The Origin of the Deity Vajrakilaya

This concludes the explanation of how the Vajrakilaya tantras came into our world. In Tibet, Vajrakilaya was practised by all schools—Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyii and Gelug—but the tantras and lineages of Vajrakilaya had their origins solely in the Nyingma tradition.2

The Origin of the Deity

This brings us to a discussion of how Vajrakilaya, the deity of enlightened activity, originated in this world. His origin, in the sense of his first manifestation to those needing to be trained, has three aspects: the one to be tamed, the tamer, and the way in which the taming takes place. 1.1 The One to be Tamed

Generally speaking "those needing to be tamed" re- fers to all sentient beings, but the particular being we will discuss here is the rudra known as "Black Liberation". Now, in general there are three ways of explaining rudras. The first identifies them as the wrathful herukas in the Akanistha] pure realm, who appear

standing on top of the bodies of different beings in order to subjugate them. However, these are in fact sambhogakaya manifestations, despite having the name "rudra" applied to them. The second is as emanations emitted by buddhas and bodhisattvas, nirmanakaya manifestations who appear in the "fields" of those

needing training, in accordance with that particular field. In addition to emanations like Sakyamuni, there are also those who are outwardly disruptive, such as the disorderly monks emanated by Sakyamuni so that

their transgressions could be used as examples of how not to act, and so become the basis for the rules of mo- nastic discipline. However, they too are essentially pure emanations. These two types of rudra can therefore actually become objects of refuge and they are not rel- evant here. It is the third

type that are relevant; I shall explain this type as it is presented, in very similar fash- ion, within two tantras: The Nirvana Tant ra of Vaj raki lay a26 and The Root Tantra of the Wrathful Vajra27.

The third type of rudra is essentially negative, and is a tangible being, reborn in a malignant form as a result of broken tantric commitments in previous lives. Such a rudra is usually accompanied by a retinue of other malignant beings, and as a group their main activity is to cause obstacles to the

propagation of the teachings of the secret mantrayana. This is why practitioners of the unsurpassed secret mantras perform a practice called "Slaying

Rudra"28, Rudra Dralwa, prior to em- barking on any important practice, such as a great accomplishment ceremony, or drupchen29. Through this practice of slaying and liberating the rudra, both the rudra and its retinue are naturally liberated, so ensur-

ing that they cannot create obstacles. Then our practice of secret mantra will be free from any malignant force, and auspicious circumstances will be securely estab- lished from the very outset.

The principal cause for being reborn as a rudra is al- lowing the secret mantra samaya to deteriorate, and here I would like to recount the story of the origin of a certain such rudra. The age in which we live now is called "The Aeon of Excellent Fortune"30. Twelve thousand and six "great aeons" ago, there was an aeon named Kunko31— Complete Array—and a world system called Manifest

Joy32. It was the age in which the teachings were propa- gated in this world system by the teacher Buddha Aksobhya, just as they are propagated in this era by the teacher Buddha Sakyamuni. At that time, then, there lived a monk named Thubka Shyonnu who was teach- ing the secret mantrayana. Next door to him

lived a wealthy family called Keukaya, in which there was one son called Black Liberation, who had a servant named Denpak. At one point, Black Liberation went

with his servant to visit Thubka Shyonnu, and with great respect they posed him this question: "Is there a path to liberation where you enjoy everything, just as you feel like? We heard that there was one, but is that really true?" The monk replied, "Oh, yes, it's true all right. Such a teaching does exist."

Black Liberation and his servant were overjoyed, and they both took ordination and joined the path of Dharma. Black Liberation kept on requesting Thubka Shyonnu to give them the instructions that would al- low someone to utilize and enjoy the objects of desire in order to achieve liberation. So the monk

taught them that if someone has realized the fundamental nature of reality, then even if they kill, steal, lie, commit adultery or engage in sexual misconduct, they can still achieve

liberation. From the worldly point of view, of course, these are non-virtues which will cause you to be bound to samsara, but if you have realized the fundamental nature of mind, then, even if you commit such actions, liberation can be attained. However, Black Liberation was not so bright, and when he heard this teaching, he failed to understand that you have to realize the nature

of mind before being able to behave in such a way. In- stead, he misunderstood the teaching to mean that by simply killing, stealing and so on, a person could achieve liberation. Although he was the son of the

leader of the community, his mind had the potential to accumulate very negative non-virtue. But his servant Denpak was much sharper, and had the kind of capac- ity and keenness of sensibility to realize the inner mean- ing of secret mantra, and the correct way of practising the esoteric path. Although

outwardly he was only a servant, inwardly he became a pure practitioner of secret mantra. So Black Liberation and Denpak found that their re- spective

views and conduct contradicted one another, and they kept on getting into conflict and debate. Finally, they went to ask their teacher about their dis- agreements and disputes. When they asked Thubka

Shyonnu who was right with regard to the view and conduct, he replied that Denpak was right and Black Liberation was wrong. Black Liberation became very angry with his teacher and flew into a fit of rage. He felt that the least their teacher could have said was that they were both right or they were both

wrong, but to say that one was right and the other wrong was com- pletely unacceptable. His anger caused him to develop an incorrect view of his teacher. Now Black Liberation's father was the ruler of the village and, encouraged by his son, he seized the ser- vant Denpak and the monk Thubka Shyonnu, humili-

ated them publicly, and then exiled them from the community. This left Black Liberation, who had a com- pletely incorrect understanding of the unsurpassed secret path, thinking that he could engage in union and

in slaying whenever he pleased. So he ventured out into the charnel grounds, and began eating human flesh and flaying the skin and wearing it as clothing. The wild inhabitants of the charnel grounds—carnivorous beasts, wild boars, flesh-eating birds, and the like— became his retinue, whom he led in killing

all who got in his way. He summoned a great number of prosti- tutes, whom he raped and tortured. This went on for a long time, with the result that he accumulated a tre- mendous amount of negative karma.

So when Black Liberation died, he was immediately reborn in the Vajra Hell. Only those who have broken their secret mantra samaya take rebirth in that particu- lar hell. Black Liberation's negative karma ripened and as it ran its course, gradually became exhausted. As it did so, he slowly began to move in

and out of the hell realms each time he was reborn. He went from the Vajra Hell into the eight hot hells, and then he would alter- nate between rebirth in one of the eight hot and then

one of the eight cold hells. This went on for twelve thou- sand great kalpas. It is the nature of karma that it even- tually plays itself out, whether it is virtuous or non- virtuous. And so it was that when his ripening karma for being born in the hell realms was exhausted, he was finally able to take

rebirth as a preta, and for six great kalpas he experienced the suffering of the pretas. After the karma for being born as a preta had ripened and was exhausted, he was then reborn as a raksasa or can-

nibal demon35 in the form of "Rudra, Black Liberation". He became a powerful raksasa because previously, during his apprenticeship with Thubka Shyonnu, he had visualized himself constantly as different wrath- ful deities from the secret mantrayana and recited their wrathful mantras. Though what he was doing was not authentic "generation stage" tantric practice, still it had generated powerful karma. So he became the control-

ler of the twelve lower levels of the form realm and the desire realm. He was such an all-powerful ruler that there was not a single being in any of those realms who could inflict any harm on himz and yet all the while he was busy killing them, eating them, and doing them all the harm he could. This is the history of Rudra, and completes the account of "the one to be tamed". It is generally said that if you know the origins and

history of worldly gods and demons, they will no longer be able to harm you. The same holds true for a rudra: you are beyond their malignant effects once you understand the history of their origins and develop- ment. That is why I have gone into some detail regard- ing the origins and history of this rudra. In general, a rudra focuses specifically on trying to harm those who are practicing the unsurpassed secret

mantra; they are his main targets. Now, the kind of beings that create obstacles for the teachings and prac- titioners of the secret mantrayana are usually called damsi36, and are basically those who have, in the past, allowed their tantric samayas to deteriorate. The fore- most among these are the rudras, while the lesser ones are reborn as their retinue. This kind of rudra, along with its retinue, needs to be subjugated, but to try to

subjugate a rudra like this via peaceful means would be quite fruitless. The vehicles based on the sutras do not teach any methods viable for subjugating beings such as these, and so their subjugation cannot be ad- dressed in the context of the sutrayana. However, on the path of the unsurpassed secret

mantra, when there is a being that needs to be subjugated, there are a vari- ety of methods offered to perform this subjugation. In general, secret mantra is characterized by a plurality of methods that fit just about any situation. The par- ticular method that is used to subjugate rudras is called dralwa or "liberating".

2.2 The Tamer

Returning to the story of Rudra Black Liberation, it was at this point that, at the urging of the Heruka of en- lightened activity37, the Buddhas of the Three Times in the Akanistha pure realm came to realize that here was a disastrous situation, and an extremely disruptive be-

ing. They convened a special meeting to discuss ex- actly how to deal with the rudra who was responsible. Realizing that he could not be dealt with effectively by peaceful means, they agreed that the circumstances demanded a special wrathful manifestation. So,

through their great compassion, these supreme buddhas emanated countless wrathful deities, such as Hayagriva, the "Glorious Horse-Necked One"38, to overcome Rudra for the sake of all living beings. This is what some accounts tell us, but here I will explain the account given in the Vajrakilaya tantras, which de- scribes how the tamer of Rudra Black Liberation was none other than Vajrakilaya. 2.3 The Method of Taming

Generally speaking, it is understood to be an invari- able and definite fact that when the buddhas and dei- ties manifest, these manifestations, in terms of their own essence, are exclusively pure. However, when they dis- play their Form Bodies39, or rupakaya, within the vari- ous fields of living beings needing to be tamed, these manifestations are quite variable and indeterminate in

terms of how they are experienced by those living be- ings. There are different peaceful and wrathful mani- festations, different constellations of major and minor marks, and different deities such as the Kagye deities, Vajrakilaya, Gongdii, and so on. In general, all these manifestations of the Form Bodies are the expression of the buddhas'enlightened awareness, manifesting di-

rectly out of the expanse of reality, the dharmadhatu. Yet when they interact with various living beings, these manifestations appear in a huge variety of ways to match the individual perspectives held by these beings, and so they are at times extremely pleasing, and at other times extremely disruptive.

For example, in the Nyingma tradition, the buddhas manifest in each of the six realms of existence in the forms that correspond to the beings in those realms. In the hell realm, they manifest in the form of the king of hell, Yamantaka, to tame hell beings; in the hungry

ghost realm, they manifest as the king of hungry ghosts, Blazing Mouth40; in the animal realm, they manifest as the lion; in the human realm, as Sakyamuni; in the demi-god realm, they manifest as the king of demi- gods, Thakzangri41; and in the god realm, they mani- fest as Indra, lord of the gods. However, in terms of practice, we generally visualize all of these six ema-

nations in a pleasing form similar to the Buddha Sakyamuni, since this is what we are accustomed to as human beings. This is why thangka painters generally represent them in this manner, rather than in the forms that they actually adopt and appear in to the beings of each realm, for instance as a hell being in the hells. Take two examples. When we meditate on the assembly of the one hundred peaceful and wrathful deities,

these six buddhas appear within that mandala as nirmanakaya buddhas, in human form. Again, in the Namcho42 treasure tradition, Avalokitesvara alone manifests in a wide variety of forms, not simply in the familiar one with four arms, holding the lotus and so on. So in the tantras it is said that the

buddhas' form manifestations are indeterminate and cannot be pre- cisely defined, since they appear in accordance with the perspectives and dispositions of the beings needing to be tamed.

In this particular instance, the wisdom mind of all the buddhas combined to manifest another form iden- tical to Rudra Black Liberation, in order to tame him. In the form of this rudra that they had emanated, they engaged in sexual union with his female consort, Krodhisvari, who thought all along this was her own Rudra. As a result of their union, the bindu of the

buddhas' rudra emanation, in the form of a HUM, came to rest on top of the white lunar mandala in her womb. In addition, this emanated rudra subjugated the ten attendant Protectors of the Directions43, who acted as Rudra's bodyguards, and brought them under his power. Then he simply vanished by dissolving into the expanse of reality.

Subsequently, the ten Protectors of the Directions and their female consorts began having offspring, which displayed ominous signs, such as being born with pig's heads and bear's heads. Then Krodhisvari, impreg- nated by the HUM that the emanation had left inside

her, gave birth to Vajrakilaya. He emerged from her womb with three faces, six arms, and indestructible vajra wings, and at once began to proclaim "Kilaya" over and over again.

When the real Rudra saw all of this, and in particu- lar Vajrakilaya emerging from his consort's womb, he became terror-stricken and fell unconscious, as did all the other members of his retinue. As they lost conscious- ness, they all started vomiting blood. When he revived, Rudra summoned his retinue and they all lamented in loud voices. Then Rudra manifested in a form just like

Vajrakilaya himself, with three faces and six arms, and assembled troops of demons that showered weapons on Vajrakilaya. In response, Vajrakilaya manifested in a form with nine heads and eighteen arms, while from every single pore in his body he began eryianating min- iature k'tlayas with their own

nine heads and eighteen arms. They burst out in every direction, all uttering wrathful mantras, and finally the real Rudra and his retinue were left speechless, in defeat

However, Rudra then came at him yet again in a new form, with nine heads and eighteen arms. In response, Vajrakilaya manifested a form with a thousand heads and arms, along with countless eyes, w bile still con- tinuing to emanate the miniature nine-headed Vajrakilayas from the pores of his skin. In addition, he emanated ten male and female Wrathful Herukas44, who suppressed the ten Protectors of the Directions by

standing on top of them. Then the sound of the mantra HASA YA RAHRI TAN AYA resounded sand emerged from the crown of Vajrakilaya's head, entered the crown of Rudra's head, and dissolved into him. The potency of this mantra was such that Rudra was separated from all the gods who had been helping him, and he was left quite alone and without assistance. Meanwhile, Vajrakilaya continued to emanate five other types of

mantras from his body, each one enterimg the corre- sponding point of Rudra's body. One type of mantra pulled Rudra's life-force45 from its usual residence out- side the body (each being is thought to have a special place in the environment in which his or her life-force resides), and dissolved it into his

physical body. An- other type of mantra brought the power of harming him into his own body, and yet another dirove him in- sane. With a mantra charged with the pot ency to tear

Rudra into pieces, Vajrakilaya seized Rudra's own main hand implement, his khatvariga trident, and with it he pierced Rudra's body, and chopped it into pieces. Then, along with a mantra which gathered thesebodily parts together and offered them up to Vajrakilaya's mouth, Vajrakilaya uttered "AH LA LA HO",

and swallowed all the pieces of the corpse, without blinking an eye. In fact these six mantras are the same mantras used in the practice of Vajrakilaya when we engage in the "liberation" of demonic forces, and this is how they

first originated. Then Vajrakilaya dispersed all the members of Rudra's retinue who belonged to the class of demons. Since he had now successfully subjugated Rudra, the buddhas of the past, present and future offered praise to Vajrakilaya, in the melody of the raksasas46. Then, with their terrifying neighing, the Vajra horses— Hayagriva and so on—humiliated47 Rudra and his reti- nue once and for all.

Rudra had been consumed by Vajrakilaya, and through the blessing of being held in Vajrakilaya's stomach, he recalled all the forms in which he had been reborn over innumerable lifetimes—the twelve thou- sand great kalpas of rebirths in hell, and the six great kalpas of rebirths as a preta. So he came to realize that this suffering was due to having let his tantric commit- ments degenerate, and finally he understood the

inexorable karmic law of cause and effect governing virtue and negativity. At this, he lamented, crying out many words of remorse and confession. These words were subsequently arranged in the form of precepts, which today are used in the rite of confession called The Lamentations and Confession of Rudra*8. Then Rudra emerged from Vajrakilaya's "secret place"—his anus—and, keeping Rudra in front of him,

Vajrakilaya intimidated him even further with his threatening presence and bearing. Next, each member of his eight-fold retinue, the eight classes of gods and demons, confessed and took off their heads as an offering to Vajrakilaya. At this juncture, terrified and intimi- dated, Rudra pleaded, "So

meagre has your compassion been for me that you have expelled me through your lower orifice. But now I am your servant, and from this point on, I request that you show me the appropriate respect. If I transgress your orders, then let me burn in hell! I offer you my mother, sister and female ser- vants as

your willing subjects, to be at your command. I understand that I cannot be a principal member of the blazing wrathful mandala, and so do not deserve any

part of the primary offering in theGanacakra feast. However, please allow me to reside on the periphery of the mandala, and grant me the leftovers that have been spat back by the vajra master."

With these words, Rudra offered his body to Vajra- kilaya as a "seat" below his feet, focused his ears on Vajrakilaya's transmission of the pacifying teachings, and with his mind constantly regretted and confessed all the negative karma he had accumulated. Rudra's retinue also act as cushions for

Vajrakilaya's retinue; for example the ten Protectors of the Directions, lying face down intertwined with their female counterparts lying on their backs, are the seats of the ten Wrathful

Ones. They too listened to Vajrakilaya transmit the teachings, since they were now included within the mandala. As for Rudra's residence, which was built of skulls, Vajrakilaya blessed it to become the divine pal- ace of his own mandala. This then is the origin of the entire assembly of the deities of

Vajrakilaya, as regards the residences and the beings residing within them. The reason Rudra had the good fortune to meet Vajrakilaya, and to be treated in this way, was because

he had made contact with the secret mantra teachings many lifetimes before, when he received instructions from the monkThubka Shyonnu. Though Rudra is now, as Mahakala, a protector of the teachings of the one thousand and two buddhas of this fortunate aeon, there is a prophecy that in the future he will become a buddha himself in the subterranean world system. So this is the explanation of how, at this particular point in time, Rudra was completely liberated by

Vajrakilaya. However, it is only one account, and in fact there are always many more rudras, who come from the rebirths of individuals unable to keep their tantric commitments. They are reborn as malignant forces, who create obstacles for secret mantra practitioners, and interfere with the keeping of pure

tantric samayas. When Guru Rinpoche first granted the secret mantra teachings to his twenty-five principal disciples in Tibet, he gave them this transmission of Vajrakilaya, since he

realized they would experience obstacles to their prac- tice of the secret mantrayana from such malignant forces. Practitioners like us now, by practicing Vajrakilaya, will no longer be afflicted by this damsi class of harm- doers, with all their attempts to create obstacles to the

practice of secret mantra and to the observance of pure tantric samayas.3

(i) The ground Vajrakilaya should be understood as the

primordially unborn nature of the mind, free from all discursive elaboration, within which all the buddha bodies and primordial wisdoms are spontaneously and integrally present.

(ii) The path Vajrakilaya is the vivid visualization of those three buddha bodies and five primordial wis- doms, present within the ground, in the form of Vajrakilaya and his retinue of deities, here depending on the integration of skilful means and insight49. There are four aspects to the path Vajrakilaya:

1. The wisdom awareness Phurba

====2. The enlightened mind Phurba: here referring to the wisdom of the completion stage]]

4. The substantial Phurba, which is the actual ritual item we call phurba

5. 1. The wisdom awareness Phurba is the coming to the fore of self-arising wisdom, which is the indivisible union of space and rigpa awareness. This means that in our practice, this wisdom phurba must seal all the phe- nomena of samsara and nirvana, so that, through its penetration, all distorted

appearances are ultimately eradicated and we attain the dharmakaya of non-dual wisdom. 2. The enlightened mind Phurba relates to the path of mantra, which in Mahayoga generally consists of the path of insight55, and the path of skillful means56. Here we are concerned with the latter: when the upper gate- way of the winds and the lower gateway of the bindus

are unified within the completion stage practice, the innate wisdom of great bliss emerges57. This is the "bodhicitta" or enlightened-mind referred to. This phurba of the enlightened-mind seals our impure ex- periences of channels, winds and bindus, thereby pen-

etrating and eradicating them. In this way, the pure sambhogakaya, the principal lords of the mandalas of male and female deities, comes to the fore. 3. The immeasurable compassion Phurba refers to the great compassion that never abandons a single sentient being. The phurba of immeasurable compassion seals

all the six kinds of sentient beings, so that all the sites of cyclic existence are penetrated and eradicated, whereby we attain the nirmanakaya. 4. The substantial Phurba refers to the phurba we use as the support for our visualization58, the actual ritual dagger arranged on our shrine along with a

painting or statue of the deity Vajrakilaya. If we are able to, it is best to create the entire mandala of wood and clay, por- traying each of the deities of the whole mandala, most of whom hold phurbas in their hands. Otherwise, you can make a mandala of colored sand, and then using a 5. "phurba box"59 as a

support, for example a three-legged metal stand, arrange phurbas in the corresponding lo- cations, as symbols of the deities of the mandala. These concrete

supports for visualization are the main sig- nificance of the term "substantial Phurba", but it also extends to include the visualized deity and the deity evoked in reality through such visualizations, since both occur in dependence upon the actual phurbas used as a meditative support.

In the generation stage practice of kyerim, first we generate a visual image of the deity by means of "the three samadhis"60 which is termed the samayasattva, or "commitment being"61. By then inviting the natural mandala62 of the deity Vajrakilaya and his retinue from the Akanistha pure realm where

they dwell in sambhogakaya form, these actual deities, known as the jnanasattva or "wisdom beings"63, dissolve into the visualized forms, and become inseparable from them. So, both samayasattva and jnanasattva are called "sub- stantial Phurba", and the term is extended to cover them both.

In addition to the "wisdom being," the sambhogakaya manifestation of the deity is also called the "natural Phurba"64, since it is the natural reality of

the deity which the practitioner must evoke. The samayasattva, or initial, visualized form of the deity and the mandala can also be called the "samadhi Phurba"65 or the "gen- eration stage deity Phurba"66, as we meditate upon our very own nature as Vajrakilaya in the practice. This

three-fold "substantial Phurba" must penetrate grasp- ing at ordinary perception, a penetration which eradi- cates all impure, discursive thoughts or negative conceptualization. So, we actualize the manifestation of phenomenal existence as the pure expression of Vajrakilaya and his mandala of deities.

This fourth aspect of the phurba will be the main topic of discus- sion here, since it includes the deity of the generation stage practice, which is at the heart of the meditative process. (iii) The fruition Vajrakilaya is the primordial wis- dom awareness of the mind of all the buddhas.

The reason I have made a point of discussing these different aspects of Vajrakilaya is because we tend to think of Vajrakilaya as simply the deity with three faces and six arms that we meditate on in practice. However, as you can see, in fact it is far more than that, and in- cludes the wisdom awareness, the enlightened-mind

developed in the practices of the completion stage, the immeasurable compassion developed through contemplative practice, as well as the visualization supports and deities present within the practice of the generation stage.

3.2 The Generation of Vajrakilaya I shall now explain in detail the generation stage of deity practice. To begin with, in order to generate our own nature as the deity, we must actualize the three samadhis. These three samadhis are not exclusive to

Vajrakilaya by any means, but are fundamental to all generation stage practices. The words used to lead the mind into these three samadhis are the same as those found in the sadhana treasure revelations of Ratna Lingpa, which themselves derive from the root phurba

tantras. In fact, these stanzas, which belong to the be- ginning of the deity generation stage, are shared by all phurba treasures as the means for generating the three meditative absorptions or samadhis: DORJE TROWO SHYE DANG CHO TSON CHEN NGONPO CHER BAR WA

NAMKHE KYIL DU TIKLE SHAR SOK GI GO RU SHARWA DANG NYING GI KYIL DU GOMPAR JA67 Literally:

The wrathful vajra cuts through anger. The blue [HUM] blazes ever higher as the great indication, Arising as a bindu in the center of the sky. Dawning in the gateway of its life-force: I must meditate on it at the center of my heart. If we separate out these lines to show how they cor- respond to the three

samadhis and the generation of the palace as the support, they are as follows: 1. The samadhi of suchness68 DORJE TROWO The wrathful vajra.. 2. The samadhi of total manifestation69 SHYE DANG CHO ...cuts through anger. 3. The causal samadhi70 TSON CHEN NGONPO CHER BAR WA NAMKHE KYIL DU TIKLE SHAR The blue [HUM]

blazes ever higher as the great indication, Arising as a bindu in the center of the sky. 4. The Generation of the Palace as the Support7’ SOK GI GO RU SHARWA DANG NYING GI KYIL DU GOMPAR JA Dawning in the gateway of its life-force: I must meditate on it at the center of my heart. 1. "Wrathful vajra"

refers to the first samadhi, the samadhi of suchness, meaning the meditation on the 2. nature of emptiness. In general, vajra has three mean- ings: (i) unborn emptiness72; (ii) diamonds73, which are known as "substantial vajras"74; and (iii) the vajras or "sceptres" used along with bells in tantric rituals, which are known as "symbolic substantial vajras"75. However in this context, the primary meaning of "vajra" is un- born emptiness.

The term wrathful usually means springing from anger. Here, the one who is angry is the "vajra" itself, the unborn emptiness. At whom is the vajra angry? The object of anger here is our inveterate grasping at con- crete identities in conceptually apprehended dualistic

experience. How does the vajra express its anger? Dark- ness is completely absent within the fiery nature of the sun. In fact it is its antithesis; darkness can never resist the rising of the sun, and can only fade a way. In the same way, when the unborn nature of emptiness is realized, then its antithesis, dualistic conceptuality, cannot resist its anger, and dissolves.

To sum up, the main point of the first samadhi is that when we meditate on our own nature as the wisdom deity, first of all we must enter into an awareness of the nature of reality, which is the unborn nature of empti- ness, and remain in that state. Subsequently we will also come to understand that the

deity's own nature is nothing other than emptiness. 3. The second samadhi, the samadhi of total mani- festation, refers to the experience of appearances ris- ing out of the state of emptiness, which happens in two distinct contexts:

(i) First: during the formal contemplative state of meditative equipoise76, when we are focused princi- pally on one-pointed immersion in emptiness, so that any visions of radiant light are withdrawn within its expanse, this is "the samadhi of suchness". However, when the appearance of luminously radiant light77 as

empty forms78, which derives from completion stage practice, is emphasized, our consciousness is then inte- grated with them, and these visionary forms intensify and spread in extent. When radiant light, or luminosity, is emphasized in meditative equipoise instead of emp- tiness, it is termed "the samadhi of total manifestation". (ii) Second: when we rise out of formal meditation and enter the post-meditation state of awareness79, the

dimension of emptiness recedes into the background, relatively speaking, and appearances are highlighted once more. So we become focused again on all the illu- sory80 beings who have as yet failed to realize empti- ness, and an intense compassion wells up towards them and their plight. Compassion flows naturally from the

realization of emptiness. This also is termed "the samadhi of total manifestation". In the first case, the manifestation is of empty forms of radiant light, while in the second, the manifestation is both of the sentient beings and of our own compassion towards them. Coinpassion, the thought of bringing benefit to oth- ers, will eliminate any kind of anger or aggression just

as naturally as the sensation of heat eliminates the sensation of cold. So compassion has the effect of naturally calming anger, which is what the first line is referring to when it says that the wrathful vajra...cuts through anger. 4. The third samadhi, the causal samadhi, refers to the blue syllable HUM,

which transforms into the mandala of the supporting palace that is the residence, and the supported deities that inhabit it. So the letter HUM is the "seed"81, or foundation82, which generates the mandala.

The blue [HUM] blazes ever higher as the great indication,

Arising as a bindu in the center of the sky. "Blue" refers to this syllable HUM, which "blazes" as it emits countless rays of light in the process of trans- formation. "Great" indicates that its essence is the five primordial wisdoms, and "indication" points to it gen- erating the mandala itself. Since

it is a seed, it is referred to as a "bindu" (a term whose meanings include "seed" and "sexual fluid"), and it arises within the cen- ter of reality itself (dharmata), like the sky, beyond any sense of periphery or center. In brief, the indivisible, non-dual integration of the emptiness of the first samadhi and the compassion of the second samadhi becomes the letter HUM. It should also be considered as the essence of the enlightened mind of all the buddhas.

In terms of the actual visualization, we begin by con- templating a blue HUM in the middle of empty space (we no longer have any perception of our own body). The HUM then alternates between radiating and ab- sorbing rays of light. When the rays of light stream out, they make offerings to all the Buddhas

of the Ten Di- rections and dispel all the obscurations of living be- ings. When they are re-absorbed, all the attainments are achieved, both ordinary and supreme. Then the HUM itself transforms into the residence and deities of the mandala.

The three samadhis are also expressed as "bringing the three kayas onto the path"83. Two points in the prac- tice at the beginning of the evocation of the deity, when we actualize the first samadhi on the nature of empti- ness, and then also in the conclusion, when we dissolve the deity into the nature of emptiness—are termed "making the fruitional dharmakaya ofthebuddha into

the path"84. The second samadhi on compassion and illusion-like manifestations is termed "making the fruitional sambhogakaya of the buddha into the path". The third samadhi on the cause, as well as the medita- tion upon the details of the deity and the complete ar- rangement of the mandala, are termed "making

the fruitional nirmanakaya of the buddha into the path". In this way, the resultant buddhahood of the three kayas is brought directly right into the path. 6. The final two lines then refer to the actual genera- tion of the palace and deities of the mandala, while the preceding lines focused on the HUM itself.

Dawning in the gateway of its life-force:

I must meditate on it at the center of my heart. "Life-force" refers to the vitality of the letter HUM, which brings forth the vital palace and resident deities out of its energy or "gateway". The "center of the heart" has three connotations:

(i) The initial visualization of the HUM at the beginning of the transformative process must be a vivid visualization85 with the full commitment of our heart and mind, in order to achieve perfect clarity, (ii) Furthermore, the HUM, as the non-dual integration of emptiness and compassion, pervades all the phenom- ena of sainsara and nirvana as their heart-core, and they are never anything other

than it. We need to contem- plate with the firm belief that this is the inner reality of the HUM. (iii) Finally, when the deities have actually taken form, the central deity, which is ourself, has a wis- dom deity within its own heart, in the heart of which stands the syllable HUM, known as the samadhisattva or "samadhi being"86. The samadhisattva forms a triad along with the samayasattva and jnanasattva.

3.3 The Visualization of the Palace

Before actually generating the deities in the process of contemplation, first we must generate their residence in the form of a celestial palace. We begin with the base

that supports it, and which is constituted of the five elements, arranged one by one on top of each other. Initially, out of the letter HUM emanates a syllable E, the seed syllable of the energy of space, from which manifests the dark blue, star-shaped mandala of space,

consisting of two interlocking triangles known as dharmadayo37—"the source of all phenomena". This syl- lable, as well as all the syllables described below, ema- nate in sequence out of the syllable HUM itself. Now, we visualize the blue syllable YAM, the seed syllable of wind, from which emerges the bow-shaped blue mandala of wind. Upon that appears a red syllable

RAM, the seed syllable of fire, which transforms into the triangular red mandala of fire. Upon that we visu- alize a white syllable BAM, the seed syllable of water, which transforms into the spherical white mandala of water. Upon that, we visualize the seed syllable SUM, the seed syllable of earth, which transforms into the square-shaped golden mandala of earth. Then we visualize the seed syllable KEM, the seed syllable of

the central cosmic Mount Meru, out of which, as this is a wrathful mandala, Mount Meru manifests as a heap of skeletons. Upon that, we visualize a seed syllable BHRUM, the seed syllable for the celestial palace88, which emanates a palace of stacked white skulls. And so we visualize the palace with its

proportions and char- acteristics exactly as they are described in our own spe- cific practice text. The essence of the palace is wisdom, and its appearance should be visualized as the self- manifestation of wisdom.

3.4 The Visualization of the Deities The visualization of the deities residing within the pal- ace, and the details of their exact number, appearance and so on, will vary from one sadhana to another. For

example, in the case of the principal deity Vajrakilaya, many different manifestations are described with re- gard to his faces, arms and hand implements. It is stated in The Secret Phurba Tantra89 that Vajrakilaya is to be

meditated on as having 1000 heads, 1000 arms and 10 million eyes, which is how Vajrakilaya manifested at the time of slaying and liberating Rudra. However, in the Nirvana Tantra of Vajrakilaya90, Vajrakilaya is visual- ized as having nine heads and eighteen arms, another form in which Vajrakilaya manifested at the time of

slaying and liberating Rudra. Then in the root tantra of Vajrakilaya, entitled The Root Tantra: Wrathful Vajra91, he is described as having three faces and six arms. So when, as in many sadhana rituals, we meditate on our own nature in the form of Vajrakilaya with three faces and six arms, it is based upon this text. In The Twelve Kilaya Tantra92, a form of Vajrakilaya is described with one face and two arms. This is the form in which

Vajrakilaya appears in the Gur Khukma Vajrakilaya trea- sure of Khenpo Jigmey Phuntsok, and so we can say that this tantra is the source of his revelation. Given this variable, indeterminate nature of the manifestations of the deities, I shall not go into detailed descriptions, which can be found in your own particular sadhana manual. For the time being, I will just briefly sketch out the essentials as found in the phurba tradition of Ratna Lingpa.

Inside the celestial palace, we meditate on the seat of the principal deity, and the other deities. Generally, at the base of the mandala, we visualize an iron wheel93 with ten spokes. Unlike the typical wheel in the mandalas of peaceful deities, shaped like a bicycle wheel with spokes as in the classical depictions of the Wheel of Dharma, the wheel in the wrathful mandalas

is a circle with the "spokes" being triangles that pro- trude from its outer perimeter, so that it resembles a cog more than a bicycle wheel. In general, the trian- gular shape is associated with wrathful deities, and spherical shapes with peaceful ones.

At the hub of the wheel is a lotus and a solar disc, on which the principal rudra pair, male and female, lie in union as mentioned above, forming a seat; on top of this stand the three-faced and six-armed Vajrakilaya and his consort. They represent the non-dual expression of the expanse of emptiness and

primordial wisdom awareness. Outside the hub, in the four directions are the Supreme Sons of the four types94. At the perimeter of the wheel, on top of

each of the ten spokes, lie the individual Pro- tectors of the Directions, male and female, also forming seats, on top of which appear the ten corresponding male and female Wrathful Ones95, emanated from the princi- pal deity in order to subdue the Protectors of the Direc-

tions. These are herukas of wisdom. Also, on top of the seats formed by the bodies of the Protectors of the Di- rections, to the right and left of each of the Wrathful

Ones and their consorts are one male and one female tramen96. Tramen are beings with the bodies of gods, and the heads of either birds or carnivorous animals. All the females are bird-headed and termed "execu- tioners"97 or "winged ones"98, while all the males are

carnivore-headed and termed "devourers"99 or "fanged ones". The males can also be referred to as "attendants", in which case the females by themselves are referred to as "tramen".

The manner in which these deities first emerge is that ten orbs of light are emitted from the secret places, the genitals, of Vajrakilaya and his consort, themselves the union of emptiness and awareness. These orbs of light

shine above, below, and in the four principal and four intermediate directions, the light then transforming into the Ten Wrathful Ones, male and female. The male Wrathful Ones then emanate the ten male devourers, while the female Wrathful Ones emanate the ten female executioners.

Outside the perimeter of the wheel are the sixteen phurba protectors, and beyond this are the four gate- ways in the cardinal directions, which are the entrances to the mandala. These are guarded by the four female gate-keepers, whose seats are the male and female Gandharvas and soon. Their functions are to summon, bind, subdue, and drive crazy.

The root deities1 are Vajrakilaya and his consort, the Supreme Sons, the male and female Wrathful Ones, and the four female gate guardians. The branch deities106 or "further emanations" are the twenty tramen and the sixteen phurba protectors.

This visualization of the mandala and the seats within the mandala, is called the "supporting"108 aspect of the mandala, since it supports the deities who take their places upon it; the deities in turn are referred to as the "supported"109.

While this has been a brief outline of the presenta- tion given in the terma revelation of Ratna Lingpa, you should meditate on the different facets of the mandala given in the sadhana manual of your own particular tradition.

3.5 The Supreme Sons of the Four Types

Out of all the sons emanated from the enlightened heart of Vajrakilaya, the supreme ones are those of the four types. In other traditions, these are presented as five, in which case they correspond to the enlightened body, speech, mind, qualities and activity. In fact their num- ber is not definite or determined: in some mandalas

there are as many as one hundred and eight, in others as few as one. In some Vajrakilaya rituals, they are termed "phurba of approach"110, which refers to the first of the four stages of visualization practice111. Initially, by accumulating many recitations of the mantra, you gradually gain the potency of the mantra, and so you are able to activate these deities. Once their potency has reached its threshold, then you can move on to

engaging in enlightened activities, such as liberating and so on, based upon these deities. Since the mantra accumulation "approaches" these deities as their po- tency is gradually activated, they are called the "phurba of approach". Alternatively they can be referred to as the "substan- tial phurba

mandalas"112. This is a name which expresses how the Supreme Sons embody all of the mandala's deities and blessings, which are compared to "sub- stances" in the general sense of the word, referring to a collection of things.

The upper parts of the bodies of the Supreme Sons are sometimes described as having one head and four arms, and sometimes as having three heads and six arms; however, the bottom parts of their bodies are al- ways the three-edged blade of a phurba. Each of the

other deities of the mandala, including Vajrakilaya, holds a single phurba, but not the Supreme Sons, since they themselves are phurbas. These phurbas symbol- ize the achievement of enlightened activities. The term "sons" indicates that they were emanated from the heart of the deity and his consort. Actually, all the dei- ties of the mandala are contained completely within

the body of each of these four Supreme Sons, who are also the principal performers of the four enlightened activities: pacifying, expanding, controlling and fierce. So they are truly supreme among all the sons of Vajrakilaya, as they both embody the entire mandala and execute enlightened activity to

perfection. Vajrakilaya and his consort themselves are also "su- preme", but they are not "sons", since they have not been born from anyone. The ten male and female

Wrathful Ones are "sons", since they derive from the secret places of Vajrakilaya and his consort, but they are not "supreme" sons. The tramen are emanations, but neither "sons" nor "supreme". 3.6 The Three Elements of Deity Generation

Practice

When we visualize ourselves as the deity in the form of Vajrakilaya, we must apply the three essential points of any deity generation practice:

i) Clarity

"Clarity" signifies a clear visualization, without any fogginess or roughness. However, a visualization that merely lacks non-clarity is not sufficient, as it must also be so precise that we have a vivid awareness of details as minute as the white and black elements of the deity's eyes. This is because we are performing generation

stage practice in order to purify our impure percep- tion. The degree to which our direct perception of the deity in all its many details is clear and vivid will indicate the extent of our ability to transform ordinary perception so that it no longer appears.

(ii) Pure Recollection

This signifies the necessity for understanding the vari- ous visible appearances of the deities—their color, hand implements, and so on—as symbolic elements117, which point to the pure factors of reality118 and transcendent

wisdom119. In fact, it is actually reality and transcen- dent wisdom which take on this vivid form of the de- ity. We must meditate with this perspective firmly in our mind. Otherwise, if we meditate thinking the bod- ies of the deities are similar to the appearances of ordi - nary living beings, our

meditation will become a means of creating a rudra, rather than a deity. Below I shall give a detailed explanation of pure recollection as it applies to the appearance of the principal deity

Vajrakilaya and the main members of his retinue, such as the ten Herukas and their consorts. (iii) Divine Pride

The third element is the divine pride120, of being con- vinced that you are in reality the wisdom deity121. There are two reasons behind the need for such firm pride. The first is that in the context of the view of the secret mantrayana, we must realize that all the phenomena of samsara and nirvana are primordially pure. The second is that after we have visualized our own samayasattva

form of the deity, the actual wisdom deity from the Akanistha pure land must approach and dissolve into that contrived image, and we must therefore have a resolute belief in it. If we lack this resolute pride, then we won't be able to divest ourselves of impure cling- ing and attachment. If instead, we think that we are

not in fact the deity, but it is all only imagination, then this will neither be authentic generation phase prac- tice, nor will it be able to act as an antidote to ordinary impure perceptions.

3.7 Deity Visualization and Emptiness In generating the deity, initially we meditate in the first two samadhis, on emptiness and compassion. So the visualization of the deities and mandalas all takes place in dependence upon reality, dharmata, which is the

union of emptiness and compassion. No matter which practice we are doing, the principal deity, the retinue, the celestial palace, the seats, and the sequentially ar- ranged elements at the base of the mandala all origi- nate from emptiness and continue to be, in their true

nature, nothing other than emptiness. So there are both the appearance of the manifest mandala in all its vivid details, including ourselves as the principal deity, and its empty nature, which signifies that it has arisen from the expanse of reality beyond all discursive elabora- tion122. Integrating the appearances and their essential nature into an indivisible union, free from any mental fixations, is the completion stage of the practice. Thus

the practice becomes what is known as "the non-dual practice of generation and completion".

Without this awareness of emptiness, our perception of the deity will become an object of grasping, and in our belief in its concrete reality we will lapse into the extreme oieternalism. This explains why it is imperative that all these appearances be subsequently dissolved, in the dissolution phase, back into their own luminous

emptiness. However, if you have genuinely divested yourself of all grasping, then there is no longer any need for an explicit dissolution, which is why Khenpo Jigphun's phurba treasure does not say that the dissolution of the deity is imperative. It says, "The appear- ance of the deity, without dissolving, free from grasping, relaxes within the sameness of dharmata". In fact, we need to maintain a sense of the vivid vision of the

deity constantly, including during the post-meditative state and throughout all our usual activities after the formal meditative session. However, as a general rule, first we need to dissolve the contemplative presence of the deity into non-referential emptiness at the end of the session, and then re-generate the appearance once again before we conclude. With this re-emergent sense

of the deity, we also ensure that we avoid the danger of lapsing into the extreme of nihilism through immer- sion into emptiness. This is not something that pertains only to Vajrakilaya practice, but applies in general to all deity generation techniques.

3.8 Pure Recollection

Now I will explain pure recollection in more detail as it relates specifically to the chief deity, Vajrakilaya, and the principal members of his retinue. Vajrakilaya's appearance in union with a consort,

which in Tibetan is referred to as yab-yum, literally "father-mother", symbolizes the non-duality of the ex- panse of emptiness and the expression of primordial wisdom. We could also say that ultimately the non- duality of emptiness and primordial wisdom appears

as the yab-yum deities. The deity's blue color symbol- izes unchanging reality, while his three faces symbol- ize the three bodies of a buddha and the three states of thorough liberation126. Vajrakilaya's six arms symbol- ize the six transcendent perfections, while his legs rep- resent the four legs of miraculous transformation127. In terms of hand implements, he holds a nine-

pronged vajra symbolizing all the nine vehicles on the path to liberation, as well as a five-pronged vajra symbolizing the five primordial wisdoms. The blazing fire-ball of wisdom128 symbolizes his total incineration of emotional distortion129, while his three-pointed khatvanga trident symbolizes the annihilation of the

three poisons from their roots. Finally, with his two lower hands Vajrakilaya rolls a phurba called "the Mount Meru phurba" on account of its massive size, which symbolizes his subjugation of all malevolent forces130.

There are three clumps of ashes on his forehead, from a corpse burned in the charnel ground, three drops of blood onhistwo cheek bonesand the bridge of his nose, and three streaks of human fat on his throat. These three substances131 are applied like make-up to the bodies of all wrathful deities, not just Vajrakilaya. The same is

true of the three types of garments and ornaments de- tailed below, which, together with the three substances, jointly symbolize all the enlightened qualities of the ground, path and fruition.

The three types of garments of a wrathful deity are a wet elephant skin draped over the upper part of the body, a flayed human skin draped over the shoulders, and a tiger-skin skirt wrapped around the lower part of the body. The ornaments are made of skulls and serpents. Vajrakilaya wears a crown of dry skulls, as well

as a very long necklace hanging down below the waist that is made of dry skulls, moist skulls, and freshly sev- ered heads. These two skull ornaments, along with all the serpent ornaments (considered as a single set) constitute the three types of ornaments. The serpent ornaments are as follows: Vajrakilaya's hair is tied up with white serpents, he has yellow serpents as earrings, a

red serpent as a necklace, green serpents as bracelets and anklets, and a black serpent necklace as long as the human head necklace, which han gs down below the waist.

All of the wrathful deities wear these ornaments, which are called "the eight charnel ground ornaments": the three substances, the three types of garments and two types of ornaments—skulls and serpents.

Vajrakilaya and the ten male Wrathful Ones also appear in "the eight-fold attire of the glorious ones"132, which symbolizes their eradication of the eight classes of gods, cannibals and spirits: (i) their hair is a tangled mess; (ii) it has a half vajra as its top-knot;

(iii) each one of the Wrathful Herukas wears a silken diadem

with blue and red strips hanging down on either side; (iv) they have vajra wings that are indestructible, but can destroy everything; (v) they wear rhino-hide armour;

(viii) they are surrounded by an aura of the fire of primordial wisdom

The wrathful deities have nine styles or demeanors138 characteristic of their manifestation, consisting of three sets of three, corresponding to the body, speech and mind respectively. Every wrathful deity has all nine styles, though they do not necessarily display all si- multaneously. The three corresponding to the body are: seductive, heroic, and repulsive139, which correspond to the three poisons of desire, hatred and ignorance re-

spectively. The three corresponding to speech are140: their laughter which sounds like ha ha ha and hi hi hi, malicious threats like "Kill!" and "Strike!", and terrify- ing roars like one thousand dragons roaring simulta-

neously. The three corresponding to mind are141: com- passion that nurtures ignorant beings, craving to tame wrathfully all incorrigible beings, and the serenity of never wavering from the expanse of reality. To sum up, while we visualize the wrathful deity Vajrakilaya appearing as the supreme wrathful deity, the universal king controlling the three states of exist- ence and suppressing the three realms with his

splendour, we should simultaneously keep in mind all the symbolic meanings that have been explained above as "pure recollection".

Now I shall explain pure recollection as it applies to the ten male and female Wrathful Ones, the ten execu- tioners, the ten devourers, the gate-keepers, and the other members of the retinue. The male and female Wrathful Ones, the ten executioners, and the ten de-

vourers all symbolize the purification of the ten non- virtues, the antidotes to the ten Protectors of the Direc- tions in Rudra's retinue that need to be tamed, and the essence of the ten perfections142. The term "tramen", applied to the executioners and devourers, means something fastened together, like fastening ornaments or studding small gems onto a golden cup. Just so, the

heads of various animals and birds are "studded" onto the bodies of gods, symbolizing the inseparable union of the expanse of reality and wisdom. All these deities hold vajras and skullcups filled with blood, which sym- bolize emptiness and wisdom. The deities also hold the hand implements of the ten Protectors of the Directions, which symbolizes their victory over the unruly samaya- breakers. Finally, each one of the wrathful deities rolls

a phurba between their hands, which symbolizes their ability to engage in unobstructed accomplishment of enlightened activities.

This completes the explanation of the way in which we visualize and meditate on the deities. 3.9 The Five Empowerments of the Five Buddha Families143

After visualizing the deities, the samayasattvas, we gen- erally invite144 the wisdom deities from the pure land, and they come into the space in front of us. We then

"request them to take their places"145 in and as us, so that the wisdom deities, the jnanasattvas, become in- separable from the samayasattvas. Then we make of- ferings and praises to them146 as specified in our own sadhana manual, and finally we recite the mantra of

the deity147, which will be discussed below. In some systems, just before the mantra recitation, we project the jnanasattva back out into the space in front of us, so separating the wisdom being from the commitment being, who then look back and forth at one another. In this case, we imagine that the mantra is projected continuously out of our own mouth (ourselves

as the samayasattva) and into the mouth of the deity, and then circulates by descending through their body out of their genitals into our own, and then out of our mouth again. We keep up this circulation throughout the ritual, and then when the mantra recitation is com- pleted, the wisdom being is re-absorbed back into us. In general, however, the wisdom being simply dis- solves into us and stays there throughout the practice.

You need to follow your own particular sadhana manual. An additional phase prior to the invitation of the deities is specified in many of the continuously transmitted traditions of kama, namely the performance of the five-fold empowerment, though this is often not included in the terma treasure traditions. So I shall de- scribe how we perform the empowerment, should it be required. We begin by inviting all the Buddhas of

the Ten Directions as embodied by the Victors of the Five Buddha Families, who then appear in yab-yum form in the sky above our head. From there, the Five Buddhas, as the "empowerment deities", transmit the four-fold empowerment to us.

The first empowerment is the five-fold vase em- powerment: from the east Aksobhya transmits the water empowerment, from the south Ratnasambhava

transmits the crown ornament empowerment, from the west Amitabha transmits the vajra empowerment, from the north Amoghasiddhi transmits the bell em- powerment, and from the center Vairocana transmits the

name empowerment. In terms of our visual experience of this, each buddha touches our head with the respec- tive empowerment substance to confer the empower- ment. For the "name" empowerment, the substance is the vajra and bell together, while "name" refers to our obtaining a special name in this context.

The second empowerment is "the secret empower- ment"151, which is obtained by visualizing the red and white bodhicitta nectar flowing from the union of the five male and female buddhas into the crown of our head and so pervading our body.

The third empowerment is "the insight empower- ment"153 in which all of the empowering deities melt into light and dissolve into us through the crown of our head. As the bodhicitta and light of the deities dissolve into us, we experience the coming to the fore of the wisdom of bliss and emptiness, which is the transmission of the fourth empowerment, "the verbal" or "word empowerment"155.

Then, the Five Buddhas re-emerge in distinct form and ascend up our body to our head, where they take up position as a crown on our head, which we then consider we are wearing throughout the mantra recitation. In order to seal our ordinary body, speech and mind with their enlightened counterparts, we visualize

a white OM at the crown of all the deities, a red AH at their throat, and a blue HUM at their heart. From these three syllables, light of the same color emanates outwards to the ten directions, and then the essence of the body of all the buddhas, in the form of Vairocana, takes up residence on the crown of our head, the essence of

their speech, in the form of Amitabha, takes up residence in our throat, and the essence of their mind, in the form of Aksobhya, takes up residence in our heart. We need to visualize all three of these throughout the practice. At this point then, we invite all the deities of the mandala from the Akanistha

pure realm; we request them to take up residence; we visualize ourselves pros- trating to them; we make offerings and praises; "and then finally we are ready to begin the recitation of the mantra. 3.10 The Mantra Recitation There are four facets of the "presence" of mantras, which are common to all Buddhist mantras: —the presence of mantras as being reality, dharmata, in essence158,

—the presence of mantras as the nature of phenom-enal appearances

====the presence of mantras as being blessings and —the presence of mantras as intrinsically having a potent force.

The first refers to the essence of mantras being pri- mordially empty. The second refers to how the various syllables of the mantra appear, even while it remains empty. The third refers to the buddhas and bodhisatt-

vas blessing the mantras as the essence of the deities. The fourth refers to each mantra having its own spe- cific potencies, which are the power to accomplish whatever attainments or siddhis we desire, ordinary or supreme. If we recite the mantra with the realization that the wisdom deity162 and the syllables of the mantra are primordially indivisible, then with that

blessing our recitation of the mantra will result in the ability to accomplish unobstructedly both supreme and ordinary attainments. So the mantra has this power to produce results, just like a potent medicine can cure an illness.

While the first two facets apply to all syllables and all mantras, the latter two are attributes unique to the mantras deriving from buddhas and bodhisattvas. When a form body, a rupakaya with faces and hands, manifests from the dharmakaya of the buddhas, we

think of it as a deity. I n just the same way, the mantra takes form out of the essence of the dharmakaya, and we should think of it also as a deity. So the sound of the mantra is the deity, and the deity is the mantra. Recita- tion of mantras is especially powerful when we rea- lize the triple indivisibility of the wisdom body, the mantra, and reality or dharmata.

The mantra of the deity Vajrakilaya is as follows: OM VAJRA KlLI KILAYA SARVA BIGHNANA BAM HUM

PHAT.

Its recitation has three divisions: the extensive, intermediate and concise. The concise is the nine syl- lable mantra:

OM VAJRA KlLI KILAYA HUM PHAT,

where it seems that the OM is not counted as part of the nine syllables. The intermediate is the thirteen syl- lable mantra:

OM VAJRA KlLI KILAYA DZA HUM BAM HO HUM PHAT. The extensive is the following:

OM VAJRA KlLI KILAYA SARVA BIGHNANA BAM

HUM PHAT. The different Vajrakilaya traditions vary in terms of which of these they include. 3.11 Explanation of the Mantra I will now explain each of the syllables of the mantra, one by one.

OM signifies the five kayas and the five primordial wisdoms164 signifies the uncompounded nature of the three times: past, present and future165

KlLI

signifies the energization of the deity and the phurba KILAYA SARVA signifies piercing with the phurbasignifies "all" the enemies and hindering demons168

bighnAna signifies "suppressing"169 the negative forces BAM

and HUM these two syllables together mean to over-power or bring under our control170 PHAT signifies liberating171 the negative forces

It is also taught that all of the deities in the Vajrakilaya mandala are contained within the syllables of this mantra. OM

the principal male deity, Vajrakilaya himself VAJRA Ki the principal female deity the ten male Wrathful Ones of wisdom172 LI the ten female Wrathful Ones of spacel

KI LA YA HUM SARVA

the fanged ones of skillful means174 the winged ones of insight175 the Supreme Phurba Sons the four attendant gate-keepers176 the gathering of all the deities of the mandala BIGH nAna the enemies and hindering demons the suppressing of the enemies and hindering demons BAM overpowering or bringing under control

HUM destroying PHAT the completion of the enlightened activity of liberating

So this single mantra embodies the secret mantras of all the deities. With the recitation of this mantra, all four enlightened activities—pacifying, and so on—are accomplished. This is why we should enunciate the man- tra carefully and accurately. When we come to the end of our mantra recitation in a given

session, we should recite three times the garland of vowel sand consonants, the one hundred syllable mantra of Vajrasattva, and the mantra of interdependent origination. The point of this is to increase the potency of the mantra, as well as to erase the negative consequences of any mistakes we may have made in

the recitation. 3.12 Concluding Phase When we conclude a meditation session, so as to counteract our tendency to fall into the extreme of eter- nalism, we should dissolve the deity in the completion stage. This is done by: first performing a final set of

offerings and praises to the deities, then requesting them to depart, and finally dissolving our own visualization of the samayasattva. Then, to avoid the extreme of nihilism, we re-emerge as the deity and clarify our visualization. Finally, we seal the entire practice with a dedication180, aspirational prayers, and a prayer for auspiciousness.Afterword

These days Vajrakilaya has become, to some extent, well-known in the West. Although you may find the details presented here somewhat overwhelming, if you are a practitioner of Vajrakilaya, it is crucial that you be familiar with these teachings. The reason I have

given this teaching is to plant a seed within you, in the hope that in the future it will bring benefit to practi- tioners of Vajrakilaya in the West. In fact, Vajrakilaya can be explained in an even more extensive fashion, and perhaps in the future you could invite a Tibetan teacher able to do so. For the time being, I have taught you what

I can, to the best of my ability.About this Book In June 1995 at Kunzang Palyul Choling in Poolesville, Maryland, USA, Khenpo Namdrol gave a three-day series of teachings on Vajrakilaya, which were orally translated by Sangye Khandro. The transcript of these teachings was then systematically revised, supple-

mented and edited by Khenpo Namdrol in August 1996 at the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute in South India with the assistance of Doiji Wangchuk and David Germano. Our deepest thanks and appreciation go to Khenpo Namdrol, and also to Dorji Wangchuk and David Germano for all their priceless assistance.

Vajrakilaya is dedicated especially towards remov- ing obstacles to the long life and work of Kyabje Penor Rinpoche, Kyabje Khenpo Jigmey Phuntsok and Sogyal Rinpoche. It is also dedicated towards removing ob- stacles from the life and work of Patrick Gaffney.

Khenpo Namdrol

Khenpo Namdrol was born in 1953 in a small village, three days ride from Palyul monastery in Kham, East Tibet, to a family that can trace its history back through the royal house of Derge to the famous 7th century minister of King Songtsen Gampo, Gar Dampa. Having left Tibet in 1959 for exile in India, Khenpo

Namdrol joined HH Penor Rinpoche's monastery, Namdroling, in Bylakuppe, Mysore, just a few years after it had been founded; he was 13 years old. There he served for some time as attendant to Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, who was the first master to encourage him to pursue the path of study.

Since then he has received teachings from a number of renowned masters and khenpos. In Sikkim he stud- ied with Kyabje Dodrupchen Rinpoche and then for five years he studied with Dzogchen Khenpo Tsondru.

Later, he continued his studies with Khenpo Rinchen and Khenpo Dazer. When he returned to Mysore in 1978, he and Khenpo Tsondru started the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute, the Higher Buddhist Studies and Research Centre at Namdroling Monastery.

Khenpo Namdrol has received many teachings from Penor Rinpoche, and has served him tirelessly for many years. He also received a number of transmissions from Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, who visited Namdroling

monastery on three occasions. It was during his first visit that Khenpo Namdrol was enthroned as khenpo. In his quest to receive deeper teachings on the Guhyagarbha Tantra, which has always been of par- ticular interest to him, Khenpo Namdrol journeyed to Tibet. During this time, he met and discovered a very close connection with Khenpo Jigmey Phuntsok, from whom he received many teachings, and whose students he was invited to teach. In 1990 Khenpo Namdrol

played a leading role in arranging the meeting between HH the Dalai Lama and Khenpo Jigmey Phuntsok, and in 1993 he accompanied Khenpo Jigphun on his tour of the West. He has now become a lineage holder of Khenpo Jigphun's terma teachings.

Khenpo Namdrol is a senior khenpo at the Ngagyur Nyingma Institute, which has become the largest Nyingma study college outside of Tibet, with over 300 monks enrolled on courses and a reputation for out- standing scholarship. By 1995 at least 30 students there

had qualified to teach the sutras and tantras, which stands as a tribute to the 18 years Khenpo Namdrol spent establishing and teaching at the Institute. He now looks forward to being able to offer teachings in other Nyingma monasteries in the East, as well as in the West.Notes

    1. spyi'i rgyud



    2. 'phrin las thugs kyi rgyud

    3. spyi'i thugs rgyud

    4. Ihagragsldanmchogskyong

    5. klu rgyal mgrin pa nag po

    6. gnod sbyin kun tu bzang po

    7. gnod sbyin skar mda mdong

    8. srin po bio gros thabs Idan

    9. li tsa bi dri med grags pa

    10. dgongs pa'i rtsal bdun

    11. rdor sems zhal mthong gyi le'u

    12. orlndrabhiiti

    13. dbyings; yeshes

    14. slob dpon lang lab

    15. bka babs

    16. rgyud lung man ngag

    17. mgur khug ma, literally: 'The Small Pouch Worn at the Neck'

    18. sgrub pa bka’ brgyad gi chos. The term 'Kagye' is translated as 'Eight Proclamations', which refers both to these teachings, and the deities on which each one centres. 'Drubpa' refers to the sadhanas for each deity.


    19. dgongs pa

    20.

    21. mchod rten bde byed brtsegs pa: in Sanskrit, Sahkarakuta caitya

    22. mkha 'gro ma las kyi dbang mo che: in Sanskrit, Mahakarmendrani

    23. bsil ba tshal: in Sanskrit, S'ltavana

    24. dam tshiggi mdzas

    25. 'Nagarjuna garbha'

    26. thar pa nag po

    27. phur pa myang 'das kyi rgyud

    28. rdo rje khros pa'i rtsa ba'i rgyud

    29. ru dra bsgral ba

    30. sgrub chen

    31. bskal pa bzang po

    32. kun bkod

    33. mngon par dga' ba

    34. thub dka gzhon nu

    35. ke'u ka ya

    36. srin po

    37. dam sri

    38. 'phrin las kyi he ru ka

    39. dpal rta mgrin

    40. gzugs sku

    41. kha 'bar ma

    42. thags bzang ris

    43. gnam chos

    44. phyogs skyongs

    45. khro bo bcu

    46. bla

    47. srin po'i ngur dbyangs

    48. dpa bkong

    49. Rudra smre bshags

    50. shes rab

    51. rig pa ye shes kyi phur pa

    52. byang chub sems kyi phur pa

    53. tshad med snying rje'i phur pa

    54. 'dus by as rdzas kyi phur pa or mtshan ma rdzas kyi phur pa

    55. rang byung ye shes

    56. shes rab lam

    58. thabs lam

    59. bde ba chen po lhan cig skyes pa'i ye shes

    60. dmigs pa' i rten

    61. phur pa' i sgrom

    62. ting nge 'dzin rnam gsum

    63. dam tshig sems dpa'

    64. rang bzhin dkyil 'khor

    65. ye shes sems dpa'

    66. rang bzhin gyi phur pa

    67. ting nge 'dzin phur pa

    68. bskyed rim lha yi phur pa

    69. rdo rje khro bos zhe sdang gcodlmtshon chen sngon po cher 'bar bal nam mkha'i dkyil du thig le sharI srog gi sgo ru shar ba dang I snying gi dkyil du bsgom par bya

    70. de bzhin nyid kyi ting nge 'dzin

    71. kun tu snang ba'i ting nge 'dzin

    72. rgyu'i ting nge 'dzin

    73. rten gzhal yas khang bskyed pa

    74. skye med stong pa nyid kyi rdo rje or skye med don gyi rdo rje

    75. rdo rje pha lam

    76. rdzas kyi rdo rje

    77. mtshan ma rdzas kyi rdo rje

    78. mnyam bzhag

    79. 'od gsal

    80. stong gzugs

    81. rjes thob

    82. sgyu ma lta bu

    83. sa bon

    84. gzhi

    85. sku gsum lam khyer

    86. 'bras bu sangs rgyas chos kyi sku lam du byed pa

    87. gsal snang

    88. ting nge 'dzin sems dpa'

    89. chos 'byung

    90. gzhal yas khang

    91. phur pa gsang rgyud

    93. phur pa myang 'das

    94. rtsa rgyud rdo rje khros pa

    95. kilaya tantra bcu gnyis

    96. Icags kyi 'khor lo

    97. sras mchog rigs bzhi

    98. khro bo/khro mo

    99. phra men or phra thabs

    100. gsod byed, also translated as 'killers' or 'slaughterers'

    101. gshog pa can

    102. za byed, also translated as 'carnivores'

    103. mche ba can

    104. phyagbrnyen

    105. phursrung

    106. dri za

    107. also translated as 'entice, capture, bind and paralyze'

    108. rtsa ba'i lha

    109. yan laggi lha

    110. yang sprul pa

    111. rten

    112. brten pa

    113. bsnyenphur

    114. bsnyen sgrub yan lag bzhi

    115. phur pa rdzas kyi dkyil 'khor

    116. zhi rgyas dbangdrag, also translated as 'pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and wrathful'

    117. rnam pa gsal ba

    118. rnam dag dr an pa

    119. nga rgyal brtan pa

    120. mtshon byed

    121. chos nyid

    122. myang’dasye shes

    123. lhai nga rgyal

    124. lha ye shes pa

    125. spros bral chos dbyings

    126. lha snang mi bsdu zhen pa med/chos nyid mnyam pa'i ngang du klod

    128. gsal snang

    129. mi dmigs pa'i stong pa nyid

    130. rnam thar sgo gsum, sometimes translated as 'the three

gateways to complete liberation' are: rgyu mtshan ma med pa—causes lacking any characteristics; 'bras bu smon pa med pa—results not involving any aspiration; ngo bo stong pa med pa—the essence being empty of both cause and fruit.

    131. Admiration, investigation, concentration and mindfulness

    132. ye shes me dpung

    133. nyon mongs

    134. gdugs pa can

    135. rtsi

    136. dpal gyi chas brgyad



    137. bcod pan

    138. rdo rjegshogspa

    139. bse khrab

    140. mnyam par sbyor ba

    141. zi brjid

    142. nyams

    143. sgeg pa, chags pa’i nyams/dpa ba'i ma nyams/mi sdug pa'i

nyams

    144. dgod pa’i nyams/gshe ba'i nyams/drag shut

    145. snying rje'i nyams/rngams pa'i nyams, ma rung pa'i sems can khro

bos 'dul phyir/zhi ba'i nyams

    146. Generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration,

wisdom, skilful means, aspiration, power, and primordial

wisdom

    147. rigs Inga, also translated as 'five buddha lineages'

    148. spyan 'dren pa

    149. bzhugs su gsol

    150. mchod stod

    151. snags bzlas

    152. dbang gi I ha



    153. bum dbang

    154. dbang rdzas

    155. gsang dbang

    156.

    157. byangsems dkar dmar

    158. shes rob dbang

    159. bde stong

    160. tshig dbang

    161. sku gsum rgyas 'debs pa

    162. grub pa bzhi

    163. chos nyid ngo bo nyid kyi grub pa

    164. chos can rang bzhin gyi grub pa

    165. byin gyis rlabs pa'i grub pa

    166. nus pa'i mthus grub pa

    167. lhayeshes pa

    168. ye shes sku

    169. sku Inga ye shes Inga

    170. dus gsum 'dus ma byed pa

    171. lha dang phur pa gso ba

    172. phur pa ’debs pa

    173. dgra bgegs thams cad

    174. mnan pa

    175. dbang du sdud pa

    176. sgrol ba

    177. ye shes khro bo

    178. dbyings kyi khro mo

    179. thabs kyi mche ba can

    180. shes rab gshog pa can

    181. phyag brnyan sgo ma bzhi.

   1. spyi'i rgyud

   2. 'phrin las thugs kyi rgyud

   3. spyi'i thugs rgyud

   4. Ihagragsldanmchogskyong

   5. klu rgyal mgrin pa nag po

   6. gnod sbyin kun tu bzang po

   7. gnod sbyin skar mda mdong

   8. srin po bio gros thabs Idan

   9. li tsa bi dri med grags pa

   10. dgongs pa'i rtsal bdun

   11. rdor sems zhal mthong gyi le'u

   12. orlndrabhiiti

   13. dbyings; yeshes

   14. slob dpon lang lab

   15. bka babs

   16. rgyud lung man ngag

   17. mgur khug ma, literally: 'The Small Pouch Worn at the Neck'

   18. sgrub pa bka’ brgyad gi chos. The term 'Kagye' is translated as 'Eight Proclamations', which refers both to these teachings, and the deities on which each one centres. 'Drubpa' refers to the sadhanas for each deity.

   19. dgongs pa

   21. mchod rten bde byed brtsegs pa: in Sanskrit, Sahkarakuta caitya

   22. mkha 'gro ma las kyi dbang mo che: in Sanskrit, Mahakarmendrani

   23. bsil ba tshal: in Sanskrit, S'ltavana

   24. dam tshiggi mdzas

   25. 'Nagarjuna garbha'

   26. thar pa nag po

   27. phur pa myang 'das kyi rgyud

   28. rdo rje khros pa'i rtsa ba'i rgyud

   29. ru dra bsgral ba

   30. sgrub chen

   31. bskal pa bzang po

   32. kun bkod

   33. mngon par dga' ba

   34. thub dka gzhon nu

   35. ke'u ka ya

   36. srin po

   37. dam sri

   38. 'phrin las kyi he ru ka

   39. dpal rta mgrin

   40. gzugs sku

   41. kha 'bar ma

   42. thags bzang ris

   43. gnam chos

   44. phyogs skyongs

   45. khro bo bcu

   46. bla

   47. srin po'i ngur dbyangs

   48. dpa bkong

   49. Rudra smre bshags

   50. shes rab

   51. rig pa ye shes kyi phur pa

   52. byang chub sems kyi phur pa

   53. tshad med snying rje'i phur pa

   54. 'dus by as rdzas kyi phur pa or mtshan ma rdzas kyi phur pa

   55. rang byung ye shes

   56. shes rab lam

   58. thabs lam

   59. bde ba chen po lhan cig skyes pa'i ye shes

   60. dmigs pa' i rten

   61. phur pa' i sgrom

   62. ting nge 'dzin rnam gsum

   63. dam tshig sems dpa'

   64. rang bzhin dkyil 'khor

   65. ye shes sems dpa'

   66. rang bzhin gyi phur pa

   67. ting nge 'dzin phur pa

   68. bskyed rim lha yi phur pa

   69. rdo rje khro bos zhe sdang gcodlmtshon chen sngon po cher 'bar bal nam mkha'i dkyil du thig le sharI srog gi sgo ru shar ba dang I snying gi dkyil du bsgom par bya

   70. de bzhin nyid kyi ting nge 'dzin

   71. kun tu snang ba'i ting nge 'dzin

   72. rgyu'i ting nge 'dzin

   73. rten gzhal yas khang bskyed pa

   74. skye med stong pa nyid kyi rdo rje or skye med don gyi rdo rje

   75. rdo rje pha lam

   76. rdzas kyi rdo rje

   77. mtshan ma rdzas kyi rdo rje

   78. mnyam bzhag

   79. 'od gsal

   80. stong gzugs

   81. rjes thob

   82. sgyu ma lta bu

   83. sa bon

   84. gzhi

   85. sku gsum lam khyer

   86. 'bras bu sangs rgyas chos kyi sku lam du byed pa

   87. gsal snang

   88. ting nge 'dzin sems dpa'

   89. chos 'byung

   90. gzhal yas khang

   91. phur pa gsang rgyud

   93. phur pa myang 'das

   94. rtsa rgyud rdo rje khros pa

   95. kilaya tantra bcu gnyis

   96. Icags kyi 'khor lo

   97. sras mchog rigs bzhi

   98. khro bo/khro mo

   99. phra men or phra thabs

   100. gsod byed, also translated as 'killers' or 'slaughterers'

   101. gshog pa can

   102. za byed, also translated as 'carnivores'

   103. mche ba can

   104. phyagbrnyen

   105. phursrung

   106. dri za

   107. also translated as 'entice, capture, bind and paralyze'

   108. rtsa ba'i lha

   109. yan laggi lha

   110. yang sprul pa

   111. rten

   112. brten pa

   113. bsnyenphur

   114. bsnyen sgrub yan lag bzhi

   115. phur pa rdzas kyi dkyil 'khor

   116. zhi rgyas dbangdrag, also translated as 'pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and wrathful'

   117. rnam pa gsal ba

   118. rnam dag dr an pa

   119. nga rgyal brtan pa

   120. mtshon byed

   121. chos nyid

   122. myang’dasye shes

   123. lhai nga rgyal

   124. lha ye shes pa

   125. spros bral chos dbyings

   126. lha snang mi bsdu zhen pa med/chos nyid mnyam pa'i ngang du klod

   128. gsal snang

   129. mi dmigs pa'i stong pa nyid

   130. rnam thar sgo gsum, sometimes translated as 'the three gateways to complete liberation' are: rgyu mtshan ma med pa—causes lacking any characteristics; 'bras bu smon pa med pa—results not involving any aspiration; ngo bo stong pa med pa—the essence being empty of both cause and fruit.

   131. Admiration, investigation, concentration and mindfulness

   132. ye shes me dpung

   133. nyon mongs

   134. gdugs pa can

   135. rtsi

   136. dpal gyi chas brgyad

   137. bcod pan

   138. rdo rjegshogspa

   139. bse khrab

   140. mnyam par sbyor ba

   141. zi brjid

   142. nyams

   143. sgeg pa, chags pa’i nyams/dpa ba'i ma nyams/mi sdug pa'i nyams

   144. dgod pa’i nyams/gshe ba'i nyams/drag shut

   145. snying rje'i nyams/rngams pa'i nyams, ma rung pa'i sems can khro bos 'dul phyir/zhi ba'i nyams

   146. Generosity, discipline, patience, diligence, concentration, wisdom, skilful means, aspiration, power, and primordial wisdom

   147. rigs Inga, also translated as 'five buddha lineages'

   148. spyan 'dren pa

   149. bzhugs su gsol

   150. mchod stod

   151. snags bzlas

   152. dbang gi I ha

   153. bum dbang

   154. dbang rdzas

   155. gsang dbang

   156. 

   157. byangsems dkar dmar

   158. shes rob dbang

   159. bde stong

   160. tshig dbang

   161. sku gsum rgyas 'debs pa

   162. grub pa bzhi

   163. chos nyid ngo bo nyid kyi grub pa

   164. chos can rang bzhin gyi grub pa

   165. byin gyis rlabs pa'i grub pa

   166. nus pa'i mthus grub pa

   167. lhayeshes pa

   168. ye shes sku

   169. sku Inga ye shes Inga

   170. dus gsum 'dus ma byed pa

   171. lha dang phur pa gso ba

   172. phur pa ’debs pa

   173. dgra bgegs thams cad

   174. mnan pa

   175. dbang du sdud pa

   176. sgrol ba

   177. ye shes khro bo

   178. dbyings kyi khro mo

   179. thabs kyi mche ba can

   180. shes rab gshog pa can

   181. phyag brnyan sgo ma bzhi. 

The syllable HUM at this point in the mantra is included and explained by Jamgon Kongtrul in his dPal rdo rjephurpa rtsa ba’i rgyud kyi dum bu 'i ’grel pa snying po bsdus pa dpal chen dgyes pa'i zhal lung; in volume 10 of the bKa'ma rgyas pa, p. 95. However, when we are actually doing the practice, we should recite the mantra in accordance with whatever text has been taught, and with our teacher's oral instructions.

bsngo ba/smon lam/bkra shisPHILOSOPHY / RELIGION /TIBETAN BUDDHISM "The practice of Vajrakilaya blazes at the heart of the ancient Vajrayana traditions of Tibet. The wrathful heruka Vajrakilaya is the yidam deity who embodies the enlightened activity of all the buddhas, manifesting in an intensely wrathful

yet compassionate form in order to subjugate the delusion and negativity that can arise as obstacles to the practice of Dharma. In fact, the practice of Vajrakilaya is famous in the Tibetan Bud- dhist world as the most powerful for removing obstacles, destroying

the forces hostile to compassion, and purifying the spiritual pollution so prevalent in this age."—Sogyal Rinpoche, from the Foreword In this series of teachings, originally given over a three-day period in the USA in 1995, Khenpo Namdrol presents a lucid and detailed expla- nation of the history and

practice of Vajrakilaya. Not only are these teach- ings indispensable for those drawn to the practice of Vajrakilaya, but they will be of tremendous interest and inspiration to Vajrayana practi- tioners everywhere.

Khenpo Namdrol Rinpoche is a senior khenpo (abbot) at the Ngagyur Nyingma