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As through the marriage of male and female a son is born so as through the unity of vajra and lotus clear light is born. This is said to be the secret path of Aryans secretly practiced by both the paramita path as well as by tantra path. According to Tantras of highest wisdom both are of the nature of calming and discerning (padma is calming and vajra is discerning) through which a yogi achieves the ultimate object. Both are of the nature of bliss and void (lotus is void and vajra is bliss). Equipoise of these two is real yoga; Hevajra Tantra says that this yoga of union leads one to the state of Tathata (isness). One through the union of vajra and lotus attains highest bliss and becomes Tathagata who knows how to depart from this world perfectly and how to return in this world perfectly for the resurrection of the deluded beings.

Only he knows the lady Prajnaparamita, only he is capable in engaging in union with her. Regarding the nature of vajra and lotus Chandra Kirti says, The Bhaga is the supreme truth, about Linga it is said that, it lies therein of which intended meaning is this that Bhaga is Prajnaparamita, of which only Buddhas vajra (supreme intelligence) penetrates or in which only Buddhas vajra can eligible to dwell.

In Buddhist tantras vajra and lotus (prajna and upaya) has varied meanings, Guhyasamaja Tantra says: thought (chitta), thought derivative (chaitasikas) and nescience (avidya) are called respectively insight (prajna), while culmination, as well as void (sunya), further void (ati sunya), and great void (maha sunya) is means (upaya). Unifying these two one achieves the clear light, the inner revelation of the ultimate truth. Prajna and upaya is also termed by word vajra-yosid, when vajra dwells in the space of yosid with a mudra and recollects the svadhisthana, one enjoys great bliss.

The unity of vajra and lotus is also known in tantras by yogic term ha-tha in which ha is sun energy and tha is moon energy constantly coming in and going out through the two nadis ida and pingala. Unifying these two at the novel center brings great pleasure says yogis. It is said that hatha is the best wish granting jewel; it grants every thing desired, and seizing by force enacts even the success of the Buddha. In Hindu puranas the churning of the great ocean with the mount meru is symbolic of unity of vajra and lotus, by this churning came out various gems together with goddess of fortune Laxmi and amrita (the elixir of immortality).

The great Buddhist conception of reality taught in the heart sutra that form is emptiness, emptiness is form; emptiness is not other than form; form is not other than emptiness is ideal for both the sutra path as well as mantra path. In Buddhist tantras the ritual mantra om svabhava suddhah sarvadharmah svabhava suddho ham is nothing other than this, as it is clearly explained in vajrabhairava tantra of Yamantaka texts. One recollects the view of emptiness through the meaning of the mantra; one thinks that outer offerings as well as inner offerings lack svabhava (natural existence). Even he thinks that the mind which understands emptiness lacks true existence itself. Tantra says that in this way of thinking one perfectly sees that all things which he would generate in the sadhana is mere a play of bliss and emptiness. This understanding of reality is perfectly realized only after secret consecration in the Bhaga mandala in which secret essence of the all the Buddhas abides. In the section dwelling in the womb of the vajra lady I did shed some light on the mantrik aspect of syllable e-vam of Buddhist tantras at some length.

There I explained the unity of the e-vam as most secret, for the unity of these two syllables is what is said as great bliss. It is like unity of Linga and Yoni, as from the movement of the union of Linga and Yoni, in different junctures different kinds of bliss is experienced; so as in the different juncture of mantra recitation different kind of bliss is experienced. Hevajra tantra describes five kinds of bliss in the union of vajra and lotus -from the contact of male and female sexual organs there is the experience of hardness. The nature of hardness is Vairochana whose nature is delusion. The semen is water element because water flows; it is lord Aksobhya whose nature is wrath. From the friction of two sex organs fire arises it said to be Amitabha whose nature is passion. The semen which is placed within the female organ is of the nature of movement there arises air hence Amoghasiddhai who is of the nature of wrath.

The pleasure of passion than becomes than impassioned characteristic of which is space thus Pisunavajra arises whose nature is envy. The great consciousness which is in fact one in all the five stages of sexual experience, exists in five forms and is of the nature of five families, from it arises host of divinities.

These five kinds of joys are experienced in the sexual union because it is of the nature of creation, in the union they manifest simultaneously one by one creating joy. While in yoga of dissolution i.e. in laya yoga through dissolution of these five aggregates (five elements in Hindu tantra four in Buddhist tantras) also joy is generated. And through various stages of dissolution; finally one experiences ultimate bliss of emptiness. Abut which it is said that it comes after the joy of cessation.

>>>> from my upcoming book 'Buddhist tantra yoga'

Author is an art critic and writer of three books ' contemporizing Buddha', ' Hindu Tantra Yoga' and 'Concerning The Spiritual In Art-an Indian modern art perspective'. He has been awarded with 'Lalit kala Academy Scholarship Award' for art criticism in 2005. Currently working on a book 'Buddhist tantra yoga'. He lives and works in Delhi India.

posted by 64701  # 3:32 PM