Linda: Metaphysical Lecture, Wed PM, April 29

Metaphysical Lecture, Wed PM, April 29
Vajrasvattva Meditation and Recitation
A continuation of the explanation of the text

“From a HUNG above this arises the lama as vajrasattva”
HUNG is the seed syllable or the life force syllable of the enlightened mind that transforms the lama, that makes him the same as vajrasattva. The master is inseparable from the teaching. The spiritual master as well as the entire lineage of spiritual teachers before him are inseparable from the teaching. In it is contained the essence of the Buddha, past, present, and future and the primordial wisdom of all the buddhas and the presence of all the dakinis. This is guru yoga and is the visualization of the teacher as vajrasattva.

“White, translucent, the perfect body of complete Enjoyment.”
White symbolizes perfect emptiness (to be expanded upon next week).
Translucence is perfect clarity. Thus, the teacher as vajrasattva is the union of perfect emptiness with perfect clarity. The teacher will have the 32 major marks and 18 minor marks of a great one. This union of emptiness and clarity is the complete enjoyment of the body of the Buddha. The Buddha is considered to have 3 Buddha bodies: the body of wisdom, the body of emanation, and the body of complete enlightenment or enjoyment (the union of the other two). The body of complete enjoyment has 5 silk garments: head scard, long scarf, upper and lower garments, belt. And he has 8 jewels: crown, 2 earrings, short medium and long necklace, 2 armlets, 2 bracelets, rings of fingers and toes, anklets. (They probably all have symbols, but this was not embellished here.) One visualizes one’s teacher with all these ornaments.
The synopsis of the symbolism of the perfect body of complete Enjoyment is that one turns one’s desire into the desire for spirituality and then enjoys that desire. Normally, one is told to abandon desire. In this case, any contaminated happiness is transformed by the recitations and visualizations into a spiritual desire, and is thus the antidote to passion and attachment. One visualizes the teacher/deity in the lotus position, which means beyond the life of the world and the life of liberation, that they are free of both, they are beyond both.

”Holding a vajra and bell and embracing his consort.”
( This part was difficult and went quite fast, so I don’t quite have the correct details of the symbolism.)
In the right hand, at heart level, the male deity is holding a 5 pointed vajra symbolizing the union of essential awareness and emptiness.
In the left hand, he holds a bell at the level of the hip, which symbolizes realization, selflessness and the 7 essential natures of appearance. Thus, the male deity embodies essential awareness (wisdom) and realization (method). And he is embracing his consort. Thus we have the symbolism of the mother and father. There are four kinds of tantric visualizations: Crea or solitary, Upa or the mother/father gazing lovingly at each other, yoga where the mother/father hold hands, and mahayoga where they embrace. Thus, placing the words “embracing his consort” in the text defines this particular recitation and visualization as mahayoga. It is the practice with skillful method (implies having a real teacher) the inseparable primordial wisdom of Great Bliss. Or the union of Wisdom (mother) with Method (father). The mother figure is also white and in a half lotus position around the father. Her right hand has a hooked knife for cutting through obscurations and the afflicted emotions of ignorance, self grasping, etc.. The left hand holds a white skull cup which holds a blood like nectar (method). Thus, having cut through the afflicted emotions and obscurations, one receives the blessings of the union of wisdom and method, which is realization.

The father is the method, the mother is wisdom, the union is bliss, characterized by clarity and emptiness. Emptiness is the antidote for the View of Externalization (thinking this world is real). Clarity is the antidote for the view of Nihilation (thinking that nothing exists).

Consider the meditational deity more like a rainbow – something in the sky that has clarity and light. Think of this instead of a deity made of stone or clay or gold, or one that is flat like a thangka.

This is the Great Compassion = Method of Skillful Means + Wisdom of Realization and Selflessness. The union is the extreme freedom from the material world and the world of liberation.

SO, lotus + moom + HUNG makes the deity of pure aspect. We are born of the womb and are thus impure – it took 9 months to develop our faculties which will then help the baby to enjoy the senses and experiences. To counteract this, one visualizes a perfect being.
The Four Forces that will purify our negativites or imperfections
“I request your protection: purify my negativities”
The First Force is Reliance. We ask help from the deity to protect our life and also to purify us. (We need grace, and that grace will come if we ask.)

“With intense regret I confess and acknowledge”
The Second Force is Repentence. Remember the negative things you have done in this life (kill, steal, lie, sexual misconduct…) AND regret the imprint of the 10 negativities left over from previous lives. Have regret and a mind of disappointment. It is not all right to have negativities or a disappointed mind. The more one regrets, the more one purifies the negativities.

“Even at the cost of my life, I shall abstain.”
The Third Force is Abstention. This is the promise in front of the deity to not do this negativity again. It is the most important force. Protecting one’s life is very important, but not doing a negativity is even more important. We will die one day. Sometimes we may do a grave negativity in order to save our life. However, this is very dangerous. The consequence of this negativity may be rebirth in a lower realm or hell for many eons. So, it is better to suffer in this one life than in countless eons.

“Upon a full moon in your heart”
The Fourth Force to apply the antidote. After one has Reliance, Repentance, and Abstention, one accumulates merit through the recitation of prayer AND the way of bodhicitta (loving kindness). (So, the full moon in your heart is that your heart is no longer obscured and is thus open to receive the blessings of the antidote of prayer.)

“Is the letter HUNG encircled by the mantra”
(This is the particular practice of this particular method.) This is the recitation of this prayer (in Sanskrit, not English) AND the visualizations already described. In addition is another visualization of HUNG encircled by the mantra. This is on the moon seated in the heart. This moon is the size of a mustard seed and on it is written the 100 Syllable Mantra (to be discussed tomorrow), written in very fine letters, upright so the letters are barely touching, in a clockwise manner. This IS the primordial wisdom of the union of bliss and emptiness or the essence of the father and mother.

“By working with the recitation of mantras”
The 100 Syllable Mantra manifests the 100 deities: 42 peaceful and 58 wrathful deities. Each syllable of the mantra manifests a particular deity. So this visualization is combined with the meditative deity of vajrasattva.

“From the point of union of the deities’ blissful play”
When you visualize all this with single pointed concentration, you wake up the deities. And from their love, our negativities are purified.

“Flows nectar-clouds of bodhcitta”
The HUNG on the moon disc is cold. The heat of the union melts this nectar from the mantra and HUNG from the point of union of blissful play to our self. In other words the nectar of this union of bliss and emptiness embodied by the deities flows down to us like rainfall when we perform the prayers with single pointed concentration.

“Falling like fine particles of camphor”
Camphor is a medicine related to heat diseases. It is white and cooling and is thus the antidote for heat illnesses. Thus, the white, round, cool HUNG on the moon cools the afflicted emotions and destroys them.

“Of myself and all beings through the three realms.”
We do this with confidence and courage because it not only helps ourselves but all beings in all three realms.

“Our karma and power of delusion or negative emotions (Rinpoche changed the translation from conflicting emotions), the causes of suffering.”
The causes of our suffering are from our accumulated karma and due to the ignorance, etc. of the mind.

“Illnesses, harmful spirits, negativities, obscurations, and transgressions.”
While visualizing that nectar coming into our body from above, like a rainfall of blissful nectar that goies theour the crown of the head and into our body and purifies everything: illnesses past, present, and future, harmful spirits, etc. (see text). Transgressions means any transgression, past, present, and future against our vows: the vows to liberation which is an external vow, the vow to buddhahood which is an internal vow and the tantric vow which is a secret vow (initiatic).

“I implore you to purify them utterly.”
This is the motivation. To recite and visualize with complete faith will mean to have all these things purified utterly.