TANTRIC BUDDHISM

1. Born to an aristocratic family, Kukai was commissioned by the Japanese court to go on an extended period of study in China. In China, he learned the ancient ways of Buddhism and brought what he had learned there back to his home country. After his scholastic pursuit which lasted 30 months, Kukai returned to Japan.  In Mount Koya, he founded a new Buddhist school of thought whom he called Shingon which meant true word. The establishment of such Buddhist sect was made possible after permission was given by the Emperor of Japan to Kukai. From then on, Kukai was referred to as Kobo Daishi, translated as Great Teacher Who Spread The Dharma. He was widely known for his text on esoteric Buddhism Sokushin Jobutsu-gi.

 2. During his lifetime, one of the most notable works Kukai had done was Sokushin Jobutsu-gi . It was a text which concentrated on transforming ones body into that of the bodies of the buddhas, which basically referred to the way of entering the realm of enlightenment. Sokushin Jobutsu-gi provided a practical approach as to how to achieve enlightenment without losing the physical self. Kukais text stated that practitioners would be able to instantaneously convert their body-mind and enter the realm of enlightenment by empowering themselves and mastering the systems of both mediation and ritual. Such could only be done by steadfast repetition and unwavering perseverance.

3. Kukai also touched on the subject of the dharmakaya. The term literally meant body of qualities. It was not the physical body which was being referred here. Instead, it represented a corpus shared by all the buddhas such corpus was the sum total of all the transcendental qualities that the buddhas possessed. The dharmayakaya preached the esoteric teachings of Buddhism and, in Kukais reinterpretation, the dharmakaya was identified as Mahavairoc(h)ana. Mahavairoc(h)ana was responsible to express enlightenment in an unmediated but direct way.

4. Entering the realm of enlightenment was entering a state of eternal peace. It was a state where there were neither worries to waste precious time on nor any sadness to wallow in. It was a state where both the body and the spirit were unified into one being.  This unification would usually take place upon the development of a mantra. In particular, Kukais text provided the unification of the six elements in one all-encompassing mantra. The five basic elements in the traditional exoteric Buddhism which included a, vi, ra, hum, and kham and which were interpreted as earth, water, fire, wind, and space respectively gave Kukais text a much more binding force especially since a sixth element was added. The syllables of Kuakis mantra symbolically related to each of the five elements and the special sixth. To wit, the first  line of Kukais text which stated originally non-rising referred to the element a, which was earth the second line of the mantra was leaping beyond the path of languages which was the element vi representing water the third mantra purity and freedom from suffering represented ra, the element of fire the fourth which embodied the element of wind hum referred to the mantra line not to be captured by karmic causation and, lastly, the line just like empty space signified kham, the element of space. The sixth element, which was a unique addition by Kukai for the full unification of both the body and spirit in entering the realm of enlightenment, was the element of consciousness as symbolized by the mantra line I have awakened.         

5. To transform ones body into that of Mahavairoc(h)ana Buddha, great concentration and an unconfined belief in enlightenment were required. Only when the mind had totally taken over the rebellious physical self would the path to the realm of enlightenment be laid upon. Such full control would only be made possible when the physical self, through its heart, its forehead, its mouth, and its crown, were to encounter and overcome empowerment. Again, empowerment could only be done by great concentration and unconfined belief. The empowerment of the heart brought forth wisdom in the same way that an empowered forehead would bring equality. It was the power of both observation and action which resulted from an empowered mouth and crown respectively. The empowerment of these four main body parts would bring nothing but the attainment of the body of Mahavairoc(h)ana Buddha. It was basically the body which represented the core essentialities of nature and an overflowing stream of wisdom.           

6. A mandala referred to the main essence of the unconscious self it mainly represented the unconscious self itself. Several mandalas could be possibly built by means of one intricate method. It was a method that required, again, great concentration and an unshaken belief. The divinities involved had to be only rightly distributed and positioned, their respective seed mantras and attributes complete.  The method required much visualization hence, it was called the visualization exercise. The practitioner of the mantra, that meant consciousness and, thus, was essentially the sixth element, had to place altars in circular forms around his body. In the area between the navel and the feet, the great vajra disk, which represented earth and formed by the letter a, had to be generated. The water disc had to put in the area somewhere between the navel and the chest. Once located, the fire disc would be placed over water and the wind disc would be put above fire. Emptiness, as indicated by the circular altars, had to be unified with the Practitioner of mantra, the sixth element. Only then would the dharmakayas body would be able to manifest itself in the world and, thus making it possible for the body to transform itself and eventually would be able to enter the realm of enlightenment.

 7. The abhiseka was an initiation ritual for the vajra-holder who would usually be a practitioner of the esoteric teachings of Buddhism. The ritual was made through meditative yoga. It would usually bring transformation of the four major delusions desire, attachment, love, and gratification. Such four major delusions were to be transformed into four female bodhisattvas who would personify aspiration instead of desire, commitment in place of attachment, compassion to replace love, and bliss for gratification. Before starting this spiritual ascent through the abhiseka ritual, the practitioner had to empty himself first. Only upon such emptying could his spiritual ascent commence and would enlightenment be able to ensue.

8. Tantric Buddhism would mainly discuss about the significance of sexual yoga. It traced its origin from the seventh century, which marked the entry of Buddhism into Tibet where a Tibetan King officiated the marital union of two of the members of the Nepalese and Chinese royalties, both of whom were fervent Buddhists. From that time on, Buddhism enjoyed royal patronage. 

9.  Sexual yoga, as emphasized by the text, was the type of sexual union represented by yab-yum, which literally meant father-mother. It was the unquestionable union of the opposites as seen from the viewpoint of enlightenment. Such enlightened sexual union conjoined the Awareness All-Good Male and the Mother All-Good Female in a non-dual manner. Their union appeared pure and devoid of any nihility. It is the immense representation of fruit-bearing for oneself and self-appearance for another. With the blissful union of the All-Good Father and the All-Good Mother, life was spontaneously produced and lived for. Apart from endless variety, life was pursued and savoured in its natural essence making the physical manifestation of it among its practitioners all worth it.