Tantra: Special Basis & Mind for Focusing on Emptiness

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The Benefits of Taking the Body of a Buddha-Figure as the Basis for Voidness in Tantra 

The next point in our four-point analysis of why tantra is more efficient than sutra is that there’s a special basis for voidness. When we focus on voidness, voidness is the total absence of an impossible way of existing. So, an impossible way of existing of what? That what is the basis of the voidness. An absence of an impossible way of existing of the table, an absence of an impossible way of existing of the watch, an absence of an impossible way of existing of my body – all of those (the table, the watch, my body) are bases for voidness.

Whether or not the basis of the voidness can appear at the same time as that total absence of its impossible way of existing – that’s something else. For instance, as we saw with the previous point, our body as a Buddha-figure appears while we are totally absorbed on the voidness of that body, since we have a body at that time, even though our body does not appear in and is not cognized by that total absorption. But here, this next point concerns having a special basis of voidness is tantra –it’s our body as that of a Buddha-figure, rather than as our own ordinary samsaric body. 

We need to appreciate why we focus in tantra on the voidness of our body as a Buddha-figure. What advantages are there to that? There are several points here. First of all, our ordinary body does not transform into the body of a Buddha. Our ordinary body arises from karmic potential and disturbing emotions. We can speak about our having a body as a Buddha-nature factor and that this transforms into the body of a Buddha, but it is certainly not our ordinary body, which arises from karmic potential and disturbing emotions, that transforms. The Buddha-figure body, however, can transform into the body of a Buddha since it arises, on the basis of Buddha-nature factors, from bodhichitta and a mind that understands voidness. It’s not out of karma and disturbing emotions that “I want to have the body of a Buddha-figure.” In that sense, a Buddha-figure is a very special object to take as the basis for our voidness meditation. 

Secondly, in sutra, if we’re working with the voidness of our ordinary body, when we focus on our body, it appears to us as short, fat and ugly, or beautiful, young, healthy and strong, or whatever, and disturbing emotions arise directed at that appearance. We have a whole history of disturbing judgmental attitudes toward this appearance and grasp at it to exist truly as my body. Or, when we look in the mirror and see gray hair, wrinkles and a big belly, we think, “I don’t really look like that. That’s not really me.” Because of such attitudes, then when we focus on the voidness of our ordinary body, our mind is, in a sense, infected by these prior moments of disturbing, tainted cognition.

Even though during our total absorption on the voidness of our ordinary body, we don’t have that type of tainted, judgmental cognition because we don’t even have an appearance of the body at that time; nevertheless, we’ve been infected by this long history of associations with the body. That makes some problems in our understanding of voidness, some difficulties with it. Whereas if in tantra we first dissolve into voidness the ordinary appearance of our body and our clinging to it and then we subsequently arise in the body of a Buddha-figure within the context of implicitly apprehending voidness, there’s no judgmental history of disturbing attitudes directed at that Buddha-figure body. Because of that, then when we focus on the voidness of our Buddha-figure body, there is no prior disturbing history that can infect that mind. Our understanding of the voidness of our Buddha-figure body will not have a history of disturbing associations that any focus on the voidness of our ordinary bodies would tend to have. Do you follow? That’s another benefit of focusing on the Buddha-figure as a basis of voidness.

The next benefit is that in sutra, our ordinary body as a basis for focus on voidness is constantly changing. Because it’s constantly changing, it’s very hard to maintain single-minded concentration on the voidness of that body. Now we’ve changed our position, or now we have this ache, or this pain, or this itch, and now we might feel hungry. The basis for the voidness is constantly changing, so it’s difficult to maintain single-minded concentration on the voidness of that basis. We are not focusing on impermanence here; we’re focusing on voidness.

Our ordinary body is the perfect object for gaining the insight of impermanence, but not the perfect object for gaining the insight of voidness. When we focus on the Buddha-figure body, the basis here is what is called in technical jargon a “so-called permanent non-static phenomenon.” It’s still a non-static phenomenon because we can help others while having this form. We’re not frozen as a Buddha-figure. If our body were a static phenomenon, we couldn’t help anybody; we couldn’t do anything.

It’s a so-called permanent non-static phenomenon in the sense that it is not affected by ordinary things and therefore doesn’t change. A Buddha-figure doesn’t get an itch, it doesn’t get hungry, it doesn’t have to go to the bathroom, it doesn’t grow old or get fat. It doesn’t undergo any of these changes. Each time that we meditate on the voidness of this figure, the figure is basically the same. Because the figure is always the same – in this sense a “so-called permanent phenomenon – then meditation on the voidness of this figure as the basis for voidness is much more stable than meditation on our everchanging ordinary body. We’re able to sustain our concentration much more easily. That’s the third benefit.

The fourth and last benefit of taking a Buddha-figure as the basis of voidness is that our ordinary body is a gross form appearing both to eye consciousness and mental consciousness. We can both see our ordinary body and we can think of it . Whereas in tantra, the body of a Buddha-figure is a subtle form that appears only to mental consciousness. Because it’s only appearing to mental consciousness, it’s much easier to comprehend that it doesn’t have solid, truly self-established existence. It’s like a hologram, and because it’s like a hologram, a mental hologram I should say – holograms actually we can see – but when we’re talking about something that only our mental consciousness perceives, then it’s much easier to be able to comprehend its lack of solid, truly self-established existence.

So, those are the benefits of using a Buddha-figure body as our basis of voidness, as opposed to focusing on the voidness of our ordinary body. OK? That’s the third point of the analysis.

Using a Special Level of Mind to Focus on Voidness in Anuttarayoga Tantra 

The fourth point in the four points of our analysis concerns the level of mental activity that focuses on voidness. The voidness itself, that absence of impossible ways of existing, is the same in sutra and tantra, as explained in the Gelug tradition. As we just explained, the basis of the voidness is special in general tantra, but this fourth point, the mind that focuses on voidness is special only pertains to anuttarayoga tantra, the highest class of tantra. In the three lower classes of tantra, we’re using the same level of mental activity to focus on voidness as in sutra. If we speak only about general tantra, then there’s no special feature here, but in the highest yoga tantra, anuttarayoga, we use the clear light subtlest level of mind, subtlest level of mental activity to focus on voidness. That subtlest level is extremely advantageous to use because it is subtler than the levels at which the disturbing emotions occur; it is subtler than the level at which conceptual cognition occurs, and it’s subtler than the levels at which appearance-making of truly self-established existence and grasping for it occur.

Because clear light mental activity is subtler than all of that, it doesn’t require “three countless eons” to attain enlightenment. I like to refer to them as “three zillion eons,” because “countless” is a finite number. It’s the largest finite number, but beyond the scope of what could be counted. How many stars are there? How many atoms are there? Well, there’s a finite number, but we sure couldn’t count them; “zillion” is our English idiom. So, the attainment of enlightenment through the sutra methods or the methods of the three lower tantra classes requires the buildup of enlightenment-builder positive force – positive force dedicated with bodhichitta – over a period of three zillion eons.

The first zillion eons are necessary for gaining non-conceptual cognition of voidness. If we can gain this with clear light mental activity, which is by nature non-conceptual, it doesn’t require a zillion eons. The second zillion is needed for gaining a true stopping of the first set of obscurations, the emotional obscurations preventing liberation, which include all the disturbing emotions and grasping for truly self-established existence. Clear light mental activity is, by nature, free of all disturbing emotions, so it doesn’t take the second zillion eons. The third zillion is required for gaining a true stopping of the second set of obscurations, the cognitive ones preventing omniscience. These include the constant habits of grasping for truly self-established existence, which give rise to the appearance-making of truly self-established existence. Clear light mental activity is, by nature, free of that appearance-making and so that doesn’t require this third zillion eons. 

Although the clear light level of mental activity is, by nature, free of all that we have just mentioned and although it is the level of mental activity of a Buddha, it doesn’t, by nature, automatically have cognition of voidness. What we aim to do in anuttarayoga practice is to get that clear light mind to be the mind that cognizes voidness. In addition, clear light mental activity is not, by nature, automatically blissful either; otherwise, the clear light mind of death would be blissful ,and it is not. In anuttarayoga practice, blissful awareness is used as a method to get the mental activity more and more subtle and is thus one of the methods for gaining access to this clear light subtlest mental activity. In that way, it becomes a blissful clear light awareness of voidness, which – because of it being that subtlest level – automatically will be without disturbing emotions and grasping, will be non-conceptual, and will be without the appearance-making of truly self-established existence. 

That’s the special level of mind that focuses on voidness that we find only in anuttarayoga tantra. We don’t find that in the three lower classes of general tantra. Also, of course, once we access this clear light mind, even having made it a blissful awareness of voidness, we can’t sustain it all the time, and it’s not yet omniscient. There’s still a lot of work to be done. 

Let’s take, again, a few moments to reflect, and then we’ll have a final period of questions.

Questions 

You said, in sutra, when we concentrate on voidness, we have baggage from our obscurations?

What I said was that when we focus on the voidness of our ordinary bodies, because we have so many associations with our ordinary body, which are deceptive and disturbing, they tend to infect our understanding of the voidness of that body. So, it’s like having baggage.

But when we look at it from the point of view of tantra, and we take refuge in the understanding of voidness, we don’t have that baggage? That’s not clear to me.

In tantra, what we’re focusing on is the voidness of the Buddha-figure body and of ourselves as having the appearance of that Buddha-figure body. We don’t have negative associations with such a body, like “I’m fat, I’m ugly,” or worries, like “Is my hair OK?” “Is my make-up on straight?” We don’t have disturbing emotions directed at a Buddha-figure body, such as narcissistic attachment or self-hatred. It’s very important, of course, to be aware that our ordinary body, just as our body of the Buddha-figure, is equally devoid of existing in impossible ways.

We certainly don’t want to identify with that Buddha-figure body as a truly existent “me,” because that’s insanity, that’s craziness. Sure, we start a sadhana practice with meditation on the voidness of our ordinary body and of ordinary appearances, but what we sustain throughout the sadhana practice is our awareness of the voidness of this Buddha-figure body. That is something we can sustain because we’re not focusing on the body that gets an itch, and we’re not focusing on a body that we have all these associations about, like, “Am I attractive?” “Am I ugly?” “How much do I weigh?” and so on, “my age.”

So we see it as perfect, that it has that perfection?

Not so much that it’s perfect, but that it is the type of body that will be able to transform into the body of a Buddha.

So it’s kind of a trick to get around addressing the roots of your attachment or aversion to your body?

No, because we start out with understanding the voidness of our ordinary appearance. I wouldn’t call it a trick. What it is, is a method for being able to sustain our focus on voidness, because, eventually, what we want to be able to do is to sustain it forever, which will happen when we have attained a true stopping of the emotional and cognitive obscurations. It’s a method for being able to, among other things, sustain that understanding of voidness and not have it be infected by other associations, and itches, and getting hungry, and so on.

Is there something that resembles analytical meditation in sadhanas?

We don’t do the type of analytical meditation of bodhichitta and voidness in a sadhana that we would do in a sutra practice. We have done that already, prior to this. If we want to do an analytical meditation on voidness, we would do that as a separate practice. In the actual sadhana practice, we just remind ourselves of the conclusion of that analytical meditation so that we can be attentive of it more quickly. We don’t interrupt and lose the flow of the whole sadhana process by stopping to have a sutra-style analytical meditation.

“Is there something that resembles an analytical meditation?” “Analytical,” I don’t like that word, I think that’s misleading; it is a “discerning meditation.” The actual word means “discern.” We want to discern things with an “exceptionally perceptive state of mind,” that’s vipashyana. We practice some method to get the mind to be exceptionally perceptive so that it can discern and perceive anything, it can understand anything.

Vipashyana practice isn’t always focused on voidness. To call it “special insight” is misleading. In anuttarayoga tantra, we practice to develop by means of very complex visualization. Once we are able to visualize and focus with sustained concentration on a mandala complete with all the figure inside it, then while sustaining the full visualization, we extend our attention from the center of the visualization, let’s say the tip of our nose, to the various parts of the body, if we are speaking from the perspective of the central figure. When we extend our attention, we don’t lose attention on the previous parts that we were paying special attention to. We then extend our attention to the other figures in the mandala, then the mandala palace, the protection wheels, the element mandalas supporting all of this – all these things, going further out and out and out. Then, step by step, we bring our attention back in to the tip of our nose. This is called the concentration of the lion’s gaze, to go in and out like that. That is the tantra equivalent of a discerning meditation.

To translate that as “analytical meditation” is weird, then, since in tantra it’s done with these incredible visualizations. So, it’s “discerning meditation.” That’s one level of it in tantra. There are many more complex levels in tantra with which it’s practiced. If we wish to practice one of them once we have mastered the visualization of the complete mandala, we would do it at a certain point within the sadhana, but it’s optional. It’s not a standard thing that we do. It’s a more advanced practice. 

Avoiding Two Extremes

The important thing with these sadhana practices is not to be intimidated by them. Don’t be “tantraphobic.” There are two extremes that we need to avoid. The first is jumping into tantra prematurely, just because “It’s high,” and “I’m advanced,” and “I’m high,” and “I want to be high.” With such motivation, we get into tantra and go off into the fantasyland of a visualization. Our tantra practice has absolutely no relation to our ordinary lives and it becomes really a trip. This is a mistake.

Likewise, it’s a mistake to be tantraphobic. That is another extreme, thinking that it’s so advanced, and it’s so mysterious, and so on. If we understand the theory of how tantra works to bring enlightenment, we see that this is an incredible system, an incredible type of practice. The deeper we go and understand how it works, it really is extraordinary. We need to approach tantra step by step and get into the practice at whatever level we’re able to do. As long as we have the basics of the sutra level, then we can do that.

For effective tantra practice there are so many things that are important for us to have some basic understanding of and some basic conviction in. In the highest class of tantra, we meditate analogous to the death, bardo and rebirth process in order to achieve a true stopping of that. Meditating in analogy with that acts as a way of purifying our mental continuum of experiencing it. Our meditation is like a transformation, a substitute, for it. To practice like that requires conviction in rebirth. If we’re not convinced that rebirth is a fact, then it’s a joke trying to purify it by meditating in accordance with it. Such practice doesn’t mean anything.

These are very important to understand and have conviction in before tantra, and, as I always emphasize with people – and His Holiness the Dalai Lama as well emphasizes, so my approach is mostly coming from His Holiness’ way of approaching things – we really need to have conviction in the four noble truths. This is standard Buddhism. Everybody says that, so take the four noble truths and refuge seriously. What does seriously mean? What it means is to really want to achieve a true stopping of the first two noble truths. To do that, we have to identify them, like identifying the object of refutation, the object to be nullified. We have to be really convinced that it’s possible to get rid of them and that there’s a way, the true path.

The understanding of voidness is the true pathway mind that will get rid of true suffering and its true causes. It’s possible to get rid of them forever so that they never recur. That’s a true stopping. It’s possible for us and everybody to do that, not just Buddha Shakyamuni. Otherwise, what are we doing with compassion if we don’t think that all beings can actually be free of suffering? Without conviction that liberation from suffering is possible, our compassion is just wishing everybody well but knowing that “Ha-ha-ha, you’re going to suffer anyway, but good luck, I wish you well.” There has to be conviction that it’s really possible to attain a true stopping of suffering so that we can put our full heart into attaining it. Attaining that true stopping is not easy, it requires quite a lot of hard work and effort. In almost all cases, it is certainly not something that is doable within this lifetime. 

When the tantra texts talk about attaining enlightenment in one lifetime, as His Holiness the Dalai Lama says, that’s a bit of propaganda. In theory, it’s possible. In likelihood, it’s not so likely that that’s going to happen. For that to happen, we need first to have the correct understanding of beginningless and endless mental activity. The correct understanding of rebirth and conviction that it is true are essential for understanding voidness, for understanding karma, and for this whole Buddha-nature discussion that we’ve had about tantra as an everlasting continuum. “Everlasting” means no beginning and no end and that means rebirth. These are issues that we have to have chewed on well. It doesn’t mean that “Hallelujah, now I believe.” It takes an awfully long time to really understand correctly and be convinced of rebirth on a gut level – a really, really long time, decades for most people.

However, if we take it seriously that these are important issues to work with, then we can get into tantra practice, “Provisionally, I accept beginningless and endless mind. I admit that I don’t really understand it fully, but I acknowledge its importance, and I’m going to provisionally accept it and then work with tantra.” That is sufficient for getting into tantra practice on the basis of having some basic level of bodhichitta, an understanding of voidness, and renunciation. 

Renunciation is absolutely essential. In the context of tantra, it means turning away from ordinary appearances, our ordinary appearance of truly self-established existence, our ordinary appearance of this type of body, and all the hang-ups that we might have associated with it, and with our jobs, and whatever – renunciation, turning away – determine to be free from that whole disturbing side. It doesn’t mean that we give up life. We have to correctly identify the first two noble truths: true suffering and its true causes. Otherwise, we over-refute, as Tsongkhapa says, we nullify too much. Or we nullify too little. We need a middle path that avoids both extremes. 

Having Respect for Tantra, Keeping It Private, and Not Getting Discouraged 

Not only is tantra something not to be intimidated by, but it is also something we need to respect. That’s very important for being able to practice it properly. We need respect for it, and this whole thing about secrecy, keeping it hidden, in a sense, it’s not that we have to hide something because we’re ashamed of it. The thing is that we want to keep it sacred. It is sacred, something special that we respect so much, and so we don’t want a Kalachakra ashtray in our living room that people flick their ashes in, or have our baby wear a Chenrezig T-shirt and spit up food all over it. We respect it, and so we keep it private. 

This word translated as “hidden” or “secret” has the connotation of “private.” We need to keep it private. We don’t want people making fun of it, “What’s that funny looking painting on your wall?” People just being gross about it takes all the sacredness out of it. Then it really loses its energy in terms of our own practice, because people were just making fun of it. For that reason, we keep our tantra practice private. We would share it only with those who would show it similar respect.

Tantra is something that is very special, and because it’s so complex, there’s no danger of getting bored with it if we’re going to be practicing particular sadhana daily for the rest of this life. Of course, we go through stages in how we practice a sadhana, depending on our level of familiarity with it, but still, it’s so challenging, it’s not an issue of getting bored, “Done it, done that, now what to do?”

What is very important in tantra practice is to remember the nature of samsara. The nature of samsara is that it goes up and down, and that is not just with respect to rebirth states, which is the way that it’s usually presented. Life goes up and down from moment to moment, “Now I feel like practicing, now I don’t feel like practicing.” “Now I’m in a good mood, now I’m in a bad mood.” That’s going to happen all the way up to liberation from samsara as an arhat – a sobering thought. 

Therefore, as the young Serkong Rinpoche would say, his motto, “Nothing special.” “I don’t feel like practicing. Well, there’s nothing special about that. It passes. That comes and goes.” That’s why we need far-reaching perseverance, the armor-like perseverance, we do our tantra practice anyway and just go forward. Progress is always nonlinear. It’s always going to go up and down. We make a little bit of progress, but then we get in a difficult relationship or something, and we get angry again. Well, no need to get depressed. What do we expect from samsara? It goes up and down. It’s not linear. 

As His Holiness the Dalai Lama always says, if we check ourselves over a period of five years, then we can see some progress. Don’t look in terms of day-to-day. It’s not going to always get better from day-to-day. It’s not a linear process. It’s an up and down process, so nothing special about that; no need to get excited, no need to get depressed. We just go ahead, plow ahead, and continue. That’s armor-like perseverance. That’s very important in all Buddhist practice and in life in general.

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