The treasury of knowledge, books 9 and 10 journey and goa (116)

NOTES - 591 tive stability," "breath control," "attention to the entire form of the deity," "recollection," and "meditative absorption." Kongtr)lf discusses these practices elsewhere in the Treasuty of Knowledge; see, Kongtrul, The -Treasury ofKnowledge: Book Eight, Part Four: Esoteric Instructions, 2.89-3 30 364 These ten indications are quasi-visual experiences (in that they are based on more subtle channels of energy than the optic nerve that is responsible for ordinary vision) one undergoes as one's realization of the utterly lucid nature of mind becomes more evident See Dudjom Rinpoche, Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, vol 2., 167: Ten These are enumerated in Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Directions, p 344, as smoke (du-ba), mirage (smig-rgyu), clouds (sprin), fire-flies (me-khyer), sunlight (nyi-ma), moonlight (zla-ba), the blazing of gemstones (rin-po-che 'bar-ba), eclipse (sgra-gcan ), starlight (skar-ma ), and rays oflight (od-zer) 365 Here "meditative absorption" denotes the sixth of the Six Branches of Union according to the Kalacakra tradition 366 That is, the dements-earth, water, fire, air, and space-that compose the external universe and their equivalents that compose one's physic~ body 367 CaJJ.Qali is one of the fundamental practices of the thematic phase of the stage of completion Through physical exercises, breathing techniques, and meditative methods, one harnesses the channels, energies, and hindu of.the subtle body, producing an intensifying sense of warmth rising from the subnavd region to the crown of the head The effect is one of "incinerating" affi.ictive states and ordinary concepts, thus accelerating the arousal of the experience of innate timeless awareness 368 The bliss produced by this process is undiminishing because it is not subject to the causes and conditions that sustain ordinary pleasure, which then is undermined when situations change and those causes and conditions no longer pertain 369 That is, the cakras of the navel region, heart region, throat, midbrow level, and the crown of the head 370 The attainment of these twelve levels comes about through the gradual elimination of the twelve links of interdependent origination, discussed in the following paragraph 371 These links-ignorance, formative patterning, ordinary consciousness, formation of the mind-body complex, sense fields, contact, sensation, compulsion, perpetuation, becoming, birth, and aging-and-death-provide a model ofhow.the mind remains caught within the cycle of sarpsara These twelve can be further classified within four categories: (1) ignorance, formative patterning, and ordinaty consciousness are the three branches that propel the mind into sarpsara; (2.) formation of the mind-body complex, sense fields, contact, and sensation are the four b~anches that are the result of that process ofpropulsion (due to the deeply ingrained influence of ignorance, the karma reinforced through formative patterning, and the habitual pattern~ that imbue ordinary consciousness); (3) compulsion, perpetuation, and becoming are the three branches that ensure the actual taking of rebirth; and 592 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE (4) birth and aging-and-death are the two branches that constitute the actual taking of rebirth and its consequences 372 "Becoming" is a term for the process whereby the mind takes rebirth within one of the three realms of s:upsiira, driven by the reinforced habitual patterns of karma and afflictive states 73· "Form vajra" is a term for the relined experience of the body as the unity of manifest form and emptiness, imbued with the seven vajra attributes of invulnerability, inde.structibility, authenticity, incorruptibility, stability, unobstructedness, and invincibility 374· "Perpetuation" is the mental process of appropriation that serves as the substantial contributing cause that leads to becoming, that is, taking rebirth in s:upsara 375· "Compulsion" is the mental tension felt due to the constant effort of trying to avoid unpleasant and painful sensations and to seek pleasant ones 376 "Sensation" in this context refers to mental states of satisfaction, dissatisfaction, or neutrality that arise once contact has been established between the sense consciousnesses and their objects 377· "Speech vajra" is a term for the relined experience of speech as the unity of sound and emptiness, imbued with the seven vajra attributes 378 "Contact" refers to the corning together of the triad of consciousness, a sense faculty, and the corresponding kind of object, so that the appropriate avenue of consciousness can apprehend its object 79· The sense fields (Tib skye mched) are avenues through which ordinary states of mind and mental events can come about (skye) and proliferate (mched), through which dualistic consciousness ofsubject-object can lind expression The traditional model lists twelve components-six avenues of sense consciousness (visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, tactile, and ideational) and their corresponding six kinds of sense objects (forms, sounds, odors, tastes, tactile sensations, and concepts) 3So The "formation of the mind-body complex" is the process whereby the four mental aggregates of forms-the "mental body" of the intermediate state between death and rebirth, comprising s.ensations, perceptions, formative factors, and ordinary states of consciousness-combine with the physical aggregate of the embryo in the womb, so that mind and body become mutually dependent on one another 81 "Mind vajra" is a term for the relined experience of speech as the unity of awareness and emptiness, imbued with the seven vajra attributes 82 "Ordinary consciousness" is a term for the dualistic mode of a subjective mind's perceiving its objects through the various avenues of the six senses (the live physical senses and the mental faculty ofideation) 383 "Formative patterning" refers to the process by which the ordinary mind formulates responses to what are perceived as objects separate from it, establishing the basis for the full expression of dualistic consciousness 84 "Timeless awareness vajra'' refers to the relined experience of the inseparability of body, speech, and mind as a unity with emptiness, imbued with the seven vajra attributes s Practitioners are classified into several types, depending on the kind of progress they make spiritually Most individuals are those who progress developmentally; among those, some may be practitioners who progress in leaps and bounds, "skipping" certain stages, or even regress at times, generally moving forward but occasionally "losing ground" in a nonlinear fashion The most rare kind of individual NOTES - 593 is one who gains realization and enlightenment in an instantaneous leap of understanding; but even such practitioners are only so receptive in this lifetime because their minds have undergone extensive training in previous lifetimes No one is truly an "instantaneous leap" kind of individual from the very start 386 As was just noted, the path of seeing is the final step of the phase of meditative absorption 387 The fourvajras are the aforementioned form, speech, mind, and timeless awareness vajr~ "Equal taste" refers to the experience of things from the perspective of their ultimate nature, rather than their individual traits 188 The reference is to Pul)4arika, Stainless Light, (Toh I347), Dg T., rGyud, vel Da, p 45 ), lines 4-6 In the source, the final level is referred to as "and the level 'The Prefecting of Timeless Awareness that Merges with Genuine Awareness, the Epitome of Self-Knowing Discernment'." 389 That is, 'the branch 'of meditative absorption according to the Six Branches of Union in the Kalacakra tradition 390 That is, each of the ten levels of a bodhisatrva's spiritual development involves two aspects, one of the experience undergone during formal meditative equipoise (the essence of which remains constant, while the degree of familiarity increases), and one of activity during postmeditation awareness (that is, th.e furthering of the transcendent perfections, with the emphasis shifting from one perfection to another depending on the level in question.) 391 Adornment ofthe Vajra Heart Essence, (Toh 490), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vel Tha, p I I s, r The second line in the source reads "is endowed with the resplendent radiance of the orb of the sun." 392 Regarding these twelve levels, see Kongtrul, Treasury of Knowledge: Book Eight, Part Four: Esoteric lmtructions, 444, note Ss, citing Khenpo Tsiiltrim Gyamtso Rinpoche: "[these are] not the twelve bhumis of an drya They are the concordant twelve bhumis within the limb of samadhi, which culminate in the attainment of the first bodhisatrva level." 393· Based on the teachings ofYumo Mikyo Dorje (eleventh century C.E.), Kunpang Tukje Tsondrii (I:Z.43-I3I3) and Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen (I:z.9:Z.-I36I), the Jonang tradition became known for i~s exegesis of the Kalacakra cycle and for its controversial view of"qualified emptiness" (gzhan stong) The "great and venerable master" is a reference to Jetsiin Taranatha (I 575-I634), perhaps the most prolific and influential author of works that presented the Jonang teachings, helping to revivify that tradition 394· These twelve aspects of timeless awareness correspond to the aforementioned twelve levels 395· That is, the deity for whom one has received empowerment and on whom one meditates 396 See Book I o, Part I for a discussion of the kiyas ofbuddhahood 397 These are references to the process of elimination and refinement that is associated with traversing the twelve levels of the Vajrayana tradition and the experiences of the sixteen gradations of joy 398 Taranatha was intimately connected with the siddha tradition oflndia, studied with several Indian masters,· and authored works on the Indian origins of tantric teachings and biographies oflndian masters 399· The third Karmapa, RangjungDorje (Rang byung rdo rje, I:Z.84-I 339) 594 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE 400 That is, a_ second Buddha Sakyamuni 401 Vajrayina teachings are often classified into two categories-the empowerments that mature one spiritually and the instructions that liberate one 401 At this stage, one is not held to· be actually experiencing suchness, the ultimate nature of reality, but still practicing ori the basis of one's conviction of what this nature is; this is seen as a necessary step that leads eventually to the actual experience 403 That is, the experience of one's body as a mere manifestation, without any independent nature of its own 404 In the practice of the state of completion in the highest levels of tantra, one is able to harness the subtle energies of the body and direct them so that the bindu (the focalizing of energy in the cakras) descends in stages from the calera in the crown of the head to that in the throat, to that in the heart region, to that in the navel region (depending on the level ofpractice, this may be continued down to the genitals) This process generates experiences ofphysical pleasure and mental well-being that are referred to as four gradations of joy-joy, sublime joy, joy beyond joy, and innate joy 405 Once the foregoing process of arousing the 'four descending gradations of joy has been comple~ed, the energy is directed to the glans penis and retained there (rather than being lost through ejaculation), whereupon it is drawn upward through the body in the reverse process, ascending through the four cakras and being stabilized finally in the crown of the head 406 On a physiological level, this entails the retention of semen during male orgasm, rather than the usual loss through ejaculation that, from the point of view of the Vajrayina teachings, undermines the experience of undiminishing bliss The descriptions of such processes are invariably oriented to heterosexual males; the culture of Tibet in which these teachings flourished resulted in a definite bias in the writings While the Vajrayina teachings (and ~ost, if not all, living Vajrayana masters) affirm that parallel processes apply to women practitioners, these are far less extensively documented (references are passing and cutsory at best) and are still an obscure and little-explored area 407 Although the actual nature of utter lucidity· that is experienced on the path of seeing remains the same throughout the path of meditation, the "training" involved lies in one's subjective experience of a more and more complete and authentic appreciation of the significance of this initial realization 408 Unsurpassable Definitive Expression, (Toh 369), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ka, p 631, lines 1-:1 In the source, the last line, "The Vajralevel (the thirteenth); begins the citation, and where Kongtrul cites "The Incomparable One" (Tib dPe medpa), the source reads "The Formless One" (Tib gZugs med pa) 409 See note 388 and the passage cited from the Presence of Timeless Awareness, the Sublimdy Unchanging State 410 Vajra Garland, (Toh 445), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ca, ff :1.o8a-:~.nb.The Vajra Garland is the explanatory tantra of the father tantra class 41 I Sphere ofthe Supreme Seal, (Toh 4:1.0), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Nga, ff 66a-9ob A tantra of the mother tantra class 41 :1 WeU-Sealed Locket, (Toh 381 ), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ga, p :1.06, I through p :1.06,1 :! NOTES - 595 4I 3· This refers to one of the arcane languages in which the Indian tantric sources and commentaries are ofi:en couched Such languages were ofi:en corrupt versions of Sanskrit, or regional dialecrs spoken by ·the Vajrayana masters who cocillied these teachings 4I4 That is, the prefix upa- in Sanskrit, or nye ba in Tibetan 4I S· The Tibetan term (zhing) can denote realm, field, domain, and similar meanings 4I The rules ofsat?Uibi, which govern the formation ofwords in Sanskrit, require that chant/a + uha results in the form chandoha 4I7 That is, the six (or nine) levels of meditative stability 418 That is, the eight modes of complete liberation, which are discussed below 419 The term "subtle trait" (Tib mtshan ma; Skt nimitta) refers to the way in which the mind defines phenomena on a more subtle level than that of "ordinary characteristics" (Tib mtshan nyid; Skt la/qa1Jil) Once one has attained the path of seeing, having eliminated the more obvious level of affiictive obscutations, one no longer thinks of phenomena in terms of their •characteristics" but still conceives of them having specific traits on some subtle level, until the cognitive obscurations have been completely eliminated 420 That is, complete mastery of the ten kinds of control 42 I Abhayakaragupta, Frond ofPith Instructions, (Toh I 198), Dg T., rGyud, vol Cha, p 309,! throughp 3Io,l 422 Source not identified 42 3· Tib 'Thung spyod or 'Thunggcod (Sanskrit uncertain) 424 "Quench" is used here to translate either of the two alternate terms in Tibetanspyod (engage) or gcod (cutting through) 42 s Tib•.J1.1e ba~ 'thung spyod or Nye ba~ 'thunggcod (Sanskrit uncertain) 426 That is, it constitutes the fruition state, which is discussed in Book I o 427 Unsurpassable Definitive Expression, (Toh 369), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ka, p 63 1,! 428 The average number of breaths taken in a twenty-four-hour period, according to the medical texts of the Buddhist tradition 429 These are discussed in Part of Book 1o 430 Another term for the masculine essence 431 The four degrees of emptiness (termed "empty; "extremely empty; "supremely empty," and "totally empty") are associated, respectively, with the successive·states of subtle experience ("manifestation; "increase," "complete attainment," and "utter lucidity") Each of the four degrees is further divided into lesser, middling, and greater phases, giving the total of twelve 43 This refers to one's own subjective experience of acquiring an utnifa, the protuberance on the crown of a buddha's head that is one of the thirty-two major marks of perfect form and which embodies the qualities of the totally enlightened state 43 3· That is, the twelve levels times 1,8oo "moments" per level 434· This is a term for the particular configurations of the subtle energies in the body, which change throughout the cycle of a lunar month 43 s That is, teri junctures, each involving 1,8oo expressions of subtle energy 4'3 Another term for the masculine essence 43 Another term for the feminine essence 438 That is, the glans penis  ... harness the subtle energies of the body and direct them so that the bindu (the focalizing of energy in the cakras) descends in stages from the calera in the crown of the head to that in the throat,... to the corning together of the triad of consciousness, a sense faculty, and the corresponding kind of object, so that the appropriate avenue of consciousness can apprehend its object 79? ? The. .. :1.o8a-:~.nb .The Vajra Garland is the explanatory tantra of the father tantra class 41 I Sphere ofthe Supreme Seal, (Toh 4:1.0), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Nga, ff 66a-9ob A tantra of the mother tantra