Kathok Rigdzin Chenpo Rinpoche:
Among the different practices, the fastest accomplishments come from the mother tantras, between the father and mother tantras, it is the mother tantra (that is faster). In a worldly sense, the mother is most important, the female is very important, similarly, in the Vajrayana, the mother tantras are the most important. This is particularly so for the female deities. They have the aspect of being more compassionate, closer to the samayas, swifter and more direct. There are many reasons for this.
In the Vajrayana scriptures, it is mentioned that the three realms, the entire universe in the ten directions, are the pure-realms of the Dakinis. Where you are now is the pureland of the Dakinis. Your body is the mandala of the Dakinis. Your mind is the same. Therefore, you need not seek any other place or seek an external Buddha. If you have faith in the Dakinis, you will be attuned to them.
In the history of the Vajrayana, whether it is the new or old translation schools, practice of the Mother Tantras produced the greatest number of accomplished beings. In the past, it was like that. Now, it remains the same. Whether they were engaging in Kalachakra, Vajrakilaya, Vajravarahi or Hevajra practice, many of them received attainments through the Mother Tantras. It produced the greatest number of siddhas.
Among the 84 Mahasiddhas of India, those who attained accomplishments through the Mother Tantra were the most numerous. Among the 25 disciples of Guru Rinpoche in Tibet, among all of Guru Rinpoche’s disciples, the most accomplishments also came from the practice of the Mother Tantras.
When practicing the Mother Tantras, think of their qualities, benefits and meditation. When you recite the mantra, all the Dakinis are moved and evoked to bestow blessings.
It is mentioned in many scriptures, whether during the Dharma-transmission of Buddha Shakyamuni or Vajradhara, that the entire world is the mandala of the Dakinis. The mandalas of the Mother Tantras are forever activated and open. Generally speaking, when we transmit a (tantric) teaching today, upon conclusion, the mandala is immediately dissolved. However, the mandalas of the Mother Tantras are never dissolved. The mandalas of Kalachakra, Tara, or the Mother Tantras are always open and existing. In any case, there is no need to dissolve, as the three realms are the very mandala of the Dakinis.
There are three types of Dakinis：the realm-born, simultaneously-born, and mantra-born. These three types of Dakinis are present everywhere. They appear in pure forms as Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, or impure forms such as ordinary women. They also appear as animals. Every place is the mandala of the three types of Dakinis. By reciting their mantras, they are present beside you, in your body and mind. One can sense them and be attuned to them.
In the human body, there are the white and red bodhichitta. The white bodhichitta is the Dakas, the red bodhichitta is the Dakinis. In one’s body, the channels, winds and drops are the mandala of the three kinds of Dakinis. There is no need for construction of other mandalas anew. This is a sublime method. If you have faith, mantra and visualization, just practice and you will understand yourself. Your own body which is the mandala of the Dakinis will give you blessings. Every person, human or non-human, or even animals have this Dakinis’ mandala in their body. If your mind is in a pure state, in that moment, a hundred thousand Dakinis are moved to give blessings. This is why the Dakini practice is so special.
The Dakini practices have many precepts (or samayas). The greatest obstacle for humans is dualistic thinking. You discriminate and say that this is pure while that is impure. Pure and impure is just one simple example of this type of discrimination. We also think in terms of “this is mine, that is my enemy or someone I dislike. This is close to me, that is far from me. This is beautiful, that is ugly,” etc. Such dualistic perceptions prevent us from connecting to the mandala of the Dakinis.
This is something quite difficult for most of us. In many stories of the accomplished siddhas, it is recorded that when they met a Dakini, she appeared as a pig, or as a hideous woman, or as a beggar. When these masters looked down on her, the Dakini disappeared. There are many such stories. So it is important to maintain a pure view. This is the most fundamental root to connecting to the Dakinis. It is also the root samaya.
The Dakini practices produces swift accomplishments. However, when your pure view is insufficient, there are also many obstacles. Therefore, when we look at each practice, we should not just look at the benefits and qualities of the practice, we should also look at the prerequisite conditions for succeeding in this practice. There is no free lunch in this world. Everything is the same. Every wonderful practice comes with its conditions. Many people look at the amazing achievements in Vajrayana and salivate. This in itself is good. You wish to attain accomplishment, that is a good aspiration. However, the basic samaya or precept is the fourteen root samayas. You should look at this. If all the prerequisites are present, then when you practice, blessings come fast.
The methods in Vajrayana definitely produces blessings. This is doubtless. Accomplishment will most certainly be attained. Many mother tantras mention that as times become more degenerate, all kinds of obstacles will appear. In these times, the Vajrayana methods become more powerful. In particular, the blessings of the mother tantras become extremely strong. Other practices are unable to tame the sentient beings in the degenerate age.
So the most useful practices in the end are the Vajrayana practices, especially the mother tantra practices and Dzogchen. This is mentioned in many mother tantras. This is the method to turn mental afflictions into the path. When humans’ mental afflictions are especially heavy, to just get rid of these afflictions is next to impossible, so it is better to use methods like transformation. One is not eliminating the afflictions directly, but using other concepts to transform the affliction.
