The Six Worlds :

In accord with the late Indian Buddhist classification of philosophical trends in four views (analytical, traditional, experiental & centrist), the Tantras are usually divided in four classes : Action ("kriyâ"), Performance ("caryâ"), Yoga ("yoga") & Highest Yoga ("anuttarayoga"). The first three are also called "lower Tantras". In the Tibetan Old Translation School (the Nyingmapas), Highest Yoga Tantra is further subdivided in Father Tantra, Mother Tantra & Non-Dual Tantra.

Each level of intensity of desire is associated with a level of interiority (note how higher levels of desire-satisfaction call for higher levels of interiority, causing sexual union to correspond with complete interiority) :

• Action Tantra : practitioners delight in external ritual over yogic concentration = partners in love laughing at each other ;

• Performance Tantra : practitioners delight in external ritual & internal yogic concentration equally = partners in love mutually gazing at each other ;

• Yoga Tantra : practitioners delight inner yogic concentration over external ritual = partners in love holding hands ;

• Highest Yoga Tantra : practitioners delight in internal yogic concentration = partners in love sexually unite.

There are many unorthodox analogical schemes. In his Ngagrim Chenmo (Great Discourse on Secret Mantra), Tsongkhapa argues against the idea Action and Performance Tantras curtail Deity Yoga by eliminating Self-generation. For him, all Tantras involve Deity Yoga, and Deity Yoga implies Self-generation. The threefold correspondence prevalent in Buddhist Tantras (body, speech, mind) suit the Four Tantra Sets well :

• Action Tantra : practitioners primarily purify the body by way of external ritual realizing its emptiness (external washing) - the Deity is a superior, not an equal ;

• Performance Tantra : practitioners primarily purify speech by way of the interaction between external ritual and internal concentration realizing its emptiness (inner washing) - the Deity is not yet an equal, but more like a senior family member ;

• Yoga Tantra : practitioners primarily purify mind by way of internal concentration realizing emptiness (secret washing) - the Deity is treated as an equal, a peer ;

• Highest Yoga Tantra : practitioners purify & unite body, speech & mind by way supreme internal concentration realizing their emptiness (ultimate washing) - the Deity and the tantric are one being.

ACTION TANTRA primarily focuses on ritual activity : outer conduct, ablution, offerings, cleanliness, eating & drinking codes, clothing etc.  To overcome the separation between ordinary (conventional) life and the Divine (in the form of the Deity), one conforms to a way of purity in attire & conduct, visualizing the Deity and recollecting the emptiness of one's own ego. Traditionally, some Action Tantras position the Deity only outside of oneself, and foster the notion of inferiority to the Deity. As Tsongkhapa wrote, this is not the case for all Action Tantras. Eventually, a vivid experience of oneself as indivisible from the Deity arises.

There are three families of Action Tantra Deities :

• the Buddha or Vairochana family (manifesting the Vajra Body of the Buddhas) : Mañjuśrî, Vajrasattva, Mairichi ;

• the Lotus or Amitabha family (manifesting the Vajra Speech of the Buddhas) : Amitayus, Avalokiteśvara, White Tara, Green Tara ;

• the Vajra or Akśobya family (manifesting the Vajra Mind of the Buddhas) : Buddha Unmoving, Vajrapani.

PERFORMANCE TANTRA focuses both on outer rituals and inner Yoga, training in a vast number of actions while entering the inner, empty reality presenting itself in visual and audible Divine representations. Here one is deemed close to the state of the Deity, but not yet fused with it. In Conduct Tantra one visualizes oneself as the Deity and visualizes the Deity outside of oneself. One trains to experience all form as the appearance of emptiness. The practices of this Tantra (Four Concentrations & the Yogas with and without Signs) are very similar to those of Action Tantra.

YOGA TANTRA primarily focuses on the contemplation of the inner reality, placing the yogi in the center of it and establishing a network of subjective relationships with it, appearing in a variety of Divine features. Both are viewed as equal. Method and wisdom are applied inseparably in contemplations on the indivisibility of one's body, speech, mind & activities (the Four Seals) and those of the Deity.

HIGHEST YOGA TANTRA completely focuses on the contemplation of the inner reality, and this in two stages : generation & completion. In Generation Stage Yoga, the three bodies of a Buddha are brought into the path (the Three Bringings) and associated with the process of death, intermediate state and rebirth. Death is brought into the path of the Truth Body. Intermediate state is brought into the Path of the Enjoyment Body and rebirth is brought into the path of the Emanation Body. An imagined Deity body is created or generated, which will become an actual Deity body (the continuously residing body or very subtle wind abiding in the heart-wheel). In Completion Stage Yoga, the winds are made to enter, abide and cease within the central channel and, through the force of Inner Fire Yoga (vase breathing), the subtle drops are made to "melt" producing four levels of increasing bliss. Completion is subdivided in the Yogas of Isolated Speech, Isolated Mind, Illusory Body, Clear Light and Union. Completion Stage Yoga holds the promise of Buddhahood in a single lifetime.

 Guru Yoga : Outer, Inner & Secret

Without empowerment ("abhiśeka"), also translated as "anointing", "consecration",  or "initiation", Tantra cannot be practiced. This is the rule. Empowerment differs from inspiration ("adhiśtana"), often translated as "blessing", "elevation" or "uplifting", like waves bringing magnificence. Empowerments are given by the Tantric Guru or Vajra Master. Entry into Tantra presuppose the Bodhisattva Vow, for without spontaneous Bodhicitta Tantra is vain. Tsongkhapa reminds us Tantra, although the most expedient way to Buddhahood, is not for everybody.

Action Tantra calls for a water empowerment & a crown empowerment. Performance Tantra adds to this the four vases empowerment (lower rebirth, all goodness, dispelling obstructions and love). Yoga Tantra, similar to a Highest Yoga Tantra empowerment, adds the empowerment of the Five Buddha Families & the empowerment of the Vajra Master. The latter gives one permission to teach the Tantra and to continue the lineage. Yoga Tantra and Highest Yoga Tantra demand the commitments of the Five Buddha Families and the Tantric Vows. Keeping these Vows is said to guarantee a swift & easy movement towards enlightenment.

For Tsongkhapa, the Tantric guru is the root of the path, the source of realization, and a living Buddha ! Only through skillful devotion to such a being will blessings be received. Especially in Tibetan Buddhism, emphasis on the virtues of the (usually male) Tantric guru is pertinent. Guru Yoga, a ritualized devotional practice dedicated to the Vajra Master, is conceived as the most profound way to cultivate results. The Tantric guru is the source of empowerment or initiation into the tantric Deity the disciple experiences as his or her Inner Guru. Vows are taken, and if broken, then, after death, a special "Vajra hell" awaits the renegad       e !

In Zen, a spiritual mentor or spiritual teacher is present, but he or she is not venerated as a living Buddha. In the Theravadin tradition, the teacher is a valued and honored mentor worthy of respect. Only in Tibetan Tantra is the Vajra Master viewed as the very root of spiritual realization. What to think of these differences ? What to think of the Tibetan view ?

In the Sûtra approach, the spiritual teacher, Dharma instructor, meditation trainer, ritual coach, Buddhism professor etc. are there to help us power up our spiritual journey. Because of their good qualities, acting as cherished examples, they give oral transmissions and inspire. These spiritual teachers address the gross levels of mind, based on self-cherishing and conceptual thought (acquired self-grasping).

In the context of Sûtra, Guru Yoga is a ritual way to acknowledge the good qualities of our teachers, so we may relate to them and be uplifted. We may assist them and help them, but we never offer to them. We always try to very generous with them. While we develop devotion and feelings of deep friendship, we do not need to see our teachers as living Buddhas. We do request to be blessed by their presence and inspiration, and this we visualize as entering our heart- wheel in the form of brilliant light. In the Sûtras, our Inner Guru is Bodhicitta itself, i.e. the mind of enlightenment for the sake of all sentient beings. Thanks to our Sutric Guru Yoga, Bodhicitta will be generated by knowing & communicating with our Outer Guru. Just as this teacher before us, acting as the Outer Guru, our Inner Guru is replete with good qualities, inspiring us to attain them by ourselves in excellent and sublime ways. After years (or lives) of practice, we slowly transfer the spiritual authority away from the Outer Guru to the Inner Guru, one's acquired compassion & wisdom.

In Tantra, the Vajra Master is the Outer Guru who empowers us to come in touch with the deepest (absolute) level of Bodhicitta, one touching the very subtle mind of Clear Light, a mind beyond the conceptualizations of the gross and subtle minds, a mind "recognizing its own face", its own empty nature. In the Great Perfection Vehicle teachings, gross & subtle minds were center stage. In Tantra, the Inner Guru is the "mind-bound" Tantric Deity ("iśta-deva", "chosen Deity" or Tib. "Yidam") who ferries us to this enlightened mind (enlightened speech, enlightened body). This Inner Guru is the dynamical factor enabling us to reach the Clear Light. It is the "Sambhogakâya" or "Enjoyment Body" in which the Clear Light can manifest and communicate the ineffable bliss of the "Dharmakâya" or "Truth Body", its own absolute absoluteness, nondual datum of Buddhahood. This process of alchemical transformation has to be ignited by the "Vajra Master", fully realizing his or her own Inner Guru. His role is to connect the disciple with his own Inner Guru and help the disciple to stabilize & root the link with his own "Higher Self".

During the ritual, the Outer Guru must, at least at an intellectual level, be understood to be a living Buddha, although this does not mean the Outer Guru has necessarily attained enlightenment. The Outer Guru confers the "causal" empowerment that ripens. Calling for an accomplished ritualist, a ritual and an instruction, this links the disciple with his or her Yidam and explains how to invoke the Deity (Generation Stage). These planted seeds give rise to "pathway" empowerment from the Inner Guru, the Yidam. Eventually, this leads to "resultant" empowerment from the Clear Light mind of a Buddha (Completion Stage).

The ripening process occurs because the "pathway" empowerment is also a "foundational" empowerment, resulting in all attainments and qualities ripening into Buddhahood. For the Inner Guru is but a manifestation, actualization, luminous solidification of the mind of Clear Light, the sole natural light of the mind, the Secret Guru or "Truth Body" of absolute wisdom.

So in Tantra, initiation has three levels :

• Outer Guru : the Vajra Guru, approached as if he or she is a living Buddha, plants seeds in the mindstream of the disciple (causal empowerment). These seeds ripen and bring the disciple in direct contact with his or her Inner Guru, the Tantric Deity ;

• Inner Guru : this is the Yidam with which the disciple will identify in Deity Yoga. This Yidam is the "Sambhogakâya" (or "Enjoyment Body") manifestation of the Clear Light mind or "Dharmakâya" (or "Truth Body") of the disciple (his or her own Buddha-potential or ultimate nature of mind). It grants "pathway empowerment", acting as the foundation for Buddhahood ;

• Secret Guru : the Clear Mind of each and every sentient being is his or her true Guru. As the very subtle mind, it is beyond all gross and subtle minds. This Truth Body, "Dharmakâya" or "âlaya-jñâna" manifests as the luminous Enjoyment Body of the Yidam. It is the Clear Mind encompassing all excellent qualities.

Traditional Tantric Guru Yoga views the Vajra Guru as a living Buddha. The ceremony for honoring the guru is very extended (cf. Lama Chöpa) and presupposes asymmetry between the Master and his disciple. Veneration, devotion and offerings are common practices. When necessary, the Outer Guru may use his miracle-powers of pacification, increase, control & wrath. This goes well beyond the mere inspiration of Sutric Guru Yoga, for without the "special" blessings of the Vajra Guru, the path cannot be finished. The Outer Guru must aim to connect an aspirant with his or her Inner Guru swiftly, with ease and permanently.

Although Tantra involves the primordial wholeness and completeness of being, represented by the union of the male method-Deities with their female wisdom-consorts, the deeply entrenched domination of woman by the male elite (using sexual intercourse with woman exclusively to charge one's spiritual batteries), gave rise to tantric teachings in which the mother goddess emanated from the masculine god, and the androgyny (male-female forces possessed by a man) remained uncompensated by gynandry (female-male forces possessed by a woman), building in disparity. Then, bi-sexual eroticism is reduced to heterosexual machoism. As a result, and not solely because of this feminist critique, some practitioners try to develop a Buddhist Tantra for the West, i.e. in harmony with Western science, secular thought & basic human rights. This goes against the paternalism, the dogmatism and the authoritarian approach of some and calls for rethinking many teachings, rituals and regulations, in particular in the context of Tibetan Buddhism training Western minds !

To close, let me focus on a few salient points :

1. While it may be difficult (but not impossible) for a novice Westerner to walk the spiritual path without a spiritual guide acting as their source of oral transmission, insight & inspiration, the process of relating to Eastern teachers has its own hazards. They seem to lack a deep understanding as to the nature of the Western psyche, in particular our childhood woundings. In the East, the tradition of relating to a spiritual teacher is millennia old. In the West, this is hardly the case and so a certain "naïvité" is often at work. The patriarchal nature of the Eastern Guru-system cannot be transported to the West. Fortunately, in the last decennia, more Western spiritual teachers are at work and so these cultural problems can, in principle, be eliminated.
2. In Buddhism, the crucial divide lies between Sutric teachers and Tantric Gurus. The former are spiritual guides & mentors worthy of respect, who assist us while we study, reflect & meditate. They are "special" in the sense of being accomplished and able to transmit their knowledge & insights. They do not enter our mindstream, nor receive offerings. They are skillful teachers, with extraordinary empathy, capable of being wise friends. Their wisdom protects, creating the "open space" their students need to evolve. As teachers, they may encounter complex and demanding situations, and although their method & wisdom is vaster than that of their students, they try to maintain symmetry and work to allow the student to accomplish certain set goals (like meditative equipose in Calm Abiding, or conceptual insight into emptiness in Insight Meditation). Whilst such cases cannot be excluded (from the side of the student), demanding veneration does not exist from the side of the teacher, who may choose to undermine the very tendency to disrupt symmetry and deify the teacher (the teacher and anti-teacher).
3. In Tantra, only embarked upon after years of Sutric activity, the Vajra Guru or Outer Guru is crucial. He or she is an accomplished meditation master who has finished or is finishing the Bodhisattva training and who is willing to infuse the mindstream of their disciple, so he or she opens up and is linked with his or her own Inner Guru. When this empowerment is conveyed, this yogi has manifests as his own Yidam, and so is a "living Deity" ! This situation can be compared with Western initiation, as in alchemy, Freemasonry or Western mystery traditions. In the West, we lack the culture of viewing our teachers as "special beings", but in spiritual orders this attitude is amply cultivated. Asymmetry is part of the equation. If this is done for the sake of the relationship between the Outer Guru and the disciple, and not to link the disciple with his or her own Inner Guru, then abuse cannot be excluded. In fact, when the disciple confuses his or her Inner Guru with the Outer Guru (because the latter has not imposed the distinction), the Outer Guru is defunct. Indeed, the main task of the Outer Guru is to connect the disciple with this Inner Guru. All techniques able to produce this effect are welcome and necessary. So the Tantric Guru is more than a wise friend, he or she may also be a dangerous friend !

 Generation Stage Yoga and Deity Yoga

The technology of Highest Yoga Tantra involves (a) preparing the ground in the so-called "Generation Stage" and (b) manipulating the subtle anatomy of the various invisible entities constituting the "Vajra body" (cf. hylic pluralism), making the "winds" ("prâna") enter, abide and cease in the "central channel" of this "Vajra body" and allowing the subtle "drops" to melt under the influence of Inner Fire Yoga. These & other procedures make up the "Completion Stage". In the Lower Tantras, of which Action Tantra is the most common, the approach is somewhat different, while Completion Stage Yoga is absent.

Although Buddhahood is only achieved at the end, Generation Stage Yoga includes the simultaneous gathering of merit (the substantial cause of the "Form Body") and wisdom (the substantial cause of the "Truth Body") by way of Deity Yoga. It is not causal, but resultant, taking the fruit (Buddhahood) into the path. This is done by letting the "form" of a fully enlightened being or Deity spontaneously rise as a result of interdependent conditions, being of the same empty nature as the yogi. As this form rises after the inherent existence of the conventional "I" and its context have been cancelled, it is the result of wisdom.

Although no-self ("anâtman") is one of the seals of Buddhism, Tantra personifies our potential for enlightenment or wholeness in the symbolic form of the Deity, embodying our Buddha-nature, generated out of the ultimate nature of our mind. This Deity bridges the two aspects of reality, namely conventional (relative) truth & ultimate (absolute) truth. The Deity is an interface or ferry, carrying consciousness to the "other shore of wisdom", i.e. from the Emanation Body of conventional truth to the Truth Body or ultimate truth.

The Deities are the countless inspirational Enjoyment Bodies of the supreme virtuous minds of absolute Bodhicitta, the infinite masks of ultimate truth or manifestation of emptiness. No longer a mere conventional truth, a Deity is a pure, luminous & dynamic, rainbow-like manifestation rising out from the ultimate nature of all phenomena : emptiness. The latter is not a positive state, nor a negative state, nor any logical operation between these two states. Utterly ineffable, only the un-saying of the "Via Negativa" remains.

Of this emptiness or ultimate truth, the Deity is a threshold-phenomenon, and isthmus, i.e. a relatively narrow strip connecting the Two Truths, touching both simultaneously and dynamically, i.e. with a definitive movement away from conventional truth to the right view understanding its objects thoroughly, i.e. wisdom. This shift is the work of the Deity, emerging out and remaining in emptiness and thus radically unlike the "Gods & Goddesses" of Western Paganism (Ancient Egypt, Hermetism, Greco-Roman religion, Hermeticism) as well as Hinduism, who are examples of theo-ontologies, i.e. Supreme Beings conceived as inherently existing "out there".

The function of the Buddist Deity is to allow the Truth Body of a Buddha to manifest and benefit others (which cannot be the case on the level of ultimate truth). This luminous body with its very subtle mind is however without any trace of substantiality, and functions to cross the divide between the ultimate reality of the Buddhas ("Dharmakâya") and the relative reality of our conventional world ("Nirmânakâya"). Hence, the Deity in Buddhism is exceptional. Without being God or a God, the Buddhist Deity is Divine !

Like unproduced space (lacking obstructive contact), emptiness is a permanent phenomenon. While space negates obstructive contact, emptiness negates inherent existence, a "reality" on its own ("svabhâva"). The Deity appears as a luminous form in unproduced space and is, at the same moment, cognized by a mind realizing emptiness. The appearance of and identification with the Deity is "entering the vessel" of alchemy, the "furnace" or "athanor" in which the transformation takes place. The Deity is the "Higher Self" emerging out of emptiness.

In Deity Yoga, the Deity can be generated outside or within. In the former case, the Deity is visualized outside and in front (or above) us, in the latter, the Deity is made to rise from within and coincides with our own subtle body & subtle mind. This Self-generation is the mental generation of the "tântrika" as enlightened being. Both cases establish the Deity in six stages known as the "Six Deities". Establishment means a shift has taken place from the Deity as a cognitive object to the Deity as a cognitive subject.

Deity Yoga establishes the reality of the Deity (the Resident Mandala) and its environment (the Residence Mandala), transforming the impure "I" & its world in the subtle reality of the Deity-in-its-Mandala (the Resident in the Residence). The Deity making the mind firm is not designated on the basis of "my" physical body and "my" casual mind or conventional "I". This would identify it with the conventional truth of myself only and stop the needed dynamic away from the deluded understanding of reality, one appearing as inherently existing while ultimate analysis shows otherwise.

The Deity is designated on the basis of (a) a body of light rising out of the wisdom realizing emptiness like a fish jumps out of water (implying a direct conscious awareness of emptiness, like in "superior seeing"), and (b) a wisdom-mind fused with a seed syllable and the mantra of the Deity, as in meditative equipoise during Calm Abiding.

The aim of Deity Yoga is a perfect visualization of the generic image of the Deity with a mind in meditative equipoise on its empty seed or mantra and this while generating the Divine Pride of identifying with these subtle bases of designation (the luminous body and the enlightened mind). The measure of firmness in Deity Yoga is indicated, according to Tsongkhapa, by "whether going, standing, or sitting is always immovable though moving about". Once this is realized, the yogi enters and exits the Deity (switches from gross to subtle bases of designation) as one would put on and off a garment. This signals the readiness for completion.

 Completion Stage Yoga and Inner Fire Yoga

In Completion Stage Yoga, the "tântrika", while assuming the Deity, makes the subtle winds enter, abide and cease in the central channel of the Vajra-body, allowing the very subtle mind carried by the very subtle wind (in the heart-wheel) to manifest as the "Truth Body" ("Dharmakâya") & the "Form Body" ("rûpakâya" or "Nirmânakâya" + "Sambhogakâya") of a Buddha, actualizing the ultimate nature of mind, its Clear Light.

The subtle & very subtle techniques of Completion Stage Yoga make, once the winds enter, abide & cease in the central channel, the seminal drops communicate. The "white drop", Lunar, of the nature of bliss and received from the father (crown-wheel), and the "red drop", Solar, of the nature of emptiness and received from the mother (navel-wheel), define the vitality, strength and power of the subtle energy-body, directly linked with the "Enjoyment Body" to come (the very subtle wind is the substantial cause of the "Sambhogakâya"). Using "vase breathing", the red drop, abiding in the navel energy-wheel, is ignited and this "inner fire" unbinds the "knots" of the heart-wheel & the throat-wheel, making the white drop, abiding in the crown-wheel, "melt", causing levels of bliss (known as the Four Joys). This great bliss is then mixed with the wisdom realizing emptiness, destroying very subtle delusion, making the Clear Light shine forth, entering Buddhahood.

The Form Body is generated to help others, to actually perform enlightened actions and engage Dharma. It is of no other use. There is no better reason to cease the singular focus on the ineffable bliss of the "Dharmakâya" than the sublime thought generating compassion for those who are still suffering. How can there be true peace when there are still beings contaminated and in pain ? This mind of enlightenment for all sentient beings or Bodhicitta the great treasure of the Mahâyâna. Dedication of all merit to the benefit of all others, projects the vast scope of working for every single sentient being.

Although a Buddha has vast miracle-powers, s/he is not omnipotent (cannot take away ripening "karma", but merely deflects it) and does not interfere in the free will of human beings, except if the survival of the Dharma is at stake (cf. the "Dharmapalas"). Final enlightenment bestows omnipresence & omniscience. Sentient beings open to receive the blessings of a Buddha instantaneously do so, benefiting countless others.

 A Critique of Tibetan Buddhist Tantra

The dynamic structure of the Vajra-body was no discovery of Vajrayâna, rather it was adopted from pre-Buddhist times (cf. the Upaniśads). Although the Kâlachakra Tantra displays many parallels with Hindu Kundalinî Yoga, with regard to the subtle bodily techniques needed to arouse the female "kundalinî", important differences between these cultural traditions pertain.

Traditional Buddhist Tantra, as it was preserved and developed in Tibet, unleashes the "inner fire" in the navel and not between the anus and the root of the penis like the Hindus. The "candali" flares up in the belly of the Vajra Master and her heat, kindled by vase breathing, rises to "melt" the "cool" white drops abiding in the crown wheel. This melting takes places in four stages (the Four Joys). Once she has vaporized the wheels up to the roof of the skull and melts, on account of its "watery" character, the white male drops stored there, the "fire woman" is extinguished.

Why is the feminine, linked with the passive element in India, China & the West, here equated with the activity of destructive fire ? Is the hostile attitude of Sutric Buddhism towards the world of appearances, form & womanhood at hand ? As the feminine and the act of birth were deemed responsible for the "terrible burden of life", are "world" & "womanhood" made synonymous ? In Early Buddhism, women could not reach "nirvâna". They had to work hard to "earn" a male incarnation ! At first, even the Buddha doubted whether an order of nuns was appropriate ... By kindling the feminine "drops" within himself, the male symbolically casts the "world-woman" upon the pyre ! All form becomes victim of the flames. Is traditional Buddhist Tantra, as preserved in Tibet, based on a patriarchic male ideology ? The role of the female is made subservient to the salvic goal of the male. As a "wisdom-consort", she merely served the male to establish the supreme goal  : the union of bliss and emptiness. How, given this subtle physiology, a woman may attain enlightenment is unclear (are her red drops situated in her crown-wheel ?).

Moreover, why associate wisdom with the Lunar and the ritual Bell ? Wisdom-mind, being the realization of the Clear Light, cannot be consistently identified with the derivative "cool" light of the Moon (visible at night), but only with the self-kindling, hot fire of the Sun (making the day), the power of the Vajra ... Indeed, the "Sun of wisdom" stands for awakening, while the Moon refers to the method leading up to it (cf. Yesod and the Grade of Theoreticus in the Qabalah).

Contemporary Buddhist Tantra should therefore work out a system leading to a blissfull union of polarities and not to one males only. On the one hand, the Vajra-male "takes" the feminine, Lunar form-energy of the woman to reach androgyny, on the other hand, the Lotus-woman "assimilates" the masculine, Solar force-energy of the man to reach gynandry. The ideal being sacred omni-eroticism through the union of Lunar bliss & Solar wisdom. In the spirit of the Highest Yoga Tantra, androgynous guru-god and gynandric mistress-goddess are one. This Tantric scheme is far more balanced. It can already be found in Taoist Inner Alchemy, were both male and female bodies are able to achieve enlightenment by means of their respective omni-erotic energies.

To arrive at such a new Buddhist Tantra, prevailing correspondences are no longer valid. As in Hindu Yoga, Taoist Inner Alchemy, Traditional Chinese Medicine & the Western Tradition, the feminine is equated with the Lunar, with Form (Left Pillar) & the passive, i.e. with Yin. This is consistent with the association of the "kundalinî" ("Śakti") with the bottom of the spine (cf. the Gate of Life & Death or Hui-Yin at the perineum & the passive Earth Field or Tan-Tien at the navel in Taoism, or Malkuth/Yesod in Qabalah). The masculine is then Solar, active, Force (Right Pillar), i.e. Yang, situated at the top of the spine ("Śiva", and the active Heaven Field or Pui-Hui at the crown, or Kether in Qabalah).

The traditional Tibetan Buddhist correspondences, based on an exclusive masculine model, mostly do no more than foster Guru-Yoga to "enhance" and "develop" the process ignited by initiation. Instead of giving the disciples the tools to grow up by themselves well assisted, they often result in an increased dependence upon the male Vajra Guru, at times leading to grotesque, abasing & potentially abusive forms of Guru-worship, whereby the Guru needs to be "deified" as a Living Buddha ... Projected collectively as spirito-communal phenomena, such strategies bring to life the doctrine of "lineages", "tulkus" & other Buddhocratic inventions.

Consistent with Eastern and Western Alchemy, after having identified the putrified components ("negrido"), the basis or root is the "albedo", the "white phase" of purification, to be identified with the "white drops" (navel) and with "method", while the "rubedo" or "red phase" of illumination refers to the "red drops" (crown) and with "wisdom". This corrects the scheme considerably, aligning Buddhist Tantra with Hindu Yoga, Taoist Inner Alchemy, Western Alchemy & Qabalah, and this without touching the fundamental insight placed center stage by the Buddhadharma : emptiness. Instead of associating the ultimate nature of phenomena with the lower wheels (the Manipûra or the Svâdhiśthâna), it consistently identifies it with the subtle abode of Divine & Supra-Divine consciousness : the Âjñâ & the Sahasrâra.

Then, instead of exclusively building the completion technology on fierce Inner Fire through vase breathing, the gentle circulation & harmonization of the life force ("prâna", "c'hi", "ka", "pneuma" or "ruach"), is the preferred method making the winds enter the central channel, reaching the nondual union of bliss & emptiness (associated with the heart-wheel, the indestructible drop, the HeartMind Elixir of Taoism, or Tiphareth in Qabalah). The knots ("bandhas") are not violently "burned", but slowly untied & dissolved.