Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This ritual text provides a comprehensive technical manual for the construction and activation of the thirteen-deity maṇḍala of Cakrasamvara. It functions as a prescriptive guide for the practitioner, moving from the physical and metaphysical purification of the ritual ground to the precise geometric layout of the maṇḍala and the placement of consecrated vases. The text commits the reader to a rigorous sequence of visualizations, mantra recitations, and physical gestures designed to transform the mundane environment into a vajra realm. Central to the work is the process of empowerment (abhisheka), which involves the transmission of bodhicitta through the guru and the integration of the wisdom-beings into the practitioner's own body. By detailing the specific requirements for the guru, the disciple, and the ritual implements, the text ensures the correct alignment of internal meditative states with external ritual actions to achieve the state of a buddha.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for the maṇḍala of the Glorious Cakrasaṃvara, the Thirteenfold Self, the Trayodaśātmakaśrīcakrasaṃvaramaṇḍalopāyikā originates from the Indian tradition and is attributed to the author Vanaratnapāda. The work entered the Tibetan corpus through the translation of gzhon nu dpal, appearing in the classical Tibetan period. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཞ, where it comprises 50 pages and is situated within the canonical collection of the Śaṃvara and Related Tantras. The text enacts the purification of the ritual ground and the subsequent construction of the maṇḍala, beginning with preliminary service and the scattering of flowers. It guides the practitioner through a sequence of requests to Samantabhadra and the assertion of divine pride, identifying oneself as the Buddha, bodhicitta, Vajrasūrya, and Amoghasiddhi. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine the technical prescriptions for transforming a physical space into a pure ground and to study the specific visualizations and invocations required to establish the thirteen-deity maṇḍala.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Maṇḍala Ritual for the Thirteen-Deity Form of the Glorious Cakrasamvara” (Toh 1489), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1489
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as a primary source for the ritual technology of the Cakrasamvara tantra, illustrating the intersection of geometry, deity yoga, and empowerment. For the modern reader, it demonstrates the complexity of Indo-Tibetan ritual precision and the role of the guru-disciple relationship in the transmission of esoteric knowledge.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-10
Preliminary Purifications and Ground Preparation
Includes homage to Vajrasattva, the purification of the ritual site, the removal of malevolent spirits, and the consecration of the ground and ritual vases.
11-36
Maṇḍala Construction and Invocation
Details the arrangement of fragrant maṇḍalas, the invitation of the wisdom wheel, the geometric specifications for drawing the maṇḍala, and the placement of vases.
37-66
Empowerment and Ritual Integration
Describes the invocation of deities, the administration of the vase empowerment, the role of the wisdom consort, and the attainment of supreme bliss.
67-68
Conclusion and Dissolution
Covers the absorption of the samaya maṇḍala into the practitioner and final ritual movements.
Themes
Ritual Purification (2-7)
Geometric and Material Precision (24-30)
The Guru-Disciple Relationship (12-13, 59-66)
Vajra-Body Transformation (62-65)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Maṇḍala Ritual for the Thirteen-Deity Form of the Glorious Cakrasamvara·
In the language of India: Trayodaśātmaka-śrī-cakrasaṃvara-maṇḍalopāyikā. In the language of Tibet: The Ritual of the Maṇḍala of the Glorious Cakrasaṃvara, the Thirteenfold Self. Homage to the glorious Vajrasattva!
Having prostrated with my crown to the glorious Vajrasattva, the primordial Buddha who perfectly knows the three times, I shall here explain the ritual of the maṇḍala of that Cakrasaṃvara which possesses the thirteenfold self.
Thinking with a mind intent on the welfare of others, "May the great maṇḍala be swiftly and supremely accomplished," I shall perform the rituals of empowerment, consecration, and the sādhana, and so forth. From these, the ritual itself is truly praised.
One who knows the stable and profound Dharma, who has reached the further shore of consecration and torma offerings, who knows the homa, the maṇḍala, and suchness, who is extremely skilled in all branches of knowledge, who is devoted to the definitive system of Secret Mantra, who is handsome and pleasing to behold, and who is respectful toward the guru and endowed with compassion—such a teacher of the origin of the vows should establish the maṇḍala in a temple, a caitya, a sacred site, a courtyard of a monastery, a pure ground, or even in a primordial charnel ground.
On a thoroughly examined portion of ground, one should not perform digging and so forth. Having touched the ground with the hand, one should recite the secret mantra for purifying the ground, the syllable HŪṂ. If one is certain that all diverse things are of one taste in emptiness, by that the ground becomes pure, for suchness is the cause of purity. The portion of ground for the maṇḍala should be purified to twice its size.
"When one's own mind is completely purified, that very ground becomes pure." Thus it is said. This is the purification of the ground. Therefore, the supreme master should perform the construction of the maṇḍala here. In a place that is pleasing to the mind, one should first perform the preliminary service (sevā). Following that, having scattered flowers upon the ground of the maṇḍala and sat down, the vajra master—who is the nature of the glorious Cakrasaṃvara, the embodiment of the thirteen [deities] in whom all the Tathāgatas are gathered—performs the protection wheel and so forth. To destroy obstructing spirits (vighna), holding an incense burner, and with the tongue generated from the syllable HŪṂ as a vajra, he rings the vajra bell and says:
"May all the Buddhas residing in every direction without exception attend to me! I, the vajra-holder [Name], desire to construct the maṇḍala here. May all the Buddhas and others come and grant me accomplishment!"
Having thus requested the Perfect Buddhas and the rest to lend their ears, one should present offerings. Then, the mantrin, holding the vajra and vajra bell, together with four disciples who possess the yoga of the consort (dhāraṇī) such as Kākāsyā and the others—or even a single one—should circumambulate counter-clockwise and say:
"O Peaceful One, the abode of all Tathāgatas, the supreme selflessness of all phenomena, please explain the sublime maṇḍala! Perfectly complete in all characteristics, having abandoned all that is not a characteristic, the supreme body of Samantabhadra, please explain the sublime maṇḍala! Arisen from the supreme dharma of peace..."
"Purifying the conduct of primordial wisdom, Samantabhadra, supreme in speech, please explain the sublime maṇḍala. The great mind of all sentient beings, pure and naturally stainless, Samantabhadra, supreme in mind, speak of the maṇḍala that governs all." With these four verses, the request was made. Then, asserting the pride: "I am the Buddha, the bodhicitta; I am Vajrasūrya; I am Amoghasiddhi, the Vajra Dharma; I am indeed all the Buddhas."
Then, extending the two index fingers of the two vajra fists and joining their tips pointing downward, holding them at the crown of the head, one should recite "HŪṂ VAJRO TIṢṬHA." Having caused the maṇḍala wheel meditated upon and emanated in front to enter into all those dwelling in the expanse of space, one should stand facing east. Gazing with compassion and a mind of pride upon the sentient beings who have fallen into the darkness of ignorance and are possessed by Māra, in order to expel the Māras, one should perform the yoga of the Lord of the Wheel. In the right eye, from the syllable MA, visualize the form of a sun maṇḍala; in the left eye, from the syllable ṬA, the form of a moon. The two pupils are from the syllable HŪṂ, appearing as the fire at the end of an eon. With a majestic and vibrant movement, thinking, "I shall thoroughly examine this manifold world," one should dance with the blazing vajras of the soles of the feet, performing the steps of the viśvavajra and ringing the bell at the various locations.
In order to destroy the hosts of malevolent beings, the practitioner should step upon the ground of the wheel, circling counter-clockwise while uttering the syllable HŪṂ from the mouth. One should say: "You who dwell in the body, speech, and mind of the planets, bhūtas, spirits, and so forth, be utterly destroyed and depart!" At that time, the hosts of obstructing spirits (vighna) are expelled. "Drive away all kaṭapūtanas and other hosts of obstructing spirits! I am the glorious power of compassion, the one who applies the protective wheel. With the blazing vajra on all sides, I shall destroy the body, speech, and mind of those born of flesh. If any should transgress against me, they shall perish here and not otherwise." By means of this expulsion, one should visualize that all obstructing spirits without exception are destroyed.
Then, having smeared the ground of the maṇḍala with fragrant scents and having made offerings in the cardinal and intermediate directions with various articles of enjoyment, dance, song, the sound of cymbals, and so forth, one should touch the ground with the hand. Having recited the mantra of the Lord of the Wheel one hundred and eight times and the hundred-syllable mantra seven times, one should emanate and reabsorb the circle of deities there and go to sleep. This is the ritual for taking possession of the site.
Then, rising early in the morning, in order to establish all beings in manifest, perfect awakening, one should instantly meditate as follows: following emptiness, from a red raṃ arises a sun disk, upon which rests a black syllable hūṃ. From this hūṃ, which is situated upon a crossed vajra (viśvavajra) of five-colored light rays, there emerges a vajra the size of a grain of barley, appearing as a single solid mass. One should meditate on a vajra fence, a canopy, a lattice of arrows, and a ceiling, with the nature of a crossed vajra below. Then, the sun disk together with the crossed vajra completely transforms, and one should imagine it being thoroughly incinerated by a mass of light rays.
In the center of that, from the seed syllable at one's own heart, the ḍākinīs such as Kākāsyā and the others are emanated in the cardinal and intermediate directions, as well as Khaṇḍarohā and a second [ḍākinī] above. Then, light rays emanated from the seed syllable at one's own heart summon the obstructors (vighna) of the ten directions, and these should be directed toward them.
Those ḍākinīs are smeared with white mustard seeds and red sandalwood, wrapped in threads of five colors, and adorned with offerings of garlands of red flowers. Ten of them are emanated individually. One should take the kīla of the King Sumbharāja, which is in the form of a spear from the navel downward, possessing the nature of emptiness, and hold it with the left hand. With the right hand, one holds a vajra hammer transformed from a curved knife (kartṛ). Into ten pits produced from hūṃ, one should cast those obstructors.
Oṃ gha gha ghataya ghataya sarvadustān phaṭ.
KĪLAYA KĪLAYA SARVA PĀPAṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ VAJRA KĪLAYA VAJRA DHARA ĀJÑĀPAYATI SARVA VIGHNĀṂ KĀYA VĀK CITTAṂ KĪLAYA HŪṂ HŪṂ. Reciting this, one should strike one’s own ritual daggers while saying: OṂ VAJRA MUDGARĀKOṬAYA HŪṂ. Visualizing that the remaining obstructors are driven far away, one should cultivate the conviction that the hosts of obstructors are of one taste within suchness. This is the ritual of striking the obstructors with daggers.
Following that, the mantra practitioner should smear the ground of the maṇḍala with fragrant scents. In the center, one should meditate on the Earth Goddess arising from the syllable BAṂ. Arranging three HŪṂs upon the moon of the right hand, one should rouse the wisdom being (jñānasattva) by the sound of striking with the three fingers. Visualizing the goddess—who has become of one taste with the wisdom being—standing before one, holding an excellent golden vase in her left hand and making a gesture of assent with the other, with one face, moon-like, and adorned with divine ornaments, one should perform the ritual of abiding (adhivāsana) preceded by the offering of water for the feet and so forth.
*Māma, you who hold various jewels,
O Goddess who offers the vow of wrath,
Since you have attained mastery, O Goddess,
I, [Name], shall draw the maṇḍala.*
Having thus requested three times, one should perform the cleansing sprinkling and so forth. Thinking, "She herself shall perform the task," one should visualize her dissolving [into the ground]. Then, forming the vajra-binding gesture and pressing it into the earth:
Having consecrated it three times with "Oṃ vajrībhava hūṃ," one should visualize the ground as being transformed into vajra from the surface down to the subterranean realm by a mass of blazing hūṃ-syllables arising from the vajra-binding gesture. Then, one should bless the ground three times with "Vajra dṛḍha tiṣṭha." By means of this, one should cultivate the conviction that the ground has come under one's control; this is the ritual for the special preparation of the ground.
Then, in the center of the maṇḍala site, one should smear the ground with fragrant substances and the five nectars (amṛta) using the three syllables. One should scatter fragrant flowers and, having bathed and anointed oneself with fragrance, the practitioner should sit wearing whatever robes, ornaments, and uṣṇīṣa are available.
Possessing the yoga of the Lord of the Wheel, one should smear thirteen maṇḍalas with the five nectars, sandalwood, saffron, and so forth. Therein, one should cultivate the conviction that they are one's own samaya-cakra and mentally summon the wisdom-cakra (jñāna-cakra) residing in the expanse of space. Having caused them to enter and having made outer and secret offerings and praises, one should partake of the nectar.
Then, outside the visualized maṇḍala, the ācārya should sit in the southern direction facing north. Either according to the individual forms of the deities to be explained, or even by way of a single vase, one should specially prepare the all-accomplishing vase (karmasarvakṛta-kalaśa). It should be placed upon a pedestal of fresh kuśa grass atop a fragrant maṇḍala, both on the canopy and on the ground.
Following the emptiness, from the seed-syllable baṃ arise vases made of gold and so forth—black, rootless, with drooping lips, high necks, and large bellies—which have been thoroughly washed and well-perfumed. Inside these vases, one should place the five grains: barley, wheat, mung beans, peas, and sesame; the five medicinal herbs: vṛhatī, kaṇṭakārī, aparājitā (white), sahadevī, and daṇḍotpala; the five fragrances: saffron, agaru, granthi, sandalwood, and pattraka; and the five precious gems: gold, silver, pearl, coral, and rājāvarta. Having placed these in the bellies of the vases, one should fill them with water taken from rivers and so forth that have not been disturbed by elephants, cattle, donkeys, or the like—water that has not been touched by salt or other vessels—along with the five nectars (amṛta). At the mouths of the vases, one should place the fruits of the cūta, jambu, nyagrodha, aśvattha, and udumbara, or any other suitable ones, together with banners and parasols, appearing graceful. The necks are wrapped with radiant garlands of flowers and pairs of cotton cloths. Each vase is marked with its own respective emblem resting upon a source of phenomena (dharmodaya), a lotus, and a sun disk. Having purified them with the desire [mantra] and so forth, they should be set down. Then, those [vases] should be wrapped with seven white threads spun by a young maiden, or alternatively with threads of five colors, over which the hūṃ has been recited seven times. One should wrap them completely three or seven times with the mantra: oṃ vajraśekhara ruṭṭa diśāṃ bandha bandha hūṃ.
Alternatively, upon the Victorious Vase, one should recite "Oṃ vajrāmṛtodaka ṭhaḥ hūṃ" seven times. This transforms the contents into the nectar of primordial wisdom (jñānāmṛta), the nature of vajra atoms. Having placed the five nectars, fragrant water, a conch, a flower garland, and a vajra inside, one should then recite "Oṃ tapte mahātapte svāhā" over either wine or river water as appropriate. Visualizing the insignia of the deity's wheel in that water, one should instantly invoke the wisdom wheel (jñānacakra) with light from the seed-syllable at the heart; preceded by offerings, it should be absorbed. One should contemplate that the wheel residing in the heart melts through great passion (mahārāga) and becomes of a single taste with the appearance of the nature of bodhicitta.
Alternatively, the master should take the flower garland wound around the vajra with the left hand while holding the string of the garland with the right. Reciting the mantra of the Lord of the Wheel (cakreśvara), one should insert three kunda flowers into it while reciting all the mantras. For the other vases as well, one should summon the respective deities and, after consecrating them with their own mantras one hundred and eight or twenty-one times, insert three kunda flowers in the same manner and contemplate. The mantra is: "Oṃ śrī vajra he heruka hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ | ḍākinījālasaṃvara svāhā." This is for the Lord of the Wheel. "Oṃ ḍākinīye hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ." This is for the Ḍākinī.
OṂ LĀMĀYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ KHAṆḌAROHA YE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ RŪPIṆĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ KĀKĀSYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ ULŪKĀSYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ ŚVĀNĀSYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ ŚŪKARĀSYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ YAMADĀDHĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ YAMADŪTĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ YAMADAṂṢṬRIYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. OṂ YAMAMATHANĪYE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. These are the mantras of the Heroine Sovereigns (Vīreśvarīs). OṂ KHAṆḌAROHE HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. This is the all-accomplishing mantra of Khaṇḍarohā.
Then, having made offerings of flowers and so forth to the victory vases and the others, and having purified them with water taken from the all-accomplishing vase using a leaf, one should say: "Until the activities of the maṇḍala are completed, please avert all individual harms." Having offered the torma and performed the ritual rinsing, one should again offer flowers and so forth, and offer praise:
"Homage to you, the Wheel-Turning Queen of the Vajra Ḍākinīs and Ḍākinīs.
Homage to you, the Ḍākinī of the Wheel, whose body is the single essence of the three realms.
Homage to you, the Jewel Ḍākinī.
Homage to you, Vajradharma.
You are the Protector Amoghavajra;
Homage to you, Karmavajrī."
Thus one should praise and ring the bell. By means of such mantras, offerings, and so forth, one should perform these rites for the vases during three sessions or one session each day. This is the ritual of the preliminary consecration of the vases.
Following that, the ācārya arranges the thirteen fragrant maṇḍalas together with flowers. Visualizing the lord of the maṇḍala, he invites the wisdom wheel (jñānacakra) drawn in by the light of the seed-syllable at his own heart. Having performed the preliminary offerings such as the water for the feet and so forth, and having tasted the nectar (amṛta), he places his right knee on the ground. He visualizes the syllable HŪṂ upon a single-pointed vajra born from the syllable HŪṂ on his tongue. Holding a vessel of incense in his right hand, he should ring the vajra bell with his left hand.
"Bhagavān, supreme Vajra of the Wrathful Ones, I supplicate the Tathāgatas. O Protector, I wish to draw the maṇḍala of the coemergent elements. Out of compassion for the disciples and for the sake of making offerings to you, O Bhagavān, it is right for you to grant me your grace. Whatever other Buddhas, mantra deities, gods, world-protectors, and bhūtas abide in the teaching of awakening—whosoever possesses the vajra eye and delights in the teaching—please attend to me. Therefore, abiding in compassion for the disciples, I shall draw the supreme maṇḍala from which the vows arise."
Reciting this three times, he makes the request for the desired purpose. This is the "superior abiding of the deities." Then, the Vajra Master should perform the superior abiding for the disciples who have been thoroughly examined: "O wise ones, endowed with the qualities of discipline, stable, generous, and knowing the tantras..."
To the compassionate one who knows reality and possesses a mind [of compassion], the great Vajra Master; to the one of noble family, disciplined, faithful, and wise, who possesses generosity, discipline, and compassion, and whose student is unwavering and devoted to the Guru—such a person should be gathered here by the Guru. If [such a one] is not available, even an inferior person should be specially established [in the practice]. Then, whether there be one, two, or many students, having prepared a maṇḍala, the students should kneel with their knees on the ground and join their palms together with flowers. To them [the Guru says]:
"Some enter this maṇḍala seeking to accomplish the Secret Mantra. Others, desiring merit, seek something else. Still others seek the next world. Having cultivated faith that looks toward the next world, the wise should enter the maṇḍala, abandoning the desire for the fruits of this [life]. If one desires the fruits of this [life], the next world will not be so. For those who seek the purpose of the next world, the fruits of this [life] will be perfected."
Having thus generated faith, the Master, in the form of Śrī Saṃvara, enters into union with Vajravārāhī. He draws those students into his own crown or mouth, and they emerge from the vajra, abiding in the lotus of wisdom. Then, by the light rays of the seed-syllable at his own heart, he summons the Tathāgatas together with their consorts. They melt through great passion and, emerging from the avadhūtī and the vajra of Vairocana, bestow the empowerments. Having placed them at the eastern gate of the maṇḍala, he causes them to make the request for entry.
Yogin, you are the Teacher who practices the supreme union; you are the great hero who has shown the way of great awakening. I seek refuge in you, the great protector. Grant me the reality of the samaya; grant me also the bodhicitta. O Lord of the heroes and heroines, Vārāhī, and Heruka himself—how do the secret seats and all else abide within the body? Grant me also the Three Jewels: the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha. O Protector, I pray that you lead me into the supreme city of great liberation.
Following that, taking a single disciple as the principal, one should say: "Come here, my son! I shall perfectly teach you the ritual of the conduct of the Secret Mantra of the Mahāyāna. You are a vessel for the great way. By the power of the vajra mantras, the Buddhas who appear in the three times have perfectly attained incomparable primordial wisdom. Through the peerless application of Secret Mantra, the Lion of the Śākyas and other supreme ones conquered the fierce, great, and powerful hosts of Māra. Having understood how to follow the world, they turned the wheel and passed into nirvāṇa. Therefore, my son, apply your intellect to this in order to attain omniscience." Thus, one should cause them to correctly take up the vow.
Then, one should cause them to generate the bodhicitta by reciting three times: "I take refuge in the Three Jewels. I individually confess all misdeeds. I rejoice in the virtue of beings. I mentally embrace the awakening of the Buddhas." Thus, one should cause them to take up the generation of the bodhicitta.
All buddhas and bodhisattvas, please attend to me! I, who am called [name], from this time forth until I reach the heart of awakening, shall generate the supreme mind of unsurpassed awakening. Just as the protectors of the three times have resolved upon awakening, I shall generate that supreme, unsurpassed bodhicitta. I shall firmly and individually uphold the three types of training in discipline: the discipline of ethical conduct, the discipline of gathering virtuous dharmas, and the discipline of acting for the benefit of sentient beings. The Buddha, the Dharma, and the Saṅgha are the unsurpassed, supreme Three Jewels. From this day forward, I shall uphold the vows that arise from the yoga of the Buddha. Regarding the great vajra family, I shall firmly uphold the vajra, the bell, and the mudrā, and I shall also uphold the ācārya. Regarding the delightful samaya of the supreme jewel family, I shall constantly practice the four types of generosity six times every day. Regarding the pure great lotus family, which gives rise to great awakening, I shall individually uphold the sublime Dharma of the three vehicles: the outer, the secret, and the [inner]. Regarding the great action family, which encompasses all, I shall perfectly maintain all the vows and perform the activities of offering to the best of my ability. I shall avoid the root downfalls and likewise avoid the gross downfalls. I shall serve and honor sentient beings, maintaining a mind of loving-kindness toward all at all times. The three types of physical actions...
I shall also maintain the four types of virtuous speech and the three types of virtuous mental action. I shall renounce intoxicants and likewise avoid frivolous behavior. I shall not, with great effort, take pleasure in the Lesser Vehicle. I shall not show disrespect toward the gods and other principal deities. I shall not step over mudrās and the like. Having generated the supreme and holy bodhicitta, I shall uphold all the vows for the sake of all sentient beings. "I shall ferry across those who have not crossed; I shall liberate those who are not liberated; I shall give breath to those who have not found breath; I shall establish sentient beings in nirvāṇa." Thus, have them recite this three times.
Then, having protected them with the Khaṇḍarohī mantra, visualize at their hearts, throats, and crowns, upon vajras, lotuses, and wheels, black HŪṂ, red ĀḤ, and white OṂ syllables resting on sun and moon disks. Taking scented water together with a vajra, touch their hearts, throats, and crowns while reciting HŪṂ ĀḤ OṂ, and offer flowers at the crown, incense and lamps in front, and scents at the heart. Then, having washed with scented water a tooth-stick—such as an aśvattha tree—that is not fallen, straight, free of insects, and without blemishes, and having tied a flower to its tip, give it to the disciples at their hearts and have them rinse their mouths.
These should also be performed on a patch of ground smeared with cow dung the size of a cow hide. Facing east, they should cast the tip of the tooth-stick, reciting "Oṃ vajra hā sa haḥ," and discard it without hesitation while looking upward. One should also explain that the tooth-sticks falling in accordance with the desired accomplishments will bring success: if they fall facing east, north, west, south, upward, or downward, the accomplishments of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, wrathful activity, the state of a vidyādhara, or the subterranean realms will be achieved; if they fall outside [the smeared area], there is no accomplishment.
Then, having given water born from the syllable vaṃ for the purpose of rinsing the mouth, one should have them drink three handfuls of scented water consecrated seven times with the mantra of all activities, reciting: "Oṃ hrīḥ viśuddha dharma sarvapāpāni cāsya viśodhaya sarvavikalpān praṇaya hūṃ."
Then, having had them sit outside, one should give many kuśa grasses with unbroken tips, consecrated with the mantra of all activities, for the purpose of a mattress. Likewise, one should give a single kuśa grass born from the syllable dhīḥ for the purpose of a pillow, with the mantra "Oṃ vajratīkṣṇa vaṃ."
Then, having made a red thread born from the syllable hūṃ three times the length of the body and triple-stranded, and having tied three knots, one should bind it to their left arm, consecrated with the mantra of all activities, and protect them while reciting: "Oṃ buddhamaitri rakṣa rakṣa sarvān svāhā." To generate enthusiasm, one should say: "In this world, the Omniscient Ones..."
Sometimes it may occur, or it may not, like the udumbara flower; it occurs only once in a great while. That which is able to accomplish the peerless benefit of sentient beings without passing into nirvāṇa—the way of the Secret Mantra practice—is even rarer than that. Whatever sins were previously committed over many tens of millions of eons, if they are exhausted by merely seeing a maṇḍala such as this, what need is there to mention abiding in the way of the practice of the mantra of infinite renown? If one recites the secret mantra of the Protector, one will attain the unsurpassed state. For those whose intellects are utterly stainless regarding this supreme purification, all their sufferings and the lower realms from which they arise will be perfectly pacified. You, great beings, have today obtained a peerless find. Because you have been fully embraced by all the Victorious Ones, the great beings, and their heirs within this teaching, you will be born into this state. By that, you will truly be born into the Great Vehicle. This supreme path, which brings forth the Great Vehicle, is glorious; by traveling it, you will become Tathāgatas.
Having thus caused them to listen, and immediately thereafter having protected them perfectly with the mantra of all-encompassing activity, the ācārya explains the mantra of all-encompassing activity for the purpose of recitation. Then, saying, "Tell me your dreams early tomorrow morning," he should have them lie down in the lion’s posture, either behind a curtain at the edge of the maṇḍala or in another location outside. This is the preliminary consecration of the disciples.
Then, the ācārya, having made offerings to the maṇḍala of deities arranged for the preliminary consecration of the disciples, lifts and positions it in the sky for the purpose of the wisdom lines and so forth. Facing east and endowed with the yoga of the lord of the maṇḍala, he takes threads spun by a virgin who has not lost her virginity, or those purchased for the price of a hero, or even those found in a charnel ground. These threads are dyed individually with white, yellow, red, green, and black colors using white mustard powder mixed with fragrant scents and the five nectars (amṛta).
He then places the seed syllables BHRŪṂ, ĀṂ, JRĪṂ, KHAṂ, and HŪṂ, representing the nature of Vairocana and the other [Tathāgatas], in the palm of his left hand, starting from the tips of the fingers and extending to the bases of the fingers. He visualizes the five Tathāgatas residing in the sky as being gathered into the hearts of the Tathāgatas of their respective directions, and perceives the wisdom lines arising from the syllables BUṂ and so forth as being of the nature of light rays.
OṂ ĀḤ ŚĀŚVATA VAJRA SŪTRE ME PRAYACCHA MAHĀMAṆḌALA SŪTRAṆĀYA HŪṂ. With this, one should make a supplication to Vairocana and the others, inserting their respective names. Then, from the syllable JAḤ, there arise yellow appearances, the moon and sun eyes. Reciting OṂ DĪPTADṚṢṬĀṄKUŚI JAḤ, with eyes moving very rapidly and summoning with the lashes, one should summon the dispatched Vairocana and others with the hook-gaze and cause them to enter the lines held in the hands. For that very reason, because the natures of their five wisdoms—mirror-like and so forth—are each associated with the four wisdoms, they are divided into twenty-five. Following that, the Action-Vajra-holder, who is the nature of Khaṇḍarohā, together with the one holding the thread, should twist the five sets of five lines into single lines. Then, those five lines should be twisted into one while reciting: OṂ ANYONYĀNUGATĀḤ SARVADHARMĀḤ PARASPARĀNUPRAVIṢṬĀḤ SARVADHARMĀ ATYANTĀNUPRAVIṢṬĀḤ SARVADHARMĀ OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ. As for the twisting itself, one should place the thread between the four fingers of the left hands of the master and the disciple, passing it from the back and out again, and out from the back once more. These are then placed on the ground behind the index fingers of the vajra-fists, and after discarding the excess up to the end of the three, the thread should be twice as long as the maṇḍala.
In thickness, they should be one-twentieth the size of the door. These twenty-five [lines], which are of the nature of the five wisdoms, are soaked in scented water, the five nectars (amṛta), and the five products of a cow. They are placed inside the three syllables and anointed with fragrance, then set in a vessel of gold or similar material. After sprinkling them with the "all-accomplishing" water and its mantra, and with "Oṃ A Ā Aṃ Aḥ Ahi Ta," one should offer worship with fine incense, flowers, and so forth. Having touched them with the hand, one should protect them with the all-accomplishing mantra.
Then, the practitioner should stabilize his right and left eyes as the sun and moon, born from the syllables Ma and Ṭa, by reciting "Dṛṣṭimaṭa." Having touched the lines—which have been sprinkled with water of nectar, white mustard seeds, and scented water—with the vajra in his right hand, he should consecrate them by reciting "Oṃ Vajrasamayasūtraṃ mātikrama hūṃ" and "Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ" one hundred and eight times. The ground of the maṇḍala should also be...
With the mantra oṃ sarva saṃśodhaya hūṃ phaṭ, one should purify all the vases with water, anoint them with fragrance, and scatter flowers outside. Having first offered the water for the mouth and other offerings to the Saṃvara maṇḍala residing in the center of the sky, and having performed worship and prostrations, one should visualize oneself as the nature of Śrī Saṃvara and the Vajra-Worker (Karmavajrin) in the form of the All-Accomplishing One. From the syllable jaḥ, one visualizes a yellow sun and moon. Holding the marking cord with the left vajra-fist at the navel in the manner of the vajra-step, and with the ritual assistant likewise holding the cord, one should release it with jaḥ jaḥ jaḥ or jaḥ jaḥ jaḥ (three times). Then, drawing it back in the same way with jaḥ jaḥ jaḥ, one faces west while standing in the east, and faces north while standing in the south. Thus, the two Brahma-lines are laid out in the sky at the level of the navel. With the sounds of the lines, which carry the symbolic meaning: "This is the time for you to come here for the sake of sentient beings," one truly exhorts and summons the Tathāgatas who pervade the entire sky and causes them to enter the lines. Reciting oṃ vajrasamaya sūtraṃ mātikrama hūṃ hūṃ svā māhā, one should hold the marking cord with the thumb and index finger together with the vajra, snap the fingers, and strike the lines. In the same manner, the two Brahma-lines are laid below as well.
In that way, one should understand all the procedures for laying the lines as the ritual of the lines. Thus, the ācārya, standing in the western direction and facing east, and standing in the southern direction and facing north, sits with the left foot placed on the ground in the cross-legged posture. The assistant, acting as the vajra-worker, sits in the opposite position. Holding the line with vajra-fists, they proceed by circling to the left behind the back, and together they should lay the two Brahma-lines at the edge of the garland of light rays.
Standing in the southeast corner, one lays the line for the northwest corner; standing in the southwest corner, one lays the line for the northeast corner. Both of these are seventeen units of the door's measure. Standing in the southeast corner and facing north, one lays the eastern root line; standing in the northwest corner and facing south, one lays the western root line; remaining in that same place and facing east, one lays the northern root line; and standing in the southeast corner and facing west, one lays the southern root line, according to the measure of cubits and so forth.
Furthermore, since one door is one-eighth of a root line, one-fourth of a door is one small unit (aṃśuka). Then, having understood that two small units to the right and left of the Brahma-line are the locations of the doors of the root lines, the ācārya should visualize: "With the body of the Blessed One, I shall clear away all obscurations that act as obstacles to the door of liberation at the center of the maṇḍala."
With the syllable Hīḥ, the right and the other eye should be gazed upon with the wrathful look in the form of the sun and the moon; thus, the four gates should be opened and cleared. Then, according to the method of the kīla to be explained, the lines for the central lotus and so forth should be drawn.
At the end of four small units (aṃśa) from the Brahma-line, the circular line of the pericarp is drawn. From that, by means of eight small units, the eight petals and so forth should be drawn. Outside the base, there is one, two, one, two, one, and one; these six lines run from the corners to the sides. Gradually extending from the Brahma-line, the first is three small units long, and the second touches the tip of the line with two small units. The third is seven small units long. From the line of the pedestal, three straight lines are five small units long; each of the individual moldings (paṭṭikā) is one small unit in width. The lines emerging from the tip of the base are four small units long, and two small units in width, both horizontally and vertically. Horizontally, there are three curved lines of eight units. At the end of the small units of the beam-line, there is a horizontal line of ten small units. From the top of the pillar, by the measure of the gate, the moldings of the pediment (toraṇa) are above.
The sequence of the moldings is: Vasu, Vasu, Āditya, Jina, Vasu, Jina, Āditya, Vasu, Āditya, and Jina. These are the measures for the top of the gate. To the right and left of the Brahma-line, at the end of four and a half small units, the molding is two and a half small units. The line is three and a half small units. From five small units, the second and the third are also three small units each.
From four small units, the fourth [line] is three [units]; from three and a half small units, the fifth; from three and a half, the sixth; five small units, then three; eight small units, and one is [the seventh]; six small units is the last. The lines that reach the ends of the tiers are together with the ends of the others; there is one curve, and likewise another inside. Outside of that is the wheel of dharma (dharmacakra), with the tips of its spokes being two small units. Then, having gone straight out a little from the top of the pillar, it emerges from the mouth of the makara and is drawn out; it goes three small units to the center and, as appropriate, to the middle of the central tip. Regarding the five-pronged crossed vajra (viśvavajra), others should be made at its sides. Then, at the center of the maṇḍala, a vajra-kīla with one point below and five points above, born from the syllable HŪṂ, is struck with a vajra-hammer while reciting its own mantra one hundred and eight times. Having struck it and recited the mantra, the marking cord attached to it is doubled and placed in the center. Starting from the northeast direction outside the tips of the spokes, one should strike the lines of the circular wheel, moving counter-clockwise for each, up to two small units. This is what is meant.
If one so desires, the height above the door should be three times the width of the door. On the sides of its pillars, a dark molding should be made, and at the four corners of the door, five-pronged crossed vajras (viśvavajra) should be fashioned. Outside of those, four strips of two small units each should be made into lotuses, vajras, and garlands of light. Having offered the torma according to the ritual, one should insert the wisdom thread into the heart of the Tathāgata residing in space. Then, with "Oṃ vajra muḥ," request him to depart and set the five threads in a secluded place.
Subsequently, the colors—white, yellow, red, green, and black—either of the nature of the five precious gems or of powdered sīla (sandalwood), should be dyed and placed in separate vessels of gold or other materials. These should be purified with the water from the vase, which is the nature of Vairocana and the other [Buddhas] perfected from the seed syllables Bhrūṃ, Āṃ, Jriṃ, Khaṃ, and Hūṃ. Following the ritual explained for drawing the lines, the wisdom lines are summoned and absorbed from the hearts of the Tathāgatas residing in space. Having become of one taste with the wisdom colors, one should view them as being of the nature of wisdom. For the white color, recite "Oṃ vuṃ vajra citra samaya hūṃ." For the other colors, the same mantra is recited with the appropriate names, such as Amitābha, interspersed. One should consecrate each color one hundred and eight times. Likewise, one should ignite each with the blazing gaze and place the syllable Hrīḥ upon each.
By the truth through which the colored powders are many, and by the truth that the bodhisattvas and the Blessed Buddhas are affectionately inclined toward sentient beings—by that truth, may the colored powders blaze! Having thus blessed them with the power of truth, one should make offerings of fragrance, flowers, and so forth to the blazing colored powders.
Reciting "OṂ VAJRA VEGĀKRAMA HŪṂ," one should visualize entering from beneath the wisdom lines. Then, having extracted the ritual daggers with the four-HŪṂ mantra, one should meditate on them dissolving into the vajra held in one's hand. The pit should be filled with the five-colored powders, and any inauspicious signs should be cleared away with the sounding of a bell and the vajra song:
"This is the pure dharmadhātu,
Which brings total liberation to the realm of sentient beings.
I myself am the glorious King of Saṃvara,
The abode of all the Tathāgatas.
Completely liberated from all defects,
I abide perfectly within the wheel."
With these words, one should cultivate the conviction that it is the dharmadhātu. Then, standing within the maṇḍala, with the right hand marked by a vajra and the left in a fist, one should recite "OṂ VAJRĀṄKUŚA SAMAYA HŪṂ OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ" and "OṂ VAJRA CITRA SAMAYA HŪṂ." Starting from the direction of Ishāna (northeast) and proceeding clockwise from the inside, one should draw the five-colored border (pañcarekhā) in the colors black, green, red, yellow, and white; thereafter, the others should draw the remaining lines.
Then, within the maṇḍala of the essence, the lines extend to the limit, with white, yellow, red, green, and black [colors] for the ground-bands of the east, south, west, north, and center. At the hub of the wheel, upon the green anthers of a variegated lotus, is a sun disk bearing a blue, five-pronged, open vajra of Śrī Saṃvara. In the directions of the east and so forth, upon the red petals, are the blue curved knives of Ḍākinī, Lāmā, Khaṇḍarohā, and Rūpiṇī, arranged counter-clockwise. In the intermediate directions of the southeast and so forth, upon the yellow, green, yellow, and black petals, are skull cups filled with bodhicitta. In the gates of the east and so forth, arranged counter-clockwise, are the blue curved knives of Kākāsyā, Ulūkāsyā, Śvānāsyā, and Sūkarāsyā; and in the intermediate directions of the southeast and so forth, those of Yamadāḍhī, Yamadūtī, Yamadaṃṣṭriṇī, and Yamamathani, all resting upon variegated lotuses and sun disks. The outer terrace-band is the color of ruby. The jeweled band consists of various brilliant jewels bound with gold. Upon the blue band hang various brilliant jeweled necklaces and half-necklaces emerging from makara mouths.
On the blue frieze are white vākulī and kramaśīrṣa [mouldings]. Above the pillars are vākulī, jewels, and hooves; then gold, makara, gold, hooves, jewels, hooves, gold, and the śṛṅgāṭaka (cornice) frieze. Among these, the horse-hooves, makara, and the two types of hooves are of whatever colors are beautiful. The others have been explained previously. From the śṛṅgāṭaka to the cakravāḍa (circumference), the dark spaces are blue, because they are of the nature of space. The pillars of the archway and the prongs of the viśvavajra (double vajra) are the colors of the tathāgatas of their respective directions. The dharmacakra (wheel of dharma) has twelve spokes and is of the nature of gold or other jewels. The male and female deer appear as gold, adorned with other jewels. The petals of the lotus are of various colors, while the filaments are yellow. On the black ground, the vajras are of the nature of gold. Likewise, on the black ground, the garlands of light rays are the colors of the five tathāgatas. Outside of that, the eight charnel grounds (śmaśāna) are to be drawn. Among them, in the east is the charnel ground called Candogra (Fierce and Turbulent), also known as Caṇḍogra. In the north is the charnel ground called Kaṅkāla (Skeleton), also known as Khaṇḍakhaṇḍa (Fragmented). In the west is the charnel ground called Vajrajvāla (Blazing Vajra), also known as Akhaṇḍakhaṇḍa (Unfragmented). In the south is the charnel ground called Hasticihna (Marked by Hands), also known as Atirājasaṃkula (Exceedingly Turbulent).
In the northeast is the charnel ground called Kṣubdha-śūla-vedha, the "Agitated Piercing with the Spear," which is the "Fierce Laughter." In the southeast is the charnel ground called Kṣubdha-ardhadagdha, the "Agitated Half-Burnt," which is the "Forest of Śrī." In the southwest is the charnel ground called Kṣubdha-mṛta-niyata, the "Agitated Fixed Dead," which is the "Terrible Darkness." In the northwest is the charnel ground called Kṣubdha-atibaddha, the "Agitated Excessively Bound," which is the "Proclaiming a Chatter." It is said that one is fearless regarding the great terror.
Then, just as it was drawn, in the maṇḍala of the Saṃvara consisting of the thirteen glorious deities—vivid in all its aspects with parasols, victory banners, flags, wish-fulfilling trees, excellent vases, vajras, jewels, and so forth—one should recite the sarvakarmika mantra seven times. Having anointed it with scented water mixed with the five nectars (amṛta), one should purify the maṇḍala with that water, offer the remaining colored powders, and then request the wisdom colored powders to depart with "Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ Vajra Muḥ." The colored powder containers should then be placed in a secluded spot; this is the laying of the colored powders.
Following that, from among the vases previously consecrated, the vijaya (victory) vase should be placed slightly to the right of the eastern gate, having performed a circumambulation, and set upon the seat previously described. Likewise, the sarvakarmika vase should be placed on the designated seat slightly to the left of the eastern gate. Similarly, the vases for the ḍākinīs and others should be placed in the center of the gates of their respective directions.
The vases of Kākāsyā and the others are placed at the sides of the doors in their respective directions. The vases of Yamadāḍhī and the others are placed in the outer portions of their respective intermediate directions; this is the arrangement of the vases. Following that, having placed containers of fragrant incense in the eight cardinal and intermediate directions outside the maṇḍala-cakra, and having consecrated them with the mantra of the Lord of the Cakra, one should place various offering materials—such as pairs of variegated cloths, parasols, victory banners, flags, and pillars of plantain trunks or vases in excellent locations—while reciting "Oṃ vajraspharaṇa khaṃ." In the four directions, one should read the sublime Dharma, such as the Prajñāpāramitā.
Then, the Vajrācārya, having bathed and anointed himself with fragrant water, adorned with a red upper robe and a uṣṇīṣa, sprinkles and protects the maṇḍala with water from the "all-accomplishing" vessel. Holding a vajra and bell, he sits at the eastern door outside the cakra. Immediately following the meditation on emptiness, he performs the preliminary rites such as the ritual of the kīla for the vighnas and the protection wheel. Possessing the yoga of the Lord of the Samaya-maṇḍala, he enters into union with a karmamudrā or a jñānamudrā who is sixteen years of age.
Drawn in by the sound of joy from the perfectly stirred [state], the wisdom maṇḍala is first offered water for the feet and so forth, then absorbed into oneself. One should then cultivate the conviction that it melts through great passion, emerges from the vajra, and is projected into the interior of the consort’s lotus, becoming of one taste with the samaya maṇḍala. Then, having performed the blessing of the eyes, body, and so forth, the Tathāgatas together with Prajñā, summoned by the light of the seed-syllable at the heart, confer the empowerment and are sealed by the lords of their respective families. The emanated maṇḍala circle is then offered to by the offering goddesses, such as Vīṇā and the rest. Having also offered horses and so forth made of cloth pairs, gold, and the like, they are honored with the articles of enjoyment. Various kinds of food and snacks are offered, and after being honored with the offerings of the vīṇā and so forth, one praises them with verses such as "The Glorious One" while ringing a bell with sound. Then, the semen and menses of oneself and the Prajñā are placed in a lotus vessel, transformed into nectar, and offered.
With the conviction that the Lord of the Mandala and the others have tasted the nectar (amṛta) and are perfectly satisfied, becoming of the nature of the great bliss of coemergent wisdom (sahaja-jñāna), one should recite the mantra of the Lord of the Mandala one hundred and eight times, and the mantras of the deities of the maṇḍala twenty-one times each, as well as the hundred-syllable mantra. Then, having offered the bali offering to all spirits (sarvabhūta-bali), if there are practice companions, they should be stationed there and no other people should be allowed to enter. The master should go outside and, while performing the well-known songs, cymbals, and so forth, along with white yak-tail whisks, parasols, victory banners, and streamers, he should enter the eastern direction and present the bali offering to all spirits to his chosen deity (iṣṭadevatā), the guardians of the directions, and the rest. In that regard, in vessels such as water bowls and so forth, there should be various foods, including cakes, fish, meat, and so forth, as well as things to be eaten, chewed, and fruits.
Sprinkle the individual ritual implements with water from the torma and arrange them. Visualize that from the syllable yaṃ arises a wind mandala, upon which is a fire born from raṃ. On top of this, supported by a tripod of three heads born from āḥ, visualize a lotus vessel. Within it, as long as the food and other offerings remain, visualize the five nectars (amṛta)—the nature of the lamps—born from oṃ trāṃ āṃ khaṃ hūṃ lāṃ māṃ pāṃ tāṃ vāṃ. Stirred by the power of the wind mandala, they blaze and are melted by the heat of the fire.
Above that, visualize a lid in the form of a khaṭvāṅga of the nature of nectar, arising from the syllable āḥ. It melts from the steam and perfectly blends like mercury, becoming cool. Above that, visualize the three syllables oṃ āḥ hūṃ. With their light rays, the heroes and heroines (vīravīreśvarī) dwelling in the ten directions summon the wisdom nectar and dissolve it into those very three syllables. Visualizing that the syllables oṃ and the others also melt, one should consecrate it with the three syllables themselves.
Then, the Vajra Master, who is the very nature of the glorious Saṃvara, having made offerings to the maṇḍala of fragrant substances and so forth arranged there—consisting of the thirteenfold nature—and having praised it with the eight-line mantra, [he should visualize] the center of the ten-spoked protection wheel, together with the wrathful deities, as being entered by the light from the seed-syllable at his own heart. From the maṇḍala of the thirteenfold nature, he should invite Indra and the others, together with their retinues, as well as immeasurable sentient beings, into the directions of the east and so forth outside [the maṇḍala]. Turning the blazing mudrā at the forehead and reciting the syllable pheṃ three times, he should invite them into the sky.
With the mantra: Oṃ kakkakṭṭa bandhana bandhana khakkha khādana sarva duṣṭānāṃ hana hana gha gha ghātaya amukasya śāntiṃ kuru hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā, he should summon the moon and the others.
Having visualized all of them as having the form of Saṃvara, following the realization of emptiness, in union with their respective consorts, and having preceded this with the offering of water for the feet and so forth, he should perform the purification of the three spheres. With the palm of the left hand, he should place a vessel of nectar upon the hub of a crossed vajra (viśvavajra) arisen from the syllable hūṃ. Holding the right hand in a vajra-fist, he should display the threatening gesture (tarjanī) and circumambulate the Blessed One together with the Wisdom Consort, as well as the ḍākinīs and others, moving counter-clockwise for the cardinal directions and clockwise for the intermediate directions.
Oṃ vajraḍāka imaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇa gṛhṇa hūṃ phaṭ.
Recite the mantra oṃ jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ samaya stvaṃ dṛśya hoḥ once, twice, three, four, or five times, and offer [the torma] with it. Following that, for the ten wrathful deities residing in the protection wheel, recite once: oṃ kha vajradhṛṅka vajra hūṃkāra vajra imaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇa gṛhṇa amukaśe śāntiṃ rakṣāṃ ca kuru hūṃ phaṭ. Likewise, with the [mantras] including the expansions: oṃ vajradaṇḍa vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajrānalārka vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajrakuṇḍali vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajrajakṣa vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajrakāla vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajramahābala vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajrabhiṣaṇa vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajroṣṇīṣacakravarti vajra hūṃ phaṭ, oṃ vajrapātāla vajra hūṃ phaṭ. Having transformed [the offerings] with these ten mantras, one should offer the torma above and below as well.
For the Indra and others outside of that, also transform the torma with: oṃ kha kha khāhi khāhi sarva yakṣa rakṣasa bhūta preta piśāconmādāpasmāra ḍāka ḍākinīdaya imaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇantu samayaṃ rakṣantu sarva siddhiṃ me prayacchantu hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ phaṭ svāhā. Having transformed it thus, offer it by reciting [the mantra] four times above and below, and also recite the hundred-syllable mantra: oṃ vajraheruka samayam anupālaya heruka tvenopatiṣṭha dṛḍho me bhava sutoṣyo me bhava supoṣyo me bhava anurakto me bhava sarva siddhiṃ me prayaccha sarva karmasu ca me.
CITTAṂ ŚREYAḤ KURU HŪṂ HA HA HA HA HOḤ | BHAGAVĀN VAJRA HERUKA MĀ ME MUÑCA HERUKO BHAVA MAHĀSAMAYASATTVA ĀḤ HŪṂ PHAṬ. Thus it is said.
Beginning from the lord of the maṇḍala, the deities are drawn in by a stream of light rays from the tongues of red, single-pointed vajras born from the syllable HŪṂ. They taste the nectar (amṛta) and are perfectly satisfied, becoming of the nature of great bliss, one in taste with emptiness (śūnyatā). Contemplating thus, one offers water for the face, water for the hands, the tambūla leaf, and so forth, striving in the perfect activity of worship. Having requested forbearance, one should dissolve the maṇḍala of one’s chosen deity into oneself.
Then, the guardians of the directions, such as Indra and the others, are requested to remain in the ten directions outside the maṇḍala of the object of accomplishment to perform protection and other functions, according to their respective desires. After that, the ritual touching (upaspṛśana) should be performed.
Then, the master, in the form of the lord of the maṇḍala, takes a flower garland. With the syllables HŪṂ HŪṂ, he displays a majestic bearing; with the syllables HĪḤ HĪḤ, he strikes a terrifying pose. Performing a dance with the playful vajra-step, he enters the maṇḍala with vajra-impetus. Brandishing the vajra and ringing the bell, he proceeds with the vajra-step in that very manner, reciting: OṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ; OṂ HŪṂ HANA MĀRAYA DUṢṬĀN GHĀTAYA GHĀTAYA ĀḤ ĀḤ HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ; and OṂ HŪṂ ĀḤ ĀḤ ĀḤ PHAṬ.
By reciting the four-syllable mantra oṃ hūṃ āḥ phaṭ, the ācāryas at the gates in the east, north, and so forth, together perform three circumambulations. In order to pacify the faults of excess or omission, they gaze at the maṇḍala, offer flowers to the Blessed One, and then, following the sequence of east, north, and so forth, they take their positions in the west and other directions. Reciting oṃ vajrodghāṭaya samaya praveśaya hūṃ, they open the gates. Then, reciting oṃ samayam praviśāmi, they perform a dance once more, take up the flower garland, and bind it upon their heads. Having completed the great offerings of fragrance, incense, and so forth in the cardinal and intermediate directions, they prostrate to the maṇḍala and make this supplication: "Please grant the grace of all accomplishments to all sentient beings." This is the accomplishment of the maṇḍala, and one should then perform the recitation.
Then, the Vajrācārya enters the maṇḍala house early in the morning. For the sake of protection, at the conclusion of reciting the sarvakarmika mantra, he offers a bali cake and exits the maṇḍala house. He calls the disciples and asks about their dreams; if they have had inauspicious dreams, he thoroughly protects them with the sarvakarmika mantra. Then, preceded by the maṇḍala, the disciples enter with devotion and enthusiasm, reciting: oṃ praveśa bhagavān mahāsukha pradampara sukhatotma siddhyartha jaḥ hūṃ prasiddhya su. Having made offerings to the best of their ability in the maṇḍala house, they visualize the maṇḍala of deities as being manifest.
Having developed devotion toward the guru as the lord of the maṇḍala, and having entered the maṇḍala through the sequence of the ritual for admitting disciples that will be explained, one receives the empowerments being bestowed, culminating in the permission. Then, having recognized the lord of the maṇḍala together with the maṇḍala circle as the non-dual wisdom of the nature of Great Vajradhara—arisen from great passion, having the nature of suchness and great bliss, like a reflection, and in the state of union—one should pray for the accomplishment of the maṇḍala in order to admit the disciples. This is the prayer:
Because you are born from space and possess the marks,
Supreme, without beginning or end,
The nature of the Great Vajrasattva,
I shall today accomplish myself as the glorious Saṃvara.
Supreme among all great accomplishments,
Primordial deity, Great Īśvara,
King of all Vajra-holders,
Accomplish me as the supreme, unchanging one.
Faultless and constant,
Passionately attached to all passions,
Great passion, great joy—
O Bhagavān, accomplish me as that very reality.
Supreme joy, the supreme dharma,
Primordially liberated Tathāgata,
Samantabhadra, the lord of all,
Accomplish me as the Bodhisattva.
Supreme among all great accomplishments,
Great Īśvara, supreme mudrā,
Supreme great accomplished Vajra,
Lord of Vajra-pride, accomplish me.
Pervading the minds of all sentient beings,
Dwelling in the hearts of all sentient beings,
You are also the father of all sentient beings.
Samaya
By the truth of the supreme desire of the supreme, the truth of sublime wisdom, and the truth of the maṇḍala which is the nature of method and insight—by that truth, O Protector, may you completely fulfill my desires!
All phenomena are like reflections: clear, pure, and untroubled; ungraspable and inexpressible; arisen from causes and actions, and emerged from suchness. By that truth, may all the disciples clearly see the reflections in the maṇḍala without obscuration.
Thus it is said; this is the entry of the ācārya.
Then, the disciples remaining outside the curtain are purified with water, fragrant scents, and so forth. Having been given [the offerings], they are sprinkled with the water of all-activity from the right. Visualizing them in the form of Vairocana, one meditates on a black HŪṂ, a red ĀḤ, and a white OṂ abiding on the sun and moon disks located at the heart, throat, and crown, upon which rest a vajra, a lotus, and a wheel. Then, having donned red garments while reciting the mantra of all-activity, they are clothed in lower garments with: OṂ SARVA-TATHĀGATĀNUTTARA-BODHĪ-LAṄKĀRA-PRATIPŪJA-MEGHA-SAMUDRA-SPHARAṆA-SAMAYA HŪṂ. Likewise, they are clothed in upper garments with OṂ VAJRA-RAKṢA HAṂ, and the uṣṇīṣa is placed [upon the head] with OṂ VAJROṢṆĪṢA HŪṂ PHAṬ.
With the mantra oṃ cakṣurbandha varamanaya hūṃ, the red blindfold is bound. With āḥ khaṃ vīra hūṃ, the flower garland is held. Uttering hūṃ, the practitioner is placed at the eastern gate by the karmavajra (action-vajra) holder in order to enter.
When asked, "O you who delight in joy, who are you?", the candidate should reply: "I am one of good fortune, possessing great bliss."
Reciting oṃ sarvayogacittam utpādayāmi, the bodhicitta is generated. Holding a vajra together with a flower at the candidate's heart, one consecrates them with oṃ surate samayas tvaṃ hoḥ siddha vajra yathā sukhaṃ. Then one says: "Today you will be blessed by all the Tathāgatas. You must not speak of this supreme, great secret maṇḍala of all the Tathāgatas to those who have not entered, nor to those who lack faith."
Reciting oṃ khaṇḍarohā hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā, the candidate is led in. Reciting āḥ khaṃ vīra hūṃ, they are ushered inside the curtain. Reciting mahārata sudṛḍha sustoṣya susukho vajrasattva adya siddhyam, they perform circumambulations, join their palms, and sit at the eastern gate of the maṇḍala.
With oṃ sarvavīradākinīpūjopasthānāyātmanāṃ niryātayāmi sarvavīradākinīprajñopāyātmanāṃ saṃvarādhi tiṣṭha māṃ, they are placed in the center. With oṃ sarvavīradākinīpūjopasthānāyātmanāṃ niryātayāmi sarvavīravīriṇīdākinīr adhi tiṣṭha māṃ, they are placed in the east.
OṂ SARVA VĪRA ḌĀKINĪ PŪJA KARMAṆE ĀTMĀNAṂ NIRYĀTAYĀMI SARVA VĪRA ḌĀKINĪ LĀMĀ VAJRA KARMA KURU MĀM. With this, [one prostrates] to the north. OṂ SARVA VĪRA ḌĀKINĪ PŪJĀ PRABARTANĀYA ĀTMĀNAṂ NIRYĀTAYĀMI SARVA VĪRA ḌĀKINĪ KHAṆḌAROHA VAJRA DHARMA PRABARTAYA MĀM. With this, [one prostrates] to the west. OṂ SARVA VĪRA ḌĀKINĪ PŪJĀ ABHIṢEKĀYA ĀTMĀNAṂ NIRYĀTAYĀMI SARVA VĪRA ḌĀKINĪ RŪPINĪ VAJRA RATNĀBHIṢIÑCA MĀM. With this, [one prostrates] to the south. OṂ GURU TSARANO VASTHĀNĀYA ĀTMĀNAṂ NIRYĀTAYĀMI. OṂ SARVA SATTVA PARITRĀṆĀRTHĀYA ĀTMĀNAṂ NIRYĀTAYĀMI. Having thus prostrated to the guru, one should say: "Today you have entered the family of all the Tathāgatas. Therefore, I shall generate the vajra wisdom in you. By means of this wisdom, you will attain even the accomplishments of all the Tathāgatas, so what need is there to mention other accomplishments? You must not speak of this in the presence of those who have not seen the maṇḍala, lest your samaya be impaired." Having said this, he holds a vajra to the crown of the head and rings the bell, proclaiming: "This is your samaya vajra. If you speak of this to anyone, your head shall be split asunder." Then, holding a vajra with a flower at the heart, he says: "OṂ. Today Vajrasattva himself truly dwells within your heart. If you speak of this way, he will immediately tear it apart and depart."
Having thus given the command, the five nectars (amṛta) contained in the lotus vessel atop the activity vase are consecrated with the three syllables. Recite oṃ vajrāmṛtodaka ṭhaḥ seven times and say: "This is your hell-water; if you transgress the samaya, it will burn you. If you guard the samaya, it is accomplishment. Drink this water of vajra nectar!" Then, to the disciple whose samaya is firm, one should say: "From this day forward, I am your Heruka. Whatever I say, 'Do this,' you must do. You must not treat me with contempt. If you do not abandon your arrogance, you will fall into hell when your time comes—be careful!" This is the bestowing of the samaya water.
Instantly, immediately following the emptiness, the disciple arises from the syllable āḥ in the form of Amitābha. Saying, "May all the Tathāgatas grant their blessings and cause Vajrasattva to descend upon me," a blue hūṃ syllable is visualized on a sun disk resting upon a yellow square earth maṇḍala marked by a three-pronged vajra arising from laṃ at the heart. At the crown, a white water maṇḍala marked by a white vase arising from baṃ contains a white ha syllable on a moon disk. At the throat, a blue bow-shaped wind maṇḍala marked by two fluttering banners arising from yaṃ contains a red āḥ syllable on a moon disk.
Having meditated on the mind, body, and speech vajras as being of one taste with the light from the seed syllable at one’s own heart, one visualizes beneath the feet a triangular sun disk marked with the letter ra, ignited by a wind maṇḍala. From the complete transformation of that, a red jhaiḥ syllable—residing upon the wind maṇḍala and emitting rays of light—fills the body with the light of hūṃ and so forth. While the disciple is being lifted by the force of the jhaiḥ syllable’s light, one fumigates with guggulu incense and rings a bell, causing them to dance. Reciting the mantra āveśaya stobhaya ra ra ra ra calaya hūṃ haḥ āḥ jhaiḥ one hundred times, one causes the descent by focusing on meditative concentration.
Once the disciple has descended, one visualizes them in the form of Rāgavajra. On their tongue, one meditates on a red āḥ syllable, of one taste with Vāgvajra, resting upon a moon disk and accompanied by rays of light. Then one should say brūhi vajra. In that way, they will speak the truth regarding what is virtuous and non-virtuous. Then, having stabilized them with oṃ tiṣṭha vajra, one asks, "What do you see?" If they report seeing white, yellow, red, or black, one says, "You are destined for the accomplishments of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, or wrathful activities, respectively."
Then, having summoned the entered deity with the light from the seed syllable at the heart and meditated on it dissolving into the seed syllable at one’s own heart, one holds a vajra at the disciple’s head.
One should perform the request for departure with the mantra oṃ khyed kyis and so forth, preceded by hūṃ haḥ āḥ jhaiḥ muḥ. Then, holding the student by both thumbs with the hand that holds the vajra, one should perform a dance in the manner of the vajra-step, cause the student to circumambulate three times while reciting the sarvakarmika mantra, and then recite the "Blessing of Truth":
"In this authentic maṇḍala, I shall initiate this student. May the deities of the families likewise grant supreme merit. What kind of accomplishment will this student attain? In which family will they become a vessel? What is the power of their merit? May it become exactly like that in the maṇḍala."
Then, having visualized the previously held flower garland as blessed by the syllable trāṃ, one should focus on the Lord of the maṇḍala together with his retinue situated in front, and cast the flower—previously blessed by the syllable trāṃ—onto his head with the syllable hūṃ, while reciting pratīccha vajra hoḥ.
Then, when the flower falls, it indicates the inferior, middling, or supreme accomplishments. In that regard, if it lands on the ūrṇā hair-treasure, the uṣṇīṣa, or the head of the buddhas, it is the accomplishment of Mahāmudrā. If it lands on the eyes or the face, it is the accomplishment of mantra. Regarding the body: if it lands on the upper part, it is supreme; if on the middle part, it is middling; if on the lower part, it is inferior. If it lands far from the body, the accomplishment will take a long time; if it lands near, the accomplishment will be swift.
The respective abodes of the deities should be understood from the demarcations of the grid squares and so forth. If the flower falls between two deities, then at that time, it belongs to whichever deity it is closer to. If it falls outside the maṇḍala, the accomplishment will be minor. If it falls on the lines, then it should be cast again; this is the casting of the flower. Following that, those garlands are tied upon the crown of the disciple's head, and one recites: pratigṛhṇa tvam imam sattvavara.
Then, having meditated upon the Lord at the moon of the disciple's heart, the letter ra at the forehead, and again the syllable oṃ at the two eyes—these two eyes together with rays of light—one recites:
Oṃ, today Vajrasattva himself
Strives to open your eyes;
The unsurpassed vajra eyes—
By opening them, you shall see all.
Thus saying, the face veil should be removed. Saying, "O Hevajra, look!" and preceded by the recitation of the names of the deities of the maṇḍala, one shows them starting from the gatekeepers up to the Lord. Then one says:
"Now, by the force of your faith, look upon this very maṇḍala. You are born into the family of the Buddhas. You are blessed by mantra and mudrā. All accomplishments are perfected. You have become the supreme samaya. Play with the tip of the vajra and lotus. Pay homage to the secret mantras."
Having said this, one says: "I have entered the vajra maṇḍala, the great maṇḍala. I have seen the yoga maṇḍala, the great maṇḍala."
"Empower me in the great maṇḍala of the secret maṇḍala." Having had them say this, the samaya should be recited: "Hoḥ Hoḥ Hoḥ Hoḥ." This is the entry of the disciples.
Then, for the purpose of the empowerment, the disciples should offer whatever wealth they have acquired, prostrate with the five limbs, and with their knees touching the ground and palms joined, make this supplication:
"Just as the Vajra of Awakening
Bestowed the great offering upon the Buddhas,
So too, for the sake of my complete liberation,
O Vajra of Space, grant it to me today!"
Then, for the purpose of conferring the empowerment upon the disciples, the ācārya should have them sit upon a multi-colored eight-petaled lotus, marked with the symbols of the five families, not far from the root maṇḍala. The disciples should then be transformed into the form of Vajradhara.
Then, having made offerings to the hosts of vīras and ḍākinīs summoned by the masses of light rays emanating from the seed-syllable at one's own heart, one should say:
"Just as the Vajra-holder
Bestowed the empowerment upon the Buddhas
For the sake of protecting wandering beings,
O Source of Qualities, please grant it to this one as well."
Having thus supplicated, the insight and method enter into union and, through great passion, melt. They dissolve and enter the Lord of the Maṇḍala, and emerging from the vajra, the melted substances enter the lotus of Vārāhī. The disciple is transformed into the form of Vajraḍākinī, and together with the insight consort, inseparable from the wisdom-being (jñānasattva), they are empowered. Then, with hands, faces, and so forth, they are drawn out from the lotus and abide filling the sky. They hold parasols, victory banners, pennants, robes, the sounds of songs and music, and rains of flowers, saffron, and so on. In accordance with the gatekeepers, Khaḍgāmukhī and the others hold with their hands the precious vases filled with the nectar of bodhicitta, slightly tilted. As the empowerment is conferred, the offering goddesses such as Vīṇā and the rest perform great acts of joy, making offerings and singing auspicious songs:
"Whatever auspiciousness dwells in the hearts of all sentient beings, the supreme lord of all families, the self of all, the great bliss that gives birth to all sentient beings without exception—by that, may there be auspiciousness for your supreme empowerment today!
Possessing excellence like a mountain of gold, the protector of the three worlds who has abandoned the three stains, the Buddha with eyes like the petals of a fully blossomed lotus—by that, may there be auspiciousness for your pacification today!
The supreme, immovable teaching revealed by him, renowned throughout the three worlds and worshipped by gods and humans..."
The supreme Dharma, which always brings peace to all living beings—by that, may there be the auspiciousness of peace for you today! Rich with the auspiciousness of hearing the sublime Dharma, the Saṅgha is the field of merit for humans, gods, and asuras; the supreme of assemblies, the foundation of shame and glory—by that, may there be the auspiciousness of peace for you today!
Reciting this oneself, first [the water] from the Victory Vase (vijaya-kalaśa), then sequentially from those of the ḍākinīs and so forth, then from those of the Crow-Faced Goddess (Kākāsyā) and so forth, and then from those of the Yama-Dhṛtī and so forth, [the empowerment is conferred] with the water from the vases. Alternatively, taking water from all the vases and combining them, the water from the Victory Vase is made to flow from the tip of a vajra together with a leaf. Reciting:
"The great vajra empowerment,
Venerated by those of the three realms,
Arising from the source of the three secrets
Of all the Buddhas, I shall bestow it."
And saying: oṃ āḥ vajrodakābhiṣiñca hūṃ surataṃ ahaṃ, the empowerment should be conferred. This is the water empowerment.
Then, the disciple—who has offered the supplication to the guru with the words "Awakening Vajra" and so forth—is visualized in the form of the Ratna-Ḍākinī, born from māḥ and a jewel, inseparable from the wisdom-being (jñānasattva). When the heroes and ḍākinīs dwelling in the sky confer the empowerment with vases, the offering goddesses such as the Lute-Bearer (Vīṇā) and others make offerings and sing auspicious songs.
"The great vajra empowerment..." [and so forth].
Having recited these and other verses, the crown is placed upon the head of the disciple, who has been blessed by the five ḍākinīs, the lords of their respective families. Then, having conferred the empowerment with the mantra: Oṃ āḥ vajramukuṭābhiṣiñca hūṃ suratastvaṃ ahaṃ, one should cause [the disciple] to be fully delighted with vajratuṣya hoḥ. This is the crown empowerment.
With oṃ hūṃ trāṃ hrīḥ aḥ, the silk streamers are bound at the forehead. Likewise, having made the request, from the transformation of hrīḥ and a lotus, the disciple appears in the form of the Lotus Ḍākinī, inseparable from the wisdom being (jñānasattva). The heroes and ḍākinīs dwelling in the sky confer the empowerment with vases, while offering goddesses such as Vīṇā and others present offerings and sing auspicious songs. Then, having recited the verse beginning: "The great vajra empowerment..." and "Today, by the Buddhas' vajra empowerment, you are empowered. This is the vajra of all the Buddhas; hold it for the sake of supreme accomplishment," the vajra—which is the nature of the Lotus Ḍākinī—is touched to the disciple's heart, throat, and head, and then placed in the right hand. This is the vajra empowerment.
In that very manner, when the disciple who has made the request is visualized as the form of the Action Ḍākinī arising from the syllable khaṃ and a sword, inseparable from the wisdom being (jñānasattva), the heroes and ḍākinīs dwelling in the sky confer the empowerment with vases. Then, the offering goddesses, such as Vīṇā and the rest, make offerings and sing auspicious songs. Reciting the verses beginning with, "The great vajra empowerment..." and so forth, the bell, which is the nature of the Viśva-Ḍākinī, is placed in the left hand while reciting: oṃ vajrādhipatistvām abhiṣiñcāmi tiṣṭha vajrasamayas tvaṃ. Then, saying: oṃ vajraghaṇṭe āḥ āḥ gṛhīto 'si mayā bhagavān mayi sannihito bhava, this is the ritual for the bell empowerment.
Then, when the disciple who has made the request is visualized as the form of the Cakra-Ḍākinī arising from the syllable oṃ and a wheel, inseparable from the wisdom being, the heroes and ḍākinīs dwelling in the sky confer the empowerment with vases. The offering goddesses, such as Vīṇā and the rest, make offerings and sing auspicious songs. Holding the vajra and bell correctly at the crown of the head, one recites the verses beginning with, "The vajra empowerment..." and so forth. Then, saying: oṃ vajrasattvastvām abhiṣiñcāmi vajranāmābhiṣekataḥ. Hevajra, [Name], this is your vajra name, the name empowerment of the Cakravartin is conferred.
"From the action concordant with the family" refers to the conferral of the name empowerment. By being empowered with these five, one becomes authorized to listen to and explain the tantras. Because they are the antidote to ignorance, they are called the "empowerments of knowledge" (vidyā).
Then, the request for the Vajra Master Empowerment:
"O Treasure of Compassion, please grant me the Vajra Master empowerment! Through your kindness, may I become capable of accomplishing the welfare of both myself and others. O Protector, having bestowed upon me the irreversible wheel, please explain the suchness of the deities of the wheel, the activities of the master, and the supreme secret vows and commitments of all the Buddhas. For the sake of all sentient beings, I shall certainly become a master."
Having thus made this supplication, the disciple is placed upon a white parasol and seated upon a lion throne. He is made to sit upon the pericarp of a multicolored lotus marked with the symbols of the five families. Adorned with variegated garments and ornaments, he is visualized as the form of Vajrasattva, born from the syllable HŪṂ and the vajra, inseparable from the wisdom-being (jñānasattva).
With the words: "The being without beginning or end is Vajrasattva, the Great Joy, the Lord of Vajragarvī, the Blessed One, the Glorious Supreme Primordial Person," one should grasp that very suchness which is the identity of Vajrasattva born from the HŪṂ and the vajra. This is the Vajra Samaya.
"This is explained as the resonance of the insight of all the buddhas. You too must always hold it; the Victors intend it for supreme awakening." Reciting this, the bell born from the syllable ĀḤ should be grasped with the suchness of its reality. It should then be sounded by them with the words: "Becoming is pure by its very nature; by its very nature, becoming is made free. The supreme being, pure by nature, will bring about the supreme state of becoming." This is the samaya of the bell.
"Because it serves as the support for the mental body, it is explained as the samaya of the mudrā. Since it serves as the support for the entire body, it is therefore renowned as the mudrā." Thus, in order to bless the wisdom mudrā, one should enjoy the five sensory pleasures and thereby accomplish all the siddhis, such as the Mahāmudrā and so forth. Having granted this, one should have the student perform the manner of embracing the mudrā through the stages of union. This is the samaya of the mudrā.
Then, for the student who possesses these three samayas and has the form of Vajrasattva, one should visualize that the heroes and ḍākinīs summoned by the light rays of the seed-syllable at one's own heart confer empowerment. Reciting the verse beginning, "The great vajra empowerment," and saying "Oṃ āḥ sarvatathāgatābhiṣekasamayaśriye hūṃ svāhā," one should confer the empowerment with the water from the Victorious Vase.
Then, having visualized Akṣobhya upon the crown, the other Tathāgatas and the goddesses should also be established in the essence of the wisdom-being (jñānasattva). With the mantra oṃ supratiṣṭha tvaṃ vajre svāhā, one should consecrate and make offerings. As it is said: "To one who has reached sixteen years of age, the hands arise in perfect union; the vajra and bell joined together are held to be the empowerment of the master (ācārya)." Following that, the reality (tattva) and the purity of the maṇḍala should be explained in brief: "The maṇḍala is explained as a lotus; the maṇḍala of the mind is supreme. What is called the 'multi-storied palace' is the accumulation and gathering of the pure wisdom-beings. The five aggregates, when summarized, are renowned as the five Buddhas." In the ultimate sense, the reality of the maṇḍala and the reality of the deity are simply suchness (tathatā), whose nature is the absence of intrinsic existence. This is the empowerment of the master.
Then, the master should recite the heart mantra and so forth three times, saying: "Bhagavān, I offer this to you; please accept it for this [disciple]," and then bestow it upon the disciple. The disciple should then say: "Bhagavān, I have received it; please accept it for me," and having taken the mantra, should recite it three times. This is the entrustment of the mantra.
Then, with a golden probe, one visualizes the syllable sraṃ at the eyes of the student, which contain the medicinal ointment of butter and honey in the vessel. Reciting oṃ vajranetrāva hara paṭalaṃ hrīḥ, one performs the gesture of applying the ointment and says:
"Just as the King of Physicians, the possessor of the probe,
Removed the cataracts of the world,
So too, O son, the Victorious Ones
Have removed the cataract of your ignorance."
This is the medicinal ointment.
Then, one shows the student a mirror over which the syllable āḥ has been recited:
"Phenomena are like reflections:
Clear, pure, and unclouded;
Ungraspable and inexpressible,
Perfectly arisen from causes and actions.
Like a mirror, Vajrasattva
Is clear, pure, and unclouded.
The very self of all Buddhas
Has entered into your heart.
Knowing phenomena to be thus—
Without intrinsic nature and without location—
Perform the peerless benefit of sentient beings,
For you are born as a son of the Protectors."
This is the mirror.
Then, having given a bow produced from the syllable hoḥ and marked with the syllable hoḥ, one says sarvatathāgatānurāgayasva. The students also say sarvatathāgatānurāgayāmi, and visualizing the piercing of all obstructors, they should shoot four arrows in the four directions—one above and one below. This is the shooting of the arrows.
Then, reciting oṃ vajra hetu maṃ, the Dharma wheel arising from the syllable bhrūṃ is placed in the student’s right hand. Reciting oṃ vajra bhāṣa raṃ, the conch arising from the syllable āḥ is placed in the left hand. Reciting the first vowel, the book arising from the first vowel is given; and reciting the final vowel, the bell arising from the final vowel is given. Having given the bell, the student is instructed to ring it, while reciting:
"All things have the characteristic of space,
And space itself has no characteristic.
Through union with space,
The supreme equality of all is revealed."
Following that, one should say:
"From this day forward, having generated the mind of awakening,
Turn the wheel of Dharma thoroughly.
Fill all directions with the unsurpassed
Conch of Dharma.
Without harboring doubt or hesitation,
With a mind free from suspicion,
Constantly teach to the world
The supreme way of Secret Mantra conduct.
By doing so, you will be known
As one who honors the Buddhas.
All the Vajra-holders as well
Will protect you in every way."
Thus, having granted the common permissions, the student is visualized in the forms of Vairocana and the other [Buddhas] in succession, and addressed:
"In all worlds and in every way,
For the benefit of all sentient beings,
Turn the wheel of Dharma in various ways
According to what is needed to discipline them.
With the nature of all wisdom,
Exalted like a wish-fulfilling jewel,
Free from hesitation and inexhaustible,
Accomplish the perfect welfare of sentient beings."
In place of the word "dharma," one should insert the words "vajra," "ratna," "padma," and "karma," and then bestow the five types of authorization. The disciple, having prostrated at the two lotus feet of the guru, says: "Just as the Lord has commanded, so shall I do." This is the authorization.
Then, visualizing the disciple in the form of Vajrasattva, one gives the vajra born from the syllable HŪṂ, saying: "This is the vajra of all the Buddhas, which resides in the hand of Vajrasattva. You too must always hold it; be firm in the conduct of Vajrapāṇi." The disciple should then hold the vajra while reciting: "OṂ SARVA-TATHĀGATA-SIDDHI-VAJRA-SAMAYA TIṢṬHA EṢA TVĀṂ DHĀRAYĀMI VAJRASATTVA HRĪḤ HI HI HI HI HŪṂ." This is the vajra conduct.
Then, in the manner of the Tathāgata’s deportment, holding the corner of the religious robe with the left fist and making the mudrā of fearlessness with the right hand, one says: "Having extracted [beings] from the lower realms of existence, in order to purify existence completely, I, the Tathāgata Vajrasattva, shall grant this prophecy: 'O [Name], Vajra-Tathāgata-Siddhi-Samayas-tvaṃ Bhurbhūvaḥ Svaḥ!'" By this, the disciple should be visualized in the form of the Tathāgata corresponding to the flower upon which it fell.
Furthermore, regarding one who has been drawn forth and prophesied by the noble mudrā, the maṇḍala deities together with the retinue of all tathāgatas and bodhisattvas shall, with one voice, bestow the prophecy of unsurpassed, perfectly complete awakening. One should have faith, thinking, "They have thoroughly meditated upon this very mudrā and secret mantra." This is the prophecy.
Then, having empowered the disciple’s heart with all the mantras, and having bound the kaṅkaṇa on the left hand and held a parasol over the head, one should have them circumambulate. With palms joined, the parasol is held over the entrance of the maṇḍala, and one says: "This disciple is offered to you, so that they may uphold the tantras." Having thus petitioned the Lord of the Maṇḍala, one should speak these words that reach the disciple’s heart:
"Now, you shall be the ācārya of the maṇḍala,
Upholding the mantras and the tantras.
The buddhas, bodhisattvas, and
The deities themselves will also hold you in their thoughts.
For the sake of compassion for all sentient beings,
You must strive to draw the maṇḍala according to the ritual.
By seeing and entering this most secret, sublime maṇḍala,
You will be completely liberated from all misdeeds.
Today you dwell in well-being;
From this vehicle of great bliss,
Henceforth, death shall no longer exist for you.
You have transcended the suffering of existence;
The limit of existence is thoroughly established.
Today your birth is fruitful;
You are now perfectly and securely established."
There is no doubt that you will become equal to the samaya deities. Today, by the empowerment conferred upon you by all the Buddhas and Vajra-holders, you are certain to become the sovereign of the great kingdom of the three realms. Today, having triumphed over the Māras, you have entered the supreme city; today, you will attain Buddhahood—of this there is no doubt. There is no sin in the three realms equal to being free from desire; therefore, you must never be free from desire. Enjoying all sensual pleasures, why should you fear anything? You should eat the five meats and the nectars, and likewise observe the other samayas. You must not kill living beings, nor abandon the precious woman, nor abandon the master (ācārya); these samayas are extremely difficult to transgress. Through the intention of wisdom and method, there is nothing whatsoever that should not be done. Do not fear; you have no sin. Just as the Tathāgatas have spoken, make your mind thus perfectly pure and vajra-like. Rely upon your own samaya, which bestows inexhaustible bliss. Through this, you will all attain the state of eternal equality with Vajrasattva, a state of happiness for all beings. Furthermore, for the sake of virtue, the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas will regard anyone who has received empowerment according to this nature of phenomena and this ritual with a heart of supreme devotion, like a beloved child. This is the ritual of encouragement.
Because the vase is the instrument for those empowerments, it is called the vase empowerment. Then, in a secluded place screened by curtains, cloth, and so forth, the disciple should offer to the guru a wisdom consort who is twelve or sixteen years of age, who possesses perfect form and marks, and who abides by the samaya and vows. Kneeling with the kneecaps on the ground and joining the palms, the disciple should visualize the guru as the manifest Vajrasattva and make this supplication:
"By the grace of your feet,
I have attained the unsurpassed activity.
Therefore, O Protector,
Please accept me through the secret empowerment."
The guru, in an instant, arises from the state of emptiness in the form of the glorious Cakrasaṃvara and the wisdom consort Vārāhī. Preceded by the ritual preparation of the vajra and lotus, they enter into union. Reciting the mantra: oṃ sarvatathāgatānurāgaṇavajrasvabhāvātmako ’ham, the guru mentally invites the heroes and ḍākinīs dwelling in the ten directions who have entered into union, drawing them in with light rays from the seed syllable at his own heart. Through great passion, they melt and descend through the avadhūtī; as they pass through the stages of joy and so forth, the guru personally realizes the coemergent [bliss] within the vajra-jewel. Pressing the jewel with the thumb and ring finger, he draws [the essence] from the lotus of the wisdom consort—visualized as the vajra in the expanse of space—and places it in the mouth of the disciple, who is in the form of Vāgvajra.
Just as the past Vajradharas and others conferred empowerment upon the sons of the Buddhas by means of the consumption of bodhicitta, so too shall I confer empowerment upon you, my child. Reciting this and the root mantra, one should cause the bodhicitta to descend.
It is said: "Bind the face of the wisdom consort, and likewise the face of the method; with the thumb and ring finger, one should place it into the disciple's mouth."
The disciple should then cultivate the conviction that all the heroes and ḍākinīs have dissolved into this, and drink it while reciting "Aho mahāsukhaṃ." The wisdom consort, having risen and being without clothing, should place the drops of nectar residing in the lotus into the disciple's mouth, and he should likewise drink it. This is called the secret empowerment, conferred by means of the conventional secret bodhicitta of both wisdom and method.
Then, whether it be that same consort of desire or another, a mudrā endowed with excellent form, youth, and the qualities of a "sila-ga-phur" should be entrusted to the disciple. Having been requested thus: "Through your kindness, may I attain the coemergent wisdom; O Supreme Lord, please grant me the wisdom-knowledge empowerment," the master should take the disciple's left hand with his own left hand, and with his right hand, hold a vajra to the disciple's crown. Then, taking the heroes and ḍākinīs as witnesses, he says: "In this matter, you are the lords; I entrust this to you."
"The Buddhas have designated this lovely dhāraṇī-consort as one to be relied upon. Through the application of the stages of the cakra, you should experience the supreme bliss. Buddhahood is not attained by other means; therefore, never be separated from her. This is the unsurpassed vidyā-vow of all the Buddhas. Any fool who transgresses it will not attain the supreme accomplishment." Having spoken thus, the wisdom consort should be entrusted to him.
She, too, having adorned her body with fragrant scents and flower garlands, with a radiant countenance of laughter and joy, should say: "Son, are you truly eager? To eat excrement, urine, and so forth, as well as flesh, blood, and semen; likewise, to show respect to women and to kiss the lotus of the bhaga—tell me, son, how do you find such bliss?" Thus she expresses the signs of desire.
He should then say this: "Goddess, why should I not be eager? I shall eat semen, blood, and so forth; I shall always show respect to women with my body, and I shall kiss the bhaga." Then, being joyful and respectful, she anoints herself with sandalwood, saffron, and the like, and like her own light, she reveals her lotus to the disciple, saying:
"O, this lotus of mine is perfectly endowed with all bliss. Whoever shows it according to the ritual, I abide before them. This is the pure expanse of reality (dharmadhātu), which thoroughly liberates the realm of sentient beings. The King of Great Bliss himself abides within all things."
Just as the offerings to the Buddha and so forth are performed in the lotus, the King of Great Bliss himself dwells eternally right here. Bhañja mokṣa hoḥ. Then, having generated oneself in the form of Cakrasaṃvara and the consort Vārāhī, one should visualize the lotus and vajra arising from hrīḥ and hūṃ, with their centers and jewels arising from the syllables āḥ and oṃ. One should then place a yellow phaṭ and a śī at the opening of the vajra. By slightly stimulating the channel of Vajradhātvīśvarī located on the left side with the fingers, one comes to know it; this is what the Guru has taught.
Reciting oṃ sarvatathāgatānurāgaṇavajrasvabhāvātmako ’haṃ, one should initiate the mental joy blessed by the ḍākinīs of the wheel bestowed by the Guru, upon the body blessed by the heroes and ḍākinīs summoned by the seed-syllable at one’s own heart, as indicated by the Guru.
Having placed the vajra in the lotus, one should not emit the bodhicitta. Having moved it, one should meditate with a mind full of joy. This wisdom is extremely subtle, the essence of awakening like the sky, stainless, bestowing liberation, and peace itself; it is your very own father. As long as the yogi does not discard the bodhicitta, for that long one will obtain every kind of uninterrupted joy. If the bodhicitta should fall, since it is the treasury of all accomplishments—
When the aggregates and consciousness have fainted, how could there be any irreproachable accomplishment? From the union of the vajra and the expanse of space, the wondrous great bliss of touch arises. That is the agent of supreme joy; it should be generated. Between the supreme and the joy-free, one should firmly indicate and stabilize it. In the sky of the lotus, at the place where the jewel’s center is constricted, one should view the mind as abiding within the jewel by means of the vajra posture. Whatever wisdom arises, one is satisfied by that very nature of wisdom. There is no desire and no freedom from desire; it is not perceived even in the middle. When the yogi sees wisdom, the bliss is stabilized and does not change. One may abide in the manifest application of wisdom for a session, or a single day, a month, or half a month, a year, an eon, or even a thousand eons. When the disciple takes a portion and it is emitted into the center of the lotus, then the mind is held by the rasanā channel, preceded by awakening. The wisdom born together with insight is called the wisdom of insight (prajñājñāna). Then, according to the ritual as explained, the fourth empowerment, which is the fruit of the wisdom of insight empowerment itself, should be bestowed. Furthermore, it is said: "Having bestowed the empowerment according to the ritual as described, one should examine the disciple’s inclination with the mind. If they have faith in the profound and vast way, the precious empowerment should be bestowed with words." If one asks, "How is it to be understood whether they have faith in the vast or not?"
From smoke one knows fire, and from a water-fowl one knows water; likewise, the wise know the family of a bodhisattva by means of signs. When the lotus of the face is serene and the hairs of the body stand on end with joy, seeing this, the wise should take the excellent disciple under their care.
The nature of the Great Seal (Mahāmudrā), which possesses the seven limbs and is the essence of the Great Vajradhara, is the meaning of the fourth [empowerment]. It is the suchness of all phenomena, endowed with the state of being unobscured, which has grown through the cultivation of the bodhicitta that has become the sprout of the wisdom of insight (prajñājñāna).
It is also said:
"Without beginning, middle, or end,
Neither existence nor nirvāṇa,
Neither self nor other—
This is the supreme great bliss."
And it is also said:
"Free from causes, it always dawns for beings;
When it is definitively taught at the proper time,
Even the Omniscient One is rendered speechless.
May the sole King of Bliss be victorious!
If it is not shown by the Guru,
The disciple will not understand.
Who can describe to whom
The taste of the coemergent nectar?
Since it is not an object of the intellect,
It cannot be designated by words.
The Guru’s placement of the vast [reality] is the basis for the engagement of discourse.
By gradually instructing in qualities such as compassion,
It arises of its own accord in the heart of the faithful."
If one asks, "What is the definition of the arising of bodhicitta?" it is like the senses of one who is asleep.
The mind is like a dissolution into the non-apparent; though unmoving, it is still manifest. The body is victorious through sublime bliss; the classes of sense faculties do not engage, and all conceptualizations—the seeds of existence—are destroyed. This universal joy, though equal to space, is the experience of attaining coolness—A-la-la! Here, the sense faculties have dissolved; when I too have likewise passed away, I clearly asked the Guru’s feet for that which bestows innate joy. He spoke thus:
"I bow to that at the time of arising, when the sense faculties and their objects simultaneously subside. It abides as something within the hearts of the wise and of beings. Later, it is the single beautiful body of the Victor in Abhirati. Therefore, here, through the power of sublime bliss, whatever conceptualizations are completely conquered—that wise one has accomplished what was to be done; others are but two-legged cattle. Where existence and non-existence are absent and secluded, the nature of self-luminous, flowing joy expands. This pervades even the limits of space; free from all aspects and stainless, the maṇḍala is mostly seen as clear through it. It is the foundation of all bliss, described as the fourth, the innate joy. Therefore, without doubt, one should know that the supreme, unchanging great bliss alone is the fourth, following the three bodies."
Thus, the disciple who has received empowerment should say this, having accomplished what was to be done: "Today my birth is fruitful; my living is also fruitful."
"Today I am born into the family of the buddhas; I have become a child of the buddhas." Thus it is said. Then, one should offer a gift to the guru as taught by the Tathāgata: various ornaments, garments, and so forth, and especially one's own body. This is the ritual of the manifest empowerment.
Then, the ācārya should perform the homa according to the ritual for the sake of enrichment and pacification. In that regard, when the fire deity has been generated within the fire, the student should be held by the thumb and bound with a five-colored thread, or the ācārya himself should perform the enrichment and pacification homa. Having completed the process up to filling the fire with ghee, one should worship the vast maṇḍala with various offering substances. Together with the samaya conduct involving the requisites of dance, song, music, and so forth, one should satisfy and perfectly worship the lord of the maṇḍala-cakra along with his retinue through the torma rituals. Having thus completed the activities of the homa, and preceded by the offering of a gift according to the student's desire, one should be pleased.
Then, having emerged and entered the area where the directional tormas were placed, one should prostrate to the cakra. Having offered the arghya and so forth to the lord of the cakra, one should dedicate the merit. After circumambulating the maṇḍala three times, one should sit at the eastern gate facing the Blessed One and recite the hundred-syllable mantra of Heruka three times. Then, having requested forbearance with the words "Whatever I have not found..." and so forth, one should conclude.
Reciting "Oṃ, you..." and so forth, and "Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ Vajra Muḥ," one requests the wisdom maṇḍala to depart and absorbs the samaya maṇḍala into oneself. Reciting "Oṃ Akāro Mukhaṃ Sarvadharmāṇām Ādyanutpannatvāt Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ Phaṭ Svāhā" and "Oṃ Āḥ Hūṃ Muḥ," and with the conviction that all phenomena are unborn, one rings the bell and, with the vajra held in the hand, begins at the gates and erases along the path of the Brahma-lines up to the central location. Having placed a small amount of colored powder on one's own crown, one should erase the lotus and other features. Then, the gates and the intermediate points should also be erased with the vajra held in the hand.
Next, having formed the vajra-bond and inserted the two thumbs while extending the two index fingers to form the āvarta (swirl) gesture, one recites: "Oṃ Vajra Kīla Utkīlaya Sarvakīlānāṃ Vajradharājñayā Hūṃ Hūṃ Hūṃ Hūṃ Phaṭ Hoḥ." Having generated the kīlas with this four-Hūṃ mantra, one recites "Oṃ Ruru Sphuru Jvala Tiṣṭha Siddhalocane Sarvārtha Svāhā" one hundred and eight times. Then, one should wash them with milk, request the deities of the kīlas to depart, and fill the holes. If there are those seeking pacification and so forth, one should give [the powder] to them. The remaining colored powder should be placed in the victorious vase (vijaya-kalaśa), mounted upon a vehicle such as an elephant, and adorned with cloth and other ornaments.
The ācārya or the disciple, seated upon a palanquin held by yoginīs, should place [the ritual items] on the banks of a river or similar location, accompanied by the sound of a bell, auspicious songs, cymbals, parasols, victory banners, flags, and various vessels. In a clean place, having fashioned an eight-petaled lotus with white fragrant [paste], one should place a colored-powder vase at its center. Above that, having visualized and perfectly worshipped Vajrasattva according to the ritual, one should arrange the eight nāgas of the nature of sand outside the petals. For their sake, one should offer eight milk torma cakes filled with rice in clean earthen bowls upon a pedestal, worshipping them with white flowers, white banners, large divine food offerings, and so forth, which are to be placed upon the petals.
Then, the ācārya should visualize Vajrasattva as the central principal deity. On the eastern petal is Ananta; in the south, Padma; in the west, Takṣaka; in the north, Vāsuki; in the northeast, Mahāpadma; in the southeast, Śaṅkhapāla; in the southwest, Karkoṭaka; and in the northwest, Kulika. Visualizing the exterior as being filled with all the nāgas, one should then worship them with white flowers, reciting:
OṂ ĀḤ VAJRASATTVĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ ANANTĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ PADMĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ TAKṢAKĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ VĀSUKĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ MAHĀPADMĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ ŚAṄKHAPĀLĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
OṂ ĀḤ KARKOṬAKĀYA HŪṂ SVĀHĀ.
Having made offerings of flowers and so forth consecrated with the mantra: Oṃ āḥ kulikāya hūṃ svāhā, one should hold a flower with the left hand in the gesture of a hood, and with the right hand extended, recite: Oṃ ananta vāsuki takṣaka karkoṭaka padma mahāpadma śaṅkhapāla kulika bāla devati mahādevati somāśikhi mahāśikhi khaṇḍadhara mahādaṇḍadhara asālā hulunda nandopananda sāgara mahāsāgara matapta śrīkānti mahākānti ratnakānti surusubhadra hika mahodara śili śili mahāśili. Oṃ bhañja bhañja āgaccha āgaccha mahānāgādhipati sarvabhuvaneṣu svāhā. Having spoken thus, one should present the milk torma to the nāgas, make offerings, honor them with the śṛṅgāra bell, recite the hundred-syllable mantra, and request their forbearance. At that time, the disciples should hold the colored powder vases with a steady, unwavering grip and, while holding them, cast them into rivers where a fine stream of water flows. Reciting Oṃ mili mili hūṃ jaḥ svāhā, one should request them to depart. One should visualize that the lords of the nāgas have invited them into the depths of the underworld. Then, the ācārya should plant a white nāga banner in the river and cause a stream of milk mixed with dūrvā grass and kunda flowers to flow, thereby requesting their departure.
The disciple should take that kunda flower in his own hand and, having taken the vase washed by that very [flower], fill the vase with water. Having gone before the guru with auspicious songs, he should enter the maṇḍala house and place the vase upon a maṇḍala made of milk on the maṇḍala ground. The guru, for the sake of pacification, should scatter it upon the maṇḍala ground, and having taken it himself, should also give it to others and use it for the house and so forth. In the maṇḍala house smeared with cow products, young maidens should be satisfied with milk porridge and so forth, and offerings should be made; this is the conclusion of the maṇḍala.
Then, having prepared the cakra, the offering cake (bali) should be presented, and a feast for the assembly of noble beings should be held. Then, those who have performed [the rites] should entrust it to the Protectors. Having established the activity for the benefit of beings, with a mind single-pointedly focused on the Dharma, the most learned Indra of intellect, the lord of men Dharmamati, at his request, composed this very clear maṇḍala ritual for the benefit of other beings. Thus ends the maṇḍala ritual of the glorious thirteen-fold Śrī Cakrasaṃvara, composed in the presence of the glorious Vanaratna. This was requested by the one of victorious intellect in all directions, Sonam Gyatso De, together with kusumbha and kesara flowers.