The Criteria for Establishing the Authenticity of the Tantras
The main criterion for establishing a teaching as authentically Buddhist is its unbroken lineage
tracing back to Buddha - whether one describes Buddha according to classic Buddhology,
transpersonal psychology, or the Hinayana, general Mahayana, or highest Tantrayana views.
Anyone, however, may claim to have received tantra transmission from Buddha in a pure
vision or to have found a buried treasure-text in the ground or in his or her mind. Therefore,
other criteria are required to establish the authenticity of the tantras in general and of any of its
texts.
In the Sutra of the Great Final Release from All Sorrows (Mahaparinirvana Sutra), Shakyamuni discussed the case in which someone might claim to possess an authentic teaching outside of what he himself had indicated. Buddha prescribed that his followers may accept it as authentic if, and only if, it accords with the contents of the rest of his teachings. Elaborating on this in A Commentary on [Dignaga's "Compendium of] Validly Cognizing Minds, the Indian master Dharmakirti proposed two decisive criteria for authenticity of a
Buddhist text. Buddha taught an enormous variety of subjects, but only those themes that
repeatedly appear throughout his teachings indicate what Buddha actually intended. These
themes include taking safe direction (refuge), understanding the laws of behavioral cause and
effect, developing higher ethical discipline, concentration, and discriminating awareness of
how things actually exist, and generating love and compassion for all. A text is an authentic
Buddhist teaching if it accords with these major themes. The second criterion for authenticity
is that correct implementation of its instructions by qualified practitioners must bring about
the same results as Buddha repeatedly indicated elsewhere. Proper practice must lead to
achieving the ultimate goals of liberation or enlightenment and the provisional goals of
spiritual attainment along the way.
The presence of an interweaving of Buddha's major themes and the experience and
accomplishments of past and present masters affirm the authenticity of the tantras by these
two criteria. These criteria also establish the validity of the tantras, because their correct
practice produces their stated results. Moreover, by properly following the tantra instructions,
one may prove their authenticity and validity directly oneself.
The Four Sealing Points for Labeling an Outlook as Based on Enlightening Words
As an elaboration of Dharmakirti's first criterion for authenticity, Maitreya referred, in The Furthest Everlasting Continuum, to four sealing points for labeling a view as based on the enlightening words of a Buddha. If a body of teachings contains the four, it carries the seal of authenticity as a Buddhist teaching because its philosophical view accords with the intent of Buddha's words. (1) All affected (conditioned) phenomena are nonstatic (impermanent). (2) All phenomena tainted (contaminated) by confusion entail problems (suffering). (3) All phenomena lack nonimputed identities. (4) A total release from all troubles (Skt. nirvana) is a total pacification.
The Buddhist tantric view conforms to the four sealing points.
(1) Everything affected by causes and conditions changes from moment to moment. Even with the attainment of enlightenment through the tantra methods, compassion continues to move a Buddha to benefit others in ever-changing ways. (2) As a method for attaining enlightenment, the highest class
of tantra harnesses the energy of disturbing emotions such as longing desire. This method,
however, completely rids the practitioner of disturbing emotions and the confusion behind
them. One needs to rid oneself of them forever because all tainted phenomena bring on
problems. (3) After harnessing the energy underlying disturbing emotions such as longing
desire, one uses it to access one's clear light continuum. This is the level of mind most
conducive for the nonconceptual realization that all phenomena lack nonimputed identities.
(4) From this realization of voidness or total absence, one pacifies and thus rids oneself of
further successions of moments of the various levels of confusion, their habits, and the
problems they bring. The attainment of this total pacification is a total release from all
troubles. Thus, the tantric view qualifies as authentically Buddhist.
Developing Firm Conviction in the Authenticity of the Tantras
To put one's heart fully into tantra practice as a method for achieving liberation and
enlightenment, one needs to focus on tantra with firm conviction (mopa, mos-pa) that it is an
authentic Buddhist teaching. The ability to focus in this manner grows from believing a fact to
be true (daypa, dad-pa). The Indian master Vasubandhu, in A Treasure House of Special
Topics of Knowledge, and his brother Asanga, in An Anthology of Special Topics of
Knowledge, clarified the meaning of these two mental factors or actions that occur while
focusing on a fact. Neither of the mental actions refers to focusing with blind faith on
something that may or may not be true and which one does not understand.
Believing a fact about something to be true encompasses three aspects. (1) Clearheadedly
believing a fact is the mental action that is clear about a fact and which clears the mind of
disturbing emotions and attitudes toward its object. For example, when one clearheadedly
believes tantra to be a Buddhist teaching, one is clear that tantra uses disturbing emotions,
such as longing desire, as a method to rid oneself of disturbing emotions forever. Believing
this fact clears the mind of longing desire to experience pleasure through tantra as an end in
itself. Thus, clearheadedly believing a fact about something derives from understanding
correct information about it.
(2) Believing a fact based on reason is the mental action of considering a fact about something to be true, based on thinking about reasons that prove it. For example, one may be certain that a teaching derives from a source only when one correctly identifies that source. According to the tantras, only Buddha as described in the tantras delivered these teachings. The texts do not assert that Buddha as understood by Hinayana scholars or Western Buddhologists taught them. Moreover, the tantras contain the major themes that Buddha repeatedly taught elsewhere, especially the four sealing points that attest that its philosophical view is based on Buddha's words. Understanding these reasons, one can confidently believe that the tantras are authentically Buddhist.
(3) Believing a fact with an aspiration concerning it is the mental action of considering true both a fact about something and one's ability to achieve the goal of an aspiration one consequently holds about the object. Based on the former two aspects of believing as true the fact that tantra is an authentic Buddhist teaching, one may also believe as true the fact that I may achieve enlightenment through its methods and that I shall therefore strive to practice them correctly.
When one strongly believes, in all three ways, that tantra is authentically Buddhist, one develops firm conviction in this fact. Being firmly convinced of a fact is the mental action that focuses on a fact that one has validly ascertained to be like this and not like that. It makes
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one's belief so firm that others' arguments and opinions will not dissuade one. Firm conviction
grows from long-term familiarity with the consequences that follow from believing a fact,
namely from seeing the benefits one derives from correct tantra practice. Even before
beginning tantra practice, however, one needs firm conviction in their validity. Therefore, the
preparation ceremony of tantra empowerments (initiations) includes in its first steps an
explanation of tantra by the conferring master in order to reaffirm the potential disciples'
unyielding conviction.