Deity Yoga

When we say “practice”, we mean three things: ritual, philosophy, and prayer. Ritual is either inner (sadhana) or outer, which is the extended activity of the inner (sadhana). Philosophy is the thorough analysis of phenomena and their natures. Prayer is an inner action that is performed “with all of one’s heart”. We start this exploration by defining these terms and others in order to have a clear grasp of the infrastructure of practice. There are two general “grades” of practitioners – students and mentors. What distinguishes the difference in grade is the energy that emerges as a result of the practices. This “energy-response” difference will be explained shortly.

If we’ve been exposed even to the slightest bit of the Vajrayana view of things, we will have been introduced to the idea that Heaven and Earth are not different places. Heaven is Earth, according to the assertion and discovery made by our mentors. Notice that this assertion evokes a certain type of “energy-response” – meaning that depending on one’s degree of insight into the nature of phenomena, the statement “Heaven is Earth” or “Earth is Heaven” will produce different inner results or reactions. Some of us may dismiss this statement as total blasphemy. Others of us may have experienced it as true.

If we haven’t experienced it, what are we to do about it? How can we know if our mentors are lying to us? Maybe they are simply trying to exploit us for money, pleasure, or fame. Who is right? How might we be able to determine a perspective that is an authority on the subject? In our tradition, we are encouraged to contest in the arena of debate, and often find that a point of view with which we were initially at odds is revealed as common sense. Since many of us are not educated in a certain way as to spark our innate genius, we run from debate, finding it intimidating and impossible. 

However, here, in this talk, the case will be argued that all sincere participation in either religious culture or honest scientific inquiry is “creation stage” practice. Therefore, even though we are presented with three vehicles of the Dharma and a myriad of religious and scientific traditions, advanced students and mentors recognize that there is only Vajra practice. In fact, when we truly understand the meaning of “Vajra,” it will become apparent to us that any sincere effort made to improve oneself in order to become more responsible is in fact Vajra practice.

The coherence in this line of thinking is made obvious when we begin to investigate prayer. As Emerson said, “Prayer is the contemplation of the facts of life from the highest point of view.” Were someone to actually succeed in contemplating the facts of life from the highest point of view, one would have one of two “energy-responses”: an overwhelming feeling of humility and gratitude for the opportunity to participate in such wonder (and shame for not recognizing this opportunity sooner), or an overwhelming will to act to benefit all phenomena. A student’s response is the former; a mentor’s response is the latter.

How, then, are we to pray? What does it mean to contemplate the facts of life from the highest point of view? It is simple. As our dear companion Ulaani has said, “What can we recognize right now that supports our lives this very moment?” The recognition of that which supports us – and the generation of authentic thanks – is prayer.

Philosophy takes prayer a step further by inquiring into the support of the support. Having identified the factors, people, and so on, upon which we rely for everything in this very moment, the philosopher turns attention to the nature or essence of those “support-things” (objects, people, and so on) and discovers that they, too, rely upon an inconceivable network of other factors, people, and so on. Here, the philosopher experiences the emergence of another “energy-response” – again, either a profound feeling of awe (in the case of the student), or the will to act to benefit all phenomena (in the case of the mentor). 

Before discussing ritual, we must make clear the intent or aim of creation stage practice – which is very simple: to transform pride of ordinariness into divine pride. If a student succeeds at both prayer and philosophy, as stated, the student will experience both a profound sense of awe and an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the awe. This inner “energy-response” dissolves pride of ordinariness, but does not produce divine pride. The dissolution of pride of ordinariness must precede the development of divine pride. 

Ritual sadhana itself is expressed in two ways, again depending on the grade of the practitioner. A student who is practicing creation stage will be motivated by devotion to the deity while performing inner and outer ritual. Here, ritual sadhana reinforces, stimulates, and amplifies the “energy-response” of the student (sense of awe, humility, and gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the wonder of life). 

Notice that nearly all religious cultures and traditions are expressed as “student-level” ritual sadhana, that is, as inner or outer performances that are motivated by devotion and reverence to a deity, a divine state, something transcendent, something absolutely true, and so on. Whether religious seeker or scientific researcher, it matters not. If sincere, both are engaged in “student-level” creation stage practice, the success of which manifests in feelings of humility and gratitude, the dedication of one’s life to the benefit to others, the cultivation of discipline, and the overall generation of a more wholesome life.

Now, if it’s true that we’re all essentially practicing the same thing, why is there so much conflict in our lives and the world? Please remember that just because we are practitioners of something, it does not follow that we are always practicing. And so, when we forget to practice, when we forget our responsibilities to one another, conflict necessarily emerges until we begin practicing again. Also, as we are still defining terms, “practice” cannot be said to be “practice” unless the corresponding “energy-response” is triggered. 

Again, and to clarify, a student will know that “practice is working” if humility and gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the wonder of life emerges as a result of practice. It isn’t really necessary to discuss what mentors experience. If we are sincerely interested in mentors, we should aspire to first find one and then aspire with more intensity to be able to practice with one. For students who engage in the exercise of common sense under the guidance of mentors, it is nearly impossible for “conflict” or “chaos” to manifest. When we are firmly anchored in consistent feelings of humility and gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the wonder of life, everything changes.

To further illustrate this point, we ask, “What is Vajrayana, anyway?” Quite simply, it is Deity Yoga – organized into two processes, creation stage and perfection stage. Before we make clear the definitions of “creation”, “perfection”, and “stage”, it will again be helpful for us to make sense of “Deity Yoga”, in order to root ourselves in the framework of our tradition.

Also, when we say “tradition”, what we actually mean is an unbroken line of pioneering “deathkillers”, who succeed in uniting the state of death to the state of life – or in other words, unite the absolute and the relative. By “tradition” we mean each generation of radical free-thinkers who capture the true essence of their times and adapt the “Vajra language” to the vernacular of the day. By “tradition”, we do not mean the same old same old same old same old thing, over and over again. That is indoctrination. Tradition can be difficult to discern without proper training. Our tradition is an attitude – it is invisible to the indoctrinated, it is naturally rebellious, and it rejects formalities and rigidities. Our lineage of great mentors have been rule-breakers, violators of social norms, expelled from monasteries, and so on. 

In fact, what’s “traditional” is for our “tradition” to spring up somewhere fresh and unexpected, to take shape in an unexpected culture, led by unexpected and unconventional mentors – mentors who may not “look the part” or speak the obvious language through which the teachings have been transmitted – formerly Pali and Sanskrit, now Tibetan. The current and future generations of mentors will not rely on these, although, they will incorporate or draw inspiration from texts into teachings as necessary. Thus, we can see that the work of our tradition is to establish something new – to interface with the world in a fresh way, while retaining the core or essence of our practice, which is “Deity Yoga”.

The practice of Deity Yoga is not culturally specific. Therefore, it can be said that Deity Yoga is being practiced anytime anyone anywhere places something “divine” or “true” on an inner pedestal and dedicates their life to becoming more like that “divine” or “true” example – and most importantly, that the individual experiences the resulting state of humility and gratitude for the opportunity to participate in the wonder of life. That’s enough for now.