Six Yogas of Naropa and Teachings on Mahamudra

Abstract

A few words about the basic doctrine of Tibetan Tantrism and the fundamental principle that underlies its practice may be helpful. It can be summarized in the following words: "The divinity of Buddhahood is omnipresent, but the quickest way to realize this truth is to discover it within one's body-mind complex." By spiritual exercises and the application of Tantric techniques—such as the Six Yogas —one can soon realize that his body, mind, and the active world" are all manifestations of the divine Buddhahood. Samsara is Nirvana, men are "gods," the "impure" passion-desires are themselves expressions of the Five Innate Buddhas, lightenment or Liberation is not attained eradicating man's passion-desires but by identifying them with the transcendental Wisdom. The basic doctrine of Tibetan Tantrism can thus be called a doctrine of viewing man's body-mind complex as corresponding to, if not identical with, that of Buddha. The spirit and practice of all Tantric Yogas are also directed toward the unfoldment of this basic principle. Now, let us take the two pillars of Tantric practice, the Arising and Perfecting Yogas, as illustrations for this basic doctrine. In the Arising Yoga practice, the yogi is taught to visualize and thus identify the outer world as Mandalas. his body as the Body of the Patron Buddha; his nervous system as the Three Channels and the nadis of the four Cakras; his secretions as the bindus of the positive and negative elements; his aspiration and energy as the Wisdom-Prana and "Light". In the Perfecting Yoga practice he is taught first to dissolve all his Energy-Thought2 in the Innate Light—the Dharmakaya—hitherto concealed "in" the Center of the Heart Cakra, and from it again to project the Body-of-F°^m (Rupakaya), and thus to animate the infinite acts of Buddhahood.