Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Drops of Elixir is a concise commentary on the Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, positioning the root text as a supreme system of Secret Mantra. The work argues that the ultimate essence of reality is the inseparability of emptiness and compassion, manifested as the wisdom of great bliss. It interprets the root text's imagery through a synthesis of tantric physiology and non-dual philosophy, mapping the experience of the body—specifically the channels, cakras, and the movement of the coemergent caṇḍālī—onto the realization of the dharmakāya. The text commits the reader to a path of internal transformation where the practitioner recognizes their own non-conceptual nature as non-dual with the wisdom body of Mañjuśrī. By redefining sensory experience and bodily processes as expressions of luminosity and spontaneous presence, the work seeks to guide the yogi toward the realization of the coemergent (sahaja), where the distinctions between saṃsāra and nirvana are collapsed into a single, unchanging entity.
Provenance
About this text
A concise commentary on the Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, the Amṛtakaṇikānāmaāryanāmasaṃgītiṭippaṇī positions its root text as the foremost of all systems of Secret Mantra. The work is attributed to the Indian author Raviśrījñāna. It entered the Tibetan tradition through the efforts of the translators Maṇikaśrījñāna, Ravīndraruci, and lo tsa ba chag dge slong chos rje dpal, and is preserved in the classical Tibetan period. The current edition is found in volume ཕ of the Tengyur, where it spans 122 pages and is categorized within the Non-dual Tantra collection. The work argues that the ultimate essence of reality is the inseparability of emptiness and compassion, manifested as the wisdom of great bliss. It interprets the root text's imagery through a synthesis of tantric physiology and non-dual philosophy, mapping the experience of the body—specifically the channels, cakras, and the movement of the coemergent caṇḍālī—onto the realization of the dharmakāya. A scholar or serious reader consults this text to understand a path of internal transformation where the practitioner recognizes their own non-conceptual nature as non-dual with the wisdom body of Mañjuśrī, redefining sensory experience and bodily processes as expressions of luminosity and spontaneous presence to guide the yogi toward the realization of the coemergent.
Sanskrit title
Amṛtakaṇikānāmaāryanāmasaṃgītiṭippaṇī
Indian author
Raviśrījñāna
Tibetan translators
Maṇikaśrījñāna, Ravīndraruci, lo tsa ba chag dge slong chos rje dpal
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Annotations to “Reciting the Names of Mañjuśrī” called “Drops of Elixir”” (Toh 1395), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1395
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its integration of subtle body energetics with high-level Buddhist ontology, illustrating how the Vajrayāna transforms physical experience into a vehicle for enlightenment. For the modern reader, it provides a technical example of how tantric commentaries decode metaphorical language into specific meditative instructions.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-59
Introduction and Ontological Foundations
Establishes the status of the Nāmasaṃgīti and defines the nature of Vajradhara and the wisdom of great bliss.
60-131
Iconography and Subtle Body Mechanics
Discusses the symbolic meaning of the deity's form, the function of the channels, and the role of the Great Physician.
132-175
The Wisdom Body and Coemergent Realization
Analyzes the wisdom body of Mañjuśrī, the nature of the dharmakāya, and the realization of the coemergent state.
In the language of India: Amṛtakaṇikā-nāma-ārya-nāmasaṃgīti-ṭīpikā. In the language of Tibet: ’Phags pa mtshan yang dag par brjod pa’i mdor bshad bdud rtsi’i thigs pa (The Nectar Drop: A Concise Commentary on the Noble Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti).
Homage to the Blessed One, Mañjuśrī Kumārabhūta!
The nature of the cause for the thorough engagement of the union of object and subject in space,
The movement of the wheel-rimmed arrow that reverses the path of the sun, moon, and darkness,
The mountain-dweller who abides in the nature of the jewel of learning, radiating the great rays of wisdom,
To the Lord of the supreme ground, free from the defects of the profound, I pay homage.
Through the kindness of the Guru’s feet, I shall write this concise summary
Of whatever realization has been gained from the nectar-like drops
Of the Nāmasaṃgīti, in order to refresh my own memory.
Here, at the great caitya of the glorious Dhānyakaṭaka, the Buddha, the Blessed One known as the Lion of the Śākyas, was requested by those desiring to hear the various tantras. On the full moon of the middle month of spring, he emanated the maṇḍala of the glorious Dharmadhātuvāgīśvara and, above that, the maṇḍala of the constellations and the Ādibuddha. On that very day, the Buddha bestowed empowerments upon the gods and others, and taught the entire system of Secret Mantra through its extensive and concise divisions.
Furthermore, from the extensive Śrī-Ādibuddha:
"Just as the Teacher at Vulture Peak
Taught the system of the Perfection of Wisdom,
Likewise, at the glorious Dhānyakaṭaka,
He taught the Dharma and spoke the system of Secret Mantra."
Thus it was said. This Chanting of the Names (Nāmasaṃgīti), which is supremely difficult to fathom and concerns the ultimate essence, is the foremost of all the systems of Secret Mantra. It is that very [teaching]. Here, the Blessed One Vajradhara’s supreme unchanging wisdom, which is the essence of all bodhisattvas and was perfectly spoken by all the Tathāgatas, abides in the six cakras possessing the channels of the six families. Through the purification that ceases the one hundred and sixty-two channels, there are one hundred and sixty-two verses, and the remainder consists of the benefits and so forth.
Regarding that, first, through sixteen verses beginning with "Then the glorious Vajradhara," the supreme unchanging reality itself is spoken under the guise of a supplication. Then, here, the letter A symbolizes emptiness endowed with the excellence of all aspects, which represents selflessness; and the letter THA symbolizes non-referential compassion, which is the nature of Akṣobhya. These are also explained in the Hevajra Commentary: The Union of Great Faith. Because those two are non-dual, the seminal fluid (bindu) abiding at the tip of the jewel, which is the innate joy (sahajānanda), is the referent of the sound E-VAṂ; it should be called ATHA. Furthermore:
"In the center of the letter E is the letter VAṂ;
The basis of the bliss of all Buddhas.
This Akāśavajrasattva,
From the union of body, speech, and mind,
The moon-drop, the seminal fluid, is the Body."
"Fire, dust, and the sun are spoken of; darkness is described as the aspect of the mind. They abide within the element of space," so it is said. For that very reason, the vajra of the wisdom of great bliss—the inseparability of emptiness and compassion—is held to be its very nature, and thus he is Vajradhara. "Vajra" refers to inseparable wisdom, for it cannot be divided by the aggregates, afflictions, the Māra of death, or the Māras of obstructors, all of which are motivated by incorrect conceptualization. Therefore, it is said: "The Māra is one's own mind; there is no other Māra."
Alternatively, he is Vajradhara because he holds the five-pronged vajra that symbolizes that [wisdom] externally, in the sense of having gained mastery over it; this is the meaning of the word "I." "Glorious" (Śrī) refers to non-dual wisdom; because he is always endowed with its nature through the very manner of experiencing it, he is the "Glorious One" (Śrīmān). This is the meaning of the word "heard" (śruta). As it is said:
"The Vajra-holder abides within the jewel of the lotus of E-Vaṃ.
Abiding in the retention of the drop, he is inseparable.
I have made clear: 'I, my very self, [heard it].'
'Bliss' is known as that which is attained.
By my very self, my own self," so it is said.
Furthermore, from the Śrī-Ādibuddhasaṃgraha: "In the tantras, the phrase 'Thus have I heard' refers to the Vajra-holder himself. That which is the moon, having melted, [flows] through the crown, throat, heart-lotus, navel, and secret [places]..."
"Having entered the bhaga of the Vajra Queen and the supreme lotus, the drop [attains] liberation through the three [moments]. I shall recognize the Blessed One here, who has entered the Buddha-field, by means of the yogins." Thus it is said. Here, too, Vajradhara is none other than the Great Vajradhara himself, because others are unable to uphold the eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma in a single instant and so forth. As it is said:
"I am the teacher, and I am the Dharma; I am the listener endowed with my own assembly. I am the teacher of the world, and I am the goal to be accomplished. I am the world and the transcendent world; I am the nature of coemergent joy. I am the supreme end, the joy beyond separation, and the first. I am existence and I am non-existence; I am the Buddha because I realize existence. Whoever is struck by laziness, and whoever, being deluded, does not know me—[they remain ignorant of] the bhaga of the supreme Vajra Queen, which abides in Sukhāvatī." Thus it is also said. The dramatic display of the Buddha as the requester, the compiler, and so forth, is for the sake of leading in sentient beings who are beginners. This is because [beings] cannot be tamed by the likes of the Lion, the Striker, or the Essence of Wealth. The twenty-one thousand six hundred inhalations and exhalations of the winds are difficult to tame. Because they are endowed with the great flavor of supreme unchanging wisdom, they thoroughly subdue [the winds] at that time; thus, they are the "taming of the difficult to tame." "Supreme" means exceptionally exalted. The meaning of the statement, "You must kill living beings," is also precisely this.
Therefore, it is said: "The stage of the hero is not external; the exhaustion of the life-force within the body is explained here." In the Stainless Light, it is stated: "That which the yogi must 'take the life' of day and night is explained as the decline of the life-force within one's own body, for the sake of attaining the state of omniscience. It is not the taking of life externally. Whatever 'taking of life' is taught here externally, it is for the sake of subduing those who are difficult to tame; having summoned them by the power of the yogi's application, they are to be reinserted into that very body. Thus, it is said that the yogi is the subduer of the difficult to tame, but not the killer of the difficult to tame. That by which the movement is stirred and the breath-wind is separated is likewise. The 'three worlds' are the three worlds of body, speech, and mind; he who is the Victorious One over them, whose nature is to bring them under control and to cause them to merge into one with wisdom, is likewise. 'Seated upon the thrones of the four Buddhas, well-abiding in the vajra-lotus, experiencing the stages alone, the characteristics of the four joys,' so it is said. In this way, through the relationship of the pervaded and the pervader, and the divisions of body, speech, mind, and wisdom, there are the four aspects of supreme unchanging bliss. Thus: 'Having placed the linga in the bhaga, the bodhicitta must not be emitted. The three realms without exception should be meditated upon as the Buddha-body,' so it is said."
Vajreśvara abides within the tip of the vajra because he is the Lord himself. Regarding the secret [teachings] of the vehicles of the hearers and solitary buddhas, the Vajrayāna is superior, for it is the single fusion of body, speech, mind, and wisdom. Because the Victorious One is victorious through the very form of great bliss therein, he is the "Secret King." Alternatively, he is the "Secret King" because he is victorious through the five secret kings. As stated in the Compendium of the Primordial Buddha:
"Yogis, the taking of life day and night is taught to be the destruction of the life-force. That sound which is devoid of the mouth and exists within the heart is itself the speaking of lies. Holding the ground of omniscient wisdom, the yogi is also taught to be the taking of what is not given. By not falling from the drop of bliss, one resorts to the women of others; because of this non-detachment, the fire of prāṇa and āyāma melts the moon, which is the drinking of the liquor of wine. From the crown of the head to the joint of the thumb it goes, and at the end of the full moon, it is one's own mind. From the crown of the head back to the thumbs it goes again, until the end of the dark fortnight. This very conduct of the yoginī bestows the accomplishment of desire at the time of each individual day."
Thus it is said. Also, from the King of the Two Sections:
"You must kill living beings; you must also speak words of falsehood. You must take what is not given; you must resort to the women of others. The single mind is the killing of living beings, because the mind is asserted to be the life-force. The so-called 'liberation of sentient beings'..."
It is proclaimed as the word of falsehood; the queen’s fluid is the taking of what is not given; the woman of another is as beautiful as oneself—so it is said. The literal meaning is easy to find elsewhere, so it is not stated here. Like a blooming white lotus is the clarity of the space element; by that, his eye is the great wisdom, and it is thus. Alternatively, because the white lotus is filled with fluid, it possesses the quality of whiteness; the lotus at the tip of the vajra is "blooming," which means it is opened. The eye there belongs to whichever wisdom arises from the five eyes, and it is thus. Alternatively, "like a blooming white lotus" is the mind of the yogic heroes; the eye there is that which has the nature of the wisdom of unchanging bliss, and it is thus. Alternatively, "like a blooming white lotus" is the lotus of the queen, which is red and white, possessing the qualities of dust and fluid, and is "blooming" and "opened" by the intense churning of the vajra. The face there belongs to whichever wisdom it is, and it is thus. In this way, through the relationship of the pervaded and the pervader, the four drops—the nature of body, speech, mind, and wisdom—are shown to be the wisdom of supreme unchanging bliss itself. By emitting the light rays of one's own hand—the non-dual wisdom of oneself—this kind of non-conceptual, supreme, unchanging bliss-wisdom is the supreme vajra. This is because even for a single moment, erroneous conceptualization is impossible. Because it is the very cause for the benefit of beings, it is that which stirs and opens.
Alternatively, by reversing [the flow] through the signs of the final of the six applications, the cakras are individually separated, which is what is meant by "pleasing." Because one realizes one's own hand—which is non-conceptual and to be known by the self—as non-dual with compassion, the meaning is that the uṣṇīṣa-cakra is attained. The knitting of the brow into a frown symbolizes the movement of the bodhicitta at the cakra between the eyebrows. The "wave" is the sequence of that seminal fluid, for it moves the attachment to the coemergent. Regarding that object, it is just so for those who possess the characteristics of the six-limbed yoga, the supreme gateway of method. Because the five wisdoms, such as the vajra-like mirror and so forth, are brought under control by the hand, it is by those Vajrapāṇis who are of that very nature. Therefore, the meaning is the non-conceptual bliss free from the two extremes. Because it shows that the conceptualizations of the nature of the dharmadhātu are themselves the nature of great bliss, it is the "tamer of the difficult to tame." For that very reason, it is the "hero" who abides in the absorption of great bliss. Because the bodhicitta is unchanging, it is the "terrifying hero" due to the inexhaustibility of space. Because it possesses the nature of great passion, it is the "terrifying and heroic countenance." The "tip" is the peak of the abode of vajra great bliss. By the seminal fluid of great bliss reaching the center of the vajra-lotus, there is the "expansion of the radiance."
"Experiencing the joy of bliss that is not to be known by oneself or others" refers to [the experience] by one's own hand. "Those who brandish" refers to those fortunate sentient beings who open the supreme vajra previously described for the sake of great bliss. "Insight" is the emptiness of the nature of conceptualization regarding all phenomena. From the Compendium of the Primordial Buddha:
"This wisdom mudrā, together with the afflictions and the heart of action, is the wisdom mudrā imputed therein. It is unstained, unchanging, equal to space, having conquered darkness, pervasive, and to be traversed by yoga. Not abiding in the aggregates, the radiance of wisdom light robs the afflictions of existence; it is endowed with the Primordial Buddha. The Victorious One’s mother, the beautiful mudrā, should be meditated upon as the cause of perfect awakening." Thus it is said.
That very reality is the method; the great compassion accomplished by it is the bodhicitta of great bliss. Because it acts for the benefit of beings through the characteristics of conceptual elaboration, it is "acting for the benefit of beings." Because it transcends the world, it is "supreme." It is "joy" through the immediate joy. It is "delight" through the bliss that follows. "Possessing the intention" refers to one whose innate body has become a single fusion of body, speech, and mind; such a one possesses the intention of joy and delight. Therefore, it is "exultant" because of acting for the benefit of sentient beings. "Wrathful" refers to the entity that clarifies all phenomena as emptiness. Or...
The wrathful one is the limit of the "separation from joy," as explained in the Catuḥpīṭha. He is the grasper who is free from attachment, possessing that form and having that nature. Therefore, he performs the enlightened activities of a Buddha, for he is able to benefit sentient beings solely by radiating the bliss of non-conceptuality. One should rely upon the Protector, the Lord of Yogins. With bodies bowed—that is, with body, speech, and mind dissolved into great bliss—they become one together. The Protector is the bodhicitta that has not been emitted; the Perfect Buddha is the fully blossomed bliss. The Blessed One is the wisdom of clear light arising from the wisdom drop that has reached the center of the forehead wheel and the secret navel. Likewise, in the form of coemergent bliss, it comes from the navel of the uṣṇīṣa to the navel of the vajra-jewel, and returning from the navel of the jewel, it proceeds to the wheel of the uṣṇīṣa; he is the Tathāgata. As it is said: "By coming and by going, he abides pervading all beings; by the cessation of coming and going, he is called the Tathāgata." Having prostrated—that is, having made it manifest—and having joined the palms, meaning having prevented them from going outward or having joined them through the power of prāṇāyāma, one sits before him. Following the absorption, one sits at the edge of the jewel's navel and experiences the request for the bliss to be personally realized.
The Pervasive Lord is so addressed because he pervades the three worlds with the nature of great bliss. This is for the sake of the experience of bliss associated with the central point of the vajra-jewel within myself. Therefore, it is for the purpose of generating bliss for all sentient beings, who are my own objects of concern. Because of the indivisibility of the nature of suchness, the generation of that very bliss is my sole purpose. Out of compassion for me, it is for the sake of eliminating the incorrect conceptualizations of both self and others. By arresting the sixteen drops, such as the joy of the body and so forth, the aggregates, elements, and sense bases are arrested in a single direction. Like a magical net, one attains the manifest awakening of the three worlds through the very bliss of non-attachment, and becomes of that same nature. Therefore, I am described as being of the nature of union, the joining of the forms of A and Haṃ. Thus, the request is made: "Please explain the Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti." It is because the habitual tendencies of ignorance and lack of knowledge are like a mire that is difficult to cross. For those who are submerged therein, it is for the sake of expanding the great bliss that acts as a remedy. The afflictions are the suffering of transmigration. For those wandering in the manner of the six realms with minds agitated by that, the request is made: "Please explain" for the sake of attaining the result of great bliss, which is unsurpassed, inexpressible, and naturally luminous. This is connected to what is to be explained.
Because all phenomena are realized through the expansion of coemergent great bliss, he is the Perfect Buddha. Because the Blessed One possesses the emptiness that is all-aspected yet aspectless, he is the Blessed One (Bhagavān). Because he teaches that the twenty-one thousand six hundred breaths are inseparable from great bliss, he is the Teacher. Therefore, "beings" refers to the breaths, or the body, speech, and mind. He is the Guru who reveals suchness. The great samaya is the fourth drop, or that very thing, which is the wisdom of bliss. Because he knows that as his own nature, he is the Tathāgata. Because he knows that the sense faculties, such as the eyes and so forth, which are included within the categories of subject and object, are by nature inseparable from the intention of bliss, he is the "Knower of the Intentions of the Faculties." Therefore, he is supreme, transcending the world. "Bhagavān" is a form of address. The "Wisdom Body" (Jñānakāya) is the fourth body; because the bodhicitta drop, which holds the half of the sixteen half-drops, does not fall but returns and reaches the crown, it abides in the location of the uṣṇīṣa. Thus, it is the word of the Great Uṣṇīṣa, the sound whose nature is the six syllables, possessing the nature of the four aspects of the letter E. Its lord is the sixth, the nature of the letter Vaṃ, the Vajradhara of stable nature. Accordingly, it will be explained: "The five letters of great emptiness, and the six letters of the empty drop." This is the meaning of the aspects of E and Vaṃ. "Of Mañjuśrī, the Wisdom Being..."
This refers to the supreme lotus of the fully blossomed vajra-peak, through the gentle sound of the dharma terminology. Because it is the abode of non-dual wisdom, it is "Glorious" (Śrī). It belongs to Mañjuśrī Jñānasattva, the non-dual wisdom arising from that. Because it dwells in the hearts of all sentient beings, it is the "Wisdom Body" (Jñānakāya). Because it arises without depending on causes and emerges as a direct manifestation, it is "Self-Arisen" (Svayambhū).
That wisdom is not created by anyone, nor is it given by anyone; it is the uncontrived form that has entered into all aspects and must be personally realized. As it is said: "The coemergent is not given by anyone, nor does it come from anywhere; it is to be known through the guru’s timely methods and from one’s own merit." Because it is the object to be accomplished through the way of the Secret Mantra Mahāyāna, it is the "Meaning" (Artha). Because it is difficult for those who have not found the pith instructions to fathom, it is "Profound" (Gambhīra). Because the nature of Vajradhara himself is the nature of all things, which are the coemergent essence, the "Meaning" is "Vast" (Vipula). Because it is the object to be accomplished through the empowerment of Mahāmudrā, it is the "Great Meaning" (Mahārtha). Because it is not shared with the wisdom of the Hearers (Śrāvaka) and so forth, it is "Peerless" (Asama). Because it is the unchanging state of the equality of the three times, it is "Utterly Peaceful" (Praśānta).
Regarding the phrase "virtuous in the beginning, middle, and end": the beginning is the wisdom of joy (ānanda); the middle is the wisdom of supreme joy (paramānanda).
The last is the wisdom of the separation from joy. The virtue of these is the teaching on the nature of coemergent wisdom (sahaja-jñāna); therefore, it is supreme, because the three joys are of a nature that cannot be apprehended. As it is said:
"By means of the distinction of the three joys,
Then the fourth is to be indicated.
Because the three are unapprehendable,
It is therefore called 'coemergent.'
Everything proceeds as virtue itself.
From the opening of the sun and the lotus,"
and so forth, it is taught extensively. The aspect of great bliss, the coemergent joy, which is indicated in various tantras, is the wisdom of great bliss. It should be understood that it is to be grasped in the form of the coemergent, as a non-dual essence; this is connected to what will be explained.
Regarding the Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, those of the past who possessed hearing and reflection have understood it through the nature of an echo. Those of the future who have reached the culmination of cultivation will understand it exactly as it is. Those of the present also, possessing present meditation, speak it and understand it in that same way. By this, it is also indicated that the way of the Secret Mantra of the Great Vehicle of all the Tathāgatas is taught, because it is taught by all [the Buddhas] in consideration of fortunate sentient beings.
One should bow to and generate the characteristics of the Māyājāla-abhisambodhi. Because it is both great and a tantra, it is the "Great Tantra" (tantra-mahā). This is the meaning of "the wisdom of great bliss." Furthermore, it is said: "Tantra is called a continuous stream; saṃsāra is asserted to be a tantra. Tantra is the secret, the great secret; it is called the tantra of the guru." Thus it is taught. The Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti is that which is sung and realized by oneself. The Great Vajradhara, the nature of the wisdom body, the holder of secret mantra, is the holder of the bliss that is the nature of the five wisdoms. It is immeasurable, not an object of conceptual thought, and is the coemergent nature in a state of joy. This should be grasped by these [means]; the meaning is that it should be made into the essence of non-duality. As for how long: until emergence, for as long as the twenty-one thousand six hundred winds have not become the sovereign of the twelve grounds through the measure of supreme immutability. This is the meaning. That which is the nature of bliss, the intention that does not shift from the essence of the teaching, is "thus." The meaning of "self" has already been explained. The supreme secret of all perfect buddhas is the fourth drop of supreme immutability; the holder of that is "thus." Having thus become a holder of the drop, by the particular intention of fortunate sentient beings, through the nature of coemergence. Desiring to explain it exactly as it is, the request "please [explain] thus" is connected to the presence [of the teacher].
In order to clarify all afflictions without exception and to sever all the suffering of transmigration, and in order to abandon all ignorance—that is, to abandon the habitual tendencies of conceptual construction—this meaning of the essence of the form E-Vaṃ, as spoken by the Tathāgata, was realized through prayer. Having bowed with a body that has attained the mastery of the secret body, speech, and mind, the body, speech, and mind are dissolved into the coemergent state. The rest has already been explained. Because the prayer was offered through sixteen verses that are the purity of the sixteen joys based on the avadhūtī, there are sixteen verses of prayer. Immediately after the prayer was offered, the response was spoken in six verses. Then, there is no contradiction in the Buddhas speaking for the sake of sentient beings and so forth, because it cannot be analyzed by ordinary childish beings. The Blessed One is so called because he possesses the Great Seal (mahāmudrā) and great insight (prajñā). As it is said in the Śrī Hevajra Tantra:
"Because he has conquered the Māras such as the afflictions,
He who conquers is called the Blessed One (Bhagavān).
The afflictions are conquered by insight;
Therefore, the Blessed One is described as insight."
Śākyamuni is the perfect Buddha, the Great Vairocana, the Vajra Holder. As it is said in the Śrī Rig-ārali Tantra:
"The Great King Śuddhodana
Is correctly explained as ārali.
Therein is the great illusion of rigi,
The nature of the wisdom and method of beings.
Siddhārtha is also Vajrasattva."
"Supreme joy is great bliss," it is said. Because the wisdom body is realized within the six cakras, such as the uṣṇīṣa and so forth, he is the Perfect Buddha. He is the Supreme among the two-legged because he possesses the two feet of the two wisdoms: the conventional and the ultimate. Alternatively, he is the Supreme among the two-legged because he abides and does not abide at the two—the tip of the vajra-jewel and the uṣṇīṣa—and is the sovereign of the twelve grounds. As it is said in the Stainless Light:
"One foot is the vajra-jewel, the dust and the sun; the second is the crown of the head, the fluid and the moon. Always arranged, unbreakable, indivisible, the Lord of Desire; having prostrated with the crown of the head to the one worshipped by the three worlds," so it is said.
From his own face, the form is manifold; from his own tongue, the nature is the indestructible wisdom avadhūtī. Therefore, it is the excellent bestower of coemergent joy, long and pervasive throughout the infinite world-realms, in the form of a black line the size of a hair, from which many saṃbhogakāyas emanate. Therefore, it is vast. Thus, from the Extensive First Buddha:
"Smoke, mirage, fireflies,
The lamp, the blazing, the moon and sun,
The dark one, the time, the great drop,
The manifold-formed, the luminous."
Having extended and shown it, he illuminates the three worlds; its characteristic is the illumination of āloka, ālokābhāsa, and ālokopalabdhi. He is the subduer of the enemies, the four māras.
Because stability is attained within the center of the jewel, it is the form of non-conceptuality. For that very reason, it is said:
"Within the gateway of the vajra,
I have found the thief.
Having utterly destroyed all Māras,
I take hold of the entity of great bliss."
By realizing that the causes of the wheels which purify the three lower realms of sentient beings—joy, supreme joy, and the joy beyond joy, as well as the drops of body, speech, and mind—are the very nature of the coemergent, they are thoroughly purified. The smile is the appearance of the light rays of the coemergent inner heat (caṇḍālī). Having clearly demonstrated and perfectly emanated them, the speech of Brahmā—the self-arisen, indestructible nature—is melodious and, through the nature of great bliss, fills and pervades the three worlds characterized by body, speech, and mind. Vajrapāṇi is the one of great power, possessing the capacity to render all the winds of conceptualization, which are powerful, without appearance. The secret empowerment is the wisdom of coemergent joy, which is spoken of again as being individually experienced. Possessing great compassion and spontaneously accomplishing the welfare of beings, for the sake of benefiting the world, you—Mañjuśrī, the embodiment of wisdom—cause the previously explained winds of conceptualization to be realized as great bliss itself.
Regarding the expression of the name: it is the great purpose of the non-conceptual great bliss itself, which has the nature of experiencing innate bliss. It is "purifying" because it is free from all conceptual elaborations. It "clears away negativity" because it causes one to be free from worldly ignorance. Alternatively, it is "purifying" because its nature is free from the innate obscurations that are the examples of supramundane conceptualization. "Engaging" refers to the diligence of listening swiftly from my wisdom body. It is "excellent" because it acts for the benefit of wandering beings. It is "Glorious" because its nature is innate joy that reaches the limits of the expanse of space. The meaning of "Vajradhara" has been explained previously. "Vajrapāṇi, you are excellent! You are good!" "Therefore, O Lord of Secrets, I shall properly teach to you that realization of innate joy. Listen with a one-pointed mind and a non-conceptual intellect, and experience it." These are the six verses that clarify the experience of the bliss of space at the centers of the six cakras, such as the crown of the head. These are the six verses of the response. Immediately following the response, he spoke while looking upon the six families: "Then the Blessed One, Śākyamuni, spoke this verse," which connects to the following: "All the great families of secret mantra, the secret mantra of the Great Vehicle." It is the secret mantra.
Furthermore, in the six cakras, [the deities] such as Vajrasattva are of the nature of the Tathāgatas. Because they are the refuge of the mind, they are described as the bliss of Secret Mantra. This is because the families are non-dual. By the term "Great," it refers to the nature of the bodhicitta—the equality of all pervasive entities—which is to be personally realized as one's own awareness, abiding at the centers of the six cakras. This very presentation is taught through the sequence of the six cakras: "The family of the holders of Secret Mantra and Vidyāmantra." Because the descending joy flows in the manner of seminal fluid, it is Akṣobhya, the nature of consciousness, abiding within the center of the jewel. This means the profound sphere of experience at the center of the vajra and lotus. It is also recited as "the Secret Mantra blazing with the aspect of coemergent appearance," using the hidden language of the Secret Mantra practitioners. For that very reason, because it holds the wisdom that emanates all the Vidyāmantras of the entire maṇḍala-cakra, it is the "holder of Secret Mantra and Vidyāmantra." Regarding the "three families," these are the cakras of Body, Speech, and Mind. By that, the Great Vairocana, whose nature is the vajra-form abiding in the navel cakra, is the seed-drop of the Father’s body abiding in the central channel. This is the meaning of "Vipaśyin, the experience of oneself." Regarding "the worldly and transcendent families," the terms "worldly" and "transcendent" refer to body, speech, and mind.
Beyond that is the wheel of phenomena (dharmacakra). There, that which symbolizes great bliss is Amitābha, the nature of innate perception. Regarding the phrase "the great family that illuminates the world," "world" refers to light and so forth; the illuminator of these is the clear light. Its family, Ratnasambhava, resides in the throat wheel; because he causes the realization of great bliss, he is the nature of vajra feeling. He is also "great" because the bodhicitta flows into the centers of the five wheels, and thus he is non-dual. Regarding the phrase "the supreme family of Mahāmudrā," the family of Mahāmudrā is Amoghasiddhi, who resides in the forehead wheel; he is the nature of vajra formations, the nature to be personally realized. Regarding the phrase "having beheld the great family of the great uṣṇīṣa," because he is the identity of the vajra expanse wisdom residing in the uṣṇīṣa wheel, he is the nature of the innate essence.
Also, from the Glorious Kālacakra Tantra, the Later Tantra:
"Because he holds the vajra of the descending joy and the seminal fluid, he is certainly the Vajradhara. Since the seminal fluid, the seed of the body, is the sole father, from the bliss in the navel wheel comes Jinajik. That weapon, while being symbolized, is the supreme bliss at the heart; he is the protector Ārolik. That which is to be known, by which the immovable bliss is held at the throat, is the knower Ratnadhrk. By whom this very stainless bliss of the seminal fluid is held at the forehead, he is Prajñādhrk."
The uṣṇīṣa at the aperture of Brahmā is the perfection of the sixteen joys of supreme, unchanging bliss. That which is the sixteen parts of the supreme moon at the end of the fish, the nature of which is insight (prajñā) devoid of intrinsic existence—that is Ananta. That which is the awareness of that is the vajra at the crown; that is the sixth, Vajrasattva. Thus it is said.
The six families are taught to be the non-dual wisdom (jñāna) itself within the six cakras, through the purity of the conventional and ultimate truths, by means of these very verses. Regarding the six families, there are two verses of observation. Now, with three verses, the stages of manifest awakening in the Māyājāla are taught. Although there are two verses, the singular term "verse" is used to show that the essence of the portion of bodhicitta, the āli, is the primary object of accomplishment.
"Possessing the six kings of secret mantra" refers to possessing the six [syllables] such as oṃ vajratīkṣṇaṃ and so forth. The nature of great bliss, arising from the samādhi of non-dual method and insight—the inseparability of compassion and emptiness—is the way of secret mantra. In the way of the pāramitās, it is the mind that is the essence of the svabhāvakāya, the nature of all phenomena devoid of all mental elaborations such as self, mine, subject, and object. Its arising is because it arises from the gateway of the ultimate meaning; thus, it arises non-dually.
Because the subject matter of this [text] is the non-arising of phenomena, it is "that which possesses the nature of non-arising." Furthermore, that very mode of non-arising must be ascertained through reasoning. In that regard, the knowledge of reality itself, which is the result of knowing reality, is the cause; for anything else, by its very nature of being erroneous, is the cause of cyclic existence.
That knowledge of reality, moreover, is to be explained as it emerges from the stages of the guru’s quintessential instructions, which definitively present the nature of non-arising as the essence of both the Vehicle of the Perfections and the Vehicle of Secret Mantra in the relationship of cause and result:
"It is neither true nor untrue, neither both nor neither;
The Middle Way intellect, free from enumeration, the nature of the supreme of all aspects.
That very reality of the Victorious Teacher is also the reality of the stable and moving worlds;
Having personally and perfectly realized it, the Goddess of Bliss becomes the Vajra Consort—victory!"
Thus, the Middle Way intellect—the Middle Way conceptualization alone—is established for all followers of the Great Vehicle as the path to awakening. The intellect that does not abide in any extremes of the nature of entities, non-entities, and so forth, is the Middle Way intellect. This is because its nature is to be liberated from the four extremes, being neither true, nor untrue, nor both, nor neither. Whatever is taken as an object by a cognition is the aspect of that cognition; for example, the cognition of blue has the aspect of blue.
For that very reason, it is beyond enumeration, because all enumeration relies upon the four extremes. One might then ask: if the Middle Way mind is a cognition that does not abide in any of the extremes of the nature of entities, non-entities, and so forth, how does it cause bodhisattvas to fully complete the accumulations for awakening, such as generosity and discipline? Furthermore, if those accumulations are realized as suffering by nature and awakening is the Middle Way mind, then awakening is also of the nature of a non-entity. Since generosity and the rest are phenomena of entities, they must be of the nature of entities. To address this doubt, it is said: "The essence of the excellence of all aspects." Here, "all aspects" refers to generosity and so forth. Their "essence" is their nature; thus, generosity and the rest do not abide in the nature of entities or non-entities, but are of the very nature of the Middle Way mind.
In that way, generosity and the rest are not of the nature of entities or non-entities, because they do not possess arising in the manner of existence, non-existence, and so forth. Furthermore, phenomena that are entities depend upon causes. If one asserts a cause, an effect cannot arise from a seed or the like that has ceased, nor from one that has not ceased, nor can phenomena that are entities arise from no cause at all. If it were otherwise, it would follow that everything would arise at all times, without restriction of place or time.
In that way, generosity and so forth are neither entities nor non-entities. Likewise, how could that which has never at any time been an entity by way of its own nature become a non-entity? For a non-entity is the cessation of an entity. Therefore, all things—whether the dharmas to be adopted such as generosity and so forth, the dharmas to be abandoned such as desire and so forth, or the results thereof, such as the extraordinary or ordinary body, enjoyments, and abodes—do not abide as either entities or non-entities. To conceptually impute these as entities and so forth is an incorrect conceptual construction. Consequently, they abide as the unborn nature of the Middle Way, which is the supreme of all aspects.
Now, while training in these very practices of generosity and so forth, one should explain how, through the yoga of the deity, the outer and inner purities are perfected by means of intense devotion to this very nature of phenomena (dharmatā) and by striving for the benefit of sentient beings. The nature of existence and nirvāṇa is the Middle Way, the essence of the Blessed Lady Nairātmyā, whose nature is the wisdom of the dharmadhātu—the utterly pure form and so forth—which is the Middle Way mind. This is neither true, nor untrue, nor both, nor neither; for, by its very nature as the wisdom of the dharmadhātu of utterly pure form and so forth, it is liberated from the four extremes and is the nature of all phenomena.
That very [reality] is the essence of the supreme of all aspects. It is the nature of the four goddesses who are the supreme of all aspects, who are the utterly pure aggregates of form and so forth; it is the nature of the four goddesses who are the utterly pure [elements] of earth and so forth; and it is the nature of the four goddesses who are the utterly pure objects of form and so forth. Its essence is the nature of those [aggregates, elements, and objects]. This is because everything is liberated from the four extremes and is of the nature of the Middle Way intellect. That Blessed Lady is beyond enumeration, for she cuts through all enumerations of the nature of the incorrect conceptualization of all sentient beings, such as existence and non-existence.
Having generated the pride of the aggregates, elements, and sense bases as the utterly pure forms of the deities, one abandons ordinary pride. One should then explain how one comes to abide in the yoga of the five non-conceptual [deities]. It is the Middle Way intellect, a mind that does not abide in either cyclic existence or nirvāṇa. That very Blessed Lady is the abandonment of permanence and nihilism, the mere appearance of subject and object, which is called the avadhūti and is the nature of the first vowel. That itself is the Middle Way intellect, because it realizes the three realms in the manner of the single taste of the nature of non-arising. That Blessed Lady is liberated from the four extremes, because she emanates the four goddesses and so forth, who are the nature of the aggregates, elements, and sense bases. Thus, the accomplished masters have said:
"Surrounded by his own retinue, the King of the Mind performs a dance," it is said. This explains as follows: the wheel of yoginīs, just as it abides, is that which merely dispels adventitious ignorance. That very Victorious Teacher is taught to be the fruit of the Vehicle of the Perfections (Pāramitāyāna). Having become the consort of the Vajra of Bliss is the Secret Mantra Vehicle (Guhyamantrayāna). "The reality of the moving and stationary beings is also that" refers to both [vehicles]. "One's own authentic awareness" means that which is authentically known and experienced by oneself; that is how it is. This is the Middle Way intellect, which is not to be spoken of by a teacher nor to be performed by one; rather, the intention is that it is the self-arisen wisdom, the inconceivable wisdom, to be experienced by oneself alone. The reason only the twelve vowels, such as the form of A, are taught here is that the four letters Ra and so forth are neuter and are therefore excluded. The twelve places, such as the pīṭha and upapīṭha, which pervade the body, are symbolized by the twelve letters beginning with Ā, because they are the aspects of the twelve parts of great bliss. Furthermore:
The form of A is the name of the pīṭha.
The form of Ā is the upapīṭha.
The form of I is the name of the kṣetra.
The form of Ī is the upakṣetra.
The form of U is the chandoha.
The form of Ū is the upacchandoha.
The form of E is the melāpaka.
The form of Ai is the upamelāpaka.
The form of O is the śmaśāna itself.
"The form of au is the charnel ground; the form of aṃ is the place of drinking; the form of a is the near place of drinking." Thus it is said. In the six cakras, such as the secret cakra and so forth, as each cakra successively arrests three thousand one hundred winds and so on, the essence of the expansion of great bliss—which symbolizes the apprehension of the pair—is the form of a and so forth, the six [vowels] in union. This is for the sake of mastery over the twelve grounds. Those grounds are: Universal Light, Nectar Light, Space Light, Vajra Light, Jewel Light, Lotus Light, Action Light, Incomparable, Beyond Example, Insight Light, Omniscience, and that which is to be personally realized.
Alternatively, a, i, and u are the joy of the non-duality of the three: body, speech, and mind. Ā, Ī, and Ū are the supreme joy through the manner of the three pairs. E, O, and Aṃ are the joy beyond [ordinary] joy, the nature of the three vajras possessing the essence of the two vowels. Ai, Au, and Aḥ are the fourth, the coemergent joy, the inseparability of the three vajras. By this, the Blessed One, whose nature is unborn, is explained as the essence of the four joys. Oṃ vajratīkṣṇa refers to the coemergent wisdom of the vajra, in which body, speech, and mind are blended into one. Therefore, it is "sharp," as it gathers all the winds of conceptual thought. Furthermore, it is "immovable" in the state of non-leakage, abiding at the center of the vajra-jewel. Duḥkhaccheda...
Because he is the vajra body of all the tathāgatas, he is free from the suffering of change; thus, having severed suffering, he is Vairocana abiding at the navel. prajñājñānamūrtaye: he whose nature is the body of insight-wisdom alone is Amitābha, the body of insight-wisdom abiding at the heart. jñānakāya: because his very self is the accumulation of the mind of great bliss-wisdom alone, he is Ratnasambhava abiding at the throat-cakra. vāgīśvara: he who is the lord of the vowels and consonants of speech, whose nature is the indestructible, is Amoghasiddhi abiding at the brow-cakra. arapacanāya: a and ra are insight and method; pacana is that which clarifies the essence—this is Vajrasattva abiding at the uṣṇīṣa-cakra. tena namaḥ: thus, because you have directly perceived the wisdom of innate joy whose nature abides in the six cakras, I prostrate to you—this is the invocation. In this way, the wisdom of innate joy, which pervades the world of the pervaded through both outer and inner essences, is the fourth vajra. That very [wisdom], the nature of the saṃbhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya, abiding in the centers of the cakras such as the navel and so forth, is to be described as abiding at the heart. Furthermore: "That which is the body of all buddhas is neither appearance nor illuminator; it is not consciousness, uncreated, and pure, utterly free from non-existence and the like."
Just as a reflection in a mirror possesses all its limbs and appears as a form of extreme clarity, so too is the body of the Vajra-Holder endowed with the major marks and the eighty minor signs. Just as the arrangement of Indra’s bow is seen in many colors and displays the virtues and so forth of worldly beings, so too, having attained the state of the Vajra-Holder, the various colors such as white and so forth are likewise certain to be generated without exception. Thus, it was explained in order to illustrate the stages of manifest awakening through the Net of Magical Illusion (māyājāla) previously described, by means of three verses that condense the Great Yoga into the single essence of body, speech, and mind.
Now, by way of the maṇḍala of the Vajra Expanse (vajradhātu), the wheel of the aggregates, elements, and sense bases free from obscuration, the emanation of the Bodhisattva Vajra—the holder of the magical illusion whose nature is the immutable drop (bindu) of all aspects and all faculties—is taught as follows: Because he possesses the intellect of coemergent wisdom (sahaja-jñāna), he is the Buddha. Because he is the nature of the non-dual Mahāmudrā, he is the Blessed One (bhagavān). Because he is the very Vajra that is perpetually expanded by the seminal fluid (śukra) residing in the center of the jewel, he is the Perfect Buddha. Here, the Mahāmudrā, which is naturally luminous and possesses the form of the coemergent, is expressed by the letter A as the Perfection of Wisdom (prajñāpāramitā). Furthermore, it transcends the phenomena of subtle particles and is similar to a reflection in a mirror.
From that, the one arisen from the syllable A is the perfectly awakened Buddha, the nature of method and insight, Vajrasattva, described as the innate body in the state of the neuter. That A is the supreme of all syllables because it is indestructible. Because it is free from obscuration, the aggregates, elements, and sense bases are blended into a single object. Thus it is said:
"Burning like a lamp, it is indestructible in the center of the heart. It is the supreme, unchanging, and subtle; the pervasive lord, the supreme great purpose. The Great Seal (mahāmudrā) resides at the navel, like the tip of a blazing lamp. That nature of the first vowel is proclaimed by the Buddhas as 'Intellect' (buddhi)."
It is the "great purpose" because it bestows all the qualities of a Buddha. By that very fact, it is the sublime syllable, free from arising and ceasing. Because the nature of phenomena radiates as luminosity (prabhāsvara), the ten maṇḍalas do not flow through the left and right nostrils; therefore, by the life-force itself having entered the avadhūtī, it is the "great life-force." It is the "Vajra Holder" in the sense of the illusory body of the reflected image. Therefore, it is the nature of non-arising, non-conceptual, and non-apprehending wisdom. The word "because" (ni) has the sense of a reason or a definitive restriction. It is "abandoned verbal expression" because it is free from the recitation of strings of speech. Because it pervades everything by the very essence of the neuter recitation, it is the manner of the wind of the "entering" shape.
Because it is the primary cause of all expressions—the nature of vowels and consonants—it is the supreme cause of all speech. This is because, in the ultimate sense, it arises from the mantra of bodhicitta, the inseparability of emptiness and compassion. Furthermore, it is the Blessed One alone; because he is the locus of apprehension, the meaning is that he arises as the perfect realization of the bliss of the Middle Way. Because all words are realized as luminosity itself, he makes all words perfectly clear; his nature is the form of the supreme immutable Ha. The offering is the Great Seal of insight (prajñā-mahāmudrā). That which possesses the greatness of this is so described. That which is the nature of great desire, non-referential compassion, is likewise so; this is the subsequent grasping. Alternatively, the offering indicates joy. "Great" means supramundane; that which is the expansion of the coemergent is so described. Because such great desire is the perfection or non-perfection of supreme immutable great bliss, the meaning is "Vajrasattva without limbs." Therefore, he brings joy to all sentient beings. The "great offering" is as explained before. "Great hatred" is Akṣobhya. He is the great enemy who subdues all afflictions—the twenty-one thousand six hundred inhalations and exhalations—and is "immovable" (acalā) by the very knowledge of great bliss. The great offering has been explained. Because he has utterly transcended delusion, he is "great delusion" (mahāmoha).
Therefore, that which belongs to the innate wisdom (jñāna) of the non-conceptual mind of delusion (moha) is suchness. Delusion is the emission of the vital essence (bindu); because it consumes that, it is the "dispeller of delusion." It is for the sake of destroying all conceptualizations and afflictions (kleśa) of great wrath. Because it transcends wrath, "great wrath" is the innate joy (sahajānanda) that ceases the joy of separation. It is for the sake of unifying the vajras of body, speech, and mind, which are the "great enemies." Because it transcends the attachment of emission, it is the "great offering" and "great attachment," for it never abandons the welfare of sentient beings through the method of supreme unchanging bliss. It dispels all attachment; the meaning is that it dispels the attachment to the bliss of change. Through the very fact of having reached the culmination of the manifest joy of the innate body, it is the "lotus of the brow." According to the assertion of some, it is the "joy of the body" at the great desire at the base of the jewel. In that very same way, through the manifest joy of the innate speech, it is the "great bliss" and the "joy of speech." In suchness, through the manifest joy of the innate mind, it is the "great joy" and the "joy of the mind." Since this is the joy of great joy, it is "great satisfaction"; therein, through the manifest joy of the innate wisdom, it is the "joy of wisdom." By this, the waking state is overcome, and it is taught through the division of the four joys of the emanation body (nirmāṇakāya).
Non-conceptual and great bliss, possessing the nature of the characteristics of desire, this is like the threshold of the door to the house of joy and bliss. Emaho! Bliss, great bliss! Emaho! Just as one eats, just as one desires, it is like a guide for joy within the supreme mind. Now, the divisions of supreme joy shall be shown. In that regard, "great form" refers to the heart, or according to some, it is the expansion of the conceptualization of perfect bliss within the great form at the center of the jewel. Because it is the essence of the empowerment of the Dharma sovereignty that pervades the three realms in its very nature as great bliss, the body is also great. Because it is the enjoyment of luminosity itself, it is the supreme joy of the body. Because it produces the appearance of the enjoyment body, it is "great color," meaning the color that transcends the world. Because it is naturally luminous, it is the "great body," meaning the pervasive lord. These two are said to be the supreme joy of speech. Because it transcends even the mere name of the great supreme secret, it is "great name." Because the bliss is vast, it is "vast." These words express the supreme joy of the mind. Because it is a great, expansive, and very vast mandala that takes the essence of bliss, it is the "vast great mandala." Because it pervades beings through the luminosity that is like an illusion, this is the supreme joy of wisdom.
This is the supreme joy of the Sambhogakāya, through the destruction of the dream state. It is also said: "Because things are superimposed as having intrinsic reality, yet are blessed by emptiness, the nature of the yoga of selflessness is the very essence of supreme joy." Now, through the exhaustion of the state of deep sleep, the nature of the Dharmakāya is blessed as an illusory identity; thus, the four divisions of the joy of separation are taught. This is because great insight is the characteristic of the dharmadhātu, which is emptiness. Its symbol is the joy of separation of the body, because it is held within the tip of the jewel or the lotus of the navel; thus, it is the bearer of the symbol of great insight. By this, the joy of separation of the Body is taught. The afflictions are desire and so forth, which are of the nature of the afflictions. Because it has become the hook for those, it is the great hook of the afflictions. This is the joy of separation of the Speech. Therefore, it is supreme because it is the cause for attaining the coemergent joy. It is the "Great Renown" because the indestructible, expanding sound of the coemergent awakens all beings. It is "Great Fame" because great bliss generates joy in all. These very words express the joy of separation of the Mind. It is "Great Illumination" because the arising and ceasing of all phenomena are naturally stainless appearances. It is "Great Clarity" because it makes manifest the experience of bliss free from the conceptual elaborations of subject and object.
These words perfectly demonstrate the joy of freedom from passion (viramānanda) of primordial wisdom (jñāna). They are spoken as follows: from the mouth of the Vajra Guru, whatever momentary bliss is attained as the antidote to ignorance is like a shadow; by means of an analogy of a slightly concordant bliss, just as a painted thangka is clearly represented within a mirror, one should understand the Sambhogakāya as possessing the very aspect of such bliss, adorned with the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor marks. Thus it is said: "The Teacher possesses the thirty-two marks; the Sovereign is adorned with the eighty minor marks. In the bhaga of the consort, the great bliss, that which is called 'semen' abides." Furthermore: "Ema ho! It is known; Ema! It is known. Ema! These are clearly known. This is the mind of supreme exertion; it is the mere joy of freedom from passion."
Now, having overcome the fourth state, the nature of abiding in the Body of Great Bliss (mahāsukhakāya) is explained through the four divisions of innate joy (sahajānanda). Because there is neither attachment nor freedom from attachment, it is the essence of great passion, the Great Illusion (mahāmāyā), the Wisdom Seal (jñānamudrā). Because one grasps that inexpressible state as its very identity, it is "holding the Great Illusion." For that very reason, the wise perceive the non-emitting bliss within the center of the jewel. By this, the innate joy of the Body is clarified.
The "Great Illusion" is the Great Seal (mahāmudrā); because it accomplishes the welfare of beings through its emanation, it is the "accomplishment of the purpose of the Great Illusion." This demonstrates the coemergent joy (sahajānanda) of speech. This is the very explanation of the meaning of the Great Illusion. Its joy is the experience of coemergent bliss. In that state, joy dissolves, meaning that it becomes merged into a single great bliss. This symbolizes the coemergent joy of the mind.
The "Great Illusion" is the Buddha’s illusion, the supreme illusionist. By attaining supreme immutability, the twenty-one thousand six hundred winds are reversed from the tip of the vajra-jewel back to the center of the uṣṇīṣa wheel, through the sequence of focusing on each of the two stages of the individual cakras. This is the Great Illusion, the supreme illusionist, residing in the center of the uṣṇīṣa wheel. It resides in two locations: the interior of the jewel’s center and the site of the uṣṇīṣa. By these, the Blessed One, whose nature is the sixteen joys, is fully demonstrated.
Thus, it is said in the Vimalaprabhā:
"The emanation body’s body, speech, and mind are the union of wisdom in a single vow.
The enjoyment body’s body, speech, and mind are the union of wisdom in a single vow.
The glorious dharma body’s body, speech, and mind are the union of wisdom in a single vow.
The coemergent body’s body, speech, and mind are the union of wisdom in a single vow.
Awakening, dreaming, deep sleep, and the fourth."
It is not the bliss of the two organs. Wisdom abides perfectly in the four locations: mind, speech, and body. Completely cast aside the action mudrā; thoroughly abandon the wisdom mudrā. The coemergent is born from the great mudrā, and not from anything else. Thus it is said. Furthermore:
Free from the distinction between existence and non-existence, it is beautiful in its very solitude. The nature of gentle joy, fully blossomed, it pervades the limits of space and is worthy of worship. The stainless maṇḍala of its own mirror, with its various aspects fully expanded, radiates forth. That basis of bliss is generally renowned as the fourth, the coemergent joy.
At the lotus of the brow, the waves of the manifest joy of the coemergent [arise]; in the center of the lotus-house of the heart, the supreme, variegated movement of the mind that is the locus of many conceptualizations [is stilled]. At the lotus of the navel, the waves blaze as the one-pointed grasping is entirely emitted without remainder. May the lotus-born Vajra, the nature of non-dual bliss for the fortunate, be victorious!
At the base of the jewel, the joy of the mind alone fully blossoms. Again, in the center of the jewel, all conceptualizations without exception are blended. Following that, within the tip, there is rest without deluded thought. Whatever is born from the coemergent will expand as it abides in the lotus. This is another perspective.
Great generosity is the complete relinquishing of all internal and external things, as well as the relinquishing of the elaborations of conceptualization and the mental emanations.
Its master, the lord, is the coemergent joy, because it has come under the power of the Blessed One. Therefore, that principal [deity] is unlike worldly patrons. The non-emission of the bodhicitta when in union with an external mudrā is great discipline. By upholding that as one's own nature, one is "the bearer of great discipline." It abides at the end of the center of the supreme jewel. The absence of attachment to external sounds and so forth is great patience; by upholding that, one is "the bearer of great patience." For that very reason, it is stable, because its essence is supremely stable. By subduing the winds of the ten maṇḍalas of the right and left nostrils, their entry into the avadhūtī is great diligence. By restraining them from that, it is "great diligence," and it is just so. The mind abiding in coemergent bliss is great concentration. Suchness is absorption, because there is no external distraction. By abiding in the yoga of non-abiding, it is spoken of in that way. Great insight is the indestructible, all-pervading speech of all. That itself is the body, because it appears as the body of the great saṃbhogakāya, like an echo. To uphold that as its own nature is just so. This point is also explained in the Glorious King of Tantras, the Condensed First Buddha:
"Generosity is the giving of wealth; discipline is the non-emission of the mind from union with a woman."
Through the cessation of the very winds that have reached both [levels of] acceptance (kṣānti) without attachment to sounds and so forth, there is diligence (vīrya). Concentration (dhyāna) and insight (prajñā) are the minds that have reached innate bliss, pervading all speech. Thus it is said.
According to the extensive Kashmiri commentary, the six-armed Hevajra is so named because the six perfections (pāramitā) are completely pure. The indivisibility of emptiness and compassion is the non-dual wisdom (jñāna) at the limit of existence, just as it is. Because one applies oneself to the welfare of beings through the power of the essence of great compassion, it is the "great method" (mahopāya). Even though the collection of entities is directly perceived to be without intrinsic nature, because one radiates the welfare of beings until the end of cyclic existence through the singular state of great bliss, it is the "great method."
Having attained the very state of non-arising, one realizes all phenomena to be of the nature of an illusion, a dream, or a city of gandharvas. By teaching the Buddha-dharma like an echo, it is the ocean—the source—of the wisdom of aspiration (praṇidhāna-jñāna) free from pride. These constitute the four perfections of method, aspiration, power, and wisdom.
Regarding this, it is said: "The welfare of beings, miraculous power, the limit of existence, and the attainment of non-arising are the other four." Here, "welfare of beings" refers to method; "miraculous power" refers to aspiration; "the limit of existence" refers to power; and "attainment of non-arising" refers to wisdom.
These four perfections are the very nature of that same insight, characterized by its specific qualities; this is the meaning. Otherwise, the verse would be difficult to connect. Because the entire maṇḍala of objects of knowledge is the very form of great bliss, and because it radiates to wandering beings, perfectly endowed with supramundane bliss, it is the nature of great love (maitrī). For that very reason, it is immeasurable. Because it accomplishes the removal of suffering from wandering beings through the state of great bliss that is eternally, continuously, and independently attained, it is great compassion (karuṇā). Therefore, it is the supreme intellect, because great bliss is experienced at the tip of the central channel of the jewel.
It is also said: "Māra, the afflictions, the meditative absorptions, and the obscurations to the knowable are all definitively incinerated by great wrath; only the powers are protected." This refers to the power of love and the others. Great insight is the Great Seal (mahāmudrā); that which possesses that as its identity is "great insight." It is "great insight" because it is both great and insight; the meaning is that it abides in the absorption of union (yuganaddha). Because it possesses great intellect, it does not abandon the welfare of sentient beings by its very nature of being coemergent (sahaja). Therefore, it is the great sage, knowing the ten stages of desire. The ten stages of desire are the ten signs, such as smoke and so forth, which are the branches of withdrawal (pratyāhāra). Thus, it is said in the glorious Kālacakra:
"The limbs of desire are the torment of heat; the supreme face is like a withered lotus, turning elsewhere. Trembling, madness, stupor, lethargy, mental agitation, and unbearable fainting arise intensely. These are the ten clear signs of the Vajra-holder, such as smoke and so forth, within the bodies of living beings. In the world, the states of desire are clearly manifest; whichever Victorious One desires whatever [state], so it is said."
Because the branches of meditative absorption (samādhi) have become clear, the coemergent joy (sahajānanda) of the bodhicitta pervades the twenty-one thousand six hundred winds; therefore, one possesses the power of great miraculous ability (ṛddhi). Because the powerful bodhicitta itself flows perfectly into all the channels, it is swift. Because it pervades the entire body through the stages of the conventional and the ultimate, it is of great speed. Because the great bliss completes the mundane and supramundane accumulations of merit and wisdom, it is of great miraculous ability. Therefore, it is called "the renowned Great Powerful One." Because one understands all phenomena exactly as they are, one becomes the object of desire; thus, that which is renowned as the "Great Sovereign" (maheśvara) is the renowned greatness, the meaning of which is the omniscient wisdom of the inseparability of emptiness and compassion. Because even those who commit sinful actions such as the five acts with immediate retribution (ānantarya) are brought to the singular limit of great bliss, it is the "Great Power that Subdues the Other." "Outcastes, bamboo-workers, and so forth, those who commit the five acts with immediate retribution..."
It is also said: "By practicing the vehicle of Secret Mantra, one becomes a Buddha in this very life." The afflictions, such as the desire of cyclic existence, are like a mountain because they are the twenty extremes of ignorance. It is "great" because it is difficult to destroy. It "destroys" that [mountain] because, through the passion of great passion, one attains unerring, authentic wisdom. This is the meaning of "attaining the state of great bliss." The characteristics of appearance, increase, near-attainment, and non-appearance are likewise the holder of the great vajra. Therefore, it is "firm" because bliss is uninterrupted. It is "fierce" because the upward-moving and downward-clearing winds are difficult to subdue. It is "greatly fierce" because it transcends those, transforming all winds into the great taste of supreme immutability. It is "greatly violent" because the objects, faculties, and so forth—the essences that cause the suffering of saṃsāra—are gathered and dissolved into a single great bliss. It is the "terrifier of great terror" because it renders non-existent the fear of falling into the extremes of eternalism and nihilism; this is the meaning of "great non-abiding nirvāṇa." It is the "Lord," the "Master," the "Supreme Family," and the "Great Mudrā" because it is the supreme [state] that is constantly followed. It is the "Guru" because it also demonstrates the nature of bliss to other [beings].
The meaning is that the great secret mantra is the wisdom of great bliss, which is supreme and faultless. It is the wisdom of great bliss of the Great Vehicle. Because it is to be attained by means of this method, it is the "method of the Great Vehicle." The meaning is that one attains the coemergent joy abiding at the extremity of the tips of the centers of the vajra and the lotus. The explanation of the method of the Great Vehicle is complete. The meaning is that it holds the peak of the supreme fourth concentration. This is the presentation of the Bodhicitta-Vajra through fourteen verses that symbolize the going and coming from the crown protuberance (uṣṇīṣa) through the forehead, throat, heart, navel, secret place, and the tip of the jewel, by way of the glorious Vajrasattva. He is a "Buddha" because he expands great bliss. By the term "Vairocana," it refers to the wisdom that is the nature of natural luminosity; he is described as such because he possesses that greatness, meaning the body whose nature is wisdom. Because his body, speech, and mind are the nature of inexpressible great bliss, he is the "Great Sage" (Mahāmuni) through the application of the Sage. Therefore, because he acts exactly according to the nature of great bliss, he "possesses the Great Sage." Because he is the refuge for the mind, it is said: "The secret mantra bliss shall be expressed." Thus, the great secret mantra is the very wisdom of great bliss, which is to be attained and led by the great method.
Because it arises from that, in order to demonstrate that what arises from the great system of Secret Mantra is itself the nature of great bliss, it is said: "The great system of Secret Mantra is the self." Therefore, it is said: "This clarity of the reality of mantra is the sādhana of the Vajra of Speech. Through the supreme differentiation of the wisdom of speech, it is definitively applied to Mind Only." Furthermore, it is said: "Abandon the external recitation of yoga; there will be no obstacles. How does one recite the meaning of mantra, the Blessed Vajra-holder, the very nature of the vajra?" Also, from the Śrīparamādibuddha: "This nature of great bliss is to be expressed by the sound of the full [syllables]. All other distinct entities are the agents of emanation and withdrawal."
Because one bestows the supramundane empowerment preceded by the water and other [empowerments], it is generosity (dāna). Because one protects the bodhicitta through the perfect union of the lotus and the vajra, it is discipline (śīla). Because one realizes the non-conceptual nature of all phenomena, understanding that "all phenomena do not abide anywhere," it is acceptance (kṣānti). Because one exerts oneself in the essence of the clarity of Mahāmudrā, it is diligence (vīrya). Because one dissolves into the fourth concentration (dhyāna), it is concentration (dhyāna). Because the supreme mudrā is to be found from the mouth of the Guru, it is insight (prajñā). And because the forceful application is for the sake of clarifying the branches of absorption (samādhi), it is also method (upāya). The forceful application is as follows:
When, through the practices of withdrawal and so forth, the reflected image is seen but the immutable moment does not arise because all the winds have not been restrained, at that time one should familiarize oneself with the nāda and, through the force of habituation to innate joy, cause the vital wind to enter the central channel by means of the sound of the syllable HŪṂ. In this way, having properly trained, one should place the bola according to the ritual into the kakkola of the passionate woman who possesses the qualities described in the Mother Tantra—the supreme object of desire—and, by remaining without trembling, one should rest. Pressing the vajra-jewel against the tip of her kakkola, one should remain unmoving for even a moment in the taste of utter purity. Then, as the state of transformation occurs, one should first utter the form of HŪṂ and, through the kindness of the sublime guru, manifest the fourth innate joy; by experiencing this, the bindu of bodhicitta is arrested. Thereafter, the immutable moment is attained. This is the meaning of the statement that the branch of meditative absorption (samādhi) will become clear. Through the clarity of the branch of meditative absorption, at the moment of manifest awakening, the aspiration to fulfill all the aims of oneself and others is realized. Starting from the navel of the maṇi and returning up to the uṣṇīṣa wheel, the wisdom of great bliss is attained; because these ten perfections (pāramitā) are directly realized, one attains the ten perfections.
The state in which these very ten perfections (pāramitā) reside is the "abode of the ten perfections," which means the nature of the bodhicitta of exclusive bliss. Alternatively, it is the "abode of the ten perfections" because it is the locus of the ten perfections. Since there is no distinction between support and supported, it is the purity of the ten perfections because it is their very essence. As it is said: "As long as the development of support and supported proceeds, it remains subject to change. When the mind attains the state of changelessness, the characteristics of support and supported no longer exist." Therefore, that which belongs to the way or the divisions of the ten perfections is just so. This is because all sentient beings are spontaneously blessed by following the absorption (samādhi) of the Protector. The ten grounds, such as the Joyous (pramuditā), are the twenty-four sites and near-sites, the sovereign lords of characteristics, because they are pervaded by the aspect of coemergent wisdom (jñāna). The meaning of this is as follows: "Through the yoga of generosity, one is Joyous; through possessing discipline, one becomes Stainless; through patience, the Luminous; through diligence, the Radiant; through merit, the Difficult to Conquer; through concentration, the Manifest; through insight, the Far-Going; through great skillful means, the Immovable; through power, the Excellent Intelligence; through aspiration, the Cloud of Dharma; and through possessing wisdom, the Victorious Tathāgata."
"Self-cognizing awareness becomes the eleventh," so it is said. Also, from the Śrīmahāguhyasamāja: "All the possessions of all the Buddhas are one's own mind, which is the collection of phenomena. Through the application of the selflessness of phenomena, one should kill oneself. One's own mind alone is to be killed; it is by the nature of mind itself that it is killed. One's own mind alone is the perfect Buddha; it is by the nature of mind itself that it is realized." Thus it is said. Furthermore: "Having transcended the ten grounds, the signs then become rigid." Thus it is said. Moreover: "When one's own signs have become rigid, sitting upon a lotus, by blessing the vajra-sign, Vajrasattva is born first." Thus it is said. Regarding "the one who abides on the ten grounds," this is a summary of the ten grounds and the ten elements. These are: wind, mind, bodhicitta, blood, marrow, bone, sinew, flesh, the sense faculties, and skin. The synthesis of these is the entity of equal taste. Abiding in that, in the manner of non-abiding nirvāṇa for as long as space exists. Here, the cause is the oral instruction of the Guru. Regarding that, it is said: "The nature of the ten purified cognitions," which refers to knowing the ten signs, such as smoke and so forth. From the Śrīparamādibuddha: "With a mind attached to space, the eyes not blinking, by entering the vajra path, the empty body appears as smoke, mirage, clear light, stainless fireflies, lamps, and—"
"One will also see the blazing moon, the vajra, the supreme portion, and the drop. In its center is the Buddha-body, free from objects, the manifold Sambhogakāya." Thus it is said.
Regarding that, first one should practice the six branches in a windowless inner chamber. The six branches are as follows: "Withdrawal, concentration, and likewise breath-control, retention, recollection, and absorption—these are held to be the six branches of yoga." In this context, the ten [signs] such as smoke and so forth are taught as the branch of withdrawal. Furthermore, it is said: "Withdrawal is the body and speech in which the ten objects and subjects do not engage." Its nature, whatever that may be, is such because of seeing the manifold forms.
The grasping of objects such as form by the sense faculties, such as the eyes, is the "food" of those in saṃsāra. Completely abandoning that is withdrawal. By means of the form of emptiness, one grasps the reflected images of the eyes, such as the flesh [eyes] and so forth. Through the divisions of seeing from smoke up to the drop, the aggregate of unexamined wisdom remains as long as it exists. The manifold form is the single purity of the ten objects and subjects. By grasping that, one is the "holder of the ten pure wisdoms." Through withdrawal, the yogi’s mind-stream will continuously abide in the self-awareness of the nature that vividly manifests the three times and the three realms—the forms seen through the branch of concentration. This is the meaning.
Thus, the venerable Āryadeva said:
"When the self alone has entered the assembly of the breaths of the Blessed Lady, the Sovereign of Life, and the life-wind has dissolved into the state of utter peace, the light rays of this Lord of Yogis, greatly expanding into luminosity, emerge from one's own body, destroy darkness, and transcend the three worlds."
The venerable Saraha also said:
"O Śavari, go forth suddenly and gather the fruit of space! It cannot be grasped or touched by the hands; it plays without coexisting [with concepts]. Without blinking the eyes and without thinking, the winds are blocked by the Guru's word."
Furthermore:
"Know that when conceptualization declines, the intellect declines; the intellect of the base pursues conceptualization intensely. For the wise, from this very state, whatever arises is even more vast than space."
This explains the branch of meditative concentration (dhyāna). Regarding concentration, it is said: "Concentration consists of discernment, investigation, joy, unwavering bliss, and one-pointed mind." Concentration is the aggregate of consciousness, the Akṣobhya [family]. Through the cessation of the ten aspects—the maṇḍalas of the left and right channels such as space and so forth—whatever those ten aspects are, they are thus. This is the aggregate of formations (saṃskāra), the sword-wielder [Rāgarāja]. This explains the branch of vital effort (prāṇāyāma). Regarding that, it is said: "The vital effort that falls into the two paths enters the pure life-force into the central channel."
Now, the branch of retention (dhāraṇā) is explained: the ten objects are the life-force, the downward-clearing, the equal-abiding, the upward-moving, and so forth.
These are the winds known as the pervasive, the wind, the tortoise, the lizard, Devadatta, and Dhananjaya. It is the intense desire to seek that [state], which proceeds and returns through the divisions of the navel, heart, throat, forehead, and the center of the uṣṇīṣa lotus. By this, the branch of retention is taught; as it is said: "The entry of the vital breath into the drop, which moves into both [channels], is also retention when the mind is one-pointed." That is the Jewel-in-Hand [Vajrapāṇi], the aggregate of feeling. He is the Lord of Sages because he has attained the power of the clarity of the coemergent inner heat (caṇḍālī). The ten powers are those which possess the characteristics of the previously explained states of desire, for they are capable of accomplishing the supreme unchanging [bliss]. Because the light of the coemergent inner heat pervades the three worlds, he is the Pervasive Lord. For that very reason, because he acts as the characteristic that makes the coemergent bliss manifest as the meaning of all aggregates, elements, and sense bases without exception, he "acts for the sake of all without exception." By this, the branch of recollection is taught. Furthermore, it is said: "Recollection of the Ḍombī also becomes the Holder of the Lotus." This refers to the ten aspects of the aggregate of perception. "Recollection of the Ḍombī" refers to the division of the ten states of desire within the central channel. For that very reason: "When the light of the inner heat clearly manifests in the body, it becomes the recollection of the sky."
Thus it is said. The characteristic of the cessation of the ten winds previously explained is exactly that. By this, the branch of absorption is taught. Accordingly, it is said: "The glorious concentrations are the wheel-bearer, the ten forms of Vairocana; absorption is the cessation of the ten winds." In this way, the Blessed One’s non-abiding nirvāṇa is born when the winds do not circulate. Furthermore, it is said: "The wisdom body is absorption, arising from the empowerment of unchanging bliss, the nature of which is wisdom and method." For that very reason, it is "possessing empowerment," because all conceptual winds have been brought under the control of the supreme unchanging reality of indivisible bliss. It is "the Great One" because the coemergent form pervades the three worlds. Such is the supramundane empowerment; as it is said, "Having conferred the empowerment, this very [state] is shown," the mundane empowerments are the prerequisites that serve as the very cause for the six-branch yoga. Those six branches of yoga should be meditated upon in the sequence of smoke and so forth. Accordingly:
"This very [state] is the means of accomplishment,
The inconceivable, supreme manifestation.
The signs of smoke and so forth,
The form of wisdom, equal to space,
Transcending existence and non-existence,
The object of the conditions of one's own mind—
The collection born of atoms,
One should completely cast it aside.
Smoke, mirage, fireflies,
The blazing lamp, moon, and sun,
The dark portion and the great drop."
"Various forms are the clear light," it is said. "With eyes both covered and uncovered, one does not examine this emptiness through subsequent conceptualization. One sees forms like a dream; one should always meditate on those forms." Thus it is also said. Furthermore, the explanation is precisely this: the fire of the omniscient wisdom (sarvajñajñāna), in which the fuel of the afflictive and cognitive obscurations (kleśajñeyāvaraṇa) has been entirely exhausted. The yogi should practice the stages of smoke and so forth in the nature of the clear essence of the means of accomplishment (sādhanopāya). If one asks how that is so: it is because it is renowned in the Root Tantra, the Condensed Tantra (saṃkṣiptatantra), and all the sūtras of definitive meaning (nītārtha) such as the Noble Perfection of Wisdom (āryaprajñāpāramitā).
Because it appears suddenly from emptiness, it is "manifest." Because it transcends all conceptualization (vikalpa), it is "inconceivable." Because it is the primordial mode of suchness (tattva), it is the "sign." The wisdom (prajñā) is the mind of emptiness, the nature of which is free from subject and object. Its "form" is the appearance of yogic direct perception (yogipratyakṣa). Because it is unstained by outer or inner defilements, it is "equal to space." Because it is free from the turbidity of conceptualizations such as existence and non-existence, it "transcends existence and non-existence." Because it is to be personally realized by the yogi, it is the "object of the conditions of one's own mind." Because it is in every way uncontrived, marvelous, and the very essence of the lack of intrinsic nature, it is "completely abandoned of all collections born from causes."
The appearance of white smoke, which pervades both the exterior and interior, is the appearance of emptiness; this arises immediately following the appearance of clouds. As it is said: "First, it appears like a cloud; second, it is like smoke." Likewise, the appearance of shimmering water is the mirage. The appearances of fireflies and lamps are well known. These four signs are the yoga of signs and the yoga of space, because they occur in a dark room without apertures. As stated in the Śrī-Guhyasamāja and other texts: "By reversing the first and second, the mind reaches the vajra and, through cessation, the apprehension of signs arises: first, the appearance of a mirage; second, like smoke; third, like fireflies; fourth, a blazing lamp; fifth, the constant appearance like a cloudless sky." Then, preceded by the appearance like a cloudless sky, there is the blazing appearance of emptiness in the form of fire. The appearances of the moon and sun are well known. The "darkness" is the appearance of Rāhu, appearing like a black jewel. "Kha" is the appearance of lightning. "Great drop" is the appearance of the form of the lunar maṇḍala, blue in color, which clarifies the moving and the non-moving. These six signs are the yoga of day and the yoga of the open space, because their essence is the appearance of a cloudless sky.
Then, in the center of that, upon seeing the body of the Buddha, the nature of the Sambhogakāya, simultaneously, like water held in the hand, the various forms of clear appearances such as vases and cloth are the clear light. Regarding the phrase, "With eyes covered or uncovered," this refers to the eyes being half-closed by focusing on the intermediate space. This emptiness, the sky, free from subject and object, is the yogic direct perception of forms that are unexamined and like a dream. One should meditate on those various forms and stabilize them through the branches of concentration. From the Madhyama-Prajñāpāramitā, it is said: "The absorption called 'Jewel Appearance,' the absorption called 'Jewel Lamp,' the absorption called 'Moon Appearance,' the absorption called 'Sun Lamp,' and the absorption called 'Seeing All Aspects,'" and so forth. As will be explained: "The direct perception of all Buddhas, the flame of wisdom, brilliantly clear light." The noble Nāgārjuna also said: "Those whose intellect has transcended existence and non-existence, and is free from a [fixed] location, are free from the apprehension of the profound; they are analyzed as the meaning of conditions." The one clad in woolen garments (Aryadeva) also said: "The yogi who has attained appearance should know the signs elsewhere; they are unerring in their accomplishment, like smoke in a fire, and the eyes will become fixed."
"The head is also bowed, and the mind and mental factors are moistened; the emptiness of the view of emptiness," and so forth, was said. Others also said: "When the half-closed eyes are directed toward the stainless sky, from the fire moistened by the mind of great radiating compassion, the distinction between existence and non-existence, and between entity and non-entity, arises as a sudden and complete following of the extremes. Likewise: 'First, liberated from beginning and end, one abides perfectly in the mere Middle Way. That which abandons the abiding in emptiness is the nature of the ten appearances.' Here, internal realization is described for those possessing merit through the kindness of the great gurus. This very [realization] also abides in the vajra songs of the lords of yogis that bestow the conventional and the ultimate. The glorious Saraha also said: 'If one knows the measure of the sky of delusion, the mass of delusions is severed. First, looking at the pure sky, by looking, the eyes are blocked.' Likewise: 'This much is the supreme measure of phenomena; what is the use of speaking much? With the eyes half-closed and turned upward, one knows through the steadiness of the eyes.' Furthermore: 'A wondrous one has arisen in the center of the sky. Look at the beautiful form of emptiness, O Bhusuku! An incomparable flower has arisen, O Bhusuku! Take this priceless jewel-flower! This flower has various colors; it is the flower blooming in the wilderness of emptiness.'" Likewise:
"The mother from whom the flower of space arises is the supreme weight of non-abiding." Thus it is said. Furthermore: "Though the night has dawned by looking and looking, one seeks the path by lighting the lamp of peace." Thus it is said. Likewise: "The dawn has risen, O Bhūsuku! Śāntideva said: 'It is the watch of daybreak.'" Thus it is said. Furthermore: "The very moment the moon rises, the king of the mind ceases instantly. The sound of the damaru of joy and compassion—this emptiness of the noble deity is beautiful." Thus it is said. From the Lho dang Byang gi Khral ba: "The intermediate path spoken of by the Forest-Dweller." Thus it is said. Furthermore: "The precious joy of realizing the nature of mind is spoken of by the deluded who are hidden from liberation. The five flowers arise and vanish into those flowers; the nature of mind, supreme joy, is the gift of space." Thus it is said. Likewise: "That which is most wonderful arises from harmony. By whom the sun and moon are bound, a lamp is lit. Śāntideva himself is the witness, and he himself laughs. One sees the birth from the pregnant woman of space." Thus it is said. Furthermore: "Though base deluded ones hear the profound Dharma, they see nothing at all in the night of darkness. If a flower should rise at the peak of space, Śāntideva said: 'That is a delusion.'" Thus it is said. Others have also said: "When the mind, the wind, and the eyes are perfectly joined with space at one and the same time, the precious qualities of the Victor will certainly arise. These are the scriptures of the Tathāgata." Thus it is said. Furthermore: "Abandoning various conceptualizations and not thinking..."
"If the eyes are opened toward the sky, the paths of the ten directions will be definitely known. All the powers of the Lord of Yogins are obtained from this." Thus it is said. Likewise:
"Having abandoned all characteristics of one's own mind, looking upward with half-closed eyes, as soon as the wind is blown into the center, thereafter the vajra-fire and smoke arise." Thus it is said. Therefore, it is beginningless and from the very beginning unborn. The nature of that mind which is without apprehension, having abandoned the conceptualization of the unreal and being free from elaboration, is the beginningless, elaboration-free self that sees various forms. This concludes the passage. By this, it is taught that non-conceptuality is first directly realized. This is the cause. Because the fire of great passion purifies all aggregates, elements, and sense bases, as well as the obscurations, it is the "pure self." By this, non-conceptuality itself is taught in the middle. By being anointed with the fluid of great bliss, the self of suchness is the nature of the non-emitting fluid at the tip of the jewel. By this, non-conceptuality itself is taught at the end. It is that which has the nature of clarifying through the manner of directly realizing the bliss of the unerring truth. Even those who have committed the five crimes of immediate retribution, ...
In order to express the experience of the unchanging words that are clearly manifest through the very mode of great bliss of the Buddha Vajradhara and so forth, it is said: "That which is, is just so." Just as it was stated that "great bliss" is [realized] through the unerring means of signs such as smoke and so forth, so too, because one brings it about for sentient beings by means of one's own self, one acts exactly as it was stated. By these [verses], it is explained that it is not otherwise: it is virtuous in the beginning, virtuous in the middle, and virtuous in the end.
If one asks: "Is the meditation of the childish, which consists of conceptual meditation in the beginning, the meditation on the bliss of the two organs in the middle, and the meditation on non-conceptuality in the end, the meditation on great bliss?" It is not so.
Just as with a wandering mendicant, all results will be seen.
From the seed of a kodrava grain,
The fruit of rice does not arise.
From a seed of conceptualization,
The result will be conceptual.
From that which is non-conceptual,
The result will be non-conceptual.
Therefore, the beginning is virtuous as the meditation on non-conceptuality, and so too are the middle and the end. As it is said: "As is the seed, so is the tree; as is the tree, so is the fruit. This is seen throughout the world; it is indeed dependent origination." This is the mode of the non-duality of bliss and the seminal essence. In order to clarify those modes, it is said: "Non-dual emptiness."
It is the suchness of authentic wisdom. The place of its experience is the tip of the central channel at the base of the jewel; abiding there, it is well-established in non-abiding. It is the nature of form, characterized by the non-appearance of all phenomena and the absence of self. That itself is the lion, because it cannot be overwhelmed. Therefore, whatever is the authentic movement of the indestructible sound is endowed with the lion’s roar of selflessness. The non-Buddhists are those who rely on cognitions of a self and so forth as a means to know what is not suchness; they are the "wild beasts" of the proponents of subject and object proliferation. Because they do not rely on suchness, they are like wild animals. Since they are terrified by that very indestructible sound and are made to vanish into it, it is the "terrifier of the wild beasts of the non-Buddhists." Thus it is said: "By the lion’s roar of emptiness, all opponents are struck with fear; wherever one enters, there is emptiness." Because its nature is great bliss, it pervades all aggregates, elements, and sense bases, and is therefore "all-pervading." For that very reason, whatever is the indestructible power of the meaningful is the "meaningful power." This means the nature of the continuous, indestructible great bliss of the movement and return of the seminal essence.
Just as it arrives at the edge of the center of the vajra-jewel, so too, by proceeding to the uṣṇīṣa-cakra, he is the Tathāgata. Because he pervades the three realms through the expansion of great bliss, his power is as swift as the mind; possessing that, he is "swift as thought." He is the "Holder of Action" (Karmadhara) because he subsequently maintains the activities. He is the "Victor" (Jina) because he has triumphed over attachment, detachment, and the middle way of attachment. He is the "Conqueror of Enemies" (Arinjayin) because he has ceased the twelve links of dependent origination, such as ignorance and so forth. He is the "Victorious" (Vijaya) because he has triumphed over all the winds of conceptual thought at the tip of the vajra-jewel. He is the "Universal Monarch" (Cakravartin) because his nature is to turn the six cakras by way of the bindu of great bliss; this is the meaning of "turning the six cakras." He is the "Great Powerful One" (Mahābala) because he has triumphed through the power of the four and six branches. He is the "Lord of the Assembly" (Gaṇapati) because, as the sovereign pervading the seventy-two thousand channels of the assembly, he is the nature of the seminal fluid of supreme innate joy. He manifests the reflection of the innate form as the ācārya of the assembly of joy, supreme joy, and the joy of separation. He is the "Lord of the Assembly" (Gaṇeśvara) because, by generating the innate nature of the assembly of the five aggregates and so forth, he is the supreme master. He is the "Luminous One" (Prabhāsvara) because he is the lord or master of those families or natures of the Tathāgatas, which are the illusory body of the assembly, and because his nature is bodhicitta.
For that very reason, he possesses mastery, because all forms that are the true nature are clearly seen. He is the "Great Power" because his capacity or experience does not shift. He is the "Holder of the Essential" because he holds the essential point that causes the vital winds, such as the life-sustaining wind, to dissolve into great bliss. He is the "Great Method" because he possesses the appearances of smoke and so forth, which are without apprehension or appearance. He is "Not Dependent on Others" because, by the very nature of the coemergent, he cannot be led astray by fools and the like. He is the "Lord of Words" because, through the clarity of the branch of withdrawal, he is able to grant supreme boons and so forth by means of unbound speech. By this, it is said that he has attained the correct discernment of meaning. He is the "Self of Speech" because, through the non-shifting seminal essence itself, he has abandoned verbal expression by the nature of the indestructible sound. By this, it is said that he has attained the correct discernment of words. He is "Skilled in Speech" because he thoroughly teaches the selflessness of all phenomena. By this, it is also said that he has attained the correct discernment of phenomena. He is "Mastery over Words" because he has attained bliss through vajra recitation and so forth. By this, it is said that he has attained the correct discernment of eloquence. Thus, he whose speech and words are infinite, having attained these four correct discernments, is one of infinite words.
It is for the sake of turning the wheel of Dharma, such as the nature of natural luminosity (ābhāsvara), for all sentient beings according to their respective fortunes. It is the truth of speech because it teaches the Dharma that negates conventional truth; conventional truth itself is the illusory body of self-consecration, and its pure cause is called the ultimate truth of luminosity. It is for the sake of demonstrating to oneself the truth-speaker, the inseparability of emptiness and compassion. It is for the sake of demonstrating the four truths as the four coemergent joys of the teacher. Because it abides at the centers of the four wheels, it is irreversible, meaning the attainment of the immovable stage (acalā), by means of ceasing the four hundred and four thousand winds. It is a non-returner because, having gained mastery over the afflictions, one is no longer a wanderer in saṃsāra. It is a pratyekabuddha because it is the guide that attains the state of great bliss within all the channels. It is a rhinoceros-like one because, by being immovable, it does not shift into all the channels. It is the "various departures" because it is the departure from conceptualization, afflictions, and suffering; since it is both "various" and "departure," it is the "various departures," which are the centers of the lotuses of the six wheels. Because one definitely emerges into the state of great bliss within those, it is "arisen from the various departures." It is the "single cause of the great elements" because it is the single cause of the five great elements, without a second.
Furthermore, it is said: "The five elements are the seeds; they arise through the gathering of causes and conditions. Earth is solid, water is moist, fire arises from heat, wind is movement, and space is bliss. Through these five, all is perfected. The teachers who are the progenitors of all gods and asuras are deluded." Likewise, from the Śrī Hevajra Tantra: "Through the union of the bola and kaṅkāla, by the touch of the nature of solidity, earth arises from that. From the aspect of the bodhicitta fluid, the water element truly emerges. From churning, fire arises; movement is renowned as wind. Bliss is the space element itself; these five completely surround [it]."
Because one enjoys the five sensory qualities while being free from afflictions, one is a bhikṣu (monk). Because all enemies—conceptual thoughts and afflictions—are conquered through the empowerment of perfectly complete awakening, one is an arhat. This is because all purposes are fulfilled through the bliss of the inexpressible suchness, which is generated by the application of bodhicitta. Through the instructions of the sublime guru, in the very moment of the fourth empowerment, the disciple’s fourth moment passes away. In that very instant, through the application of intense faith, all ignorance is utterly abandoned; therefore, for whom or from what the defilements are exhausted, it is just so.
Because one has entered the clear light (ābhāsvara) and is thereby naturally free from desire, one experiences great bliss; thus, one is "free from desire." Because one relies upon the crown protuberance (uṣṇīṣa) and the tip of the jewel, all the sense faculties (indriya) and their objects are overwhelmed; or, because it is not produced from the union of the two organs, the faculties are "subdued." Because one attains a marvelous bliss never before experienced through the very application of the five sensory qualities, one has "found bliss." Because it is the bliss of non-emission, there is no fear of that bliss being lost; thus, one has "attained fearlessness." Because one possesses the great elixir of coemergent joy (sahajānanda), all the fires of distraction of body, speech, and mind are thoroughly pacified; thus, one has "become cool." The meaning of "hi" is that one is unstained by attachment, detachment, and so forth. It is the stainless body of wisdom (jñānakāya). It is the awareness (vidyā) of great insight-wisdom (prajñājñāna). Its "feet" are dissolved into the fourth empowerment. To be "endowed with that" means to be in a state of non-duality with it. Because one does not turn back from the excellence of non-attached bliss, or because one has realized whatever is to be realized, one is a "Sugata" (Well-Gone). Through the manner of the aggregates (skandha), elements (dhātu), and sense bases (āyatana), that awareness of the world as great bliss itself is "suchness" (tathatā). It is "supreme" because it is the supreme among joy, supreme joy, and the joy beyond joy; thus, it is the most excellent. Because conceptualizations of "I" and "mine" and so forth have utterly collapsed, one does not grasp at a self; this is the meaning of "having the nature of suchness."
Because one is free from the ego-grasping that conceives of a self thinking, "I am enjoying pleasure," it is called "ego-grasping." As it is said: "As long as one does not abandon the pride of Vajrasattva." The conventional truth is the illusory-like nature of self-consecration, and the ultimate truth is the thorough knowledge of the clear light; these are the two truths. Accordingly, it is said: "One sees the three realms as empty through self-consecration." That is the method, the path. Abiding in that, one directly realizes it, which means "seizing all the inhalations and exhalations of the winds." The "authentic heart mantra" is the bliss of the joys and supreme joys of saṃsāra. Beyond that is the wisdom of the joy of separation. At its limit is the wisdom of bliss, the coemergent joy. By abiding in that, one reaches the far shore of saṃsāra; this is the meaning of "holding the peak of the fourth concentration." "One who has done what was to be done" refers to the wisdom of the fourth empowerment. By enjoying the five sensory qualities, the dry bliss of nirvāṇa is accomplished, because it is the state of supreme bliss itself. Abiding in that is the meaning of "the wisdom body of the immutable." It is the nature of the Dharmakāya, characterized by wisdom alone, pure, and non-dual. From that arises the "nature of supreme, immutable emergence." It is characterized by seeing the various forms of insight.
That itself is the great weapon because it dispels all afflictions; whoever possesses it is likewise so. For that very reason, because it destroys the web of conceptualization regarding what is to be adopted and what is to be rejected, it is the "Completely Destroyer." It is the "Supreme Wind" because it is to be found through the instructions of the sublime guru. As for "Dharma," it is the form of e-vaṃ, and because it maintains the characteristic of bliss, it is the "Sublime Dharma." Furthermore:
"The eighty-four thousand aggregates of Dharma,
Which are renowned as such,
Have their basis in the Father and Mother;
I have explained these two syllables.
The form of e is the Mother,
And the form of vaṃ is said to be the Father.
In that drop, one becomes a yogi;
In that yoga, the supreme wonder.
The form of e is said to be the lotus,
And the form of vaṃ is the vajra itself.
In that, the drop becomes the seed;
From it, the three worlds are born.
The form of e is insight,
And the form of vaṃ is the nature of joy.
The drop is that very indestructible reality;
That which is born from it is unchanging.
Whoever knows that reality,
Knowing the two syllables of the Dharma-mudrā,
Will turn the wheel of Dharma for all sentient beings."
Thus it is said. Elsewhere also:
"E is the appearance of space,
Renowned as the dharmadhātu.
The form of vaṃ is the assembly of Sugatas,
Perfectly abiding in the form of the syllable e.
E is the great secret, the element of space,
The bhaga, the source of phenomena, the lotus,
The lion throne, and the abode of the Vajra-holder—
I have explained this in other tantras.
Vaṃ is the Vajra-holder, Vajrasattva."
Vajrabhairava, Īśvara, Heruka, Kālacakra, and the Primordial Buddha—thus it is said. Furthermore: "I have realized E-Vaṃ; I have realized everything without exception. That is the casket of the Dharma, the very form of my own Lord." Thus it is said. The dharmadhātu is self-consecrated. Because it is beautified by that, it is the Dharma King. Because it is the manner of innate appearance, it is luminous; it is the nature of clarity. By meditating on the uninterrupted non-appearance, the ten signs such as smoke and so forth arise, and it acts as the light for the worlds obscured by the darkness of ignorance regarding the Buddha’s form. Because it is the supreme, excellent, and naturally luminous state that has entered the jewel, it is superior to the appearances of the sun and so forth, being the manner of the light rays of supreme great bliss. It is the Lord of the Dharma of the four innate joys, the sovereign of the three worlds, for it is the very Īśvara through the constant savoring of the taste of bodhicitta. Because it transforms the world with the rain of the jewel of the Dharma of great bliss, it is the Dharma King. It is the teacher who makes clear the characteristics of the path of self-consecration. Because it causes all phenomena to appear as the aspect of primordial wisdom in the ultimate sense, it is the perfected accomplishment. "From me" or "belonging to me"—that is how it is.
Whatever conceptualization of subject and object there is, that is just so. The generation and meditation upon the Buddha Vajradhara are accomplished through familiarity; they are constantly manifested. Therefore, all conceptualization is the clarity of having abandoned the clinging that grasps at "I" and "mine." Because everything is performed with a non-conceptual mind for the sake of empowerment, samaya, conduct, and so forth, it is non-conceptual. Because it is the nature of all phenomena, it is the expanse (dharmadhātu). Because it is certain to be luminosity and is inexhaustible, it is the inexhaustible. Because it is the single mode of great bliss, the identity of the three bodies, it is the expanse of reality. Because it is self-arisen and coemergent, it is the sublime. Because it is unchanging, it is the inexhaustible. By this, it is explained that the meditation on non-conceptuality alone is the cause for accomplishing Mahāmudrā.
The bliss of manifesting the branches of absorption with a mind that is not a mind [of ordinary grasping], but is transformed by the attachment of great compassion and merit, is its identity. Because one possesses that, one is "endowed with merit." Thus it is said: "There is no sin other than attachment; there is no merit other than bliss. Therefore, with all effort, one should completely abandon the bliss of emission."
Because it is the wisdom of bliss that serves as the means for the accomplishment of Mahāmudrā, it is the equipment of merit. Furthermore: "Just as one who falls from the peak of the king of mountains does not wish to emit, yet nevertheless emits..."
"Through the kindness of the guru, the realization of the oral instructions is such that even if one does not desire liberation, one is liberated." Thus it is said. Because the accumulation of wisdom is perfected, it is "wisdom" (jñāna); this is because it is the manner of the wisdom of non-referential bliss that has entered the jewel. Because it is the source of various blisses, it is the "source of wisdom." As it is said: "With feet and hands on all sides, with eyes and faces in every direction, possessing mindfulness everywhere, he dwells pervading the entire world." This is because of the manner of the sixteen greatnesses. Because all the firewood of conceptual thought is incinerated by the application of caṇḍālī, and because one is perpetually endowed with non-conceptual wisdom, it is "endowed with wisdom." Because the aggregates, elements, and sense bases themselves appear as the illusory-like self-consecration, and because one is free from all false delusions, one knows existence and non-existence; this is the meaning of the "coemergent manner" to be personally realized. Because one possesses the two accumulations just explained, one is the "accumulator of the two accumulations." This is because of the manner in which [light] radiates from every pore to the Buddhas and others who pervade space. Because of the certainty of clear light, it is "permanent" due to non-radiating bliss. Because it is beautiful with the form of bliss within the seventy-two thousand various channels, it is "all-victorious." It is the yogi who unifies body, speech, and mind into one.
Because it is the nature of the four joys, it is concentration (dhyāna). Because it is to be experienced in the vajra-jewel and the uṣṇīṣa of the Lord of Yogins, it is to be contemplated. Because it is the wisdom-body (jñānakāya) of all the Tathāgatas, the intelligent one is the sixth, Vajradhara. Because it cannot be known by another, like the joy of a young maiden, it is personally realized (pratyātmavedya). As it is said:
"The joy of a young maiden
Cannot be described without [experience].
When the joy of youth is found,
Great bliss is realized by oneself.
Likewise, without absorption (samādhi),
Bliss cannot be experienced as bliss;
But when the unchanging absorption is attained,
The yogi realizes it by himself."
Because the winds of conceptualization have ceased, it is immovable. Because it is the form of Vajrasattva, it is the supreme primordial. Because it abides in the center of the coemergent as the body, speech, and mind, it holds the three bodies. Because it realizes its own bliss, it is the Buddha. Because it consists of the four states—waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and the fourth, plus the transcendence of the fourth—it is the nature of the five bodies. The Pervasive Lord is so called because the essence of bliss pervades the stages of childhood and so forth. Because it is the nature of the five families and the nature of the mirror-like wisdom and so forth, it is the nature of the five wisdoms. As it is said:
"Through the union of the bola and kaṅkāla,
Contact is the latent tendency of solidity.
Because solidity is the nature of delusion (moha),
Delusion is asserted to be Vairocana."
Because the bodhicitta is fluid, it is held to be the fluid water element. Since water is the nature of Akṣobhya, hatred is primarily Akṣobhya. From the union of the two through churning, heat is constantly generated; since desire arises from fire, desire becomes Amitābha-vajra. Whatever mind is in the kakkola is of the nature of wind; since Amoghasiddhi arises from wind, envy becomes Amoghasiddhi. The desire for bliss becomes blood; since blood has the characteristic of space, stinginess becomes Ākāśa-vajra; since stinginess arises from space, so it is said.
Alternatively, through the union of the father and mother: because the father’s bodhicitta seed is the form of the stainless moon, it is the essence of the mirror-like wisdom; because the mother’s self-arisen flower is the sun, the precious Ratnasambhava, it is the essence of equality; because the vajra enters the lotus, the seed of great passion is the bliss of Amitābha, it is the essence of discerning wisdom; because the experience of movement is through the wind, it is the essence of Amoghasiddhi, it is the essence of all-accomplishing wisdom; and because the intermediate state consciousness enters and develops, and then emerges from the mother’s womb with a perfected form, it is the utterly pure wisdom of the dharmadhātu.
By manifesting the forms previously explained, the five aggregates radiate without obscuration, and thus the five Buddhas are the crown ornaments. [The stages of] withdrawal, concentration, breath-control, retention, and...
The five eyes are for the sake of clarifying the branch of recollection. Because he possesses the branch of absorption, he holds the "unattached." Because he generates all buddhas as the very essence of great bliss through eighty-four thousand moments of mind, he is the "progenitor of all buddhas," which is the innate joy (sahajānanda); this is the meaning of the "aggregate of the blissful mind" that has entered the precious vajra. Because his own mind is fully awakened through the manner previously explained, he is a "buddha." Because his son, the innate [wisdom] born from himself, is seen in its very nature, he has become the state of supreme beauty; this is the meaning of "definite emergence through the realization of non-conceptuality." Because he has transcended the three joys, he is "sublime," which is the meaning of "innate." Because it is experienced by oneself, it is "supreme." It is the "various insights," the source from which reality (tattva) arises. Because it arises from that, "insight is the source of existence" (prajñā-bhavodbhava); the saṃbhogakāya, which is the aspect of great bliss, is the very source of birth, because it is the source of birth for all sentient beings. Because it is the body of primordial wisdom (jñānakāya), all phenomena (dharma) arise from it. Because it dispels the three joys of existence and produces the innate joy, it "dispels existence." Because it is singular and non-dual; because it is solid and indivisible; and because all imputed afflictions (kleśa) are absent due to the very firmness of innate bliss.
Because it is the body of primordial wisdom (jñānakāya), it is indivisible and thus the "Vajra Self." Because a mind endowed with intense faith is born as the very form of a Buddha merely by the explanation of the guru’s quintessential instructions, it is "born immediately." As it is said: "That very [nature], gradually purified by qualities such as compassion, takes up the state itself within the hearts of the faithful." This means that he is the Lord of Beings, the nature of Vajrasattva, who has become the mother and father of all living beings.
Now, self-consecration is taught. In that regard, the "sign of withdrawal" is the appearance of clouds, smoke, and so forth, which occurs through seeing emptiness conventionally. That first sign is seen as a lamp. These four signs are also taught in the Guhyasamāja and other tantras. The six signs, from the "blazing" up to the "drop," are taught here in two verses. Whatever appears from the cloudless sky as previously explained is "arisen from space." It is "self-arisen" because the mind is free from all conceptual construction. Therefore, it is the "fire of the wisdom of primordial wisdom," which appears as a blazing light. "The great light that illuminates" refers to the appearance up to the moon. That itself is the "brilliant light of primordial wisdom." The "lamp of beings" is the appearance of the sun. The "lamp of primordial wisdom" is the appearance of Rāhu. The "great majesty of clear light" is the appearance of lightning.
"The sovereign of the supreme mantra, the king of vidyā-mantras"—this is the appearance of the bindu. Furthermore, it is blue in color and has the form of a moon maṇḍala. "The king of secret mantra, who performs the great purpose"—this means that the yogi will see all the appearances of the entities of the three realms as being no different from the appearances of reflections, illusions, and dreams. Regarding the explanation: space is the body of the Buddha, and because it arises therein, it is explained in that way. Arising as one's own self is likewise so. It is the wisdom of the coemergent caṇḍālī of the wisdom of insight (prajñājñāna). That very thing is like fire; whatever is fire is likewise so. Because it is all-pervasive, it is "great." Because it is the great blazing of this, it is "great light." It is the manifestation of the wisdom that is naturally luminous (prabhāsvara); it is that which makes that very thing manifest. Whatever is the appearance of wisdom alone is the "appearance of wisdom." Because it illuminates and makes clear, it is "blazing." Because it acts as a light for beings like a lamp, it is the "lamp of beings." Whatever is the lamp of wisdom alone is the "lamp of wisdom." Whatever is the appearance of great majesty is "great majesty." For that very reason, it is "luminous." Because it is the very essence of great bliss, it is the "sovereign of the supreme mantra." Because it is the king of the mudrā of the great vidyā-mantra, it is the "king of vidyā-mantras." Because it is the king of the ultimate secret mantra, it is the "king of secret mantra."
Because it radiates the three worlds in the essence of great bliss, it performs the great purpose. Since it is both great and a uṣṇīṣa (crown protuberance), it is the Great Uṣṇīṣa, the bindu (drop) of all tathāgatas. This is because it abides as the aggregate of the uṣṇīṣa of space. It is the bindu of wisdom that emerges from the uṣṇīṣa; it is the Great Uṣṇīṣa, the marvelous uṣṇīṣa. Through the path of oḍḍiyāna, in the manner of a mass of splendor, that which is the wisdom-being (jñānasattva) of all the Blessed tathāgatas emerges from the uṣṇīṣa of all the tathāgatas and abides in the form of a vajra upon the crown of the head. Thus it is said:
"Having drawn the mind that has emerged into one's own vajra, one takes it to one's own forehead. Through the power of the wisdom of insight, Śākyamuni reached the Great Vajroṣṇīṣa. Having reached the state of being with apprehension, he acts without apprehension toward emptiness and compassion. I prostrate to the sole teacher of the world, the guru of gods, humans, asuras, and so forth."
This is the meaning of "the lord of space, the lord of emptiness, the lord of bliss." As it is said: "The mind that is without appearance has the characteristic of space. This very meditation on space is intended as the meditation on emptiness."
He who possesses the nature of demonstrating complete awakening in a single instant through the absorption of self-consecration in various forms is the Lord of Space who displays the manifold.
The innate wisdom (sahaja-jñāna) that is to be personally realized as the essence of the self of all buddhas, such as the permanent and so forth, is the meaning of the "supreme, holy wisdom body of all tathāgatas." Because all beings possess the eye of innate joy and thus behold and experience it, he possesses the eye of the joy of all beings. Because he sees all stable and moving entities as the form of manifold bliss, he possesses manifold forms. Because he performs all activities—such as the emergence of the maṇḍala through mantra, mudrā, and clear realization—according to the fortune of those who are worthy, he is the "progenitor." Because he is the object of worship as the innate nature, he is the "worshipful." Because he is never to be overwhelmed by the power of the mudrā of the outer and inner self, he is the "venerable." Because he is the supreme unchanging wisdom, he is the "great sage." Because he holds the three families through the divisions of body, speech, and mind, and maintains them as being dissolved within great bliss, he is "such." Because he holds the supramundane wisdom, he is the "holder of secret mantra." Because the great samaya of secret mantra is the absorption of the manifest awakening of supreme bliss, he is "such" as the holder of that. Because the Jewels—the dharmakāya, sambhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya—are the single innate form, he is "such" as the holder of that. For that very reason, he is the "Lord," because he is without beginning or end.
The teacher of the three supreme vehicles, the one who clarifies the fourth joy. As it is said: "Abiding in the center of the vajra expanse of space, one meditates on the vajra maṇḍala; having conceived the pride of body, speech, and mind, one remains there for an eon." Thus it is taught.
Amoghapāśa (The Unfailing Lasso) is like a lasso that cannot be bound. That which possesses the characteristics of the six branches of yoga is Amoghapāśa, because by seeing the form of the Bodhisattva Vajra, suchness is clearly revealed to the sentient beings who are the disciples. Because it arrests the winds of the absorption of the three worlds like a vajra, it is "Victorious" (Vijaya). That which does not release the great grasper—the non-conceptual application of bodhicitta—is likewise so. Because it is like a vajra lasso, it is a "lasso"; for by binding the vital breath (prāṇa), the vajra of the mind is also bound. Because it summons all absorptions of bliss like a vajra hook, it is the "Vajra Hook" (Vajrāṅkuśa).
By the word "lasso," there is a specific channel called Vasuki, which has the form of a coiled nāga located below the navel. By that [channel], having reached the Brahma-abode through the path of the avadhūtī, the bodhicitta is summoned, thereby expanding the elements and sense bases; thus it is the "Great Lasso." This [channel] is together with the single channel of the heart, and [extends to] the forehead, the crown, the right ear, the back of the neck, the left ear, the eyes, the brow, and the two shoulders.
The armpits, the two breasts, the navel, the tip of the nose, the mouth, the throat, the heart, the groin, the secret place, the anus, the thighs, the calves, the backs of the feet, the toes, the big toes, and the right knee—by means of these, the innate joy that pervades them is perfectly illustrated as the bodhicitta. Alternatively, through the twenty-five verses minus one, which are the nature of the twenty-four lunar stations of the bodhicitta and are utterly pure, the explanation of the wisdom of the dharmadhātu is given. This is the explanation of the supramundane consciousness, the nature of Akṣobhya.
Now, with ten verses including the final line, the explanation of the mirror-like wisdom is taught: "The Vajra Terrifier, the Terrifier." The vajra is the avadhūtī. Within it, the wind of the Bhairava-force, in the form of the aggregates such as form, which are of the nature of bliss within the indestructible bliss, terrifies—that is, renders non-existent—the fierce conceptualizations. Thus: "The Vajra Terrifier, the Terrifier." Because he is beautiful immediately following the wrathful joy-free state, he is the King of Wrathful Ones, the body of Mañjuśrī, whose nature is great bliss. "Six-faced" refers to the six means, such as withdrawal and so forth. Because he cuts through all suffering, he is "Terrifying."
Because the aggregates, elements, and sense bases are free from extremes, they are as clear as space; thus, he who possesses the six eyes, which are the nature of the six clairvoyances, is the Six-Eyed One. Because he enjoys the six objects as great bliss itself, he is the Six-Armed One. Because he is able to transform the aggregates and so forth into the wisdom that is the nature of great passion, he is the Powerful One. Because he realizes bliss, he is the Skeleton. The fangs are the inner heat (caṇḍālī); because they blaze through the guru’s instructions and reach the crown, he is the Baring-Teeth One. Through the wisdom of space itself, the Hala Hala [mantra] binds the life-force at the vajra limit. Because he possesses infinite hundreds of faces of blissful wisdom through the bliss that has reached all the channels, he is the Hundred-Faced Hala Hala. Yama is the dualistic clinging to self and other; the meaning is that he is the Slayer of that, possessing the state of union. Vighna refers to Māra; he utterly subdues one’s own mind, for Māra is one’s own mind and there is no other Māra. Because he has conquered that, he is the Beautiful One, the King of Obstacles. Because he is the manner in which the great force of the vajra of authentic wisdom radiates, he is likewise [the Vajra One]. Because he tames all conceptual thoughts by unifying the bindu and the nāda, he is the Terrifier. Immediately following that, through the sequence explained, [he is] emptiness and—
Because compassion and purity are inseparable, it is the indestructible essence of the dharmadhātu, renowned as the great sound of the indivisible vajra; therefore, that inseparability is suchness. Because it is the innate body, it is the vajra-heart. Because it is the magical display that transforms the mind and is the indivisible vajra, it is suchness. Because it embraces all things through the essence of the dharmadhātu, it is the "Great-Bellied One" (Mahodara). Because it is the source and place of birth for the vajra-bodies, speech, mind, and wisdom of all the tathāgatas, and because it is born from innate joy, it is suchness. Because it is the nature of great bliss within the two vajra-apertures named Oḍḍiyāna and Jālandhara, which are the vajra-self, it is suchness. Because its essence is the experience of supreme bliss, it is the indivisible heart-essence of the vajra-heart. Because it is free from obscurations and is the essence of emptiness endowed with the excellence of all aspects, it is like space. Because the vital breath has become motionless, it is immovable. Because all things have become of one taste, it is the majesty of the "Single-Tufted One" (Ekajaṭī), which is suchness. Through the application of the supreme mudrā, the white fluid that has reached the skin in the form of great bliss is the "fresh elephant hide" because it is innate.
To be clothed in that very nature is likewise. Because his essence is the distinguished sound, he is the Great Fierce One who has transcended fierce activities. Because he utters the sound "ha ha" through the expansion of great bliss, he is the One Who Proclaims "Ha Ha." As before, because his essence is the sound of bliss, he is the One Who Proclaims "Hi Hi." Because he overpowers others within the vajra aperture of great bliss, he is the Terrifier. Because of the bliss of the vajra channel from embracing the supreme consort, he is the Great Laughter. Because of the manner of laughter with the form of the letter "ha," which is extremely elevated through the application of Mahāmudrā, he is the One With Laughter. Because it is to be known by oneself, the vajra laughter is the laughter of wisdom. The sound of great bliss resounds loudly throughout the three worlds. Because his essence is the indivisibility of bodhicitta, he is Vajrasattva. Because he is filled with the water of bodhicitta and is the essence of the wisdom drop that flows uninterruptedly, he is the Great Being. Because he is beautiful as the very state of great bliss within the vajra, he is the Vajra King. For that very reason, he is Great Bliss; because he proceeds to the nirvāṇa of non-abiding bliss and possesses power, he is Vajravega. Because he is free from the positions of existence and non-existence and has attained the joy of the unchanging nectar, he is the Great Joy.
Vajra-Hūṃkāra is the essence of the four aspects of the syllable HŪṂ of the King of Bodhicitta. Because he moves through Oḍḍiyāna, Jālandhara, Pullīramalaya, and Maru by way of the essence of the four joys and the four concentrations, he is Vajra-Hūṃkāra and proclaims "HŪṂ." Because the central channel (avadhūtī) is blocked in the two nostrils by the vajra-arrow, he is the Vajra-Avadhūtī. Because he holds that arrow which symbolizes suchness, he is the one who wields the vajra-arrow. Because it is the very basis of great bliss, the vajra is non-dual wisdom itself, for it cuts through all afflictions. That which belongs to him is such. For that very reason, he "cuts" in order to sever thick habitual tendencies. The five-colored winds of the life-force and so forth are the "all-vajras." As it is said:
"The winds, whose nature is the five wisdoms,
Possess the character of the five elements.
Having emerged at the tip of the lotus nose,
One should examine them in the form of a sphere.
The five-colored jewel
Abides as what is called 'life-force and effort' (prāṇāyāma).
Having visualized one's own mantra at the heart,
One should place the mind in the drop (bindu).
At the tip of the nose, what is called 'mustard seed'—
These are the examinations of life-force and effort.
The light abiding in life-force and effort,
The five lights spoken of by the Buddha—
The breath, whose nature is the five colors,
Examined as life-force and effort,
The yogi, through the knowledge of yoga,
Should always meditate with effort at the tip of the nose."
Thus it is said. Furthermore, it is the nature of the five Tathāgatas, such as Akṣobhya and the others.
The nature of the five [consorts] such as Locanā and the rest flows through the two nostrils, right and left; because he holds [this flow] without wavering, he is the "Holder of All Vajras." Because he is the indivisible Vajra-Holder through the very manifestation of smoke and mirages, he is the "Vajra-possessor." Because he is the non-dual wisdom through the union of the two, he is the "Sole Vajra." Because he dispels the battle of the joy of conceptual bliss between the hips of the action-mudrā, he is the "Dispeller of Battle." Because the mirror-divination of the blazing fire of the wisdom-ḍākinī and the descent of the unequalled vajra cause the inexhaustible stack of the flesh-eye and so forth to see great bliss, he is as such. Because he is born at the crown of the head as indivisible like a blazing vajra, the sound is also a "blazing vajra," for he presses upon the uṣṇīṣa of great bliss itself. By arresting the upward-moving and downward-clearing winds, he bestows the blessings of trembling, leaping, and so forth. Possessing that, he is the "Vajra-descender," meaning the one who bestows the empowerment of Mahāmudrā upon the three realms. Because the nature of all things is great bliss itself, he is the "Great Descender." Because he is free from all views, he is the "Hundred-eyed One" due to the wisdom that experiences the supreme, infinite bliss of the object to be realized. Because he sees the various eyes of flesh and so forth as the indestructible vision, he is the "Vajra-eye."
Within the thirty-five million body hairs, the sprouts of the channels through which the vital essence flows appear naturally. That very body is the spontaneously present wisdom. That body is "possessing vajra body hairs" because that very wisdom, which is indivisible from the vajra, is the hair, as it emerges without interruption. That singular, non-dual body-form is just so. This is the meaning of the phrase: "The coemergent body of space." Because it possesses the qualities of red and white like the tip of a vajra, the nails are the drops of coemergent joy; since they are produced by that, the "nail-born" is the tip of the vajra, which is the meaning of the "wisdom body." The vajra heart is unchanging. Because it is hanging down, it is the skin, the nature of which is the bliss of touch, the skill of the vajra tongue. That which is the firm, uninterrupted bliss is just so. The "vajra garland" is the generation of the coemergent through the stages of dissolving into and enjoying the locations of the body, such as the places and near-places; because it holds the garland of the coemergent drops, it is the "vajra garland-holder." It is the glorious one possessing non-dual wisdom. Adorned with the vajra ornaments is the supreme unchanging bliss of the vital essence that pervades the entire body. That which possesses the loud, flourishing laughter of "ha ha," the sound of bliss arising from embracing the supreme consort, is just so.
Because it emerges from the resonance, it is "definitively proclaiming"; this is the meaning of the "sound of self-arisen bliss, the inner bliss." Furthermore:
"Abiding in the center of the sun and moon on the banks of the celestial Gaṅgā, through the ritual of the complete union of the two winds by means of the Guru’s command, the experience of the mind’s bliss is tasted in its proper place, possessing a joyful flavor. That which is the internal vision, the blissful nāda—that is victorious!
The glory following the great junctions, made fierce by the light of the sun and moon, generates the identity of those beings who sport in the unsurpassed time. Whatever appearance is the sound of the single bliss of the play of equal taste, the saṃbhogakāya of the Victor, the exhaustion of the body whose nature is wisdom—that is victorious!
From which those consonants, that sound, and those sixteen vowels are emanated, and from which they fall and are completely absorbed—drawing from the very depths of the underworld, the resounding Lord of the Saṃbhogakāya, the pillar of Brahmā, the majestic vajra, the great drum of space, is victorious!" Thus it is said.
Because the unchanging bliss is realized within the six cakras, it is the "six-syllabled one." Because it is the very sound of great bliss pervading the entire space of the body and so forth, it is the "vajra sound." Because the drops and the vital winds have entered all the cakras, and wisdom and consciousness have become merged into one, it is the "Mañjughoṣa" (Gentle Melody) of the nāda itself.
Because it is the essence of the sound of bliss that has reached the space at the centers of the vajra and the lotus, it is "Great Sound." The "three worlds" are the three appearances, such as light and so forth. That which is the non-dual suchness, the single unity produced by the meditative absorption of cessation—emptiness and the very great emptiness—that is the "Sound," which is the luminosity of the all-empty; it is just so. For that very reason, it is "Great." The lack of intrinsic nature of the eyes and so forth is the space element. That which is the limitlessness and culmination of that very thing is the "Proclaimer of Sound," which is the sound of bliss; it is just so. The lack of intrinsic nature of all phenomena is the supreme among those possessing sound. The Blessed One, the drop of bliss, resides at the center of the jewel and the uṣṇīṣa. This is the explanation of the supramundane mirror-like wisdom (ādarśa-jñāna) by way of Vairocana, the purity of the aggregate of form, through ten verses and a quarter-line that demonstrate the state of being free from obscuration regarding the seven channels through which the life-force flows at the heart, and the four channels through which feces, urine, semen, and blood flow.
From "Perfectly selfless" and so forth, up to "The flame of wisdom blazes with light," forty-two verses are spoken as a praise of the discriminating wisdom (pratyavekṣaṇā-jñāna) by way of Amitābha, the purity of the aggregate of perception. Suchness is the flow in the avadhūtī after the movements of the left and right [channels] have ceased. Furthermore:
The channels, too, are not by nature
The very deities; they are supremely pure,
Their nature being the absence of nature.
That which is the unity of insight and method
Is the synthesis of all aspects.
That is the avadhūtī, the self that has conquered [the extremes];
It is held to be the realization of the Middle Way.
Because one does not mentally conceive
The connection of beginning, middle, or end,
It is pure like crystal;
This is the chapter on the avadhūtī.
Thus it is said.
Reality is the selflessness of the elements such as earth and so forth; it is the non-apprehension of a self or what belongs to a self. That reality is also the "limit of reality" (bhūtakoṭi); whatever is the limit of things exactly as they are, that is suchness. The meaning is that it is the limit of the nature of bliss. Because it is filled with the flavor of non-transferring compassion, it is "without syllables," meaning unchanging. Because one attains the bliss to be personally experienced through the cessation of speech and mind, it is emptiness; because it teaches that, it is the "proclaimer of emptiness." Because it strives to dispel all enemies, the Māras, it is the "bull." Alternatively, it is a single word. Because it proclaims the sound of bliss, the inseparability of emptiness and compassion, which are profound and vast, it is "expansive." Whoever possesses that is such.
Thus, from the Stainless Light: "The entity of emptiness is emptiness. The objects of knowledge of the past and future are empty. Because the entity seen by that [emptiness] is a profound and vast emptiness, and because the past and future do not exist, it is profound. Because the past and future are seen, it is vast." Thus it is said.
Because it arises from the source of phenomena (dharmodaya), and because it teaches the Dharma like an echo, it is the Dharma; because it is stainless like a conch, it is the conch—the King of Mind, the nature of the great bliss drop.
"Within the lotus, the appearance of a human,
The form arising from the vajra, an ocean of milk,
The wish-fulfilling jewel, the nature of all beings—
Know the glorious Heruka as a great ocean." Thus it is said.
Because it is the essence of the sound of bliss devoid of intrinsic nature, the giver of buddhahood itself, it possesses the great sound. Because it teaches all phenomena through the emanation of the vajra absorption, the nature of which is the totality of bliss, it is the Dharma ghaṇṭā. Because it proclaims the Dharma through the wisdom of incomparable bliss, it is the great drum. Because it is free from the cycle of existence (saṃsāra) and the state of being beyond joy, it is non-abiding. Because it has fallen from the tip of the jewel, it is nirvāṇa. Because that [duality] is absent, it is neither abiding nor nirvāṇa. That which belongs to such a state is thus.
Because it teaches the bliss and virtue of the treasury of the Dharma of unsurpassed joy, it is the great Dharma drum of the ten directions. Because the very limits of space cause the cessation of all appearances of mind, mental factors, and ignorance, it is the nature of the remainderless nature. That which belongs to this is formless. Because the dharmakāya and rūpakāya have become one, it is the beautiful form of the stainless form.
Because the very basis of the solar maṇḍala brings bliss to the heart, it is the supreme one that utterly agitates all Māras. Because the form of the dharmadhātu-bliss flows through the seventy-two thousand channels in its natural form, it possesses diverse forms. Because its essence is the manifest awakening in a single instant, it is born from the mind. Because it is free from attachment, it is the glory that manifests all forms, appearing as the individual self-awareness of earth, water, fire, wind, space, the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, speech, and mind. Because the vision of diverse forms is the appearance of the saṃbhogakāya, inseparable from the wisdom body (jñānakāya) that is an infinite and boundless black line, it is the bearer of all reflections without exception. Thus it is said:
"Just as the moon, though residing within gold, silver, jewels, conch, stone, coral, lapis lazuli, copper, mother-of-pearl, and so forth, appears in the expanse of the sky to embodied beings in every single month, so too the Protector, the Vajra of Mind, certainly dwells in various ways among the hosts of living beings. He is the stainless self possessing diverse forms, the illusory self that pervades the entire world."
Because it gathers all conceptual constructions, it is unassailable. Because its essence is the perfection of the non-dual accumulations of merit and wisdom, it is renowned as the Great One.
The three realms are called the dharma, enjoyment, and emanation. In that, Maheśvara is the body of wisdom. Because he is free from conceptual construction, he is noble. Because it is to be traversed, it is the path, the center of the six cakras. It is exceedingly high and exceedingly long. Because one abides there in the state of great bliss itself, one abides on the noble path that is exceedingly high. Through the non-duality of the bliss of the dharma,
because immeasurable Buddha-bodies appear within the immeasurable expanse of space, it is the great expansion. Because it is victorious over all afflictions at the center of the jewel and because the dharma-suchness is the nature of an inexpressible crest-jewel, it is the crest-jewel of the dharma. The three worlds are the three bodies; it is the youth of suchness because it is unchanging in the nature of the dharmadhātu. It is the cause that generates this entire body. That which is the single, non-dual body of great bliss is the single youthful body in the three worlds; this is the meaning of the phrase "the nature of bliss arising from the supreme mudrā." Because he has reached the supreme mudrā previously explained and because he is the foremost of all accomplishments, he is called the elder. Because he is the nature of ancient wisdom through the stages of the King of Absorptions, he is the old man.
Because he has realized primordial wisdom (jñāna), he is the Lord of Beings (prajāpati), for all living beings are born from the nature of the wisdom-form of the fourth, the transcendent clear light (ābhāsvara). Because the sixteenth part that transcends the fifteen parts of the white fortnight and the sixteenth part that transcends the fifteen parts of the black fortnight are of a single characteristic essence, he is characterized by the thirty-two marks; thus, he is the "Bearer of the Thirty-two Marks." Alternatively, it is the same because he holds the two sets of sixteen joys through the stages of the conventional and the ultimate. Because all phenomena are of a single taste, he is "Lovely," as he is the object of desire for all sentient beings. Because self-consecration has become manifest, he is "Beautiful," the nature of which is such that one can never tire of beholding him, being the single unity of the three bodies (kāya) of the three worlds.
As it is said:
"The Teacher has the thirty-two marks,
The pervasive lord possesses the eighty minor marks.
In the bhaga of the consort, the blissful,
He abides as what is called 'semen.'
Therefore, he is most worthy of worship;
Out of compassion for all sentient beings,
He manifests emanation bodies
Bearing the thirty-two marks.
Without that, there is no bliss;
Apart from bliss, it is not that.
The Blessed One is the form of the semen,
And his bliss is called the 'Desirous One.'
This is not the domain of the Pratyekabuddhas
Nor of the Śrāvakas;
It is the domain of the Sons of the Buddha."
The state arising from the vajra and lotus. Furthermore: "Behold this entire world as the nature of the five buddhas, a most brilliant and supreme dance. That which is called supreme great bliss is one, yet it dances with the flavors of the manifold." Thus it is said. The consciousnesses of the eyes and so forth of the world are appearances free from obscuration. By properly enjoying the five sensory qualities, one is unstained by the defects of saṃsāra. Because he instructs the world, he is the "Teacher of the World"; because he bestows the four empowerments up to the fourth according to the individual's fortune, he is the "Master of the World." Because he acts for the benefit of beings by emanating various forms without weariness, he is "Fearless," meaning he is without dread. This refers to the realization of the wisdom of indivisible bliss. Because he abides perfectly through non-dual union, he is the "Protector." Because the protector—the ultimate truth—and the protected—the conventional truth—are of one essence, he is the "Savior." Because he maintains the bliss of transition through the nature of the manifestation of emptiness in all its aspects, and because he abides for the sake of the instructions of stainless wisdom regarding the objects of perception, he is the "Confidant of the Three Worlds," meaning that although he enjoys the five sensory qualities, his defects are exhausted. Because he brings the five elements to the certainty of great bliss, he is the "Refuge." Because the savior is the nature of bliss, he is the "Stream of Wisdom." Because he possesses that stream without interruption, he is the "Savior."
This is the meaning of the essence of the fourth moment. It is unsurpassed because it is the innate joy that pervades the three worlds. Space refers to the direction of the anthers through the union of the lotus and the vajra; it is the expansion of its limits. To perfectly enjoy that is to enjoy the non-dual bliss, which is to enjoy the limits of space. Because it is the source of the precious wisdom of the Great Vajradhara, whose nature is the abandonment of body, speech, and mind, it is the ocean of omniscient wisdom. Ignorance is the habitual tendency of saṃsāra; it is the shell of the egg because it is the very cause that produces migratory beings. To realize that is to realize the single great bliss. Becoming is the total lack of knowledge regarding the nature of body, speech, and mind. That itself is the net because it is the cause of discordance. Because it destroys that, it is the "destroyer of the net of becoming." The afflictions, such as ignorance and so forth, are dependent origination. That which pacifies them is the certainty of being without obscuration; such is the case. The five aggregates of appropriation, which have fallen under the power of the five sensory qualities, are saṃsāra. That itself is the ocean because of the turbulence of desire and so forth. The "other shore" is the individual appearance of the aggregates and so forth without obscuration. Because one has reached that, one has "gone to the other shore of the ocean of saṃsāra." Wisdom is the fourth joy.
Regarding the conferral of empowerment upon that very reality: because the aggregates, elements, and so forth are rendered free of obscuration, the fourth empowerment is the bindu (drop). That which is the uṣṇīṣa (crown protuberance) of the one wearing the diadem is likewise so. That very bindu of the perfect Buddha is worn as its ornament; that is likewise so. Alternatively, that which is worn as the ornament of the Buddhas is likewise so. By this, the Blessed One has spoken of the essence of the fourth empowerment. As it is said:
"Through the connection with the action mudrā,
And through passion for the wisdom mudrā,
The bodhicitta of great bliss
Should be guarded by one firm in their vows.
By guarding it in this way alone,
Buddhahood is attained in this very life.
The collection of discipline is fully perfected,
Endowed with merit and wisdom,
And the ten perfections are attained.
By this, all the perfect Buddhas
Who dwell in the three times
Thoroughly turn the wheel of Dharma.
By the gathering of the winds, the tip of the lightning-fire
Should melt the moon at the crown.
Whichever bindu melts from this, reaching the throat and heart,
It is arrested at the navel and the secret place.
Whatever melted bindu descends and reaches the vajra-jewel,
It is arrested at the tip of the victory banner.
By the non-leaking of the bindu garland, if bliss is bestowed,
That is the moment of the wisdom of insight.
The nature of waking, dreaming, and again another, the nature of deep sleep and the fourth;
The breath residing in the body dissolves, and the mind that analyzes objects
Dissolves without movement."
Abiding in wisdom, through union with a woman, the bodhicitta melts; even for a single moment, it undergoes transformation. The vajra-minds, which definitely and thoroughly transform through the stages of emanation and so forth, are of four types. Thus, the mind of these four types, having reached the three realms of existence, resides in the center of the bindu of sentient beings. The lord of yogis must guard the cause that pervades and bestows the fruit of peaceful bliss. If the seed of birth for yogis who have reached supreme bliss falls, how could there be liberation? Therefore, those diligent in their vows should at all times abandon the momentary pleasures of saṃsāra. Thus it is said.
Also, in the Guhyasamāja: "When the bodhicitta, the treasury of all accomplishments, falls, the aggregates and consciousness faint; how could there be the unsurpassed accomplishment?" Thus it is said.
Also, from the Vimalaprabhā: "If the white [bindu] of one who has gathered insight drips, how can their bliss increase? If the flower closes in the springtime and falls, by what means will the mango fruit [ripen]?" Thus it is said.
Also, from the Śrī-jñānavajrasamuccaya-yogatantra: "Of all illusions, the illusion of a woman is most highly praised. This very clarity is indicated by the differentiation of the three wisdoms." Thus it is said.
Furthermore: "Appearance is the portion of night; the light rays of the sun are the clarity of day, which becomes the increase of appearance. The attainment of appearance is the twilight; one should always apply these natures by oneself." Thus it is said.
That which is neither night, nor the junction, nor even day, and is devoid of intrinsic nature—this is the moment of awakening, the path of yoga explained by the supreme guru. Where the darkness of night has utterly vanished and all the appearances of the junctions have also ceased, as long as the light-maker does not arise, in this stainless moment, the ultimate reality is shown to the disciples by the principal master, who has dispelled the cataracts of those who view external perfect awakening. What is the state of supreme inner bliss? It is the awakening of a Buddha attained in a single moment. Thus it is said. Furthermore:
"The yoga of manifest awakening is the accomplishment of bliss within the jewel; the Madhyamaka manifest awakening is devoid of characteristics at the end of the transition."
Thus, the inseparable union of both is called the "fourth" to symbolize supreme unchanging bliss. Accordingly, from the Master’s Secret Insight and the Nature of the Fourth Result:
"How are these? They are conceptualized as being vastly different. Between the supreme and the joy-free, whoever understands well that which is to be symbolized—if one strives with the logic of words, then this empowerment of theirs is not tenable as the fourth. If it is argued that the third is naturally complete as the result, then since the result is already complete at the beginning, what would the cause do hereafter? How is this empowerment?"
Thus it is said. If one asks, "How is this?" it is as follows: [The text continues with the explanation of the nature of the fourth empowerment.]
If it is argued that [the empowerment] is for the sake of accomplishment and not for the sake of others, since that [accomplishment] was already established previously, there would be no further purpose for it. If one says that the result is perfected first and the empowerment is described later, then how is this distinction of "consolation" (āśvāsa) and "supreme consolation" (paramāśvāsa) for the Buddhas and Vajradharas? If one asks, "Why is the Vajradhara first consoled and the Buddha later?"—who can reverse this confusion of cause and effect?
If it is argued that, for the sake of the verse, [the empowerment] is between the two, that is not the case, because in that very context the verse has a different meaning. If one then applies the meaning of the verse again to the nature of the illustration (lakṣya), there is no way to draw a different illustration for the sake of the verses. In the Śrī [Guhyasamāja] and the Hevajra, there is no distinction here; they are described as distinct only through the distinctions of the means of accomplishment (sādhana). If it is argued that three types of empowerment are taught there, that too is mundane. Although the supramundane empowerment is taught, it was not made explicit.
Regarding the statement, "Through the wisdom-knowledge empowerment (prajñājñānābhiṣeka), that should be known as the fourth," if one wishes to understand this well, one should rely on a sublime guru. If one says that because of some occasional logical consistency, something is stated as the illustration in the middle, even so, through scripture and reasoning, there is no doubt that it is the last. If one asks, "How can the verse be consistent if the innate (sahaja) is the last?"—this fault does not arise; the verse is perfectly consistent.
When the supreme joy and the joy of separation are in the middle of the innate joy and the joy, and when the supreme and the joy of separation occur in the middle relative to the joy and the innate, then they are called "supreme" and "joy of separation." This is either because of the use of the sixth case without honorifics, or to indicate that "those are without honorifics." Therefore, one should rely on the fourth [joy] as the view. As it is said in the eighth chapter of the Śrī Hevajra Tantra: "The joy of separation is the last, and likewise again..." Thus, it should be clearly understood that the very end of the joy of separation is the innate joy. Likewise, it is perfectly logical to say: "All joys of joy are certain; that is the bliss that knows all means." These three joys are of the nature of joy, having become the causes of the innate. Those three joys are of the nature of bliss and are the means; through a gradual succession, they are the nature of the innate joy that is directly and fully known. Furthermore, it is said: "The joy of separation becomes free from attachment; the innate joy is the remainder." As for the "distinguished joy," it is free from attachment, the nature of which is the experience of the essence of appearance, and its nature is conceptualization, for as long as that lasts. Likewise: "Because the third is the decline of desire, one should therefore meditate on the fourth. Likewise, the supreme joy is said to be existence; from the joy of separation comes nirvāṇa itself. The middle is merely joy; these are abandoned by the innate." Thus it is said.
Because the nature of supreme joy is the enjoyment of defiled bliss, it is craving and cyclic existence (saṃsāra). Because the nature of supreme joy is the experience of total manifestation, it is the essence of nirvāṇa. The "middle joy" is the middle, because it is the essence of common bliss. The meaning is that the fruit of the coemergent (sahaja) is that which is abandoned by these three joys. Likewise:
"It is neither desire nor free from desire;
The middle is non-apprehensible."
Desire is supreme joy, because its nature is attachment. Because it is distinguished by the very conceptualization of bliss, it is the joy of being free from desire, the joy of separation. The middle is the mere bliss of the intermediate state, which is the non-apprehensibility of the first joy. The meaning is that these three are non-apprehensible, which is the very nature of the coemergent. Furthermore:
"That which is first free from joy,
Abandoning the three joys,"
This means that the coemergent is that which is first free from joy. The meaning is that the coemergent is to be indicated therein. Likewise:
"Supreme joy, the middle free from joy,
Is the cause of the empty and the non-empty."
The "supreme limit" alone—neither the middle nor free from joy—is called the cause in relation to the coemergent. "Empty and non-empty" means the inseparability of emptiness and compassion, which is the fruit called the coemergent. Some describe the "special joy" as the characteristic of being free from desire.
Regarding those who assert that the innate (sahaja) alone is to be indicated between the supreme (parama) and the joy-free (virama), there is a verse that sequentially applies the four joys:
"The first is mere joy (ānanda);
The second is renowned as supreme joy (paramānanda);
The third is called special joy (viramānanda);
The fourth is described as the innate (sahajānanda)."
Likewise:
"Emptiness, very emptiness,
And the third, great emptiness;
The fourth is the emptiness of all—
Through the distinction of cause and effect,
The first joy is the manifold (viśva);
Supreme joy is the ripened (vipāka);
Special joy is the purified (vimarda);
Innate joy is free from characteristics (vilakṣaṇa)."
"Master (ācārya), secret (guhya), insight (prajñā),
And the fourth is likewise;
By the number of the four empowerments (abhiṣeka),
One should know the sequence of joy and so forth."
"The joy of desire is trembling;
The application of the fourth is one.
That which arises from the capacity to fill is certainly supreme joy; thus it is the second.
Blazing and the drop (bindu) in the state of sleep is again the special joy; this is the third.
Oḍḍiyāna, nāda, and sleep become the innate joy; this is the fourth."
How is the meaning of such passages to be explained? The various source texts composed by ordinary beings that follow the four mudrās are not to be relied upon.
"The vase and secret empowerments,
And that which expresses the insight-wisdom (prajñājñāna);
Furthermore, the great insight itself,
Is the very expression of that knowledge.
It changes, and from that change it flows."
Non-emission is also distinct from that. Through the complete purity of body, speech, and mind, the three empowerments are received in succession. The fourth is the wisdom that is utterly pure, which acts upon body, speech, and mind.
Childhood, youth, and then old age: the fourth is the birth of the Lord of Beings. Through the touch of the body of the wisdom maiden, the bliss of the emission of bodhicitta is the empowerment of holding the milk and water; that in which bliss occurs is taught to be "childhood."
Not long after the secret is stirred, the bliss of the emission of the male bodhicitta is the secret empowerment of youth, because bliss is obtained from the secret.
After a long time from the stirring of the secret, the bliss born from the descent at the tip of the vajra is the wisdom-knowledge empowerment. That from which emission occurs is "old age."
From the passion of Mahāmudrā, the bliss that arises from non-emission is the empowerment of great wisdom; that from which non-emission itself occurs is to be known as the Lord of Beings, the progenitor of all protectors.
Vajrasattva, the Great Being, the non-dual and unchanging bodhicitta—this becomes the Samayasattva. The four aspects of Vajrayoga are likewise [attained] through this. It is also said: "This is the fourth joy, the coemergent, of the Tathāgatas."
Furthermore, from the presence of Saraha: "The fourth is coemergent joy, and it is inexpressible." And Rolpa Dorje also said: "In the moment of the fourth coemergent joy, one will come to know the perfect awareness by oneself."
The body, speech, and mind are the three sufferings by virtue of being under the power of the one hundred and sixty natural [afflictions]. Not realizing the nature of those sufferings is [the cause]. Through the power of the wisdom of method and insight, they are pacified; thus, they are the "pacifiers." For that very reason, the fourth is the "remover of the three." "Ananta" is the vehicle of union, because all conceptual winds have ceased and one abides in non-abiding nirvāṇa. Because one has become liberated from the three—desire, hatred, and delusion—one attains the "three liberations," and is also definitively liberated from all obscurations. By being naturally luminous, one abides in the equality that is like space. Because one sees various forms and is thus free from all afflictions, one has transcended all stains of affliction. Because the dharmadhātu is inexhaustible, one is free from the abiding of the three times—past, future, and present—and is thus the "realizer of the three times as timeless." Because one sees all aspects as non-dual, one is the great lord of all sentient beings. By being victorious in all battles against affliction, one attains the dharma of realizing the full extent of phenomena. "Guṇa-kaṭāha" refers to the jewel or the Blessed Buddha. Their "skull" is the glorious coemergent bindu. Because one is not conceptualized by the conceptualizations of dharma, wealth, desire, or liberation, through the clear reality of the branch of withdrawal, one sees all aspects of emptiness with the various eyes, such as the flesh-eye and so forth.
Because other sentient beings are like those born blind regarding the meaning of seeing emptiness, he is liberated from the entire body. For that very reason, he abides in the form of emptiness on the path of space, abiding in the nature of non-conceptuality. Thus it is said: "This meditation on space is the meditation on the perfection of wisdom." Holding the great wish-fulfilling jewel means bestowing the accomplishment of all desired aims; it is the holding of the coemergent drop, the meaning of which is that the coemergent is without intrinsic nature and is the nature of the perfection of wisdom. For that very reason, he is the pervasive lord, the pervader. Because he bestows the unsurpassed joy that is the supreme of all precious drops of body, speech, and mind, he is the great wish-granting tree, which is fully expanded and flourishing, because he bestows the supramundane accomplishment of desired aims. Because he is the excellent vase, he is the supreme great excellent vase. Because he spontaneously accomplishes the teaching of the Dharma that brings happiness to all sentient beings, he is the "doer." For that very reason, he acts for the benefit of all sentient beings. He is "beneficial" because his nature is to accomplish welfare and bestow happiness. He is "affectionate toward sentient beings" because he loves the world as if it were an only child. He is "one who knows good and bad" because he knows both the good and the bad as being the essence of great bliss. He is "one who knows the time" because he knows the time of great bliss, the moment of awakening.
He is the Pervasive Lord because his essential nature pervades both mundane and supramundane objects. Likewise, he is the knower of the four types of samaya, which are the nature of body, speech, mind, and wisdom. As the glorious Vajrapāṇi himself said: "Through wisdom and the act of kissing, the moment of joy arises; that is the samaya of the body. By inserting the vajra into the lotus, the moment of supreme joy arises; that is the samaya of speech. By moving the vajra within the lotus, the moment of special joy arises; that is the samaya of the mind. By the descent of the bodhicitta into the vajra-jewel, the moment of coemergent joy arises; that is the fourth, the samaya of wisdom." For that very reason, he possesses the samayas, because his essential nature is that. Likewise, he is the knower of the time for teaching the Dharma and so forth, through spontaneous presence. He is "short" because he is the sacred scripture. By consuming the moments of the four joys, he thoroughly knows the faculties of all sentient beings; thus, he is the "knower of the faculties of sentient beings." Through the supreme mudrā of the conceptualization of action, there are the three liberations: the accomplishment of the earth-walkers, the sky-walkers, and the Mahāmudrā. He is the "skilled one" and the "discerning one." Because he possesses the qualities of the coemergent, indivisible nature endowed with the qualities of rajas, tamas, and sattva, he is "endowed with qualities." Because he thoroughly knows the nature of body, speech, and mind, he is the "knower of qualities."
Because one experiences the supramundane dharma of great bliss, it is "Dharma." Because it pacifies all wandering beings through the stages of holding authentic wisdom, it is "Praised," which means the "Wisdom Body." Because all supramundane auspiciousness arises from this, it is "Source of Auspiciousness." It is the fourth auspiciousness, the coemergent joy, which is the auspiciousness of all three joys, because it is the very nature of clear light. It is "Renowned" because its essence is the fame of perpetual, indestructible bliss. It is "Auspicious" because it is the foundation of all perfections. It is "Fame" because it possesses the renown of the clear light, which is free from stains and arises from the complete abandonment of conceptual thought. It is "Virtuous" because its essence is the accumulation of all bliss. It is "Great Relief" because, through the clarity of the vital winds, the life-force enters the avadhūtī, thereby becoming supramundane breath. It is "Great Festival" because it is the festival of uninterrupted bliss. It is "Great Joy" because it is the essence of the joy of wandering beings, through the vivid manifestation of the inexpressible, non-dual joy of the Dharma. It is "Great Play" because it satisfies all sentient beings with great bliss. It is "Veneration" because, being the nature of great bliss, it is worthy of honor; this means that the bodhicitta fluid completely fulfills all the channels of the body. It is "Service" because its essence is the service of the ultimate empowerment.
Because it is the very basis of uninterrupted bliss, it is "Perfect." Because the body, speech, and mind possess supreme joy, it is "Supremely Joyful." Because it is the sovereign of renowned bliss and mental happiness, it is the "Glorious Lord of Renown," which means the "Wisdom Body." Because it is the body of wisdom that is completely pure in all aspects, it is "Possessing the Supreme," the most excellent. Because it fulfills the intentions of sentient beings through a non-conceptual mind, it is the "Bestower of the Supreme," granting the supreme luminosity for as long as existence lasts. Because it is the supreme indivisibility of emptiness and compassion, it is the "Principal One." Because it protects against attachment and so forth by demonstrating the wisdom of luminosity, and because it bestows the essence of great bliss through the arising of great passion, it is the "Supreme Refuge." It is the worthy refuge for the weak whose conceptual thoughts have fallen under the power of others. Because it is the vanquisher of the great fear of the habitual tendencies of saṃsāra, it is the "Enemy of Great Fear." For that very reason, it is the "Most Excellent." Because it destroys all fears of conceptual proliferation through the emptiness endowed with the supreme of all aspects, it is the "Dispeller of All Fears Without Exception." Through the power of the intentions of sentient beings, it is the "Emanation of Various Pure Bodies," which is the state of existence. As it is said:
"Therefore, the Victorious One’s pure body, having transcended the three states of birth and fear, never abandons the welfare of sentient beings, even though it is constantly afflicted by karma, O Lord of Victors."
Thus it is said: "In this way, I, the Lord of the World, am the sun itself abiding in the three realms of existence and the ground of karma. There is no other god who bestows the path upon sentient beings or dispels the fear of hell."
By means of the clear reality of the branch of recollection, one possesses the peak of the blazing caṇḍālī; thus, one is "crested" (śikhin). Because of the connection with the mother’s sun, there are the skin, flesh, and blood; and because of the connection with the father’s moon, there are the bones, sinews, and semen. Possessing these two, one is "tufted" (śikhāḍhya). Because of possessing the yoga of being without obscurations, one is "possessing aggregates" (skandhavat). Because all phenomena are possessed in the state of a single taste, like all the matted locks of hair being bound together, one is "matted-haired" (jaṭila). Because all things are of a single essence in the nature of supreme unchangingness, one is "wearing matted locks" (jaṭādhara). Because all conceptualizations of the afflictions have been shaved away, one is "shaven-headed" (muṇḍa). The crown is the great uṣṇīṣa. Because one possesses that, one "wears a crown." Because one is the nature of the five aggregates of dharma, having the identity of the five Tathāgatas, and because of the vital winds such as prāṇa being rendered without obscuration, one has "five faces," which means the nature of the five families.
Whose five crests possess the characteristics of appearance, increase of appearance, attainment of appearance, clear light, and the expanse of reality (dharmadhātu), he is "possessing the five crests." Because of the nature of the five locks of hair—waking, dreaming, deep sleep, the fourth state, and that which transcends the fourth—as the essence of the flower-turban, he is "the five-locked flower-turbaned one." (pañcaśikha-puṣpamauli)
Mañju is the non-leaking of bodhicitta. Because he possesses that, he is Mañju. Because he renders the aggregates, elements, faculties, and so forth devoid of intrinsic nature, he is the Great Vow (mahāvrata). One who upholds that is explained as such. Because the bodhicitta itself does not leak, it is celibacy (brahmacarya). By that very fact, it is the supreme vow. Because it realizes all the Buddha-dharmas filled with supreme bliss, that which is the perfection of asceticism (tapas) is likewise so. By habituating oneself to the perfect union of the lotus and the vajra, the six breaths are made to dissolve into the center of the drop; thus, that drop is characterized by the consumption [of the essence] at the mouth of the vajra. That which is the great asceticism is likewise so. Because one is constantly bathed in the river of inconceivable great bliss through the complete perfection of the six branches of yoga, one is a pure abode (brahmacārin). Because of the innate joy (sahajānanda), one is the Holy One (parama). Because of the supreme unchanging bliss itself, Gautama Śākyamuni is the Accomplisher of Aims (Siddhārtha). Because of the nature of the five syllables, the form of the syllable Haṃ is the Brahmin who is the essence of the five Tathāgatas. Having realized its nāda, because all the winds of conceptualization are made to circulate by dissolving into the crown of the head, one is a Brahmin. Because the six branches, such as withdrawal (pratyāhāra) and so forth, are gathered within the mind that is attached to space, and because of the nature of the four faces of the fourfold Brahmā abodes and the four concentrations (dhyāna), one is Brahmā.
The wisdom (jñāna) that is the inseparability of emptiness (śūnyatā) and compassion, which is naturally luminous (prabhāsvara), is Brahmā. Because one experiences awareness as being of that very nature, one knows Brahmā. The nirvāṇa of Brahmā is the nirvāṇa of the joyful Brahmā. Because it is said, "Joy is the very essence of Brahmā," that is attained. Through the authentic experience of emptiness itself, one reaches the bliss of fearlessness for as long as space exists; therefore, this is the meaning of the fourth liberation. By the fire of authentic wisdom, the aggregates—consisting of the qualities of rajas, tamas, and sattva—are reduced to ashes. That very nature of the body is liberation alone. Because one is free from the bonds of natural desire and so forth, and because one attains the authentic thorough knowledge of the enjoyment of the five sensory qualities, the Blessed One is the Liberated One (mukta). Furthermore:
"By attachment the world is bound;
By desire itself it is liberated.
The Buddhas and the non-Buddhists do not know
These meditations of reversal.
By whatever piece of poison
All living beings are killed,
By knowing the reality of that very poison,
Poison is overcome by poison.
Just as that which is burned by fire
Is again overcome by fire,
Likewise, that which is burned by the fire of desire
Is pacified by the fire of desire.
By whatever fierce actions
Living beings are bound,
By that very same method,
They are liberated from the bonds of existence."
Thus it is said. Moreover:
If the most subtle sprout of the mind is not watered with the essence of pure objects, how can the wish-fulfilling tree that bestows the fruit pervading space be attained? Some attain awakening by abandoning objects; some by not obstructing objects; and some by the very reality of objects—thus say the leaders of men.
Because its nature is the wisdom of emptiness, the meditation on the wisdom-being (jñānasattva) of all the Tathāgatas is the peaceful bodhicitta. As it is said: "Peace is always virtuous; peace is peace." It is "peace" because the distractions of the mind, such as subject and object, are pacified. Furthermore: "Peace is the element of nirvāṇa." This is because of relying on the action seal (karmamudrā). As it is said: "Whoever attains the bliss of the father, let him enjoy that bliss himself. That bliss by which the body is slain is called the bliss of concentration." Because external things do not exist, it is "without apprehension"; because it is apprehended as just that, it is "nirvāṇa." Because it is to be personally realized in its uncontrived state, it is "Mahāmudrā"; because its essence is the appearance of insight (prajñā), it is "peace." Because it is the supreme acceptance of existence and non-existence through emptiness, it is "nirvāṇa." For that very reason, it is "excellent." Since all Buddhas pass beyond sorrow, it is the "bliss of nirvāṇa." Because it is free from all conceptual construction, it is "near" due to the bliss of the ultimate.
Because method and insight are without the duality of pleasure and pain, they are liberation that dispels both pleasure and pain. As it is said: "Sin and merit both become like chaff and husks; one’s own mind is directed toward emptiness." Because he is naturally free from attachment, he is the Blessed One (Bhagavān) whose essence is the great bliss of non-emission. Because he is free from habitual tendencies, he is the one who has transcended the body, being the essence of the wisdom of the expanse of reality (dharmadhātu) that is utterly pure through the teaching of the Dharma. Because he cannot be overcome by conceptualization and the like due to his very nature of luminosity (prabhāsvara), he is the "Unconquerable" (Anabhibhū). Because the great passion of non-emission is beyond all comparison, he is the "Incomparable" (Anupama). Because he lacks the essence of appearances and the like, as well as women and the like, his essence is without intrinsic nature and is thus unmanifest. Because of luminosity, he is "invisible." Because the seminal essence and the rajas do not leak, he is "unstained" like space and is thus "non-illuminating." Because the fifteen parts, such as the first day of the lunar month, have passed, he is the "immutable" without parts. Because the wisdom of the expanse of reality is to be personally realized, he is "all-pervading." Because he is the nature of the stable and the moving, he is the "Pervader" (Vyāpin). Because he is not an object of the mental faculty, he is "subtle." Because the wisdom of the expanse of reality is to be known by individual self-awareness, he is "untainted" (anāsrava). Because all bliss arises spontaneously, he is the "seed" itself. Because he is free from the dust of attachment, detachment, and the middle way of attachment, he is "dustless," the fourth [state of] great passion.
Because it is the essence of the purity of suchness, it is stainless. Because it is free from adventitious stains, it is immaculate. Because it is devoid of intrinsic nature, it is free from faults. Because the disease of external distraction has been exhausted, it is faultless. Because it has realized the luminosity that is non-erroneous, it is perfectly awakened. Because it realizes that the aggregates, such as form, and so forth, are by nature coemergent, it is the awakened self. Because all phenomena are correctly established as the essence of wisdom, it is all-knowing. Because it spontaneously knows the mental activities of all sentient beings, it is all-seeing. For that very reason, it is the Supreme One. Because the eye and so forth do not exist, it is the nature of the ālaya-vijñāna. The meaning of "the identity of emptiness" is that it has transcended and passed beyond that. Because it is the identity of luminosity that transcends all conceptual proliferation, the Blessed One alone is wisdom. Because that very [wisdom] is the identity of the profound and the vast, it maintains the manner of non-duality. Because even conceptualization of ultimate wisdom does not exist, it is non-conceptual. As it is said: "The wise should not even adopt conceptualization of the ultimate; what distinction could there be between the conceptualization of good or bad?" Because it spontaneously enjoys the bliss of the five sensory qualities, it is free from the conceptualization of effort; that is how it is. Furthermore:
"Through the power of former aspirations, the benefit of others is always spontaneously accomplished," so it is said. By the division of the three absorptions of day, night, and the intermediate sessions, the Buddha is the emanation, enjoyment, and dharmakāya bodies that have perfectly arisen throughout the three times. Their activity is the agent that causes sentient beings to experience the essence of great bliss. That is so. Because of the realization of the equality of all things, one is a Buddha. By the very nature of the dharmadhātu, that which is without the moments of arising and ceasing at the beginning and end, and without the moment of emission, is so. Since the phenomena of defilement and purification do not exist ultimately, "non-existent" (a) has the sense of a negation. Therefore, the "beginningless Buddha" and "primordial Buddha" refers to the bliss characterized by the manifest complete awakening through the five aspects and twenty aspects of the Net of Magical Illusion; this is the meaning of "beginningless Buddha." That which has abandoned the phenomena of the nature of subject and object, whose cause is the essence of method and insight, is so. It is the non-dual wisdom of primordial wisdom; it is the "eye" because it sees all phenomena as bliss. That which is that very oneness, without a second, is so. Because all conceptual constructions have been abandoned, it is stainless.
Wisdom is the wisdom of emptiness; that which possesses its body is the appearance of coemergent bliss, and it is explained as such. Likewise, it is the suchness of the action mudrā and so forth. Those who have gone there, whose wisdom of bliss consists of joy and so forth, are the Tathāgatas. Because the indestructible sound, having fully expanded, satisfies all the Buddhas who are the essence of every moment of mind, he is the Lord of Speech, the Īśvara of speech. Because he always expands from the form of the syllable A through the union of churning and rubbing, he is the Great Speaker, to be honored by all speakers. Through the union of churning in all the channels to be churned, by the application of the vital wind, he holds the bodhicitta, and thus expands all the faculties and elements. Because he speaks non-dually, he is the Speaker of Men. Because he reverses the nirvāṇa of the hearers and so forth through the union of the supreme mudrā, he is the King of Speakers. Because he perfectly realizes all phenomena, he is the Supreme Speaker. Because he is the essence of bliss that experiences coemergent bliss, he is the Supreme Abode. Because he performs diverse purposes by radiating the element of coemergent wisdom, he is the Lion of Speakers. Because body, speech, and mind have become one, and because the bodhicitta does not leak, he cannot be defeated by the waves of others' conceptual thoughts; thus, he is Unassailable.
Furthermore, the first half [of the verse] teaches the cause itself, while the latter half teaches the result, which is the essence of the four joys. That which possesses the nature of seeing in every way is the "Universal Gazer" (Samantadarśin); through the form of Samantabhadra, his wisdom is attained. This is because, in consideration of sentient beings to be tamed through passion, the tantra of great passion is emanated in the manner of the non-dual dharmadhātu. Because one attains supreme joy by means of upholding great bliss, it is "Supreme Joy" (Paramānanda). The "Garland of Splendor" is the stream of light from the innate caṇḍālī. Because one possesses that very nature, one is "Possessing the Garland of Splendor." That which makes manifest the innate bliss of beautiful appearance is likewise so. Because it is filled with the nectar of the wisdom of great bliss—the inseparability of emptiness and compassion—it has the meaning of "Ocean of Wisdom." That which possesses the nature of radiating the innate wisdom of excellent light is likewise so. It is "Blazing" because it illuminates the appearances of the Buddhas and others residing in infinite world-systems. Because it sows the seed of omniscience, which is uncommon to others and gives birth to all wandering beings, and because it possesses the characteristics of a Tathāgata, it is the "Śrīvatsa." The "Hand of Blazing Light" refers to the wrathful deities such as Yamāntaka, who have the form of a mass of light.
He is the one who appears through the manner of emanation; he is the one who appears to the sentient beings to be tamed by that wrathful deity. He is the Great Physician because he overcomes all diseases such as attachment and aversion. He is the Supreme One because he bestows the medicine of unerring instructions. He is the Chief because he joins others to the nature of his own great bliss. He is the Extractor of Thorns because he overcomes all the piercing pains of the winds of conceptual thought. He is the Unsurpassed One because his nature is inexpressible bliss. He is the Tree of All Medicines because, like a wish-fulfilling tree, he radiates the care for beings without conceptual thought. He is the Great Enemy because he is the destroyer of all diseases characterized by attachment, aversion, and so forth, by directly manifesting the aspect of great bliss, which is the naturally luminous side that is the antidote to all afflictions. He is the Beautiful and Lovely One because his essence is self-consecration. He is the Supreme of the Three Worlds because he is the essence of the bindu, adorned by the supreme great bliss of the three worlds—body, speech, and mind being one. He is the Glorious One because he possesses the glory of the ultimate accomplishment, the nature of non-duality. He is the One with the Mandala of Constellations because he moves through the sky of great bliss itself, which is to be personally realized, like a mandala of stars. Alternatively, there are four at the uṣṇīṣa and sixteen at the forehead.
These twenty channels are those that thoroughly disturb the phlegm element (śleṣma-dhātu). In the throat there are thirty-two and in the heart eight; these forty channels are those that disturb the bile element (pitta-dhātu). In the navel there are sixty-four and sixteen surrounding the exterior of the secret lotus; these eighty channels are those that disturb the wind element (vāyu-dhātu). The ten surrounding [channels] in the space between these, and the six in the central maṇḍala, are, in their respective order, the nature of the gathering, the thorough disturbance of the gathering, and the cessation of the six wheels (ṣaṭ-cakra). Thus, these one hundred and fifty-six channels bestow death upon the childish, but bestow bliss upon yogins. Together with the channels of the six families, there are one hundred and sixty-two channels. Since the ten winds flow through these channels, each channel, which is by nature one of the ten aggregates and elements, becomes tenfold. Multiplied by ten in that way, they become one thousand six hundred and twenty, which hold the ghaṭikā of the twenty-seven lunar mansions (nakṣatra). Because these are ceased, it is the glorious maṇḍala of the lunar mansions. In the sky of the ten directions is the luminosity (ābhāsvara) itself; that which is the ultimate essence of the drop (bindu), the luminous entity that reaches the limit of that, is suchness. By reaching the abode of Brahmā (brahmā-vihāra), it is that which firmly plants the victory banner of the Dharma (dharma-dhvaja).
By the very fact of dispelling all the torments of the afflictions, the essence of body, speech, and mind is unified. This is the "parasol" (chattra), which is supported and held aloft by the golden staff of inner heat (caṇḍālī), sustained by the stream of uninterrupted great bliss. Because it reaches as far as the pores of the skin, it is the "uṣṇīṣa" (crown protrusion). That which is vast and extensive is thus described. Through the power of light, it is love (maitrī) and compassion (karuṇā) through the very nature of bodhicitta. The "maṇḍala" is that which takes up the essence of those two; that is how it is. For the sake of the inexpressible bliss of bodhicitta, he is the "Lord of the Lotus Dance," the "Vajra Lotus-Mover," the meaning of which is the "Pervasive Lord" (Vibhu). For that very reason, he is "Glorious" (Śrīmān). Because he is the essence of all things, he is the "Great Pervasive Lord." Through the application of the blazing inner heat, abiding at the tip of the great precious vajra, he completely suppresses all the torments of conceptual thought and cools the entire body; thus, being like a parasol, he is the "Precious Parasol." He is the "King of all Buddhas," such as Vairocana and the rest, because his nature is the bodhicitta of Vajrasattva. He is the "Self of all Buddhas," because he holds that supreme essence of reality, the emptiness of all phenomena. That is how it is.
Because the essence of the aggregates and so forth abides as the heart-essence of all the tathāgatas, it is the great yoga of all the buddhas, the nature of the absorption (samādhi) in the form of supreme great bliss. The aggregates, elements, and so forth are the very teaching of all the buddhas, perfected as bliss itself; it is just so. It is the vajra jewel empowerment, the bliss of coemergent joy (sahajānanda). That itself is the glory, for the Blessed One is of that very nature. He is the great lord of all the buddhas, the Īśvara, because he wears [the jewel] upon his crown. He is the lord of all the lords of the world, the Īśvara of all buddhas and bodhisattvas, Vajrasattva. He is the master, because he is the nature of all things. He holds the three drops (bindu) of the body and so forth; he is the holder of all vajras. The lord of those is the fourth drop, the inseparability of emptiness and compassion. Because the mind of all buddhas is entirely free from malice, it is the nature of great compassion; it is just so. Because the mindless mind abides and dissolves within the minds of all buddhas, that which possesses that identity is explained as being just so. Because the wisdom body (jñānakāya), which is the nature of the dharmadhātu, pervades all phenomena, he is the great body of all buddhas.
Because it is the very nature of the inconceivable river of the amṛta of great bliss—the ground into which the amṛta of the great bliss of the body, speech, and mind of all buddhas flows and dissolves—it is also the speech of all buddhas, for the reversal of signs is the sacred scripture. That which is the inconceivable river of bliss, the essence of the speech of all buddhas, is all that is to be drunk in that very manner. The great light of the maṇḍala of vajra-sun wisdom, which illuminates the entirety of the three realms and abides within the center of the jewel, is the characteristic of the moment of mind; that is the great light of the vajra-sun. As it is said: "The vajra-sun is the mind itself; behold it as it enters the jewel. Through the form of the wisdom maṇḍala, the three realms are illuminated." Finally, it is the knowledge of the non-dual mind through spontaneous presence. The vajra-moon is the moon of wisdom, the excellent moon. It is stainless, having abandoned all conceptual constructions. Its light is that which illuminates the three worlds; it is just so. The meaning of the two lines is the union of the three: the sun and moon, Rāhu and fire, and the dust and the fluid, as well as mind and wisdom. It is the nature of that which is free from attachment—the characteristic of being free from desire—and so forth, the great passion, the coemergent nature, the fourth; it is the essence of that.
That light which is the blazing of various colors, the manifold colors that destroy the fear of conceptual construction, is the "light of various blazing colors." This also comes from the mouth of the Guru. As it is said:
"Having seen the Body, at the time of each sun, one should thoroughly restrain the vital winds. As long as one revolves, one will see the wheel of light rays revolving within one's own body. In six months, the mind of those diligent in the path will become the equal bliss free from touch. In the moment that reaches the extremes of passion and dispassion, the number of the pervasive lord's winds increases. Until the blazing of Oḍḍiyāna, the special joy and the coemergent [joy] are in the center of wisdom and consciousness. Between sleep and the state of being drowsy, whatever bliss arises from the union of the two—the vajra and the lotus—that should be made to increase. Through the empowerment of the Guru's certainty, there is no wonder in its increase here. Having conquered the Māras of the afflictions, one enters the Lord of Victors; through the yoga of the years, this is the supreme yoga."
Thus it is said. Also, from the Stainless Light: "Passion is the fifteen parts of the white side of bodhicitta. Dispassion is the fifteen parts of the black side. In the center of that is the sixteenth part, the coemergent joy, which is the perfect gathering and union of all elements."
That which abides at the tip of the vajra of the Perfect Buddha, through the cessation of the flow in the left and right apertures of the vajra posture, is just so.
The Buddha is the indestructible sound that pervades the three realms. Because he holds that very dharma, he is the "Buddha who perfectly expresses the dharma." Alternatively, he is the holder of the drops of the body, speech, mind, and wisdom, for it is said: "From the vajra posture, one should view the mind as having entered within the jewel." The Buddha is non-conceptual wisdom. Because that very [wisdom] is unstained by the impurities of the latencies of the afflictions and because it has the aspect of great bliss, it is the "Lotus Mahāmudrā." Because he is born from that, he is the "Lotus-born Buddha." For that very reason, he is "Glorious." The wisdom that is to be personally realized as the nature of all aspects is the "Omniscient Wisdom." Because all phenomena are contained within it, it is a "Treasury." Because he holds that, he is the "Holder of the Treasury of Omniscient Wisdom." Because he is beautiful through the very light of wisdom, he is the "King." Upon the aspect of the vowel a, the nature of the half-moon above the bindu—which is the essence of the indestructible bodhicitta of bliss endowed with the nāda—is manifold; the manner of assuming the enjoyment of the five sensory qualities and so forth through the māyā is likewise. Because he holds the characteristics of the four drops of the Buddha-vidyāmantra, he is the "Buddha who holds the vidyāmantra." For that very reason, he is "Great."
Because its essence, which has reached the point between the eyebrows and is free from stains, is the nature of coemergent wisdom (jñāna), it is the "Sharp Vajra" (vajratīkṣṇa). Because it cuts through conceptual construction (kalpa) by its nature of being a concordant cause, it is the "Great Sword" (mahākhadga). Because all phenomena are of a single taste by its nature of being a ripened result, it is the "Supreme Syllable" (varṇottama). Because it is the nature of the activity of a person (puruṣakāra), it is "Pure" (viśuddha). That which cuts through suffering by means of the truth of the Mahāyāna path is likewise so. That which possesses the great weapon of the Dharma of Vajradharma, the wisdom of reality (tattva), is likewise so. That which is the nature of insight (prajñā) free from conceptual constructions such as grasping at the profound Vajra of authentic wisdom is likewise so. Regarding the etymology of Jina-jik as "Victor over the Victors" (Jina), such as Akṣobhya and others: it means the essence of realizing the stainless, non-apparent mind. Because the Vajra path is non-leaking, it is "Vajra Intelligence" (vajramati). Because the nature of the result has become manifest, it "knows the object as it is." Having previously explained the equipment of wisdom (jñānasaṃbhāra), now the equipment of merit (puṇyasaṃbhāra) will be described: because it brings to completion the perfections (pāramitā) such as generosity previously explained, it is "Complete in All Perfections" (sarvapāramitāparipūri). Because it is the ornament of the stages (bhūmi) previously explained, it is "Possessing the Ornament of All Stages" (sarvabhūmivibhūṣaṇa).
Through the characteristic of realizing the pure phenomena and so forth, the selfless phenomena are rendered non-apparent; this is the essence of the nature of phenomena (dharmatā), which is naturally luminous (prabhāsvara). That which perfectly generates it is the moon of authentic wisdom (jñāna), the moon of innate joy (sahajānanda); that which possesses the excellent light of that [moon] in the form of great bliss is described as such. That which, through the single union of moon and sun, perfectly strives to manifest the Māyājāla as the reality of great bliss in the three worlds is the Great Striver (mahāvīrya), the Māyājāla. "All tantras" refers to the great tantras such as the Yoga Tantras and so forth. Because it is the very subject to be taught by those alone, it is the Lord of all tantras, and that is supreme. By the complete cessation of the upward-moving and downward-clearing winds, one becomes non-dual; the absorption (samādhi) of vajra nature possesses the entire seat, and thus it is the Vajra Seat, the seat of all without exception. Holding the supreme non-dual wisdom body (jñānakāya) of all Buddhas without exception is "holding the wisdom body of all without exception." That which is the wisdom of innate joy, the Samantabhadra, through the reality of the clear signs such as smoke and so forth, is likewise. Because all conceptualization is absent, one attains perfect awakening; that which possesses the excellent intelligence in the form of emptiness is likewise. Since the word "earth" (bhūmi) symbolizes the five elements, the "Heart of Earth" (Kṣitigarbha) is the cause; the Heart of Earth is the drop (bindu) of innate joy.
For that very reason, it sustains the world, for it is the basis of all beings. Because it is the cause of birth for all buddhas—that is, for those who practice the six-limbed yoga residing in the three times—it is the heart mantra of all buddhas. It is the great coemergent bodhicitta-vajra. It is the emanation that radiates the worldly and transcendent deities; it is the maṇḍala of the various cakras. To hold that is to hold the emanation-cakra, which is the meaning of holding the body, speech, and mind of the outer and inner self, wherein the two—semen and ovum—have become blended into one. It is the nature of all things, the pure wisdom-body of the Tathāgata. Since it is both this and supreme, it is the supreme nature of all things. Having become non-dual with both the dharma and sambhogakāya, it holds the selflessness that is the nature of all things characterized by emanation; thus, it holds the nature of all things. That which is the suchness of phenomena—unborn and without intrinsic nature—is just so. One should desire to accomplish the various aims. Because it holds the knowledge of the actual nature of all phenomena, such as the aggregates, elements, and sense bases, it is the holder of the nature of all phenomena. It is the meaning of possessing a mind in which the twenty-one thousand six hundred winds of great insight have dissolved into a single great bliss.
The joy that has passed the fourth moment is the single characteristic of the coemergent body in which the four joys have become one. It is the non-dual awakening. By this, the Blessed One, the glorious Mañjuśrī, is the fourth joy. As it is said:
"Washed clean by the flowing vajra seed,
The sprout of the water-offering element flourishes.
The fourth, most luminous, is profound even for the wise;
The fourth brings the harvest to full maturity."
Thus it is taught. Because he holds the realization in which all phenomena—that is, all breaths—are understood and dissolved into a single bliss, he is the "Holder of the Realization of All Phenomena." All phenomena are the realization of the direct perception of rajas, tamas, and sattva. That which arises from the coemergent moon is suchness. It is the perfect truth, suchness itself. Its culmination is the state of the final fruit. Because he has realized it exactly as it is, he is the "Sage of the Perfect Limit." This is because bliss is realized at the tip of the supreme vajra. Because he is being satiated by coemergent bliss, he is "Immovable." Because he is immovable through the clarity of meditative absorption, he is "of the nature of utter lucidity." The mind that has entered within the vajra-jewel is the Perfect Buddha. His awakening is the wisdom of bliss. To hold that is suchness.
The innate wisdom to be personally realized is the most exquisite, supreme, and direct perception of all the Buddhas residing in the three times. The flame of wisdom is naturally luminous; the light of this non-referential wisdom is intensely radiant, illuminating the infinite and boundless Buddha-fields. This is the explanation of the discriminating wisdom through forty-two verses, by means of the purification of the sixfold set: the aggregates, elements, faculties, objects, the faculties of action, and the activities of the faculties of action, rendered free of obscuration within the seven locations from the crown protuberance (uṣṇīṣa) down to the tip of the jewel.
Now, through the phrase "accomplishing the desired object" and so forth, the innate wisdom itself is taught by way of the wisdom of equality, the essence of Ratnasambhava, which is the aggregate of feeling free of obscuration. Because it is the form of the supreme, unchanging wisdom that fulfills all intentions, it is the "desired object" (kāma-artha); since it is both the desire and the object, it is the "desired object." Its accomplishment is the act of perfecting that. It is "sublime" because it transcends the three drops contained within the vajra and lotus. It is the purifier of all the negative tendencies of saṃsāra and the lower realms, unifying them into great bliss. It is the wisdom body (jñānakāya), the supreme of all bodies, speech, and minds of sentient beings. For that very reason, it is the protector of those who are protectorless.
By the very blossoming of the lotus of Mahāmudrā, all sentient beings are thoroughly liberated. Because the afflictions of the conduct of all sentient beings are severed by the weapon of authentic wisdom, he is the Hero who is non-dual in the battle against the afflictions. The other arrangement of terms is for the sake of the scriptures. Ignorance, which is lack of knowledge, is the enemy because it bestows the suffering of transmigration. Its arrogance has overflowed outwardly. Because it causes that [arrogance] to be without appearance, it "subdues the arrogance of the enemy of ignorance." Because even the mere mind is abandoned, one is "wise" due to being free from the afflictions and secondary afflictions. The "coquettish" is the fluid of innate joy, symbolized by the nature of phenomena (dharmatā). Because he holds that, he is "so" (tathā). Because the stream of bodhicitta descending from the crown has made the entire body radiant, he possesses the excellence of the mundane and supramundane, and is thus "Glorious" (Śrī). Because method is the limb of compassion, it is the heroic expression; because insight is the limb of emptiness itself, it is the expression of the unattractive. The essence of the non-duality of these two is great bliss, which is the "form of the hero and the unattractive"; to hold that is "so" (tathā). The "hands" are the two channels of the life-sustaining and downward-clearing winds. Because they are infinite through the divisions of the shifting of the ten maṇḍalas in the left and right nostrils, they are "seals" (mudrā). Their movement is the entry [of the winds] into the central channel, which is the collection of winds in the state of the "vase-like" [breathing].
By that step, the state of great bliss is attained, which causes the powers to dissolve. Dancing there or by means of that, whatever possesses the blossoming of bliss is thus. It is the glorious assembly of winds transformed into the supreme unchanging. It is the glorious hundred hands that consume that, the wisdom body. Whatever is the vastness and full expansion of this is thus. Because all things are realized as the nature of emptiness, it pervades space; that which is firmly established in dancing with great bliss within that pervasion is explained as such. The extent of the four mandalas of the earth, abiding at the tip of the vajra-jewel below the navel, belongs to whatever is the dust and bodhicitta; that is thus. Having removed the syllable, the teaching is given because it is the sacred tradition. Alternatively, "earth" is emptiness; because it holds the seed of the fluid, its mandala should be joined with the term "heart." Having pressed down and stabilized with the form of the non-dual firmly established on the two soles of the feet, it is realized. The toenails, through the sequence of reversal, reach the uṣṇīṣa, the bodhicitta connected to the vajra. Abiding in the non-dual union of those two is the extent. The realm of Brahmā is the peak of the earth, the Brahma-aperture. That which presses upon it is this. As it is said: "One foot is the dust of the vajra-jewel, the sun; the second is the fluid at the crown, the moon."
"Always an array, indivisible and inseparable, the Lord of Desire; I prostrate with my head to the one worshipped by the three worlds." Thus it is said.
The Lord is the essence of the glorious Kālacakra, the Vajra of Bodhicitta. Because he is to be traversed and realized, he is unchanging wisdom (jñāna). In order to negate ignorance (avidyā), he presses down with the sole of one right foot the ground of non-abiding nirvāṇa at the vajra-jewel, filling the expanse of the four solar earth-maṇḍalas with the element of wisdom.
The second foot, the left, presses down from the crown of the head (uṣṇīṣa) upon the realm of Brahmā, the ground of the tip of the big toe. This is the nature of consciousness (vijñāna-dhātu), the essence of the moon—the semen that has transcended [the body] and arises as the previously desired portion at the toenail. Because he is always beyond the obscurations of the afflictions (kleśāvaraṇa) throughout the three times, he cannot be cut by the curved knife of ignorance and lack of knowledge. Because he has transcended the nature of consciousness, he is indivisible from the peak of subject and object. Because he is the essence of great bliss (mahāsukha), he is the "Desire." Because he has completed his task, he abides as the jewel on dry land. Because he has transcended worldly conduct, he is worshipped by the three worlds and abides at the crown of the head at the far shore of saṃsāra.
Also, from the Śrī-Ādibuddha: "The fire of prāṇa and āyāma melts the moon; the drink is the wine of the drink. It goes from the big toe joint to the crown of the head; by the power of the lunar dates, the end of the full moon is one's own mind."
From the uṣṇīṣa they return to the big toes, reaching the end of the dark fortnight. This conduct of the yoginī bestows the accomplishment of desire at the proper time each day and night. Thus it is said.
Because there is no division in the ultimate essence, it is a single meaning. Because the moon and sun have entered the central channel, the two phenomena do not exist; thus, it is the meaning of the full moon of the non-dual wisdom of phenomena (dharmajñāna). Because all doubts are destroyed, it is the ultimate meaning (paramārtha). Because it is the essence of the bindu of concentration (dhyāna) equal to space, there is no fear. Like space, by the essence of the nature of phenomena (dharmatā), one will see the Blessed Lady, the meaning of the peerless phenomena that are the essence of the ālaya, the afflicted mind (kliṣṭamanas), the functioning consciousnesses (pravṛttivijñāna), and so forth. This is the object of the various forms of cognition.
By the very clearing away of all the darkness of conceptualization, one possesses the mind and the continuum of consciousness that is the essence of the continuum of compassion—the mind that is "mindless." This is the meaning of the innate (sahaja) state in which all things without exception have become manifest. From that comes this joy, the peerless joy. As it is said:
"This very object is the moment of the fivefold engagement of the mind; this very power of the senses, possessed of attachment, is the seed for the proliferation of afflictions. By the power of touching the dust of the feet of the sublime guru, these very things become the essence for me; that very nectar flows daily—homage is due to it!"
Thus it is said. By realizing the suchness that is the nature of all phenomena, one delights in emptiness. Because it does not fall into the two extremes, it is the supreme intellect. Because it is naturally free from attachment, aversion, and the attachment of the middle way, the desire for existence and so forth are abandoned. This is the great joy of the reality in which the three realms of body, speech, and mind are merged into one; it is a great joy that is not of the nature of ordinary pleasure. Because it is white like the autumn moon and because it is the essence of all the pure elements, it is white like a pure white cloud. Because it is the very nature of Vajrasattva, it is pure, being free from the stains of ignorance. Because even the slightest habitual tendencies are absent, it is like the excellent light of the autumn moon; that which possesses this is suchness. From the passion of great passion, through the power of the union of the upward-moving life-force and the downward-clearing wind, the mind of that nature appears like the rising sun. Therefore, it possesses the lovely beauty of the rising sun’s maṇḍala, or it is because it is completely embraced by the rays of the coemergent inner heat (caṇḍālī). Because great bliss pervades from the big toe to the nails, this king of bodhicitta possesses the appearance of light that is intensely red between the nails, pervaded by bliss. Because the utterly pure coemergent sapphire is transferred, the sapphire is the bodhicitta. Its peak is great bliss.
This is the light of his excellent, supreme crown; it is just so. By having made the nature of crookedness free from obscuration, the non-dual mind of Vajradhara, possessing great dark-blue hair, completely fills the entire body. Because it arises from the wind at the heart, it is dark blue; thus, it is held as the uṣṇīṣa. This is the meaning of the statement: "As long as space exists, one apprehends the dharma of great bliss." Because it arises from the maṇḍala of the earth, it is intensely red; yet because it is yellow, it is like a great jewel, or rather, it is the reverse: the radiant glory of great bliss arising from the great jewel. Thus it is said: "Yellow bliss, red bliss, black bliss, white bliss, green bliss—all bliss, the great form of bliss." Therefore, it is said that the three worlds are the essence of the Bhagavān of great bliss. The emanation of the Buddha, the nature of all dharmas as bliss, is the very essence of the Buddha; this is the ornament of whatever is emanated. This is the nature of his compassion for the infinite world-realms, through the transference of coemergent great bliss. The reason the sound "nu" is not applied is because it is a technical term (śāstra). By ceasing attachment and detachment, the body, speech, mind, and wisdom radiate, and because all aspirations are completely fulfilled, he possesses the great power of the bases of miraculous power (ṛddhipāda). [Regarding] entities and...
Because it possesses the suchness of the essence of the single non-entity, its dissolution into emptiness endowed with the supreme of all aspects is "great mindfulness." Because one holds that, one "possesses great mindfulness." Because it is beautified by the four absorptions of laughing, gazing, holding hands, and the embrace of the two, it is the "Victorious One of the four mindfulnesses" (absorptions). Because the six Tathāgatas, Vairocana and the rest, have become merged into one with great bliss, they are of the nature of the seven [repetitions].
Because of having consumed and drunk the six tastes of food, drink, and so forth, and because of being transformed into the sevenfold nature of the essence of marrow, blood, flesh, skin, channels, bones, and bone-marrow through the process of ripening and flowing, it is thus: "He whose great bliss is expanded by the incense called the 'Flower of the Seven Drops of the Branches of Awakening' is such." The meaning of "the seventh should also be consumed and not allowed to leak" is precisely this. As it is said:
"The aggregates, elements, and so forth are burned; the five maṇḍalas flow; the objects and faculties cease; and all joys and so forth are generated. The syllable Haṃ, the moon-drop, perfectly abiding at the crown, drips. From the moon at the forehead to the sun, from there it comes to Rāhu at the throat, enters the caṇḍālī at the navel, and then reaches the secret cakra. Having fallen here into the secret cakra..."
This is explained as the great cattle: the channels below the trident. The apertures of the three channel-petals are shown. The seventh birth itself is the Lord (Īśvara), the bestower of the accomplishment of the sky-farer (khecarī). The Victorious One (Jina) removes disease. The aggregates and elements become ablaze; it bestows the state of a universal monarch (cakravartin). Having slain the objects and the senses, it possesses qualities such as lightness and bestows the state of a sky-farer. Through the sequence of waking and so forth, it swiftly bestows buddhahood itself. Just as mercury is bound externally, so too is this essence of primordial wisdom (jñāna-rasa); it bestows the accomplishment of lightness that removes all suffering. In this way, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Śiva, by falling into the secret wheel, bestow a vast lifespan. As long as the oblation flows down, Rāhu is said to be the cattle above. The moon and the sun are the great cattle; falling from the aperture of Brahmā, by eating them, the supreme fruit of liberation is bestowed. Likewise, blood, sinews, and marrow should be extracted with effort. This is to be known as the cattle; it is not something else external to the embodied being. The seven births are the cattle; they are the supreme Lord of all. Listen as I explain how there are seven births in the body. By eating and drinking all six flavors, through the process of ripening, the essence itself is produced. That is the first birth; thereafter it becomes blood. Clearly, it becomes the second; the third becomes flesh itself.
"Fourth, it becomes skin; fifth, it becomes the channels; sixth, it becomes bone; seventh, it becomes marrow. It undergoes these transformations up to seven times," so it is said. Suchness is the source of phenomena, the avadhūtī. Because all the qualities of the Sugatas arise therein, by the cessation of the ten winds, such as the life-sustaining wind, the ten grounds and the depths of the ground culminating in the Samantaprabhā are attained. That itself is an ocean of qualities, because the mind, which relies upon all the grounds, performs various benefits for sentient beings. By entering the center of the maṇḍala of space, the eight maṇḍalas of the vital winds flowing through the left and right nostrils enter the central channel. The method for this is through the instructions of the guru, such as the branch of withdrawal (pratyāhāra).
Knowledge is likewise. The perfectly awakened one is self-arisen wisdom. The path to that is the wisdom of the dharmadhātu, and it is "likewise" because it is for the sake of manifesting that. Because the emanation body (nirmāṇakāya), inseparable from the dharmakāya, never abandons the welfare of all sentient beings, it is "likewise" in terms of ripening and so forth for all beings. Because it is free from the clouds of conceptual thought, it is like space. Because its nature is emptiness, it is without attachment. Because it is the natural luminosity and brings suchness to mind, it is "likewise" in entering the minds of all sentient beings.
Because he appears to all sentient beings in the nature of Vajradhara and so forth, according to the power of their own inclinations, he is as swift as the minds of all sentient beings. The knowledge of the absorption of great, indestructible bliss—whether with elaboration, without elaboration, or the mode of dull, middling, and sharp faculties of all sentient beings—is likewise. Because he robs the conceptual minds of all sentient beings and renders them without intrinsic nature, he is the "stealer of the minds of all sentient beings." The meaning of the five aggregates is the suchness of the entire assembly of Tathāgatas, which is entered by the ultimate vajra; because he knows that, he is "likewise." As it is said: "The mirror-like [wisdom] resides in the aggregate of form; the earth element and the eye faculty, as well as form, are the fifth; they are perfectly endowed with the wrathful Maitreya," and so forth. Because he holds the five aggregates, which are pure by nature as they arise from the clear light, he is the "holder of the five pure aggregates." Because he abides in the absorption of union, the culmination of all renunciations, he is "likewise." Because he realizes the inexpressible bliss of selflessness, he is "skilled in all renunciations." Although he is without attachment due to the very jewel of great bliss, because he abides in the paths of the hearers and so forth through the power of great compassion, he "abides in the paths of all renunciations." The dharmadhātu is the renunciation of all things within the qualities of the body of great bliss.
He is the Teacher because he teaches without conceptualization. Through the cessation of the twelve links of dependent origination, such as ignorance and so forth, or through the great bliss of the sacred sites, secondary sites, and so on, he has uprooted the twelve links of existence. As it is said:
"The other site is wisdom,
The self-site is said to be method.
The non-dual reality of these two
Abides as the 'yogic site.'
That very site is born from that;
That which is free from it
Is renowned as the 'coemergent.'
It is the sphere of experience beyond the path of speech."
Alternatively, the "other site" is the secret lotus of the woman, and the "secondary site" is the vajra itself within the samaya. The fields, the seven, the assembly, the cremation ground, and the earth—all of these are likewise contained within the fingers and toes of the hands and feet, reaching to the joints.
Because he holds the twelve sense bases free from the aspects of subject and object, he holds the twelve aspects of purity. He is the one for whom all these are non-dual and possess the nature of the two: the cessation of the nature of body, speech, and mind that has entered the maṇḍala of wisdom—free from the suffering and pleasure of ordinary conceptualization and the origin of the fourth [state]—and the path of seeing all beings as the Buddha’s body within the appearances of one’s own mind, free from apprehension. He is the one who possesses the fourfold variety of aspects.
Because he holds the eight wisdoms of the four types of great joy, such as the concordant cause and so forth, he "possesses the realization of the eight cognitions." Since each of the moments—the concordant cause, the ripening, the human effort, and the stainless—is threefold, there are twelve aspects. Because he possesses these through the division of conventional and ultimate truths, he "possesses the twelve aspects of the truth."
In that regard, the first three are of the nirmāṇakāya through the division of the concordant causes of the isolation of body, speech, and mind. The second three are of the saṃbhogakāya through the division of the ripening of appearance, individual appearance, and the absence of natural appearance. The third three are of the dharmakāya through the division of the ripening of the mind, mental factors, and freedom from the stains of ignorance. The fourth three are of the jñānakāya through the division of the stainless joy, special joy, and coemergent joy.
Because the dust is ceased through the exhaustion of the vital breath, or because the sixteen parts of the seminal fluid are ceased, he is likewise "one who knows the sixteen aspects of reality." Because the twelve zodiac signs, such as Aries and Taurus, are ceased, or because the twelve grounds are attained, he "possesses the twelve aspects of the truth." Because the sixteen parts of saṃsāra are exhausted, or because of immutability, he "knows the sixteen aspects of reality." Through the very meditation on the six branches of yoga, the pure avadhūtī is purified, and thus the five aggregates, the five elements, the five faculties, and—
Because of the realization of the aspect of the complete purity of the five sense bases, there is awakening through twenty aspects. Because ignorance has ceased, one is fully awakened. Because one realizes the nature of a buddha within the entire collection of phenomena, one is the supreme knower of all. Because all nirvāṇas have become one, the immeasurable nirmāṇakāyas of the buddhas are emitted in a single instant as the very great bliss of the city of phenomena and the collection of winds; therefore, it is so. By this, the absence of marks is taught. Because each and every wind of all winds is transformed into great bliss, all instants are clearly realized. Because the mental instants of all sentient beings are known as the very great aspect, it is so. Because one causes the welfare of beings to be realized as great bliss through the various vehicles, the methods, the four branches, the six branches, the application of the bindu, and so forth, it is so. Because the body, speech, and mind of the wisdom body itself emerge, it is the emergence of the three vehicles. The single vehicle, without a second, is the aspect of the result, the syllable Ha, and one abides therein. Because ignorance has been utterly destroyed, the self of the pure elements is that which belongs to the self of the pure afflictive elements. Those afflictive elements are eighteen: bone, skin, flesh, blood, sinew, marrow, fat, semen, phlegm, feces, urine, saliva, mucus, spleen, and liver.
[These are] the impurities, the stains, and what are called the body hairs. Because there is no conceptualization of merit or sin, the elements of action are exhausted. Because all natures have ceased and one has reached the far shore of primordial wisdom (jñāna), one has crossed over all the rivers and oceans. That nature also consists of: detachment, moderate detachment, and extreme detachment; the mind; coming and going; sorrow, moderate sorrow, and extreme sorrow; peace; conceptualization; fear; craving, moderate craving, and extreme craving; grasping; freedom from virtue; hunger; thirst; feeling, moderate feeling, and extreme feeling; the knowledge of the Vedas; apprehension; abiding; discernment; shame; compassion; loving-kindness, moderate loving-kindness, and extreme loving-kindness; satisfaction; accumulation; and avarice—these are the thirty-three moments of the primordial wisdom of insight (prajñā-jñāna). [Then there are]: desire, attachment, delight, moderate delight, and extreme delight; joy, great joy, wonder, laughter, embracing, kissing, sucking, stability, diligence, pride, acting, seizing, strength, enthusiasm, rashness, moderate rashness, and supreme rashness; ferocity; coquetry; resentment; virtue; clarity of speech; truth; certainty; and lack of grasping.
The forty moments—namely, the giver himself, incitement, heroism, lack of shame, deceit, wickedness, guile, and crookedness—belong to the wisdom of method. The seven moments—namely, middling desire, forgetfulness, confusion, silence, exhaustion, laziness, and stupidity—belong to the wisdom of the attainment of appearance. These also become one hundred and sixty as they abide throughout day and night. Because all conceptual constructions are endured, they arise from the forest of application; they are merely the meditative attainment of the wisdom of application, for the forest is difficult to realize. That which has permanently abandoned the afflictions and secondary afflictions, such as ignorance along with their habitual tendencies, is suchness. The Great Seal (Mahāmudrā) accomplished through the six branches of application is insight; because the great compassion that has become non-dual with that [insight] acts for the benefit of beings through indestructible and unceasing bliss, it is suchness. Because there is no perception of meditative attainment and so forth, all perceptions are abandoned. Because it is free from the grasping of consciousness and even external objects, it is suchness. For that very reason, because it is the mere nature of phenomena (dharmatā) without a location, it brings about cessation. Because it perfectly arises through the non-conceptual application of the minds of all sentient beings, it possesses the mental domain of all beings; or alternatively, it is not an object and not a domain of activity.
For that very reason, it is the awareness of the minds of all sentient beings. Because the essence of the dharmadhātu appears within the minds of all sentient beings, it is said to "abide" in that way. It attains entry into the essence of suchness in accordance with the minds of those sentient beings, because all things are without distinction in the essence of the dharmatā. Because the wisdom of great bliss (mahāsukha) arises by reversing all distortions, it satisfies the minds of all sentient beings. Because it is the essence of the joy of untainted bliss, it delights the minds of all sentient beings. Because it is established as the ultimate essence, which is supreme and free from the extremes of existence and non-existence, it is the final consummation. Because it is free from the delusions of a person (pudgala) and so forth, it is without error. Because it is free from the imagined (parikalpita), the dependent (paratantra), and the thoroughly established (pariniṣpanna), it has completely abandoned all mistakes. The three objects are the three objects of the nature of bliss to be accomplished through insight. Because it teaches the unerring suchness to sentient beings through the thorough knowledge of mundane and supramundane tenets, it is a mind free from doubt. Because it is the essence of all stable and moving entities without exception, it is the "object of all." Because it is the nature of the single quality of stainless rajas, tamas, and sattva, it is the "self of the three qualities." Because the five aggregates are clearly manifested through the self-consecration of the six branches of yoga, the "meaning of the five aggregates" is the Buddha.
Permanence.
By its very nature, throughout the three times, it transforms every moment of the winds of conceptual thought into great bliss through differentiation; such is the case. By the very moment of the fourth [empowerment], it is inseparable from all phenomena, the perfect Buddha known as Samantabhadra, the Knower of Awareness. Therefore, it "holds the nature of all Buddhas," which means it maintains the coemergent. By reaching the wheel of the jewel at the uṣṇīṣa, it is "bodiless," meaning the bodiless vajra body of the dharmadhātu. Because it is the essence of the accumulation of bliss, it belongs to that which is the supreme body; such is the case. By means of great bliss itself, it reveals the limit of the body; because it emanates, it is the "revealer of the limit of the body." For that very reason, it displays various forms in accordance with the inclinations of those to be trained. Because it abides in the great jewel, it is the "Great Jewel." For the sake of transforming all great beings, it is the "Jewel Crest" (Ratnaketu), the crest adorned with the jewel of bliss. These are the twenty-four verses of the wisdom of equality, purified by the cessation of the twelve links of dependent origination and the attainment of the twelve grounds.
Now, by means of fifteen verses of the all-accomplishing wisdom, that very wisdom of supreme immutability is taught in the manner of Amoghasiddhi, the aggregate of formations free from obscuration. It is the nature of authentic wisdom, the direct realization to be understood by all Buddhas residing in the three times.
This concludes the statement, "That very reality is the wisdom body of Mañjuśrī." As it is said:
"Awakening depends upon you;
You are the father who perceives all.
You are the source and that which will arise—
Thus have the Tathāgatas taught."
Because it is the essential nature that realizes the intrinsic nature of body, speech, and mind, the non-dual glory alone is the awakening of a Buddha. Because it is the essence of the fourth manifest complete awakening, it is unsurpassed. Because the Blessed One alone is the cause and the source of the worldly and other mantras through the very arrangement of the coemergent, it is so. Because it is the supreme unchanging nature of the dharmadhātu, which lacks the relationship between the expressed and the expresser, it is "without letters." This is the meaning of being beyond expression such as form, qualities, and so forth.
Because it is to be personally realized through the unchanging states of exhaling, filling, and the vase-breath, it is the nature of the great mantra, the third family, whose essence consists of the joy, supreme joy, and special joy of body, speech, and mind. It is thus. Because the worldly mantras characterized by expressions such as pacifying and enriching, and the supramundane mantras consisting of the bindu and nāda through the application of the supreme unchanging, are the very objects to be accomplished, that is the meaning. The meaning of the Great Seal (Mahāmudrā), which is the meaning of all mantras, is the producer of that which is to be produced.
The ten classes of syllables—A, Ka, Ca, Ṭa, Ta, Pa, Ya, Śa, Ṣa, and Kṣa—along with Oṃ, are the ten winds, such as the life-sustaining wind and so forth. Because they flow into the central channel and become one, they dissolve into the entire body; thus, they are the Great Drop, the Blessed One. Because it is the ultimate nature, it is the syllableless, supreme unchanging bliss, the wisdom of Vajrasattva.
As it is said in the Root Tantra:
"Because it is the refuge of the elements of body, speech, and mind,
The meaning of mantra, by the sound of mantra,
Is the unchanging wisdom of emptiness.
Mantra arises from merit and wisdom;
It is the essence of emptiness and compassion."
In the center are the aggregate of wisdom and the aggregate of consciousness, the element of wisdom and the element of space, the mind and the ear, sound and the element of phenomena, the supreme faculty and the bhaga, and the essences of the emission of water and the emission of semen. These, being unobscured, are free from the apprehension of their respective objects. They become of one taste, merging into one. This is the first syllable of emptiness, to be personally realized by the yogi. It is the characteristic of not being non-existent; it is the indestructible syllable A, an emptiness that is a mere stroke, inexpressible, in the form of a curved knife.
From the indestructible sign of the central channel, in the east are the aggregate of formations, the element of wind, the nose, the tangible, and the faculty of speech.
The falling of excrement, which has become unified, is the letter E in the form of a staff, the second empty letter. To the right of the indestructible sign of the central channel, the aggregate of feeling, the fire element, the eye, taste, the hand, and the act of going—these, being unobscured, are the two drops of the empty letter Ṛ, the third empty letter. To the left of the indestructible sign of the central channel, the aggregate of perception, the water element, the tongue, form, the foot, and the act of taking—these, being unobscured, are the inexpressible single drop in the form of the empty letter U, the fourth great empty letter. To the west of the indestructible sign of the central channel, the aggregate of form, the earth element, the body faculty, smell, the anus, and the act of speaking—these, having become unified in the state of equal taste, are the letter LṚ in the form of Ha, the fifth empty letter. Thus, the five letters in the form of Baṃ are the great emptiness, the nature of non-apprehending compassion, transcending the nature of subtle particles, equal to a reflected image in a mirror, and the object of realization for the yogi. Its support, the form of the source of phenomena (dharmodaya) in the shape of E, the nature of the emptiness of all aspects, is the empty drop, the sixth letter. Likewise, the aggregate of consciousness, the space element, the ear, the phenomena element, the bhaga, and—
The emission of semen, free from obscuration, is the first empty drop: the inexpressible consonant ka, the nature of the ka-class, situated upon the sign of the indestructible central channel, the emptiness previously explained. To the east of the eastern sign, the aggregate of perception, the wind element, the nose faculty, tactile objects, speech, and the emission of feces—all these, free from obscuration, are the second empty drop: the inexpressible consonant ca, the nature of the ca-class, the all-empty. To the right of the right sign, the aggregate of feeling, the fire element, the eye, tastes, the hand faculty, and movement—all these, free from obscuration, are the third empty drop: the inexpressible consonant ṭa, the nature of the ṭa-class, the emptiness of all aspects. To the left of the left sign, the aggregate of perception, the water element, the tongue, forms, the foot faculty, and grasping—all these, free from obscuration, are the fourth empty drop: the inexpressible consonant pa, the nature of the pa-class. To the west of the western sign, the aggregate of form, the earth element, the body faculty, odors, the faculty of action, and expression—all these, free from obscuration, are the fifth empty drop: the inexpressible consonant ta, the nature of the ta-class. Below the sign of the indestructible central channel is the aggregate of wisdom.
The element of wisdom, the mind, sound, the supreme faculty, and the emission of fluid—these, entirely free from obscuration, are the sixth empty drop, the nature of the class of the earth element, the inexpressible consonant, the empty drop. Thus, the six letters of the empty drop are the source of phenomena, the form of the Vajra-holder E, emptiness together with apprehension, having the nature of a reflected image. Their five letters of great emptiness are to be called the collection of vowels, the semen, and the moon; the six letters of the empty drop are called the collection of consonants, the dust, and the sun. Here too, the semen and the moon are the Vaṃ form, the vajra. The dust and the sun are the E form, the lotus. The oneness of this vajra and lotus is called Vajrasattva. The vajra is the wisdom of supreme bliss, the semen. The sattva is the form of insight, the aspect of all; the oneness of wisdom and consciousness, blessed and free from obscuration, the suchness that acts for the benefit of beings, is Vajrasattva. These should be understood as they are taught in the extensive commentary, the Stainless Light. "Endowed with all aspects and devoid of aspects" is the explanation of the cause: whatever objects such as vases are seen through withdrawal, appearing clearly like a reflected image, are "endowed with all aspects," because they are seen by a direct perception that is free from conceptualization and non-erroneous.
It is without aspects, transcending the nature of subtle particles, and because it is free from conceptual construction, it is to be realized by the eye—whether covered or uncovered. Thus, the cause is endowed with all aspects yet is without aspects; it is the Great Perfection of Wisdom, the emptiness endowed with the supreme of all aspects. The supreme result born from that is the unchanging bliss that holds the sixteen half-drops; this is called the great wisdom-gnosis of the Tathāgatas. As it is said: "The cause is emptiness endowed with the supreme of all aspects from the very beginning; having made it non-apprehensive, the subsequent performance of the welfare of beings is the result."
Regarding the sixteen parts, half of them are eight, and half of those are the four drops. Because it holds the four states of body, speech, mind, and gnosis—namely, the waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and fourth states—it is said to "hold the sixteen half-drops." This is the meaning of Vajrasattva, the Great Passionate One who maintains the four samayas. It is "without limbs," being free from the fifteen parts of the white lunar fortnight; it abides at the end of those, at the end of the full moon of the white fortnight. That which transcends calculation is the first day of the black lunar fortnight. Not entering into that is "transcending calculation," which is the meaning of the coemergent. "The pinnacle of the fourth concentration" refers to the concentration of the bliss of joy, which is the first; the concentration of the bliss of supreme joy, which is the second.
The concentration of the bliss of special joy is the third. The concentration of the bliss of coemergent joy is the fourth. On the fifth day, the tenth day, the full moon, and at the end of the full moon, the concentration of supreme unchanging bliss abides in the drop; its peak is the state of being completely filled with the supreme portion of bliss. Because he holds that, he "holds the peak of the fourth concentration."
"Knowledge is the arising of wisdom; investigation is its application. The third is like joy; the fourth is the gathering of bliss. The fifth is the constant appearance, like a cloudless sky." Because he thoroughly knows all five branches of concentration, he is "one who knows all branches of concentration." Because he knows the collection of absorptions such as the equality of all phenomena and the powers of awareness, he is "one who knows absorption" and "one who knows the tantras."
The body of absorption is the dharmakāya. This alone is the supreme of the saṃbhogakāya and nirmāṇakāya; such is the case. Because the saṃbhogakāya, inseparable from the dharmakāya, is beautiful in the midst of the entire assembly, he is the "King of all saṃbhogakāyas." Because the nirmāṇakāya, which possesses spontaneous accomplishment and the nature of various benefits for beings, is the supreme among other emanations, it is the "supreme body." Because he holds the tantras of the three families with their natures, the five families, and so forth, as the luminosity itself, he is "such."
He is such because he emanates and radiates various manifestations throughout the ten directions. He acts for the benefit of beings exactly as they are, because he accomplishes the welfare of migratory beings according to their own nature. He is the Lord of Gods because the very nature of Viṣṇu is pervaded by the vajra of the mind of clear light. He is the God of Gods because the very nature of Brahmā is the body of the essence of great passion. He is the Lord of Asuras because the nature of the powerful one is the movement within the jewel and the uṣṇīṣa. He is the Lord of Asuras because the nature of Rāhu is the attainment of the nectar of incomparable non-dual glory. He is the Lord of the Immortals because the nature of Śakra is abiding in the son of the Earth-Protector, who is selflessness. He is the Preceptor of Gods because the nature of Bṛhaspati is the teaching that all phenomena are without intrinsic nature. He is the Destroyer because he has brought under his power the hosts of obstructors, such as the aggregates, by means of the fangs of the seminal fluid of great bliss. He is the Lord of the Destroyers because the nature of the three-eyed one is the essence of the liberation of body, speech, and mind. He has crossed over the wilderness of existence because he is the one who perfectly reveals authentic wisdom to all sentient beings. He is the sole, non-dual Teacher because he is the instructor who brings about the arising of great bliss for those tormented by various sufferings. He is the Guru of the World because he abides in the wisdom of unwavering bliss through the complete pacification of all conceptual elaborations.
The world’s bodhisattvas and so forth. "Renowned in the ten directions" means they are renowned through the equipment of merit and so forth. To them, by appearing as the saṃbhogakāya and so forth, they are the patrons of the Dharma. The "Great One" is the pervasive nature of the stable and the moving. The sentient beings of the bliss of coemergent joy are Maitreya; because that very [joy] pervades the entire body, it is armor. By that, one is clad in mail. In order to clarify the distractions of the mind, one is protected by being arrayed in the mail of compassion previously mentioned. The Great Seal (mahāmudrā), which has become free from stains, is insight (prajñā); he who possesses the sword of that is such. Because the arrow is the drop (bindu) and the bow is the nāda, and these two are of an indivisible nature, he is such. Because the habitual tendencies of emission are consumed through the application of the absorption of great passion, he dispels the battlefront of afflictions and ignorance. Because the body, speech, and mind are overcome by the attachment of the luminous jewel, he is the enemy of Māra. Because the life-force and downward-clearing winds are blocked by the very nature of the vajra seat, he is the subduer of Māra, the Invincible. For that very reason, he is the Hero. Because his nature is that of Maitreya and so forth, he dispels the fear of the four Māras, because the waking, dreaming, deep sleep, and fourth states are inexhaustible. By the very nature of self-consecration, which is free from natural stains, he defeats the hosts of Māra.
Because he is the lord of the six maṇḍalas, he is the Perfect Buddha. Because he has abandoned the stains of craving for the desires of existence, he is the Guide of the World. Because he has reached the far shore of all philosophical tenets, he is worthy of worship. Because he proclaims all the sublime Dharma based on the indestructible nāda, he is worthy of praise. Because he has entered the wisdom that is the foundation of virtue and has washed away the stains of ignorance and so forth, he is a worthy object of prostration for the world including the gods. Because he bestows awakening even while the five sensory qualities enter within the source of phenomena (dharmodaya), he is always worthy of being honored by the hearers and others. Because he has triumphed over the afflictions and his qualities are fully perfected, he is the supreme one worthy of being venerated by the bodhisattvas. Because he is the Mother of all Tathāgatas, the very essence of realizing non-dual bliss, he is the supreme one to be remembered. Because he is the nature of the supreme bliss of those who practice the conduct of the Secret Mantra gateway, he is worthy of prostration. Because he dwells in the heart-essence of all Tathāgatas in the form of great bliss for the sake of all sentient beings, he is the most excellent of gurus. This is the one who either experiences or traverses the three worlds in a single step through the journey of non-dual, coemergent joy.
That which sports by the nature of the coemergent, which is as limitless as space, is just so. It is the end of what is called the nature of the non-apparent transference. The three types of knowledge belong to the practitioner who accomplishes the siddhi of Mahāmudrā, which ranges in the desire realm, the form realm, and the formless realm; thus, he is the "knower of the three." Because it brings supreme bliss even by mere hearing and is utterly pure, it is "pure" (śuci). Because it arises constantly through the nature of the fourth [empowerment], it is "purified" (śuddha). Because it possesses non-dual wisdom through the identity of the apprehended and the apprehender, it is "endowed with the six superknowledges." Because one enters the absorption of the six cakras, it is the "six recollections" (anusmṛti), being the nature of mindfulness that upholds the perfections such as generosity. It is the Mahāyāna, free from attachment to all phenomena. Because it realizes the ultimate meaning, it is a "Bodhisattva." Because it satisfies immeasurable sentient beings, it is a "Mahāsattva." Because it possesses the great power to deliver sentient beings through the bliss of enjoying the five sense pleasures in an inconceivable way, it is "Great Miraculous Power." Because it is free from worldly conceptualization, it is "Transcendent." Because it is free from apprehension through the excellence of the moon, it is the "limit of the perfection of insight." Through insight, one attains the realization of the very nature of Mahāmudrā. Because it transcends all conceptual elaboration and is the nature of space, it is "self-knowing."
Because he realizes that self and other are non-dual, he is the "knower of others." Because he sees the true nature of all things without exception, he is "all-encompassing." Because he benefits others by realizing that existence and non-existence are indivisible, he is "beneficial to all." Because he is the wisdom-body (jñānakāya) whose essence is great bliss, he is the "supreme person." Because the dharmakāya is of an incomparable nature, he is "beyond worldly examples." Because he is to be individually self-cognized as the coemergent itself, he is "to be known." Because he is the master of wisdom by virtue of being the holder of bliss, he is the "master of knowledge." For that very reason, he is "supreme." Because he bestows the unerring Dharma according to the capacity of the vessel, he is the "patron of Dharma"; and because he gives even his own mind, he is the "foremost of Dharma patrons." Because he clarifies the meaning of the action seal (karmamudrā), the wisdom seal (jñānamudrā), the great seal (mahāmudrā), and the commitment seal (samayamudrā), he is the "illuminator." Because he teaches the meaning of the four seals, he is the "supreme object of veneration for beings" who travel the three paths of renunciation and seek the accomplishment of the great seal. The teaching on the four seals is stated as follows: "The action seal, the wisdom seal, the great seal, and the one known as the commitment seal are the clear light; likewise, the cause, the object of meditation, and the fourth, the indestructible attainment." Regarding the term "cause":
First, it is the innate, non-leaking bliss arising from the action mudrā. That which is taught in the scriptures of the Blessed One is indeed true; however, it is like a mirror, a conventional worldly example, and is not so in the ultimate sense. Therefore, the action mudrā is not the object of apprehension for those of sharp faculties. The action mudrā is the cause of the bliss of the desire realm, possessing breasts and hair. "Action" (karma) is the nature of activities such as kissing, embracing, touching the secret place, and moving the vajra; the mudrā indicated by these acts serves as the condition. Here, the condition is characterized by changing bliss. A mudrā is a specific type of bliss; because it bestows joy (rati), it is called a mudrā. The wisdom mudrā is the object of meditation. It is the nature of goddesses such as Viśvamātā, fully imagined by one's own mind, and is the cause of the bliss of the form realm. The characteristic of meditation is the display and play of wisdom; here, the condition is characterized by descending bliss. Having purified the aspects of the deities—the aggregates, elements, and sense bases—and having clearly visualized the maṇḍala circle according to the ritual, one ignites the fire of wisdom through the union of churning and being churned. Through this burning, the "hare-marked one" (the moon) and the syllable Haṃ drip from the forehead to the throat, the heart, the navel, and the tip of the center of the vajra-lotus; in the form of bodhicitta, they pervade the objects and—
All the sense faculties are unified within the state of the ocean of great bliss. By entering into meditative absorption (samādhi) on that very nature, one should remain until the glorious Mahāmudrā is manifested. The "attainment" refers to Mahāmudrā; it is "great" because it is like a dream, an illusion, or the nature of the mind, and it is a "seal" (mudrā) because it is great and also a seal. Furthermore, it is "great" because it possesses the excellence of all aspects, is not partial, and is that which is to be sealed by this Bodhicittavajra; thus, it is a "seal." The condition here is the appearance of one's own mind, free from phenomena imputed by the mind itself, preceded by signs such as smoke, and resembling a reflection in a mirror or a prognostic image (pratibimba) to be traversed by the yogi. One should embrace that until the Samayamudrā is directly realized. It is of an indestructible and supremely unchanging nature; moreover, it is Mahāmudrā in the sense of the essence of the fruition. Mudrā is so called because it is the basis for the characteristic of supremely unchanging bliss, and because it takes up all states through a yoga that is forever immovable. It is also "great" by virtue of the greatness of its abandonment and the greatness of its realization. Regarding that, the greatness of abandonment is the characteristic of the manifestation of the clear light (ābhāsvara), the essence known as the abandonment of all obscurations along with their habitual tendencies.
Great realization is the nature of directly manifesting what is called "union," the identity of all the completely pure qualities of a buddha. Furthermore, the direct manifestation of the clear light, which is of one taste with emptiness—like the stainless sky at midday in autumn—is itself the realization of all the qualities of a buddha. This is because all the qualities of a buddha exist therein in the form of accomplishing the welfare of all beings without exception. For that very reason, the abode of phenomena is the body; regarding the explanation that this is the "dharmakāya," it is difficult to avoid the consequence that if realization were established as being non-apparent, then just as a vase is realized when it appears, a woolen cloth and so forth would also be realized [in that same way]. If that were the case, the Sāṃkhya view would become faultless. Furthermore, seeing the imputed aggregates, elements, sense bases, and so forth as being like an illusion, a dream, a city of gandharvas, or a reflection in a mirror is the seeing of conventional truth, and it is called "self-consecration." The conventional truth itself is the ultimate truth, the completely pure clear light. The assembly of deities such as Vairocana, who are the essence of the mirror and so forth, and the maṇḍala of the celestial palace and so forth which is their support—this very thing is taught in all the kings of tantras to be the supramundane maṇḍala itself, and it is also the very nature of all the qualities of a buddha. The nature of those two truths as being non-dual is what is called "union."
Therefore, the body of union alone is the dharmakāya; it is distinct from the saṃbhogakāya and the svabhāvikakāya, and is to be personally realized by the yogi. The noble Nāgārjuna also taught the definition of the dharmakāya in such passages as, "That which is neither one nor many," and the saṃbhogakāya in, "Transcending the world, inconceivable," and the nirmāṇakāya in, "In order to bring sentient beings to maturity," and the mahāsukhakāya in, "Liberated from the conduct of the three worlds."
Furthermore, in the Brief Presentation of One’s Own View, it is said:
"The infinite aggregate of form is my supreme nirmāṇakāya.
The infinite aggregate of sound is my supreme saṃbhogakāya.
The infinite aggregate of dharma is renowned as my dharmakāya.
The infinite aggregate of bliss is my supreme, unchanging body of bliss."
Likewise, the sixteen-fold realization—the knowledge of others' minds, the perception of sound like an echo, and the wisdom that perfectly perceives all forms without exception—should be understood as the nature of the four bodies. As it is said in the Glorious Kālacakra Tantra:
"This coemergent body, which is neither wisdom nor method, becomes the dharmakāya.
Through the distinction between wisdom and method, and the separation of primordial wisdom from consciousness, it is free from darkness."
"This one who acts for the benefit of many sentient beings, like an echo, is the saṃbhogakāya. Furthermore, as the cause for maturing sentient beings, this becomes the nirmāṇakāya of the buddhas." Thus it is said. This explains the four mudrās, which are the purities of body, speech, mind, and wisdom. From the Śrī-Ādibuddha:
"That which changes and changes, then drips; the non-dripping, stainless other; and the third, the falling of the drop from the wind and the peaked [organ] by inserting the vajra into the lotus." These three yogas are definitively the mudrās of body, speech, and mind. "The mother of the mudrās becomes tenfold; this is the face of the glorious guru." Thus it is said. Also, from the Śrī-Vairocanābhisambodhi Tantra:
"Having relied upon the action mudrā (karmamudrā), one meditates on the dharma mudrā (dharmamudrā). Then, the great mudrā (mahāmudrā) above that; from that, the samaya mudrā (samayamudrā) will arise." Thus it is said. Furthermore:
"Abandon that Blessed Lady, the youthful consort, liberation, glorious, fearless, blissful, and virtuous. For the most part, due to the force of previously accumulated [karma], one discards the nectar and drinks poison." Thus it is said. Also, from the Ādibuddha:
"The yogi should meditate on these four mudrās, which bestow the fruit of unchanging bliss. Abiding in the passion of joy at all times and in all ways, one is completely liberated from the worldly path."
"In villages, hermitages, charnel grounds, impure and pure places, in homes and the abodes of gods, possessing the strength of a body free from noble and ignoble [distinctions], and endowed with food, drink, and so forth," it is said. That which belongs to the non-dual mind of the glorious, pure wisdom of the ultimate meaning is such. For the sake of benefiting all sentient beings, he is fortunate in the three worlds. Because he is all-pervasive, he is the Pervasive One. Because he is the delightful jewel of all yoginīs and does not leak, he is the Glorious One. Because he is the basis of all perfections, he is the Maker of All Wealth. Because all phenomena are of a non-dual nature, he is the non-dual glory of Mañjuśrī; because he is the very body of wisdom, he is the supreme possessor of glory. This is the explanation of the fifteen verses of the all-accomplishing wisdom, which has the characteristic of performing activities and has become the absorption of all the Tathāgatas through the purity of the fifteen parts of the unobscured [moon]. Furthermore, the stages of birth are definitively shown by way of Vajrasattva and the others. The occasional teaching in reverse order is for the purpose of concealing the pith instructions. Moreover, because the indestructible nāda itself expands, it appears in that way according to the inclinations of sentient beings; thus, the compiler wrote it exactly as it is. Now, with the five verses beginning with "Bestower of the Supreme," the Blessed One’s praise is spoken by way of the five wisdoms.
In that regard, [the first line] is by way of the mirror-like wisdom (ādarśa-jñāna) through [the phrase] "supreme gift-giving vajra" and so forth. [The second line] is by way of the wisdom of equality (samatā-jñāna) through [the phrase] "Buddha’s passion" and so forth. [The third line] is by way of the discerning wisdom (pratyavekṣaṇā-jñāna) through [the phrase] "Buddha’s smile" and so forth. Regarding [the phrase] "arisen from non-existence" and so forth, it is by way of the all-accomplishing wisdom (kṛtyānuṣṭhāna-jñāna). [The fourth line] is by way of the utterly pure wisdom of the expanse of phenomena (dharmadhātu-jñāna) through [the phrase] "magical net" and so forth; this is the meaning of [the deities] being the nature of the Tathāgatas Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Amitābha, Amoghasiddhi, and Akṣobhya.
In that context, the first verse refers to the cause, while the remainder refers to the result. Likewise, there are the wisdom of the cause, the wisdom of the condition, the wisdom of the seat, the wisdom of meditation, and the wisdom of liberation. The wisdom of the cause is the mirror-like wisdom. The wisdom of the condition is the wisdom of equality. The wisdom of the seat is the discerning wisdom. The wisdom of meditation is the all-accomplishing wisdom. The wisdom of liberation is the utterly pure wisdom of the expanse of phenomena.
In the same way, the fivefold manifest complete awakening is also symbolized. Therefore, in the Root Tantra, the Blessed One taught the meditation on the five aspects through five verses of praise to the fivefold wisdom, as follows:
"The collection of entities is empty;
The imputed forms are completely abandoned.
It is seen like a reflection in a mirror,
Like the face of a young maiden."
Thus, the aggregate of form of the supramundane truth is the mirror-like wisdom (ādarśa-jñāna).
"When all things have become equal,
They abide as a single, unchanging entity.
Arisen from unchanging wisdom,
It is neither annihilated nor eternal."
This is the aggregate of feeling, the wisdom of equality (samatā-jñāna).
"The syllables are the purity of all perception;
Arisen from the family of the form of the letter A,
One attains the state of the Great Syllable.
It is neither possessing perception nor without perception."
This is the aggregate of perception, the discerning wisdom (pratyavekṣaṇā-jñāna).
"In phenomena that are unarisen,
And in those free from formations,
There is neither awakening nor a Buddha,
Neither a sentient being nor a living soul."
This is the aggregate of formations, the all-accomplishing wisdom (kṛtyānuṣṭhāna-jñāna).
"Transcending the nature of consciousness,
Pure wisdom, free from turbidity,
The phenomena that are naturally luminous—
Realizing the manner of the expanse of reality (dharmadhātu)."
This is the aggregate of consciousness, the utterly pure wisdom of the expanse of reality (dharmadhātu-jñāna).
Likewise, in the Saṃpuṭa Tantra, through three verses beginning with the hundred and first, the characteristics of the aggregates of the Tathāgatas, such as the wheel and so forth, are taught as follows:
"The wheel is the clarity of all; this jewel of the bliss of the three realms is passion itself, the lotus.
The sword is the exhaustion of afflictions; then the vajra is the wisdom body, indivisible.
The curved knife cuts through ignorance; these are the six supreme families that are generated by them."
This should be understood as follows: "Like space, the aggregates, elements, and sense faculties are of one taste. That in which the form of the family is certain to be destroyed is taught as the Great Form. That in which the suffering of saṃsāra is destroyed is taught as Great Feeling. That by which the perception of saṃsāra is destroyed is the Great Vajra Perception. That in which the proliferation of saṃsāra is destroyed is the Vajra Formations themselves. That in which the states of waking and so forth are destroyed is taught as Consciousness. That in which the entity of ignorance is destroyed is the Wisdom of the Sage. These are the six supreme Victors, Vairocana and the rest, who are the six families. The others are the six elements: earth, fire, water, wind, space, and the peaceful [wisdom]." Thus it is said. The meaning is that because it is the nature of the four joys, it is called the "Supreme Vajra Bestower of Boons." Because it is the basis for the enjoyment of bliss, it becomes the "Ultimate Reality." Because bliss is emptiness and so forth, it arises from emptiness. By way of example, it is the awakening of a Buddha. It is the homage to that which has entered into the Clear Light. Because its essence is great passion, it is the "Buddha of Passion." Because it is the Dharmakāya of the joy beyond [joy], it is the "Buddha Body." Regarding the reading "desiring the Buddha," it is because it is desired by the Buddha. Because it is the very moment of coemergent joy, the essence of emptiness, it is the "Buddha’s Delight."
By abandoning duality, one finds the joy of non-dual bliss, which is the play of the Buddha; these [lines] teach the wisdom of the conditions. Through the application that reveals the wisdom of the nature of bliss, there is the smile of the Buddha. Because the appearance of the coemergent caṇḍālī pervades the entire maṇḍala of all that can be known, there is the laughter of the Buddha. By means of the action seal (karmamudrā), one attains the state of the avadhūtī; because the very winds of life and so forth expand the nature of the indestructible nāda, there is the speech of the Buddha. Because the saṃbhogakāya is inseparable from the dharmakāya, there is the mind of the Buddha. Because of the four bodies arising from emptiness, there is "arising from non-existence." Because of the essential nature, there is the "arising of the Buddha." Because of the nature of self-arising, there is "arising from space." Because it is to be personally realized, transcending the four and transcending existence and non-existence, there is "arising from wisdom." Because it is the supreme bliss arising from the Great Illusion (mahāmāyā), there is the "Net of Illusion." Because the nature of the stable and the moving is pervaded by the coemergent, there is the "display of the Buddha's play." This is the invocation in all respects. Because of the multiplicity of the nature of the sixteen joys, there is "all of all." Because it is the principal body of the wisdom of Samantabhadra’s great bliss, there is the "wisdom body itself." These are the five verses of praise to the wisdom of the five Tathāgatas. Now, the lines concerning the benefits will also be explained briefly.
This is because of the realization of the bliss that is directly experienced as free from attachment. It is the wisdom body (jñānakāya) because of its luminosity (prabhāsvara). This Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti is the experience of the coemergent (sahaja). Although one enjoys the five sensory qualities, which are the nature of the eternally coemergent purity, it is the "unmixed purity" because it is not mixed with the afflictions (kleśa). It is the "unsurpassed joy" because it is the essence of the unsurpassed path. It is the "first" because it is the characteristic of what is being experienced. It is the "unsurpassed great delight" because of stable conviction. It is the "secret of body, speech, and mind" because it is the nature of the vajra-bodhicitta. The "way of the sublime Dharma" is the perfection of insight (prajñāpāramitā). Its realization is the very way of non-dual wisdom that correctly grasps. Because the vajra-bodhicitta—the nature of the conventional and ultimate—is explained through the six branches of yoga, there are six phrases beginning with "teaching." "Blessing" means to make stable. Because it abides in the six cakras, this is for the time being the benefit of the first cakra. It is the wisdom of omniscience because of the natural luminosity itself. The "awakening of a Buddha" is the experience of the wisdom of the fourth [empowerment]. "Manifest realization" is the direct realization of the wisdom of the non-apparent luminosity. "Realizing the dharmadhātu" is because its nature is the emptiness of all aspects.
The Power of the Ten Powers: It is so called because it possesses the power of the ten signs, such as smoke and so forth. It is the scripture because it leads to the state of great bliss. It is perfectly established because its essence is the realization of spontaneous presence. It is stainless because it is free from all conceptual elaborations. It is emptiness because it is the source for seeing the form of the Buddha in the nirmāṇakāya. It is the field because its nature is the complete purity of the channel-wheels. It is the ground because it abides as the essence of the fruition. It is the conduct of the bodhisattvas because its essence is the non-contradiction of the conduct of the conventional Great Vehicle and the supreme Vajrayāna. It is the limit because it is the cause for attaining the ultimate. It is the analysis because it is the locus for investigating suchness. It is the place of birth because it is the sublime method for definitive emergence. It is the unbroken lineage because it performs the activities of the Tathāgatas through spontaneous presence. It is the flourishing because it is blessed by the clear light. It is the gathering because it is all-pervasive. It is absorption because its essence is inconceivable. It is concentration because its essence is the five types of meditative stability, such as insight and so forth. It is yoga because its ground is mere primordial wisdom. It is abandonment because conceptual thoughts are without appearance. It is liberation because it is the cause for being free from the bonds of attachment and so forth. It is freedom because its nature is authentic primordial wisdom.
It is peace because it abides in coemergent bliss. It is the source of luminosity itself. All decline refers to all defects. All doors to the lower realms—namely hell, hungry ghosts, and animals—are the lower realms. It is a covering because it is like a lid. It is the excellent path because it is the path to perfectly complete awakening. It is non-engagement because it explains dependent origination. It is the turning [of the wheel] because it is the cause for turning the wheel of Dharma according to the respective fortunes [of beings]. It is the raising of the parasol, victory banner, and pennant because its essence is the victory over the Hearers and others through the Vajrayāna itself. It is the abode because it is the cause for stabilizing yoga. It is the swift attainment of accomplishment by Bodhisattvas who practice the conduct of the gateway of Secret Mantra, such as reciting mantra words and so forth. It is realization by those who strive in meditation and so forth because its essence is direct manifestation. It is the individual realization of emptiness because its nature is the philosophical tenet that establishes the specificities of emptiness. It is those who are intensely diligent in the individual realization of non-duality through the identity of cause and result. It is utterly pure because its nature is non-conceptual individual realization. It is the realization of all phenomena with one-pointed mind because of non-dual primordial wisdom. [It is the cessation of] evil signs, such as the signs of death and so forth.
Because gods and others are born from the womb of a sow, there are ill omens such as foul odors. By meditating on the great maṇḍala of the Vajra Expanse and so forth, one casts far away the activities of the enemy Māra. Because all absorptions are attained, all improper mental engagements are prevented from arising. Arrogance is the conduct of a conceited mind. Excessive pride is haughtiness. Clinging to "mine" is the grasping at a self. Suffering is that of the body. Mental unease is that of the mind. Because the Tathāgatas emerge from it, it is the essence. Because it is to be supremely concealed, it is the secret. Because it is taught solely through the stages of the mantra system, it is the great secret. Because it is the cause for relying on the mudrās of non-conceptual action and so forth, it is the mudrā and all mantras. Freedom from disease is the state of being devoid of illness. Strength is the capacity of the body. Sovereignty refers to elephants and the like. Perfection refers to wealth, fruits, and so forth. Glory is because of non-duality. Virtue is because the ten virtues are primary. Peace is because of the cultivation of yoga. Excellence is because of auspiciousness in the beginning, middle, and end. Renown is because of being fully filled with bodhicitta. Fame is because of the thorough teaching of empowerments and so forth.
The verse is so called because it bestows buddhahood itself. The praise is so called because it bestows the path. The utterly pure is so called because, through the completion of the equipment of merit, all stains of conceptual elaboration have been washed away. The utterly purifying is so called because, through the very accumulation of the equipment of wisdom, the latent predispositions of the heart are cleared away. It is most auspicious because it establishes the qualities of a buddha within the cognitions of non-Buddhists and others. It is a refuge because it has become a shelter for those without a protector. It is an abode because it is the cause of joy. It is a protector because it protects those who wish to be protected by their respective dharmas. It is a helper for those who are devoid of a complete protector. It is an island because it provides access to the city of nirvāṇa. The ninety-eight afflictions are all diseases. By teaching the emptiness that is in every respect without aspect, it is the light of wisdom. The five eyes are the flesh eye and so forth. It is non-dual because of the absence of subject and object. It is the nature of phenomena because, by having entered the avadhūtī, it is free from all superimpositions. It is the inexpressible nature of all phenomena because it is without intrinsic nature. It is just so because one engages in the conduct of hearing, reflecting, and meditating by way of the secret mantra. Those born from the family of the Tathāgatas are the crown jewels of names alone; thus, it is the "Crown Jewel of Names."
Because it is endowed with the complete and unimpaired qualities of a buddha, it is entirely perfect. Because the meaning of all phenomena is fully perfected, it is unimpaired. Because it is without addition or omission, it cannot be overwhelmed. By upholding the text and the meaning, and by taking the maṇḍala as a prerequisite, one reads the volumes, masters them through reflection, and attends to them correctly through meditation. Its radiance, strength, and majesty are such that it cannot be surpassed or overwhelmed. Regarding "majesty that cannot be surpassed": it is the great jewel whose majesty radiates inward. "Reversal" refers to the application of the antidote. The five degenerations are the degenerations of sentient beings, views, the eon, lifespan, and material requisites. "Defilement" refers to the utterance of unpleasant words preceded by foul odors, slander, and disparaging speech. "Pleasing" means being agreeable to the mind. That which proclaims the drumbeat of the sublime Dharma uninterruptedly throughout the ten directions is what is meant by "Dharma King"—one who becomes the sovereign of the Dharma realm.
Oṃ sarvadharmābhāvasvabhāva-viśuddha-vajra a ā | aṃ aḥ prakṛtipariśuddhaḥ sarvadharmāḥ yaduta sarvatathāgatajñānakāya mañjuśrīpariśuddhitām upādāya aṃ āḥ | sarvatathāgatahṛdaya hara hara | oṃ hūṃ hrīḥ bhagavān jñānamūrti vāgīśvara mahāvāca |
Sarvadharma-gaganāmalasupariśuddha-dharmadhātu-jñānagarbha āḥ. This is the mantra for the blessing of the beginning, the middle, and the end. Furthermore, the form of the letter A is the mind of awakening (bodhicitta). The form of the letter A is the nature of practicing the stages (bhūmi) and the perfections (pāramitā). The form of the letter Aṃ symbolizes buddhahood itself. The form of the letter A clarifies the great nirvāṇa. The form of the letter A is that which blesses the wisdom body (jñānakāya). The syllables Oṃ, Hūṃ, and Hrīḥ are that which blesses the body, speech, and mind. The meaning is that all things, both stable and moving, are the expanse of phenomena (dharmadhātu), the very nature of the Lord of Speech. The form of the letter Āḥ is uttered at the end for the purpose of sealing the dharmakāya. Then, immediately after that cognition: "By that glorious Vajradhara, who was first requested, these words were spoken after offering secret praise"—thus is the connection. At that very time, joy arose from the birth of bliss; subsequently, he was delighted by the birth of joy. The excellent path for attaining perfectly complete awakening, the manner of the Māyājāla-tantra, was thus shown and explained. It is the stream from which the great purpose, the natural purpose, arises. This path is the domain and the sphere of activity of the Buddhas, but not of others—so it is established. Following the great commentary of the glorious Vajrapāṇi, the Lord of the World, which relies on the well-praised and profound meaning, this is the extensive and marvelous Kashmiri commentary, endowed with the faculties.
This Drop of Nectar: A Concise Explanation of the Glorious Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, which is enriched by the various nectars of the diverse instructions of the Great Secret of the Vivid Tantra, has been composed by the venerable elder, the great scholar and accomplished master Ācārya Sūryaśrījñāna. May it flourish in the minds of the holy ones.
Through whatever merit I have gained from composing this delightful Drop of Nectar: A Concise Explanation, may all wandering beings come to possess non-dual bliss.
This concludes The Drop of Nectar: A Concise Explanation of the Glorious Mañjuśrī-nāmasaṃgīti, composed by the venerable elder, the great scholar and accomplished master Ācārya Sūryaśrījñāna.
It was translated, edited, and finalized by the translator, the monk Chag Chöjé Pal, in the presence of the great Indian abbot and scholar Maṇiśrījñāna and the venerable guru, the great Vajradhara Śrīsūryaprabha.