Stephen Hodge Tr Maha Vairocana Abhisambodhi Tantra

THE MAHA-VAIROC ANAABHISAMBODHI TANTRA WITH BUDDHAGUHYA’S COMMENTARY

Tr an s la te d by

STEPHEN HODGE

RoutledgeCurzon Taylor & Francis C r o u p

First Published in 2003 by RoudedgeCurzon 2 Park Square, M ilton Park, Abingdon, Oxon, 0 X 1 4 4RN Sim ultaneously published in the USA and C anada by RoudedgeCurzon 270 M adison Ave, New York NY 10016 RoutUdgeCurzon u an imprint o f the Taylor & Francu Group T ran sferred to D igital P rin tin g 2005 (£) 2003 Stephen Hodge Iypesct in Baskerville by LaserScript Ltd, M itcham , Surrey All rights reserved. No part o f this book m ay be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, m echanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in w ritin g from the publishers. British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue rccord of this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data A catalog reenrd for this book has been requested IS BN 0 - 7 0 0 7 - 1 lfW \

CONTENTS

Part I Introduction I General Introduction II Historical Background Date of Com pilation Place o f Com pilation iii. People involved in the transmission of the MVT III About this Translation IV T he Them es and Significance of the MVT P art II T he Maha-Vairocana-Abhisambodhi T antra with Buddhaguhya’s Com mentary Introduction I T he Elucidation o f the Types of Minds II T he Laying-out o f the Mandala III T he Overcom ing of Obstacles IV T he G eneral M antra Treasury V T he A ccom plishm ent of M undane Siddhi VI The True N ature of S\ddht Accom plishm ent VII The Deity Samadh\ VIII The Samadhi W ithout Perceptual Forms IX T he True N ature of M undane and S upram undane Recitation X The Wheel of L>eiters XI T he Mudnis XII T he Dharma Letter Method, ihe A ll-penetrating Gate XIII T he Secret Mandala XIV Entry Into The Secret Mandala XV T he Eight Secret Mudras XVI Entry to U pholding the Secret Mandala XVII T he Ritual Observances for ihe Vtdytu XVIII T he Knowledge of the Master’s True N ature XIX T he Allocation of Letters XX T he Bodhisattva's Training A ccom panied by Expedient Means XXI T he Arising of the H undred Letters XXII The Acquisition of the Result XXIII The Accomplishment of the A rrangem ent of the H undred Letters XXIV Self Accomplishment XXV The Ritual of the Mantra of the H undred Letters XXVI T he Nature of Enlightenm ent XXVII T he Practice of ihe T hree Snmaya\ XXVIII T he Taihagata XXIX T he Homa Rituals XXX The Transmission

1 3 14 14 17 18 25 29

41 43 47 83 153 159 164 166 207 210

213 216 232 250 254 301 304 309 318 326 333 335 344 348 354 364 370 371 373 378 381 3^1

Part III T he Maha-Vairocana-Uttara-Tantra I T he Ritual for the Pacifying Homa II T he Ritual for the Enriching Homa III T he Ritual for the Subduing Homa IV T he Ritual for the Homa of the Fierce Actions V T he Arrangem ent of the M editational Letters and Initiation VI T he Ritual for Recitation VII T he Great M andala from which the Talhagatas Arise

393 395 402 406 409 413 417 419

Part IV T he Pindartha: Buddhaguhya’s C ondensed Commentary on T he Vairocana-Abhisambodhi T antra Introduction A. Theoretical Basis The Cause of Vairocana T he Essential N ature of Vairocana T he Causes of E nlightenm ent iv. T he Essential N ature of Perfect Enlightenm ent v. The Manifestation of Enlightenm ent B. T he Practical Application T he Rituals for the Mandala and Initiation T he Practices to Propitiate the Mantras Conclusion

445 447 451 451 461 465 466 471 475 475 51 I 537

Nnles

538 563

Part I INTRODUCTION

I G EN E R A L IN T R O D U C T IO N D uring ihe last thirty years there has been a revolution in the understanding and appreciation of the Buddhist lantras in the West. W hereas they had been regarded in the past with suspicion and disdain by those who saw them as the hybrid products o f a degenerate form o f late Indian Buddhism , they are now the focus of great interest am ong both the growing band of Western Buddhists following the Tibetan tradition and the smaller num ber of Western academics specializing in Buddhist and related studies, as will be evident from even a cursory glance at bibliographies of works on Buddhism now in print. However, this new interest in the Buddhist lantras still has many lim itations and unfortunately a detailed description o f the develop­ m ent of tantric thought and practices is far from being com plete. This situation will not be rem edied until much more textual work has been done by the few scholars who have access to the original materials surviving in the various Asian languages. Moreover, almost w ithout exception, present-day scholars in the West have relied solely on Tibetan materials and such Indie texts as have survived the ravages of time for their studies on the lantras. While much valuable work has thus been produced by these scholars, they do present a somewhal one-sided view of Tantric Buddhism as they have tended lo concentrate on ihe m ore spectacular Anuttara-yoga taniras. For apart from these, there is also a wealth o f o th e r tantric literature preserved in T ibetan sources, dealing with the Kriya, Carya and Yoga lantras, lhal awaits detailed exploration and translation. Additionally, the neglect of the vast am ount of literature related to Tantric Buddhism available in Chinese translation is quite regrettable, although this is understandable in view of the quite d au nting range of linguistic skills which is needed to make full use of these texts. It would not be surprising to find that most Western scholars working on Buddhist tantras from the Indo-Tibetan side are largely unaware of the enorm ous volume of translated tantric texts preserved in Chinese. We can better understand the sheer bulk of available material if we relate it to the present work. T he Chinese text of the Mahavairocana Tantra covers ju st forty four pages in the standard Taisho Edition and my translation of this covers about 200 pages. However there are an o th er 3,554 pages o f texts related to Tantric Buddhism in Chinese, which at the above rate would am ount to over 16,150 pages in English. And that is before we start on the native Chinese andjap an ese com m entarial works, manuals and so forth! A com prehensive study o f this m aterial is vital for an understandin g of the origins of Tantric Buddhism, for while the Tibetan tradition is strong on later tantric works and less so on earlier ones, the situation with the Chinese materials is the reverse - they have preserved many of the earlier Indian texts which were never translated into Tibetan. This is not only true of ‘tantric’ style texts, but also can be said of all Buddhist works in general. It must be rem em bered that the bulk o f Chinese translations had been com pleted before the Tibetans had really begun their work on the canon. Chinese translation activities began in the middle o f the 2nd century CE and continued until at least the first half o f the I 1th century, a period of over nine h u n d red years! Moreover, in stark contrast to the paucity of relevant materials providing reliable dales in Indology, docum ents from the Chinese tradition often record various historical data with great accuracy. It is noteworthy that the dates when Buddhist texts were translated into Chinese during this nine hundred year period are known

in the majority of cases, thereby providing us with a loose framework for the chronology of the developm ent of Buddhist texts. It should therefore not surprise us if the insights we can derive from Chinese sources cast a different light on the developm ent of Tantric Buddhism. For example, it is norma] to classify the tantras into four categories - Kriya, Carya, Yoga and Anuttara-yoga - following the norm al T ibetan practice and this system of classification is now treated by m odern Western scholars as though it were in some way definitive. But it is clear from a study of earlier tantric materials, especially of those preserved in the Chinese tradition, that this system of classification, useful though it was to very late Indian exegetes and their Tibetan successors, was gradually developed to make sense of the mass of tantric materials that they were faced with. Nevertheless, it may be said that this system of classification also represents, in a general m anner, the historical sequence in which the tantras were developed. In other words, the majority of the texts that came to be classified as Kriya tantras derive from the earliest proto-tantric phase, leading on through Carya tantras to the Yoga and later the Anuttara-yoga tantras. This will be seen most clearly later when we briefly examine the contents of tanlric-style texts surviving in Chinese, together with their dates of translation. But before proceeding any further, it might be useful to attem pt a definition for the reader of exactly what kind of texts we may legitimately call tantras, for the situation is not as straightforward as some might wish to believe. I rem em ber asking som eone who has specialized in the Indian tantric tradition how can one identify tantric texts as being such and was given the rather ingenuous answer that this is easy because tantras have the word ‘ta n tra’ in their titles. But this is clearly not the case, because a num ber of texts that one would formally classify as tantras are in fact called yutras, such as the Maha-vairocana-abhisambodhi1 itself, the Sarva-tathagata-tattvasamgraha and several of the early rNying-ma tantras, such as the dCongs-dus (T 829), the rNgam-glog (T 830), the Kun-dus (T 831) and so forth. In fact, the word 'tan tra ' itself does not even appear anywhere in some of these texts, including the present text itself. D efinitions o f the term do appear in some later tantric texts, such as the famous lines in the Continuation Tantra of the Guhya-samdja, which state ‘ “Tantra" is continuity and that continuity is threefold: the ground, the intrinsic nature and the indestructi­ ble. The intrinsic nature is the immanent cause, the indestructible is the result and the ground is the means. The meaning of *tantra ’ is summarizeby these Ihre?' However, im portant as these definitions are, they tend to be somewhat doctrinal or soteriological in nature, so we should try to isolate the key constituent elem ents which go to make up what one might call Tantric Buddhism in its widest sense, to get a better grasp of what we are dealing with. There are a num ber of such elements, some of which were derived from earlier trends within Buddhism itself and others which were adopted and adapted from non-Buddhist sources. Obviously it is beyond the scope of this book to present a full-scale study and docum entation of all these elements, desirable though that may be, but instead I shall confine myself to a summary o f those features which character­ ize the spirit of Buddhist tantric thought’: I Tantric Buddhism ofTers an alternative path to Enlightenm ent in addition to the standard Mahayana one.

2 Its teachings are aim ed at lay practitioners in particular, rather than monks and nuns. 3 As a consequence of this, it recognizes m undane aims and attainm ents, and often deals with practices which are m ore magical in character than spiritual. 4 It teaches special types of m editation (sadhana) as the path to realization, aimed at transforming the individual into an em bodim ent of the divine in this lifetime o r after a short span of time. 5 Such kinds of m editation make extensive use of various kinds of mandalas, mudrds, m antras and dhdranis as concrete expressions of the nature of reality. 6 The formation of images of the various deities during m editation by means of creative imagination plays a key role in the process o f realization. These images may be viewed as being present externally o r internally. 7 T here is an exuberant proliferation in the num ber and types of Buddhas and o th e r deities. 8 G reat stress is laid upon the im portance of the guru and the necessity of receiving the instructions and appropriate initiations for the sadhanas from him. 9 Speculations on the nature and power of speech are prom inent, especially with regards the letters of the Sanskrit alphabet. 10 Various customs and rituals, often o f non-Buddhist origins, such as the homa rituals, are incorporated and adapted to Buddhist ends. I I A spiritual physiology is taught as part o f the process o f transform ation. 12 It stresses the im portance of the fem inine and utilizes various forms o f sexual yoga. T h o ugh by no means exhaustive, this list incorporates the main elem ents and pre­ occupations of the tantras. D uring the proto-tantric and early tantric phase only a few o f these elem ents may occur together in any given text, but as we en ter the middle and late phases, we find that an increasing num ber of them, in one form o r another, are incorporated into the texts. This process of synthesis and developm ent extended over several centuries, from the earliest proto-tantric texts down to the elaborate Kalacakra Tantra, which was possibly the last tantra to be developed in India. While it would be foolhardy to make any definitive statements about the early developm ent of the lantras at the present stage o f our knowledge, it might be of interest to briefly exam ine this process, particularly from the evidence available to us from Chinese sources. First, the general trend may be seen if we exam ine a simple listing of the main translations (Table 1) containing any o f the above elem ents down to the early Tang p eriod. O th e r texts could be added to this list with some justification, such as the Pure Land cycle of texts. W hat immediately strikes one is the sudden increase of these texts from the Sui to Tang Dynasty, an indication of the increasing popularity of 'ta n tric ’ practice in India. Those translated after Xuan-zang during the Tang and early Song periods run into hundreds and so are far too num erous to list. Looking at their contents, we can see a gradual progression from external ’m u n d a n e’ rituals and objectives to the internal and the 'spiritual' from the unsystematic to the systematic. Hence, as their tides indicate, the majority o f the earlier texts are co nnected with dharanis and they deal with various kinds o f prayers o r requests for

Table 1: Chinese Translations o f Sutras with T a n tric ’ Elements Wu

Zhi-qian (220-230 CE): Ananto-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T1011) Matanga-sutra (= Sardula-karndvaddna) (TI300) Dharani of Suprrme Illuminator (T1351) Puspakuta-dhdrani-sutra (T1356)

E. Chin (317-420)

Dhannaraksa: Dharani for Relieving Toothache (T1327) Ana-praiamani-sutra (TI325) Mdydkdra-bhadra-dhdrani-sutra (T1378) *Dandala-mdya Dharani (T139I) Mani-ratna-sutra (TI393) Nanda: Sutra of Avalohilesvara's Dharani for Overcoming Poisoning (T1043) Sri-mitra: Abhiseka-sutra (TI331) Kumarajiva: Mahdmdyuri-vidyd-rajni (T988) Buddhabhadra: Avatamsaka-sutra-hrdaya-dhdrani (T1021) Unknown: Puspdkuta-dhdrani (TI357) (T1358)

W Chin

Dharmapala (385-400): Matanga-sutra (T1301) Sheng-jian: Sutra on the Dharani Against Perversities (T1342)

N. Liang (397-439) Fa-zhong: Mahdvaipuiya-dhdrani (TI339) Liu Sung (420-478) Gunabhadra: Ananta-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T 1013) *Punya&Qa Sc Xuan-chang: Ananta-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T10I4) Kalayaia: Amitabha-dhydna-sutra (T365) Bhaisajya-rdja-bhaisajya-samudgati-sutra (T1161) Qi (479-502)

Wan-tian-yi:

Infinite Dharani oj Entry into all Dharmas (T1343) Liang (505-556)

Sarighapala: * Mahd-mdyuri-sutra (T984) Ananta-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T1016)

N. Wei (534-550)

Buddhaianta: Arutnta-mukha-dhdrani-sutm (T1015) Vajra-manda-dhdrani-sutra (TI344) Tan-yao: Dharani for Great Benefit (TI335) Bodhinid: Sarva-bala-raksa-dhdrani-sutra (T1028)

N. Chou (557-581) Jnanayaia: Mahd-megha-sutra (T992) (T993)

Yaiogupta: Avalokitesvaraika-eLiia-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T1070)

Table 1 (continued) Sui (581-618)

Narendrayasa: Mahd-megha-sutra (T991)

janagupta: Ananta-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T1017) Amoghapaia-dharani-sutra (T1093) Tathdgato-mahd-kausaiyopdya-dhdrani-sutTa (T1334) Dharmolka-dhdmni-sutra (T1340) Mahd-bala-dhdrani-sutra (T1341) Vajra-manda-dhdrani-sutra (T1345) Dharani of the Twelve Buddhas (T1548) Dharani of Suprrme lUuminalor (T1353) (T1354)

T'ang

Xuan-zang (post 645): Sarva-buddha-hrdaya-dhdrani (T918) Five Dhdranis (T1034) Avalokiteivaraika-dasa-mukha-dhdrani-sutra (T1071) Amoghapaia-hrdaya-sutra (T1094) Vasudhdra-dhdrani-sutra (T1162) Son-mukha-dhdrani (T1360) (T1361) Subdhu-mudrd-dhdrani-sutra (T1363) Sutra of Most Secret Dhdrani of Eight Names (T1365) Dhdrani that Saves from Adversities (T1395)

liberation from sufferings, adversities or disasters. Such texts probably have their roots in the early paritla type o f sutras. But we are unable to detect any fusion in a systematic m anner of Buddhist thought with these prayers and practices. So though a few of these texts, such as the Sutra on the Dhdrani Against Perversities (T 1342) and the Infinite Dhdrani of Entry into all Dharmas (T1343) refer to emptiness (sunyata) and others such as the San-mukha-dhdrani (T 1360 8c T 1361) mention ‘awarenesfronly’ (vijnapti-matra), the general feeling one gets from looking at these texts is that they were for the benefit of unsophisticated ordinary people beyond the confines o f the great monasteries such as Nalanda. H ence the aims of the practices are often quite modest and do not entail a radical course of self-development using the com plex types of m editation (bhavana) and the mandalas or mudrds that are so characteristic of fully developed tantras. O n the oth er hand, as one might expect to find in a popular devotional form of Buddhism, we can note the existence of various kinds of worship and offering (puja) to the Buddhas which later form a part of tantric practice. It is noteworthy that som e texts describe types of worship that employ visualization of various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, especially those associated with the Pure Land group of texts. For exam ple, the Amitdyur-dhydna-sutra (T 365), translated into Chinese by Kalayasa around 430 CE, gives vivid descriptions of Amitabha, Avalokitesvara and M aha-sthama-prapta and also of the mandala-like Pure Land of Amitabha itself. It can easily be seen how similar such meditative visualizations are to those prescribed in tantric texts both for worship and for sddhana. T he visualizations o f the Pure Land parallel to a rem arkable extent those of mandalas, as for example, that in C hapter 16 herein of the Mahd-vairocana Tantra. O th e r texts in the above list are im portant as they give some indication of the introduction and use of rituals. For example, the well-known Mdtahga Sutra (T551, T552, T1300, T1301), first translated by Zhi-qian in 230 CE and re-translated several

times down to ihe late 5ih century CE, speaks of a magical ritual used for subjugation. T he earliest versions tell of a low-caste (candali) woman who was infatuated with Ananda. H er m other tries to entice him in the following m anner. She magically creates flowers in eight jars o f water and then taking these up, she casts them back into the jars while reciting spells. Later versions of the text contain a prototype o f ihe Buddhist homa ritual. T he sorceress m other smears the floor of her house with cowdung and spreads white rushes (Auia?) upon it. She then lights a large fire there and casts a hundred and eight flowers into it while reciting the necessary spell with each flower. These texts also contain six dhdranis and ihe instructions for perform ing the associated ceremonics. We see oth er ritual elem ents in ihe Mahd-mdyuri-vidyd-raja Sutra T he several versions o f this text in Chinese bear witness to its continuing popularity. In an appendix to it, translated by Sri-mitra (T 1331) around 340 CE, there are instructions for the delim itation of the ritual area (sima-bandha), which is then to be decorated with five swords, five banners, five mirrors, twenty-one arrows and twenty-one lamps. This site is to be anointed with perfum es and mustard seeds are to be b u rn t to expel obstructing dem ons. F urther developm ents may be seen in the Dhdrani for Great Benefit (T1335) translated by Tan-yao in 462 CE. In addition to the burning o f m ustard seeds and such like, this text also prescribes the recitation o f mantras before the images of various deities to bring about their appearance in order to fulfil the wishes o f the practitioner. Again, it describes the making o f a ritual area, but now with Buddha images arranged in circle to receive offerings. Mandalas, which figure so much in tantras, can be formally divided into two main categories according to Buddhaguhya - the intrinsically existent m andala an d the representational mandalas. The first o f these is the 'real’ m andala form ed by the Buddha and the em anations o f his qualities as Bodhisattvas and so forth. T he second type is the graphic o r plastic representation o f the first. These two types seem to derive from different, though not entirely unrelated sources. As m entioned above, one might see the origin o f the intrinsically existent m andala in the descriptions of the various pure lands, so striking is the similarity. O n the other hand, the origins of the representational m andala may well lie in the arrangem ent of B uddha and Bodhisattva images upon altars for worship. As images of the Buddha and Bodhisattvas becam e acceptable to people in India, we often find representations o f the Buddha flanked by Avalokitesvara and Vajrapani. Vtfith the proliferation of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, one can understand how these would have com e to resem ble the basic pattern o f a m andala when arranged geometrically. Hence the arrangem ent of such images in a circle, described in the Dhdrani for Great Benefit, can be seen as a rudim entary mandala. This same text also teaches various attainm ents (siddhi) to stop storms, to make rain, to becom e invisible and so forth. I have only been able to select a few of the most noteworthy texts for m ention here, but all of these works bear witness to the steady increase o f tantric elem ents in Buddhism, leading on to the flowering of sophisticated tantric texts in the seventh and eighth centuries. In addition to the evolutionary process indicated by the chronological sequence of these texts preserved in Chinese, there are other indications we may note that speak of the spread and acceptance o f tantric practices. For example, Santideva (fl.

700-750 CE) com piled the Siksa-samuccaya, a valuable selection o f quotations from various Mahayana texts, dealing with the practices a Bodhisattva was expected to engage in. T here are several interesting features to be found in this work relevant to the developm ent o f Tantric Buddhism in India. O ne is Santideva’s acceptance and use as a textual authority (dmnaya) o f the Trisamaya-rdja, one o f the sources o f the Maha-vairocana Tantra. T he o th e r is the evidence for the growing im portance of internal visualization, similar to that in tantric practices. These are the relevant passages: 1 ' You should recite this vidya mentioned in the Tri-samaya-raja for the mandala samaya; Nam ah sarva-buddha-bodhisattvanam. Om viraji viraji maha-cakra-viraji. Sata sala sarata sarata trapi trapi vidhamani. Sabhajani sambhajani, taramati, siddha agre tvam svaha. With that you may enter all mandalas. Or else you should recite Essence of the Tathdgata eight thousand limes and then enter into both mundane and supramundane mandalas 2 'Focusing upon the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, you should also rtcite [the mantras] following the Rite of Good Conduct, with a mind that longs to benefit all beings. This prescribed rite (vidhi) should be observed at the conclusion of this ceremony. What is prescribed in the Tri-samaya-raja is authoritative (am naya), so there is no fault [in doing this].' 3 'According to the Tri-samayarraja, the prescribed ritual is to close your eyes and recite the Hundred Lettered [MantraI eight thousand times, with your mind focused upon the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. As soon as you have shut your eyes, you will behold the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and be freed from sins. Or else circumambulating a stupa, you should recite it eight thousand times and also place books of the holy Dharma in fnm l of the image in the shrine.’ 4 'The Bodhisattva who is endowed with eight qualities will constantly meet Buddhas. What are those eight? He urges people to visualize the body-form of the Buddha, he worships (upasthana) the Tathagatas, he expounds the eternal form of the Tathdgata (From the Brhat-sdgara-ndga-rdja-pariprcchd). 5 'Nobly bom sons or daughters should visualize the Buddha depicted in paintings or described in books.' (From the Sraddha-bdlddhdndvatdra-mudra). From this we can see that the kind o f ‘tantric’ practice generally accepted around that lime already included use of mandalas, the recitation o f dhdranis, ritual worship (puja) and visualization. Xuan-zang, the great Chinese traveller, was also in India until 645 CE. He has left us a detailed account o f his travels in the Da-tang-xi-yu-ji, yet he makes no m ention of anything which would clearly indicate the wide-spread existence o f tantric practices or texts, apart from the use of dhdranis. It has been argued that this could be du e to his lack o f interest in such matters, yet as he was a keen observer o f the state o f Buddhism as he found it throughout India at that time, it would not be unreasonable to expect him to have m entioned such practices in passing had he actually witnessed them . It is likely that any specifically tantric texts and practices that were already in existence at that lime had n o t yet gained general acceptance in the main centres of Buddhism he visited, such as Nalanda. However this situation seems to have changed thirty years later when Yi-jing arrived in India in 673 CE. We find a num ber of references in his 'Record of Em inent Monks

who Sought the Dharma in the West’ (Xi-yu-qiu-fa-gao-seng-zhuan) to tantric practices, where there is the very suggestive rem ark that people ' seek the secret books fw m the naga palaces in the oceans and search for mantras fw m stone-chambers in the mountains’ Even m ore noteworthy is what he has to say in the section dealing with Dao-lin, who also had spent many years in India. It seems that Dao-lin was very interested in tantric practices. He resided for a num ber of years at Nalanda and then set o ut first to L au in Western India where he 'stood before the divine altar and received the vidyas once again . Regarding the vidyas, Yi-jing says, 'It is said that the Vidyadhara Collection comprises a hundred thousand verses in Sanskrit, which in Chinese would amount to over three hundred rolls. But if one inspects these texts nowadays, it will be seen that many have been lost and few are complete. After the death of the Great Sage, Nagdrjuna in particular studied the main parts of this Collection. Then one of his disciples called Nanda, who was both intelligent and learned, turned his attention to this text. He spent twelve years in the west of India, applying himself solely to the study of the dharanis. At length he achieved success. Whenever it was time for him to eat, his meals descended from the sky. Furthermore, one day while he was reciting the vidyas, he wanted to get a wishfulfilling jar, which he obtained after a short while. He was overjoyed to fin d that there was a book within this jar, but as he did not bind the jar with a vidya, it suddenly vanished. Then, fearing that the vidyas might be scattered and lost, the Dharma Master Nanda gathered them together into a single collection of about twelve thousand verses, forming a single corpus. In each verse he matched up the text of the vidyas with m udras. Although the words and the letters are similar [to those in normal use], in fact their meanings and usages are different. Truly, there is no way of comprehending them without an oral transmission. Later, the Master Dignaga saw that the merit of this work surpassed the intelligence of ordinary people and its thought pushed reason to its limits. He put his hand upon the book and said sighing, “I f this sage had applied his mind to logic, what honour would have remained for me?” One can see by this the wise know their man value though fools are blind to the worth of others. This Vidya Collection of Prayers is not yet available in China, hence Dao-lin applied his mind to these subtleties, for it is said in this Collection that 'one will only succeed in walking in the sky, riding nagas, commanding the hundred spirits or being a benefactor of beings, by means of these vidyas ’ When I, Yijing, was staying at Nalanda, I went several times to the altar place, J>ut as I was not successful in either my application to the essence of this teaching or in gaining merit, in the end I gave up my hopes. I have touched on the main points of these new teachings here, in order to make them known. T he Chinese word tan (JJ), which I have translated in the above passages as ‘altar’ is am bivalent, as it was also used to translate the word 'mandala' In view of the quotations given above from Santideva’s Siksa-samuccaya, there is a strong likelihood that Yi-jing is referring to the use of mandalas at Nalanda while he was there. It should also be rem em bered that Subhakara-simha, who translated the Mahd-vairocana Tantra into Chinese, and his teacher D harm agupta would have been at Nalanda exacdy at the same time as Yi-jing was, which gives rise to the intriguing possibility that they may have actually met!

Yi-jing m entions at length an o th er m onk, the Dhyana Master Wu-xing, who was in India around the same time as himself. He had been th ere since 667 and died as he began his jo u rn ey back to C hina in 674. U pon his death, the large n u m b er of texts he had collected, together with his travelogue-report were forwarded to China. In the part o f this report which survives, Wu-xing states that 'recently the Mantra Method has come to be venerated throughout the land grasped, thinking lhal it is not to be spoili and that it is nol to be grasped or com prehended by others. (26) Avarice ( matsarya): [No additional com m ent.1 (27) Cat (ntarjaTa): When a cat catches a bird or something, it leaps and bounds and Sci/Cs >t. In the same way this mind also leaps from the time of entry, bounding along sequence, when one reaches the Noble Path and so on. (28) Dog (svana)-. Dogs are delighted even by small things, and in the same way this m ,nd has recourse to religious practice which makes one delight in small things.

(29) Garuda. (31b) When a garuda catches a naga, it seizes it, flapping its wings. In the same way, this m ind has recourse to religion adhering with partiality to whatever is o n e's own. In Sanskrit, the word 'paksa m eans both ‘wings' and ‘a faction' Thus there is a similarity in the meanings of the one word, for as the garuda seizes the naga in o rd er to make it its own, likewise partiality is adhering with partiality to whatever thing one would make one's own. (30) Rat ( musa): Rats sever all restraints and free themselves. In the same way, this m ind has recourse to religious practice which frees it from the bonds of attachm ent, hatred and stupidity. (31) Song (gie way, this mind realizes that one’s body is impermanent and nothing in itself.

(58) Cavern (guha): While the entrance to a cavem is defined and small, inside it is large and of irregular shape. It is likewise with this mind, for although one previously lived in a restrained way with the moral observances and merits, one becomes proud because of those same moral observances and merits, and because of that one changes and acts arrogantly. (59) Kinship ( upapatti): Because one has habitual tendencies from previous behaviour, w hether wholesome or unwholesome, one is born together with those tendencies wherever one is reborn. Even though one has obtained a birth dissimilar to the m atured results of previous actions whether wholesome or unwholesome, one is still reborn with them. For exam ple, because one habitually and frequently killed in a previous lifetime, in a later lifetime one will have many illnesses and a short life. You should modify and apply this as appropriate for wholesome actions.

23. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! By doubling [them] five consecutive times30, one arrives at the one hundred and sixty m undane minds, and after the elapse o f three eons these are transcended and the supram undane mind arisesA. T hat is to say, ‘This is ju st the psycho-physical constituents, and there has never existed a self. T hrough the faculties, perceptual sources and elem ents, the m undane world is understood to be valueless. This twelve-fold chain o f d ependent origination is produced by em otional afflictions and karmic action that arise from the seeds o f ignorance, without the need for a creator and so forth. Such a calm and tranquil attitude is difficult for logicians to com prehend, yet it is devoid o f all faults, and has been taught previously by the Buddhas.’ After the elapse o f three eons, these one hundred and sixty mundane minds are transcended and the supramundane mind arises. T here are two kinds of supram undane mind: the m ind which realizes the absence o f autonom ous existence of the individual, and which is without impurities although it has perceptual images (akara), and the mind which realizes the absence of autonom ous existence of all phenom ena, (35a) which is without im purities and perceptual images, and which is radiantly clear by nature.

24. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! T here also arises in those who abide in this supram undane m ind, the idea that the psycho-physical constituents really exist. T hen they give rise to the m ind which is devoid o f attachm ent to the psycho-physical constituents, and because they dissolve them by considering them to be like froth, bubbles, a plantain tree, a mirage or a phantom , they becom e free from that notion.

A i '.: tit ^ ^ uij S t f*5 'll‘ u jln the three m u n d a n e false ftmcepts (k a lp a ) have been (ransfm d ed . (he su p ra m u n d a n e m in d will a n s e ’.

‘Thus, whoever has abandoned the psycho-physical constituents, the perceptual elem ents, the perceptual sources, the perceiving subject and perceived objects, will directly realize the continuum o f tranquility, the intrinsic nature o f reality. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! This supram undane mind which is free from the net o f em otional afflictions and karmic actions associated with the sequence o f eight com plete and incomplete minds11, will be transcended by yogins with the elapse o f one eon.’ When you abide in the profound and peaceful supram undane m ind which has perceptual images, but lacks the idea of autonom ous existence of the individual, you will think in the way m entioned above that the psycho-physical constituents alone exist, while realizing that there is no autonom ous existence of the individual. This mind is completely perfected in three eons.

Then they give rise to the mind which it devoid of attachment to the psycho-physical constituents ... (35b) ... transcended by yogins with the elapse of one eon: In this way they investigate the psycho-physical constituents in general, and when they have investigated them, they come to think that they are real. But when they analyze each o f the psycho-physical constituents and refute them , colour-form is seen to be like froth, for just as when each bubble of froth bursts, the froth is seen to be insubstantial. In the same way, when they have broken down that psycho-physical constituent and investigated each p art o f it, they know that there are only the specific attributes of each phenom enon, such as its colour, form and so on, and that there is no such reality called a ‘psycho-physical constituent’ Likewise feeling is like bubbles on water. They know that there is n o such thing to be considered as that psycho-physical constituent in som ething which has no abiding location, because that which perishes as soon as it arises is im perm anent. Likewise consciousness is seen to be like a phantom when analyzed, for a phantom ox is not a really existent ox, but just a product of drugs or props by nature. Consciousness is also like that, for there is no such thing to be considered as that psycho-physical constituent, but it merely has the nature of consciousness. Likewise ideation when analyzed is seen iq be like a mirage, for ju st as a mirage is seen as water by a person torm ented by thirst, and yet there is no real water, but only that which has the nature of a mirage. Ideation is also like that, for there is no such thing to be considered as that psycho-physical constituent, b ut only that which has the nature of grasping perceptual images. Likewise motivation is seen to be like a plantain tree. This exam ple is well known so I shall n o t m ention it here. Thus when the psycho-physical constituents have been refuted with the examples of froth anti so on, (36a) nothing real will rem ain [for you] to conceive as being a psycho-physical constituent, for they are merely their specific individual attributes. If the psycho-physical constituents cannot be established in that way, there is also nothing real for you to conceive of as the perceptual elem ents and the perceptual sources, since they are no different to the psycho-physical constituents, and merely have the individual natures of the p henom ena involved. T he perceiving subject and the perceived objects are also thus. Colour-form is conceived to be the perceived objects, and the other four psycho-physical constituents are conceived to be the perceiving subject, but no such things exist, just the individual nature of the p henom ena involved.

When they have arrived at such a m ind which is free from attachm ent to the psycho-physical constituents, by analyzing them into their froth-like natures and so forth, they are also liberated from the idea which perceives the psycho-physical constituents to be really existent. When they have thus been liberated from the psycho-physical constituents, they will realize that the attributes linked with psycho­ physical constituents only exist as the intrinsic nature o f phenom ena. Thus, whoever has abandoned the psychophysical constituents ...th e intrinsic nature o f reality By the above m eans o f refuting anything that is conceived to be a psycho­ physical constituent, they will completely abandon them because the intrinsic nature o f reality does not exist as anything conceived in the perceptual image of blue and so forth. (36b) Lord c fth e Secret Ones! This supmmundane m in d ... by yogins with the elapse o f one eon. Having freed themselves from the belief in the existence of things conceived to be the psycho-physical constituents, they have the tranquil mind which realizes that there is only the individual natures o f phenom ena. Beginning with the realization that things corresponding to the psycho-physical constituents do n ot exist, they then en ter into the realization that there are ju st the individual natures of phenom ena, such as blue and so on. They then transcend that mind with the elapse of one eon, and en ter the Level of Practice with Devoted Interest which is the realization of the absence of autonom ous existence of phenom ena. The eight incomplete and complete minds’. These refer to the eight m inds from S rotapanna to Arhat. (37a) They are incom plete because they believe the psycho­ physical constituents to be the things they are conceived to be. Yet, because of the abandonm ent o f the em otional afflictions, they are com plete. But because they still have the habitual tendencies o f the em otional afflictions, they are incom plete. These are the stages in which intelligent Bodhisattvas who engage in mantra practice abandon the one hun d red and sixty em otionally afflicted minds, with the sequence of realizing the absence of autonom ous existence of the individual and so forth.

25. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, there are those who fare in the Mahayana and have no regard for the other Ways, and who give rise to the thought that phenom ena lack autonom ous existence. Why is that? Because when they break down the basis o f the psycho-physical constituents by practising those previous practices, they fully com prehend the intrinsic nature o f phenom ena ( 122b) and give'rise to the idea that they are like magical illusions, mirages, shadows, echoes, a wheel o f fire or a gandharvaf city. ‘L ord o f the Secret Ones! T herefore, since they have com e to be dom inated by these ideas, even the notion o f the lack o f autonom ous existence o f phenom ena must be abandoned, for the m ind itself has not arisen from the very beginning. How? Lord o f the Secret Ones! Because they fully know the essential nature o f mind, they are unable to perceive either a past point [o f arising] or a future point [of extinction] to mind. Yogins com plete all this after the elapse o f a second eon.’ Now the text describes the stages in which those Bodhisattvas o f acute intelligence and m uch learning, who fare in the Mahayana without regard for the oth er Ways,

meditatively observe the lack of autonom ous existence of individuals and phenom ena and enter the Level o f Practice with Devoted Interest. (37b) Why is that? Because they dissolve ... or a gandharvas' city. At first, while doing the entry practice, striving with faith, they know that th e nature o f the psycho-physical constituents is like that of magical illusions and so forth, and they repeatedly practise this, so even though they have not engaged in the stages o f the realization that the individual is without any autonom ous existence, they realize the absence of any autonom ous existence to phenom ena. M agical illusions: They arrive at the idea that phenom ena are like magical illusions and so forth. Although magical cows and horses can be projected upon stones and wood, and do not appear to be stones and wood, but in the forms o f cows and horses, there is nothing there really existing as a cow or horse, ju st the stones and wood. Likewise, even though such phenom ena as the psycho-physical constituents are visible, they appear in the consciousness through the power of delusive error. In reality, the intrinsic nature o f the psycho-physical constituents is like that of the magical cows and horses: although they appear, they do not really exist. Consciousness is like the stones and wood, and although it is not obvious, the phenom en a which appear as colourform and so on, do not really exist, but are just perceptual images within the deluded consciousness211 Likewise with 'mirages’: a person sees mirages as water in lonely deserts because he is torm ented by thirst, but the water has no reality. It is ju st a mirage. In the same way, although the psycho-physical constituents appear, they have no real existence, but are jusi perceptual images within the deluded consciousness. In the same way, 'shadows, echoes, (38a) a wheel o f fire' and the ‘gandharvas’ castle’ should also be understood following the above explanation of illusion. In brief, the appearance of such phenom ena as the psycho-physical constituents is nothing other than appearance in a deluded consciousness. If it is possible for one to see such things as colour-form in dream s which carry out their functions, even though there are no colour-form objects in dream s, it is obvious that colour-form and so on do not really exist when dream ing, but are all merely generated by the power of conscious­ ness. Having reflected thus and entered the Level o f Practice with Devoted Interest, these yogins who have directly realized that such phenom ena as the psycho-physical constituents and so on are without autonom ous existence, arrive at the idea that they are like magical illusions, reflections and so on. and that though p h enom ena do not really exist, they are perceived to exist ju st in the consciousness. Yogins who directly realize the lack o f autonom ous existence to p hen o m en a in this way. by the cultivation of the T hree Minds which enter, abide and arise respectively, will come to fully know the Levels and Perfections which they did not know completely, and make them a reality. These three are the m ind which dissolves and com prehends P henom ena in this way with the exam ples of magical illusion and so on, the m ind which resides in the non-conceptualizing samadhi, having thus dissolved the Phenom ena, and the mind which engages in the Perfections and so on, and knowing lhe virtues of the Ten Levels by the insight bom of hearing, considering and cultivation, has great trust in them. By the insight bom of what they have heard, considered and cultivated, these yogins will realize the absence of any autonom ous e*istence in phenom ena and will perceive them to exist merely in consciousness.

These are ihe allribulcs o f the Level of Practice wilh Devoted Interest, which will be com pleted in one eon. T hen after a quarter of an eon, they will rise above this Level of Practice wilh Devoted Interest and en ter into the Level of Awareness. (38b) C oncerning this process, the text says, 'Lard o f the Secret Ones! Therefore on account o f these minds elapse o f a second eon Regarding the passage ‘Therefore, since they have come to be dominated by those ideas, even the notion o f the lack o f autonomous existence o f phenomena must be abandoned, fo r the mind itself has not arisen from the very beginning, having previously realized that phenom ena do not have autonom ous existence, they become dom inated by the thought that there is only consciousness in the form of a perceiving subject and perceived objects. T herefore by realizing that that consciousness is unarisen from the very beginning, they abandon even that idea that there is just consciousness, and so they abandon even the idea itself that phen o m en a lack autonom ous existence. How do they abandon even that idea that there is just consciousness? How? Because theyfuliy know ...o r future point to mind. If one thus seeks a point at some lime in the past when o n e ’s m ind first arose, that point cannot be found. Because there is no point of origin, one will also not find a future point of perishing, so neither past nor future points can be found. Because there is thus no starting point, (39a) the mind has obviously not arisen, and if it has not arisen from the very beginning, then one will abandon the idea that there is just consciousness, that whatever exists in any place is just consciousness appearing in the form of the perceiving subject and perceived objects. So one also abandons even the [idea of] the autonom ous existence of phenom ena. M editating in this manner, they perfect the abandoning of [the idea of] autonom ous existence of phenom ena in a second eon.

26. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, there are Bodhisattvas who engage in the practice o f Bodhisattvas by means o f the secret m antra path, who have accum ulated an im m easurable mass o f m erits and awareness in countless h undreds o f thousands o f millions o f eons. They will gain possession of im m easurable insight and expedient means, and they will be saluted by the worlds o f gods and asuras, they will surpass all Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas, and also will be saluted by Indra, Brahma, Visnu and others. Furtherm ore, there arises the m ind whose essential nature is em ptiness, without substance, which is without attributes, without perceptual forms, which transcends all proliferations, which is limitless like space, which is the ground o f all phenom enaA, which is separate from the conditioned and the unconditioned realms, which is free from actions and activities2', separate from eye, ear, nose, tongue and body, and is without any self-existent nature whatsoever. Lord o f the Secret Ones! This is spoken o f by the Jinas as the first [level] o f bodhicitta.' Now the sequence of ihc arising of bodhicitta at the Joyful Level. You should un d erstand that this section explains the perfection (sampad) of th r causal basis of

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'a ll B u d d h a qualities'

that b o d h i c i t t a o f the First Level, the perfection of its nature, the perfection of its ttributes and the perfection of the accom plishm ent of those attributes. P e r f e c t i o n of its causal basis is taught with the words 'Accumulated an immeasurable mass o f merits and awareness in countless hundreds o f thousands o f millions o f eons' perfection of its nature is taught with the words 'They w ill gain possession o f immeasuroble insight and expedient means ... saluted by Indra, Brahma and Vismf. This perfection of nature also includes the perfection o f abandon m en t and o f strength. The perfection of abandonm ent is taught with the words 'gain possession o f immeasurable insight and expedient means' and ' they w ill surpass all Sravakas and Pratyekabuddhas' (39b) The perfection of strength is taught with the words 'w ill be saluted by the worlds o f gods and asuras' and 'w ill be saluted by Indra' and so forth. T he perfection of attributes is taught with the words 'there arises the m ind whose essential nature is emptiness' T he perfection of the accom plishm ent o f the attributes is taught with the words ‘is without attributes ... without any self-existent nature whatsoever ’ Insight (prajna) : This is the total understanding of the intrinsic nature o f all phenom ena. Expedient means ( upaya): To m ature and liberate beings by the power of compassion. (40a) Proliferation (prapanca): This refers to conceptualization (vikalpa). (40b) The ground o f all phenomena: 'A ll phenomena' refers to the conditioned phenom ena. If the [belief in] existence of these phenom ena is dissolved by means of [argum ents based on] the directions o f atom s24, or by m eans of the examples of magical illusions, mirages and so forth, they will be [understood to be] devoid of self­ existence, and since em ptiness and bodhicitta are of on e single taste, it becomes the ground of all those phenom ena. Secondly, ‘all phenomena' refers to the p henom ena which are the virtues of the Buddha, such as the Ten Strengths, the Four Fearlessness­ es, the Eighteen U ncom m on Qualities and so forth, so it is the ground of all such qualities. Separate from the conditioned and the unconditioned realms. It is separate from the conditioned because it is the antidote to the inimical, which is attained by the mind of the First Level. It is separate from the unconditioned because they do not abide in the realm of Nirvana, not having abandoned the habitual tendencies of the obscurations of em otional afflictions and wrong understanding. Arises-. T he attributes of the m ind which is without any, self-existence, for you should know that that m ind directed towards suprem e E nlightenm ent arises following the perfection of the virtues o f the First Level, whose causal basis is the mass of merit and awareness which was accum ulated in the above m entioned num ber of eons.

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‘They will be free from em otional afflictions and action, even though they have em otional afflictions and action. They are the object o f the w orld’s gifts, and should always receive offerings and respect. Furtherm ore, Lord o f the Secret Ones, the Level o f Practice with D evoted Interest is the cultivation o f the T hree Minds. T hrough the practice o f the Perfections and the Four M ethods o f Attracting, (123a) the Level o f Devoted Interest is unequalled, im m easurable and inconceivable.

T h e em ergence o f im m easurable Awareness will com e about by the ten minds. Everything that I have spoken a little about will be attained through this [Level]. T h erefo re the All-knowing O ne calls this “devoted interest”*. T he intelligent person will perfect this Level with the elapse o f one eon, M oreover, he will transcend devoted interest after ju st a q uarter [of an eon].’ (41a) Free from emotional afflictions and karmic action: They are separated from karmic actions which lead to the unfortunate states of existence, and from the elem ents inimical to the First Level. Even though they have emotional afflictions and karmic action. Though they do have the karmic actions which cause the attainm ent o f the higher levels of existence and the obscuring em otional afflictions associated with them. This section now recapitulates the attributes and virtues of the Level of Practice wilh Devoted Interest. With devoted interest They know the virtues of the Buddha, the Levels and Perfections by the insight born of hearing, pondering and cultivation, and generate extremely devoted interest, thinking that this really is it and no other. The cultivation o f the Three Minds: These arc the three m inds of entry, abiding and arising, and the m ethod of cultivating them has already been explained above in ihe section dealing with the lack of autonom ous existence in phenom ena. Practice with Devoted Interest This is not only to have devoted interest with regards those factors, but it is also to make diligent efforts with regards their qualities which are to be repeatedly practised, so it says ' Through the practice o f the Perfections and the Four Methods o f Attracting . The practice o f the Perfections: Each of the Perfections such as Generosity and so on are practised at the time of each Level, from ihe First Level up to the Tenth Level, (41b) and ju st as they engage in the Perfections for themselves, they also attract o th e r beings by means of the Four M ethods of Attracting in o rd er to make ihem engage in the Perfections. T hus while delighting in ihe virtues o f ihe First Level, the Joyful O ne, they engage with devoted interest in the practice o f the Perfection o f Generosity with the Dharm a and material provisions. While they themselves engage 'tn this when abiding on this Level, they also gather o th e r beings to them and cause them to engage in it, by m eans of the Four M ethods of Attracting. O n the Second Level, the Stainless O ne, they also engage with devoted interest in the stainless Perfection of Morality, both engaging in it themselves and also causing others to engage in it, by m eans of the Four M ethods of Attracting. O n ihe T hird Level, the Illum inating O ne, they accept the non-arising of phenom ena, and while engaging with devoted interest in the practice of the Perfection O f Patient Acceptance, they both engage in it themselves and cause others to engage in it. O n the Fourth Level, the Flaming O ne, they engage in the Perfection of Strenuousness with the radiant light of Awareness. On the Fifth C: £ jfc @ ® l i t — W g f a P t f e ' therefore the wue one should ref e d upon this level o f devoted interest concerning AUknounng [Awareness]'

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Level, the O ne Difficult to C onquer, they engage in the Perfection o f Meditative C oncentration which is very difficult for dem ons to overcome. O n the Sixth Level, the O ne Which Is Present, they engage in the Perfection o f Insight, with the actualization o f insight. O n the Seventh Level, the O ne Which Goes Far, they engage in the Perfection o f Expedient Means, by which they cause beings to be liberated. O n the Eighth Level, the U nshakable O ne, they engage in the Perfection of Devoted Interest, by which they aspire to attain what is higher, through the attainm ent o f the mastery o f aspiration. O n the N inth Level, the O ne With Good Discrimination, they engage in the Perfection o f Strength. O n the Tenth Level, the Cloud o f the D harm a, they engage in the Perfection o f Awareness which brings them into contact with the Dharma, so it becom es accessible to them by Awareness, in the presence o f all the Tathagatas of the ten directions. W hen they engage in these Levels, they repeatedly accustom themselves to their practice an d they also gather beings to them by means o f the Four Methods o f Attracting, making those beings also engage in them. What are the Four M ethods o f Attracting? They are i) to cause others to engage in the Perfections by means o f generosity, ii) by m eans o f kind words, iii) by m eans o f beneficial acts, (42a) and iv) by m eans o f appropriate benefitting. You should refer to the Dasabhumi-sutra and so forth for the detailed attributes and virtues o f these Levels. Therefore the Level o f AUJtnowing is explained as “devoted in te r e s tBecause they will thus attain all the qualities o f a Tathagata by devoted interest, that Level o f Practice with Devoted Interest is the cause o f the Level of All-knowing, and so the result is figuratively referred to by the cause. Moreover, he w ill transcend devoted interest after a quarter [of an eon]. They will rise above the Level of Practice with Devoted Interest, the Level where they realize the lack of autonom ous existence to phenom ena, in one q u arter o f an eon. Having abandoned even [the idea of] the absence o f autonom ous existence to phenom ena, which is the bridge o f entry into the Level of Awareness, they undertake the meditative observation that their m inds are unborn and unarisen from the very beginning. (42b) If you should w onder why these states and virtues of the Level of Practice with Devoted Interest are explained after the explanation of the First Level, thejoyful One, and not in the previous section about that Level o f Practice with Devoted Interest which is the entry into the absence o f autonom ous existence to phenom ena, it is because thejoyful O ne is the result o f the Level o f Practice with Devoted Interest, for when one wishes to know what a cause is, one should first investigate what its result is. T herefore the Level o f Practice with Devoted Interest is explained after it. Those stages have been explained in detail as the cause of Vairocana: the eight m inds of generosity and so forth; the recourse to the various concepts concerning a self and the subsequent idea that arises o f ‘aloneness’; the subsequent arising o f the supram undarie minds; the realization that there is no autonom ous existence to the individual, just the perception o f the psycho-physical constituents, following the realization that •he im agined selves do not exist; the prim ordial non-arising, the em ptiness o f o n e ’s m ind following the realization that phenom ena lack autonom ous existence; and the realization that the m ind o f the First Level is emptiness in nature and that it is withoui lntrinsic existence, being ju st sameness.

28. T hen V ajraplni said to the Bhagavat, ‘O Lord and Saviour! If you would teach the attributes o f the minds, these Excellent-born O nes will be encouraged, having received much relief.’ T he Bhagavat Maha-vairocana then replied to Vajrapani, ‘Pay attention and listen carefully, Lord o f the Secret Ones! W hen foolish com m on people abandon unwholesome actions and do what is wholesome, they will be relieved by the wholesome. When they fully know the truth o f the self as it is in reality, they will be relieved, through relying on the self. W hen they have accepted the psycho-physical constituents and exam ined their essential nature, having com pletely abandoned dependence upon a self, they will be relieved by the lack o f a self. When they have abandoned the psycho-physical constituents and abide in the perception o f phenom ena, they will be relieved by phenom ena. W hen they have abandoned phenom ena and abide in non­ arising, they will be relieved by the lack o f autonom ous existence to phenom ena. When they have produced the Awareness o f emptiness, wherein it is known that there is nothing self-existent in the intrinsic nature of em ptiness, n o r in the psycho-physical constituents, the perceptual sources and elem ents, the perceiving subject, the perceived objects, the self, life and so forth, the phenom ena and non-arising, they will be relieved by the sam eness which is the intrinsic nature o f all phenom ena.’ Now these will be summarized by means of relief (dsvdsa). Having received much relief. Just as one is relieved in ordinary life when one is free from ihe danger o f bandits in fearful places on precipitous roads, likewise beings who wander here in ihe desolation of samsara feel relieved when they are freed from the fear of the d anger from the bandits that are em otional afTIictions and karmic actions. (43a) They fully know the truth o f the self as it is in reality: This does not refer to the knowledge by insight of its real nature of emptiness, but to the correct knowledge of the nature o f self as found in the m undane scriptures. These stages refer to the perfection o f the causal basis of Vairocana. But this is not the entire explanation o f the perfection of cause, for in the o th er sections on the causal basis, the text says, 'Enlightenment has the attribute o f space: it is devoid o f all selective concepts. Whoever desires to realize that is called a “Bodhisattva ” ' [28.3]. (44b) T hose who desire that suprem e Enlightenm ent are nol only those on the First Level and so on, but also the Bodhisattvas who dwell on the Tenth level and the All Good Level who desire to realize the suprem e Enlightenm ent. T herefore the practices of those Bodhisattvas should also be understood as the causal basis o f Vairocana.

29. ‘L ord o f the Secret Ones! At that time, the Bodhisattva who engages in the practice o f Bodhisattvas by m eans o f the secret m antra path (123b) will meditatively observe the chain o f interdependent origination with ten similes and com prehend the secret M antra M ethod. What are the ten? They are phantom s, mirages, dream s, reflections, g a n d h a rv a f cities, echoes, the moon in water, bubbles, magical illusions and a wheel o f whirling fire. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! Bodhisattvas who engage in the practice of Bodhisattvas by m eans o f the secret m antra path should investigate as

foi[0ws: What is a phantom ? T hrough the use o f drugs and spells by magicians, various different things are m ade to appear which delight the inind and the eye, even though they have not been seen before and yet those things do not go to and fro in the ten directions. Why? Because phantom s are by nature nothing and likewise all things arise from the endeavours o f those *h o practise the secret m antra path. ‘L o rd o f the Secret Ones! Moreover, mirages are by nature nothing and yet they are established by the action o f ideas and can be spoken about. Likewise these mantras are established merely by the action o f ideas and are said to be perform ed. ‘L o rd o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, in dream s one appears to abide there for a day, an hour, a m inute, a second or a year and may experience many types o f pleasures and pain, and yet when one awakens, nothing o f it remains to be seen. Likewise this secret M antra M ethod should be understood to be like a dream . ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, the arising o f the attainm ents o f the secret M antra M ethod should be known to be like a reflection. For example, just as the reflection o f a face arises in conjunction with a m irror and a head, so also should the accom plishm ent o f the secret Mantra M ethod be understood. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, the supem aturally produced places which occur should be viewed as a city o f the gandharvas. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, the sound o f the secret m antras should be understood to be like an echo. (124a) For example, just as an echo arises in dependence upon a sound, so also should this secret Mantra Method be understood. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, when the m oon shines, its reflection is seen in water and that is called a “water-moon”. Likewise, the mantrin is called a “knowledge-holder” (vidyadhara). ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, ju st as when rain falls, bubbles are produced, likewise one should consider the various em antions o f the secret mantra attainm ents. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, there are no sentient beings, no life *nd no creator: all things are nothing and are no m ore than the appearance o f m ere magical illusion. Lord o f the Secret Ones! M oreover, ju st as when som ebody holds a urnmg torch in his hand and whirls it around, it seems like a wheel, likewise things arise from em ptiness.’ Now this m atter will be examined: It says in the text that the general attribute of the Mantras is Enlightenm ent. Enlightenm ent is without self-existence, having the nature Crnptiness, and is free from such perceptual images as the psycho-physical constituents, perceptual sources and elem ents, the perceiving subjects, perceived th^eCtS act'on anc* actiyity, and yet the m antras are the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas and sounds and letters which reveal them. They also bring about activities such as the ^P erior, medium and inferior attainm ents, and the rites of Pacifying, Enriching and estroying. So how are we to understand them, if they are thus at variance [with the

attributes o f E nlightenm ent]? T he text therefore says ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! At that time, the Bodhisattva who engages ... arise from emptiness' Though they appear to exist, p h enom ena on the relative level cannot withstand reasoning by logic and on the absolute level they are empty in nature. However, on the relative level, the effects of the certainty o f the relationship o f individual causes and results do occur, so it would be inadmissible to say that they do not exist. T hus their appearance on the relative level through the nature o f em ptiness is like a phantom and so forth. Likewise, although the nature o f mantras, which is E nlightenm ent, is also em ptiness on the absolute level, various results of accom plishm ent appear and are experienced on the relative level, by the transform ational power (adhisthdna) o f the continuum o f reality and by the power o f the yogin’s practice. These are also explained by the examples of the phantom and so on.

30. ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! This is the ground o f the Mahayana*, the ground o f equality to that without equal, the ground o f certainty, the ground o f P erfect B uddhahood, the ground o f entry by stages into the Mahayana. ‘If you know this treasure, from which various great Awarenesses arise, you will fully know the different types o f m inds o f all as they really are.’ (46b) This section leaches the praises o f that realization o f sameness by Bodhisattvas. The ground o f Mahayana: Ii is the knowledge of that bodhicitta. T h e Mahayana is the path o f the Bodhisattva, logeiher with the result. If you know that bodhicitta, you will also know the sequence of the eight m undane minds and so on, up lo the Level of the Joyful O ne, therefore it is its 'ground ' That without equat is space, for space is without limits and so is not equal to anything whatsoever. 'The ground o f equality is emptiness, the continuum o f reality. T he knowledge o f intrinsic em ptiness is the ground of equality with the unequal. (47a) The ground o f certainty. T he definite and correct knowledge that phenom ena are empty in nature. 'The ground o f Perfect Buddhahood refers to the realization by the First Level bodhicitta that all phenom ena are the same. This is not different to suprem e E nlightenm ent and is o f one taste [with it], so it is Perfect B uddhahood. The ground o f entry by stages into the Mahayana: Both the m undane minds and the higher supram undane minds, which are the causal basis of Vairocana, are contained within this First bevel bodhicitta, and also the minds from the First Level up to the All Good Level are not different to this, so il is ihcir ground.

A

C adds:

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"the g ro u n d o f the m in d '

n T H E LA Y IN G -O U T O F T H E MANDALA T hen Vajrapani, the Lord o f the Secret O nes, said to the Bhagavat, ‘It is m ost wonderful that the Bhagavat should reveal to beings with various means

2nd m ethods, in accordance with their inclinations and interest, the inconceivable continuum o f reality that utterly transcends all m ind levels, w hich the Bhagavat him self has fully realized*. I beg you, Bhagavat, to e x p la in the m ethod o f the m antra practice which completely perfects the Great Mandala King Arising From the Matrix o f G reat Com passion, (124b) for in future times it will bring benefit, welfare and happiness to many beings.’ Now, having attained All-knowing Awareness, the Bhagavat Vairocana pervaded all of the Three Realms spontaneously with the configurations {caJtra)o( the A dornm ents of the Inexhaustible Sameness o f his Body and so forth, by the power o f his previous aspirations, in o rd er to suprem ely liberate limitless realms o f beings with that All­ knowing Awareness, by various m eans and various m ethods. While that intrinsically existent Mandala (47b) is actually seen by such pure Bodhisattvas as Sam antabhadra, Vajrapani and so on, and is accessible to them , those configurations o f the Bhagavat's Body and so on are not accessible to lower creatures. So Vajrapani asks the Bhagavat to explain the transform ation o f those configurations o f his Body an d so on into the mandalas, m antras and mudras for the sake of those beings.

2. T hen the Bhagavat Vairocana gazed upon the assembly o f all those around him and said to Vajrapani, the Lord o f the Secret O nes, ‘Listen to this discourse which teaches the m ethod fo r practising the M andala which causes All-knowing Awareness to be fully perfected!’ T hen, because the Bhagavat Vairocana had not com pleted1 his task with regards to the continuum o f reality and because he had vowed to liberate all realm s o f beings without exception, all the Tathagatas gathered together in consulta­ tion [with him], and he then entered into the samddhi called T h e Arising o f the Matrix o f G reat Com passion’. As soon as the Bhagavat had entered it, Tathagatas em erged from all parts o f his Body who perform ed acts bene Fitting beings, from those at the first arousing o f the intention up to those on the T enth Level. Having come forth, they encom passed the ten directions and then they returned to take up their places within the Body o f the Bhagavat. Having becom e perfectly enlightened, the Bhagavat him self directly experienced the conunuum of reality which is inconceivable and transcends all the levels of minds. a ) He then m anifested him self throughout all realms o f beings with the COr,figuraiions 0 f ^js gocjy an(j so on which cause the individual inclinations of

^

* adds: —|E •the perfect Enlightenment [ which the Bhagavat )’ C omiLs ‘not' and reads: Sfe became of his former vow to °rr*piish unlimited continuums of reality'

beings to be fulfilled according to their individual faith. O nce again Vajrapani asks the Bhagavat about what he sees and experiences. (48b) T he Bhagavat replies: 'Listen to this discourse which teaches the method for practising the Mandala which causes AlUmowing Awareness to be fully perfected!' H e is going to explain the practice in sixteen parts for propitiating the deities by m eans o f the M andala. T hus gradually, by way o f the sadhana, the deities are to be propitiated by the practice which generates the deities, the four-m em bered recitation, and the purification o f o n e ’s m ind, and then, when one has actually accom plished the vidyadhara attainm ents and so forth, (49a) one will fully perfect All-knowing Awareness. Practising the Mandala: The sixteen acts o f drawing the M andala and so forth. Then because the Bhagavat Vairocana had not completed... their places within the Body o f the Bhagavat T he Bhagavat revealed the samadhi from which the intrinsically existent M andala arises, for the sake o f future beings, so that the M andala Arising From G reat Compassion may be drawn. T he samadhi which he revealed was also revealed to show the way in which the Master who is to draw the Mandala Arising from G reat Compassion should actualize such a samadhi and then draw the Mandala which depicts the details o f his Body and so on, with colours upon the ground. Continuum o f reality. Suchness (tathatd), emptiness (sunyata), o r the limits o f reality (bhutakoti). T he Bhagavat’s 'task' is to completely pervade all realms of beings with the A dornm ents o f his Inexhaustible Body and so on, and liberate those beings into suprem e Enlightenm ent. Yet since there still rem ains beings to be liberated, his task is n ot yet com pleted. Because he vowed to liberate all realms o f beings: (49b) As the com pletion o f his task regarding the continuum of reality remains unfinished, for when the Bhagavat was previously engaged in the Bodhisattva practice he m ade a vow to liberate all beings w ithout rem ainder upon his attainm ent of Enlightenm ent. All the Tathagatas gathered together in consultation: T he Buddhas o f the past, present and future, are identical in their accum ulations', dharmakayas and benefitting o f beings*, so this shows that all the Buddhas teach with one voice. Secondly, 'all the Tathagatas gathered together in consultation' m eans that they all had actualized the continuum o f reality, Suchness. Thirdly, this is also m entioned in order to hum ble arro g an t beings in the future, and to p rom pt beings who have not m ade enquiries to question and enquire o f gurus and spiritual friends. If even the All-knowing Tathagatas deliberate with others and then teach the Dharma, then we ourselves should consult with others when we are attem pting som ething. The saitaadhi called 'The Arising o f the Matrix o f Great Compassion' (Maha-karund-garbhodbhava): This can be interpreted eith er as the Matrix o f G reat Compassion arising from that samadhi, or as the samadhi which arises from that Matrix of G reat Compassion. (50a)

3. T hen the Bhagavat said to the Bodhisattva Vajrapani, ‘Vajrapani! Listen carefully to the laying out o f the Mandala! To begin with, the M aster should have his m ind fixed upon bodhicitta, be endow ed with insight, be firm*, be com passionate, be skilled in the arts, be ever wise in the m ethods o f the Perfection o f Insight, know the differences between the T hree Ways, be skilled in the true nature o f m antras, know the inclinations o f beings, have A

C o m ils ‘be firm ’

trust in the B uddhas and Bodhisattvas, have the initiation and permission to perform the task o f drawing the Mandala*, be strenuous and decisive in the practice o f the m antras, be well b om , be skilled in practice, have attained the union o f opposites and be established in bodhicitta. (125a) Lord o f the Secret Ones! Such a M aster is a son o f the Jina, and is praised by B uddhas and Bodhisattvas. L ord o f the Secret O nes, it is fitting fo r others to call him a M aster.’ After em erging from that samadht, the Bhagavat begins to explain th e M andala to Vajrapani. T he explanation o f the drawing o f the M andala should be considered in th ree parts - the cause, its nature and the result. T he cause is the Master, its nature is the actual m arking o ut and the drawing o f the Mandala, and the result is the entry o f the trainees and their initiation. Now as the main cause o f the draw ing of the M andala is th e Master, the M aster's attributes will first be explained. In the explanation o f his attributes there are the attributes of the qualities which make him a Master, those which accom plish him as a Master, and his special attribute. T he attributes which make him a Master are 'having his mind fixed upon bodhicitta’ and so on, the attributes which accomplish him as a Master are 'having the initiation and permission to perform the rites of drawing the Mandala' and so on, an d his special attribute is to be ‘established in bodhicitta' These also com prise the qualities of body, speech and m ind, and should be linked with them as appropriate. His mind is fixed upon bodhicitta: H e has dissolved all p h en o m en a such as the psycho-physical constituents, perceptual elem ents and sources into emptiness. Endowed with insight. T here are two types o f insight: innate insight, and the insight bom of hearing, pondering and cultivation. He has either o n e of these as ap p ro p ri­ ate. (50b) Compassionate: Compassion is the desire to extricate beings from suffering. T h ere is also innate com passion and created com passion. H e has both o f these. Skilled in the arts: Although there are, generally speaking, many m und an e crafts, reference is being m ade in this section to skill in drawing th e M andala and in the branches o f the offerings. Ever wise in the methods o f the Perfection o f Insight. H e is skilled in both absolute and relative methods. T he absolute o n e refers to skill in the m ethod of the Perfection of Insight, the meditative observation of the intrinsic em ptiness o f all ph enom ena, which are from the very beginning u n b o rn and unarisen. The relative o n e refers to skill in engaging in the Perfection of Generosity and so on, in a m anner w herein the three elem ents of the deed* are completely pure, without attachm ent, when one engages in the Perfections following that Meditative observation o f emptiness. Know the differences between the Three Ways. This refers to his skill in distinguishing the attributes of the Sravaka Way, which is the realization of the im perm anence, suffering and th e absence of autonom ous existence in the psycho-physical constituents, perceptual elem ents and sources, following the realization o f the absence o f autonom ous existence in the individual; the Pratyekabuddha Way which is the realization that these psycho-physical constituents, perceptual elements and sources have also the nature of interdependent °ngination; and the Mahayana which is the realization that all phenom ena are from A

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^ re a d s ih is a s ' have the permission and initiation, be conversant unth the drawing o f the

"tondaia'

the very beginning u n born and unarisen. Be skilled in the true nature o f mantras: T he general definition o f the true nature o f m antras is bodhicitta, an d to be skilled in that is to be skilled in the m antras, the seed-syllables and the samadhis. To be skilled in the m antras is to be skilled in uttering the words o f the m antras, an d in distinguishing the nature o f the various mudrds. To be skilled in the seed-syllables is to be knowledgable about the individual seed-syllable essences o f the deities, and ab o ut their samadhi gates and functions. (51a) To be skilled in the samadhis is to be skilled in entering samadhi and laying out the mandalas o f earth, water and so on, an d the accom plishm ent o f their rites. Knew the inclinations o f beings. This refers to the inclinations o f the trainees, but it docs not m ean knowing them through knowledge of the m inds of others4 Instead he is wise in [ascertaining] what the trainees ought to do in service o f the wrathful and peaceful deities, an d what they o ught to do for the superior, m edium o r inferior attainm ents, by ascertaining the [appropriate] practice and m ethod for the trainees by means o f distinguishing their gro up o f m antra [deities]. Have the initiation and permission to perform the task of drauring the Mandala: Initiation: This refers to the bestowal of power with the water from a j a r adorned with perfum es, flowers, m edicines and jewels, in the Initiation Mandala. Permission: T he permission given verbally after that initiation with the words ‘You may draw the M andala and engage in the sadhana’ Skilled in practice. Skilled in the practices o f the sadhana and the riles of pacification and so forth. Established in bodhicitta: He is able to abide in the non-conceptualizing samadhi of emptiness. (51b) A son o f thejina He is b om from the very nature of th ejin a. T h ejin a is the Buddha, whose very nature is the continuum o f reality. O ne who is born from the very nature o f the Jin a is one who has arisen through devoted interest in em ptiness, which is the continuum o f reality.

4. ‘Furtherm ore, he may see beings who are suitable to becom e receptacles for the teachings and who are free from faults, who have much trust and firm faith, and who rejoice in benefitting others, so upon making the acquaintance o f such a trainee, the M aster should call him, without having been asked, out o f a desire to benefit him, saying: “You are a receptacle for the great m ethod, therefore, child, I shall reveal to you the ritual o f the Mahayana M antra Method! T he P erfect B uddhas o f the past, likewise o f the future, and the Lords who have appeared in the present, who abide for the welfare o f creatures, they have all been acquainted with this excellent and good m antra ritual. Like the H ero under the B odhi-treeA, they have attained the All-knowing Awareness which is without perceptual form. T he m antra p ra c tic e ' is unequalled: A B

C: C:

5 'seated in Enlightenment drvotd of attributes' th* ce those who have accustom ed themselves thus to the m ethods o f the Mahayana antra practice will have faith in this m ethod of m antra practice and will be suitable ^ ceptacles for it, bul the others will not. They are Vajrasattvas. T he m inds of those noTfT”W^ ° ^ave reP*"atedly practised this kind of Mahayana are very stable. (58b) and istracted by heretics and dem ons, so their m inds are vaira-like' and they are ' b e f o r e Vajrasattvas. u n changing

14. ‘Furtherm ore, the M aster who has great com passion should ju st vow to liberate all realms o f beings without rem ainder and he should accept beings without limits, in order that that may becom e the cause o f bodhicitta.' 15. ‘Then calling them, he should make the trainees take refuge in the Three Jewels. H e should also explain to them the evils which should not be com m itted. T hen he should give them incense, flowers and so forth. He should also make them accept the Discipline o f the Awareness without Obscurations in the three dm esA. ‘After they have been m ade to accept this, the mantrin then gives them tooth-sdeks, Equipoised with one-pointed minds, they should be m ade to face the east or the north. T hen they should bite the tooth-sdeks m ade o f good quality udumbara or asvattha protected and sm eared with flowers, perfum e and so on. T hose who are suitable or unsuitable as recipients should be distinguished from the cast down tooth-sticks. T hen with equipoised mind, h e should carefully de a thrice-knotted thread onto the left arms o f the trainees. Then, so that these faultless trainees, who have thus been received, should have firm intendons, the M aster should encourage them thus: “Illustrious Ones! Today you will acquire an unequalled acquisition, because, O G reat Ones, all the Jinas with their Sons have received and borne you all into this teaching. T h erefo re tom orrow you will be born into the Mahayana10!” If in dream s they see tem ples, fine groves, , various kinds o f beaudful houses, likewise pinnacles, swords, wish-fulfilling gems, parasols and various flowers, beaudful women dressed in white, comely reladves and children8, books, (128a) and also brahm insc, Buddhas, Pratyekabuddhas, and the victorious Sravakas, A B ('.

C. h as th is p o rtio n in verse. C in se rts H 'herds of cattle and bounteous miUh < C o m its 'brahmins an d reads: j1^ fljt tfj 'purr unthout taints .

mighty Bodhisattvas, o r o f the attainm ent o f results, the crossing o f lakes and seas, o r else auspicious pleasing words from the sky, announcing the arising o f the desired results, then such dream s as these are divined to be auspicious. T he wise one should know that dream s opposite to these are bad. “O you fine trainees! In the morning, you should recount all to m e!” Having com m anded them thus, the M aster should also explain the Dharma. “This m ost excellent and glorious Path is the great source o f the Mahayana: Since you are progressing along it, you will becom e Tathagatas, self-arisen, endow ed with great fortune*, shrines for all the w orld8. It transcends existence and non-existence, and is pure like space. Itsc profundity is beyond the ken o f all logicians and it is unlocalized0. It is free from all proliferations though it is elaborated by proliferations; If you abide in this m ethod, you will attain this m ost excellent Way which is devoid o f actions and activitiesE and does not rely upon the two T ru th s11.” ’ This section explains the procedure for accepting the trainees the evening before the Mandala is to be drawn, and there are nine parts lo this: the confession of failings, the taking o f refuge, causing them to accept the Discipline of the Awareness without Obscurations in the three times, the offering of flowers and incense, causing them to bite the toolh-sticks, the binding o f the thread on their arms and protecting them, the generation o f enthusiasm , having them see dream s, and the explaining o f the D harm a to them . Although these topics also appear later in the Tantra, you should understand in this way the actual sequence of actions lo be done. They should be made to ‘take refuge’, for some o f them may by chance have taken ^ uge previously by means o f the Pratirnoksa Code'* and so on, (59a) bul they should TOade io take refuge again. If they have already taken refuge before, they would

q

d

great ndga ( mahd-naga), e rro r For ‘ mahd-bhdga’? ^ e a d in g tak en from C a n d Skt. T has 'who know all worlds' c ; £ * l The profundity] o f all phenomena without any substratum' (*andlaya) 'whose actions and activitte.i are quite without e q u a f.

have only taken refuge with eight venerable persons of the Sahgha. Although the B uddha an d the D harm a in which they take refuge here are the same as when they took refuge before, the Sangha is not the same, because o ne should especially take refuge with the noble irreversible Bodhisattvas. Also it is because the others, who have n o t yet taken refuge m ust be m ade to take refuge for the first time, an d also those who have previously taken refuge, should be made to take refuge again here in order to make them steadfast. He should also explain to them the evils which should not be committed: Because they should undertake not to do again now, or in the future, those evils previously com m itted which they have confessed. If it is acceptable for them to undertake not to do such things again now or in the future, what is the point of confessing those that they have already done? Because if they can see that there is no virtue in the evils previously done by them and confess them , then at the time of their death, the p h en o m en a related to the evils they have done will n ot be actualized. H ere the confession of faults should be do n e before taking refuge in the T hree Jewels. Why? Because one who has confessed his faults and m ade him self p ure is suitable to take refuge. He should give them flowers, incense and so forth: This should be d one after the Discipline of the Awareness w ithout O bscurations in the three times has been accepted. Why? By accepting that Discipline after having confessed his faults and having taken refuge, the trainee will becom e a suitable receptacle an d an appropriate recipient for offerings, so he should then be offered flowers and incense. He should make them accept the Discipline o f the Awareness unthout Obscurations in the three timer. T he Awareness without Obscurations in the three times is the All-knowing Awareness. Since All-knowing Awareness has the attribute of being devoid o f the obscurations of the em otional afflictions and wrong understanding, one sees the real object w ithout any obscuration o r obstruction, in all times past, present an d future. (59b) T he discipline by which one abandons the path of the ten unwholesome actions in o rder to attain that Awareness is called 'T he Discipline of the Awareness without O bscurations in the three tim es' T hat Discipline will also be explained in detail below, with the distinctions o f the relative and absolute types. After they have been made to accept this, the mantrin then gives them tooth-sticks ... from the cast down tooth-sticks: This is done in o rd er to purify them , in o rd er to accept and accom m odate trainees when they are to fast from the next day in the m an n er of the m undane [practices] and should bite the tooth-jticks'* that evening, and also in order to see the om ens concerning which attainm ents the trainees are suitable receptacles for according to the direction in which the tooth-sticks point when they are cast down. As for the directions in which the tooth-sticks point, if its tip points towards the trainee, then he is a suitable receptacle for the swift attainm ent of the most excellent attainm ent. If the tip o f the tooth-stick points to the west, he will be a suitable receptacle for the rite of Subduing. If the tip points to the east, he will be a suitable receptacle for the most excellent attainm ent and the rite o f Enriching. If the tip of the tooth-stick points to the south, he will be a suitable receptacle for the accomplish­ m ent o f the rite of Destroying. If he is facing north and the tooth-stick points towards him, he will be a suitable receptacle for the swift attainm ent of medium attainments. If the tip of the tooth-stick points northwards, he will accomplish ihe riie of Pacifying. If it points norih-east, he will accomplish both Pacifying an d Enriching. (60a) If it

points south-east, he will accomplish Destroying. If it points south-west, he will the rites o f driving away, drying up an d so on. If it points north-west, he will accom plish the rites concerning yaksini14 and so on. If the bottom o f the toothstick. sticks in the ground and the tip points up to the sky, he will accom plish skyt r a v e l l i n g . If it points upwards, he will becom e accom plished as a vidyddhara, an d if tt points downwards, he will be a suitable receptacle for the accom plishm ent of travelling below the ground. This is all explained in detail in the Guhya-sdmanya-tantm and so forth. Although the trainees with the attributes previously explained should see the omens of the tooth-sticks, it is not necessary to distinguish what the om ens are in the case of the ordinary trainees because even if they do have such om ens from the tooth-sticks, they will not be able to apply themselves to those attainm ents an d so forth. He should carefully tie a thrice-knotted thread onto the left arms o f the trainees T he M a ste r should em power each knot of each thread with the M antra of Acala or Trailokya-vijaya as appropriate, and he ties them himself o nto the left forearm of the tra in e e s in order to protect them . If in dreams you see he should also explain the Dharma: Having thus cncouraged them [with the above verse], the Master should indicate these dream om ens to the trainees, and they should be m ade to relate to the Master later which o f these they saw. Also am ong these om ens there are three types: those com ing from the ground below, those coining from the sky, and those com ing from the Noble ones. These should be viewed as indicating superior, m edium and inferior attainm ent. Moreover, these three should also each be divided into three parts: upper, m iddle an d lower. From ‘temples’ to ‘brahmins' arise from the ground. From ‘Buddhas' to ‘Bodhisattvas’ are the Noble Ones. From 'the attainment of results' to ‘the arising o f the desired results' are the om ens that arise from the sky. O f those, the inferior om ens arising from the ground are ‘temples’ to 'pinnacles', the m edium ones arising from the gro u n d are parasols' to ‘brahmins', and the superior ones arising from the ground are swords and urishfulfiUinggems' The superior om en of the N oble O nes is ‘Buddhas', the m edium ones are ‘Bodhisattvas’ and ‘Pratyekabuddhas’, and the inferior o ne is ‘Srdvakas’ T he inferior om en from the sky is 'attainment of results', the medium pnes are 'crossing lakes and seas', and the superior ones are 'auspicious, pleasing words' So that they may see dreams, it is fitting that the special trainees should be made to sleep near the place where the M andala is to be drawn. (61b) acco m p lish

16. T hen the Vajradhara N ihprapanca-pradstha said to the Bhagavat, Bhagavat! Please explain the Discipline o f the Awareness without Obscurations in the three times, which makes the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas Joyful if a being dwells therein.’ Then the Bhagavat replied to the Vajradhara Nihprapanca-pradstha, *Well° m son! Listen carefully concerning this discipline which unites body, speech and mind, which is unconcerned with all phenom ena and free from activity. What is it? It is to com pletely give oneself to the Buddhas and odhisattvas. (128b) Why is that? Because whoever completely gives himself, pv es three things. What are those three things that he gives? His body, sPee°h and mind. T herefore, well-born son, the Bodhisattva should uphold «ie discipline o f body, speech and mind. Why is that? Because Bodhisattvas

do not uphold the training without com pletely giving their bodies, speech and m inds.’ Now the Discipline of the Awareness without O bscurations in the three times that was m entioned previously will be explained in detail. T he Vajradhara Nihprapancapratistha asks the Bhagavat to explain about that Discipline, which causes the B uddhas (62a) and Bodhisattvas to bccom e joyful and you to attain prosperity and happiness, if you abide therein. Unites body, speech and mind: T he body, speech and m ind en ter into em ptiness at the same time, and having thus become empty in nature, they are no longer perceived as objects. T herefore attachm ent, that to which one is attached an d that which becomes attached, also cannot be perceived as objects. Because they lack reality in this m anner, the body, speech and m ind are unable to do evil, and that is the Discipline. Unconcerned with all phenomena: Body, speech and m ind do not act as the generative causes of all such p henom ena as the psycho-physical constituents, the perceptual elem ents and sources, and so they are said to be disciplined because they do not function as those generative causes. This shows the absolute Discipline. Whoever gives his body, speech and m ind to the Buddhas must also act in accordance wilh the D harm a, that is, not follow the path of the ten unwholesome deeds. [This is the relative Discipline.] (62b)

17. ‘T hen, the next day, after having m ade salutations to the Bhagavat Vairocana, the M aster transform s him self into Vajrasattva, em powers a ja r filled with perfum ed water with the M antra o f Trailokya-vijaya and places it at the first gate. T he wise one should then sprinkle all persons with it, and in o rd er to purify their minds, he should pour out perfum ed water for them V This section explains what the Master who is going to draw the Mandala should do the following morning. If he examines the rising sun in the m orning, he will be able to ascertain clearly the north, south, east and west. Therefore, having washed an d so on, he should go to the m iddle o f the place where the Mandala is lo be drawn and bring lo m ind ihe Bhagavat Vairocana and make obeisances lo him. T h en making ihe Mudra of the T h ree Samayas, he should transform him self into em ptiness with the C ontinuum of Reality Mudra. T heg, making the Dharm a Wheel Mudra, he should transform himself into Vajrasattva. T hen he should arm our himself, making the Vajra A rm our M udra This is ihe transform ation into Vajrasattva. "Vajrasattva refers lo one whose m ind is extrem ely firm, (63a) like a vajra. W hat is lhal mind? Il is ihe m ind of ihe core of Enlightenm ent, which is authentically consum m ate in character (aviparydsa-parinispanna-laksana). This is the transform ation into ihe Bodhisallva Body of the Noble Vajrasattva. Then the Masier who has transform ed himself into Vajrasattva, should calculate and fix ihe north, south, east and wesl of the Mandala, and he should also mentally decide the plates where the deities are to be locatcd. He empowers a ja r sprinkle all persons with it He should pul five types of precious things, five types of medicines, five types of g ra in s'' and so on into a jar filled with A

a n d m ake ihrm d n n k if'

watcr with the qualities m entioned in the text an d place it at the entrance to the Mandala house. W hen the trainees en ter within, he should sprinkle them with it to dispe' obstacles. As for the em pow erm ent of that ja r with the M antra of Trailokyavijaya he should recite one hun d red and eight times if em powering with the essence m antra, and seven or twenty one times if em pow ering with the root m antra. T hen. ' in order to purify their minds, he should pour out pure perfumed water for them , he s h o u l d pour out pure perfum ed water for them so that they may be cleansed of ideas about having eaten som ething which infringes the m antra practice. 'Pure’ m e a n s without parts of animals and so on. Even if they do not have ideas about having eaten som ething that infringes the m antra practice, they should think that their m inds will be purified by drinking that pure water, so that they may becom e free of worries about impurity and so forth. For these reasons the water should be given to them. (63b)

18. T hen Vajrapani said to the Bhagavat: ‘W ould the All-knowing O ne, Best o f Speakers, tell us the time and hour at which the G reat Beings will em power the M andala, when the m andala M asters exert themselves in m antra sddhana?’ T hen the Bhagavat replied to Vajrapani, ‘T hose who aim to make the M andala should always draw it at night.’ In this seciion. Great Beings' refers not to the Buddhas, but to the Bodhisattvas who engage in the practice of the Perfections. Why? As Buddhas can empower at all times, it is not necessary to ask about the lime, but Bodhisattvas cannot empower at all times, because when they arise from samadhi, they go giving priority to their perception of the benefim ng of beings. Secondly, the B uddha Bhagavats are never called 'Great Beings' (maha-salivas), but Bodhisattvas are, so the words ’Great Beings’ refers here to the Bodhisattvas. T he Bhagavat prescribes the night-time for drawing all the m andalas for all occasions to those who wish to draw them , and says that those Bodhisattvas will go there in the night-time. T herefore you should know that both the samaya mandalas and the sddhana mandalas should be drawn in the night on all occasions. Regarding that, it is m entioned in the Guhya Tantra and elsewhere that all mandalas, apart from the sddhana mandalas, should be drawn in the night, so it says that the sddhana m andala should be drawn d uring the daytime. Why is that? T he sddhana should be accom plished during the whole of the night from the evening watch to the next room ing, therefore, as there will be no chance to draw the sddhana m andala in the nif>ht, it should be drawn in the daytime. But here it is said that both should be drawn at night, so the samaya m andala should be drawn th at same night, and the sddhana mandala also should be drawn at night, and not d uring the daytime as m entioned in e Guhya Tanlra. But since there will be no opportunity for one to draw it during the " '* « lhe actual sddhana, an d if one draws it that same evening, it will take one a 0 |e three hour period to draw the mandala, making it impossible for one to do the todhana for the whole night. T herefore you should know that the m andala should be Wn the previous evening and the sddhana should be d one from the next evening.

You should follow this rule also in the case of ihe large mandalas which cannot be com pleted in one evening.

19. ‘Vajrapani! The M aster should make prostrations to all the Buddhas and then taking a thread o f five d ifferent colours, he should transform him self into the Bhagavat Vairocana. *To m ark out a line to the east, the cord should be held in the air, level with his navel. T hen going to the south, it should be m arked out to the northA. T hen taking up a second cord and recollecting the Tathagatas there, he should face east and mark the line. T hen going to the south, he should mark the line to the north. Then the wise one turns around, (129a) and standing in the south-west, he should mark a line northwards. T hen he should turn around to the right, and having done so, he should stand there, and m ark a line to the south. T hen leaving that place, he should go and stand in the south-east, then the mantrin who abides in the m antra ritual should mark a line eastwards. T hen likewise going to the north-east, he should face westwards, he should mark a line northwards to the north-western quarter. In that way the mantrin should make a com plete square".'

A

C: j[0

$ S

& ft. S t 4 t Jj ' I

should be m&rked out] in this m anner from the south, the

west, a n d fin a lly the northern direction

B The process described by C in this important passage has .significant differences in the procedure: * H £ 4 # t£ W Jj f i « t . IS ft H R t* if ® St St A H 6E est a n d to the north. The M aster next goes a ro u n d , ta k in g his position in the south weU The recipim t trainees should gra d u a lly move a ro u n d to the south, then going aro u n d to the nght, they should transfer to the north-west The M aster mmrs from where he is a n d goes to the suuth-eaU, The m antra practitioners should also act m accordance with this rule The trainees should be in the south-west, a n d the M aster \tays m the north-east. The trainees should again move around a nd transfer their position to the south-east, while the M aster moves from where he i\ a n d takes up position in the narih-utest In this m anner, the m a n in n should make it entirely square

hjow the marking out with a cord in order to draw the Mandala will be explained. The [description of the] drawing of the Mandala is finished by six things. W hat are they? ;) The explanation of the samadhi for the m arking-out of the Mandala, ii) the explanation of the actual marking-out with a cord, iii) the explanation of the dimensions of the Mandala, iv) the divisions o f the sections o f the surface area, v) the divisions of the gates and arches, and vi) the explanation about allocating the deities to their places. The Master should make pm bahons to all the Buddhas... transform hxmsdfinto the Bhagcnai Vairocana. This explains the samadhi of the m arking cord. A cord o f five colours. Imagining it to be the Five Awarenesses in nature, he should transform him self into the Body of Vairocana, endow ed with the Five Awarenesses. Transforming himself into Vairocana: As there are three types of Mandalas, (64b) there is also a division into three types of samadhi in which he should abide. In the case of the G reat C om panion Mandala, the Master should transform himself into the Body of Vairocana an d carry out the various rites of the M andala1" In the case of the M andala o f the Revolving Wheel of Letters, he should transform himself into the dharmakaya an d carry out the riles of the Mandala17 In the case of the Secret Mandala, ihe Master should transform himself inlo the Body which has the five mandalas of earth and so o n 1" and carry out the rites of the Mandala. These are explained in the Pindartha an d will also be explained in the various individual chapters of the Tantra itself. T he im agining of the cord of five colours to be the Five Awarenesses should be linked to the im agining of the five pigm ents to be the five Buddhas which is m entioned below. To mark out a line to the ea st... marked out to the north: First th ere is the m an n er in which the Master should position himself to the west of the Mandala, stand facing the east and imagine the intrinsically existent M andala in the sky. He should clearly imagine the configuration of the A dornm ents of the Inexhaustible Body and so forlh of Vairocana, and then m aking an assistant hold the en d of the cord, he should stretch it out to the east. Likewise he should stretch it out from the south to the north. This is the im agining of the intrinsically existent Mandala in the sky. W hen he has thus im agined the intrinsically existent M andala in the sky, he should draw the Mandala which is thought of as a representation of the intrinsically existent Mandala. Why is it necessary to imagine mentally this intrinsically existent M andala in the sky and then to draw the Mandala? In order lo ascertain the perceptual form of the intrinsically existent M andala in the sky. Then urith a second cord, having taken it up himself: Because the first cord has already been used, it is not fitting to use it for the marking-out. so he should mark out the second M andala with an o th er cord of five colours. Recollecting the Tathagatas there, he should face east and mark out the line. (65a) In ° rd e r to fix the Mandala without error, he should mark out the lines crosswise from (he centre and stick a peg (kila) into the centre of ihe Mandala. T hen, lining up the cord, he should determ ine the four corners wilh it, from the peg in the centre. '^rh en he has thus determ ined them , he should also insert four pegs as m arkers for the four corners. Also he should not untie the knots on the cord, but leave them on as m arkers for the cord. Standing in the south-west, he should mark a line northwards'. The Master should stand in the south-western area facing towards the north side and mark the line of the western side. Then he should turn to the right ... a line southwards-.

Staying in the same south-western area, the Master should turn his gaze from the north to the east, and then making an assistant hold the en d of the cord an d go around the Mandala to the south-eastern corner, he should mark o ut the line of the eastern side. The mantrin who abides in the mantra ritual This means on e who abides in the samadhi of Vairocana. Then likewise going to the north-east... a line northwards'. (65b) Positioning him self in the north-eastern corner, the Master should mark out the line of the north ern side. In that way the m antrin should complete the four comers. T he Master should make the Mandala com pletely square according to the specifica­ tions m entioned above. Why is it that the Master should first do the west, then the south, then the east, and finally the north when he is thus m arking out the Mandala? T he western side is th ought of as the Investigating Awareness, the southern side as the Awareness of Sameness, the eastern side as the Mirror-like Awareness, and the n orthern side as the Awareness of Accomplishing Activities. So first there is the Investigating Awareness, and when that has been perfected, the Awareness of Sameness will be perfected. W hen that has been perfected the Mirror-like Awareness will be perfected. When that has been perfected, the Awareness of Accomplishing Activities, which is characterized by nirmana-kdyas, material wealth and location, will arise from it. T h erefore the sequence is m entioned in that way. Also the cognitive object (alambana) of the Four Awarenesses is the pure continuum of reality, so the lines which are drawn crosswise by the cord com ing from each side, m eet in the centre, which is the Awareness of the Continuum of Reality. The meeting at the one point of the cross is the symbol of the continuum of reality. When he has thus m arked out the lines and divided up the surface, he should go over the lines with a wet cord m ade of one co lo u r" This should be done to make the lines clear without any erasures.

20.

‘Then having gone into the interior, he should divide it into three. Having divided into three parts the whole o f the site, then each one o f those parts also should be divided into three parts; the o u ter part is m ade into the courtyard, and the o ther two parts should tie Fixed as the abode o f the deities.’

Having gone into the interior, the Master should mark out the whole area into three, and then he should divide the third area into three parts, jo in in g each part to each side. He should do likewise for the two [other] areas. 'Having divided into three parts the whole o f the site’ means that he should divide that Mandala into three sections running all around Each one of those parts should again be divided into three parts: Each of the three areas should again be divided into ihree [strips), with one third •stablished as the courtyard (angaria) and the other two thirds m ade into the abode of ih r deities ” 21.

'I n th e f o u r d ire c tio n s , th e w ise o n e s h o u ld m a k e p o rta ls in ea c h p o r tio n .

with care and restraint, as the places o f the Lords o f the deities.’ section deals with the sctting-ofTof the portals (niryuha). T he size of the portals should be m ade one ninth the surface area of the Mandala. T he Dharmakaya Mudra s h o u l d be placed in the eastern portal of those of the in n er matrix Mandala. ^v-alokitesvara should be placed within the n orthern portal, and Vajrapani should placed within the southern portal. T he nirmdna-kdya of Sakyamuni should be placed w i t h i n the eastern portal of the portals in the middle section, Yama in the south and I n d r a i n the north. Although Yama and Indra are also located within the portals of the middle area o f the Mandala, they are to be understood as nirmana-kdyas of the B h a g a v a t . Because Yama guides beings who are to be guided, the image of Yama who is the ruler of the hungry ghosts, is treated as their Lord and located in that portal. Likewise. Sakyamuni as the Lord of hum ans resides in a portal. You s h o u ld know the Lords who reside in the matrix of the M andala are the four A w arenesses in nature. T he attribute of the Bhagavat Vairocana who is perfectly enlightened, resting in the centre, is to be the Awareness of Sameness in nature. The Dharmakaya Mudra which is located in the east is the Mirror-like Awareness in nature. Avalokitesvara who resides in the north is the Investigating Awareness in nature. (66b) Vajrapani who resides in the south is the Awareness o f Accomplishing Activities in n a tu re .

Manjusri resides in the form of the Lord of the eastern portal of the ou ter section of the Mandala. the Bodhisattva Sarva-nivarana-viskambhin resides in the southern portal, and in the same way, Akasa-garbha and Ksiti-garbha reside in the western and the n orthern portals.

22.

‘W hen he has finished all this careful division into sections, he should draw an excellent white lotus in the centre, and this is called the matrix. T he Mandala entirely arisen from Compassion is therefo re said to have a matrix. As fo r its size, it is taught that it should be sixteen inches3' o r m ore. It is com plete with eight petals, and has very beautiful stam ens. In between all the petals, he should draw vajrasA.’

1 he white lotus in the centre represents the accumulation of nienis that are the cause of the Bhagavat Vairocana. T he whiteness is the purity of thai accum ulation. The matrix' is the source, the accum ulation o f merit, and that is the source of the Rhagavat's com passionate nature. This M andala arises from that great compassion, therefore it is said to have a matrix.

^

^

'j/ 0|lj

m ' [ i ! ’ v a jra a w a r m e ss m u d r a s

As for its size sixteen inc/us or more: T he central lotus should be sixteen inches in size. 'Or more' means that it is acceptable even to make it larger than that. The significance of that is as follows: Sixteen is the [total of] the Ten Levels together with the Six Perfections. "Or more' refers lo the All G ood Level which surpasses them. In brief, you should consider that lotus to be a symbol of the accumulations of merit and awareness which are the cause of the Bhagavat. Complete with eight petals: Because that accumulation of merit is endowed with eight Awarenesses, il says ‘eight petals' H ere the eight Awarenesses are as follows: Since the Mirror-like Awareness, the Awareness of Sameness, (67a) the Investigating Awareness an d the Awareness of Accomplishing Activities have evolved from the five gates of consciousness, they arc divided into five types22 Since lhal [accumulation] is endowed with those eight Awarenesses, il has eight petals. Moreover, ihe Awarenesses are the direct realization lhal phenom ena lack any objective reality, and since il is thus realized that everything lacks objective reality, il is also realized lhal ihe three elem ents of giver, gift and recipient also lack objective reality. H ence ihe accum ula­ tion of m erit through Generosity and so forth is endow ed wilh such Awarenesses, and therefore you should understand them as ihe com pletely pure nature of ihe three elem ents of Generosity and so on. It has very beautiful stamens: T he stamens are thought of as the symbols o f the causal qualities of the Bhagavat such as the Samadhis, the Dhdranis, the Liberations, the Strengths, the Fearlessnesses and so forth, for that accum ulation of m en t is endowed with those qualities. In between all the petals he should draw vajras'. The vajras symbolize the Awarenesses, for it is endow ed wilh the eight Awarenesses as m entioned above.

23.

‘In the centre o f the m atrix, he should draw the most excellent Lord o f the Jinas, golden in colour, blazing in light, with his topknot and crown. He is completely surrounded by pure light. T he Lord free from all ills should be depicted residing in samadhi.'

VAIROCANA. Blazing in light. Blazing and burning in nature, for he has the Awareness whose nature is lo burn up the obscurations of em otional afflictions and w rong understanding. Golden in colour. ^This indicates that he is rich in nature. Topknot He has a topknot because he is residing in the Akanistha Heaven, where the gods there have topknots. As his actions are similar to theirs, he also has a topknot. With a crown: Because he is a Dharm a King or else because he is crowned as a Lord, (67b) he wears a jewelled crown. Completely surrounded by pure light. This means lhal he is surrounded by light which is his utterly pure Awareness in nature and also by lhal which em anates from the circle of light. Free from all ills: Free from the faults of the obscurations o f em otional afflictions and wrong understanding. Residing in samadhi: Thai is to reside one-pointedly in the unm oving self-aware Awareness. His appearance is also of one who abides as though in samadhi.

24.

'In the east, the wise one should carefully draw

the sign o f the Buddhas*. It is triangular, completely white a n d rests upon a lotus, its circum ference encircled by white rays o f light.’ D H A R M A K A Y A M U D RA . To the cast of the Bhagavat Vairocana, he should draw a triangular sign which symbolizes the earlier perfectly enlightened Tathagatas o f the past Ii is placed in the east because the Sanskrit word for ‘east’ (purua) also means 'previous' Triangular, resting on a lotus. It is the symbol of the com pletely perfected T hree Gates of Liberation - em ptiness (iunyald), the absence of perceptual forms (antmitla) and the absence o f purpose (apranidhi). In the chapter on the Secret Mandala, 11 says that the Master should place a five-pointed vajra in the centre of that symbol, and from two of its sides rays of light shine forth. T he five-pointed vajra is the symbol of the Five Awarenesses, and the two rays o f light which shine forth are the symhols of the sambhoga-kaya and the ntrmana-kaya, which em erge from the dharmakaya o f which (hat Mudra is a symbol.

25.

‘To its north, the wise one should draw the M other o f all the Protectors. (129b) She shines brighdy the colour o f gold, and wears a white robe. She illuminates all directions and should be depicted in sam a dh i.'

GAGANA-LOCANA (Sky Eye) (68a) To the north of the triangular symbol, he should draw ihe Blessed Lady Gagana-locana, whose nature is ihe Perfection of Insight, the Insight associated with Perfect Enlightenm ent (abhuambodhi). ' The Protectors’ are the Buddhas, and since they arise from that Insight, it is called the M other of the Protectors. She shines brightly. She shines brightly due to her nature o f having consum ed the obscurations of the em otional afTlictions and wrong understanding. The colour o f gold: Indicates her rich nature. She illumines all directions: She pervades [everywhere] with her intrinsic nature of the Awareness which is extremely pure and radiantly clear by nature

26.

‘T 0 the north o f the Lord, there is the heroic Avalokitesvara. He should be drawn seated upon a white lotus, and he is white him self like a conch, jasm ine, o r the moon. His face is smiling and on his head there is Amitabha.’

AVALOKITESVARA To the north of Vairocana on his right, the Master should draw Avalokitesvara, Lord of ihe Lotus Family. Being the Investigating Awareness in nature, ^

— W i§ Jo EH thr M ud ra o f AU-prrvadmg Knowledge tra n sp o ses S c clio n 33 10 fo llo w on h ere a fie r S ectio n 25

Avalokitesvara gazes upon (avalokila) beings in order to completely m ature them and he also gazes upon the utterly pure continuum o f reality. 'Isvara refers to the Hero who overcomes the thieves that are the obscurations o f the em otional afflictions and wrong understanding. Seated on a while lotus: Il is the com pletely pure accum ulation o f m erit and awareness in nature. In the Yoga Tantras, a red lotus is spoken of, but here it is said to be a white lotus. T he Yoga Tantras deal mainly wilh expedient means, so it is red there to show involvement in the aim of liberating and m aturing beings by ex p edient means. (68b) Since this Tantra mainly deals with Insight, it is said to be white here, to symbolize the realization of the uller purity o f all phen o m en a by Insight. On his head is Amitabha: A m itabha is the Investigating Awareness in nature, so this is shown as a symbol o f that. Secondly, it is because in the Yoga Taniras there are various initiations into ihe various Families, and the initiation into the Lotus Family is through Amitabha. His face is smiling. This m eans that he is smiling with open eyes and not abiding in samadhi, in order lo explain the Dharma for the sake of beings.

27.

‘O n his right there is the Goddess known as the great Tara. She is virtuous and removes fear, light green in colour, with various forms. She has the proportions o f a young woman; in her clasped hands she also holds a blue lotus, she is encircled with rays o f light, and is wearing garm ents o f w hiteV

TARA (Saviouress). Avalokitesvara gazed upon realms of beings and he saw that even if he were lo transfer all his accum ulation o f m erit and awareness in order lo benefit all the countless beings and save them, he would still not be able to free them all from samsara. T hen from his tears which arose from the power of his great compassion, many Tara goddesses em erged and took on the forms of saviours for all beings. T h erefore she is called the Goddess Tara (Saviouress). Moreover, her many forms may be known from other Tantras. Virtuous and removes fear. She is peaceful and clears away the eight fearful things, such as kings, robbers and so o n ” Light green in colour. Light green is a mixture of white, blue and yellow. (69a) T he symbolism o f these colours is as follows: White signifies pacifying, yellow signifies enriching and blue signifies subduing, and their m ixture into one to lo u r signifies the perform ance of all these activities. Variousforms: She changes into many different forms for the sake of the many different types of beings, so to some she appears in a male form, to others in a female form and so on. The proportions o f a young woman: She is youthful, for although her qualities are not incom plete, she is also not aged in the sense of having en tered Nirvana, the E nlightenm ent which transcends those qualities. T he proportions that she has symbolize her extensive accum ulation of merit and awareness. In her clasped hands she holds a blue lotus. She has various means of liberating, so you should understand that the sword-like petals of the blue lotus are like ihe Insighi m eihod of liberation.

A

a d d s. m %

'» id

sm ilin g .

Wearing garments o f white. These symbolize her decorum . Just as o ne's body is covered •ind m ade m odest by clothes, so also is decorum a sign of modesty, so she is decorous. V V 'h ite symbolizes the purity o f that decorum . Why is she decorous? Because decorum is a quality o f Bodhisattvas, as will be explained later.

2g.

‘T o his left, the G oddess Bhrkutf should be drawn. She holds a rosary in h er hand, has three eyes and plaited locks o f hair. T he colour o f h er body is white, and she is encircled with rays o f white, yellow and red light.’

(Wrinkle-brows). He should draw Bhrkuti on the left of Avalokitesvara. Her name is derived from reference to the frown wrinkles (kuti) on Avalokitesvara’s brow (bhru), that is, she em erged from anger as her origin, so she is called 'Bhrkutf She holds a rosary. This shows that the goddess does not only have a wrathful nature, but is also endowed with the Perfections and so on. (69b) T he rosary symbolizes the Perfections. 'Three eyes’ show her wrathful nature. Plaited locks o f hair. In accordance with the Akanistha gods. B H R K im

29.

‘N ear to the Goddess Bhrkutf, M aha-sthama-prapta should be drawn, holding an unopened lotus in his hand; he is very m erciful and is dressed in white. This heroic being is encircled with light rays.’

MAHA-STHAMA-PRAPTA (H e who has O btained G reat Strength) H e should be drawn near to Bhrkuti, because he has assembled together gr«;at power. He ‘holds an unopened lotus' in order to distinguish him from Avalokitesvara.

30.

‘In front o f him , the wise one should draw the vidya G oddess Yasodhara; she is the colour o f gold, and fully adorned with ornam ents; in h er left hand, she holds a bunch o f pleasing priyaiigu flowers24.’

YASODHARA. She is called ' Yasodhara (Glory-holdcr) because she holds the glories ° *he qualities of the Buddha. H er golden colour is a symbol of her richness. T he pnyangu flowers' she holds are the sign of this goddess. 31

•

‘Nearby to Tara, the wise one should draw P andara-vasim. She has braided locks and wears white; in h er hand she holds a lotus.’

PANDARA-VASINi. H er nam e m eans ‘She who dwells in whiteness’ o r ‘She who is dressed in w hite’, (70a) becausc she dwells in the purity of the continuum of reality. She is drawn near Tara in order to show that the Goddess Tara does not only perform all actions in saving beings, but that she also resorts to the pure continuum of reality.

32.

‘Below her, the mantrin should draw the Vidya-king o f great strength, who is the colour o f the dawn sun. He is adorned with white lotuses, has a blazing aura and is wrathful; his hair is like a lion’s mane* he is renowned as Haya-griva. Thus the wise one draws [the domain] o f Avalokitesvara11.’

HAYA-GRIVA (Horse-necked O ne). Vidya-king: He is the Vidya-king of the Lotus Family. The colour of the dawn sun: This shows that his body is red in colour. He is adorned with white lotuses: He is adorned with the pure white accum ulation of m erit and awareness. Has a blazing aura. He has the Awareness that consum es the obscurations of the em otional afflictions and wrong understanding, and when they have been burnt lip, the pure continuum of reality will be obtained. T herefore you should know that he is drawn below the Goddess Pandara-vasini who is the utterly pure continuum of reality in nature, to show that he is the Immediate Path to that in nature. His hair is like a lion's mane. This is a sign that he cannot be overcome by anybody, like a lion. He is renowned as Haya-griva: He is called Hayagriva because the Awareness which penetrates the D harm a is swift and speedy like a horse, (70b) and because he is swift in doing deeds to benefit beings, like a horse. The domain o f Avalokitesvara: These deities are to be known as the circle of Avalokitesvara, and they are drawn as representations of the Lotus Family in the intrinsically existent Mandala. All the intrinsically existent Mandalas are limitless and cannot be encom passed in a drawing, so all these [drawn] Mandalas should be understood as a means of condensing the intrinsically existent Mandalas.

33.

‘In the south o f the Buddhas, there is the one called Wish-fulfilling Gem, the symbol o f the protector Bodhisattvas; It is endowed with great fortune, and perfects all wishes. It should be drawn upon a white lotus.’

WISH-FULFILLING GEM. To the south of the triangular sign of the Buddhas of the past, he should draw a symbol of the Bodhisattvas, like a Wish-fulfilling A C reads. £ij f$| ^l| flj. ’he howls wrathfuUy. baring his fangs. he has sharp flaws [and his hair )‘ B T sfryan-ra\ gzigs-dltang hloIdan gyi I ria-m gnn fa n zhe\ grags-pa b n V r ta m g n n zhes-su bsgrags-pa sU I bto-ldan spyan-ras-gzigs-kyi'o (■ GU 6? H £& llie^r are the sa m a d h is o f Avalokitesvara a n d his retinuf' T seem s c o rru p i, so tra n sla tio n b ased on V an d

c:

, eiu ^n n tamani}. If you were to actually draw all the Bodhisattvas, they would be oUlitlcss and without end, so you should know that by drawing a symbol as a means , f including them all together, you draw them all. Great fortune: This refers to their ussession of the accum ulation o f m erit and awareness. It also m eans that they are ^ ,tlv revered by many beings. Perfects all wisher It is called a Wish-fulfilling Gem because [the Bodhisattvas] are like wish-fulfilling gems that com pletely fulfil all wish? by acting for the benefit o f all beings according to their inclinations. Moi rover, the symbol itself should be drawn like a Wish-fulfilling Gem. Upon a white lotus They arise from the pure white accum ulation of m erit and awareness.

34.

‘T o the south o f the Lord Vairocana, (130a) Vajradhara should be drawn; he fulfils all wishes, and in colour he is like a priyangu flower, greenish-yellow, o r like an em erald. This Lord has a crown and is adorned with all the ornam ents o f a Great Being; he holds a vast vajra which penetrates all places, and he is encircled with rays o f light.’

VAJRAPANI. (71a) Vajrapani is drawn to the south of the Bhagavat Vairocana, and he also signifies the Awareness of Accomplishing Activities. As he abides majestically, adorned wilh various ornam ents, he is similar to ihe tranquil Bhagavat and so is to be drawn on the left of the Bhagavat. Holds a vajra: He holds a vajra which is the Five Awarenesses in nature.

35.

‘T o his rig h tA, the mantrin should draw the Goddess called Mamakf; she is adorned with vajra ornam ents, and holds a vajra8 in her hand.’

MAMAKI. She is the consort of Vajrapani and she is the Perfection of Insight, endowed wilh the Awareness of Accomplishing Activities in nature. She holds a vajra in her hand: She holds a three-pointed vajra, the symbol lhal she is Awareness in nature

36.

‘Below her, the mantrin should draw the G oddess, the mighty Vajra-sucf. She is com pletely surrounded by her assistants, and is smiling slightly.’

^A JR asU C I (Vajra N eedle). Because she is the Im m ediate Path of the M other ^er eciion o f Insight in nature, she is drawn below her. She is called 'VajrasucC cause it is her disposition to pierce through to reality. (71b) Completely surrounded ™ he* assistants: She has the branches of the Immediate Path, and since this is a roval nt°urage, ii is possible for there to be servants and so on 6

I ' ^ wi a ' 1to the rght of] Vajragarbha' vajra of] stable m u g h t'

37.

‘T o the left o f Vajrapani, the mantrin should draw Vajra-srnkhala, who carries a chain o f vajras in h er hand. She is encircled by h er assistants, and she is greenish-yellow in colour, like a priyangu flower, and should be well adorned with vajra symbols.’

VAJRA-SRNKHALA (Vajra-chain). T he nature of Vajra-srnkhala is the Noble Path. She holds a symbol of leading beings to that Path and causing them to en ter it. Also, since she is the sum m oner25 of the royal entourage, she symbolizes the seizing and binding of the malicious and harmful.

38.

‘In the region below Vajrapani, he should draw the wrathful Candra-dlaka; he pacifies great obstructors and enemies: his wrath is known throughout the T hree Worlds. He has three eyes and four fangs, his colour is like sum m er rain-clouds, and he gives out a peal o f laughter; he is adorned with vajra ornam ents, and is encircled by limitless wrathful lordsA. His h u ndred thousand hands brandish various kinds o f weapons. This great wrathful being should be drawn seated upon a lotus.’

CANDRA-TILAKA (M oon-m arked). In the region below. Since he is the path of u nhindered practice leading to the Awareness of Accomplishing Activities in nature, he has not surpassed the level of that Awareness and so he is drawn below Vajrapani. Candra-tilaka. He is com pletely pure like the moon, and it is his nature to satisfy the existential streams of all beings. Tilaha. He has a lilaka mark'" In Sanskrit, the word ttlaka also means the 'ch ie f of something. Obstructors and enemies. He clears away gods and yaksas (72a) who are obstructors and^human enemies. Three eyes. These either symbolize his possession of the Eye of Awareness, or his wrath. Fourfangs. These show that he possesses the Four Gates of Liberation: Emptiness, the absence of perceptual forms, the absence ofpurposc and luminosity by nature. Like summer rain-ctouds. Since sum m er rain-clouds are a turbid mass of rain and wind, this symbolizes that he perforins all the ac tivities which they do. His hundred thousand hands. These symbolize that he causes beings to en ter the Noble Path by the many hundreds of thousands of b ranches of the Path, or else that he clears away the many obscurations to the Path by those branches. Various kinds of weapons. Those qualities ol the branches of the Path turn into such weapons as vajras and so on. He should be drawn as described above, but his many anus and his entourage should be drawn as wished, and one can draw less of them as appropriate A

C adds: ( S g * ' t - S t . ' m order to regulate a n d protect beingi

‘Going around to his west, the mantrin should draw many Vajradharas, who hold various weapons in their hands; they are o f various colours and very powerful, com pletely surrounded by rays o f light; they benefit all beings.’ VAJRAD HARA S. H e should draw the Vajradharas who are the entourage of Vajrapan*. and their nam es and appearances should correspond to those given in the Chapter on the Secret Mandala.

40.

‘In the area behind the Lord o f Mantras, in the south-western region, the mantrin should draw Acala*. H e holds a sword and a noose, his plaited hair hangs from the left o f his head, he is well adorned and one o f his eyes squints*. H e abides am idst his own light, wrathfully seated upon a rock. His face is creased in anger, and he has a robust youthful form .’

ACALA (Unshakable). (72b) This section describes the special features of the Noble Lord Acala who is drawn immediately behind the Bhagavat. He is the Immediate Path to ihe Awareness of Sameness in nature. He holds a sword: This is the symbol of the Path, for he leads beings to and causes them to en ter that Path. One eye squints. Because he is the Im m ediate Path in nature, this symbolizes that his realization of all aspects of the continuum of reality and the Awareness of Sameness, is incomplete. Seated on a rock: Because his nature is the Path which is fully accom plished and without distortion, he is firm and unchanging. Youthful form: Since he has newly entered the Im m ediate Path, this symbolizes the undeveloped Path. Consequently, Trailokya-vijaya who symbolizes the developed Path, is placed in the north-west.

41-

‘Having drawn him, the wise one ( 130b) goes to the north-west and carefully draws the wrathful Trailokya-vijaya o f the Bhagavat, with an inexhaustible blazing aura; in his hand he has a vajra and he wears a crown, and he is seated as though receiving com m ands' . He is the colour o f the end o f tim e.’

^AILOKYA-VIJAYA (Victorious over the T hree Realms). This describes the special ■Mures of the depiction of Trailokya-vijaya. who is the perfected Im m ediate Path to A ^

('

* adds: fcD C adds.

'f' S ^

'th e Tathdgata 'i servant' g a zin g at tru th ’

on ® IH fTn

h ' receives c o m m a n d s w i th n o r e g a r d f o r h is a w n life

ihe Awareness of Sameness o f Vairocana in nature. The colour o f the aid o f time. At ihe end o f time ihere will be no sun o r moon, (73a) so all will be murky black. H ence he should be depicted black in colour, like the dark colour of wrath.

42.

‘T hus the drawing o f the interior with the Jinas has been explained V

Thus the symbols of ihe Five Awarenesses together with iheir entourages wilhin the matrix mandala, which is an abbreviated depiction of ihe intrinsically existent Mandala, the A dornm ents of the Inexhaustible Body and so on, have been explained.

43.

‘T hen the mantrin moves outwards, and within the eastern region, in the second division, with certainty, the area is divided into two, and on the innerside o f the portal, the mantrin should draw Sakyamuni. H e shines golden in colour, and has the thirty two excellent marks. T he Lord wears saffron-coloured robes, and is seated upon a white lotus, in the D harm a-expounding posture, in o rd er to cause the teaching to spread.’

Now, the text will describe the drawing in the second area of the Mandala of those who manifest in the forms of the Ntrmana-kaya Sakyamuni, Indra and Yania together with their entourages and so on, who are included am ong the A dornm ents of the Inexhaustible Body and so on. SAKYAMUNI. Sakyamuni is drawn in the 'eastern region' to show that Vairocana had previously becom e perfectly enlightened u n d er the Bodhi Tree. The saffron-coloured robes. These show that he is not attached to samsara, yet by the power of his com passion, he is attached to sentient beings. The coloured robes show his attachm ent to beings by his com passion, and these are of an unclear saffron colour, not pure red which would indicate attachm ent to samsara. +

44.

‘T o his right, the mantrin should draw the G oddess called Buddha-locana. H er face is smiling slighdy, and her aura o f light extends six feet outwards; her unequalled body is very gracious, and she is the m other o f Sakyamuni.'

BUDDHA-LOCANA (Buddha-eye). T he em bodim ent of the M other Insight of ihe Buddhas should be drawn on the right-hand side of Sakyamuni. She is called

A

T read* 'r g y a s ' o r 'rg ya rt' in i-rror fo r ' rgyaf ifin n ) leads: S f 9 I ll W ' I** loraltons of the lords'

This is co n firm ed by C. w h u h

the M other of the B uddhas because the B uddha Sakyamuni arose from that Insight. She is called ‘Buddha-locana (Buddha-eye) since the nature of the eye ,s to see, so it refers to the Insight. Unequalled. Since she is the Awareness without perceptual images in nature, she cannot be grasped or m easured as a limited size

45.

‘T he G oddess to her right is the vidya Urna. She is seated upon a white lotus, and in colour she is like a conch, jasm ine, o r the m oon. In her hand she holds a wish-fulfilling Gem and she fulfils all wishes.’

URNA. U rna is the goddess who em bodies the samadhi of the spot-like m ark of a Creal Being between the eyebrows of the Buddha.

46.

‘T hen to the left, the mantrin should draw the P rotector Sakyamuni’s five brilliant and energetic usnisas: Sitata-patrosnisa, JayosnDsa, Vijayosnisa, Tejorasy-usnisa, and Vikiranosnisa. He should carefully draw those five Usnisas o f Sakyamuni, the powerful one, in their five places.’

THE FIVE USNISAS. (74a) They arise from the top of the Bhagavat's head and they are the results nam ed by their origins. T heir symbols and so on are m entioned in detail in the Secret Mandala, so they will not be described here

47.

‘Going to their north, he should draw the Gods o f the P ure Abode: Isvara, Samkusumita, Prabham alin, M anobhava, and V ighusu should be drawn as well.’

THE GODS OF TH E PURE ABODE. Although the text says 'north' they should be drawn to the south of the Five Usnisas. Why? Becausc Sakyamuni and so on are located to the north of the Five Usnisas, so there is no room to draw them there H ence they are actually drawn to the south.

‘O n the left side o f Urna, there should also be carefully drawn three m ore Usnisas: the great Usnisa Mahodaya, Abhyudgata and Ananta-svara-ghosa.

The Five powerful Usnisas are white, pale yellow and golden; the o ther three are white, yellow and red. All o f them have rays o f light,

and they are com pletely adorned with ornam ents. They are endow ed with the power o f resolve and they bring all wishes to fulfilm ent.’ 49.

‘T hen in the south-east, the mantrin should draw Agni, seated within fire, with the great sages (rsi), he is m arked with three spots o f ash, and this hero is completely red. O n his breast he has a triangle, he sits within flickering tongues o f fire and holds a rosary and a water-pot.’

50.

‘T hen in the southern portion the Lord Yam a should be drawn. He holds a club and rides a buffalo, his colour is that o f sum m er rain-clouds. He is accom panied by the wrathful M others, Kalaratrf and the Lord o f D eathV

YAMA. (74b) /tides a buffalo: Since this is the m ount of a m undane god, il is nol while like an ordinary buffalo. Holds a club: This is a symbol of Insight, bul the club is one with a round head, for he reveals ihe results of good and evil actions in the slream of samsara, but docs not sever its flow.

51.

‘To the south-west, the mantrin should draw Nirrti. He is fearsom e, with sword in hand.’

NIRRTI. In order to train the yaksas, the Inexhaustible A dornm ents of his Body lake on the for in of Nirrti, the king of the yaksas, in (he south-west.

52.

‘T hen the wise one also should prom ptly go to the north, and draw the King o f the C ods, seated upon M ount Sumeru, and encircled by the gods. He has a vajra and a crown, and is completely adorned with ornam ents.'

INDRA. In order to tram the gods o f the Realm of Desire ihe A dornm ents of his Inexhaustible Body take on the form of Indra, the King ol the Gods. He should be A

C omii.s Lard o f Death'

seated on the peak of M ount Sum eru, surrounded by his entourage of gods. c*raW| fnu a crown He holds it in the m anner o f a king. Vajra. This is the symbol his \w arcness. He holds both of these royal insignia in his hands.

‘T o his east, he should then draw Varuna, holding a nooseA. Next to him should be drawn Aditya, seated on a carriage, and on his left and right should be drawn Jaya and Vijaya.’

53.

VARUNA (Water). He is drawn in the east because in Sanskrit the word 'purva' (east) also means 'b efo re’, and after the em ergence of a new eon, the foundation of the world is first established with water. AD ITY A (Sim). He is also drawn in the east because of the m eaning 'b efo re' [of purva], for after the em ergence of a new eon, the sun and the m oon are the first to arise am ong the worlds. Jaya and Vijaya: T he two consorts of Aditya.

54.

‘T o his right, Brahma should be drawn with four faces and braided hair. He utters the sound “O m ” ", and sits upon a lotus0 upon a goose. To his west should also be drawn the goddess PrthivT and Sarasvatf, Visnu, Skanda and Vayu, Sankara and Candra. These should be carefully drawn abiding in the west.’

BRAHMA. Four faces. T he one of four Vedas arises from each of these. He sits upon a lotus placed upon a goose, which is his m ount. The goddess Prthivi and so forth should be drawn on the western side, according to the sequence given, from the south. They are drawn ‘in Ihe west’, because the gate faces west. They are drawn in the portal for those gods, Brahma, Visnu and so on are the gates leading to the supram undane Path. (75b) They are also the A dornm ents of the Bhagavat s Inexhaustible Body which have taken on their appcarance to train the 8°ds. Although the A dornm ents of his Inexhaustible Body have taken on the appearance of gods like Indra and are similar to them in form, you should know that lr great power and magical abilities are superior to those of such gods. T he same Pnnciple should be applied in connection with the others such as Yama.

55

•

“W hen he has drawn them, without any confusion, the mantrin

\

^

ft

P ^ Crli l^ 'S P°rl,on dealing wilh Varuna at ihe end of Section 51.

C;'

■

^ ^ ft] f:P 'h is m udra is the letter (h n ' ^ 3 he holds a lotus'

shouJd draw below the Lord o f M antras the wrathful one called Aparajita and the Goddess Aparajita; Prthivi holding a water-pot in his hand should also be drawn respectfully kneeling.’ APARAJITA & APARAJITA (Not defeated by others). Aparajita is Sakyamuni’s Im m ediate Path in nature. T he Goddess Aparajita reveals the power of Sakyamuni.

56.

‘H e should carefully draw the great Nagas, Nanda and Upananda, on each side o f the gate (131b) o f Sakya-simha, the Protector. Also the wise one should draw the mudrds and m antras o f the m andalas which are explained in all the tantras o f Sakyamuni.’

57.

‘T hen stepping back, the mantrin should draw M anjusrf in the third section. H e is the colour o f saffron, and his head has five braided locks o f hair, and is like a young boy in appearance. In his left hand, he holds a blue lotus with a vajra, and he sits upon a white lotus seat; he has a smiling face, and is com pletely encircled with splendid rays o f light.’

Now the way in which one should draw the great Bodhisattvas such as Manjughosa, who are seated to listen to the Dharma, will be explained. Here, the Dharma to which they listen is both the scriptural D harm a and the Dharma as realization. The scriptural Dharm a is that spoken by the m outh. T he Dharma as realization (76a) is the four Bodies with their entourages within the second inner m andala that are the A dornm ents ol the Inexhaustible Body. T herefore, so that they may experience those Dharmas, those Bodhisattvas are drawn encircling them, placed in attendance upon them . Also you should know that those Bodhisattvas are born ju st from the Perfections. MANJUGHOSA (Beautiful Voiced). Manjughosa should be drawn within the portal of the eastern side. He is the Insight connected with speech in nature. Having intellectually investigated and exam ined the general and specific attributes o f all phenom ena, that Insight brings about the direct realization of them . T herefore, the Bodhisattva who brings about the abandonm ent of all obscurations after such direct realization, [Sarva-nivarana-viskambhin], should be subsequently drawn in t h e south. When obscurations have thus been abandoned, Ksiti-garbba, whose nature is patience and joyfulness, should be drawn in the north. After having thus attained patience and

joWulness, you should draw Akasa-garbha whose nature is the realization of the space­ like em ptiness of all phenom ena, in the west. Since this is the sequence ofliberation, oMf should first draw in the east M anjughosa, whose nature is Insight. five locks o f hair. They are the Five Awarenesses in nature. A blue lotus with a vajra: He holds in his left hand a vajra symbolizing the Five Awarenesses, (76b) and this is placed upon a blue lotus. T he lotus symbolizes the Sword of Insight. He has a smiling f a c r This is a sign that he leaches the D harm a of Insight.

5g,

‘T o his north, he should draw the youth Jalinf-prabha, who holds a jewel net in his hand, and sits upon a white lotus seat, gazing at the B uddha’s Son.’

59.

‘He should also draw the five female servants on the left o f Manjusrf: KesinT, Upakesinf, Citra, Vasumati and also Akarsanf. These are the Wise O n e’s female servants. In front o f them , there should be drawn the two entourages o f the youth Jalinf-prabha and the five female attendants.’

60.

‘T hen in the south, the mantrin should draw the greatly renowned Bodhisattva Sarva-mvarana-viskambhin, who holds a Wish-fulfilling Gem. Ignoring a division into two parts here, the wise one should draw the eight Heroes: Kautuhala, Sarvabhayamdada, Sarvapaya-jaha, Paritranasaya-mati, Karuna-mrdita-mati, Maitry-abhyudgata, Sarva-daha-prasamita and Acintya-mati.’

SARVA-NfVARANA-VISKAMBHIN & ENTOURAGE (He who clears awav all obscurations). (77a) The wise one should draw the Eight Heroes'. He should draw the eighl attendants of the Lord in sequence, four on the left and four on the right. Ignoring the division into two parts here-. Because of the absence of a dem aication between master and attendants.

‘Then going to the north side, he should draw Ksiti-garbha. He shines with blazing light, and has patience and [excellent] joy. T he wise one should draw this ren o w n ed B odhisattva sitting

upon an inconceivably pleasing (132a)

lotus m ade o f four types o f jewels, placed upon the ground which produces all, and is adorned with every kind o f jew el.’ KSIT1-GARBHA (Earth Treasury). (77b) Has patience. lie has the three kinds of patient acceptance with regards to the profound Dharma, suffering and the harm d one by others. Excellent joy. Joy and delight due to his m ethod of liberation. He is called ' Ksiti-garbha’ because he has such patience, like the earth. A lotus made o f four types o f jewels'. These symbolize the three kinds of patience and the joyful ness which are the Bodhisattva Ksiti-garbha’s qualities.

62.

‘His attendants are countless Lords o f unlim ited virtues; among them are the Bodhisattvas Ratnakara*, Ratnapani, D haranfm dhara, Ratna-mudra-hasta, and Drdhadhyasaya: these G reat O nes should be drawn.’

63.

‘Likewise in the west, the mantrin should draw the H ero Akasa-garbha; he is very m ajestic and is dressed in white, he should be visualized holding a sword8, and this Son o f the Buddha is seated upon a lotus.'

AKASA-GARBHA (Sky Treasury). Holding a sword: The symbol of the Insight of his liberation.

64.

‘A round this G reat Being, there should also be drawn other glorious ones. These G reat Beings in his entourage are: Gaganamala, Gagana-mati, Visuddha-mad, Caritra-mati, and Sthira-buddhi. These should be carefully drafrn.’

65.

‘T he H eroic O ne should always be visualized accom panied by these beings in sequence.’

Kor the colour of those Bodhisattvas and iheir symbols w h i c h are not clearly m entioned here, (78a) you should rcler to the Secret Mandala

66. T hen Vajrapani, the Lord o f the Secret Ones, looked at the entire assembly and then looked at the Bhagavat for a long time with unwavering eyes. T hen he recited this verse: A B

(... 0 JpE ' fto ln a k a ra ' ( R a m a ( p a l m ol ihtr| h; adds: 'tQ ifc 'w hich j out fla m in g rays’

‘Like Udumbara flowers17, so the All-knowing Ones: they rarely appear in the world, anywhere o r at any time. Even rarer than that is the appearance o f the m ethod o f the m antra practice. If any evils one has done throughout many millions o f eons will all be cleansed away merely by seeing such a m andala as this, then what can be said when one abides in this m ost glorious m ethod o f m antra practice? If one recites the m antras o f the Protectors, one will reach the suprem e state. Whoever follows with unwavering resolution this most excellent practice, will com pletely sever all arising o f suffering and birth in the evil states o f being!’ 18 After Vajrapani had understood the above description of the M andala and the arrangem ent of the deities, his m ind becam e serenely clear with regards to their appearance and qualities. By virtue of that clarity, he spoke these verses which show the rarity and great power o f the M antra M ethod, the great power o f seeing the Mandala, the great power of reciting the mantras, and the great power of faith through hearing and seeing the mantras. Now there are three types o f serene clarity of mind: that gone to the skin, that gone to the bones, and that gone to the feet. That gone to the skin is horripilation and so on. That gone to the bones is-the flow of tears and so on. T hat gone to the feet is the outburst of speech. T herefore since the mind of Vajrapani was very serenely clear, having gone to his feet, he spoke out in words. (78b) I f any evils one has done ... by seeing such a Mandala as this: (79a) This says that any evil which one has accum ulated, by doing the ten unw holesom e actions through many eons, will all be cleansed away by seeing this Mandala, which is the transform a­ tion of the A dornm ents o f the Inexhaustible Body of the Tathagata. Although they "rill indeed be cleansed away, that does not happen ju st by seeing the Mandala, bul they will be cleansed away if one has carried o ut the preliminaries, the main part and the supplem ents. T he prelim inary section is the confession of faults, the taking of refuge in the Three Jewels, and accepting the Discipline of the Awareness without Obscurations in the three times, in order to enter the Mandala. T he main part is ihe generation of bodhicittaal the time o f entry. Then after having en tered ihe Mandala. re ls the seeing of the Buddhas' and Bodhisattvas' appearances an d symbols , as Th^ ^ ornam ents anc! stream ers of the Mandala. and the arising of serene clarity. c supplementary section is the consideration of the com m itm ent not to abandon e sacred D harm a and bodhicitta and so on If you see the Mandala with all these ^P^cts, then all the evil you have accum ulated over many eons will be cleansed away, . 1 as darkness that has been present [in a room ] for many years will be dispelled •nstaritiy by the shining of a lam p there. (79b)

67. T hen the entire assembly, together with those Vajradharas, said with one voice: (132b) ‘Excellent! Excellent! O G reat H ero who has m astered the m antra practice! Ask the unequalled All-knowing O ne o f the m atters you are thinking about! T hen the other Bodhisattvas who know the tantras with understanding, and we who abide in the fruits o f m antra practice, will also m aster everything.’ 68. T hen Vajrapani asked the Bhagavat the following: ‘What are the colours? Why are they called “colours”? How should the colours be applied? Wliich o f them should be applied first? What is the size o f the archways, the portals and the gates? I ask the Lord to explain this! Please speak in detail about the foodstuffs fo r offering, flowers, perfum es, jars and so forth. Please tell me also how the trainees should be received, and how they should be initiated, and about the gifts to the guru, and the place for the fire offering. What are the attributes o f mantras, and what is entry into samadhi?’ 69.

T hen the Bhagavat, who has attained mastery o f all qualities, replied thus to the Vajradhara: ‘Listen carefully with a one-pointed mind! O G reat Being, I shall explain all that you have asked about the excellent m ethod o f m antra practice from which the fruit o f Mahayana arises. Although beings are attached to the realms by them, the Buddhas have previously taught that they have the taste o f the continuum o f reality, therefo re they are called “colours”. Colour should be applied from inside, and not from the outside” . First white should be applied, and then red and then yellow. N ext green should be applied.

All the inner parts are black. T hus the colour m ethod is explained.’ This section deals with the significance of the word 'co lo u r’M T he intrinsic atlll ne can assum e lh a l ‘bisa w as ih e w ord o rig in a lly u sed , an d h ad b een a m e n d e d lo or M isread as vn a ' in ih e T ib etan base S an skrit le x l. It sh o u ld be n o ted lh a l th e re is som e cvid en ce o f P rak rit fo rm s in th is le x l. w h ich can be seen in som e o f ih e su rv iv in g San skrit p assages. A P rak n t fo rm o f 1vrsa w o u ld be id e n tic al lo bisa. so on e ca n easily ifn agin e h o w an o v e r-e n lh u sia slic scribe m ig h t have S a n sk riiized w h at he th o u g h t was a P r a k r i t w ord Som e o f d iffe re n c e s e lse w h ere b etw een T a n d C can be e x p la in e d in the *am e way ^

C re a d s:

^

A

^

f t y°u

** toUtlb

respected

by gods

a n d h u m a n s'.

69.

‘Ra, m ost excellent truth, is called the best o f the lum inous ones.’

T he following describes the sadhana of Ra and its rites. Ra, most excellent reality. Since that letter Ra reveals the most excellent true m eaning and its intrinsic nature reveals the samadhi in which all phenom ena are devoid of dust (rajas), it is called 'most excellent truth' This is its attribute on the absolute level (paramdrtha-UiJuana). It is called the best o f the luminous: The luminous ones refers to the sun, m oon and stars, and am ongst these luminaries, the light of fire is the best. Since the letter Ra is the seed syllable of fire, it is called the ' best of the luminous ones', and this shows its nature on the relative level.

70.

‘By it, whatever arises from actions, even from the five heinous deeds, will all be destroyed, if the yogin imagines it, while equipoised.’

This shows the results of having cultivated it. W hen you have meditatively observed the intrinsic em ptiness of all phenom ena which are devoid of dust, the ten unwholesome actions and the heinous deeds'* will also be found lo lack any objective basis, so their effects will be destroyed and nol arise.

71.

‘H e should place it in his heart, where it abides in the form o f a triangle, pleasing and com pletely red, and m arked with a triangular sign, tranquil yet encircled with a flaming aura.’

(127b) This describes ihe attributes of the fire mandala. It means lhal he should imagine a brilliant red triangle, like the [Sanskrit] letter f.'(s is the mudra for terrifying obstructors and so on. Just by making this mudra, all ^hstnictors will be terrified and flee. When the obstructors have thus fled, there will nc obstructions, so whatever you wish for will be accomplished. Therefore it fulfils al>hopes.

\

T

I

■

dasn-halalrjodhhax'f

16. ‘Likewise, m ake your right hand in to a fist and stretch o u t both its middle^ fin g er an d ring-finger an d place th e th u m b below. ‘T h is is th e Eye which arises fro m th e com passion o f th e B u d d h a P ro tecto rs. T h e wise o n e sh o u ld p lace it over his eyes a n d th e n they will b eco m e B u d d h a Eyes, i t s m a n tra is: NSB GAGANArVARA-LAKSANA KARUNA MAYA TATHAGATACAKSUH SVAHA (T hat with the b est o f attributes! T h a t fo rm e d by C om pas­ sion! Eye o f the T athagata! Svaha!).’ ‘The Eye which arises from compassion is the Eye of Insight which gazes upon all beings, by virtue of the Bhagavat’s G reat Compassion. Because lhat Eye has been transformed into ihis mxidrd, if you make the m udra and place over your eyes, they will turn into the B uddha’s Eyes when you are changing yourself into the Body of the Buddha.

17. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th your h an d s to g e th e r an d m ake a fist with the fingers in te rla c e d , th e n raise u p b o th y our th u m b s an d crook them , p u ttin g them to g e th e r in a circle. ‘T his is called the ex cellen t N oose, w hich destroys all hostile ones. W hen th e mantrin m akes it the h o stile o n es will always be b o und, i t s m an tra is: NSB HE HE MAHA-PASA PRASARAUDARYA SATTVA-DHATUVIMOHAKA TATHAGATADHIMUKTI-NIRJATA SVAHA (NSB. He hel G reat N oose! Vast an d Extensive! R em over o f stupidity fro m realm s o f beings! B orn fro m the T ath ag ata’s ferv en t conviction! Svdhd!).’ ( 152a) The Awareness which consists o f ihc eight members of the Noble Path, which extricates all beings, is transform ed into the Noose M udra. By making this Noose M u d ra you will perform the riles to bind all harm-docrs, such as obstructors and so forth.

18. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th your h an d s to g eth er, m aking them into a fist, then raise u p your fore-fingers an d b en d them at the th ird jo in t placing the others like a bracelet. ‘T h is is called th e H ook o f all th e Saviour B uddhas. It draw s to you all the g reat B odhisattvas who dwell o n the T e n Levels, an d also o th e rs who a re hostile, i t s m a n tra is: NSB AH SARVATRAPRATIHATA TATHAGATANKUSA BODHICARYA-PARIPURAKA SVAHA (NSB. Ah'. U n im p ed ed in all places! H ook o f the T athagata! F ulfiller o f the p ractice o f E nlightenm ent! Svahal).’ In c o n n e c t i o n w i t h t h e c a u s a l a n d r e s u l t a n t p r a c t i c e s o f a I ' a t h a g a t a , t h e r e is t h e g a t h e r i n g to g e t h e r a n d g u id in g o f b e in g s w ith th e F o ur M e th o d s of A ttra c tin g d u r in g

tj,c causal phase, and there is the gathering together and guiding o f beings with the Vajra A dornm ents o f the Inexhaustible Body and so on in the resultant phase. These practices were transform ed into the hook mudra. Also that H ook guides all, both harm-doers such as obstructors and Bodhisattvas who dwell on the Tenth level. So, if ;t js able to attract even Bodhisattvas who dwell on the Tenth Level, how much more so oihers!

19. ‘F rom th e H o o k Mudra, h o o k b o th y our m iddle-flngers an d jo in them to g e th e r at th e sam e tim e. T h is is th e mudra o f the T ath ag ata’s h ea rt. Its m antra is NSB JNANODBHAVA SVAHA. (NSB T h at which arises from Awareness! Svdhdl).' 20. ‘F rom that mudra, raise u p b o th your ring-fingers an d leave the o th e rs as they are. T h is is th e mudra o f th e T a th a g a ta ’s navel. Its m an tra is NSB AMRTODBHAVA SVAHA (NSB T h a t w hich arises from th e n e ctar o f im m ortality! Svdhdl).’ From that mudra: You should know that [your hands] should be straightened out from that hook mudra, raising up both of your ring-fingers from the Hook M udra.

21. ‘F rom that mudra, (162a) raise u p b o th y our little-fingers an d leave the o th e rs as they are. T h is is th e mudra o f th e [T athagata’s] legs. Its m a n tra is NSB TATHAGATA-SAMBHAVA SVAHA (NSB. T h a t which is a risen fro m the Tathagata! Svaha'.).' 22. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th y our h ands with a hollow betw een them , th en crook your fo refin g ers an d p u t th em inside. Likewise, d o the sam e with b o th your ring-flngers. Y our th u m b s a n d little-flngers sh o u ld be slightly cro o k ed and your m iddle-fln g ers sh o u ld be ra ise d u p parallel. T his is the mudra o f the T ath ag ata’s treasury. Its m a n tra is NSB RAM RAM RAH RAH SVAHA' 23. ‘F rom that mudra, remove your ring-fingers and leave them extended. This is the mudra o f delim iting the great boundary (mahd-sima-bandha). Its mantra is NSB LE LU PU RI VJKULE SVAHA.' 24. ‘From that mudra cro o k b o th o f your m iddle-flngers and raise up b o th o f your thum bs. T h is is th e Mudra o f G re a t P ro tectio n . Its m an tra is NAMAH

SAR VA-TATHAGATEBHYAH

SAR VA-BHAYA VJGAIEBHYAH VJSVAk h a m r a k s a m a h A b a l e sa r v a ■ TATHAGATA-PUNYA NnuATE HUM HUM TRAT TRAT APRATIHATE SVAHA /r | , • ^ . . . .

m ukhebhyah

sarvath a

ham

sa lu ta tio n s to all the T athagatas who rem ove all fear, who are m ulti-faceted! O m n ip resen t! Ham khaml M ost p o w erfu l p ro tectress! She w ho has arisen r om th e m erit o f all th e T athagatas! Hum hum trat trail She w ho is unim ­ peded ! Svdhdl). T h is is the G reat P ro te c tre ss called U n b e ara b le .’ 25. ‘Likewise, in sert y our fo re fin g e rs w ithin. T his is the mudra called “U niversally S hining” . Its m an tra is NSB JVALA-MAUNI TATHAGATARCl SVAHA (NSB. G arlan d o f light! R ad ian t light o f the T athagata! Svdhdl).’

26. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th y o u r h an d s with a hollow at the palm s and encircle th e ir sid es with b o th fo refin g ers. T h is is th e mudra o f the T athagata’s a rm o u r. Its m an tra is NSB PRACANDA-VA/RAJVALA VJSPHARA HUM (NSB. Fiercely Shining vajra! S hine forth! Huml Svaha!).' 27. ‘F ro m that mudra, jo in b o th your fo re fin g e rs and th u m b s to g eth er. This is th e mudra o f th e T ath ag ata’s tongue. Its m a n tra is NSB TATHAGATAJIHVA SATYA-DHARMA PRAnSTHTTA SVAHA (NSB. G reatest o f great tongue o f the T athagata! O that which ab id e s in th e tru e D harm a! Svaha1 . ).' 28. ‘F rom that mudra, cro o k b o th your fo refin g ers and ring-fingers and join them within. E xtend the thum bs (162b) and cro o k them a little, with their tips facing y our m iddle-fingers. Y our little-fingers should be stre tch e d o ut, like b o th th u m b s above. T his is th e mudra o f th e T ath ag ata’s great m o uth*. Its m a n tra is NSB TATHAGATA-MAHA-VAKTRA VJSVAJNANA-MAHODAYA SVAHA (NSB. G reat m o u th o f th e T athagata! G reat so urce o f m anifold A w arenesses! Svahal).’ 29. ‘From that mudra , release y our fo re fin g e rs and insert them within your palm s. H o ld them b e n t facing upw ards. T h is is the mudra o f the T athagata’s to o th . Its m a n tra is NSB TATHAGATA-DAMSTRA RASA-RASAGRASAMPRAPAKA SARVA-TATHAGATA-VISAYASAMBHAVA SVAHA (NSB. T ooth o f th e T athagata! T h a t which has fully attain ed the highest essence of essences! T h at b o rn fro m the realm o f all the T athagatas! Svahal).' 30. ‘F rom that mudra , raise b o th y our fo re fin g ers and hold them there, cro o k ed at the th ird j o i n t T h is is the mudra o f th e T athagata’s eloquence. Its m a n tra is NSB ACINTYADBHUTA-RUPA- VACAM SAMANTA-PRAPTA VISUDDHA-SVARA SVAHA (NSB T h a t which has com pletely attain ed the inconceivable m iraculous speech! P u re voice! Svahal).' 31. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th y our h an d s to g e th e r with a hollow at the palm s and in se rt b o th your th u m b s an d little-fingers inside, p u ttin g them to g e th er as o n e. T h is is the mudra o f th e T e n Strengths. Its m an tra is NSB DASABALANGA-DHARA HUM SAM JAM SVAHA (NSB. T h at which possesses the m em b e rs o f th e T e n S trengths! Hum samjaml Svahal).' 32. ‘F rom that mudra, cro o k b o th your fo re fin g ers to the tips o f your th u m b s and jo in th em to g eth er. T h is is th e mudra o f the application to reco llectio n . Its m a n tra is NSB TATHAGATA-SMRTI SATTVAHITABHYUDGATA-GAGANA SAMASAMA SVAHA (NSB. R ecollection o f the T athagata! T h a t which gives rise to b e n e fit fo r beings! T h at which is without eq ual like space! Svahal).' 33. ‘F rom that mudra, b o th o f your ring-fingers should be held on top o f y o u r thum bs. T his is the mudra o f the realization o f the sam eness o f all p h e n o m e n a . Its m an tra is N SB SARVA-DHARM A-SAM ATA-PRAPTAA

C

Sint? a§ 'th r T a th a g n tn '\ \prrrh'

TATHAGATANUGATA SVAHA (NSB. T h a t w hich has attain e d th e sam eness of all p h e n o m e n a , w hich acco m p an ies th e T athagata! Svahal).’ mudra of the Tathagata's vajra is connected with perfect Enlightenm ent. The mudra is connected with Practice. T he mudrds o f the Tathagata’s h eart and Ten Strengths are connected with Perfect B uddhahood. The mudra o f the realization of the sameness o f all p henom ena is connected with Nirvana. Likewise, the m antras [beginning] NAMAH SAMANTA-BUDDHANAM should be linked with Pcrfect Buddhahood, those beginning NAM AH SAMANTA-VAJRANAMwith Enlightenm ent and those beginning NAM AH SARVA-TATHAGATEBHYAH (152b) with the Tathagata. The

hook

34. ‘Likewise, jo in in g b o th y our h a n d s to g eth er, encircle b o th your m iddleflngers with your fo refin g ers and leave the rem ain d er as they are. (163a) T his is th e mudra o f S a m an tab h ad ra’s W ish-fulfilling G em . H is m an tra is NSB SAMANTANUGATE VIRA/A-DHARMA-NIR/ATA MAHA MAHA SVAHA (NSB. T hat which p ervades all places! T h a t b o m fro m th e p u re D harm a! G reatest o f the G reat! Swi&i!).’ 35. ‘From th at mudra, cro o k and insert b o th o f your forefingers into both the m iddle-fingers and leave th e re m a in d e r as b e fo re . T his is the mudra o f M aitreya. H is m an tra is NSB AflTAMJAYA SAR VASA 1 1 'VASA YANUGATA SVAHA (NSB. V anquisher o f th e unvanquished! F ulfiller o f the wishes o f all beings! Svdhdl). ‘ 36. ‘F rom th at mudra in sert b o th y our th u m b s w ithin. T h is is the mudra o f A kasagarbha. H is m an tra is NSB AkASA-SAMANTANUGA TA VICITRAMBHARA-DHARA SVAHA (NSB. P e rv a d e r o f all places like space! W earer o f m u lti-coloured garm ents! Svaha I).' 37. ‘F rom th a t mudra in se rt your ring- an d litde-fingers w ithin and jo in togeth er as o n e b o th your fo re fin g e rs and m iddle-fingers. T his is the mudra o f Sarva-nivarana-viskam bhin. H is m an tra is NSB AH SATTVAHITABHYUDGATA TRAM TRAM RAM RAM SVAHA (NSB. Ahl M anifester o f ben e fit fo r beings! Tram tram ram rami Svaha!).' 38. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th o f your h an d s to g eth er and o p e n o u t all your fingers like a bell. J o in to g e th e r b o th y our th u m b s an d little-fingers and leave the o th e rs as b e fo re . T h is is th e mudra o f A valokitesvara. H is m an tra is NSB s a r v a t a t h Ag a t A v a l o k it a k a r u n A m a y a

R A R A R A HUM j a h

s v Ah A

(NSB. Y o u w ho are fo rm e d fro m the sight and com passion o f all the T athagatas! Ra ra ra hum jahl Svdhdl).' 39. ‘Likew ise, jo in th e h a n d s to g e th e r with a hollow w ithin an d m ake them like an o p e n e d lotus. T h is is th e L otus Mudra o f M aha-stham a-prapta. H is n>antra is NSBJAM JAM SAH SVAHA.'

40. ‘Likewise, m ake b o th h an d s into fists a n d raise b o th your f o re fin g e rs up into a p eak , an d place b o th o f y our th u m b s in fro n t o f them . T his is the mudra o f T ara. H e r m an tra is NSB TARE TARIN1KARUNODBHAVE SVAHA (NSB. You w ho have arisen fro m com passion! Tara! Saviouress! Svahal).' 41. ‘From that mudra, ex te n d an d twist b o th o f y our forefingers. (163b) T he o th e rs are as b e fo re . T h is is the mudra o f Bhrkutf. H e r m antra is NSB SARVABHAYA-TRASANI HUM SPHOTAYA SVAHA (NSB. T e m f ie r o f all feare! Huml Sm ash asu n d er! Svaha!).’ 42. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th o f y our h an d s to g e th e r w ith a hollow betw een the palm s an d in se rt b o th o f y our ring-fingers a n d th u m b s inside. T his is the mudra o f Pandara-vasini. H e r m antra is NSB TATHAGATA-VJSAYASAMBHAVE PADMA-MAUNI SVAHA (NSB. B orn fro m the realm o f the Tathagatas! G arlan d o f lotuses! Svdha!).' 43. ‘From that mudra, raise u p b o th o f your thum bs and place the dps o f your fo re fin g e rs in fro n t o f th em , with the sp ace o f a grain o f w heat betw een them . T h is is th e mudra o f Hayagrfva. H is m an tra is NSB KHADAYA BHANJA SPHOTAYA SVAHA (D evour! Shatter! Sm ash asu nder! Svdha!).' 44. ‘F rom th at mudra, raise u p b o th o f your ring-fingers and little-fingers and leave th e o th e rs in th e fo rm o f fists. T h is is th e mudra o f K sidgarbha. His m an tra is NSB HA HA HA SUTANU SVAHA (NSB. Ha ha ha! You with a b e a u d fu l body! Svaha!).' 45. ‘Likewise, jo in b o th o f y our h an d s to g e th e r with a hollow betw een the palm s an d encircle b o th o f y our ring-fingers with yo u r m iddle-fingers. Also b o th fo re fin g e rs sh o u ld b e c ro o k ed an d p laced u p o n b o th thum bs. T he oth ers are as b efo re. T his is the mudra o f M anjusrf. H is m antra is NSB HE HE

KUMARA VIMUKTI-PATHA-STHITA SMARA SMARA PRATIJNAM SVAHA (NSB. He he! Child! You who abide o n the p ath o f the liberation! R em em ber, re m e m b e r y our vow! Svaha!).’ 46. ‘M ake y our le ft h a n d in to a fist an d cro o k your fo refin g er. T his is the mudra o f Jalinf-prabha. H is m an tra is NSB HE HE KUMARA MAYA-GATA SVABHAVA-STHITA SVAHA (NSB. He he! Child! You who have r e a l i z e d illusion! You w ho ab id e in the in trinsic n atu re! Svdha!) ' 47. ‘F rom that mudra, b e n d all y our fingers. T his is th e mudra o f Vimalap ra b h a ’s L otus. H is m an tra is NSB HE KUMARA VJCITRA-GATI-KUMARAMA ANUSMARA SVAHA (NSB. He! C hild! R em em b er the child who re a liz e s various things! Svaha!).’ 48. ‘Likewise, m ake your rig h t h a n d in to a fist and raise u p b o th your fo re fin g e r and m iddle-finger in parallel. T h is is the miufro8 o f Kesini. (164a) A B

T kum ara p ra lijn a n a m anusm ara ( ' 7] f:[7 suHirrt m u d r a ’

j j er m an tra is NSB HE HE KUMARIKE DAYAJNANAM SMARA PRATIJNAM * $V/iHA (NSB. He hel Girl! R em em b er com passion and aw areness! A nd your yoW! Svahal).' 49.

'Likewise, m ake your right h an d into a fist an d extend your m iddle-finger upw ards, m aking it like th e p o in t o f a h alb erd . T his is th e mudra o f Upakesinf. H e r m an tra is NSB BHINNAYAJNANAM HE KUMARIKE SVAHA (NSB. C leave ignorance! Hel G irl! Svahal).’ 50. ‘M ake both your h an d s in to fists a n d ex ten d b o th o f your m iddle-flngers place your fo re fin g e rs a t th e ir sides. T h is is the mudra o f C itra’s staff- H e r m an tra is NSB H E KUMARIKE AJNANA-PRAVIDVAMSANI SVAHA (NSB- Hel Girl! You w ho have realized co m p lete know ledge o f com m ands! Svahal) B.’

51. ‘Likewise, m ake y our le ft h a n d into a fist an d raise both your ring-finger and litde-finger. T h is is th e mudra o f V asum ad’s b an n er. H e r m a n tra is NSB HE SMARA JNANA-KETU SVAHA (NSB. Hel R em em ber! B anner o f Aware­ ness! Svahal).' 52. ‘Make your right h a n d in to a fist, raise up y our fo re fin g e r an d crook its tip. T his is the mudra o f A karsanTs ho o k . H e r m an tra is NSB AKARSAYA SARVAM KURUAJNAM KUMARASYA SVAHA (NSB. Draw in all [beings]! Carry out the co m m ands o f th e Child! Svahal).’ 53. ‘Likewise, m ake b o th your h an d s into fists an d raise up b o th fo refin g ers and crook them a t the th ird jo in t. T h is is th e mudra o f the Fem ale Servants. T heir m antra is N SB AH VISMAYA-NTYE SVAHA (NSB. Ah! O w onderful one!

Svahal). 54. ‘Likewise, m ake your rig h t h a n d in to a fist an d ex ten d the m iddle-finger, crooked at th e th ird jo in t. T h is is th e mudra o f K autuhala’s vajra. H is m antra is NSB VIMATI-CCHEDAKA SVAHA (NSB. Severer o f doubts!

Svahal).’ 55. ‘Likewise, raise your rig h t h a n d to your s h o u ld e r and m ake it as though bestow ing fearlessness. T h is is the mudra o f A bhayam dada. (164b) His m antra is NSB ABllAYAM-DADA SVAHA (NSB. B estow er o f fearlessness!

Svahal).' ‘Likewise, make that sam e hand as though drawing upwards. T his is the tnudrti o f Apaya-jaha. H is m antra is NSB ABHYUDDHARANI SATTVAHATUM SVAHA (NSB. Saviour of realm s o f beings! Svahal).’ ‘Place the sam e h a n d o n y o u r chest. T h is is the mudra o f ParitranasayaHis m an tra is NSB HE MAHA MAHA SMARA PRATIJNAM SVAHA (NSB. Hel G reatest o f the great! R em em b er y our vow! Svahal).’ A

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58. ‘M ake th e sam e h a n d as th o u g h h o ld in g a flow er. T his is the mudra o f M aitry-abhyudgata. H is m an tra is NSB SVA-C11 1ODGATA* SVAHA (NSB Bom fro m his own m ind! Svahal).’ 59. ‘Place th at sam e h a n d o n your h e a rt an d crook your m iddle-flnger inside. T h is is the mudra o f K anina-m rdita-m ati. H is m an tra is NSB KARUNAMRDITA5 SVAHA (NSB. You w ho are repeatedly com passionate!

Svahal).’ 60. ‘Likewise, m ake your rig h t h a n d as though bestow ing flowers. T his is the mudra o f Sarva-daha-prasam ita. H is m a n tra is NSB HE VARADA VARAPRAPTA SVAHA (NSB. He\ B estow er o f favours! You w ho have attain ed the m ost excellent! Svahal).’ 61. ‘M ake th a t sam e h an d as though holding a W ish-fulfilling G em . T his is the mudra o f Acintya-mati. H is m an tra is NSB SAR VASA-PARIPURANA SVAHA (NSB. F u lflller o f all wishes! SvdAd!).’ 62. ‘Likewise, m ake b o th your h an d s in to fists, p u t o u t b o th o f your middlefln g ers an d e x te n d them . T h is is the mudra o f K sitigarbha’s ban n er. His m an tra is NSB HA HA HA V1SMAYE SVAHA (NSB. Ha ha hal W ondrous one!

Svahal).’ 63. ‘M ake y our rig h t h an d in to a fist an d e x te n d th ree fingers. T his is the mudra o f R atnakara. H is m a n tra is NSB HE MAHA MAHA SVAHA.’ 64. ‘E xtend the ring-finger fro m the sam e h and and raise it upw ards. T his is the mudra o f R atn ap an i. (165a) H is m a n tra is NSB RATNODBHAVA SVAHA (NSB. You who have arisen fro m a je w e l! Svahal).’ 65. ‘Likewise, in terlace b o th h a n d s back to back. H ook to g e th er your left thum b a n d rig h t litd e-fin g er an d likewise the right with the left. The rem a in d e r are like a vajra. T his is th e mudra o f D haranlm dhara. H is m antra is NSB DHARANI-DHARACSVAHA (NSB. S u p p o rte r o f the earth! Svahal).’ 66. ‘T h e mudra o f R atna-m udra-hasta is a five-pointed vajra as b efo re . His m an tra is NSB RATNA-NIRJATA SVAHA (NSB. B o m o f a jew el! Svahal).’ 67. ‘F rom th at mudra, y our fin g ers sh o u ld be laid out. T h is is the mudra of D rdhadhyasaya. H is m an tra is NSB VAJRA SAMBHAVA SVAHA (NSB. Vajraarisen! Svahal).’ 68. ‘M ake b o th h an d s likewise. T his is the Sword Mudra o f Akasagarbha. His m an tra is NSB GAGANANTA-GOCARA SVAHA (NSB. You who have a limitless realm like space! Svahal).’ A

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59. ‘T h e mudra o f G agana-m ati is th e w heel mudra as m ade b e fo re . His jnantra is NSB CAKRA-VART1 SVAHA (NSB. W h eel-tum er! Svahal).’ 70. ‘T h e mudra o f V isuddha-m ati is th e C onch Mudra as m ad e b e fo re . His m antra is NSB DHARMA-SAMBHAVA SVAHA (NSB D harm a-bom ! Svaha!).’ 7 1 . ‘T h e mudra o f C aritra-m ad is th e L o tu s Mudra as m ade b e fo re . His m antra is NSB PADMALAYA SVAHA (NSB L o tu s T reasury! Svaha!).’ 72. ‘T h e mudra o f G aganam ala is the Utpala Mudra as m ade b e fo re , b u t w ithout being o p e n e d out. H is m an tra is NSBJNANODBHAVA SVAHA (NSB. Arisen fro m A w areness! Svaha!).’ (165b) 73. ‘T h e mudra o f S thira-buddhi is a vajra m ad e as b e fo re. H is m antra is NSB VAJRA-KARA SVAHA (NSB. V ajra Action! Svdha!).’ 74. ‘Likew ise, jo in b o th o f your h a n d s to g e th e r an d in sert b o th ring-fingers inside, an d raise u p b o th o f your th u m b s an d little-fingers. C rook the forefin g ers at th e sid es o f y our m iddle-fingers, leaving th e space o f a grain o f barley. T his is th e m udra o f V ajrapani. H is m an tra is N SV CANDA-MAHAROSANA HUM (NSV. Fierce m ost w rath fu l one! Hum!).’ 75. ‘F rom that mudra, in sert b o th you th u m b s and little-fingers inside. T his is the mudra o f M amakf. H e r m a n tra is NSV TRIT TRIT JAYANTI SVAHA. (NSV. Trit trit! V ictorious O n e! Svaha!)’ 76. ‘Likewise, place to g e th e r th e backs o f b o th h an d s and in terlace your fingers an d twist th em . P ress th e right th u m b with the le ft thum b. T his is the mudra o f V ajra-srnkhala. H e r m an tra is NSV HUM BANDHA BANDHA MOTAYA MOTAYA VAJRODBHAVE SARVATRAPRATIHATE SVAHA (NSV. Hum! B ind, bind! Pulverise, pulverise! V ajra-bom -one! Invincible in all places! Svaha!).’ 77. ‘F rom that vajra mudra, slightly crook your thum bs an d also p o in t your forefin g ers forw ard. T h is is th e mudra o f V ajra C andra-tilaka. H is m an tra is

NSV HRIH HUM PHAT SVAHA.’ 78. ‘Likewise, m ake b o th your h an d s into fists an d raise up both fo re fin g e rs parallel. T h is is th e mudra o f Vajra-sucf. H e r m an tra is NSVSARVA-DHARMANIRVEDHANI VAJRA-SUCI VARADE SVAHA (NSV. V ajra-needle who p en e tra te s all D harm as! B estow er o f favours! Svdha!).’ 79. ‘Likewise, m ake b o th your h an d s into fists and place them at your heart. T his is th e mudra o f the V ajra Fist. Its m an tra is NSV SPHOTAYA VAJRASAMBHAVE SVAHA (NSV. Sm ash asu n d er! V ajra-bom ! Svaha!).’ ‘M ake y our left h a n d into a fist an d raise the fo refin g e r an d p o int threateningly as though angry. T h is is th e mudra o f D urdharsa. (166a) His

m antra is NSV DURDHARSA-MAHA r OSANA KHADAYA SAR VAM TATHAGATAJNAM KURU SVAHA (NSV. O great wrathful one who is difficult to assail! Devour! Carry out the Tathagata’s commands! Svahal).' 81. ‘Make your right hand into a fist, as though about to strike. This is the H am m er Mudra o f Abhimukha. His m antra is NSV HE ABH1MUKHA-MA1LAPRACANDA KHADAYA KIN CIRAYASISAMAYAM ANUSMARA SVAHA (NSV. Hel O most fierce one who is close at hand! Devour! Why do you delay! R em em ber your vow! Svahal).’ 82. ‘Sakyamuni’s begging bowl mudra is made like the previous begging bowl. His m antra is NSB SAR VA-KLESA-NISUDANA SARVA-DHARMA-VASITAPRAPTA GAGANA-SAMASAMA SVAHA (NSB. Destroyer o f all emotional afflictions! You who have attained mastery o f all phenom ena! You who are unequalled like space! Svahal).’ 83. ‘T he Urna mudra is as b efo re.’ 84. ‘Join all the fingers o f your right hand together into a point and place them on top of your head. This is the mudra of all the Usnisas. Their m antra is NSB VAM VAM HUM H U \ f PHAT SVAHA.' 85. ‘Make your left hand into a fist and extend both your forefinger and m iddle-flnger, and place your thum b at the tips o f the ring- and little-fingers. Insert the forefinger and the m iddle-flnger o f your right hand into the left palm. The thum b should be as before, This is the sword o f Acala sheathed in its scabbard.’ 86. ‘The mudra o f Trailokya-vijaya is as b e fo re 8.’ 87. ‘Likewise, join both your hands together and insert both your ring-fingers and little-flngers inside. Raise up both your middle-flngers and crook your forefingers, and place them at the third jo in t o f your middle-flngers. Both your thum bs should be like eyes. This is the mudra o f the M other o f the B uddhas and Bodhisattvas.’ 88. ‘Extend your left hand, face down, and make your right hand into a fist with the forefinger extended to support it like a parasol. This is the mudra o f Sitata-patrosnisa. LAM. A sword, as before, is that o f Jayosnfsa. SAM. A wheel, as before, is that o f Vijayosnisa. SAM. (166b) A hook, as before, is that o f Vikiranosnisa, making your right hand into a fist and leaving the forefinger crooked. HRUM. An usnisa, as before, is that o f Tejorasy-usnisa. TRIM.’

A B

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g9. ‘T he mudra o f Mahodaya is said to be a vajra mudra. UM. T he mudra of Abhyudgata is a fine lotus, as before. TUM. T he [mudra of] Ananta-svaraghosa is described as a conch. RUNfV 90. ‘Make your right hand into a fist and place it at your eyebrows. T hat is the Wish-fulfilling Gem, the mudra o f U rna.’ 91. ‘T hat o f Locana is the usnisa as before, specially m arked with a vajra.’ 92. ‘Place your right hand at your heart as though holding a lotus and extend your left hand as though giving a slap with the palm. This is the mudra of Aparajita. His m antra is DHIM DHIM RIM RIM JRIM JR1M ' 93. ‘Make both your hands into fists, raise up both your thum bs and then crook them. This is the mudra o f the m outh o f Aparajita. [H er m antra is] APARAJITE JAYANTI TADITE SVAHA (You who are undefeated by others! Victorious one! You who strike! Svahal).' 94. ‘T he right hand placed on your cheek is the mudra o f Isvara. From that mudra, hold your middle-and forefingers as though twisted. This is the mudra of Samkusumita. From that same mudra, insert your thum b inside. This is the mudra o f Prabham alin. From that sam e mudra, make your forefinger and little-flnger as though holding a flower. This is the mudra o f Manobhava. Place your thum b on top o f your right finger and extend the forefinger, the middle- and little-Fingers, and place them at your ear. Do likewise with your left hand. This is the mudra o f VighusU. Join both your hands together and placing together the tips o f your thumbs, crook the tips o f the other fingers. This is the ja r mudra o f Prthivi*.’ 95. ‘Likewise, make your right hand as though bestowing fearlessness and place your thum b inside. This is the mudra fo r inviting Agni. From that same mudra, make your hand as though bestowing fearlessness, (167a) and place your thum b at the second jo in t o f the litde-finger. This is general mudra for the Rsis. T hese should be m ade as appropriate in sequence.’ 96. ‘Likewise, join both hands together and insert both your forefingers and little-fingers inside. G ather the others together, holding them upwards. This is the mudra o f the club o f Yama. Make your right hand like a bell facing downwards. This is the mudra o f the bell o f the Lord o f Death. Likewise, make your left hand into a fist, with the forefinger and m iddle-finger raised. This is the mudra o f Kalaratrf. From that same mudra, raise up your m iddle-finger. This is a trident, the mudra o f Raudri. From that same mudra, make it as though holding a lotus. This is the mudra o f Brahmf. From

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C o m i i i ih e mudra o f M a h o d a y a , a n d ih c n re a d s ( w ith o u t se e d -s y lla b le s ) SP H 3 5^ Bl £[J 'a lotas m u d r a as before is the m u d ra ° f Abhyudgata Usnisa, and a conch m u d r a before u the m u d r a of Anantasvaraghosa U sn u a '. ^ T e x t p o s s ib ly d e fe c tiv e a t ih is p o in t: T o m its Prthnn' a n d C o m its 'jar

that sam e m udra, place together your forefinger to the back o f the third jo in t o f the middle-finger. This is the m udra o f KaumarTs trident. From that same m udra, place your forefinger at the tip o f your thum b. This is the m udra o f VaisnavTs wheel. From that sam e m udra, raise your thum b up. This is a ham m er, the m udra o f Cam unda. From that sam e m udra, make your hands as though cupped. This is a skull, the m udra o f Kauverf. The m u dra o f Nirrti is a sword, as before. The m udra o f Visnu is a wheel as b efo re.’ 97. ‘Likewise, raise both o f your hands from the left side and make a circle. This is the m udra o f the clouds o f N anda and Upananda. From that same m udra , raise up three fingers. This is the m udra o f Siva’s trident. From that same m udra, make those Fingers straight. This is the earth o f Umapati. The m udra o f C andra is a lotus, as before, and it should be especially white. Extend both hands in parallel and crook both forefingers and ring-fingers at the sides o f both hands. This is a carriage, the m udra o f Aditya. Place together the palm s o f your hands and make both the middle-fingers and the ring-fingers like a bow. This is the m udra o f Jay i and Vijaya. T he m udra of Vayu is a banner m udra, as before.’ (167b) 98. ‘Likewise, placing your left hand in the region o f your navel, hold it with two fingers raised. The right hand should be near it, m ade as though playing a idnd. This is the vind m udra o f Sarasvatf. The m udra o f the Ndgas is a noose, as before. The m udra of the Asuras is like the m udra o f Sarasvatf, but with the forefingers crooked. T heir m antra is N SB G ARA LA YA M SVAH A. From that m udra extend the ring-fingers. This is the m udra o f the G andharvas. Their m antra is N SB VISUDDHA-SVARA-VAHINI SVAHA. From this m udra, crook your forefingers. This is the m udra o f the Yaksas. T heir m antra is NSB YAKSESVARA SVAHA. From that same m udra, join the tips o f your thum bs and little-fingers. This is the m udra o f the Yaksinis. T heir m antra is NSB YAKSA-V1DYA-DHAR1 SVAHA. From that same m udra extend the middlefingers. This is the m udra o f the Pisacas. Their m antra is N S B PISACA-GATI SVAH A. H old those middle-fingers crooked. This is the m udra o f the Pisacinis. T heir m antra is N SB PIC I P IC I SVAH A.' 99. ‘Likewise, jo in together both your hands and raise up both thum bs and hold them there. This is the m udra o f all the Planets. T heir m antra is NSB GRAHESVARYA-PRAPTA JYO TIR -M AYA SVAH A (NSB. You who have attained mastery o f the planets! Light-formed! Svdhdl). From that same m udra rev erse and jo in both your m iddle-flngers and thumbs. This is the m udra o f the Constellations. Their mantra is N SB NAK SATRA N IR N A D A N IYE SVAHA (NSB. O constellations! Silent ones! Svdhdl). From that same m udra, crook both of your ring-fingers and place them on your palms. This is the m udra o f the R dksasas. T heir m antra is N SB RAKSA SA D H IP A TA YE SVAH A (NSB. To the Lord o f the Rdksasasl Svdhdl). Place your right hand to your m outh and touch it with your tongue. This is the m udra o f the Dakinis. Their mantra is N SB H R I hah

:

100- ‘Lord o f the Secret O nes, mudras such as these which em erge through fervent inclination o f the Tathagatas are extensive mudras that becom e {158a) the symbols o f the Bodhisattvas. Furtherm ore, Lord o f the Secret Ones, you should understand that whatever way the limbs [of the Tathagatas] move are all vast mudras. You should understand that however their tongues move, that is all revelation o f m antras. T herefore, Lord o f the Secret O nes, the Bodhisattvas who engage in the bodhisattva practice by means o f mantras, should abide at the Tathagata Level with their manas endow ed with b o d h i c i t t a * , and draw the M andala. T o do otherwise is to be deceitfu l8 towards the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and Enlightenm ent also, and by departing from the samaya, one will certainly fall into the m iserable states o f existence. ’ Regarding the leaching of ihe m antras and mudras, there is ihe general leaching and ihe individual leaching. O f these, the individual leaching is also twofold: the actual leaching and thal occurring elsewhere. The actual leaching refers lo those nam ed above. Those occurring elsewhere are 'm udras such as these which occur in oth er Tantras. The general teaching is 'Furtheimort, you should know that whatever limbs they move' and so on. Furtherm ore, how should bodhisattvas abide? 'They should abide at the Tathagata Level with their manas endowed with bodhicitta, and draw the Mandala’ If the mantnn has a bodhiattoendowed manas and abides al the Tathagata Level, however he moves his limbs, thal will be a mudra, however he moves his longue, lhat will be mantra practice ' The m anas endowed with bodhicitta' is the mind which is focussed upon em ptiness. To 'abide on the Tathagata Lever is both absolute and relative. To abide on the Talhagata Level relatively is to do the practice of ihe body-image of ihe deity. To do so absolutely is lo becom e ihe deity which is em ptiness in nature. This is actually saying lhat if you engage in ihe mudras and mantras or draw ihe mandala, without bodhicitta and without doing the practice of the body-image of a deity which has cither absolute or relative attributes, you will be shunned by the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.

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44.

‘T here is also the mantnn who has been instructed according to the ritual who have also received the mUructiom'

at the time o f depicting the mudras and mandalas, but who does not have the Initiation for that which arises from Secret Awareness V T he fourth type of samajio-holder is one who has been initiated into both the Mandala Arisen from G reat Compassion and the M andala of the Revolving Wheel of Letters, or else into either one of them and who has been told to teach the drawing and description of the mudras and mandalas to the others, according to the ritual, but who has not yet been initiated into the Secret Mandala.

45.

‘T he m antrin who is initiated by the ritual within the Secret Mandala, is called the fifth type o f samayo-holder. No others should be said to have sam aya .’

( 169a) The trainee who has been initiated into both the above two Mandalas and also into the Secret M andala is called the fifth type of samajio-holder. No others should be said to have samaya: If anyone acts in any o th e r way apart from those m entioned above, deviating from the prescribed ritual, he is not said to have samaya

46.

‘Any well-disciplined m antrin who cultivates his m ind for the sake o f Enlightenm ent, and who does not reify the three places, is called a Bodhisattva .’

This [and the following two] sections are in answer to the questions about how a mantrin who exerts himself in the m antra practice is to become a Bodhisattva and All­ knowing, and how he is to see truth (satya). If you continually cultivate bodhicitta and have dissolved the three bases - body, speech and m ind, or the three abodes - the Desire Realm, the Form Realm and the Formless Realm, by entering bodhicitta, and treat them as being without any objective basis, you will be term ed a Bodhisattva 18

47.

‘O ne who has attained practice without reifying, yet having generated the energy o f expedient means, applies him self to the welfare o f beings c, is known as the m ost excellent o f Jinas.’

O ne who has attained the practice which is without cognitive objects ( a n d l a m b a n a ) , and then arises from that and engages in benefitting beings with expedient means, while knowing phenom ena to be like illusions and so forth, is called All-knowing. One who has attained practice without reifying. O ne dissolves phen o m en a by the A (. ^ ^ ££ 1[ but] who hnt not yrt rrarhsd the mental initiation and in whom the secret awareness has not arisen' B C is s o m c w h a i difTerrni. Il has # { £ R tft ia ft 'L' ^ ^ If 'W h m th* m a n lr in , well-disciplined, cultivates his m an as, he will realize { / budh) mtnd, find not r r ify the three places. I call him a Bodhisattva npcnse for previous karmic action. W hen, however, you have accom plished the jiijin m e n t o f your own samadhi and so forth, that recom pense for karmic action is 0vci powered by that attainm ent, and such results dc> not m ature but are averted. 65.

‘Because the m ind lacks inherent reality, it is devoid o f causes and effects, so you will be liberated from action and rebirth, and becom e like space.’

This deals with the awakening with the ultimate attainm ent. The practitioner (sadhaka) realizes that his m ind lacks inheren t reality by cultivating the pure hodh\ntta- Since the causes and results o f phenom ena are without any objective basis, he is also liberated from causal karmic action and resultant rebirth. When he has thus b e e n freed from karmic action and rebirth, he is characterized by purity and is devoid of a perceiving subject and perceived objects, like space. 66 . ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones, listen carefully and retain this carefully in your

mind, for I shall explain the subject o f the array in the forms o f the symbols: the transform ation o f the deities into their specific abodes and the realization o f the five samadhif*, which was direcdy and completely understood by the previous Buddhas, for the benefit, welfare and happiness of those Bodhisattvas who engage in the Bodhisattva practice by way o f the mantras, who have become capable o f realizing the continuum o f reality and who have vowed to liberate all realm s o f beings without rem ainder.' The subject of the array in the forms (rupa) o f symbols'. In the Mandala Arising from Great Compassion and the M andala of the Revolving Wheel of Letters, it (the array) was laid out in the form of bodies and syllables, but here it is laid out in the form of symbols ( mudra), since it is not really possible to set down the intrinsic nature of Mind. T he ‘subject’ (palala) refers to the Mandala which is arranged in the form of symbols. The transformation of the deities into their specific abodes: T he deities are transform ed into those mandalas (173b) by the array in the forms of symbols. The realization of the five samadhis: Those same five mandalas of earth and so forth are transformed into the various specific Awarenesses. Through those five mandalas the 5pecial qualities ( visesa) of the samadhis of the five Awarenesses are realized. Directly Qnd completely understood (S buddh) by the previous Buddhas. This show s the identity of action of all Buddhas. This should be construed as meaning, 'Listen carefully to what Vv< also known and explained by previous Buddhas!' For the benefit, welfare and happiness of those Bodhisattvas who engage in the Bodhisattva practice by way o f the n>ontras'. This show s that the description of the Mandala is not given because Vajrapani himself is unaware of it, but it is to be described for the sake of the benefit a,'d h a p p in e ss of th o se B odhisattvas, w ho abide o n th e lxvel of Practice w ith Devoted

A ere ] .’

nuidnLs

Interest and engage in the practice of a Bodhisattva by means of the secret mantras. For whom the realization of the continuum of reality has become accessible-. This describes the qualities of the insight of those who abide on the I^vel of Practice with Devoted Interest, and it means that their insight has becom e capable of perceiving the continuum of reality, which is like space. If the space-like continuum o f reality has becom e accessible to them , what need is there to describe the m antra m ethod to them? Although they have thus gained access to emptiness, they also act with ex pedient m eans to liberate beings, so the text says, 'who have vowed to liberate aO realms of beings without remainder' Therefore listen to the Mandala which is described for the 'benefit, welfare and happiness’ of those who engage in Bodhisattva practice by m eans of the secret m antras who thus unite insight and expedient means. Here, 'benefit' ( artha ) means for the benefit of the Bodhisattvas, for the bliss of Nirvana or salvation ( mhsreya ). 'Welfare' ( h ila ) means it is for their welfare in this and future lives. (174a) ‘Happines? ( su k h a ) means it is for their happiness in this life.

67. T hen saying, ‘Bhagavat, thus do I desire!’, Vajrapani listened to the Bhagavat, who said this to him, ‘Lord o f the Secret Ones, first is the topic of the layout o f the Mandala o f the fully perfect Buddha, which is the source o f countless m undane and supra-m undane m andalas, the m ost secret of secrets, and which is called “T hat Arisen from the Matrix o f Great Compas­ sion”, so listen to the ritual for drawing it!’ Lord o f the Secret Ones, first is the topic of the layout of the Mandala o f the fully perfect Buddha: This means that firsi the Bhagavat Vairocana should be established in the m atrix m andala in the same way as in the previous Mandalas and this is connected with the words 'so listen to the ritual for drawing i f which are m entioned below. Most secret o f secrets. It is secret because the intrinsic nature of his Mind cannot be drawn and perceived as a cognitive object. It is an even greater secret than that because it is not revealed to any person without the samaya. The source o f countless mundane and supramundane mandalas. The m undane mandalas are the representational mandalas, drawn with pigments. The supram undane mandalas are the intrinsically existent ones. Because the m undane mandalas em anate from it and because the intrinsically existent mandalas are known through seeing it, it is said to be their source. Moreover, this m eans that countless m andalas of m undane deities and supram undane deities arise from it. 68.

‘It should be com pletely square, one-gated, with a pavilion, m arked with a fine vajra, (174b) and a hundred-pointed vajra in the centre A. U pon it, a lotus is drawn full-blown, with seeds. Upon that also there is a great lotus, p erfected with eight petals

' karma-vtyra Ih is is un d ersto od in the Sino-Ja panest- iradition lo be a cross lorim*d by a pair ol th re e -p o in te d vajr;

adorned with mudras and anusvaras, and it has anthers, very fine. O n all the petals are arranged the twelve com ponent syllables. In the midst o f them , the Lord sits, the Lord o f Men, the P erfect Buddha. H e is completely encircled by an entourage o f eight m andalas.’ I h is s e c t i o n d e a l s w i t h t h e d r a w i n g o f t h e m a t r i x i n a n d a l a i n w h i c h t h e B h a g a v a t V a ir o c a n a r e s i d e s . T h e r i t u a l s f o r m e a s u r i n g o u t t h e m a n d a l a , t h e s e q u e n c e o f t h e s e c t i o n s a n d t h e a p p l i c a t i o n o f t h e p i g m e n t s a r e as t h o s e m e n t i o n e d i n c o n n e c t i o n

with t h e p r e v i o u s M a n d a l a s . Completely square [border]: ( 1 7 4 b ) T h i s i n d i c a t e s t h a t h e is e n d o w e d w i t h t h e F o u r I m m e a s u r a b l e s .

One-gated: T h i s i n d i c a t e s t h a t m a n y g a t e s With a pavilion

a r e g a t h e r e d t o g e t h e r i n t h e o n e g a t e o f t h e c o n t i n u u m o f reality.

( vfd ikd): T h e c e n t r e o f t h e [ a r e a ] w h i c h h a s b e e n d r a w n i n o u t l i n e w i t h p i g m e n t is filled in w ith y e llo w p i g m e n t . T h i s m e a n s t h a t it h a s a b a s e u p o n w h i c h t h e B h a g a v a t

sits. Marked with a vajra: A f i v e - p o i n t e d v a j r a s h o u l d b e d r a w n w i t h i n it, o n t h e western s i d e . A hundred-pointed vajra in the centre-. T h i s i n d i c a t e s t h a t h e h a s t h e h u n d r e d A w a r e n e s s D haranis o f l i b e r a t i o n d u r i n g h i s c a u s a l p h a s e . A lso , w ith r e g a r d s to t h e s e h u n d r e d A w a r e n e s s w h i c h a r e t h e g a t e s t o l i b e r a t i o n , it says in t h e c h a p t e r 011 t h e R e v o l v i n g W h e e l o f L e t t e r s t h a t t h e r e a r e t w e n t y f o u r l e t t e r s f r o m t h e Ka g r o u p d o w n t o Ya. Ra, La a n d Va, w h i c h m a k e t w e n t y five w h e n h e a d e d by A. L ike w ise t h o s e w i t h A, A m a n d A h a l s o e a c h m a k e u p t w e n t y five l e t t e r s . You s h o u l d d r a w in it a h u n d r e d - p o i n t e d v a j r a w h i c h by its n a t u r e l i n k s o n e w i t h t h e h u n d r e d A w a r e n e s s e s t h r o u g h t h o s e h u n d r e d g a t e s t o l i b e r a t i o n . Sa, Sa. Sa a n d H a a r e i n d u d c d w ithin th e s e c o n d are a.

Upon it, a lotus should be drawn, full-bloum, with seedy. U p o n t h a t v ajra, y o u s h o u l d Upon that also there is a great lotus, perfected with eight petals, adorned with m udras and anusvaras, and it has anthers, very fine- You s h o u l d a d d i t i o n a l l y d r a w a n e i g h t - p e t a l l e d g r e a t l o t u s o n t o p o f t h a t . Adorned with m udras and anusvaras: S i n c e t h e 'anusvara' is t h e si g n w h i c h i n d i c a t e s e m p t i n e s s , • his r e f e r s t o t h e T w e l v e - m e m b e r e d Vidya K i n g w a n d it s h o u l d b e l i n k e d w i t h t h e w° r d s , 'the twelve component syllables ( p a d a ) are arranged T h e mudras a r e t h e e i g h t secret mudras a n d t h i s s h o u l d b e l i n k e d w i t h t h e w o r d s , 'by the entourage o f eight mandalas' ( 1 7 5 a ) You s h o u l d k n o w t h a t s i n c e t h e u p p e r l o t u s is d i s t i n g u i s h e d by its d r a w a l o t u s w i t h f o u r p e t a l s a n d w i t h its s e e d s .

Sl*e a n d by h a v i n g e i g h t p e t a l s , t h e o n e b e l o w it a p p e a r s t o b e m u c h s m a l l e r t h a n it a nrl h a s [ o n l y ] f o u r p e t a l s . S e c o n d l y , y o u s h o u l d k n o w t h a t s i n c e it is t h e l o t u s o f t h e t a u s a l p h a s e , it is s m a ll e r . T h e g r e a t l o t u s w i t h e i g h t p e t a l s is t h e e i g h t A w a r e n e s s e s -' ,n n a i u r c . as d e s c r i b e d b e f o r e

On all the petals are arranged the twelve component syllables. T h e e i g h t p a i r e d e s s e n c e Vidya K i n g s h o u l d b e w r i t t e n u p o n

a r >d s u b - e s s e n c e l e t t e r s o f t h e T w e l v e - m e m b e r e d *he e i g h t p e t a l s 2*

In the midst o f them, the Lord sits, Ihe Lord of Men, the Perfect Buddha. He is completely ennrcled by the entourage of eight mandalas. T h e B h a g a v a t sits in t h e m a t r i x at t h e t e m r e o l t h e l o t u s , a n d t h e e i g h t m u d r a s s h o u l d a l s o b e d r a w n in t h a t l o t u s m a t r i x , G r o u n d i n g t h e B h a g a v a t , w i t h t h e i r o w n m a n d a l a s a n d s e e d syllab les.

69.

‘This M andala arising from G reat Compassion should be known as the forem ost. From this the m andalas arise, together with their rites, shapes, attainm ents and layouts o f the Valiant Ones, each according to their texts’.

'Foremost'

m e a n s t h e f o r e m o s t o f s u p p o r t s . T h e m a n d a l a s f o r t h e r i te s o l P a c if y in g ,

E n r i c h i n g a n d so f o r t h s h o u l d b e laid o u t in t h e ir [ re s p e c tiv e ] s h a p e s , a n d

you

s h o u l d k n o w t h a t t h e m a n d a l a s w h i c h a r c e x p l a i n e d e l s e w h e r e in o t h e r p a r t s o f t h e t e x t a l s o a r i s e f r o m t h i s M a n d a l a . T h e a b o d e o f t h e B h a g a v a t V a i r o c a n a is a n e a r t h m an d ala.

70.

‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! F urtherm ore, the mandala o f the Tathagatas is like a p ure Am oon disc, and resem bles a conch in colour; within it the triangle o f all the Buddhas rests upon a white lotus. It is m arked with an anusvara sign, and adorned with a vajra sym bolB. W ithout doubt, there will em erge two rays o f lightc from that Lord o f Mantras, and then go to the ten directions.’

T o t h e e a s t o f t h e B h a g a v a t y o u s h o u l d d r a w t h e m a n d a l a o f all t h e T a t h a g a t a s

Like a moon disc. M e a n s t h a t t h e f o r m o l t h e b a s e Resembles a conch in colour. Y o u s h o u l d k n o w t h a t t h e w a t e r m a n d a l a is l i k e a c o n c h i n c o l o u r . Within it the triangle o f all the Buddhas rests upon a white lotus. T h i s m e a n s t h a t u p o n t h e w a t e r m a n d a l a y o u s h o u l d d r a w a t r i a n g u l a r s y m b o l o n a w h i t e l o t u s . Marked with an anusvara iign: T h e l e t t e r A w i l h a n anusvara s h o u l d b e p l a c e d t h e r e . Adorned with a vajra symbol: A fivep o i n t e d v a j r a s h o u l d b e d r a w n t h e r e . There will emerge two rays o f light Two rays o f w h o have g o n e before. (175b)

f o r t h e B h a g a v a t ’s l o t u s is l i k e a m o o n d i s c

lig h t s h o u l d b e d r a w n e m e r g i n g f r o m tw o c o r n e r s o f th a t t r ia n g u la r sym b o l. T h e s e s h o u l d b e k n o w n as t h e sambhoga-kaya a n d t h e n in n a n a kd y a , w h i c h a r i s e f r o m t h e

dharmakrtya.

71.

A

b (■

‘Lord o f the Secret Ones! Furtherm ore, Lokesvara’s mandala should be drawn diligently by the noble one. Its bo rd er is square all around, and in the centre, a conch should be placed. Upon that, a lotus is drawn 'p u re a d d e d f r o m C: te w m m m m circU d with rmjra imulnis (■ fn] ® f f l ‘rays of tight are rmtttr/t from thr riiges of [this i

c

full-blown, with its seed-syllable. U pon that, a great vajra A, and on the vajra also a great lotus m arked with all the seed-syllables, to which should be ad ded his own seed-syllable *.’ Ihis d e s c r i b e s t h e m a n d a l a o f A v a l o k i t e s v a r a . Its border is square all around: I t is d r a w n as a n e a r t h m a n d a l a . In the centre a conch should be placed: I n its c e n t r e , a w a t e r m a n d a l a s h o u l d b e d r a w n . Upon that a lotus is draun, full-blown, with its seed-syllablr. A w h i t e l o t u s w i t h t h e se e d - s y l l a b l e A s h o u l d b e d r a w n u p o n t h a t w a t e r m a n d a l a . Upon that, a great vajra: A f i v e - p o i n t e d v a j r a s h o u l d b e s e t u p o n t h e l o t u s . On the vajra, also a great lotus marked unth all the seed-syllables, lo which should be added his own seedsyttable. U p o n t h a t va jr a , a n e i g h t - p e t a l l e d g r e a t l o l u s s h o u l d b e d r a w n , t o g e t h e r w i t h his o w n s e e d - s y l l a b l e .

72.

'Also T ara and Bhrkutf, likewise Pandara-vasinf, the Vidya V asum atic, and M aha-sthama-prapta should be carefully made. All the N oble O nes and their assistants should be drawn within this mandala as the mudra symbols, the attributes o f their attainm ents.’

( 1 7 6 a ) H i s e n t o u r a g e , T a r a a n d s o f o r t h , s h o u l d b e d r a w n i n t h a t i n a n d a l a in t h e fo rm o f th e ir sym bols.

73.

‘T he activity15 o f Hayagrfva rests in a triangle as appropriate. T he m andala is m arked Dwith fine signs and it is like the colour o f the rising sun. ( 175a) It should be arranged by the wise one, together with the Vidya King.’

At t h e b o r d e r o f t h e w e s t e r n s i d e o f t h a t m a n d a l a . t h e t r i a n g u l a r m a n d a l a o f

The mandala is marked with fine signs'. T h e m a n d a l a is It should be arranged by the wise one together with the V>dyd King. T h a t t r i a n g u l a r m a n d a l a s h o u l d b e d r a w n w i l h t h e Vidya K in g , H a y a g r i v a .

H ayagriva s h o u l d b e d ra w n .

a d o r n e d w ith t r ia n g u la r [ m a r k s ] .

You s h o u l d k n o w t h a t h e is t o b e d r a w n i n t h e f o r m o f h i s s y m b o l .

‘Furtherm ore, Lord o f the Secret Ones, I shall briefly describe your own m andala E: * 6 ^■ ^

'on lhat, a vajra insight [m u d r a ) should b t displayed C #50 pLanng I*™] 'hrrt *s his seed syllable’ T: longs-spyod-ma. Adorned a d d e d fr om V an d C. C: second mandala P e rh a p s ih e r e h a s b een som e g r a p h ic c o n fu s io n •^’ tw e e n tvayam ( y o u r ) a n d dvayam (s e c o n d ) c -

It is completely square in shape, m arked with a vajra symbol; all o f it is in pleasing yellow. In the m iddle a lotus is placed, and in the centre a vase should be m ade, with light like the moon. O n this, its sign should be m arked, and also adorned with an anusvara. Upon that also, the great w indA, the colour o f sum m er rain clouds; it should be m ade by the mantrin as a moving banner, and is ad orned with an anusvara. Upon that also, a triangle, with a fearsom e appearance, like the destroying fire, and m arked with a triangular design B. Its encircling aura o f flames is m ost awesome, like the colour o f the rising sun. Within that, a great lotus, [red] like the fire at the end o f time; upon the lotus, there is a vajra, with a radiating blazing aura; it is m arked with the excellent seed-syllable, that has the sound “Hum” . This m andala o f yours, O H ero, was spoken o f by the Victorious Lords [in the past].’ T h i s is t h t d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e m a n d a l a o f V a j r a p a n i . S i n c e V a j r a p a n i 's i n t r i n s i c n a t u r e is t h e A c c o m p l i s h m e n t o f A ct i v i t i e s a n d h e is a l l - d o i n g (sarva-karm ika ) , y o u s h o u l d k n o w t h a t h i s m a n d a l a h a s f o u r p a r t s . It is completely square, marked with a vajra symbol, all of it is in a pleasing yellow. F i rs t a n e a r t h m a n d a l a s h o u l d b e d r a w n as b e f o r e . A l o t u s s h o u l d b e d r a w n in t h e m i d d l e o f t h a t e a r t h m a n d a l a , t h e n a w a t e r

On this, its sign should be marked and also adorned with an anusvara: T h a t m a n d a l a s h o u l d b e

m a n d a l a u p o n t h a t l o t u s . Y ou s h o u l d k n o w t h e v ase t o b e t h e w a t e r m a n d a l a .

m a r k e d w i l h its s i g n , t h e s e e d - s y l l a b l e Va w i t h a n anusvara. ( 1 7 6 b ) U p o n t h a t w a t e r m a n d a l a , a w i n d m a n d a l a s h o u l d b e d r a w n , d a r k p u r p l e lik e s u m m e r r a i n c l o u d s , w ith a b a n n e r w h i c h l o o k s as t h o u g h il is i n m o t i o n ^

Adorned with an anusvara: You

s h o u l d k n o w t h a t iLs s e e d - s y l l a b l e H a, h a s a n anusvara. U p o n t h a t w i n d m a n d a l a , t h e r e is a f i r e m a n d a l a , t r i a n g u l a r a n d f e a r s o m e , t h e c o l o u r o f t h e f i r e of t h e d e s tru c tio n at the e n d o f a n e o n .

Marked with a triangular design: Ii is a l s o m a r k e d

w ith t h e s i g n o f t h a t m a n d a l a , a t r i a n g l e .

Within that, a great lotus. A s e c o n d l o t u s , r e d in c o l o u r like t h e ( i r e a t t h e e n d o f m i l e , s h o u l d b e d r a w n in t h e m i d d l e o f t h e f i r e m a n d a l a . U p o n t h e l o t u s a m a r o o n

A

C A;

U

(.

'th* _ ^ UL (£

wind m udra 'a n d m nrrU d with tn a n g in ’

c o l o u r e d vajra s h o u l d b e d r a w n .

'Blazing is t h e n a t u r e o f t h e fire. 'Radiating' is t h e

„ t i k ) p o r t i o n - S i n c e b o t h t h e fire a n d w i n d a r e p r e s e n t , t h e v ajra s h o u l d b e m a d e re d nl ,r o o n .

It is marked with the excellent seed-syQable that has the sound “H um ”: T h i s m e a n s

t h e l e t t e r Hurn, V a j r a p a n i ’s s e e d - s y l l a b l e . s h o u l d b e p l a c e d u p o n it.

‘Mamaki and Vajra-srnkhala, likewise those arising from the Vajra FamilyA, Vajrankusi and Vajra-sucf, and the m ost pow erful M antra King17 should all be known in this great m andala. So that the actions may be accom plished, their specific symbols and mandalas, seed-syllables and colours, should be done in sequence, as fitting.’

75.

( 177a) T h i s e x p l a i n s t h a t h i s e n t o u r a g e , M a m a k i a n d s o f o r t h , s h o u l d b e d r a w n in [th is] e a r t h m a n d a l a . Yo u s h o u l d li k e w i s e k n o w t h a t t h e i r m a n d a l a s a r e i n a c c o r ­ d a n c e w ith t h e s p e cific c o l o u r s o f t h e i r i n d i v i d u a l s y m b o l s a n d se ed-s yllables, a n d t h e y sh o u ld be d raw n a c c o r d in g to th e s e q u e n c e p reviously e x p la in e d .

76.

‘Then there are also the chief great Vajradharas I have m entioned: Vimala-akasa, Vajra-cakra, Vajra-damstra, Surata, Vighuste, Maha-bhaga, the V ajradhara Vajra-natha, Santi-vajra and Maha-vajra, NDa-vajra, and the other Vajra[dharas] Padma-vajra, Vimala-netra, Suvajra, and Vajra, Nihpraparica-pratistha, and Akasanantya-gad.’ (175b)

h i i h c a r e a b e l o w V a j r a p a n i 's m a n d a l a , y o u s h o u l d d r a w t h e s i x t e e n 11 V a j r a d h a r a s w h o d | c- l is te d , b e g i n n i n g w i t h V i m a l a k a s a .

77-

A

‘T heir m andalas are said to be white, yellow, re d and black. Futherm ore, the shape o f their symbols are three-pointed and single-pointed, also neither o f these two , &

ik W

SCI

a n d t h r l .o r d o f t h f V a jr a F a m ily

^ fr oth L o m m c n u r i e s ha ve ' t u r l v r nw ith slan d in g, C probably pres erves lh e or ig in a l rea d in g, given th e co n text ^ I'hrrefore you should be endowed with expedient means and always exert yourself in the understanding taught by ihe Huddhas, a nd you unit attain the deathless state. ’

This verse is in praise of them . Those essences have not only been explained by the Bhagavat Vairocana, but they were also m entioned by earlier Buddhas. T herefore, if you continually exert yourself in the meditation upon the Awareness which reveals the true m eaning of their sounds in all aspects, (198a) you will attain the status of B uddhahood.

xix T H E

A L L O C A T IO N

O F

L E T T E R S

(1 8 2 b )

‘This is the way to allocate the letters, which was taught by the P erfect Buddhas, so listen carefully to it! Ka is placed in the throat, Kha should be placed on the palate, Ga is in the neck, Gha is placed in the gullet; Ca should be placed in the tongue Cha is in the m iddle o f the tongue, Ja is on the tip o f the tongue, Jha is at the root o f the tongue A; Ta is known to be on the shins, Tha should be placed on the thighs. Da is placed at the waist, Dha is placed on the buttocks; Ta is placed in the bladder, Tha is known to be the belly, Da is placed in the two armpits, Dha is placed on either side o f the ribs; Pa is known to be the back, Pha is known to be the breast, Ba is placed on both shoulders, Bha is placed on both hands; Ma is placed in the manas location B, Ya is called the penis, Ra is explained as the collar bones c, La is known as the brow D, / and / are the two eyes E, U and U are called the lips, E and Ai are the two ears, O and Au are the two cheeks. Am is the place1 o f the Perfect Buddha, and Ah is Nirvana2. Know all this according to the ritual, and make yourself enlightened

^ ^

: i ’i . ‘place / r u m where the tongue arue\ Ma sh ould Ik: o m iu e d as a rc all oilier nasals. T also lollows this with n"'tm how the body it' w hich is a p p a r e n tl y in iru sivc an d is 1101 found in ( ' ^ “ * nrtra. ’eye\ T: nam -m tsh o n g jatru. ' loUar-bunr^. scapulti 1 a dds ‘ skyob-pa de-yi 'phral-ba yin her e w hich makes liule sense here a n d is nol "" U i d e c l in C or C C . Il is prob a b ly an in tr usion, p e i h a p s originally a m a i g i n a l glov>. ( - *3 fP f t ' H W i “n