Kritik am Buch „The Shadow Of The Dalai Lama ... - Neues von Shi De

modern interpreters often misunderstand it to be. The tantric master deliberately utilizes the masculine/
feminine sexual energies to obtain and exercise power and does not destroy them, even if they are
only present within his own identity after the initiation. They continue to function there as the two
polar primeval forces, but now within the androgynous yogi.
Thus, in Tantrism we are in any case dealing with an erotic cult, one which recognizes cosmic erotic
love as the defining force of the universe, even if it is manipulated in the interests of power. This is in
stark contrast to the asexual concepts of Mahayana Buddhism. “The state of bisexuality, defined as
the possession of both masculine and feminine sexual powers, was considered unfortunate, that is, not
conducive to spiritual growth. Because of the excessive sexual power of both masculinity and
femininity, the bisexual individual had weakness of will or inattention to moral precepts”, reports
Diana Paul in reference to the “Great Vehicle” (D. Paul, 1985, pp. 172–173).
But Vajrayana does not let itself be intimidated by such proclamations, but instead worships the
androgyne as a radiant diamond being, who feels in his heart “the blissful kiss of the inner male and
female forces” (Mullin, 1991, p. 243). The tantric androgyne is supposed to actually partake of the
lusts and joys of both sexes, but just as much of their concentrated power. Although in his earthly
form he appears before us as a man, the yogi nonetheless rules as both man and woman, as god and
goddess, as father and mother at once. The initiand is instructed to “visualize the lama as Kalachakra
in Father and Mother aspect, that is to say, in union with his consort” (Dalai Lama XIV, 1985, p.
174), and must then declare to his guru, “You are the mother, you are the father, you are the teacher of
the world!”(Grünwedel, Kalacakra II, p. 180).
The vaginal Buddha
The goal of androgyny is the acquisition of absolute power, as, according to tantric doctrine, the entire
cosmos must be seen as the play and product of both sexes. Now united in the mystic body of the
yogi, the latter thereby believes he has the secret birth-force at his disposal — that natural ability of
woman which he as man principally lacks and which he therefore desires so strongly.
This desire finds expression in, among other things, the royal title Bhagavan (ruler or regent), which
he acquires after the tantric initiation. The Sanskrit word bhaga originally designated the female
pudendum, womb, vagina or vulva. But bhaga also means happiness, bliss, wealth, sometimes
emptiness. This metaphor indicates that the multiplicity of the world emerges from the womb of
woman. The yogi thus lets himself be revered in the Kalachakra Tantra as Bhagavat or Bhagavan, as
a bearer of the female birth-force or alternatively as a “bringer of happiness”. “The Buddha is called
Bhagavat, because he possesses the Bhaga, this characterizes the quality of his rule” (Naropa, 1994,
p. 136), we can read in Naropa’s commentary from the eleventh century, and the famous tantric
continues, “The Bhaga is according to tradition the horn of plenty in possession of the six boons in
their perfected form: sovereignty, beauty, good name/reputation, abundance, insight, and the
appropriate force to be able to achieve the goals set” (Naropa, 1994, p. 136). In their introduction to
the Hevajra Tantra the contemporary authors, G. W. Farrow and I. Menon, write, “In the tantric view
the Bhagavan is defined as the one who possesses Bhaga, the womb, which is the source” (Farrow
and Menon, 1992, p. xxiii).
Although this male usurpation of the Bhaga first reaches its full extent and depth of symbolism in
Tantrism, it is presaged by a peculiar bodily motif from an earlier phase of Buddhism. In accordance
with a broadly accepted canon, an historical Buddha must identify himself through 32 distinguishing