简体 | 正體 | EN | GE | FR | SP | BG | RUS | JP | VN                 The Truth of Tibetan Buddhism Home | GUEST BOOK | LOGIN | LOGOUT

3.6  Practicing bright-drop and Chi unable to achieve prajna paramita

The ancient and modern gurus of Tibetan Secret Schools usually falsely state that they can attain prajna paramita through the achievement of practicing bright-drop and Chi, and keep away from the subjective perception able to eliminate things and the objective eliminated things. As it is stated:

Now, I will teach you the supra-mundane perception. It includes two parts: the fruition and the way. The fruition perception is stated in the verses as: “If one can merge oneself into the palace of the great buddha-mother, prajna paramita mother, etc., one will perceive the dharma-body and can be released from two attachments.” This means the mind, Chi, etc., are held on the seed-syllable “Ah”, which is located at the lower tip of left seminal channel branch. At this state one can tell the difference between removing the subjective perception able to eliminate things and removing the objective eliminated things, and can further eradicate these two attachments to attain the great bliss of the realized dharma-body. On the other hand, the way perception is stated in the verses as: “Keep the seed-syllable ‘Hum’ clear and light; the self-arising wisdom is extremely clean like emptiness.” This means the mind, Chi, etc., are held on the seed-syllable ‘Hum’ of dual operations and the samadhi of the great self-arising wisdom will be generated. At that time, the mind is clear, the body is light, and the cleanness and emptiness is the similes of this state. They do not arise in order, but their warm appearances can be easily held with. The above is the perception of the initial accumulation-realm and has been perfectly explained. ^{[61: 494-495]}

Nevertheless, the real paramita, stated by Buddha Shakyamuni in the prajna sutras of Great-vehicle, is prajna paramita rather than “the bright-drop and Chi paramita”. One can never be free from life and death, and reach the opposite bank by practicing bright-drop and Chi because bright-drop and Chi are totally the worldly conditioned dharma. The wisdom through the realized prajna enables practitioners to be free from life and death, and reach the opposite bank of liberation. It is because prajna is actually attained from the realization of the eighth consciousness, the thus-come-store, which is no-birth inherently and no-extinction forever. This eighth consciousness is the true reality of the dharma realm. After realizing its nature of inherent no-birth and permanent existence, one can bring forth the prajna wisdom, which belongs to Great-vehicle only. In addition, one will eliminate the self-view and self-attachment, and bring forth the wisdom of liberation after one has observed, based on the thus-come-store, the illusory and impermanent nature of eighteen-realms. In summary, only by the prajna wisdom, one can thus leave this bank of life and death, and reach the opposite bank of liberation. This is the true meaning of prajna paramita.

However, the tantric practice of bright-drop and Chi never corresponds to prajna. Tibetan Secret Schools are totally ignorant of prajna and wrongly regard their achieved state of Chi-practice, visualized bright-drop or visualized seed-syllable in the central-channel as prajna. But in the Buddha dharma, the true meaning of prajna is the realization of the natures of the eighth consciousness, i.e., the middle-way (apart from both sides), inherence, self-nature, purity and nirvana. Since all the ancient and modern tantric gurus do not realize the eighth consciousness and understand all the natures of it, they do not know Buddhist prajna either. With such ignorance, how can they possibly remove the subjective perception able to eliminate things and the objective eliminated things? Therefore, we can conclude that their claims to remove “the subjective perception able to eliminate things and the objective eliminated things” are all illusions which cannot be relied on.

The perceptive mind, which can stay in the state of visualizing the bright-drop, is exactly the recognizing conscious mind and has the characteristic of the subjective perception able to eliminate things. On the other hand, the bright-drop, which is perceived by the conscious mind, is exactly the object to be recognized and is one of the objective eliminated things. Both the perceptive mind and the perceived bright-drop should be eradicated by Buddhist practitioners in order to attain liberation. Without truly understanding the illusory nature of the subjective conscious mind and the objective bright-drop, how can tantric practitioners realize prajna? Thus, their sayings on removing the subjective perception able to eliminate things and the objective eliminated things are all ridiculous.

As the correct way of Buddhist practice, one should use one’s perceptive mind which has the subjective perception to observe the unreality of this mind and thus cut off the illusory view of one’s permanent being. One who has removed the self-view and self-attachment by this way can then eliminate both the subjective perception able to notice things and the objective noticed things, and further eradicate both the subjective perception able to eliminate things and the objective eliminated things; one will thus become an arhat who has permanently eliminated the two attachments of discrimination. The state achieved by the arhat is by no means the realization of bright-drop and the conscious mind which realizes bright-drop. Without correcting the wrong view on the conscious mind and bright-drop, it is impossible to fulfill the elimination of subjectivity and objectivity of the conscious mind and to attain liberation. Thus, the attainment through practicing bright-drop and Chi is still a state of the worldly conditioned phenomenon. This attainment has nothing to do with the liberation of life and death in Small-vehicle, not to mention the prajna of the true reality in Great-vehicle. In summary, the so-called “paramita,” if tantric practitioners insist to call so, which they realize through bright-drop and Chi, is only a worldly affair rather than the true Buddhist prajna. It is impossible for them to attain prajna paramita of the Buddha dharma by that way.

3.7  Practicing bright-drop and Chi unable to achieve four kinds of pure-land

Tantric patriarchs usually advocate that practitioners can achieve four kinds of pure-land by practicing the chakras (energy-centers) in their bodies. As it is stated:

How does one establish four kinds of pure-land in the six and a half chakras? One can establish the embodiment pure-land in the secret place, navel, and heart chakras respectively, establish the reward-body pure-land in the throat and brow chakras, and establish the dharma-body pure-land in the crown chakra. How does one establish the pure-land at the thirty-two channel-knots of the central-channel? One can untie sixteen channel-knots to establish the embodiment pure-land, untie twelve other channel-knots to establish the reward-body pure-land, untie three and a half other channel-knots to establish the dharma-body pure-land, and untie the remaining half channel-knot on the head to establish the nature-body pure-land. How does one establish the pure-land in the four altars? One can establish the embodiment pure-land in the altar of body channel, establish the reward-body pure-land in the altar of seed-syllable, establish the dharma-body pure-land in the purified bodhi mind, and establish the nature-body pure-land in the altar of stored wisdom Chi. How can one manifest the pure-land in the state of wisdom functioning? It is summarized as: The pure-land of a turning-wheel king contains four continents; an embodiment pure-land contains forty billion continents; a reward-body pure-land contains forty billion embodiment pure-lands; a dharma-body pure-land contains forty billion reward-body pure-lands; such three-body pure-lands are a measurable number. The nature-body pure-land has the equality nature of samsara and remainderless nirvana, and it means that ‘a buddha and sentient beings have the same continuity.’ ^{[61: 552-553]}

The above practice about establishing four pure-lands in chakras, the knots of the central-channel, altars, etc. are all illusions. The definitions of those pure-lands contradict the right meanings of the true four pure-lands, and will make tantric learners misunderstand four pure-lands and thus commit severe deceptions.

Why? Because the dharma-body pure-land is exactly the self-dwelling state of the eighth consciousness in the Buddha ground and is not established from the crown chakra of the central-channel fabricated by Tibetan Secret Schools; the reward body pure-land is exactly the ultimate Buddha’s reward-body, His self-reception state in The Highest Heaven of the Form-realm, and His manifested solemn reward-body for the bodhisattvas in all grounds. It is by no means the worldly state in the chakras of throat or brow; the embodiment pure-land is exactly the mundane world where all sentient beings live rather than the states of chakras.

The tantric patriarchs mistake those states achieved by practicing bright-drop for pure-lands and mislead practitioners by teaching that the practitioners will achieve the state of dharma-body once they attain some state of the crown chakra. Hence, those tantric followers believe they have achieved the state of dharma-body, regard themselves as buddhas, claim their achievements, and thus commit severe deceptions. Such kinds of wrong teachings have significantly harmed tantric practitioners and should be removed from Tibetan Secret Schools. All gurus must think over this problem and take immediate actions to fix it so that they will not mislead their followers again.

The wrong view on regarding the bright-drop as the bodhi mind can be found in many places of ancient or modern tantric gurus’ teachings. Yogi C. M. Chen said:

As stated on Page 22 in The Great Seal of the Ganges, Tilopa said, ‘If one really leaves one’s mind and intentions, one can then master and hold the mind in the state of bright-drop.’ In another transcript, the same statement is translated as, ‘In order to get the really superior mind of no intention, one should cut off the root of mind and stay in the state of bright-drop.’ Those clearly indicate that the bright-drop is where Single-minded (Yoga) must securely reside. The secure residence of mind is another name of Single-minded. The saying of cutting off the root of mind provides enough evidence to support my emphasis that substituting the ‘bright-drop’ for the true-suchness or perfect enlightened mind is the most suitable explanation on the basic theory of the great seal. It well explains ancient people’s original meanings. ^{[34: 776]}

Yogi C. M. Chen mistakes the bright-drop for the true mind, the eighth consciousness, and wrongly regards the visualized bright-drop, which depends on many other conditions, as the true reality of the dharma-realm. Based on Tilopa’s heretical view, he proclaims that the bright-drop is the true and perfect subtle mind and advocates it complacently. Such a kind of action is exactly the same as many ancient Indian tantric patriarchs who substituted the worldly heretical practices for the true Buddha dharma, and had completely replaced it finally.

At that time in India, many tantric patriarchs substituted the heretical dharma for the true Buddha dharma and spread the heresy widely. Unfortunately, no body could stand out, refute their heresy, and defend the Buddha’s true teachings of the Alaya consciousness. As a consequence, it resulted in the ruin of the true Buddha dharma in India. The substitution of the eighth consciousness by the bright-drop is just like grafting the plum branch onto the peach trunk: The peach flowers and fruits will all disappear and the whole tree will become one that will grow only plum flowers and fruits. The tantric bright-drop theory is just like the plum branch which grafts onto the Buddhist trunk and tries to replace the Buddhist flowers and fruits with the tantric heresy. If no one could stand out and cut off all tantric branches, the genuine Buddhist trunk would blossom and fruit with heretical views. At that time, Buddhism will become a religion that has Buddhist terms only but with the heretical essence.

This crisis of replacement has existed since the appearance of tantric secret schools in ancient India; even in the future, the situation will remain the same. If no one dare stand out to refute their evil views and identify their heretical practices, the tragedy of Buddhism ruined by tantric secret schools in ancient India will happen again soon or later.

The Commentary of Original Praise and Diamond Verses on the Way and Its Fruits (Lamdre) of Sakya School wrongly states that practitioners can achieve the three-bodies and four-wisdoms of the Buddha ground through the practice of bright-drop and wisdom secret empowerment (refer to Chapter 8 for details):

It is stated in the praise for the merits and virtues of wisdom empowerments, “attaining the self-comfort of three-bodies and five-wisdoms.” This means one must rely on the pure body seal and three thoughts, use the greed fire (the internal heat and the greedy desire for orgasm during practicing Couple-Practice Tantra) to melt the pure part of realm in the body (to melt the pure part of semen) through equal induction of wisdom and expediency (equally inducing both the male’s and female’s lustful desires through practicing Couple-Practice Tantra), gather the pure part from all channels to the “Hum” seed-syllable in the crown chakra, and descent the bodhi mind from top to throat. By this way, one can eliminate the afflictions of pervasive attachments and inherent ignorance, and bring forth the little wisdom of happiness, called joy-wisdom. At the beginning of elimination, one can only cease half of them and realize the selflessness of sentient beings and the way of sound-hearer. And then, one should make the bodhi mind (bright-drop) descend from the throat chakra to the heart chakra. At that time, the perception of happiness, called supreme joy-wisdom, will increase gradually. The afflictions eliminated in this stage are ignorance and pervasive attachments, rather than dormant afflictions. By this way one can cease the first three afflictions except the fourth one, realize the selflessness of dharma and the theory of no self-nature, and cut off the way of solitary-realizer. One can thus attain the self-comfort of reward-body by enjoying these two kinds of happiness. When the bodhi mind descends to the navel chakra, the happiness of no discrimination, called leaving joy-wisdom, arises. One can eliminate all dormant afflictions and the way of bodhisattva, and attain the self-comfort of dharma-body by ceasing all the meaningless arguments of no discrimination. Next, when the bodhi mind descends to the secret chakra, due to the merging of both happiness and emptiness, “inherent joy-wisdom” arises and one can cease the eliminated afflictions, cut off the way of the great bodhi, and attain the self-comfort of embodiment because the bright-drop is not yet fixed. By these three-bodies one can attain the self-comfort. In addition, The Wisdom of Great Mirror means showing the transference of merits and virtues, explaining the self-comfort of five-wisdoms, and manifesting the essential nature of no-birth in all phenomena by means of the inherent wisdom of perceiving happiness and emptiness (the wisdom of perceiving happiness and emptiness during the lustful happiness of Couple-Practice Tantra). The Wisdom of Equality means realizing the equality nature of all samsara and nirvana. The Wisdom of Wonderful Observations means realizing the worldly bodhi mind which is always keeping the pervasive attachments. The Wisdom of Accomplishing Deeds means fulfilling the true-suchness. The Wisdom of Essential Nature of Dharma-realm means no discrimination. ^{[61: 559-561]}

Such “three-bodies and four-wisdoms” are completely different from what Buddha said. The three-bodies, as Buddha taught, are the combination of the eighth consciousness and the other seven consciousnesses. However, the tantric three-bodies, invented by Tibetan Secret Schools, are from the achievement of bright-drop.

Furthermore, the so-called tantric five-wisdoms, namely, the Buddhist four-wisdoms plus The Wisdom of Essential Nature of Dharma-realm, are totally different from the Buddha’s sayings and are invented by the patriarchs of Tibetan Secret Schools too. Exoteric Buddhist learners usually do not know the truth, and are easily deceived so that think tantric patriarchs are superior to Buddha because they have realized the Buddha’s four-wisdoms and an extra one. Tantric learners do not know the details either and falsely think that they have attained Buddhahood after fulfilling those heretical practices. Thus, they claim that they are buddhas and bring forth the arrogance to subdue exoteric Buddhist practitioners. It is really a pity that they hold such arrogance and do not know they have committed severe deceptions already. The more details on the errors of five-wisdoms will be illustrated in Section 11.5 later.

It is impossible to realize the four kinds of pure-land, to achieve three-bodies, or to attain five-wisdoms, through practicing bright-drop and Chi in the central-channel because those are totally unrelated to the Buddha’s bodhi wisdom. It is just like that one tries to cook sand for rice and can never succeed. In fact, the achievement of three-bodies, four-wisdoms and four pure-lands of the Buddha ground must be attained through the following practices: first, realizing the eighth consciousness, then, attaining the specific-phenomenon- wisdom, and finally practicing the all-seed-wisdom to achieve Buddha’s three-bodies, four-wisdoms and four pure-lands. Therefore, the eighth consciousness, thus-come-store, is the right cause for the merits and virtues of the Buddha ground.

Unfortunately, all ancient and modern tantric patriarchs wrongly regard practicing bright-drop and Chi as the cause of achieving Buddhahood. For those tantric practitioners who want to learn the true Buddha dharma, they should carefully review their gurus’ teachings and had better have the wisdom to identify the right practice from the wrong one. Otherwise, they will violate severe precepts and commit unrecoverable sins.