Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
Illuminating Suchness is a technical manual of Vajrayana practice that guides the practitioner from preliminary vows to the realization of non-dual awareness. The text argues that liberation is achieved by transcending conceptual apprehension and the bonds of cyclic existence through the union of method and insight. It begins with the necessity of the guru-student relationship and the bodhisattva vow, then moves into a complex system of symbolic identifications. The work commits the reader to a rigorous internal alchemy where afflictions, the human body, and the terrifying imagery of the charnel grounds are reinterpreted as manifestations of primordial wisdom and the dharmadhātu. By mapping the five Buddha families, various ḍākinīs, and the four joys onto the practitioner's experience, the text seeks to transform ordinary perception into the 'suchness' of the deity, ultimately aiming for a state of non-attachment equal to space.
Provenance
About this text
Offering homage to the glorious Hevajra, the Tattvāloka (The Illumination of Suchness) is a work of the Non-dual Tantra tradition. It is attributed to the Indian author Bodhisattva. The text entered the Tibetan language through the translator Somanātha and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཏ, where it extends over twenty-five pages. Written in classical Tibetan as de kho na nyid kyi snang ba, the work enacts a progression for the practitioner, beginning with the beginner's section. It emphasizes the necessity of the guru-student relationship, the performance of the mandala ritual, and the adoption of the bodhisattva vow to benefit wandering beings. The work argues that the mind is equal to space and that insight purifies the practitioner, guiding them to turn the mind away from non-virtue through the recollection of karma. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine its instructions on the four classes of tantras and the attainment of mantra-siddhi, as well as its specific requirements for the preliminary stages of practice.
The work is significant for its integration of tantric imagery—such as the charnel grounds and skeletal figures—with high-level philosophical concepts of emptiness and coemergent wisdom. For the modern reader, it illustrates the specific method of 'intentional language' used in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism to transmute negative mental states into enlightened qualities.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-4
Preliminaries and Ethics
Initial homages, the role of the guru, the bodhisattva vow, and a warning against unqualified teachers who seek material gain.
5-6
Nature of Mind and Concentration
Discussion on the mind's equality to space and the distinction between apprehending concentration and liberating non-apprehension.
7-17
Empowerments and Deities
Detailed descriptions of the water and crown empowerments, the four joys, the roles of the Tathāgatas, and the symbolic identities of various ḍākinīs.
18-25
Visualization and Mandala Construction
Instructions on visualizing the fire maṇḍala, the placement of goddesses in the cardinal directions, and the symbolic meaning of the deity's ornaments.
26-32
The Yoga of Afflictions and Charnel Grounds
The transformation of the four afflictions and the ten non-virtues, and the mapping of the eight charnel grounds as manifestations of the mind.
33-35
Intentional Language and Final Union
Guidance on remaining in practice and the decoding of 'intentional language' regarding the union of emptiness and compassion.
Themes
Non-apprehension and Emptiness (5-6, 12, 15, 32)
Union of Method and Insight (8, 13, 20, 34, 35)
Transmutation of Afflictions (4, 23, 26)
Symbolism of the Charnel Grounds (18, 25, 30, 32)
The Four Joys (9, 10, 12)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Tattvāloka-nāma. In the language of Tibet: De kho na nyid kyi snang ba zhes bya ba (The Illumination of Suchness). Homage to the glorious Hevajra.
You who are like a mass of clouds that circle the skeletal perimeter, the stainless path of the sky; you who radiate vajra light rays, terrifying Indra, Brahmā, and the Lord of Lions, and are worthy of praise; you whose sound is as pleasant and gentle as the roar of the clouds at the end of an eon, the sound of the syllable HŪṂ; you who terrify the four Māras with fear and are prostrated to by the three realms—may your dance as Heruka protect me!
With knees that laugh with the soft jaṇ-jaṇ sound, like dark mountains; with three terrifying eyes on your arms that cause the gods to tremble; displaying a fierce, wrathful frown that destroys conceptual elaborations, your face is formidable; glorious Vajraḍākinī, who resembles a blue utpala flower—may you protect embodied beings with your own body!
By the permission of Vajrasattva, for the sake of sentient beings through compassion, I shall write this work titled "The Illumination of Suchness." Since the minds of those who are difficult to discipline must be led onto the path, may those who know suchness grant me patience as I apply myself with diligence.
Having diligently upheld the essence of the tantras, such as the Hevajra Tantra, as taught by the Sugatas, I shall teach this treatise, the "Illumination of Suchness," which generates various [realizations], for the benefit of wandering beings.
First, for a time, the student should look toward the guru and perform the mandala ritual. Then, in order to inspire weariness with cyclic existence in sentient beings, they should make the vow: "May I become a Buddha for the sake of benefiting wandering beings." Then, regarding the instruction "one should offer oneself to the guru," this is generosity. Turning the mind away from engaging in unvirtuous paths is discipline. The arising of body, speech, and mind is patience. The accomplishment of fulfilling one's previous vow is diligence. The mind becoming one-pointed is concentration. That which is the certain knowledge of all these as being without intrinsic nature is what receives the name of insight. Therefore, it is said that generosity and the other five perfections receive their names through being endowed with insight. Thus, the bodhisattva mahāsattva should rely upon the six perfections and completely abandon the ten non-virtuous actions. These, moreover, depend upon body, speech, and mind. The body depends on speech, speech depends on mind, and the mind depends on space; space, however, does not depend on anything at all. Therefore, with all effort, one should make these three stainless and then explain and describe these very three as follows: the body is like a reflection, and speech is like an echo.
The mind is equal to space; these three are purified by one endowed with insight. Therefore, the statement that one is not harmed by the ten non-virtues means that a bodhisattva should first practice the recollection of karma. This is the first section, concerning the beginner.
Next, regarding the four classes of tantras that teach mantra, the accomplishment of mantra-siddhi and so forth—all that was spoken by the Blessed One was taught in order to summon sentient beings dwelling in the lower realms and establish them on the sublime path. Furthermore, the teaching becomes diverse through the distinctions of the inferior, middling, and superior capacities of sentient beings' intentions, just as a single [moon] appears as many. How so? It is like the reflection of a single moon appearing as many in water vessels filled with water. Therefore, one should realize that the suchness (tathatā) is one and the same across all vehicles, and nothing else.
Having thus reached a definitive conclusion, in order to fully fulfill one's previous vow, one should strive for awakening day and night in this very life. If one is unable to accomplish it in that way, then one should practice merit; by the power of that merit, one will accomplish awakening for others in a future time.
Those who are possessed of anger, avarice, and pride, and who have become attached to alcohol, meat, and the like, are unable to teach the characteristics of the cause and fruit of unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening. For the sake of material gain, they seek to gather disciples, sell the sublime Dharma, and live by wrong livelihood; lacking blessings, they will fall into hell and their efforts will be in vain. Furthermore, the five elements and the five constituents and so forth are the perfection of the mind and nothing else. For example, one should understand that the transformations occurring in a dream when separated from a self are like the reflection of the moon, like an echo, and like a city of gandharvas—transcending both the apprehended and the apprehender. The mind, too, transcends birth, abiding, destruction, going, and coming; it is liberated from beginning, middle, and end, and cannot be found in any location. This very mind, endowed with insight, sports within the three realms of existence. Just as a master of miraculous powers displays wonders to people through the modes of birth, abiding, and destruction, so too should the mind be understood. If a yogi realizes the methods described in this way, [they will attain the goal].
It will not cause harm to the ground of the mind. When the yogi comes to know the mind, he becomes free from attachment, like space. Like a precious wish-fulfilling jewel, he is the nature of emanation and reabsorption; whether he dies or whether he lives for a moment, what need is there to mention that he does not live for a long time? Without such experience, mere hearing is useless, just as a patient’s illness will not be pacified by merely reading medical treatises. Therefore, the result is perfected through the application of experience. For that reason, if the mind is realized, everything is born. It is said that the characteristics of insight and the mind are known through empowerment and the grace of the guru. This is the second section, the general introduction.
Next, the authentic conferral of empowerment to the disciples shall be explained. What is called "the spreading of colored powders" is, in the definitive sense, insight, because it symbolizes all wandering beings. In that context, "spreading" (rañjana) means "to embrace" (parigraha), thus it is rañjava. That itself is the maṇḍala of the deities; it is not a matter of inviting the deities or requesting them to depart and so forth. Why is that? Because the Buddha, the Blessed One, is not known to come or to go. For example, it is just as in a dream, where there is no birth, abiding, or cessation. For that reason, one should not perform the invitation of the deities, the request for them to depart, and so forth.
Meditative concentration (dhyāna) that involves apprehension (upalambha) will not liberate one from the bonds of cyclic existence (saṃsāra). What need is there to mention [concentration] directed toward non-existent things? Therefore, by not apprehending any entity whatsoever, one is [liberated] from all. The mind that has become liberated from both entity and non-entity is called "Buddha." From such a principal nature of method and wisdom (prajñā), one should perform worship with mantras (mantra), mudrās (mudrā), and so forth.
If one asks, "How should one worship?" the mantra is the unification of the pure and impure minds. Likewise, the birth of living beings is the recitation (japa), and because it seals the three worlds, it is the mudrā; that is described as wisdom. Having placed that mandala of wisdom in front, the various empowerments (abhiṣeka) should be bestowed upon the disciples. There is no accomplishment (siddhi) apart from empowerment; therefore, for those who desire the fruit of Buddhahood itself, the empowerment must be bestowed. The disciple should also make this request:
"Sunk in the mire of cyclic existence,
Covered by unbearable misdeeds,
In order that I may emerge from this,
May the Tathāgata protect me!"
Then, the guru should bestow the seven empowerments upon the disciple: the water empowerment, the crown empowerment, the vajra empowerment, the master empowerment, the name empowerment, the secret empowerment, and the wisdom-knowledge (jñāna) empowerment. First, Vairocana is the nature of the mirror-like wisdom (ādarśa-jñāna).
Because he has become free from attachment, he is Vairocana. That is called the empowerment, the water empowerment. Then, the nature of the utterly pure dharmadhātu is Akṣobhya; because he is unshakeable, he is Akṣobhya. He is to be placed upon the head, which is the crown empowerment. Then, the nature of the wisdom of equality is Ratnasambhava; because he arises without any attachment whatsoever, he is Ratnasambhava. The empowerment conferred by him is the vajra empowerment. Then, the nature of the wisdom of individual discernment is Amitābha; "limitless" (ananta) means immeasurable, and "light" (ābhā) refers to that which possesses rays of light—thus he is Amitābha. The empowerment conferred by him is called the lord empowerment. Then, the nature of the wisdom of all-accomplishing action is Amoghasiddhi; "accomplishing the purpose" (arthasiddhi) refers to accomplishment together with its result. The empowerment conferred by him is the name empowerment. Vajrasattva is the nature of the five wisdoms. "Vajra" refers to indivisible emptiness, and "sattva" refers to compassion, the oneness of the three realms; thus he is Vajrasattva. "Secret" refers to the establishment of non-dual wisdom, which gives rise to both without exception; the empowerment conferred by that is the secret empowerment. "Wisdom-gnosis" (prajñājñāna) refers to the dharmadhātu of the lack of intrinsic nature, the element of space, and "gnosis" (jñāna) is that which transcends subject and object.
That which confers empowerment is the empowerment of the wisdom of primordial awareness (prajñājñānābhiṣeka). "The expression of the primordial awareness of emptiness and the clarity of compassion are the method; from the union of these two as one, the supreme nectar flows forth." Thus it is said. Whatever other empowerments exist should be understood as being within that very [empowerment]. It is said that their meaning should be definitively established by correctly bestowing them, whether externally or internally. This is the third section on empowerment.
Now, in order to definitively establish its meaning, the classification of the three channels shall be written: the lalanā flows from the left and is the nature of the vowels (āli), the method (upāya); the rasanā flows from the right and is the nature of the consonants (kāli), insight (prajñā); and in the center, where the two are one, is the avadhūtī. The lalanā is the dharmakāya, the rasanā is the saṃbhogakāya, and the avadhūtī is the nirmāṇakāya, according to the divisions of body, speech, and mind. Through the non-dual union of the three channels and the four wheels (cakra), there is great bliss (mahāsukha). From these four, there is loving-kindness toward the nirmāṇakāya, compassion toward the dharmakāya, joy toward the saṃbhogakāya, and equanimity toward great bliss.
Likewise, the four moments arise: the moment of variety (vicitra), the moment of ripening (vipāka), the moment of refinement (vimarda), and the moment free from characteristics (vilakṣaṇa). There are the four truths: suffering, origin, cessation, and the path. There are the four suchnesses (tattva): the suchness of the self, the suchness of mantra, the suchness of the deity, and the suchness of the primordial awareness. There are the four seals (mudrā): the seal of the dharma, the seal of the samaya, the seal of the dākinī, and the great seal. There are the four joys (ānanda): the joy of the dharma, the joy of the samaya, the joy of the dākinī, and the great joy. There are the four bodies (kāya): the nirmāṇakāya, the saṃbhogakāya, the dharmakāya, and the svābhāvikakāya. There are the four mudrās: the action mudrā (karmamudrā), the seal mudrā (mudrāmudrā), the dharma mudrā (dharmamudrā), and the great mudrā (mahāmudrā). There are the four initiations (abhiṣeka): the vase initiation, the secret initiation, the wisdom-knowledge initiation, and the fourth initiation. There are the four wheels: the wheel of great bliss, the wheel of dharma, the wheel of enjoyment, and the wheel of emanation. There are the four winds: the downward-clearing wind, the upward-moving wind, the fire-accompanying wind, and the pervasive wind. There are the four drops (bindu): the white drop, the red drop, the wind drop, and the wisdom drop. There are the four syllables: oṃ, āḥ, hūṃ, and haḥ. There are the four syllables of the nirmāṇakāya: a, ka, ca, and ṭa. There are the four syllables of the saṃbhogakāya: ṭha, ta, pa, and ya. There are the
The suchness of the deity and the suchness of wisdom. There are four joys: joy, supreme joy, the joy of separation, and coemergent joy. There are four classes: the Sthaviras, the Sarvāstivādins, the Mahāsāṃghikas, and the Mahīśāsakas. If one asks how Maitreya and the others arise: that state of mind which abides in the equality of taste in all things is loving-kindness. That mind which is the nature of former aspirations is compassion. That which is the oneness of these is joy. That mind which is without regard for anything is equanimity. If one asks what the emanation and so forth are like: wherever all sentient beings without exception are said to be born, that is the nirmāṇakāya; it is described as an emanation. Alternatively, it is an emanation because it emanates. "Dharma" is the characteristic of the mind because it holds its own characteristic. The saṃbhogakāya is so called because it enjoys the six tastes, such as sweet and so forth. Through the division of the three bodies, these arise; by thoroughly knowing them, there is great bliss. Regarding these cakras, the moments such as the "variegated" (vicitra) should be understood. If one asks what the "variegated" and so forth are like: it is "variegated" because it performs various actions such as embracing and kissing. Because it enjoys the bliss of wisdom, it is the "ripened" (vipāka).
Because it pleases all, it is "aspectless," which is to say, the very absence of intrinsic nature. Because it has become free from attachment, it is "devoid of characteristics." From these moments, joy and so forth arise. Joy is in the "variegated" (vicitra); supreme joy (paramānanda) is in the "ripening" (vipāka); the "variegated joy" (vicitrānanda) is in the "crushing" (vimarda); and the "innate joy" (sahajānanda) is in the "devoid of characteristics." Joy produces a slight bliss; supreme joy produces a bliss greater than that. The "variegated joy" is the very state of diverse attachment. The remainder of all is the "innate joy." The first is the desire for touch; the second is attachment to bliss; the third is the fading of attachment; and the fourth is supreme bliss. Between the supreme and the variegated is the innate, which is free from these three and cannot be shown by anything, nor can it be attained from anything. It is known by relying on the guru and through one's own merit. Regarding these joys, the four truths of suffering and so forth should be understood. How are they understood? First, birth is the truth of suffering. The supreme arising is the truth of origin. The crushing, through the absence of intrinsic nature, is the truth of cessation. Therefore, the innate itself is the truth of the path. Then, regarding the four suchnesses (tattva): because joy has arisen, it is the suchness of the self.
Because it is spoken of in secret, it is the suchness of the supreme mantra. Because it realizes the nature of emptiness, it is the suchness of the deity in the stage of thorough rubbing. Because it is the very meditation on the manifestation of the coemergent, it is the suchness of wisdom. Then, as for the four classes: in the first joy is the Sthavira; in the second joy is the Sarvāstivāda; the manifold nature is the Mahāsāṃghika; and the nature of the coemergent is called the Mahāyāna. All of these are produced from the joys. These should also be understood as the emanation, enjoyment, equality, and great bliss cakras. The emanation, dharma, and enjoyment are the lalanā, rasanā, and avadhūtī. All of these, through the equality of taste, are great bliss. Furthermore, this should be understood as the play of the king of the mind, both externally and internally. The Guru should show the beautiful wisdom to the disciple. Through the distinction of the ultimate, it is between the two channels. Uncontrived and not impermanent, beyond entity and non-entity, untainted, and transcending subject and object—wherein the birth of the three realms occurs and which benefits the three realms—it transcends all verbal expression. A person who has obtained the empowerment should know this wisdom. Then, for the sake of realizing that very reality, the application shall be explained.
Through attachment to the mudrā, which is the nature of insight, whatever bliss arises in the mind is the first joy. By embracing them, the sense faculties become unified and become superior; this is the supreme joy. The absence of intrinsic nature, in which everything is satisfied, being devoid of characteristics like space, is the manifold joy. That which transcends these three is the joy called the coemergent; that too should be realized by the yogi in the state of suchness.
Then, for the sake of those with dull faculties attaining buddhahood, the guru should teach the characteristics of primordial wisdom through union with an external insight. Alternatively: "The caṇḍālī blazing from the navel burns the five Sugatas. Having burned Locanā and the others, it burns the haṃ and causes the moon to drip." In this, caṇḍā is insight and lī is method; the nature of āli and kāli is the identity of lalanā and rasanā. These identities of method and insight are the caṇḍālī. "At the navel" means in space; the meaning is that it is in the avadhūtī between the two. When that blazes, "the five Sugatas" refers to the five aggregates, and "burns" means it consumes them. Then, "Locanā and the others" means the five elements are burned and become formless. "Burns the haṃ" means having burned the self and what belongs to the self. Having become thus, "the moon" refers to the bodhicitta.
It causes all sentient beings to attain [realization], and that too will be personally attained. For example, just as a flower is perceived merely by the nose smelling it, yet is not seen anywhere and does not become manifest in any form whatsoever; if one asks what it is, it is said that the coemergent (sahaja) is likewise taught to be self-cognizing. The mind abiding in such a coemergent state displays various kinds of emanation and withdrawal, like a city of gandharvas, like an illusion and a miraculous power, like a mirror and a reflection, and like an echo.
This is the fourth section, on the gift of the authentic [consort]. Now, the consorts of insight (prajñā) are to be given. Because she demonstrates the differentiation of the lack of intrinsic nature, she is the "sister" (bhaginī), [referring to] the eye. Because she is untouched, she is the "daughter-in-law" (snusā), [referring to] the ear. Because she produces the world just like the transformations born of a dream, she is the "mother" (mātṛ), [referring to] the nose. Because she destroys all entities, she is the "daughter" (duhitṛ), [referring to] the tongue. Because she draws in the firm mind like a bamboo, she is the "bamboo-worker" (veṇukārī), [referring to] the tactile sense. Because she approaches bliss, she is the "wife" (bhāryā), [referring to] the subtle [element]. Because she makes the vajra-dharma free from obscuration, she is the "leather-worker" (carmakārī), [referring to] envy. Because kaṃ refers to space and she possesses the discipline (śīla) that protects it, she is the "skull-bearer" (kapālinī), [referring to] the upper [element].
Because she makes the limit of all conceptualization without exception her garment and thus wanders in saṃsāra, she is Śavarī, who is water. Caṇḍa means insight (prajñā); āli is the source of all phenomena; thus she is Caṇḍālī, who is fire. Because she is without knowledge, she is the low-caste woman (caṇḍālī), who is wind. Because she establishes the third realm of existence like a false painting, she is the musician, who is space. Because she makes the various beings false, she is the painter, who is form. Because she shaves away all afflictions without exception, she is the barber, who is feeling. Because she constantly works on the tusks of the elephant-like mind, she is the ivory-carver, who is perception. Because she covers beings with the parasol of non-apprehension, she is the parasol-maker, who is formations. Because she kills ignorance, she is the butcher, who is consciousness. Iṣu means the five faculties; because she makes them into one, she is the arrow-maker, who is generosity. Because she contracts all conceptualization without exception, she possesses this discipline; thus she is kuñcikā, who is discipline. Because she causes joy, she is nandī, who is patience. Because she makes the two without exception, she is the niece (bhāgineyī), who is diligence. Because she displays various things like a reflection, she is the dancer, who is concentration. Because she binds the mind of proliferating conceptualization with a net of lack of intrinsic nature, she is the fisherwoman, who is insight. Because she seals the true phenomena, she is the mother-in-law, who is loving-kindness.
Because she binds the various flowers to the thread of non-apprehension, she is the Garland-Maker, who is compassion. Because she cuts the wood of conceptual thought, she is the Wood-Carver, who is joy. Because she is free from all obscurations without exception, she is the Remnant-Eater, who is equanimity. Because she holds the two sides with the churning stick, she is the Potter, who is the body. Because she ripens beings with her own flavor, she is the Liquor-Seller, who is speech. Because she acts as the wisdom of suchness, the brahmin, she is the Brahmin Woman, who is the mind. These mudrās become the ḍākinīs in essence, and they are to be drawn.
Regarding form, she is Gaurī. Regarding sound, she is Caurī. Regarding smell, she is Vetālī. Regarding taste, she is Ghasmarī. Regarding touch, she is Bhūcarī. Regarding the mind, she is Khecarī. Regarding earth, she is Śavarī. Regarding water, she is Caṇḍālī. Regarding fire, she is Ḍombī. Regarding space, she is Nairātmyā. Regarding desire, she is Vetālī. Regarding hatred, she is Vajriṇī. Regarding delusion, she is Vajrī. Regarding slander, she is Guhyagaurī. Regarding envy, she is Vajraḍākinī.
Regarding form, she is Vajrī. Regarding feeling, she is Caurī. Regarding perception, she is Jālinī. Regarding formations, she is Vajraḍākinī. Regarding consciousness, she is Nairātmyā. Regarding generosity, she is Gaurī. Regarding ethical discipline, she is Caurī. Regarding patience, she is Vetālī. Regarding diligence, she is Ghasmarī. Regarding meditative concentration, she is Bhūcarī. Regarding insight, she is Khecarī.
For loving-kindness, Locanā; for compassion, Māmakī; for joy, Pāṇḍaravāsinī; for equanimity, Tārā; for the body, Bhūcarī; for speech, Khecarī; and for the mind, Nairātmyā. Having thus shown these goddesses to be of the various families of ḍākinīs, their respective Tathāgatas shall be described: for form and so forth, Vairocana, Akṣobhya, Amitābha, Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasambhava, and Vajrasattva. For earth and so forth, Vairocana and the others. For desire and so forth, Amitābha, Akṣobhya, Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi. For form, feeling, and so forth, Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Amitābha, Amoghasiddhi, and the Tathāgata Akṣobhya. For generosity and so forth, Vairocana, Akṣobhya, Amitābha, Amoghasiddhi, Ratnasambhava, and Vajrasattva. For loving-kindness and so forth, Vairocana, Akṣobhya, Amitābha, and Amoghasiddhi. For the body and so forth, Vairocana, Amitābha, and Akṣobhya.
Now, the sealing of the ḍākinīs shall be described: Gaurī and Śavari are sealed by Akṣobhya. Śabarī and Caurī are sealed by Vairocana.
Vairocana seals Vetālī and Caṇḍālī; Amitābha seals Ghasmarī and Caṇḍālī; Amitābha seals Amoghasiddhi and Ratnasambhava; Akṣobhya seals Vairocana and Amitābha; and Vajrasattva seals them all. All the ḍākinīs are mutually sealed through the union of the Tathāgatas. Then, Nairātmyā is by nature equal to Vajrasattva. The fact that these are a single entity is as follows: the glorious hero Heruka, whose form consists of the five great elements, who holds the mudrās of the five Tathāgatas—the nature of desire and so forth—and who pervades the six objects. Having become the nature of the six objects, he brings the six perfections to full completion, is surrounded by the sixteen emptinesses, is adorned with the ten virtues, subdues the four Māras, teaches the four truths, is the nature of the four bodies, enters into the center of the four suchnesses, bestows the four joys, is the nature of the four moments, enters into the four brahmā abodes, is the sovereign endowed with the union of Nairātmyā, and sports within the three realms.
This is the fifth section, the determination of method and insight. Now, the generation stage of the Nairātmyā maṇḍala shall be written: having meditated on a sun disk in front of the syllable REPHA, upon that sun is a crossed vajra born from the syllable HŪṂ.
With that very vajra, one should visualize the binding of the fence and the lattice. First, one should meditate on the corpse as the nature of the dharmadhātu; then, one should meditate on Heruka himself. From the dharmodaya, which has the form of a fire maṇḍala in union, arises a wheel; in its center, one should meditate on the corpse as the nature of the fifteen seats. Above that, one should contemplate a moon maṇḍala arisen from the first vowel, and above that, a sun maṇḍala arisen from the syllable ra. These are the nature of the mirror-like and the equality jñānas, and they are the essence of method and insight. Through their perfect union, this is the seat of Vajrasattva.
Upon that maṇḍala, in that same sequence, from the syllable HŪṂ arises the Blessed One, with one face, a vajra in his right hand, and a skull-cup in his left hand. Adorned with a garland of heads, his body color like crystal, one should meditate on him embracing the body of Nairātmyā. Then, as before, through the sequence of the arising of the moon and sun, the fifteen syllables beginning with A become Nairātmyā and the others. In the center is Nairātmyā. In the east is Vajrī. In the south is Pāṇḍarā. In the west is Vetālī. In the north is Ghasmarī. In the southeast is Śabarakī. In the southwest is Caurī. In the northwest is Ghasmarī. In the northeast is Pukkasī. At the eastern outer gate is Śabarakī. In the south is Caurī. In the west is Vetālī. In the north is Ghasmarī.
In the northeast is Citipālinī; in the southeast is Śavarī; in the southwest is Caṇḍālī; in the northwest is Ḍombī; above is Khecarī; and below is Bhūcarī. These goddesses have one face and two arms, are black in color, and are terrifying. Their eyes are red, and they hold the five mudrās. In their right hands they hold curved knives (kartṛka), and in their left hands they hold skull-cups (kapāla) and khaṭvāṅgas. They wear tiger skins as garments, and one should meditate on their yellow hair standing upright.
The curved knife severs the defects of Māra and the like. The skull-cup destroys the conceptualizations of the meditator and the meditation; it is filled with blood because it devours the four Māras. The khaṭvāṅga is emptiness (śūnyatā), and the corpse is skillful means (upāya). Because they devour the three realms of existence, which are of the nature of desire, hatred, and so forth, they are like tigers, and thus they wear their skins as garments. Any yogin who meditates on the wheel in such a manner will swiftly attain accomplishment (siddhi).
When all those goddesses have been completed according to the sequence described, they dissolve into the venerable Blessed One Vajrasattva and become his very nature. That itself is the moon consisting of fifteen parts, which is the bodhicitta. That bodhicitta, which is the nature of both the conventional and the ultimate, arises through the stages of the blessing of the maṇḍala wheel and so forth. Through its fifteen parts, the fifteen yoginīs are correctly asserted. If one asks how they come to be:
Because it performs the activity, the moon is bodhicitta; it is described as the great bliss of the form of the āli. Therefore, each goddess is generated as the nature of method and insight. The conventional is the assembly; thus, "resembling a kunda flower" refers to the abiding of method itself. The ultimate is the analysis; it is called the "wisdom consort" who is the form of bliss. This is the sixth section of Nairātmyā.
Next, the practice of the sixteen-armed Blessed One, who has become the nature of non-duality, shall be described. The arms are taught as the sixteen emptinesses. What are they? They are: internal emptiness, external emptiness, internal-external emptiness, the emptiness of emptiness, great emptiness, ultimate emptiness, conditioned emptiness, unconditioned emptiness, emptiness beyond extremes, emptiness without beginning or end, the emptiness of all phenomena, the emptiness of specific characteristics, the emptiness of non-apprehension, the emptiness of non-entities, the emptiness of intrinsic nature, and the emptiness of the intrinsic nature of non-entities. These sixteen emptinesses are described as the sixteen arms. The four bases of gathering are the four feet; what are they? They are generosity, pleasant speech, purposeful conduct, and consistency of purpose; these are the feet. The seven branches of awakening are the skin.
If one asks what those are: mindfulness, diligence, joy, pliancy, absorption, equanimity, and the discernment of phenomena—these are the skin. As for the flesh, it is Pukkasī; as for the blood, it is Śavarī; as for the semen, it is Caṇḍālī; and as for the marrow and brain, it is Ḍombī. These are designated as the flesh, blood, semen, marrow, and brain. The bones are the four truths; suffering, origin, cessation, and the path become the bones. The eight liberations are the eight faces. If one asks what those are: seeing external forms as empty; seeing internal forms as empty; seeing the emptiness produced by the views of virtue and non-virtue; seeing the sphere of infinite space as empty; seeing the sphere of infinite consciousness as empty; seeing the sphere of nothingness as empty; seeing the sphere of neither perception nor non-perception as empty; and seeing the cessation of perception and feeling as empty—these are the eight liberations, the eight faces. The left face, red in color, arises from great desire. The right face, white in color, is the nature of great delusion. The western face, with bared fangs, arises from great hatred in order to pacify all afflictions and for the sake of vanquishing the four Māras. Great hatred, great delusion, and...
One should understand the primary face as causing the flow of the nine dramatic sentiments (rasa) arising from great passion (mahārāga). The upper face is terrifying and fierce. The other faces are extremely fierce and cause fear. The nine dramatic sentiments are: the playful, the heroic, the derisive, the laughing, the fierce, the terrifying, the wrathful, the marvelous, and the peaceful; thus, he is endowed with the nine dramatic sentiments. Because he destroys wrong views, his fangs are bared. Because his eyes are wrathful, they destroy wrong views. The three eyes are the three doors of liberation: emptiness (śūnyatā), signlessness (animitta), and wishlessness (apraṇihita). By this very sequence, the eight faces come to have twenty-four eyes. Because of compassion for sentient beings, they are red. The five mudrās become the five Buddhas: Akṣobhya in the form of a wheel upon the head; Vairocana in the form of bracelets upon the hands; Amitābha in the nature of earrings upon the ears; Ratnasambhava in the nature of a necklace upon the neck; and Amoghasiddhi in the manner of the qualities of a belt upon the waist. Thus, the five Buddhas become mudrās in the form of hatred and the other afflictions. The four Māras are the Māra of the aggregates, the Māra of the afflictions, the Māra of the Lord of Death, and the Māra of the Son of the Gods; these are trampled underfoot. [He also tramples] Brahmā, Rudra, Viṣṇu, and the God of Desire.
This refers to the meanings of delusion, envy, hatred, and desire. The ten non-virtuous actions are made into a garland for the head. If one asks what these are: killing, taking what is not given, sexual misconduct, lying, idle speech, divisive speech, harsh speech, malice, harmful intent, and wrong view; with these, the garland is made. On the arms, the four bases of miraculous power are made into armlets: aspiration, diligence, intention, and discernment. On the feet, the anklets are the five supramundane aggregates: discipline, concentration, insight, liberation, and the wisdom of seeing liberation. Because they cause the destruction of perverse desire, the net of the Yoginīs is displayed. Because they cause the destruction of fear, the body is smeared with ashes. Through the very meditation on the lack of intrinsic nature of saṃsāra, he is embraced by the mudrā holding a curved knife and a skull-cup. Because they are the nature of method and insight, the skull-cups are fully described. Among those skull-cups, in the eight on the right are an elephant, a horse, a donkey, an ox, a camel, a human, a śarabha, and a cat. Likewise, in the eight on the left are earth, water, fire, wind, the moon, the sun, Yama, and a yakṣa. These also represent desire, hatred, delusion, and divisive speech.
Envy, ego-grasping, pride, and avarice are so described. The unsurpassed wisdom of which is attained through all empowerments; its crown is Akṣobhya, held by the sublime guru. Because it has become the manifestation of wisdom, it is characterized by blazing rays of light. It is mounted upon the Great Vehicle, because it transcends all conceptualizations of existence and non-existence. That Great Vehicle abides in the six perfections. If one asks what those are: generosity, discipline, acceptance, diligence, concentration, and insight. By means of the application of non-abiding in these, one dwells in omniscience; this refers to the Blessed One dwelling in the Great Vehicle itself. This is the seventh section of the Blessed One with sixteen arms.
Next, the sequence of the maṇḍala shall be described: This very great maṇḍala is perfectly beautiful with four corners, four gates, and great rays of light. It is adorned with lattices and half-lattices, and possesses various garlands and tassels. It is beautified by eight pillars and surrounded by goddesses such as the Garland-Bearer, along with lamps, incense, and likewise perfumes. At the neck is a neck-cloth, and the five kinds of jewels are arranged. It is adorned with mouth-ornaments and perfectly endowed with eight vases. It is made beautiful by four archways and possesses a collection of victory banners. It is beautified by various canopies; that maṇḍala is square.
"Adorned externally by the eight charnel grounds," it is said. Why is it called a maṇḍala? Because it makes the body, speech, and mind true, it is designated as a maṇḍala.
By way of the aspects of the four truths, the square is conceptually delineated. Because it strikes fear into the four Māras, it has four stainless doors. Because of the four brahmā abodes, the four corners are thoroughly delineated. Because of the conceptualization of the eight consciousnesses, the eight pillars are explained. Externally, it is the maṇḍala; by ritual, it is explained as square.
If one asks what the eight consciousnesses are: the eye consciousness, the ear consciousness, the nose consciousness, the tongue consciousness, the body consciousness, the mental consciousness, the afflicted consciousness, and the ālaya-vijñāna (all-basis consciousness). The eight skulls are the eight forms; if one asks what they are: earth, water, fire, wind, form, smell, taste, and touch. The eight mouths are the eightfold noble path; if one asks what they are: right view, right intention, right speech, right action, right livelihood, right diligence, right mindfulness, and right absorption. The vases are those in which the five kinds of jewels are placed. The five kinds of jewels are the five powers: the power of faith, the power of diligence, the power of mindfulness, [the power of concentration, and the power of wisdom].
The power of concentration and the power of insight. Because he has conquered the four afflictions, he is called hara. The four afflictions are: desire, hatred, delusion, and pride. The term hara-ardha refers to the exhaustion of half the afflictions, which is the "half-lattice" (ardha-jāla). "The mind that expands the canopy over all things"—therefore, the canopy is explained as the mind according to ultimate truth. The branches of absorption are the three absorptions: the supreme king of the maṇḍala, the yoga of the drop (bindu), and the subtle yoga. For each of these three absorptions, the branches are the approach (sevā), the near-approach (upa-sevā), the accomplishment (sādhana), and the great accomplishment (mahā-sādhana); these branches of absorption are the archways. The noble eightfold path has been explained previously. "The mind of loving-kindness and so forth is the application of mindfulness of phenomena; it is the speech of the Sugata’s wisdom, described as the vajra measuring-line." The four gifts of Dharma are: all phenomena are impermanent, all phenomena are suffering, all phenomena are selfless, and peace is nirvāṇa—these are the four gifts of Dharma. Externally, they become flowers, incense, lamps, and perfumes. This very maṇḍala should be understood as both outer and inner. In that way, through bliss with the wisdom consort, Vajrasattva becomes non-dual.
The Blessed One himself taught the wheel of yoginīs:
"Through the union with selflessness, both shall attain bliss. Having attained the bliss of being without doubt, one possesses a form free from doubt. In the city of gods and goddesses, one sports in bliss without interruption. At the eastern gate in the east, Gaurī is stationed, having been brought forth. Through the practice of churning and stirring, Caṇḍālī is then brought forth. Having been brought forth, at the southern gate, Caṇḍālī guards the door. Through the union of the bola and kaṅkāla, Vetālī is then brought forth. Having been brought forth, at the western gate, she who has the form of the Fierce One (Raudrī) resides. Through the practice of churning and stirring, Māra-damanyā is stationed. From entering into non-dual equipoise, Ghasmarī is subsequently brought forth. Having been brought forth, at the northern gate, she who has a terrifying form resides. From the practice of pleasing both, Śmaśānī is subsequently brought forth. Having been brought forth, in the northeast corner, she who has the form of the Fierce One resides. Through the practice of churning and stirring, likewise, Pārvati resides in the southeast. Caṇḍālī resides in the southwest. In the northwest corner is the low-caste woman (Caṇḍālī).
In order to cut through the conceptualization of falsehood, the curved knife in Gaurī’s right hand is described. In her left hand, the rohiṭa (fish) is intended to destroy the habitual tendencies of saṃsāra. In Caṇḍālī’s right hand is the hand-drum (ḍamaru), which establishes the nature of method and insight."
In the left [hand] is a pig, the nature of delusion. In the right hand of Vetālī is a frog, the nature of emptiness; in the left is a lotus vessel, the nature of compassion. In the right hand of Ghasmarī is a snake, the nature of hatred; in the left is a yogic vessel, the nature of method and wisdom. In the right hand of Śavarī is a lion, described as such because it tears apart the trunks of elephants, the entire host of Māras without exception. In the left is a battle-axe, because it cuts through all dualistic conceptualization without exception. In the right hand of Śābarī is a monk, the nature of the five aspects; in the left is a mendicant’s staff, described as such because it realizes non-dual wisdom. In the right hand of Caṇḍālī is a wheel, because it cuts through wrong views; it is a plowshare, because it extracts ignorance. In the right hand of Ḍombī is a vajra, because it realizes wisdom in an indivisible manner; in the left is a threatening gesture, described as such because it intimidates all malevolent beings. All the goddesses have three eyes, two arms, and abide in the half-dancing posture. Their hair is upright, and they are beautified by the five mudrās. In their respective order, the body colors of the goddesses, starting with Pāṇḍarā and the others, are black, madder-red, like molten gold, red, sapphire-blue, crystal-white, blue, and a mixture of colors. Their seats are Brahmā, Indra, Upendra, and...
Rudra, Yama, Yakṣa, Nirṛti, and Vāyu. Because they perceive the three times—past, future, and present—they have three eyes. Because they are joined with the two formless [realms], the Yoginīs have two arms each. If one asks what the two formless [realms] are, they are space and consciousness; these are the two arms. Desire, hatred, delusion, slander, harsh speech, envy, avarice, and the grasping at a self are the seats of Brahmā and the others. The five mudrās are the five views: the view of the transitory collection, wrong view, the view of holding to extremes, the view of holding views as supreme, and the view of holding discipline and ascetic observances as supreme; these constitute the five mudrās. Because they destroy malicious minds, they are terrifying and have hair standing upright. One should meditate on the Blessed One surrounded by these Yoginīs. This is the eighth chapter, the section on the complete assembly of the Yoginīs in the maṇḍala-cakra.
Now, the charnel grounds shall be described. At the eastern gate is the charnel ground called Caṇḍa. Śakra is the field-protector. The nāga is Vāsuki. The tree is the Śirīṣa. The cloud is the Thunderer. In the southeast, the charnel ground is Aṭṭahāsa. The field-protector is Agni. The nāga is Mahāpadma. The tree is the Karanja. The cloud is the Thick One.
In the south is the charnel ground Bhīṣaṇa (Terrifying Skeletons). Its field-protector is Yama; its nāga is Padma; its tree is the cūta (mango); and its cloud is Bhramara (The Wanderer). In the southwest is the charnel ground Kīlākīla (The Sound of Kilikila). Its field-protector is the Lord of Rākṣasas; its nāga is Ananta; its tree is the bakula; and its cloud is Nartaka (The Dancer). In the west is the charnel ground Jvālāmālin (Enveloped in Flames). Its field-protector is Varuṇa; its nāga is Karkoṭaka; its tree is the aśoka; and its cloud is Dāruṇa (The Terrible). In the northwest is the charnel ground Ghorāndhakāra (Terrible Darkness). Its field-protector is Vāyu; its nāga is Kulika; its tree is the arjaka; and its cloud is Jaladhara (The Water-Bearer). In the north is the charnel ground Gahvara (The Thicket). Its field-protector is a Yakṣa; its nāga is Takṣaka; its tree is the aśvattha; and its cloud is Jaya (The Victorious). In the northeast is the charnel ground Śrīvatsa (The Glorious). Its field-protector is Īśvara; its nāga is Śaṅkhapāla; its tree is the bata; and its cloud is Caṇḍa (The Fierce One) abiding in a state of malice.
The charnel grounds are terrifying and awe-inspiring, surrounded by hosts of spirits and corpses such as those sleeping or dancing, and beautified by trees and fruits. The colors of the field-protectors, Śakra and the others, are yellow, red, blue, black, white, green, and white-yellow. Their mounts are the elephant, the cloud, the goat, the buffalo, the ram, the owl, the crocodile, the deer, and the human.
These are the elephant-faced ones; their bodies are in human form, and they dwell upon the trees. The colors of the sons of the nāga Vāsuki and the others are white, blue, yellow, red, mixed, and blue, respectively. The clouds should be understood as being of various colors. These are to be drawn or meditated upon outside the wheel, at the edge of the vajra pavilion. In these eight charnel grounds, there are countless, diverse, and terrifying forms possessing the nine dramatic sentiments. One should meditate on them in various forms, such as blue and yellow. "Charnel ground" (śmaśāna) refers to the body; because the breath has departed, it is a "charnel ground" (the earth element). Because it protects the field, it is the "field-protector" (the wind element). Because its nature is to burn, it is the "nāga" (the fire element). Because it pervades, it is the "tree" (the characteristic of the space element). The clouds are the nature of water. Thus, in the eight charnel grounds, there are the field-protectors, nāgas, trees, and clouds. In the center of these, the Blessed One Vajraḍāka resides, surrounded by a host of yoginīs who grant supreme joy and are accompanied by joy. One should understand that the Blessed One, the essence of yoga, dwells there, possessing the nine dramatic sentiments such as the "corpse" and so forth, and is completely surrounded by yoginīs born from the syllables of their own names. This is the instruction to meditate.
The Ninth Fragment of the Charnel Ground
All these forms, outer and inner, are the mind itself. Because they are free from the application of conceptual thought, they are the play within the three realms of existence. Because they are free from the cause of seals (mudrā), the yogi should meditate on compassion. The inseparability of emptiness and compassion is what is remembered as bodhicitta.
In whatever world-system, one will not see a Buddha elsewhere. The nature of mind itself is the perfect Buddha; no Buddha has been taught elsewhere. Whether they be outcasts, bamboo-workers, or the like, if they contemplate for the sake of the goal of killing, and hear of this Hevajra, they will achieve accomplishment; of this there is no doubt.
Without knowing these paths, the ignorant are shrouded in ignorance. Those deluded ones will wander in the prison of the six realms of cyclic existence (saṃsāra). Beyond the expression of words, it is not the domain of any of the sense faculties. The domain of the mental consciousness is this wisdom (jñāna), which is self-aware. This stage of blessing is the very essence of omniscient wisdom.
In the higher realms, among humans, and in the underworld, one becomes unified in a single instant. Conceptualizations that differentiate natures are unable to cause harm. If one should certainly remain in the presence of those who are like the lords of the asuras, one should not be afraid; one should act according to the manner of a lion. Like the flow of a river, like the radiance of a lamp, one should always apply oneself to that very reality.
Day and night, one should remain [in practice]. For the sake of the movement of all sentient beings, one should always drink compassion. The yogi, delighting in the drink of application, should not be attached to any other drink. Thus it is said.
Next, the intentional language (saṃdhābhāṣā) shall be written:
"Alcohol" is intoxication; "strength" is meat.
Likewise, "assembly" is malayaja (sandalwood).
"Beings" are dogs; "flowing" is taste.
"Dustless" is the ornament of the collection.
"Come" is the designation for the scribe.
"Hand-drum" is desired as kṛpīṭa.
Duṇḍu is said to be the unfortunate.
The fortunate is said to be kaleṃjara.
Ḍiṇḍima is said to be the untouchable.
The "lotus vessel" is the skull-cup.
"Food" should be known as that which satisfies.
Choma is mālatīnta.
"Great fragrance" is said to be the four equalities.
"Urine" is said to be musk.
The "self-arisen" is called sihāla.
"Seed" is desired as camphor.
"Great meat" is said to be born from rice.
The "union of the two organs" is kunduru.
The "vajra" is said to be the bola.
The "lotus" is desired as kakkola.
By the differentiation of the families,
the families are explained as being fivefold.
This is the intentional language:
the "families" are the five Buddhas.
The "vajra family" is said to be the low-caste.
Likewise, the "dancer's family" is the caṇḍālī.
The "jewel family" is the twice-born woman.
The "action family" is the dyer woman.
Those mudrās are of excellent accomplishment;
the practitioners of the vow perform the vajra offering.
One should drink their śukra (semen).
Then, the meaning should be analyzed.
That which is called madana...
All three have become deluded, and these five faculties have become one. "Power" (bala) refers to the class of desire and so forth. "Flesh" (māṃsa) is the evil mind that destroys intention. Malayaja is the unification of method and insight; that itself is the assembly. This "dog" is the entry into the path of selflessness. "Flavor" (rasa) is the mind, and "dripping" (srava) means dripping through the intention of insight. The "bone ornaments" are the beautiful. "Dustless" (viraja) is the mind free from the dust of habitual tendencies. "Coming" (āgata) is that which transcends existence and non-existence. Phreṃkhaṇa and the "hand-drum" (ḍamaru) are the definitive establishment of method and insight through selflessness; thus, the hand-drum is desired. "Unfortunate" (abhāgya) is the mind that is difficult to discipline, and is called dundura. "Fortunate" (bhāgya) is the mind of clear light (ābhāsvara). Kaliñja is insight, and the mind that has become attached is kaliñjara. "Untouchable" (aspṛśya) is the vajra of the mind. Ḍiṇḍima is possessing the vajra of sound. Bhañjama is free from stains. Mālatindana is the nature of insight and burns the stains of the mind. "Food" (bhojana) is the attainment of the mind of discipline. "Satiating" is insight. Regarding the term kapāla: ka is that which protects space. The "lotus vessel" is the vessel for insight. "Fragrance" (gandha)—
"Great fragrance" (mahāgandha) is the "four equalities" because it brings the four, such as loving-kindness, to a state of equal flavor. "Urine" (mūtra) is compassion. "Musk" (kastūrikā) is the self-arisen. "Sihla" is joy.
Śukra is equanimity. Karpūra is "great flesh." That which is born from sālu is the absence of conceptualization regarding the parts of the limbs of both, which is to say, it is without obscuration. The union of the two organs is the perfect union of emptiness and compassion. Kunturū is the opening in an indivisible manner. Bola-ka is the attainment of insight. Padmo is sihlā, which has become the nature of space. Kakkolā is called the bestower of supreme bliss. Sandhi is the gathering together; apaśa is that which produces it, thus it is called sandhyāvaśa. In this way, having well explained the treatise that benefits the manifold, which is the manifestation of that very union of supreme compassion, may whatever has become the nature of nectar cause the three worlds to attain the unsurpassed state of Hevajra in half a moment. This is the tenth section of the Intention.
"The glorious Protector of the World, whose mind is moistened by compassion, has manifested suchness for the sake of benefiting the manifold." Thus it is said. The Tattvāloka (Light of Suchness) is complete. It was translated and finalized by the Kashmiri Paṇḍita Somanātha. It was requested with persistence by Le-ston Gya-nag.