Kyabje Gosok Rinpoche
Teaching on Tibetan Buddhism

Lecture at Tibetan Buddhism Cultural Exhibition

Tibetan culture, medicine, and religion possess certain unique qualities. These qualities can provide valuable guidance on how to steer our increasingly chaotic world toward peace and happiness.

Vajrayana

The statues, thangkas, and ritual instruments displayed at the exhibition, sourced from museums around the world, mostly belong to the Vajrayana (Tantric) tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. These artifacts carry profound meanings that go far beyond their surface appearances. If one can apply these deeper meanings in daily life, they will undoubtedly bring great benefit. Since many of you have a strong interest in the teachings of Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana, this lecture will focus specifically on exploring this aspect.

The Vajrayana teachings were transmitted from India to Tibet. Vajrayana is an integral part of Mahayana Buddhism. It does not form a separate system but is deeply interconnected with the broader Mahayana path. In practice, by skillfully integrating the methods of the Paramitayana (Sutrayana, Causal Vehicle) and Vajrayana (Fruit Vehicle), especially through the practice of Vajrayana, one can achieve Buddhahood more swiftly.

Mahayana

The purpose of practicing both Vajrayana and Paramitayana (Mahayana Sutrayana or exoteric teachings) is to attain the perfect state of Buddhahood. The goal of achieving Buddhahood is to enable oneself and all sentient beings to be free from the suffering of samsara and to attain the ultimate happiness of liberation and enlightenment. Therefore, without the foundation of renunciation, bodhicitta, and the wisdom realizing emptiness—which are emphasized in the exoteric teachings—it would be impossible to attain the perfect state of Buddhahood, even through the practice of Vajrayana.

According to the varying capacities and conditions of sentient beings, the Buddha taught different methods to guide them toward liberation. For those who seek only their own liberation from samsara, the Buddha taught the Hinayana path. For those who prioritize the welfare of others and wish to liberate all sentient beings from samsara, the Buddha taught the Mahayana path. Since we consider ourselves Mahayana practitioners, we should always cultivate compassion and gentleness, valuing the welfare of others far above our own. This is the hallmark of a Mahayana practitioner, and it is only through such actions that we can achieve the perfect state of Buddhahood.

Self cherishing Mind

Why are we unable to consistently treat others with compassion? This is due to the deeply ingrained “self-cherishing mind” that has accompanied us since beginningless time—a strong attachment to our own self-interest. Under the influence of this self-attachment, we are unable to prioritize the welfare of others over our own. We fail to consistently treat others with compassion and gentleness, thereby depriving them of happiness. Therefore, to attain the ultimate state of Buddhahood and bring peace and liberation to all sentient beings, we must find ways to counteract and eliminate this self-cherishing mind. We should constantly cultivate a mindset of benefiting others and earnestly put it into practice. The root of rapid attainment of Buddhahood through Vajrayana practice lies in the compassionate aspiration for all sentient beings to swiftly achieve happiness and liberation. This spirit of “attaining Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings” is the very essence of the Vajrayana teachings.

Renunciation, Bodhicitta, and Wisdom of Emptiness

To free oneself from the cycle of samsara and attain liberation, one must cultivate renunciation. To benefit oneself and all sentient beings, one must also cultivate bodhicitta and practice the six perfections (generosity, discipline, patience, effort, concentration, and wisdom) as part of the bodhisattva path. However, possessing only these two qualities is insufficient to attain the perfect state of Buddhahood. On the foundation of renunciation and bodhicitta, one must also realize the wisdom of emptiness. Only by realizing emptiness can one eliminate the afflictions and self-grasping in one’s mindstream. Renunciation, bodhicitta, and the wisdom of emptiness are the core teachings of the exoteric tradition and also serve as the foundation for entering the Vajrayana path.

Similarities and Differences Between the Causal and Fruition Vehicles

Let us briefly explore the similarities and differences between the Paramitayana (exoteric or causal vehicle) and the Vajrayana (tantric or fruition vehicle). The purpose of practicing both the Paramitayana and Vajrayana teachings is to attain the perfect state of Buddhahood. The Buddha’s enlightenment refers to the complete elimination of all faults and the perfection of all virtues. To achieve this, one must possess renunciation, bodhicitta, and the wisdom of emptiness. Both the Paramitayana and Vajrayana share the same understanding of emptiness, generate the same bodhicitta, and practice the same six perfections of the bodhisattva path. The goal of attaining Buddhahood is not merely for one’s own liberation but to benefit all sentient beings, enabling them to be freed from samsara and attain ultimate happiness, even reaching full enlightenment. This shared goal is a crucial commonality between the exoteric and esoteric paths. Since the objective is the same, we must deeply investigate the methods for accomplishing the welfare of sentient beings.

Achieving Dharmakaya and Rupakaya

The Buddha possesses both the perfect dharmakaya (truth body) and rupakaya (form body), with the latter divided into the sambhogakaya (enjoyment body) and nirmanakaya (emanation body). To attain the perfect dharmakaya, one must practice the wisdom of emptiness and accumulate the merit of wisdom. To attain the perfect rupakaya, one must practice the six perfections of the bodhisattva path and accumulate the merit of compassion. Therefore, to achieve the perfect state of Buddhahood, one must equally emphasize both emptiness and skillful means, accumulating the merits of wisdom and compassion. Neither aspect can be neglected if one wishes to reach the goal.

Difference Between Hinayana and Mahayana

Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana all affirm the emptiness of self and share the same understanding of emptiness and the accumulation of wisdom. The difference lies in their methods of skillful means and the accumulation of merit. Hinayana focuses solely on personal liberation and cultivates renunciation for this purpose. In contrast, Mahayana aims to liberate all sentient beings and lead them to ultimate happiness. Therefore, in addition to striving for the perfect dharmakaya, Mahayana practitioners must also attain the perfect rupakaya. Only then can they manifest various forms to meet the diverse needs of sentient beings and liberate those trapped in the suffering of samsara. This aspiration to “attain Buddhahood for the sake of sentient beings” is the key distinction between Hinayana and Mahayana.

Unique Features of Vajrayana

In the exoteric tradition, the practice of realizing the emptiness of inherent existence serves as the cause for ultimately attaining the perfect dharmakaya. However, it lacks a clear method for achieving the perfect rupakaya. The exoteric path emphasizes generating bodhicitta and practicing the six perfections to accumulate the merit needed for attaining the rupakaya in the future. In contrast, Vajrayana employs the unique method of “self-visualization as a deity,” where practitioners visualize themselves as a fully enlightened deity adorned with the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks, thereby accomplishing the perfect rupakaya. This is a distinctive feature of Vajrayana, setting it apart from the exoteric path in terms of skillful means and the accumulation of merit.

Non-Duality of Dharmakaya and Rupakaya

The Buddha’s dharmakaya and rupakaya are indivisible and inseparable. Through the union of emptiness and skillful means, one accumulates the perfect merits of wisdom and compassion. From the wisdom of emptiness arise various manifestations of the rupakaya, tailored to the capacities and conditions of sentient beings. Although these manifestations may differ, they all originate from the emptiness that eliminates all afflictions. Therefore, in the context of the Buddha’s perfect enlightenment, his skillful means and wisdom, as well as his rupakaya and dharmakaya, are non-dual in nature.

Thus, practitioners begin from the “ground” stage of the path (the foundational level) and gradually generate realizations of the stages of the path within their mindstreams. Vajrayana yogis, seeking to realize the perfect dharmakaya and rupakaya, must abide in the true nature of all phenomena—emptiness—and diligently practice to attain the dharmakaya. They also visualize themselves as deities or Buddhas, aspiring to achieve the rupakaya adorned with the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks. Practicing emptiness and self-visualization as a deity are complementary causes for attaining the dharmakaya and rupakaya. During the “path” stage, both wisdom and skillful means must be practiced equally without neglecting either, as only then can one achieve the perfect state of Buddhahood.

Non-Dual Practice of Emptiness and Skillful Means

For Vajrayana yogis, the practice of emptiness and skillful means occurs simultaneously and cannot be separated. The perfect rupakaya arises instantaneously from emptiness, and the two are inseparable. One should not artificially distinguish between their existence or non-existence. When practitioners visualize themselves as a deity and enter the Buddha’s mandala (palace), surrounded by countless other palaces, they experience four distinctions: place (the Buddha’s pure land), body (the Buddha’s rupakaya), enjoyment (the wealth enjoyed by the Buddha), and activity (the various accomplishments of the Buddha). Practicing the corresponding causes to achieve the rupakaya is a significant difference between the exoteric and esoteric paths.

Difference in Motivation

Practicing the exoteric teachings requires three incalculable eons to accumulate the perfect merits of wisdom and compassion, ultimately attaining Buddhahood. In contrast, the Vajrayana teachings emphasize that through the practice of highest yoga tantra, one can achieve Buddhahood within a human lifespan. However, whether one can attain Buddhahood in this very lifetime depends not on differences in the Dharma itself but on the practitioner’s motivation. Exoteric practitioners who generate strong bodhicitta and diligently practice the bodhisattva path can also swiftly accumulate the merits of wisdom and compassion, thereby attaining Buddhahood. Conversely, even Vajrayana yogis practicing highest yoga tantra will still require countless eons to perfect their accumulation of merit if they lack such strong motivation. Thus, the speed of attainment depends on the difference in the practitioner’s motivation, not on differences in the Dharma.

Generation Stage

To practice the Vajrayana teachings, practitioners must first receive empowerment (initiation) from a qualified authentic guru. This empowerment authorizes the practitioner to engage in the specific tantric practices transmitted by the guru. There are four classes of tantra: kriya, charya, yoga, and anuttarayoga. The anuttarayoga tantra is divided into two stages: the generation stage (utpattikrama) and the completion stage (sampannakrama). To practice anuttarayoga tantra, in addition to receiving empowerment, practitioners must also listen to their guru’s explanations of the content and methods of the practice before beginning.

The generation stage is based on the three states that sentient beings experience in samsara: birth, death, and the intermediate state (bardo). In these three states, beings are driven by the afflictions and karmic obscurations in their mindstreams, causing them to endlessly cycle through samsara and endure immense suffering. Therefore, it is necessary to eliminate the afflictions and karmic obscurations in the mindstream to achieve liberation. The purpose of practicing the generation stage is to remove the afflictions and karmic obscurations from the mindstream, transforming the ordinary states of birth, death, and bardo into the enlightened state of a Buddha.

Three Kaya Practice

At the time of death, as the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind dissolve sequentially, one eventually enters the state of the subtlest wind-mind. This state corresponds to the cause for attaining the Buddha’s dharmakaya. When entering the bardo state, one is drawn by the subtlest wind-mind into a phantom-like body, which corresponds to the cause for attaining the Buddha’s sambhogakaya. The Buddha’s nirmanakaya corresponds to the state of being alive as a human. By practicing these three causes, one can achieve the Buddha’s dharmakaya, sambhogakaya, and nirmanakaya. This is the main essence of the generation stage.

Practice Differences Between Sutrayana and Tantrayana

To illustrate the difference in practice methods between the exoteric and esoteric paths: When encountering situations that provoke anger, the exoteric teachings often counteract this through the practice of patience. However, in the tantric path, there are highly skillful methods for dealing with anger. The tantric teachings recognize that the afflictions of attachment, aversion, and ignorance stem from conceptual thought, which is closely related to the winds (energies) of the body. Since the mind rides upon the winds, the practices of the generation and completion stages guide these winds into the luminous state, thereby countering the afflictions of attachment, aversion, and ignorance. This is one key difference in practice methods between the exoteric and esoteric paths.

Generation Stage Practice

When practicing the generation stage, the visualization is divided into two aspects: “dependent” and “support.” The “dependent” aspect refers to visualizing oneself as the deity and the deity’s retinue within the mandala. The “support” aspect refers to the infinite palace of the mandala. Initially, one begins with a coarse visualization, imagining the deity, retinue, and mandala. Then, one progresses to a more detailed visualization, clearly envisioning the deity’s eyes, limbs, and other features.

Finally, one transitions to the completion stage. During the completion stage, various experiences arise, all aimed at helping the practitioner transcend ordinary clinging. When the practitioner visualizes themselves as the deity, they cultivate divine pride (the sense of being the deity and their retinue), combined with clarity and luminosity (“clear appearance”). These two are practiced in union, inseparably, to transcend mundane self-clinging. This is the ultimate result of the generation stage.

Completion Stage

When transitioning from the generation stage to the completion stage, one must transcend ordinary self-clinging. In the completion stage, there are three types of separation: separation of the body, separation of speech, and separation of mind.

Body Separation

“Body separation” occurs at the end of the generation stage and the beginning of the completion stage. Through the practice of the generation stage, the winds (energies) enter and stabilize within the central channel, undergoing various processes of dissolution. Eventually, innate wisdom arises. This innate wisdom enables us to transcend attachment to the ordinary five aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness), six sense faculties (eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, mind), and six sense objects (sights, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, mental objects). We then enter a state of divine pride and clear appearance. This marks the end of body separation in the generation stage and the beginning of body separation in the completion stage.

Speech Separation

After transcending attachment to the five aggregates, six sense faculties, and six sense objects, we proceed to use Vajra recitation—OM, AH, HUNG—to relax the chakras along the central channel, allowing the winds to flow through it. At this point, the recited mantra merges with the subtlest breath, enabling us to transcend ordinary clinging to language and reach the state of “speech separation.”

Mind Separation

After reaching the state of speech separation in the completion stage, practitioners continue using inner Vajra recitation and outer mudras to relax the chakra at the heart center, allowing the winds to flow into the central channel and enter the heart. At this point, an innate wisdom of conceptual clarity arises. This state is free from all scattered or confused thoughts and is characterized by luminosity, referred to as “illustrative luminosity.” However, illustrative luminosity is not the ultimate or true luminosity but rather a metaphorical explanation of its nature. When illustrative luminosity arises, one has reached the state of “mind separation.”

Non-Learning Path

The subtlest life-force consists of wind (energy) and mind, with wind as the cause and mind as the accompanying condition. The body that manifests from this is called the “illusory body,” which is impure before we attain Buddhahood. Prior to achieving perfect enlightenment, defilements still exist, and the illusory body that manifests is a mundane illusory body, not the Buddha’s perfect sambhogakaya. By attaining the mundane illusory body and continuing to practice the completion stage, one undergoes various processes of absorption, eventually attaining “true luminosity.” After this true luminosity arises, one continuously eliminates afflictions, karmic obscurations, and cognitive obscurations. Finally, through this true luminosity, a perfectly pure illusory body arises. The union of true luminosity and the pure illusory body constitutes the fruition of the “non-learning path.” This is the ultimate attainment resulting from practicing both the generation and completion stages of tantra.

Proper Practice of Tantra

Based on the above, practitioners aspiring to study and practice tantra must have a correct understanding of its content, the structure of the stages of the path, and the various possible experiences that may arise. If one practices without thorough comprehension, it is easy to fall into erroneous views, which is deeply regrettable.

Meanings of Buddha Statues, Thangkas, and Artifacts

The preceding explanation provided a concise overview of the content and structure of the tantric path. Below, we will briefly introduce the appearances and deeper meanings of the Buddha statues, thangkas, and artifacts displayed in this Tibetan Buddhist art exhibition.

The Buddha’s Skillful Means

To guide sentient beings into the Dharma and ultimately attain liberation and Buddhahood, the Buddha employed various methods to benefit different types of beings.

• For those with little desire, he taught the Hinayana path.
• For those who could understand and practice the Paramitayana path—cultivating bodhisattva practices for the benefit of all sentient beings—he taught the Mahayana path.
• For those who needed to approach the Dharma through specific forms or who had strong desires, the Buddha taught the Vajrayana path, enabling them to enter the profound essence of the Dharma and achieve ultimate liberation.

This is how the Buddha manifested in various forms to guide beings of different capacities into the Dharma.

How Three Vehicles Address Afflictions

• Hinayana practitioners immediately counteract and eliminate the afflictions of attachment, aversion, and ignorance when they arise.
• Practitioners of the Paramitayana path do not immediately counteract afflictions but instead transform them into the path of enlightenment.
• Vajrayana practitioners go even further by utilizing afflictions within the state of non-dual bliss and emptiness, using the extraordinary power of tantra to genuinely counteract the afflictions and karmic obscurations that perpetuate samsara, thereby attaining liberation and Buddhahood.

The Conditions for Encountering the Buddha

The key to encountering the Buddha does not depend on whether the Buddha physically appears before us but rather on whether the conditions, merit, and blessings accumulated in our mindstreams have ripened. When the conditions are ripe, the Buddha will manifest in various forms corresponding to the diverse capacities and affinities of sentient beings, appearing before those with karmic connections in order to liberate them—not limited to the form of a monk wearing robes.

The Symbolism of Deity Forms

To guide sentient beings of varying capacities, the Buddha manifests in numerous forms. For example, some deities hold a skull cup filled with blood in their left hand and a curved knife in their right hand. The skull symbolizes the source of innate great bliss, as it contains the essence of life (such as sperm). The blood represents the nature of emptiness. Thus, the deity continuously drinking from the skull cup signifies that the deity’s mindstream abides in the non-dual state of bliss and emptiness, reminding Vajrayana practitioners to maintain this state. The curved knife in the right hand symbolizes the cutting of the afflictions and karmic obscurations that cause sentient beings to cycle endlessly through samsara. It does not imply killing enemies or drinking their blood, as some mistakenly assume.

Deities often wear a crown made of skulls, which is pure and unstained by blood or impurities. This symbolizes that if ordinary beings’ defiled aggregates (form, feeling, perception, mental formations, consciousness) are purified, they can be transformed into the five perfect wisdoms of the Five Dhyani Buddhas:

• West, Padma family, Red Amitabha, Discriminating Wisdom
• East, Vajra family, Blue Vairochana, Mirror like Wisdom
• North, Karma family, Green Amogasiddhi All Accomplishing Wisdom
• South, Ratna family Yellow Ratnasambhava, Equality Wisdom,
• Centre, Buddha famly, White Akshobhya. Dharmadatu Perfect Wisdom

Conclusion and Gratitude

Most of the deity forms and ritual implements displayed in the statues and thangkas at this exhibition are intended to guide sentient beings toward transcendent practices, helping them generate realizations of the stages of the path in their mind streams. A smaller portion of these forms fulfill worldly needs. Through this brief introduction, we hope you have gained a basic understanding of the essence of Tibetan Buddhism. Thank you for taking time out of your precious holiday to participate in this event. We deeply appreciate your presence!

Question and Answer: Symbolism of Deities Trampling Beings

Question: In this exhibition, some deities are depicted with their feet stepping on beings. What does this signify?

Answer: The depiction of deities stepping on beings symbolizes the essence of the Dharma, which is to subdue and transcend the two extremes of nihilism (believing nothing exists) and eternalism (believing everything is permanent), reaching the true nature of reality. It also symbolizes the subjugation of attachment and aversion. The beings under the deities’ feet represent powerful gods of the desire realm, such as Brahma and Ishvara. Stepping on them signifies transcending their influence and achieving the eight worldly accomplishments.

The above is a translation from our Chinese webpage, based on original Tibetan teachings.