Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text is a ritual manual, or sādhana, dedicated to the deity Chinnamuṇḍa, a form of the Severed-Headed One. The work provides a comprehensive framework for the practitioner to achieve spiritual accomplishment through a combination of visualization, mantra construction, and ethical discipline. It begins with devotional homages to Vajraḍākinī and Vārāhī, followed by instructions for establishing a meditative space within charnel grounds and visualizing the deity's specific iconography, including her yellow complexion and her position trampling Kālarātri. The text includes a technical section on the precise assembly of seed syllables and letters, emphasizing the importance of orthographic accuracy in mantra generation. Furthermore, it establishes strict criteria for the transmission of these teachings, restricting them to students who exhibit respect and generosity while excluding those who are deceitful or disparaging. The work concludes with a list of specific aromatic and material offerings and a colophon attributing the composition to Bavi-pa, stressing the necessity of absolute secrecy regarding the practice.
Provenance
About this text
A ritual manual for spiritual practice, the Chinnamuṇḍasādhana (Tibetan: dbu bcad ma'i sgrub thabs) belongs to the genre of sādhana and is situated within the collection of the Śaṃvara and Related Tantras. The work is attributed to the Indian author Virūpa. It was translated into the Tibetan language by Varendraruci and bod kyi lo tsa ba rma chos ’bar, and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཟ, where it extends over five pages. The text enacts a meditative process centered on the Severed-Headed One, beginning with homages to Vajraḍākinī and Vārāhī. It guides the practitioner through the yoga of swift form within the eight charnel grounds and the visualization of a yellow deity who holds a khaṭvāṅga and tramples Kālarātri. The practitioner is instructed to meditate on the radiation of light illuminating the three realms and the emergence of blood from the three channels. A scholar or serious reader consults this classical Tibetan work to examine the specific iconographic details and meditative instructions used to achieve spiritual accomplishment through the visualization of the deity and the management of meditative equipoise.
The work is significant as a representative of the esoteric Vajrayāna tradition, specifically the cult of the ḍākinīs and wrathful deities. It illustrates the intersection of complex visualization, precise linguistic alchemy in mantra construction, and the role of the guru in vetting candidates for secret transmissions.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Homage
Initial titles in Sanskrit and Tibetan and homages to Vajraḍākinī and Vārāhī.
2-3
Visualization and Meditative Setup
Instructions on meditative equipoise in charnel grounds and the detailed physical iconography of the deity.
4
Mantra Construction
Technical instructions for stacking and joining specific vowels and letters to form a mantra.
5
Ethics of Transmission
Criteria for selecting suitable students and the exclusion of those with negative character traits.
6
Ritual Offerings
A list of specific scents, woods, and foods to be offered for the sake of liberation.
7
Colophon
Attribution of the work to Bavi-pa and a warning regarding the secrecy of the text.
Themes
Deity Yoga and Visualization (2-3)
Linguistic Alchemy/Mantra Assembly (4)
Guru-Disciple Ethics (5)
Ritual Offerings (6)
Esotericism and Secrecy (7)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Cchindamuṇḍasādhana-nāma. In the language of Tibet: The Sādhana of the Severed-Headed One. Homage to the glorious Vajraḍākinī.
Homage to the Blessed One Vārāhī, the bestower of bliss, who perfectly treads with her right leg extended. She is the nature of the three realms, possessing three eyes; to her I perpetually prostrate.
In accordance with the oral instructions of the Guru, and because she is the nature of the three realms, I shall describe her sādhana, which radiates the light of the youthful sun.
In a place with a single landmark, or in a charnel ground, or in an empty house, at all times, the yogin should practice the realization of the Vidyā who brings an end to the three worlds.
Seated upon a soft, comfortable cushion or any other gentle seat, and having relied upon it, one should accomplish the supreme siddhi.
Thereafter, with the water of the samaya consecrated by the three-syllable mantra, one should sprinkle the offering substances. Having bathed with that very mantra, one should then don the armor.
Starting from the left hand, upon all the limbs and digits, one should apply the syllables of the mantra: Oṃ vaṃ, haṃ yoṃ, hrīṃ moṃ hrīṃ hrīṃ, hūṃ hūṃ, phaṭ phaṭ. With the fingertips of the left hand, first starting from the navel, one should recite those three purifications:
Oṃ svabhāvaśuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ svabhāvaśuddho ’ham.
Oṃ vajraśuddhāḥ sarvadharmā vajraśuddho ’ham.
Oṃ yogaśuddhāḥ sarvadharmā yogaśuddho ’ham.
Thereafter, the wise one should generate the divine pride in order to purify the three realms.
In the cardinal and intermediate directions, likewise the eight charnel grounds, through the yoga of swift form, one should then rest in meditative equipoise upon the three. One should meditate upon the three places. From the radiation of light rays, the sentient beings dwelling in the three realms are clearly illuminated; then, through the meditation of reabsorption, all variety is made into emptiness. Through purity, like a crystal, it is the nature of non-dual wisdom. Subsequently, by the nature of emptiness and so forth, one is blessed by the mantra of the Victorious One. Then, one should meditate upon space; from a red hrīḥ arises a lotus. Furthermore, upon that, one should meditate upon the moon, the sun, and the fire. In the center of that, one should meditate upon the syllable vaṃ, like a variegated color. Then, one should visualize what is born from vaṃ: a curved knife adorned with vaṃ. One should meditate upon the complete transformation of the curved knife; from its radiation, one’s own yoga is the Vajrayoginī, possessing three forms and three colors: green, reddish-yellow, and yellow, holding a curved knife and a skull-cup. With loose hair and naked, she has three red, round eyes. Perfectly endowed with youthful vigor, she is adorned with the five mudrās. Beautiful with one face and two arms, she laughs fiercely and is heroic. Her right leg is extended in a terrifying posture of bliss. A garland of heads hangs down. Having cut her own head with a vajra curved knife, it hangs above her body. In her right hand is a vajra curved knife, and...
With half her hair covered by the left [hand], a skull-cup upon her head, and half her hair held [there], her face looking downward, she holds a khaṭvāṅga and is yellow, endowed with saffron red. She tramples upon Kālarātri. The yogi should meditate on her constantly. Blood drips from the three channels; like the moon, the sun, and the sky, having emerged from the three channels—left, right, and likewise the center—one should meditate on them as constantly emerging. The avadhūtī goes upward; the two channels, left and right, should likewise be meditated upon quickly. By the nature of body, speech, and mind, they abide as the essence of the three channels. The lalanā is the essence of insight; the rasanā abides as method. The avadhūtī situated in the center is the nature of the aspect of great bliss. One should meditate on these during the three sessions. Like a jewel of various forms, just as in the sequence of before and after, the extraction of the mantra will then be explained. The mantrin, staying in a clean place, should then recite the mantra: place the first of the Vedas [A] at the beginning. Take the thirty-first of the vowels [I]. Likewise, the twenty-third [U] is on the head. Again, take the twenty-third [U] and join the fifth vowel [Ū] below it. Take the letter after Tha [Ṣ] and join it below that. After that, give the thirteenth [M] and join it with the second vowel [Ā]. Take the first letter [A] and join it with the third vowel [I]. Then, give the twentieth [Ṭ].
Adorn it with the fourth vowel. Then take the twenty-sixth and join it with the eleventh. Again, add the twenty-third. Having taken the eighth as well, append the twenty-seventh below it. The one less than thirty—the fifteenth—should be stacked. Place the twenty-seventh above it. Alternatively, having added the letter dha behind it, adorn it with the fourth vowel. Take the lower letter ra and adorn it with the eleventh. Alternatively, take the twenty-third. To the third letter counting from ca, append the twenty-seventh below it. Take the letter behind pha and adorn it with the twelfth vowel. To the seventh letter counting from pa, adorn it with the thirteenth. Add the sixth of the second decade and adorn it with the seed-syllable of illusion. After that, add the seed-syllable of wind and join it with the eleventh. Count the thirtieth three times. Join it with the sixth vowel, perfectly endowed with the nāda and the bindu. Append phaṭ three times. Then, svāhā should be added. This is the mantra of perfect accomplishment. The wise one should meditate on it in three rows in the secret place. Through the yoga of emanation and reabsorption, one should correctly recite this supreme mantra. The yoga of the clear mantras should be applied according to the respective activities. Just as a man conceives without a woman, one should keep it secret with great effort. To no one who is not a worthy recipient, it should be kept strictly secret; likewise, having examined [the recipient] well, it should be given.
To one who is disrespectful, deceitful, and fierce, who disparages other masters and gurus, who lacks generosity and is full of conceptualization—do not grant [the teachings] after examination. To one who is respectful toward the guru, free from conceptualization, always delighting in the Dharma, pure, perfectly filled with faith, patient, and endowed with intelligence—to such a person, the dharma of the yoga of accomplishment should be taught, and the extraction of the mantra should be given. Following the conduct of the yogic practitioner, the ritual of offering is then explained. Encircled by three garlands, marked by a threefold [repetition], one should properly arrange the perfected mantra in the maṇḍala of the navel of the letter E. The yogi should constantly contemplate this, especially at the time of offering. On the tenth day of the waxing or waning moon, or on the eighth or the fourteenth, one should offer with the five offerings using the left hand. Likewise, there are foods, feasts, and drinks. Similarly, one should smear [the area] well with red sandalwood, and anoint it with saffron, camphor, and agarwood. With the water of the samaya, in a vessel of gold or the like, one should spread the fine powder of sindūra after straining it through cloth. With a pen made of gold, the wise one should properly write the king of mantras in the center of the source of phenomena (dharmodaya) in three garlands. On the outside, it is surrounded by an auspicious wheel, blazing intensely with various colors. With great secrecy, at the three times of day, having loosened the hair and become naked, the mantrin, facing west, should rely on effort and meditative concentration.
For the sake of liberation and accomplishment, one should offer with diligence. Offer fragrant scents, incense, and the like, as well as divine food and various delicacies. Offer āli, phalgu, uṣṭra, ne, Kashmiri red sandalwood, fragrant sandalwood, and likewise the flowers of the aśoka tree. Offer various flowers such as the kumuda, kannavi, and others that are beautiful in color and fragrant. Offer flowers, dantura fruits, and threads, distinguishing them according to the sequence of the objects of worship. At that time, offer fragrant incense and flowers according to the proper order. Having bowed and offered praise, and having prostrated, request forbearance. Then, in that manner, the yogi should please the young maiden. For the sake of accomplishing yoga, one should recite the bali mantra: oṃ arali hoḥ | jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ vajraḍākinī samayas tvaṃ dṛśya hoḥ. Recite this three, four, or five times. Offer into the skull-cup in both sequential and reverse order. Opening the vajra-palms upward, one should recite this mantra: oṃ kha kha khāhi khāhi | sarvayakṣarākṣasabhūtapretapiśācaudumbarāpasmarāḍākinīdaya | imaṃ baliṃ gṛhṇa mama samayarakṣaṃ dūyathevaṃ yatheṣṭaṃ bhuñjatha pibatha jighratha mātikramatha mama sarvakāryaṃ satsukhaṃ vivṛddhaye sahāyikā bhavantu hūṃ hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. On the eighth and fourteenth days, offer it during the three sessions.
Although my intellect is inferior, I have compiled this sādhana from an ocean of vows. This very method for accomplishing the goal was composed by Bavi-pa. Even though the spelling and letters are not perfectly complete, the ḍākinīs should grant their forbearance. This must be kept extremely secret, more secret than the secret pith instructions of the Yoginī. The Sādhana of Chinnamastā composed by the great master Bavi-pa is complete. It was translated, edited, and finalized by the Nepalese paṇḍita Bharendraruci and the Tibetan translator Ma Chöbar.