Tantric Techniques (81 page)

And removing fright.

These citations do indeed speak of smiling, but I would expect to find as many instances of smiling in Action Tantras as can be found in Performance Tantras, and, indeed, some traditions of Highest Yoga Mantra reverse the order and associate smiling with Action Tantras and gazing with Performance Tantras. Even Bu-tön’s first source, the
Sa
ṃ
pu
ṭ
a Tantra
, cited above, has the order reversed, as do four of the five other sources that Tsong-kha-pa cites for the general framework,
a
indeed without comment. Given Tsong-kha- pa’s critical acumen, I take his lack of comment, in the face of obvious counterevidence, to be an admission of the weakness of a tradition that he cannot explain away and yet must accept, because of the great psychological and spiritual profundity of Highest Yoga Mantra.

For Yoga Tantra, Bu-tön cites two passages:

As an antidote to desire satisfied through holding hands—of those of the Joyous Land—Yoga Tantras that use in the path the bliss of special joy satisfied through god and goddess holding hands with each other were set forth. The

a
Tantra in Tibet,
157-161.

346
Tantric Techniques

Vajrashekhara
says:
a

One’s own goddess embraced in the center,
b
The goddess Vajrakilikil
ā
,

Turns her head toward the side. Smiling and gazing everywhere,

She holds the hand of the Supramundane Victor. and the
Tantra of the Supreme Original Buddha
says:
c

To his side is Mah
ā
vajra Holding an arrow upright.

His proud embracing hand raises

A banner of victory [adorned] with monsters of the sea.

Whereas the Action Tantra citations speak of gazing (“The Supramundane Victor faces Bh
ṛ
ku
ṭī
,” “aims his eye,” and “aims her eye”) and the Performance Tantra passages speak of smiling (“A slightly smiling face” and “His face is wonderfully smiling”), Bu-tön supplies a Yoga Tantra passage that has all three—embrace (“goddess embraced in the center”) as well as gazing and smiling (“Smiling and gazing everywhere”). The citation appropriately indicates the intensity of the usage of desire between male and female in the path in Yoga Tantra, as is confirmed by even a cursory reading of the chief root Tantra, the
Compendium of Principles
.

Bu-tön continues:

As an antidote to desire satisfied through the union of the

a
gsang ba rnal ’byor chen po’i rgyud rdo rje rtse mo, vajra
ś
ekharamah
ā
guhyayogatantra
; P113, vol. 5, 16.2.8 (Toh. 480).

b
34.3:
dbus ’khyud
. The word
dbus
most likely refers to the center, since the text, just prior to this citation, speaks of two goddesses to the right and two to the left of the main figure. The problematic nature of the word is reflected in three variant readings: Long-chen-pa’s
Treasury of Tenets
(293.6) has
dpung khyud
which would be “shoulder embrace”; Bu-tön’s
Brief Exposition
(vol. 14, 860.6) has
pus khyud
which would be “knee embrace”; Pa
ṇ
-chen Sö-nam-drak-pa (
General Presentation
, 31.6) has
mgos khyud
which would be “head embrace.” The last is clearly trying to clear up the ambiguity of
dbus
which could mean “center” or could mean head (
dbu
) with an instrumental ending; Pa
ṇ
-chen Sö-nam-drak-pa obviously prefers the latter reading. However, it seems to me that the context of the tantra suggests “center.”

c
dpal mchog dang po zhes bya ba theg pa chen po’i rtog pa’i rgyal po,
ś
r
ī
param
ā
dyan
ā
ma-mah
ā
y
ā
nakalpar
ā
j
ā
;
P119, vol. 5 (Toh. 487).

Bu-tön and Tsong-kha-pa: The Four Tantra Sets
347

two organs—of those of the Land of the Thirty-three and below—Great Yoga Tantras that use in the path bliss of in-nate joy satisfied through the god and goddess becoming absorbed with each other were set forth. The
Glorious Guhyasam
ā
ja Tantra
says:

Meditate on Lochan
ā
and so forth, Supreme consorts of the One-Gone-Thus. Through union of the two organs,

The feat of Buddhahood will be attained. and the
Sa
ṃ
pu
ṭ
a Tantra
says:

In union together with lady selfless,

Through joyous absorption of the two with each other,

There is what has the nature of wavelessness.

Tsong-kha-pa does not cite these last two passages, most likely because of his earlier explanation of how desire is used in the path in Highest Yoga Mantra, obviating the need for source-quotes here. As he says, the depiction of sexual union is replete throughout Highest Yoga Mantra,
a
and I do not question either this or the emphasis on embrace in Yoga Tantras; however, I wonder whether gazing and smiling are significant features of Action and Performance Tantras, and thus it seems difficult to confirm the value of this tradition to-ward providing a suitable grid for distinguishing the four tantra sets.

Bu-tön
b
cites a passage from the
Lady Sky-Traveler Vajra Tent Tantra
that aligns the four tantra sets with four increasingly high levels of trainees’ capacities:

Action Tantra is for the inferior.

Yoga without activities [that is, Performance Tantra] is for those above them.

The supreme Yoga is for supreme beings The Highest Yoga is for those above them.

a
As cited earlier (339), “…in these tantras themselves there are a great many descriptions of deities in the aspect of union”;
Tantra in Tibet,
158.

b
Extensive
version, 39.6-40.4.

348
Tantric Techniques

Bu-tön cites a commentary on the
Vajrapañjara Tantra
a
and then gives his own rendition of this tradition, obviously approving of it:

A commentary says:

“Action Tantras” are for those intent on apprehending external deities such as Dung-ma
b
and who are intent on cleanliness, restraint, and so forth. “Yoga with activities” [as opposed to Performance Tantra, which is yoga without activities,] is to apprehend [a deity] external to oneself, whereas “Yo-ga [without activities, that is, Performance Tantra]” is to apprehend the Wisdom Being, who is one’s own sovereign,
c
and oneself to be of one taste. “Supreme Yoga” is to partake of the great secrecy of the supreme bliss arisen from embracing one’s Knowledge Woman. “Highest Yoga” is to apprehend the supreme bliss generated from the union of the vajra [phallus] of one’s own divine self and the lotus [vagina].
d

Hence, persons of the bottom level of faculties, who are of low intelligence, take delight in external activities, such as bathing; for their sake, Action Tantras that teach activities of cleanliness upon apprehending an external painted fig-ure and so forth to be a deity were set forth. Performance Tantras were set forth for persons superior to them, who partake of apprehending themselves as a deity and, in addition, a deity externally. Yoga Tantras were set forth for