Toh 405The Tantra, King of Desire

Commentary on the Rāgarājatantra (The Tantra, King of Desire)

Context

Rāgarājatantra, or “The Tantra, King of Desire,” is a scripture belonging to the Vajrayana tantric tradition, recorded in the Kangyur, the collection of scriptures translated from Sanskrit into Tibetan. This sutra belongs to the class of Highest Yoga Tantra (Anuttarayogatantra), in which desire, usually regarded as the greatest obstacle in Buddhism, is transformed into the transcendent force of awakening.

In the tantric context, unlike the Theravada Buddhist tradition, which regards desire as something to be completely abandoned, Vajrayana teaches that human mental qualities, including craving, anger, and delusion, can all be transformed into the wisdom of the Buddha. This is an extremely subtle method of practice, requiring guidance from a deeply learned master and a firm foundation in practice.

Main Content

The title of this sutra, “King of Desire” (Rāgarāja), contains a profound meaning: desire, when transformed through Dharma practice and accurate realization, becomes a king, that is, an all-powerful force, clear and free from bondage. This sutra guides practitioners who wish to employ the energy of the desirous mind in order to advance swiftly toward Buddhahood.

The content of the Rāgarājatantra focuses on transformation practices called yuganaddha, the union of wisdom and means. Through the imagery of tribal deities (yidam) and ritual practices (sādhana), the sutra teaches how to transform the fragments of objects of deluded feeling (sensual pleasure) into displays of form, emptiness, and mind (śūnyatā).

The practices presented in this sutra include the stages of arising (utpattikrama) and completion (niṣpannakrama), in which the practitioner’s mind is directed toward recognizing the empty true nature of all phenomena, while cultivating wisdom images to protect the mind from falling into naive desire.