The Basis of Tantric Practice

Most dear one,
You sent the question about Heruka outer mandala Luipa. That came out in my observation for you to practice, so here are the reasons why you need to practice this tantric deity. This is a Buddhist tantra deity, not a Hindu tantra deity. So it’s Buddhist tantra, according to what Buddha taught; it’s not just something said by a Tibetan lama.

Among the tantric deities there are the Highest Yoga Tantra deities. So the Lesser Vehicle teachings do not show enlightenment and we can’t achieve full enlightenment [through those teachings alone]. Then Mahayana sutra teachings reveal the ten grounds [bhumis] and five bodhisattva paths to achieve enlightenment, but to complete the merits of wisdom and virtue in order to achieve enlightenment, it would take three countless great eons. That means sentient beings would have to suffer for an incredible length of time.

For those with more merit and the highest intelligence, there is tantra practice. It is taught to those who have strong compassion and want to achieve enlightenment [for sentient beings], so we can achieve full enlightenment in one life. The lower tantras have greater skill than the Mahayana sutra path and now there’s an even quicker way to achieve enlightenment: with even stronger compassion because we can’t stand sentient beings’ suffering, the quickest way to achieve enlightenment is by practicing Highest Yoga Tantra. That’s why, according to your karma, in my observation it came out for you to practice Heruka, the outer mandala Luipa.

I have received the initiation, but I haven’t done the retreat so I can’t give you the initiation. But there is no rush. The most important thing now and especially at the time of death, as well as in the future for your enlightenment, is to create the base for tantra practice. This base is renunciation, bodhicitta and right view—the three principal aspects of the path, lamrim—and that depends on the basis of perfectly following the guru. Since you are an intelligent being, in my observation what came out is the Middle-Length Lamrim.

The lamrim is the essence of the whole entire Dharma. For example, Buddha revealed 84,000 teachings, which come in three divisions—the Lesser Vehicle teachings, Mahayana sutra and Mahayana tantra—and these are all embodied in the lamrim. The graduated path of the lower capable being, the graduated path of the middle capable being and the graduated path of the higher capable being are all embodied in the three principal aspects of the path to enlightenment. The essence is this.

Therefore, the best way to practice tantra is by having realizations of the lamrim. If you have realizations of the three principal aspects, this is the most successful way to practice tantra. If not full realizations, then at least having effortful experience.

So I suggest the main lamrim for you to study, to read, is Lama Tsongkhapa’s Middle-Length Lamrim. That is a quite elaborate, very extensive text of Lama Tsongkhapa’s way of teachings. In short advice, the contents are very important subjects of Buddhadharma. Of course, you can read Liberation in the Palm of Your Hand and other lamrim texts to help you understand  and gain realizations of the lamrim, but the main text for you to study is the Middle-Length Lamrim. It is incredibly good to study.

It is the same as the Lamrim Chenmo [The Great Treatise on the Stages of the Path to Enlightenment]. It is basically the same, but what is left out and is included in the Lamrim Chenmo is a lot of negation of wrong views concerning ultimate nature. Before the Madhyamika Prasangika, there are other schools [presenting a different] point of view of ultimate nature. Those views help us realize Madhyamika Prasangika’s view of emptiness, but they are not complete. The definitions given by those other schools are not correct regarding the ultimate nature of the I and all phenomena, therefore, by realizing those views we cannot cut the root of the oceans of samsaric sufferings.

You need to study the Middle-Length Lamrim three times from beginning to end. Anything you don’t understand, you can fill up a writing book with those questions and then check with Geshe-la or someone who knows it well, even Western students who know it extremely well. Otherwise, you can get a wrong understanding.

Of course, when you receive teachings, that person who you take teachings from you have to regard as your guru. But just asking someone questions, that is not a person you have to regard as guru.

It is said that people who read the lamrim many times—for example if you read it nine times, then there is nine times the understanding—however many times you read it, you get a different understanding. Therefore, it is the most important thing to know the lamrim from beginning to end, then your life will be most precious, most important.

Later, when His Holiness the Dalai Lama gives the initiation of Heruka Luipa or some other lama gives the initiation, like Jhado Rinpoche or Ganden Tripa, then you can take it from those lamas. Or you can just wait, and later you can request when one of those lamas can give it to you.

But first you need to study; you need to get an explanation from a lama on the lamrim, that is the most important thing now. Geshe-la came out the best person for you to learn lamrim from, so you can regard him as guru. He is a very good teacher, he has been living in the West for many years and there’s no confusion, no problems, so it is very good to learn from him. There could be a group of people if there are others who want to learn the Middle-Length Lamrim from him. That would be the best if you can receive teachings from him. Just to learn the Middle-Length Lamrim is so good.

In particular, with Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings, it is so good how he presents them; it is so good. I felt that I spent so much time with other teachings, then when I saw Lama Tsongkhapa’s teachings, I thought that I should have read those texts many years ago. You may also feel like that, so you may feel regret. So like that, it is very precious. By studying Lama Tsongkhapa’s lamrim then you will become expert in the practice to achieve enlightenment.

Regarding lamrim meditation, please read my advice on effortful lamrim meditation practice. For you, [use an outline as] a guide for the lamrim meditations, because the Middle-Length Lamrim is quite large to use when you meditate. First you study the commentary, then for a guide book, you can use the outlines of the Middle-Length Lamrim, you can meditate on that basis. Lama Tsongkhapa did not present it that way, but my root guru Trijang Rinpoche gave the outline to the Middle-Length Lamrim, so you can use that or The Essential Nectar. You can use one of these as a guide book after you study the commentary, which is the Middle-Length Lamrim, so that is the main one.

Cycle four times through the outline for the recommended number of months on each section of the lamrim. If you want to make the time for the different parts of the outline longer than what I said, for example, if you feel the time meditating on emptiness, etc., is too short, then you can make it longer, or you can make the next cycle shorter. Otherwise, you can spend the same amount of time again on emptiness.

This is the most important thing. There is no rush for the Heruka initiation and practice; you can do that later. But you can pray to receive the initiation and to practice and achieve enlightenment.

After this number of months on the topics on the lamrim and going through four cycles like this, then you can do effortless meditation, as I have explained.

Also read the Ksitigarbha Sutra. This is not yet translated into English and it needs to be translated correctly. In the future, when it is translated, if you can read it regularly that is very good. There is a Chinese translation, but you don’t read Chinese, and I’m not sure if the Chinese is correct as it doesn’t have the mantra in it. The Tibetan text has mantra in it, and I am not sure if the rest of the Chinese translation of the sutra is correct. [This text has now been translated into English and is available as a PDF from FPMT.]

Please live your live with bodhicitta as much as you can, day and night and in every activity that you do.