Pranayama M editations 293 In all activities also, laying down and so forth with the knowledge of the yoga, without words, without speech, beyond the three times, constandy recite.586 The meaning of the last two lines is: recite the three syllables at all times with out the vocalizing of names and words Pranayama meditation upon the substance drop at the secret-area tip There are two divisions of this practice The Vajra Garland describes a drop meditation in which the bodhicitta is held without emission at the point where the tip of the lotus of the karma consort meets the tip of your vajra This, however, is not a meditation in which the focus is on the form o f a drop Illuminating Lamp, in its explanation on xhe Later Tantra, [183] describes how the wind that emerges from your vajra “emerges in the form” of a drop and is meditated upon in the form of a drop at the tip of the consort s lotus.587 It is clear here that a wisdom consort is being used, and because the medita tion is on the juncture of the two tips, it is different from any meditation on individual tips Generally, meditation by reliance upon a wisdom consort is for the gen eration of bliss through meditative union, for the meditation on the mandala contained within the drops of the bodhicitta that have passed into the lotus of the consort during meditative union, and for the meditation that focuses on the drop at the juncture of the two tips at the secret place of practitioner and consort O f these three types of meditation found in the Arya literary tradition, the one described in this section is the third type The purpose of this meditation is to bring the winds into the dhutl, but it is not the case that here you develop the ability to gather the winds in the dhutl where previously you did not, because you will already have this abil ity if you have properly trained yourself in body isolation The two previous pranayama meditations of this section gather winds into the heart, which is something not previously possible, and this pranayama meditation at this juncture acts as an enhancement to the gathering of those winds at the heart This way of thinking can be applied in other contexts also 20 Vajra Repetition Explanation ofthe exclusivefunction o f vajra repetition i Vajra repetition loosens the knots at the heart [» Compilation o f the three-syllable mantra]588 i How loosening the knots at the heart is the main loosening of the channel knots Vajra repetition loosens the knots at the heart The reason why it is necessary to perform vajra repetition from the inde structible drop in the center of the heart cakra is clearly caught in the Vajra Garland: Dwelling in the hair treasury, the drop is explained as wind By the reality of mantra, it is opened, and the knots are loosened with the yoga W ith no understanding of the practice589 of che yoga of the special opening through the reality of the winds and its reasoning, any wind-holding yoga beyond words and contenc, for the unclear, seeing wrongly, lacking the meditative absorption, even the Buddha would find it difficult to attain By the kindness of the yoginls, it remains transmitted mouch to mouth.590 On the meaning of the first two lines, the Vajra Garland elsewhere says: 296 A Lam p to Illum inate the Five Stages Letter a dwelling in the dharma-cakra lotus, pervading the wind cakra, that alone is the great wind expressed by all asprdna.m It also says that in the site of the hair treasury, or the point midway between the eyebrows, is the six-petal wind cakra Therefore these lines are referring to the dhutl, the site of the life-sustaining wind, which ranges from the heart up to that point The opening up of that with the realities o f mantra and wind is indicated by the line beginning “and the knots are loosened ” [184] Open ing the channel knots of the dhutl is indicated by the line beginning “Hav ing loosened.” Any wind-holding yoga that does not comprehend this special opening practice of the realities of mantra and wind, together with the rea soning, will find it difficult to gain that result This is a paraphrase of “W ith no understanding of the practice” to “any wind-holding yoga would find it difficult to attain.” The Shiwa O translation has: By the practice of the supreme opening, and not understanding that practice This is a better translation He also has “knowing the reality of the wind.”592 Because this topic will not be understood without the transmitted instruc tions of the guru, it is “beyond words and content.” “Unclear” means “not understanding clearly.” “Seeing wrongly” means holding to wrong inter pretations of the texts Having understood the realities of wind and man tra but without their meditative absorption, then even the Buddha would find it difficult to attain the loosening of the knots of the heart through the power of yoga The Shiwa O translation has “the buddhas would find it dif ficult to attain.” In this tantra it states that the reality of mantra is due to the kindness of the yoginls and “will be understood through the words of the guru.” Therefore “yoginls” does not refer to the guru So what does it refer to? In a chapter on channels, this tantra describes 71,000 channels, which are compiled into channels matching the number of the twenty-four sites, such as Pulliramalaya.593 These condense into the eight period channels of the heart, which also condense into the three channels at the center of the heart These three, through joining, condense into the dhutl alone The tan tra says that this process can be understood from the yoginl tantras This is because the reason for having to open the channel knots at the heart by the Vajra Repetition 297 vajra repetition of the realities of mantra and wind is that the channels were originally created from this place, and that in the end, it is the final place of withdrawal This was taught to the yoginls who requested it in tantras such as the Hundred-Thousand Exposition Tantra™ This is the thinking behind “the kindness of the yoginls.” Having spoken of these things, Vajresvara Vajrapani makes a request for a teaching: I request a teaching from the guide of beings Those who know dividing of the drop, and the reasoning, by practice of the supreme yoga will speedily open the knots, and beings of these three realms will quickly travel to the supreme siddhi.595 This means, “Those who know the realities of mantra and wind, which is the ‘dividing,’ or divider, of the drop, by the practice of the supreme yoga medi tation will open the knots of the heart and be led quickly to the supreme siddhi, this I request the guide of beings to teach.” [185] The reply to this request is: W ith this request, the vajra holder spoke again to Vajresvara That of the nature of the supreme secret, where it has not been clearly taught, the division of the drop I will explain, so listen In the space of the hollow of the heart’s lotus, the wisdom vajra constantly abides Well positioned above and below, the great life and evacuative winds are located Its center tied by three knots difficult to open These destroy the evacuative wind, which cannot flow upward; destroyed by that, again flowing as five Life, evacuative, upward-flowing, the pervading, and the accompanying flow from the five tips in dependence upon the five channels ... the first two lines, the Vajra Garland elsewhere says: 296 A Lam p to Illum inate the Five Stages Letter a dwelling in the dharma-cakra lotus, pervading the wind cakra, that alone is the great... because the reason for having to open the channel knots at the heart by the Vajra Repetition 297 vajra repetition of the realities of mantra and wind is that the channels were originally created... the knots of the heart through the power of yoga The Shiwa O translation has ? ?the buddhas would find it dif ficult to attain.” In this tantra it states that the reality of mantra is due to the