Tantra Club

The highest goal that a human being can attain is complete enlightenment, a state of lasting peace in which all obstacles obscuring the mind have been removed and all good qualities, such as wisdom, compassion, and skillful means, have been fully developed.

However, we cannot attain this ultimate goal simply by wishing for it, but must use appropriate methods to achieve it.

What are the methods to attain the peace of complete enlightenment? They are the paths of the sutra and the secret mantra; there is no other method. The techniques revealed in the secret mantra are superior to those revealed in the sutras.

Not only is the secret mantra the supreme path to complete enlightenment, but it is also very difficult to find. As Je Tsongkhapa said, the teachings of the secret mantra are even rarer than the Buddhas because although a thousand founding Buddhas will appear in the present fortunate eon, only the fourth (Shakyamuni Buddha), the eleventh, and the last will teach the ways of the secret mantra.

At this time we have the great opportunity to practice these beneficial teachings and therefore it is important to make the determination to practice them with purity.

If the Mahayana teachings were to disappear from this world, we would not have the opportunity to become Buddhas. Therefore, while we still have access to these precious teachings, we should strive to put them into practice and gain experience in them.

The etymology of the secret mantra is as follows. Mantra means ‘protection of the mind’. The function of the secret mantra is to enable us to progress rapidly through the stages of the spiritual path by protecting our mind from ordinary appearances and conceptions.

Secret indicates that these methods should be practiced with discretion. If we openly display our practices, we will have numerous obstacles. It would be like revealing in public that we possess a precious jewel and, as a result, attracting the attention of thieves.

For more information on this subject, see Tantric Paths and Planes.