The treasury of knowledge book five buddhist ethics buddhist ethics v 5 (48)

3 To lose the seminal essence other than for the special pur-poses of using it as the substance for the secret initiation, or as means to [experience] bliss during the conferral of the w

(3) To lose the seminal essence other than for the special pur-poses of using it as the substance for the secret initiation, or

as means to [experience] bliss during the conferral of the wisdom initiation to others, or to make nectar pills.178

(6) To disrespect spiritual teachings, in its general sense, means to

dis-parage [one’s own or] other religions out of desire for personal gain

To disparage the scriptures of the Universal Way is a serious viola-tion; the Individual Way, a minor offense; and non-Buddhist religions,

a minimal offense However, [the tantras] state that if one shows dis-respect toward non-Buddhist traditions with the intention of spiritu-ally inspiring their adherents [to follow the Buddhist path], one not only does not incur this downfall, but actually acquires merit The particular sense of this downfall is in the context of Buddhist tenets The Way of the Perfections and the Secret Mantra are causally related to one another in that the first is the cause and the second the result In the first of the three cycles of teachings, [the Buddha] taught [on the subject of] the realization of personal selflessness and the un-reality of generic images of apprehended objects In the second, he taught [on the subject of] the realization of the ineffable, inconceiv-able, and indescribable empty nature of all phenomena In the third,

he taught [on the subject of] the realization of the clear-light nature of mind as a way of teaching [ultimate reality] and on the realization of the self-experienced intrinsic awareness as the essence of meditation practice The four tantras [teach these realizations] in a similar way,

up to the last [the Highest Yoga Tantra] that teaches [the ultimate truth] as the identical flavor of EVAM, the union of bliss and

empti-ness Ultimately, all teach but one reality A downfall is incurred when one disparages the profound transcendent wisdom [as taught in the Way of the Perfections] which forms the very heart of the definitive meaning in Mantra, holding it to be inferior to the transcendent wis-dom [taught in the Mantra Way]

For the downfall to be complete, three factors must be present: (1) To disparage the transcendent wisdom that is the definitive meaning of Mantra by believing it to be inferior to the tran-scendent wisdom [taught] in the Secret Mantra and to actu-ally say so;

(2) To believe that such disparaging words are well-founded; (3) To act not for the sake of uplifting those who adhere only to the Way of the Perfections

profound bliss to someone attracted exclusively to the proclaimers’ way or similar ways who has not been ripened by initiation and who would become apprehensive or disdainful of such secrets

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) The person having an affinity for the proclaimers’ or the soli-tary sages’ ways being spiritually immature and becoming frightened or disdainful upon hearing the secrets;

(2) To disclose the secrets of profound bliss to that person; (3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

Regarding this downfall, Darika179 states that to disclose the secrets

of profound bliss creates obstacles to gaining supreme attainment; and to disclose the general secrets of Mantra, obstacles to gaining common attainments.180

There are four types of spiritually immature persons (impeded in one of four ways) to whom secrets should not be revealed [Begin-ning with the most] immature, these are as follows:

(1) Persons concerned with the affairs of this world only, who hold virulent wayward views toward the teachings and are imma-ture in that they lack the cause [for Secret Mantra practice]; (2) Spiritual extremists who believe in the [reality of a] self; (3) Proclaimers who are weary of cyclic existence;

(4) Solitary sages who do not have the incentive to help others (these last three lack the conditions for Secret Mantra practice) Higher [teachings] should be kept increasingly more secret the more immature the person

(8) To abuse one’s own aggregates, in its general sense, means to despise

one’s own body The aggregates, elements, and experiential media of oneself or of others should not be despised because they are the form dimension of awakening although veiled by impurities

In its particular sense, this downfall means to believe the body to

be the principal source [of suffering] and engage in forms of self-mortification, such as injuring it with weapons, burning it with fire, or otherwise abusing it through fasting and other austerities Abuse of the body constitutes a downfall because in receiving the vase initiation,181

one has been introduced to the aggregates, etc., as the nature of various buddhas Once introduced in this way, one can increase the [experience of] bliss by offering the aggregates the delight of sensory pleasures, and with bliss as the support, actualize the pristine awareness of reality

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) To know the body and the other aggregates to be of the na-ture of various [buddhas];

(2) To consciously abuse them;

(3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

Many classes of tantras prescribe the purificatory fasting practice; would this practice not be a downfall? In [the context of] tantra, the purpose of fasting is not to abuse the body but to purify it in order to please a deity, or to supplement inner cleansing Therefore, this prac-tice of fasting not only is not a downfall, but greatly aids [the practitioner’s spiritual growth]

(9) To disbelieve what is pure in nature,182 in its general sense, means to misconceive relative truth (while to misconceive ultimate truth would constitute the eleventh root downfall), which is the interdependent arising of all phenomena, being mere appearance without intrinsic reality, like [the reflection of] the moon on water For example, to con-tend that statements such as “sentient beings [can] become buddhas”

or “buddhas, although without concepts, are replete with knowledge” are self-contradictory [is to incur this downfall]

In its particular sense, this downfall means to fail to appreciate or

to harbor doubts about emptiness [as described in statements such as] “the overall meaning of reality is emptiness,” etc., or to pursue similar mental fabrications

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) The pure nature of emptiness being the object [of one’s doubts]; (2) Having the underlying attitude of non-appreciation with the ensuing mental fabrications;

(3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

(10) To have love for the wicked, in its general sense, means to show

affection for evil beings, such as demons, religious extremists, or ar-rogant challengers [of the teachings], who are untameable by loving-kindness

In its particular sense, this downfall means to hypocritically feign love for another person and thereby deceive him or her The downfall

is mainly concerned with feigning love for a tantric consort For [this sense of] the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present:

tantric consort;

(2) Feigning love with gentle words while feeling aversion to-ward him or her;

(3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

The general sense of this downfall is failure to annihilate [and liberate the minds of] evil beings by implementing wrathful rites (as prescribed above in the exceptional Akshobhya pledge) Here, however, the downfall has been specified [as feigning love for a tantric consort] because it must pertain to what is incompatible with the third initia-tion [the pristine-awareness-through-wisdom initiainitia-tion, i.e., a consort]

(11) To apply discursive concepts to transcendent reality, in its general

sense, means to reify or depreciate that which is beyond designations and to draw sophistic conclusions about existence, non-existence, both,

or neither, not understanding that the entirety of all phenomena is simply reality as it is and reality itself is the nature of all phenomena

In its particular sense, this downfall means to conceptualize or have doubts about immutable bliss, the nature of the body, speech, and mind of the buddhas, which transcends all mundane examples, is nameless, etc.; and about emptiness inclusive of all the appearing forms of “she” who bestows the bliss.183

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) The object being everlasting and immutable bliss;

(2) Conceiving reality to be different from immutable bliss; (3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

(12) To cause believers to lose faith, in its general sense, means to destroy

someone’s faith [in the Buddhist teachings] To turn a faithful practi-tioner away from the Secret Mantra constitutes a defeat; to turn from their respective paths faithful followers of the [Buddha’s] discourses

or the proclaimers’ way is a serious violation; and to turn the faithful away temporarily [from these spiritual pursuits] is a minor offense

In its particular sense, this downfall means to disrespect and, out

of jealousy, [attempt to] destroy the faith of a person of purity who inwardly dwells in the pristine awareness of reality but whose out-ward conduct is unorthodox

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) The object being a pure person [i.e., yogin];

(2) To speak words out of jealousy to undermine the person's faith;

(3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

(13) To fail to accept the pledge substances means to have doubts about

and to refuse the pledge substances during any tantric activity due to feeling that one must adhere to monastic forms of conduct, etc., [or considering these substances to be impure] “Pledge substances” re-fers to the outer and inner five meats, five nectars, etc.,184 and “tantric activities” refers to ritual feasts, celebrations of heroes and heroines,185

and other tantric gatherings

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) The occasion being a tantric activity;

(2) Refusing to partake of the pledge substances;

(3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

(14) To disrespect a woman means to speak disparagingly to a woman

out of disrespect.186

For the downfall to be complete, four factors must be present: (1) The object being a woman;

(2) To say disparaging words to her out of disrespect;

(3-4) And the last two factors of the first downfall

The general sense of each root downfall given here accords with the Highest Yoga Tantra’s well-known standard explanations on the subject The particular sense is as it appears in the Wheel of Time Tantra.

The Indestructible Nucleus’ Ornament Tantra,187 the Red Yamari Tantra,

and the Black Yamari Tantra188 also list fourteen root downfalls, while the Indestructible Tent Tantra gives only thirteen.189

Manjushriyashas divides each of the fourteen root downfalls ac-cording to six aspects—object, intention, action, occasion, fault, and frequency—to a total of eighty-four, and further subdividing these according to [degrees of] seriousness—heavy, medium, and light—to yield two hundred and fifty-two aspects of the awareness-holder’s ethics.190