380 C not es to chapter ten or “mouth,” touching the center and facing downward Below the channel and above the channel-wheel of the secret place is a tetrahedron, color and dimension as specified in the instructions, inside of which is a red syllable that is the nature of fire and wind At the brahminical aperture, there is a white syllable At the level of the heart is a white syllable, in this practice called “stupa,” that is the nature of dripping nectar At the soles of the feet are the syllables of wind and fire (as in the bull’s hoof visualization) One expels the breath and applies the specified breath-control technique so that the wind moves and the fire blazes upward, touching the syllable inside the tetrahedron from which light radiates That light enters the lower door of the channel “coiled king,” fills it with light, and exits from its upper door As one continues with the next phases of the breath control, one carries out the subsequent steps of the instructions: imagining firelight pervading the whole body, the vital essences moving from the eighteen places up to the crown syllable, and so on, until nectar flowing from the heart syllable spreads to all the cavities of the channels and the pores of the skin At the conclusion one performs a four-syllable vajra recitation for which there are two variations: one is the “ceasing recitation” in which inhalation and exhalation are dispensed with; the other, a recitation synchronized with the rhythm of the breath (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 847.4-849.3) 9 In the instruction called “bunch of plantain bananas” (chu shing snye ma) or “plantain flower” (chu shing me tog), the first practice is that of the thirteen syllables One imagines, at a point below the navel, the specified syllable, radiant with firelight On the left side of the heart is a bent channel called “flower of the plantain banana,” five finger-widths in length, with a root that bends for the length of eight thumb-widths, red in color, its tip sharp Inside that channel, one visualizes the thirteen syllables as set forth in the instructions and performs the specified form of breath control Through a number of steps—the inner fire rising, nectar falling, etc.—the flower of the plantain banana opens up in the form of an eight-petalled lotus In the middle of the lotus, in the midst of white light, is a white syllable; at the rim of the corolla are four syllables; on the four cardinal petals, another four syllables; and on the intermediate petals, four columns of syllables, all luminous white, thirteen in total A flow of nectar descends from the crown, eventually spreading throughout the whole body, and so on, until all appearances become luminous At the end of the session, one applies the vajra recitation For the nine-syllable practice, one does a similar visualization but without the syllables at the rim of the corolla of the lotus In the center is one syllable; on the cardinal petals are four syllables; and on the intermediate petals, another four, a total of nine syllables As for the bird’s egg (sgong skyes khyim), Taranatha writes that this practice is related to the plantain-banana set but is not actually considered to be an element of it For this, one imagines at one’s heart a red open lotus with eight petals At the center is a white sphere like a small bird’s egg, and inside that sphere, a white syllable that is the nature of bliss In ancient manuals of instructions, there is nothing more than that However, the Chatuhpitha Tantra sets forth these details: at the sole of each foot, from the syllable that is the nature of wind, wind moves; and from the syllable that is notes to chapter ten c 381 the nature of fire, fire blazes As a result, nectar is drawn from all the parts of the body, which dissolves into the syllable and sphere at the heart See Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 849.3-851.6 See also Bhavabhadra’s Commentary on the Chatuhpitha, Toh 1607, vol ’A, ff 259a3-260a3 10 For the stupa-vase, there are two aspects: binding the winds and making the winds dissolve For the first, one imagines oneself as Jnaneshvari At one’s heart or navel is a white lotus with eight petals In the middle of that is a ball of light, egg-shaped Inside is a luminous white syllable and on the four cardinal petals are four different syllables These five syllables are the natures of the five buddhas On the four intermediate petals are the syllables that are the natures of the four consorts, Lochana, and the others At the level of the pelvis is a syllable, and one between the shoulder blades The syllable at one’s heart or navel is radiant with the light of fire That light draws the subtle nectar from all parts of the body The nectar dissolves into the ball of light at the heart (or navel) During this visualization, one performs the specified breath-control technique Meditating in this way is effective for making the winds enter and abide in the central channel For the second aspect, making the winds dissolve, one first blocks the nine orifices One visualizes the central channel from the crown to the secret place, with a syllable in the pelvic area and one between the shoulder blades In the middle of the channelwheel of the heart, which resembles a white lotus, is a white syllable in a ball of light, right within the central channel On each of the four cardinal petals is a different syllable, and on each of the four intermediate petals, a column of syllables One focuses on all of that as one performs the vase-shaped holding in the specified way Winds arise from the syllables at the pelvis and the shoulders and strike the eight syllables, which then dissolve into emptiness The central syllable becomes smaller and smaller and finally dissolves One remains in a nonconceptual state (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 851.6-855.7) See also Kalyanavarman’s Exposition of the Exalted Chatuhpitha, Toh 1608, vol Ya, f 68b6 11 The miscellaneous instructions of the bull’s hoof comprise several sequences of visualization For one, a lotus with eight petals is imagined in the space in front of oneself One does the visualization as for the bull’s hoof, with the black syllable that is the nature of wind to the right, and the red syllable, the nature of fire, to the left The wind moves and the fire blazes The base of the fire, mixed with wind, is blue; the middle part, red; the tip, white After meditating in that way for many days, one does the same visualization at the navel in conjunction with the vase-shaped holding This is a form of inner-fire practice with the single channel-wheel Another visualization is that of an open lotus with eight petals at one’s heart In the central channel, where the channel is knotted, one carries out the visualization of the bull’s hoof, in the middle of which is a tiny sphere, a mixture of wind and mind, and to the right, a black syllable, to the left, a red one From the black syllable arises white fire that causes the red syllable to blaze The fire rises through the central channel and reaches the head The vital essence in the crown of the head melts and dissolves into the sphere at the heart This is a form of inner-fire practice with two channel-wheels Another visualization is that of a red syllable inside the central channel at the heart At the throat, brow, and brahminical aperture are different syllables From the heart syllable arises fire, which penetrates the syllables at the throat and brow Then the fire 382 C not es to chapter ten reaches the white syllable at the brahminical aperture The vital essence flows, filling the syllables at the brow, throat, and heart This is a form of inner-fire practice with four channel-wheels Another visualization is that of a tiny sphere, engulfed in light, in each of three places: inside the empty cavity of the heart; inside the empty cavity of the skull; and inside the empty cavity of the brow One imagines the syllables, and so forth, as in the bull’s hoof Perfect pristine awareness is said to manifest by means of these miscellaneous instructions (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 856.1-858.1) 12 The branches of the cow’s udder include the rite of five fires For this, one visualizes, above the secret place, a red tetrahedron with a yellow syllable inside Below the navel is the channel “coiled king of the nagas” and above that the inner-fire a-stroke At the level of the navel is a red eight-petalled lotus with a sun disk in the center In the center is Jnaneshvari, the nature of the space element; to the east, Vajra Dakini, the nature of water; to the north, Fierce Dakini, the nature of fire; to the west, Zombi Dakini, the nature of wind; and to the south, Inner-Fire Dakini, the nature of earth All are red (or the color specified in the sadhana) and stand in a mass of fire, each holding a skull-cup of blood At the sole of each foot, one imagines a syllable from which wind moves and stirs the syllable in the tetrahedron Fire rises through the coiled king of nagas, merges with the a-stroke, and so on, through the steps of the visualization, until the fire reaches the lotus at the navel The inner fire forms a tent that contains the five dakinis Its heat and light draw vital essences from the eighteen places to the crown of the head These vital essences gather in a sphere (or syllable) at the crown, from which a flow of nectar descends and dissolves into the five dakinis As a result, body and mind are pervaded by bliss All of these steps are done in conjunction with the specified vase-shaped holding At the end, one dissolves the visualization and performs the vajra breathing These steps constitute the inner-fire rite As an extension of this practice, when eating, one does the visualization up to the five dakinis, purifies the food with the three-syllable mantra, takes the food in one’s hands, and eats it while offering it to the deity at the navel In some contexts, this offering would be an outer aspect; in others, an inner aspect However, at this point of the phase of completion, it is considered outer, and the secret fire puja would be performed while relying on an action seal (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 858.1-860.5) 13 The branches of the bunch of plantain bananas number four: the upward transference of consciousness ( gong du ’pho ba); entering the deceased; knowing others’ thoughts; and influencing others The last three are considered accessory practices The first entails visualizing oneself as Jnaneshvari and applying the breathing technique while blocking the thirteen gateways One’s own mind is visualized as a white syllable at the navel and another upside-down syllable at the crown of the head These two syllables are connected by a rope of light on which are mounted twentyone lotuses, from the navel to the crown of the head, with the central channel running through the middle As one exhales, one utters the specified sound, loudly and sharply, twenty-one times Each time, the navel syllable ascends to the lotus above, eventually reaching the crown of the head and then returning to the navel One per- notes to chapter ten c 383 forms that visualization repeatedly until there arises the sign of the transference of consciousness At the actual time of death, one’s mind as the syllable at the crown of the head can be propelled wherever one wishes The second, entering the deceased, is carried out only when certain requirements are met: one has become adept at the vase-shaped holding and the inner-fire practice so that one is able to direct the white and red vital essences within the body; one has achieved some degree of clarity of the deity’s body; one has given rise to the experience of everything being without inherent reality; and one has trained in the previous transference One then performs the practice of one of the eight dakinis and makes supplications to her If the dakini gives permission to so, one may practice this form of transference with the guidance of a qualified master If those requirements are not met, one’s practice will not bring success For the third, knowing others’ thoughts, one visualizes oneself as a deity with a white syllable at the heart When that is stable, one visualizes the person whose thoughts one wishes to know as Vajrasattva and imagines that all sentient beings are unified in that person as Vajrasattva A sphere of white light arises from the syllable at one’s heart, issues forth from a nostril, enters the other person, and so on, finally returning to one’s heart One practices the sequence repeatedly In conjunction with that, one mentally recites four syllables while meditating on the sameness of all phenomena Moreover, one performs a vajra recitation of four syllables synchronized with the going and returning of the sphere of light For the fourth, influencing others, after having first performed the specified preliminaries, one imagines that at one’s heart on a moon seat is a syllable, the light of which dissolves all appearances into emptiness From that syllable, in three steps, one arises as the deity Jnaneshvari, with three faces and six arms At the heart is the “banana flower,” a white eight-petalled lotus with the specified syllable in the center and a different vowel on each petal One imagines in front of oneself the person one wishes to influence, and one performs a four-syllable vajra recitation From the nine syllables at one’s heart arises a stream whose inner aspect is that of the syllables, and outer, that of bees It exits one’s right nostril, enters the other person, and so forth, finally returning to one’s own heart See Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 860.5-869.6 See also Kalyanavarman’s Exposition of the Exalted Chatuhpitha, Toh 1608, vol Ya, ff 61b1-62b5 14 The branches of the stupa vase are related to three types of illusion: the illusion of waking-state appearances, that of dreams, and that of the intermediate state For the first, waking-state appearances, one imagines that at the navel of oneself as Jnaneshvari is a lotus with eight petals above a tetrahedron On that lotus are five dakinis (as for the inner-fire rite described above), the central figure Jnaneshvari, a red syllable at her heart (or navel) One visualizes the channel “coiled king of nagas” and a-stroke, as described above Through a number of steps, light is imagined to pervade the body and all of space, until everything—all outer and inner aspects—dissolves into the central Jnaneshvari, and she, into the syllable, which gradually dissolves into emptiness One repeats that visualization many times Finally, one remains for a long time in the state in which everything has vanished into luminous clarity, meditating on bliss and emptiness After, without any intervening thoughts, one visualizes those outer and inner aspects as before, oneself as Jnaneshvari with the dakinis inside 384 C not es to chapter ten With strong conviction that everything is illusion, the indivisibility of appearance and emptiness, one trains in dissolving the appearances and emerging as the body of the deity In the post-meditation period as well, one strengthens the conviction that everything is like an illusion For the illusion of dreams, there are five aspects of training: grasping dreams; purifying them; recognizing them; knowing them to be like illusions; and mixing dream practice with the luminous clarity of sleep For the first, grasping the dream, one visualizes a lotus at one’s throat, with the specified syllable at the center and a syllable on each of the four cardinal petals Light from the central syllable strikes the four syllables, which then dissolve This visualization is recalled as one is going to sleep For the second, one develops the resolve to this visualization in the dream and the ability to so For the third, one develops the resolve to be aware of dreams as dreams and the ability to so For the fourth, those of dull faculties must develop the resolve to experience dreams as illusion and the ability to so, while those of sharp faculties experience this aspect naturally The fifth, mixing dream practice with the luminous clarity of sleep, is included here but is also needed as an instruction on the illusion of the intermediate state There are two instructions coming from this tantra: One instruction, mentioned in the context of the cow’s udder, concerns developing the resolve to know dreams as dreams One visualizes the syllable called “stupa” at the throat or secret place and imagines a descent of nectar (The throat and secret place are crucial points in the dream practice and therefore needed as focal points, but in the context of the cow’s udder, the crucial point is the heart.) For the second instruction, as a preliminary, one nurtures positive potential and pristine awareness in ways specified in the sadhana Then, from emptiness, one imagines one’s own mind as a white syllable on a moon and lotus From that one arises in a rainbow-like body Then, through a number of steps, one’s own body is transformed into a stupa made of white light One visualizes a lotus with eight petals at the level of the stupa vase In the middle of the lotus is a luminous white syllable; below the vase, at a point about halfway down the basal tiers, are four syllables, and so on One focuses on the various aspects of the visualization with the conviction that everything is merely a dream For the illusion of the intermediate state, the instruction amounts to the fifth part of the dream practice Viewing the waking-state appearances as dreams carries over into the dream, and recognizing the nature of dream enhances one’s experience in the waking state At this point, one’s practice is aimed at entering luminous clarity during sleep That prepares one to recognize the illusion of the intermediate state and to enter luminous clarity In this tantra in particular, one applies the contemplations of successive destruction and total apprehension based on the instructions of the stupa vase Through those, one enters luminous clarity and then arises in the form of the deity and trains in illusion Having familiarized with that, one grasps the luminous clarity of sleep and trains in arising as a deity in dreams Having become adept at that, one strengthens the conviction that everything is the intermediate state This is considered the supreme instruction on the illusion of the intermediate state (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 869.7-875.3) 15 For example, in the meditation of the bull’s hoof, if one includes the yoga of the incon- ... seal (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 858.1-860.5) 13 The branches of the bunch of plantain bananas number four: the upward transference of. .. illusion of the intermediate state (a summary of Taranatha’s Chatuhpitha Tantra Manual of Instructions for the Practice, pp 869.7-875.3) 15 For example, in the meditation of the bull’s hoof, if... the nature of water; to the north, Fierce Dakini, the nature of fire; to the west, Zombi Dakini, the nature of wind; and to the south, Inner-Fire Dakini, the nature of earth All are red (or the