TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)ratnam car:zcjiilinl jiieyii paiicamudrii vinlscitiih I
tathiigatakulam caitat sam/qepeniibhidhlyate 117 il
tathatiiyii gatah srlmiin iigatas ca tathaiva ca I
anayii prajiiayii yuktyii tathiigato 'bhidh~vate 11811This reconstruction offers a clear vision of a new stage of Tantric Buddhism
which has overcome successfully the unrealistic or ideal character of the religion
of the Tattvasamgraha-tantra and has recovered religious 'substantiality' on the
basis of the psychological and psychological strain experienced during the
hideous and, at the same time, enchanting cults of the group of yogin Is. We can
translate this passage as follows:
"The fact that the five mudriis (which constitute the group of
yogin Is) are nothing other than the five families (of tathiigatas consti-
tuting the Vajradhiitu-mar:zcjala of the Tattvasamgraha-tantra^43 ) is
declared to be the cause of (attaining) liberation. She (that is, a yogin!)
is called mudrii or sign as she is signed with an adamant (vajra) (4).
Vajra, Padma, Karma, Tathagata and Ratna are said to be the five
highest kinds of families, 0 you of great compassion (5)!
The mudrii Oombl is (nothing other than) the Vajra (-family), and
likewise, (the mudrii) Nartl is (nothing other than) the Padma (-family).
(The mudrii) Rajakl is said to be (nothing other than) the Karma
(-family), and (the mudrii) Brahmal).l is (the mudrii who is nothing
other than) the Tathagata (-family) (6).
Cai).Qiilinl is known to be (nothing other than) the Ratna (-family).
(Thus,) five families are set down. In short, (the whole of) this (world
of reality which is the aggregate of these five mudriis or five families) is
(nothing other than the centre of the world i.e.) the Tathagata-family
(7). (The Lord Hevajra), the auspicious one, who has gone to reality
(tathatii), and who has come back from (the reality) is called tathiigata
because he is united with prajiiii (the wisdom of enlightenment which
is at the same time a woman called mudrii or an aggregate of those
mudriis, that is,yoginl-cakra) (8)."In the Tattvasamgraha-tantra, the ultimate reality appeared in a imaginary,
mystical region of the Akani~tha heaven high above the world. Practicers should
have been able to unite themselves with this ultimate reality very easily and very
quickly only by reciting mantras, binding mudriis (hand-postures) and imagin-
ing symbolic figures (samaya .:=.!lt:JIMI"t) in the mind. Qualifications, abilities and
efforts moral or intellectual were not necessary. In short, they did not have to do
anything 'religious'. This complete ease of attaining enlightenment, however,
caused the distinction between the enlightened state and the non-enlightened
state to be minimized. Though they may attain enlightenment, they would not be
able to confirm it objectively or subjectively on psychological and physiological