Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This sādhana provides a technical manual for the ritual visualization and internalization of the deity Cakrasamvara (Heruka). The text guides the practitioner through a precise sequence of mental constructions, beginning with the seed syllables of the deity's name to establish a philosophical foundation of non-conceptualization and non-abiding. It then details the architecture of the maṇḍala, including the elemental wind and fire circles and the central union of Heruka and Vajravārāhī. The ritual progresses from the external visualization of the deity's form and retinue to the internal 'donning of armor,' where specific seed syllables and deities are mapped onto the practitioner's own body. By integrating the mahāmudrā, dharmamudrā, and karmamudrā, the text commits the reader to a process of somatic transformation, culminating in the dissolution of these forms into the dharmakāya. The work functions as a bridge between conceptual visualization and the realization of emptiness through the systematic deployment of mantra and imagery.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the practice of Cakrasaṃvara, the Cakrasaṃvarasādhana originates from the Indian tradition and is attributed to the author Laṅkā Jayabhadra. The work entered the Tibetan tradition through the efforts of the translators Amoghavajra (II) and bod kyi lo tsa ba dge slong ba ri. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཞ, where it spans nine pages and is situated within the collection of the Śaṃvara and Related Tantras. Written in classical Tibetan as 'khor lo sdom pa'i sgrub thabs, the work enacts a precise sequence of ritual visualization and internalization. It begins with an homage to Vajracaṇḍa and instructs the yogin in the purification of the body and the visualization of the seed syllables of Heruka—He, Ru, and Ka—to establish a foundation of non-conceptualization and non-abiding. The practitioner is further guided through the construction of a blue wind maṇḍala and a red triangular fire maṇḍala derived from the syllables yaṃ and raṃ. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the technical specifications of these somatic transformations and the mapping of elemental maṇḍalas and deities onto the practitioner's own body.
Sanskrit title
Cakrasaṃvarasādhana
Indian author
Laṅkā Jayabhadra
Tibetan translators
Amoghavajra (II), bod kyi lo tsa ba dge slong ba ri
The text is significant as a representative example of the Anuttarayoga Tantra tradition, specifically the Cakrasamvara cycle, which emphasizes the union of bliss and emptiness. For the modern reader, it illustrates the complex intersection of deity yoga, somatic mapping, and the use of seed syllables to transform the practitioner's perception of the physical body into a divine maṇḍala.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-3
Preliminary Visualizations
Homage to Vajracaṇḍa and the visualization of the seed syllables He, Ru, and Ka, followed by the construction of the wind and fire maṇḍalas.
4-7
The Central Deity and Retinue
Detailed description of the union of Heruka and Vajravārāhī, the surrounding deities, and the specific attributes and implements of the heroes and ḍākinīs.
8-11
Somatic Integration and Armor
The process of placing deities and seed syllables on the practitioner's body as armor, including the mapping of goddesses to specific anatomical locations and charnel grounds.
12
Dissolution
The final stage of visualizing the dissolution of the ritual forms into the dharmakāya.
Themes
Deity Yoga and Visualization (2-7)
Somatic Mapping and Ritual Armor (8-11)
Non-conceptualization and Emptiness (2, 12)
The Union of Method and Wisdom (4-5)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Cakrasaṃvara-sādhana. In the language of Tibet: ’Khor lo sdom pa’i sgrub thabs (The Sādhana of Cakrasaṃvara). Homage to the glorious Vajracaṇḍa.
I prostrate to Vajracaṇḍa, who has abandoned the stains of the three bodies. I shall explain the supreme branches of the sādhana of the very nature of Cakrasaṃvara.
First, the yogin should cleanse his hands, feet, mouth, and so forth. Then, in a place that is agreeable to the mind and desired, he should sit upon a soft cushion facing the southern direction. Having placed a pill of the five nectars (amṛta) in his mouth, he should visualize that location as a great charnel ground (śmaśāna) completely surrounded by a retinue of terrifying corpses—some with crows, owls, and jackals, some whole and some mangled, some burnt and some unburnt.
Visualizing himself as adorned with the six mudrās—the necklace, earrings, bracelets, crest jewel, ash, and the sacred thread—he should contemplate the three walls of delusion and so forth for the sake of protection. Then, as a cause for the benefit and happiness of all sentient beings, he should recite the aspiration three times: "I am the glorious Heruka."
Then, through the sequence that follows, possessing the yoga of Vajracaṇḍa in an instant, he should recite the samaya three times: Oṃ a ā i ī u ū ṛ ṝ ḷ ḹ e ai o au aṃ aḥ | ka kha ga gha ṅa | ca cha ja jha ña | ṭa ṭha ḍa ḍha ṇa | ta tha da dha na | pa pha ba bha ma | ya ra la va | śa ṣa sa ha kṣa svāhā.
Then, one should visualize the three syllables of what is called Heruka in their proper order at the crown, the throat, and the heart. Regarding the meaning of the three syllables: "He" is free from causes; "Ru" is all phenomena free from conceptual construction; and "Ka" is all phenomena not abiding anywhere. Having developed intense devotion to the meaning of these three syllables, and having caused the three realms and one's own self to become non-apparent through the three syllables, one should contemplate remaining in that state.
Following that, by the power of previous aspirations, one should visualize the three syllables that are the essence of what is called Heruka—namely Oṃ, Āḥ, and Hūṃ—in their respective order in the upper, middle, and lower directions of space, white in color. From the complete transformation of Hūṃ, a five-pronged vajra arises. At the hub of that vajra, one focuses on Hūṃ, from which light rays of its own form emerge, pervading the entire expanse of space, the great Cakravāḍa mountains, and Mount Meru, and engage in the welfare of all sentient beings without exception. These light rays, in the form of hooks, are then drawn back into the three aforementioned syllables: Oṃ into Āḥ, Āḥ into the vajra, and sequentially into the hub of the vajra and so forth, then into Hūṃ. Hūṃ dissolves into H, H into the head, the head into the crescent moon, and that into the bindu, which is mere sound and should not be apprehended as an object. Thus, one should contemplate the three realms, without exception or remainder, as abiding as mere sound.
Then, from the complete transformation of the syllable yaṃ, the nature of Lāmā, one should visualize a blue wind maṇḍala in the shape of a bow, marked with a banner. Above that, from the complete transformation of the syllable raṃ, the nature of Khaṇḍarohā, is a red triangular fire maṇḍala. Above that, from the complete transformation of the syllable vaṃ, the nature of Ḍākinī, is a white, circular water maṇḍala. Above that, from the complete transformation of the syllable laṃ, the nature of Rūpiṇī, is a yellow, square earth maṇḍala. Above that, from the complete transformation of kaṃ, is a tortoise or a skull. Above that, from the complete transformation of a, one should clearly visualize a crossed vajra (viśvavajra) without any intervening space. In its center, from the complete transformation of paṃ, one should visualize an eight-petaled multicolored lotus. Above that, from the complete transformation of suṃ, one should meditate on Mount Meru, composed of the four kinds of precious gems, square in shape and surrounded by the seven mountain ranges. Above that, one should visualize an eight-petaled lotus together with its filaments; having arranged the vowels and consonants (āli-kāli) upon the filaments, one should meditate on the complete transformation of the vowels and consonants into the form of a vast and perfect moon maṇḍala. By the power of previous aspirations, the mere sound that abides becomes a drop (bindu). From the drop, the form of a crescent moon arises. Then, from the head [of the crescent] comes ha, and from ha comes hūṃ. Having thus sequentially perfected the hūṃ, it should be made to enter from the direction of space into the center of the moon maṇḍala.
From the complete transformation of that, the Blessed One, the glorious Heruka, embraces the protector Vajravārāhī. He has four faces and three eyes, and twelve hands according to the oral instructions. With his first two hands, he holds a vajra and a bell while embracing Vajravārāhī in union. With his second two hands, he holds the blood-dripping elephant hide behind his back. In his four right hands, he holds a trident, a curved knife, a battle-axe, and a small drum. In his four left hands, he holds a khaṭvāṅga marked with a vajra, a skull-cup, a noose, and the head of Brahmā. He possesses a lotus face and is endowed with the six mudrās. The perimeter of his forehead is bound with a vajra garland, and above that, he wears five skulls, which are the very nature of the goddess. He is adorned with a crown of matted locks. On the left side, a crescent moon is placed. At the center of a crossed vajra on the crown of his head, he is pressed and held by Akṣobhya. His body is adorned with a garland of fifty heads. He wears a tiger-skin loincloth dripping with blood, and a bone garland is bound around his waist. His primary face and his entire body are the color of smoke. Green, red, and yellow are the colors of the left, rear, and southern faces, respectively. He tramples upon a great preta. By visualizing and stabilizing the Great Yoga in the form that subdues all malevolent beings, Vajravārāhī is also adorned with ashes and the five mudrās on her forehead.
She is adorned with bone girdles and so forth. She has two arms and one face, and her body is similar to that of the Protector, the Hero. In her left hand, she holds a skull-cup filled with human entrails and blood, which she brings to the mouths of both [herself and the consort]. In her right hand, she holds a vajra together with a threatening gesture (tarjanī), intended specifically to subdue all Māras. One should meditate on the Blessed Lady, who has loose hair, is naked, and is adorned with bone ornaments. On the petals of the lotus: in front is the black Ḍākinī; to the left is the green Lāmā; behind is the red Khaṇḍarohā; and to the right is the yellow Rūpiṇī. In the four intermediate directions, starting from the northeast, one should meditate on the forms of feces, urine, self-arisen flowers, and bodhicitta, resting within skull-cups. At the center, unified, are Mahābala and Cakravegā; Ratnavajra and Khaṇḍarohā; Hayagrīva and Śauṇḍinī; Ākāśagarbha and Cakravarmiṇī; Śrī Heruka and Suvīrā; Padmanarteśvara and Mahābalā; Vairocana and Cakravartinī; and Vajrasattva and Mahāvīryā. The body-cakra is yellow, with eight yellow spokes, situated at the level of the waist. Above that are Aṅguri and Airāvatī; Vajrajaṭī and Mahābhairavī; Mahāvīra and Vāyuvegā; and Vajra-hūṃkāra and Śauṇḍinī.
Subhadra and Śyāmā. Vajrabhadra and Subhadrā. Mahābhairava and Hayakarṇī. Virūpākṣa and Kākāsyā. The eight spokes are red; the speech wheel is red and is situated between the breasts. Above that are Khaṇḍakapālin and Pracandā. Mahākaṅkāla and Caṇḍākṣī. Kaṅkāla and Prabhāvatī. Vikaṭadaṃṣṭrin and Mahānāsā. Surāvairin and Sthirabuddhi. Amitābha and Laghimā. Vajraprabha and Lambā. Vajradeha and Drumacchāyā. The mind wheel is like smoke, and its eight spokes are also like smoke. It is situated from the waist downward. Kākāsyā, Ulūkāsyā, Śvānāsyā, and Sūkarāsyā are at the four corners of the square, with the colors smoke, green, red, and yellow. Yamadāḍhī, Yamadūtī, Yamadaṃṣṭriṇī, and Yamamathani are in the intermediate directions such as Īśāna, and they are of two colors. All the heroes have one face and four arms, with a crown of matted hair adorned with silk streamers. With the first two hands, they hold a vajra and a bell while embracing the goddesses in union. With the other two, they hold a hand-drum and a skull-cup while in the gesture of teaching. They are adorned with the five mudrās and so forth, and stand upon their seats with the left leg extended.
The three-eyed [deities], the ḍākinīs and so forth, all have loose hair, are naked, and hold a skull-cup and a curved knife in their left hands, while the other [hands hold other implements]. The three-eyed heroes and ḍākinīs possess the five mudrās, excluding the ash. All the goddesses stand with their right legs extended. Now, one should visualize all these heroes as being fully perfected in an instant from the single syllable HŪṂ and perform [the ritual] within that. [The mandala] is square, with four doors, adorned with necklaces, turrets, bells, banners, and garlands of flowers. It is surrounded by charnel grounds filled with many [creatures] such as owls, corpses, and blazing [fires], and is encircled by three walls of blazing vajras, lotuses, and wheels. Having completed the celestial mansion, which is protected by a vajra canopy above the walls, one should gaze correctly upon all of this and recite from the four faces: OṂ SUMBHANI SUMBHA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ; OṂ GṚHṆA GṚHṆA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ; OṂ GṚHṆĀPAYA GṚHṆĀPAYA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ; OṂ ĀNAYA HOḤ BHAGAVĀN VAJRA HŪṂ PHAṬ. Then, all the names should be recited individually, and their colors, hands, and so forth should be visualized accordingly. One should don the armor through the sequence of this mantra: OṂ HA: Vajrasattva is at the heart; NAMO HI: Vairocana is at the head; SVĀHĀ HU: Padmanarteśvara is at the crown of the head; PŪṢAṬ HE: Śrī Heruka is at the two shoulders.
HŪṂ HŪṂ HO: Vajrasūrya is at the two eyes. PHAṬ HAṂ: Hayagrīva is the weapon of all the limbs. In this way, one should don the armor of oneself. OṂ BAṂ: Vajravārāhī is at the navel. HAṂ YOṂ: Yamāntakī is at the heart. HRĪṂ MOṂ: Mohanī is at the mouth. HRĪṂ HRĪṂ: Cālanī is at the head. HŪṂ HŪṂ: Trāsanī is at the crown. PHAṬ PHAṬ: Caṇḍālī is the weapon of all the limbs. In this way, Vajravārāhī should also be donned.
Then, having visualized the wisdom wheel (jñānacakra) residing in another location in that manner, one should emanate light rays from the syllable HŪṂ residing in one’s own heart to summon it. Extending the vajra posture (vajraparyaṅka), one should press the big toe of the left foot with the big toe of the right foot, bind the samaya-mudrā with both hands, and place them correctly upon the forehead. Uttering the sound PHEṂ, one should summon the wisdom wheel by circling the left and right hands, cause it to enter, unify it, and stabilize it; then this should also be performed.
From the complete transformation of VYĀ and VYĀ, one should visualize a vajra and a lotus. Above those, one should visualize the characteristics marked by the two syllables DYĀ and VYĀ. Then, OṂ SARVA-BUDDHA-ḌĀKINĪYE VAJRA-VARNANĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ is at the navel. OṂ VAJRA-VAIROCANĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ SVĀHĀ is at the heart. OṂ HRĪḤ HA HA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ is at the mouth.
OṂ ŚRĪ VAJRA HE HE RU RU KAṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ | ḌĀKINĪ JVALA SAMVARA SVĀHĀ. With this, one should place the goddess at the forehead. Thus, prior to inviting the wisdom maṇḍala, one should visualize the mahāmudrā and dharmamudrā, and now the karmamudrā should be undertaken. Then, the nectar should be tasted; having summoned it with the light rays of the syllable HŪṂ, by merely reciting OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ in sequence, the nectar arises and is emanated throughout all directions of space. It descends upon the maṇḍala circle in the form of dewdrops, and in that way, the deities of the maṇḍala are to be satisfied. By tasting that wisdom nectar, one should meditate with a mind in meditative equipoise that has become the nature of joy, supreme joy, intense joy, and great joy. Having made perfect offerings with the outer and secret offerings according to the ritual, one should ring the vajra and bell three times, offer praise, and perform the withdrawal. This is the nirmāṇakāya. Then,
one should perform the withdrawal through the practice of churning and being churned. The sequence for this is as follows: one should visualize the goddesses who guard the gates circling counter-clockwise and entering the body wheel. Then, having circled the body wheel clockwise, they enter the speech wheel. Having circled the speech wheel counter-clockwise, they enter the mind wheel. Having circled the mind wheel clockwise, they enter the four goddesses.
The four goddesses should be circumambulated in a counter-clockwise direction and then enter the four faces in successive order. Then, one should don the great armor; the sequence for this is: PU JĀ O A GO RĀ DE MĀ KĀ O TRI KO KA LA KA HI PRE GRI SAU SU NĀ SI MA KU. Regarding the meaning of this: PULLĪRAMĀ is on the head, which is Caṇḍākṣī. JĀLANDHARA is on the crown of the head, which is Caṇḍā. OḌḌIYĀNA is on the right ear, which is Prabhāvatī. ARBUDA is on the back, where Mahānāsā resides. GODĀVARĪ is on the left ear, which is Vīramatī. RĀMEŚVARA is in the middle of the eyebrows, which is Kharvarī. DEVĪKOṬI is on the two eyes, which is Laṅkeśvarī. MĀLAVA is on the two shoulders, which is Śyāmādevī. KĀMARŪPA is on the two armpits, which is Airāvatī. OṬṬA is on the two breasts, which is Mahābhairavā; these are the kṣetras (fields). TRISAKUNI is on the navel, which is Vāyuvegā. KOSALA is on the tip of the nose, which is Surābhakṣī; these are the upakṣetras (near-fields). KALIṄGA is on the mouth, which is Śauṇḍinī. LAMPĀKA is on the throat, which is Cakravarmiṇī; these are the chandohas (meeting places). KĀÑCĪ is on the heart, which is Hayakarṇā. HIMALAYA is on the private parts, which is Kākāsyā; these are the upacchandohas (near-meeting places). PRETAPURI is on the genitals, which is Cakravegā. GṚHADEVATA is on the secret door, which is Khaṇḍarohā; these are the melāpakas (gathering places). SAURĀṢṬRA is on the two thighs, which is Śauṇḍinī. SUVARṆADVĪPA is on the two calves, which is Cakravarmiṇī; these are the upamelāpakas (near-gathering places). NAGARA is on the fingers, which is Subhadrā. KĀŚMĪRA is on the toes, which is Mahāvīryā. These are the pīṭhas (seats). The upapīṭhas (near-seats) are as follows: KĀMARŪPA is on the right breast, which is Kāmeśvarī. OṬṬA is on the left breast, which is Oḍḍiyāṇī. PULLĪRAMĀ is on the right hip, which is Pūtanā. JĀLANDHARA is on the left hip, which is Jālandharī. MĀLAVA is on the right shoulder, which is Mālavī. KĀŚMĪRA is on the left shoulder, which is Kāśmīrī. The kṣetras are: PULLĪRAMĀ is on the right buttock, which is Pūtanā. JĀLANDHARA is on the left buttock, which is Jālandharī. OḌḌIYĀNA is on the right knee, which is Oḍ
Sindhu, at the backs of both feet, is Mahābala, the charnel ground. Maru, at the two big toes, is Cakravartinī. Kulutā, at the two knees, is Mahāvīryā; these are the secondary charnel grounds. Thus, the twenty-four seed syllables, such as Pū and so forth, are the nature of the goddesses who are their lords. They should be placed in the twenty-four locations, beginning with the head. This is the third [section]: the protection of the great armor. Having meditated in that way, if one becomes weary of meditation, one should offer a perfect praise and perform the mantra recitation. The sequence for that is as follows: for the latter [deities] excluding the goddesses and the Protector, the name itself is the mantra. One should place Oṃ at the beginning and Hūṃ Hūṃ Phaṭ at the end. Oṃ Ḍākinīye Hūṃ Hūṃ Phaṭ; it is the same for all. Regarding the sequence of recitation here: "The yogi takes up the mantra; the sequence of its utterance from the mouth is like the form of a thread from the mouth. Emerging through the vajra path, in the four forms of white, red, yellow, and black, it enters through the lotus path. From the lotus, in the sequence of the lotuses, the wise one should perform the mantra recitation in the form of a revolving wheel." Thus, one should familiarize oneself with the mantra to be known through the sequence of yogic recitation. By the grace of the Guru’s vajra authorization, the four activities—pacifying, magnetizing, and so forth—will be swiftly accomplished by the mantrin. This is the Saṃbhogakāya.
Then, furthermore, visualize a hūṃ upon a moon disk at one’s own heart. From the hūṃ, the wind arises, and the āli and kāli are gathered in by the entering wind. In this way, repeatedly emanate them into the expanse of space and contemplate that the syllables dissolve as before. This is the dharmakāya. The sādhana of the glorious Cakrasaṃvara, composed by the master Jayabhadra, is complete. It was translated by the Indian abbot Amoghavajra and the Tibetan translator, the monk Bari.