Buddha Vajradhara emanated the wrathful Deity Heruka.
Buddha Vajradhara, Buddha Shakyamuni and Buddha Heruka are the same person, differing only in aspect. When Buddha turned the Wheel of Dharma of Sutra he appeared in the form of an ordained person, when he turned the Wheel of Dharma of Tantra in general he appeared in the form of Vajradhara, and when he turned the Wheel of Dharma of Heruka Tantra in particular he appeared in the form of Heruka.
Heruka is Buddha’s mind of compassion manifested as form. Only Buddhas have the ability to display their minds as form. We sentient beings are unable to do this because our mind and body are different natures, but a Buddha’s mind and body are the same nature and so wherever their mind goes their body goes too. We always perceive a gap between our mind and its object. This is a mistaken perception, or mistaken appearance. Having completely abandoned this mistaken perception, Buddhas have the ability to display their mind as form, such as the forms of living beings and inanimate objects. For this reason it is said that Buddhas’ emanations pervade the whole universe.
Buddha’s mind of omniscient wisdom has thirty-seven parts, known as his ‘thirty-seven realizations conducive to enlightenment’. These thirty-seven realizations appear in the form of the thirty-seven Deities of Heruka’s mandala. We normally say that there are sixty-two Deities in Heruka’s mandala, but if we count each union of Father and Mother as one Deity there are thirty-seven Deities. The thirty-seven realizations conducive to enlightenment of Bodhisattvas are causal paths and the thirty-seven realizations of Buddhas are resultant paths. A general explanation of these thirty-seven realizations can be found in the book Ocean of Nectar.
THE ORIGIN OF THESE INSTRUCTIONS
These instructions were originally taught by Buddha at the request of Vajrapani and Vajravarahi. Buddha taught three root and five explanatory Tantras of Heruka. The three root Tantras are: the Extensive Root Tantra, which has three hundred thousand stanzas; the Middling Root Tantra, which has one hundred thousand stanzas; and the Condensed Root Tantra, which has fifty-one chapters. Of these, only the last was translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan. The five explanatory Tantras, which are commentaries to the Condensed Root Tantra, are: Vajradaka Tantra, Abhicharya Tantra, Mukha Tantra, Sarwacharya Tantra and Little Sambara Tantra.
Later, great Indian Buddhist Masters such as Luyipa, Ghantapa and Krishnapada wrote commentaries to these root and explanatory Tantras, as did many subsequent Tibetan Masters. In particular, Je Tsongkhapa wrote a very blessed and renowned commentary to the root Tantra of Heruka, entitled Clear Illumination of All Hidden Meanings, and a commentary to the Heruka sadhana, entitled Dö jo, which means ‘Wishfulfilling’. Later, other Lamas including Je Phabongkhapa also wrote special commentaries, based on the previous Indian and Tibetan commentaries. This commentary, Essence of Vajrayana, written especially for contemporary practitioners, is based on the instructions of Je Tsongkhapa and my kind root Guru, Vajradhara Trijang Rinpoche.
Traditionally there are three systems for practising the instructions of Heruka Tantra: the system according to Luyipa, the system according to Krishnapada, and the system according to Ghantapa. Ghantapa’s system has two instructions: the instruction on the outer mandala of the five Deities of Heruka, and the instruction on the inner mandala of the sixty-two Deities of Heruka body mandala. This commentary, Essence of Vajrayana, is based on the latter. The lineage of these instructions is completely unbroken.
THE BENEFITS OF PRACTISING THESE INSTRUCTIONS
The Condensed Root Tantra praises the special qualities of Heruka practitioners. It says that all the Heroes and Heroines residing in the twenty-four places such as Puliramalaya and Dzalandhara enter into the bodies of sincere practitioners, blessing their channels, drops and winds, and causing them to gain realizations of spontaneous great bliss, the actual quick path to enlightenment. Because these Heroes and Heroines are emanations of Heruka and Vajravarahi, their bodies are the same nature as their minds and can go wherever their minds go, unobstructed by physical objects. Thus, countless Heroes and Heroines can actually enter into the body of sincere practitioners and bless their channels, drops and winds. Indeed, Heruka himself always remains at the heart of sincere practitioners, bestowing upon them great powers of body, speech and mind.
In the Condensed Root Tantra it is said that just by seeing a sincere Heruka practitioner we purify our negativities and attain liberation; just by hearing or being touched by such a practitioner we receive blessings and are cured of sickness; and just by being in the presence of such a practitioner our unhappiness, mental disturbances, delusions and other obstacles are dispelled. Why is this? It is because the actual Deities of Heruka abide within the body of the practitioner and therefore seeing the practitioner is not so different from seeing Heruka himself. In Tibet, there are many sayings to the effect that merely seeing a special Lama or wearing a blessing cord received from such a Lama causes liberation. Je Phabongkhapa said, ‘I do not know whether or not these sayings are true, but seeing or touching a Heruka practitioner is a real cause of liberation.’
As times become spiritually more degenerate, it is harder to receive the blessings of other Tantric Deities such as Yamantaka or Guhyasamaja; and, as the number of Gurus in the lineage increases, it takes longer to receive attainments. However, the opposite is the case with Heruka. Vajradhara Trijang Rinpoche says in his ritual prayer of Heruka:
As times become ever more impure,
Your power and blessings ever increase,
And you care for us quickly, as swift as thought;
O Chakrasambara Father and Mother, to you I prostrate.
As times become more impure, Heruka’s blessings become more powerful and we receive them more easily; and the greater the number of Gurus in the lineage, the more swiftly we receive attainments. Why is this? When Buddha revealed other Tantras, such as the Guhyasamaja or Yamantaka Tantras, he emanated the Deities and their mandalas and then reabsorbed them after the discourse; but when he taught Heruka Tantra he did not reabsorb the mandalas. There are twenty-four places in particular, such as Puliramalaya and Dzalandhara, where the mandalas of Heruka still remain. Practitioners with pure karma are able to see these mandalas and Deities. The people of this world therefore have a very close connection with Heruka, and if we practise the instructions purely we can easily and swiftly receive great results.
Heruka practitioners can attain the Pure Land of Keajra, Dakini Land, without abandoning their present body. Even if they are very old, the moment they reach this Pure Land their body transforms into that of a sixteen-year-old. In Keajra they can receive empowerments and teachings directly from Heruka and Vajrayogini and, while living with Heroes and Heroines and enjoying the five objects of desire, they can easily attain Buddhahood. If out of compassion they wish to visit ordinary worlds, they can do so at any time through the power of emanation.
In other Pure Lands it is not possible to practise Highest Yoga Tantra and so it is not possible to attain Buddhahood quickly. In general, to practise Highest Yoga Tantra we need six elements: flesh, skin and blood from the mother, and bone, marrow and sperm from the father. Bodhisattvas in other Pure Lands such as Sukhavati do not possess these elements, and so they pray to be reborn as humans so that they can practise Highest Yoga Tantra. In Heruka’s Pure Land, however, practitioners can possess these six elements. Many practitioners have attained the Pure Land of Heruka, Keajra, without abandoning their human bodies, and so they have a great opportunity to continue with their Highest Yoga Tantra practice.
From a practical point of view all the essential practices of Guhyasamaja and Yamantaka are included within this instruction of Heruka body mandala, and so we do not need to practise Guhyasamaja and Yamantaka separately from Heruka practice. We should integrate the practices of all other Deities within the practice of Heruka Father and Mother, and in this way we will progress in our practice of Highest Yoga Tantra. We should remember Atisha’s advice to the Tibetan translator, Rinchen Sangpo, which is explained in the book The New Guide to Dakini Land.
If we contemplate these benefits, we will feel extremely fortunate to have met these precious instructions of Heruka and we will develop a genuine wish to practise them purely.
EXAMPLES OF PREVIOUS PRACTITIONERS WHO ACCOMPLISHED ATTAINMENTS THROUGH THESE INSTRUCTIONS
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