Esoteric Teachings of the Tibetan Tantra

C. A. Muses

• Publisher: Youcanprint
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9788892657687
• Topic: Teologia e religione
• Subtopic: Buddismo

Translated from the original Tibetan texts, Esoteric Teachings of the Tibetan Tantra provides a full flavor version of the ancient spiritual texts of Tantric Buddhism. Replete with traditional spiritual practices and meditations, it is an essential resource for any student.
The collection includes Seven Initiation Rituals of the Tibetan Tantra, the Six Yogas of Naropa, plus the Vow of Mahamudra.

PART 1: SEVEN INITIATION RITUALS OF THE TIBETAN TANTRA

CHAPTER ONE. THE INITIATION RITUAL OF THE FIERCE GURU

From the Treasury of Consciousness¹ of the Heavenly Dharma, and among the profound Teachings of the Whisper Succession, this is the Initiation of the Fierce Guru, the most secret of the secret, the Four Inner Teachings condensed in one initiation ritual.

All the practice of the Initiation of the Fierce Guru (Padmasambhava) can be summarized into three performances. (The preparations for the initiation by the guru:) Instantaneously one's self becomes the Fierce Guru, Red in color, with one face and two arms.

In his right hand, he holds a vajra, And in his left, he holds a scorpion² .

At the five parts of his body ³ stand the five deities in armor.

Upon the crown of his head there is a Garuda bird, the king of all creatures.

His right arm embraces the Great Red Mother, And he sits on the cushion of the Sun-Lotus, which is covered with the corpse of a demon.

From the three places ⁴ of the Father and Mother Buddha Shine forth infinite rays of light, After they have shone on all sentient beings and blessed them, They invite the Wisdom Buddha to come down from above, And all merge with him; thus the guru attains the Initiation.

Oṃ Ah Tsiga Nitsi Namobigawadi ⁵ Hūṃ Au Hūṃ Pai!

The Front Arising Buddha [so named because arising through the power of the Ritual Vase in front of the candidate], the Fierce Guru, red in color, Has one face and two arms.

In his right hand is the vajra, in his left the scorpion.

All the wrathful adornments are complete on him.

At the five places are fixed five Skull-Rosary Holders of the Fierce Buddha⁶; And in his heart-center stand the five gods with armor bright.

On the top of his head stands a Garuda bird, the king of all creatures.

In his arms, he holds the Red Mother.

He is the only director of the four inheritances ⁷ , the wrathful one.

In all the corners and directions stand the ten wrathful ones.

In the four directions are manifest the Four Great Kings.

In his heart-center appears a thunderbolt-grasping Buddha, Also holding the Heavenly-Iron-Made wheel of many spokes.

From the center of the wheel shines the red word Hūm.

The main incantation encircles the Hūm word.

The seeds of the retinue deities, together with the red Hūm word,

Radiate the great beams of light which invite the initiation Buddhas to descend.

For this one should render offerings, obeisance, and praise.

Oṃ Ah Tsi Ne Tsi Name Babawadi Hūṃ Ah Pai, Ba-tsa Hūṃ Yauga Hūṃ!

(And then repeat the foregoing prayer once more.)

The Front Arising Buddha… [A gap in the manuscript here.]

All the grace and blessing of the Buddhas are embodied in the Front Vase [which helps concentrate the power of the Gtor-ma as a Leyden-jar type of receptacle].

Oṃ Ah Hūṃ Ahtsi Gani Gana moBagawadi Hūṃ Pai.

Au Hūṃ Pai

The Gtor-ma instantaneously becomes the Fierce Guru, With three faces and six arms.

The right face is white, the left blue.

Beneath is the curved knife, the skull and blood. The vajra and the scorpion are in the two lower arms; In his hands, he also holds the sword and the stick.

His body glows red as the burning flame.

The Six Ornaments adorn him.

He stretches one foot and bends the other; The two feet are spread wide apart.

The five Lotus-born deities remain at the five places.

His left arm hugs the Blue Mother-Buddha.

From her heart the seed-word radiates beams of light,

Through which the Wisdom Buddha is invited to descend.

Oṃ Ah Hūṃ Hre Ahtsi Nitsi Ganamobagawadi Hūṃ Hūṃ Pai Ah Hūṃ Hūṃ Pai. Batsa Hūṃ Yagha Hūṃ Ragsha Hūṃ.

(Toward the Front Vase and Gtor-ma one should practice the initiation incantation, repeating as aforesaid. Perform the eight offerings ⁸ .)

Oṃ Ah Hūṃ Guru Dasasariwa Ra Ahmarda Banemta Gagta Kahe Ah Gm… Hūṃ! Subdue all beings in the Three Kingdoms.

He is the Vajra, Victor over female demons, the Bhagavad, Standing in a black-red blazing flame.

He has three eyes, wide open, angry!

His two feet, far apart as in running, trample the corpse of the female demon; To the scorpion holder, the Fierce Guru, I render obeisance and praise.

(Then the disciples perform the Cleansing Ritual ⁹ and the Mandala Offering.)

Now, I am going to relate to you a brief history of this initiation. In the Pure Land of Aog-min resided the Buddha All-Perfect ¹⁰ with the five Divisional Buddhas and infinite Bodhisattvas encircling him. Before Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, Buddha All-Perfect urged Buddha Amida to preach the Tantra of the Fierce Guru, called the Origin of the Light, and to preach also the Tantra of Expelling the Spirit of the Prideful One. Immediately all the devils of disease, non-men demons, and MaSran demons became fiercely angry. They raised the Eight-Divisional Demonic Forces as a sweeping storm. Thereupon Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara went before the Lotus-Born Guru (Padmasambhava) and urged him, saying:

"This is the time to subdue the Eight Divisions of Demons in this world. This is the time for you the Fierce Guru to display your miracle powers."

Thereupon the Lotus-Born transformed himself into the body of the Fierce Guru. (He cried:)

"Śri! This is the roaring voice of the Great Powerful One!

I now conquer you, the Eight-Divisional Demons!" [i.e. the demons of the eight divisions of space.]

(By his saying this all demons were conquered.)

"After the subjugation—Samaya Hūṃ Pai!"

(Thus the demons were commanded to observe the precepts.)

"I am the combined body of all Buddhas, the Wrathful One!

Who else is more powerful than I?

All the potentialities of the Tathagatas converge in me.

I am the most powerful of the forceful ones.

What I desire is the hearts of the Eight-Divisional Demons!

What I like to eat and drink is their flesh and blood!"

With fiery anger he wrenched out the hearts of all the Eight-Divisional Demons, and crushed them on the plain. Afterward he revived them and said:

"When hungry I am the being who eats the flesh of the male demons. When thirsty, I drink the blood of the she-demons. When active, I tear the double-sexed demons to pieces."

After saying this, he ate all the hearts of the Eight Divisional Demons who had committed sinful deeds. At the time of eclipse, he collected all the sinful flesh and blood of the demons into a huge heap as a sacrificial food to benefit the scorpions¹¹ and ate them all. Thereupon, the Eight-Divisional Demons called for help and begged for forgiveness. Then he agreed that at every eclipse time he would provide blood and flesh to the Eight-Divisional demons in the Three Regions, and thereby prohibited them from killing sentient beings. In order to prevent them from further slaughter, he gave them the Krum Ga¹² , the Chief Mandala's food [Note the personification of the mandala]. Whoever among the demons should break the rules, he declared, would be punished and offered as sacrificial food to the numerous scorpions.

Thereupon, all demons assembled together to witness the flesh-adornment. Those who had broken the rules were sent as sacrificial food to the scorpions. The offenders all cried and begged for mercy, but to no av...

Table of contents

• PART 1: SEVEN INITIATION RITUALS OF THE TIBETAN TANTRA
• PART 2. THE SIX YOGAS OF NAROPA
• APPENDIX: THE VOW OF MAHAMUDRA
• EDITOR'S NOTE
• THE VOW OF MAHAMUDRA