544 shen weirong
Although it is very clear that lamas of all Tibetan Buddhist tra-
ditions were present at the Mongol court, we know little about the
details of the teachings and practices introduced by these lamas at
court. The most famous, and notorious practice of Tibetan tantric
Buddhism—described in salacious terms by Chinese literati—was the
secret teaching of supreme bliss (bimi daxile fa ) and
involved tantric sexual practice. It is said that during the time of the
last Yuan emperor Toγon Temür, strange tantric Buddhist practices
were introduced to him and other believers at the court.
The art of directing one’s life force had first been introduced by an
Indian monk. This practice, called yan die er fa , could cause
the life force of one’s body either to contract or expand, to stretch
out or draw back subsequently. A Tibetan monk then introduced to
the emperor the practice of the meditation of the secret teaching of
supreme bliss. This practice, similar to an orgy, is also called the prac-
tice in pairs (shuangxiu fa ), and is believed to lead to end-
less bliss. The emperor and his ainak, including other members of the
imperial family and high-ranking officials,
all engaged in these lewd embraces, the men and women being naked.
Sometimes the emperor and his officials slept together in the same bed-
ding and agreed to offer their wives to others. This was called xie lang wu
gai , which means in Chinese “everything without obstacle.”
These ainak used Korean women as spies to make secret inquires for
selecting women who were expert in entertaining men—ranging from
imperially granted wives of aristocratic families to beautiful spouses
from commoner’s families. These women were led into the palace. Only
after several days could they leave. Women from commoner’s families
were delighted to gain the money. Women from aristocratic families
were filled with joy and said, “Now there will be no obstacles to my
husband being selected [by the throne].” When the Mu Qi pavilion in
the Summer Palace was completed, several hundred rooms were linked
up. There were a thousand doors and ten thousand entrances. Women
were brought in to fill [the rooms]. It was constructed just for the prac-
tice of the secret teaching of supreme bliss. Rulers and statesmen thus
displayed their lewdness, and large crowds of monks went in and out
of the palace, and were allowed to do anything they liked. Such bad
reputations and abominable behavior became notorious. Even low-class
people in the city were disgusted at hearing this. But the emperor and his
officials were never bored. By that time the flames of battle were already
raging everywhere in the country. Many rebellious forces were pressing
in toward the capital. The fall of the Yuan dynasty was expected at any
moment. But inside the palace was still filled with the supreme bliss of
the secret teachings. At that time, the emperor was just performing the