Lect 20

The Circle of Bliss JCH 2003
Chakrasamvara & Vajravarahi, 1

OM GURU
CHAKRASAMVARA
VAJ RAYOGINI
SAPARIVARA OM AH
HUM
The meditation on Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi
is twenty minutes long. To understand its full effect,
it should be seen from the beginning and watched to
its completion.
The following meditation is based on a
compilation from several openly published
meditations and available Sanskrit texts. It is
intended only to illustrate the methodology
and is not the complete meditation.
For that, one needs the instructions of a
qualified teacher.
Here, and throughout the exhibition, we do
not recommend self-taught practice. That is
the high road to self-delusion and is to be
avoided.
The Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi practice is a
complex series of meditations, including at least four
meditations:
1) The puja to the teacher (Guru Puja)
2) The Generation-Stage meditation, in which the yogin prepares the
environment and creates the phenomenal realm
3) The Inner Offering meditation, which is the ultimate purification
4) The Completion-Stage, in which the yogin dissolves the
phenomenal world into the noumenal world
This kiosk contains:
1) The puja to the teacher (Guru Puja)
2) The Generation-Stage meditation, in which the yogin prepares the
environment and creates the phenomenal realm
A second kiosk in section 11C contains:
3) The Inner Offering meditation, which is the ultimate
purification
The Completion-Stage is not available. However, it is
described in some detail in the Circle of Bliss catalog.
Puja to Guru Chakrasamvara
The yogin is to
take refuge in his
or her own teacher
(guru), who is
envisioned as
Chakrasamvara
and Vajravarahi
generation-stage
form.
Zimmerman Family Collection
This painting of
Chakrasamvara has
the Refuge icons of
Buddha, Dharma,
Sangha on the top
register:
The five Victor
Buddhas as the
Buddha,
Prajnaparamita as
Dharma, and
Avalokiteshvara as
Sangha at the right
and left ends.
The central painting
contains the five
Buddhas reiterated
as forms of
Chakrasamvara.
This painting is
therefore an actual
refuge painting of
Guru
Chakrasamvara.
It consists of the six preliminary practices:
1) Taking refuge and generating bodhichitta
2) Receiving the blessing of the all Buddhas and
Chakrasamvara
3) Purifying the Body, Speech, and Mind
4) Purifying other beings, environment, and
enjoyments
5) Purifying defilements, downfalls, and obstacles
6) Guru Yoga: Visualization of the field of merit with
ones own Guru in the center as Chakrasamvara
While visualizing the field of merit, the yogin recites the
mantra OM GURU CHAKRASMAVARA VAJ RAYOGINI
SAPARIVARA OM AH HUM. Then he or she presents the
offering of the Mount Meru mandala. With the offerings, the
entire Mount Meru world system is recreated.
It consists of 23 precious objects:
4 continents
8 subcontinents
7 precious jewels
The treasure vase
The sun
The moon
Mount Meru itself
While visualizing the
field of merit, the yogin
offers the Mount Meru
Mandala.
A field of merit to
Tsongkhapa, the one
for Chakrasamvara
would be similar but
with Chakrasamvara in
the center.
The Saint Louis Art Museum, Gift of Margaret M. Hibbard
in memory of George E. Hibbard (260:1992)
While visualizing the
field of merit, the
yogin offers the Mount
Meru mandala.
Detail from the
previous painting.
Guru Puja
Mandala can be
elaborate or
symbolized by a
simple hand
gesture.
In either case, the
yogin offers the
entire Buddhist
world system to
his or her guru.
Musee national des Arts asiatiques Guimet (EG 632)
The Four Empowerments
resulting from the Guru Puja
The four empowerments are like a rehearsal for the
actual meditation that is to follow. Repetition and
redundancy are key aspects of the Buddhist meditative
techniques and are used extensively in the full
Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi meditations.
1)Vase Empowerment
Chakrasamvara generates from his heart Vajravarahi
and the four Yoginis, who hold the vases filled with the
nectar of insight.
By pouring water through the crown, the body is purified
from all defilements and obscurations.
This empowerment causes the yogin to realize the
generation-stage.
2 ) The Secret Empowerment
The yogin visualizes Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi in
union, with all the male deities melting into his white
bodhichitta, while the female deities melt into her red
bodhichitta.
Through tasting this secret substance, the channels,
drops, and inner winds of the subtle body are purified,
and the yogin experiences great bliss, thus receiving
the secret empowerment.
This empowerment causes the yogin to realize the
completion-stage practices related to the illusory body
(maya deha).
3) Insight Seal Empowerment
The yogin visualizes the female insight seal, (jnana mudra),
who is an emanation of Vajravarahi.
She serves as the insight aspect of the yogin, as he realizes
the union of his own adamantine body as Buddha
Chakrasamvara with Vajravarahi.
Through this unification, the bodhichitta, now envisioned at
the crown, melts. As it descends, the yogin experiences the
four joys.
The Four Joys:
1. As bodhichitta descends from the crown to the throat, the yogin
experiences J oy (ananda).
2. As it descends from the throat to the heart, one experiences
Supreme J oy (parama ananda).
3. As it descends from the heart to the navel, one experiences
Extraordinary J oy (vira ananda).
4. As it descends from the navel to the sex organ, one experiences
spontaneous Great Bliss (mahasukha ananda).
The Insight Seal (jnanamudra) empowerment
concludes the completion-stage practices related to the
clear light of bliss (prabhasvara).
The experience of the clear light of bliss is the
consummating methodology of the Chakrasamvara
system.
Although this preliminary stage is simply imagined, the
four joys are visualized in this manner.
4. Precious Word Empowerment
After the Insight Seal empowerment, the yogin visualizes
himself as Chakrasamvara/Vajravarahis united body.
Through the practice of the precious word empowerment, the
yogin attains the actual body and mind of
Chakrasamvara/Vajravarahi, resulting from the union of the
illusory body (maya deha) and clear light (prabhasvara).
This is the goal of ultimate truth of shunyatathe union of No-
More Learning (asheksha yuganaddha) and the state of
attaining the Rainbow Body (indrachapa kaya).
Concluding the
Guru Yoga Puja
All the deities of the
Merit field dissolve into
radiant light and
dissolve into the heart-
mind of the root Guru
Chakrasamvara and
Vajravarahi.
The view is then
consolidated by the
yogin.
The Guru
Chakrasamvara
and Vajravarahi are
then visualized as
diminishing in size.
They gradually
become smaller
and
enters the yogins
crown, and
descends through
the central channel.
In this manner, the
yogin understands
that he or she is
the nondual Adi-
Buddha
Chakrasamvara
and Vajravarahi.
The Generation-Stage Meditation
The Environment of
Transformation
As part of the preparation for the meditation, the
yogin prepares a space by cleansing it, pouring a circle
of water and decorating it to the best of his ability as
the mandala palace atop Mount Meru.
The Mount Meru
world system is the
location both of the
total real world and
the place of all
transformations is in
Akanishta paradise.
No matter what the
real setting, the
grandest of temples
or a teachers mud
hut, the practitioner is
always seated on the
Vajrasana at
Bodhgaya.
It is both in Akanishta
heaven and
Akanishta exists only
in his or her own
heart-mind (chitta).
Conventionally, the
mandala palace that
resides in Akanishta is
depicted above a Mount
Meru that has vishva
vajra (universal Vajra)
protruding from the four
sides.
Usually the heaven
worlds are omitted in
three dimensional
representations, but it is
understood that the
mandala palace is in
Akanishta.
The Actual Practice
Generation Stage Part 1:
The Outer Mandala
First, the yogin
generates the outer
body as
Chakrasamvaras
phenomenal
mandala.
The yogin prepares
by focusing his mind.
Then from a green
YAM syllable he
generates the wind
(or air) chakra.
He symbolizes this
by spreading his
legs in the shape of
a bow.
From a red RAM
syllable he
generates the fire
chakra.
From a white VAM
syllable he
generates the water
chakra.
From a yellow LAM
syllable he
generates the earth
chakra.
From SUM the
spine is generated
as Mount Meru.
From a PAM syllable,
the thousand-petaled
lotus emerges.
By definition, the lotus
is both the thousand-
petaled lotus of
attainment and the
great lotus of
Akanishta paradise
upon which
Vairochana resides
DHRUM emerges
from the torso and
converts the torso
into the great
mandala palace.
Beyond the core of
the mandala is the
ring of protection.
Beyond the core of
the mandala is the
ring of protection
and beyond that are
the eight charnel
fields.
The eight charnel fields are the beginning of the
transformative process. The flames the consume the
body are considered the final purification of all
transgressions.
To ascend to Akanishta, the practitioner must symbolically
cross the life-death threshold by traversing the cremation
fires and the charnel fields where ones own dead body is
devoured by the flames and carrion-eating animals.
There is a ritual song that is sung going through the
entire eight charnel fields that surround Mount Meru and
the mandala field in Akanishta.
Generation-Stage, Part 2:
The Inner Mandala
The outer mandala is now
complete.
Next the yogin must
generate the inner
mandala.
To do so he must
completely understand
the six energy centers
(chakras) and the three
channels (nadis).
"Basal" or Earth chakra
Base of the body
Blood red petals with
white center
Central lotus has 4 petals
Either Ganesh or Airvata
is associated with the
chakra.
Sanskrit syllable LAM
Water Chakra
(Ap/Varuna)
Abdomen
Red petals with white
center
Central lotus has 6
petals
Sanskrit Syllable VAM
Nirmana (Transformation)
Chakra
Navel
Blue
Central Lotus has 64 petals
Supports an upward facing
triangle
Sanskrit syllable AM
Dharma Chakra
Heart
and is supported by eight
natural colored lotuses
Variegated colors
Sanskrit syllable HUM,
facing downward
Sambhoga (Bliss) Chakra
Throat
Red
Sanskrit Syllable AUM
Mahasukha (Great Bliss)
Chakra
Crown of head
No color, ethereal
outside of which is a
downward facing triangle on
a lotus with 32 petals
Sanskrit syllable HAM
In the Chakrasamvara
meditations, the channels
(nadis) of the subtle body
are envisioned as lying
close to each other and
knotted at four points.
There is a knot at the
head, throat, heart, and
abdominal chakra. These
knots constrict the flow in
the central channel.
One of the final
stages in the
meditations is to
loosen all of the
knots so that the
drops can flow
freely along the
central channel.
The meditation begins:
The yogin visualizes
the white bodhichitta
at the center of the
heart chakra, as the
size of a mustard
seed
it transforms into the
bija HUM
which in turn,
transforms into
Chakrasamvara, with
four faces and twelve
arms.
At the navel chakra is
the red Chandali fire
of Vajravarahi, in the
form of a red drop
(bindu)
which transforms into
the Sanskrit syllable
VAM
Which, in turn, is
transformed into
Vajravarahi.
As the nature of
the red and white
drops,
Chakrasamvara
and Vajravarahi
meet at the center
of the celestial
palace and enter
into nondual
union.
At this point the
yogin has generated
his true nature as the
nondual
Chakrasamvara and
Vajravarahi.
They abide in both
his heart-mind and in
the mandala palace
at the summit of
Mount Meru
They reside in the center
of a great mandala which
consists of four concentric
rings, four corners and
four doors.
The four circles are:
1) White, the body (kaya)
circle
2) Red, the speech (vak)
circle
3) Blue, the mind (chitta)
circle
4) Gold, Great Bliss
(mahasukha) Circle
The deities of the
four corners and four
doors belong to the
Pledge (samaya) or
Vow circle.
The mandala is
generated from the
Great Bliss
(mahasukha) circle
outward to the pledge
circle.
But, except for
Chakrasamvara and
Vajravarahi, the
mandala inside the
mandala palace is
uninhabited. Now the
deities of the mandala
must generated.
The Great Bliss
(mahasukha) Circle is
generated first.
On the four channel
petals of the heart-
channel chakra, which
are the four elements,
appear in the aspects of
their bijas:
Yellow LAM (earth)
White MAM (water)
Red PAM, (fire)
Green TAM (air)
These are the four
elements and the
syllables (bija) are the
colors of the elements.
The syllables are
transformed counter-
clockwise:
East (in front) into blue
Dakini
North (to the yogins left)
into green Lama
West (behind the yogin) into
red Khandaroha
South (to the yogins right)
into yellow Rupini
These deities of the Great
Bliss Circle are called the
goddesses of the four
elements, because they arise
from the winds of the four
elements.
In the intermediate
points of the four-
petaled lotus of the
heart chakra are the
four skull cups with
five nectars (organs
of the senses).
In the cup are:
The eyes
represent seeing
forms (rupa)
The nose
represents smell
(gandha)
The tongue
represents taste
(rasa)
The hands
represent touch
(sparsha)
The four visualized
skull cups symbolize
the four Offering
Goddesses:
Rupa Vajri,
sight/form
Gandha Vajri,
smell/odor
Rasa Vajri,
taste/flavor
Sparsha Vajri.
touch/tactility
The goddesses arise
from the winds of the
four offering substances:
form, smell, taste, and
touch.
As the yogin purifies
these winds through
meditation and recitation
of the Chakrasamvara
body mandala, the inner
winds of the subtle body
are purified. Thus, the
yogin experiences all
phenomena as pure.
The Circle of Great
Bliss is complete.
Once the deities of
the Great Bliss circle
(mahasukha) have
been generated the
deities of the Body
(kaya) Speech (vak)
and Mind (chitta)
circles must be
generated.
There two ways to
do this.
The first is an a pilgrimage of substantial scale literally
creating the physical world place by place. For example, in
Newar Buddhism, a pilgrimage encompassing most of the
Kathmandu valley and to some degree beyond has been
established based on the very ancient shrines (b.c.e.) of the
Ashtamatrikas (Eight Little mothers).
A version of the following map may be examined
in detail in the catalog of the exhibition.
There are similar routes for both India and Tibet.
The second is to create a body mandala on ones own
body. The body (kaya) circle is the lower extremities,
the speech (vak) is on the torso and the air passage
way, and the mind (chitta) circle is on the shoulders and
head.
It may be diagrammed as follows:
All of the nondual
deities of the
mandala are
identical to
Chakrasamvara and
Vajravarahi.
These deities are
considered to
generate the winds
or breath (prana)
that moves through
the channels.
They are usually
depicted in the Sahaja
(born together) form with
only two arms.
They are both white, red
or blue according to the
circle they are in.
Subsequently, the yogin visualizes the eight openings
of the senses:
1) Root of the tongue
2) Navel
3) Sexual organ
4) Anus
5) Point between the eyebrows
6) Two ears
7) Two eyes
8) Two nostrils
In the channels of
the eight openings
appear the bija
HUM, which is
transformed into the
eight Heroines of the
outer Pledge Circle.
These are the
winds or breath
(prana) of the sense
deities.
The mandala of
Chakrasamvara and
Vajravarahi is now
complete.
Collection
R.R.E.
The interior of
the mandala
palace
Collection R.R.E.
The yogin imagines all
the winds or breath
(prana) flowing through
the channels of the
eight doors gathering
inward.
This is followed by the
winds flowing through
the channels of the
twenty-four places.
The winds or
breath (prana)
move through the
channels and clear
the head, throat
and abdominal
knots.
Finally, all the
inner winds or
breath (prana)
gather into the
central channel
and dissolve into
the white and red
drops at the heart-
mind (chitta)
chakra.
They unite
And the yogin
experiences great
bliss and emptiness
(shunyata)
The Guru Puja and Generation Stage
Meditations will replay in a few moments

Lect 20

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The Circle of Bliss JCH 2003

Chakrasamvara & Vajravarahi, 1

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