Published:2014/06/13 08:00
(Reported by the True Heart News interviewing team in Taipei)
Tsongkhapa wrote Fruit Clusters of Siddhis to explain the fourteen tantric root infractions. This suggested that Tsongkhapa had thorough and clear knowledge about the Tantric School of attaining Buddhahood by engaging in sexual practices.
“Tantric Buddhism” is the Tibetan Tantric School or simply, the Tantric School. Tibetan “Buddhism” that has been popular and prolific in the West is a modified version of this type of Tantric “Buddhism.” The True Enlightenment Education Foundation calls it fake Tibetan Buddhism because their doctrines contradict the Buddha Dharma once propagated by the real Buddhist Jonang sect from Tibet. Tibetan “Buddhism” practices and preaches under the auspices of a “path to Buddhahood” but it does not even contain a single trace of the original content and essence of true Buddhism.
Tantric “Buddhism” preaches a rather appealing practice, the Tantric Yoga. This is when the current gurus of Tibetan “Buddhism” engage in sexual practices known as anuttara yoga tantra (Highest Yoga Tantra). “Highest” is supposed to mean unsurpassable by any other dharma, while “yoga” means “to correspond with.” “Highest Yoga Tantra,” therefore, conveys the meaning that “it corresponds with the unsurpassed dharma.” Ironically, the cultivation of Tantric Yoga centers on sexual union, a desire-realm dharma completely unrelated to and far away from the true Reality of the unsurpassable dharma expounded in legitimate Buddha teachings. In fact, the Kalachakra Tantra that the 14th Dalai Lama practices is a form of the “Highest Yoga Tantra” that the Tibetan Tantric School fabricated. Its essence is still the sexual Couple-Practice of Tantric Yoga.
The heterosexual “Couple-Practice” is at the core of Tantric Yoga. Tibetan “Buddhism” falsifies and misrepresents that the “orgasmic sensation” reached during sexual intercourse of the male and female body is equivalent to the “emptiness-nature” (1) of Buddha Dharma. They purport that one attains Buddhahood when one realizes this “emptiness-nature.” The statues of “blissful Buddha” (which features a “Buddha” coupling with his female partner) often seen in Buddhist arts and crafts stores are embodiments of this core practice. There should be no doubt or confusion that the Dalai Lama, dharma-kings, living tulkus and rinpoches that you all know are accomplished practitioners of Tantric Yoga. More specifically, the four major sects of fake Tibetan Buddhism is basically a collective hub for the practitioners pursuing a sexual practice in Tantric Yoga.
Having a relatively open attitude toward sex, Western countries are more receptive to Tantric Yoga. Under the leadership of the 14th Dalai Lama, the development of Tantric Yoga has reached epidemic proportions. With various countries having monotheist religious faith, it is not surprising that Buddhism is so unknown and not properly understood. No one would even doubt or question the dogmatic notion that Tantric Yoga is an indispensable means to attain Buddhahood. Today, Westerners believe that Tibetan “Buddhism” is the Buddhism, and the two are the same. This absurd idea of “attaining Buddhahood via sexual union” has replaced the true Buddha Dharma in the Western world and this type of phony Buddhist mentality has totally usurped true and orthodox Buddhism. In the eyes of real Buddhists, this is absolutely abhorring.
Before Tsongkhapa wrote his book, Fruit Clusters of Siddhis, the Tibetan Tantric School preaching fake Tibetan Buddhism was already inundated with the Couple-Practice of Tantric Yoga. Tsongkhapa then initiated a reform and tightened the disciplinary rules of this demoralizing tantric couple-practice, which were but lies meant to cover his real plan. The “fourteen root infractions” were established specifically in line with the Tantric Yoga, with which Tsongkhapa aimed to widely propagate rather than forbid the Tantric Yoga. In his book, The Great Exposition of Tantras, he even went as far as advocating that a practitioner can directly learn the sexual Couple-Practice without first studying orthodox Buddha Dharma and the Action Tantra. Tsongkhapa’s real intention of putting together the Fruit Clusters of Siddhis was to both affirm Tantric Yoga, and most importantly, to guard and not to reveal the secret practices of Tantric Yoga.
The fourteen tantric root infractions are described as follows:
1. Scorning or deriding our vajra masters
2. Denigrating Buddha’s teachings
3. Developing strong negative emotions or anger towards one’s vajra brothers and sisters
4. Abandoning loving kindness and compassion for sentient beings
5. Abandoning the bodhicitta in aspiration or application
6. Criticizing own and other Buddhist teachings
7. Revealing secrets to those who are unworthy
8. Reviling or abusing the five skandhas
9. Questioning emptiness
10. Associating with samaya corrupters
11. Failing to reflect on emptiness
12. Slandering those who have faith in the Three Jewels [triratna] teachings
13. Failing to observe the samaya commitments
14. Denigrating women
Ordinary Buddhist learners, upon looking at these fourteen tantric root infractions, cannot help but wonder why the basic five Buddhist precepts - the abstinence from killing, stealing, sexual misconduct, deceiving and alcohol - were never mentioned at all. The reason is simply that the lama gurus of Tibetan "Buddhism" do not observe these fundamental precepts. On the contrary, the gurus and lamas who have plunged themselves deep into Tantric Yoga are used to seeing promiscuous, intra-group orgies amongst their disciples. Eating meat and drinking are not uncommon. Their argument is “persons who cultivate this unexcelled dharma do not need to be restrained by such trivialities.”
However, the Tantric Yoga is not an unexcelled dharma despite it being called the Highest Yoga Tantra. Essentially an art of intimacy for mundane couples, it has nothing to do with the realization of emptiness-nature of true Reality within the Buddha Dharma, let alone the attainment of Buddhahood.
Simply, Tantric Yoga is the “Highest Yoga Tantra” that is basically a heterosexual practice. Tsonkhapa’s purpose of promulgating these fourteen root infractions was to proscribe its practitioners from developing contemptuous thoughts toward Tantric Yoga or to divulge its secret practice of group sex. In other words, these precepts are a means for the gurus of the four main sects of Tibetan “Buddhism” to threaten those who have taken them from revealing the sexual, adulterous nature of their cultivation. They are called “root infractions” because the retribution of violating them is to fall into the vajra hell.
Note 1: In legitimate Buddha Dharma, emptiness-nature refers to the eighth Vijnana or the Tathagatagarbha, which is also called the True Suchness, Alayavijnana, Vipaka vijnana or the Undefiled vijnana.
Editor's Note:
This article is an English version of the Chinese edition published on
March 19, 2014
