Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This Sādhana, attributed to the master Kambala, provides a comprehensive ritual manual for the practice of the deity Hevajra. The text functions as a guide for the practitioner to achieve the state of Buddhahood by navigating the four stages of suchness. It integrates detailed visualizations of the deity's form, his consorts, and a complex mandala populated by directional guardians and worldly deities. The work commits the reader to a rigorous path of tantric yoga, requiring specific empowerments and the guidance of a guru to avoid the pitfalls of eternalism and nihilism. The ritual process involves the generation of a sacred environment, the offering of symbolic substances derived from seed syllables, and the recitation of root and heart mantras. Ultimately, the text argues that through the non-dual union of consciousness and primordial wisdom, and the abandonment of worldly concerns, the yogi can transform their ordinary perception into the play of the dharmadhātu.
Provenance
About this text
A sādhanā of the Blessed One Hevajra titled the Stages of the Fourfold Suchness, the Bhagavadhevajrasādhanatattvacaturkramanāma belongs to the Non-dual Tantra collection. The work is attributed to the Indian author Kambalapāda. It was translated into classical Tibetan by Vairocanarakṣita and the lo tsa ba glan dar ma blo gros, and is preserved in volume ཉ of the Tengyur, where it extends over eighteen pages. The text enacts a ritual process involving homage to Vajrasattva and Heruka, emphasizing the non-duality of method and insight. It provides detailed visualizations of a mandala populated by figures such as the colored consorts Tsurūī, Vetālī, Ghasmarī, Pukkasī, Śavarī, and Caṇḍālī, as well as directional guardians including Śakra, Yama, and Varuṇa. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine the specific iconographic details and ritual offerings associated with the Hevajra tradition, such as the use of the three inner kāyas and the precise attributes held by the deities within the sacred field.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Sādhana of the Bhagavan Hevajra called “The Four Stages of Suchness”” (Toh 1248), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1248
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as a representative example of Hevajra tantra, illustrating the synthesis of complex visualization, mantra recitation, and philosophical views on emptiness. For the modern reader, it demonstrates the precise technical requirements of Indo-Tibetan ritual technology and the insistence on lineage-based transmission over mere scriptural study.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-7
Ritual Visualization and Mandala Construction
Descriptions of the deity Hevajra, his consorts, and the surrounding deities and guardians within the mandala.
8-9
Supplications and Invocation
Prayers to the deity and the process of invoking the guru and the deity through light rays.
10-13
Offerings and Ritual Generation
The generation of offerings from seed syllables and the visualization of the five wisdoms in the mandala.
14-16
Philosophical Instructions and Pith Instructions
Discussions on the nature of mind, the necessity of empowerment, and the path to the eighth fruition.
17-19
Mantras and Recitations
The root mantra of Hevajra and specific heart mantras for various deities.
20-21
Meditative Realization and Ethics
Instructions on overcoming worldly concerns and the dangers of practicing without a guru.
22-25
Final Visualizations and Closing Rituals
Final imagery of the deity, concluding offerings, aspiration prayers, and the colophon.
Themes
Non-duality and Suchness (12-15, 20, 24)
The Necessity of Guru Instruction (11, 16, 21)
Deity Yoga and Visualization (2-7, 9, 22)
Mantra and Sound Power (17-19, 23)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Sādhana of the Bhagavan Hevajra called “The Four Stages of Suchness”·
In the language of India: Bhagavān-hevajra-tattva-catuḥkrama-sādhanaṃ nāma. In the language of Tibet: Bcom ldan 'das dgyes pa'i rdo rje'i sgrub pa'i thabs de kho na nyid bzhi'i rim pa zhes bya ba (The Sādhana of the Blessed One Hevajra, titled "The Stages of the Fourfold Suchness"). Homage to the glorious Vajrasattva!
Having paid homage to Heruka, the non-duality of method and insight, together with the goddess Nairātmyā, I shall write this sequence of the four suchnesses for those who have attained suchness and possess faith and fortune.
First, look upon beings with great compassion. Having purified oneself through the sojong (fasting and purification) vows, gradually train in the tantras. Enter the maṇḍala of this tantra and receive the pure empowerments. Knowing suchness and having received permission, meditate on the four abodes. In a secluded and pleasant place, such as a charnel ground, sit properly upon a seat of a crossed vajra.
To protect oneself, the yoga, and the three locations, first perform the ablution with the five nectars and so forth. Meditate on the four immeasurables and view the deity and oneself as one. Reciting the rakṣa protection mantra, construct the lattice and the tent. Upon the well-placed support, offer the five lamps of nectar, flowers, and so forth, and present the torma offering. Accomplish the practice alone or with a good companion, a support, or a consort of excellent conduct, such as one born in a sacred field, without hesitation.
From the black seed syllable Hūṃ at one's heart, five-colored light rays radiate, invoking and purifying the support in space. Invite the Guru Hevajra and his retinue, and perform the prostrations and so forth as described below. Through the radiation and reabsorption of the Hūṃ, one's own outer, inner, and secret goddesses offer in succession. Gaurī, white in color, holds the moon (the mark of the deer).
Tsurūī is red and holds a self-arisen flower; Vetālī is yellow and holds water; Ghasmarī is green and also holds secret medicine; Pukkasī is blue and holds various meats; Śavarī is white and holds various flavors in her hands; Caṇḍālī is red and holds sound and a collection of jewels. With the great bliss of the three inner kāyas, they make offerings. Ḍombī embraces her own body with the mudrā. Suchness is the non-dual offering.
Confessing misdeeds, rejoicing, dedicating, and offering the body; showing the path, making supplications, and meditating on the four immeasurables; after the deities have departed, all phenomena are like an illusion, and one’s own mind is free from dust. Reciting "Oṃ śūnyatā-jñāna-vajra-svabhāv-ātmako ’haṃ," one should abide in the suchness of the self by recollecting the meaning of the mantra.
From that dharmatā, Raṃ and Hūṃ arise, forming a sun maṇḍala and a lattice canopy. From that, from the syllable E, one meditates on the source of phenomena (dharmodaya). Then, from Yaṃ, Raṃ, Vaṃ, and Laṃ—blue, red, white, and yellow—these seed syllables transform into the four maṇḍalas of the four elements. Transformed by one’s own mind, this is the celestial palace, the supreme city of liberation, appearing clearly. It is square with four gates, offered to by goddesses, with lattices, half-lattices, and turrets. There are eight pillars and four archways, with ornaments, a dharma wheel, and a parasol. It is a vast buddha-field with a multitude of offerings. In the eight charnel grounds are the eight trees and so forth: the hara, cūta, aśoka, aśvattha, karṇikāra, jvalita, parṇati, and vetebhadraka, located in the cardinal and intermediate directions. There are the field-protectors, the direction-protectors, gods, and nāgas. The faces and colors of the eight field-protectors are the same as the colors of the eight direction-protectors.
In the right and left hands, a curved knife and a skull-cup; they properly protect the pure fields of the torma-takers. Śakra is white, the lord of elephants, holding a vajra and a bell in the right and left. Yama is dark blue, riding a buffalo, likewise holding a club and a skull-cup. Varuṇa is white, treading upon a makara, holding a snake-noose in the right and a lotus in the left. The yakṣa is yellow, riding a horse, holding a glorious fruit and a mongoose in the right and left. The lord of bhūtas is white, riding a white bull, holding a spear and a skull-cup. Agni is red, riding a goat, holding a water-pot and a three-pronged staff. The rākṣasa is dark brown, on a throne of human corpses, holding a sword and a skull-cup in the right and left. Vāyu is smoke-colored, riding a deer, holding a banner in the right and a noose in the left. All are adorned with jewel ornaments, except for the rākṣasa, who is adorned with bones. Together with their wives, children, and retinues, they are colored according to their respective directions; their colors pacify and excellently protect the Dharma.
In the sky above are the eight great gods. In the east is Śakra, as before. In the south is Brahmā, golden in color, holding a water-pot and a three-pronged staff. In the west is Viṣṇu, red, holding a cakra in the right and a conch in the left. In the north is Maheśvara, ash-colored, holding a trident and a skull-cup in the right and left. In the northeast is Kumāra, the son of the six, white, holding a bow and arrow. In the southeast is Gaṇeśa, white, holding a radish and a modaka in the right and left. In the southwest is Bhṛṅgirīti, maroon, holding a spear in the right and a banner in the left. In the northwest is the noble Kṛṣṇa, black, holding a sword in the right and a shield in the left. All are endowed with divine ornaments.
Surrounded by the gods of the desire realm, the sun, moon, and planets; below, the eight nāgas in the cardinal and intermediate directions: Takṣaka, Śaṅkhapāla, Kulika, Ananta, Mahāpadma, Nanda, Vāsuki, and Padma. They have the colors of the directional guardians and hold snake-nooses in their right hands; possessing hoods, they hold lotuses in their left. There are eight clouds, eight waters, and eight caityas; flocks of birds, beasts of prey, and corpses; and the yogis who have attained supreme siddhi reside there. Inside the celestial mansion are eight lotuses, encircled by a black vajra garland. White, yellow, red, and black [colors] abide in the sequence of the directions and the walls. In the center, the four Māras are suppressed by the sun; on the petals, the eight gods are suppressed by the moon. Above the sun, meditate on a black HŪṂ and AṂ. Below that, from the doubled Āli, arises the mirror-like moon, the form of insight, which accomplishes the thirty-two major marks. Above that, from the doubled Kāli, arise Ḍa, Ḍha, Da, Dha, La, and the two Ya-s; this is the sun of equality, the form of method, which accomplishes the eighty minor marks. The white skull, blue sword, sun, and moon, and the seed-syllable are the discerning wisdom. The exhortation, purification, and unification are the all-accomplishing wisdom. The unified body is the dharmadhātu. The body is a great, deep blue-black. It has eight faces, four legs, and sixteen arms. The orange-red hair swirls upward. The upper face is smoke-colored with bared fangs. It has a bone wheel and three red eyes. The lower right face is white and the left is red; the other central faces are the color of the body. Each has three red eyes and bared fangs. He wears a crossed-vajra, a skull-crown, earrings, a necklace, and armlets.
Adorned with bone bracelets and anklets, a garland of fifty dripping heads hangs down. Clad in a tiger-skin loincloth and smeared with ashes, his first hands hold a vajra and bell as he embraces the consort. With the second right hand he holds a sword, followed by an arrow, a wheel, a noose, a staff, a trident, and a hook in sequence. The left hands likewise hold a lotus, a bow, a khaṭvāṅga, a skull-cup, a jewel, a threatening gesture, and a lasso. The consort’s body color is the same as the father’s; she has one face and four arms. Her first two hands hold a vajra and bell while embracing the father, and the other two hold an arrow and a bow. She is adorned with a garland of fifty dry skulls, and her bone ornaments are the same as the father’s. The principal deity has four legs, with the right ones extended, treading upon Śakra, Brahmā, Upendra, and Rudra, who are positioned upon a solar maṇḍala. Above, one should meditate on him manifesting the nine dramatic expressions: the terrifying, the graceful, the derisive, the laughing, the fierce, the compassionate, the wrathful, and the peaceful.
Bless the lotus and the vajra:
OṂ PADMA SUKHĀDHARA MAHĀRĀGA SUKHAṂ DADAT CATURĀNANDA VAGIŚA HA HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ KARYAṂ KURUṢVA ME.
OṂ VAJRA MAHĀDVEṢA CATURĀNANDA DĀYAKA KHAGAMUKHE KARA SONĀTHA HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ KARYAṂ KURUṢVA ME.
This is the first union. Immediately after the emanation of the maṇḍala, the deities enter the faces and abide in the heart. By reciting ANURĀGA, they emerge. GAṂ CAṂ VAṂ GHAṂ PAṂ ŚAṂ LAṂ ḌAṂ. These eight radiate into the cardinal and intermediate directions; from their projection upon the seats of the deities, the goddesses are generated from the five awakenings. From GAṂ and a curved knife (kartṛkā) arises...
White Gaurī has four arms and holds a bow and arrow, a curved knife, and a skull-cup filled with blood. She treads upon Brahmā on the eastern petal. Generated from the syllable caṃ and a ḍamaru, red Caurī has four arms and holds a wheel, a hook, and a ḍamaru. She treads upon Śakra on the southern petal. Formed from the syllable vaṃ and a tortoise, the white Vetālī has four arms and holds wine, water, a sword, and a skull-cup. She treads upon Upendra on the western lotus. Perfectly generated from the syllable ghaṃ and a snake, green Ghasmarī has four arms and holds a fire-pit, a battle-axe, and a skull-cup filled with blood. With a gesture of fearlessness, she stands upon Rudra on the northern petal—thus one should meditate. Arising from the syllable paṃ and a lion, yellow Pukkasī has four arms and holds a wish-fulfilling branch and a skull-cup filled with flesh. With a jewel and a gesture of supreme generosity, she treads upon Yama; meditate on her in the northeast. Born from the syllable śaṃ and a monk, white Śavarī has four arms and holds a khaṭvāṅga, a skull-cup, a vajra, and a noose. She treads upon a yakṣa; meditate on her in the southeast. Generated from the syllable laṃ and a wheel, blue Caṇḍālī has four arms and holds a wind-cloth, a banner, and a white skull-cup. She treads upon a rākṣasa; meditate on her in the southwest. Arising from the syllable ḍaṃ and a vajra, blue Ḍombinī has four arms and holds a skull-cup, a plow, a banner, and a trident. She treads upon an asura; meditate on her on the northwest lotus. At the four gates, from the syllables jaḥ, hūṃ, baṃ, and hoḥ, and from the vajra, jewel, lotus, and sword, through the process of manifest enlightenment, arise the horse-faced, pig-faced, dog-faced, and lion-faced goddesses. They have four faces and four arms, stand upon corpses, and have a yellow right face, a red left face, a blue first face, and a green horse face at the top.
The two [first] hands hold a flute, and the other two hold a vajra and a hook. The right face is blue, the left is red, and the first is yellow; the upper face is a red sow’s face. The two [second] hands hold a lute, and the other two hold a jewel and a noose. The right face is blue, the left is white, and the central face is red; the upper face is a yellow dog’s face. The two [third] hands hold a large drum, and the other two hold a lotus and an iron chain. The right face is blue, the left is white, and the central face is green; the upper face is a white lion’s face. The two [fourth] hands hold a clay drum, and likewise the other two hold a sword and a secret [emblem].
One should meditate on the eastern gate and so forth, in sequence, upon lotuses, suns, and corpses. All have three eyes, red and round, with orange-red hair blazing upward. They are naked, with tiger skins wrapped around their waists, and possess the five bone mudrās. Garlands of withered heads hang [from their necks]. With the left leg extended, they have a seductive and terrifying form, seated upon their respective seats in the cardinal and intermediate directions.
The principal deity enters the syllables and dissolves. Upon the sun are the syllables HŪṂ and AṂ, abiding in the form of the drop of bliss. Then, the goddesses of the retinue, not seeing their respective principal deities, are intensely tormented and, with vajra songs, desire to rouse the principal deity to arise.
"Venerable One, arise with a compassionate mind!
Unite me with great bliss!
Abandoning the nature of emptiness,
Protect me, Pukkasī!
If you do not remain, I shall die;
Do not let your compassion cease, but arise!
Why do you remain in the nature of emptiness?
Śavarī, please grant me the fruit!"
"O Lord of Joy, having invited the guests of the world, do you remain in emptiness? I, Caṇḍālī, make this supplication: O Blessed One, Vajra, arise as Vajra! I have understood your mind; you who possess the power of illusion, arise! I, Ḍombī, have lost mindfulness; arise, having severed [my] great compassion! Having heard the sound like a dream, O Blessed One, arise as Hevajra as before. Meditate on the body color and so forth as before. Behold the maṇḍalas clearly. At the hearts of the deities are lotus, sun, and moon; meditate on their respective hand-symbols and seed-syllables. This is the supreme King of Maṇḍalas. By the light rays from the heart of the Principal Deity, the wisdom maṇḍala is invited and resides in the sky of the eastern charnel ground. Having offered the outer, inner, and secret offerings well, the four goddesses, Gaurī and the others, summon, enter, bind, and please [the deities] with JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ, and meditate on non-duality. To generate the superknowledges, the six faculties, such as the eyes, should be purified. From MAṂ, DHĀṂ, NAṂ, RAṂ, AṂ, and NAṂ—white, black, yellow, red, green, and black—from the lotus, moon, seed-syllables, and curved knives, the six goddesses named Vajra: Delusion, Hatred, Avarice, Desire, Jealousy, and Nairātmyā, are exhorted, purified, and meditated upon as goddesses. They possess the five mudrās, the curved knife, and the skull-cup; all should be meditated upon in the posture with the left leg extended. At the crown, heart, and throat, from the white OṂ, red ĀḤ, and black HŪṂ, from the three-colored curved knives, through the exhortation and purification, the blessings of the three bodies are bestowed. [These are] Bhūcarī, Khecarī, and Nairātmyā."
White, red, and black, holding curved knives,
Adorned with the five mudrās, seated upon a corpse,
Meditate on her with the left leg extended and a graceful bearing.
Again, from the seed syllable at one’s own heart,
Five-colored light rays radiate, performing the invocation and purification.
The gurus, the maṇḍala, and the Victorious Ones,
Together with the wrathful deities and the vidyā goddesses,
Are properly honored with the three offerings,
And one should supplicate them for the sake of empowerment:
Oṃ sarva-tathāgata-abhiṣiñcatu māṃ.
The Buddhas, Akṣobhya and the rest,
Emerge from the bodies of Locanā and the others.
They bestow the empowerment of the deities with vases of amṛta:
Oṃ sarva-tathāgata-abhiṣekata-samaya-śrīye hūṃ.
Having purified the two obscurations, the seals are applied:
I, Gaurī, and Pukkasī,
Are well-seated as the Bhagavān Akṣobhya.
Śavarī and Caurī,
Are likewise seated as Vairocana.
Caṇḍālī and Ḍombī,
One should meditate on them as Ratnasambhava.
Ḍombī and Ghasmarī,
With Amitābha residing upon their heads.
Then, the amṛta should be tasted.
In the sky of the southeastern charnel ground,
Upon the heads of the four female gatekeepers,
Meditate on Vairocana in sequence.
The three syllables Yaṃ, Raṃ, and Aṃ, and the black Hūṃ and Oṃ,
Should be meditated upon in ascending order from the bottom.
By uttering Hūṃ, the light from the Hūṃ at one’s own heart
Invokes the Hūṃ, the mother, and the maṇḍala.
One meditates on the three heads, the eight lotuses,
And the skull cups together with their seed syllables.
Likewise, by the light of the Hūṃ, the Father is invoked;
By the light of the A, the seed syllables are transformed,
And having become amṛta, from Hūṃ emanates fragrance,
From Bhrūṃ comes the white, and from Aṃ the red.
From khaṃ arises water; from the mountain of the directions,
From naṃ arises human flesh, and from haṃ arises horse,
From naṃ arises elephant, and from ṣaṃ arises jackal,
From gaṃ arises the flesh of the ox.
The fire of hūṃ blazes, boiling the nectar (amṛta).
The moon mandala of a descends.
Hūṃ itself becomes a vajra,
Which leaps and stirs five times.
By the light of the vajra, hūṃ, and oṃ,
The wisdom nectar is invited and mixed.
From hūṃ upon the tongues of the deities,
The nectar is tasted through the hollow tubes of vajras.
Oṃ sarva-tathāgata-amṛta-vajra-svabhāva-ātmako ’haṃ.
Then the offering goddesses
Offer to the deities of the mandala in succession.
Through the sequence of offerings and so forth,
They present the outer, inner, and secret offerings.
Oṃ sarva-tathāgata-pūjā-vajra-svabhāva-ātmako ’haṃ.
All the goddesses of awareness
Offer praise to the deities of the mandala:
"O Bhagavān, surrounded by the mandala of goddesses,
Your mind encompasses the moving and the unmoving.
You who act for the benefit of all sentient beings,
O Bhagavān, Supreme Hevajra,
May the intentions of your heart be fulfilled.
Be pleased, O Hevajra!"
Oṃ sarva-tathāgata-stuti-vajra-svabhāva-ātmako ’haṃ.
Having become stable, the wheel is turned.
The deities are emanated in every direction;
One meditates clearly on all beings,
Reaching to the ends of space, as the deities of the mandala.
Having become stable, they are withdrawn back,
And one meditates clearly on oneself as the mandala.
This supreme wheel of the King of Activities
Is the very reality (tattva) of the deity.
[Those who] despise the guru, lack faith, and are conceited regarding the mantra...
Those who are conceited by seeing volumes of scripture but lack the empowerment, to them one should not even speak a word. Those who possess faith, have attained the four suchnesses, and are diligent in devoted practice, having received the guru’s oral instructions and remembering his kindness—those who are respectful toward the guru, even if they were to fall from the peak of the king of mountains, though they think they will not fall, they will indeed fall; yet they will become free from sin and the stages of wisdom will increase. This is the first stage: the suchness of the deity.
Now, the suchness of wisdom will be explained. Since everything is one’s own mind, the deities are withdrawn into oneself, just as breath blown upon the surface of a mirror gathers back in stages. The four female gatekeepers, such as Hayagrīva and the others, are to be withdrawn into the four limbs. The eight goddesses are withdrawn into the faces. The faces and hands are in their respective order; the self is the one-faced, two-armed [deity]. The four cakras supported from elsewhere are meditated upon, and then one meditates on the arising of the eight signs that occur below, or else one does not suppress them—this is the pith instruction on the meaning of the tantra. Here, through the guru’s pith instruction, just like obtaining the deity’s oral transmission, one attains Mahāmudrā in the intermediate state.
Regarding the characteristics of the secret lotus and the stages of manifest awakening where mind and wisdom merge, I wish to hear about the empowerments of wisdom. The Vajra-holder of the stages of awakening perfectly relies upon the four places. In a delightful location, sitting upon a comfortable seat, having gradually abandoned desire and the rest, and having contemplated compassion and benefit for all things, both stable and moving, one should generate an equanimous mind.
Below and in Akaniṣṭha, the limit of sound, likewise the secret lotus, with various parts and colors, and likewise others; by means of the vajras of body, speech, and mind, it is the play of the dharmadhātu. Through the yoga of the condensed mass, one becomes Vajrasattva himself. The elements of water and fire, becoming of one taste, are the supreme state. From the union of insight and method, the six faculties are buddhahood itself. Knowing the reality of that very authentic treatise, following the instructions of the ācārya, meditating on the meaning of that great secret reality, transmitted from one to another, possessing that very reality, with names such as emptiness and so forth—having applied all the names as before, with a body washed of stains, one is liberated through the stages of manifest awakening.
Abiding in the center of a moon maṇḍala, one should meditate on the jñānasattva. From the moon maṇḍala, rays of light radiate, white in color like a kunda flower or the moon. With two legs in the bodhisattva posture, adorned with all ornaments, wearing the crown of the five buddhas, with two hands forming the great mudrā, he holds them bound at his own heart. One should visualize the seat of the wisdom lotus, beautiful in form and perfectly complete. The heart is like a plantain flower, hanging down from the navel. Adorned with a blooming lotus as before, with eight petals, together with the filaments and the moon, one should arrange the seed syllables. Seated in the center of the navel maṇḍala, with one face, two hands, and a white complexion.
One should meditate on the great fragrance in the center. In the center of that, one should meditate on consciousness and primordial wisdom as non-dual. First, on the eastern petal, is Akṣobhya, endowed with loving-kindness. On the southern gate is great compassion; its seed syllable is that of Ratnasambhava. On the western petal is joy; there, one should place the seed syllable of Amitābha. On the northern petal is equanimity; there, one should contemplate the Lord Amoghasiddhi.
From the emptiness that is without characteristics, the vowel syllables and the seed syllables of the east and so forth, endowed with the half-moon and the bindu, should be placed in sequence, together with Pāṇḍaravāsinī. On the four intermediate petals, one should place the neuter vowels previously taught. In the center of that, one should meditate on one’s own mind as the syllable itself.
"How is it that one meditates on a syllable from emptiness that is without characteristics? The mind will be struck with wonder. How is this explained, Blessed One?"
Then the Blessed One replied: "Listen, Vajra, to that very reality as it is. From the illustration of the characteristic of emptiness, like the sap of a plantain flower, it becomes the essence of that which is without essence. The consciousness in the center is primordial wisdom; the nature of primordial wisdom is formless and possesses the characteristic of being without characteristics. It is the stainless body of primordial wisdom, liberated from both existence and non-existence. Without color, form, or syllable, the yogi should grasp that reality in the center of form and emptiness. With a mind of equanimity, one should meditate on the characteristics as they are. That is the path to perfect awakening, according to the oral instructions of the Guru himself."
Now, it will be seen swiftly. The characteristics of consciousness, wisdom, and form are taught in the treatises; that very reality was explained by the Hero. Adorned with white light rays, this should be meditated upon constantly. Upon the caitya of the five graces, having visualized the seed-syllable of nectar, the clear radiance of white light rays causes a stream of nectar to flow. Upon the filaments of the lotus at the heart, within a circle the size of a thumb, in its center is the seed-syllable extracted from the vowels and consonants. White in color, it is exceedingly beautiful, radiating moonlight in all directions. In the gates of its center, the meditation on the drop (bindu) is renowned. It abides constantly in the form of an atom, a hundredth part of the tip of a hair. Possessing the wisdom that characterizes the nature of consciousness, because the characteristics of the mind are not known, one should look toward the state of the abiding drop. At the heart, the gate of Brahma, and the gates of the path of the drops, through devotion to the instructions of the Guru, consciousness and wisdom should be grasped. It is not found in the paths of outsiders or in the treatises; the teaching is easy to find, yet through that application, it is difficult to attain. Through devotion and service to the Guru, the practitioner endowed with skillful means should meditate on this by the path of the Guru’s oral instructions. Remaining unwavering and without harm, one should meditate on the reality in meditative equipoise. The mind is the precursor to all phenomena; through the mind one enters, and through the mind one is purified.
Through the grace of the King of Mind, the activity of speech arises. Therefore, all things are of the nature of mind; the wise say they arise from the mind. If a yogi desires to recite, it is the intention and meditation of the heart. The vows and the transformation of the tantra are the seed-syllables; that very reality is formless. The seed-syllables of cause and effect are the wisdom itself, which is not seen. Regarding the enjoyments of existence, such as form and so forth, one should meditate on the five seed-syllables. Engaging everywhere and in every way, abiding perfectly in what is and is not a destination, one should always nail down the root. The seed-syllables of wisdom and consciousness are perfectly endowed with the sound of the bindu. Desiring the enjoyments of existence, having abandoned the syllables of speech, one is perfectly endowed with mental recitation. Constantly, in the very expanse of reality (dharmadhātu), one dwells in the continuous state of immovability. Always elevated and unstained, consciousness dissolves into wisdom. When consciousness becomes wisdom itself, one will see the stages of awakening. Like a lamp, appearing to all, is the first sign. Like a firefly and the sight of dust, these are the second sign. It is designated by the characteristic of destroying the afflictions (kleśa). Seeing the aspect of white atoms in all directions is known as the third sign. Seeing the enjoyments of the desire-realm gods with the mind is the fourth. Seeing the gods of the form realm is the fifth. The formless sphere of activity is the sixth. Abiding in the expanse of reality is the seventh.
The Buddha is the eighth fruition; the yogi should meditate without distraction. If a yogi endowed with compassion meditates one-pointedly, the supreme state will be attained. Regarding the pith instructions for the transference of the wisdom that is meditated upon by the yogi, one should receive them from one who possesses the lineage of the guru. Death is the conceptualization of the celestial realm. Those who lack faith, lack diligence, are foolish, and lack wisdom; those who look for faults in the guru, speak of them wrongly, and deceive the guru with guile; those who do not look to the assembly but disparage [the guru] in secret while speaking with a smiling face—even if they are sons, kings, monks, or of noble family, they should be abandoned. One who has abandoned such faults, whose conduct is not merely physical, who is respectful to the guru, and who possesses compassion, altruism, wisdom, and skillful means; who meditates without distraction during the four modes of conduct and teaches the stages in succession—to such a person, the reality of mantra should be properly taught. This is the second stage, the reality of wisdom.
Next, the characteristics of mantra are explained. Yogis should always recite it. Mantra and syllables are inseparable. To always recite in non-duality: if a yogi wishes to recite, they should contemplate and meditate with the heart. The seed syllable that is the cause of the vajra is the reality itself, which is formless. At one's own heart, one should recite the seed syllable surrounded by the mantra of concentration: OṂ DEVA PIÇU VAJRA HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. This is the essence. OṂ AṢṬĀNANĀYA PIṄGŌRDHVAKEŚAVARTMANE CATURVIṂŚATINETRĀYA ṢOḌAŚABHŪJĀYA KṚṢṆAJĪMŪTAVAPUṢE KAPĀLAMĀLĀNEKĀDHĀRIṆI... [and so forth].
This is the [mantra] of Śvānāsyā: OṂ VAJRA SIDDHAGRĪVA HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ. These are the long heart mantras of Siṃhāsyā and the others. Through the yogi who is diligent in recitation, the five syllables are a homage to the abodes. The peaceful drop is moist with shape and color; bliss is non-conceptual emptiness. Non-conceptual emptiness is non-dual. One should resolve this upon the ground of the guru’s pith instructions. Seeing the guru as ordinary is like discarding the nectar that clears away poison. To be puffed up with lineage and honor is to seek the eight worldly dharmas. Such a student who comes forth should be held with compassion. One who is gentle, diligent, and who practices the teachings through hearing, reflection, and meditation—though they require the wealth of the noble abodes, they should be accepted and purified. They are worthy of being granted empowerments, tantric explanations, mantras, and pith instructions. This is the third stage, the suchness of mantra. Now, the suchness of the self is explained. By knowing that suchness, there is no [need for] meditative equipoise. The utter purity of all things is described as suchness. Subsequently, by distinguishing each one, the deities are to be purified. Having cleansed the veil of ignorance, the aggregates, elements, and sense bases of embodied beings are the five families, the five consorts, and the Vajra Ladies. One, two, three, four, five, and ten; a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, a hundred thousand, ten million, and countless—these are the inconceivable secrets of the body. The non-duality of speech and mind is inconceivable. For the benefit of yogis, that very formless Vajra-holder is the supreme Perfection of Wisdom. All these three realms are just like dreams and illusions.
Cast far away the conceptualizations of the eight worldly concerns;
Ascertain the non-dual state free from thought.
Through the practice of the six perfections,
The accomplishment of Buddhahood will be swiftly attained.
Sentient beings are non-conceptual, created by illusion;
As I course within the dharmadhātu,
I wander alone without companions.
With a mind free from doubt,
I shall abide in whatever way is blissful.
Just as one seeking nectar
Takes the essence and discards the dregs,
So too, having found the five nectars,
And having abandoned all conceptualization,
One should enjoy non-conceptual meditative absorption
Just as taught by all the Buddhas.
The Victors have taught in all the tantras
That through conceptualization one goes to hell
And wanders in the ocean of the six realms of cyclic existence.
Without conceptualization, one will be liberated
And go to the state of Mahāmudrā.
Therefore, the yogi, knowing the authentic reality,
Possessing the compassionate intent to benefit beings,
Should investigate with stability, free from apprehension.
Wander like a fearless lion;
However, do not disparage the ācārya,
And do not be displeased with your vajra siblings.
The root and branch samayas
Should be maintained without fail, even through illusion.
Knowing the ten suchnesses, through the generation and completion stages,
One should achieve omniscience.
The Great Yoga, adorned by the various wisdoms of Vajrasattva—
For some, it is the excellent path that pacifies the afflictions,
The result of accomplishing body, speech, and mind.
By abiding the intellect in meditative absorptions
That are like illusions, mirages, and cities of gandharvas, [the goal is attained].
Those afflicted by the diseases of desire and the like should heal themselves and others with the illusory medicine of primordial wisdom. Those who have not received the instructions on self-consecration from a guru, and who focus on the extremes of eternalism and nihilism, are people who have turned back.
Having abandoned all other offerings, one should properly undertake the offering to the guru. By pleasing him, the supreme primordial wisdom of omniscience will be attained. By making offerings to the Vajrasattva who is the unsurpassed master, what merit has not been performed, and what austerity has not been practiced? Whatever extraordinary and supreme joys one desires, those very things are bestowed by the guru. The guru removes sin; the master dispels fear. The master delivers one from the terrifying ocean of suffering to the further shore.
Suchness should not be taught to one who is puffed up with pride, who disparages the authentic, or who has not attained the dharma of suchness. It should be taught to one who is respectful to the guru, speaks the truth, is highly skilled, possesses a single-pointed continuum, and guards the conduct of the samaya.
This is the fourth stage, the stage of the suchness of the self. For the yogi who meditates on the four suchnesses, in order to purify obscurations, pacify obstacles, accumulate merit, and transfer to the celestial realm, one should offer tormas to the Dharma protectors and dakinis. In the sky of the eastern charnel ground, within the three-tiered source of phenomena (dharmodaya), at the center, from the syllable Māṃ arises the Earth Goddess, golden in color, holding a vase.
Adorned with every ornament, she sits perfectly upon a lotus and moon seat. She is surrounded by a host of celestial spirits (gandharvas). In the cardinal and intermediate directions, the charnel grounds are depicted with the retinues of the directional protectors. In the center of the lotus above, from the syllable paṃ, arises Brahmā, four-faced and golden in color. His right hand holds a rosary and the gesture of fearlessness; his left holds a water flask and a trident. He sits surrounded by the gods of the form realm. In the center of the lotus, from the syllable phaṃ, arises a white lotus. From phuṃ, arises a white nāga with a hood, holding a snake-noose and a lotus. The eight great nāgas of the cardinal and intermediate directions should be visualized in the manner of the charnel grounds. The gods of the cardinal and intermediate directions should be visualized as before, surrounded by the retinues of the desire-realm gods.
Having recited jaḥ hūṃ baṃ hoḥ in sequence, the goddesses Gaurī and the others perform the summoning and absorption, becoming non-dual. The directional protectors and their retinues are of the mind family; they are Akṣobhya himself, adorned with the charnel grounds. Dark blue, holding a vajra and bell with his consort, one should visualize him with one face and the right leg extended. The gods are of the body family; white, adorned with the charnel grounds, holding a vajra and bell with their consorts, one should visualize them with one face and the right leg extended. The eight nāgas are of the speech family, red in color; they are the nature of Amitābha, adorned with the charnel grounds. Red in color, holding a vajra and bell with their consorts, one should visualize them with one face and the right leg extended. With their respective ornaments, the body, speech, and mind are tasted by the tongues through the hollow tubes of vajras. One should visualize oneself tasting the nectar. Having blessed the three torma offerings, the offering to the directional protectors is as follows:
Oṃ inda jama jala jakka bhūta vaṇi vā urākka | canda sujja māda pappata la pātāla aṣṭa sappha svāhā | idaṃ baliṃ | bhuñja jiṅgha phulla dhūpa māṃsa piṅga ambha sabba kañja sada khānti khuṇi pheṭa gāda | Oṃ akāro mukhaṃ sarvadharmāṇāṃ ādyanutpannatvāt | Oṃ āḥ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā | kollā iriṭṭhi | abolā mummuṇire kakkolā | ghaṇe kripita ho vājjai | karuṇe ki a i ṇaro lā | tahiṃ bala khājjai | ghaḍheṃ ma anā pijja a i | hale kāliṃ jarapaṇi a i | dundura vajji a i | ca usa makā ṭhūri sihlā | kappūra lā | i a i | māla indhaṇaṃ sāliñja | tihaṃ | bharukhā a i | phreṃ khana kheṭa karante | śuddhā śuddha namuṇi a i | nirāṃśu aṅge caṭāvi a i | tahiṃ jasara āvapani a i | malaya ja kunduru baṭṭa i | ḍiṇḍima tahiṃ na vājjai a i.
With this vajra song, one should complete all the limbs. Having performed the outer and inner sprinkling and drinking, [recite]: Oṃ vajrasattva samaya manupālaya | vajrasattva tvenopatiṣṭha | ḍiḍho me bhava | sutoṣyo me bhava | anurakto me bhava | supoṣyo me bhava | sarvasiddhiṃ me prayaccha | sarvakarma sucame | cittaṃ śreyaḥ kuru hūṃ | ha ha ha ha hoḥ | bhagavān sarvatathāgata vajra mā me muñca | vajrī bhava | mahāsamayasattva āḥ.
Meditating on oneself as the deity, one should rotate the lotus mudrā with both hands. Reciting "Hūṃ Hūṃ Hūṃ" three times, ring the bell.
Joining the vajra and bell with palms at the heart, generate great compassion and sing the vajra song while making aspiration prayers:
The Three Jewels are free from sin and obscuration,
Free from defects such as desire,
And completely abandoned of subject and object.
To suchness, I pay homage.
All phenomena are beautiful like illusions;
Free from duality, purified of duality, and non-dual.
For the sake of embodied beings, they act through illusion.
To that which is devoid of substantiality, I pay homage.
May all sentient beings be without sin,
And may all sentient beings be happy.
May they meet with Buddhahood itself.
Having entered that very path,
May those who have not crossed over be crossed,
And may those who are not liberated be liberated.
May I abide this very moment
In the yoga of the Dharma and the samaya.
Placing the left fist at the heart, extend the right hand and request the deities to depart:
Sarva ghaṭāni gṛhṇa gṛhṇa hūṃ phaṭ.
Oṃ āḥ hūṃ muḥ.
When unable to engage in meditative concentration, one may sleep.
Through the perfection of skillful means and insight,
At the time of rising, be exhorted by the songs of the goddesses.
Having arisen, perform ablutions and contemplate receiving empowerment.
The offering cakes, maṇḍala, and offerings should be performed with the empowerment.
Offer the first portion of food and taste the amṛta.
In the four modes of conduct, whatever one does,
Practice according to the sequence of the four realities.
Relying upon the tantras and the oral instructions of the gurus,
I have composed this sādhana of the four stages of Hevajra.
By whatever stainless virtue has been accumulated through this,
May all beings accomplish Hevajra.
The Hevajra Sādhana: The Stages of the Four Suchnesses, composed by the master Kambala, is hereby complete. It was translated, edited, and finalized by the paṇḍita Vairocanarakṣita and the translator Glan Darma Blo gros.