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2.3  Visualization becoming the preliminary stage of practice later on

Initially, visualization was the main practice of Tibetan Secret Schools. If one can visualize one’s deity with the buddha’s full appearance successfully, one is then named as “ultimate buddha.” However, after Couple-Practice Tantra of Tantrism from Brahmanism and Hinduism was introduced into Tibetan Secret Schools, it had become the highest yoga tantra and visualization had descended to the preliminary stage as a basis of the practice.

Therefore, a tantric guru once said in The Six Yogas of Naropa:

Upon knowing the generation stage, one must endeavor to practice “visualizing oneself as buddha” and always visualize it without doubt. But if one only completes this stage without going on the main practice (i.e., Couple-Practice Tantra), one will never become buddha; that is because becoming buddha needs several hundred thousands of embodiments to generate the great power for benefiting sentient beings, and the method of generating embodiments only exists in the main practice. ^{[62: 50]}

Thereafter, visualization became the preliminary practice and was modified to visualize the dakini instead (as a preparation for the future couple practice). As stated in the same book:

There is definitely no disadvantage for one to visualize oneself as Kyabje while practicing Buddha-mother Kyabje. (Original note: Buddha-mother Kyabje is the alias of Naropa Dakini; there are numerous dakinis all-over world, and Kyabje is their master.) On the other hand, if one directly cultivates the main practice without visualization, one will become ill and commit a severe sin. ^{[62: 51]}

In addition, the visualization method evolved and generated various derivatives due to the visualization of central-channel and altar. For example,

There are seventy-two thousands of channels in a human body and each channel has one altar. There are seventy-two thousands of tiny pores in the skin and each pore has one arhat as well. (Original note: There is a distinction of the arhat between Great-vehicle and Small-vehicle; the arhat of Great-vehicle stands for the buddha or bodhisattva, while the arhat of Small-vehicle stands for the solitary-realizer or sound-hearer.)  ^{[62: 51]}

Nevertheless, the visualization that one pore has one arhat is a delusion originated from one’s own irrational thinking. Likewise, the saying of “one channel having one buddha” is also a delusive idea since each sentient being’s true mind is totally unique and independent of each other. This true mind cannot be divided in parts or combined together with others. Now, it is surprising that Tibetan Secret Schools have the expressions of “each pore having one arhat” and “an arhat being a buddha”. If those expressions were true, a human body would have seventy-two thousand sentient beings because the body possesses seventy-two thousand pores. It implies that, when one becomes buddha, either there will be seventy-two thousand buddhas (in one’s pores) co-existent in the same place and at the same time, or those buddhas will be merged into one and appear in the world. In fact, there is no such number of buddhas co-existent in the world. It thus implies that those seventy-two thousand buddhas will be merged into one. However, if this were true, then a sentient being’s true mind could be divided or combined, and could also be produced or destroyed because some of those minds disappear. Those sayings are actually invented by Tibetan Secret Schools, rather than taught by Buddha Sakyamuni. As Buddha says, each sentient being’s true mind cannot be increased, nor be decreased, and cannot be produced, nor be destroyed. From the above reasoning, the sayings like “one pore having one arhat” from Tibetan Secret Schools are the delusion and all learners should not believe them.

In addition, the time restrictions on visualization are delusive too. For example, to practice Guru-yoga, the practitioner must avoid some specific periods of time; otherwise, the practice will be in vain:

There are four periods of time during which the buddha practices meditative concentration: from 11:00 p.m. till 1:00 a.m., from the time before dawn till the daylight becoming very bright (Original note: about 5:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m.), from 11:00 a.m. till 1:00 p.m., and from dusk till the appearance of stars (Original note: about 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.). Except those advanced practitioners who can sit in meditation at any time, all beginners must avoid sitting during those four periods, because it will be impossible for the beginners to attain meditative concentration during the time reserved for the buddha. ^{[62: 39]}

Yet in fact, the time concerns for a person to practice meditative concentration are solely for one’s own health, e.g., not to practice right after a full meal or when one is weak or ill. Those concerns have nothing to do with the buddha. Further, all buddhas have achieved perfect meditative concentration since the past measureless eons. Why does the buddha ever need to practice meditative concentration again? Even if the buddha would practice it in those periods, how could it interfere with the practitioner’s meditative concentration? Thus, it is absurd for Tibetan Secret Schools to impose such time restrictions on meditative concentration.

Visualization had been downgraded to the preliminary stage of practice and had become a non-ultimate method after Couple-Practice Tantra of Highest-yoga was introduced into Tibetan Secret Schools. By introducing the practice of the heretical tantric schools, Tibetan Secret Schools evolved from the original “secret mantra schools” and resulted in the following changes: downgrading visualization from the main practice to the preliminary stage of practice, and regarding the union or dual operations of bliss and emptiness of Couple-Practice Tantra as the main practice. After such changes, some tantras like The Great Sun Sutra, All Buddhas Realizing the Great Mahayana Samatha Teachings Sutra, etc. thus appeared to integrate and formalize all the secret practices.

 

2.4  The overview of visualization practice

After introduced into Tibetan Secret Schools, the visualization practice has evolved into many derivatives due to its transition for a long time. However, all of those derivatives are only changed a little bit, but still within the scope of practicing the bright-drop and Vase-Chi of central-channel. In this section, I will give some representative examples to illustrate the gist of tantric visualization. Regarding the meaning of visualization, as stated in The Six Yogas of Naropa:

The human body possesses a navel chakra (energy-center) at the navel, a dharma chakra in the heart, a reward chakra at the throat, a great-happiness chakra on the top of the head, and a happiness-protecting chakra at the secret place (the sexual organ). The shapes of all those five chakras are different and will be described later. Those five chakras are connected with the central-channel which is the root of the mind. The central- channel starts from the middle of two eyebrows, ascends to the top of the head and passes through the great-happiness chakra; then, it descends to the throat and passes through the reward chakra; subsequently, it descends again to the heart through the dharma chakra, to the navel through the navel chakra, further to the secret place through the happiness-protecting chakra, and finally terminates at the tip of penis. Malpa Lama stated two methods of the practice: (1) practicing during sleeping, and (2) practicing during awakening. While in sleeping, one practices the dharma chakra in the heart and reward chakra at the throat; while in awakening, one practices the navel chakra like embracing a bright mother (a female consort) and then practices the great-happiness chakra on the top of the head. Practicing well on the four chakras by those two methods, one will gradually make the Chi stronger, and thus attain the achievement easily. The practice here means the visualization actually. But the practice of Kalachakra Vajra is a little bit different from the visualization mentioned above. While in awakening, one practices the great-happiness chakra on the top of the head and navel chakra at the navel. While in sleeping, one practices the reward chakra at the throat and happiness-protecting chakra at the secret place. And while in deep sleep without any sense, one practices the dharma chakra in the heart and happiness-protecting chakra at the tip of secret pestle (the glans). Due to the extrusion of Chi, the semen goes up and down along the central-channel. When practicing the dharma chakra in the heart and happiness-protecting chakra in the secret place during sleep, one gathers the Chi of central-channel at the dharma chakra, and then descends it to the happiness-protecting chakra at the secret place along the central-channel. At that moment, a great happiness in the mind arises and is indescribable, but reduces gradually afterward. Then the Chi ascends to the reward chakra at the throat from the happiness-protecting chakra. At that time, the mind falls into a trance and then wakes up gradually. After that, the Chi branches into two routes; one ascends to the great-happiness chakra on the top of the head, and the other descends to the happiness-protecting chakra at the secret place. At that moment, the mind awakes totally. Actually, the bodhi mind is exactly the semen. When the white semen is pressed by the Chi from the great-happiness charka, along the central-channel, down to the reward chakra at the throat, the mind is in a trance like dreaming. When the semen reaches the dharma chakra in the heart, the mind to benefit all beings arises. After the semen goes down to the navel chakra, one feels happy and the mind of self-protection arises. At last, when the semen arrives at the happiness-protecting chakra at the tip of penis, the mind is in a state of bliss and the “all-emptiness mind” arises. One is completely ignorant of everything at this time. The way to practice Chi begins from visualizing and performing Chi in the mind, and then one must uses that visualized Chi to push the semen. Once visualized and practiced for a long time, the Chi can be created naturally and go freely to anywhere with one’s will. After the Chi is free to move around the body, the crown chakra starts to open. The semen cannot move around spontaneously without pushing by the Chi; the Chi cannot arise or function automatically without the mastering of the mind. The semen is human being’s the most valuable treasure. Therefore, it is not very difficult for one to become buddha by using Chi well. Due to the function of that semen, one may become buddha with countless embodiments in the future. ^{[62: 77-79]}

As mentioned above, the tantric gurus regard the semen as the supreme bodhi mind. It contradicts the Buddha’s teaching that the eighth consciousness is the supreme bodhi mind. How come the semen they attain can be the supreme bodhi mind of the orthodox Buddhism? In addition, they claim that the semen can be transformed into countless embodiments after the practitioner attains the achievement. It is totally different from the Buddha’s saying that the embodiments are the achievement of practicing both the seed-wisdom of prajna and the advanced samadhi by the bodhisattvas of the third, fourth, or fifth ground. Therefore, it is ridiculous to practice the semen for the Buddha’s countless embodiments. Such a kind of “Buddha dharma” is never the right one of the genuine Buddhism.

In addition, the states of visualization are ridiculous too. How can one make the visualization during the mind being completely ignorant of everything? The state of complete ignorance is actually the state without the mind-consciousness. With one’s mind being absent, how can one do the visualization? From above reasoning, we can conclude that the gurus of Tibetan Secret Schools do not know what they have said at all. They surely do not understand the contradiction in the visualization practice either. How can those persons be called the practitioners with real experience in the Buddha dharma? Thus, we should not believe those sayings in The Six Yogas of Naropa.

The following passage briefly describes the method of visualizing the central-channel:

 

The central-channel, whose shape looks like a bamboo tube, is empty inside and possesses a tiny channel-point with the size of only a mustard seed. That tiny channel-point is the heart of life. But that heart is not a physical heart. The physical heart is big but the heart of life is tiny. As for their positions, the heart of life is within the physical heart; after death, the physical heart still stays inside the body, but that tiny heart of life leaves the body. The tantric guru says: “The shape of the heart of life is like a reversed seed-syllable ‘Hum’ at the central-channel of the dharma chakra; other long shape of the central-channel is not the heart of life. As soon as the seed-syllable ‘Hum’ leaves the body, so does the heart of life. When the heart of life leaves the body, the person dies. As for the practice of central-channel, in addition to the visualization of chakras, one must also visualize the seed-syllable ‘Hum’, ‘An’, ‘Hung’ and ‘Ah’, at the heart, throat, crown and navel chakras respectively. Other tantras mention the similar method of practicing the four charkas with one seed-syllable in each charka too. But only this tantra teaches the method of ‘avadhuti.’ If one does not know the way to gather the Chi at avadhuti, one’s all oral pithy instructions will lose their functions. Therefore, one will be difficult to get the attainment. After knowing this method and during dying in the future, one can assemble 80 different kinds of Chi into 25 kinds, further into 3 kinds, and finally into one, and then become buddha. In fact, avadhuti is called the union. It locates inside the central-channel of the physical heart, and its shape looks like the swelling of a snake after swallowing a mouse. The heart of life mentioned previously hides in that union, and is packed immovably by the life-holding Chi. If the heart of life is moved, the person will die immediately. ... One must visualize the appearance of the object inside the body rather than outside. Practicing like this way for quite a long time, one can move the drop with one’s will. Namely, the drop follows one’s will and is able to go to any place inside the body. This drop is the seminal-drop mentioned previously and its size is as big as a soybean. The seminal-drop is not the normal semen. It is like a light point of a blaze, and the human’s life is stored inside of it. It can also be called the drop, life, bright-drop, or seminal-drop. Actually, they are all the same thing. …One must practice each chakra first and then integrate all the chakras into the central-channel. Afterwards, the bright-drop can be gathered and run freely. After practicing it well, one can move the drop to anywhere inside the body with one’s will. With such capability, one has attained the achievement of the main practice. The practitioner will be a liar if fails in this practice but claims having fulfilled the main practice (Couple-Practice Tantra).

For those people who have achieved the main practice, it does not matter to have sex. Otherwise, it is harmful to their bodies. When the bright-drop gathers at the great-happiness chakra (during practicing Couple-Practice Tantra), the happiness mind arises. When the bright-drop enters the reward chakra at the throat, the subtle happiness mind arises. When the bright-drop enters the dharma chakra in the heart, the specific and best happiness mind arises. When the bright-drop enters the navel chakra at the navel, the copulating happiness mind arises. Those are the four happiness minds mentioned previously. In order to generate the four happiness minds, one must learn the method of mantra seed-syllables at four chakras. Practicing like this way all the time, then one can gather the bright-drop at avadhuti. Upon the forth emptiness mind arising, one can transfer (the consciousness). During transferring, the inside of the stomach becomes hot at first. The Chi ascends to the great-happiness chakra on top along the central-channel. Then the white bodhi mind melts and descends to the heart, where it meets and combines with the red bodhi mind. The white bodhi mind enters the red one, and the red bodhi mind enters the white one. The red and the white bodhi minds are then merged and enter avadhuti. The bodhi mind becomes very dark after entering avadhuti. At that time, the mind is completely ignorant of everything, everything disappears like one falling asleep, and then one has attained the achievement. How soon does it happen? It really depends on each practitioner. At that moment, one can see (by visualization) the blood-like red light at first because of the slightly opening of avadhuti. But it opens only for a while, and then closes suddenly. If it opens for a long time, the person will die because the life has left the body. The blood-like red light displays only for a moment and then disappears. After that the yellow and white light displays. At that moment, the life has left the body. Once the life has left, one knows one is already dead. But only those practitioners who practice for a long time can know that; the beginners will not know it at all. At the moment of death, one must visualize “I being dead,” “impermanence,” “all dharma being empty,” and “emptiness having nothing.” Then suddenly a deity’s seed-syllable appears in the emptiness. The seed-syllable becomes deity, and the self-body becomes deity too. At that time, one emits light from the heart to invite the wisdom buddha to merge into one’s body. When the wisdom buddha comes, the light becomes too bright to see it. Then, one should not be afraid and must welcome the buddha like the son meeting his mother, jump into the light, and merge oneself with the light finally. Once merged with the light, one becomes buddha. ^{[62: 141-146]}

The above passage about the root of the human life, being in the bright-drop of central-channel, is ridiculous. The root of life is just an illusive term from human. It belongs to “the dharma not interactive with the mind” mentioned in the consciousness- only sutras and is not a real object. In fact, it is exactly a person’s eighth consciousness rather than the root of life to decide whether or how long one can survive. If those seeds contained in the eighth consciousness conclude the duration of one’s life, then the karmic seeds in it will manifest and let one live for that period of time accordingly. Therefore, the life is contained in the Alaya consciousness rather than the bright-drop in the central-channel. It is the irrational thinking for the tantric practitioners to use the visualized bright-drop as the way to achieve Buddhahood. The visualized bright-drop is only an internal image of the sense-object in one’s brain, and still manifested by the eighth consciousness. That image exists by visualization and will disappear at any other time. The visualization is a method of conditioned dependent arising; the bright-drop will disappear sooner or later if the conditions no longer exist. Thus, it should not be the origin of life which must exist all the time without any condition.

Furthermore, if the bright-drop is the origin of life, it will be irrational that there are two origins of life: One is the bright-drop mentioned in the tantras and the other is the eighth consciousness taught by Buddha Sakyamuni. In many sutras of the three-vehicles, Buddha says that the “cause of life” is the thus-come-store, the eighth consciousness. This very consciousness is the original cause of all other seven changeable consciousnesses and even the body. All the Buddhist learners should follow Buddha Sakyamuni’s teachings, and never conflict with His doctrines by establishing another origin of life. In addition, the eighth consciousness Alaya mentioned by Buddha Sakyamuni can be truly realized. Many ancient people had realized it. Even today, many practitioners in our Buddhist True Enlightenment Practitioners Association have realized it too. It is so real and can be proven by the practitioners’ first hand experiences; thus, they can verify Buddha Sakyamuni’s teachings in the sutras. Hence all the learners should understand the eighth consciousness is the origin of life, and not believe the tantric absurd saying that the bright-drop is the origin.

The basic tantra of Tibetan Secret Schools, The Great Sun Sutra, further states that the attainment by visualizing is the attainment of Buddhahood. For example,

Secret Master asks: “The World-honored One! Please let us know the reason why one can get the attainment definitely if one can visualize the deity, who having the solemn appearances, as one’s own body.” ^[Vol.6]

The “buddha” in The Great Sun Sutra replied:

… Secret Master! Deities have three bodies—the syllable, hand-seal and appearance. There are two kinds of syllables, the sound and bodhi mind, two kinds of hand-seals, the form and no-form, and two kinds of appearances, the clean and unclean one. The clean mindless body is formless, while the unclean thinking body has a real form. There are two attainments from those two appearances. The thinking body gets the form attainment, and the mindless body gets the formless one. ^[Vol.6]

Then, the “buddha” said the following verse:

The buddha says that the happiness and desire become tangible because of thinking, and one can attain the formless achievement because of the thoughtless state. Thus, all people should stay in the thoughtless state. ^[Vol.6]

Such a “buddha” says that the achievement of visualized deity becomes exactly one’s own body. It is so ridiculous. The image of visualized deity is only the internal appearance in one’s brain by visualization. This image results from other conditions such as one’s body and concentration, etc. How come the conditioned imagination can become a real body?

Furthermore, although the syllable, hand-seal or appearance each has two explanations respectively, they are all in the scope of conditioned depending arising. Tibetan Secret Schools falsely proclaim that the thoughtless awareness mind is the attainment. But in fact the mindless consciousness is only keeping the mind without any thought in the desire-realm. It does not even reach the lowest level of the samadhi yet, not to say the realization of prajna. If no thinking were the attainment of tantric formless reality, all the practitioners in the desire-realm who get the samadhis could be the buddhas of Tibetan Secret Schools.

Again, the “buddha” in The Great Sun Sutra said:

Ordinary people generate self-attachment, illusive thinking and discrimination from the nature of emptiness. Secret Master! Due to leaving all thinking, the mind does not have any nature. One must think about the nature of mind being empty. Secret Master! The mind is beyond the three lives. Such nature is away from all appearances. Secret Master! If there is any thinking in the mind, it is ordinary people’s discrimination. That false discrimination is from their ignorance. Thus, the practitioners must think their minds are unreal and cannot be generated. Secret Master! By dwelling in that samadhi, the mantra practitioners can attain the imageless samadhi, and then the states which the buddha has experienced will appear. ^{[Vol. 6]}

In that way, the tantric practitioners regard the thinking of visualization being empty and formless, and the visualized deity being formless as emptiness. By the visualization practice, they claim the attainment of imageless samadhi. That kind of formless reality mentioned by the tantric “buddha” is totally different from the Buddha Sakyamuni’s teachings that the eighth consciousness is the true reality of all dharma. However, the tantric practitioners declare that “the mind-consciousness without any notion or language” is the attainment of Buddhahood. With that declaration, they debase the real practices of the orthodox Buddhism as the stages of the cause, and on the other hand, exaggerate their practice as the stage of the fruition for an “ultimate buddha.” It is never the truth.

 

2.5  Eliminating obstacles and offering to the buddhas by visualization

Using visualization to eliminate obstacles and offer to the buddhas is a ridiculous thought belonging to Tibetan Secret Schools only. As stated in The Six Yogas of Naropa:

During practice, one must dispel the demon-obstacles in the body by mantra power. The demons will become black gas and be expelled out of the body through the pores. The expelled gas will then transform into one’s countless bodies. By beating, killing or insulting those transformed bodies, one’s enemies will eventually get their revenge and feel satisfied. Thus, this kind of visualization for repaying debts is very important. Everyone may have done something bad to others and therefore must repay later on. It will be difficult for a practitioner to attain any achievement without visualizing repayment. This is the essential point of my teaching, and must be kept in secret. That is the reason why you must visualize repaying debts at least two or three times a day. ^{[62: 169]}

If the above saying were ever true, it would not be a mercy way to expel demons out of one’s body so that their enemies can beat or kill the demons instead of oneself, and to use the demons’ lives to replace one’s own life.

In addition, if the visualization practice worked, all people could repay their sinful debts by only visualization. Then, why did Buddha Sakyamuni not teach such a wonderful and easy method? If what is visualized could become real, one could get many things through visualization and rob other people of the virtues if one is powerful enough. Moreover, the buddhas can help their followers become buddhas by visualization too. If that were true, all the practitioners would not need to practice so hard; as long as they could please the buddha with plenty of offerings, the buddha would let them become buddhas through His visualization.

Due to compassion, then the buddha should actively visualize all His followers becoming buddhas everyday. If so, we need not diligently gather virtues and practice samadhi. The practitioners of Tibetan Secret Schools need not practice the bright-drop, Chi, central-channel, visualization, Couple- Practice Tantra, etc. In summary, the method of repaying debts through visualization is not believable and just wasting time.

As stated in the same book:

After the visualization of repaying debts, one must visualize using one’s mantra power to create lots of treasures and offerings desired by the buddhas and bodhisattavas, and offer those visualized objects to the buddhas, bodhisattavas and deity to make them happy. Then, the buddhas and bodhisattavas will become the light and merge into the deity’s body. The deity will also become the light and merge into one’s body. Finally one will become deity. ^{[62: 169-170]}

If such “offering to a buddha” could become real offering, the eighth-ground bodhisattvas would not need to have practiced so hard for countless eons. Moreover, if there were such a good thing, the buddhas and bodhisattvas should teach this great method to benefit all the practitioners. However, such a method only exists in the teachings of the unenlightened tantric patriarchs, rather than in any of Buddha Sakyamuni’s sutras. It is definitely not the right dharma.

In the same book, the guru said again:

When becoming deity, one must teach sutras to all sentient beings (through visualization) in order to help them achieve Buddhahood. At the same time, one must generate measureless treasures and goods desired by all sentient beings through visualization, give all these things and transfer the merits of giving to all of them, and pray for their attainments of Buddhahood. The above three kinds of visualization for repaying debts, offering to the buddhas, and becoming deity are my secret oral pithy instructions. You must keep them strictly confidential, and not tell other people except our brothers. Otherwise, you will get evil punishment. ^{[62: 170]}

Such visualization of becoming buddha, teaching the sentient beings and then helping them get enlightened is merely their absurd thinking. None of the sentient beings can benefit from that visualization. All visualization on the deity, sentient beings and teaching is simply the practitioner’s internal images in the brain. If such visualization could help people be free from sufferings, all buddhas would not need to appear in the three-realms and to work so hard to help the sentient beings. They can do nothing but visualization all the day, so as to make all sentient beings enlightened. But in fact, Buddha Sakyamuni did not do that way. Not only does He create the response-body to help people in this world, but also He shows His embodiment to help the sentient beings in the heaven-realm. In addition, He uses His solemn reward-body to teach the bodhisattvas on or over the first-ground. Thus, the tantric practitioners’ visualization is only their own imagination and has nothing to do with other sentient beings.

Furthermore, since the visualized deity is still inside one’s brain, one offers to that deity is actually offering to oneself. If such a kind of self offering can increase one’s merit and virtue, it is irrational.

Moreover, when the visualized deity or buddha becomes the light and merges into one’s body, it actually means one’s internal image in the brain disappears. This kind of light merging is only an imagination. For example, if a man daydreams that he is an emperor, he visualizes that the emperor becomes the light and merges into his own body. Then, this man declares himself as emperor and asks people to treat him like an emperor. But actually people will simply think he is a mad man with paranoia. The visualization method of Tibetan Secret Schools is identical to the case above, which is only a worldly absurd method rather than the orthodox Buddhist practice.