The New Guide to Dakini Land. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso

Buddha Vajradharma

      If we are not accomplished meditators we cannot maintain mindfulness and alertness during sleep. This leaves our mind unguarded and exposed to unseen influences. For example, we may fall asleep with a positive mind but wake up feeling bad because during the night we were disturbed by evil spirits who took advantage of our defenceless state. Sincere practitioners of Vajrayogini, however, may find the opposite happening. They may go to bed with a mind preoccupied with the problems of the day, but wake up refreshed, with a clear and positive mind. Although the external situation may be much the same, they are now able to face it with a peaceful mind. They may also find that obstacles to their Dharma practice inexplicably disappear overnight. These are signs that during the night they have been visited by Dakinis from the twenty-four holy places, who blessed their mind and subtle body. Dakinis are able to help a practitioner in this way when he or she establishes a connection with them through pure Vajrayogini practice.

      Another reason for beginning the practice of Vajrayogini at night is that during sleep the clear light mind of sleep manifests naturally and, with training, this mind can be used to progress along the spiritual path towards the realizations of example clear light and meaning clear light. One of the main reasons for practising Vajrayogini Tantra is to gain these realizations.

      During the day we perceive many different things, but in the darkness of night all these appearances vanish. The day therefore symbolizes conventional truth and the night symbolizes emptiness, or ultimate truth. Beginning our practice at night reminds us that the main purpose of training in these instructions is to develop a mind of clear light that directly realizes emptiness. Remembering this, we begin our practice of the eleven yogas of Vajrayogini with the yoga of sleeping. Other texts present different reasons but the ones given here are the most accurate.

      Since we all spend a large portion of our time asleep it is important that we have a method for transforming sleep into the spiritual path. Sleeping, dreaming and waking are similar to death, the intermediate state and rebirth. Through continual training in the yogas of sleeping and rising we will gain the ability to purify and transform our death, intermediate state and rebirth into the spiritual path. This is the main purpose of generation stage meditation.

      Briefly, there are seven principal benefits to be gained from practising the yoga of sleeping:

      1 We accumulate great merit

      2 All our hindrances and obstacles are dispelled

      3 We will receive direct care and guidance from Vajrayogini in all our future lives

      4 We will be blessed by the Heroines of the twenty-four holy places of Heruka

      5 Our practice of generation stage meditation will be strengthened and stabilized

      6 We will attain both outer and inner Dakini Lands

      7 We will attain enlightenment quickly

      There are two ways to practise the yoga of sleeping: accord­ing to generation stage and according to completion stage. We may choose either method.

      THE YOGA OF SLEEPING ACCORDING

       TO GENERATION STAGE

      Sleeping according to generation stage creates great merit and is a cause to attain the Form Body of Vajrayogini. Successful practice of the yoga of sleeping depends upon having gained proficiency in the sixth yoga, the yoga of self-generation.

      When the time for sleep approaches we should regard our surroundings as the Pure Land of the Dakinis and our room as Vajrayogini’s phenomena source mandala. The phenomena source is the nature of Vajrayogini’s wisdom. It is made of red light in the shape of a double tetrahedron, and we should visualize it as large as possible. Inside the phenomena source we visualize a precious jewelled throne supported by eight snow lions. Covering the surface of the throne there is an eight-petalled lotus, and on top of this there is either a sun cushion, a circular cushion of yellow light, or a moon cushion, a circular cushion of white light. When we lie down to sleep we visualize ourself clearly as Vajrayogini, only without the usual ornaments and hand implements.

      If we wish to sleep lightly and wake quickly, or if we wish to sleep with strong concentration, we visualize ourself lying on a cool moon cushion. If we feel cold, or if we wish to sleep deeply or for a long time, we visualize ourself lying on a warm sun cushion. Usually, however, we need a balanced sleep. If we sleep too lightly we may wake too readily, but if we sleep too deeply we will be unable to maintain mindfulness during our dreams. To achieve a balanced sleep we visualize ourself lying on a sun cushion but without imagining it to be warm.

      We should lie facing west with our head towards the north. Facing west is auspicious because we invite the Dakinis to visit us from the land of Odiyana, which is in the west. The soles of our feet should point towards the south. This is auspicious for a long life because it symbolizes our wish to subdue Yama, the Lord of Death, who is said to live in the south. Our practice is enhanced by sleeping in this position, but if it is not practical because of the shape of our room or the position of our bed we can simply imagine that we are doing this. Directions are merely imputed.

      On the northern petal of the lotus flower we visualize our root Guru in the aspect of Buddha Vajradharma. Visualizing our Guru in the aspect of a Buddha is a practice unique to Secret Mantra. According to the Vinaya the Guru should be regarded as like a Buddha, but according to Secret Mantra the Guru should be regarded as a Buddha.

      Although some texts state that we should visualize our Guru in the aspect of Hero Vajradharma, there are in fact three ways in which we can visualize him: in his outer aspect as Hero Vajradharma, in his inner aspect as Buddha Vajradharma, or in his secret aspect as Buddha Vajradharma with consort. In essence there is no difference between these three aspects of the Guru because Hero Vajradharma, Buddha Vajradharma without consort, and Buddha Vajradharma with consort are exactly the same nature. Whichever aspect we choose to visualize, we should regard him as our root Guru, the syn­thesis of all the Buddhas.

      Hero Vajradharma is red. His left hand holds at the level of his heart a skullcup filled with nectar, his right hand is raised holding a damaru, and his left shoulder supports a khatanga. Buddha Vajradharma looks exactly like Buddha Vajradhara, except that Buddha Vajradharma is red and adorned with six bone ornaments whereas Buddha Vajradhara is blue and wears ornaments made of jewels.

      Buddha Vajradharma is similar to Buddha Amitabha in that he is a manifestation of the speech of all the Buddhas. It is primarily through receiving teachings from our Guru that we receive the blessings of Buddha’s speech, so for us our Guru functions as the manifestation of Buddha’s speech. To help us develop this recognition we visualize our Guru as Buddha Vajradharma.

      When we practise the yoga of sleeping according to gener­ation stage the most important thing is to maintain strong divine pride that we are Vajrayogini, that our room is the phenom­ena source, and that our bed is a sun cushion or moon cushion. As we lie on our bed we imagine that we rest our head in Guru Vajradharma’s lap, and then with strong faith in our Guru we go to sleep. As we fall asleep we should prevent all ordinary appearances and maintain only pure appearances.

      When we wake up we should immediately recollect that we are Vajrayogini, that our room is the phenomena source mandala, and that our root Guru is on the northern petal of the lotus in the aspect of Buddha Vajradharma.

      THE YOGA OF SLEEPING ACCORDING

       TO COMPLETION STAGE

      In the completion stage yoga of sleeping, before we go to sleep we imagine that the entire world system and all its inhabitants melt into light and that this light dissolves into our body. Our body then gradually melts into light and diminishes in size until it dissolves into the letter BAM at our heart. At this stage only the letter BAM appears to our mind; we perceive nothing else. Then the letter BAM gradually dissolves into its head, or upper horizontal line, the head dissolves into the crescent moon, the crescent moon into the drop, and the drop into the nada – the three-curved line at the top of the letter. The nada then gradually decreases in size until finally it dissolves into clear light emptiness.

      Now