All language subtitles for Discovering Buddhism Module 13 - Introduction to Tantra

Discovering Buddhism

Introduction to Tantra

As we mentioned at the
beginning of the series,

the teachings of the
Buddha are vast in scope

and profound in their implications.

Among the most profound
are his teachings on tantra,

also called Vajrayana.

Based on a foundation
of loving-kindness,

a correct view of reality
and total renunciation:

your tired of life as you have known
it and are courageously determined

to be free of samsara for
the sake of all beings.

If that's the case, then the
practice of tantra is for you.

Under the guidance of qualified masters,

students learn methods
such as visualization,

deity-yoga meditation
and mantra recitation

that help transform
deluded energy into wisdom,

so we can see the totality
of who and what we really are.

As Buddhist practitioners,
it's essential to realize that

the highly sophisticated and sensitive
techniques in tantra simply won't work

and even can be highly dangerous

unless our motivation
is genuinely altruistic.

Since these precious teachings are
extremely difficult to come across

in this day and age,
join us in investigating

how we can make the most of
this extremely rare opportunity.

MOTIVATION

In this presentation

you're going to hear about the
Buddha's most esoteric teachings,

those of tantra.

You've also heard that an altruistic
motivation is especially important

in the case of these teachings.

In fact, it's very much like in the
fairy tales you may have heard as child.

It's only the most pure hearted hero

who's actually able to free
the princess and save the day.

And in the same way,

it's only the most sincere,
altruistic-minded practitioner

who is able to succeed
in the practice of tantra.

Now the Buddha said that

the fundamental nature of our
hearts and minds is purity.

We simply have to discover that purity
through the veils of our ignorance.

And so before listening
to these teachings,

take just a moment to discover
the purity of your own heart

and to generate a very strong
and determined intention

to attain the state of a Buddha
through the practice of tantra

in order to be able to bring to
enlightenment all other living beings.

TEACHERS

Lama Thubten Yeshe was born in Tibet
and educated at the great
Sera Monastic University in Lhasa.

In 1959 he escaped and eventually
started Kopan Monastery in Nepal,
with his chief disciple Lama Zopa Rinpoche,
where they taught Buddhism to Westerners.

They founded the FPMT in 1975
and traveled the world spreading the Dharma.

He profoundly helped thousands of students
and passed away in 1984.

We can correct our attitude;
we can correct our action.

Don't think that, 'My attitude,
my action is my previous karma;

I cannot do anything.' That
is misunderstanding of karma.

Don't think, 'I am the powerless.'
We do have power; human being.

We do have power to
change our lifestyle,

to change our attitude,
to change our habit.

That capacity you call,
maybe, Buddha potentiality,

or God potentiality,
or whatever you call.

That's why Buddhism is simple,
simple, and it is universal teaching.

It is understandable to any
religious or non-religious people.

That is the beauty of human
being, has powerful instrument,

any kind of thing we can
trick, any energy we can trick,

we can transform into something else.

That's why Tibetan
Buddhism has much method

how to transform attachment
into the path to liberation.

How to transform desire
into the path to liberation.

We do have much emphasis method.

The Buddhist point of view:
there is no human problem

which is cannot stopped by human being.

And that personally to
understand and to encourage

that the entire my problem,
I can deal with my problem,

I can stop my problem.

That attitude is, I think, very
essential for the growth of oneself.

I truly believe that all of us, even
though we are not good meditators,

we are not maybe good
spiritual, but all of us,

if we have some understanding

and we have encouragement
oneself, we can stop the problem.

Most time we lack of
understanding of our own capacity.

We put ourselves down.

That's why Tibetan Buddhism,
sometimes you see Buddha with you;

you see yourself as Buddha.

I am sure all of you
heard that kind of things.

As long as we maintain
The ordinary vision
We have of ourselves
There is no space
For seeing ourselves
As an enlightened being.
- Lama Yeshe

Venerable Thubten Dhondrub is a fully ordained
Australian monk with over twenty-six years
of experience in Tibetan Buddhist practice.

He has taught at FPMT Centers in thirteen
different countries around the world.

He is well known for his accessible
teaching style, extensive knowledge,
sincere heart, and tangible humility.

With the Tibetan tradition of Buddhism

there is a great emphasis
on practicing tantra

as the fastest way to
achieve enlightenment.

Not just to get
enlightened quickly, but,

the reason that Buddha taught tantra
was originally taught to bodhisattvas,

great bodhisattvas,

who had unbearable compassion for
the suffering of sentient beings.

And because of that,

found it unbearable

that it takes three countless
great eons to achieve enlightenment.

While one is becoming a Buddha, sentient
beings are suffering all that time.

So because of that,

the Buddha taught the fast way to
achieve enlightenment: the tantric way.

So it's meant for bodhisattvas,

those beings who have
unbearable compassion.

So, all of Tibetan Buddhism is
influenced by the tantric view.

And from the tantric
point of view the teacher,

the qualified teacher, is the very
embodiment of the triple gem

of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.

So it's kind of appropriate
to think about this subject,

in the sense of meeting
with a qualified teacher,

and generating the right
relationship to that teacher

is a very crucial part of the path
to liberation and enlightenment.

We need someone who really, not
simply knows the words of the Dharma,

but knows their own mind,

and has the experience of controlling
their mind in a wise and skillful way.

And not just a little bit, but
the more we want to accomplish,

the more qualified the teacher we need.

If we want to accomplish
a little bit with our mind,

we only need a teacher who has
a little bit of accomplishment.

But if we want to achieve enlightenment,

we need someone very, very
highly qualified, a Buddha, maybe.

For someone who is teaching,

the path to enlightenment
through tantra,

then there is a whole set of other
qualities that the guru needs.

So, in deciding to follow
a particular teacher,

we should take time to check
the qualities of the teacher,

try to see if they have these qualities.

A real guru is something
like an iceberg.

An iceberg, only one tenth of the ice
of an iceberg appears above the water.

Nine tenths is below the water.

So a guru's like that.

When we see great beings,
we can see many qualities.

Even at our level, we can see qualities.

What we should try to understand
is that's just a little hint

of the actual qualities
of a truly realized being.

Kirti Tsenchab Rinpoche was born
in eastern Tibet in 1926, and at age six
was recognized as the reincarnation
of the former abbot of the Kirti Gompa.

The major focus of his life
has been to practice, preserve and propagate
the Kalachakra lineage.

After escaping from Tibet in 1959,
at the age of 45, he began a fifteen-year
meditation retreat in a small hermitage in India.

Rinpoche is one of the teachers of
His Holiness the Dalai Lama and of Lama Thubten Zopa Rinpoche.
He has taught worldwide and is greatly revered.

For practicing Dharma,

basically one has a choice of Sutric
practices or tantric practices.

Within the Sutric practices,

there is the Lam Rim, presented
traditionally within the three scopes.

It addresses individuals
of the small scope,

the middle scope and
those of the great scope.

Another way to summarize the
three scopes of the Lam Rim

is to present the three
principle aspects of the path.

One of our prayers says, may I
be able to generate renunciation,

bodhicitta and correct view

and may I be able to complete
the two stages of tantra.

So you see straightaway
in the first line

we have mention of the Three
Principle Aspects of the path.

Then in the second line, there
is reference to tantric practices.

When we talk about sutric
practices or the sutric vehicle,

we call that also the causal vehicle.

When we are talking about
the tantric practices,

we can refer to them as
the resultant vehicle.

The reason why we call the
sutric vehicle the causal one

is because what we are stressing
is the causes that will bring about

the ultimate result.

And here when we talk about causes

we are talking about engaging into
the practices of the Six Perfections,

so things such as generosity,
and ethics and enthusiastic effort

and concentration and
wisdom, and patience.

So in the six of them, they
actually include method and wisdom

which are the causes that will bring
about the result that we are seeking.

Now in tantra, we are
stressing different things

and this is why the name
resultant vehicle is used.

It is called the resultant
vehicle because the way we practice

is in a way that is
stressing the result.

Straight from the beginning

we are looking at the
resultant state of enlightenment

and we set that as
being our ultimate goal.

What we do through our practices
of deity yoga is we try to imitate,

we try to visualize, we try to imagine
that we have already reached that state

and we are practicing.

In a sense we are rehearsing the
activities that we would be doing

if we were already enlightened.

We have four different
classes of tantra.

We have action, performance,
yoga and highest yoga tantra.

At each one of those classes of tantra,

when they are presented,

they are presented more or
less in four different chapters.

The first chapter would be
the chapter of empowerment.

The second one would be of the vows
and commitments that are assumed.

The third one is the path
that is meditated upon.

And the last one would be the presentation
of the result that is attained.

So we start first with the empowerment,

which is the step that opens up
the door for the tantric path.

In the same way that you enter
the house through the door,

you enter the tantric path through
going the process of the ceremony.

And what the ceremony does for you,

it authorizes you to be able to listen,

to reflect and to meditate on
the various tantric teachings.

It's important to make the
distinction of different ways

of attending a ceremony of empowerment.

There will be some
people who will be coming

and receiving it merely as a blessing.

But there are others who will
take it as a proper empowerment.

Now what makes the difference?

What do we mean by making the
distinction between these two?

If you think that you are not
capable of keeping all the vows

and commitments that will
follow by taking the empowerment,

if you feel that you are not
ready to meditate on this path,

if you feel that you are not ready
to visualize yourself as the deity,

then it is best not to
take this empowerment.

You will still be present
at the time of ceremony

and receive the whole
thing as a blessing.

On the other hand, if you decide
that you are ready to take these vows

and commitments, and you are
ready to engage in those practices,

then you actually request and
you will receive the empowerment,

and then of course you have the
obligation of keeping up with the vows

and commitments and, of
course, your daily practices.

So for action and performance tantra,

first of all the first levels of vows

that are assumed by those who are lay
people are vows of individual liberation

and these are in the form
of the vows of refuge.

So these include abandoning
the ten non-virtuous actions.

Then on top of that the vows which
are assumed, are bodhisattva vows.

In the case of action
and performance tantra,

we are not receiving tantric vows.

In the case of yoga
and highest yoga tantra,

on top of refuge, and on
top of bodhisattva vows,

we also assume the tantric vows.

Together with the tantric vows

we assume the commitment of
engaging in six-session guru yoga.

Now, as the name indicates,
there are six session of that.

It's a practice that is repeated
six times during the day, every day.

If one is practicing lower tantras,

one would have to engage
in two distinct stages,

which are called yoga with
signs and yoga without signs.

Within the frame of the
practices with signs,

what we are doing is we are
generating ourselves as the deity,

visualizing the deity
with all its aspects.

Then at the next phase, when we
are practicing yoga without signs,

we are meditating on the
emptiness of all these appearances.

What happens with the
highest yoga tantra is that

we are engaging in
practices of generation stage

and practices of completion stage.

Again there are two distinct phases,

more or less similar practices
but they are given different names.

At the stage of generation again,

we are visualizing
ourselves as the deity

but at the stage of completion,

we are focusing on practices
that will be bringing about

the purification of the
channels, the winds and the drops.

The reason why we do that is because

we want to render the
three things serviceable.

We want to bring about a
certain degree of purification

and flexibility with the winds and the
drops that move within our channels.

And the reason for that
is that in that way,

we can actually bring
about a general purification

of all other aspects of our body,
not only improving the health,

but also getting closer to
this model of perfect existence

of the Buddha that we have as a goal.

So what we are trying to do in
the practice of completion stage

is to purify the channels and
the winds that flow through them.

If we can render those
things serviceable

then what we will do is
actually ideally purify the winds

that move through the channels.

And if you can change
the movement of the winds,

that means that you can
also change the type of mind

that is riding those winds.

This is what we are referring to
when we use the term completion.

We are referring to
complete purification

and complete serviceability
of the winds and the channels.

Now it is important to understand
that most of the channels

that we have within our own body are
not stretched out as they should be.

Most of the channels are twisted.

Many of them may have knots in them,

which means that channels
which are restricted like that

do not allow a flow of the winds
and the substances through them.

So it's important to exercise.

In the same way that some people
like very much to do physical exercise

because they know the
benefit of those exercises.

If you can understand
that on a physical level

then take that at the
level of completion stage

and understand that what you
are doing during your daily yoga

is to engage in some sort of exercises

that will bring about this
pliancy of the channels

and the winds and the substances.

Now when we talk about tantra,

also we use the word
mantra and many times

we also talk about secret mantra.

Mantra and tantra are used
almost as an equivalent.

If we look at the etymology
of the word mantra,

it can be broken down into two words.

It means, 'mind protection.'

And when we talk about those practices,

we talk about protection

and it's not only the body and
speech that need to be protected.

The mind is the one that
primarily needs to be protected.

If the mind is protected, then the
body and speech will automatically,

secondarily in a sense, will also
be covered by this protection.

And what is it that the mind
needs to be protected from?

Well, it is the sense that
we have an ordinary body,

an ordinary speech, an ordinary mind.

We need to protect ourselves from
thinking that we are ordinary.

We need to protect ourselves
from ordinary appearances

and a sensing at those appearances.

So this is the protection that we are
seeking for through these practices.

And finally we come to the
explanation of the last word secret.

When we talk about the mantra or
tantra, we mean the secret vehicle.

It's called the secret vehicle

because those practices
need to remain undisclosed.

Undisclosed to those who are not
suitable to hear about those things.

It is said that if you talk
about your tantric practices

to those who are not
ready or are not suitable,

they have not been prepared
to hear about those things,

most probably these people
will generate reverse faith,

non-faith in those practices

and this is what we are trying
to avoid in this situation.

As beginners it makes more sense that

we will spend more time
on practices of sutra

rather than practices of
tantra but that doesn't mean

that we will completely
abandon tantric practices.

It is important to
understand that sutra,

on its own, cannot take you very far.

And tantra that is
not supported by sutra

will not end with the right result.

So it's important to always
unite sutra and tantra.

And make sure that one
compliments the other.

STUDENTS

What does TANTRA
mean to you?

Tantra is often presented as
something that's afterwards,

it's something that's more advanced.

In other words, first
we study the sutra path,

what the Tibetans
would call the Lam Rim,

the graded stages of the path,

develop a certain basic
fundamentals such as,

what Lama Tsong Khapa called the
three principle aspects of the path,

the renunciation, the wish and
the determination to break free

from suffering and limitation,

and then the view of emptiness,
understanding the true nature of reality,

and bodhicitta,
developing the warm heart,

the dedicated heart, striving for
enlightenment to benefit others.

So that, in a sense
summarizes the sutra path.

So, it isn't as if we practice on a
sutra level until we're proficient,

and then we turn to something else.

It's that the practice of tantra allows
us to get into those very same areas

on a deeper more meaningful basis.

And so, for me, Lama Yeshe's
Introduction To Tantra,

it really comes alive for me
in a really meaningful way,

not so much when it's
talking about tantra itself,

but rather the three principle aspects

that give it birth,
that give it meaning.

Many years ago, in the
middle of the seventies,

so quite a long time before
I was working on this book,

I did a retreat on Vajrasattva.

That's the purification practice,

which is considered a
very important preliminary

and an aspect of tantric practice.

When it was over,

and I had to think back as to
what the retreat really was about,

it really was about renunciation.

Even though I was
doing tantric practices

and tantric visualizations and so forth,

what the retreat actually
taught me to some extent,

was the ordinary way
that I live my life,

the ordinary ego dominated
way that I live my life,

is just totally unsatisfactory.

Even when things look
beautiful, look pleasant,

they may just be,

it might just be a disguised form
of dissatisfaction and suffering.

I don't think the reality
of that would have hit me if,

at the same time, I wasn't
doing other practices

which were attempting to
kind of purify my vision,

concentrate my attention,

remove some major obstacles

so that I could understand
things on a deeper level.

So later when, when I was
working on Lama Yeshe's teachings

on the Introduction To Tantra

where we, where he,

discusses this to some extent,

you know that, tantra helps you actually
understand the sutra topics better,

I really felt I understood what
he meant, what he was pointing out.

Please dedicate the positive energy generated
by listening to these teachings,

so you can quickly attain Enlightenment
for the benefit of all beings.