Tantric Techniques (9 page)

a
snang ba ban bun.

b
tshad ma rnam ’grel, pram
āṇ
av
ā
rttika,
stanza II.222-II.223ab; Toh. 4210,
sde dge
edition,
tshad ma,
vol.
ce,
116a.3; Y
ū
sho Miyasaka, “
Pram
āṇ
avarttika-k
ā
rik
ā
:
Sanskrit and Tibetan,”
Indo Koten Kenkyu (Acta Indologica)
2 (1971-1772): 32-33:
ad
ūṣ
ite ’sya vi
ṣ
aye na
ś
akya
ṃ
tasya varjana
ṃ
/ prah
āṇ
ir icch
ā
dve
ṣā
der gu
ṇ
ado
ṣā
nubandhina
ḥ
// tayor ad
ṛṣṭ
ir vi
ṣ
aye na tu b
ā
hye
ṣ
u ya
ḥ
krama
ḥ
/.

38
Tantric Techniques

you must know that from the viewpoint of their own entities they are empty of inherent existence, like illusions.

The essential point is that the meditator first must realize that these objects do not inherently exist; there is no other method for inducing realization that phenomena are like illusions.

Tsong-kha-pa makes this point in his
Medium-Length Exposition of the Stages of the Path:
a

Question:
What has to be done for the meaning of illusion to dawn unerringly?

Answer:
For example, in dependence on the eye consciousness seeing illusory horses and elephants [conjured by a magician] and the mental consciousness ascertaining the nonexistence of those horses and elephants in accordance with how they appear, one generates ascertainment that the appearance of horses and elephants is an illusory, or false, appearance. Similarly, in dependence on the two— undeniable appearance of persons and so forth to a conventional consciousness and ascertainment of them by a rational consciousness
b
as empty of nature, that is, establishment by way of their own nature—one generates ascertainment of persons as illusory, or false, appearances. Due to this fact:

• when in meditative equipoise one has become successful at meditating on space-like emptiness, [realizing that] the target aimed at by the apprehension of signs [that is, inherent existence,] does not exist, not even a particle,
  

• then upon rising from [this meditative realization], when one views the dawning of objects, an illusory-like emptiness dawns subsequent to meditative equipoise.
  

a
lam rim ’bring / skyes bu gsum gyis nyams su blang ba’i byang chub lam gyi rim pa
skyes bu gsum gyi nyams su blang ba’i byang chub lam gyi rim pa bring po sa bcad kha skong dang bcas pa
lam rim chung ngu;
see Jeffrey Hopkins,
Tsong-kha-pa’s Final Exposition of Wisdom
(Ithaca, N.Y.: Snow Lion Publications, 2008), 83. For Robert Thurman’s translation of this passage see his “The Middle Transcendent Insight” in
Life and Teachings of Tsong Khapa,
Robert A. F. Thurman, ed. (Dharmsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 1982), 141.

b
rigs shes.

S
ū
tra Mode of Meditation
39

In that way, through analyzing phenomena frequently with the reasoning analyzing whether they are established by way of their own nature or not, strong ascertainment with respect to the absence of inherent existence is generated, and when, after that, one views the dawning of appearances, they dawn as like illusions. There is no separate way of delineating illusory-like emptiness.

Realization of the emptiness of inherent existence is the
only
me-thod for gaining the subsequent realization that phenomena are like illusions.

The Fourth Pa
ṇ
-chen Lama speaks similarly but also addresses the issue of the substance of the appearances that are left over. He calls for viewing them as the sport
a
of emptiness:
b

Subsequent to meditative equipoise, all phenomena—the “I” and so forth—should be meditated on as the sport [of emptiness] like a magician’s illusions. In other words, rely on developing a strong conviction of truthlessness [that is to say, the knowledge that phenomena do not inherently exist] during meditative equipoise and afterwards learn to view all that appears, even though appearing [to exist inherently], as the sport [of emptiness] like a magician’s illusions, truthless and false.

Since the emptiness of inherent existence makes appearance possible, phenomena are, in a sense, the sport of emptiness. It may even be said that their basic substance is emptiness. However, emptiness is a nonaffirming negative, a mere absence or mere elimination of inherent existence, which does not imply anything in place of inherent existence even though it is compatible with dependently ari-sen phenomena. Hence, emptiness is not a positive substance giv-ing rise to phenomena, even if it is their ground.

The vocabulary of sport or play is reminiscent of various Hindu identifications of phenomena as the sport of God. Emptiness is what makes cause and effect possible; the emptiness of the mind is called the Buddha nature, the causal lineage of Buddhahood, even though it is not itself an actual cause. As the mere negative of inherent existence, it makes enlightenment possible.

a
rnam rol, l
ī
la
.

b
Sopa and Hopkins,
Cutting Through Appearances,
98.

40
Tantric Techniques

Summation of the s
ū
tra model of meditation on selflessness and appearance

Including the steps of setting the basic motivation for meditation as well as the subsequent state of realizing appearances to be like illusions, the S
ū
tra process of meditating on the selflessness of the per-son is in seven movements:

preliminary: adjustment of motivation by taking refuge and developing an altruistic intention to become enlightened

1. ascertaining what is being negated—inherent existence
   

2. ascertaining entailment of emptiness
   

3. ascertaining that the “I” and the aggregates are not inherently the same
   

4. ascertaining that the “I” and the aggregates are not inherently different
   

5. realizing the absence of inherent existence of the “I” in space-like meditative equipoise
   

concluding: emerging from space-like meditative equipoise and viewing all phenomena as like a magician’s illusions.

All activities are to be done within realization that phenomena are like illusions, understanding that space-like meditative equipoise negates only a false sense of
inherent
existence and not the very existence of objects. Tsong-kha-pa’s
Medium-Length Exposition of the Stages of the Path
emphasizes this practical point:
a

Consequently, even when engaging in the class of behavioral practices, such as prostration, circumambulation, and so forth, you should do them within being affected by the force of analytical ascertainment as [explained] above and thereby train in illusory-like appearance. They should be done within this. Through having become proficient in this, even by merely becoming mindful of the view those will dawn as like illusions.

It is important to understand that space-like meditative equipoise reveals only the nature of phenomena and negates only a false sense of inherent existence and not the very existence of objects.

a
See Hopkins,
Tsong-kha-pa’s Final Exposition of Wisdom,
84. This passage is also translated in Thurman, “The Middle Transcendent Insight” in
The Life and Teachings of Tsong Khapa,
141.

S
ū
tra Mode of Meditation
41