Introduction 3.2.2: The Sequence of the actual Foundation of Empowerment

[Introduction (3): Empowerment and Its Result—(B). The Entry and Empowerment of the Student (in the maṇḍala)—(2): The sequence of the actual foundation of Empowerment]

The second aspect (of the entry and empowerment of the student—is the procedure for the actual empowerment. It has two parts, of which the former comprises the ten empowerments of beneficence.

The Ten Empowerments of Beneficence

These are described as follows (Ch. 10, 9-10):

When the empowerments have been conferred
Of crown-ornament, diadem, rosary.
Armour, victory-banner, seals,
Parasol, vase, food & drink.
And of the five essences,
Henceforth one will become a son of the Conqueror,
Will be without all evil existences,
Will have the excellent happiness of longevity,
And become a master of celestial realms and liberation!

The student is radiantly visualised as a deity, and then a crownornament of gemstones is fastened (to the head), whereby he is empowered as a doctrinal king of the three world-systems, and crowned by the five enlightened families to indicate that this is Irreversible. The advantage of this (empowerment) is that the aggregates of consciousness become radiant as the five pristine cognitions.

The diadem is then attached (to the head), the advantage (of this empowerment) being that skillful means and discriminative awareness are coalesced. By (the empowerment of) the rosary one obtains the advantages of the branches of enlightenment, and of retention (of mantras) and contemplation. Similarly, by (the empowerment of) armour, one is unharmed by the weapons of conflicting emotions, and one purifies the network of 13 million energy channels.^[1] By (the empowerment of) the victory banner, one conquers disharmonious aspects and is triumphant in battle over saṃsāra. By (the empowerment of) the seals, the forty-two (syllabic) aggregates of thought attain the level of the Cyclical Mass of Syllables.^[2] By (the empowerment of) the parasol, one is protected from the torments of conflicting emotion, and a rain of spirituality descends, purifying the thirty-two petalled lotus-centre in the skull (dung-khang).^[3] By (the empowerment of) the vase, the stains of conflicting emotion are purified, and the mind is mollified by an unceasing stream of water. The (empowerment of) food & drink causes the desired attributes to arise as ornaments, thereby removing degeneration and bringing satisfaction through the bliss of concentration. And (the empowerment of) the five essences purifies the five conflicting emotions and five components into the five pristine cognitions and five enlightened families respectively. At the time when these ten empowerments are conferred through their respective sacraments of empowerment, one should visualise that one is endowed with the ability of the excellent body, speech, mind, attributes and activities of all the buddhas.

The essence of these (empowerments of beneficence) is described as follows in the Tantra of the Penetrating Magical Net (NGB. Vol. 15):

The ten elements, the two “pathways of bliss”,
The contents of the central channel,^[4]
The energy channels which form a network of knots.^[5]
And the sense-organs, components and so forth
Become blissful centres of pristine cognition,
And this blissful pristine cognition (is symbolised by) HŪṂ.
The eight aggregates (of consciousness)
Become the five natural pristine cognitions.
The sacraments of mantras wich are intentionally adopted
Arise on all sides, and through their protection
Liberation from suffering is correctly ascertained.

The Five Empowerments of Ability:

1. The Empowerment of the Listener

The latter part comprises the five empowerments of ability, among which the first is the empowerment of the listener (nyan-pa'i dbang):^[6]

The Guru, i.e. the male & female consorts in union, becomes radiant as the male & female central deities, and from their point of union, a reddish yellow syllable BHRUṂ emanates, and is visualised to make contact within the student's ear. With the ritual vajra (the guru) places a drop of nectar thereon, melting the syllable BHRUṂ so that it confers on the (student’s) two ears (the shape of a celestial palace) with its four-spoked circle, four rightangled corners and four gates. Therein, are five pairs or ten single syllables TRĀṂ, along with the syllables JAḤ, HŪṂ, VAṂ, HOḤ, which melt into light, and are thence radiantly visualised as eighteen (deities). These comprise the ten deities of the palace, i.e. the male & female Ratnasambhava surrounded in their four directions by Vajraratna, Vajrasūrya, Vajradhvaja, and Vajrapāśa with their female consorts Mālyā, Puṣpā, Pāśā, and Vajrasukhī; along with the male & female gate-keepers.^[7] Then, the four female deities of the seals issue forth from the heart-centre of the guru, and the beings of pristine cognition (jñānasattva) similar to them are invited from Akaniṣṭha.^[8] Dissolving (into their respective beings of commitment) they purify all obscurations in general, and those obscurations connected with listening to the doctrine in particular. The student and the deity melt into light, and are visually created as Ratnasambhava.

Entrusting the volume of the Secret Nucleus (T. 832) to him, (the Guru) makes the following proclamation (Ch. 10, 3):

TRĀṂ! One should listen to all secrete—
Which are secret, most secret, and supremely secret.
One should examine the secret meaning itself,
And thence it should not be divulged to others.

The subsequent (four empowerments of ability) are arranged in a similar manner.

2. The empowerment of the meditator:

The second is the empowerment of the meditator (sgom-pa'i dbang), according to which the maṇḍala of the deity on whom one’s flower has landed is visually created from the seedsyllables of its five enlightened families.

Melting into light, it is recreated as that very deity, who entrusts (the student) with the rosary, which is a sacrament of empowerment, and utters the following verses (Ch. 10, 4):

OṂ Great son of the conquerors of the three times.
Grasp the indestructible reality
Of Buddha-body, speech and mind!
Make offerings which please all the conquerors.
And be evenly united with all the conquerors.

Buddhaguhya adds that the sacrament of empowerment is (not a rosary) but actually a vajra because (in his view) it is visualised that within the heart is the syllable HŪṂ, which transforms into a vajra, and then becomes Akṣobhya.^[9]

3. The Empowerment of the Expositor:

The third is the empowerment of the expositor ('chad-pa'i dbang). The syllable BHRUṂ emerges on the tongue, and is transformed into a celestial palace, within which are the syllables HRĪḤ and JAḤ HŪṂ VAṂ HOḤ. From these one visualises that there emerge, in the previous manner, the male & female Amitābha, (surrounded by) the deities Vajradharma, Vajratīkṣṇa, Vajracakra, and Vajravāk, along with their female consorts Gītā, Ālokā, Sphoṭā, and Dyuticitrā (gsal-bkra-ma).^[10]

Entrusting into the hand (of the student) a sharp-edged wheel which is the sacrament of empowerment, he utters the following verses (Ch. 10, 6):

OṂ The unsurpassed nectars of the doctrine
Are poured to satisfy faithful individuals.
Corresponding to those of superior, mediocre.
And inferior intelligence,
The secrets should be proclaimed, but not otherwise.

4. The Empowerment of Enlightened Activity:

The fourth is the empowerment of enlightened activity (phrin-las-kyi dbang): The celestial palace which was previously (visualised) emerges on the two hands (of the student), and within it are the syllables HĀṂ and so forth. Through transformation, these are visualised to emerge, in the previous manner, as the male & female Amoghasiddhi (surrounded by) the deities Vajrakarma, Vajrarakṣita, Vajrayakṣa and Vajramuṣṭi (rdo-rje khu-tshur) and their respective female consorts Nartī, Gandhā (byug-pa), Kiṅkiṇī (dri-'khrol) and Praveśā ('bebs-ma).^[11]

Entrusting the crossed-vajra which is a sacrament of empowerment Into the hand (of the student), he utters the following verses (Ch. 10, 5):

OṂ You should engage in activity of indestructible reality.
Perform all activities without exception.
All the emanations and absorptions
Of the multitude of intermediaries
Perform your requirements!

5. The Empowerment of the King of Indestructible Reality:

The fifth is the empowerment of the king of indestructible reality (rdo-rje rgyal-po'i dhang): One meditates that on the head and limbs there are five maṇḍalas, outside of which is a ring of wrathful deities. Now, on the shoulder to the right side of the head there are the male & female Akṣobhya, surrounded in the four directions by Sattvavajra, Ratnavajra, Dharmavajra, Karmavajra, and their respective female consorts Sthiravajrā (ldan-ma / brtan-ma rdo-rje). Jvalavajrā, Valivajrā (sdud-ma rdo-rje), and Kṣobhyavajrā. On the head are the male & female Vairocana with their retinue of Vajrasattva, Vajrarāja, Vajrarāga (rdo-rje chags-pa), and Vajrasādhu, and their respective female consorts Vajralāsyā, Dhūpā, Aṅkuśā, and Tārā.^[12] On the left shoulder is the maṇḍala of Ratnasambhava, as previously described. On the right and left legs respectively are the maṇḍalas of Amoghasiddhi and Amitābha, as before. in the ten cardinal directions outside (the body), including zenith and nadir, one meditates on the maṇḍala of the ten wrathful deities.^[13]

The beings of pristine cognition become absorbed therein, and, Joyfully united, they melt into light. Thereby, the student is visualised as Samantabhadra.

The vajra and bell which are sacraments of empowerment are entrusted into his hands, and a permissory initiation is granted with the following verses (Ch. 10, 7):

OṂ Great indestructible reality
Of the body, speech and mind
Of all the ten directions and four times.
Creator of all maṇḍalas!
Enact the gift of all maṇḍalas!

Then, a maṇḍala is offered and prayers are made in connection with the profound empowerments (zab-dbang): The guru, i.e. the male & female consorts, is visualised as the male and female central deities, and their secret centres are consecrated. The “seminal enlightened mind” (byang-chub-kyi sems) produced by their sexual union emerges from the vajra (=penis) of the male consort as a stream of syllables HŪM, and focuses on the tip of the lotus (=vagina) of the female consort, where it becomes radiant as the body of Vajrasattva and is placed directly on the tongue of the student. In this way, the secret empowerment of skillful means (thabs-kyi gsang-dbang) is conferred.

If it is impossible to receive this (empowerment), the disciple should extract the “seminal enlightened mind" from the tip of the lotus of the female consort. This is the secret empowerment of discriminative awareness (shes-rab-kyi gsang-dbang).

And if that too is impossible, (the “seminal enlightened mind") is extracted from the secret centres of the male & female consorts by the tongue of the male consort, and then directly transposed on the tongue of the student. in this way, the secret empowerment in which skillful means and discriminative awareness are without duality (thabs shes-rab gnyis-su med-pa'i gsang-dbang) is conferred.^[14] Placed directly on the tongue in this way, the stream of nectar descends to the heart. The deeds of the six classes of living beings and the propensities for sleep are purified, and the mind should abide in a disposition of bliss, radiance, and non-conceptualisation.^[15]

Then the mother, herself representing discriminative awareness (prajñāpāramitā). and the disciple are consecrated, as in the secret empowerment: The “seminal enlightened mind”, the product of their meditative equipoise, descends on the tip of the lotus, and is thence potently reversed by the guru who becomes radiant in that disposition of bliss. This is the empowerment of discriminating pristine cognition (shes-rab ye-shes-kyi dbang).^[16]

Then, one is Introduced to this disposition of bliss as a nature without inherent existence, and as the essence of the Great Perfection free from all extremes of conceptual elaboration. This is the conclusive path, the empowerment of supreme bliss (bde-ba chen-po'i dbang).^[17]

According to this (tradition), the guru cannot confer the secret empowerment on others unless he has received the empowerment of discriminating pristine cognition; and the student also does not traverse the path unless he has completed the empowerments. The empowerments are therefore conferred and received in this manner.

Conclusion:

The preceding account refers to those students of powerful intelligence who are free from attachment. During the path of liberation which is followed by those of little intellectual ability, on the other hand, (the empowerments) are achieved simply through contemplation and through pills compounded of the nectar of enlightenment.^[18]

There are also some who claim that this (tradition of the Secret Nucleus) refers only to the secret empowerment, but they do not discern the actual and implicit meanings (of this text).^[19]

Concerning the sequence of those (empowerments of ability) the Indestructible Reality (NGB. Vol. 15) says:

The seed is planted by the first.
Ability is generated by the second.
Experience is cultivated by the third.
The real nature is secured by the fourth.
And one who experientially cultivates the fifth with steadfastness
Will achieve the supreme accomplishment in this lifetime.

Now, there are some masters of the past who hold that these (empowerments) number eighteen, namely, the ten empowerments of beneficence, the five empowerments of ability, and the three empowerments of profundity. Some also hold that there are sixteen when the three empowerments of profundity are subsumed together.

In this tradition however, the empowerments are subsumed into two categories, namely, empowerments of beneficence and empowerments of ability, making fifteen. Here, the empowerments of profundity are subsumed within the empowerments of ability.^[20]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Tibetan rtsa-gnas dra-ba'i tshul-du gnas-pa sa-ya-phraz bcu-gsum. On the enumeration of energy channels. see also below, pp. 1006-1007.

[2]:

Tibetan rtog-tshogs bzhi-bcu rtsa-gnyis refers to the unpurified nature of the forty-two syllables. See Ch. 4. Also, on yi-ge 'khor-lo'i tshogs-chen-gyi sa, see above. Ch. 6, pp. 661, 672-673.

[3]:

On the nature of the crown-centre or mahāsukhacakra. see above Ch. 1, p. 404, and below. Ch. 13, p. 1007.

[4]:

I.e. the elements which form the bodies of the male & female consorts, their inner pathways of bliss, alone with the essential seminal fluids in the central channel.

[5]:

Tibetan mdud tshad-ldan-par dra-ba'i rtsa.

[6]:

On the following five empowerments of ability (nus-pa'i dbang-lnga). see also below, Ch. 10, pp. 870-877.

[7]:

On the male consorts forming the retinue of the five central deities, see T. Skorupski, Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatantra. pp. 311-312, note 5, where they appear in almost identical forms as the "sixteen Vajrasattvas". For Vajrasūrya (rdo-rje nyi-ma). the latter reads Vajratejas, and for Vajrapāśa (rdo-rje zhags-pa) it reads Vajrahāsa (rdo-rje bzhad-pa). Among the consorts of the first four, Vajrasukhī corresponds to rdo-rje bde-ma. The male & female gatekeepers in this context of Ratnasambhava are the pair among the khro-bo bcu & khro-mo bcu who guard the southern gate. See below, p. 936.

[8]:

Tibetan phyag-rgya Iha-mo bzhi indicates the four female gatekeepers, Aṅkuśā, Pāśā, Sphoṭā, and Gaṇṭhā. See e.g., Ch. 1, p. 430.

[9]:

This view of Buddhaguhya's ('grel-pa rnam-dbye) is not accepted by Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, gsang-bdag dzongs-rgyan. p. 287, who explains the sacrament of this empowerment to be a rosary.

[10]:

Vajravāk (rdo-rje smra-ba). Cf. T. Skorupski, op. cit., p. 312, Vajrabhāṣa.

[11]:

For Vajrarakṣita (rdo-rje bsrung-ba) & Vajramuṣṭi (rdo-rje khu-tshur), the latter gives Vajrarakṣa and Vajrasandhi.

[12]:

Cf. T. Skorupski, op. cit.. p. 312. Sthiravajrā (brtan-ma rdo-rje) is rendered here as Idan-ma rdo-rje, but see below, p. 935, where brtan-ma rdo-rje is given.

[13]:

On the khro-bo bcu. see above, note 11.

[14]:

On these three forms of the secret empowerment, see also below, pp. 812ff., 870-871. Note, as stated below, p. 803, that this empowerement is acquired symbolically in the form of sacramental pills by the majority of practitioners.

[15]:

Tibetan bde-gsal mi-rtog-pa.

[16]:

On the reversal of "seminal enlightened mind” upwards through the body, see below. Ch. 11, pp. 900-914 and 1010-1019.

[17]:

This is equivalent to the 'dod-chags chen-po'i dbang-bskur, which concludes the path of Anuyoga. See NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 2, p. 62.

[18]:

At the present day, empowerments are generally conferred in this symbolic manner.

[19]:

The shes-rab ye-shes-kyi dbang is indicated implicitly in Ch. 10, section 2.

[20]:

I.e. in Ch. 10, sections 2-7.