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Return to Buddhism, Vajrakilaya, Vajrakilaya - A Complete Guide by Garchen Rinpoche Table of Contents, Kyabje Garchen Rinpoche

“ (VkGarR)

CHAPTER 11

Practical Applications of the Instructions

Carrying Retreat Experience into Daily Life

For a practitioner who wishes to give rise to the clear appearance of the Deity, group accomplishment retreats are particularly important. If one is able to participate in even one such retreat, it creates imprints in the mind that can serve as future points of reference. Reciting the mantra and hearing its syllables and melody, reading the sadhana, and giving [[rise to the Deity's clear appearance — all these trainings establish the mind in a state of great purity, which helps to clear away dualistic propensities. Through the force of engaging the practice with others, one can gain an experience of nonduality, which can be carried into daily life.

The mind of the Deity is the dharmakāya — the empty nature. The appearance of the Deity is the nondual union of clarity and emptiness — the Saṁbhogakāya. The way the Deity manifests among beings out of great love and compassion is the Nirmāṇakāya. Through practicing together with the vajra master and other sādhakas who have stable meditation experience, one can receive the blessings of the Deity's Three Kāyas and can give rise to the supreme and common siddhis. Even if one were to practice Deity Yoga consistently alone in one's home — chanting and playing the bell and ḍamaru — it would be difficult for an individual to give rise to the same sort of beneficial experiences that can arise in a group setting.

When meditators come together to do a practice like this, they temporarily set aside ordinary worldly activities in order to engage in visualization and Mantra recitation. Through the power of this practice, combined with the blessing of the Deity's love, ordinary thoughts and emotions are suspended. When, in this way, attachment and aversion temporarily cease, one's suffering also ceases. The fact that one can have this sort of experience of bliss and ease during the retreat is a sign of receiving the Deity's blessing. This is like a small child feeling comfortable and at ease in the presence of his or her mother. It is because of the mother's love that the child feels such ease. Similarly, when engaging the practice, meditators directly experience the Deity's love.

Once one has been exposed to this sort of group retreat and its benefits, that experience carries forward into one's daily activities. The moment one merely recalls the mantra and its melody, it can bring back a vivid experience of being together with the vajra master and one's vajra siblings in the mandala of the Deity. When this is understood, one realizes the preciousness of group accomplishment retreats, since they create the causes for sādhakas to accomplish together the Deities' kāyas and pure fields.

It is important that practitioners not become fixated on the outer condition of group retreats, though. Many people assume these good experiences are a result of being in the physical presence of the guru. This is not at all the case. This error arises due to gross fixation on outer phenomena as being real and true. One must understand that it is through the mind of the guru that one experiences blessings. This mind is not subject to birth or death. When one knows the mind of the guru to be the Deity, the physical location of the master becomes irrelevant. Even in the future, when the guru transitions from this life and he or she is no longer physically present, one can have confidence that the blessing of the Guru's Mind endures. Now that the secret accomplishment retreat has been established, whether I am here or not, you students must cherish it, carry it on, and see that its continuity not be broken.

In addition, to carry the retreat experience into daily activities, one must call to mind the form of the Deity and the sound of the mantra again and again. Through the power of having done a retreat like this even once, the sādhaka can reestablish his or her body as the Deity, speech as mantra, and mind as samādhi through mere recollection. Especially when feeling sad or encountering troubles, one should play an audio recording of the mantra. When various afflictions and sufferings arise, if one calls vividly to mind the retreat experience, remembering the mantra or listening to a recording of it, this recollection will cut through all ordinary conceptual thoughts. In this way, one will immediately receive the blessing of the Deity, the vajra master, and all the sādhakas who shared the retreat experience. If this is done many times each day, there is no need for the retreat experience ever to fade. When this recollection is conjoined with a mind of compassion for all those who have not had such fortunate experiences, one can bring manifest benefit to beings suffering in samsara.

Outside of retreat, there are many ways to maintain the continuity of practice without reading the entire sadhana. Indeed, in his Hundred Thousand Songs, Lord Milarepa summarized the essence of daily conduct in his instruction to cause the delusion of the dream state to arise as luminosity, to perceive food and drink as the Gaṇacakra, and to perceive physical movement and stillness as circumambulation.[1] As supports to this, throughout daily activities, one can recite the mantra and recall the development stage visualizations. At home, one can play the recording of the mantra while sleeping at night.

For those who wish to do a daily practice of Vajrakīla, there is a very brief and accessible sadhana that was composed by Khenpo Jigme Phüntsog.[2] Another option is to recite only the verse of praise from the subsequent Rites of the present text, which reads,

HŪ. All the ten directions' and three times'

Buddhas' unified activities

rise up as your body of great force!

Praise and homage — Kīla Deity,

māra tamer with changeless and firm

body void of aging or decline!

Thereafter, one can immediately begin the recitation of mantra. Otherwise, once in a while, as time allows, one can recite the sadhana, always bringing to mind the continually abiding mandala. Within the naturally present Saṁbhogakāya pure field that pervades space is the Immeasurable Palace of wisdom Deities, whose door always remains open. As a practice support, one can set out a single kīla, since the entire mandala is complete therein. Thus, it can stand in for a material mandala.

For personal practice, one can rely on the Practice Manual without supplemental texts.* It is not necessary to make tormas or to recite other texts, such as the bringing down blessings text or the white torma offering text, which are read only in the context of the accomplishment retreat. Since recitation of the Lineage supplication is optional, one may read it or not depending on time and interest. If groups of students can occasionally gather and do the practice together, this is also of great benefit.

Visualizing the Deity

Even when one is going about one's daily activities and not engaged in formal practice, one should bring to mind throughout the day the shape of the HŪ syllable or the form of the yidam. It is a good idea to keep an image of the Deity on one's person and to look at it from time to time. By practicing this way in conjunction with the wish to benefit all sentient ones, the mind can become very clear such that when one closes one's eyes, the image of the Deity will spontaneously appear. At first it is a mere approximation, but as one continues to cultivate the visualization, it will become more and more stable in the mind. In this way, the mind comes to abide on the visualized Deity, using it as a support for meditation.

The point is that one should become able to recall the visualization instantaneously and on demand. One should aim for the visualization to appear clearly as soon as one thinks of the Deity. For this reason, one should call the Deity to mind as often as one can.

To carry the clear appearance of the yidam to its end point is difficult. However, along the way, one should continually make effort not to separate from the Deity's pure appearance, remembering that one's own aggregates, elements, and sense fields are divine. If one does so, pure perception will gradually progress and increase.

What lies between the perception of oneself as divine and the perception of oneself as ordinary? The dividing line is vigilant mindful awareness. When it is present, afflictions are transformed into wisdom. When it is absent, there arise unmitigated afflictions — negative emotions to which no antidote is applied. For example, if someone who doesn't know how to observe the mind becomes angry, karma is accumulated at the very moment of the affliction's arising. A yogin, on the other hand, has an observer — an aspect of the mind that can sense the arising. This distinction is taught in Dzogchen instructions. When the observer is present, the affliction itself is rendered impotent. In that moment, mindful awareness captures its own seat.

So it is with all the other afflictions. They continue to arise for the duration of one's life. To whatever degree one does not separate from mindful awareness — the clear appearance of the Deity — when experiencing negative emotions, one will achieve a corresponding fruition. Through cultivating the observer again and again throughout daily activities, it will become possible for one to attain the Saṁbhogakāya in the bardo. Even though the manifold aspects of the Deity's clear appearance may seem complex, the practice becomes easy when one understands this key point. Through mindful awareness, one will come to know the aggregates and elements of all other sentient ones of the Three Realms to be innately pure gods and goddesses. Then, through recognition, one's own thoughts based in passion and aversion will naturally diminish. Such practice has great potency.

Mantra Recitation

During the secret accomplishment, we practice using a recording of the mantra with melody. When a large group chants a mantra together, some will tend to chant fast and others slow, some will hold the melody well and others will be tone-deaf, and some will chant very loud while others will be almost silent. One benefit of the recording is that it helps keep the group on track despite these differences. It protects the group from going too far astray in their recitation.

In addition, when humans and nonhuman elementals, insects, animals, and the like hear the sounds of the mantra with melody, it causes their thoughts to be suspended and the imprints of Bodhicitta to be established in their minds. Likewise, it diminishes afflictions rooted in passion, aversion, and delusion. When those who have participated in past retreats have had the sounds of their voices captured in a recording of the mantra, then every time the recording is played, it continues to benefit all those who hear it even after they have died.

Because of this, wherever in the six realms one may travel, one will continue to reap the merit of aiding all those beings who hear the mantra. Even when it is not possible to be physically present for a retreat, those whose voices are on the recording will continue to receive the same advantages as if they were actually participating. If the recording is played in people's homes, there are similar benefits. In this way, use of the recording becomes a practice of compassion.

Furthermore, if there are a hundred people reciting in the assembly while listening to a hundred voices on the recording, each individual receives the benefit of having done two hundred recitations.

Following the retreat, the sounds of the mantra can spontaneously arise in the mind, dispelling thoughts and afflictions. The imprints established through the entire group's recitation can transform ordinary outer sounds into mantra in accord with the experiences of great accomplishment. These are some of the excellent qualities of mantra.

For those who have experience in meditation, it is all right to do without the recording. Even so, practitioners should be aware of the special benefits of utilizing recorded mantras. In addition, sādhakas must not think that Mantra recitation is to be sustained only when one is participating in accomplishment retreats or meditation sessions. Rather, for all Secret Mantra yogas of any Deity, it is necessary to cultivate meditation and recitation of mantra continuously and at all times. This is one of the primary means whereby the development stages transform ordinary consciousness into awareness-wisdom.

Since the mantras in the text, with their corresponding visualizations, are specific to the sadhana, it is not necessary to recite or visualize them outside of sessions. Among the many different kinds of mantras, the quintessence mantra (nyenying) is the one that should be recited during daily activities. This mantra is: VAJRAKĪLI KĪLAYA HŪ PHAṬ. When reciting it, there is no need to include the syllable OṀ. The quintessence is like calling out the name of a divine friend. Each time one calls a friend's name, his or her face arises in the mind, reinforcing the connection between friends. In this way, the Deity becomes a stable reliance who helps one to accomplish whatever work must be done.

Generally, when speaking with others, one loses the recitation. However, for sustaining awareness during conversation, the following two methods have been helpful for me.

Vajra Recitation

The first is the vajra recitation of the syllables OṀ ĀḤ HŪ, in which every mantra is subsumed. This can be practiced throughout all one's daily activities. Obviously, during conversation, one need not verbalize the syllables. Rather, one should conjoin mental recitation with the natural breath. With the in-breath, one's focus is on the syllable OṀ. When the breath descends, reaching the belly, one mentally recites the syllable ĀḤ. At that juncture, the pure essence of the breath is absorbed into the ĀḤ syllable, which is the nature of fire that abides at the navel. Then, with the out-breath, one focuses on the HŪ, exhaling only the remaining impure portion of the breath.

With this method, there is no need to visualize any letters at all. Rather, one should simply conjoin the in- and outflow of breath with the natural resounding of OṀ ĀḤ HŪ. When one practices in this way, the act of breathing itself becomes the Mantra recitation. Since one must breathe in order to speak, every word that one utters is conjoined with mantra.

Practitioners should also train in recalling the vajra recitation when falling asleep. Eventually, one will become able to remember it in dreams, which is a great accomplishment. Once the vajra recitation has become stabilized to the point where it is remembered in the dream state, one should focus on the recitation of HŪ alone.

Finally, having become well habituated to the HŪ recitation, one will understand one's own pulse to naturally reverberate with the sound HŪ. When mind and wind energies are conjoined, the pulse throughout one's entire body spontaneously resounds throughout the channels. When one abides in meditation alone, it is unnecessary to do anything in the way of outer recitation. As a sign of having conjoined mind and winds, the mind will not wander outward. The accomplishment of mantra should be understood in this way.

The Seed Syllable

The second method is to focus on the HŪ flame abiding at the navel. The flame pulses with one's natural heartbeat. Together with each pulsation is a spontaneous resounding of the syllable HŪ. This is a simple method one can practice in order to sustain the flow of mantra even while interacting with others.

Antidoting Afflictions and Self-Grasping

No matter how extensive or concise the methods of visualization and Mantra recitation may be, they all come down to the cultivation of vigilant mindful awareness. Thus, there is no need for practitioners to become overwhelmed by the diversity of Secret Mantra methods. Disciples who really want to practice should do nothing but cultivate an undistracted mind. By doing so, they will definitely accomplish greater or lesser siddhis according to their capabilities.

When afflictions arise, it is best to look at the empty nature of the mind. Those who know how to meditate should apply this method to every affliction. By doing so for a couple minutes, one will cause the affliction to dissipate. Then it will return. Meditate again and it dissipates again. One must meditate over and over and over with diligence.

Otherwise, those who prefer to use mantra to antidote afflictions such as aversion must cultivate the awareness that recognizes the aversion in the first place. Generating such awareness is more than half the battle. As soon as the affliction has been recognized, one can recall the mantra in the next moment. With the mantra itself, one calls out to the Deity Vajrakīla. As a result, his power will immediately arise in one's mindstream. In this way, any affliction can be antidoted.

Another method, appropriate for beginners who are not skilled in meditation, is to reflect on the six afflictions as being the seeds of the six realms, where the six types of suffering are experienced. Through contemplating the six sufferings, practitioners can use the six transcendent perfections to tame the six afflictions. Yet another approach is to cultivate stable love and compassion, in whose presence afflictions cannot arise.

When people who are suffering ask for my advice, I instruct them to supplicate Ārya Tārā. Sometimes they reply, “I have already recited so many Tārā mantras and there was no benefit at all!” How does this happen? Those who only approach the Deity when they are completely miserable become very narrow-minded, grasping at suffering and hardship as though they were real. Although they verbally recite the mantra, their minds still dwell upon suffering. In this way, each recited mantra becomes a meditation on misery. If one contemplates suffering again and again, it binds the mind, rendering one stupid and discouraged. This causes one to despair, making things worse and worse. How is suffering on top of suffering supposed to be of benefit?

Practitioners who aspire to achieve results must first cast aside suffering. For example, if I want to benefit a disciple, I need to single pointedly supplicate the yidam such that the disciple himself or herself is forgotten. One can only benefit another by abiding in an unobjectified mind. In this regard, some say it is necessary to supplicate Amitābha for the dead but supplicate Amitāyus for the living. In truth, there is no distinction among Deities; they are one. Since the Deity is the natural expression of Bodhicitta, there will be benefit to beings in this and future lives regardless of which Deity one practices. So, rather than praying to Jambhala for wealth and Amitāyus for longevity, one should focus on whichever Deity is one's own principal yidam — visualizing, supplicating, and reciting his or her mantra without discriminating between the living or the dead and without thinking of helping this being or that one. Since the able force and Bodhicitta developed by the yidam are the nature of the Four Immeasurables, they pervade all beings without exception.

For example, when disciples pray and practice White Tārā for the longevity of a guru, they often think they are aiding that guru alone. This is not at all the case. Deity Yoga first brings benefit to the practitioner. Then, peripherally, the guru's life force is enriched through those roots of virtue. In particular, the connections of Bodhicitta shared among disciples benefit guru and disciples together.

Whenever one gives rise to the notion of wanting to help a particular individual, such as a parent or a companion, since that very concept is conjoined with self-grasping, it will result in part benefit and part harm. It is for this reason that practitioners should aspire to benefit all beings in all circumstances.

An unobjectified mind is similarly important when supplicating to accomplish a particular purpose. In order to truly achieve something, casting away all thought of one's desired goal, one must think of the yidam with single pointed focus. Then, when one's mind is touched by the force of the Deity's great love and compassion, it clears away negative karma, habits, self-grasping, and afflictions. One's aims can be achieved because all the causes of suffering are dispelled by giving [[rise to love for the yidam. Here, I am speaking from experience. If one knows how to supplicate, it will bring great benefit.

We speak of grasping mind and grasped-at objects. More important than the fleeting experience of suffering — the object at which the mind is grasping — is to scatter the grasping mind itself. The point of visualizing the Deity and reciting his or her mantra is to forget one's hardships. It is to scatter the notion “I am suffering.” This is how karma is purified and discriminating intelligence arises. This is the method of antidoting suffering, which allows the mind to rest. That which we call the Deity's blessing is the arising of discriminating intelligence, compassion, and love in one's mind. It is in this way that the Deity conquers practitioners' self-grasping.

If this is habituated, sufferings will be perceived as dreamlike and illusory. Even when hardships are experienced, they will not be perceived as pain. This sort of fruition is definitely achievable.

When positive experiences and signs of accomplishment arise, practitioners should recognize them as indications that self-grasping is being purified. The moment attachment to or expectation of positive experiences arises, the grasping itself will cause such good experiences to vanish. So, although one can be grateful for a sign that one's practice is not mistaken, one should think it is nothing particularly special. Due to the blessings of the Three Jewels and Three Roots, it is fitting that self-grasping should diminish.

The Guru

The practitioner's view of the master can also become a support in integrating practice with daily life. One should see the guru as being full of good qualities. The greater one's realization, the more qualities one will perceive in the guru. When an individual lacks wisdom, he or she sees nothing but faults in others.

Regardless of how the guru may act or what words he or she may say, disciples need only concern themselves with the Dharma the guru teaches. It is this Dharma that one carries after guru and disciple part. Since karmic causality is incontrovertible, the guru is ultimately responsible for his or her own actions.

For example, Master Yangga was a great Yamāntaka yogin. Of his own guru, he said, “In all of this world there is no guru better than Ösal Dorje; in all of Tibet there is no man worse than Ösal Dorje.”

Thus, a skillful disciple will understand how to distinguish worldly qualities from spiritual ones. Very few teachers combine both. Most of the time, someone with worldly qualities will lack spiritual ones and vice versa. A guru must have the spiritual qualities of compassion, wisdom, experience, and, most importantly, love for his or her disciples. If the guru lacks love, no matter how great his or her attributes, they will not arise in disciples' mindstreams. Thus, of primary importance is the guru's love; other qualities are secondary.

In the past, during the fortunate age, disciples were instructed to examine gurus for years before making a commitment and vice versa. However, in this present time, if gurus started examining disciples, they wouldn't find a single suitable follower. If disciples started investigating teachers, they wouldn't find a single suitable guru. Therefore, the less disciples investigate and evaluate the conduct of gurus, the greater their chances of staying focused on that which is meaningful — receiving the sublime Buddha Dharma bestowed by the guru in spite of his or her personal shortcomings. For their part, gurus themselves should also avoid looking into disciples' conduct.

Maintaining the Samaya

Just as guru and disciple must maintain their bond of samaya, so too must sādhakas preserve the samaya among one another. This is done by maintaining love and compassion — the Deity's blessing. If these are lost through jealousy and aversion, although one may practice Deity Yoga, one will end up accomplishing a demon. In particular, demons can manifest as competitiveness among disciples, which leads practitioners astray. When such jealousy and competitiveness are present, if somebody treats one friend well, another friend is lost because he or she feels betrayed. When befriending one Sangha member, one loses another who cannot bear that one has other friends.

When these sorts of problems arise, they transform into demons who produce many sufferings. In this way, practitioners themselves create their own demons with the jealousy and aversion in their minds. Conversely, that which is called the Deity is Bodhicitta. Whoever has Bodhicitta emerges as the actual Deity right now. Thus, although the basis that is Buddha nature is without good or bad qualities, it is veiled by adventitious stains. From the very beginning, gods and demons have lacked inherent existence. It is only under the influence of momentary conditions that the god or the demon appears in an instant. Such adventitious stains are like pure water suddenly becoming tainted by impurity. As a result, one circumstantially experiences the sufferings of the three lower realms.

The Buddha nature shines forth in its innate purity when such defilements have been refined away. As the basis for attaining the status of the Buddhas, it is never lost or spoiled. It is important that practitioners understand this. As long as one has self-grasping, aversion and jealousy will arise of their own accord. Thus, one must take care to guard the samaya among vajra siblings.

Pure Perception

By understanding the singular basis of the mind of the Buddhas and sentient beings, one can recognize confusion as confusion whenever it arises. Through recognition, delusion will be destroyed in its own place. In this regard, the All-Knowing Longchen Rabjam said in his Treasury of Experiential Pith Instructions, “When thoughts are liberated in their own place, then there is no need to abandon samsara.”[3] This is a very profound point of Mantric practice. There is no instruction on Secret Mantra that is not included in this statement.

Generally, when people engage in ordinary talk, if the words are pleasing, one laughs; when the words are unkind, one cries. So, based on sounds, different feelings and emotions arise. Through the recitation of mantra and visualization of the Deity's form, imprints of body, speech, and mind are refined away. The effect of this is that one becomes free of good and bad feelings.

Whenever there arises grasping at things as real, practitioners should leave it in the natural state. By abiding in the space-like union of clarity and emptiness, the mind thinks nothing at all — neither that things exist nor that they do not exist. The final point of Secret Mantra is to become free of grasping. This causes appearances to spontaneously arise as the Deity. Even though the outer container and diverse objects may appear, and even though one is capable of distinguishing between good and bad, one remains free of grasping at those distinctions as being real and true. So even the notion of superior and inferior quality is an illusion, like a program on a television screen.

On that basis, sounds manifest purely, causing whatever is heard to be indistinguishable from self-resounding mantra. Since all the different kinds of talk based on attachment and aversion are meaningless, one need not become attached to praise or get angry about insults and unkind words. Thus, being free of attachment to sounds is the realization of sounds as mantra.

Freedom from grasping at forms and sounds comes from the ground of mind itself. When the mind is free of grasping at things as being real, the manifestations of forms as the Deity and of sounds as mantra naturally arise. Thus, we speak of the three vajras: (1) vajra body, empty appearance; (2) vajra speech, empty sound; and (3) vajra mind, empty rigpa. Practitioners of Secret Mantra must sustain the samaya of these three. Merely through abiding in the view, all three are naturally accomplished.

Those who have entered the door of Secret Mantra must train in the pure perception of self and others. This does not mean that one should superimpose a concept of purity on that which is tainted. Rather, it means that one must do away with the deluded views of ordinary beings, whose impure minds have not yet recognized the primordial purity of phenomena. From the Secret Mantra perspective, pure perception is simply the recognition of things as they truly are. The moment one comprehends this, one realizes, “Oh! My failure to understand basic purity was my own error. My impure perceptions were reflections of my own confusion!” By calling to mind the purity of phenomena, one instantaneously experiences the potency of Secret Mantra's meaning. Thus, pure perception is of principal importance for all you Dharma companions. Even a single moment of pure perception brings about inconceivable merit. Pure perception itself is the fruition of Secret Mantra practice. Whoever conceives of the container and contents as being pure in nature will experience emancipation. For such individuals, the ground of the Buddhas is close at hand. This is my heartfelt advice.

Benefiting Beings

Those who have given rise to the altruistic intent will still face doubts such as “Even though I wish I could benefit beings, how can someone with my limited abilities actually accomplish others' purpose? I am not really capable of liberating beings from suffering.” Such doubts should be recognized as manifestations of self-grasping.

In the development stage trainings one imagines oneself as a heruka of inconceivable power and might. His capacity to benefit beings through Enlightened body, speech, and mind — symbols, meanings, and signs — is without limit. From his terrifying form, there stream forth myriad emanations great and small who spontaneously accomplish the Four Activities. Thus, through the skillful means of development and completion, one receives the wisdom Deities' actual blessings. In this way, ego-based defeatism and doubt are overcome, causing one to act swiftly and without hesitation in benefiting others.

Someone who has fixed ideas about how the benefit to beings should appear sets oneself up for discouragement, thinking that one's practice has had no positive effect. It is important to understand that when the state of Buddhahood has been attained, the mind pervades all phenomena without any obstruction at all. The five elements are completely pervaded by the Buddhas of the five families and their consorts. Since every substantial thing is comprised of the five elements, there exists no material phenomenon that is not an emanation of the Buddhas. So, for example, whenever someone is benefited by food and drink, that person is actually experiencing the Buddhas' blessings. When Buddhahood is attained, the sādhaka realizes this.

Even right now, before the fruition has become manifest, one can spontaneously accomplish beings' benefit and ease merely through the power of the mind itself. Each time one gives rise to compassion, one accomplishes actual benefit for beings, even though the results are not perceived. So, at present, when realization has not yet been attained, it makes no sense to search for a result. Such searching will only increase dualistic views. Cause and result will not be understood until Buddhahood has been attained. Only at that juncture will one perceive all the virtue one has accumulated before as well as the spontaneously accomplished benefit resulting from one's actions.

Concluding Points

In his ”Four Dharmas,“ Lord Gampopa — the Precious One from Dagpo — taught, “The mind turns to Dharma. Dharma becomes the path. The path dispels confusion. Confusion dawns as primordial awareness.”[4] It is easy for one's mind to turn to Dharma; however, after that, one's Dharma must become the path. This happens through the force of the altruistic intent, the path of the Four Immeasurables.

In general, there are countless diverse branches of Dharma practice and it is not possible to cut through to the essence of them all by means of words and concepts. However, by relying on the Four Immeasurables, one will traverse an unmistaken path, regardless of which spiritual tradition, tenet system, or master one follows. It is only through engaging the actual practice that one will be able to gain direct experience and thereby settle the point of the teachings' and yogas' inner meaning. Since the essence can only be understood through looking inward at the mind, there is no benefit to talking a lot about it.

Furthermore, within the Vajrakīla Practice manual one finds vast and detailed visualizations. If one thinks about each individual aspect separately, it can cause concepts to proliferate. Since it is not possible for beginners to engage every detail of this vast visualization, it is important to focus on the most essential point. That point is to visualize the seed syllable HŪ.

Through the actual practice of focusing the mind on the seed syllable, the qualities of the development stages will naturally arise by degrees. For example, when a seed is planted in the ground and is nurtured with moisture, sunlight, and the like, it will naturally sprout, give rise to a bud, and bear fruits and flowers. The practice of meditation is similar. When one focuses on the seed and cultivates it through awareness, all the myriad aspects of the visualization described in the text will spontaneously arise.

There exist extensive commentaries on this practice and there is much about it that I do not know. If one wishes to focus on all the fine details, I would suggest reading the texts that are available in translation and asking questions of knowledgeable gurus. As for me, the one thing I know is this: if one wants to experience the actual essence of the practice, it must be cultivated through meditation. The door of entry into that meditation is to visualize the letter HŪ, which is inseparable from loving kindness and compassion. That causal HŪ syllable, the nature of Bodhicitta, is the very basis on which the complete Deity clearly appears.

In this regard, in Tibet we say that once one has been satisfied by eating bread, there is no need to be concerned with the details about what sort of seed the farmer planted, how it grew, how the grain was harvested and ground into flour, and so forth. Similarly, if one gets a new car, one must give it basic maintenance in order for it to run properly. Yet, if one obsesses about every single detail of how the car was put together, where its parts came from, and what they look like, one will end up disassembling the car piece by piece until it becomes a useless heap that cannot carry one from one place to the next. Thus, rather than focusing on every small outer detail, sādhakas must gain confidence about the inner meaning.

This sadhana, or method of accomplishment, comes to us through a lineage of blessing and practice. Thus, there will be very little benefit from mere conceptual understanding that arises through study without practice. Conversely, even if one does not have much understanding of the details, if one merely practices the main point of the sadhana, the other aspects will gradually be revealed through practice.

Every single facet of the inner meaning of Vajrakīla Practice is subsumed within the Four Kīlas. Those Four Kīlas can be further condensed into the following three points: the life force that is conduct, the abyss of meditation, and the fortress of the view. Those three can be further condensed into the fortress of the view alone. That view, which is the nature of mind, is the essential basis on which all other Vajrakīla Practices have evolved.

Dedication

In conclusion, I can make no greater dedication than the one found in the Practice Manual itself:

Having changed and made complete the two

gatherings massed throughout the three times through

my and others' bodies, speech, and minds,

they're transferred for great reality.

May the fruit — nondual essence — be gained!

Past, present, and future samsara and Nirvana — no matter how deep and vast they may be — come down to dualistic grasping at self and other. As long as self and other exist, there will be the apparent duality of samsara and Nirvana.

The entirety of sentient ones' merit is manifested through actions of body, speech, and mind. These include even the smallest actions, such as placing one's palms together in faith, speaking even one word that accords with the teachings on karmic causality, and giving [[rise to even the slightest virtuous thought. Such physical, verbal, and mental actions arisen through loving kindness, compassion, and affection are the causes that bring happiness and ease to the sentient. One should dedicate all such virtues of body, speech, and mind — those that have been gathered in the past, those being gathered right now, and all those yet to be gathered.

In truth, the altruistic mind is the accumulation of merit. Whenever the merit accumulation is gathered, the wisdom accumulation also occurs. How? To whatever degree one exhausts self-grasping through the altruistic mind, primordial awareness will become correspondingly clear. Thus, the merit accumulation leads to the fruition that is the wisdom accumulation. Eventually, when one becomes entirely devoid of self-grasping, one will be freed of grasping at duality. The wisdom accumulation should be understood as becoming nondual.

For example, when someone with clinging and attachment to self and others trains by thinking of nothing but benefiting others again and again, the self gradually becomes exhausted. Eventually, through the power of immeasurable loving kindness, the purpose of all sentient ones will remain constantly in one's mind — without one even being aware of the shift. Over and over, the well-being of this entire world will suddenly shine forth in one's mindstream. At those junctures, one is free of a self. When the actual condition of the mind is seen, that is the accumulation of primordial awareness-wisdom. In this way, the mind becomes like space. One becomes able to comprehend the all-encompassing nature of space, in which there is no duality. This is the accumulation of wisdom.

In brief, what is the connection between the two accumulations? The root of all sentient ones' suffering is the self. Each time one gives rise to compassion for others, it benefits oneself. To whatever degree one has compassion for another, one's self-grasping becomes correspondingly diminished. This is called the accumulation of merit. When one repeatedly exhausts the self, causing it to become less and less, discerning intelligence becomes greater and greater, just as when a block of ice melts, the volume of free-flowing water increases, merging into the vast ocean. Finally, the entire ocean will become free of any ice floes. Such is the wisdom accumulation. In this way, the two accumulations are conjoined. The purposes of oneself and others are accomplished together.

Beings have all sorts of pure and impure motivations for accumulating merit. The omniscient Buddhas, through their compassionate blessings, are capable of transforming all motivations tainted by impurity into unmixed, unadulterated intentions. Once all such roots of virtue have been made complete, they are transferred for great reality. This ultimate, nonreferential, nonconceptual threefold purity is completely free of any individual who dedicates or any act of dedication.

The final fruition will be the ability to fathom the mind that is the indivisibility of self and other. That nonduality is the status of all the Buddhas. By these virtues, may the fruit — nondual essence — be gained!

Skip Notes

• This means that for daily practice, the Practice Manual can be recited without the sections marked by the vertical khaṭvāṅga icon.

” (VkGarR)

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• Vajrakilaya - A Complete Guide by Garchen Rinpoche