The Unity Of The Three Secrets Of The Buddha

Insight is the root of all this visible and invisible merit; hence to accomplish both, one must hold on to insight. It is the great science, the source of present nature, future purpose and liberation; hence with devotion from the outset, one must hold on to insight, the great mother

- Nagarjuna

the goal of Buddhist Tantras is to achieve the three secrets of the Buddha or more correctly to unify the secrets i.e. body, speech, and mind in one body called svabhavika kaya. It is stated in the very outset in the passage evam maya srutam.... of the Buddhist tantras. The most profound and the most secret element regarding attainment of the highest, not only to the Vajrayana but also to the Sutra Yana; as for as beliefs of Mahayana is concerned.

Metaphysically Five families which represent form, sensation, and conceptualization, imprint of past actions (samskara) and awareness of phenomena (vijnana) when merged they become three: body, speech, and mind. Through the unity of the body, speech and mind of the Buddha in its completeness and in its utter purity, one attains six supernormal powers of the Buddha. It is this power of the Buddha which has to be sought through the various means, necessary far the well being of the world.

To fulfill a bodhisattva vow that one will resurrect each and every one from the wheel of life and death, the unity of the three secrets are most important since through these, one commands every one and leads them to the path. Secret body is necessary to tame the living beings; secret speech is required for teaching the truth, and secret mind is necessary for knowing all things as they are. According to manifestation of these three elements of the Buddhas one achieves the rank of bodhisattvas.

There are eleven stages of its manifestation of the three secrets of the Buddhas. According to Buddhist tantras Vajrasattva is the supreme Buddha known as Tantrik Buddha in whom three secrets reside in completeness. From the three secrets arises the great reality of the five secrets, the very attribute of the Buddhas: 1-bodhichitta 2-understanding it 3-its realization 4- its non-abandonment 5- the knowledge characterized by attainment often represented by five goddesses in tantras.

These five goddesses are as follows Vajrasattva, ragavajra, vajrakilikil, vajrasmriti, vajrakamesvari respectively though many tantras exclude Vajrasattva and only consider four goddesses. Those bodhisattvas who have generated Bodhichitta to its utmost limit possess the harem of the four queens i.e. goddesses. Mind of enlightenment has above said four qualities symbolically called lovers since they give pleasure.

In tantra practice the three secrets body, speech and mind is brought about in unity and perfection through mudra, mantra and Samadhi. Through the practice of mudra body is transformed in to vajra body, through mantra recitation speech is transformed in to vajra speech and in Samadhi mind is transformed in vajra mind. A Tantrik in his generation stage, intermediate state and completion stage unites these three in a systematic procedure. In these three stages of sadhana he refines the three through generating the emanation body, the enjoyment body and the truth body respectively.

Author is an art critic and writer of three books ' contemporizing Buddha', ' Hindu Tantra Yoga' and 'Concerning The spiritual In Art-an Indian modern art perspective'. He has been awarded with 'Lalit kala Academy Scholarship Award' for art criticism in 2005. Currently working on a book 'Buddhist tantra yoga'. He lives and works in Delhi india.

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