Essentials of Tantra in Terms of Hologram

Theory
unedited transcript

Session Four: Questions and Answers

Before we go on, perhaps you have some questions about empowerments.

Question: You said that after the preliminaries or preparation, then we take the empowerment.
Does that mean that we have to have completed our ngondro before receiving an empowerment?

Alex: Thats a very good question. It depends on what level we want to do it at. Often we need to
be a bit expedient, and so if theres a great master and weve checked out that master, and its
very important to check out the tantric master, not just take it [the empowerment] because its
being given as Serkong Rinpoche said, not be like a hungry dog that will take any bone that its
thrown but check out the teacher. Not only does the teacher need to be qualified, but we need
to find the teacher inspiring. It could be the most qualified lama in the world, but it doesnt move
us. That also is not so effective. If its a tantra system that we know a little bit about and, This is
something that I would like to get involved with, not just anything thats being given, then even
if we havent completed the ngondro, or even started the ngondro, its not a bad idea to take the
empowerment.

It all depends on the practice commitment, of course, but we can keep the minimal practice
commitment and sort of table it until were ready, for example, or get involved in practice, but
dont forget about the preliminaries. In other words, we can do practice, but dont expect to get
very far without the preliminaries, or at least some preliminaries. You shouldnt think that its a
set course that we have to follow. The preliminaries can be molded in such a way to individual
situation.

I used to always joke and say that with Serkong Rinpoche, I was also his foreign secretary in
addition to his interpreter and disciple, and so I used to have to write all his letters in English,
and make all the arrangements for his tours, and telephone calls, and going to the embassies, and
getting the visas, and do the logistics of all his travels and I used to say that that was one of my
preliminary practices, to make a hundred thousand telephone calls on his behalf, a hundred
thousand letters with the aim of making him available so that other people could benefit from
him. I was not doing it to please him, and he never thanked me, never. In all the time that I was
with him he only said thank you to me twice, in nine years. That was very good, excellent for
me. It might be very difficult on other people doing that, but for me it was perfect. Because, as he
would say, why are you doing this? Are you like a dog and youre doing it and then you want a
pat on the head and you wag your tail and then what? Good boy. You got me the visa. Good
boy, pat you on the head and then you wag your tail, and then what? That is not the reason for
helping our teacher. The reason is to benefit all beings to work with all beings is usually too
vague to have any emotional meaning but to benefit the people that you know that this teacher
can benefit by making more and more conducive circumstances for helping the teacher, so the
teacher can do more work.

So in terms of these preliminaries, one tries to fit them in. They are important, at least some of
them, and the spiritual teacher can specify them. I didnt do the standard set. I was given a
slightly different set of things to do, personally.

Question: Sometimes we attend an empowerment and we dont really know the teacher and we
dont know that there was the taking of vows, sometimes its all in Tibetan, or its not really
explained to us, it goes so quickly. Then only much later do we find out that there was the vows
or a practice commitment and were utterly freaked out with the prospect of vajra-hell awaiting
us. Is it the case that weve really received the empowerment?

Alex: Thats an excellent question. I would say no. Its very clear from the texts and the teachings
that in order to have the vows, you have to consciously take them. To have the empowerment,
you have to consciously feel that you have the empowerment. A baby or a dog thats present
doesnt have the vows and doesnt really have the empowerment. They can have whats usually
translated as blessings. What does that mean? It was an inspiring thing to be there, but they
didnt really get it. You have to very consciously accept these vows. If you dont consciously
accept them, because you dont know what is going on, you havent taken the vows.

Similarly during the empowerment there needs to be some conscious experience this is
explained by one great master of the past some conscious experience. The founder of the
Drigung Kagyu tradition said that. Some feeling that theres some basis there of an activation of
the potentials. Not just sort of sit there and be totally lost. Sitting there and being totally lost, the
best you can get is some inspiration from the thing, which is fine.

Have I received the empowerment or not? Its hard to say. The point is, what does it mean to
have received it? That is a very difficult question to answer. You can say some sort of conscious
experience. Well, how qualified do you have to be? What level of conscious experience? How
qualified does the teacher have to be to really be able to give the empowerment? Well, all of
thats relative. Its all in degrees. The custom, of course, is to take the empowerments over and
over and over again. Its only when were really familiar with the empowerment ritual that we
can even follow it, especially when its involving very complex visualizations. The first time off
there is hardly a chance that well be able to keep up and do all the visualizations, so you take it
again and again. As a disciple our qualifications will hopefully increase over time.

Likewise, there are many people who have received empowerments from people who are not
really qualified, either Tibetan or Western, and they ask, Did I receive it or not? Well, it
depends on your state of mind. Do you think that you received it? If you have confidence that
you believed it. Of course the teacher wasnt optimal, but you werent optimal either, but its a
basis to start to activate the seeds. Then you go back and do it again and again as youre more
qualified and with a more qualified teacher, and it can grow from that.
Its like the question, Can you receive an empowerment via the Internet, if its broadcast on the
Internet? The Kalachakra initiation in Graz was broadcast on the Internet. What is the difference
between receiving it on the Internet and the hall was too full and you werent able to get in, so
you watched it on the video screen in another room? Those are interesting questions and of
course a lot depends on ones state of mind during the empowerment.

Question: Why is it essential to have a qualified teacher giving the empowerment? What is the
role of the teacher?

Alex: One role of the teacher is to inspire this is the main role of a teacher in general to give
us inspiration. Actually being in the presence of the teacher is important even if you can only
see the teacher on a video screen, because youre sitting so far back, or whatever as a source of
inspiration. Youre not just reading it from a text and doing it yourself. Also for lay and tantric
vows, you need to receive the vows from a master. With bodhisattva vows theres a way of
taking them by yourself, but for lay and tantric vows you need a spiritual master to confer them.

One important thing during the empowerment is seeing the teacher as a Buddha on the tantra
level. What that means is seeing Buddha-nature in the teacher. It doesnt mean at all that the
teacher actually is enlightened and, as I always joke with people, therefore the teacher is
omniscient, therefore the teacher knows the telephone number of everybody on the planet. The
teacher certainly doesnt know the telephone number of everyone on the planet; it doesnt mean
that. A Buddha would know. You know why a Buddha would know? Because a Buddha knows
karma completely, so a Buddha would know what was the karmic impulse and the causes for you
to apply for that telephone number at that particular time when you would get that particular
number. So as a consequence of a Buddhas complete knowledge of karma, a Buddha would
know everybodys telephone number. Anyway, perhaps thats being too cute.

Its very important to see the teacher as a Buddha and what that means is in terms of Buddha-
nature Now we go back to what we were discussing before in terms of inseparable samsara and
nirvana. If we can see the teacher as inseparable from the yidam, what does that mean? The word
inseparable, remember, if one is the case, so is the other. So if theres this ordinary appearance
of the teacher, theres also the appearance of the teacher as a yidam, as a Buddha-figure. The
subtlest energy, all the potentials, can manifest in those two aspects and theyre both equally
valid. In those terms, we focus on the nirvanic aspect of the teacher and see the teacher is a
Buddha not see the teacher as a Buddha, serving as a Buddha for me because its convenient as
a skillful method but is a Buddha. That doesnt mean enlightened; but there is this Buddha-
level, quantum level, there.

If we can have a conscious experience of that during the empowerment, that together with a
conscious blissful awareness of voidness that all of this is on the basis of voidness, no one is
inherently existent as a Buddha, theres not something inside me that makes me a Buddha by its
own power that is what activates the Buddha-nature potentials, to see that we ourselves have
these two levels, so that I can validly label myself a Buddha, in terms of these yidam practices of
visualizing myself as a Buddha-figure, without it being a lie and also without it being that Im
fully enlightened. Im not fully enlightened, but there is that quantum level that the energy of my
mental continuum can vibrate at. So I choose to emphasize that, activate that, so that hologram
appears. You have to see that in the teacher, and seeing that in the teacher inspires us to be able to
see that in ourselves.

That is how it works. So the teacher is very crucial. Its very essential that the teacher be
inspiring for us personally. If its somebody whos coming to a center that youve never met,
youve never heard of, well, find out the persons biography, learn about them, read about them.
If theyve written anything, take a look at that. Hopefully the empowerment is not the first event
that the teacher does. Hopefully theres enough time in the visit to be able to check out the
teacher, at least by going to some talk before taking an empowerment. Much better, of course, is
to have had a longer exposure, but often thats not possible. But in most cases when His Holiness
gives Kalachakra initiation, for instance, there are several days of preliminary teachings, so you
can check him out.

Question: How do you visualize?

Alex: Its difficult for many of us. First of all, throw out the word visualize. That is too
limiting. It implies visual, seeing something. Instead imagining, what were doing is
imagining. Were imagining not only sights, but were also imagining sounds, and smells, and
tastes, and physical sensations, and who we are, these sort of things.

I remember there was this one friend of mine who said that she had a great difficulty in
visualizing or imagining, and I went on a long, dusty bus ride with her, and it was very hot. After
several hours on this hot, dusty bus, I said to her, Wouldnt it be great if we had some oranges?
That would be so refreshing. It would taste so delicious to have an orange when were so hot and
thirsty. And she said, Stop torturing me! And I said, Aha, you can visualize! We are able to
imagine things. Imagine what your house looks like. Imagine what your best friend or your
closest relative looks like. Most people can imagine what they look like. We are capable of
imagining, even in terms of imagining ourselves in a certain form; well what does it feel like?

In the process in tantra, it always talks about having the clarity and the pride of the deity, two
terms that are a little bit misleading. Clarity remember, we were discussing in the definition of
mind, of mental activity its an activity, were not talking about it being in focus. Thats not at
all what the word clarity means here; what it means is appearance-making. What we try to
do is to make some sort of appearance. That means imagine, to some level. Tsongkhapa always
said, try to get a general image; dont worry about the details, dont worry about the focus; just
get something vague and general going. Then the clarity of the details is a function of
concentration. People get really hung up in these visualizations about the jewelry, and what it
looks like, and what color eyes, and all these tiny little details. When its taught with the main
emphasis on all these details, then that reaffirms our inadequacy, for many people, and thats
unfortunate. The thing is not on the details. We need to know the details eventually, but the main
thing is just to get some general, vague image.

Then the pride of the deity is to actually feel that thats me; its to label me in terms of that. Its
like for instance, when we talk about mental labeling, theres a basis of labeling, which would be
each moment of the mental continuum, and then theres the label me, which is just a word, or a
concept, an abstraction; we are not a word. Were not the sound of some syllables that are
arbitrarily given a meaning, but the word refers to something on the foundation of that basis for
labeling. So what does the word refer to? It refers to me, the conventional me.

So, if you think about it, all thats happening at any time is the present moment, which is rather
ephemeral; its changing all the time. Once the next moment is happening, all we can speak of is
the moments passed that are already gone and the moments not yet come, neither of which is
happening now. It is not as though passed moments never existed or that moments that have not
yet happened will never exist. Its just that they are not happening now. Nevertheless, no-longer-
happening moments and not-yet-happening moments are existent phenomena and can be objects
of valid cognition. We can validly know them by inferential cognition, for example.

Although all that is happening now are the everchanging moments of the present, still a stream of
continuity can be validly labeled on a continuum of no-longer-happening, presently-happening,
and not-yet-happening moments of something. And then we can label something on the basis of
that stream of continuity, for example a movie. Even if the movie is not yet finished playing, still
we can validly say that I am watching the movie and that is a correct statement. Similarly, we
can validly label me on a stream of continuity of everchanging no-longer happening, presently-
happening, and not-yet-happening moments of five aggregate factors of experience.

If we use myself as an example, with the name Alex in this particular lifetime, then the
moments of my life as Baby Alex are no longer happening, but those moments are valid bases for
labeling me. It was me without there being a solid me and the Alex now and the Alex that
is not yet come in terms of the old man Alex, if I happen to live long, that also would be a valid
basis for labeling me. Likewise, going all the way down the line with our mental continuum,
that point where it will be a Buddha, a Buddha will be manifest, that also is a valid basis for
labeling me. Me covers the whole span. In tantra, the pride of the deity is to imagine that
now Im in this form of the Buddha-figure. Im not there yet, but Im imagining it, because it is a
valid basis for labeling me.

Thats why bodhichitta is essential in tantra, because thats what were aiming for, our own
enlightenment. Without bodhichitta it doesnt work, aside from the energy of helping all beings,
which also we need. In the visualization, what you need is the appearance-making, some image,
so-called clarity, and the pride the deity, which is labeling me on it. What does it mean from
an experiential point of view to label me? From an experiential point of view it means to feel
that. Reflect for a moment, what does it feel like to be a human being? What does it feel like to
be male or female? What does it feel like to be American, or German, or Chinese? What does
that feel like?

Its an interesting exercise, isnt it? Hard to say what it feels like, hard to put into words. But its
talking about something. Thats holding the pride of the deity. What does it feel like to be
Chenrezig? What does it feel like to be Tara? Thats labeling me on it the pride of the deity.
You dont have to go around and say male, male, female, female, human, human all the
time. You could carry a flag around, American or German, but thats a bit much. Its like a
feeling of who I am. When we try to hold the pride and appearance of the deity all-day long in
tantra, its sort of a feeling of who I am; and some sort of appearance, not identifying with this
limited appearance that we have now, that may be short, fat and ugly, old, or whatever; or young,
and handsome, and slim, and all these sort of things. Thats ephemeral.

Thats dealing with self-image when we deal with the appearance-making. Thats what its
talking about, our self-image and the feeling of who I am. Thats what were working with in
tantra, if we put it in Western psychological terms. Its very important to realize that our energy
can vibrate on different levels: a samsaric level and a nirvanic level of self-image and who I am
inseparably. If one is true, so is the other. If one is the case, so is the other. If the energy can
vibrate on one level, it can vibrate on two levels. Its important not to be intimidated by
visualization and think that we have to become technically perfect and win the Olympic gold-
medal in visualizing. Its basically imagining, and the details will come with concentration.

Even being in a mandala, I always tell people to do this exercise of, What does it feel like to be
in a room with four walls around you? Can you be aware that there are four walls around you?
Can you be aware that theres a front, and two sides, and a back of your head? Yes, its not so
difficult. You dont actually see it; were not talking about seeing it. Like being Kalachakra with
four faces. Well, thats not so difficult, actually, because we can be aware of the front, two sides,
and the back of our heads, that they exist. What does it feel like to have a face on the front of
your head? Interesting. You probably werent asked that before. Imagine what your face looks
like, not looking at it from outside in, but just having a face. If you have a face over here on the
front of your head, you can also have two on the sides as well, why not? And one on the back.
Put your hand on the top of your head, please. Now take your hand off. Can you feel the top of
your head? Yes. Thats how you visualize something on the top of your head. Its just
Something is there, its a feeling. So there are all sort of tricks that one can use to train in
visualization. Thats what Buddhism is all about, training, methods.

Question: The question is about the qualifications of a teacher. If a teacher displays so-called
magical powers extra-sensory or extra-physical powers just as a way of attracting students,
impressing people, is that a red flag, a warning sign that theres something peculiar about this
teachers qualifications?

Alex: We look for guidelines for this from the bodhisattva vows. One of the auxiliary vows is not
to avoid using your extra-sensory powers, if you have them, in times of need. So the converse of
that implies that when there is a time of need, you use them, but if theres no time of need of it,
you dont use them. To use them just to impress people, thats like praising yourself and belittling
others, Look how great I am. It really depends. My teacher, Serkong Rinpoche, certainly had
extra-sensory and these sort of powers and abilities. I saw it several times, but he only displayed
them basically when there was a need, some purpose.

An outstanding example being when we were in Dharamsala and we were driving up to Tushita,
which is a meditation center above McLeod Ganj where Rinpoche was living. We were in the
jeep approaching the center and Rinpoche said, Hurry up, go quickly, theres a fire starting in
the gonpa. Theres no way that he could have seen that from the car down the road. Somebody
ran in and, sure enough, a candle had fallen and a curtain had caught on fire. The fire was about
to break out. In those situations they do that.
Or His Holiness the Dalai Lama. I was present: His Holiness was giving an empowerment in
South India and a swarm of hornets flew into the temple, a big swarm of hornets. Tibetans are
pretty cool, this was the Lower Tantric College, so these people kept pretty calm about the whole
thing, but I got stung. They came in and His Holiness stopped the ceremony, and he looked at
them, and he obviously did something, and the whole swarm turned around and flew right out. I
saw that with my own eyes. When theres a time, a need, yes. When theres no time of need...

The classic example is Naropa with Tilopa, Tilopa eating the fish and then laying the bones down
and snapping his fingers and the fish comes back to life not to impress Naropa, that wasnt the
point to impress, Gee, Tilopa, youre so great. Ill pay my money and follow you, join your
center. It wasnt like that but in order to help Naropa develop confidence in Tilopa. Naropa,
after all, was the abbot and the most learned scholar of the greatest monastery of India. He was
no beginner when he met Tilopa. So it was very helpful for putting down his arrogance. So there
was a need.

In those situations, yes, its ok. In other situations, I would be suspect. Teachers always praising
themselves, How great I am, and so on, How clever I am. One should be careful. Now, of
course, it also says in the texts that, given a list of ten qualifications, its going to be very difficult
to ever find somebody whos fully qualified. So out of those, we try to find somebody who has
more positive qualities than negative qualities. This comes into the whole teachings on how to
develop a healthy relation with a spiritual teacher I wrote a book on that called Relating to a
Spiritual Teacher and what is explained in the texts is that the Fifth Dalai Lama makes a
point of this you dont deny the shortcomings of the teacher, but to focus on those
shortcomings is not going to be of any benefit, and complaining about it is not going to be of any
benefit at all. Its just going to bum you out, if we can use the colloquial expression, depress
you.

Without denying them, dont be naive about it, just put that to the side and focus on the good
qualities, because thats whats inspiring. If its done without naivety, Oh gosh, youre so
perfect, but, OK, I recognize what your shortcomings are, then we can find great inspiration
from that person. This is great advice, not only for relating to a spiritual teacher in a healthy way,
but relating to anybody our partners, our family members, our friends. Of course theyre going
to have negative qualities as well as positive qualities. Complaining and getting aggravated over
the negative qualities isnt going to help, but we can be inspired by their positive qualities
without denying the negative ones. You have to check out the whole picture of the teacher, what
their qualifications are. But showing off and arrogance, one has to be very careful.

Anything else? OK, well that takes us precisely to four oclock. Perhaps thats a good place to
end. Well continue tomorrow with the actual theory of tantra. How does it work? What are we
doing? Why is it more efficient than sutra?