The Tantric Path of Indestructible Wakefulness

by Chogyam Trungpa

  Tantra

  Tantra has two aspects: gyü-de, which means “tantric practice”; and drub-de, which also means “practice.” Gyü-de is the experience of understanding the basic setup of the mandala in terms of tantric display or the tantric world. Drub-de is a more impersonal and magic-oriented relationship with the phenomenal world. It is relating with the field of energy that exists in the vajrayana tradition of mahayoga.

  I should let you know that other writers do not talk about the gyü-de and drub-de as being all that separate, but in terms of my mind and training, they are somewhat different.

  Nopika

  Nopika means “essential practice.”1 It refers to both solitary practice and group practice. Solitary and group practice work together in creating the mandala and its relationship with cosmic magic.

  SOTA NOPIKA / SOLITARY PRACTICE. The first nopika, or sota nopika, is connected with personal practice. You get into the practice of sadhana, and you begin to evolve yourself. Often in the tantric tradition, this form of nopika is described in Tibetan as chigdrup: chig means “one,” and drup means “nopika”; so sota nopika is “one person’s practice.”

  Such a sadhana practice is traditionally done alone, like the sitting practice of meditation, which developed as a retreat practice. But the basic outlook is not just that you are doing it alone and having a good time—or having a bad time, for that matter. Since everything is seen as an expression of your mind, being with yourself is an expression of the openness or closedness of whatever you experience. Sota nopika is connected with the importance of using mind. With sota nopika, mind has become the essence of reality and the function of reality, and the quality of magical existence.

  MANDALA NOPIKA / GROUP PRACTICE. The second kind of nopika is mandala nopika, or tsogdrup. It is group practice, or practice experienced together with your vajra brothers and sisters. In some contexts this could mean an orgy, but in this case, rather than implying something dirty, it refers to an elaborate feast that you could do together with a lot of other people. For instance, your vajra brothers and sisters might get together and practice a big feast sadhana for a specific length of time, such as ten or fifteen days, or a month.

  The idea of group practice is that everybody cooperates in creating the mandala and in trying to constantly resound the sound of the mantra. In other words, together they try to make the mantra and the mandala a living experience. If somebody is living, their heart beats twenty-four hours a day, and their breathing takes place all the time. Similarly, if you have vajra brothers and sisters cooperating with each other, there is the sound of mantra chanting taking place all the time, and sadhanas are constantly being performed.

  In the early tantras, mantras were not chanted aloud, but were whispered to oneself or even just repeated mentally, which is known in Tibetan as yi-de. But in mahayoga group practice, it is recommended that many of the mantras be chanted out loud, which makes them more a proclamation than purely self-indulgence. Group practice also includes the creation of the shrine and the appointment of various officers to carry out different roles.

  Mandala nopika seems to play a very important part from this tantra onward. With mandala nopika, having already realized the importance of the functioning of mind, you then have the coincidence of the situation around you developing as a mandala. The mandala setup involves a sociological, economical, and spiritual workability. It functions in its own world very simply and directly, very ordinarily; but at the same time it fits its own jigsaw puzzle.

  THE EIGHT MANDALAS

  The attitude toward mandala in mahayoga tantra is that mandala basically means the tantric world or tantric language. Mandala means the state of experience that is fearless and all-pervasive. Because of that fearlessness, there is no doubt about this; and since there is no doubt about this, you can include that at the same time. Therefore, this and that can be brought together. You could bring the whole crowd of projections into the projector at once, simultaneously, and retain them together as well. So the mandala principle is based on fearlessness and easiness or simplicity—easiness in the sense that there is no problem and no irritation with anything.

  Eight types of mandalas have been described in mahayoga tantra. Originally there were seven mandalas, and then somehow our great friends in the past managed to split the first one into two, which makes eight.

  The Mandala of Self-Existence

  The first mandala is the mandala of self-existence, or rangshin gyi kyilkhor. Rang means “self,” and shin means “existence” or “expression”; so rangshin means “self-existence” or “nature.” Gyi means “of,” and kyilkhor means “mandala”; so rangshin gyi kyilkhor means the “mandala of self-existence.”

  The meaning of self-existence, in this case, is that because it is self-existent, it is simple. This mandala is the producer of samsara and nirvana, and it is also the nature of both samsara and nirvana; therefore, it is simple. Self-existence means that the mandalas of samsara and nirvana are no longer different.

  This particular mandala is the basis of everything. Therefore it is known as chökyi ying, or dharmadhatu. Chö means “dharma,” kyi means “of,” and ying means “space” or “sphere”; so chökyi ying means “space of dharma.” Within dharmadhatu, there is complete confidence, and there is no need for further help in maintaining your experience.

  The Mandala of Compassion

  The second mandala is the mandala of compassion. In Tibetan it is called lhündrup kyi kyilkhor. Lhündrup means “self-existence” or “spontaneous presence,” kyi means “of,” and kyilkhor means “mandala”; so lhündrup kyi kyilkhor, like rangshin gyi kyilkhor, means “mandala of self-existence.” But although lhündrup, like rangshin, means “self-existence,” this mandala is actually the mandala of a sympathetic attitude, or compassion. With this mandala, you have a complete understanding of the wisdoms of the five buddha-families, and you are willing to apply yourself with dedication and to share that understanding with other sentient beings.

  The reason this mandala is referred to as “self-existent” is because in creating this particular attitude, you begin to develop twofold purity: eternal purity and apparent purity. Eternal purity is the eternally pure state of mind that has never been contaminated by samsaric hassles, problems, or beliefs. Apparent purity is when the tantric practitioner feels at the time of practice that there is no contamination and no impurity, that their mind is completely clear and direct. Together, they make twofold purity in simplicity.

  Because an understanding or conviction of twofold purity exists, there is nothing to be paranoid about. Nothing at all! The reason that we are aggressive and hold back in an uncompassionate way is because of our paranoia. We have to maintain ourselves, so we do not have time to be a busybody with anybody else, or to even think about that. We have the attitude of: “Don’t call me, I’ll call you.” Such an uncompassionate attitude is transcended in the simplicity of twofold purity. Because there is confidence that you are already pure and clear, you are ready to develop your compassion and to work with others as a kind of super-bodhisattva or tantric bodhisattva.

  That quality of compassion is the essence of the mandala principle. You cannot create a mandala if there is no feeling of sympathy for your phenomenal world. The Sanskrit word mandala means “society,” “group,” or “collection.” So if there is no relationship with others, you cannot create a mandala. You become a king without a kingdom.

  The Mandala of Form

  The third mandala is the mandala of form, or sugnyen gyi kyilkhor. Sugnyen means “images,” “reflections,” or “forms”; so sugnyen gyi kyilkhor means the “mandala of form.”

  At this point, your attitude to the phenomenal world has changed a great deal. It is not only seen as nondual and pure, but your perception of the world becomes very clear, very direct, very meaningful, and very immediate. You see the play of the physical world and the entire universe as the form of the fivefold wisdom: the wisdom of all-encompassing space, mirrorlike wi
sdom, the wisdom of equanimity, discriminating-awareness wisdom, and the wisdom of all-accomplishing actions.

  In this mandala, the five wisdoms are in the center and in the cardinal directions; and in the four intermediate directions, there are combinations of the adjacent wisdoms. For instance, the mirrorlike wisdom in the East and the wisdom of equanimity in the South together make up the wisdom of the Southeast, and so forth. Finally, above and below the center, there are expansions of the central wisdom of all-encompassing space, or dharmadhatu. So altogether, there are ten directions of the mandala, which are seen as the ten wisdoms. It is actually very simple.

  With this mandala, the ten directions, the five colors, the elements, the seasons, and everything else are all seen as expressions of the five wisdoms. The whole universe is seen as the expression of the five wisdoms. You have no doubt about that at all. Everything experienced in your life is the result of the highest achievement of visualization, in which you have enormous trust. You do not separate the mundane world from the supernatural or divine world, but you see the world as being ordinary and at the same time extraordinary. That is the mandala of form.

  The Mandala of Extra Form

  The fourth mandala is the mandala of extra form, or lhak-pe sugnyen gyi kyilkhor. Lhak-pe means “extra” or “superior,” sugnyen means “images” or “forms” of various types; so lhak-pe sugnyen gyi kyilkhor means the “mandala of extra form.”

  The reason the word extra is used in this description is that, having seen the physical setup of the phenomenal world, the practitioner is able to make a replica of it in the form of a two-dimensional or three-dimensional mandala. Such a replica is a means to relate with the whole world as the five-buddha-family setup.

  At this point, you still need some kind of catalyst to turn your effort and energy into the real thing. So you create a mandala by sand painting, or painting on a canvas, or piling up heaps of grain. You could also build a three-dimensional mandala structure rather than painting on flat surfaces alone. You could build little mansions or castles with four doors and all kinds of compartments inside for the various deities, and surround them with a charnel ground and corpses and skeletons and flames and so on.

  The tradition of constructing visualization models was designed to encourage students, and to show them how the geography or the architectural setup of a particular mandala works. These miniature models of the mandala are very helpful; they are not just priest craft or art, but they actually give you an idea of the visualization and how you should relate with the phenomenal world. Building one of these mandalas is like building a miniature universe. Mandalas like this do exist, and you might be able to see one.

  Traditional three-dimensional mandalas were often very crude. For instance, a person might use ropes or threads or wires to give the illusion that the sun, the earth, and the moon are suspended in midair. Nevertheless, that kind of mandala structure is still a great attempt to illustrate how the universe exists geographically. Hopefully, tantric practitioners in this country will also be able to understand the iconography, the mandala structure, how the deities look, and how a mandala is developed.2

  The Mandala of Meditation

  The fifth mandala is the mandala of meditation, or tingdzin gyi kyilkhor. Tingdzin is the Tibetan word for “samadhi,” gyi means “of,” and kyilkhor means “mandala”; so tingdzin gyi kyilkhor is the “mandala of meditation or samadhi.”

  This mandala is, once again, based on the idea of simplicity. At this point you might practice by yourself in a retreat hut, with no shrine, or only a simple little shrine, and no elaborate ritual. The basic emphasis is on the actual practice itself.

  At a certain level of spiritual development in the mahayogayana, sadhakas no longer need an actual shrine setup—they are able to work without any shrine. Instead, they relate with their body directly as mandala principle. In this mandala, the heart is the center, and the arms and legs are the four quarters. The hairs around the body are regarded as the flames around the mandala; the skin is regarded as the charnel ground; the veins are regarded as the various rooms that divide the mandala; and the circulation of blood is regarded as the occupants of the mandala, such as the herukas, dakinis, and so forth. So your whole body is regarded as a mandala, rather than having an actual physical mandala setup.

  The Mandala of Extra Meditation

  The sixth mandala is the mandala of extra meditation, or lhak-pe tingdzin gyi kyilkhor. Lhakpe again means “extra” or “auxiliary,” tingdzin means “meditation,” gyi means “of,” and kyilkhor means “mandala”; so lhak-pe tingdzin gyi kyilkhor means the “mandala of extra meditation.” Previously we had lhak-pe sugnyen gyi kyilkhor, the mandala of extra form, and now we have lhak-pe tingdzin gyi kyilkhor, the mandala of extra meditation.

  The extra meditation mandala is based on visualization practice: you are visualizing the herukas and dakinis and their retinues completely and in great detail. In the mandala of extra form, you created a miniature art form of the mandala, and with this mandala you visualize exactly the same thing. This visualization is created by mental activity, but at the same time that mental activity is partially influenced by your nondualistic meditative state. It is quite simple, seemingly. This mandala is a deliberate visualization created by mind. And since your mind is no longer regarded as embarrassing, impure, or bad, everything is valid. Samsaric mental activity is invited at the same time that your mind is becoming tuned in to your visualization.

  The Mandala of Bodhichitta

  The seventh mandala is the mandala of bodhichitta, or changsem kyi kyilkhor. Changsem is an abbreviation of changchup kyi sem, sem means “mind,” changchup means “bodhi”; so changchup kyi sem means “bodhi mind” or “bodhichitta,” the essence of enlightenment.

  In tantric language, bodhichitta often refers to semen. In this case, semen means energy or sustenance, that which brings body and mind together so that both mind and body can function in good health. It is the Buddhist tantric equivalent of the kundalini practice of Hindu tantra. The Sanskrit word for semen is kunda. Kunda can mean “bodhichitta,” and it is also a synonym for “white.” It can also refer to the full moon. The analogy of the full moon is that you are completely awake and completely full. Similarly, the idea of the waxing moon is that you are increasing the energy source. You are working with the energy levels of the universe, the essence of this universe, which gives rebirth to the next universe. You are working with that kind of thing, as well as sharing your experience with your partner in karmamudra.

  Descriptions of this mandala are very mysterious in that there are references to karmamudra, or the third abhisheka, and there are also references back to your previous training in the mahayana and to maintaining your bodhisattva integrity. Karmamudra and mahayana training are both regarded as mandala activity. It seems that teachers in the past never made up their minds as to which of the two they were referring to, but probably that was quite intentional, for they are the same thing. Likewise, the third abhisheka is also the action of compassion, love, generosity, patience, and so forth. The idea of the third abhisheka is that activity born of passion can be transcended and become compassion. So karma yoga and compassion are regarded as the same. That is the seventh mandala setup.

  The Mandala of Vajra Sangha

  The eighth mandala is the mandala of vajra sangha, or tsokchok kyi kyilkhor. Tsok means “gathering,” “group,” “mass,” or “heap,” and chok means “superior” or “supreme”; so tsokchok means a “superior gathering” or “vajra sangha.”

  A vajra sangha is more than simply a mahasangha, or great gathering. It involves group practice in which hundreds or up to a thousand vajra brothers and sisters get together and create an enormous mandala and do ritual practice together. There is twenty-four-hour recitation of a mantra, and they share a great vajra feast together.

  This kind of group practice seems to be particularly characteristic of maha ati tantra. In maha ati, the emphasis is no longer on your own individ
ual practice that you do in your meditation cell, but on group practice. There is a whole social setup: the vajra master, vajra minister, vajra servant, vajra bursar, vajra cook, and so forth. The whole family setup, or organizational setup, is brought in as part of the greater realization that such a mandala could be constructed in a real, ordinary, society-level situation.

  When groups of practitioners gather together in groups of hundreds or thousands to create a mandala, they are not creating a mandala as a physical form, but the gathering itself is a mandala. Their gathering is based on the mandala principle, and all the participants in that particular mandala have some motivation for getting into the practice at the same time. That is the eighth or last mandala of mahayogayana.

  EMPOWERMENTS AND VISUALIZATION

  Mahayoga abhishekas are not very much different from the abhishekas of the previous yanas. But it is not so much the details that are important, but rather the attitude. The attitude of this particular yana is one of enormous power, enormous energy, and enormous identification of the visualizer with the visualization. The boundary between the samayasattva and the jnanasattva has been broken, and they are operating almost, but not quite, at one level.

  Yidams and Sadhanas

  In the three higher yanas of mahayoga, anuyoga, and atiyoga, there are something like four thousand different sadhanas. Every tantra has its own sadhanas, so in higher tantra there are thousands of variations of yidams and practices. The teachings of the three higher yanas along with their sadhanas were compiled and edited by Jamgön Kongtrül the Great into a sixty-three-volume collection.3 Although these sadhanas are connected with an endless variety of deities, they all seem to be related to the five buddha-family principles or to the one hundred buddha-families.4 In mahayoga, all of these practices are bound by nonduality and simplicity, the basic statement that this particular tantra carries out constantly.