Audio recorded at Buddha House Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. A fine-grained logical debate anchors this 65-minute commentary: whether loving kindness, compassion, and the mind of enlightenment count as “uncommon” paths of tantra or merely paths shared with the Sūtra vehicle. Geshe Pema Tsering explains why not being an uncommon feature of tantra does not exclude something from tantra practice, drawing on the analogy of a Bodhisattva whose realization of impermanence is shared with middling-scope practitioners yet remains a Mahāyāna path in their continuum. He then turns to how enlightenment is attained in the lower tantras — why the final realization requires the subtle body of the Akanishtha heaven — and presents the Yoga Tantra account of Siddhartha being aroused from deep absorption by the ten-directional Buddhas and guided through the fivefold mode of enlightenment. The session closes on competing scholarly views of whether Śākyamūni was newly enlightened or already a Buddha merely displaying the path. For practitioners in systematic tantra study.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 10 2005 11 24 G and P.mp3
UUID: 8ba25d3e-85f8-45ff-a73b-026f461aa01e
Teacher: Geshe Pema Tsering
Collection: Grounds & Paths (Geshe Pema Tsering)
Date: 2005-11-24
Recorded at: Buddha House Adelaide
Duration: 64.8 minutes
Words: ~2,927
We have to give we give ourselves proper motivation. So we’re thinking in order to achieve enlightenment for the benefit of all sentient beings, we’re now going to study this text on secret mantra, secret mantra, yes, in in order to achieve. Yeah. So So then we are in Page fifteen of the text. We’re going to start the way of positing the paths, the paths of performance in Yoga Tantra in the five paths and the ten grounds, okay?
So now, Geshe-la went already through the what is said here in English as in relation to the path of accumulation. And it is saying that the path of accumulation for each one of these two tantras, both the performance and the yoga tantra, starts with the achievement of the mind of enlightenment, this how to say, the uncontrived, contrived experiencing of this, of the promise to achieving enlightenment through these paths until the moment right before the realization of emptiness by the force of meditation without signs, the yoga meditation without signs, okay? Which is the English text is in perfect accordance So then how do you say? Geshe-la is was reading the text part of the text, which is saying that was talking about the realization of emptiness by the force of having made it done the Deity Yoga, this yoga without signs of each of the systems. So the is explaining what they are saying when they we talk about yoga without signs of each of the systems.
It’s just meaning that the performance Tantra and the yoga Tantras, they have different techniques of yoga without signs. And Geshe-la was just saying that the yoga tantra, the methods of yoga tantra are just more profound than the methods of performance tantra. But then that realization of emptiness is the same, but the difference there is a difference in the methods. He’s just saying that the text the text is indicating that there is a difference the between the two methods, the methods of the two systems of yoga. And that’s the Yoga Tantra and Performance Tantra.
That’s it. So then again, the path of preparation starts with the achievement of the special insight, insight, which realizes emptiness through the practice, again, through the practice of yoga without signs of each of the systems of Tantra until the moment right before one directly realizes emptiness, one has direct realization of emptiness. Yes. So that’s this is the path of preparation. This is what is included in the path of preparation.
And then the text goes on to say that everything else is like is posited, is explained in the same way as was explained with the previous system, yoga system, with the action tantra. The way the way to posit five five paths is the same as was the case with Kriyā Tantra, we should know that to be so, okay? So then now is we started already with the third paragraph is that to that someone says, right? So the text is saying, so the path of in the continuum of those who are on the path of accumulation of the lower Tantras, these three classes of lower Tantras, there are this loving kindness, compassion and the mind of enlightenment and so forth. Just just as it is explained in the the perfection vehicles in the Sūtra vehicles.
Okay? So this is the subject of this argument. So and then the text goes on to say that in the so that so they are called so they are because of that, so they are they are the three. So so because of that, they this is the path this is the path of so it follows that this is the path of the three lower tantras because the author said, this is referring to the author here. This this opponents are referring to the author said that those those paths are explained the way to posit them.
It is correct to posit them in a way how do say, it is correct to posit them as having five paths and ten grounds? Yes. Let me see if I can does it make any sense? So they said that because in the path of preparation, in the path of accumulation, those who are in the path of accumulation, they continue as they have the same things, the same loving kindness, compassion and mind of enlightenment that they are in the in the perfection vehicle. And so so the so then they are called they are the parts of the lower how do you say, three lower tantras because they are posited to have in the same way five paths and ten grounds, the same way as in the Sūtra vehicles.
Okay. Let’s see if we can work this together. So the text is saying, so this reasoning is not not correct. This is not suitable to be accepted in this manner, this argument that was presented because those path, which is the loving kindness and, how do say, compassion and the mind of enlightenment, they are not uncommon paths. This one.
So then, that’s the same because that which is not an uncommon path of Tantra, it is not necessarily not a path of Tantra. Necessarily not a path of tantra. Does it make any sense? From the beginning of that reasoning, is it making any sense? So the text was saying.
So what it is saying is that not uncommon path of Tantra is not pervaded. It is not pervaded. It’s not necessarily does not necessarily means that it is not a path of Tantra. It does not belong also to Tantra. We’re talking about this loving kindness, compassion and mind of enlightenment.
They are not uncommon path of Tantra, but that doesn’t mean that they are not part of Tantra also. It It is not an uncommon feature of Tantra. Right? Loving kindness, compassion, and mind of enlightenment in every Buddhist path you have. So it is common.
It’s a common feature. So these three loving kindness, compassion and mind of enlightenment, it is not an uncommon path. It’s not an uncommon feature of Tantra. But just because it is not an uncommon feature, it doesn’t mean that it is not also practice, but until partition, okay? So I finally understood, okay.
So what is the argument is saying, if you go to the beginning of the argument, so to that someone says, right, taking the subject this and this and that. So I’m going to go with the Tibetan version here, So what you’re saying is that in the continuum of being who is in the path of accumulation of the three lower classes of Tantra, is loving kindness, compassion and mind and love and so forth, as it is explained in the perfection vehicle. So he’s saying that those three and so forth, the loving kindness, compassion and mind of enlightenment, he’s calling them, they are paths of the three lower classes of Tantra. He’s trying to mean that they they are exclusively Tantra. And then because they were explained to have also five paths and ten grounds.
So he says, so it’s not accept we cannot accept this position because because they are not paths of Tantra. But because they are not uncommon paths of Tantra, that doesn’t mean that they are not how to say, it doesn’t mean that they are not included in practice of those practitioners. Does that make sense? So it’s like this. So not being an uncommon path of Tantra does not mean that it is not it’s not pervaded by not being a path of Tantra.
Does it you understand this terminology? So then again, some other opponents would say, so that’s to that subject, which was the beginning of the form of how to say, of this paragraph to that someone says, which is referring to the subject, those practitioners who are in the path of preparation, who have loving kindness, compassion and the mind of enlightenment in their continuum, right? So he’s referring to this again. So then he’s saying that they are then the paths of the perfection vehicle. So then, So because so what it means that they are not exclusively perfection vehicle paths, because they are the common paths of the perfection vehicle.
They are called common paths of the perfection vehicle. So it’s like this. So we’re saying the text is so then those things that are in the continuum of those practitioner in the path of accumulation of the three lower class of tantra, loving kindness, compassion and the mind of enlightenment. So they are then they are the paths of the perfection vehicle. So they say, it is not not the paths of the perfection vehicle because it is posited from the point of view of being in the continuum of a Tantric practitioner.
Does it make any sense what I’m saying? It made sense to me a minute ago. So because it is on the continuum of a tantra practitioner. So then it is not a path of the perfection vehicle, but it’s a common path. Yeah.
Yeah. Yeah. But it but it is not lower scope of meditation. It’s just a common thing. Yes.
I think it’s the same principle. That’s how I understood it. Yes. Okay. So I say that so the text is giving as an explanation of why it is not permitted that it is, how do you say, a perfection vehicle path because it is not pervaded by being a common path of the perfection vehicle.
Why is that? Because in continuum of Bodhisattva, who is realizing impermanence and so forth, the sixteen characteristics aspects of impermanence is common path, a shared path of beings of middling scope. Even though it is so, it is not a middling scope path. Okay? It is those sixteen aspects realization of the sixteen aspects of impermanence and so forth, they are shared path of of being a middling capacity / middling scope.
But it is not that it is not a middling scope path. So because it is in the continuum of Bodhisattva, then it is a Mahāyāna path. So if it a path shared with beings of medium scope, is not necessarily a medium even though even though something might be, how do say, a path path of tantra, it is not necessarily an uncommon path So then So what is the way of the enlightenment, let’s say, of the enlightenment that is based on those paths of the lower tantras. So So in the both in the perfection vehicle and in the three lower tantras, in the paths in these paths, then the newly how do you say, is first the first one to get enlightened, the very first Buddha of of a new to getting enlightened. If it is if it is such I say, if if how would you translate it?
It did translate as base in the text. If it is a base, there is one a newly enlightened being. So so if it is if it is like the first Buddha of a new era, the first Buddha to get enlightened, then it is pervaded by being a base of the Akanishtha, heaven. The word is the stand, which is started as base. So it’s pervaded by being so because it is it is well known in the systems of the perfection vehicle.
How would you say? Yes, I understood now. Okay. So it’s like this. It’s not the first Buddha Vanira, but it’s someone, could be anyone, who is to be a new to to be enlightened, how do you say, to be newly enlightened or candidate?
Well, someone to to be enlightened, it has to they have to get enlightened, the full enlightened as having having a basis of the Akanishtha heaven, having a body of the Akanishtha heaven. What is what is do you understand? One can would could not get enlightened with a human body. It has to be enlightened the having a body of that the body that the people, the beings of the having have. With that they had that body as a basis, then one can get enlightened.
It’s So it’s a it’s a it’s a border field. Pure field. And they have also the the how to say the wisdom body and the It’s it’s the it’s the dharmakaya. It’s the dharma body. The two divisions of the dharma body, the two divisions of the dharmakaya, I forgot.
And they have the the enjoyment body, but they don’t have the emanation body. Nirmānakāya. Yeah. They have the the this dharma body. Yes.
Yes. So they don’t have the emanation body in the Akanishtha because it arises as So then yes, so then that was stated in the this is widely known in the, how to say, the system of the perfection vehicle. Then the text goes on to talk about the way of of the enlightenment in the action tantra and the performance tantra. And then, again, he he says that he has already explained that the the way it happens is similar to the perfection vehicle, okay? So then let’s ask also to say that from the point of view of Yoga Tantra, then then Acharya Shakyashri and Sangye Sama, both of them, they say that Siddhartha, Siddhartha Gautama, when he was staying by the banks of the river Nairanjana, when he, how do you say, he attained balance or he achieved equilibrium, in the supreme limits of the fourth concentration, then at that time, the Buddhas of ten directions aroused him from that absorption with, how do you say, with fingers snap.
Snap, Right? Yeah. And then and then they they instigated him, and they incited him. They they urged him, and then they guided him to the Heaven. And then there, they gave him the the crown empowerment.
And then what is this called? The fivefold mode of enlightenment. And then he practiced and engaged into in stages into this fivefold mode of enlightenment or this fivefold manifest enlightenment. And and attained the enjoyment body of enlightenment. Okay?
And then, again, Geshe-la was saying, briefly, he said that this this five fold mode of enlightenment or this five manifest enlightenment, it’s a topic that comes in the Highest Yoga Tantra. So we we only if you want, only if you insist, but he said that it will come in the Highest Yoga Tantra again. Up to you. It’s up to you. Yeah.
I have I have other translations like this. Don’t worry. So then they say that, that statement, right, by these two scholars, it is not in harmony with the general system of Mahāyāna. And so it is not fit this argument, this line of thought is not fit to be accepted by our school. Yes.
And then it says in the greater stages of the secret the path of secret mantra, it says that our teacher, he was already enlightened. And then here, he just manifested he just how to say, he just showed us the way to get enlightened. So again, I was saying he when he when he was here, he when Siddhartha came there under the Bodhi tree, he was already enlightened. He was just showing us how to do that. And then this is these other two texts, the Vajra Crown Tantra and the Stainless Light, they also say that the same thing.
So then also many other tantras say that say say the same thing that he was not newly enlightened. It was just they accepted that it was just emanating. It was just an emanation of him. Him. And then both the tantra system and the and the and the perfection vehicles of the Mahāyāna, in this they are similar in this respect, okay?
This is said in the this is all said in the greater stages of the path So then therefore, another scholar, which is King Kunga Nyingpo, he says that the teacher after having accumulated the collections for three countless eons in his last existence, He attained this equilibrium in the, how do you say, in this supreme extreme of the fourth concentration in the Akanishtha heaven. And then and then the Buddha’s of the ten directions aroused him from that absorption with finger snaps and so forth. So he says he he says so, and and that should be this view should be accepted. Accepted. And then also because as it is said, stated in the in the illuminating lamp, which is a text.
Okay? That So it is saying this I don’t know how to translate this in it’s another text. I don’t know. It says in the root tantra, it only states it only states that Bodhisattva While he was staying in front of the Bodhi tree, how do say, this it was urged by the Buddhas. But besides that, it doesn’t state clearly anything about the Akanishtha heaven or the desire realm or those specifics, okay?
So then the vajra peak, which is another text, it says that, yes, it was it is the Akanishtha realm, in the Akanishtha realm. I apologize because I’m feeling a bit tired today. Confusing. I did was so I’m asking I’m asking to him to we we finished the teaching. What’s the date today?
Twenty fourth. So now if if you have any questions. Pardon? A thousand and one. Okay.