The Tree of Enlightenment

e idea of interpenetration is found in the Vajrayana tradition
as well, where we can see it expressed even in the term tantra
itself. You may remember that tantra refers primarily and literally
to the idea of the weave in a piece of cloth or fabric (see
Chapter 22). Using the analogy of cloth or fabric, we can understand
the interpenetration of parts and whole when we see that a
small section of fabric reveals the pattern that extends throughout
the whole.
e idea of the interpenetration of parts and whole is also
expressed in the Vajrayana in the notion of the interpenetration
of individual beings (who here represent the parts, or microcosms)
and the universe (which represents the whole, or macrocosm).
is notion of man and the universe as microcosm and
macrocosm is the first idea I want to consider by way of introduction
to a more specific treatment of psychology, physiology,
and cosmology in the Vajrayana.
To understand the dynamic role of psychology, physiology,
and cosmology in the Vajrayana tradition, we need also to recall
the second fundamental idea of the Vajrayana tradition – the idea
of the variability of experience. is is expressed in the experience
of Asanga, who saw the Buddha Maitreya first not at all,
then in the form of a diseased dog, and finally in his celestial
and transformed aspect. is idea is also expressed in the fact
that the beings who inhabit the six realms of existence view phenomena
differently: this is the variability of experience relative
to the conditioned state of one’s mind. us reality is dependent
on the conditions of one’s mind: an impure mind will perceive
and experience reality in one way, whereas a transformed
and purified mind will experience it in another. It is important
272