Tantric Techniques (45 page)
Read Tantric Techniques Online
Authors: Jeffrey Hopkins
Tags: #Health & Fitness, #Yoga, #Body; Mind & Spirit, #Meditation, #Religion, #Buddhism, #General, #Tibetan
- Homage to the always merciful, Whose name is Avalokiteshvara, Composite of all excellent qualities, Strongly praised by all Buddhas.
Sign Deity
Within observing just that deity that has been generated, develop clear appearance of your divine body and develop pride in being that deity.
To do this:
- Homage to the always merciful, Whose name is Avalokiteshvara, Composite of all excellent qualities, Strongly praised by all Buddhas.
- Stop the exhalation and inhalation of breath; withdraw inside movements of the breath throughout the body like a turtle’s retracting its limbs and like drinking water drawn up with the
middle of the brow), two eyes, two shoulders, neck, heart, and navel.
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Tantric Techniques
- Stop the exhalation and inhalation of breath; withdraw inside movements of the breath throughout the body like a turtle’s retracting its limbs and like drinking water drawn up with the
- tongue by means of the upwards-moving wind. Also, withdraw inside the usual intense movement of the nonequipoised mind out through the senses. Nevertheless, leave your eyes a little open, raise your face a little, and set yourself in one-pointed meditative equipoise, observing your own body clarified as a deity. Like a person dwelling in a cave and looking outside, you are as if inside the divine body observing it from within.
Hold your breath as much as you can, all the while observing one aspect of the divine body.
- tongue by means of the upwards-moving wind. Also, withdraw inside the usual intense movement of the nonequipoised mind out through the senses. Nevertheless, leave your eyes a little open, raise your face a little, and set yourself in one-pointed meditative equipoise, observing your own body clarified as a deity. Like a person dwelling in a cave and looking outside, you are as if inside the divine body observing it from within.
- Then, let the breath out gently; relax, viewing yourself clarified as a deity.
Again hold your breath and observe the same one aspect of your divine body.
- Then, let the breath out gently; relax, viewing yourself clarified as a deity.
- Do this until you gain the capacity to stop—by means of the clear appearance of the deity and by means of the pride of be-ing a deity—the pride of ordinariness. Both clear appearance and divine pride
divine pride
are necessary.Resting
- Do this until you gain the capacity to stop—by means of the clear appearance of the deity and by means of the pride of be-ing a deity—the pride of ordinariness. Both clear appearance and divine pride
- Ceasing to visualize your divine body, observe the letters on the moon disc in space
(which is the second part of the third deity, the “letter deity”).
Ceasing to visualize the letters on the moon, observe the moon disc in space
(which is the first part of the letter deity).
- Ceasing to visualize your divine body, observe the letters on the moon disc in space
- Ceasing to visualize the moon disc, observe the sounds of the mantra reverberating in space
(which is the second deity, the “sound deity”).
Ceasing to observe the sounds of the mantra, observe the pride of the sameness of the nature of yourself and the deity
(which is the last part of the first deity, the “ultimate deity”).
- Ceasing to visualize the moon disc, observe the sounds of the mantra reverberating in space
- Ceasing to observe the pride of the sameness of the nature of yourself and the deity, observe the suchness of self, your own emptiness of inherent existence
(which is the first part of the “ultimate deity”).
Remain in meditative equipoise on your own emptiness.The Practice
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- Ceasing to observe the pride of the sameness of the nature of yourself and the deity, observe the suchness of self, your own emptiness of inherent existence
- All at once rise in a divine body, which is the same as that visualized earlier.
Between sessions
Between sessions remain within deity yoga, albeit not as complete as before, going about daily activities.
MEDITATIVE STABILIZATION OF EXALTED SPEECH
Third branch: Mind/Moon
- All at once rise in a divine body, which is the same as that visualized earlier.
- A moon disc appears at the heart of the deity in front.
Fourth branch: Sound
- A moon disc appears at the heart of the deity in front.
- The written letters of the mantra are set upright and facing in-ward around the edge of the moon disc at the heart of the deity in front.
Rays of light are emitted from the moon and mantra letters. From the points of the light rays innumerable forms of the dei-ty emerge, pervading the entire sphere of space. Through emanating great clouds of offerings they make splendid offerings to all the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. Also, they emanate great clouds from which a rain of ambrosia descends, extinguishing the fires of the sufferings of all transmigrators, hell-beings and so forth, as well as satisfying beings with whatever they need— giving a good body to those who need it, coolness to those suffering from heat, the warmth of the sun to those suffering from cold, food and drink to the hungry and thirsty—emanating to each just what he or she needs, providing beings with the basis for practicing the spiritual path as well as teachers to instruct them in the four truths, the two truths, and so forth, whereby they ascend the five paths and ten Bodhisattva grounds and at-tain the final happiness of Buddhahood. Repetition in dependence upon the four branches (deity in front, yourself as a deity, moon, and letters)
(1) Repeat mantra within observing the form of the
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Tantric Techniques
letters
a(a) Repeat mantra within observing the form of the letters at the heart of the deity in front
a
Dül-dzin-drak-pa-gyel-tsen (549.4-550.3) structures the repetition of mantra within observing the form of the letters differently. Instead of performing both whispered repetition and mental repetition first within observing the form of the letters at the heart of the deity in front and then both whispered repetition and mental repetition within observing the form of the letters at one’s own heart, he performs whispered repetition within observing the form of the letters at the heart of the deity in front and then within observing the form of the letters at one’s own heart, after which he performs mental repetition within observing the form of the letters at the heart of the deity in front and then within observing the form of the letters at one’s own heart. In his version, the steps of meditation are:Repeat mantra within observing the form of the letters
Repeat mantra in whisper within observing the form of the letters
At the heart of the deity in front
Focusing on the three—the front deity, moon, and letters—repeat mantra in whisper, as if reading the letters, while exhaling.
While inhaling, switch to observing yourself as a deity without repetition. Repeat the above.
At your own heart
Inhale—indto your own heart from the heart of the deity in front—the moon disc together with the mantra letters standing at its edge.
Perform whispered repetition, focusing on the moon and letters.
At the end of exhaling, emit the moon and letters back to the deity in front, focusing on moon and letters, without repetition.
Repeat the above.
Repeat mantra mentally within observing the form of the letters
At the heart of the deity in front
Holding your breath after inhalation and focusing on the three—the front deity, moon, and letters—repeat mantra mentally as if listening to your own recitation. While exhaling, switch to observing yourself as a deity without repetition.
Repeat the above.
At your own heart
Inhale—into your own heart from the heart of the deity in front—the moon disc together with the mantra letters standing at its edge without repetition.
Stop your breath and recite mantra mentally, focusing on moon and letters, as if your mind is in the center of the moon disc and is reading the letters of the mantra standing on the edge of the moon disc facing inward.
When exhaling, stop repetition of mantra, and move the moon and letters with your breath to the deity’s heart—focusing on the moon and letters.
With inhalation, repeat the above.
The Practice
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Whispered repetition
- The written letters of the mantra are set upright and facing in-ward around the edge of the moon disc at the heart of the deity in front.
- Focusing on the three—the front deity, moon, and letters—repeat mantra in whisper, as if reading the letters, while exhaling.
While inhaling, switch to observing yourself as a deity without repetition.
- Focusing on the three—the front deity, moon, and letters—repeat mantra in whisper, as if reading the letters, while exhaling.
