddhism, the Sanskrit term tantra and its equal Tibetan
rgyud literally mean a continuum or unbroken stream flowing from
ignorance to enlightenment.587) Tantra has two fundamental meanings
in Buddhism - it refers to the practice systems of ground, path and
result,588) and to the tantric texts which emphasizing cognitive
transformation through visualization, symbols, and rites in the four
classes of tantra.589)
586) S,C. Banerji, op. cit., p. 1.

587) Graham Coleman, op. cit. pp. 391-2
588) In relation to the continuum of ground, path and result or effect, see, Tsong kha pa, tr.
Jeffrey Hopkins, op. cit., pp. 105-110.
589) Tsong kha pa also deals with the four tantras in his Tantra in Tibet, op. cit., pp.
151-164.
- 287 -
2. The Chronological Division of Tantra
The origins of the Mantrayana are datable to about the 6th century.
The Japanese tradition is that the Mantrayana doctrine was deposited
in a pagoda in South India by Vajrasattva, on the instructions of the
Buddha, until men capable of understanding it should appear.
Nagarjuna eventually opened the pagoda, was consecrated by
Vajrasattva and spread this doctrine. Taranatha holds that the tantras
began to appear in the world of men at the same time as the
Mahayana sutras but that the kriya and carya tantras were handed
down in great secrecy and so unknown except to those actually
engaged in their practice.
As regards chronology and country of origin it can be divided into the

four groups of tantras. In about the 6th and 7th centuries we may
place the composition of the Guhyasamaja, Vajraîkhara,
Sarvatathagatatattvasaipgraha and Mahavairocana. The place of
origin of this group may, since it is connected with Nagarjuna and
Nagabodhi and the South, have been in Andhra, that great creative
centre of Mahayana movements, or Kaliriga. A little later, perhaps
about the early 8th century, Cakrasaipvara, Vajrabhairava and
Manju^nmula, of which the last seem to have been written in the
North, the next group, the series beginning with the Raktayamari and
Hevajra. These appeared between 750 A.D. and 850 A.D. and several
of them are clearly represented as originating in Uddiyana (whose
kings were adepts in these tantras), which evidently was the major
centre of the Mantrayana in the 8th century. At the beginning of the
11th century the Kalacakra tantra represents a new phase sometimes
even dignified with the title of a new vehicle, the Kalacakrayana. It
appears to have originated in Andhra, since the Buddha is stated to
- 288
have spoken it at Dhanyakataka.590)
3. Seven Classes of Tantra
[61] It is maintained that the accumulation for

Enlightenment is perfected with ease:
And if one wants to practise secret mantra,
As explained in the action, performance tantras, and so on.ssD
Atlsa classifies and enumerates tantric texts as seven kinds of tantras.

According to him, the extent of each of these tantric texts are vast
and innumerable. Here Atisa's classification of tantras into seven
classes are different from the classification of four classes founded by
Bu ston. The seven kinds of tantra are:
(1) Action Tantra
There are four thousand Action Tantras including such tantras as

follows:
The All Dhararils [Ot. 141]

The Highest Wisdom [Ot. 402]
The Excellent Dancer [Ot. 424]
The True Power Make [Ot. 431]
The [Questions of] Subahu [Ot. 428],
590) A. K. Warder, op. cit., p. 462.
591) bde ba yis ni byang chub tshogs
yongs su rdzogs par 'dod pa dang
bya ba spyod sogs rgyud gsungs pa'i
gal te gsang sngags spyod 'dod na (stanza 61)
289 -
The Great Basic Tantra of Manju^n [Ot, 162],
The Secret Tantras of Manjurl [Toh. 544-52],
The Diamond Crowners [Toh. 590-603],
The Tantra of Amoghapaâ [Ot. 365]
The Great Victory Tantras [Toh. 604-13] and so forth.
(2) Performance Tantra
There are eight thousand Performance Tantras including such

tantras as:
The Perfect Enlightenment of Vairocana Tantra [Ot. 126]

The Initiation of Vajrapaiji Tantra [Ot. 130] and so forth.
(3) Skill Tantra
There are four thousand Skill Tantras including such tantras as:
The Tantra of Tara's Generation [Ot. 390]

The Royal Tantra Setting Forth the Triple Pledge [Ot. 134]
The Compendium of Skills and so forth.
(4) Combination Tantra
There are six thousand Combination Tantras including such tantras as:
The Illusion-like [Ot. 102]

The Lord of Lotus Dancers and so forth.
- 290
(5) Union Tantra
There are innumerable Union Tantras including such tantras as:
The Compendium of Suchness [Ot. 112]

The Glorious Original Aeon [Ot. 115]
The Conquest of the Triple World [Ot. 115]
The Diamond Culmination [Ot. 113] and so forth.
(6) Great Union Tantra
There are twelve thousand Great Union Tantras including such

tantras as:
The Glorious Union of the Secret [Ot. 81] and its

Commentary Tantras [Toh. 443-53]
The Beauty Mark of the Secret Moon [Ot. HI]
The Black Destroyer of Yama [Ot. 103]
The Glorious Original Aeon [Ot. 119]
The Secret of All [Ot. 114]
The Marvels of Vairocana [Ot. 126] and so forth.
(7) Supreme Union Tantra
There are fourteen thousand Supreme Union Tantras including

such tantras as:
The Glorious Cakrasaihvara: the Hundred Thousand Verses of the

Space-like Buddha [Ot. 30;59]
The Diamond Imp [Ot. 18]
291 -
The Four Diamond Seats [Ot. 68]
The Great Illusion [Ot. 64]
The Five Hundred Thousand Verses on Hevajra [Ot. 10]
and so forth.592)
According to Richard Sherburne, Atlâ's classification of tantras into

seven classes is different from the classification of four classes
established by Bu ston for the arrangement of the tantra in bKa'
gyur. Bu ston's Rgyud sde spyi'i rnam par bzhag rgyud sde rin
po che'i mdzes rgyan [Ot. Vol. 1] is the opening treatise of the
entire Tibetan canon, listing the tantras in order, beginning with the
highest, and their individual sub-groupings according to tantric "family
(kula/ rigs)" with its progenitor (kulesa/ gtso bo) and progeny (rigs
can).
The division of four classes of tantra by Bu ston is as follows:
(1) Supreme union tantra: for those who delight in inner

concentration entirely;
(2) Union tantra: for those who delight predominantly in inner
concentration over external ritual;
(3) Performance tantra: for those who delight equally in external
ritual and inner concentration;
(4) Action tantra: for those who delight mainly in external ritual over
inner concentration.593)
Atlsa's seven classes of tantra still exist as five classes of tantra. I

think that Atlsa's division of seven classes is more orthodox, because
592) Quoted from BMP, pp. 284-287.

593) Richard Sherburne, op. cit., p. 316, n. 9.
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Atlsa studied under many eminent tantric masters such as
Rahulagupta, Avadhutipa, and so forth. Atisa received his monastic
ordination from Sllarakgita who belongs to the Buddhajnanapada lineage
at the Mativihara of Vajrasana. Buddhajnanapada or Buddhajnana was
the pupil of Haribhadra who wrote a commentary on the Abhisamaya
lankara, Ratnagunasamcayagatha and Mahayanalakanasamuccaya
on Abhidharma and works on the Mantrayana such as Guhyasamaja
tantra. His Guhyasamaja mancjala was very famous at that time. He
syncretized Mantrayana with Paramitayana. And Atisa's venerable guru
Dharmakirti of Suvarnadvipa also wrote a commentary on the
Abhisamayalankara and one on the Hevajra Tantra.594)
Atisa received entire instructions from him for twelve years in

Sumatra. Atisa was an adept of tantric practice through his whole life.
Therefore his division is a more detailed listing and designation of the
same grouping which Bu ston has under only four classes. For
instance, Bu ston's Supreme union class consists of female tantra and
male tantra. Atisa's Supreme union tantra corresponds to Bu ston's
female tantra and his Great union tantra corresponds to the male
tantra.
4. Four Classes of Tantra
Tantras are divided into four sets, viz., Action^QS), Performance596)^

YogaSQ?) and Highest Yoga^ss), by way of practitioners' varying
594) See, A.K. Warder, op. cit., pp. 457-463.
595) Action Tantra (skt. kriyatantra, tib. bya ba) .
596) Performance Tantra (skt. caryatantra, tib. spyod).
597) Yoga Tantra (skt. yogatantra, tib. mal 'byor).
598) Highest Yoga Tantra (skt. anuttarayogatantra, tib. mal 'byor bla na med).
293
abilities to use desire in the path. When desire arising from looking,
laughing, holding hands or embracing, and union is used in the path in
conjunction with emptiness and deity yogas, desire itself is
extinguished.599)
Tibetan exegetes have developed numerous classification systems for

tantric texts, which is commonly classified four types. These four
classes of tantric texts can be defined either in terms of the relative
emphasis which they place on internal meditation and external ritual,
which can be transmuted into a blissful experience combined with the
realization of the true nature of reality.600)
This method of differentiating tantras was developed in the thirteenth

and fourteenth centuries. And the scholar Bu ston used to categorize
these texts in the definitive version of the Tibetan Buddhist scripture.
The system is founded upon the types of practices stressed in a
particular tantra and the relative significance of external ritual or
internal meditation.ÔD
(1) Action Tantra
Action tantras are primarily taught for practitioners who require

external activities .As Buddhaguhya says in his Word Commentary
on the Vairochanabhisambodhi, that Action tantras are mainly
concerned with external practices, but internal practices are not absent.
599) See, Tsong kha pa, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Tantra in Tibet (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,
1987), pp. 201-209. The Tibetan exegetes interpret the four classes of tantra in various
ways.
601) See, John Powers, op. cit., pp. 242-246. and Tantra in Tibet, pp. 203-206.
294
The special trainees of Action tantras are people who have little
capacity for profound meditation on emptiness but are able to engage
zealously in external rituals and activities. In this context, Vajragarbha
says in his Commentary on the Condensation of the Hevajra
tantra that those who have little capacity for meditation on suchness
but are mainly involved in external activities may be regarded as
Action tantras.
Action tantras are primarily taught for meditators who require external
activities. The special trainees of Action tantras are people who lack
the capacity for profound meditation on emptiness but are able to
engage enthusiastically in external rituals and activities.602)
The practice of Action tantra emphasizes external development leading

towards purification through the observance of ritualistic actions of
body and speech. The divine power -the supreme essence of
Buddhahood- is the embodiment of pristine wisdom and confers
temporal and lasting benefits like a donor to his beneficiaries.^03)
Through successful practice of Action tantra, it is said that the
practitioner can greatly shorten the path to enlightenment and can
achieve the state of the tantric deity Vajradhara in as little as sixteen
human lifetimes.
Tsong kha pa says that in Action tantra, yoga without signs begins
with the concentration bestowing liberation at the end of sound and
thus with the attainment of a union of calm abiding and special insight
observing emptiness. Therefore, yoga without signs is deity yoga that
has reached the level of a state arisen from meditation, such being
gained simultaneously with the attainment of a union of calm abiding
602) Tsong kha pa, op. cit., p. 164.

603) John Powers, op. cit., pp. 242-3.
295
and special insight.604)
(2) Performance Tantra
One of the distinguishing characteristics of this class of tantra is that

in its practice an equal emphasis is placed on both the internal
meditation (and visualization) and the external rituals. As the Dalai
Lama XIV says that in Performance tantra, external activities and
internal yoga are performed equally.ôs) With respect to the yoga with
signs, the Dalai Lama XIV says that in Performance tantra the yoga
with signs is in two types, external and internal, with each having
four branches as in Action tantra - self-base, other-base, sound, and
mind. At the beginning of the process of deity meditation and mantra
repetition one meditates on emptiness, settling the non-inherent
existence of oneself and the deity through a reasoning such as that of
dependent arising - the fact that both oneself and the deity arise in
dependance upon their respective bases of designation. One's own final
nature and the final nature of the deity are the same, and that is an
emptiness of inherent existence.
In order to perform deity yoga one does not just withdraw ordinary
appearances and then appear as a deity but causes the mind realizing
emptiness itself to appear as a deity. Thus, it is essential initially to
meditate on emptiness, cleansing all appearances in emptiness. One
then uses that wisdom consciousness realizing emptiness as the basis
of emanation of a divine body. This must be done at least in imitation
of a consciousness actually doing this, for meditation on a truly
604) Tsong kha pa, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, The Yoga of Tibet (Delhi: MotUal Banarsidass, 1987),
p. 38.
605) Tsong kha pa, op. cit., p. 75.
- 296
existent divine body, instead of helping, will only increase adherence to
inherent existence. Meditated properly, the appearance of a divine
figure is the sport of the ultimate mind of enlightenment, first in
imitation and later in fact.ôe^
The practice of Performance tantra involves generating an image of

oneself as an enlightened being and also generating an image of a
deity in front of oneself as a template. One views oneself and the deity
as companions or friends, and one strives to imitate it. One also recites
the mantra of the deity and strives to complete one's ability to
visualize the deity without mental agitation. There are two types of
meditation and they are a yoga with signs and without signs.^07) xhe
first type involves stabilizing the mind by developing single-pointed
concentration on the deity, the letters of the deity's mantra visualized
at the heart, the hand-gesturesôs) of the deity, and its form. Yoga
without sign focuses on the deity's final nature, i.e., emptiness and not
on external qualities. The principal tantra in this class is known as
the Awakening of Great Vairocana (Mahavairocanabhisambodhitan-
tra), which features the four-faced form of Vairocanaôs) (Sarvavid
Vairocana).
606) Ibid., pp. 38-39.

607) With regard to the yoga with signs and without signs in performance tantra Tsong kha
pa deals with it in very detail in his Great Exposition of Secret Mantra. See, Tsong kha pa,
tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, The Yoga of Tibet, (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987), pp. 189-203.
608) Hand gesture (skt. mudra, tib. phyag rgya).
609) Vairocana Buddha is the Dharmakaya of Sakyamuni Buddha, his Sarpbhogakaya being
called Locana and Nirmanakaya, Sakyamuni. "The first Buddha" in the far, far past at the
beginning of the present cosmic eon; used to symbolize the buddha-mind beyond space and
time, reality prior to anything within our experience. He is often depicted with four faces,
so that he can see in every direction, and is omniscient.
297
(3) Yoga Tantra
In Yoga tantra the practitioner visualizes himself as an actual deity.

Yoga tantra consists of two parts, outer Yoga tantra and highest Yoga
tantra. Outer Yoga tantra emphasizes ritual purity and other
observances and only aids to the realization of the path. Highest Yoga
tantra emphasizes inner yoga through the meditation of non-duality
which comes about by the fusion of the individual committed to the
service of the divine power with the power itself, as an embodiment of
pristine wisdom. Yoga tantra stresses on internal yoga. One visualizes
oneself and the archetypal deity as separate beings, and then one
causes the deity to enter oneself. In highest yoga tantra one develops a
profound awareness of one's body as being composed of subtle
energies which is called winds. One then generates oneself as a
completely enlightened Buddha composed entirely of these subtle
energies and possessing a buddha's wisdom consciousness.
Practitioners of yoga tantra view all phenomena as being naturally free
from the signs of mental projection and as manifestations of luminosity
and emptiness. On the conventional level meditators train in perceiving
all appearances as manâlas of deities. Although trainees of yoga
tantra engage in some external activities, ritual is viewed as being
symbolic of the primary practice of internal yoga.
There are two kinds of yoga tantra. A yoga with signs and a yoga
without signs.6io> The former type involves visualizing oneself as a
deity in terms of five qualities of enlightenment. They are:
(a) A perfect moon disk, representing the pure nature of reality
610) The Dalai Lama XIV says that the path of yoga tantra as well as action tantra and
performance tantra are divided into with signs and without signs yoga, whereas the path of
highest yoga is divided into the generation stage and completion stage. See, Tsong kha pa,
tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, The Yoga of Tibet, The Great Exposition of Secret mantra: 2 and
3, (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987) p. 15.
298
(b) Perfect seed syllables of deities, which are their primary mantras
which represent the speech of buddhas
(c) Perfect ritual implements held by the deities, representing the
perfect mind of buddhas
(d) The perfect form of a deity, representing the deity's complete
manclala
(e) The perfection of wisdom, visualized within the heart of the
deity, which represents the essence of a buddha's enlightened
mind.
In yoga tantra one first generates a vivid appearance of the deity,

together with its retinue, contemplating both its perfect form and its
exalted attributes, and then one absorbs the deity into oneself, imaging
that one becomes merged with the deity.
In the yoga without signs, one does not need external symbols and
meditates on emptiness. One views non-dual suchness as inseparable
from the appearance of deities, which are themselves representations of
perfect enlightenment.^lD
(4) Highest Yoga Tantra
The Anuttarayogatantra is the highest of the four classes of tantra.

Anuttara means 'unsurpassed' or 'highest'. There were two distinct
phases in the dissemination of these tantras in Tibet, which are
reflected in two different ways of classifying this class of tantras.
According to the rNying ma school, which represents the earlier phase

of dissemination, they are classified into Mahayogaîs)^ AnuyogaîS) and
611) John Powers, op. cit, pp. 244-5.
- 299 -
Atiyoga6i4), whereas the later schools (Sarma) classify them into
Father, Mother and Non-dual or Indivisible tantras. The differences
between the four classes of tantra are based on the different emphases
which the texts place on external ritual practices (kriya), visualization
(carya), internal yoga practices (yoga), and techniques for manifesting
the buddha-body (anuttara). Anuttaratantra is especially distinguished
from the other three classes of tantra by its treatment of the main
tantric subject matters such as 'clear light' and 'illusory body'.
Representative of the anuttarayoga class of tantras according to the
earlier dissemination are : Guhyagarbha and Guhysamaja (Mahayoga)
, mDo dGongs pa 'dus pa (Anuyoga), and kun byed rgyal po
(Atiyoga); or Guhyasamaja and Yamari (Father tantras), Cakrasaip-
vara and Hevajra (Mother tantras), and Kalacakra (Non-dual or
Indivisible tantras) according to the later dissemination.îS)
Highest yoga tantra is divided into generation stage and completion

stage. Both are factors in the transformation of one's mind and body
into the mind and body of a buddha. In the generation stage, one
612) Mahayoga is primarily oriented towards visionary experiences. In mahayoga, the

practitioner realizes that all phenomena are emanations of mind, which are an indissoluble
union of appearances and emptiness.
613) Anuyoga is concerned with the cognitive implications of visionary experiences. In
anuyoga, all thoughts and forms are perceived as being of the nature of emptiness, and
emptiness is identified with Samantabhadri, the female counterpart of Samantabhadra,
embodiment of the truth body. Appearance is identified with Samantabhadra, and anuyoga
adepts train in the insight that all appearances are of the nature of the truth body. In this
system, the practitioner seeks to comprehend the union of appearance and emptiness and to
understand that all phenomena arise from this conjunction, but not in the manner of cause
and effect. John Powers, op. cit., pp. 334-338.
614) Atiyoga (tib. dzog chen) is the culmination of this insight, and the view of this system is
based on the realization that appearance and emptiness interpenetrate and are inseparable.
The proponents of atiyoga hold that the philosophical basis of the system is the
Madhyamaka view of Nagarjna. The basic position of Atiyoga is the ancient Buddhist
non-soul doctrine that there is nothing which is eternal. See, A.K. Warder, op. cit., p. 477.
615) Graham CoJeman, op. cit., p. 280.
- 300
creates a vivid image of a diety, and in the completion stage one
transmutes oneself into an actual deity possessing the exalted form and
enlightened mind of a buddha. There are three primary prerequisites
for entering generation stage. They are:
(a) Previous practice of paths common to both sutra and tantra

(b) Initiation into a highest yoga tantra
(c) Taking on tantric pledges and vows
The first prerequisite involves correct motivation: the thought of

enlightenment. The practice of the common paths serves to establish
the proper motivation and attitudes. This is important, because in order
to endure the rigors of the path of highest yoga tantra one should
have a clear idea of why one is travelling the path to enlightenment
and what one's goals are. With this as a basis, one trains in the six
perfections and in the activities of bodhisattva. The special practices of
tantra complement the bodhisattva's training, but they do not
contradict or supersede the wish to attain enlightenment for the sake
of others' good. Rather, according to proponents of tantra, they are
practical enhancements that allow meditators to progress more quickly
by giving them access to subtle levels of consciousness in order to
bring about profound transformations.
In order to practise generation stage one must first receive the vase
initiation, and for completion stage one needs to receive secret
initiation, the wisdom initiation, and the word initiation including vase
initiation. These two stages are interconnected with each other.
Because the generation stage is prerequisite for the completion stage.
In generation stage one cultivates the mind by enhancing the clarity of
one's visualization until they become manifest in the completion stage.
301 -
According to highest yoga tantra the meaning of one lifetime is: even
if a person newly engages in the path of highest yoga tantra one can
attain enlightenment in this very lifetime of degenerated era. By
following the path of highest yoga tantra it does not take such a long
time for him to reach enlightenment as in the three lower tantras. This
in fact is a unique feature of highest yoga tantra.6i6)
C. The T w o S t a g e s of Highest Yoga Tantra
Yangchen Gawai Lodoe says that in order to know the mode of

procedure of the two stages of Highest Yoga Mantra, it is very
important to understand the presentation of the bases of purification,
the three basic bodies - birth, death and intermediate state.
For, through the profound short path of Highest Yoga Mantra, the
body of union having the seven features of god and goddess facing
each other can be actualized in one short lifetime of this degenerated
era. The stages of generation and completion purify birth, death and
the intermediate state in the sense that through them these are stopped
- birth being transformed into an Emanation Body, death into a Truth
Body and the intermediate state into a Complete Enjoyment Body. The
fruit of this transformation is the deathless state of Buddhahood -
known in Highest Yoga Mantra as a body of union having the seven
features of god and goddess facing each other. These seven are:
1. Complete enjoyment: having all the major and minor marks of

a Buddha
2. God and goddess facing each other: with the aspect of father and
mother in union
616) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, Paths and Grounds of Guhyasamaja According to Arya
Nagarjuna (Dharamsaia' Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1995), p. 17.
302 -
3. Great bliss: manifesting a subtle bliss consciousness
4. Non-inherent existence: a bliss consciousness in meditative
equipoise on the emptiness of inherent existence in a non-dualistic
manner like water put in water
5. Complete filling with compassion: a mental continuum always and
thoroughly suffused with compassion for sentient beings
6. Uninterrupted continuity: not abiding in the extremes of either
cyclic existence or solitary peace
7. Non-cessation: abiding for the welfare of sentient beings until
cyclic existence is emptied.617)
1. Generation Stage
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, the generation stage is defined

as a yoga classified as being a meditation newly contrived or
visualized in accordance with any of the aspects of death, intermediate
state or rebirth.îs) it is also a factor for ripening one's mental
continuum by its resultant state, the completion stage, and it does not
617) Lati Rinbochay & Jeffrey Hopkins, Death, Intermediate State and Rebirth in Tibetan
Buddhism (Ithaca: Snow Lion pub, 1985), pp. 26-7.
618) Rebirth (skt. bhava/punarbhava, tib. srid pa/skye ba phyi ma) refers to an individual's
migration into a subsequent life after death. Like many ancient Indian philosophical schools
of thought, Buddhism also asserts the continuity of being after the physical death of the
person. The principal premises upon which the Buddhist doctrine of rebirth is based are: (1)
the principles of causality; (2) the doctrine of karma; and (3) the acceptance of a
beginningless continuum of consciousness. Mind and body, though inseparable at the
subtlest energy level, are distinct and thus possess separate continua during the successive
individual lives of a being. Although they mutually influence each other, they can never
become one another, as a com seed cannot produce a rice sprout. It is the karmic forces
which remain as subtle potentials within the mental continuum of the person which, when
activated, cause of the bringing together of mind and body thus constituting a particular
state of existence in the cycle of existence. When the potentials of that particular karmic
force are exhausted, then the separation of the mental continuum from a particular bodily
existence takes place, which is called death. It must be stressed that Buddhism does not
accept any notion of unchanging eternal souls which transmigrate from one life to another.
Graham Coleman, op. cit, p. 366.
303 -
arise through the actual meditational practice of the winds entering,
abiding and dissolving into the central psychic channel. This generation
stage is called as imputed stage, contrived yoga and yoga of the first
stage.eiQ)
This generation stage is a meditation in which mundane forms, sounds

and thoughts are meditated upon as natural expressions of deities,
mantras, and pristine wisdom, respectively. The practitioners of the
generation stage conceive of themselves as a deity or deities. Their
practice is primarily focussed on transforming the three ordinary states
of death, the intermediate and rebirth into paths for realizing the three
bodies of enlightened being. On this stage practitioners are making
best use of their imaginative power (mos pa) and skills to practise a
deity yoga.620) This yoga not only accords with the aspects of death,
the intermediate state and rebirth but also the aspects of the three
resultant bodies of an enlightened being. This practice involves
meditating on the stages of the dissolution of bodily elements along
with the respective deities, eventually culminating in the clear light of
death, which is analogous to the Truth body. This is followed by the
intermediate state62i) in which practitioners instead of being reborn as
619) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., p. 19.

620) Deity yoga (skt. devayoga, tib. Iha'i mal 'byor) refers to the diverse meditative
techniques through which the meditator unites with the qualities of the meditational deity in
the context of the generation stage in highest yoga tantra in Buddhism. Graham Coleman,
op. cit, p. 419.
621) Equivalent to the Sanskrit term antarabhava, bardo indicates an interval or intermediate
period of experience between death and rebirth and, as expounded particularly in texts of
the rNying ma and bKa' brgyud lineages, between the various important phases of life,
death and rebirth. According to bka' brgyud lineage distinguishes six bardos (intermediate
states): (1) our normal waldng experience, from the moment of birth until death, is called
"the bardo between birth and death" (skye shi'i bar do); (2) the bardo of the dream state,
which is the time between when one falls asleep and the time of awakening, is called
"dream bardo" (rmi lam bar do); and, (3) the "reality bardo" (chos nyid bar do), which is
the time of unconsciousness that people experience when the mind is overwhelmed by
death. This is called "reality bardo" because in this state the mind is thrown into its own
304
beings of such a state they arise themselves in the complete
Enjoyment Body, and then, for rebiriih, they arise as an Emanation
Body. In general, generation stage practices are seen as means of
cultivating the qualities of the enlightened mind using mantra and
visual imagery. The yoga of generation stage prepares the mind of
practitioners to be ripened by the subsequent yoga of the completion
state. It is a prerequisite preparation for the more subtle experience of
the completion stage practices.622)
According to John Powers, in the stage of completion, one finalizes the

process by transforming oneself in accordance with the visualization of
the stage of generation. This system conceives practitioners in terms
of subtle energies called winds which run through subtle energy
channels. There are a total of 72,000 channels, but the most important
one is a central channel that wraps around the central channel at
certain points and constrict the movements of winds in the channels.
These constriction points are called cakras.623) in tantric physiology.
nature, but ordinary beings are so confused that tiiey tend to escape into unconsciousness
rather than confront it directly. The next stage in the process of death is called (4) "bardo
of becoming" (srid pa bar do). In this phase a person experiences all sorts of fantastic and
terrifying sights, all of which are projections of mind, but no less to the perceiver than the
contents of ordinary waking consciousness. This stage begins at the first moment of
awakening from unconsciousness and lasts until one takes rebirth in one of the six realms
of cyclic existence. It is called "bardo of becoming" because it leads to the next phase of
one's existence. A person who successfully practises meditation gains a greater familiarity
with the mind, and such a person is able to enter (5) "the bardo of meditative absorption"
(bsam gtan bar do). This is a state of cessation in which a person attains a meditative
equipoise in which the senses are withdrawn from external objects and focused on a
meditative object of observation. The last bardo is (6) "the bardo of birth" (skye gnas bar
do), which begins after the bardo of becoming. At this time, the consciousness is attracted
to a copulating couple in accordance with its past karma. The consciousness enters the
zygote at the moment of fertilization, at which point the process of gestation and birth
begins. John Powers, op. cit., pp. 359-360. The less elaborate view of Indian abhidharma
regarding bardo is based on two classical sources: the Abhidharmasamuccaya by Asartga
and the Abhidharmakosa by Vasubandhu. Graham Coleman, op. cit., p. 283.
622) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., pp. 19-20, and Graham Coleman, op. cit., 316.
623) Cakra (tib. 'khor lo/ rtsa "khor) literally means a 'wheel' or 'circle'. In tantric context,
305
consciousnesses are said to travel throughout the body 'mounted'624)
on the winds, which serve as their support. Consciousnesses cannot
function without the support of the winds, but the winds lack direction
without consciousnesses. In the stage of generation, yogins learn how
to cause the winds to move into the central channel, remain there, and
then dissolve. The dissolution of the winds results in profound bliss
and the manifestation of subtle consciousnesses, which can be used to
bring about specific realizations, such as direct cognition of emptiness.
Through learning to control these winds, meditators simulate the
process of death, in which progressively subtler levels of mind
manifest as the winds dissolve in stages. As the winds dissolve, a
succession of consciousnesses appears, each more subtle than the last,
until the manifestation of the mind of clear light, which is the most
subtle and basic of all minds. In ordinary death, the stages of this
process occur involuntarily, but through the special techniques of
highest yoga tantra, yogins can cause the subtle minds to manifest
under their conscious control. Developing proficiency in the
visualization used in the generation stage requires a great deal of
practice for most meditators.625)
cakra refers to the energy centers within a person's body. Buddhist tantric physiology
speaks of three primary parallel nadi which are central channel (skt. avadhuti, tib. rtsa dbu
ma), the right channel (skt. rasana, tib. rtsa ro ma) and the left channel (skt. lalana, tib.
rtsa brkyang ma), subtle energy channels, existing within the human body and running
from the crown down to the groin. At certain points within the body the two side channels
loop around the central channel, thus forming knots which obstruct the flow of subde
energy within the central channel. With regard to the theory of cakra, there are diverse
explanations in number and location. In the system of Mahamudra, there are six cakras, and
Guhyasamaja system describes seven cakras, Hevajra and Kalacakra tantra enumerate four
cakras. According to Kelsang Gyatso, there are six cakras in human body which are located
at crown, forehead, throat, heart, navel and secret place, respectively. See, Kelsang Gyatso,
op. cit., pp. 21-23.
624) Mount (skt. asva, tib. rta) literally means "horses".
625) John Powers, op. cit., p. 247.
- 306
2. Completion Stage
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, the completion stage is a yoga

in the mind-stream of a practitioner which has arisen from the winds
entering, abiding and dissolving into the central channel by the power
of meditation. Although on the generation stage it is possible for a
practitioner with keen abilities to experience a realization induced by
the winds entering, abiding and dissolving into the central channel by
relying upon an action seal626)^ from the viewpoint of its nature such
an experience is classified as a realization of the completion stage.627)
In the completion stage, the practitioner is actually transformed into the
deity that was visualized in the generation stage. In the generation, the
practitioner learns to visualize himself as a deity with intense clarity
and vividness, his environment is perceived as the environment of a
completely actualized deity, and he develops the non-afflicted pride of a
deity. In the completion stage, he acquires the ability to cause winds
to enter the central channel and dissolve in the "indestructible drop" in
the center of the heart. This dorp was created at birth from the fluids
of his father and mother, and it remains in the heart until death. As
he causes winds to enter into it and dissolve, he experiences a
profound bliss, and concomitantly he actualizes progressively subtler
levels of mind. When all the winds have been dissolved in the
indestructible drop, the mind of clear light manifests, and this can be
used to cognize emptiness directly.
According to the Dalai Lama XIV, for enhancing the development of
626) According to Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, action seal is an actual consort, whereas the wisdom
seal is an imagined seal. The preconditions of an action seal are one who must have
received secret initiations, must know the meaning of secret mantra, must observe its
pledges and vows, and have experience of generation stage. See, Kelsang Gyatso, Clear
Light of Bliss (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), p. 136.
627) Yanchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., p. 51.
- 307 -
this consciousness, the main technique which is for one consciousness
to contain the two factors of observing a mandala circle of deities and
of simultaneously realizing their emptiness of inherent existence. In this
way, the vast -the appearance of deities- and the profound -the
realization of suchness- are complete in one consciousness.628)
At this point, one is no longer bound by the physical and cognitive
restraints of ordinary beings, and the practitioner accomplishes a subtle
body in the form of a deity possessing all the physical marks of a
buddha. This body is made of subtle winds which manifest in the ideal
form of the deity. In the generation stage, one visualizes a mancjala,
complete with mansions and deities, in a tiny drop, which is either at
the upper or lower opening of the central channel.629)
In this context, the Guhyasamaja tantra says thus:
"During the completion stage everything from the crown of

the head to the feet dissolves into the heart; you engage in
the perfect yoga (meditation on emptiness).... All sentient
beings and all other phenomena dissolve into clear light and
then dissolve into you; then you yourself, as the deity,
dissolve into your heart.... Just as mist on a mirror fades
towards the center and disappears, so does everything - the
net of illusory manifestation - dissolve into the clear light of
emptiness. Just as fish are easily seen in clear water, so
does everything - the net of illusory manifestation - emerge
from the clear light of emptiness."630)
628) The Dalai Lama XIV, Kindness, Clarity, and Insight (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1996),
tr. and edited Jeffrey Hopkins and Elizabeth Napper, p. 199.
630) This passage is quoted from The Garland of Mahamudra Practice, by Khenpo Koncog
Gyaltsen pp. 56-7.
308
3. The Six Levels of Completion Stage
According to the Compendium of Deeds (spyod bsdus) and a

commentary on the sixth chapter of the Guhyasamaja, completion
stage is divided into six levels as follows:
(1) Isolated Body
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, the isolated body of the

completion stage is a yoga such that in equipoise one meditates on the
wisdom of bliss and emptiness arising from the winds dissolving into
the central channel. Waking up from that in the post-meditation period,
all objects that appear are sealed by bliss and emptiness and arise in
the aspect of deities, such as those of the hundred Buddha's families.
The isolated body is so-called because it is a yoga that seals the body
[the basis of isolation] composed of the aggregates, constituents,
sources and so forth within one's mind- stream, by the bliss and
emptiness of the completion stage. Having isolated the body from
ordinary appearance and grasping, it appears in the aspect of pure
deities. In general, the isolated body contains parts of both the
generation stage and the completion stage.^SD
According to Mantra Vehicle, the two main hindrances for spiritual

development are ordinary appearance (tha mal gyi snang wa) and
ordinary attachment (tha mal gyi zhen pa). This yoga of isolated body
isolates the physical and mental aggregates from their ordinary
appearance and ordinary attachment. The main purpose of this yoga is
to change these ordinary appearance and ordinary attachment into
631) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, Paths and Grounds of Guhyasamaja According to Arya
Nagarjuna (Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1995), p. 53.
- 309 -
divine being and hold divine pride.
(2) Isolated Speech
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, by relying upon the Vajra

Recitation for the manifestation of the winds entering, abiding and
emerging to resonate naturally with that of the three syllables such as
OM AH HUM632)^ the channel knots above and below the heart are
loosened. Due to this the winds above and below dissolve into the
heart channel and consequently the wisdom of appearance arises.
When that happens one is transferred from the isolated body to the
isolated speech. It is so-called because of its being a yoga that isolates
the most subtle wind, the source of speech, from its ordinary flow and
combines it inseparably with mantra.633)
Reciting three syllables such as OM AH HUM, the practitioner can

experience the wisdom of appearance. Because of the untying of the
channel knots above and below their heart by the vajra recitation, and
also the winds entering, abiding and emerging, in the upper and the
lower parts of the channel from their heart channel, in accordance with
the resonance of the three syllables. This is the second level of the
completion stage which is also commonly known as vitality and
exertion, isolated speech and the vajra recitation.
632) These three syllables of OM AH HUM mantra contain all mantras. The syllable OM
denotes the seed of the vajra body, the syllable AH indicates the seed of vajra sound, and
the syllable HUM designates the seed of vajra mind. See, A Commentary on the
Kalacakra Tantra (Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works & Archives, 1999), Geshe
Ngawang Dhargyey, tr. Gelong Jhampa Kelsang, Coordinating Editor: Ivanka Vana Jakic. p.
137.
633) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., pp. 54.
- 310
(3) Isolated Mind
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, by relying upon an internal

condition of the Vajra Recitation of the pervasive wind and an external
condition of the vitality and exertion of a consort, channel knots at the
heart are completely untied. Due to this a part of the pervasive wind
along with the primary and secondary winds dissolves into the
indestructible drop at the heart, which produces the wisdom of
appearance. Whenever that happens one is transferred from the isolated
speech to the isolated mind. There are two types of 'isolated mind': a
mere isolated mind and a final isolated mind. The 'mere isolated mind'
arises when at least some of the winds are dissolved into the
indestructible drop within the heart channel wheel whereas the 'final
isolated mind' occurs only when all of the winds are dissolved in it.
And 'final isolated mind is a prerequisite for the next level of 'illusory
body'.634) mKhas sgrub rje' gsung dzin bris says, "whichever of the
four emptiness dawns from the intial meditation on the isolated speech
up to the point where the channel knots at the heart are not
completely untied they are the isolated speech. But the four
emptinesses of the isolated mind dawn initially from the level where
the winds enter, abide and dissolve into the indestructible drop within
the heart channel as a result of relying upon internal and an external
methods which completely untie the channel knots at the heart. "635)
It is so-called because of its being a yoga that isolates the mind
which is the root of everything in cyclic existence and the state
beyond from the indicative conceptions and the winds which serve as
their mounts and the mind appears in the entity of indivisible bliss and
emptiness.636)
634) Daniel, Cozort, Highest Yoga Tantra (Ithaca: Snow Lion pub, 1986), pp. 89-90.
636) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., pp. 56-59.
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(4) Illusory Body
Yangchen Gawai Lodoe says that as one begins to wake up from the
exemplary clear light of the final isolated mind, its wind is slightly
stirred, due to which the mind of near-attainment of the reversal
process is accomplished. Along with it, like a fish leaping out of water,
an illusory body characterized by the noble signs and auspicious signs
is literally accomplished as distinctively separate from the coarse body
precipitated by ripening actions. The wind with five rays of light as
the mount of the clear light serves as the substantial cause and the
clear light mind itself serves as a cooperative condition. Thus, to
accomplish an illusory body, both the coarse and subtle bodies have to
be distinguished from each other by the power of meditation, though
they need not be accomplished on different physical bases. mKhas
grub rje' rim Inga' dzin bris says that an impure illusory body
accomplished in this life is distinguished from the coarse body but it is
not accomplished on a separate basis as it does not have the ability to
do so.
Arya Nagarjuna's the Lamp Illuminating the Five Levels (rim Inga
gsal sgron) also says that as stated earlier, for an illusory body to be
separated from the old body, it is not absolutely necessary for it to
abandon the basis (go sa) of the old body to exist. The same thing
can also be understood from the Bright Lamp which states that the
pure illusory body exists within the vessel of the old aggregates and
so forth. It is so-called due to its being a divine form or body, arising
solely from the subtle wind and mind. This can be illustrated by
twelve examples, such as an illusion. Since it is not pure, it is the
impure illusory body and is also called a "contaminated wisdom body.
"637)
- 312 -
This illusory body is achieved from the exemplary clear light mind and
its subtle wind as follows: the five coloured subtle wind serves as the
substantial cause and the clear light mind itself serves the cooperative
condition. As an illusory body it is characterized by all the thirty-two
noble marks and the eighty auspicious signs. And it is distinct from
the coarse bodies of practitioners which have been precipitated by their
ripening karmic actions. At this level, the illusory body is real as
opposed to the previously imagined one.638)
When a practitioner emerges from the isolated mind of ultimate

example clear light is attained he will automatically attain the impure
illusory body. This is called impure because he has not yet abandoned
the obstructions to liberation. This is because he has not yet achieved
the superior paths of Secret Mantra, which realize emptiness directly
with the mind of spontaneous great bliss. If he has achieved the
impure illusory body meditates on emptiness constantly, he will finally
accomplish meaning clear light, and at the same time accomplish the
superior path of Secret Mantra.639)
An illusory body is so-called due to being a divine form arisen from

the subtle wind and mind which can be illustrated by twelve analogies.
The twelve analogies are: like an illusion, like the reflection of a moon,
like a shadow, like a mirage, like a dream body, like an echo, like a
Gandhara city, like a hallucination, like the colours of a rainbow, like a
lightening amidst clouds, like bubbles bursting from water and like the
reflection of an image in a mirror. These are mentioned in the
Compendium of Wisdom Vajra (ye shes rdo rje kun las btus pa).
637) Ibid, pp. 63-64.

639) Kelsang Gyatso, Clear Light of Bliss (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), pp. 98-9.
- 313
They are:
( r ) Just as an illusory person created by a magician from a magical

substance and an incantation of mantra appears as a real person,
an illusory body of Vajradhara with complete characteristics arising
from the most subtle wind and mind also appears as a real deity.
(2') Just as the reflection of the moon in a body of clean water, the
pure and impure illusory bodies also appear to those who have a
suitable disposition to see them [like the clarity and stillness of
open water].
(3') Just as the shadow of a body has the shape of a body but lacks
flesh and bone, similarly an illusory body has a complete form
but no flesh or bone because of its being a wisdom body.
(4') Just as mirage appears and disappears instantaneously, when its
necessary conditions are gathered, an illusory body can also
appear and disappear instantly.
(5') Just as a dream body, an illusory body can leave the coarse
body of a yogi, go elsewhere to perform various activities, and
return to the old body afterwards.
(6') Just like an echo made by shouting into an empty cave, an
illusory body exists distinctively from the old body, which arose
from previous ripening actions, although the two bodies belong to
the same mental continuum.
(7') Just as a city of Gandharvas640) comes into existence
miraculously wherever they are bom by the power of their karmic
actions, similarly the residence and the resident mandalas of an
illusory body are accomplished miraculously.
640) Gandharvas (tib. dri za) are called smell eater who are celestial beings famed as
musicians. They enjoy and attain nourishment from smells of all kinds. Although they are
sometimes classified as gods or demigods, according to Vasubandhu they are intermediate
state beings and their phantom cities are in the intermediate state.
- 314 -
(8') Just as in a hallucination; e.g. the moon appearing as two moons
to a defective sensory perception, so an illusory body can also
appear as a multitude of deities.
(9') Just like a rainbow, an illusory body has many colours.
(10') Just as lightening occurs from amidst the clouds, an illusory
body also occurs from within the old body, and is precipitated
by ripening karmic action.
(11') Just like bubbles bursting from water, the impure and the pure
illusory bodies arise from the stirring of the subtle winds of
the exemplary clear light of the final isolated mind and the
meaning clear light of the fourth level.
(12') Just like an image in a mirror, an illusory body has complete
form.641)
(5) Clear Light
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, an impure illusory body engages

in any of the three types of conduct for periods such as six months.
The three types of conducts are performed to increase the bliss and
consciousness. They are a conduct with elaboration, a conduct without
elaboration, and a conduct completely free of elaboration. The conduct
with elaboration involves both a practitioner and an Action Seal. They
wear masks, clothes and so on, like a deity. And they imitate deities'
elaborations of activities such as the gestures of call and response with
the Action or Wisdom Seal. The conduct without elaboration also uses
deity's masks and clothes, but does not involve the elaborations of
activities as above mentioned. The conduct completely free of
elaboration involves only sexual union with the Wisdom Seal and uses
the clear light of sleep without any external elaborations. A practitioner
641) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., pp. 73-74. Kelsang Gyatso also explains as same way,
see, op. cit., pp. 210-215.
315
engages in this conduct, he abandons all the external elaborations, and
does not seek the Action Seal. He only enters into union with the
Wisdom Seal. By entering into union with the Wisdom Seal, he
maintains the clear light of sleep and meditates on the spontaneous
great bliss and emptiness.^2)
Consequently, when the signs appear indicating quick attainment of the
meaning clear light, the yogi enters into union with a seal and
meditates repeatedly on the two types of concentrated dissolution
process. Consequently, the minds of appearance, increase, near-
attainment and clear light ascertains emptiness directly, the meaning
clear light of the fourth level is actualized. At the time there is the
cessation of the impure illusory body; attainment of the uninterrupted
Path of Seeing as a direct antidote to the obstructions to liberation;
attainment of the first ground of Highest Yoga Tantra, and becoming
an Arya or a Superior.
Moreover, this meaning clear light of the fourth level is attained at

dawn when the sky is free of its three faults - sunlight, moonlight
and darkness. From this point of view, it is considered as an external
perfect realization. And also, from the viewpoint of its being actualized
at the time when the mind within has transcended its three faults of
the white, red and black appearance, it is considered as an internal
perfect realization. Therefore, if anything is the meaning of clear light
of the fourth level it must necessarily be both external and internal
perfect realizations.
The Clear Lamp Illuminating the Five Levels says:
"during the exemplary clear light, there is an objective
642) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., pp. 96-98. Also, Daniel Cozort, op. cit., pp. 91-92.
316
appearance like that of the clear sky but there is no such
appearance for the clear sky but there is no such appearance
for the meaning clear light since for it even the subtlest
dualistic appearance has disappeared and therefore space
itself, not its appearance is taken as an example to illustrate
its being free of the stains of fabrication." 643)
Generally speaking, from its etymological point of view, clear light is

classified into two', the objective clear light and the subjective clear
light. The former is a synonym of emptiness, and the latter, a clear
light which ascertains emptiness by way of its conceptual image is an
exemplary clear light and a clear light which ascertains emptiness
directly is called a meaning clear light.644)
(6) State of Union
According to Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, the way in which one wakes up

from the meaning clear light in the reversal process is as follows: As
one begins to wake up from the meaning clear light its wind is
slightly stirred. Simultaneously such a wind with five rays of light,
which is the mount of the meaning clear light, acts as the substantial
cause and the mind of clear light itself acts as the cooperative
condition due to which one arises as the pure illusory body. At that
time one liberally accomplishes body of 'the union with abandonment'
(spangs pa dzung 'jug), which is the union of the complete
abandonment of delusive obstructions and the pure illusory body,
separate from the coarse body.645) Simultaneous with it there occurs
643) This quotation was included Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, op. cit., p. 77.
645) According to Vajrayana tradition, human beings have two kinds of bodies, i.e., a coarse
body and a subtle body. The coarse body (tib. rags pa'i lus) refers to our gross physical
317
the mind of near-attainment of the reversal process which arise from
the meaning clear light, the cessation of the meaning clear light, the
attainment of the liberated path of having abandoned delusive
obstructions, one becomes a Foe Destroyer (Arhat), one advances to
the second level and one attains the Great Vehicle's Path of
Meditation. Although at this juncture the principal state of union, the
state of 'union with insight' (rtogs pa dzung 'jug), has not been
achieved, nonetheless, one must consider that a state of union has been
achieved.
Arya Nagarjuna's the Clear Lamp Illuminating the Five Levels (rim
Inga gsal sgron) says:
"since there are other ways of presenting states of union,

when a state of union is achieved it is not necessary that it
should be presented as such a state of union (the state of
union with insight)."646)
The twenty one or twenty three states of union described in the Five
Levels are included within the state of 'union with abandonment' and
the state of 'union with insight.' And, at that time the state of 'union
with abandonment' is achieved. Subsequently, the signs of the mind of
near-attainment of the reversal process to the sign of mirage appear
serially and one wakes up into the post meditation period.^'^'
Arya Nagarjuna's the Five Levels explains twenty-one or twenty-
body which composed of the four element and the substances evolved from them, such as
flesh, bone, and blood. The subtle body (tib. phra ba'i lus) refers to the type of form which
arises as a natural expression of the interaction of the subde mind and the subtle winds.
The most advanced level of subtle body is known as the illusory body. Graham Coleman,
op. cit., p. 318. Lati Rinbochay & Jeffrey Hopkins, op. cit., p. 31.
647) Ibid.
318
three states of union which are included in these two types of union
which are the state of union with a factor of abandonment and the
state of union with insight. Twenty-one states of Union are:
(!') The state of union of cyclic existence and nirvana (tib, 'khor 'das
zung 'jug)
(2') The state of union of the afflicted class of phenomena and the
liberated class of phenomena (tib, kun byang zung 'jug)
(3') The state of union of perceptions of objects with and without
aspects (tib, mam bcas med zung 'jug)
(4') The state of union of subjective perception and objective
phenomena (tib, bzung 'dzin zung 'jug)
(5') The state of union devoid of etemalism and nihilism (tib, rtag
chad dang bral wai' zung 'jug)
(6') The state of union of emptiness and compassion (tib, stong nyid
snyng rje' zung 'jug)
(7') The state of union of method and wisdom (tib, thabs shes zung
'jug)
(8') The state of union of those with and those without remainder
(tib. Ihag bcas Ihag med kyi zung 'jug)
(9') The state of union of the two selflessness (tib. bdag med gnyis
kyi zung 'jug)
(10') The state of union of an illusory body and a clear light
(tib. sgyu lus dang 'od gsal zung 'jug)
( i r ) The state of union of thorough and gradual dissolutions
(tib. ril 'dzin dang rjes gzhig gi zung 'jug)
(12') The state of union of the two truths (tib. bden gnyis zung 'jug)
(13') The state of union of entering and emerging form a meditative
equipoise (tib. mnyam par 'jug Idang zung 'jug)
(14') The state of union of sleep and wakefulness
319
(tib. sad gnyid zung 'jug)
(15') The state of union of meditative equipoise and the post
meditational period (mnyam rjes zung 'jud)
(16') The state of union of mindfulness and forgetfulness
(tib. dran pa dang dran min gyi zung 'jug)
(17') The state of union of bliss and emptiness
(tib, bde stong zung 'jug)
(18') The state of union of objects and action
(tib, bya byed zung 'jug)
(19') The state of union of the generation and the completion stages
(tib, skyes rdzogs zung 'jug)
(20') The state of union of purity and impurity
(tib, dag ma dag gi zung 'jug)
(21') The state of union of with and without forms
(tib, gzugs can gzugs med kyi zung 'jug)
According to the list of twenty-two the eleventh union is divided into

two and according to the list of twenty-three the fifteenth union is
also divided into two. It is said that even a mere understanding of a
state of union is of immense benefit. The benefit is such that it is as
like one has completed the coarse and the subtle levels of the
generation stage.648)
D. Initiation
1. Permission
Atisa now begins an explanation for gaining initiation which leads to
320
enter actual Secret Mantra Vehicle.
[62] Then, to receive the preceptor initiation,

One must please a holy spiritual teacher
Through service, precious gifts and the like
As well as through obedience to his word.649)
To practise the Mantra Vehicle a practitioner must first win a spiritual

teacher who possesses many excellent qualities. After he has won a
spiritual teacher then he should pay homage to him through physical,
verbal and mental activities of obedience, please the holy spiritual
teacher to receive initiation.
Receiving initiation is the gateway to the Mantra Vehicle, because it

permits and empowers the initiate to practise tantra and it makes a
particular connection firmly between the disciple and the spiritual
teacher, and between the disciple and the meditational deity. Before
receiving initiation a practitioner should take the Pratimoka vow,
generate the thought of enlightenment and its vow, and then petition a
spiritual teacher for the bestowal of initiation.
The Dalai Lama XIV says that there is a difference between entering
a mandala^so) and receiving initiation. In order to enter a mandala it is
649) de tshe slob dpon dbang bkur [D: bskur] phyir

bsnyen bkur rin chen sogs sbyin dang
bka' bgrub [D: dka' sgrub] la sogs thams cad kyis
bla ma dam pa mnyes par bya (stanza 62)
650) Mandala is a symbolic representation of a deity who resides his or her realm. In general
its a geometric design denotes all aspects of the whole universe. "Entering the mandala"
refers the meditational construction of this representation within oneself, seeing and
experiencing the emptiness of the whole universe such as both the residence of the deities
and residents. See, Alex Wayman, The Buddhist Tantras (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass,
1996), p. 60.
321
enough to have faith without generation of bodhicitta. To practise the
two stages of highest yoga tantra one should completely generate the
bodhicitta .651)
Receiving initiation is a prerequisite in order to enter Secret Mantra
Vehicle and for tantric practice. This makes a special relationship
between the disciple and the spiritual teacher, and between the disciple
and the meditational deity. Because an initiation is a ritual proceeding
extensive visualizations, prayers, and offerings, and it involves the
disciple entering into the mandala of the deity, where the practitioner
is empowered by the main deity and other deities to practise tantric
method.
Atisa emphasizes that the permission to enter the mandala and to

receive initiation is conferred by the preceptor's saying, "your god is
this one. This is the mantra you must do."652) Without this permission
and initiation a practitioner cannot enter Secret Mantra Vehicle. If one
performs mantra rituals such as the dharani^SS) ritual, mantra recitatio
n,654) burnt offering^ss) and food offering^ss) without permission and
initiation of a guru are strongly prohibited by all tantra texts and all
the spiritual teachers of old and Atlsa's time.
651) Tantra in Tibet, p. 77.

652) BMP. pp. 288-9.
653) Dharani (tib. gzungs) means the actual syllables and sounds of a mantra, frequently this
dharani has no meaning outside of their applied symbolism. These dharanls are founded
such as Vajrasattvas and particular deities of specific mantras in their Tantras.
654) Recitation (skt. japa, tib. bzlas brjod).
655) Burnt offering or fire offering (skt. homa. tib. sbyin sreg).
656) Food offering (skt. bali, tib. gtor ma).
322
2. T h e F o u r C l a s s e s of Initiation657)
[63] Through the full conferring of the preceptor initiation,

By the spiritual teacher who is pleased,
Then one is purified of all sin, and
Becomes fit to attain powerful achievements.658)
Atisa says that in order to practise mantra rituals and cultivate

visualizations^SS) a practitioner must first ask for the vase initiation
which is fundamental to the preceptor initiation.660) Initiation is
conferred in order to make practitioners suitable vessels for cultivating
mantra paths. In action tantra it is permissible to confer the five
knowledge initiations such as water, crown, vajra, bell, and name.66i)
However, in general it is said that action tantra has the water and
crown initiations as well as subsequent rites granting permission to
meditate on a specific diety whereas performance tantra has all five
initiations. The tantric vows are taken only in yoga and highest yoga
tantra as the vajra master initiation occurs only in them. The initiation
657) The word of initiation is the translation of the Sanskrit term abhigeka, which is translated
into Tibetan as conferring of power (dbang bskur). This abhieka consists in sprinkling
holy water on the beginner while reciting mantras to propitiate different deities, especially
for protecting evil spirits. See, S.C. Banerji, op. cit., p. 18.
658) bla ma mnyes par gyiir pa yis
yongs rdzogs slob dpon dbang bskur bas
sdig kun mam dag bdag nyid ni [P: 277b]
dngos grub sgrub pa'i skal Idan 'gyur (stanza 63)
659) Visualization (skt. sadhana, tib. sgrub thabs) refers to the formal yogic meditation process
of exercise of evoking a deity within oneself or in front of oneself.
660) BMP, pp. 290-293.
661) In general, these five are called the vajra disciple initiations, but mKhas grub rje
enumerates as six which are initiations of flower garland, water, crown, vajra, bell and
name. See, mKhas grub rje, tr. F.D. Lessing & Alex Wayman, Introduction to the
Buddhist Tantric Systems (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1998), pp. 141-155.
- 323
of a particular deity is granted in accordance with one's lineage. In
action and performance tantra there are two basic lineages, mundane
and supramundane. Within the latter there are three, i.e.. Tathagata,
lotus, and vajra in order of superiority.662)
In general, there are four categories of initiation which are the vase
initiation663)^ the secret initiation664)^ the wisdom initiation665) and the
word initiation666). The vase initiation is common to all classes of
tantra but the secret, the wisdom and the word initiations are
exclusive to highest yoga tantra. That is because for the study and
practice of the generation stage, the vase initiation alone will do, but
the three higher initiations are needed for the study and practice of the
completion stage. Although the three lower tantras have deity yogas
but they do not have the practice of the completion stage.667)
The vase initiation matures a practitioner as a fit vessel to practise the

gross and subtle meditation of the generation stage, and the three
higher initiations enable the trainee to practise illusory body, clear
light, and state of union in completion stage.
662) Tsong kha pa, The Yoga of Tibet (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1987), tr. Jeffrey Hopkins,
pp. 15-6.
663) Vase initiation (skt. kalasabhieka, tib. bum dbang).
664) Secret initiation (skt. guhyabhieka, tib. gsang dbang).
665) Wisdom initiation (skt. prajnajnanabhieka, tib. shes rab ye shes kyi dbang).
666) Word initiation (skt. ak$arabhi?eka, tib. tsig dbang).
667) Yangchen Gawai Lodoe, tr Tenzin Dorjee, Paths and Grounds of Guhyasamaja
According to Arya Nagarjuna (Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Arciiives,
1995), pp. 11-13.
- 324
(1) The Vase Initiation
The vase initiation is a ritual that uses a mancjala. This may be a

cloth painting, a mancjala made from colored sand, a body mancjala, or
a meditation mandala. Body mandalas require the meditator to visualize
the spiritual teacher's body as a mancjala, with its various parts
constituting parts of a celestial palace and its inhabitants. Concentration
mandalas involve a mancjala visualized simultaneously by both spiritual
teacher and disciple. These are only possible for advanced trainees
with highly developed powers of visualization.668)
With respect to this, Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay says as follows:
"The vase symbolizes the bodies of all Buddhas, and

receiving this initiation causes you to attain the rank of an
Emanation Body. This is the stage of generating yourself as
a deity and your surroundings as his habitat. Through such
imagination you will be able to cleanse the channels in your
body that you become capable of physical manifestation at
Will."669)
(2) The Secret Initiation
The secret, wisdom, and word initiations involve practice with a

consort and ingestion of substances that are commonly considered as
impure.^'^0) But in order to overcome attachment to the conceptualizing

669) Khetsun Sangpo Rinbochay, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, Tantric Practice in Nying ma (Ithaca:
Snow Lion, 1986) p. 176.
670) For these initiation they use the five meats such as bull meat, dog meat, elephant meat,
horse meat, and human meat; and the five nectars: excrement, brains, semen, blood, and
urine. Quoted from John Powers, op. cit., p. 280, n. 26.
- 325 -
thought they use this method. The consorts and substances may be
either imagined or real. The actual using of consort and substances in
secret initiation is reserved for very advanced practitioners. The secret
initiation uses a mixture of the fluids produced by male and female
deities in sexual union, which together constitute a conventional
thought of enlightenment mandala.S^D
In relation with this, mKhas grub rje says:
"Although it is stated in the Tantras and authoritative texts

that there is an initiation based on the Action Seal
(karma-mudra) of a concrete "wisdom" (vidya), this means
the initiation of the "Jewel-like" individual among the
candidates for the high goal of the Anuttarayogatantra. Here,
the guru, with complete characteristics for recourse to the
Action Seal, with visualization of all the gods of the mandala,
invites them and draws them into his own body. Then he
unites with the vidya; and when the substance of the drop
(bindurupabhuta), molten by the fire of great passion, falls
into the "lotus" (padma) of the "Mother" (yum) and mixes
with the red element (dhatu) of the "Mother", he achieves
there what is referred to as "conventional bodhicitta
mandala"".672)
671) Tsong kha pa's sNgags rim, 118b5-6, says: when one speaks of initiation in tiie tiiree
mandalas, which are the two bodhicitta mandalas, because bodhicitta is both ultimate
(paramartha) and conventional (sarnvjti) plus the bhaga mandala, that means the phases of
the three higher initiations (byang chub sems la don dam dang kun rdzob byang chub sems
kyi dkyil 'khor gnyis dang/bha ga'i dkyil 'khor gsum du dbang bskur ba gsungs pa ni
dbang gong ma gsum gyi skabs yin gyi). mKhas grub rje says that the wisdom-knowledge
initiation is attained in the bhaga mandala and the fourth initiation in the ultimate bodhicitta
mandala. See, mKhas grub rje, tr. F.D. Lessing & Alex Wayman, op. cit., p. 318, n. 7.
672) Ibid, pp. 318-9. In this context, see, Kelsang Gyatso, Essence of Vajrayana (Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1997), pp. 71-74.
326
Through tasting this secret substance all the defilements and
obstructions of the practitioner's speech, channels 673) drops674) and
inner winds675) are purified. This initiation causes the practitioner to
attain the completion stage realization of illusory body 676) called the
673) Channels (skt. na(^, tib. rtsa) are the vein-like passages through which flow the subtle
energies that sustain life and which also give rise to various conceptions within the
individual's mind. According to Buddhist medicine and tantric physiology a human body
contains 72,000 channels, all the three main channels which run from the crown down to
the level of the groin. The central channel running through the centre of each of the
channel wheels, and other two run either side of it. The central channel is located exactly
midway between the left and right halves of the body, but is closer to the back than the
front. For more detailed explanation see, Kelsang Gyatso, Clear Light of Bliss (Delhi:
Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), pp. 20-21.
674) Drops (skt. bindu, tib. thig le) is translated as seminal point or drop of energy, the term
bindu involves various meanings. It refers to the pure essence of the white seminal fluid
and the pure essence of red blood. Both have gross and subtle forms. The white and red
drops that flow outside the central channel are gross drops. The central channel contains
both gross and subtle drops. The principal seat of the white drop which is knovm as white
bodhicitta is the crown channel wheel, and it is from here that the white seminal fluid
originates. The principal seat of the red drop is the navel channel wheel, and it is from
here that the blood originates. The red drop at the navel is also the foundation of the
warmth of the body and the basis for attaining inner fire, or tummo, realizations. When the
drops melt and flow through the channels they give rise to an experience of bliss. See, ibid,
pp. 29-30.
675) Winds (skt. vayu/prana, tib. rlung). The Sanskrit word vayu is translated into English as
vital energy or wind. This term has various meanings, however, in tantric conception the
inner winds are known as the 'moving winds' because they flow through the channels.
These inner winds are much subtler than external air. There are five root winds which are:
(1) the life-supporting wind; (2) the downward-voiding wdnd; (3) the upward-moving wind
(4) the equally-abiding wind; and (5) the pervading wdnd. And the five branch winds are:
(1) the moving wind; (2) the intensely-moving wind; (3) the perfectiy-moving wind; (4) the
strongly-moving wind; and (5) the definitely-moving wind. See, Kelsang Gyatso, op. cit., pp.
27-9. Lati Rinbochay also enumerates the five root winds as well as Kelsang Gyatso lists.
See, Lati Rinbochay, tr. Jeffrey Hopkins, In Death, Intermediate State, and Rebirth in
Tibetan Buddhism (Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1985), p. 14.
676) Illusory body (skt. mayadeha, tib. sgyu lus) is a completion stage practice associated with
a number of important tantra texts such as the Guhyasamaja, and meditational cycles such
as the Six Yogas of Naropa. In general seven kinds of illusory body have been enumerated,
viz., (1) the symbolic (dpe'i sgyu ma); (2) the apparitional (snang ba sgyu ma); (3) the
dream-like (rmi lam sgyu ma); (4) the intermediate states after death (bar do'i sgyu ma);
(5) clear light Cod gsal sgyu ma); (6) emanation (sprul pa sgyu ma) and; (7) pristine
wisdom (ye shes sgyu ma). In the context of the completion stage, Kelsang Gyatso says
that the illusory body is defined as the actual body of the deity, adorned with the
thirty-two major signs and eight miner indications, that develops from the subtle wind upon
which is mounted either the isolated mind of ultimate example clear light or the mind of
- 327
realization of conventional truth and the Enjoyment Body of a Buddha.
(3) The Wisdom Initiation
The wisdom initiation uses a vagina mandala and involves sexual

union with a consort. mKhas grub rje says that the wisdom initiation
is the guru, disciple, and vidya, having emerged from experiencing the
common path (sadharana-marga) as set forth in the Tantras, bless
their stream of consciousness (sarptana, tantra) with incantations. They
are governed by such preceptors as have in full measure the
characteristics of skill in the sixty arts of kama. The guru offers to
the disciple that vidya with whom he had entered in union at the time
of the secret initiation, or a similar vidya as appropriate. The preceptor
offers explanations and exact replies to questions, after which the
disciple attains the initiation through generation of the four joys. Hence
he attains it in the bhaga-mandala. After entering into union, when he
takes recourse to drawing the wind into the "middle vein", the melted
white element reaches the neck from the middle of the forehead, at
which time there is "joy" (ananda).
After that, it reaches the heart, at which time there is "super joy"
(parama-ananda). After that, it reaches the navel, at which time there
is "extraordinary joy" (virama-ananda). After that, it reaches the tip of
the thunderbolt gem, and by his abiding by the precept to not allow it
to be emitted, at that time there is produced the knowledge of
meaning clear light. The illusory body that develops from the wind mounted by the isolated
mind of ultimate example clear light is the impure illusory body, and the illusory body that
develops from the wind mounted by meaning clear light is the pure illusory body. The
difference between pure and impure is determined by whether or not the mounting clear
light mind has directly realized lack of inherent existence. See, Kelsang Gyatso, op. cit., pp.
195-215, Yangchen Gawai Lodoe enumerates twelve examples of impure illusory body such
as an illusion, see, op. cit., pp. 72-75.
- 328
"together-bom joy" (sahaja-ananda)677) The knowledge of bliss-empty
which combines that joy with emptiness is bom in the one with keen
faculties at the time of the initiation. Through this initiation all the
appearances constituting defilements are purified and it makes the
practitioner a suitable vessel for contemplating the clear light of the
four steps and attain Dharmakaya.678)
(4) The Word Initiation
A guru's instructions concerning the union of pure body and pure

mind generated in highest yoga tantra constitutes the "ultimate mind of
enlightenment mandala" used in the word initiation. The blissful clear
light mind experiences emptiness directly that is the ultimate bodhicitta.
According to mKhas grub rje, at the time of the third initiation, even
when there was no realization in a concrete place that the body of
oneself and the vidya was the desire god in the sense of the
"father-mother" union, still, on account of the vividness in the mind.
677) Experiencing these four joys of completion stage depends upon the winds entering,
abiding, and dissolving within the central channel. The method by which this is achieved
the eight stages of meditation on inner fire (skt. candali, tib. gtum mo). According to
Herbert V. Guenther, the Tibetan term gtum mo means fierce mother. The syllable gtum
means the direct overcoming of all that is not conducive to enlightenment, that is, all that
has to be given up; the syllable mo denotes motherhood as producing spontaneously all the
good in virtues, that is, all that has to be attained. The ultimate one is gtum mo in the
true sense of the word. Herbert V. Guenther, The Life and Teaching of Naropa (Boston
& London: Shambhala, 1995), p. 59.
678) Sngag rim, 436b-5, when listing the cakras along the central channel of the body, having
'petals' or 'veins' in the numbers of 4 (crown of head), 32 (middle of forehead), 16 (neck),
8 (heart), 64 (navel), 32 (sacral place), and 8 (tip of the gem), refers to these centers as
'lotus-like', 'bhaga-like', and 'cakra-like' (pad ma nyid dang bha ga nyid dang 'khor lo
nyid). However, the initiation concerns only the four centers at the neck, heart, navel, and
base of spine -the locations of the four vidyas or goddess- and the combination of the four
joys with the four voids, quoted from mKha grub rje, op. cit., p. 322, n. 10. and pp.
320-323.
- 329
the mind experienced bliss-void and simultaneously the symbolic clear
light.679) At the limit of the fourth step, after one has taken recourse
to the contemplation in the time of the path involved with piercing the
"centers" in the body- his body proceeds concretely as a vajra body
which is a rainbow body produced from the very subtle wind and
mind only, and simultaneously his mind proceeds in the clear light of
the [absolute] object, which comprehends emptiness in immediacy. The
attainment in that way of the consubstantial union of body and mind
is called union in the realm of learning (saikga-yuganaddha). The fruit,
or equivalent, resulting from the continuous contemplation of the
connection of that is explained as the union beyond learning
(asaik$a-yuganaddha) or the means of achieving the rank of having
the seven members of the sarnputa.^so) This initiation purifies all the
defilements and obstructions of the practitioners body, speech, and
mind, and it leads to attain the union of Buddha Vajradhara's body
and mind.681)
679) Clear light (skt. prabhasvara, tib. 'od gsal) is known as inner radiance of mind-as-such
(prabhasvaracitta) in completion stage of highest yoga tantra, to the subdest level of mind
which is the fundamental, essential nature of all our cognitive events. Though ever present
within all sentient beings, this clear light becomes manifest only when the gross mind has
ceased to function. According to Kelsang Gyatso, this clear light arises when the third
subtle wind, that mounted by the mind of black near-attainment dissolves. Its nature is
very lucid and clear, it perceives an appearance like the light of an autumn dawn. It is also
called 'all-empty' because it is empty of all gross and subtle winds and perceives only an
empty appearance. Such a dissolution is experience by ordinary beings, naturally, at the
time of death, but can also be experientially cultivated through Anuttarayoga tantra
techniques in meditation and specially through yogic techniques applied during the interval
between the dream and waking state of consciousness.
See, Kelsang Gyatso, Clear Light of Bliss (Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1999), pp. 73-107,
and pp. 217-227.
680) op. cit., pp. 324-5.
681) Vajradhara (tib. rdo rje 'chang, holder of the diamond) is an expression of the
Dharmakaya, spontaneously arising from the pure, pristine expanse of clear light, in a form
complete with all the perfect resources of the Sambhogakaya. Vajradhara is thus regarded
as the root of all the enlightened families, the pristine source from which emerge the five
enlightened families who represent the five psycho-physical aggregates in their purified
state. He is known as the primordial Buddha, or the final perfection of divinity, the
composite of all Buddhas. According Guhyasamâtantra (chapter, XVII,p. 135): Vajradhara,
330
3. Prohibited Initiations
[64] The secret and wisdom initiations should not be

Taken by those who observing pure conduct,
Because it is emphatically forbidden
In the Great Tantra of Primordial Buddha.682)
The secret and wisdom initiations are included in the preceptor

initiation. These two initiations are forbidden to religious celibates.
Because these two initiations involve meditative yogic practices with
an actual action seal called wisdom. These practices symbolize the
union of emptiness and means which are also called in the tantric
terminology as the union of emptiness and bliss.
The symbolism of the sexual union is very complicated and profound

in tantra, and the interpretation of tantric practice permits for both
meditation of the sexual union with the action seal mentally, and
meditation of it with an actual or concrete partner. But Atisa's saying
here is the latter case that is involved in the secret and wisdom
initiation of the preceptor initiation, and which is forbidden to religious
celibates by Kalacakra itself, by the very nature of the Pratimok$a
vows and the celibacy it implies.
The Kalacakra tantra says that those yogins who are observing the
the teacher, who is bowed to by all the Buddhas, best of the three diamonds, best of the
great best, supreme lord of the three diamonds... These three diamonds denote the diamond
of body, speech, and mind. See, Alex Wayman, The Buddhist Tantras (Delhi; Motilal
Banarsidass, 1996), p. 53.
682) dang po sangs rgyas rgyud chen las
rab tu 'bad pas bkag pa'i phyir
gsang ba shes rab dbang bskur ni [D: 241a]
tshangs par spyod pas blang mi bya (stanza 64)
331
vows of religious celibacy must at all times avoid the practices
involved in the yogic union with a female partner in the secret and
wisdom initiations. But in the case of a lay practitioner receiving these
two initiations are dangerous, not to say forbidden.
[65] If those initiations were taken by those who remain

In the austerity of religious celibate,
It would violate their vow of austerity
Since they would be practicing what is forbidden.683)
[66] This occurs transgressions which are a defeat

For those observing discipline,
Since they are certain to fall to bad destinies,
They will never achieve attainments.684)
Taking or giving secret and wisdom initiations by religious celibates

are strongly prohibited in the Great Tantra of Primordial Buddha.685)
Because receiving or giving these initiations are making transgressions
of their vow not to engage in sexual activity, which is proscribed for
them. By doing what is proscribed they violate their vow of austerity
and break the discipline they have pledged to keep it. The Buddha's
doctrine has been continued by the religious celibates. If the religious
683) gal te dbang bskur de 'dzin na
tshangs spyod dka' thub la gnas pas
bkag pa spyad par 'gyur ba'id phyir
dka' thub sdom pa de nyams te (stanza 65)
684) brtul zhugs can de pham pa yi
Itung ba dag ni 'byung 'gyur zhing
de ni ngan song nges Ihung bas
grub pa yang ni yod ma yin (stanza 66)
685) The Great Tantxa of Primordial Buddha (skt. Adibuddhamahatantra = Kalacakratantra,
tib. Dang po sangs rgyas rgyud) Ot. 4, Vol, 1. This Tantra is classified by Bu ston as
"Neither Father nor Mother" tantra of the Supreme Union class. This proscription is
founded in the fifth chapter of this text. See, Sonam Rinchen, op, cit., p. 214. n. 6.
- 332
celibates receive the secret and wisdom initiations, it causes the decline
of the Buddha's doctrine and religious celibacy. Because the Buddha's
teaching depends solely upon the celibate religious life, and these two
initiations are excluded because they envision states which are not in
harmony with religious celibacy. And consequently they lose their
virtue and merit, thereby creating a defeat which leads to the bad
destines. Therefore, the secret and wisdom initiations are strongly
prohibited by the religious celibate.
4. Permitted Initiations
[67] Having received the preceptor initiation.

He may listen to all tantras and explain them;
Perform burnt offering, gift worship, and so forth:
There is no fault in wisdom about reality.686)
According to Atisa, if a religious celibate wants to listen to the

tantras, to study and explain them to others and to perform mantra
rituals and so forth, then they should receive the vase initiation of the
preceptor initiation.687) After he has received the preceptor initiation
from a qualified guru, then he can perform mantra rituals such as
burnt offering, gift offering, mantra recitation, bestow initiation and
consecrations and so forth. In this context, Atisa quotes the guru-monk
Painciapatika Avadhutipa as follows:
686) rgyud kun nyan dang 'chad pa clang

sbyin sreg mchod sbyin sogs byed pa
slob dpon dbang bskur myed 'gyur zhing
de nyid rig la nyes pa med (stanza 67)
687) Preceptor initiation (skt. acarya-abhiseka, tib. slob dpon dbang bskur).
333
"Whoever has gained an acarya and his permission and the
vase - due to his initiation to practise those Tantra, to listen
to, study and explain them - is completely true to
Mahayana."688)
According to Geshe Sonam Rinchen, a well-qualified tantric preceptor

should be conversant with the ten inner and ten outer aspects of
suchness or reality.689) When they confer initiation of the action,
performance and yoga tantras, need to have skill in the outer aspects,
while they confer highest yoga tantra initiations should be skilled in
the inner aspects.
The first of the ten outer skills consists in meditating on the mandala
with and without signs. This indicates the external mandala, viz., the
residence and the deities within it both with form, and the internal
mandala, the wisdom of bliss and emptiness, which is without signs.
The second refers to concentrating oneself as the deity within the
mandala. The third is skill in the various mudras for offering
decorations to the deities. The fourth skill is in the performance of
ritual dance. The fifth is the ability to assume a wide variety of
postures such as the vajra position. The sixth is in mantra recitation.
The seventh is in conducting appeasement, prosperity, powerful and
fierce burnt offering rituals. The eighth is in making outer, inner and
secret offerings. The ninth is in performing appeasement, prosperity,
powerful and fierce activities as well as giving protection and inviting
different kinds of guests. The tenth is in concluding rituals and
sending guests back to their different dwelling places.
688) BMP, pp. 302-3.
689) Reality (skt. dharmata, tib. chos nyid) is mostly used as a synonym for the emptiness or
lack of inherent existence in all phenomena.
334
The first of the ten inner skills is the ability to create a protection
circle in meditation to rid others of hindrances. The second is to draw
mandalas which can be worn as protection amulets. The third skill is
in giving the secret initiation and the fourth is in giving the wisdom
initiation. This implies the need for capability in giving the other
initiations as well. The fifth skill is proficiency in separating enemies
of the teaching from their protectors and tutelary deities in order to
stop their harmful activities. The sixth is the art of offering ritual
cakes to mundane and supramundane guests. The seventh is skill in
different forms of mantra recitation. The eighth is in the use of
coercion when practices associated with the stage of generation, such
as visualization and mantra recitation, intended to actualize the deity,
have been properly performed without success. The ninth skill is in
consecrating representations of enlightened body, speech and mind and
prayer beads. The tenth is skill in activating the mandala, making
offerings, entering the mandala and performing self-initiation.690)
E. Concluding Verses
[68] I, the Elder, Diparhkarasn,

Have seen this explanation in sutras,
Have explained concisely the path to enlightenment
At the request of Byang chub 'od.69i)
Atisa ends The Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment by stating that
690) Sonam Rinchen, op. cit., pp. 144-5.

691) gnas brtan mar me mdzad dpal gyis
mdo sogs chos las bshad mthong ba
byang chub 'od kyis gsol btab nas
byang chub lam bshad mdor bsdus byas (stanza 68)
335
this concise explanation of what he himself saw described in sutras,
tantras and great commentaries of the eminent masters. It was written
at the request of Byang chub 'od. This root text is concise because he
has summarized the essence of Buddhist scriptures.
In his BMP, Atisa concludes his auto-commentary in the following

verses :692)
[1] That wish-grating jewel, Apparition Body,

Has passed away, and no longer are there
Great scholars like Arya Nagarjuna and the rest;
And in these times of the approaching decline
Of the Sage's holy Dharma, many people come forth
With the false conceptions of madmen.
[2] They see the libraries of sutra and sastra.

But are lost to the guidance of Guru-tradition;
Like blind men, they embark
On scripture's vast ocean of meaning.
They do not understand Mahayana's supreme path, and
Their misunderstanding of it ought not be followed.
[3] Without a Guru for their eyes,

They have not seen and will not see
The true arrangement of the Mahayana path.
[4] Like the ocean, Mahayana is deep.

And, like the sky, it is very vast;
Yet they preach as they please, without Guru,
692) Quoted from BMP, pp. 306-311.
336
Satisfied they have seen the texts of
Sutra and sastra, but no reliance on Guru for them.
[5] If they do not know even so much

As the steps of the Mahayana plan,
How do they view its deep and vast meaning?
[6] A person whom a holy Guru has chosen

Because of his right disposition for Mahayana -
Follow that wise one, whoever he be.
[7] This is a time of great trepidation,

Now is the hour of the Teaching's decline.
Lives that man of the good Gurus' tradition.
Awed by his wise [teachers'] true comprehension -
And, when you find him, serve him for months or years.
And in careful attendance you will win him.
[8] Even if this person behaves very badly.

In the manners he has of body and speech,
Pay no attention [but instead] accept the holy Doctrine.
As the bee, for example, in selecting a flower.
Carries off the honey, leaving the flower behind;
So a wise man too conducts himself like that.
Listening to instruction, not looking at manners.
[9] When the mind becomes skilled through his counsel.

Then for the Enlightenment to be gained in this very life.
Beg instruction in the Guru tradition
On the mantra of Cakrasamvara and the like.
- 337
If you do not learn the method of the Mantra texts,
Excluding the two initiations [of secret and
wisdom-knowledge],
You are chained by much discursive thought,
And Buddhahood will not be swiftly won.
He again says as follows:
[1] I lustre of the Sage's teaching now fades.

And the Teacher's holy Doctrine is perishing.
If outsiders and inferior men, and even
The Buddha's own disciples are destroying it,
Then who cannot destroy the Sage's teaching?
[2] The destruction comes especially form religious:

Some, in following the Mantra of the Tantras,
practise it falsely and teach other to stray;
And others, not knowing the true meaning of
The perfection of wisdom as it really is.
Preach, "Eliminate the relative truths.
Like cause and effect, and inherent nature is pure"!
[3] And some that Pratimokga and Vinaya teach.

Mingling with laymen in field and trade,
Conducting business even in assembly hall.
Atisa quotes Lankavatara-sutra:
"It will come about in the future [that]

The wearing of the saffron robe and the
338
Preaching that it does not matter,
Will be the disgrace of my Teaching ....
At the end of this Age of Strife,
The world will not cultivate the Holy Doctrine."693)
Atisa also quotes with great reverence from Vasubandhu:
[1] The guru, the eye of the world, is closed;

And men of mastery are all but gone.
His teaching is confused in the misunderstanding
Of men who practise as they please, not having seen
Suchness.
[2] The Self-arisen One has passed

Excellently to Calm; they that held the Self-arisen
Teaching dear are deprived of their Lord. Unleashed is
Corruption, destroying virtue, sporting at will today.
[3] And so this fair teaching of the sage

Emits, as it were, its dying gasp; and knowing
It is the hour when impurities are in power.
Those desiring liberation act with care."694)
693) Descent into Lanka Sutra (skt. Laiikavatara Sutra, tib. Lang kar gsegs pa'i mdo), Ot.
775. Vol. 29: 77, 1 and 84.L Quoted from op. cit., Richard Sherburne, pp. 310-311.
694) Abhidharmakosa-bha^ya (tib. Chos mngon pa'i mdzod pa'i bshad pa), Ot. 5591, Vol.
115: 277.4, Ibid, pp. 310-311.
339 -
[Colophon]
This completes the Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment by the

great Acarya, glorious Diparhkarasrijnana. It was translated and edited
by the eminent Indian abbot himself and by the great revisor,
translator and fully ordained monk Dge ba'i bio gros. This text was
written at the Tho ling temple of Zhang zhung.695)
This colophon belongs Atlsa's root text which he wrote The Lamp
for the Path to the Enlightenment between 1042 and 1043 at Tho
ling696) temple of Zhang zhung697) in Western Tibet.
695) byang chub lam gyi sgron ma slob dpon chen po mar me mdzad
ye sges kyis mdzad pa rdzogs so//
rgya gar gyi mkhan po chen po de nyid dang zhu chen gyi lo tsa' ba
dge ba'i bio gros kyis bsgyur zhing gtan la phab pa chos 'di ni zhang
zhung gi tho lings gtsug lag khang du mdzad pa 'o/ (colophon)
696) Tho ling temple was founded in 996 A.D. by Lha lama Ye she 'od. It was a sort of
training institute. Monks after a course of training here were sent out to different parts of
India - to Magadha and Kashmir where Buddhism was best known, practised and studied.
They were authorized to invite learned monks from India to Tibet. In 1028 it was renovated
by the king IHa Ide who was Byang chub 'od's father, and gave the name Tho ling Khang
dmar dPal dpe med Ihun gyis grub pa'i gtsug lag khang. This temple was built on the
Sutlej River forty miles southwest of Gartok.
697) The kingdom of Zhang Zhung is thought to have covered a vast area extending to the
west towardss Persia and to the east to include parts of Kham province in Tibet. This
Zhang Zhung country was divided into three parts, western parts of Zhang Zhung (Zhang
zhung phugs), intermediate part (Zhang zhung bar), consisting of the central areas, and
doorway of Zhang Zhung (Zhang zhung sgo) which was located in the most eastern parts.
Later the kingdom was confined to western Tibet, which was brought under royal control
by king Srong btsan sgam po in 644 A.D. Long after this, however, the area continued to
be referred to as Zhang Zhung and people proudly declared it as their place of origin. It is
said to have had a distinctive culture and distinctive languages. Tho ling was the capital of
Zhang Zhung in A.D. 1025. Zhang Zhung was intimately related to the Bon religion. Sonam
Rinchen, op. cit. p. 214. n. 9.
340

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CHAPTER IX

THE SECRET MANTRA VEHICLE

A. The Secret Mantra Vehicle552)

"The teachings on Mantra are far more distinguished

According to the Dalai Lama XIV, a Bodhisattva depends on Perfection

The Secret Mantra Vehicle is secret because it is attained secretly

554) Jeffrey Hopkins, op. cit., pp. 111-2.

1. The Definition of Secret Mantra Vehicle

According to the Shraddhakaravarma's Introduction to the Meaning

With regard to the Secret Mantra Vehicle, the Guhyasamajatantra

"Whatsoever mind arises in dependence on sense organs and

Jnasri says in his Eradication of the Two Extremes:559) as follows:

"Because of indivisibility, it is the Vajra Vehicle. Because

"The Vajra is the great indivisible and unbreakable. That is

2. The Meaning of Mantra

According to Hevajra Tantra, mantra is so called because it recalls

manastranabhutatvad mantram ity ucyate

561) Graham Coleman, op. cit., p. 392.

Mantra is usually associated with certain syllables or combinations of

3. The Preliminary Practices

To practise Secret Mantra Vehicle one should prepare preliminary

(1) Taking refuge in the Three Jewels and generating bodhicitta in

4. The Tantric Rituals and Powers

[60] Through activities of appeasement and prosperity

The activity of appeasement involves pacifying disease and obstacles.

The activity of controlling is the exercise of control by attracting

The activity of destruction is used towardss those who are still

(1) Good vase power576)

573) Controlling (skt. vasl-karanam, tib. dban du byed pa)

1. The Meaning of Tantra

According to S.C. Banerji, there are various interpretations of the term

(1) Essence of a thing (satapatha Brahmana)

586) S,C. Banerji, op. cit., p. 1.

As regards chronology and country of origin it can be divided into the

3. Seven Classes of Tantra

[61] It is maintained that the accumulation for

Atlsa classifies and enumerates tantric texts as seven kinds of tantras.

(1) Action Tantra

There are four thousand Action Tantras including such tantras as

The All Dhararils [Ot. 141]

(2) Performance Tantra

There are eight thousand Performance Tantras including such

The Perfect Enlightenment of Vairocana Tantra [Ot. 126]

(3) Skill Tantra

The Tantra of Tara's Generation [Ot. 390]

(4) Combination Tantra

The Illusion-like [Ot. 102]

There are innumerable Union Tantras including such tantras as:

The Compendium of Suchness [Ot. 112]

(6) Great Union Tantra

There are twelve thousand Great Union Tantras including such

The Glorious Union of the Secret [Ot. 81] and its

(7) Supreme Union Tantra

There are fourteen thousand Supreme Union Tantras including

The Glorious Cakrasaihvara: the Hundred Thousand Verses of the

According to Richard Sherburne, Atl^a's classification of tantras into

The division of four classes of tantra by Bu ston is as follows:

(1) Supreme union tantra: for those who delight in inner

Atlsa's seven classes of tantra still exist as five classes of tantra. I

592) Quoted from BMP, pp. 284-287.

Atisa received entire instructions from him for twelve years in

4. Four Classes of Tantra