Essence of Vajrayana. Geshe Kelsang Gyatso
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our faith in the Heruka instructions will be greatly increased. If we study the biographies of the eighty-four Mahasiddhas of ancient India, we will see that most of them attained enlightenment by relying upon Heruka as their personal Deity. There now follow brief life stories of some Heruka practitioners who accomplished attainments by relying upon these instructions.
SARAHA
Saraha was one of the first Mahasiddhas, and was greatly admired by later Mahasiddhas. By relying upon Heruka and practising the stages of Heruka’s path, he attained the Pure Land of Keajra without abandoning his human body.
NAGARJUNA
Nagarjuna was one of Saraha’s disciples, who attained enlightenment in one life by relying upon Heruka. His life and works were prophesied several times by Buddha. In a well-known passage in Gone to Lanka Sutra Buddha is asked who will uphold the doctrine after he has passed away. Buddha replies:
In the Southern region, in the Land of the Palms,
The monk Shriman of great renown,
Known by the name, ‘Naga’,
Will refute the extremes of existence and non-existence.
Having proclaimed to the world my teachings,
The unsurpassed Great Vehicle,
He will accomplish the ground, Very Joyful,
And depart to the Land of Bliss.
As predicted, four hundred years after Buddha passed away, a son was born to a prosperous Brahmin family living in an area of Southern India known as Bedarwa, or the ‘Land of the Palms’. An oracle predicted that the child would live for only seven days, but that his life span could be extended by a further seven days if gifts were bestowed upon a hundred ordinary people, by a further seven months if offerings were made to a hundred brahmins, or by a further seven years if offerings were made to a hundred monks. However, the oracle knew of no method to extend his life beyond that. Accordingly, his parents made offerings to a hundred monks, and as a result were able to live happily with their son for seven years.
As the child’s seventh birthday drew near, however, they sent him on a pilgrimage with several of their servants, for they could not bear to witness his death. Guided by a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, the party made its way to Nalanda Monastery where they met the great Teacher Saraha. They explained the boy’s plight to Saraha, and he told them that the child could avert an untimely death by staying at Nalanda and taking ordination as a monk. He gave the child an empowerment into the long-life practice of Buddha Amitayus and encouraged him to practise that yoga extensively. On the eve of his seventh birthday the child recited the mantra of Amitayus without interruption and as a result averted an untimely death. The following day he was ordained as a monk and given the name ‘Shrimanta’. He remained at Nalanda where under the protection of Manjushri he was able to study all the Sutras and Tantras. He soon became a fully-accomplished scholar and Teacher, and his reputation spread widely. Eventually he was appointed Abbot of Nalanda.
Nagarjuna’s life comprised three great periods of auspicious deeds that correspond to Buddha’s three turnings of the Wheel of Dharma, which is why he is often referred to as ‘the Second Buddha’. The first period was during his tenure as Abbot of Nalanda. Unfortunately, the moral discipline of the monks had degenerated since the time Buddha first gave the vows, and Nagarjuna was very active in restoring the purity of the discipline. He clarified many points of moral discipline in extensive teachings, and composed a number of works on pure conduct. These writings, known as the Collection of Advice, include such works as Precious Garland, Friendly Letter, Tree of Wisdom, A Hundred Wisdoms and Drops for Healing Beings. These activities are likened to Buddha’s first turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
Nagarjuna is best remembered, however, for the works of the second period. Not long after Buddha passed away, the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras, the principal Mahayana teachings, disappeared from this world. It is said this is because some nagas who had received this teaching from Buddha had taken the extensive Perfection of Wisdom scriptures to their own world for safekeeping. There remained only a few practitioners who could understand these teachings, and most of them kept their practice secret. The only teachings of Buddha to remain widespread were the Hinayana teachings, and as a result many people assumed that these were the only teachings Buddha had given. Some time later the nagas invited Nagarjuna to visit them and returned the Perfection of Wisdom scriptures to him. Nagarjuna brought the scriptures to the human world and propagated them widely. Because of his special relationship with the nagas, and because he cured many nagas of sickness by means of special ritual prayers, Nagarjuna was given the name ‘Protector of the nagas’. ‘Arjuna’ was added to his name because he spread the Mahayana teachings with great speed and accuracy, just as the legendary archer Arjuna had delivered arrows from his bow. Hence he finally became known as ‘Protector Nagarjuna’.
Because he had a very lucid mind and great wisdom Nagarjuna was able perfectly to understand the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras and explain them to others. He spread these teachings widely, thus instigating a great revival of the Mahayana doctrine in this world. He presented a system of reasoning which, because it steers a flawless course between the two extremes of existence and non-existence, became known as the ‘Philosophy of the Middle Way’, or ‘Madhyamaka’. Nagarjuna composed many commentaries to the Perfection of Wisdom Sutras that elucidate the Madhyamaka view. These treatises, known as the Collection of Reasonings, include the famous Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way, and its four limbs: Sixty Reasonings, Seventy Emptinesses, Finely Woven and Refutation of Objections. He also wrote Compendium of Sutras, Five Stages of the Completion Stage of Guhyasamaja and many other commentaries to the Sutras and Tantras. These activities are likened to Buddha’s second turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
Nagarjuna’s third period of auspicious deeds took place towards the end of his life. Acting on advice from Tara, he returned to Southern India and dwelt at a place called Mount Splendour, where he gave further extensive teachings on both the Sutras and Tantras and composed many more texts. These writings, known as the Collection of Praises, include such works as Praise of the Dharmadhatu, Praise of the Supramundane, Praise of the Inconceivable and Praise of the Ultimate. These activities are likened to Buddha’s third turning of the Wheel of Dharma.
It is not possible in such a brief account even to begin to do justice to Nagarjuna’s life and works. Throughout his life he devoted himself entirely to reviving the Mahayana Dharma and sustaining the Mahayana Sangha. To this end he gave prolific teachings, composed many books on Sutra and Tantra, and performed countless other excellent deeds. As mentioned in Gone to Lanka Sutra, Nagarjuna had accomplished the realization of the Bodhisattva’s first ground, called ‘Very Joyful’. He then advanced further and finally reached the land of the supreme bliss of enlightenment.
SHAWARI
Shawari was a disciple of Nagarjuna. From the point of view of common appearance he was a hunter, but he received empowerment and teachings on Heruka from Nagarjuna and practised them sincerely at Mount Splendour, where he attained enlightenment. It is said that even to this day those with pure karma can see Shawari there.
LUYIPA
Prince Luyipa was Shawari’s main disciple. On the tenth day of every month he used to go to a charnel ground to meditate. One day when he arrived there, he saw a group of men and women having a picnic. One of the women gave him a piece of meat and, when he ate it, his mind was blessed and instantly purified of ordinary appearance. He received a vision of Heruka and Vajrayogini and realized that the men and women were in reality Heroes and Heroines. While in the charnel ground, he received teachings directly from Heruka. Because Luyipa was a Heruka practitioner he came under the care of the Heroes and Heroines, and accomplished great results simply from tasting the piece of meat given to him by an emanation of Vajrayogini.
DARIKAPA
King Darikapa received empowerment and teachings on Heruka from Luyipa, who predicted that if Darikapa were to abandon his kingdom and apply great effort in the practice of Heruka and Vajrayogini he would swiftly attain enlightenment. Darikapa immediately left his palace and wandered from place to place as a beggar, practising meditation at every opportunity. In a city in South