Part 3a.3 - The conduct accompanying that

3.a) General

The conduct accompanying that established the benefits of the view and meditation and the special qualities. As for the essence, after meditating in samadhi, guarding the experience in post- meditation brings the benefit of mixing meditation and post meditation. Moreover in terms of the lesser conduct of shravakas and the supreme conduct of bodhisattvas, as the benefit for oneself, by pacification and taming non-virtue of body and speech is bound. As the benefit for others there is the conduct of the six perfections.

3.b) The four teachings of the vast and extensive secret mantra for:

3.b.1) The Conduct of Beginners

As for the first, chiefly activities between sessions are done. There are the yogas of food, torma, making tsha tshas, water offering to the pretas, mandalas, prostrations, and reciting sutras; seven fold service, offerings of writing and such, the ten Dharma activities.

As for the practice, the preliminary part is arousing bodhicitta. The main aspect is the unborn. Afterwards complete the practice by dedicating the merit. As for the ten Dharma activities, The Tantra of Realizing all the Actions of the Oral Instructions (chos spyod thams cad kyi man ngag mngon par rtogs pa’i rgyud) says:

Transcribing, doing pujas, giving, and listening;
Reading and comprehending, explaining, and reciting,
Contemplating and meditating on these things.
These ten acts of Dharma have limitless merit.

3.b.2) Those for whom a little experience has arisen

When a little experience has arisen through these, it is called the practice of Samantabhadra. As for this second topic, in the practice of those for who this has arisen somewhat, experience arising in meditation becomes of equal taste with post-meditation, and is joined with all the self-appearances of the senses.

As within the meditation of the developing stage, when we meditate on the mandala of the yidam deity and in post-meditation too all appearances are viewed as the illusion-like divine mandala. Become familiar with that.

Within the meditation of the completion stage, whatever experiences of the nyam arise are joined in equal taste to all the self-appearances of post-meditation. In brief, when the practitioner rises from meditation, and when various objects are experienced, at the time of enjoying form, sound, smell, taste, and touchables, all these are known to have the nature of the deities. They are also known as one’s own mind.

By knowing the mind as emptiness by the deities make offerings to the deities. Wisdom plays as wisdokm. By experiencing this as dharmata dissolving into dharmata, all the sense appearances of post-meditation become associated with the path. Our own five skandhas are OM, the five fathers. Form and so forth, their five objects, are MUUM, the five consorts. Clothing and so forth are HUM, the offering deities. Practice by visualizing these. The Secret Essence says:

All the senses, limbs and consciousness,
Are known as the completely ripened OM.
Meditate on the perfect mandala
And on the mandala of wrathful ones.

Form and sound, smell and taste and touch^[1]
Become the completely ripened syllable MŪM.
Meditate on the mandala of the consorts.
And on the mandala of wrathful consorts.

Clothes and ornaments, eating, drinking, and songs,
Verses and dances, heaped-up clouds of feasting
Are known as HUM. When they are fully practiced.
The wondrously risen mandala is attained.

These are known as secret or insight activities. Whoever does them between sessions will have these beneficial experiences, and by relying on non-harming, harm will be abandoned.

3.b.3) Those who have attained a little stability in their experience: the discipline of insight

In the practice, when experience is slightly stabilized, since these same experiences are beneficial, the discipline of insight should be practiced. This is with, without, and completely without complexity.

3.b.3.a) The practice with complexity is undertaken by individuals who are young with much vigor and little prajña. In a retreat house, a vajra feast is set out with its offerings. Yogins and yoginis, complete in their ornaments, equal to the number of deities gather, and having meditated on the developing and completion stages, at the end while doing songs and dances, they manifest desire without clinging. In six months, or whatever it takes, siddhi will be attained.

3.b.3.b) The practice without complexity, is to be done by those of middle age, prajña, and vigor. Like the other before, they practice alone with an authentic consort or perhaps two or three together.

3.b.3.c) The practice supremely without complexity is done by those who are old with little vigor but much prajña. In solitary places like charnel grounds, abandoning physical consorts, they unite directly with the vidya of co-emergent wisdom herself, and do kusulu practice. Except for eating, sleeping and voiding waste, they abandon all other activities, and practice in emptiness.

3.b.4) Those who have attained great stability

Since these are practices of taming the kleshas by wisdom, these words are said.

In these cases if there are many emanations and gatherings of insight, finally the various activities of “cutting the continuity of the city” of samsara will be completed, and the primordial activity of doing nothing at all will be established. That is the benefit off these practices. The Song of the Oral Instructions of the Inexhaustible Treasury (mi zad pa’i gter mdzod man ngag) says:

Sometimes abiding in charnel grounds the “lamps” are practiced.
With fearless mind, we sleep in places haunted by ghosts.
Associating with outcasts brings forth the wheel of taste.^[2]
There is no “who does what” and no grasping of proper rules.

With songs and dances and flutes, there is a feast of music.
With The dances of heruka and six activities
By the songs of the people who are assembled there
Our minds are so uplifted that there is no sadness at all.

With woolen cloth on our backs, our limbs adorned with copper,
With wheels adorning our topknots, and fragments of bone our limbs,
Tying elephant and tiger skins tied above and below,
Carrying khatvangas, we sound the bells in our hands.

We excellently perform mad actions of the great secret,
With activities not to be done, but also not not to be done,
Spontaneously, like elephants, plunging into an ocean,
Performing outrageous dharmas, we are free like loosing an arrow.^[3]

This is the called the “activity of all the protectors.” The Guhyasamaja says:

All the activities that we desire,
If we indulge them just the way we want to,
By performing these activities,
We will quickly attain enlightenment.

Also:

Unbearable asceticism of self-denial,
Though it may be relied on, nothing is accomplished.
If we rely on all desirable qualities,
We will be very quickly become accomplished by that.

What’s more, by this path without accepting and rejecting, the buddhas are very pleased. The same text says:

Buddhas and also those who are bodhisattvas
And those with the highest experiences of mantra,
Attain the immovable state of highest Dharma,
By relying on all desirables.

That these practices are connected with the proper kinds of beings and times is important. If beginners do this kind of feast practice or try to perform the “activity of all the protectors,” they will just go to the lower realms.

3.c) Fruition: the two siddhis

3.c.a) Relative

Having attained the benefits of the path by these activities, we quickly attain the two siddhis. There will be the eight karmas, eight ordinary siddhis, and so forth. As for the eight karmas, the Two Segments says:

The powers, higher perceptions, destroying hosts of enemies, driving away, killing, magnetizing, pacifying, and enriching will really be accomplished.

As for the eight ordinary siddhis, the Vajra Tent says:

With these there is no problem.
The eye potion and swift running,
The wondrous enchanted sword,
Finding treasures under the earth,
Magic pills and flying,
Becoming invisible,
The elixir for making gold.
By pleasing the vajra-holders
We quickly become accomplished.

The Secret Essence says:

The mudra of songs and dances
Goes in a rush to the sky.

The mudra of songs and verses,
Attains the siddhis of Dharma.

The mudra of dress and ornament,
Gains the blazing, invincible king.

The mudra of eating and drinking,
Grants wish-fulfilling amrita.^[4]

The mudra of vowels and consonants,
Makes anything into anything.

3.c.b) Absolute

Supreme siddhi is the establishment of buddhahood. The Two Segments says:

As for trikaya being within the body,
That should be expressed by the form of a wheel.
As for trikaya being completely known,
That is expressed by the wheel of great bliss.

By that the explanation together with the subsidiary points is completed.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

and so on. Omitted for metrical reasons.

[2]:

The one taste of emptiness and great bliss. Wheel means something like sphere or mandala.

[3]:

...It is said. Omited for metric al reasons,

[4]:

“Wish-fulfilling kayas and amritas.” Omitted for metrical reasons