Timeless Rapture: Inspired Verse from the Shangpa Masters

The Shangpa Masters and Their Lineage 225
ferent reasons. Shakyamuni’s four refers to the fact that he is considered the
fourth historical buddha to appear in this era’s series of 1,002; whereas
Vajra Bearer’s six indicates that he gathers in his sole person the qualities
of enlightenment’s five families. Kunga Ö writes, “Vajra Bearer, the sixth,
unites the five families of enlightenment.” For the same reason, we sometimes
see references to Vajra Bearer as the “lord who pervades,” implying
that he masters enlightenment’s every facet, including its many forms of
wisdom and what are called its families.
Finally, songs often begin with homage to the spiritual master as Vajra
Bearer. Although such homage is perfectly sincere, it is not meant to be
taken as a historically verifiable fact, except in the cases of such extraordinary
masters as Niguma and Sukasiddhi. Rather, it is an expression of faith
that needs no independent confirmation of the sort Himalayan tantric
Buddhists are fond of giving, such as affirmations that the Dalai Lama
and Karmapa are incarnations of Bodhisattva Great Compassion. To my
knowledge, no reincarnate master has ever been recognized as Vajra Bearer
incarnate, yet all spiritual masters are cherished and worshiped in prayer
by their disciples as none other than Vajra Bearer, temporarily in human
form. So prevalent is this faith-induced identification of one’s own spiritual
master with Buddha Vajra Bearer that Kunga Ö comments on it. He
first finds support for the practice in a tantra (although he mentions
another buddha, Vajrasattva) and then warns us not to take such pure
vision to the point of expecting our own Vajra Bearer to compose new
tantras:
Should you think that it is inappropriate for [Vajra Bearer] to
appear in ordinary [human] form, having assumed the five psychophysical
aggregates that arise from karma and obscuring emotions,
The Vajra Tent Tantra states:
Why is he called Vajrasattva?
That buddha has assumed the form of a spiritual master.
With the intention to benefit sentient beings,
He lives in an ordinary [human] form.
[You might think that] if that individual is Vajra Bearer [incarnate],
it would be appropriate for him to teach [new] tantras. [However,
this is not the case.] Tantras [must be taught in the context of