The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness

by Chogyam Trungpa

  TWO TYPES OF SURRENDERING

  Kriyayoga is highly and skillfully organized. I cannot imagine who actually thought of it. You are a little clean thing and you have all these visions coming to you, but you still have to submit. The hangover of hinayana and mahayana still continues at the kriyayoga level, so the mental discipline is still one of surrendering. It is one of offering ego and purifying ego. There is a quality of not holding anything back, a feeling that everything has been washed or cleansed.

  Two types of surrendering take place here: surrendering the gross ego and surrendering the refined ego.

  Surrendering the Gross Ego

  Surrendering the gross ego is based on identifying yourself with relative bodhichitta. It is based on practicing kindness, not being selfish, and practicing virtues such as being gentle and patient. It is a sort of external gentility and kindness. In surrendering the gross ego, you take a vow to accept relative bodhichitta.

  Surrendering the Refined Ego

  Surrendering the refined ego or minute ego is based on taking the absolute bodhisattva attitude, which is also an inheritance from the mahayana. You are willing to see the phenomenal world in terms of absolute bodhichitta. However, you have never actually visualized yourself as a deity, so although the ego is dissolved, the shell remains. In other words, the experiences of relative and ultimate bodhichitta can be achieved by keeping the rules and disciplines of the kriyayoga tantra, but you still have a sense of this and that, which does not particularly belong to either the gross or the refined level of ego. The sense of this and that remains, because you still have not identified yourself personally with any of the tathagatas or tantric deities.

  At the higher levels of kriyayoga, there begins to be some true identification with the deity. But generally in kriyayoga, you are viewing the deities as external objects of reverence that you could open to, but not truly identify with. So although you are cleansed, there is still a sense of this and that. In order to have true vision, you first wash your eyeglasses immaculately so you can see that and this properly. You begin to relate with the deities by purifying the medium, and before you go in, you also take a bath and put on fresh clothes. You begin at the level of purification. In turn, the deities watch you and regard you as a worthy spectator. They see that you are also pure. Therefore, you could be in their particular realm; otherwise, you could not. However, one shortcoming of kriyayoga is that there is not enough vajra pride or identification with the deities.

  CLEAR PERCEPTION

  In kriyayoga, there is still a hangover from the hard work of the hinayana and mahayana. We find that there is still more dirt to clean up. Our hinayana and mahayana training helped us get rid of our basic dirt, and having gotten rid of that heavy-handed rubbish, what remains is quite workable. That is why we evolve into a practitioner of kriyayoga tantra: to clean that up. It is as if we have already gotten rid of the basic garbage and dirt from our house, and the only thing left is just to vacuum the floor and do a light dusting.

  The mentality of the kriyayoga practitioner is still one of paranoia. It is not paranoia in a pathological sense; rather, at the level of yogic practice, there is still fear, hope, uncertainty, and a light amount of anxiety. The paranoia of kriyayoga seems almost nonexistent from the point of view of the lower yanas, but when you are at this level, it is quite outstanding. And there is one further problem in kriyayoga, which is the fear of profound teachings. There is a fear of going deeper or involving yourself in a deeper situation.

  A basic psychological shift takes place after the mahayana experience of shunyata. You realize that you have to clean up properly and perfectly, and there seems to be enormous inspiration to do so. The shunyata experience brings a quality of simultaneous emptiness and fullness, and once that begins to happen, you also begin to see further vistas. You see all kinds of things. Once you are really engaged in the shunyata experience, you begin to see that there are various little areas not covered by shunyata. These are not areas to be conquered, but more like the little bubbles left in a glass bowl or little specks of dust on a table. You begin to see that you are covered with freckles, and that they are washable.

  Once you begin to get into vajrayana mentality, your perspective is more perky. You begin to stick your neck out much more than the subdued bodhisattvas—and the more you stick your neck out, the more bubbles you begin to see. You clearly see the bubbles, which may be filled with pollution, and you wash them out without taking a bath. You clear them out. You pierce them. And the technique you use is identifying with the deities in the mandala. You do so by identifying with the principle of surrendering. Mahayana practitioners do not even see the bubbles. They bathe in soda water, and they think everything is okay. But kriyayogins do not bathe in soda water; they bathe in real water.

  So it could be said that the problem you are working with in kriyayoga is not dirt at all, but the paranoia that comes from feeling that your perception is twisted. It is a question of working with the quality of your perception. You are trying to make your perception so clear that you no longer perceive any dirt.

  1. In some Buddhist ethical systems, it is said that if you eat meat, it is better to eat a portion of a large animal rather than many small animals, for you are causing the loss of fewer lives.

  2. Naropa left his distinguished university post at Nalanda University in order to seek a genuine teacher, recognizing that intellectual understanding alone was insufficient for true dharmic awakening. For more on Naropa and his studies with his teacher Tilopa, see Chögyam Trungpa, Illusion’s Game.

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  Kriyayoga: Empowerment

  In order to enter into the experience of kriyayoga, you begin by receiving abhisheka. Having gone through a kriyayoga abhisheka, you develop a feeling of cleanliness and purity. It is very refreshing, fantastically refreshing, and it gives you a sense of enormous health and freshness and—if I may go as far as to say it—happiness.

  THE FOUR PRELIMINARIES

  Before starting to practice kriyayoga, you need to complete the four foundation or preliminary practices of the ngöndro; the 100,000 prostrations, the 100,000 refuge formula recitations, the 100,000 Vajrasattva mantra recitations, and the 100,000 mandala offerings.

  Vajrayana disciplines cannot be practiced without undergoing a great deal of preparation in the form of surrendering, purifying, giving, and all the rest of it. Going through these preparatory practices is like being put through a washing machine. You are crumpled up, pushed into the machine, the lid is closed, the water is turned on, soap is put in, bleach is added, and then you are cycled through the washing process completely. You come out at the other end somewhat clean and presentable, but still needing to be ironed. The ironing process is called guru yoga practice, which comes at the end of the ngöndro practices and brings complete union with the guru or guru principle. Kriyayoga and the other tantric yanas are all on a level of practice that comes after a person has already gone through all this preparatory training, after they have been ironed and become wearable clothing.

  In guru yoga practice, you visualize the guru, but you do not visualize yourself as anything. You worship the guru, and the visualization of the guru dissolves into you at the end; but you are still separate from the guru, and that mentality continues in kriyayoga. In the transition from ngöndro into the kriyayoga level, you begin to have the possibility of identifying completely with the yidams. However, the experience of seeing yourself as the deity or merging with your visualization does not begin until the next yana, or upayoga. In kriyayoga, you are just a respectable spectator in this particular theater. If you go to France but you do not speak French, you can still respect their culture and their food. Eventually you might become more like a French person. You might dress like a French person, learn the language, and be ready to jump in, because you have seen how they handle their world in a French way.

  RECEIVING ABHISHEKA

  In order to enter into the experience of kriyayoga, you begin by receiving
abhisheka. The word abhisheka has a connection with water and the idea of anointment, and in kriyayoga you have many different waters to relate with: water at the beginning of the abhisheka, water from the yidams, water from the hinayana practitioners, the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas, water from the bodhisattvas, and water from the Buddha. There are many waters to relate with, and they all seem to be different because your attitude and the water-giver’s attitude toward each water is different. But although each kind of water may give you a different flavor, it is still the same water from the same jar or tap.

  Having gone through a kriyayoga abhisheka, you develop a feeling of cleanliness and purity. It is very refreshing, fantastically refreshing, and it gives you a sense of enormous health and freshness and—if I may go as far as to say it—happiness. It is possible that such an experience of purity could develop even at the lay bodhisattva level, not only after the eleventh bhumi level. That is why tantra is communicable.

  Empowerment in the kriyayoga abhisheka is similar to that of the higher tantric yanas. Through the abhisheka, power is transmitted from your guru and through the power of the yidams to you. In this case, you are receiving the empowerment to perform a particular kriyayoga sadhana. By means of the abhisheka, the basic sanity principle is being awakened within your system. So a kriyayoga abhisheka is a transmission, but the transmission is rather weak. The kriyayoga notion of abhisheka is not that you are enthroned as a given deity or a lineage inheritor. Instead, an abhisheka is viewed as a form of purification. It is viewed as a mark of entering into the tribe or the tribal structure. In that sense, an abhisheka is similar to anointments and rituals, such as circumcision, which have been developed in other mystical schools.

  THE KRIYAYOGA ABHISHEKAS

  In a kriyayoga abhisheka, the definitions and categories are actually quite simple, compared with the upcoming yanas. The abhishekas are: preliminary abhisheka, water abhisheka, crown abhisheka, water purification and protection abhisheka, and enriching abhisheka.

  The Preliminary Abhisheka: The Abhisheka of the Vajra Disciple

  The preliminary abhisheka is called the abhisheka of the vajra disciple. In this abhisheka, the first thing that occurs is that the disciple throws a flower onto a specially created mandala, either a mandala made of sand or a painted mandala. The disciple throws the flower with concentration and trust in the reality of the nowness of that particular world, which is a world without deception, a world without further dreams.

  The mandala is divided into a pattern based on the principle of the kriyayoga buddha-families, and when you throw your flower, you hit a certain part of the mandala. By throwing the flower and seeing where it lands, you discover your own deity or yidam. So you have a role in actualizing that. If you do not trust in that particular primary truth completely, or if you lack an understanding of the whole process, then it is possible that you will not be able to throw the flower onto the mandala. Your flower might jump out of the mandala. This would show that you have no recognition of the reality or truth constituted by the power created by your vajra guru in the vajra relationship that exists between vajra guru and vajra disciple.

  The Main Kriyayoga Abhishekas: Water and Crown

  Having discovered your particular family, you receive the two main abhishekas: the water abhisheka and the crown abhisheka.

  THE WATER OR VASE ABHISHEKA OF DHARMAKAYA. The first main kriyayoga abhisheka is the abhisheka of water, or the vase abhisheka (which is another way of saying the same thing, since a vase contains water). In the water abhisheka, you are given water from a vase full of water that has been blessed by the vidyadhara or vajra guru. The guru has performed their own sadhana practice over the water to bless it, so the water has been influenced by the thought power of that person.

  When the water is given to you, first the base of the vase is put on your head, then you are given water in the hollow in your hand as a symbol of pouring water over your head, and then you drink the water from your hand. You have now been christened in this particular tradition.

  Water is connected with the dharmakaya, which is the original purity, the original cleanliness, and the perfect transparency that you are. In drinking the water, there is complete appreciation that reality is finally workable. Even on the level of dharmakaya, reality is workable. At this point we are not talking about anything transcendental, but in going through the previous yanas, you have developed a lot of resistance to accepting reality simply as it is. The dharmakaya, in this case, is a purification of that resistance. You are accepting that there is a space or opening in you already—and that space can be discovered by means of the example of water, by your vajra master, and by your taking part in this water abhisheka ritual.

  FIVE VASE INITIATIONS. Traditionally there are five vases of water and five vase initiations in kriyayoga. Kriyayogins seem to be “hydro-maniacs.”

  Opening water abhisheka. The first vase empowerment is known as the opening water abhisheka. It is entering into the abhisheka and preparing yourself to receive the empowerment. Basic empowerment or basic power is created, which is a neutral situation.

  Water abhisheka of all the deities. The second vase empowerment is the water abhisheka of all the deities, or all the yidams. It is connected with being willing to commit yourself to the deities, and to relate to these particular deities and to the concept of deities. You are willing to relate to the sambhogakaya buddhas.

  Vase of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. The third vase empowerment is the vase of the shravakas and pratyekabuddhas. It is the acceptance of the lower yanas as part of the vajrayana process. Having been accepted into the mandala and recognized as a worthy student, you have to go back to the hinayana. You have to acknowledge that the journey you are taking is not purely at the vajrayana level, but you are also accepting the complete teachings of Buddha.

  The visualization that your vajra master gives you at this point, and that your vajra master has also done, includes all kinds of arhats and other forms of hinayana iconography, which all dissolve in tantric style into the water in the vase. The water is then given to you in the same way as before. At this point, the hinayana is turned into vajrayana as a magical process. In case you have not already received the magical transformation of the hinayana, you now receive that particular magical transformation from the power of the arhats and the hinayana saints and the hinayana awakened state of mind.

  Vase of the bodhisattvas. The fourth vase empowerment is the vase of the bodhisattvas. In the same way as the previous empowerment, the mahayana principle and the various bodhisattvas are visualized, and they dissolve into the water in the vase. The vase is put on your head, and again water is poured into your hand. By drinking this water, you connect with the basic sanity of the bodhisattvas, and you receive the magical power of the bodhisattvas in the tantric fashion.

  Vase of the Buddha. The fifth and final vase empowerment is the vase of the Buddha. From the kriyayoga point of view, the Buddha is actually the dharmakaya. In fact, all the water abhishekas are regarded as dharmakaya abhishekas. The symbolism of water and the basic quality of water is that it can contain all the elements. Likewise, the dharmakaya can contain shravakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas. All thinkable entities are included in it. Like water, the dharmakaya contains all the elements at once. So the water or vase abhisheka is the kriyayoga abhisheka of dharmakaya.

  THE CROWN ABHISHEKA OF SAMBHOGAKAYA AND NIRMANAKAYA. The second main kriyayoga abhisheka is the crown abhisheka, which is merely a confirmation. The crown abhisheka is also called the abhisheka of mark or emblem. In kriyayoga they do not always use an actual crown, as they do in the upcoming yanas. Instead they use some form of identification, such as a headband, to mark that you have been given the honor of belonging to a particular family and receiving such an abhisheka.

  The crown abhisheka is connected with the kayas of form: the sambhogakaya and the nirmanakaya. Finally you are crowned, not as the great master or great king or anything like that, but as a true
member of the tribe. By means of this coronation, you now take pride that you have finally decided to give in to reality. Reality is workable and it speaks to you, rather than you having to speak to reality in order to be accepted as a part of it. Reality comes toward you, and it acknowledges your existence and the validity of the activities taking place between your vajra master and you as the vajra disciple.

  The abhishekas of water and crown are the main abhishekas within the overall ceremony. Having received the water abhisheka and the crown abhisheka, you have now become a son or daughter of noble family. You are part of the whole mandala principle, and you have received the five types of kriyayoga purification. So you have actually conquered the world of purity. You have received the power of transmission and the power to practice. That is the basic abhisheka.

  Two Further Abhishekas

  After the main abhisheka, there are two further abhishekas, which are purely paraphernalia or embellishments. It is like cooking your food properly: if you think that the food might taste bad, you add a few spices. You might also put salt and pepper on your table in case you need them.

  WATER PURIFICATION AND PROTECTION ABHISHEKA. The first of the two further abhishekas is the water purification and protection abhisheka. It pacifies all obstacles, all evil forces. It pacifies the evil spirits and harmful imaginations that capture your state of mind. Having already gone through the main abhishekas, you still need to be confirmed further. At this point, you might be thinking, “Have I been initiated or not?” The purpose of this abhisheka is to dispel that question, and even that doubt.