Secret Nucleus: The Inception of the Peaceful Deities

Samantabhadra, the glorious, supreme, and completely perfect buddha, manifested in and of himself, through the blessings of his natural expression and compassionate spirituality, without moving from the great palace of reality’s expanse.43 As an ornament of the Dense Array of buddha body, speech, and mind, he assumed the forms of the buddhas of the five enlightened families and was empowered through his mighty dominion, which is none other than the natural maṇḍala, where the indestructible reality of the mind of all the buddhas of the ten directions and four times is indivisible.

To bodhisattvas of the fruitional [levels], such as Vajrapāṇi,45 he then taught the Net of Magical Emanation of Vajrasattva, including the [[[Tantra]] of the] Secret Nucleus, which is excellently endowed with profound and extensive doctrines.

THE CYCLE OF THE NET OF MAGICAL EMANATION

In general, the cycle of the Net of Magical Emanation includes four primary texts (rtsa ba sgyu sprul sde bzhi):46

1. The Glorious Tantra of the Secret Nucleus in twenty-two chapters, [an extract from] the Net of Magical Emanation of Vajrasattva, which is the fundamental tantra text of [the entire cycle of] the Net of Magical Emanation in one hundred thousand [verses], reveals all things of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa to be indivisible in their appearances. Its earliest translation [from Sanskrit into Tibetan is attributed to Buddhaguhya and Vairocana, the intermediate translation to the master Padmasambhava and Nyak Jñānakumāra, and the later translation to Vimalamitra and Ma Rinchen Chok, working alongside Nyak Jñānakumāra. These three translations were prepared on the basis of collaboration between Tibetan translators and Indian scholars.

2. The Tantra of Vairocana from the Net of Magical Emanation extensively reveals ritual activities and communion ceremonies.

3. The Tantra of the Goddess from the Net of Magical Emanation, in thirteen chapters, intimates the emanational display of reality.

4. The Tantra of Mañjuśrī from the Net of Magical Emanation, otherwise known as the [[[Tantra]] of the] Litany of the Names of Mañjuśrī, all-pervasively reveals the vehicles that lead to buddhahood.

There are also eight tantras ancillary to the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus:48

1. The Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eight Chapters perfectly reveals the maṇḍala.

2. The [[[Tantra]] of the] Supreme Spiritual Teacher, in thirteen chapters, clearly reveals the empowerments.

3. The Tantra of Supplementary Points from the Net of Magical Emanation, in thirty-three chapters, emphasizes the commitments.

4. The Tantra of the Ocean from the Net of Magical Emanation, in twenty-two chapters, clearly reveals the generation stage of meditation.

5. The [[[Tantra]] of the] Mirror of Vajrasattva, in thirteen chapters, clearly reveals the deities’ body colors and symbolic hand-held emblems.

6. The Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eighty-Two Chapters extensively reveals buddha attributes.

7. The Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Forty-Six Chapters perfectly reveals buddha activities.

8. The Tantra of Penetration from the Net of Magical Emanation, in twenty-six chapters, discloses the path of skillful means.

[Elsewhere] a set of four exegetical tantras (bshad rgyud sde bzhi) is also enumerated, among which:49

1. The Tantra of Supreme Emanational Display from the Net of Magical Emanation, in thirteen chapters, immediately presents the path of liberation (grol lam cig char du ston pa rgyud sgyu ’phrul rol pa chen po).

2. The aforementioned [[[Tantra]] of the] Mirror of Vajrasattva gradually presents the path of liberation (grol lam rim gyis pa me long).

3. The Tantra of Penetration from the Net of Magical Emanation immediately presents the path of skillful means (thabs lam cig char ba thal ba).

4. The Tantra of the Ocean from the Net of Magical Emanation gradually presents the path of skillful means (thabs lam rim gyis pa rgya mtsho).

In addition, there are also the Tantra of the Attainment of the Mighty Lords of Yoga through the Power of the Precious Wrathful Deities and the Kingly Tantra concerning the Power of the Wrathful Deities.50 This all refers to the [cycle of] the Net of Magical Emanation.

In addition, there are seventeen other tantras [of Mahāyoga that are in conformity with it.51

[In terms of the Derge xylographic edition of the Collected Tantras of the Nyingmapa:]52

Volume 9 (TA) contains the Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus in twenty-two chapters (ff. 1–31b), along with Lochen Dharmaśrī’s Ornament of the Enlightened Intention of the Lord of Secrets (ff. 31b–174b) and the first part of his Oral Transmission of the Lord of Secrets (ff. 175a–355).53

Volume 10 (THA) contains [the second part of the Oral Transmission of the Lord of Secrets, ff. 1–113b], the [[Tantra of the Net of Magical] Emanation]] in Eight Chapters (ff. 114a–123a), the [[[Tantra]] of the] Litany of the Names of Mañjuśrī (ff. 123a–135a), the Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Forty-Six Chapters (ff. 135a–182b), the Tantra of Supplementary Points from the Net of Magical Emanation (ff. 182b–238b), the Tantra of Supreme Emanational Display (ff. 239a–279b), and the Tantra of the Ocean from the Net of Magical Emanation (ff. 279b–313).54

Volume 11 (DA) contains the Tantra of the Goddess from the Net of Magical Emanation (ff. 1–34b), the Tantra of the Supreme Spiritual Teacher (ff. 34b–60a), the [[[Root Tantra]] of the] Secret Nucleus (ff. 60a–82a), the [[[Tantra]] of the] Mirror of Vajrasattva (ff. 82b–148a), the Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eighty-Two Chapters (ff. 148b–248b), the Tantra of Penetration from the Net of Magical Emanation (ff. 249a–294a), the Attainment of the Mighty Lords of Yoga (ff. 294a–296a), and the Kingly Tantra concerning the Power of the Wrathful Deities (ff. 296a–297b).

COMPILATION AND PROPHETIC DECLARATION

Those tantras that were [initially] revealed in the Akaniṣṭha realm were compiled by Vajrapāṇi, who transmitted them to a retinue of ten million in Alakāvatī and then conferred them on five noble beings at Mount Malaya.55 Consequently, the texts were inscribed by the ogre Matyaupāyika and invisibly sealed in space through the expressive powers of his enlightened intention.56 Then, when Buddha Śākyamuni was about to pass into nirvāṇa, he intentionally exhorted his followers to cut off their doubts, whereupon the king of awareness holders Kujara asked five questions, the first of which concerned the time when the secret mantras would appear. In reply, [the Buddha prophetically declared that, in general, doubt could arise concerning the twelve future circumstances (byung tshul bcu gnyis) [surrounding the appearance of the secret mantras, one of which in particular would concern [their appearance in association with great and definitive predictions (lung che nges par bstan pa).57 This prophecy contained the following words:

One hundred twelve years from now,

When I have vanished from here,

A quintessential sacred doctrine,

Renowned in the three divine realms,

Will be revealed, as presaged,

To the one named King Ja,

A fortunate child of enlightened heritage, a member of the human race,

At Jambudvīpa’s eastern frontier!58

Accordingly, when the one known as King Ja59—the son of Indrabhūti the Great, the king who had been liberated along with a mass of beings, one hundred thousand in number, through the Buddha’s teachings of the way of secret mantra—was residing at the place called Mount Malaya in the land of Sahor, adorned with many wondrous attributes, he had seven extraordinary dreams.60

THE SEVEN DREAMS OF KING JA AND THE CONSEQUENT REVELATIONS

Among them, he first dreamed that glorious Vajrapāṇi arrived at the summit of that mountain, emanating blue light from his entire body, whereupon the whole world was incinerated and disappeared. The sound of his speech resounded like a thousand peals of thunder, and a fiery vajra arose from his mind, dissolving into the king’s heart. He then dreamed that burning sunlight dissolved into the crown of his head, and a dazzling moonbeam shone, dissolving into the soles of his feet, whereupon the whole of phenomenal existence surged up from within his abdomen.

Second, he dreamed that all the tathāgatas were engaged in a doctrinal discussion and that, riding upon the sun and the moon, they turned the wheel of the sacred doctrine, while steering the three planes of existence toward their zenith.

Third, he dreamed that the light of the heavens was obscured by the color of golden clouds (hiraṇyagarbha, gser gyi snying po can); that he could easily hear the sound of miraculous thunder, its resonance pleasant and satisfying; that a mist of assorted jewels closed in; that the light of a beryl gemstone descended; that lightning flashed, illuminating phenomenal existence; and that a rain of jewels manifestly fell [from the heavens.

Fourth, he dreamed that the whole of the world was transformed in accordance with the sacred treatises; that a burning bejeweled lamp dispelled the darkness of phenomenal existence; that a stream of medicinal nectar flowed, curing the chronic heart ailments of all living beings; and that all beings were indeed proclaimed as yogins of [the vehicle of] indestructible reality.

Fifth, he dreamed that a solar disk, endowed with light rays formed of various jewels, shone forth from within the clouds, and in its midst there was a bejeweled purple treasure casket, in the shape of the auspicious knot motif (dpal gyi be’u), with an effulgence of light, illuminating it in its entirety—inside and out. From within it, many naturally sealed books, inscribed in ink of molten blue beryl on golden paper, cascaded like shooting stars falling to the ground.

Sixth, he dreamed that many bodhisattvas and limitless awareness holders, gods, and goddesses proclaimed the limitless enlightened attributes of those books, and they engaged in offerings, eulogies, circumambulations, and recitations.

Seventh, he dreamed that the sound of prophetic declaration resonated from the midst of celestial clouds, proclaiming:

O you who are endowed with good fortune

And an inheritance of excellent past actions,

Noble being of great merit

Whose appearance has been prophesied by the Conqueror,

Your emanation has been accurately predicted!

I shall teach you, fortunate one,

A sacred quintessential teaching,

Through the blessings of my miraculous abilities,

In order that it might serve as a quintessential [instruction]

To benefit [the beings of] cyclic existence,

Manifesting at this present time!

In a sacred place—the great wilderness

At the summit of Mount Malaya—

You should earnestly cultivate the mysteries

Of the cycle of the nucleus of pristine cognition,

Which have a sanctity that is to be kept secret!

Thereupon, the mirror of your mind will attain manifestly clear realization,

And immediately thereafter you will become the equal of the buddhas.

In the pure land known as Sukhāvatī,

You will be transformed on [the level of] all-knowing supreme bliss,

Where you will be known as King of Light!

This repository of sanctity,

The mysteries of the most secret vehicle of] indestructible reality,

Should be divulged through lineal succession

To one or two awareness holders among the gods and humans!61

When [that casket] actually fell upon the roof of the royal palace, the king found a cubit-high image of Vajrapāṇi, fashioned of purple jewels, along with the self-arisen volumes containing the eighteen tantra sections of Mahāyoga. After performing extensive communion ceremonies, he practiced for seven months, in consequence of which he perceived the symbolic meanings contained in the chapter entitled “The Vision of the Face of Vajrasattva, from the Net of Magical Emanation” (sGyu ’phrul drva ba rdo rje sems dpa’ zhal mthong gi le’u). By practicing again in the same manner, he had a vision of Vajrasattva, and he offered supplication that he might understand the volumes in their entirety. Thereupon, Vajrasattva said:

Child of enlightened heritage,

You should refine your psychophysical aggregates in this manner!

Your teacher is the Lord of Secrets—

He will reveal all points without exception!

So it was that, when he had refined his psychophysical aggregates through the generation stage of meditation in the same manner, a mighty earthquake resounded and he actually beheld the visage of Vajrapāṇi, whereupon he undertook the conduct of ascetic discipline pertaining to Vajrapāṇi. Brandishing his vajra toward the heavens and reciting mantras and paeans that commenced with the words “HŪṂ HŪṂ Subduer of Indestructible Reality!” Vajrapāṇi gathered all the arrogant mundane spirits within his retinue, just as a magnet attracts iron. He designated the indestructible mysteries individually and opened the portal of their secret transmission. Extensively explaining three hundred repositories of sacred teachings, he taught the eighteen tantra sections [of Mahāyoga and so forth. So it was that Vajrapāṇi conferred these teachings on King Ja.

THE INDIAN TRANSMISSION

King Ja conferred the teachings on Kukkurāja and a mass of one hundred thousand followers, and then attained liberation.65 Kukkurāja conferred the teachings on Indrabhūti the Younger and his retinue of ten thousand, and then attained liberation. The latter in turn conferred the teachings on Siṃharāja and his retinue of one thousand, and then attained liberation. He conferred the teachings on Uparāja and his retinue of five hundred, and then attained liberation. He in turn conferred the teachings on Gomadevī, daughter of King Indrabhūti [the Younger], and her retinue of one hundred, and then attained liberation. All of these lineage holders practiced the teachings along with their specific retinues, and they attained the level of the awareness holders. The last mentioned conferred the teachings on master Buddhaguhya,68 and from then on the lineage has continued in succession.

AN EXEGESIS BASED ON THE TITLE

The second main topic [of Book 15] comprises an exegesis of the title [of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus, which is offered in order that those of highest acumen might understand [the content of the tantra merely through the exposition of its title. [It comments on the verses:]

There are three points regarding the designation [of this text]:

These concern the definition of [the expression]

Vajrasattva, from the Net of Magical Emanation

In terms of ground, path, and result,

Provisional and definitive meaning, and the two truths,

Along with the greatness [of the tantra

And the encapsulation [of its actual meaning].

It is said in the Illuminating Lamp of the Fundamental Text:

For those of highest acumen, the title [of the text]

Is known to convey the following three concepts:

It denotes the nucleus of the Net of Magical Emanation,

It denotes the universal tantra among all the scriptures of Mahāyoga,

And through it the entire content [of the text] may be understood,

Just as [[[Wikipedia:ailments|ailments]] may be diagnosed] by the pulse palpation of the arm.

It is intended for those of good fortune.

Accordingly, the exposition of the title [of this text] is offered on the basis of the following three points:70

THE MEANING OF “NET OF MAGICAL EMANATION OF VAJRASATTVA”

[The first point concerns the meaning of the expression “Net of Magical Emanation of Vajrasattva.”] In terms of the ground, vajra (rdo rje) denotes the continuum of the ground (gzhi rgyud)—the primordially unconditioned and spontaneously present seed of buddha nature (sugatagarbha)—which is indestructible and imperishable like a vajra. Sattva (sems dpa’) has three connotations, in that its functions are to demonstrate, to subsume, and to realize. Among these, with regard to the ground, it demonstrates that all the enlightened attributes of buddha body and pristine cognition are naturally perfect and unchanging at all times.

In terms of the path, vajra denotes the continuum of the path (lam rgyud), the realization of the marvelous modality of the vehicle of indestructible reality (rdo rje)—the fruitional vehicle resembling the conclusive result that is the enlightened intention of the Conqueror, whereby all things of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa attain primordial buddhahood. Sattva denotes the volition (sems pa) through which one qualitatively meditates on the nature of reality, and the heroic steadfastness (dpa’ ba) that is maintained in conduct.

In terms of the result, Vajrasattva denotes the continuum of the result (’bras bu rgyud), implying that all adventitious obscurations have been purified through the profound generation and perfection stages [of meditation and that the seed of awareness (rig khams) has actualized the conclusive, natural, and fruitional buddha bodies, buddha fields, pristine cognitions, buddha attributes, and buddha activities, without fluctuating. Thus the genuine being of indestructible reality Vajrasattva refers to this state in which there is actually no difference between the teacher and the oceanic retinue.

Briefly stated, the title is designated as such because it is the pure enlightened intention of this tantra text to reveal that cyclic existence, nirvāṇa, and the path—all three—are primordial buddhahood in the nature of Vajrasattva. It says in the Exegetical Tantra Entitled Mirror of Vajrasattva:

All phenomena without exception are the nondual intrinsic awareness—

The nature of the mind set on enlightenment.

It is explained that the term “indestructible reality” (vajra)

Indicates the natural state in which these are not differentiated.72

As for [the other part of] this expression “Net of Magical Emanation” (sgyu ’phrul drva ba), it denotes both the Net of Magical Emanation of definitive meaning (nges don gyi sgyu ’phrul drva ba)—in which the emptiness that is the expanse of discriminative awareness and the naturally present pristine cognition that is the awareness of skillful means are coalesced—and the [[Net of Magical [Emanation]] of symbolic provisional meaning (drang don brda’i sgyu ’phrul drva ba), in which the male and female deities indicative of that [coalescence] are themselves coalesced in union. Through the impartial causal basis of the five elements which manifest like a magical display (sgyu ma), the five psychophysical aggregates emanate (’phrul pa) in all ways. These form a net (drva ba) because they combine both causal and fruitional aspects.

Alternatively, “magical display” (sgyu ma) denotes the [[[Wikipedia:excellent|excellent]]] provisions of realization (rtogs tshogs), while “emanation” (’phrul pa) denotes the deities, and “net” (drva ba) denotes the nature in which these are integrated without duality. As is said in the Tantra of Supplementary Points from the Net of Magical Emanation:

With regard to the pristine cognitions

Associated with the fivefold illusory aggregates,

Intrinsic awareness skillfully emanates as the five enlightened families.

In chapter 4 [of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus, it is explained that “magical emanation” (sgyu ’phrul) denotes the male buddhas and “net” (drva ba) denotes the female buddhas.

Briefly stated, the point is that although all things of phenomenal appearance, cyclic existence and nirvāṇa, appear as a mere magical emanation (sgyu ma’i ’phrul pa), in which the relative and ultimate truths are indivisible and inseparable, without having to adopt positive actions and reject negative actions, they always remain coalesced in the net (drva ba) of supreme purity and sameness, which is pristine cognition (dag mnyam ye shes chen po). The title is designated in accordance with this definition because all the words and meanings expressed in the entire content of this tantra text entail the realization that all magical emanations, which are expressive appearances of Vajrasattva, in whom all things are primordial buddhahood, are inseparably coalesced in a net of common savor.

THE GREATNESS DENOTED BY THE TITLE

The second point concerns the greatness that is denoted by the title. In this regard, [the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus is designated as] the universal tantra among all the scriptures. As is said in the [[[Tantra]] of the Mirror of Vajra sattva:

The oceanic tantras that present their individual topics

Are all revealed in this [text], revealed by this [text],

And revealed on account of this [text].

Since all their meanings are perfected in this [text],

This is explained to be the universal tantra

Among all the scriptures.

And in the Extensive Exegetical Tantra [of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eighty-Two Chapters]:

Just as all rivers flow into great oceans,

The Conqueror endowed with intrinsic awareness that realizes sameness

Gathers all the inconceivable vehicles conducive to liberation

In these great skillful means that realize the unsurpassed truth.77

This passage implies that the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus is the universal text among all the scriptures of the vehicle of causal characteristics and the [fruitional] tantras. Since it is endowed with such extraordinary attributes of greatness, the title of the text is designated accordingly.

THE ENCAPSULATION OF MEANING DENOTED BY THE TITLE

The third point concerns the encapsulation of the actual meaning of the text that is denoted by the title. As is said in the Short Commentary:

Because it has precedence,

It is important that the title is expressed at the beginning.

The title that is displayed at the head of a volume should be designated as such because it is important that the name appears at the beginning, insofar as one who knows the title of any person or thing will gradually come to understand the corresponding meaning, and one who does not know the title cannot communicate it to another.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE TANTRA’S CONTENT AND WORDS

The third main topic, which is intended for those of moderate acumen because it merely analyzes [the content and words of the text], comprises (i) an analysis of its content (15.3.1) and (ii) an analysis of the words (15.3.2).

AN ANALYSIS OF THE CONTENT OF THE GUHYAGARBHA TANTRA

Among them, the former comprises (i) the introductory narrative, which is the causal basis for the emergence of the tantra (15.3.1.1); (ii) the initiation of the discourse, which is the condition [for the emergence of the tantra (15.3.1.2); (iii) the comprehensible meanings of the term tantra, which denotes the result (15.3.1.3); (iv) the interrelated purposes of the tantra (15.3.1.4); and (v) the instruction of the retinue and the entrustment of the teachings (15.3.1.5).

CONCERNING THE INTRODUCTORY NARRATIVE

The first of these aspects comments on the verse:

The introductory narrative is the uncommon and common causal basis

[For the emergence of the tantra.

The introductory narrative is endowed with the five excellences (phun sum tshogs pa lnga) in order that the meanings of tantra might definitively emerge whenever the teachers or buddhas and their retinues convene together.79 What, you may ask, is the purpose of the introductory narrative? It is to “confer”—derived from the Sanskrit term dāna (“gift”)—the certainty of conviction upon those who might doubt the canonical authenticity of a text by relating its background narrative, endowed with the five excellences, and to enable the context that is introduced to serve as the causal basis or ground for the emergence of the content of the tantra in question.

When [the introductory narrative of this particular tantra is analyzed, there are uncommon secretive interpretations, applied in the context of the path of skillful means;80 and there are also common [interpretations]. The latter comprise (i) the narrative of the buddha body of perfect resource, also known as the extraordinary introductory narrative on the basis of which the tantra emerges; (ii) the supplementary or coincidental narrative of the wrathful deities that is presented for the sake of those to be disciplined; and (iii) the narrative of the buddha body of emanation, which instructs living beings—the last of these is also well known in the introductory narratives of all the teachings in general.81

CONCERNING THE INITIATION OF THE DISCOURSE

The second aspect, the initiation of the discourse which is the condition [for the emergence of this tantra, comments on the verse]:

The initiation of the discourse—

The actual content of the tantra—

Is both uncommon and common.

Because it takes the form of an interlocution between the teachers or buddhas and their retinues, [the initiation of the discourse does not dependently emerge in accordance with the minds of trainees. What, you may ask, is the purpose of this initiation of the discourse (gleng bslang)? It functions as the condition for the emergence of the teaching—the object of the discourse (gleng bar bya ba) being the content of tantra, and its initiation (bslang ba) taking the form of an exhortation or incitement to engage in discourse.

When analyzed, the uncommon initiation of the discourse has three aspects: [two that occur] when the male and female teachers [or buddhas are welcomed [separately] in front, conferring the profound empowerments on their coemergent retinue, and one that originates from the nonduality of their skillful means and discriminative awareness.83 The common initiation of the discourse refers to the arising of the teacher’s compassionate spirituality in consequence of the retinue’s request that he explain the tantra for the sake of others, at which point he proceeds to teach [the discourse either directly or indirectly.

THE COMPREHENSIBLE MEANINGS OF THE TERM TANTRA

The third aspect, the exegesis of the comprehensible meanings of the term tantra, which results [from the foregoing initiation of the discourse, comprises (i) a general exegesis of the framework of the three continua and (ii) a detailed exegesis of the ten aspects of tantra, which facilitate the path

THE FRAMEWORK OF THE THREE CONTINUA

The former [comments on the verse]:

The term tantra denotes the three continua:

The continuum of the ground or causal basis,

Which is the goal to be realized;

The continuum of the path or skillful means,

Through which [the result] is realized and reached;

The continuum of the result,

Wherein the goal is perfected.

It says in the later translation of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus:

Tantra is explained to mean “continuity”—

Through skillful means and from the causal basis the result is obtained.

So, generally speaking, the term tantra denotes continuity. When analyzed, it comprises (i) the continuum of the ground or causal basis that is to be realized; (ii) the continuum of the path or skillful means through which [the result] is realized and reached; and (iii) the continuum of the result, wherein the goal is perfected.

THE CONTINUUM OF THE GROUND

First, as for the continuum of the ground, the ground is the abiding nature free from bondage and liberation, the intrinsic awareness, enlightened mind and inseparable truth which abides primordially, beyond the perceptual range of the senses. This is the very ground implied in the [[[Wikipedia:equivalent|equivalent]]] terms “seed of buddha nature” (khams bde bar gshegs pa), “seed that naturally abides” (rang bzhin gyis gnas pa’i rigs]]), “pristine cognition of the sub-stratum” (kun gzhi’i ye shes), “actual truth shrouded in impurity” (dri bcas de bzhin nyid), and so forth. It is said to form a continuum (rgyud) because its natural expression streams unchanging, from the [unenlightened] state of sentient beings as far as the enlightened state of buddhahood.86

When this is analyzed, as the master Vimalamitra states in his Three Sequences:

The first [[[Wikipedia:continuum|continuum]]] has two aspects:

The essential ground and the imputed ground.

It is said that the actual reality of mind, the naturally pure seed of buddha nature, refers to the ground of the essential abiding nature (gnas lugs ngo bo’i gzhi), which is likened to a precious gemstone, in that it is a base purified of stains. However, when shrouded in objects of erroneous attachment, it denotes the imputed ground (btags pa’i gzhi) that is subject to bewilderment, because, though nonexistent, it adventitiously appears, just like the mire of impure stains [covering a gemstone] that are to be purified.

Although attachment itself is a continuum that facilitates the formation of cyclic existence and offers a measure of unbroken continuity to the sensory engagement of consciousness, because it is an artificial and adventitious phenomenon, it is not [identified with] the continuum of the causal basis through which the result [of buddhahood is acquired, nor even is its explicit negation in logical analysis by means of genuine emptiness a defining characteristic of the continuum of the causal basis.88 This is because attachment cannot sustain either the causal basis of [fruitional] acquisition or the meaning of continuity.

THE CONTINUUM OF THE PATH

Second, the continuum of the path implies skillful means because it is the coemergent condition that actualizes the very continuum of the result that is the goal. It is [designated as a] path because it is the support on the basis of which the goal is to be reached.

When analyzed, it comprises both the definitive path of skillful means (thabs kyi nges pa’i lam) and the liberating path of discriminative awareness (shes rab rnam par grol ba’i lam).90 It says in the Three Sequences:

The path of liberation is presented as skillful means.

First, as for the path of skillful means, the “wondrous skillful means that liberates beings of inferior realms” facilitates the swift attainment of the result, principally by means of the marvelous ascetic discipline that employs special methods, just as iron can be momentarily transformed into gold through the application of mākṣika (makṣika’i sbyor ba).

When analyzed, this entails gradual training in the yoga of] the upper gate (steng sgo), where blissful pristine cognition is generated in the four energy centers [of the subtle body through practices that control the blazing and descending [of generative essences, based on all six energy centers [of the subtle body.93 It says in the Tantra of the Ocean from the Net of Magical Emanation:

The [[[yoga]] of] the upper gate is known as such

Because the movement of fire and wind through

The six energy centers

And three axial channels of the subtle body

Milks the cow of space.

Also included here is the immediate path of skillful means (thabs lam cig car ba) pertaining to the [[[yoga]] of the] lower gate (’og sgo): Through practices that control the descent, retention, reversal, and pervasion [of the flow of generative fluids] based on [the union of] the male and female pudenda, the pristine cognition of nondual bliss and emptiness is generated in an immediate manner.95 As is said in the Extensive [[[Tantra]] of the Net of Magical Emanation in Forty-Six Chapters]:

These spontaneously present excellences are conferred

By means of the supreme secret empowerment.

Second, the [definitive] path of liberation facilitates the liberation of the fetters of one’s own mind into actual reality by means of the three modes of discriminative awareness (shes rab rnam pa gsum), just as stone may be gradually transformed into gold when placed alongside a kaustubha catalyst.

When analyzed [this path has three aspects]: (i) the causal basis characterized by [discriminative] awareness is the view; (ii) the condition characterized by actual entry into the path is meditative stability; and (iii) the result, brought about through the transformations of the path, denotes the four kinds of awareness holders.

First, concerning the view, the view to be realized by one who establishes through the axioms (gtan tshigs) of appraisal the nature of attachment (zhan snang nyid) which is to be appraised concerns the natural continuum of the causal basis, the actual truth of the abiding nature of reality. The direct, naturally radiant, clear, and naked realization of this through intrinsic awareness, without objective appearance, is the philosophical principle [of this text]. Those who hold that the philosophical perspective of the mantras has merely been differentiated on account of the superiority of their skillful means over the Madhyamaka view stare blindly at the uncommon view of the mantras, which establishes the indivisible truth, the great purity and sameness of the inanimate world and its sentient contents.99

If one were to think that the unchanging awareness [expounded in the tantras refers to the actual truth [expounded in the sūtras, and that there would be no difference [between the sūtras and tantras in their goal of realization because such terms are also found in the profound sūtras of definitive meaning, even though that may be true, even if that is the case, whenever the term “actual truth” (de bzhin nyid) is assigned to the continuum of the causal basis in this vehicle of] the unsurpassed tantras, it refers to the nature of unchanging coemergent, supreme bliss, which is explained to be a distinctive feature of the mantras. As is said in the Mirror of Vajra sattva:

The naturally present uncontaminated reflection of pristine cognition

Abiding in the hearts of corporeal beings

Denotes the supreme bliss of the imperishable vital essence,

The natural expression of the nonabiding buddha body of actual reality,

All-pervasive as space itself.

Second, meditative stability, the condition associated with actual entry [into the path, comprises both devotional meditation (mos bsgom), which entails meditation merely with respect to the general features [of the path, and the definitively perfect training (bslab pa nges rdzogs), which is designed to perfect the meditative stability associated with each distinctive path.

Among them, definitive perfection in this context refers to the fivefold yoga of the path followed by those beings who are still contaminated [by cyclic existence (zag pa dang bcas pa’i lam gyi rnal ’byor lnga). The fivefold yoga comprises (i) great emptiness (stong pa chen po), which is the path corresponding to the experience of inner radiance of the time of death; (ii) illusion-like [great] compassion (snying rje chen po sgyu ma), which similarly corresponds to the experience of the intermediate state [after death; (iii) the single seal (phyag rgya gcig pa); (iv) the elaborate seal (phyag rgya spros bcas); and (v) the attainment of the maṇḍala clusters (tshom bu tshogs sgrub)—the last three of which respectively correspond to the experiences of three phases of life (skyes pa’i rim pa gsum) [namely, conception to the moment of birth, birth to adult maturity, and adult maturity to old age.

Among these, the first four are modes of yoga associated with the path of provisions (tshogs lam), on which the contaminated aggregates and spiritual regression are both present. As is said in the Sequence of the Path:

So it is that on these four paths

The contaminated aggregates are present

And spiritual regression may occur.

The attainment of the maṇḍala clusters, on the other hand, is a yoga associated with the path of connection (sbyor lam), and so it is a path on which spiritual regression does not occur, even though the contaminated psychophysical aggregates are present. And since the period in which one engages in the practice [of Mahāyoga is quantifiable, this is a path through which freedom from the contaminated aggregates can actually be acquired, devoid of obstacles.

Third, the result that is brought about through the transformations of the path denotes the four kinds of awareness holders, [whose realization is] subsumed in the three [higher] paths of insight (mthong lam), meditation (sgom lam), and finality (mthar lam)—free from contamination and devoid of spiritual regression (zag ldog gnyis ka med pa).

In this regard, one who has attained the path of insight, even after seeing the truth of actual reality, may, through greater or lesser power of intelligence, become either an awareness holder of maturation (rnam smin rig ’dzin), still unable to fuse the coarse physical body of impure elements with the fire of pristine cognition, or an awareness holder with power over the life span (tshe dbang rig ’dzin), with the capacity to make this refinement, who has perfected the supreme path, having transformed [the coarse physical body into a body of pure essence, free from birth and decay.105 As is said in the Lesser Sequence of the Path:

The path of insight is twofold—

One on which this [transformative] capacity is attained

And one on which it is not attained.

Then [one who has attained the path of meditation becomes an awareness holder of the great seal (phyag rgya rig ’dzin), endowed with pristine cognition and the illusory body (ye shes sgyu ma’i sku can), while one who has attained the path of finality becomes an awareness holder of spontaneous presence (lhun grub rig ’dzin), assuming the guise of Vajradhara—the spontaneous presence of the five buddha bodies.

Among them, the awareness holder of maturation has the same enlightened intention as a bodhisattva who abides on the Joyful level on the path of insight, according to the causal vehicles. The three other types of awareness holder, starting from the awareness holder with power over the life span, [in general] have the same enlightened intention as a bodhisattva, respectively, of the first level, the eighth level, and the tenth level, according to the causal vehicles. However, there is another distinction made on the basis of their enlightened intention and conduct, according to which it is explained that the awareness holder with power over the life span is the same as a bodhisattva of the eighth level, on the path of meditation, according to the causal vehicles, while the awareness holder of the great seal is the same as a bodhisattva of the tenth level, and the awareness holder of spontaneous presence is the same as [a buddha on the level of Universal Light, on the path of no-more-learning (mi slob pa’i lam).

THE CONTINUUM OF THE RESULT

Third, the continuum of the result refers to the culminating goal that is definitively present in the ground and actualized once the adventitious stains to be purified, which are indicated in the continuum of the causal basis, the ground of purification, have been correctly refined by means of the purificatory methods [of the continuum of the path. Why, you may ask, is this termed the “continuum of the result”? In this context, “result” refers to the conclusive goal toward which one strives, and it is [known as] a continuum because its continuity is never interrupted.109

When analyzed, [the continuum of the result] comprises (i) the supporting buddha bodies; (ii) the supported pristine cognitions; and (iii) the enlightened activities.110

First, the buddha bodies may be three or five in number. The enumeration of three buddha bodies (trikāya, sku gsum) is as follows: (i) The buddha body of actual reality (dharmakāya, chos sku) is a coalescence in which the pristine cognition that is intrinsic awareness (rig pa’i ye shes) is liberated directly in the expanse [of reality. (ii) The buddha body of perfect resource (sambhogakāya, longs sku) is an illuminating form, replete with the major and minor marks, that appears to bodhisattvas of the tenth level, without straying from that buddha body of actual reality.

(iii) The buddha body of emanation (nirmāṇakāya, sprul sku) is the form of the buddha that assumes diverse appearances according to the volition of individual beings. Alternatively, the enumeration of the five buddha bodies (pañcakāya, sku lnga) is obtained by the revelation of two further aspects: (iv) the buddha body of awakening (abhisambodhikāya, mngon byang gi sku), which derives from the distinct apparitional functions of the three buddha bodies, and (v) the buddha body of indestructible reality (vajrakāya, rdo rje’i sku), which derives from the function of their indivisible essential nature.

Second, the supported pristine cognitions in this context comprise the five pristine cognitions (pañcajñāna, ye shes lnga), in which the eight modes of consciousness are inherently pure. These are as follows:

(i) the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse (dharmadhātujñāna, chos dbyings ye shes), which is nonreferential in all respects;

(ii) the mirrorlike pristine cognition (ādarśajñāna, me long lta bu’i ye shes), which is radiantly clear but without ideation;

(iii) the pristine cognition of sameness (samatājñāna, mnyam nyid ye shes), which does not abide in the extremes of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa; (iv) the pristine cognition of discernment (pratyavekṣaṇājñāna, sor rtog pa’i ye shes), which directly and sharply perceives all attributes; and (v) the pristine cognition of accomplishment (kṛtyānuṣṭhānajñāna, bya grub ye shes), which engages in unimpeded enlightened activities for the sake of living beings. These may then be reduced to two pristine cognitions: (i) the pristine cognition that definitively knows the view (ji lta ba mkhyen pa’i ye shes), which is identical to the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse, and (ii) the pristine cognition that quantitatively knows phenomena (ji snyed pa mkhyen pa’i ye shes), in which the subsequent four [modes of pristine cognition are all subsumed.111

Third, the enlightened activities in this context refer to the enlightened actions, derived from the power of perfect renunciation and realization, once the entirety of the two obscurations and all their propensities have been renounced, and all that can be known has actually been perceived. These spontaneous accomplishments emerge as long as space itself endures, in conformity with the good fortune of trainees, and never pass beyond time.112

THE TEN ASPECTS OF TANTRA

The latter [part of the third aspect, the comprehensible meanings of the term tantra is the detailed exegesis of the ten aspects of tantra, which facilitate the path. [This comments on the verse:]

The ten aspects [of tantra comprise view, conduct,

Maṇḍala, empowerment, commitment, offering,

Mantra, meditative stability, enlightened activity, and attainment.

[The ten aspects of tantra,] each of which will be considered in terms of its essential nature (ngo bo), etymology (nges tshig), and classification (dbye ba), comprise (i) a view of reality (de kho na nyid lta ba); (ii) determinate conduct (la dor ba spyod pa);

(iii) maṇḍala array (bkod pa dkyil ’khor);

(iv) successive gradation of empowerment (rim pa brgod pa dbang);

(v) commitment that is not transgressed (mi ’da’ ba dam tshig);

(vi) offerings that are given according to circumstances (gnas su stob pa mchod pa);

(vii) mantra recitation accompanied by the sealing hand gestures that bind [the practitioner to realization (’ching zlos sngags dang phyag rgya);

(viii) unwavering meditative stability (mi g.yo ba ting nge ’dzin);

(ix) enlightened activity that is displayed (rol pa ’phrin las); and

(x) attainment for which one should strive (don du gnyer pa sgrub pa).

VIEW

First, the [explanation of] view is threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of the view] is that the superior ultimate truth (lhag pa don dam bden pa) denotes the nature of mind (sems nyid); it does not come into contact with any extreme [standpoint]; and in its essential nature the seven aspects of spiritual wealth are atemporally and spontaneously present.114 The superior relative truth (lhag pa kun rdzob bden pa) denotes the expressive power of this reality, where the entire apparitional world and its contents manifest in and of themselves as the maṇḍala of buddha body and pristine cognition, so that there is perfection in the sameness of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa. Moreover, these two truths abide in sameness, essentially indivisible, without falling into biased [perspectives], and this indivisibility genuinely transcends the thoughts and expressions that apprehend it.115 Therefore it is only in conventional terms that it can be designated as the “superior indivisible truth beyond the perceptual range of the senses” (lhag pa bden pa dbyer med spyod yul dang bral ba). It says in the Sequence of the Path:

Within the unsurpassed vehicle, there are those

Holding ultimate reality to be indivisible

And relative appearances to include everything,

Both the pure and the impure.

The great vehicle of skillful means, however,

Does not divide even relative appearances

According to purification and affliction.

Such are the higher and lower views.116

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] lta ba (“view”) corresponds to the [[[Sanskrit]] term dṛṣṭi, which conveys the sense of “true abiding nature” and is so named because the view eradicates all superimpositions (adhyāropa, sgro ’dogs) by means of discriminative awareness.

(iii) As for the classification of the view, in the case of those of highest acumen, realization [of the view] should be attained by means of the axioms (gtan tshigs) [of Mahāyoga. Those of moderate acumen should attain this realization by relying on the indications of its nature and fruition. Those of lowest acumen should realize it through the transmissions of the lineage, in which case there exist both the close [[[lineages]] of the treasures and the distant [[[lineages]] of the oral teachings.

CONDUCT

Second, the [explanation of] conduct is threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of conduct] is that it includes all activities of body, speech, and mind maintained by adherents of the spiritual path through the special practices of skillful means and discriminative awareness.

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] spyod pa (“conduct”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term caryā, which means “that which is to be practiced” and is so named because it implies engagement in conduct that accords with ethical discipline.

(iii) As for the classification of conduct, in general, conduct refers to actions through which body, speech, and mind are to be purified. In particular in the context of Mahāyoga, it is explained to include both the conduct of ascetic discipline during the path of skillful means (thabs lam brtul zhugs kyi spyod pa) and the conduct of careful restraint during the path of liberation (grol lam bag yod kyi spyod pa).118 The latter itself entails seven modes of conduct that are gradually adopted (rim gyis pa’i spyod pa bdun), namely, the conduct of faithful perseverance, the conduct in harmony with discriminative awareness, the conduct in harmony with skillful means, the conduct with a single focus, the conduct with an elaborate focus, the conduct associated with the communion ceremonies, and the conduct associated with miraculous abilities; and in addition there is also one mode of conduct that is immediately adopted (cig car ba’i spyod pa), comprising marvelous actions that are free from acceptance and rejection, making eight subdivisions altogether.

MAṆḌALA

Third, the [explanation of] the maṇḍala is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of the maṇḍala is that it denotes the perfect appearance of an array of deities. As is said in the Innermost Point of Buddha Mind:

The essential nature [of the maṇḍala

Is the array that is perfect,

Extracting the nucleus in its seven circumstances.120

(ii) As for the etymology: the Tibetan term dkyil ’khor corresponds to the Sanskrit term maṇḍala—maṇḍa meaning “nucleus” or “essence” and la meaning “holding” or “extracting.” It is glossed as “extracting the nucleus” (snying po len pa) because a maṇḍala is the ground in which essential enlightened attributes are apprehended. Also, since the term maṇḍala may denote a sphere of sounds, visual imagery, or thoughts, it implies a central figure or focal point surrounded by a retinue or periphery.

(iii) As for the classification of the maṇḍala, there are said to be seven modalities, as stated in the Extensive Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eighty-Two Chapters]:

The maṇḍala of intrinsic nature is revealed,

Along with the three maṇḍalas of visual imagery, superior among forms;

The maṇḍala of] meditative stability, superior among meditative stabilities,

The maṇḍala of] enlightened mind,

And [the maṇḍala of] supreme provisions.123

EMPOWERMENT

Fourth, the [explanation of] empowerment is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of empowerment is that maturation is discernibly conferred, actualizing or generating the sprout of liberation [from cyclic existence by means of ritual activities that implant the attributes of the [fruitional] level in the mind [of a neophyte, contingent on the two causal bases and four conditions being gathered together.124

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] dbang (“empowerment”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term abhiṣeka, which denotes sprinkling or anointing, and it is so called because it washes away the stains of body, speech, and mind while implanting the extraordinary capacity for fruitional pristine cognition.

(iii) As for the classification of empowerment, [in general] five empowerments are distinguished, since the vase empowerment (bum dbang) is divided according to the empowerment of beneficence (phan pa’i dbang) and the empowerment of ability (nus pa’i dbang). Then, with regard to the [assembly of] the peaceful deities, there are eighteen empowerments that are conferred, including the ten empowerments of beneficence (phan dbang bcu), the five empowerments of ability (nus pa’i dbang lnga), and the three empowerments of profundity (zab dbang gsum). With regard to the [assembly of] the wrathful deities, the empowerments of beneficence are subdivided into twenty-eight categories, including those of the seats (gdan), the [subservient] devendra forms (lha dbang), the hand emblems (phyag mtshan), the ten accoutrements of the charnel ground (dur khrod chas bcu), and the fifteen sacraments of attainment (sgrub rdzas bco lnga)—making thirty-six empowerments of the wrathful deities altogether.127

COMMITMENT

Fifth, the [explanation of] commitment is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of commitment] is the mind, along with its seeds, that vows not to transgress the particular objectives that are to be guarded.

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] dam tshig (“commitment”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term samaya, which actually denotes an admonition or an oath and its ancillary branches, and it is so called because it indicates the manner in which prescribed laws are not to be transgressed.

(iii) As for the classification of commitments, [here] there are five basic commitments (rtsa ba’i dam tshig lnga) and two sets of five ancillary commitments, making fifteen altogether. Extrapolated therefrom, there is also a further enumeration of three hundred sixty [ancillary commitments, and so forth.

ENLIGHTENED ACTIVITY

Sixth, the [explanation of] enlightened activity is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of enlightened activity denotes the acts of skillful means, which have as their objective chiefly the well-being of others, which is maintained by means of the enlightened mind and great discriminative awareness, originating from the causal basis of the four immeasurable aspirations.131

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term phri las (“enlightened activity”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term karma, which implies having the defining characteristics of physical, verbal, or mental actions, and it is so called because it denotes the motivation of the actor (byed pa po’i ’dod pa).132

(iii) As for the classification of enlightened activity, these are the four rites of pacification (zhi ba), enrichment (rgyas pa), subjugation (dbang), and wrath (drag po). The methodical sequence of ritual activities through which these are implemented includes rituals that are achieved by means of fire [[[offerings]]], sacraments, chains (lu gu rgyud),133 stūpas, and gestures of sealing (phyag rgya).134

SPIRITUAL ATTAINMENT

Seventh, the [explanation of] spiritual attainment is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of spiritual attainment is indicated in the following verse from the later translation of the Tantra [of the Secret Nucleus:

Mundane accomplishments are obtained

By practicing according to the generation stage [of meditation.

The supramundane accomplishment is obtained

By practicing according to the perfection stage [of meditation.

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term bsgrub bya (“objective”) is related to the Sanskrit term siddhi, which conveys the sense of spiritual accomplishment (dngos grub), and it is also related to the Sanskrit sādhana (“means for attainment”), which implies total acquisition (kun tu len pa).

(iii) As for the classification of spiritual attainments, these include the [aforementioned] four great rites (las chen bzhi) [of pacification, enrichment, subjugation, and wrath and eight attainments that are classed as common accomplishments (thun mong gi dngos grub), along with the supreme spiritual accomplishment (mchog gi dngos grub), through which the buddha bodies and pristine cognitions are actualized.

MEDITATIVE STABILITY

Eighth, the [explanation of] meditative stability is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of meditative stability] denotes the one-pointed mind that abides without straying from its particular objective.

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] ting nge ’dzin (“meditative stability”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term samādhi, which conveys the sense of a balanced or equipoised mental state (mnyam pa’i blo) and is so designated because it means that the mind is one-pointedly focused.

(iii) As for the classification of meditative stability, it includes the generation stage of meditation (bskyed rim), where there are four methods of purifying propensities associated with the four birthplaces (skye gnas bzhi’i bag chags sbyong tshul bzhi), and the perfection stage of meditation (rdzogs rim), which includes both the path of skillful means and the path of liberation.139

OFFERINGS

Ninth, the [explanation of] offerings is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of offerings pertains to the veneration of all who are worthy recipients of offering, and the wish to make such offerings, in consequence of which [the recipients of offering are pleased by means of body, speech, and mind and also by the gifts that are offered.140

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] mchod pa (“offering”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term pūjā, which conveys the sense of veneration and is so designated because it indicates that offerings are presented to their [appropriate] recipients.

(iii) As for the classification of offerings, in general, there are mundane and supramundane offerings, while in particular, there are other enumerations, such as the outer offerings of everyday resources (phyi nyer spyod), the inner offering of nectar which is a sacrament of commitment ([[nang dam] rdzas [bdud rtsi]]), and the secret offerings of profound union and liberation (gsang ba sbyor sgrol zab mo); or the fourteen offerings appropriate for the peaceful and wrathful deities (zhi khro’i mchod pa bcu bzhi).

MANTRA AND SEALING HAND GESTURES

Tenth, the explanation of mantra and sealing hand gestures is also threefold:

(i) The essential nature [of mantra denotes the combinations of Sanskrit syllables indicative of skillful means and discriminative awareness, and the powerful abilities that come about through their blessing. The essential nature [of sealing hand gestures is the means by which awareness does not transgress the authentic visualization of the deity’s body, in which all the four seals are fully perfected.142

(ii) As for the etymology, the Tibetan term] sngags (“mantra”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term mantra and is so designated because it is a means of protecting (tra) mental consciousness (man) with ease and swiftness. The Tibetan term] phyag rgya (“sealing hand gesture”) corresponds to the Sanskrit term mudrā and is designated as such because it denotes a symbol that executes, signifies, or securely seals [the visualization in such a way that it will be hard to transgress.

(iii) As for the classification [of mantra and sealing hand gestures, in general, the former includes secret mantra (guhyamantra, gsang sngags), gnostic mantra (vidyāmantra, rigs sngags), and mnemonic incantation (dhāraṇīmantra, gzungs sngags), and in particular, it includes the mantras through which these modalities are accessed, that is, the primary mantras, which are the unerring causal basis [of the deities (rgyu ma nor ba rtsa ba); the secondary mantras, which generate [the visualization of the deities (bskyed pa rkyen); and the mantras associated with recitation and rituals (bzlas ba las kyi sngags).

As for the sealing hand gestures, in general, they include the seals of intrinsic nature (rang bzhin gyi phyag rgya), the seals of the view (lta ba’i phyag rgya), and the fruitional seals (’bras bu’i phyag rgya), which derive respectively from three distinct circumstances, namely, the amalgam of realization (rtogs tshogs) that abides atemporally in the maṇḍala of the deities, the process of realization, and its actualization.145 In particular, with reference to the superior meditative stability, it says in the Clarification of Commitments:

There are four kinds of seal:

The commitment seal [of buddha mind,

The action seal [of buddha activity,

The doctrinal seal [of buddha speech,

And the great seal of buddha body.146

THE INTERRELATED PURPOSES OF THE TANTRA

The fourth aspect [of the third main topic, see above, p. 17] concerns the interrelated purposes of the tantra. [It comments on the verse:]

There are four interrelated aspects [of tantra:

The expressed meaning, the purpose, and the [two] innermost purposes.

In this context, the expressed meaning (brjod par bya ba) denotes the continuum of the natural [ground] that is illustrated [in this tantra text], and the expressive words (rjod par byed pa) denote the tantra text itself, which is composed of illustrative syllables in order that the meaning might be comprehended.147

The purpose (dgos pa) is to understand the expressed meanings dependent on the expressive words. The subtle innermost purpose (nying dgos phra mo) is to attain the common spiritual accomplishments by experientially cultivating the meanings one has understood in that manner. The supreme innermost purpose (nying dgos mchog) is to actualize the supreme spiritual accomplishment of the great seal, in which [the paths of] learning and no-more-learning are integrated.

Now, the expressed meaning and the expressive words are interrelated, respectively as the object of knowledge and the means of knowing. The expressive words and the purpose are interrelated as skillful means arising from skillful means. The purpose and the innermost purpose are interrelated as one arising from the other. The innermost purpose and the expressed meaning are interrelated on the basis of their essential identity.

Why, you may ask, are these called the interrelated purposes of the tantra (rgyud kyi dgos ’brel)? It is because even when there is no actual attainment of the fruitional and culminating goal, [the goal] is not achieved but the relationship [between the expressed meaning and its expressive words] is still established.

When classified, there are two sorts of interrelated purposes: those that pertain to the path of liberation and those that pertain to the path of skillful means. In this work, the latter is left aside.

THE INSTRUCTION OF THE RETINUE AND THE ENTRUSTMENT OF THE TEACHINGS

The fifth aspect [of the third main topic, see above, p. 17] concerns the instruction of the retinue and the entrustment of the teachings. [It comments on the verse:]

The instruction and entrustment are conferred,

Without vacillating and without lapsing,

Upon three [kinds of recipients].

In order that this nucleus of the teaching might be safeguarded without degeneration, it should be imparted and entrusted to the [appropriate] retinues.149 Why, you may ask, is this called “instruction and entrustment” (gdams gtad)? It is because the instruction is imparted without vacillating from the continuum of the natural [ground] and because it is entrusted with the words “Retain it without lapsing from the continuum of the path!”150

IMPARTING THE INSTRUCTIONS

When classified, this topic has two aspects, among which the first concerns the instruction (gdams pa). Here, the two verses commencing [ch. 22:2]: “O! O! These natural expressions of the ten directions and four times [are the essential nature of the tathāgatas” suggest that the entire content of this tantra text is subsumed in four modes of vision (snang ba bzhi), namely, (i) the vision of bewilderment that is to be purified (’khrul snang dag bya); (ii) the vision of the ground that is to be known (gzhi snang shes bya); (iii) the vision of the path that is to be traversed (lam snang bgrod bya); and (iv) the vision of the result that is to be attained (’bras snang thob bya). In this way, the instruction [of this tantra is imparted without vacillating from the continuum of the natural [ground].

ENTRUSTMENT

Then, concerning [the second aspect,] the [recipients of] entrustment (gtad pa), it says in the Illuminating Lamp of the] Fundamental Text:

These include the [historical] compilers, as well as females

And yogins endowed with the eye [of the doctrine.

Accordingly, this tantra is entrusted to its historical compilers, as well as to individuals of the future who will be endowed with the eye of the doctrine, as well as to the mātaraḥ and the ḍākinī.

AN ANALYSIS OF THE WORDS OF THE GUHYAGARBHA TANTRA

The second section [of the third main topic, intended for those of moderate acumen] concerns the classification [of the tantra based on its actual words. [This comments on the verses:]

Tantras, composed of syllables, words, and phrases,

Include tantras that manifest [as nonverbalized words],

Tantras that [verbally] resonate, and tantras that are symbolic [in form.

[In this case] the root tantra includes the prologue, the main text, and the conclusion.

The prologue includes the title and [verses of] homage.

The main text includes the inception and two modes of diffusion,

Comprising the ground, path, and result of the peaceful and wrathful deities.

The inception includes the introductory narrative,

The initiation of the discourse, and the establishment [of all phenomena.

In the section on the peaceful deities,

The ground has seven chapters, the path has three, and the result has one.

In the section on the wrathful deities,

The ground has one chapter, the path has five, and the result has one.

Together with [the final chapter on] the instruction and entrustment,

The text altogether has twenty-two chapters.

Words (ming) are formed from the aggregate of syllables (yi ge ’dus pa); [syntactically bound] phrases (tshig) from the aggregate of words; and verses, prose, and chapters from the aggregate of phrases. This process continues sequentially until a whole volume [takes shape]. It is on this basis that the literary tantras of textual composition ([[gzhung tshogs yi ge’i rgyud[[) or the tantras of expressive words (rjod byed sgra’i rgyud) which can illustrate the tantras of expressed meaning (brjod bya don gyi rgyud) are formed.

On the basis of its expressive words alone, the following are differentiated:

(i) the meaning of the tantra that manifests in and of itself in the minds of those forming the actual retinue, who have themselves emanated from the Buddha’s pristine cognition;

(ii) the tantra that verbally manifests (sgrar snang ba’i rgyud), that is to say, the tantra text composed of nouns, phrases, and syllables, through which that same [meaning] arises in the form of [[[Wikipedia:ideal|ideal]]] word universals (sgra spyi) in the minds of future trainees;

(iii) the tantra, in conformity with that, which resonates as sound (sgrar grags pa’i rgyud), and is verbalized phonetically through contact of the articulators with their places of articulation and so forth; and (iv) the symbolic tantra text (brdar gyur pa’i rgyud gzhung) functioning as an expressive support for that verbal tantra, in which letters are externally arranged in book form.

Why, you may ask, is the term “verbal tantra” (sgra’i rgyud) so designated? The Tibetan term sgra (“sound”) suggests that the actual expressed meaning manifests and resonates as expressive sound. The Tibetan term] rgyud (“tantra”) suggests either that there is a continuity to the textual composition, including its verses, or that the five component parts of the text, commencing with the introductory narrative, are interrelated in the manner of primary causes, secondary conditions, and results. Elsewhere [it is said that] the expressive words are also designated as tantra because it is through them that the expressed [meaning] obtains the name tantra.

When classified, [this cycle of the Net of Magical Emanation includes both root tantras (rtsa ba’i rgyud) and exegetical tantras (bshad pa’i rgyud). Among them, the root tantra has three sections: prologue (klad kyi don), main text (gzhung gi don), and conclusion (mjug gi don). The prologue includes both the title (mtshan don) and the translator’s verses of homage (’gyur phyag). The main text includes both the inception (’char tshul) and the diffusion (’phros tshul). The diffusion includes both the diffusion of the peaceful deities (zhi ba’i ’phros tshul) and the diffusion of the wrathful deities (khro bo’i ’phros tshul), and each of these is divided according to the three [continua] of ground, path, and result.

The text altogether has twenty-two chapters: The inception (’char tshul) comprises three chapters, including the first, which concerns the introductory narrative (gleng gzhi); the second, which concerns the initiation of the discourse (gleng bslang); and the third, which concerns the establishment [of all phenomena (gtan phab).

Within the diffusion, the ground of the peaceful deities (zhi ba’i gzhi) comprises seven chapters, including the fourth, which concerns the cyclical array of the cloud mass of letters (yi ge sprin gyi dkyil ’khor dgod pa); the fifth, which concerns the attainment (sgrub pa) [of the Net of Magical Emanation; the sixth, which concerns the maṇḍala of buddha mind or meditative stability (thugs ting nge ’dzin gyi dkyil ’khor); the seventh, which concerns the maṇḍala of buddha speech or mantra (gsung sngags kyi dkyil ’khor); the eighth, which concerns the maṇḍala of buddha body or gestures of sealing (sku phyag rgya’i dkyil ’khor); the ninth, which concerns the maṇḍala of illustrative imagery (dpe gzugs brnyan gyi dkyil ’khor); and the tenth, which concerns the conferral of empowerment (dbang bskur ba).

The path [of the peaceful deities (zhi ba’i lam) comprises three chapters, including the eleventh, which concerns the generation stage of meditation (bskyed rim); the twelfth, which concerns the accumulation of the communion ceremony (tshogs bsags pa); and the thirteenth, which concerns the perfection stage (rdzogs rim).

The result [of the peaceful deities (zhi ba’i ’bras bu) comprises one chapter, the fourteenth, which concerns the eulogy (bstod pa) [to the peaceful deities.

The ground of the wrathful deities (khro bo’i gzhi) comprises one chapter, the fifteenth. The path [of the wrathful deities comprises five chapters, including the sixteenth, which concerns the mantras (sngags); the seventeenth, which concerns the maṇḍala (dkyil ’khor); the eighteenth, which concerns offerings (mchod pa); the nineteenth, which concerns commitments (dam tshig); and the twentieth, which concerns enlightened activities (phrin las). The result [of the wrathful deities (’bras bu) comprises one chapter, the twenty-first, which concerns the eulogy (bstod pa) to the wrathful deities.

The twenty-second chapter concerns the perfect entrustment (yongs gtad) [of this tantra for the sake of posterity].

THE INTERLINEAR COMMENTARY

The fourth main topic [of Book 15, see above, p. 5 is an extensive exegesis of the content of the tantra, in the form of an interlinear commentary (’bru ’grel). This comprises (i) the meaning of the title [of the text] (15.4.1); (ii) the meaning of the verse of homage (15.4.2); and (iii) the meaning of the actual text (15.4.3).

THE MEANING OF THE TITLE

First, [the section on] the meaning of the title [comments on the verses]:

There now follows the extensive interlinear exegesis,

Which is for the sake of those of lowest acumen.

As for the meaning of the title,

Glorious refers to all that is perfect;

Secret has two meanings, including concealed;

Nucleus has three meanings;

The real nature has three meanings;

Definitive refers to the conclusive [teachings];

Tantra has three meanings;

And [kingly implies that] this is the king among vehicles.

Root Tantra (Title)

In Sanskrit:

Śrīguhyagarbhatattvaviniścayamahātantrarāja-nāma

In Tibetan:

In English:

The Great Kingly Tantra of the Glorious Secret Nucleus Definitive with Respect to the Real

Interlinear Commentary

The introductory part of this lucid interlinear exegesis that expounds the Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus for the sake of individuals of lowest acumen begins with the presentation of the title of the text. This exegesis of the title includes (i) a general explanation of the implied meaning (dgos pa’i don) and (ii) a detailed presentation of the actual meaning (dngos don).

THE IMPLIED MEANING OF THE TITLE

The former has three aspects:

(i) There are meanings that are understood dependent on names. Just as a bulbous, narrow-based object for pouring water may be understood from the designation jar, so one might extrapolate from the title of this text that all things are revealed to be present within the unique maṇḍala of primordial buddhahood. Those of keenest potential need implicitly realize only that.

(ii) There are names that are understood dependent on meanings. Just as a bulbous object may be understood and labeled as a jar, so the meaning of buddhahood in the primordial maṇḍala is itself understood to be expressed in the title [of this text]. Those of moderate potential need implicitly understand all things simply in terms of their designations, as soon as they have been designated.

(iii) There are names and meanings that are consciously understood to be interrelated. Just as the designation jar and its bulbous shape are not different, so the title of the text and its meaning can be known without differentiation. Those of dull potential need implicitly comprehend, over a prolonged period, the indivisible nature of words and their meanings.

Moreover, those who can understand meanings from names need implicitly know [from the title of this text] that all things are identified as primordial buddhahood, just as the label on a medicine renders it easy to locate, or as the label on a soldier’s arrow renders its provenance identifiable.153

THE ACTUAL MEANING OF THE TITLE

The latter—the detailed presentation of the actual meaning [of the title]—has the following seven aspects:

(i) The term glorious refers to the spontaneous presence of the two buddha bodies of form (gzugs sku gnyis), which appear without straying from the buddha body of actual reality (chos kyi sku), and to all the enlightened attributes that are spontaneously present for the benefit of self and others, abiding with them, in indivisible perfection. It is said in the Tantra of the Rutting Elephant:

Without moving from the buddha body of actual reality,

The fivefold buddha body of form becomes spontaneously present,

And thereby the two kinds of benefit are perfected.

Thus glory displays spontaneity and perfection together.

(ii) The term secret refers to the inconceivable mystery of the mind of all the conquerors, where cyclic existence and nirvāṇa abide in sameness because their abiding nature, the actual truth, is naturally pure from the beginning. Because this reality is profound and hard to fathom, it is most difficult to realize. Therefore it is secret.

As for the modalities of secrecy, there are both “hidden” (gab) and “concealed” (sbas) aspects based on the distinctions between those for whom its realization is not appropriate. Those from whom [this mystery] is hidden include all those individuals whose minds are bewildered. As for the manner in which it remains hidden to them, although the tantra of the natural [ground] that is to be illustrated—the abiding nature and actual truth—abides naturally present, in and of itself, it has been obscured by adventitious obscurations and thoughts and is therefore unperceived, just like a treasure buried underground beneath the house of a pauper. Therefore, it is hidden. As it says in the Tantra of the Awakening of Vairocana:

Those who do not know this modality,

Obscured by puerile ignorance,

Search elsewhere for the buddha,

But he abides therein, completely perfect!

As for the “concealed” sense of secrecy, that which remains concealed is the perfect view of the unsurpassed way of secret mantra, along with its marvelous modes of meditation and conduct. Those from whom it should be concealed include immature recipients, such as practitioners of the lower vehicles, ordinary persons who are lustful, and so forth. This is because [the mystery of buddha mind is not appropriate for their perceptual range. If it were not concealed, they would not consequently be able to withstand false superimpositions and deprecations, and so they would fall into inferior realms, and the secret approach would itself be diminished on account of their investigations. As for the manner in which it remains concealed to them, it is presented symbolically, and so forth. As is stated in the Clarification of Commitments:

The secret mantras are flawless.

For the sake of sentient beings they are kept most secret.

When they are kept secret, their spiritual accomplishment does not fade.

Therefore, for the sake of secrecy,

Various pure symbolic conventions are presented.157

(iii) As for the term nucleus, the Tibetan snying po corresponds to three Sanskrit terms: sāra (“essence”), hṛdaya (“heart”), and garbha (“nucleus”/ “womb”). Among them, sāra conveys the sense of the ground—a single entity from which multiplicity emanates, implying that all things of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa emerge from the continuum of the natural [ground] that is to be illustrated, based on whether it is realized or unrealized, and it may be rendered [in Tibetan as “nucleus” (snying po) because this continuum that is being established is also the emanational ground of all teachings. As is said [ch. 3:18]:

[All doctrines renowned throughout the ten directions

Emanate from the Secret Nucleus.

Hṛdaya conveys the sense of something that is to be cherished—like vitality or the heart, because whatever gateway to the Buddhist vehicles one enters, one cannot go beyond this unique path that reaches the culminating goal; and it may be rendered [in Tibetan as “nucleus” (snying po) because all beings desirous of liberation depend upon it. As is said [ch. 13:16):

This is the most secret result [gained]

By those who well abide in excellent refinement,

Over aeons equal to the number of atoms in the fields,

And by those who perform the ritual service

Of all maṇḍalas without exception.

Garbha conveys the sense of the pith within bark, and it may be rendered [in Tibetan as “nucleus” (snying po) because the establishment of cyclic existence and nirvāṇa in sameness, owing to the primordial purity of the entire amalgam of ideation in the essential nature of the deities, abides at the center or gathers the essence, inasmuch as it is the natural expression of all things.158 It says in the Extensive Tantra of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eighty-Two Chapters]:

All the inconceivable vehicles that lead to liberation are gathered

In these great skillful means that realize the unsurpassed truth.

And in the Tantra of the Indestructible Garland:

The seed that abides in the center of all things

Is pervasive but is not within perceptual range.

(iv) The term the real conveys three distinct meanings: [First,] it denotes the real nature of the causal basis (rgyu’i de kho na nyid) because the result will unfailingly emerge when one settles into the self-originated pristine cognition, where appearances and emptiness are indivisible, uncontrived by the meditating intellect. [Second,] it denotes the real nature of the result (’bras bu’i de kho na nyid) because this reality is naturally present in the fruitional maṇḍala of buddha body and pristine cognition, and there are no erroneous phenomena to be dispelled. [Third,] it denotes the real nature of the common savor of cause and result (rgyu ’bras ro gcig pa’i de kho na nyid) because there is no other phenomenon to be known or accomplished that would detract from this natural pristine cognition of the indivisible truth, and it is devoid of superimpositions and deprecations, inasmuch as it lacks the slightest distinction between cause and result.

(v) The term definitive here refers not, for example, to the [teachings on] skillful means that are not to be squandered, which merely present the provisional meaning for the sake of trainees of low fortune, but to those that present the meaning, just as it was comprehended by the conquerors, for the sake of those of sharpest acumen.162 As it is said [ch. 13:20]:

For all the maṇḍalas of the conquerors, without exception,

Apart from this, there is no secret definitive meaning.

(vi) The term tantra refers to the thread interconnecting the seed of buddha nature (sugatagarbha), which is the continuum of the ground; the scriptural transmissions and realizations, which form the continuum of the path; and the spontaneous presence of the five buddha bodies, which constitutes the continuum of the result.

(vii) The term kingly implies that this tantra text] is the progenitor or apex (rtse rgyal) of all the vehicles. As is said in the Extensive Exegetical Tantra [of the Net of Magical Emanation in Eighty-Two Chapters]:

As for the king of intrinsic awareness

Which realizes the truth of sameness,

Just as all rivers flow into great oceans,

All the inconceivable liberating vehicles without exception

Converge in these great skillful means that realize the unsurpassed truth.163

THE MEANING OF THE VERSE OF HOMAGE

The second part [of the interlinear commentary that constitutes the fourth main point of Book 15, see above, p. 38] concerns the meaning of the verse of homage. [This comments on the verse:]

[Endowed with] renunciation and realization,

Transcending conceptual elaborations,

Spontaneously perfect, and positive at all times—

This homage to supreme Samantabhadra

Completes the prologue.

Root Tantra (Homage)

Homage to the Transcendent Lord, glorious Samantabhadra!

Interlinear Commentary

With regard to this verse of homage [which precedes the text, the term Transcendent Lord (bcom ldan ’das) is explained as follows]: the excellence of [the buddhas’] renunciation refers to the abandonment of the four demonic forces, the two obscurations and their propensities, which have all been subdued (bcom). Among these, the four demonic forces are (i) the lord of death, who interrupts the life span (mṛtyupatimāra, ’chi bdag gi bdud); (ii) the divine prince, who interrupts meditative stability (devaputramāra, lha’i bu’i bdud); (iii) the psychophysical aggregates, which interrupt the attainment of nonresidual nirvāṇa (skandhamāra, phung po’i bdud); and (iv) the afflictive mental states, which interrupt release [from rebirth in cyclic existence (kleśamāra, nyon mongs pa’i bdud). These are designated as having been subdued by the Transcendent Lord because he does not possess them from the beginning.

The two obscurations include the obscuration of afflictive mental states (kleśāvaraṇa, nyon mong gi sgrib pa) and the obscuration of knowledge (jñeyāvaraṇa, shes bya’i sgrib pa). As such these respectively comprise thoughts arising from the particular characteristics of the five poisons and the mind that clings to purificatory antidotes. It says in the Supreme Continuum of the Great Vehicle:

Concepts that concern miserliness and so forth

Signify the obscuration of afflictive mental states;

Concepts that concern the three aspects

Signify the obscuration of knowledge.

By contrast, the excellence of realization that is possessed (ldan) [by the Transcendent Lord comprises the [various modalities of] buddha body and pristine cognition, which are present without conjunction or disjunction. Accordingly, the Tantra of Embrace says:

The excellence of lordship, noble form,

Glory, fame, pristine cognition, and perseverance:

These six are said to be “possessed” [by the Transcendent Lord.

“Lordship” (dbang phyug) refers to the purity of the essential buddha body of actual reality and its pristine cognition of reality’s expanse. “Noble form” (gzugs bzang) refers to the buddha body of perfect resource and its mirrorlike pristine cognition. “Glory” (dpal) refers to the buddha body of awakening and its pristine cognition of sameness. “Fame” and “pristine cognition” (grags dang ye shes) refer to the buddha body of emanation, which performs acts of benefit through its definitive and quantitative understanding, and so to its pristine cognition of discernment. “Perseverance” (brtson ’grus) refers to the unchanging buddha body of indestructible reality itself, which manifests limitless enlightened activities without moving from the expanse [of reality, and so to [the pristine cognition of accomplishment.169

The term “excellence” (phun sum tshogs pa), which is appended to these five [qualities] beginning with lordship, indicates that they surpass the pristine cognition of even sublime trainees.

There are also some who interpret the Tibetan term bcom ldan to indicate only that the [aforementioned negative] objects have been subdued (bcom pa).

The term transcendent (’das) indicates that [the buddhas have transcended all symbols of elaborate conception—cyclic existence and nirvāṇa, acceptance and rejection, or being and nonbeing. It says in the Sūtra of the Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas:

Liberated from existence and quiescence,

Indivisible from the ocean of enlightened attributes,

Transcending all elaborate conceptions,

The Transcendent Lord is spacious quiescence.

The term glorious refers to the extraneous glory (gzhan gyi dpal), associated with the buddha body of form, which, without straying from the expanse of the buddha body of actual reality, spontaneously arises from its disposition.

As to the term Samantabhadra (Kun tu bzang po; the “all-positive” one), the natural inexhaustible wheels of adornment, the buddha body, speech, and mind, are present at all (kun tu) times because they are unchanging in the field of the spontaneous Bounteous Array; and their great resources, which manifest in and of themselves, are positive (bzang po) because they are endowed with perfection. As is said in the Tantra of the Secret of Pristine Cognition:

This nature is unmoving, spontaneously perfect,

And all-positive in its perceptual range.

The term homage means that those translators who resort to this very object [of refuge, i.e., Samantabhadra] sincerely commit their body, speech, and mind. It is not the case, as some opine, that homage is made to the compiler [of the tantra text], because no such custom is observed in Sanskrit sources. The Short Commentary does include an invocation of offering (mchod brjod) to its [compiler] but not as a commentary on this specific verse of homage.174

THE MEANING OF THE MAIN TEXT

The third part [of the interlinear commentary that constitutes the fourth main topic of Book 15, see above, p. 38] concerns the meaning of the main text (gzhung don). [It commences with ch. 1 of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus.]

Source

Secret Nucleus: The Inception of the Peaceful Deities