PART Three.

VAJRAYANA (continued)

-ooOoo-

CHAPTER TWO YEARS 
OF MYTH AND SYMBOL

In Chapter 24 we talked about the characteristic of Vajrayana in using all experience to gain direct or indirect knowledge of non-duality. Taking the whole experience into the capacity to use mental or moral effort, it is important that we choose the elements of experience that have many strengths and meaning. This does not preclude the use of all experiences for spiritual progress. Rather, it means that we first focus on the kind of special experience that is powerful and meaningful, using them as the building blocks of our transformed vision. Then we extend this transformed experience to ultimately cover all experience even experiences that have little meaning in terms of origin.

First, we choose special experience elements that have potential and strength. In this process, some prototypes are separated. Prototypical elements in experience are elements that have a kind of deep-rooted existence in both individual and collective consciousness (ie, all individual forms).

Take a look at some special examples of prototype experience. The first example belongs to the mythical realm. The most specific feature of myth is the struggle between good and evil. This is probably the basic basic topic of myth, which has been formed in myths from the beginning to the present day. For example, the key point in the struggle between Rama and Ravana in the Ramayana is the struggle between the strong forces of good and the powerful forces of evil, and this continues to be a dominant theme in most gods. mass phone Not long ago, we saw the theme of the fight between good and evil mythology in the science fiction film "Star Wars".

We also see this topic in the attitudes and rhetoric of national politicians and leaders. For example, when US President Ronald Reagan called the Soviet Union "King of Evil", he borrowed the way of saying in the Star Wars to show his accusation, the fight between the world. Democracy and the communist world are the fight of good and evil. It is a very important topic in human culture. When we call this theme a mythical topic, it doesn't lose its value. If there is anything, it only adds value, because it gives this theme a superhuman dimension, a general meaning. Calling a myth is not making it a fantasy - in fact, it makes it more real.

Of course, good and evil are duality (subject and object, we and others, samsara and nirvana, etc.). The transcendence of duality of good and evil, superiority and assimilation of evil by good, is symbolically represented in the appearance of gods on the Kim Cang temple. In Chapter 24 we have talked about changing the elements of experience and using them for spiritual progress. What we express here is the preponderance of what we often think of as evil with good - that is assimilation and transformation of the whole myth of evil into the form of solid components. special on Kim Cang temple.

This explains the normal appearance of the gods on the Vajra Temple. Those of you who have seen tantalizing paintings and sculptures may wonder why gods wear bone heads and jewelry, and so on ..., and also It is common to see animal skins, gnarled skin, weapons and the like. Why, in the description of Kim Cang statue, there are so many scary pictures?

The answer is bone jewelry, parts of people and things, weapons and so on ... all of which are miscellaneous tools of evil forces perceived in our collective consciousness. . The tools currently brought and used by the gods Kim Cang symbolize some things: (1) it represents the victory of evil by good; (2) it shows the use of the power of evil for the purpose of good; and most importantly (3) it symbolizes the unity and transcendence of duality of good and evil, nirvana and reincarnation.

To the extent of myth, this is how we must understand the special nature of the appearance of the Vajra gods - the manifestation of the superiority and transformation of evil, and the expression of transcendence good and evil.

Vajrayana also promotes the equality of the objects of desire and aversion. This equality implies the transcendence of oppositions of desire and aversion, good and evil. In the symbol of Vajrayana, we see objects of desire and aversion in a close state. For example, we see jewels and skulls, a figure of sexy women and corpses, lotus, sun, moon and blood, bones and flesh, next to each other in the same portrait. All these things appear side by side as ï the expression of transcendence of duality of good and evil, eroticism and discomfort, purity and uncleanness and similarities.

Let's examine in more detail the special shapes of the number of prototypes we see in Vajrayana, most of which are related to the transcendence of duality. First consider the unified symbol of men and women, often seen in the Kim Cang tradition. It is an archetypal symbol in this sense as it is always a fundamental part of sentient experiences. It is a deep-rooted element in the individual and collective consciousness of sentient beings. The union of men and women has been used as a symbol of the unity of opposites - often the symbol of the union of heaven and earth - in art, poetry, and in most cultures in one time or another.

In Vajrayana, we see the prevailing use of a powerful and meaningful experience to describe or symbolize the most severe of illusory and sharp, nirvana and samsara, wisdom and compassion. The figure of women represents the illusory, nirvana, and wisdom as we see in Chapter 22, the essence is not substantially symbolized by the goddess Nairatmya and Vajtavarahi. Male physique symbolizes identity (phenomena appearance), reincarnation, and compassion (skillful means). Women are also represented by huyễn and males represented by light, and so on ...

Another popular symbol used in describing pictograms in Kim Cang is trees and trees as a symbol of life, growth and development. When looking for refuge at the beginning of the Vajra meditation course, meditators often imagine refuge in the tree. Like the union of men and women, the tree is a meaningful prototypical symbol between cultures.

I was surprised to see the tree appear on almost all major religious traditions and cultures throughout the globe. In the Christian tradition, we see knowledge trees in the Garden of Eden. In the Buddhist tradition too, the tree is an important prototype symbol. In particular, the refuge tree can be identified as a banyan tree or a bodhi tree. But the enlightened tree returned to a period of Indian history before the time of Buddha Shakyamuni. The tree also seems to be very important to the people of the Indus Valley civilization, flourishing in the third millennium BC.

If we look further on the pictorial description of Vajra, we often see a god sitting on a throne on a tree.The throne is the royal archetype symbol, of supreme power and sovereignty, as well as crowns and scepter. You may recall from Chapter 22 that we have talked about Kim Cang taking the name from Diamond, the scepter of Indra (King of Love) as a symbol of sovereignty. Certainly these symbols are important in our personal and collective consciousness. Even to republican societies, there is a great fascination with royalism. Americans must have read more about the British Royal Family than the British. Probably there are more television and sensational stories about the British Royal than in the United States. Both the regime of presidentialism are linked to all symbols of sovereignty.

Like the tree symbol, the royal symbol is found in most major religious traditions. Jesus talks about the kingdom of God and is called the Emperor of the Jews. The Buddha was called the King of Dharma and the king of the physician. The Buddha's first popular sermon called Zhuan Falun (Zhuan Falun) is now called the Sermon on the founding of the Kingdom of France.

Like trees, light and water occupy a prominent position in the Vajra symbol. Fire often surrounds the gods. Light is an important medium to identify between meditators and visualizations of the gods. Fire and light are very important and meaningful elements for human experience. Probably due to the discovery of fire that man becomes civilized. Today all that is still very clear and obvious. Is it because we all don't like fire, watching over and controlling fire? In the Kim Cang tradition, fire symbolizes the burning flames and destroys ignorance.

Water is essential for life than food, and of course water is needed to make soil fertile. Not surprisingly, water plays an important role in Vajrayana, It is the symbol of the initiation (mind transmission) - the ritual of stirring up the seed of spiritual potential. Just like watering the soil, the seed enters life, so by spraying water in the feast of the initiation, the seed of the spiritual potential of a person who germinates, it can grow into a fully understood existence. and change, the reality of Buddhahood.

The lotus symbol is not unique to Vajra but exists in all pictorial depictions of Buddhism. Lotus has a special cultural personality than all other symbols that we have considered so far. The lotus is probably closely related to the Indian cultural consciousness, it is a powerful symbol of spiritual growth and transformation. For that reason, lotus flowers appear in Kim Cang as a symbol of spiritual growth, transcendence and transformation.

In Kim Cang also has special use of words, words and uncle. Moreover this is the prototype, in that sense is the profound strong factor in the individual and collective consciousness. For "prehistoric" and "modern" people, the name of things is the source of strength on that thing. Ancient people gained power over natural amounts, naming those forces. For example, calling a storm of thunder "Indra", the ancient Brahmins set up a structure and level of control over it.

This is also clearly reflected in our experiences. If someone has wiped your car in the parking lot, you have no power over this person if you don't know their name, but if you know the name of the responsible person, you can claim compensation. So the name is power. In a sense, names create reality in terms of the object it represents. For example, when I say the word "diamond" in some sense the reality of this thing has been created for all of us. Confirming the power of words, names, and words, Kim Cang uses them in form of notes to bring some kind of reality.

In Kim Cang, the true assumption of power associated with names that are characteristic of human embryonic life is replaced by a critical understanding of the way names and words create a separate reality. The way they act through the power of the mind. It is the power of mind that makes words, words, names and notes have a separate kind of creative reality.

Therefore we see in the Vajra symbol, the intentional use of the verbal symbols are the means to concentrate the power of the mind to create and change. For example, we represent the mind with the syllable "Hum" in Sanskrit, and using this symbol as a means of representing the mind looks superficial as the seed of gods in the Vajra Temple. The role of prototypes is very profound in words, words, and names in individual and collective consciousness. Vajrayana uses the pristine power in its symbol, to describe the mind and makes it convenient to control and transform the experience.

Kim Cang's iconic description also recognizes the importance and meaning of colors as a symbol of some trends and perspectives. That is something that has been acknowledged by modern psychologists.In the mid-30s, a famous psychologist of the United States, deciding with a popular tobacco company, change the picture of the medicine package from green to red; suddenly the number of sales increased to 50, 60 percent. When the red color is sold out, the manufacturer changes from red to blue, the quantity sold decreases in the same amount. When the icon is changed to red, the number of reselling increases. Since then advertisers and designers have paid much attention to the effectiveness of colors for buyers.

This is also recognized in the Kim Cang tradition. There are separate roles and uses for individual colors. For example, white is a symbol of purity - a common, general, and clear meaning. But white is also a symbol of opacity, ignorance, and, optionally, a symbol of Dharma Realm's knowledge. This last explains why, in the mandala of the five Buddhas in the paradise, the bishop is painted with white, and why in the temple of Kim Cang and Kim Cang is painted with white to signify. Important market for the disinfection of sins.

Blue and black are symbols of unmodified. Black, unlike other colors, cannot be changed. A green face is a symbol of anger, and on the other hand knowledge reflects all phenomena without distorting them (Like the blue of the country reflects countless objects impartially). So green is the color called the mirror of knowledge.

Red is the color of fire, the symbol of desire and also represents knowledge of discrimination.

These colors are used to carry symbolic messages that are not only related to the five Buddhas in the celestial world but also to other secret gods. These messages often act at the unconscious or subconscious level, but their special meaning causes some emotions or reactions (moreover, often subconsciously). An example of this is the fact that some smokers who buy drugs have a red symbol instead of a green color, but do not understand why they change it.

Let us now look at the special objects that we find in Vajra's visual arts, and their special meanings - objects such as support, or the basic of Kim gods. Cang, the objects that Kim Cang gods hold at hand, and jewelry adorn their bodies. For example, god Kim Cang, stepped on two Hindu gods, Shiva and Parvati. First of all, we can think of this as the only kind of victory for Buddhists, but its meaning is actually much more important. Shiva and Parvati symbolize the extremes of immortality and nothingness. On that foundation, Kim Cang is a symbol of transcendence, or avoidance, these two extremes. Moreover we see the god Kim Cang Mahakala standing on a corpse. This body symbolizes self, self, and material;

Many Kim Cang gods hold knives in their hands. This shows that in the pictorial description of Mahayana, we see that the Manjushri Master of Bodhisattva holds an intellectual sword with this blade He cuts the net of ignorance. In the hands of the gods Kim Cang, the knives are also symbolic intellectual tools used to cut ignorance and illusions.

In the description of the Vajra statue, we also see gods drinking blood from glasses with skulls symbolizing suffering. By drinking this blood, the gods demonstrate their ability to integrate and lose their suffering.

We see the gods of Kim Cang often hold diamonds and bells. Diamonds represent skillful means, and the bell symbolizes wisdom. Holding diamonds and the bell symbolizes the unity of skillful and intellectual, superficial and emptiness, samsara and nirvana.

Many gods Kim Cang crown the five skulls on their heads. This year of the skull symbolizes the years of transcendental knowledge, or wisdom, of the five Buddhas in heaven: (a) Dharma Realm's knowledge, (b) knowledge as a mirror, (c) knowledge of equality , (d) knowledge of discrimination, and (e) knowledge of achievement. The bodies of the gods are decorated with six bone ornaments - bracelets, anklets, belts, etc. ... These six jewels symbolize the six perfect virtues: almsgiving, morality , patience, diligence, meditation and wisdom.

The fact that we see such things prevalent in depicting Kim Cang pictograms is not just a kind of fascination with the strange and horrible thing. Rather, these objects are closely linked to some level of meaning: (i) the level of profound meaning (or subconscious), (ii) the level of significance relative to the cultural prototype, and (iii) the level of significance is particularly and precisely related to the individual components of the Buddha Path.

On the widest level, we have solved the common, important duality: the theme of myth, the theme of good and evil, the prototypes of men and women, and so on. More specifically, we have solving prototypes with special and meaningful powers for sentient beings - the prototypes of trees, the throne, the fire and so on ...; the extremes of eternal and nihilism, the values ​​of skillful and intellectual means.On even more special levels, we have looked at typical objects related to special provisions in Buddhist doctrine, such as the years of transcendental knowledge and six virtuous virtues.

What I tried to do in this chapter is to give some instructions about the myth of Kim Cang and the symbol of Kim Cang to create and make sense of the portraits and images we find in the image of Kim Cang. It would be a mistake to consider Kim Cang's image and logo in some way arbitrary, random, or often emotional. In contrast, the Kim Cang tradition consciously uses myths and symbols and carefully calculates for a particular purpose to help practitioners advance to Buddhahood.

-ooOoo-

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX 
THE PRACTICE PRACTICE

In Chapters from 22 to 26, I tried to outline the outline of what we could call Vajra's experience universe. That is why I started by examining the cultural and intellectual environment in which Kim Cang appeared, then continued to consider the religious and philosophical context, method of study, myths and symbols. In chapters 27 to 29, I will look at the actual stages in the practice of the Kim Cang path. In general, there are three stages: (1) the preliminary stage or preparation, (2) the enrollment period, and (3) the actual practice stage. I have divided the preliminary stage into two categories: ordinary and special.

As noted in Chapter 22, Mahayana and Vajrayana are actually two components of a tradition. The starting point as well as the final goal are the same; These traditions differ only in the method used from the beginning to the goal. From this we can understand that, by common preliminary preparations, there is a great similarity between what is needed in the Mahayana practice and what is needed in Vajrayana practice.

We refer to brief preliminary preparations to re-emphasize that Vajrayana practice is not an exercise that can be performed without the need for proper preparation. In fact, the general preparations needed for Vajrayana practice are the necessary preparations for the entire Mahayana path. In this kind of general preliminary practice, we have (1) the following refuge followed by (2) contemplating suffering, (3) karma, (4) death and impermanence, and (5) calculating The right and lucky nature of the situation is made human, (6) cultivating love and compassion, and (7) producing enlightened thoughts.We end with (8) cultivating one mind, or concentration, and penetrating wisdom. All of the above are common prerequisites for Vajrayana practice.

With a few exceptions, Vajrayana's general preliminary practice is like that of Mahayana. An exception is the practice of refuge. While in the Mahayana tradition there are three objects to take refuge - His Enlightened One, the Dharma and the Bodhisattva's Noble Council of Non-Renunciation, or Bodhisattvas who have attained the seventh stage of the Bodhisattva Path for so no longer being returned (worldly), in Vajrayana there is also the fourth refuge - the guru (head teacher or lama). In some traditions in Vajrayana, there may be up to six objects to take refuge, two additional objects are patron gods and goddess dakinis (not really). Patronus is the top secret form of Buddha among the important tantric gods - Hevajra, Chakrasamvara, and similar gods - meditating on these people is the full path to enlightenment. Dakinis are symbolic goddesses or represent unreality. In the temple of Kim Cang, the goddess dakinis is in a position similar to the Noble Council, which is a special form of tantric form or Diamond form of the Sangha. Although in some traditions and scopes, we have mentioned six objects to rely on, but more often, to find four objects of refuge, namely the master, and the Three Jewels.

Teacher is especially important in the Vajra tradition. Please mention two concepts that illustrate the role and importance of the master in the Vajrayana tradition. First, the master performs the function like a magnifying glass. We know the sun is very hot and has great power, yet without magnifying glass we cannot exploit the heat of heaven to raise the fire. Similarly, even though the Buddha and His teachings are very strong, if there is no master can not ignite the wisdom fire in the disciple. Master is the means of concentration and exploits the power of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha in such a way, making the power effective and immediately applicable to the needs of the disciples themselves.

Confirming the role of master is always the most important. We will better understand if we consider Marpa's story, one of the famous Tibetan monks traveling through India to receive the teachings of Kim Cang from Mr. Naropa. Marpa traveled three times to India and meticulously studied with Naropa. Known once when the patronus appeared before him, Marpa mistakenly worshiped this goddess without bowing to his assistant, Naropa. As a result of this omission, Marpa lost his children later in the accident and no one inherited to inherit the teachings received. This is one of many stories showing the need to confirm the importance of teachers in the Vajrayana tradition. In Chapter 29, I will present the last two components of this general preliminary preparation - cultivating one-pointedness and penetrating wisdom - which applies to practitioners who practice Vajrayana meditation. Now, let me recall that these preliminary preparations are indispensable prerequisites for serious Vajrayana practice. There is no tradition in Tibetan Buddhism that encourages initiation of Vajrayana practice without actually taking the time to practice this preliminary practice. All of the Kim Cang Tibetan traditions have many oral and written documents about cultivating and practicing these preliminary preparations. Although sometimes Vajrayana practitioners have not spent some proper time on preliminary preparations, these people have to risk themselves. However, I do not mean to be as intimidating as a merchant.

I would like to have another comment before going into the very special preliminary preliminary training in Vajrayana. I have come to present the unifying nature of the three main Buddhist traditions, Theravada, Mahayana and Vajrayana, and have tried to present Kim Cang to symbolize the natural expansion of the ingredients. found in other Buddhist traditions. So I want to note you about two steps in ordinary preliminary practice: refuge, and awakening of enlightened thought or accepting the vow of Bodhisattva vow. I would like to suggest that these things can be considered as mind transmission.Another practice can be regarded as equivalent to the transmission of the mind that is the transmission of gender or the joining of the Sangha.

All three practices can be thought of as different types of admission. It all involves joining a special practice community: in the case of refugees, rituals symbolize participation in the Buddhist community; in the case of gender transmission it represents the joining of the monastic community;and in the case of the vow of bodhisattva vows it symbolizes the entry into the lineage or the Buddha's family. These three rituals in some sense are the feast of accepting certain commitments: refuge with a commitment to try to keep the layman's precepts; joined the monastery with a commitment to keep the monastic precepts; and the vow of Bodhisattva vow is to keep the commitment of the Bodhisattva.There are institutional aspects of refuge, transmission of the novice and the vow of Bodhisattva similar to the important elements of mind transmission in Vajrayana.

We continue to look at the special preliminary practices often needed for Vajra practice. It is not obligatory to complete preliminary preparations before starting any kind of practice of Vajrayana. It is also not mandatory to complete preliminary preparations before receiving the transmission of the Kim Cang initiation. However, it is imperative that we complete them before going into the hidden meditation of one of the main guardian gods of Vajra. In order to truly practice Kim Cang, special preparations are required.

The term for preliminary preparation in Tibetan called delicious-dro literally means "go ahead". So practice precedes serious practice. There are four preliminary practices that are common in all Kim Cang traditions: (1) refuge, (2) penitence, (3) Du Gia, and (4) offerings to Man Da La. Each practice must be performed hundreds of thousands of times. In addition to these four practices, some traditions require prostration and other traditions require other rituals.

Refuge - As mentioned, in the Kim Cang tradition, we take refuge in four "objects" - Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and master or chief teacher. Refuge involves contemplating objects of refuge separately or together: (a) we can visualize our master, the Buddha, the Scriptures, and the Noble Council separately, or (b) we can visualize all four objects uniting, or gathering in the patron saint image. Some of you may find this visualization depicted in scrolls, with refuge objects drawn on trees, on the throne, on lotus flowers, and the sun or moon ring (more symbols at Chapter 25). Using visualizations of the four refuge objects, we recite the mantras a hundred thousand times.

Repentance - For convenience, I have called the second special preliminary practice "repentance" because it is often referred to by this name. However, it is important to remember that we are not interested in penance as a means of strengthening forgiveness. We do not use this term in the same sense that it is often used in Christianity, where it confesses that sins are followed by forgiveness from an external power. In this context, repentance only implies our own unwholesome actions in the past and is determined not to recur them. Particularly important in the practice of penance about unwholesome deeds is Buddha Vajrasattva, another special form of Buddha like the Buddha (Bhikkhu, Buddha, Male Buddha, Amitabha Buddha, Real No Buddha and Aunt Buddha).

Vajrasattva also appeared on the altar of Mahayana, and practicing penance of unwholesome actions is one of the preliminary preparations carried out by all who commit to the Bodhisattva Path. Vajrasattva is white. He has a face and hands holding a diamond and a bell, which symbolizes skillful and intellectual means. In our own preliminary practice of penance, we meditate on Vajrasattva and chant the syllable of Vajrasattva one hundred thousand times.

Known four possibilities emitted by the practice of penance and purification of unwholesome actions.The first possibility is "the holy power" related to Vajrasattva's supernatural powers as a symbol of purity. There are several possibilities emanating from the visualization of Vajrasattva's form. This is the symbolic power like the kind of power emitted in the world, from a symbol like a national flag.The national flag has the symbolic power, similar to the sacred scope of meditation, the image of Vajrasattva has a certain divine power, the spirit of the symbol.

The second possibility of the four possibilities is "superior power" of the pass. This relates to sincere abandonment of unwholesome actions. In other words, during meditation, unwholesome actions are overcome.

The third possibility emanating from this practice is the "steady exorcism power" or the persistent remodeling power related to the straightforward determination not to recreate the evil deeds done in the past. It is the power to prevent future unwholesome actions.

The fourth possibility is "circulation power". This involves non-virtuous actions of conditional reality, they do not really penetrate the human mind, the Buddha mind, or the nature of emptiness. The unwholesome actions are actually random. They are like dust that stains white cloth, or smoke or clouds darkens the sky. Therefore, meditating on Vajrasattva leads to the circulation power, which is the fulfillment of our inner purity.

Elder Master - The third preliminary practice is called the Old Man teacher. Master (head teacher or lama) is the chief monk, the person who transmits the secret dictionary or special spiritual knowledge.Although it is quite common for those unfamiliar with the Tibetan tradition to consider all Tibetan monks as Lama, in the Tibetan tradition, this term is only for qualified monks, in When monks are often called gelong (bhikshu). The term Du Old means "bound to each other", linked or homogeneous.

The purpose of the old monk is to establish a close bond between the teacher and the teacher. Here again, we can see the importance of the teacher in the Vajrayana tradition. This practice may have different forms, but only slightly different. However, in general it relates to chanting, chanting a hundred thousand times a verse that expresses the devotion of the disciple and admires the qualities of the master.

I want to expand on what I said earlier about the importance of the teacher in the Vajrayana tradition - why so and so. Kim Cang tradition is first and foremost a tradition of oral tradition, from master to disciple. The connection or connection between teachers and students is especially important. This association leads to the formation of the lineage. The lineage is not only important in Vajrayana but also in the Buddhist tradition in general, especially when there is a ceremony in the monastery. If you look at monastic regime history in Sri Lanka or Thailand, you will notice the importance of the lineage. Because of the interruption of the consecrated lineage of the monastery, a special envoy was sent to one of the Theravada nations only to renew the lineage.

The lineage is like a circuit. When the lineage is broken, the new enthronement ceremony cannot be performed. This also happened in the monastic history of Tibet, after the Buddhist persecution of the Lan-darling King, the ordained lineage in the monastery was rebuilt with the help of Chinese monks. .So the lineage is extremely important. It is important in the Vajrayana tradition because it is a lineage - the chain is not broken, connecting teachers and students - it is the Vajrayana teachings that are passed down from one generation to the next.

The concept of lineage implies the uniformity of each link in the chain, each member of the lineage.Therefore, the master's image ensures uniformity between teachers and students. Later, it was the disciple who created this chain when developing his unified consciousness with the teacher and the guardian god.

The lineage structure, because it embodies the image of the teacher, transcends time and space. It bridges through the deep hole separating us, with the time and place with the Buddha's lifestyle. That is why in the Vajrayana tradition and in the walking meditation, the master is identified with the patron saint, and the practitioner 's duty is to be inextricably linked to the patron saint through his master.Practicing the union with the chief teacher is very important to lay the foundation for the special relationship between the practitioner and the master.

Donation of Da La La - The fourth preliminary practice is offerings to Man Da La. In general, Man Da La is a circle of sacred symbols (or magic). Within the ritual of offering Man Da La symbolizes the typical form of the whole earthly universe as it is drawn in traditional Buddhist cosmology.Traditionally, it is known that the universe has Tu Di Mountain in the middle, four continents on each side of the Mountain, the four middles and so on ... Da La Manifact is a symbolic representation of this traditional universe.

In the practice of offering Da Da La offerings, practitioners make offerings to the four refugees (Buddha, Dharma, Sangha, and Master) all of their merits from the good deeds, in the form of statues. about the universe. Practitioners make all good deeds for these four objects, which contain all the good qualities for the enlightened benefit of all beings. This offering is executed a hundred thousand times.Along with the chanting, the practitioner performs a ritual with a plate of metal, stone or wood and grains of rice, wheat or sand that make up typical traits for the cosmology of traditional dancing.

The practice of offering Da La offerings is very effective because it is the best form of karma. There are five conditions for changing karma - three subjective and two objective. The three subjective conditions are (a) stubborn or recurring action, (b) intentional, and (c) no remorse. Objective conditions are (d) virtue and (e) action towards the person to whom you are grateful (see Chapter 8).

In the donation of Man Da La, we have all the conditions that lead to the improvement of the influence of good karma. We show perseverance by offering one hundred thousand times. We express the will of the practitioner to offer all merit in this symbolic form to the enlightened ones. We have absolutely no regrets. If we have to offer things, we may have feelings of remorse. For example, I offered money to a monastery, then I might think I offered too much. But with symbolic offerings of this kind, there can be no reason for the feeling of regret to arise, so kusala kamma arises not against. After all, who is more worthy of being enlightened than those who are enlightened, who is the most valuable person and brings the most benefit to us, Since these people have made enlightenment possible? Therefore, the practice of making offerings to Man Da La creates merit to make rapid progress on the Kim Cang Thua road.

In short, four special preliminary practices contribute greatly to the preparation of Vajrayana practice seriously. The recitation of the refuge makes the practitioner determined on the path, creating a secure shelter to protect us from boredom and distraction. Repentance practice purifies unwholesome actions.Practicing Master Du Gia homogeneous practitioners with teachers, establishing a crucial relationship for our progress on the Golden Way pathway. Finally, practice offering offerings to Man Da La to create positive and good abilities that we need to make rapid and effective progress.

-ooOoo-

CHAPTER TWO FOREIGN TRADE 
SEEDS KIM CANG THUONG

With this chapter, we go into an important topic in any introduction to the Vajrayana path. About half a century of Vajrayana has been known in the West and around the world, it is more likely to be misinterpreted and misunderstood.

As mentioned in Chapter 27, there is nothing different about the form of the initiation that is set apart from the ceremonial ceremonies that play an important role in the Buddhist tradition. It is difficult to understand why people accept gender ordination and rituals in the monastery but find it difficult to understand the concept of the transmission of Vajrayana. I hope that by presenting the content of the Vajrayana initiation and its role and function in the traditional sphere, some misinterpreted and misunderstood explanations will dissipate.

First look at the meaning of the term abhiskekha in Sanskrit, translated as "admission ceremony", "ordination", and "empowerment". There is no meaning in that literally translating this original term, which actually means "spraying water" or "watering" - especially watering on a land, like a field.

We begin to know a little about the nature of the initiation of the Kim Cang initiation if we consider why the term abhisheka is chosen for this ritual. The answer is that the purpose of the ritual is to make the disciple excited and advance quickly to enlightenment. It's like we have to irrigate the field when the seed has been sown, and the watering makes the seed flourish and fast, so during the initiation of the Kim Cang initiation we cheer and seed the ability. the disciple's god is thrilled and grows fast.

We have here an allusion to the concept that has been developed in the Mahayana tradition - the concept of Buddha's nature, or the potential of enlightenment that everyone has. The process of development and the achievement of this spiritual potential is promoted by abhisheka or "watering" - a clear sign of watering function or initiation. Although it is not convenient to translate abhisheka as "watering" or "spraying", it is important to remember that the term refers to a somewhat different process of purpose and intent with what we can think of. If we admit it at its superficial value, consider it as a kind of mind-blowing into a secret or similar congregation.

Please extend the basic definition and linguistic character of mind transmission in the Vajrayana tradition. The initiation of the Vajrayana Sutra means the introduction of disciples to the Da Da La, the divine world or the divine power of one of the guardian gods on the temple of Kim Cang - the gods with special mysterious forms. Buddha's transmission, meditation on them can bring enlightenment. In Chapter 27, we know that Da La is a symbolic description of the universe. Within the scope of the mind transmission, it does not represent the universe as we know it, from an unenlightened point of view, but the sacred and pure universe that we attain on the level of enlightenment, when visually our washes impure trends. Many things that I have said in Chapter 26 about the transformation of the five aggregates into the year of Buddha on the heavens are applied to the notion of a pure or transformed universe. Therefore, when we say that the initiation of the Vajrayana Sutra introduces a disciple to the La Da La of one of the intimate guardian gods, what we mean is to introduce him to the pure universe. of one of those gods.

The guardian deities Kim Cang can be divided into four classes in the order of divine powers or effect which bring about the transformation from an enlightened lifestyle into an enlightened and divine life: (1) kriya class, (2 ) class charya, (3) class du old, and (4) class anuttarayoga. The initiation is to introduce a disciple to the divine universe of the patron saint of one of the tantric classes. The kriya class refers to a group of patron saints and an initial practice related to peripheral rites and practices.Kriya means "action", "ritual", "maturity". Patron saints of this class combined with practices are generally external and ritual. Practices combined with kriya tantras often involve vegetarianism, regular bathing and ritual offerings.

In contrast, the patron saints of the Charya classics related to the practice must perform primarily with the attitudes, wills and conceptions of the practitioner. While the practice of kriya is outside, the practice related to Charya is usually within, except outside practices. Practitioners of Charya are often less social than those of Kriya class.

The third class, the old class of the patron saint, relates to the combination of cultivation of both kriya and charya classes. The practice involves the class of travelers looking for a way to balance between external and internal practice. This balance, or unity, between internal and external practice, reflected in the term yogic means "to combine" or "to unite".

In the case of anuttarayoga patrons, we have the transcendence or the elimination of the obstacles that identify the first three classes (outside, inside and the combination of both). Anuttara means "transcendent", in this case, beyond the practice of external and internal. Therefore the god of anuttara rank is the highest development class in the Vajrayana tradition. It is at this level that we achieve, in the fullest sense, the complete integration of experience into the Kim Cang road, the spontaneous integration leads to self-change. That is the ideal that I mentioned in Chapter 24 when discussing the purpose of the method of learning in Kim Cang - called the complete integration of experience into this path.

The initiation ceremony itself can have three types. The first type is the great initiation, which has almost comprehensive functions and covers all. Using quite a common comparison, the great initiation may be like a driver's license to give you the right to drive all kinds of vehicles, or the broad power that the government gives a special envoy to decide on series of special issues. The great initiation of the initiation is almost entirely empowering, which usually takes two days. The first day for preparation is often related to the disciple's sex. The second day is devoted to introducing the disciple into the Da Lat La Lam of the related patron saint.

The second type of mind transmission is the type of mind transmission like a driver's license, which allows you to deal with a few special and special types of work, however important and very effective.

The third type is even more limited at times, including a very simple mind transmission ceremony, which usually only takes a very short time to give them the ability to participate in relatively simple tasks related to those The god of a large family was introduced by the initiation. These types are sometimes referred to as 'post-ceremonies' because they are traditionally followed by celebrations or initiations.

Vajrayana gods are also divided into families (unrelated to the four mentioned guardian gods) related to the Buddhas of the five families. Buddha, Buddha, and Buddha. For example, patron saint Hevajra relates to the Vajra family headed by Aunt Buddha, while the god Chakrasamvara relates to the family of the Buddha.

The celebration of initiation is like buying tickets throughout the season for all matches. Tickets throughout the season allow you to attend any match or all matches, even if you want to watch it, you must show the ticket and the ticket must be stamped. Likewise, the initiation belt allows you to receive all the less important series of initiations, when you receive every initiation, you still have to attend the proper ceremony.

Traditionally, it was the great initiation that allowed the disciple to enter the whole range of the gods Kim Cang and practice. However, in recent years, because of the need for strong transmission of tantric initiation, Vajrayana masters have sometimes carried out the initiation ceremony because the work related to this ceremony is simpler. This is sometimes useful, as it is used as a challenge in Vajrayana practice, just as if you were granted a two-wheel driver license before being issued a driver's license for all vehicles.

All these initiations must be performed by a qualified Kim Cang teacher. There are two types of qualities for teachers to have. In the first case, the teacher has achieved a very high level of mental development, empowered directly from the gods involved. This kind of quality is typical of those who have attained enlightenment, or Mahasiddhas in India and a few in Tibet.

The second type of quality is more often seen. In this case, the teacher is empowered by the god from a qualified teacher. That position must also carry out the practices of meditation - retreat and so on ... - prescribed by tradition, as well as ensuring a close relationship with the god to mediate with this power. to introduce others to the Da Lat of the god of contact. It is very important that the transmission of the Vajrayana mind must be received from a teacher who must have at least a second quality.

While the initiation of the initiation of the Kim Cang initiation, the disciple considered the teacher to be identical to the guardian deity that the disciple was introduced to the divine world. Similarly, the disciple considers the environment, the state of the ceremony, consistent with the sacred universe of the guardian god. During the ceremony, the disciple was introduced and identified with the guardian deity (in the form of the teacher during the ceremony) and with the sacred universe symbolized by the state of initiation.

The method of introduction and uniformity is conducted through the use of symbols. These symbols are both special and ordinary. Special symbols are symbolized by many ritual objects. These ritual objects are related to, and represent the elements, or actors involved in sacred drama who live in this sacred universe. In our discussions of Vajrayana symbols and the year of the Buddha of the five families, we talk about some symbols that have special meanings (See Chapters 25 and 26). We talk about the five Buddha families represented by symbols of diamonds, crowns, bells, etc. ... In the ceremony of initiating the mind of Kim Cang, these objects are characteristic symbols, with these objects. , the disciple can be introduced into the sacred universe and then unify himself with that sacred universe, pure contemplation of the enlightened way of life. During the initiation, one gave the disciple the diamond and the bell to hold, a crown to the team and so on ... These symbolic actions were made to (a) lead the disciple into the dance sacred pillars, and (b) identify the disciple with that sacred universe.

In addition to these special symbolic objects, there are also more conventional and dynamic symbols.These are the symbols of light and water, which have also been mentioned in discussions of the Vajrayana symbol (see Chapter 25). During the ceremony, light and water are used as a way to unify the disciple with the patron saint and with the sacred universe. Light is used as an intermediary to identify the disciple with the teacher, but within the scope of the ceremony is the guardian god.Similarly, water used as a symbol to identify the disciple with many levels of understanding of the sacred universe. In the ceremony, light and water form the kind of bridge between two different early lifestyles - that is the distinction between the disciple and the teacher in the form of the guardian god,and the distinction between the disciple's experience and the experience of the sacred universe. - be identified and made into one. The disciple was asked to participate in the process of visualizing the taking of light and water as an intermediary consistent with the pure universe envisioned in the transmission of the mind of the Kim Cang.

The initiation of initiation is a means to transform or call it more crudely, to be reborn, or to revive.The fact is that during the great initiation of the initiation, the disciple was given a new name, just like the new name given to Buddhists when taking refuge or when being ordained. Giving a new name symbolizes the disciple's revival in a new form, because of the disciple's progress and identity with the form of patron saint and the experience of the sacred universe.

The initiation is important not only because it is an advancement and identification with the sacred universe, but it also provides the disciples with the main methods, or things that he can later recreate. lead, re-unify, and integrate with the sacred universe for the first time during the ceremony. The main methods or things are (i) visualize what is provided in the sphere of mind transmission, when he sees for the first time the sacred and pure universe in the form of symbols, and ( ii) a mantra appropriate to the patron saint passed down during the ceremony.

With this visualization and mantra, the disciple can recreate the sacred visualization, open his mind to the sacred experience and re-unify himself with the sacred universe. This will happen later, while meditating in accordance with the individual guardian god, he imparts the mind to his disciples. In this area of ​​meditation, the disciple will use the main things he receives in his contemplation - contemplation and mantra - to re-create, re-guide himself, and re-identify himself with divine experience . He no longer needs the external environmental support of the ceremony. Rather, he can re-create, re-lead, and re-identify himself with pure experience symbolized by the means of the ingredients he receives there. That is the first role and function of the initiation of the vajrayana.

Like other initiations, the transmission of Kim Cang initiates a number of constraints that a disciple must respect and preserve. Normal things like having a license to drive a car or practice medicine, also have a commitment to follow some rules or rules about action and purpose. Similarly, in the Buddhist tradition in general, rituals such as refuge and ordination in the monastery have some commitments that the disciple must fulfill.

Under normal conditions, there are three sets of commitments in the Buddhist tradition - commitments to adapt to personal liberation (vow of Ba La De Moc Xoa), adaptive commitments to resolve all of them. birth (vow of Bodhisattva), and commitments to adapt to the practice of Vajrayana (vow of Vajrayana). In summary, the essential characteristic of the commitment to adaptation to personal liberation is to avoid hurting others, the essential characteristic of Bodhisattva commitment is to benefit others, and the essential characteristics of Kim Cang commitment is to consider all sentient beings as part of pure visualization, the gods of the sacred universe that the disciple has possessed due to the transmission of the mind of the Kim Cang.

-ooOoo-

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT 
THE EXPERIENCE OF EXPERIENCE KIM CANG TO THE BUDDHIST

From the last chapter of the seven chapters on the Vajrayana path, I want to consider the special walking meditation known as Vajrayana Sadhana. The word Sadhana means "attain", "attain", or "prove". Vajrayana Sadhana are means by which we can attain, attain or establish the experience of the sacred universe, the experience of enlightenment. The person who is committed to practicing sadhana is called sadhaka. The witness itself is called siddhi and the attendant is called siddha. I am referring to this because in Chapter 22 I refer to the martyrs or Mahasiddhas, who have gained the experience of enlightenment due to the practice of Vajrayana meditation, or sadhana.

In Chapter 28 we have said that during the initiation of the initiation of Kim Cang, practitioners are given the main things to go into experiencing the sacred universe. In general, these main things are conveyed as visualizations of patron saints and special verses or incantations, related to the guardian god. These things form important elements in Kim Cang meditation whose purpose is to recreate and establish the sacred universe. But if we are going to find out how the Vajrayana meditation can help a practitioner attain enlightenment experience, then we need to consider the general nuance and content of Vajrayana meditation.

While explaining Vajrayana meditation, I will use an absolutely unpopular structure. You will encounter some inadequate practices in detail with the type I will use here: they may be different in their composition order, or may be presented in a slightly different way. Broadly speaking, however, the components of this structure are present in all the true forms of Vajrayana meditation. Moreover, the explanation that I elaborated on included authoritative presentations in the commentaries of the Vajrayana tradition.

Another common point that I want to emphasize is Vajrayana meditation is both method (path) and goal (or result). What I want to talk about is that by practicing Vajrayana meditation, one can attain enlightenment experience. In that sense, Vajrayana meditation is a method. But when we conduct meditation, when we consolidate the method, the method becomes the goal. Therefore, at the same level of Vajrayana meditation is a method, but when you practice the method of meditation, meditation becomes the goal. Meditation is still a method related to other underdeveloped individuals. Let me try to explain this by introducing the general explanation of Vajrayana meditation that I propose to apply - calling Vajrayana meditation as a model. figure, reconstruction, imitation or copy of the career of Bodhisattva and Buddha. The career of Bodhisattva and Buddha is both a method and a goal. When the Bodhisattva moves on the Bodhisattva Path, the path is the method. Once the Bodhisattva attains Buddhahood, the Bodhisattva Path and the Buddha's career becomes the goal, even though it is related to other beings, they are still methods. For example, as we see in Chapter 15, within Mahayana, the Buddha's career - the birth, renouncing the mundane life, cultivating asceticism, and attaining Buddhahood - is just a ton of drama to be presented. Acting for the enlightenment of sentient beings.

As we progress on the path, the methods and goals become indistinguishable. Practitioners become targets for practitioners, although it is still a method for others to lead to Buddhahood. So Vajrayana meditation is both a method and a goal - depending on the position on the path, on the level of understanding and attainment.

Let us divide Kim Cang Cheng meditation into two parts, each part can be divided into two subsections. To attain Buddhahood, one must perfect the achievement of merit and knowledge, these two prerequisites necessary for attaining Buddhahood. The fullness practice of giving, morality, and patience leads to merit achievement, while meditation and meditation fulfillment leads to knowledge achievement. Effort, fourth fullness, necessary for both of these achievements.

The first part of the Vajrayana meditation is to imitate - the manifestation of receptive reception, and the meditation of Bodhisattva, through which merit and knowledge are perfect. Vajrayana Meditation begins with taking refuge. In most cases it continues, with awareness of enlightened thought and recollection of the practice of fullness and quadrangle with immeasurableness (from, compassion, joy and equanimity). All of these practices are symbolic, receptive, reflecting on the accumulation of merit of the Bodhisattva.

When we examine the content of Vajrayana Sadhana, we almost go to meditation on emptiness. This is a symbolic representation of the knowledge of the Bodhisattva. Bodhisattva attains knowledge due to full meditation and perfect wisdom. Here we have meditation on emptiness, a meditation and wisdom integration. Until now, we consider the first part of Kim Cang meditation, which corresponds to the career of the Bodhisattva to reach. Buddhahood with the attainment of merit and knowledge. These are symbolically represented by refuge, awakening to enlightened thought, the practice of mindlessness, and meditation on emptiness.

After attaining enlightenment, once Buddha attained, the merit and knowledge achievements led to two achievements. These two accomplishments are the two realms of Buddhahood - the ultimate realm and the realms of formlessness. These realms arise directly from merit and wisdom achievements. In the second part of the Mahayana Sadhana meditation, we have a symbolic expression, thoughtful thought, pattern, or copy of the fact that Buddhahood consists of two realms. This is symbolized in Sadhana by using the concept of two processes: (1) the process of creation, origin, or birth, and (2) the process of completion, or fulfillment. These two processes correspond to the transcendent form and two Buddhas.

In what ways are the two processes of creativity and fulfillment reflected in a symbolic way of re-creating in the meditation experience - within the scope of Vajrayana meditation? Following the symbol of attaining Buddhahood, we visualize the form of patronus, in other words, to create the phenomena of Buddhahood in the image of the particular guardian god that meditation involves.Practitioners create a conscious simulation of the Buddha's realm of phenomenal nature in the form of guardianship being talked about. In addition, we chant the mantra of that god. This uncle is a symbol of meditative meditation on the Buddha's teachings, about the Dharma. These two constituent parts - create the form of patronus and chant mantra - and create a creative process. They correspond to the realms of Buddhahood, and are the simulations of the Buddha's figurative activities.

Following the creation of the guardian god form and chanting the mantra is the disappearance of the form of guardian god into illusory (emptiness), and the cessation of the mantra. This dissolution and stop is a symbolic model, contemplating the transcendental realm of Buddhahood.

However, in the second part of Vajrayana meditation, we have simulated the activities and careers of the Buddha, with the phenomenal and transcendent Buddhas. This simulation is done using the concept of creative process and fullness. The creative process constitutes the visualization of the guardian deity and the chanting of the mantra, which is a model of Buddha's phenomenal realm - corresponding to His activity and Dharma. The process of completion constitutes the disappearance of patronus and the cessation of mantra, which is the model of the Buddha's transcendental realm. In short, in the golden vajrayana meditation, we have a full model or a dream of the career of the Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.The first part of meditation is the Bodhisattva's achievement model of merit and knowledge. Part two is the model of the Buddha's phenomenal and transcendental realms.

I want to return to the concept of meditation and wisdom. This point is sufficient to emphasize the full integrity of Buddhism, because it is the absolute characteristic of all Buddhist traditions that affirm the combination of concentration and wisdom, the unity of pure and visualization. worm or wisdom. Also in the scope of Vajrayana meditation, this unity is essential. When practitioners meditate on emptiness in the scope of simulating the Bodhisattva's knowledge of achievement, one must unify meditation and wisdom. In this case, the ability to focus on the object is applied to the understanding of emptiness.Previously, cultivators cultivated the ability to concentrate with external support, such as the green plate, here within Kim Cang meditation, that person could concentrate directly on the understanding of emptiness. That way, through meditation on emptiness,

There must also be the integration of meditation and wisdom within the scope of visualization of patron saints and chanting mantras. Here the object of concentration is the form of visualization of the patron saint and the sound of the mantra, so that while contemplating and reciting mantras, the practitioner considers visualization and sound as the model of the emptiness phenomenon - like reflections, magical illusions, echoes. It is true because, like the image or echoes that occur in relation to the cause and condition, visualize the patron saint and the sound of the mantra arising and exists in relation to the cause and condition.

Within the scope of Vajrayana meditation, visualization and chanting are also models of interdependent phenomena depending on each other and about nil. In Vajrayana meditation, as in other Buddhist traditions of spiritual development, meditation and absolute wisdom are necessary. That's why Mr. Long Life in "Letter to You" (Suhrillekha) said that without meditation there is no wisdom, and no wisdom, there is no meditation. But for practitioners who combine meditation and wisdom, the whole ocean of reincarnation can be dried up like standing water in the footsteps crawling in the mud will be dried up by the afternoon sun. By combining meditation and wisdom within the Vajrayana meditation, we can attain the experience of the sacred universe, experiencing the fruit of Buddha. This is accomplished gradually due to the familiarization and occupation of the sacred universe described in the sadhana meditation, which is a deep micro-world absorbed in the career of the Bodhisattvas and the Buddhas. In this way, we can achieve the Buddha's goal. Therefore, our enlightened experience becomes a means of leading sentient beings to the same sacred universe, the same goal.END=NAM MO SAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIME ).VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=THICH CHAN TANH.VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.29/12/2018.