A CRITICAL TANTRISMAfter the theory of internal plthas was established, they substituted the yogic
practice of making humours circulate within the body for the Mahayanic prac-
tice of doing the pilgrimage along the lengthy path of the three great uncount-
able aeons, or at least for going on pilgrimage all over the Indian subcontinent,
though pilgrimage itself was already a deed symbolizing the former. The
pilgrim, who being urged by the fourth consecration of the Hevajra-tantra had
once started on a pilgrimage, resigned his pilgrimage too easily and returned to
the state of a yogin sitting without any relation to the outer world. When he
resigned pilgrimage, he had not settled the pending question set by the Hevajra-
tantra. They should not have attempted to solve this question through the
Tantric logic; they should not have made the practice of pilgrimage internal. In
doing so, however, they crushed the Mahayanic practice which was needed to
realize the truth shown in the fourth consecration.
Here, we find that a new aspect of the 'critical' or precarious character of
Tantric Buddhism presents itself in the Samvara Tantrism. The followers of
Samvara Tantrism were entertaining the Mahayanic idea of truth, which is to be
realized only through the Mahayanic practice of accumulating merits over the
unimaginably long period of the three great uncountable aeons; still they
engaged in the Tantric practice which is not valid for realizing the Mahayanic
idea of the truth expressed in such maxims as were quoted above.
The 'crisis' of the Samvara Tantrism lies in the fact that the Mahayanic ideal
makes the Tantric logic of yoga and the Tantric practices based on it only
metaphorical or conventional; and the Tantric practice in tum makes the
Mahayanic ideal end only in an empty talk.
The 'crisis' innate within the Samvara Tantrism should have been condensed
to its critical point of explosion and developed thereby a new, revolutionary
system of Tantric Buddhism. I have no way to determine whether it occurred at
all or how it occurred as my knowledge about Tantrism does not go any further.
Therefore, I can only surmize that the general decline of Buddhism at the time
indicates that the critical point of explosion was never reached. It would seem
that there were no new system developed within the Tantric Buddhism of India
which surpassed the Buddhism of smasana, viz. the Hevajra-tantra and the sub-
sequent tantras of the Samvara literature in their vitality.
Notes
Tibetan version: rNam par snan mdsad chen po mnon par rdsogs par byan chub pa
rnam par sprul ba byin gyis rlob pa sin tu rgyas pa mdo sde/:li dban po rgyal po shes
bya ba/:li chos kyi rnam gratis. Peking (The Tibetan Tripitaka, edit. by D. T. Suzuki,
Tokyo-Kyoto, 1955-1961). No. 126, Vol. 5. Chinese version:
;kJ:tJ:Ii\l'[~P.J(;~/fr$~Q~~· Taisho, No. 848, Vol. 18.
2 Sanskrit text: Sarvatathiigatatativasamgraha-tantra. edit, by Kanjin Horiuchi,
Journal of Koyasan University (Koyasan-Daigaku-Ronso, abbrev. JKU), Vol. III,
1968, Mikkyo-Bunka, No. 90 (1969), No. 91 (1970), JKU, Vol. VI, 1971, Mikkyo-
Bunka, Nos. 97, 98 (1971), JKU, Vol. VIII, 1973, Mikkyo-Bunka, Nos. 103, 104