“So, the preparation for karma mudra practice, for this so-called sexual yoga or sexual technique involves mastery over the ability to consciously lower and consciously raise the energy without losing it in the ordinary process of sexual orgasm….Then, once the energy has been raised, it is consciously directed throughout all of the various subtle channels of the body which the Buddhist system numbers as 72,000 subtle channels for the nadis or subtle channels for the passage of energy throughout the body. And with the realization of and mastery of that technique from the Buddhist point of view, one arrives at the more ultimate purpose of the whole thing, which is not any particular sexual orientation at all, but which is the realization of Mahamudra, not simply the cultivation of that particular experience.”
“Such a [qualified[ teacher should not be such a person whose activity or whose conduct or whose teaching has put them at complete odds with their teachers. So that there has been a rift because they have so mangled the teachings that they have received, and their own teachers have disowned them. So one should watch for that sign of authentic lineage. That there has been a recognized transmission and one should check out the character of the teacher to make sure that the person is compassionately and altruistically motivated. And not simply out for their own benefit or their own gain in the situation.”
Introduction
Here are an introduction and transcript to a teaching by the 1st Kalu Rinpoche in Los Angeles on 21st December 1988 about the use (and misunderstanding) of “sexual union” in tantric practice (referred to as karmamudra in Sanskrit). I decided to transcribe it because it is clear and good advice of the essential qualities of a Vajrayana master to engage in physical union practice with a woman, especially if they are monastics.
I have written about this topic briefly before here in 2020, to warn women of the risks and dangers in not examining a Vajrayana guru correctly and also in not understanding the purpose or actual practice of tantric union, which is supposed to be undertaken mainly for the sake of awakening.
On the one hand, karmamudra can also be used for health and stability, and also to bring an intense and blissful connection between a (willing) student and teacher. However, for monastics in particular, as Je Atisha himself taught in his famous text, Lamp on the Path to Enlightenment, which I spoke about here at the Vajrayana conference in Bhutan 2022, monastics are advised not to take the second and third empowerments in Highest Yoga Tantra, never mind do actual physical unions.
Yet most Vajrayana masters and Tantric texts state that reliance on an actual karmamudra, not merely a visualised one (a jnanamudra) is essential for attaining enlightenment (including the Kālacakra Tantra). So, it was generally advised that monastics should not practice it, unless they disrobed and left the monasteries.
In 1988, the 1st Kalu Rinpoche answers a question about the use of sexual union for the purpose of tantric practice and the essential qualities, realisations and practice of the teacher leading the consort/student. The full transcript is below. He also explains how to spot an authentic teacher and “red flags” of non-authentic teachers. In particular, he makes clear that anyone who thinks that tantric practice is about ordinary sex and orgasm is mistaken and may in fact cause themselves and others harm.
The lack of emphasis on qualifications of a consort
From a personal observation, although what the 1st Kalu Rinpoche taught is helpful in ensuring consorts understand how union practice is not the same as ordinary sex and requires special practice, realisations, and qualities before being undertaken by anyone, layperson included, but especially for a monastic, he does not speak about the required qualities of the female consort.
As I wrote about before, it is not about being a “pretty woman” only (although intense passion and attraction is essential to generate the necessary level of bliss), it is about their prior practice, vows, study of emptiness, devotion to the particular master, and completion and ongoing practice of fundamental practices of taking refuge, generating bodhicitta and the gathering of merit and wisdom through ethical and virtuous activities, and study.
It appears to be this lack of qualified teachers picking and engaging with qualified consorts, an worse having a derogatory and insulting view of them, and women in general, as inferior, and as valued and chosen for youth, or physical beauty alone, which has led to a major degeneration in Vajrayana, harm to women in particular, that we are gradually starting to learn more about as women find the courage, vocabulary and support to speak out.
The recent case of the alleged bullying and “subtle body forced unions/astral rape” by several female retreatants at the Samye Ling three year retreat on Holy Isle, Scotland, is a prime example of what happens when ordinary monks or teachers, use tantric rituals to magnetise and capture a consort’s mind and body. And to essentially force them into unions energetically which the women clearly do not seek, want and who do not see those male teachers as qualified or have no real devotion to them. For example, if women are having to sign non-disclosure agreements and hand over their passports on entering, and then physically escaping retreats due to injuries, astral rape/invasive attacks and being denied treatment or access to safeguards, these are signs that these practices are not being done by qualified teachers with qualified consorts. After all, the sacred practice is supposed to lead to intense levels of bliss, love, joy, devotion and life energy. Not court cases, psychological damage, depression or suicide! It should be more the feeling of love-bliss-passion like soul-singer, Aretha Franklin sang: “You’re the key to my peace of mind. You make me feel like a natural woman.”
Thus, this teaching is just half/one side of the important teaching on tantric physical union. Let us not forget that consorts too must have certain qualities above and beyond just being a pretty face and body.
The full transcript of 1st Kalu Rinpoche’s teachings is below and also some explorations of samaya and the experience of June Campbell with the 1st Kalu Rinpoche, and then allegations of sexual abuse and rape by 2nd Kalu Rinpoche as a young monk. Karma repeating itself?
Music? Faith by George Michael, Love to Love You by Donna Summer, and Natural Woman by Aretha Franklin.
Mutual breaching of samaya in guru-student relations
So, even if the teacher is qualified, if the consort is not, it will lead to broken samaya and vows. And as the 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje has recently taught this year on Fifty Verses on the Guru, when that happens, regardless of who broke the samaya, as the connection and relation is a Vajrayana one, then both will go down to the lower realms:
“In particular, in the Fifty Verses on the Guru it says the guru and student bear the same mutually dependent violation of samaya. Just as disciples break their samaya, the guru also breaks their samaya. So, it is very important for both of the guru and student to mutually be very careful….Many of the great Vajrayana masters said secret mantra is like a like an iron pipe. If a snake gets into it, either it is going to go up, or it is going to go down, there is no other way to go. Similarly, with the Vajrayana, if it goes well, it will bring you up to Buddhahood, if it does not go well, it will bring you down to hell. There is no other place to go.” –17th Karmapa (Day 10, Fifty Verses on the Guru)
This is why it is essential that the teacher also examine well a consort for the necessary qualities, and not just pick and discard those with pretty faces and bodies, and lots of selfies on Facebook. The fact that this clearly seems to have been happening (including within the Karma Kagyu), also reveals the fundamental sexism and patriarchy that has become prevalent in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhis, where women are still being valued, promoted, and “used” in terms of their physical appearance only, and how attractive they are to the “male gaze”.
What about the “grievances” of a secret consort though?
Interestingly, the 1st Kalu Rinpoche was later accused by a nun (now scholar) June Campbell of using her body for sexual union practice when he was in his 70’s and she was a nun in her 20s. She spoke about it in interviews (including this one published in Tricycle Magazine in 1996) as feeling used and exploited and intimidated (even with the threat of death) to stay silent about it, that she felt like his “tantric sex slave”. Campbell’s book “Traveler in Space” examines the patriarchy of Tibet’s political, religious, and social structures, and the real and symbolic role of women in Tibetan society. When I contacted Campbell a few months ago for comment on her case, and that of the current 2nd Kalu Rinpoche she stated she no longer wanted to discuss it.
Judith Simmer-Brown in her book Dakini’s Warm Breath: the Feminine Principle in Tibetan Buddhism (2021) explains how karmamudra can be used to explore the nature of passion:
“There are traditionally three ways to realise the nature of passion/bliss in the yogic tradition of Tantra. First in creation-phase practice one can visualise the yidams as yab-yum in sexual union… Second one can practice tummo (caṇḍalī) or the generation of internal heat through the subtle body practices of the vital breath moving into the central channel. Third, one can practice so-called sexual yoga (karmamudra, lekyi chagya) with a consort. Realising the true nature of passion in all of these forms transforms ordinary passion into the basis for the experience of great bliss (mahasukha), which greatly accelerates the removal of emotional and mental obscurations in one’s practice.”
Karma repeating itself with 2nd Kalu Rinpoche?
The 2nd Kalu Rinpoche, a layperson who occasionally wears monastic type robes and shaved head, which wrongly gives the public an impression that he is a monk, has been married and in relationship with two women and has two children, one by each of them.
In 2017, Kalu Rinpoche went public with serious and worrying accusations of having been sexually abused and raped as a youth by other monks and teachers while at Bokar Monastery (allegedly) and doing retreat there. Although it is very sad to hear about such sexual abuse of monks, it is difficult not to see the karmic connection in the case of Kalu, if what June Campbell is saying is true. For more on 2nd Kalu Rinpoche and his alleged sacking from his own monastery in Sonada, see here.
On the use of sexual union/karmamudra and the four mudras/joys in Vajrayana
Transcript 1st Kalu Rinpoche teaching
“The gentleman is asking whether there is any connection between the traditional Buddhist approach to tantric practice and various sexual practices or sexual yogas or cultivation of spiritual experience through the use of sex? Whether that has any bearing on the traditional path or whether it is you say a corruption or misconception?
Yes, there is a connection. You will remember, I spoke previously of four major classes of tantra the kriya tantra, charya tantra, yoga tantra and the Anuttara Tantra yoga tantra or the fourth being the tantra of unsurpassable union. Furthermore, I mentioned that this fourth category of the tantra of unsurpassable highest yoga tantra union was divided into father tantra, mother tantra, and non-dual tantra. Principally, in the classes of mother and non-dual tantra, There are certain techniques involving sexual union as a basis for spiritual practice which are technically termed karmamudra.
That is the Buddhist technical term for these as a collective term for these practices. They are known as karmamudra. And in fact they are part of a greater cycle of teachings known as teachings on the four mudras. These are four different approaches to various aspects of our experience that can be transformed. So remember says the teachings do exist as they were taught by the Buddha. They do constitute an authentic part of the tradition. The only difficulty is getting people to practice them purely.
Long period of purification, visualisation as deity and mantra recitation
Since you asked, if you are interested in how these practices would traditionally be approached. First, an individual would be required to go through a fairly long period of purification to purify their body, speech, and mind of the effects of harmful actions and to purify obscurations in the mind. As well as to augment various positive qualities such as merit and wisdom awareness teachings and practices known as mudra, or preliminary practices. Following that, the person would have to receive an authentic empowerment into one of these major tantric cycles from a qualified teacher and then receive fairly extensive teaching in first, the deity meditation connected with that cycle.
Then the person would cultivate the experience of their own physical body as the form of the deity, experiencing that as the union of form and emptiness. And this is not something you merely intellectualize. You actually directly experience your physical body as the body of the deity as the union of form and emptiness with no self-nature of its own. You experience, and you learn to experience through this practice your speech as the union of sound and emptiness. And this is accomplished in part by the recitation of mantras, often hundreds of thousands or even millions of mantras over again a long period of time.
As well, you begin to acclimatize yourself to an experience of your ordinary mind as the union of intelligent awareness and emptiness. And you gain control over various states of samadhi or meditative absorption both mundane in their application such as the energies of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing and wrathful or exorcizing energy and also a more sublime experience of the true nature of mind and this must be developed and purified until it becomes very stable.
Tummo/blazing fire practice
Following that, the person would practice what is known as tummo, or the inner heat, and there are various stages to this practice again, all of which take intense practice over a period of time. There is the initial stage of practice which is known as ignition or blazing of the heat. The initial stirring or generation of the inner warmth at the level of the navel. And as this warmth begins to pervade the body, there is an energy concentrated in the crown of the head which begins to flow downwards. And through the use of this technique of tummo, a person becomes extremely proficient in controlling the flow of energy between these two poles in the subtle body. And through this there is an experience of bliss and warmth that is generated and which permeates the whole mind body complex of the individual.
Mastering control of the energies, chakras, and winds and the four joys
As one refines this technique and becomes more specialized or masters the technique more thoroughly, one becomes able to focus upon the various chakras in the subtle body and to, for example, draw the energy from the crown of the head down to the throat. And when this is successfully performed, there is an authentic experience of joy which is simply termed joy technically.
When the energy is further brought down to the heart chakra, there is the experience of sublime joy. When the energy is drawn down to the naval chakra, there is what is experienced as, of what is known technically as special joy, or even more intense joy. And then when the energy is drawn down to and contained within not lost but contained within the genital chakra, there is the experience of what is known as co-emergent (innate) joy.
And in order to successfully practice karmamudra, first, a person must attain the yogic mastery of this technique so that the energy can be brought down to and held in the genital chakra without being lost in the ordinary process of orgasm. And then the person is able to cultivate a non-dual non-conceptual state of awareness.
Then, further there is a process whereby that energy is raised again from the genital chakra to the navel chakra, from the navel chakra to the heart chakra, from the heart chakra to the throat chakra and from the throat chakra to the crown of the head. And so the process is reversed. So, the preparation for karma mudra practice, for this so-called sexual yoga or sexual technique involves mastery over the ability to consciously lower and consciously raise the energy without losing it in the ordinary process of sexual orgasm.
And then once the energy has been raised, it is consciously directed throughout all of the various subtle channels of the body which the Buddhist system numbers as 72,000 subtle channels, or the nadis or subtle channels for the passage of energy throughout the body. And with the realization of and mastery of that technique from the Buddhist point of view, one arrives at the more ultimate purpose of the whole thing, which is not any particular sexual orientation at all, but which is the realization of Mahamudra, not simply the cultivation of that particular experience.
So, it involves a very conscious, very committed process over a long period of time using fairly specific or highly specific techniques in order for a person to truly realize the meaning, or truly realize the value of these sexual practices.
As the translator, I just must say that is perhaps the most complete description of the process that Rinpoche has ever given in public. That is it.
Examples of great individuals who have attained mastery and used these techniques
There are several examples of individuals who have attained enlightenment based upon these practices. One of the most famous in the Buddhist tradition is an Indian king whose name was Indrabhuti. And it is traditionally said that he relied upon 500 of his queens every day and 500 of his queens every night for six years and through this process attained enlightenment because his practice was pure.
In Tibet, we have examples of lay figures such as Marpa, the translator, who was married. In fact, his he had a total of eight wives, all of whom were his consorts in this kind of yogic practice. And he is accredited with having attained Buddhahood in a single lifetime during that very lifetime, largely as a result of these kinds of yogic practice which he undertook. And so the paths exist.
It is a question of whether the individual is capable of meeting the challenge of putting those techniques into use in the proper way. If a person simply thinks that sex is tantra per se, and simply engages in sexual intercourse or sexual activity thinking “oh this is tantra,” they are missing the point and in fact they may be doing themselves a great deal of harm.
From the point of view of the Vajrayana practice, there are some of the most important and crucial guidelines for tantric practice are what are known as the 14 root downfalls. They are couched in in a negative sense in the sense that to commit these or to indulge in these is a downfall or constitutes an obstruction, an impediment in tantric practice.
And the fifth of these involves the misunderstanding of sex and the indulgence in sex especially the experience of the ordinary experience of orgasm which constitutes a great loss of energy which from the point of view of tantric could be harnessed and cultivated in a far more profitable way for the enlightenment of the individual. And so from the point of view of formal tantric practice, the ordinary experience of sex, particularly the experience of orgasm constitutes an impediment to the path rather than an enhancement of it.
So, for someone to misunderstand the point and say tantra is all about sex, therefore sex equals tantra is missing the point. It really is a question of whether the individual is capable of that integrity of practice in order to bring those forces to bear and to channel them into the proper direction for the cultivation of awareness.
Kalu Rinpoche then answers a question about what to do when a deceased person dies. He ends with a response to a question about the qualities of a Buddha and what and how to examine a teacher for the appropriate qualities
Q: When a Vajrayana master speaks of the possibility of attaining liberation in one lifetime by practicing correctly and diligently the tantric approach, what classification or what level of liberation or realization is he indicating?
From the point of view of the individual’s inner experience, their mind, the realization in their mind they could achieve the same realization as the Buddha Shakyamuni. So, we are speaking about nothing less than Buddhahood but from the point of view of the manifestation of that experience in the phenomenal world. Their physical appearance, for example, the Buddha Shakyimuni as a Samyaksam Buddha, as a fully and completely perfected Buddha, manifested a physical appearance which was marked by 32 major and 80 minor marks of physical perfection, such as a protuberance on the crown of his head and the marks of the wheel of dharma on the soles of his feet and the palms of his hands. These were all secondary expressions of his inner realization that manifested on a physical level.
This would not be the case of an individual who through tantric practice attained Buddhahood in a single lifetime. On the level of their mind, the inner realization the attainment would be the same. But in terms of how that translated into phenomenal reality and how it expressed itself in the perceptions of others, it would not be the same.
From the Buddhist point of view, traditionally a Samyaksam Buddha, such a completely and perfectly realized Buddha with the full expression on the physical and verbal level of that enlightened experience. Such a Buddha does not appear until the teachings of the previous Samyaksam Buddha have completely disappeared and there has been a period of decline, a period of absence of spiritual teachings followed by a kind of renaissance, a kind of revivification of the teachings.
For example, the Buddha Shakyamuni having appeared and taught once the Buddha Shakyamuni’s teachings have completely died out and there is a long interval of the absence of those teachings at a certain future point the Buddha Maitreya will appear as the next Samyakam Buddha in that interval according to the Buddhist teachings such a phenomenon as a Samyakam Buddha will not appear however it is conceivable that many individuals might have the inner experience of Buddha awareness.
Q: How can a person distinguish between an authentic teacher and teaching and ones that are not authentic?
“It is important that the teacher that one follows be as authentic as possible. It may be impractical to assume that one is going to meet a perfect teacher. But at least one should meet a teacher who has authentic lineage, who has received an historical transmission of teachings, who has put them into practice, who has not him or herself developed any wrong views on the basis of that practice, any misunderstanding or incorrect understanding or misinterpretation of the teachings, but has received them and understood them purely and practiced them purely.
Such a teacher should not be such a person whose activity or whose conduct or whose teaching has put them at complete odds with their teachers. So that there has been a rift because they have so mangled the teachings that they have received, and their own teachers have disowned them. So one should watch for that sign of authentic lineage. That there has been a recognized transmission and one should check out the character of the teacher to make sure that the person is compassionately and altruistically motivated. And not simply out for their own benefit or their own gain in the situation.
So, in terms of teachers it is very important for the student to check out the teacher. Certainly before you rely upon a teacher, before you accept someone as a teacher, you should check them out and make sure that they do at least meet these minimum criteria of having good character, having sincerity, having commitment to their path, having properly understood the teachings that they have received and being people who present them in a correct and proper way. So it is up to the individual before they before he or she relies upon a teacher to examine that teacher’s character and conduct and teachings to determine whether or not they feel comfortable with relying on that teacher.
And that is really the most accurate way that an individual can go about choosing a teacher is just to really be critically and intelligently examining the teacher and the teachings to determine whether they are authentic.
I am impressed with the questions that I have received so far, and I am sorry that I will not have a chance to address the other ones which were uh put forward. Just to refer to the previous question about choosing a teacher, it is important.
Of course, it is difficult to know exactly as an individual beginning the spiritual path just what criteria to use in choosing a teacher. It is difficult to know whether your own assessment is accurate or not. But really you have to go on your own assessment of the situation and also the assessment of those around you.
If you hear about a teacher who is quite renowned for their spiritual qualities and they seem to have a large following of people who seem to be benefiting very directly from their teachings, then you have a fairly authentic rule of thumb for deciding whether that teacher is going to be useful to you or not. Whether relying upon that teacher will be valuable. The historical origins of the teacher’s lineage of the particular personal background of the teacher. Understanding more about the lifestyle and conduct of the teacher. In this way people can get a general impression which is usually fairly accurate of whether a teacher is an authentic one and particularly whether that teacher is going to be a valuable teacher for them.
One important quality which one would hope to find in all spiritual teachers is an overwhelming concern with the spiritual as opposed to the mundane. If a person claims to be a spiritual teacher but seems to be completely preoccupied with mundane, or worldly or selfish pursuits and does not seem to have a character that is motivated by selfless, altruistic compassion for others then that is a fairly good indication of whether the teacher is authentic or not. You really look for those basic qualities of a sincere, selfless, altruistic, and compassionate motivation. And that perhaps is the basic quality that one would require of any spiritual teacher.
I encourage all who have shown this interest in the teachings of the Buddhist tradition to continue to explore these teachings. to study and practice them to discover ways to implement them in your lives. Seek out qualified teachers and follow their instructions, study on your own, practice, cultivate this experience in yourselves. Please do keep this in mind as this is the point of my coming and teaching is to encourage this kind of searching and this kind of study and practice in others.”