Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text provides a technical exposition on the Three Coemergent Maṇḍalas, framing the human body and its internal processes as a sacred architecture. The author argues that the physical and energetic constituents of the body—including the four elements, the channels, and the seminal fluid—are not mundane entities but are the primordial manifestations of the deity Heruka and the vajra-holder. By mapping the maṇḍala's gates and pillars onto the practitioner's own limbs and physiological functions, the text seeks to collapse the distinction between the external deity and the internal self. The reader is committed to a path of non-dual awareness, where the realization of the coemergent nature of reality replaces the conceptual imputation of merit and non-merit. Ultimately, the work asserts that the path to enlightenment is not an external search but a recognition of the primordially established indicators already present within the practitioner's own being.
Provenance
About this text
Clarifying the Three Coemergent Maṇḍalas, a treatise written in the Sanskrit language as the Sahajamaṇḍalatrayālokasaṃjanana, belongs to the tradition of the Śaṃvara and Related Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Jñānaśrī. It was translated into classical Tibetan by bod kyi rgyal po pho brang zhi ba ’od and is preserved in volume ཟ of the Tengyur. The treatise enacts a technical mapping of sacred architecture onto the human body, framing the physical and energetic constituents—such as the channels and the four gates—as primordial manifestations of the vajra-holder and the deity Heruka. By identifying the body, speech, and mind as the three cakras and stabilizing the maṇḍala through pillars arising from one's own limbs, the work seeks to collapse the distinction between the external deity and the internal self. A scholar or serious reader consults this eight-page text today to understand how the path to enlightenment is framed as a recognition of the primordially established, coemergent nature of reality, replacing conceptual imputations of merit and non-merit with a realization of non-dual awareness.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Clarification of the Three Spontaneously Arisen Maṇḍalas” (Toh 1539), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1539
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its integration of somatic physiology with tantric cosmology, illustrating how the body is viewed as a living maṇḍala. For the modern reader, it demonstrates the specific methodology of coemergent (sahaja) realization, where the physical elements are reinterpreted as wisdom-aspects.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-5
The Somatic Maṇḍala
Description of the body as a maṇḍala featuring gates, pillars, and the energetic movement of elements and fluids.
6-8
Ontology of Emergence
Discussion on how different beings and the four elements arise from the maṇḍala and the critique of conceptual imputations of merit.
9-11
Ethics and Realization
Guidelines on the samaya of mind and speech, the nature of the accomplished practitioner, and the internal location of the path.
Themes
Coemergent (Sahaja) Nature (1, 11)
Physiological Tantra (2, 3, 4, 5, 7)
Non-duality and Conceptualization (8, 10)
Vajra Samaya (6, 9)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Clarification of the Three Spontaneously Arisen Maṇḍalas·
In the language of India: Sahajamaṇḍalatryālokasahaja-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Lhan cig skyes pa’i dkyil ’khor gsum gsal bar byed pa zhes bya ba (Clarifying the Three Coemergent Maṇḍalas). Homage to the glorious Heruka!
Free from causes and conditions, devoid of arising and ceasing, and without a collection of aggregates, I bow to the glorious Heruka, the non-dual, and shall write of the coemergent.
The maṇḍala of the body, the maṇḍala of the bhaga, and the maṇḍala of bodhicitta—these are explained as the three types of maṇḍalas.
The syllable ra is taught as fire; blood and bile truly arise from it. Pervaded by phlegm, dust and sinews also arise. Wind is the primary element among these; the syllable ha is said to be all-pervasive. In the joints of the bones, the five seed-syllables are pervasive. The syllable ra resides in the palate; the four seed-syllables are unsurpassed. In the position of the first grid-square, it is adorned with the five seed-syllables. The syllable ha is the sixth vowel, and the fifth is renowned as consciousness.
The syllable ha is the gathering of all Buddhas. Through the union of the vajra and the lotus, existence and non-existence become blended. Feces, urine, phlegm, blood, and likewise the fifth, semen—the body is the nature of these five nectars (amṛta). Bone, marrow, and semen are taught to be born from the father. Flesh, blood, and skin are explained to be born from the mother. These two aspects are a single whole; from the arising of the two, there is multiplicity. Through the manner of the one and the many—
It is described as the Vajra-holder. The delightful maṇḍala of the body of the deities, such as Heruka and the rest, possesses the four gates as they have been taught. It is stabilized by eight pillars arising from its own limbs. Because it is equal in all accomplishments, it is renowned as being square. By way of body, speech, and mind, the single [entity] is described as the three cakras. Through the stages of the lineage of gurus, it is clearly manifest as the perfect maṇḍala itself. Bhairava and the others abide in their proper places. The lotus of the head is Mount Meru. The soles of the feet, by their bow-like shape, are clearly manifest as the wind maṇḍala. The triangular region of the waist is the fire maṇḍala. The round belly is called water. The square heart is called earth. The spinal column is Mount Meru. There, in the portion of the head, upon the thirty-two lotuses, the vowels and consonants are perfectly complete. The thirty-two bodhicittas, from the center of the head, are known as the "brain." That very thing which is in the center of the lotus is called the moon maṇḍala. In its center is the syllable Haṃ, having the form of the indestructible bindu. It is the nature of the unmanifest and the manifest, abiding perfectly in the form of the seed-syllable. That itself is the root of all beings, including the stable and the moving. From it, the forms of all embodied beings are first born. Because the nectar drips day and night, it satisfies the fire.
By that very [means], sound is also divided; by that, the maṇḍala will undoubtedly become complete. That very [reality] is explained as the maṇḍala, the supreme essence of all things. Because it takes up and holds [them], it is asserted as the maṇḍala of the body. It correctly enters into the channels; its gates are of two kinds. At the time of their gathering, one will perceive the body of a deity. The upper and lower gates are two; at the lower gate is consciousness itself, and at the upper gate are the elements. The yogi should contemplate how all the channels gather and enter. Within the body, the Vajra-holder always resides in the upper gate as the tantra. Regarding the three upper and lower mechanical wheels, they are correctly opened by the nine gates. Through the distinctions of body, speech, and mind, they are deluded in three ways; thus, they correctly abide as the three mechanical wheels: supreme, middling, and inferior. There is one pillar and nine gates; the five coarse [elements] are the additional deities. The paths of the nine apertures are renowned as the "nine gates." The inferior is the gate of the body, where the coarse deity is emanated. The person who knows this and possesses the mind is called a "yogi." At all times, constantly, through the distinctions of going and coming, for those without feet, those with two feet, four, and so forth, the breath abides in four ways through the distinctions of wind and so on. Regarding the method of the mind abiding, there are two: the method of dissolution and the method of entry. Dissolution is the constant abiding.
Engagement is going and coming. Whoever does not understand it in this way is a mindless person, not a yogi. Fire, and likewise wind, the great lord (earth), and likewise water—these are the cakras of the shifting of the mind, [moving] upward, sideways, and horizontally. The third is the door of the mind; through the distinction of the moon and the sun, it is the supreme door of entering and emerging. The principal [doors] are known as "above" and "below." At the lower door is consciousness; at the upper door are the elements. The Buddhas, such as Vairocana and the rest, having been moved from the upper door, abide perfectly below. Having invited them below, they are requested to depart above. By the manner of inviting and requesting departure, through the yoga of the ḍākinīs, the Buddhas of the three times always abide. Through entering and emerging, qualities and faults increase; the very nature of pleasure and suffering is established and abides as the coemergent. This is the Blessed One, the Vajra-holder. By these accumulations, sentient beings are undoubtedly the state of Buddhahood itself. By the ten months, the stages (bhūmis) are [attained]; sentient beings are the lords of the ten stages. In the center of the heart is a lotus with eight petals and a hub. In its center is the Hero, the indestructible seed-syllable HŪṂ. It drips like snow; it is explained as "vāsanta." It brings joy to the hearts of embodied beings. The mare’s mouth is the form of fire; it is called the "Nairātmya-tilaka." Stirred by the winds of the body, it—
Blazing from the maṇḍala of the navel,
Through union with the vāsantī,
The entities of the action and the agent—
How do they sport in bliss?
In the bhaga of the consort, the blissful,
He truly dwells in the form of seminal fluid.
Without realizing that, there is no bliss;
If bliss is abandoned, that too is not perceived.
Because it is dependent and lacks independent power,
Bliss arises through the yoga of the deity.
Therefore, it is not a substantial Buddha,
Nor is it a mere non-entity.
Having abandoned hands, feet, and so forth,
Ultimate bliss has no form.
Thus, all beings are coemergent joy;
This is what is expressed by the term "coemergent."
Because the nature of the mind is utterly pure,
It is by nature in the state of nirvāṇa.
However, through attachment to ordinary
Shapes, colors, and so forth,
One remains merely in the generation
Of the deity’s form through yoga.
These are the unsurpassed teachings
Of the yoginīs.
The thirty-two great channels
Are the maṇḍala because they extract
The heart-essence of the precious bodhicitta.
It truly dwells as the form that pervades
The various outer and inner [realms].
The outer consists of forms, sounds, and so forth,
The engagement of all the sense faculties.
The inner consists of the seminal fluid and so forth,
Abiding as the substances for accomplishment.
These very outer and inner [elements]
Are the bodhicitta of the Vajra-holder.
Through both gross and subtle forms,
Beings are the very nature of the Buddha.
This is taught as the meaning of the samaya
Of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas;
It is the Buddha in this very life.
Attainment also arises from the maṇḍala; likewise, for the hearers (śrāvaka) and solitary realizers (pratyekabuddha), and even for Brahmā and the others, the maṇḍala is born. The sources, the modes of sound, and the definitive emergences are the domain of the single samaya. Difficult to find in the three worlds, it abides perfectly in the beginning, middle, and end. Just like the application of rubbing the fire-sticks, it is endowed with mantra recitation, concentration, and so forth. The consonants (kāli) are explained as the "bee"; the bee is Vajrabhairava. The consonants are the nature of the dharmadhātu, as vast as the limits of space. From that, the entire body of the holder of the secret of cause and cause arises. The aggregates, sense bases, and elements, and the nectar of all the sense faculties—having drawn all of these out, they should be dissolved into the central channel. By the sound of the Vajrabhairava, the substance of the application should be extracted. The syllable Haṃ is said to be the stream of rain. The seed-syllable of the first vowel should be held in its center. The consonants are known to be in the manner of flowers; the body of the Vajra-holder is the flower. It does not produce saṃsāra, but is the ground of all. In this ocean of the water of wisdom, there are the crocodiles and fish of insight (prajñā). From the midst of the mud of non-duality, the sprout of skillful means (upāya) is born. Like a blooming bandhūka flower, it is the abode of honey and nectar. The consonants themselves are the nectar, the holders of the flower and the water. The body is born from the two; it is the supreme ritual of the nectar-water. First is the water of the Vajra-nectar.
In terms of their aspects, they arise as the elements: that which is felt as heat is fire; that which appears as smoke is wind; that which becomes liquid is water; and that which appears as form is earth. Blessed by the vajra of primordial wisdom, they are fully born in five aspects. Although sentient beings are indeed buddhas, they are nevertheless obscured by adventitious stains. The abandonment of those [stains] is buddhahood itself. Whoever does not know the reality of the world will faint from eating poison; just as that very [poison] is abandoned through knowing reality, so too, if delusion is abandoned, one passes beyond sorrow. By the very same piece of poison that causes all beings to die, the poison is cleared away by knowing the reality of the poison. Just as for one with a wind disorder, pea-based food is given, and by reversing [the usual treatment], it is considered medicine, so too, becoming is purified by becoming itself. Having abandoned conceptualization through correct conceptualization, just as water that has entered the ear is made to emerge by pouring more [water] in, so too, conceptualization of things is purified by that very method. For example, those burned by fire are to be warmed again by fire; likewise, those burned by the fire of desire should rely upon the fire of desire itself. By whatever terrible actions beings are bound, through those very [actions] when combined with skillful means, they will be liberated from the bonds of becoming. Beings are bound by desire and are liberated by desire itself. This is not the meditation of the internal non-Buddhists who reverse [the process]. Sentient beings who are ignorant and deluded—
As long as one has abandoned wisdom and dwells upon external entities, entangled in the web of conceptualization, one imputes the two aggregates of merit and non-merit. Since phenomena are by nature utterly pure, unborn and without abiding, the Buddha taught non-merit and merit to beings obscured by ignorance as a skillful means for guidance. Just as a person wishing to cross a river filled with water might gather grass and the like from the bank and, having grasped them, cross to the other side and then cast them away to proceed in comfort, so too, by relying on both dharma and non-dharma, one goes to the far shore of saṃsāra. Having attained the bliss of awakening, one completely abandons both dharma and non-dharma. Therefore, having cast aside conceptual words, one should enter the profound dharma. The path taught by the Tathāgata is such that one who knows the path does not conceptualize. Conceptualization is great delusion; it is that which causes one to fall into the ocean of saṃsāra. By abiding in non-conceptual meditative absorption, one becomes stainless like the sky. Through the union of the two organs, by means of the wisdom that integrates body, speech, and mind, the wise one in this very life abandons all forms of pride and perfects the form of the Victor. The various emanations born from the actions of ignorance—men and women—should not be disparaged; this is the samaya of the Vajra Body. One should not disparage the Vajra Mind, which is bound by the web of negative conceptualization.
To protect sentient beings of all kinds is the samaya of the Vajra Mind. Not to speak words that are harsh, abrasive, or unpleasant, but to speak in a way that is pleasant to hear, is the samaya of the Vajra Speech. Just as women delight in childish talk and speak many kinds of passionate words, so too, for a yogi, to show an evil path—even if the path is not explained—becomes a cause of bondage.
Then, at the time when one becomes a practitioner who has accomplished knowledge (vidyā), these signs arise: the great earth shakes and delightful sounds resound; a great light like the fire at the end of an eon appears in all directions; in the abodes of Māra, sounds like the clashing of cymbals are heard, shooting stars fall, and the great ocean is stirred; a rain of stones falls; and the fire of wisdom, possessing the essence of the mudrā, blazes forth, exulting and illuminating the three realms. Brahmā and the other great guardians of the directions, the vidyādharas, the lake goddesses (tsom sman), and the gods of the Heaven of the Thirty-Three assemble, remaining in the sky and making offerings with various flowers and the sounds of music. The daughters of the lake goddesses and the vidyādharas sing and dance, while the kinnaras and others rejoice and play, uttering cries of "May you be victorious!" The gods bestow excellent gifts, and the deities from Tuṣita up to Akaniṣṭha respectfully prostrate and let fall a rain of flowers.
In brief, that practitioner is honored with all the offerings existing within the three realms.
The accomplished person of awareness does not go anywhere, nor does he abide anywhere. He is utterly free from beginning, middle, and end; he is non-dual, the illuminator of the three worlds. He is the knower of all beings, the mind of all, the purpose of all, and the source of all. He is completely liberated from all negativity and adorned with every excellence. He is the peerless, all-beneficial peace, the ever-rising protector and savior who has abandoned conceptual thought. Transcending shape and color, he is the domain of the Victorious Kings. Because he is difficult to destroy, he is the vajra; because he dispels the heat of the afflictions, he is the moon. Because he is fearless, he is the lion; because he is difficult to enter, he is the ocean.
Through such various manifestations, the yogi becomes that very reality. Although he is completely liberated from all conceptualization, he acts for the benefit of beings as a single reality. He displays the twelve deeds; thus, through various pervasive manifestations, he performs his dance like a dream. Like an illusory person through his practice, he thoroughly accomplishes the welfare of beings.
Even if one has not attained accomplishment or prophecy, by relying on the tantras and the oral instructions of the guru, one should act with the intention to benefit others. Whatever merit is accumulated from this, may all beings of the three realms without exception, having become deluded regarding the path, encounter the authentic path and never give rise to wrong views.
In this degenerate age of strife, although a great ocean-like tradition has emerged, those who are blind and sightless look only outward. Therefore, I have composed this for their benefit.
Since beings rejoice in finding and meeting [the sublime], rely on the holy and strive upon the path. It is entered with difficulty, yet there is no need to seek it elsewhere. The coemergent, the indicated and the indicator, are primordially established and abide within oneself. Therefore, together with a compatible friend, it is fitting to familiarize oneself with diligence and without distraction. This concludes "Clarifying the Three Coemergent Maṇḍalas," composed by the great scholar Jñānaśrī. It was translated at the request of the Tibetan King Pho brang Zhi ba 'od.