34 General Presentation o f Activities [328] Tantric activities: Methodsfor enhancing the two stages G eneral presentation o f activities Specific presentation o f highest yoga tantra activities General presentation o f activities D ivisions o f activities in general E lim inating the n o tio n th a t certain activities contradict scripture Divisions o f activities in general O u r Teacher descended from Tusita to the hu m an realm, displayed the four procedures520 o f lineage, renunciation, a nd so on, and to o k the form o f a renunciate free from attachm ent For those o f the Lower Vehicle, w ho had an attraction to the lower, he bro u g h t about the understanding o f the four tru th s and taught the attachm ent-free activities For those o f the Perfection Vehicle, w ho had an attraction to the vast, he brought about the u n d erstan d ing o f the no-self o f phen o m e n a by teaching the eight consciousnesses and so o n a n d taught the activities o f the levels and perfections H e em anated in the form o f a universal emperor, and through the activities o f desire, taught to those w ith great attraction to the p ro fo u n d the activities o f the D h a rm a o f desire u p to the understanding o f the tw o truths described previously.521 A ll paths to liberation and omniscience th a t n o t make attach m en t tow ard the sensual into a p a th are paths o f activities o f n o n attach m en t The m e n tio n in the Compendium o f Practice o f activities o f n o n a ttac h m e n t as those o f the Lower Vehicle is for purposes o f illustration only Also there is no m e n tion o f u n iting m editatively w ith consorts and m e ditatio n goddesses in the three lower tantras Generally, however, there is an attac h m en t focused on the five kinds o f sensual objects o f the goddess visualized in front, and that $i o A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages is made into a path Therefore the paths o f these tantras can be included in the category o f attachment for the sensual made into a path To those disciples who practice thoroughly the complete significance o f the exclusive meaning o f the two truths, and who take joy in the fruit o f supreme joy, the activities o f nonattachment belonging to the Sravaka Vehi cle and the practices o f Perfection Vehicle sutras were not taught This is because disciples who are to be tamed by those disciplines not under stand the completion-stage great bliss that takes attachment to the sensual as a path Although they may search a long time for enlightenment through the twelve excellent qualities gained from training,922 their activities are not capable o f producing final enlightenment without relying upon other paths The Vajradaka Tantra says: To those who are actual monks, those who delight in concepts, and those who are old, this reality is not taught.923 [329] This is saying that the monastic that is tamed by the path o f nonattachment is not able to have a liking for the path with attachment The elderly, whose seed has weakened, lack the ability to unite bliss and emptiness, and those who are enthusiastic about outsider sophistry will not enter this Dharma They are, therefore, unsuitable vessels for the supreme path Because a spe cial effect arises from a special cause, it should be known that the great bliss present at the time o f the result is produced from a special bliss that engages with the qualities o f the five types o f sensual objects at the time o f the cause Ascetic practices other than that will not gain the single-pointed mind o f great bliss because the bliss o f melting arises in a wholesome body whereas these ascetic practices will destroy the five senses and their physical basis, the body The Vajradaka Tantra says: These illusion-like phenomena produce a special enjoyment As that bliss becomes fully developed, so the special result will be gained Why would you not desire it? Animate and inanimate phenomena not exist but are characterized by just appearance, and with such a special meditation924 General Presentation o f Activities 511 comes the attractive result of bliss, the highest illuminating power of the mind, striving for the result, practicing the causes; Goddess, who would deny that? Therefore, with every effort, make offerings to he who travels everywhere.925 W ith austerity, restraints, and the unbearable, the body is emaciated and suffers The mind is distracted by suffering, and with distraction, siddhis will go elsewhere W ith body and mind firm, all bliss becomes firm.926 The Root Tantra also says: W ith austerity, restraints, and the unbearable, there will be no accomplishment By the enjoyment of all desires, accomplishment is swift.927 “Austerity” refers to yogas that exhaust the body, such as building temples “Restraints” refers to the twelve qualities gained from training, such as dwell ing in ffont of trees “The unbearable” refers to jumping off mountains and walking into fire Enlightenment will not be accomplished while being tor mented by following these practices They emaciate and weaken the body, thereby creating suffering This weakens the kundaA&s bodhicitta, and you become distracted from the samadhi of great bliss, and so the great siddhi will not be gained in this life The citation from the Supreme Original Tantra, which like the previous Root Tantra citation is quoted in the Compendium o f Practice,928is to either be understood as a general explanation or as being taught on the basis of the above explanation In its literal meaning, it does not follow these explana tions The Root Tantra also says: W ith body, speech, and mind dwelling in bliss, enlightenment will be gained Otherwise, there will be untimely death and definite burning in hell.929 [330] $12 A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages The first two lines, which are indirectly taught by the last two, teach the ben efits o f engaging in bliss The last two lines directly teach the disadvantages o f engaging in austere practices Some say that this verse teaches the disad vantages o f engaging in non-Buddhist austerities Others say that it teaches the disadvantages o f accruing the eighth root downfall930 by taking initia tions and pledges, understanding the realities o f this path, and then aban doning them to engage in austerities Being granted enlightenment in one lifetime through the path o f highest yoga tantra depends on combining bliss and emptiness The bliss o f this union comes from the expansion o f bodhicitta in the body, and that means that the senses and their physical founda tion, the body, must be nourished For this purpose, the activities, through which the senses are able to rely upon the five objects as much as they wish, are taught Illuminating Lamp on the seventeenth chapter says: “All samayas, as many as there are,” refers to women, such as those o f the lotus class “By the samaya o f the three vajras”—meaning by the actions o f your body, speech, and mind— they will bring delight and joy “D o not denigrate the mind vajra” means not make your mind free o f attachment This is based on the fact that the foundation o f the body is the mind and the foundation of bodhicitta is the body.931 By relying upon the bodies o f those o f the lotus class and so on, the bodhicitta will increase Since the foundation o f that persons body is his mind, if his mind is denigrated, the root cause o f great bliss is being harmed, and this becomes an obstacle to increasing the samadhi o f great bliss On this basis it is taught that the mind is to be protected The prescription o f the fourteenth root downfall932 is also based on this This line o f reasoning should be simi larly understood to apply to nourishing the body and not tormenting it The two newer translations o f Illuminating Lamp, which say that mind is the foundation o f body and that the foundation o f bodhicitta is the body, are correct, whereas the reverse would be an incorrect translation Activities are taught for whatever path is practiced, just as activities are taught for the six perfections, for example However, here “activity” means activity within the five objects as causes o f great bliss by way o f understand ing their intrinsic nature If body, speech, and mind not dwell in bliss through the sense pleasures, you will not gain the single-pointed mind, and your mental state will not be in meditative equipoise Therefore teaching that ... o f the goddess visualized in front, and that $i o A Lamp to Illum inate the Five Stages is made into a path Therefore the paths o f these tantras can be included in the category o f attachment... Illuminating Lamp on the seventeenth chapter says: “All samayas, as many as there are,” refers to women, such as those o f the lotus class “By the samaya o f the three vajras”—meaning by the actions o f... f Practice,928is to either be understood as a general explanation or as being taught on the basis of the above explanation In its literal meaning, it does not follow these explana tions The