"Tantra activates many powerful subtle energies in our body
and mind and, if we do not have any mental training or discipline, this
excess energy will take the path of least resistance through our negative
emotions of attachment, jealousy, pride, egotism, and so on" Lama
Ganchen
"Pure intellect, indeed, detached from soul, is the death of Man.
Intellect, self-confident and isolated in arrogant complacency, does not
ennoble Man. It humiliates him, deprives him of his personality. It kills that
loving participation in the life of things and creatures of which the soul,
with its emotions and intuitions, is capable. Intellect, by itself alone, is
dead and also deadly - a principle of disintegration."
(From Giuseppe Tucci's "The Theory and Practice of the Mandala" -
Rider.)
Why are Buddhists so secretive of tantra? Tantric practice is a highly
advanced form of psycho-physical exercises in order to achieve transformation of
one's body and mind quickly into the perfected state of a Buddha. Simply said,
these methods are not without danger when used without the proper guidance and
precautions. To avoid people getting involved in these practices without
proper guidance, the practices are kept secret for people without explicit
permission to practice from a qualified teacher. Often,
teachers require disciples to do extensive practices before being allowed any
permission; more about that is written in below paragraphs on prerequisites and
preliminaries. So please keep in mind that the secrecy around tantra is
basically for safety, just like it is proper to lock a gun away from the reach
of children. Whatever is included on these web pages about tantra is general
knowledge which is allowed for uninitiated to read, and is intended to at least
take away some misunderstandings about tantric practices.
MOTIVATION FOR PRACTICE
To clarify where tantric practices fit in the Buddhist system, it may be
useful to explain a bit more about the various motivations or scopes.
Traditionally, only the "small, middle and high scope" are taught to distinguish
the various motivations for practicing. Here, I would like to present a somewhat
unconventional approach, starting even below spiritual practice:
- The "Animal Scope": Wanting immediate happiness for oneself.
- The "Worldly Human Scope": Wanting immediate happiness for oneself and
others. - The Buddhist Small Scope: Wanting happiness for oneself in a
future life. - The Buddhist Middle Scope: Wanting to escape the cycle of
uncontrolled rebirth for oneself. - The Buddhist Great Scope: Wanting
others to go beyond suffering forever (enlightenment), and reach Buddhahood
oneself to help others on their path. - The "Buddhist Tantric Scope":
Wanting others to be happy as soon as possible, and reach Buddhahood oneself
quickly to serve them.
A teaching from "Being Peace" by Thitch Nhat
Hahn:
"A woman who practices reciting Buddha Amitabha's name, is very tough and
recites "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA" three times daily. Although she is doing this
practice for over 10 years, she is still quite mean, shouting at people all
the time. She starts her practice lighting incense and hitting a little bell.
A friend wanted to teach her a lesson, and just as she began her
recitation, he came to her door and called out: "miss Nuyen, miss Nuyen!".
As this was the time for her practice she got annoyed, but she said to
herself: "I have to struggle against my anger, so I will just ignore it." And
she continued: "NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA, NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA..." But the man
continued to shout her name, and she became more and more oppressive. She
struggled against it and wondered if she should stop the recitation to give
the man a piece of her mind, but she continued reciting: "NAMO AMITABHA
BUDDHA, NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA..." The man outside heard it and continued:
"Miss Nuyen, miss Nuyen..." Then she could not stand it anymore, jumped
up, slammed the door and went to the gate and shouted: "Why do you have to
behave like that? I am doing my practice and you keep on shouting my name over
and over!" The gentleman smiled at her and said: "I just called your name
for ten minutes and you are so angry. You have been calling Amitabha Buddha's
name for more then ten years now; just imagine how angry he must be by now!"
The following aspects are considered prerequisites before a disciple can
engage in tantric practice: 1. Refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha. 1. Renunciation: a realisation is best,
but a proper understanding is essential. 2. Bodhicitta: a
realisation is best, but a proper understanding is essential. For most of the
initiations, it is required to take the aspiring Bodhisattva vows or the
Bodhisattva vows. 3. Emptiness: a direct realisation is
best, but a proper understanding is essential (see the page on Wisdom). 4.
Reliance on a spiritual teacher: proper confidence in a teacher
and verifying his/her qualifications is essential. 5. Empowerment or
initiation: without this ceremonial permission to practice by a qualified
teacher, tantric practice is improper. 6. Tantric vows: for the
higher tantric classes, one needs to take tantric vows. These vows are secret to
the uninitiated, so students need to take 'a leap of faith' and trust the
teacher and the practice before taking them. 7. Faith/confidence:
solid confidence both in the teacher and the teachings is essential to avoid
serious karmic problems when doubts arise. 'Blind faith' will generally not have
the power to pull someone through when things are difficult.
The only proper motivation to practice tantra is bodhicitta, or the wish to
become fully enlightened in order to help all sentient beings. This is the
reason why at least an understanding of bodhicitta is essential prior to
engaging in tantric practice. To enforce this motivation, usually, an extra
prerequisite is taking either the Aspirational Vows
or the full Bodhisattva
Vows. Next, at least some understanding of the philosophy of emptiness
is essential for tantric practice, as this is the basic mental state in which
tantric practice becomes more than just ritual or strange practice of
imagination. Ideally, a tantric practitioner should have full realisations
of bodhicitta and emptiness instead of merely a conceptual understanding. In
that case, tantric practice can guide one very swiftly to the state of
Buddhahood.
Many teachers (depending on the specific school) require one to engage in the
so-called preliminary practices before giving initiation to disciples. These
preliminary practices traditionally consist of:
Depending on the teacher and the disciple, other
practices are sometimes given:
- Offering 100,000 water-bowls (water-bowl offering teachings on the
web). - Reciting 100,000 Guru's name mantras: Guru-yoga, to generate
confidence and establish a deeper relationship with the teacher. - Making
100,000 clay images (tsa-tsas) (more on tsa-tsas on the
web) - Reciting 100,000 Samayavajra mantras (somewhat similar to
Vajrasattva) - Making 100,000 offerings to Vajra Daka (Dorje Khadro - fire
puja).
Not only are these excellent methods to accumulate the necessary positive
energy (karma) to have success in the practice, but they also help in the
purification of obstacles to the practice. A nice teaching by the American
nun Thubten Chodron can be found on the Dharmafriendship site under
"Articles". An interesting description is found on the YogiChen website.
Depending on the specific lineage and class of tantra, a Guru can demand that
the disciple will commit to a daily practice (like reciting a certain number of
mantras or doing a daily meditation practice). Next, a ritual is carried out
in which the Guru transmits the potential of the specific tradition of the
practice and gives the permission to practice. Highly qualified disciples
sometimes achieve immediate realisations due the combined power of this
transmission and their practice (maybe in previous lives).
If you seriously intend to take an initiation, please verify the following
beforehand: - Do I have a reasonable understanding of renunciation,
bodhicitta and emptiness? - What are the prerequisites of this initiation?
Am I prepared to do the preliminaries? - What are the vows? Am I willing to
take aspiring Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva or even tantric vows? - Why do I
really want to receive the permission for this practice? Do I really want to
practice it? - What are the daily commitments? Am I prepared to do these
daily practices every day for the rest of my life? - Are there retreat
commitments? What does this retreat mean? - Who is the teacher? Do I have
full confidence in him/her? Does the teacher accept me as his/her
disciple?
During an initiation, try to be very alert and aware of what is happening. It
is also very helpful to make notes of the visualisations and aspects that happen
during the ritual, like establishing your tantric name, giving a mantra for the
deity to practice etc. If you are lucky, a commentary to the practice is
given or even a retreat may be organised after the initiation, also books may be
available on how to do the practice. It is best to check with experienced other
practitioners on these details. An initiation allows one to engage in only
one specific practice, so it is important to note exactly what the practice is.
During an initiation many different ritual implements are used, for example
"initiation cards", see also
the page on tantric
symbols.
Most initiations should be given to small groups of disciples at a time; the
Kalachakra practice is the famous exception to this rule. His Holiness the Dalai
Lama has given this initiation to hundreds of thousands of people at a time.
Much of the popular confusion around tantra can be traced back to two
aspects: deity practice and sexual practice. Deity practice is a profound
meditation practice which uses the projection of already being enlightened to
speed up one's good potential and reduce one's negative mind states. It is
important to understand that this should only be done from the perspective of
emptiness (or a mental arising from emptiness), otherwise one may not be much
different from the people behind bars in mental institutions who claim to be
Napoleon...
If one imagines in deep meditation that one is a perfect, loving being, free
from the delusions of attachment, anger and ignorance, one can notice a slight
difference in attitude after the meditation. For untrained minds, the time that
one notices some positive difference is brief. However, as with most things,
regular practice enhances the positive feeling and gradually one's mind becomes
habituated to a more positive state. (Remember that meditation stands for
habituating the mind to positive states.)
The main tantric practices can be summarised in the "Four Purities":
1. Seeing one's body as the body of the deity 2. Seeing one's
environment as the pure land or mandala of the deity 3. Perceiving one's
enjoyments as bliss of the deity, free from attachment 4. Performing one's
actions only for the benefit of others (bodhicitta motivation,
altruism)
During the "generation stage", one imagines these four purities and
familiarises oneself with them. This usually involves extensive visualisations
and mental exercises to achieve single pointed concentration on the emptiness of
the deity and surroundings. A typical aspect of tantra is that limitations and
obstacles are used and transformed in the path. The mental energy of anger is
transformed into powerful action, desire is transformed into compassion for
others. At a very subtle level, body and mind are inseparable aspects. Both
mind and energies need to be fully controlled to make the transformation to
Buddhahood possible. Therefore, extensive yogic practices are aimed at
controlling the energies within the body, like the practice of 'inner fire',
'Kundalini' (Skt.) or 'tummo' (Tib.). During the "completion stage", the
transformation to Buddhahood gradually takes place, mainly while working with
the subtle energies in the channels and chakras. The main aim is to direct all
energies into the central channel. Have a look at the page of Keith Dowman to see a large number of
images of deities.
The Sanskrit word 'mantra', contains the root 'man' which means
'to think' and the syllable 'tra' which means 'tool'. Thus, mantra is a 'tool
for thinking'. A mantra is a sacred letter-form and sound that contains the
genetic essence of a specific energy. Sometimes mantras are are defined as
'protectors of the mind'. As Lama Anagarika Govinda says in 'Foundations of
Tibetan Buddhism':
"It is the essence of the creative word, the primal sounds that give shape
to the relative reality filling the ultimate reality of the void... The power
and effect of a mantra depend on the spiritual attitude, the knowledge and the
responsiveness of the individual. The sound of the mantra is not a physical
sound (though it may be accompanied by such a one) but a spiritual one. It
cannot be heard by the ears, but only by the heart, and it cannot be uttered
by the mouth but only by the mind. The mantra has power and meaning only for
the initiated... Mantras are not 'spells', as even prominent Western scholars
repeat again and again... Mantras do not act on account of their own 'magic'
nature, but only through the mind that experiences them."
In Buddhism, most mantras are kept in the original Sanskrit.
It should be noted that in all main religions much importance is
given to speech / the word / mantra. For example, in the Christian bible it
reads: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word
was God". Similarly, in Hinduism, the sound of OM takes an essential part in the
creation of the universe.
The recitation of mantras is a very important part in tantric
practice, as it is used to transform the speech as part of transforming our
body, speech and mind into the respective pure aspects of a Buddha). Like with
other tantric practices, they only become really effective after oral
transmission from a teacher. It is interesting to note also that even in the
earliest Pali (Theravadin) texts, mantras can be found for the purpose of
warding off danger, as well as for the creation of beneficial conditions.
As mentioned above, part of the exercises in tantric practice are involving
controlling and transforming bodily energies. Sexual energy happens to be one of
the strongest forms of physical energy; simply said, it is built-in by nature to
ensure the survival of the species. Also these sexual energies need to be
completely controlled and transformed. What is usually overlooked is that sexual
practices in tantra should be free from the ordinary desires and lust,
and generally only very advanced practitioners should try these practices after
permission from their teachers. Simply said, it has very little to do with
ordinary sex. Arousal of the sexual energy is preferably done by just
visualising a consort. The union of male and female are symbolic for the
union of method or compassion and wisdom, or more specific, the union of bliss
and emptiness.
This very brief explanation is merely intended to give a taste
for the profundity of tantric practice as antidote to what many people think is
a mere superstitious belief in thousands or strange "gods" with many arms and
feet that are having sex all the time. All the images and ritual involved are
merely intended to practice very advanced techniques for training the mind and
controlling subtle energies within one's body. It is very remote from ordinary
sex with attachment and craving. See also Keith Dowman's website for a more elaborate
explanation.
It is often claimed that Buddhist tantra is a derivative from
tantric practices of Shivaism, but in fact, the reverse may be true. Although
there are striking external resemblances, the differences in methods and aims
may be much more significant. As Benoytosh Bhattacharyya notes in his
'Buddhist Esoterism':
"it is possible to declare, without fear of contradiction, that the
Buddhists were the first to introduce the tantras into their religion, and
that the Hindus borrowed them from the Buddhists in later times, and that it
is idle to say that later Buddhism is an outcome of Saivaism. .. The
literature, which goes by the name of the Hindu Tantras, arose almost
immediately after the Buddhist ideas had established themselves."
It is good to recite the following mantras in the morning to prepare for the
day's activities:
Multiplying mantra
OM SAMBHARA SAMBHARA BIMANA SARA MAHA DZAWA HUM OM MARA MARA BIMANA KARA
MAHA DZAWA HUM (The Parinata-Cakra-Sutra says that if this is recited seven
times, whatever virtuous actions one does that day will be multiplied by
100,000.)
Blessing the rosary
OM RUTSIRA MANI PRAWA TAYA HUM (In the Palace of Vast Jewels - Sutra, it
says to recite this seven times and then blow on the rosary to increase the
power of subsequent recitations.)
Blessing the feet
OM KRAYTSARA GHANA HUM HRI SOHA Reciting this three times, then spit on
the soles of your feet. (This helps any living creature that dies beneath
your feet that day to be reborn in the God Realm of the Thirty-three.)
Blessing the speech
To the Three Jewels I go for refuge. May I become Buddha for the benefit
of migrating beings. (repeat 3 times)
I am the deity. On my tongue from an AH comes a moon disc. On it is a
white OM. Around that are the white Sanskrit vowels standing clockwise.
Around that are the red Sanskrit consonants standing anti-clockwise.
Around that are the blue syllables of the heart of dependent arising mantra,
standing clockwise. Visualizing this, I recite these in succession,
beginning with the innermost.
Sanskrit vowels: OM A A I I U U RI RI LI LI E AI O AU AM AH SOHA (repeat
3 times)
Sanskrit consonants: OM KA KHA GA GHA NGA TSA TSHA DZA DZHA NA TA
THA DA DHA NA TA THA DA DHA NA PA PHA BA BHA MA YA RA LA WA SHA
SHHA SA HA KSHA SOHA (repeat 3 times)
Heart of Dependent Arising: OM YE DHARMA HAYTU PRABHAVA HAYTUNTE SHAN
TATAGATO HYAWADAT TESHAN TSAYO NIRODHA EWAM WADI MAHA SHRAMANAYE SOHA (repeat 3
times)
Light from the OM and the mantra garlands summons inspiring power of speech,
worldly and supermundane, in the form of the three mantras, the seven perfect
royal treasures and the eight auspicious signs. These dissolve into the OM
and the mantra garlands. Then the heart of dependent arising mantra
dissolves into the Sanskrit consonants, then into the Sanskrit vowels (both sent
previously), then into the OM, and then into the moon disc. This transforms
into an AH, which melts into white and red nectar and dissolves into the tongue,
making it the nature of vajra (adamantine, indestructible).
(The benefits of this practice are: the ability of one's speech is perfected;
one's recitations are multiplied in strength ten million times; the power of
one's mantra recitation is not diminished by eating black food (non-vegetarian
food); one's idle talk becomes like recitation; and one does not accumulate so
much negative karma from idle talk.)
Before Eating Meat
OM AHBIRA KAY TSARA HUNG Recite this seven times over the meat to stop
the fault of eating meat and to help the sentient beings whose flesh it was to
be reborn in a happy realm.
