Audio recorded at Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide. Transcript auto-generated and AI-corrected; may contain errors.
About this talk. In this 54-minute foundational introduction, Kyabje Rinpoche maps the prerequisites for tantra practice: stable faith in emptiness and lived experience of the three fundamentals of the path (determination to be free, the awakening heart, and the view of emptiness). He explains empowerment as the essential doorway into one of four levels of tantra, with highest yoga tantra offering the fastest path—Buddhahood in as little as three years. The core teaching addresses tantra’s controversial method: how practitioners use attachment within union practices as fuel for realizing emptiness, thereby eliminating afflictions swiftly—provided rigorous ethical prerequisites are first met. He closes by establishing the four purities that distinguish tantra from sūtra, using Chenrezig as the example. For practitioners ready to receive tantra initiation.
File metadata (for organising)
File: 1992-09-20 – 1A – Introduction to Tantra – KR.mp3
UUID: 55ec230c-257f-4335-bb3b-7c42bdeb1931
Teacher: Kyabje Rinpoche
Collection: Tantra Introduction
Date: 1992-09-20
Recorded at: Tibetan Buddhist Institute, Adelaide
Words: ~2,501
So I have been requested to please give a introduction to secret mantra. And so I’m going to speak roughly on that subject. In general, secret mantra is extremely rare. It is like a place where precious jewels are found, and therefore it’s very uncommon that it’s ever come across. In our world over the three times of this era, the past, present and future, the Buddhas there are 1,000, and only amongst these 1,000, only three will teach secret mantra.
So it is not in saying that there will only be three Buddhas who will teach secret mantras, it is not to say that the teachings of secret mantras simply do not exist. It is that the qualified students who receive the teachings are extremely rare, that the teachings do not occur. As in the case of a qualified doctor who is able to give beneficial medicine, the patient must be qualified to be able to benefit from this medicine. Otherwise it is of no use, even though the doctor and the medicine exist. If the patient is not the proper type of recipient, then it is of no use to that particular patient.
Likewise with secret mantra, though the teachings exist, if there is no student who is qualified to receive them, then the teachings simply do not occur. So what qualities does the student need within our world to be able to receive these teachings and that they occur? It is necessary that the student have great faith, great wisdom, make great effort, and have great trust. And additionally, it’s necessary that the student have determined faith and trust in emptiness, a stable faith and trust in emptiness. And additionally, it’s necessary that one has generated the experiences of the perfection vehicle.
By that we mean as has been explained in the past, the three fundamentals of renunciation, or let us say the determination to be free, the awakening heart, and the awakening mind, the correct view of emptiness. The Buddha taught those of the individual vehicle, or the lesser vehicle, only the methods whereby to abandon their attachment. But for those individuals over and above that, he additionally taught the perfection vehicle, that is, within the universal vehicle or the Mahāyāna there is the profound and the vast. And with respect to these, the profound, he taught the six perfections and the 10 grounds. By profound we’re directing our attention mainly toward emptiness.
And beyond that of the 10 grounds and six perfections, he taught methods in the secret mantras method for those who had tremendous faith and trust within emptiness, the means whereby to make use of attachment as a means of practice. That in secret mantra there is a significant relationship between attachment and secret mantra. And if one does not have the understanding and faith of emptiness, then this means of using attachment can be can there is the danger of it becoming a way of creating unskillful actions. Whereas on the other hand, if one is skillful, one creates positive actions. For example, the various meditational deities of secret mantra, for example, Yamāntaka, Guhyasamāja, Heruka, etc, all involve the imaginary joining in union with a consort.
This is related to the generation of attachment. The initial moment of joining together involves the generation of attachment. But the second moment after that begins the process where this very attachment begins to be eliminated, is abandoned. And this is the method whereby to eliminate attachment, But it’s necessary that there be tremendous emphasis put on the view of emptiness in order to bring this about. So in the course of practicing secret mantra, what are we to initially do.
It is necessary, as has been explained previously, that we practice well and have some experience of the three fundamentals of the path. The paths of determination to be free, the awakening heart and the awakening mind. And then having gained some experience in these three fundamentals, then we go on to the practice of secret mantra. And within secret mantra there are four levels. There is the level of action, performance, yoga, and highest yoga.
But whichever one of these levels we are practicing at, it is necessary previous to beginning the practice to receive empowerment or initiation. Without receiving initiation then one is not allowed to involve oneself in the various visualization practices, the various recitation of mantras and the making use of the deities. This is the doorway into practice, the empowerment. So what is an empowerment? Empowerment involves the bestowing of power.
For example in Australia the Prime Minister has certain powers bestowed upon him by becoming the Prime Minister. Without having that Prime Ministership he is not empowered to engage in these specific activities. So the empowerment involves a bestowing of power, and by means of which we are empowered to engage in various activities, the activities of the various levels of tantra. For example, in accordance with the level of tantra that we are practicing, for example the action tantra, then we would be empowered to be able to meditate on the deity associated with that level, to recite the appropriate mantra, and also to engage in the various activities such as pacification, nourishing, increase, and wrath, and also to involve ourselves in the practices whereby development of the ordinary and extraordinary powerful attainments. So the empowerment empowers us to carry on practices or the activities which is specific to this particular empowerment.
If we do not have that empowerment, then we are not allowed to carry on these various activities, these activities of pacification, etc, nor to involve ourselves in the practice to develop the ordinary and extraordinary powerful attainments. It is not appropriate to engage in these activities when one does not have the proper power or empowerment. Without the empowerment, then there will be no positive results arising from engaging in various activities of working with the deity, recitation of mantra and performing their various activities. But additionally, not only is there no benefit, but there is the danger of some harm. Having once attained an empowerment, then there are various commitments which we are to observe.
These involve in terms of our practice, what is to be cultivated and what is to be abandoned. What is to be cultivated are the observance of the commitments that we have made, the various vows that we have undertaken, and we are to abandon involving ourselves in any negativities or acting in contradiction with those vows that we have committed ourselves to observing. And it is by this means, this is not contradicting the vows, but observing them, that we are able to obtain very quick results, that this is termed the quick path. So the reason it is termed the quick path is is quick if we unerringly cultivate that which is to be practiced and abandon that which is to be avoided in the course of our practice. So this applies equally to all four levels of tantra, whether it be action, performance, yoga, or highest yoga.
With respect to empowerment, there are four levels of empowerment. There is the vase empowerment, secret empowerment, exalted wisdom empowerment, and word empowerment. If we were to ask, well do these four levels of empowerment apply to all four levels of tantra, then the fact they do not. It is only the first empowerment, the vase empowerment, is found in the first three levels of tantra, that is the action, performance and yoga. They only involve the bestowing of vase empowerment.
Whereas the highest level of tantra, highest yoga tantra, there is present the four levels of empowerment. Therefore, since the first three levels of tantra only possess the one level of empowerment, that is to say the vase empowerment, they involve less commitments as to what is to be abandoned and what is to be cultivated. Therefore they are said to be easier to follow since they have less commitments of what is to be observed, what is to be abandoned, what is to be cultivated. So as far as the the quickness whereby to attain Buddhahood, if we comparatively, secret mantra is much faster than the tradition of perfection, the vehicle, or the sūtra vehicle, that is the discourse vehicle, then secret mantra vehicle is much faster. Then within the secret mantra itself, the highest of the four levels of tantra, that is the highest yoga tantra, is much faster than the first, the prior, the former three levels.
How quick can we achieve Buddhahood in accordance with this fourth level of tantra, highest yoga tantra? Because it possesses all four levels of empowerment, it possesses extremely extensive practices by means of which someone who has not gained the realization of any of the paths and grounds, who is newly entered into the vehicle, is able by means of these practices to achieve Buddhahood in twelve years, or as little as three years and three fortnights, that is one and a half months. Three years, one and a half months. Such practitioners as Milarepa and Götsangpa were able to achieve Buddhahood in one life by means of these practices. It is the first three levels of tantra, that is the action, performance and yoga.
By means of these one can achieve Buddhahood in one life, but this life is not a short life, it must be an extremely long life. One must have achieved by means of practices extremely great longevity of life, hundreds of years. And in terms of this long life, one by means of these first three levels of tantra can achieve Buddhahood in that life, but not in what is called a short life. It is only by means, that is to say, it is only by means of these practices one cannot achieve Buddhahood in a short life and as little as twelve or three years. So in the secret mantra, it involves we the, in the context of attachment, imagining that the joining together with consort and thereby generating bliss, In the context of this blissful consciousness, one generates a realization of emptiness.
By means of this awareness, realizing emptiness, we are able to this is the means by which we are able to remove the attachment itself and all the various afflictive emotions. So the method which is being made use of it is by the very power of attachment is made use of to generate a realization of emptiness, whereby to eliminate the attachment and the afflictive emotions altogether. So in with respect to joining with the practice of joining with the consort, this is only one is able to only practice this if one can block the emissions of the various fluids. Until one can do that, cannot practice in this way. So it’s only when one has developed this ability to block the emissions of fluids that one is acceptable to join in this manner.
Up to that point simply to join in a haphazard manner is simply not the correct activity but there is some harm involved. So it’s necessary to follow the practice of secret mantra and observe while observing strict ethics and then one develops the capacity whereby to block the emissions of fluid and then it is acceptable prior to that it is unacceptable to join in this way. So once one has developed this ability to block the emissions of fluids and joins with consort, one generates a great bliss, and within the context of this great bliss attains a realization of emptiness. And by means of this realization of emptiness is able to eliminate the various afflictive emotions extremely quickly. But until one has achieved this capacity then it’s not acceptable to carry on such an activity.
But once one has then it becomes an extremely quick method for the attainment of Buddhahood. Without the Without practicing secret mantra then there’s no way to attain Buddhahood. So first we practice within methods of the perfection vehicle and then go on to practice secret mantra in order to attain Buddhahood. So if we were to say, do we what are the distinguishing factors between the practice of secret mantra and sūtra, that is in the discourses, the six perfections. And this involves the distinguishment is in terms of what is called the four purities.
Four purities. The first is that in terms of practice, the first of these four purities is that one meditates oneself in the embodiment of a deity. The second one, one meditates on one’s environment as a celestial abode. The third is that the pure offering generates from one’s heart and emanates goddesses who make various offerings. Fourthly, in the process of visualizing the mantra at one’s heart, the lights radiating out, purifying the beings and the environment, transforming them into Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
So these four practices are the four purities, are the distinguishing factors between sūtra and mantra. So these four purities, if we were to illustrate them by way of an example, one in terms of Chenrezig or Avalokiteśvara. One by meditating on oneself as having the aspect of Chenrezig, this is the method whereby one will in the future achieve the entity of Buddhahood in the aspect of Chenrezig. This is the method for achieving the entity, the aspect of Chenrezig in the future. One meditates on one’s environment as a celestial abode.
This is the method the method of whereby achieving the actual celestial abode of Chenrezig in the future, when it is creating the environment, a future environment where one will reside. One emanates from one’s heart offering goddesses, making offerings. This is the method whereby to achieve extensive objects of enjoyment, possessions, utensils in the future that one will make use of. Then finally radiating light from one’s heart where it comes in contact with living beings, all living beings, bringing them bliss established in Buddhahood, is means whereby one is able, is a method by means one is able to in the future bring about the welfare of living beings. It a cause bringing about the ability to bring about the welfare of living beings in the future.
So I’m going to stop there for today, but if you take a few minutes for questions. Past Indian master, Atisha. He was talking to to the Tibetans and he said, he says, the Tibetans practice a 100 different deities and they achieve nothing. But the Indians, they practice one they practice one deity and they they achieve hundreds of them. So and rather than having practicing a 100 different deities and not achieving any of them, It’s better to concentrate on one deity and by means of concentrating one deity well, one will it is as if one can achieve a 100 of them.
So if we are practicing one deity well is the same as practicing we can achieve the same result by practicing one deity well as if practicing many.