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Introductory

With his mind fortified by the psychic changes wrought by the preliminaries, the initiate may now be properly called an adept. Though not far beyond the gateway of his journey, he is at least qualified to advance swiftly. Already, he has learned how to activate the latent forces proceeding from beyond the level of everyday consciousness. The next step is to make fruitful use of them.

This chapter deals with the basic practice that forms a background for special techniques of the kind set forth in the chapters that follow. To people unfamiliar with the theory underlying Tantric Buddhism, the daily practice may well seem an extraordinary medley of exalted conduct and meditation on the one hand and of “magic” and “superstition” on the other. In a sense, that is so, for some of the current practices were evolved from pre-Buddhist rites in accordance with the Tantric technique of bending everything available to the one high end. To some extent, the incorporation of ancient “superstitions” (but with their content subtly altered) reflects an intention to provide for simple people incapable of grasping abstract psychological concepts. Another reason is that, even in their original form, such “superstitions” are not to be dismissed. If it is not possible to demonstrate their worth, that is because modern education, while revealing so many truths of which our ancestors were ignorant, has, at the same time, inhibited our appreciation of much that they knew well.

Still another cause of misunderstanding is the Tantric technique of employing several levels of practice and understanding simultaneously. That is to say, an initiate who has reached the fourth and highest stage does not usually abandon the practices and concepts used at the lowest. Taught to see everything in four ways, he brings to bear all four levels of understanding at once or selects the one best suited to the needs of the moment. This will often appear (and be) illogical; but, as all those with experience of Zen and other forms of mysticism will agree, logical thought is actually a barrier to mystical attainment. This is so because ultimate truth transcends logical thought. For example, logic demonstrates that the one cannot simultaneously be the many and vice versa, whereas, during profound mystical experience, it becomes brilliantly apparent that the one is multifold while yet remaining one. The application of four apparently contradictory levels of understanding to the same phenomena will become clearer when the section on Yidams is reached. There are times when it is convenient to think of them as independently existing deities, others when they are seen as emanations of the adept’s own mind, and yet others when they are recognized as void.

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A Westerner attracted by some of the lofty aspects of Tantric Buddhism once exclaimed: “Splendid; I go for that mystical stuff about the void and the non-ego in a big way, but the last thing I need is a little old god or goddess sitting in my heart.” He may have been right. On the other hand, though he goes for “all that stuff about the non-ego,” does it get him anywhere, or does he pass his life with “a little old ego” of enormous weight pressing on his chest each time he wants to fly? There are Tibetans who have amply demonstrated that, with “a little old god or goddess” in their hearts, they have become great yogic adepts able to draw immense resources from mystical communion and no longer subject to the tensions and anxieties generally regarded as an integral part of the human state. Their example suggests that it is worthwhile to put aside all preconceptions before evaluating the Tantric practice.

With initiation and the preliminaries behind him, the adept has become a man apart, vowed to Bodhisattvabood for the sake of all beings. The speed of his progress will depend on the type of adept he is. Monks, hermits, and others free to devote themselves to the task day and night will probably undertake all the practices listed in this chapter, together with some Sādhanas or the psycho-physical yogic practices described later. Laymen, unless they are Nyingmapas with wives similarly dedicated, have to do the best they can in the light of their other responsibilities. They are free to choose how much of their Lama’s instruction they will work upon. For those who have the courage to attempt the Short Path, it is considered very nearly essential to take monastic vows or to live apart in some solitary place, or else marry Nyingmapa-style but sever all social and occupational ties. Laymen unable to renounce the world must, with very rare exceptions, set themselves a more modest goal for this present life.

Custom inclines one to speak of adepts as male, but female adepts are not uncommon. Even though Bodhisattvas are sometimes portrayed in female form,58 the canon does not speak of women attaining Liberation in this life. It is generally held that, however great her progress, a woman must be reborn a man before achieving the final goal.59 On the other hand, at least one of the Tulkus, or recognized sacred incarnations, is a woman who has, for centuries, been Abbess of Samding. Before the Communists came, she used to look down from the windows of Samding upon the waters of the wild, scorpion-shaped Yamding Lake. It would seem that, if women seldom achieve a status close to that of an Enlightened One, it is because they do not, not because they cannot. Unfortunately, the English language, unlike Tibetan or Chinese, lacks a singular pronoun denoting either sex, so here we shall speak of adepts as though all of them were male.

The life of a dedicated adept involves much more than observing such cardinal Buddhist virtues as right livelihood, right meditation, restraint, and avoidance of willful harm to sentient beings. All of these may be taken for granted. Even spending hours a day rapt in contemplation leading to mystical communion is not enough. The prime

58 _{Female Bodhisattvas are not necessarily, of course, the incarnations of women who attained}

Enlightenment. Bodhisattvas appear in whatever form — male or female, human, animal, or demon — suits their purpose.

59 _{In Theravādin Buddhism, both women and men can equally attain to any of the four stages of sainthood}

(Sotapānna, Sakadāgāmi, Anāgāmi, and Arahantship) — the Pali canon mentions several women by name who attained to one of those exalted states, including the highest, Arahantship. However, one must be reborn as a man in order to achieve supreme Buddhahood. (ARB)

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essential is for his mental attitude to be firmly based on recognition of Sagsāra as Nirvāza, of sentient beings as potential Buddhas, and of the voidness of the ego. His thoughts, words, and actions should all proceed from these realizations. Meditation divorced from right conduct, or meditation and right conduct divorced from right attitude, would be as useless as playing aimlessly with a set of elaborate tools.

There is, in the Tantric view, little to be gained from piling up the hours spent in purely devotional practice and good works. These, at best, lead to acquiring a substantial stock of merit that will alleviate a small part of the unsatisfactoriness of this or the next few lives. There is no difference in result between a man whose stomach is an inch or two too big to allow him to escape from a fire by crawling through a narrow hole and one who has a mighty paunch. If there were a Supreme God, as Christians, Jews, and Moslems see Him, He might be merciful in His judgment on men who had made sincere but desultory efforts to be virtuous, giving them credit for their good intentions and making allowances for their failure to act accordingly. As it is, well-meant efforts will avail the adept nothing; either he succeeds in going some way towards negating the ego and breaking down the obstructions to the flow of intuitive wisdom, or he does not. If not, then his labor is in vain, except that his pious practices will have left him rather less leisure in which to build up bad Karma. In short, there can be no reward for aspiration, no matter how exalted; effective practice engaging body, speech, and mind is the only means to success.

In books about the Vajrayāna, descriptions of rites and visualizations are bound to occupy a disproportionate space because they can be set forth in detail and do not vary from day to day, whereas the adept’s reactions to events are as multifarious as the events themselves. All that can be said is that, ideally speaking, each moment of life should be properly employed. There are instructions for every sort of contingency. If properly carried out — as it must be in the case of a Short Path adept —, then the practice governs: walking, sitting, standing, and lying; being awake or asleep and dreaming; talking, laughing, and joking; bathing, dressing, urinating, and excreting; working, praying, playing, eating, and (if he is not a monk) love-making. There are no occasions when these dedicated men need not be mindful of what they are doing or cease making use of it for their spiritual progress.

This appears to be a mighty task — and so it is, but it is less daunting than it seems because, once the means are known and the right attitude has been cultivated, much of what has to be done happens by itself. A carefully brought-up Quaker youth does not have to remind himself to be truthful — he is naturally so, truthfulness having become his second nature. So it is with the very comprehensive spiritual duties of Tantric adepts; the proper thoughts, words, and actions presently come to them effortlessly. Naturally, few of them achieve this ideal without relapses. It may be supposed that the wisest and most devoted Lamas now and then allow their minds to slip from the task, unless they are truly extraordinary men like Milarepa.60 Happily, there is no humorless intensity about them. Advanced adepts are invariably relaxed and cheerful, fond of laughter, affectionate, and uncensorious. Where there is tight-lipped solemnity,

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something has surely gone wrong with the practice. Of the dozen or so notable Lamas I have met, all struck me as charmingly light-hearted. Their ready smiles were not the calculated smiles of politicians or of businessmen anxious “to win friends and influence people,” nor professional smiles that look like grimaces, but the unmeditated smiles of men at peace with themselves who are glad to find you happy in their company.

Daily Practice

Waking early in the morning, the adept communes with his Yidam, gets up, goes to the bathroom, bathes, and dresses, for all of which actions there are appropriate Mantras and reflections. Then, he goes to his shrine-room to perform his morning meditations and devotions. During the course of the day, his devotions (including several performances of his Sādhana and perhaps some yogic exercises), his work, his recreation, and his relations with other people are all kept largely free from egocentricity and transmuted into the blissful play of a divine being surrounded by divinities in an environment where everything is seen as a magical emanation of the pure, shining non-substance of the Void. In the evening, regardless of how much of the day has been spent in his shrine-room, he returns to it for his evening devotions and meditations. On going to bed, he communes with his Yidam and, if he knows how, prepares to perform the yoga of dreams.

Foreseeing that, during my working life, I should have difficulty in observing more than a few fragments of such a program, I took separate opportunities to ask a Mongolian Gelugpa (Yellow Hat) Lama and my principal Nyingmapa Guru what are the prime essentials. Their replies are not altogether comparable because, at that time, the former was teaching me Guru-yoga, the aim of which is to identify the adept’s body, speech, and mind with the Body, Speech, and Mind of the Yidam, whereas the Nyingmapa was expounding the Sādhana of the Essence of the Profound Meaning, so he did not, in the context of daily practice, stress the importance of the Yidam so strongly. This should be borne in mind in studying their replies. The Gelugpa Lama answered:

“On rising, listen for the Yidam’s voice. Reflect on the good fortune of being alive and able to make progress towards the goal. Reflect on the consequences of death while still in a state of delusion. Resolve to hear all sounds as the Yidam’s voice, to see your entire surroundings as Nirvāza and to recognize all beings as deities. Visualize the Yidam and repeat her Mantra not less than a hundred and eight times.

“Throughout the day, offer all good things — fresh fruit, good tea, new garments — to the Yidam. Constantly remind yourself of the proper way to hear all sounds, see all sights, and welcome all beings. Recollect the Mantra which means: ‘Spotlessly pure are all Dharmas and spotlessly pure am I!’61

“When eating and drinking, visualize your body as the Yidam’s and the food and drink as offerings. If meat is eaten, repeat the Mantra of happy rebirth seven times, and

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earnestly desire that the sentient beings slaughtered for man’s enjoyment will be reborn in higher states.

“Before sleeping, place the palm of your right hand under your cheek and visualize your Yidam seated where the pillow is, her legs supporting you. Full of joy and security, repeat the Yidam’s Mantra several times and fall peacefully asleep.

“During your devotions, if circumstances do not permit performance of the Yidam’s Sādhana, at least do not omit the prostrations, offerings, confession, generation of Bodhicitta, meditation on the Yidam, entering into Samādhi, dedication of merit, and offering of good wishes to all beings.

“There are no hard and fast rules, but the emphasis should be upon reverence for the Yidam, Guru, and Triple Gem, the attainment of Samādhi, and the prayer for the dispersal of merit to others.”

The Nyingmapa Lama prescribed:

“Taking the Four Refuges [the Guru and the Triple Gem]; The generation of Bodhicitta;

Confession and meditation on Vajrasattva; Samādhi, entering into void;

Dedication of the resulting merit and offering of good wishes to all beings.” He also taught that, when eating, the adept should visualize himself as Vajrasattva and make offerings to his own mind-body as to the great MazTala of peaceful and wrathful deities that emanates from the Void through Vajrasattva. The adept’s five Skandhas (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness) and his five Dhātus (solids, liquids, heat, energy, and space) are the five Jinas and their consorts. His senses (sight, hearing, etc.) and their objects are the MazTalas of the eight Bodhisattvas and their consorts. His four limbs are the Four Fierce Gatekeepers and their consorts62 and, at the same time, are equated with wrong views — the right leg with belief in permanence, the right arm with belief in annihilation, the left arm with belief in ego-entities, and the left leg with belief in phenomena as signs. In thus meditating and at all other times, the Kleśas, or karmic hindrances, should be recognized as possessing, like everything else, the nature of void.

The Importance of the Yidam

The function of the Yidam is one of the profound mysteries of the Vajrayāna. At the time of the adept’s first initiation, his Lama will have assigned him a Yidam from among the peaceful and wrathful deities of the MazTala. Especially during the first years of practice, the Yidam is of immense importance. Yidam is the Tibetan rendering of the Sanskrit word I[sadeva — the indwelling deity; but, whereas the Hindus take the I[sadeva

62 _{The names of three of the Gatekeepers’ ladies are Lady Non-Permanence, Lady Non-Annihilation, and}

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for an actual deity who has been invited to dwell in the devotee’s heart, the Yidams of Tantric Buddhism are, in fact, the emanations of the adept’s own mind. Or are they? To some extent, they seem to belong to that order of phenomena that, in Jungian terms, are called archetypes and are, therefore, the common property of the entire human race. Even among Tantric Buddhists, there may be some division of opinion as to how far the Yidams are the creations of individual minds. What is quite certain is that they are not independently existing gods and goddesses; and yet, paradoxically, there are occasions when they must be so regarded. There may, of course, be many Tibetans who, at the outset of the practice, do not recognize the Yidams as projections of their own minds; and their Lamas may find it expedient not to reveal this fact right at the beginning, especially to people accustomed to worshipping gods and goddesses who might not be able to summon up unquestioning faith in their own mental creations.

The Yidam is, in fact, the tremendous inner power whereby the adept negates the ego and attains Enlightenment. In appearance, the Yidams look like gods and goddesses: very detailed instructions are given so that the adept can exactly visualize the appearance of the one he cherishes, so the question arises as to why it is necessary to personify this inner power, all the more so since the Yidam is not an elementary “prop” to be discarded close to the beginning of the journey. Adepts are taught that, even when nearing the highest level of spiritual progress, they should continue their practice at all four levels simultaneously. They will, therefore, variously regard their Yidams as: (1) having some of the characteristics of an external deity; (2) as being identical with themselves and yet with the Void (i.e., both relative and absolute); (3) either as dwelling within or sometimes entering their hearts; and (4) as identical with pure Jñāna63 (wholly absolute).

Perhaps the need for personification can be made clear as follows, taking into account people at different levels of understanding:

1. Devotees accustomed to thinking of their religious duties at the rather primitive dualist level of worshipper and worshipped may, at first, have difficulty in understanding the subtle concept of non-duality. It is easier for them to think in terms of an actual deity who has graciously come to dwell in the heart.

2. Those at a higher level of perception know very well that the Yidam is not a deity