In this, the last chapter of "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism",
Trungpa addresses for the first time the aspect of Buddhism that is of,
perhaps, the most interest to magicians,the concept of tantra.

Trungpa says, "Finally we reach the tenth and last stage of the Bodhisattva
Path: the death of shunyata and the birth into 'luminosity'. Shunyata as an
experience falls away, exposing the luminous quality of form. Prajna
transforms into jnana or 'wisdom'. The powerful jolt of the vajra-like
samadhi is necessry to bring the bodhisattva into the state of being wisdom
instead of knowing wisdom. This is the moment of bodhi, or 'awake', the
entrance into Tantra."

The basis of Tantra is working with energy, "that which aides in the heart
of all beings, self-existing simplicity, that which sustains wisdom. This
indestructible essence is the energy of great joy; it is all-pervasive, like
space. This is the dharma body of non-dwelling" according to the Tantra of
Vajramala.

As I mentioned in a comment on the last chapter, I see the process as an
interaction of the supernals of the Tree of Life. Form and emptiness
correspond to Binah and Chokmah, and Tantra itself is expressed in Kether.
And, just as the qabalists say that Malkuth is in Kether and Kether in
Malkuth, Trungpa says:

"Tantric wisdom brings nirvana into samsara. This may sound rather
shocking. Before reaching the level of Tantra, you try to abandon samsara
and strive to achieve nirvana. But eventually you must realize the futility
of striving and then become completely one with nirvana. In order to really
capture the energy of nirvana and become one with it you need a partnership
with the ordinary world. Therefore the term 'ordinary wisdom',
thamal-gyi-shepa, is used a great deal in the Tantric tradition. It is the
completely ordinary version of 'form is form, emptiness is empty'; it is
what is. One cannot reject the physical existence of the world as being
something bad and associated with samsara. You can only understand the
essence of nirvana by looking into the essence of samsara."

Alchemical symbolism is also used a lot in the teaching of Tantra. The
transmutation of lead into gold is accomplished not be destroying the lead
but transmuting it. "You do not have to change its metallic quality at all.
You simply transmute it."

As in alchemy, the practice of tantra is predicated on the proper
preparation of the vessel. Without cutting through to shunyata, and then
cutting through shunyata as well, you simply haven't got the capacity to
handle the energies of Tantra in a controlled fashion. Thus, the
consequences of doing so are that your results are not predictable, not
exactly what you set out to accomplish. Sometimes it works, sometimes it
has strange and unexpected effects, and sometimes it doesn't work at all.
Sometimes it backfires and can potentially do a lot of damage.

"If a yogi works with energy without having gone through the shunyata
experience, then it may be dangerous and destructive. For example, the
practice of some physical yoga exercises which stimulate ones energy could
awaken passion, hatred, pride and other emotions to the extent that one
would not know how to express them.The scriptures describe a yogi who is
completely intoxicated with his energy as being like a drunken elephant who
runs rampant without considering where he is going."

In yet another parallel, the Sacred Magic of Abramelin the Mage describes a
series of practices which are to be undertaken only after one has had the
Knowledge and Conversation of the Holy Guardian Angel which prepares one to
understand and control the energies which the practices are designed to
produce. Similar cautionary tales are told in occult circles about dabbling
with these practices before having been properly prepared. Mostly these
stories are exaggerated fantasically, so they cannot be taken at face value,
but they do point to this notion that you'd better really know what you're
doing, just in case you happen, by sheer luck (good or bad), to accidentally
power up the system by playing randomly with the switches.

I think it is important to think about what Trungpa means when he says that
Tantra is "working with energy". In the physical sciences, energy is that
which does work. It comes is very specific forms, is easily quantifiable,
and acts in very specific, highly predictable ways. There is heat, light,
kinetic, atomic energy, and so forth. In occult circles, the term "energy"
is used as if it were something like physical energy, but an energy which
conveniently fails to conform to any consistent rules for its own operation
and can do anything we imagine it does and only when we imagine that it
does. They cannot be quantified at all and there is no independently
verifiable means to determine that they exist at all. There are magical
energies, psychic energies, chi, and the like. Both physical and occult
energies are very far from what Trungpa is talking about.

"When we speak of being highly developed spiritually, this does not mean we
float in the air. In fact, the higher we go, the more we come down to
earth."

The energy of Tantra is not doing work as does physical energy and it is not
in conformance with our imaginations as is occult energy. It is the essence
of what is; it's what makes things real. It is a pattern to how things
unfold and how this unfolding is appreciated by our consciousness.

"As the yogi becomes more sensitive to the patterns and qualities of energy,
he sees more clearly the meaning or symbolism of life experiences. The
first half of Tantric practice, the Lower Tantra, is called Mahamudra, which
means 'Great Symbol'. Symbol, in this sense, is not a 'sign' representing
some philosophical or religious principle; it is the demonstration of the
living qualities of what is. For instance, in the direct perception of a
flower, the perception of naked insight, unclothed and unmasked, the color
of the flower conveys a message over and beyond the simple perception of
color. There is great meaning in this color, which is communicated in a
powerful, almost overwhelming way... Every texture we perceive has some
spiritual implication automatically, and we begin to realize the tremendous
energy contained within this discovery and understanding. The meditator
develops new depths of insight through direct communication with the reality
of the phenomenal world."

In a matter that is startlingly similar to qabalistic correspondences,
Trungpa describes five categories of Tantric energy, five forms in which we
experience reality, which are dubbed the "Buddha Families". These
correspondences describe the qualities of reality in terms of human feelings
and symbolism.

These five are Vajra, Ratna, Padma, Karma, and Buddha.

Trungpa explains each one in depth, but here's a quick overview of the
principle correspondences.

Vajra:
Emotion: Anger
Perfected State: Mirror-like Wisdom
Element: Water
Color: White
Direction: East
Season: Winter

Ratna:
Emotion: Pride
Perfected State: Wisdom of Equanimity
Element: Earth
Color: Yellow
Direction: South
Season: Autumn

Padma:
Emotion: Passion
Perfected State: Disciminating Awareness
Element: Fire
Color: Red
Direction: West
Season: Early Spring.

Karma:
Emotion: Envy
Perfected State: Wisdom of All-Encompassing Action
Element: Wind
Color: Green
Direction: North
Season: Late Spring and Early Summer

Buddha:
Emotion: Dullness
Perfected State: All-Encompassing Space
Element: Earth (possibly Akasha, in some senses)
Color: Blue
Direction: Basic Ground
Season: None specified.

You can make of these what you will but, be reminded, none of this will make
much sense, or be of much use, until one has attained and then transcended
shunyaya.

The questions at the end of the chapter give us some idea of the overall
formula of the spiritual path of Tibetan Buddhism.

Opening, surrender.
Emptying, shunyata.
Integration, tantra.

Quoting Milarepa, Trungpa concludes:

"Insofar as the Ultimate, or true nature of being is concerned, there are
neither Buddhas nor demons. He who frees himself from fear and hope, evil
and virtue, will realize the insubstantial and groundless nature of
confusion. Samsara will then appear to be the Mahamudra itself."