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
40 (of 138)
External source: Shodhganga (Repository of Indian theses)
Download the PDF file of the original publication
Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Phenomenal Awareness and the five elements are by their intrinsic nature pure, they
are veiled by ingnorance and afflictions. Only that purification which is essentially
one of direct personal experience and no other method of purification liberates.
From the pure nature of objects of experience arises this direct personal experience
which is the highest bliss. For the yogi, form and whatever other objects of
experience that manifest, are all pure in nature, for the world is pervaded by the
Enlightened Nature. (1.9.1-4)229
To actualise suchness or Emptiness one must purify oneself of the
defilements and the most efficient way to do so is through tantra. 褉
Hevajra Tantra, advocates its own specific method of Deity Yoga to
eradicate defilements and to realize the Innate or Suchness and thus
attain the realized state of a Buddha. It is possible to realize Emptiness
or suchness as the mind itself is of the nature of emptiness. Deity Yoga
occurs when a yogi uses the same consciousness that can cognize the
emptiness of the mind to appear as a deity, out of compassion to help
others. By sincere practice of this method a yogi can attain the Buddha's
body speech and mind, even in a single lifetime.
4) Deity Yoga
To enact Deity Yoga, it is necessary to receive initiation, and to do
that, it is necessary to have, as the foundation of the path, experience of
some degree of compassion and the realization of emptiness.
Despite the fact that compassion is the basic motivation for the-
practice of Tantra and integral to its practice, the best presentations of
how to cultivate compassion are found in the S奴tra Great Vehicle. A
famous example of advice on how to cultivate both compassion and the
attitudes that are necessary prerequisites to it is the The Thirty-Seven
229 sarve峁Ｄ乵 khalu vast奴n膩m vi艣uddhis tathat膩 sm峁泃膩 pa艣c膩d ekaikabhedena
devat膩n膩n tu kathyate//1/ 峁岣峣ndriyam pa帽caskandham 峁岣嵞亂atanam pa帽cabh奴tam/
svabh膩vena vi艣uddham apy aj帽膩nakle艣air 膩v峁泃am//2/ svasamvedy膩tmik膩 艣uddhir
n膩nya艣uddhy膩 vimucyate/ vi峁ya艣uddhabh膩vatv膩t svasamvedyam param sukham//3/
r奴pavi峁y膩di ye 'py anye pratibh膩sabte hi yogina岣�/ sarve te suddhabh膩v膩 hi
yasm膩d buddhamayam jagat//4// (HT[F&M]., pp.111-113)
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