Essay name: Hevajra Tantra (analytical study)
Author:
Seung Ho Nam
Affiliation: University of Kerala / Faculty of Oriental Studies
This is an English study of the Hevajra Tantra: an ancient Sanskrit text that teaches the process of attaining Buddha-hood for removing the sufferings of all sentient beings. The Hevajratantra amplifies the views and methods found in the Guhyasamaja Tantra (one of the earliest extant Buddhist Tantras) dealing with Yoga and Mandalas.
Chapter 3 - Tantric Doctrine in Hevajra Tantra
37 (of 138)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
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[HT] View all, whether low, middle, superior or anything else to be equal in light of
the True Principle. Here 'low' refers to a subtle object. 'Superior refers to what has
manifested. 'Middle' is that which is exclusive of these two. 'Anything else' refers to
the six sense organs. (1.8.35-36)220
[HT] There exists not one being who is unenlightened from the awakening to his
own nature. By their very intrinsic nature the beings in hell, ghosts, animals, gods,
titans, men and even worms and so on in the dung, are eternally blissful, for they
do not merely experience the pleasure of the gods and the titans. (II.4.74鈥�75)221
[HT] Then explain the True Principle which is pure and is in essence the
Knowledge. By the purification of the phenomenal there exists not even the slightest
perceivable distinction. (1.10.30)222
[HT] No recitation of mantra, no austerity, no fire-sacrifice, no retinue of the
ma峁囜笉ala and the mandala. All these are aspects of the totality of Consciousness.
(1.10.41)223
In Hevajra Tantra, the Enlightened Consciousness (bodhicitta) is said
to be identical with the Tath膩gatagarbha and it is to be defined in two
ways. There is conventional bodhicitta which is the mundane and defiled
mind that attains enlightenment after removing defilements and
obscurations. The ultimate bodhicitta is innately enlightened mind. The
conventional bodhicitta can be understood as Suchness with defilements
and the ultimate bodhicitta can be understood as Suchness without
defilements. In this sense Bodhicitta is called One tase of all phenomena
or the Same taste (samarasa).
"Ratnagotravibh膩ga, has referred to "艢r墨m膩l膩 s奴tra while preaching the
220 h墨namadhyamotk峁泂t盲ny ev膩ny膩ni y膩ni t膩ni
y膩ni t膩ni
ca/ sarv膩峁噛 et盲ni sam膩n墨ti
dra峁ａ弓avyam tattvabh膩vanai岣�//35/ h墨nam s奴k峁a峁嘺d膩rtham tu utk峁涐梗峁璦m bh膩vam
ucyate/ madhyamam varjitam dv膩bhy膩m any膩n墨ti 峁岣峣ndriyam//36// (HT[F&M].,
p.99)
221 abuddho n盲sti sattvaika岣� sambodh膩t svasya svasya ca/ n膩rakapretatirya帽 ca
dev膩suramanu峁ak膩岣�//74/ amedhyak墨峁璦k膩dy膩n tu nityam sukhina岣� svabh膩vata岣�/ na
j膩nanti yata岣� saukhyam devas膩py asurasya ca//75// (HT[F&M]., p.230)
222 pa艣c膩t tattvam sam盲khy膩tam vi艣uddham j帽膩nar奴pi峁嘺m/ sams膩ravyavad膩nena
n膩sti bhedo man膩g api// (HT[F&M]., p.132)
223 na mantraj膩po na tapo na homo na ma峁囜笉aleyam na ca mandala帽 ca/ sa
manrraj膩pa岣� sa tapa岣� sa homas/ tan mandaleyam tan mandala帽 ca/ sam膩sata艣
cittasam膩jar奴pi// (HT[F&M]., p.137)
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