Tantric Techniques (72 page)

Bu-tön introduces the topic by citing a passage in the
Wisdom Vajra Compendium,
c
an explanatory Tantra in the Guhyasam
ā
ja cycle and thus a Highest Yoga Tantra, that indicates that there is no imagination of oneself as a deity in Action Tantra:
d

Those who are terrified and are very cleanly, who lack the excellent bliss of a wisdom-being and lack pride in themselves as a deity, who are not an object of the unusual practice, and who practice with thoughts on the features of defects abide in Action Tantra.

Bu-tön elaborates on the meaning:
e

“Those who are terrified and are very cleanly” are terrified of the profound meaning [of reality].
f
The meaning of “who lack the excellent bliss of a wisdom-being and pride in themselves as a deity” is that they do not generate [that is,

a
Extensive Presentation of the General Tantra Sets,
86.6-88.7.

b
Ibid., 54.5-61.7.

c
ye shes rdo rje kun las btus pa zhes bya ba’i rgyud, vajrajñ
ā
nasamuccaya-n
ā
matantra;

P84, vol. 3.

d
Extensive Presentation of the General Tantra Sets,
84.4; cited by Tsong-kha-pa,
Deity Yoga,
47.

e
Extensive Presentation of the General Tantra Sets,
86.5.

f
Tsong-kha-pa (
Deity Yoga,
58) identifies “One who is terrified” differently as referring to “several types of trainees of Action Tantras who are frightened and terrified by the activity of single-pointed cultivation of deity yoga.”

304
Tantric Techniques

imagine] themselves as deities and do not [perform the practice of ] the wisdom-being [that is, the actual deity] entering into themselves. This is clear in fact and also is what earlier lamas have said. Also, such is explained in Shr
ī
dhara’s
Commentary on the Difficult Points of the “Yam
ā
ri Tantra”: Innate Illumination
a
as well as a commentary on the
Vajrapañjara Tantra,
b
and so forth. However:

1. Buddhaguhya in his
   Commentary on the “Concentration Continuation”
   says:
   c
   

   The
   Glorious Condensed [Tantra of ] Imaginations
   d
   teaches familiarization with the selflessness of phenomena and deity yoga in a great many passages; therefore, I will not cite them here. In such tantras the bodies of deities and the repetition that is performed prior
   e
   to the secret mantra concentrations on sound [that is, before the concentrations of abiding in fire and in sound] are described. Those [rites of deity yoga] that were not described in whatsoever [tantras] due to [the mental outlook of ] trainees were set forth in the
   Questions of Sub
   ā
   hu
   f
   which is a tantra containing the rites of all tantras,
   g
   the
   Glorious Condensed [Tantra of ] Imaginations,
   and so forth.
   

   [Buddhaguhya] uses as his sources the
   Condensed [Tantra of ]
   

   

   a
   gshin rje gshed kyi rgyud kyi dka’ ’grel lhan cig skyes pa’i snang ba, yam
   ā
   ritantrapañjik
   ā
   sahaj
   ā
   loka
   ; P2781, vol. 66. Tsong-kha-pa cites the passage; see
   Deity Yoga,
   48.
   

   b
   As mentioned in an earlier note, there are three commentaries—by Devakulamah
   ā
   mati (P2326), by K
   ṛṣ
   h
   ṇ
   ap
   ā
   da (P2325), and by Indrabodhi (P2324), the last being Indrabh
   ū
   ti according to the Tohoku catalogue.
   

   c
   bsam gtan phyi ma rim par phye ba rgya cher bshad pa, dhy
   ā
   nottarapa
   ṭ
   ala
   ṭī
   k
   ā
   ;
   P3495, vol. 78. Tsong-kha-pa cites the first two sentences of this passage; see
   Deity Yoga,
   51.
   

   d
   rdo rje khro bo’i rgyal po’i rtog pa bsdus pa’i rgyud, vajrakrodhar
   ā
   jakalpalaghutantra;
   

   P319, vol. 7.
   

   e
   bsam gtan du byas
   (87.2) should read
   bsam gtan
   sngon
   du byas
   in accordance with Buddhaguhya’s text (P3495, vol. 78, 71.1.5).
   

   f
   dpung bzang gis zhus pa’i rgyud, sub
   ā
   huparip
   ṛ
   cch
   ā
   tantra;
   P428, vol. 9.
   

   g
   The
   Questions of Sub
   ā
   hu
   is a
   general
   Action Tantra, applicable to all lineages of trainees, as opposed to Tantras spoken only for a specific lineage, and thus contains “the rites of
   all
   tantras.”
   

   Controversy over Deity Yoga in Action Tantra
   305
   

   

   Imaginations,
   the
   Vairochan
   ā
   bhisambodhi Tantra,
   a
   the
   Vajra-p
   āṇ
   i Initiation Tantra ,
   b
   and so forth. Also, he describes deity yoga as being generation of oneself as a deity by way of the six deities. Moreover, his description is similar in his
   Commentary on the
   “
   Vajravi
   ḍā
   ra
   ṇ
   a Tantra.”
   c
   

2. The master Varabodhi, in his
   Condensed Means of Achievement of Susiddhi
   describes generation of oneself as a deity:
   d
   

Do not think that the stages of the yoga of achieving a deity are not taught in Action Tantras. Though the Supramundane Victor did not teach these in most [Action Tantras], they are taught as main subjects in the
Vajrap
āṇ
i Initiation
and the
En-try to the Ten Principles.
e
In brief, all feats depend on a secret mantra deity and on suchness; if these are deficient, activities of pacification and so forth will not be achieved. Hence, these should be understood through a guru’s explanations and through a little analysis of the features of tantras. Thus, a divine body is to be generated through these stages.

These two masters do not speak of the entry of a wisdom-being [that is, an actual deity entering into the imagined deity].

The master N
ā
g
ā
rjuna speaks of self-generation and en-try of a wisdom-being as well as initiation in his
Means of Achievement of the Retention of the Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara.
f
Also, self-generation, entry of a wisdom-

a
rnam par snang mdzad chen po mngon par rdzogs par byang chub pa rnam par sprul ba, mah
ā
vairocan
ā
bhisa
ṃ
bodhivikurvat
ī
;
P126, vol. 5. Tsong-kha-pa holds that this is a Performance Tantra.

b
lag na rdo rje dbang bskur ba’i rgyud chen po, vajrap
āṇ
i-abhi
ṣ
ekamah
ā
tantra;
P130, vol. 6. Tsong-kha-pa considers this a Performance Tantra.

c
rdo rje rnam par ’joms pa zhes bya ba’i bzungs kyi rgya cher ’grel pa rin po che gsal ba, vajravid
ā
ra
ṇ
i
[or
vid
ā
ra
ṇ
a
]
n
ā
madh
ā
ra
ṇīṭī
k
ā
ratn
ā
bh
ā
svar
ā
;
P3504, vol. 78. The tantra itself is not extant in Tibetan, nor has the Sanskrit been located to date.

d
Tsong-kha-pa cites the same passage, except for the last sentence; see
Deity Yoga,

52. Varabodhi’s text is
legs par grub par byed pa’i sgrub pa’i thabs bsdus pa, susiddhikaras
ā
dhanasa
ṃ
graha;
P3890, vol. 79.

e
de kho na nyid bcu la ’jug pa, *da
ś
atattv
ā
tara
.

f
spyan ras gzigs dbang phyug phyag stong sgrub thabs, sahasrabhuj
ā
valokite
ś
varas
ā
dha—

306
Tantric Techniques