Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. The Dalai Lama delivers a 139-minute detailed exposition on tantric vows and downfalls, the core commitments required of all practitioners who have received tantric initiation. He opens by framing these teachings within the hierarchy of Buddhist paths, explaining why Anuttarayoga Tantra demands such rigorous ethical observance. He then systematically walks through the fourteen root tantric vows—from the first, not reviling the guru, through avoiding anger toward fellow initiates, maintaining bodhicitta, protecting the doctrine, and safeguarding tantric secrecy, to the prohibition against demeaning women. For each downfall, he clarifies the four binding factors necessary for a transgression to occur, cites authentic sources, and addresses common misunderstandings between different tantric lineages. He follows with eight major downfalls and concludes with practical daily methods: the six-session guru yoga recited three times morning and evening, Vajrasattva confession mantra recited twenty-one times nightly, and self-initiation through retreat as the supreme purification. Throughout, he emphasizes that vow-keeping alone, without meditation, guarantees enlightenment within sixteen lives through the power of secret mantra. This teaching is essential for anyone who has received tantric initiation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: SSGY 111011.mp3
UUID: a68a33a3-78c4-4062-a4e1-7d8042dfb39a
Teacher: HH Dalai Lama
Collection: Guru Puja – Lama Chopa
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~4,511
So we will, as usual, generate the motivation to listen to these teachings, and this should be a good motivation. It should be a motivation which understanding that we ourselves are one where as sentient beings are infinite in numbers, which is to free them on the one hand from suffering and the causes of suffering and to set them on the other hand in a state of happiness endowed with all of the conditions for happiness. And with this as a motivation, we should listen to this essence of the Mahāyāna, this explanation of the pledges of the five Buddha lineages. As Vajradhāra, the ruler of the three worlds said, profound indeed are the teachings. However, the Vajrayāna is supreme in comparison to the Pāramitāyāna.
If we wish to attain the state of full enlightenment, we have to rely on the profound teachings of the Pāramitāyāna and the Vajrayāna. From within these two, which were taught, the Mantrayāna is supreme in comparison comparison to to the the Pāramitāyāna. Pāramitāyāna. And within tantric teachings, we have the four classes of tantra of which the supreme is Anuttara Yoga Tantra. And for this, after receiving initiation, we must keep without allowing them to degenerate the pledges and the vows which were taken so that we can progress through the generation and completion stages to the level of full enlightenment.
In keeping with the two quotes, one who does not allow his pledges to degenerate after 16 lives at most will attain realization, and a one who allows his pledges to degenerate is not fit to enter in the mandala, we must put emphasis on keeping the pledges and vows even at the expense of meditation. And Rinpoche explained over the last teachings the 18 root vows of the Bodhisattvas. At present, he will cover the root tantric vows. As I said, child put effort in keeping the vows and in nothing else since keeping the vows and the pledges is the cause for the attainment both of liberation and of full enlightenment. Enlightenment.
We have to put effort in maintaining them and understanding clearly the root vows, the 14 root vows of mantra as well as the major downfalls. If we understand them well and protect them, they have benefit. Otherwise, they are not of benefit. Specifically, the major downfalls when breached lead to major faults. And to protect the vows, one must protect the four gateways through which which faults can occur.
If these are protected, the vows can be protected against the downfalls. Otherwise, we are in the situation of someone who possesses a jewel and who does not know how to protect it from thieves.
The first of the doors leading to faults is not understanding or not identifying the downfalls. This is akin to a situation where one cannot identify a thief. In that case, one has no means to protect one’s goods against theft. So one must clearly identify the downfall one is wishing to protect against. And one must therefore understand the 14 root tantric vows to be able to identify the downfalls regarding them.
So at present in the translation of the three vows based on Sūtra alone, the explanation of the precepts of the mantra vows. The first presentation is that of root downfalls. The first tantric root downfall on page one is reviling the guru. So for one who has mantra vows upon having received a threefold kindness of the Vajrayāna, these threefold kindness of the Vajrayāna refers to the threefold kind guru who imparts initiation, who explains the tantras, and who gives an oral commentary on the activities. So the explanation or imparting initiation is imparting any of the major initiations of the four categories of tantra.
Explaining the tantras is explaining, for instance, the Guhyasamāja or the Heruka tantra, and explaining activities is to explain how to perform activities. Such a one, as is explained in the bottom of the text, is insuperable and irrespective of whether he has great or small qualities from his own side. One must venerate him because he imparts such profound dharmas. There is no being which is superior to him and the downfall on page two of rejecting such a master, in other words, of throwing him away is the first root tantric downfall. And for a true root downfall to occur, the four great binding factors which Rinpoche explained previously must be present.
Since there are many new students here, Rinpoche will cover them briefly again. They’re on page 16 page 10, excuse me, of your six-session Guru Yoga. The four binding factors are regarding the Vajra Acharya. Number one, not viewing as a fault. In other words, not viewing reviling him as a fault.
The second one is not turning away from the desire to behave in this faulty fashion. The third is delighting in that behavior. And the fourth is the absence of both shame and embarrassment. And there are two presentations of tantric vows, one in keeping with tantra in general and one in keeping with the Kālacakra tantra, then the danger is that presenting both, the student ends up by understanding neither. So Rinpoche will do his best to present things carefully here.
Are. Yeah. In the second root tantric downfall, scorning the advice on the bottom of page two, the second root downfall is explained as engaging in that misdeed of breaking the instructions of the ones gone to bliss. The ones gone to bliss refer to the Buddhas with a motivation wishing to scorn any of the three vows. These three vows refer to the vows indicated by the Buddha regarding the training and ethics of the pratimoksha, the training and ethics of the bodhisattva, and the training and ethics in tantra.
If one is ordained, which refers to practitioners holding upasaka vows upwards, then one must maintain the vows. Otherwise, one’s main focus must be maintaining the bodhisattva and the tantric vows. This downfall occurs when one says, well, the Buddha may have said this, but, basically, it doesn’t matter. So scorning the advice here would refer, for instance, to saying with respect to the first root bodhisattva vow, not praising oneself and debasing others. On page nine of your translation of the six-session Guru Yoga, well, it doesn’t matter when I do whether whether I do this or not.
The second root tantric vow does not refer to scorning any advice, but specifically the advice concerning ethics given by the Buddha. The third root tantric downfall on page three of the translation of Ngawang Palden’s commentary is criticizing brethren. Upon recognizing, in other words, understanding as having Tantric vows, a Vajra brethren who has received an empowerment in any of the four tantras. A Vajra brethren here refers to someone who has received initiation in any of the four tantras, Kriyā, Caryā, Yoga, or Anuttara Yoga Tantra, from the same teacher as ourselves. So for instance, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives initiations, all who attend the initiation and receive it become Vajra brethren in the same way as all the children of the same parents of brothers and sisters.
Sisters. So in any of the four tantras from one guru, when motivated by anger, one criticizes a Vajra brethren, and upon hearing that that other brethren actually understands the meaning, the downfall of criticizing Vajra brethren out of anger has occurred. It’s not necessary to have received the initiation at the same time and together. Someone who has received it before us remains of
Regarding the fourth root tantric downfall on page three, there’s not a separate outline for it. Although the third root downfall explained in the Kālacakra tantra is also similar to to this, Darikapa explains that love must not arise again for more than twenty four hours. The fourth root tantric downfall is abandoning love. And if love does not arise for one full cycle of twenty four hours, then Darikapa explains that one has committed the root downfall of abandoning love. However, there is another reading in the statement in the verses of the vows, wrath towards sentient beings.
This refers to generating anger towards sentient beings and this acting as the cause for the elimination of anger. These are two different types of abandonment of love. It would seem that merely not meditating on love for sentient beings is sufficient to break the root downfall according to Darikapa. And this is what is referred to on page two of the root text of the six-session Guru Yoga where it is said, one recites, may all sentient beings upon being bereft of the closeness and distance of attachment and anger, referring to generating immeasurable equanimity, then recites attain the particularly exalted bliss, which refers to the generation of immeasurable love. Now in this context, immeasurable love is not the wish to give sentient beings in this life food, clothing, and so forth, but it is the wish to benefit them in future lives to lead them to liberation or to full enlightenment.
The fifth root tantric downfall relinquishing, aspiring, and engaging bodhicitta on page three of Ngawang Palden’s commentary means that one renounces attaining or striving to attain full enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings, thinking I am simply incapable of doing this. This is a grievous downfall since it means one has fallen out of the Mahāyāna, and one has given up on one’s commitment to attain full enlightenment for the sake of sentient beings. If one is a bodhisattva, one has ceased being a bodhisattva. Is on page four, Ngawang Palden’s commentary deprecating the Dharma of Sūtra or Mantra. Observing any of the teachings of the three vehicles, this the Dharma of the vehicle of one’s own tenets.
This refers to secret mantras, or of the vehicle of the tenants of another, which refers to the Pāramitāyāna, saying, while deprecating sincerely from the depths of one’s heart, these are not the utterances of the Buddha, that is the abandonment of Dharma. So here, when one has performed the sixth root tantric downfall, one has abandoned the Dharma. And the seventh root Tantric downfall on page four, revealing the secrets to the unripe upon having received an empowerment, revealing the secrets to the unripe, I. To sentient beings who have generated non faith is upon discerning that the downfall which occurs after the meaning of the topic has been understood of revealing the secrets. So here, if after receiving an empowerment, one reveals the Tantric secrets to a being who lacks faith.
He understands them and no veneration can arise in his mind. Then at this point, this root Tantric downfall has occurred. The eighth root tantric downfall on page four is abusing one’s aggregates. When one receives a tantric initiation, one generates one’s five aggregates in the nature of the five lineage Buddhas. If after this, one abuses one’s aggregates, in other words, one gives rise to suffering within the aggregates through mortification, through not giving food to one’s body, through causing one’s bodily strength to decline, through self mortification, through beating, then one will be abusing one’s aggregates.
Likewise, on page page five, if one says it is not suitable to meditate on the five aggregates as the five tathagatas by reasons of their being clean, unclean, and so forth, this also falls in the category of this downfall. If one sees one’s five aggregates as contaminated and says they cannot be generated as the five tathagatas, this downfall has occurred. When one performs generation of the aggregates as deities, there are two modes of proceeding. The aggregates can be purified, within emptiness and then arise as deities or alternatively, they can arise instantaneously as deities. In neither case, is it correct to debase the aggregates and say they cannot be generated as the tathagatas?
Ninth root tantric downfall on page five is abandoning emptiness. This root downfall of abandoning emptiness is abandoning emptiness. We’re not being convinced of emptiness. So if, for instance, because emptiness is difficult, one says emptiness is too difficult for me or one does not wish to study about emptiness, one will have abandoned emptiness. And on page five, the tenth root tantric downfall is relying on evil friends.
The downfall of loving evil ones, in other words, evil friends, is upon befriending evil ones who are objects of exorcism, literally, i.e., sentient beings who have reviled the triple gem and the guru and destroyed the teachings to act lovingly towards them by body and speech. It is said in the Arrowstruck of Realization that since one must generate great compassion even when exorcising the like, acting lovingly towards them mentally is not a downfall. So here, if one befriends those who have criticized the gurus and said this guru is not good, those who have criticized the triple gem and said the triple gem does not exist, then one will have befriended friends of sin or evil friends. And one must avoid all physical and verbal contact with them.
They are contaminated. If one engages in any contact with them, this root downfall occurs. However, one should not abandon love for them mentally since if one were to abandon love mentally, then one would commit the downfall of abandoning love for sentient beings.
Page six of Ngawang Palden’s commentary, the eleventh root tantric downfall, not recollecting the view. The downfall of not protecting the view of emptiness is all having the view of the suchness of phenomena, not protecting it and going beyond it for twenty four hours. Here, a if a being has realized emptiness, and in that case specifically, such a being must meditate every day on emptiness. If he or she does not, the view of emptiness will degenerate and the eleventh root tantric vow will have been broken. Mhmm.
And on page six, the twelfth root Tantric downfall, squelching the minds of the faithful. The downfall of having turned a sentient being who is a suitable vessel for the great vehicle and has faith in some instructions of the supreme vehicle away from wishing for these through having caused him or her to squelch the mind with a thought, wishing to turn him or her away from that wish is a downfall of squelching the mind of the faithful. So here, if a being is a suitable recipient, a suitable trainee for Mahāyāna teachings and has faith in them and wishes to receive them and one turns him away from them and destroys his faith, this is squelching the minds of the faithful. The thirteenth root downfall on the bottom of page six, not relying on the pledge substances at a ritual of the circle of assembly, in other words, a feast of the heroes or a feast of the heroines is performed correctly. So occurs when both male and female participants are present.
If only male participants are present, it is called a feast of the heroes. And if only female participants are present, it is called a feast of the heroines. In this case, on page seven, during if one does not accept the pledged substances to be eaten and drunk, which refer, for instance, to meat and beer or alcohol, viz. the five fleshes and so forth when they are proffered, thinking that they are unclean or out of doubt, then one will have broken this root vow. Mhmm. And the alternate form of this downfall is having on page seven obtained the capacity to rely on a wisdom woman, a consort, in accordance with the explanations in tantra, which must be completely fulfilled and in the absence of other hindrances being present, not accepting the offering of a desired wisdom woman.
So here, if one wishes to attain full enlightenment in one life, one has fulfilled the requirements of tantra, there are no other obstructions or hindrances, and a consort wishes to join with oneself and one refuses, this root tantric vow is broken. So this is the downfall of not relying correctly on the pledged substances in accordance with Anuttara Yoga Tantra. There’s an alternate presentation of the thirteenth downfall in accordance with Yoga Tantra and which he adds in accordance with Kriyā and Caryā Tantra. If one discards Vajra and bell, deemphasizing them and saying, if one meditates on mental yoga, that alone will fulfill the requirements for Vajra and Bell and so forth. And therefore, one does not need to rely on the Vajra, Bel, and Mudra pledges.
At that point, one has broken the thirteenth root downfall. In the fourteenth root Tantric downfall, on page seven, is debasing women. That downfall which has arisen once a recipient, a woman, has understood the meaning of that criticism which becomes a debasement of the general base of femininity with the motivation of a wishing to affix criticism to whichever fully characterized woman is the uncommon downfall of debasing women. This means if one criticizes through one woman or women saying women are too competitive, too envious, and so forth, and another woman understands this at this point, the fourteenth root downfall has occurred. And finally, if one criticizes with the motivation of criticizing supramundane deities such as Vajravārāhī and so forth to take on the body of a woman.
This is the fourteenth root downfall which is shared by the two higher classes of tantra. In other words, by both yoga and Anuttara Yoga Tantra. So this is the explanation of the 14 root down downfalls of tantra. Since you have all received the text on this, you will understand it, understand them if you study them well. And there are numerous major downfalls.
The first of these, this is on page 11 of your six-session Guru Yoga translation, is relying on a mudrā or a consort lacking the characteristics. If one relies on a consort which is not fully characterized, then this downfall has occurred. And this downfall occurs or this major downfall occurs also if the consort is sick, if she is pregnant, if she does not wish to engage in union, and so forth. And the second major downfall on page 11, entering a union without the three perceptions. The three perceptions refer to the three perceptions of body, speech, and mind.
The perception of body is self visualization as a deity in union with consort. The perception of speech is the blessing of the respective secret organs, and the perception of mind is
The mind which meditates on the view and sees itself as the. So there is no fault for visualizing oneself as a deity, performing the requisite blessings by speech, and meditating on the selflessness of phenomena mentally. Otherwise, there is a fault. And the third major downfall on page 11 is showing the secret substances to inappropriate recipients. This refers to showing either to someone who has not received initiation or to someone who has received initiation but lacks faith.
The images of the Yidams, the tutelary deities used for meditation, the Mudras, the Damaru, and so forth. The fourth major downfall is quarreling during a Tsok gathering. This may be a Tzok gathering, a feast of the heroes, or a feast of the heroines. So talk is offered by the sponsor and to gain merit and is entered into by the participants to gain merit. If instead of this one quarrels during Tsok, then it does not fulfill its purpose.
The fifth major downfall is giving wrong answers to the queries of the faithful. Here, if someone who has true faith asks one for, for instance, an explanation of ultimate truth and one answers by explaining something completely unrelated, conventional truth, then one will have incurred this downfall. And the sixth downfall, major downfall is dwelling seven days and nights among the hearers. So if one is practicing the bodhisattvayana and one stays more than six twenty four hour cycles in a śrāvaka institute, then one will have committed this downfall. So the seventh downfall is although imperfect, pretending to be a yogi.
For instance, all of us have to recite sadhanas and deity yoga. And if we act as if we are great yogis when reciting our sadhanas, then this seventh major downfall has occurred. And it was said by the great beings that this is quite common nowadays. And the eighth downfall, teaching the secret Dharma to skeptics applies to teaching secret mantra to those who have not received initiation or to those who having received initiation nonetheless lacks lack faith. It also applies to teaching false or contrived Dharma So has explained the 14 root tantric vows and eight of the major downfalls.
It is important for us to keep these vows and to prevent ourselves from committing these downfalls. The means to do this is the six-fold daily recitation of the six-session guru yoga. It should be recited three times in the morning and three times in the evening. And in the morning and in the evening, one should check each time whether one’s vows and pledges have been stained or not. And for this, we must understand both the advantages of protecting the vows and pledges and the disadvantages of not protecting them.
The advantages are that one’s former qualities would increase, that one’s mind will be at peace, one will be of good repute, and one will gain the speech of the gods. In addition, one will not be bowed or crippled of appearance. One will not be proud or arrogant, and one will not be reborn in the lower realms. And the faults of not protecting the vows are numerous. One’s gurus will degenerate, one’s friends will degenerate, and oneself will degenerate thinking, oh my, what happened to me?
In addition, one’s former qualities will not increase and one’s prayers will not be fulfilled. And since we want stable happiness, we must be very wary and careful in the process of confessing downfall and faults. As soon as they have occurred, we must confess them and purify them. Now we can see throughout a given day that the downfalls are numerous. Therefore, at night before going to sleep, it is of tremendous benefit to recite 21 times carefully the mantra of Vajrasattva, which definitely will prevent the increase of downfalls.
If one does not increase, recite this mantra every day, the downfalls will be multiplied by two every day. So the karmic weight doubles after one day. It is multiplied by four, then by eight, then by 16, and so forth. However, if one recites it carefully, one may even be able to purify the downfalls completely. And in addition, if one is able to perform the approximation retreat of one’s tutelary deity, one is then entitled to perform self initiation, which presents tremendous benefits since it enables the complete purification of all downfalls, broken vows, and pledges.
Even if this is not possible, Nonetheless, when one recites the six-session Guru Yoga, one must examine very carefully what vows one has broken, what downfalls one has committed, and immediately apply the appropriate method of confession. Otherwise, as the karmic weight of the broken vows increases over time, one risks to be totally overwhelmed by a gigantic mass of downfalls and face great difficulty.
So there was no time to cover the secondary bodhisattva or the branch bodhisattva vows. If you read about them, you will understand As I said, if one keeps vows and pledges after 16 lives, one will gain attainment. This is a tremendous benefit of tantric initiation. So after 16 lives alone without meditation, one can attain full enlightenment. The practitioner of high capacity can attain full enlightenment within one short lifetime.
The practitioner of middling capacity will attain enlightenment in the intermediate state after death, and the practitioner of low capacity merely through protecting the vows and the pledges will attain enlightenment after 16 lives. Because of the power of secret mantra, if the vows and pledges are not kept, one will definitely be reborn in the lower realms. Then there are two clear advantages to secret mantra. On the one hand, if the vows and pledges are kept, we can definitely attain liberation and full enlightenment in this life. On the other hand, even if we break our vows and pledges and are reborn in the next life in the lower realms, it is said by many that the potency of secret mantra and initiation instilled in our mind stream would ensure that when we are liberated from the lower realms after this, we will immediately become a being of sharp capacities and enter the Mahāyāna.
So it is worth doing for this reason. So we have received many teachings on secret mantra, and we should, at present, practice them. In addition, we should try to have good minds and not to harm others, at least not to harm others, and if we can to help them, not to look upon others with enmity. So remember, Geshe-la has spent many years in this country explaining the teachings. At present, he is old.
And even though he would like physic he would like mentally to continue to explain the teachings, his bodily body no longer follows. So it is up to us at present to practice. In November or December of this year, Khensur Rinpoche will be returning to India, And he would like to ask us to practice because this alone is of benefit. So Rinpoche was very happy to teach us and delighted that we attended his teaching. He hopes from our side, we enjoy this too.
And Khensur Rinpoche rejoices in whatever practice we have been able to do based on the teachings he gave. And we have received many teachings, and but he would like to ask us to practice these teachings. Teachings in and of themselves are of no benefit. They become of benefit when they are put in practice. Therefore, we should generate faith, we should generate conviction, and we should practice as much as we are able to.
And the merit which we have accumulated, we will carry on our shoulders with us to future lives, and it will produce happiness. Therefore, please accumulate as much merit as you can. And Rinpoche from his side makes numerous prayers for our happiness and our well-being and our future well-being as
Okay. This is the prayer which Rinpoche uttered, the prayer is a very beautiful and profound prayer. Refers to attaining stable happiness. Stable happiness here refers to the happiness of liberation or full enlightenment in addition to happiness in this life, And Tashi Dele is the usual New Year greeting. You don’t understand the meaning of that song, do you?
Doesn’t understand the meaning of your Geordie/jolly good fellow song. And Liberty led the group to the Guillaume School. They sang Waltzing Matilda. Pamela, Richard, Robert, Joe, several others. Yeah.
Yeah. Thank you.