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PREFACE

Homage to Vajradhara

“The Great Exposition of Secret Mantra by Tsongkhapa (1357–1419), founder of the Gelugpa order of Tibetan Buddhism, presents the main features of all the Buddhist Tantra systems as well as the difference between sūtra and Tantra, the two divisions of Buddha's word. Tsongkhapa's text begins with an examination of the difference between the Buddhist vehicles, mainly analyzing a variety of earlier delineations of the difference between the Sūtra Great Vehicle and the Mantra Great Vehicle. Although Tsongkhapa does not mention Butön Rinchendrub1 (1290–1364) by name, it is apparent that his prime source is Butön's encyclopedic presentation of the difference between Sūtra and Mantra in his Extensive General Presentation of the Tantra Sets, Ornament Beautifying the Precious Tantra Sets.2 Butön lists presentations by several Indian scholars who delineate various numbers of ways the Mantra Great Vehicle surpasses the Sūtra Great Vehicle, or Perfection Vehicle3 as it is commonly called:” (GrExSM1)

• Tripiṭakamāla and his commentator Vajrapāṇi — four differences

• Jñānashrī — eleven differences

• Ratnākarashānti — three differences

• Nāgārjuna — six differences

• Indrabhuti — seven differences

• Jñānapāda — three differences

• Ḍombhiheruka — five differences

• Vajraghaṇṭapāda — four differences

• Samayavajra — five differences

In a radical departure from Butön's catalog of opinions, Tsongkhapa analyzes the structure of the path to Buddhahood and analytically chooses to emphasize a single central distinctive feature of the Mantra Vehicle,4 Deity Yoga. His reason, in brief, is that method (compassion and the altruistic deeds it motivates) and wisdom are the central means of achieving the two Buddha Bodies, Truth Body and Form Bodies, and in Deity Yoga Mantra has a distinctive union of method and wisdom without which a Buddha's Form Bodies cannot be attained. This leads to Tsongkhapa's conclusion that even through the Perfection Vehicle alone, Buddhahood cannot be attained.

The main points Tsongkhapa makes in distinguishing the Lesser Vehicle and the Great Vehicle and, within the latter, the Sūtra and Mantra Vehicles, are:

• The difference between vehicles must lie in the sense of “vehicle” as that to which one progresses or as that by which one progresses.

• The Lesser Vehicle differs from the Great Vehicle in both. The destination of the lower one is the state of a Hearer or Solitary Realizer Foe Destroyer and of the higher one, Buddhahood.

• Concerning “vehicle” in the sense of means by which one progresses, although there is no difference in the wisdom Realizing emptiness, there is a difference in method — Lesser Vehicle not having and Great Vehicle having the altruistic intention to become Enlightened and its attendant deeds.

• Sūtra and Mantra Great Vehicle do not differ in terms of the goal, the state being sought, since both seek the highest Enlightenment of a Buddha, but there is a difference in the means of progress, again not in wisdom but in method.

• Within method, Sūtra and Mantra Great Vehicle differ not in the basis or motivation, the altruistic intention to become Enlightened, nor in having the perfections as deeds, but in the additional technique of Deity Yoga. A Deity is a supramundane being who himself or herself is a manifestation of compassion and wisdom. Thus, in the special practice of Deity Yoga one joins one's own body, speech, mind, and activities with the exalted body, speech, mind, and activities of a supramundane being, manifesting on the path a similitude of the state of the effect.

As scriptural authority for the central distinguishing feature between the Sūtra and Mantra Great Vehicles, Tsongkhapa quotes a passage from the Vajrapañjara Tantra, rejects the commentaries of Kṛṣhṇapāda and Indrabodhi, and critically uses the commentary of Devakulamahāmati, accepting some parts of that explanation and rejecting others. He reinforces his presentation of Deity Yoga as the dividing line between the two Great Vehicles with citations from or references to works on Highest Yoga Tantra by Jñānapāda, Ratnākarashānti, Abhayākāra, Durjayachandra, Shrīdhara, Samayavajra, Jinadatta, and Vinayadatta.

Despite Tsongkhapa's many citations of Tantras and Indian commentaries, it is clear that these are used only as supportive evidence for his presentation. Tradition is only supportive, not the ultimate authority. The arbiter is reason, specifically in the sense of determining coherence and consistency within a path structure. He refutes Ratnarakṣhita and Tripiṭakamāla, for instance, not because they differ from the aforementioned sources but because their presentations fail in terms of consistency with the path structure. By doing so, he moves the basis of the exposition from scriptural citation to reasoned analysis of a meditative structure.

Also, whereas Butön catalogs nine ways that Indian scholaryogis differentiate the four Tantra sets — by way of the four Indian castes, four schools of tenets, four faces of Kālachakra, four periods of the day, four eras, followers of four Deities, four afflictive emotions to be abandoned, four levels of desire to be purified, and four levels of faculties — Tsongkhapa critically examines most of these, accepting only the last two, with modification. He differentiates the four Tantra sets by way of their main trainees being of four very different types, since these trainees have (1) four different ways of using desire for the attributes of the desire realm in the path and (2) four different levels of capacity for generating the emptiness and Deity Yogas that use desire in the path.

In his systemization, the four Tantras are not differentiated (1) by way of their object of intent since all four are aimed at bringing about others' welfare or (2) by way of the object of attainment since all four seek the full Enlightenment of Buddhahood or (3) by way of merely having different types of Deity Yoga since all four Tantra sets have many different types of Deity Yoga but are each only one Tantra set. Rather, the distinctive tantric practice of Deity Yoga, motivated by Great Compassion and beginning with emptiness yoga, is carried out in different ways in the four Tantra sets. Various levels of desire — involved in gazing, laughing, touching, and sexual union — are utilized by the respective main trainees in accordance with their disposition toward styles of practice, these being to emphasize external activities, to balance external activities and meditative stabilization, to emphasize meditative stabilization, or to exclusively focus on meditative stabilization.

Tsongkhapa's exposition represents an appeal to analysis, a carefully constructed argument based on scriptural sources and reasoning, with the emphasis on the latter. Consistency, coherence, and elegance of system are the cornerstones; his procedure is that of a thorough scholar, analyzing sources and counteropinions with careful scrutiny determining the place of the pillars of his analysis in the general structure of a system. His intention is clearly not to present a catalog of views as Butön mainly did, but to adjudicate conflicting systems of explication, thereby establishing a radically new one.

In 1972 when I was in Dharamsala, northern India, on a Fulbright Dissertation Fellowship, His Holiness the Dalai Lama asked me to translate the Great Exposition of Secret Mantra, the first section of which is the second part of this book. The first part is the Dalai Lama's own commentary which he gave me in private in August 1974, upon my return to Dharamsala. His commentary, which I recorded, translated, and edited, provides valuable insight into Tantra in general and Tsongkhapa's work in particular. Presenting the rich Tibetan oral tradition, his exposition reveals the highly practical and compassionate use of this ancient science of spiritual development.

The third part of the book is a supplement that I hope will clarify key points in the Dalai Lama's and Tsongkhapa's teachings. The supplement is also drawn from the oral teachings of Kensur Lekden (1900–71), abbot of the Tantric College of Lower Lhasa, and Professor Geshe Gedün Lodrö (1924–79) of the University of Hamburg as well as from general explanations of Tantra found in all four orders of Tibetan Buddhism:

Nyingma

Longchen Rabjam's Precious Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle and Treasury of Tenets;

Kagyu

Padma Karpo's General Presentation of the Tantra Sets, Captivating the Wise;

Sakya

Sönam Tsemo's General Presentation of the Tantra Sets; Butön's General Presentation of the Tantra Sets — condensed, medium length, and extensive versions;

Gelug

Lo-sang-chö-kyi-gyal-tshan's Presentation of the General Teaching and the Four Tantra Sets;

Long-dol Ngagwang Losang's Terminology Arising in Secret Mantra, the Scriptural Division of the Knowledge Bearers; Pabongkha's Miscellaneous Notes from Jonay Paṇḍita's “Explanation of the Great Exposition of Secret Mantra.”

“I orally re-translated the first two parts into Tibetan for Lati Rinpoche, a philosophy master and tantric lama from the Dalai Lama's monastery in Dharamsala, for the sake of correction and verification. Geshe Gedün Lodrö, a Tibetan scholar of scholars who taught at the University of Hamburg, provided invaluable information and explanation for the translation of Tsongkhapa's text. Barbara Frye, a student of Tibetan Buddhism for several years, helped in editing the Dalai Lama's commentary.” (GrExSM1)

“A guide to Tsongkhapa's text, following his own mode of division of the contents, is given in tabular form in an appendix. The eight chapter divisions and their titles in the Dalai Lama's commentary and in Tsongkhapa's text were added to facilitate understanding. The transliteration scheme for Sanskrit names and titles is aimed at easy pronunciation, using sh, ṣh, and ch rather than ś, ṣ, and c. With the first occurrence of each Indian title, the Sanskrit is given, if available. Often Tsongkhapa refers only to the title or the author of a work, whereas both are given in translation to obviate the need for checking back and forth. The full Sanskrit and Tibetan titles are to be found in the bibliography, which is arranged alphabetically according to the English titles of sūtras and Tantras and according to the authors of other works. The Sanskrit and Tibetan originals of key terms are given in a glossary at the end.” (GrExSM1)

Jeffrey Hopkins

President and Founder, UMA Institute for Tibetan Studies

Emeritus Professor of Tibetan Studies

University of Virginia

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

“We wish to thank Mr. Gerald Yorke for many suggestions that improved the rendering in English of Part II.” (GrExSM1)

“ (GrExSM1)

Fair Use Sources:

• Tsongkhapa's Great Exposition of Secret Mantra - Commentary by H.H. Dalai Lama
  • Great Exposition of Secret Mantra - Volume One - Tantra in Tibet by Lama Tsongkhapa and H.H. Dalai Lama
  • Great Exposition of Secret Mantra - Volume Two - Deity Yoga by Lama Tsongkhapa and H.H. Dalai Lama
  • Great Exposition of Secret Mantra - Volume Three - Yoga Tantra by Lama Tsongkhapa and H.H. Dalai Lama