Enhancing and Manifesting Results
Enhancing and Manifesting Results
The practice of enhancing these two stages
In general our Master Śākyamuni Buddha taught three types of conduct:
(1) nonattachment, for those of the Lesser Vehicle, who are resolute in lesser practices,
(2) the perfections, for those of the Perfection Vehicle, who are resolute in the great and extensive practices, and
(3) the dharmas of attachment, for those disciples of the four tantras of secret mantra, who are fully resolute in the profound practices.
The author now addresses the issue of conduct. In order to suit the predisposition and mentality of trainees of the Lesser Vehicle, Śākyamuni Buddha taught the practice of nonattachment. These practices are taught in the Sūtra scriptural basket, and from among the three root afflictions, they mainly counter the affliction of attachment. The aim of these practices is to gradually reduce the presence of attachment until it is eliminated. For those drawn to extensive
practices, the Buddha taught the extensive, medium, and condensed perfection of wisdom texts that present the ten grounds and the six perfections and the Abhidharma scriptural basket. Both styles of teachings are classified as sūtra-level teachings. Śākyamuni Buddha taught the most profound instruction to those capable of transforming attachment and so on. Such disciples therefore received teachings from the four classes of tantra, which elucidate the methods of
bringing attachment into the path, anger into the path,377 and the dream body into the path by cultivating the clear light of sleep. In the present context the conduct taught is that of attachment. Further, disciples of the three lower tantras take as their path the attachment that focuses on the five objects visualized as goddesses in front of themselves. They do not take as their path the attachment of union with an action seal and visualized goddess.
There are two different ways of bringing attachment into the path. In the three lower tantras practitioners meditate on seeing the five objects of form, sound, and so forth as female deities. But this is the extent of their capacity to bring attachment into the path.
In highest yoga tantra, disciples take as their path the attachment that desires union with an action seal or a pristine wisdom seal so that they may enhance the bodhicitta in their body that is the cause of generating strong innate great bliss [35b] as the special awareness realizing emptiness.
In highest yoga tantra, practitioners are capable of bringing the attachment to union with an actual or visualized consort into the path. Since practitioners have different mental capacities, there are different types of seals as well. Those with the sharpest mental capacity engage a pristine wisdom seal while those of lesser capacity engage action seals.
The generation and transformation of attachment
When engaged in practices to transform attachment or anger, only the first moment is actual attachment or anger. From the second moment on it is transformed into pristine wisdom realizing emptiness, and therefore it no longer possesses the nature of attachment or anger.
The method of generating the special awareness realizing emptiness by that means is stated in Illuminating Lamp:
By means of penetrating the vital points of the external and internal body, bodhicitta melts. From that a special internal tactile object is generated, and by taking that as your focal condition, you generate a special blissful feeling concordant with physical awareness. Through that acting as the immediate condition, a mental awareness is generated possessing the nature of excellent bliss. And when that mental awareness recalls the meaning of reality that was previously ascertained, it becomes the union of bliss and emptiness.
There are two types of blissful feelings: physical and mental. Physical awareness experiencing blissful physical feeling acts as the immediate condition generating blissful mental awareness. For example, if a man sets a goal with the expectation of a certain result, he experiences happiness when he gets word of a favorable outcome, and when he returns home he announces, “I heard such good news today!” If we examine the sequence of events, first ear consciousness
apprehends the sound of the words, then mental consciousness apprehends the meaning of the words and he rejoices. First blissful physical feeling gives rise to blissful mental feeling, and when coarse modes of bliss are stopped, bliss is generated in the aspect of subtle wind and mind. This blissful subtle awareness
is a mental factor concordant with its main mind. When it comprehends emptiness, it is said to comprehend emptiness in a superior way, and when it abandons obscurations, it abandons them in a superior way.
This passage states that from that substance melting, a special physical, internal tactile object is generated, then a feeling of bliss that is physical awareness focusing on that internal object, then its immediate result, which is a mental feeling of bliss concordant with meditation on emptiness. Again Illuminating Lamp states:
Regarding the order of generating sensory and mental bliss, Dharmakīrti states: When physical attachment [or aversion increases [or decreases], enhanced mental feeling is generated from bliss and suffering. Even balancing the constituents and so on leads to [a blissful internal state.
And:
Awareness generated from a special internal state transforms [other states].
This should be understood through logic.
The author now refers to a passage from Jé Rinpoché’s Illuminating Lamp that cites Dharmakīrti’s Pramāṇvārttika. Dharmakīrti notes that sensory bliss is generated from contact with pleasant and attractive objects, such as forms, sounds, aromas, flavors, and tactile objects. We as humans tend to seek pleasurable objects and avoid unpleasant objects and situations. The longer we remain in contact with attractive objects, the more our contaminated pleasure increases, for
each instance of contaminated physical bliss generates further contaminated mental bliss. Once the external and internal elements of earth, water, fire, and wind attain equilibrium, our health and body are also balanced. This in turn induces contaminated physical bliss, which then induces contaminated mental bliss.
The term internal state refers to mental awareness that experiences the relative balance of the internal elements and so on. Such mental awareness experiences a comfortable and blissful state when the elements are balanced. First physical bliss is generated through contact with external objects, and its origin is
external. In reliance on external sensory bliss, mental awareness also experiences bliss, and this internal state acts as the special consciousness of bliss. When the elements are disturbed, individuals tend to experience physical as well as mental discomfort. Being unhappy they tend to speak unpleasantly, but those who are physically and mentally comfortable tend to act pleasantly. Therefore, understand that sense awareness generated in the nature of bliss is the immediate condition of mental awareness generated in the nature of great bliss.
The statement that the bliss of melting meditates on emptiness should be understood in dependence on the detailed examination of the logic of the Pramāṇavārttika.
Different types of conduct
The author continues by presenting the classifications of conduct. In general, conduct can be classified in various ways according to its nature, its support, and the time it is practiced.
Here, if conduct is classified by nature, there are three types:
1. Conduct with elaboration
2. Conduct without elaboration
3. Conduct completely free of elaboration
Conduct without elaboration has three parts: extensive, medium, and abbreviated. Both the former and latter practices are not classified in three. [36a] From the perspective of its nature, conduct can be classified as conduct with elaboration, without elaboration, and completely free of elaboration. Although conduct without elaboration has three subdivisions—extensive, medium, and abbreviated —conduct with elaboration and conduct completely free of elaboration do not have such subdivisions. These categories will be explained in due course.
If classified by means of support, there are two types: conduct of the generation stage and conduct of the completion stage. And each has three divisions: conduct with elaboration, conduct without elaboration, and conduct completely free of elaboration.
Conduct is divided into conduct of the generation stage as well as the completion stage, and each stage is differentiated according to the standard presentation of the three types of conduct
. If classified by means of time it has two divisions:
1. Conduct at the time of the empowerment to create suitable vessels
2. Conduct at the time of meditating on the path
Regarding the time of conduct, there are two main occasions: conduct during the rite of empowerment and conduct at the time of the path itself.
Conduct at the time of meditating on the path
The latter has two types:
1. Conduct to obtain a path not previously obtained
2. Conduct to enhance that already obtained
Conduct at the time of the path can be practiced either to induce and newly attain levels we have not attained before or to enhance the benefits of levels previously attained.
The first extends from first meditating on the generation stage up to but not including obtaining non-learner’s union.
Those practicing the three types of conduct to obtain new levels not achieved before include those on the path of accumulation who seek to obtain the path of preparation, those on the path of preparation seeking to obtain the path of seeing, or those on the path of seeing seeking to obtain the path of meditation. In the context of tantra such paths begin from the stage of generation and continue till the obtainment of non-learner’s union.
The second, conduct to enhance that already obtained, has no more than four types:
1. Conduct establishing the common siddhis having completed the generation stage
The first refers to the conduct of a practitioner on the tantric path of accumulation who has completed the generation stage and who engages in the three types of conduct to enhance that already obtained and establish the common siddhis.
2. Conduct establishing the illusory body having obtained mental isolation
The second refers to the conduct of a practitioner who has completed the generation stage, physical isolation, and verbal isolation and who engages in the three types of conduct to enhance previously obtained levels during mental isolation to attain the impure illusory body.
3. Engaging in conduct to obtain the body of pristine wisdom purified by clear light having already obtained the illusory body
The third refers to the conduct of a practitioner who has obtained the impure illusory body and who engages in the three types of conduct to obtain the pure illusory body, also called the body of pristine wisdom.
4. Engaging in conduct to obtain non-learner’s union having already obtained learner’s union
The fourth is the conduct of a practitioner who has obtained learner’s union and who engages in the three types of conduct to obtain non-learner’s union. Thus, a person ready to enhance the generation stage must have completed the coarse and subtle generation stage. A person ready to enhance the completion stage must have obtained mental isolation.
Though generation-stage practitioners establish many common siddhis without engaging in such conduct, they engage in such conduct as the means of quickly and easily establishing ultimate common siddhis and many others.
There are practitioners who may obtain some common siddhis but have not obtained the best or most potent of these siddhis. Again, there are others who have some of the common siddhis but wish to attain many more. Such practitioners may therefore engage in these practices to establish these siddhis easily and swiftly.
The need to rely on a seal
Conduct to enhance the completion stage is for the purpose of attaining enlightenment in one life because there is no attainment of buddhahood in one life without practicing any of the three types of conduct. For you can generate the three types of pristine wisdom [36b] through completing wind yoga, but you cannot generate actual mental isolation without joining with an external consort. And though you can gather the winds by the might of penetrating the points in
the internal body and melt bodhicitta through igniting caṇḍālī, it is said that you obtain great enhancement in those by means of a seal, and from that you greatly improve your comprehension of reality. This is because meditation on reality that combines attachment to a seal and its associated branches of conduct after you have attained full potency to penetrate the points of the internal body is the meaning of enhancing the completion stage.
The author states that a practitioner needs to enhance the completion stage in order to attain buddhahood in one lifetime, and to commence such practices he or she must have attained mental isolation. Moreover, unless we rely on union with a seal, we cannot attain enlightenment in one lifetime, for the swiftness of our progress is guaranteed by this method alone. When we are capable of completing wind yoga, we are capable of manifesting the pristine wisdom of appearance,
increase, and near-attainment, and to induce the actual pristine wisdom of mental isolation, we must engage an external consort. We also utilize an external consort when we are capable of gathering the winds and bodhicitta by penetrating certain points of the body to enhance our comprehension of emptiness. The author raises these points to establish the need for relying on an external seal once we have attained certain levels on the path.
Conduct with elaboration
Conduct with elaboration is conduct that is elaborated through wearing masks and costumes similar to the action seal, making gestures, responding to gestures, and so on.
Conduct with elaboration in the completion stage involves the use of masks and costumes similar to a performance in theater. Further, the practitioner uses certain gestures, and the consort responds accordingly with her own gestures, as a means of communication.386 These gestures resemble those used for communicating with the ḍākinīs.
Conduct without elaboration
Conduct without elaboration is the conduct of wearing masks and costumes similar to the action seal but without the elaboration of making gestures and responding to gestures and so forth.
Conduct without elaboration utilizes masks and costumes, but we do not interact with the consort by way of gestures and responding to gestures.
Conduct completely free of elaboration
The meaning of conduct completely free of elaboration is conduct that abandons all external elaboration and meditates solely on the pristine wisdom of bliss and emptiness through merging union with a pristine wisdom seal and the cultivation of the clear light of sleep.
Conduct completely free of elaboration is free from the use of masks, costumes, and gestures, since it is not a practice utilizing an external consort. Here the practitioner uses a visualized consort called a pristine wisdom seal and cultivates the clear light of sleep. A practitioner of conduct completely free of elaboration may appear to be asleep for long periods of time, such as in the story of Śāntideva.387
Further classification of the three types of conduct
The three conducts are classified in this way in terms of action and so on, but when classified by means of meditation and contemplation, then (1) conduct with elaboration is the conduct of practitioners of the generation stage, (2) conduct without elaboration is the conduct of practitioners of the completion stage who have not obtained actual clear light, and (3) conduct completely free of elaboration is the conduct of practitioners who have obtained learner’s union. That is because they are, respectively,
(1) conduct greatly elaborating,
(2) slightly elaborating, and
(3) never elaborating the apprehension of signs.
These three are conduct related, respectively, to
(1) the general meaning,
(2) the hidden meaning, and
(3) the final meaning.
Until this point the author has classified conduct by means of nature, support, and time. Now he classifies conduct in a fourth way—from the perspective of the type of meditation that is performed during the generation and completion stages. Compared with the type of meditation practiced at the stage of completion, the conduct of the generation stage is classified as conduct with elaboration. Within the completion stage, meditation performed prior to the level of actual clear light is classified as conduct without elaboration, while meditation performed at the level of learner’s union is classified as conduct completely free of elaboration.
This classification assists the yogi in countering the tendency to see any type of internal or external conduct as truly established. “Apprehending signs” refers to grasping at the signs or characteristics of true existence. Conduct with elaboration, without elaboration, and completely free of elaboration correspond to three different levels of grasping at true existence. 388 Greatly elaborating, slightly elaborating, and never elaborating correspond respectively to the general, hidden, and ultimate meaning.
Practitioners on both stages engage in such conduct, but if they do not quickly generate their respective result, then the method of producing the essence of these two stages, according to Illuminating Lamp, should be understood from the tenth chapter of Commentary to the Guhyasamāja Tantra and from Nāropa’s Commentary to the Later Guhyasamāja Tantra.
Ngawang Palden has explained various techniques that may quickly induce the results of the two stages of practice. But he advises the reader that if results are not established swiftly, we should rely on Nāgārjuna’s Commentary to the Guhyasamāja Tantra and Nāropa’s Commentary to the Later Guhyasamāja Tantra.
How to manifest the fruits of practice
Having presented the way to meditate on the path, the text then deals with the way that results are manifested. This includes the ultimate result of buddhahood as well as the results of establishing the various siddhis.
The results of such paths have three aspects:
1. Buddhahood is best.
2. The eight great siddhis are medium.
3. The enlightened activities of pacification, increase, power, and wrath are the least.
If the latter two are combined as common siddhis, then there would be two classifications, namely supreme and common siddhis.
In terms of the actualized results, the attainment of enlightenment in the aspect of Buddha Vajradhara is the pinnacle of all attainments and the supreme of all siddhis. Prior to that, the common siddhis must be established as preliminary aids to attaining that [[Wikipedia:Absolute
(philosophy)|ultimate]] state. The eight great siddhis such as invisibility, speed walking, the sword, and so on are considered to be a medium level of attainment.389 Performing the activities of pacification, increase, power, and wrath for the sake of sentient beings is considered to be the lowest level of siddhi. The eight great siddhis and the four types of activity are classified as common siddhis, while
the attainment of buddhahood is classified as the supreme siddhi. This twofold classification encompasses all types of siddhis. The term siddhi means “actual attainment” and refers to the attainment of supreme or common states. A person who is a siddha possessing
actual attainment must be an ārya with perceptual realization of emptiness. Further, fortunate beings endowed with good karma may directly see the siddhis performed by another being. For example, after the Buddha manifested the supreme siddhi of enlightenment, he
was engaged in debate by a group of non-Buddhists in Śrāvastī who then lost the debate. Had they been able to see that Śākyamuni was an enlightened being, they would not have challenged him.390
Also the method of attaining buddhahood has three aspects:
1. Attaining buddhahood in this life
2. Attaining buddhahood in the intermediate state
3. Attaining buddhahood after a series of births
These three are similar in training in the common paths, attaining pure empowerment, and protecting the commitments and vows. Disciples are classified in three or five types according to their capacities. Of the three types, the first is the jewel-like disciples who are supreme trainees capable of attaining enlightenment in one life. The second type do not attain the supreme siddhi on the basis of the [[human
body]] while alive but attain enlightenment in the intermediate state as the practitioner passes into paranirvāṇa. It is mentioned in various prayers that Jé Rinpoché was such a disciple. The third type attain enlightenment after several rebirths, at most sixteen.
Disciples of all three types must train in the common sūtra paths, the essence of which is renunciation, bodhicitta, and correct view. Similarly, they must enter the tantric path by obtaining pure empowerment and guard their vows and commitments.
Attaining buddhahood in this life
They are different in that the first is capable of training in the conduct of the two stages, and if the illusory body is attained, he is certain to attain buddhahood in that life.
Someone who attains enlightenment in one lifetime must enter and complete the practice of both the generation and completion stages, including their relevant types of conduct. But once the illusory body is attained, it is certain that enlightenment will be attained in that life.
Attaining buddhahood in the intermediate state
If someone has obtained all levels from the generation stage up to mental isolation but does not engage in any of the three types of conduct, he generates the clear light of death in the nature of the semblant clear light of final mental isolation and then arises in an illusory body as a substitute for the intermediate state; on that basis he cultivates the remaining paths and attains buddhahood.
The second type is a practitioner who manifests enlightenment in the intermediate state. To do this he must have completed the practices of the generation stage and have progressed to the level of mental isolation in the completion stage. If that disciple had engaged in the practice of any of the different types of conduct, he would have attained enlightenment in that very lifetime. By not practicing them he generates clear light in the nature of final semblant clear light at death. Due to that, all his remaining winds and minds gather internally, but instead of transferring to the intermediate state, he arises in the illusory body, completes the remaining paths, and attains buddhahood.
This explains why many highly realized lamas may remain in the state of pure mind (thugs dam) after passing into parinirvāṇa. Whether or not this state will occur, as well as the duration of such a state, depends entirely on the lama’s individual intentions and
needs. For some lamas there is no need to enter such as state. Some lamas remain in this state for a few hours, some may remain for a few weeks, while others abide for months. During this time there are no signs of decay of the old body, such as deterioration of the flesh or an unpleasant odor.
Attaining buddhahood after a series of births
These are practitioners who obtain empowerment but merely protect the commitments and vows without intense meditation on the path and obtain levels up to verbal isolation but do not obtain mental isolation. Though they do not attain buddhahood in this life or in the intermediate state, they will definitely attain buddhahood from within seven to sixteen lives.
Lastly, those who will attain enlightenment after a series of births are disciples who have received empowerment and have kept their vows and commitments pure. Such practitioners may not have entered the path or engaged in serious meditation, yet they continue to place imprints on their minds. Others who have entered the path progress up to the stage of verbal isolation. Such practitioners will attain enlightenment neither in that life nor in the intermediate state, but they will attain enlightenment after a minimum of seven and a maximum of sixteen lives.
This completes the presentation of the mainstream tantras. The remaining part of the text presents the practices included in the system of Kālacakra tantra.
