The Four Levels of Tantric Dharma
This complete Tantric Liturgy is classified as an external practice in Tantric cultivation.
This complete Tantric Liturgy is classified as an external practice in Tantric cultivation.
The other classes or levels are internal, esoteric, and inner-esoteric. The fruition of practice of each of these four levels correspond to the four Buddha realms in Sukhavati: the fruition of inner-esoteric practice is the Realm of Eternal Rest and Light, the fruition of esoteric practice is the Realm of Permanent Reward and Freedom, the fruition of internal practice is the Temporary Realm [where the occupants have gotten rid of the evils of unenlightened views and thoughts, but still have to be reborn], and the fruition of external practice is the Realm Where Ordinary and Holy Beings Dwell. This is the classification within the four realms of Sukhavati.
What I have discussed so far is only the external practice! In terms of the Buddha Pure Lands, the four levels of inner-esoteric, esoteric, internal, and external practices translate into the Pure Land of Vairocana, the Avatamsaka Pure Land, the True Buddha Pure Land, and the Ultimate Bliss Pure Land. As these four classes of practice correspond to four different levels of practice, an external level practitioner will begin with the purifying of body, mind, and speech; an internal level practitioner will move on to the Yoga of Energy and be working on the chi, channels, and light drops; an esoteric level practitioner will be working on the Yoga of Mahamudra; and an inner-esoteric level practitioner will abide in the Great Perfection [Dzogchen].
Tantric practices are truly extraordinary! The realms reached by inner-esoteric, esoteric, internal, and external practitioners are respectively those of the Dharma Body, Fully Enlightened Ones, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats. However, this classification might not be the most accurate, as there can be some overlapping. I am generalizing somewhat in describing the different levels. In terms of the Three Bodies, Fully Enlightened Ones and beings residing in the Pure Lands are of the Bliss Body, the Emanation Body will be found in the Realm Where Ordinary And Holy Beings Dwell, and the Dharma Body will have to be reached by the inner-esoteric practice. Which aspect of the Three Bodies is Padmakumara? Padmakumara is the Bliss Body. How about Sheng-yen Lu? Sheng-yen Lu is the Emanation Body. Which aspect of the Three Bodies is Mahavairocana? The Dharma Body. Both Buddha Locana and Padmakumara are of the realm of the Bliss Body. Sheng-yen Lu is the Emanation Body. This is the division of the Three Bodies.
Therefore, in our cultivation, there are four grades of practice: external, internal, esoteric, and inner-esoteric, which correspond to: the External True Buddha Tantric Practice, the Internal True Buddha Tantric Practice of chi, channels, and light drops, the Esoteric Practice of Mahamudra and Highest Tantra Yoga, and the Inner-esoteric Practice of Great Perfection. These are the grades of the path.
Mantra Recitation
The next segment after visualization is mantra recitation. [Grand Master Lu rings the bell.] Generally, when people get to this step, they will pick up the mala like this. [Grand Master demonstrates.] Others might rest the mala on their laps and start chanting "Om ah-mi-deh-wa-seh, Om ah-mi-deh-waseh" while counting the beads. All these positions are incorrect.One should hold the mala in front of one's chest and concentrate on the recitation.
In the past I did not teach how one should recite and count the beads. It was entirely up to the person. We simply began by chanting "Om mani padme hum, Om mani padme hum" and stopped when we reached a set number of recitations.
So, what is the significance of mantra recitation? Mantra recitation is the purification of speech. A true practitioner also visualizes before recitation begins. I will explain, so everyonewill have a clear understanding of it!
Visualization before Chanting
First, as soon as the mala is picked up, the right hand is visualized turning into a vajra and the left hand into a bell. In a mala, there are four beads larger than the rest. As in this mala, [Grand Master demonstrates] a mother bead and three other beads of red color separate the remaining beads into four segments. These four larger beads have to transform into the Four Deva-Kings. Visualize the Four Deva-Kings appear above the mala. How should one visualize the tassel of the mala? Some people call this the "whiskers." [audience laughter] Talking about whiskers, some people were discussing how the bronze statue here at the Rainbow Villa bears quite resemblance to me, and how the bronze statue at the Pootee Lei Tsang Temple [in Vancouver] is supposed to be even more lifelike. But some children pointed out that all these statues are still not quite lifelike, as they all lack the "whiskers" that are growing out of my neck! [laughter] Going back to the tassel or "whiskers" of the mala, what is the associated visualization? It transforms into a lotus hand. Have you ever seen a lotus hand? It is a hand in the shape of a lotus blossom. I have seen such a sculpted object placed in a censer in a temple. It is a Buddha hand but it is also known as a lotus hand. So one visualizes the tassel turn into a lotus hand, the four larger beads into the Four Deva-kings, the right hand into a vajra, and the left hand into a bell. The thread that goes through the beads is visualized transforming into a circle of white light of the Vajrasattva (the primordial nature of the Vajrasattva).
Visualization during Chanting
After performing this visualization, one starts chanting, "Om, ah-mi-deh-wa-seh." During recitation, one also must visualize every single bead coming to the center in front of one and at the center of each bead is an Amitabha. I know this sounds quite cumbersome, but I don't think there are many occasions when one gets to hear Tantric practices being described in such detail. I myself have practiced this way for more than twenty years! The Supreme Consciousness of the Universe has taught me very carefully. Manjusri Bodhisattva, Tsongkhapa, Padmasambhava, Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States, and Taoist Master Ching Chen have explained each step very carefully to me. This kind of esoteric recitation is infinitely expansive, profound, subtle, and brings one the greatest achievement!
Students are accustomed to merely chanting the mantra one hundred eight times during this step of the practice and, when the chanting is finished, one puts the mala aside. But, apart from the purification of the speech through recitation, there is also the involvement of the mind and the body. While chanting, one is also forming the mudra — the vajra, bell, Vajrasattva string that threads through the mala, Four Devakings, Personal Deity, and lotus hand are the mudra! Isn't one purifying one's mind when one visualizes Amitabha inside each bead while reciting? Does not each "Om, ah-mi-deh-waseh" purify one's speech? This is the practice of the Unification of the Three Secrets, an excellent Tantric method that integrates the subtle levels of the mind. It is a complete Tantric practice, without any missing parts. It teaches one how to visualize, how to chant mantra, how to form mudra, and how to enter Samadhi.
Basics [18]. More to come.....
Readers can write to asklotuschef@gmail.com for a .pdf or .doc copy of this book.
Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom
Lama Lotuschef
What I have discussed so far is only the external practice! In terms of the Buddha Pure Lands, the four levels of inner-esoteric, esoteric, internal, and external practices translate into the Pure Land of Vairocana, the Avatamsaka Pure Land, the True Buddha Pure Land, and the Ultimate Bliss Pure Land. As these four classes of practice correspond to four different levels of practice, an external level practitioner will begin with the purifying of body, mind, and speech; an internal level practitioner will move on to the Yoga of Energy and be working on the chi, channels, and light drops; an esoteric level practitioner will be working on the Yoga of Mahamudra; and an inner-esoteric level practitioner will abide in the Great Perfection [Dzogchen].
Tantric practices are truly extraordinary! The realms reached by inner-esoteric, esoteric, internal, and external practitioners are respectively those of the Dharma Body, Fully Enlightened Ones, Bodhisattvas, and Arhats. However, this classification might not be the most accurate, as there can be some overlapping. I am generalizing somewhat in describing the different levels. In terms of the Three Bodies, Fully Enlightened Ones and beings residing in the Pure Lands are of the Bliss Body, the Emanation Body will be found in the Realm Where Ordinary And Holy Beings Dwell, and the Dharma Body will have to be reached by the inner-esoteric practice. Which aspect of the Three Bodies is Padmakumara? Padmakumara is the Bliss Body. How about Sheng-yen Lu? Sheng-yen Lu is the Emanation Body. Which aspect of the Three Bodies is Mahavairocana? The Dharma Body. Both Buddha Locana and Padmakumara are of the realm of the Bliss Body. Sheng-yen Lu is the Emanation Body. This is the division of the Three Bodies.
Therefore, in our cultivation, there are four grades of practice: external, internal, esoteric, and inner-esoteric, which correspond to: the External True Buddha Tantric Practice, the Internal True Buddha Tantric Practice of chi, channels, and light drops, the Esoteric Practice of Mahamudra and Highest Tantra Yoga, and the Inner-esoteric Practice of Great Perfection. These are the grades of the path.
Mantra Recitation
The next segment after visualization is mantra recitation. [Grand Master Lu rings the bell.] Generally, when people get to this step, they will pick up the mala like this. [Grand Master demonstrates.] Others might rest the mala on their laps and start chanting "Om ah-mi-deh-wa-seh, Om ah-mi-deh-waseh" while counting the beads. All these positions are incorrect.One should hold the mala in front of one's chest and concentrate on the recitation.
In the past I did not teach how one should recite and count the beads. It was entirely up to the person. We simply began by chanting "Om mani padme hum, Om mani padme hum" and stopped when we reached a set number of recitations.
So, what is the significance of mantra recitation? Mantra recitation is the purification of speech. A true practitioner also visualizes before recitation begins. I will explain, so everyonewill have a clear understanding of it!
Visualization before Chanting
First, as soon as the mala is picked up, the right hand is visualized turning into a vajra and the left hand into a bell. In a mala, there are four beads larger than the rest. As in this mala, [Grand Master demonstrates] a mother bead and three other beads of red color separate the remaining beads into four segments. These four larger beads have to transform into the Four Deva-Kings. Visualize the Four Deva-Kings appear above the mala. How should one visualize the tassel of the mala? Some people call this the "whiskers." [audience laughter] Talking about whiskers, some people were discussing how the bronze statue here at the Rainbow Villa bears quite resemblance to me, and how the bronze statue at the Pootee Lei Tsang Temple [in Vancouver] is supposed to be even more lifelike. But some children pointed out that all these statues are still not quite lifelike, as they all lack the "whiskers" that are growing out of my neck! [laughter] Going back to the tassel or "whiskers" of the mala, what is the associated visualization? It transforms into a lotus hand. Have you ever seen a lotus hand? It is a hand in the shape of a lotus blossom. I have seen such a sculpted object placed in a censer in a temple. It is a Buddha hand but it is also known as a lotus hand. So one visualizes the tassel turn into a lotus hand, the four larger beads into the Four Deva-kings, the right hand into a vajra, and the left hand into a bell. The thread that goes through the beads is visualized transforming into a circle of white light of the Vajrasattva (the primordial nature of the Vajrasattva).
Visualization during Chanting
After performing this visualization, one starts chanting, "Om, ah-mi-deh-wa-seh." During recitation, one also must visualize every single bead coming to the center in front of one and at the center of each bead is an Amitabha. I know this sounds quite cumbersome, but I don't think there are many occasions when one gets to hear Tantric practices being described in such detail. I myself have practiced this way for more than twenty years! The Supreme Consciousness of the Universe has taught me very carefully. Manjusri Bodhisattva, Tsongkhapa, Padmasambhava, Mr. Three-Peaks-Nine-States, and Taoist Master Ching Chen have explained each step very carefully to me. This kind of esoteric recitation is infinitely expansive, profound, subtle, and brings one the greatest achievement!
Students are accustomed to merely chanting the mantra one hundred eight times during this step of the practice and, when the chanting is finished, one puts the mala aside. But, apart from the purification of the speech through recitation, there is also the involvement of the mind and the body. While chanting, one is also forming the mudra — the vajra, bell, Vajrasattva string that threads through the mala, Four Devakings, Personal Deity, and lotus hand are the mudra! Isn't one purifying one's mind when one visualizes Amitabha inside each bead while reciting? Does not each "Om, ah-mi-deh-waseh" purify one's speech? This is the practice of the Unification of the Three Secrets, an excellent Tantric method that integrates the subtle levels of the mind. It is a complete Tantric practice, without any missing parts. It teaches one how to visualize, how to chant mantra, how to form mudra, and how to enter Samadhi.
Basics [18]. More to come.....
Readers can write to asklotuschef@gmail.com for a .pdf or .doc copy of this book.
Om Guru Lian Sheng Siddhi Hom
Lama Lotuschef
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