Tantric Techniques (34 page)

Except for knowledge-mantra and deity Do not apprehend in thought at all

[Other] meditations though cherished as supreme.

The process begins with whispered repetition of the mantra, about which the
Questions of Sub
ā
hu Tantra
says:
a

When performing repetition be not fast nor slow, Be not loud nor very soft.

Do it not while speaking nor while distracted. Lose not the vowels,
anusv
ā
ra,
or
visarga
.

When, through becoming familiar with whispered repetition, one becomes able to remain single pointedly on mainly the form of the mantra letters, one switches to more subtle, mental repetition within still mainly focusing on the form of the mantra letters on the moon disc at the heart of the deity in front. Throughout the many phases of the concentration with repetition, when mental repetition of mantra is done, one is as if listening to one’s own recitation, whereas later during the first two phases of the concentrations without repetition called the concentrations of abiding in fire and in sound, the meditator is as if listening to mantra recited by someone else
b
—this being why, even if mantra is still present, the concentrations of abiding in fire and in sound are classed as concentrations
without
repetition.

With mental repetition, it is possible to engage in the practice of holding the breath,
pr
āṇā
y
ā
ma
—the restraining of vitality (breath or wind) and exertion (distraction). Therefore, after inhaling, one holds the breath, mentally repeating the mantra while focusing on the letters standing upright around the edge of the moon at the heart of the deity in front, while also maintaining the sense of oneself as a deity but not focusing on that. With exhalation, one views one’s own divine body without repeating the mantra. Then, with inhalation, the same procedure is reenacted.

When whispered repetition is performed within observing the form of the letters of the mantra standing on a moon at the heart of the deity in front, one is as if reading the letters
c
—neither swiftly

a
Deity Yoga,
147.

b
Ibid., 28, 145, and 160.

c
The Dalai Lama’s commentary in
Deity Yoga,
28.

138
Tantric Techniques

nor slowly and such that only oneself can hear it. Buddhaguhya
a
describes the meditation as having three objects of observation—(1) the deity in front, (2) the moon at the deity’s heart, and (3) the letters of the mantra that stand along the rim of the moon disc. Still, during this period one does not lose the appearance of one’s own body as a divine body, since a capacity for continual imagination of oneself as a deity has been gained through previous cultivation of the meditative stabilization of exalted body. Also, during exhalation one switches from observing the letters at the heart of the deity in front to viewing one’s own divine body without reciting the man-tra.

Gradually, as the mind stays more and more on its object, one desists from whispered repetition and, holding the breath, repeats the mantra mentally. This is the only change in procedure between whispered and mental repetition of mantra, the objects of observation being the same, and when exhaling, one views one’s own di-vine body without repeating the mantra.

Resting

As the
Concentration Continuation Tantra,
cited above, says, “If becoming tired, rest yourself.” Buddhaguhya
b
explains how, at the end of the session, meditators should rest so as to avoid becoming excessively distracted by discursiveness. The process reenacts the steps of all the meditations so far but in reverse order:

First, one ceases repeating the mantra.

Then, one ceases visualizing the forms of the mantra letters and observes the moon on which they stood at the heart of the deity in front of oneself; one thereby has moved backwards from the sound branch to the moon branch.

Then, one ceases visualizing the moon and observes the deity in front—the branch called “other-base.”

Next, one ceases visualizing the deity in front and observes one’s own divine body—the branch called “self-base” which is the sixth deity, called the “sign deity,” as well as the fourth dei-ty, called the “form deity.”

Next, one ceases visualizing one’s divine body and observes the letters on the moon disc in space—the second part of the third

a
Ibid., 146.

b
P3495, vol. 78, 74.1.4-74.1.8. See
Deity Yoga,
142-143.

Mantra Repetition
139

deity, the “letter deity.”

Then one ceases visualizing the letters on the moon and observes the moon disc in space—the first part of the letter deity.

Then one ceases visualizing the moon disc and observes the sounds of the mantra reverberating in space—the second deity, called the “sound deity.”

Then one ceases observing the sounds of the mantra and observes the pride of the sameness of the nature of oneself and the deity—the last part of the first deity, called the “ultimate deity.”

Then one ceases observing the pride of the sameness of the na-ture of oneself and the deity and observes the suchness of self, one’s own emptiness of inherent existence, this being the first part of the ultimate deity.

The meditator remains in meditative equipoise on his/her own emptiness and then all at once rises in a divine body, which is the same as that visualized earlier though in simpler form.

Even between sessions practitioners remain within deity yoga, al-beit not as complete as before, going about daily activities. In this way, the periods between sessions and actual meditative sessions are mutually supportive.

Repetition of mantra within observing the form of the letters at one’s own heart

In the next phase of concentration with repetition, the meditator inhales the moon disc, together with the mantra letters standing at its edge into his/her own heart from the heart of the deity in front. Again, whispered repetition is performed first, but when the mind becomes steady, one holds the breath and recites the mantra mentally, as if one’s mind is in the center of the moon disc and is reading the letters of the mantra on it facing inward. When exhaling, repetition of mantra is stopped, and the moon and letters move with the breath back to the deity’s heart, and then with inhalation the moon and mantra letters again move to one’s own heart, and repetition is resumed.

The
Concentration Continuation Tantra
indicates this phase with:
a
Likewise contemplate a mental purity [that is, a moon

a
Stanza 12; P430, vol. 9, 53.3.4;
Deity Yoga,
144.

140
Tantric Techniques

disc],

Possessing immutability and letters, Which is imagined for your mantra.

It moves from the base [in front] to the base [yourself ].

“Likewise” indicates that this is another mode of observation in which a “mental purity,” a moon disc, is contemplated. The moon disc is called “mental” because it is a manifestation of the mind realizing the emptiness of inherent existence; it is a “purity” in the sense that it is unpolluted by the stains of desire and so forth, is complete in all respects, and appears without any taint. The moon “possesses” (in the sense of having on it) the mantra “letters,” which are endowed with “immutability” since they do not deviate from vivid appearance because of the thoroughness of the yogi’s meditation. In another way, the mind realizing emptiness that appears as a moon disc has “immutability” in the sense that it does not become separated from the mantra letters.

Since, as before, the moon disc is the base on which the mantra is set, it “is imagined for your mantra.” With the inhalation of breath, the moon “moves from the base to the base,” that is to say, it moves from one of its bases, the deity in front who is a little higher and not far from oneself, to its other base, which is the meditator. With exhalation, it moves from oneself back to the deity in front. Repetition is performed when the moon disc and letters are at one’s own heart, but then during exhalation repetition of mantra is stopped. With inhalation, the process begins again. As before, whispered repetition is performed first, and then mental repetition.

Repetition of mantra within observing the sound of the letters

In the next phase, the
sounds
of the mantra become the principal object of observation. This does not mean that the four branches of repetition—the deity in front, oneself as a deity, the moon, and form of the letters—disappear; rather, the meditator
focuses
on the sounds of the letters. Initially whispered and then mental repetition is performed; with the latter, the breath is held, as be-fore. Neither the Tantra, nor Buddhaguhya, nor Tsong-kha-pa mentions what to do when exhaling; perhaps one observes the forms of the mantra letters.

Mantra Repetition
141

About this phase, the
Concentration Continuation Tantra
says:
a

Having again retracted the mind through withdrawal And restrained vitality and exertion,

Join the mind of secret mantra to the mantra And begin mental repetition.

Otherwise, by means of just this rite Whispering is also suitable.

One wishing feats of mantra knowledge Should not perform other repetition.

“Having again retracted the mind through withdrawal” refers to the process, described in the previous chapter, of withdrawing in-side the movements of the breath throughout the body, like a tur-tle’s retracting its limbs and like drinking water with the tongue. Also, the usual intense movement of the nonequipoised mind out through the senses is withdrawn inside. The four branches of repetition are to be visualized, and then the meditator’s mind is to concentrate principally on the
sounds
of the mantra as is indicated by “Join the mind of secret mantra to the
mantra
.”

Although the
Concentration Continuation Tantra
mentions breath control and mental repetition first and then speaks of whispered repetition as also suitable to be done through “just this rite” of observing the sounds of the mantra, Buddhaguhya’s commentary
b
makes it clear that whispered repetition is coarser and to be done first, after which mental repetition induces a subtler meditative stabilization. He also makes the point that indeed it is impossible to practice breath control when whispering mantra. Moreover, although whispered and mental repetition as well as the restraining of breath and distraction are explicitly prescribed for this phase, Buddhaguhya emphasizes that they are also to be performed during the earlier phases of observing the form of the mantra letters at the heart of the deity in front and in one’s own heart.

When this meditative stabilization becomes firm, the concentration of the four-branched repetition is complete, as is the first part of the meditative stabilization of exalted speech. The meditation has proceeded in three phases from coarser to subtler objects of observation. Even though the four branches of repetition—deity

a
Stanzas 13-14; P430, vol. 9, 53.3.5;
Deity Yoga,
145.

b
P3495, vol. 78, 75.2.3 and 75.1.2.

142
Tantric Techniques

in front, oneself as a deity, moon, and the form of the letters— always provide the context of the meditation and thus never entirely disappear, Buddhaguhya
a
describes the first phase— repetition of mantra within observing the form of the letters at the heart of the deity in front—as having three objects of observation, these being the deity in front, the moon, and the forms of the man-tra. Similarly, the second phase—repetition of mantra within observing the form of the letters at one’s own heart—is said to have two objects of observation, just the moon and the forms of the letters at one’s own heart. The last is said to have only one object of observation, the sounds of the mantra. However, these counts refer only to the
main
objects of meditation, for as the Dalai Lama says in commentary:
b

These refer to the
main
objects of observation on which the mind focuses and should not be taken as meaning that the other factors do not remain vividly appearing to the mind. One must remain undistractedly on whatever the object is at that point.

Similarly, Tsong-kha-pa says:
c

When meditative stabilization observing a [divine] body becomes firm, you leave that and train in meditative stabilization observing a speech mantra. “Leaving” should be understood as setting aside the training of continuously holding the mind on the [divine] body and mentally apprehending another object of observation. It does not preclude the later [continued] clear appearance of the deity because there are many descriptions of observing a deity during the three repetitions [observing the form of the letters at the heart of the deity in front and at one’s own heart and observing the sounds of the letters] as well as during [the concentrations of ] abiding in fire and in sound.

It might seem to be extremely difficult to simultaneously keep so much in mind, but for someone who has become thoroughly accustomed to the clear appearance of, for instance, one’s own body as a deity’s, it must be easy to shift the focus to something else and yet

a
P3495, vol. 78, 75.2.3.