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Chapter 4

Nectar

 

4.1  The five nectars

Nectar is usually offered to “buddhas,” “bodhisattvas” and dharma-protectors. There are numerous types of nectar in Tibetan Secret Schools, some “extremely inconceivable” to outsiders. In his book, Studying Buddha Dharma through Buddha Dharma, Master Yin-shun said:

When Buddha Sakyamuni was still alive, the supreme offering was to follow the Buddha’s teachings. After His death, offerings became nothing more than lighted lamps, incense and flowers. The disciples of Tibetan Secret Schools worship ghosts and deities, and their offerings include liquor and meat. The so-called “five nectars” are urine, excrement, bone marrow, semen, and menstrual blood. Moreover, there are “five meats”: dog meat, beef, mutton, elephant meat and human flesh. It appears absurd to ask for Buddha’s care and protection with such offerings. ^{[pp. 146-147]}

The above records were not fabricated by Master Yin-shun. Such examples of offerings do exist in Tibetan Secret Schools and have been recorded in Yogi Chen’s Literary Work Collections.

Except for the aforementioned twenty-five offerings, there must be five meats and five nectars in the jeweled vase. The five nectars are: 1. the “great fragrance”—the fragrant excrement. The excrement of a practitioner with the achievement of merit and virtue has the scent of sandalwood. 2. the “little fragrance”—the fragrant urine. The urine of a practitioner with the achievement of merit and virtue is fragrant. 3. the brain—the brain of a Tibetan practitioner with the achievement of merit and virtue, preserved after his death, as in a sky funeral (i.e., feeding big birds). 4. the red bodhi—the ovum of a female sky walker (dakini) (the menstrual blood of a female consort), not that of an ordinary woman, or the first menstrual blood of a virgin. 5. the white bodhi—the unejaculated semen obtained in the dual operations of compassion and wisdom of a yoga practitioner with the achievement of merit and virtue and with the realization of the emptiness-nature. The five meats are elephant meat, horse meat, human flesh, pork and dog meat. ^{[32: 678-679]}

In Tibetan Secret Schools, the excrement and urine of a guru are treated as nectars and called the great and the little fragrances, respectively. Yogi C. M. Chen said:

When I was once at Lushan, it had been snowing heavily for days and the feces-collector had not shown up for days. The feces bucket of my guru was full and the attendant lamas of my guru complained constantly. When I heard this, I picked up the bucket and walked on the snow to the usual disposal place to discard the contents, then washed and cleaned the bucket and put it back. My guru praised me very much. I reported to my guru, “Even if Guru asks me to eat the excrement, I will not refuse.” The excrement of Guru is the great fragrance and it is my pleasure to smell it. Another time, while I was at the Sino-Tibetan Buddhist College, Master Yan-ding presented me with some pills, which I took right away. Master asked me how I felt and I replied, “A burst of fragrance.” Then Master asked me if I knew what they were. “They must be some kind of tsampa (roasted highland barley flour) mixed with spices,” I replied. Master said, “Tsampa is indeed an ingredient of the pills but the most important blessed ingredient is the little fragrance of ancient lamas.” The little fragrance is the urine. I reported this to my master Kunga, and was about to express my admiration for the pills, Master Kunga could not wait to praise me first, “You have good faith. I knew it when I saw you tasting my urine without reluctance.” Such trivial things were very common in the old days. Even nowadays in Tibet and Xi-kang (in China), those things are still not uncommon. When I once meditated in solitude in a Guan-di temple in Lu-huo, Xi-kang, people came to ask for my urine occasionally. I could never have refused their requests. ^{[34: 732-733]}

Nectar is usually used in conjunction with the mandala (treasure-gathering bowl) offering.

In general, there must be 27 offerings in the bowl. These offerings are “Sumeru”, the four continents with the Sun and the Moon, the eight little continents, the seven treasures of the wheel-king, a jeweled vase, treasure mountain, trees, cattle, and rice. Other times there may be as many as 37 offerings. In addition to the above 27 offerings, there may be incense, flowers, lamps, graffiti, frolics, headdresses, songs, dances, eight offering girls, and large and small treasure caps. … The three-body mandala offerings are more than those of other schools. “Five stories” are offered to the dharma-body, reward-body, and embodiment. The entire dharma realm is offered to the dharma-body, which is far beyond the Sumeru and four continents; the permanently tranquil and luminous pure-land is the primary one in it. Five wisdoms, five elements, five meats, five nectars and the red and the white ultimate bodhis are offered to the reward-body. ^{[32: 1034]}

The nectars mentioned here are those mentioned before, certainly including the nectars mixed with the great and the little fragrances.

The five nectars also serve other purposes. When making offerings of impure food to “buddhas and bodhisattvas” of Tibetan Secret Schools or giving ghosts food, the five nectars may be used to “cleanse and eliminate” impurities. Tsongkhapa said,

As for the container used for nectars, The Sutra on the Secrets of Union names it the lotus container, which is a skull bowl (made from a human skull, also called a kapala. Refer to the photo on the cover page of this book.). Plates may also be used, as mentioned in An Ear of Grain Caught on the Guru’s Teachings. Platforms or copper trays, in The Red Great Power Sutra, or tile trays, in The Treatise on the Sublime Garland Sutra, may also be used. So, the nature of the offering container is quite flexible. As for the foods, noodles, beans, meat, fish, rice gruel, cakes, liquor, water, green onions, garlic, milk, etc., can be used as offerings, as described in The Treatise on the Sublime Garland Sutra and An Ear of Grain Caught on the Guru’s Teachings. It is also acceptable to use only noodles and water if the complete set of offerings is unavailable. As for the arrangement of the offerings, The Sutra on the Secrets of Union states, “The offerings include Yoga, fish, meat and other foods. The liquors are subsidiary. Other alcoholic drinks can be used as well. The water bowl is placed on the right, and the Yoga in front. All the offerings are cleansed and purified by the five nectars.” The sentence regarding liquors was translated in the Interpreting Treatise as “The liquors can make (them) delightful”. If meat and fish are included, they are arrayed on both sides. As for the cleansing and purifying, An Ear of Grain Caught on the Guru’s Teachings says, “The impurities can be cleansed and purified with nectar pills or by the nectar obtained through tantric practice (through visualizing the obscene liquid, descending in the sexual happy union of the father and the mother deities, to be the nectar).” ^{[21: 531-532]}

These five nectars themselves, however, are quite filthy and nasty. How can they be used to cleanse and purify the impurities? It does not make any sense. A wise man should realize this.

　

4.2  Receiving nectar through dhyana

Receiving nectar through “dhyana” (meditation) comprises five categories and is described as follows:

1. Receiving nectar through food or drink: Those who want to take nectar through food “should not eat food that is spicy, too salty, or too hot. Those so called poor quality food such as wild garlic, liquor, sour liquor, rotten meat, fish, seedlings, etc., are also forbidden.” ^{[61: 367]} There are five different kinds of food nectar: (1) “The nectar includes the leaves of white garlic, which are not spicy, leaf vegetables, noodles in soup, butter used for medicine, etc. After eating this nectar, one’s veins will gradually loosen up and not stand out on the skin, and achieve the utmost dhyana.” ^{[61: 368]} (2) “Chewing a Tibetan fruit and sucking its juice is the key point of the ‘simmering watery milk’ nectar.” ^{[61: 368]} (3) “Take some butter, three liters of milk, and 3.75 grams of water. Mix them well and then fry. The water and milk will evaporate. When scorched smoke comes out, take out the nectar and keep it in a clean container. Take a mouthful of it every time when the stomach is empty. Continue eating this way for one year, and one’s veins will not stand out as well.” ^{[61: 368]} (4) “Three fruits simmered in honey: Take two-thirds of a Tibetan fruit, one-third of a Fructus Terminaliae Billericae (myrobalan), and a little Phyllanthus emblica, and grind them all together. Then mix them with sugar and grind them into powder. Finally, mix the powder with honey to make pills. Take the pills for one year and one’s veins will not stand out.” ^{[61: 368]} (5) “There is also a so-called ‘the great fragrance simmered in honey’: First, follow the above guidelines of eating. Take one’s own great fragrance, obtained after abstinence from food of poor quality, and put it on a clean stone slate. Spread it with a wooden knife and dry it in the air. Mix some honey and butter with a little water; simmer until the water is evaporated. Grind the air-dried great fragrance into powder; then mix these two together and make pills with the size of sheep feces. Take one pill at dawn on the first day of each month. … Continue for one year, and one can attain the achievement of fasting without getting his veins stand out on the skin. All these approaches will become the supreme nectar achievements after the offering of bodhi mind.” ^{[61: 368-369]}

2. Receiving nectar through behavior: Those who want to receive this type of nectar must avoid the following behavior to obtain it.

Those behaviors: staying in the raging fire or under the burning sun for a long time, sweating heavily, being exhausted and weakened, or staying up all night through. The key point of the so-called “receiving” nectar through behavior is to continuously practice the lotus-posture sitting and to keep body, speech and mind to be leisurely, unhurried, and away from being frightened. This is the leisurely and carefreely “receiving nectar.” ^{[61: 369]}

3. Receiving nectar through Chi: “Practice any one of the seven-branches that a practitioner has learned previously or practice the supreme Chi practice of power at dawn.” ^{[61: 370]}

4. Receiving nectar through bright-drop: “Practice any kind of bright-drop yoga. The supreme method, however, is to practice the white-hair-seed at one’s glabella because it can generate the most powerful body force, and one may thus attain dhyana very quickly. For other cultivations, one may practice receiving nectar while sitting.” ^{[61: 370]}

5. Receiving nectar through hand-seal (mudra): “Receiving nectar through hand-seal is the same as that in the third empowerment.” ^{[61: 370]}

The above includes the nectars which can or can not generate dhyana.

There is another nectar, named “the nectar for obtaining benefits and generating dhyana.” Through this nectar “the tantric dhyana” can be generated and “the greatest benefit of becoming a buddha” can be obtained. This is nothing more than the attainment of the obscene fluid and the associated mental experience through practicing Couple-practice Tantra:

In addition, as stated in the original verse: “the happiness of the five pure aspects.” It is associated with the nectar for “obtaining benefits.” If one wishes to achieve happiness throughout his body, or to have happiness everywhere, one must keep his breath (while practicing Couple-practice Tantra to the state of orgasm), and then take a deep breath, cross the vajra fists over the chest, look up a little bit and get used to the change of views. The five nectars may then be transformed into pure aspects, and happiness will be generated throughout the body. The initial symptom of the fine hair standing up on the skin can only result in a little happiness. Afterwards, the experience of happiness, mixed with pains, shows up remarkably. Next, the feeling of body shaking comes up from the bottom and then spreads over the channels of the entire body. Finally, one may reach a state of the union of emptiness and bliss. When the state remains persistently, everything can be generated. No fault occurs.” ^{[61: 370-371]}

There is another nectar with which dhyana can be generated without fault associated with it.

The original verse says, “Receiving nectar without being away from the feelings of the five sense-organs.” “No fault” means that the consciousness concentrates on where the happiness is generated. In addition, practice the key step of guiding tranquility and wrath by words three times. Then, happiness can reach any place or faculty where the pain or happiness was not generated before. The happiness generated from the faculties and the dhyana can stay away from all faults as well. ^{[61: 371]}

In other words, at the moment of “the dual operations of bliss and emptiness” or “the union of bliss and emptiness,” the practitioner concentrates on the experience of happiness, he or she may stay away all kinds of greed. And, according to “the key step of guiding tranquility and wrath by words (following the detailed oral teachings of one’s guru)”, the practitioner can experience happiness throughout the faculties of the whole body. If one can concentrate on the happiness and emptiness in this way, remain in such “samaya” and “have no attachment at all”, then one has attained the nectar which can generate dhyana and keep oneself away from all faults. This is another type of “receiving nectar.”

Moreover, nectar may be received in three different ways depending on one’s practice and the level of attainment in “the guiding way of the realm nectar.” (Realm here refers to seed, specifically semen.) These methods of receiving nectar are: the experience of equal and uniform nectar, the experience of increasing power of nectar, and the experience of wide expansion of bright-drop.

 

For the receiving experience of equal and uniform nectar, the original verse says, “The five nectars and the five bodies of Thus-come One are equal”. This means that after self-blessing with the five equal and uniform nectars, and performing the “internal dependently-arising,” one’s experience from outside has three different grades: the highest grade of equality and uniformity is associated with the five Thus-come Ones, the middle grade is associated with the buddha’s sons, buddhisattvas, etc.; the lowest grade is associated with the five-color light, etc., which arises from the response.

 

For the receiving experience of increasing power of nectar, the original verse says, “Silla and the sun.” It is supreme because the menstrual blood obtained from one’s mother is kept and held by the power of the operation in the right blood vessel. After experiencing “the increase of power”, one can attain a feeling of ease with other nectars. … The original verse also says, “Carbu and the moon.” This means that the white bodhi obtained from one’s father is placed at one’s glabella and is kept and held by the power of one’s left seminal channel. After “the increase of power,” one can attain the feeling at ease with other nectars. ^{[61: 478-479]}

For the receiving experience of wide expansion of bright-drop, the original verse says, “In the fine channels, there are tiny bright-drops and starlets.” This means that there are tiny bright-drops which spread over and widely expand within the 72,000 fine channels. … Through the explanation of the mundane way, the guiding ways of nectar in the supra-mundane way should be realized. ^{[61: 479-480]}

The above three are combined together and named “The Guiding Way of Realm Nectar.” Their sayings are essentially heretical and evil views. After reading the above explanations, the reader will realize the essence of Tibetan Secret Schools, and it will be unnecessary to say more.

　

4.3  Irrational attempts to achieve dhyana through nectar

The practitioners of Tibetan Secret Schools follow the false ideas: attempting to achieve dhyana by means of nectars. For example, the realm nectar mentioned in Section 4.2 is receiving nectar without leaving the feelings of five sense-organs. They wish to achieve dhyana from “receiving nectar” of Couple-practice Tantra (more details in [61: 371]). They also wish to achieve the five bodies of Thus-come One through “the guiding way of realm nectar” (detailed in [61: 478]). However, those approaches of tantric practice have never corresponded to the two true great dharma-doors (practice methods) of nectar told by Buddha Sakyamuni. These two great dharma-doors of nectar are Liberation-way and Buddhahood-way. Since nectar is the best food in the desire-realm heaven, it is used here as an analogy of the best two supra-mundane practice methods. This does not mean that the nectar of desire-realm itself is the best substance to aid in practice.

Nectar, a substance, is a dharma of the desire-realm heaven, and it is essentially the food of the beings in the desire-realm heaven. Such a conditioned dharma in the mundane world is a dharma of food and drink in the desire-realm which is the lowest among the three-realms. Therefore, it is impossible to benefit any practice and realization on the Buddha dharma by means of it. Why do I say that nectar is the dharma of food and drink in the desire-realm heaven? It is because nectar is a tangible food and only exists in the desire-realm heaven. There is no such a dharma in the form or formless realm heavens. So, nectar is the lowest grade dharma in the three-realms. If the reader wants to know all the details, please consult another book of mine, The Nectar and Dharma Rain. Those details will not be repeated here.

Nectar is a conditioned dharma in the desire-realm, but the dharmas of Liberation-way and Buddhahood-way are all unconditioned and beyond the three-realms. How can a conditioned dharma in the desire-realm benefit the unconditioned dharmas that are beyond the three-realms? It does not make any sense. In addition, the dharmas of Liberation-way and Buddhahood-way are all formless; they are purely mental dharmas. Nectar is a material dharma in the desire-realm and is the lowest grade in the three-realms. How can it be an auxiliary condition of the non-material dharmas beyond the three-realms? Nonsense!

The reader should know that the cultivation of Liberation-way, which can help practitioners transcend the three-realms, is purely intended to cut off the self-view and to extinguish the self-attachment. To cut off the self-view, one should start to cut off “the ego of the perceiving mind” that receives the obscene feeling through the “reception of nectar.” One should observe that the perceiving mind which feels pleasure is illusory and unreal. This mind can not travel to future lifetimes, does not come from previous lives, and can only exist for one generation. By performing such observations to cut off the self-view of “the ego of the perceiving mind being true and indestructible,” one can then begin to realize Liberation-way. After that, one should extinguish the self-attachment, and not allow the Manas consciousness, the mind-root, to cling to oneself again. One may never take the Manas, which discerns and thinks all the time (makes all decisions), to be the indestructible mind again. One can then extinguish the self-attachment, and completely realize Liberation-way.

All the concepts of the “realm nectar and receiving nectar” of Tibetan Secret Schools regard the perceiving mind as permanent and indestructible, and as the “nature of emptiness.” The practitioners also observe the “feeling of pleasure” experienced in the dual operations of bliss and emptiness to be formless, colorless and everlasting, and regard it to be the “nature of emptiness.” They wish to permanently keep their perceiving minds in such a state of obscene pleasure and name it the dual operations of bliss and emptiness or the union of bliss and emptiness. In fact, they have not yet cut off the self-view and still cling to the ego. They have not cut off the “attachment to the desire-realm,” not even to mention the “attachment to the form and formless realms”. They think that the realm nectar and receiving nectar can allow practitioners to stay away from the suffering of three-realms and allow them to attain liberation, and call this attained state “the union of samsara and nirvana.” All these are indeed illusive and false thinking.

The final goal of the practice of Buddhahood-way is to attain all-seed-wisdom. The fundamental aspect of the practice and realization of all-seed-wisdom is the personal realization of the way-seed-wisdom. The basis of the way-seed-wisdom is the general-phenomenon-wisdom of prajna that arises from the realization of the eighth consciousness—the thus-come-store. Hence, the foundation of the Buddha’s bodhi widsom is the personal realization of the eighth consciousness—the thus-come-store. The ancient and today’s Tibetan gurus and their disciples have not followed the correct way to practice and independently created the nectar dharma that deviates from Buddhahood-way and Liberation-way. They attempt to realize Liberation-way and attain the Buddha’s bodhi wisdom through it. They become the people who seek the dharma outside their minds. Such wrong and evil views will make them permanently isolated from Buddhahood-way and Liberation-way, and from Buddhism as well. After practicing diligently and spending lots of time, money and effort, the practitioners of Tibetan Secret Schools remain ignorant of the true great nectar dharma-doors. What they attempt to find is nothing but the nectar of the desire-realm that is still a flawed and conditioned dharma. Aren’t they stupid indeed? To be wise men, those dharma-kings, living buddhas, rinpoches and the practitioners of Tibetan Secret Schools should think about these issues very carefully.

In addition, there is another type of nectar, practiced through visualization, that can benefit one’s body and mind. Tsongkhapa said:

When one is tired during practicing, an expedient way of recuperation is mentioned by Ran-deng-xian in The Collection of Esotericism: “Visulize that a moon with the seed-syllable Om on top of one’s head drops the uppermost-mind water that satisfies one’s body, speech, and mind; the water should be dropped as described in tantras.” To paraphrase, imagine that a moon disc with seed-syllable Om up above the head drops the nectar and fills the whole body with it; all motes of dust are moistened. The Vajra Auapicious Rice states: “Imagine that one breathes in and out, guides and conjures the nectar flushing from the top.” Discussant Stillness said: “Through the seed-syllable Om, light comes from ten directions. Then the practitioner makes the light enter his body by using his life power. It then operates in the channels all over his body.” ^{[21: 530]}

Taking such a visualized nectar as a real substance that can benefit one’s body and mind is very much like a very hungry and poor fool trying to draw cakes on paper to appease his hunger. How can such understanding and views be correct? A wise man should think carefully and will know they are absurd.

 

Though five nectars and five lamps are in such a sequence as described in The Treatise on the Sublime Garland Sutra and An Ear of Grain Caught on the Guru’s Teachings, it is also mentioned in An Ear of Grain Caught on the Guru’s Teachings that, “Fully understanding such behavior, appearance, and the nature of the five wisdoms is the five Thus-come Ones, also known as five lamps or five conjurations.” The five lamps or five conjurations are called the five Thus-come Ones here. A Crop of Teachings also says, “Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, Amoghasiddha, Aksobhya, Vairocana are the five conjurations.” But the sequence is as described here. Therefore, the first five seed-syllables generate the five meats, starting from the center and then going around the four directions from the right. The five seed-syllables of Hum, etc. generate the great meat, etc. in sequence, which are magnificent with the seed-syllables. From the “fire” (southeast) to the “self-existing” (northeast), the four seed-syllables of Zhong, etc. generate the great fragrance, etc., which are magnificent with the seed-syllables. Here the great flesh is combined with the nectar, so only four kinds are mentioned. Some other tantras say that the five nectars are the five buddhas. For example, in The Sutra on Great-Seals, “Ratnasambhava is said to be the blood (the menstrual blood of a woman), Amitabha is said to be the semen, Amoghasiddha is said to be the great flesh (five meats), Aksobhya is said to be the little fragrance (the urine of a great practitioner), Vairocana is said to be the great fragrance (the excrement of a great practitioner). These are the five nectars.” Discussant Ling also said so in his Practicing Method on Supreme Bliss (Sukha), “Hum, Om, Kon, Ow, Dza, little and great fragrances, great flesh, bodhi mind, wonderful flowers, Lung, Man, Ban, Don, beef, dog meat, elephant meat, and horse meat, all are magnificent with seed-syllables.” Master Mao-yi also said so. …

 

The Vinaya Learner’s Guide describes the fat in meat, the marrow in bones, and the brain in head as the lowest, median and highest grade, respectively. The five meats are also called the five conjurations, or the five lamps, for they can conjure (the five buddhas) and reveal spiritual attainment. Next, imagine that there are Ha, Hor, and Xen in foods, with which the ordinary colors, odors and forces of the foods are purified in sequence and then transformed into wonderful ones. …

 

After that, visualize that the wind moves and the fire burns. Those seed-syllables melt into liquids with the colors of the sunrise. The associated vapor becomes the seed-syllable Hum, which is magnificent with the vajra. The seed-syllables melt three times and fall into the skull bowl and then transform into nectar. Above that, the seed-syllable Om transforms into a moon disc; Om, Ah, and Hum overlapped upright above the moon disc and from them light radiates to conjure the nectar of the bodhi minds of buddhas in ten directions (the obscene liquid that descends from the statue of the reward-body buddha of Couple-practice Tantra) and the nectar of the sea, etc. The nectars enter the three seed-syllables and the moon disc, and then dissolve into the skull. After that, chant the three seed-syllables three times and bless them to be pure like mercury. The above is described in The Headdress Treatise. …

The rites of eating nectar (refer to another book of mine, The Nectar and Dharma Rain, for details) are also stated by Master Mao-yi and Discussant Ling, “The nectars are generated as described above. One is then to imagine that there is quite an amount of white vajra on the tongue roots of the deities, generated from the seed-syllable Hum. From this, light radiates like tubes to suck the nectars. All of them are then full and satisfied. Next, one sprinkles the nectars to offer by thumb and ring finger.” The Illustration on Four Throne Sutra says to “sprinkle at the positions of tongue tip, eyebrows and top of the head.” ^{[21: 532-535]}

The above is the sayings of visualized nectars from Tsongkhapa.