Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This commentary provides a technical exegesis of the Sādhana of the Protective Maṇḍala of Skeletons, focusing on the deity Kaṅkālatārā. The text functions as a manual for the yoga of the two stages, guiding the practitioner through the integration of method and insight to realize coemergent wisdom. It argues that the realization of the emptiness of all stable and moving phenomena is the primary catalyst for swiftly attaining buddhahood. The author details the precise visualization of the skeleton maṇḍala, the movement of the bindu (drop) through the central channel, and the manipulation of the two winds to achieve Vajra Absorption. By framing the deity Vajrayoginī as the nature of insight and the manifestation of great bliss, the text commits the reader to a rigorous psycho-physical practice where the body is transformed into a wisdom-body through the union of bliss and emptiness.
Provenance
About this text
A commentary on the sādhana of Kaṅkālatārā entitled "Benefit for Others," the Kaṃkālatāraṇasādhanaṭīkāparahitānāma belongs to the classical Tibetan tradition. Attributed to the Indian author Kumārabodhi, the work was translated into Tibetan by Sumatikīrti and bod kyi lo tsa ba mkhas pa chen por mar pa chos kyi dbang phyug. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཟ, where it is situated within the collection of Śaṃvara and Related Tantras and spans twelve pages. The work functions as a technical exegesis intended to assist those of inferior intellect in understanding the sādhana of the deity. It enacts a path of practice centered on the union of method and insight, beginning with homage to Vajrayoginī and the Guru Vajravārāhī. The author addresses the nature of the Sage as one who has overcome the two obscurations and discusses the inexpressibility of great bliss. By analyzing the relationship between the earth, the goddess Umā, and the creator Īśvara, the text argues that such concepts do not transcend the framework of method and insight. Scholars and serious readers consult this text today to examine its instructions on the completion of the light rays of the six cakras and the realization that no sentient being is not a buddha.
Sanskrit title
Kaṃkālatāraṇasādhanaṭīkāparahitānāma
Indian author
Kumārabodhi
Tibetan translators
Sumatikīrti, bod kyi lo tsa ba mkhas pa chen por mar pa chos kyi dbang phyug
Cite thisAnuvāda, “A Commentary on the “Sādhana of the Protective Maṇḍala of Skeletons” called “For the Benefit of Others”” (Toh 1569), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1569
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its synthesis of complex tantric visualizations with the philosophical foundations of emptiness and coemergent wisdom. It illustrates the specific intersection of skeletal imagery and the internal heat yoga tradition within the Indo-Tibetan Buddhist framework.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-6
Introduction and Philosophical Foundations
Homage to Vajravārāhī and an explanation of the nature of sentient beings, the role of the earth, and the path of abandoning non-virtues.
7-12
Visualization and Ritual Geometry
Detailed instructions on the skeleton maṇḍala, the placement of deities such as Vajrabhadra and Mahābhairava, and the visualization of revolving cakras.
13-15
Internal Yoga and Completion Stage
Analysis of the nāda, the cessation of the two winds for Vajra Absorption, and the nature of the Buddhas as bodies of wisdom.
Themes
Coemergent Wisdom (Sahaja-jñāna) (5, 8, 10)
The Two Stages of Yoga (6, 7)
Internal Energetics (Winds and Drops) (5, 12, 14)
Emptiness and Non-inherent Existence (6, 13)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaA Commentary on the “Sādhana of the Protective Maṇḍala of Skeletons” called “For the Benefit of Others”·
In the language of India: Kaṅkālatārāsādhanapañjikāparahita-nāma. In the language of Tibet: The Commentary on the Sādhana of Kaṅkālatārā, Entitled "Benefit for Others". Homage to the glorious Vajrayoginī!
Having prostrated with my crown to the feet of the Guru Vajravārāhī, I shall explain her sādhana so that those of inferior intellect may understand it.
Regarding the meaning of the passage beginning with "Having performed the vajra-bath," the practitioner should sit on a comfortable seat in a secluded and pleasant place. One should contemplate establishing all sentient beings in awakening, visualize the gurus at the crown of one's head, and by reciting the three purities, assume the divine pride of the goddess. One should perform the protection wheel with the Four-Faced One, perform the bath with the purified nectar, and don the armor.
Following that, with a one-pointed mind, one should meditate on the nature of Vajrayoginī from the meaning of the eight syllables. Regarding that: "This wheel is like space" means that the external vessel of the world is like space, being limitless. "Completely filled with great bliss" means that because it is primordially unborn, it is by nature emptiness. "The Munis dwell without intervals" means that the internal essence of sentient beings is the nature of the Buddha. As it is said in the Two-Part Tantra: "Sentient beings are Buddhas, but they are obscured by adventitious stains. Once those are removed, they are Buddhas." And also: "From oneself and one's own conceptualizations..."
It is said: "There is not even a single sentient being who is not a buddha." The Sage (Muni) is one who has overcome the two obscurations. "Without any intervening space" means that the inhabitants pervade the entire extent of the vessel-like world, leaving no gap. "Bliss cannot be expressed by speech" means that both of these are the wisdom of great bliss and are thus inexpressible. Alternatively, "This wheel is like space" means the body is like space because it lacks inherent existence. "Completely filled with great bliss" means that great bliss arises based upon the channels and drops of the body. "The Sage dwells without any intervening space" means that the aggregates, elements, and sense bases are of the nature of gods and goddesses. "Bliss cannot be expressed by speech" means that this great wisdom transcends the domain of expression. Alternatively, "This wheel is the ultimate truth." "Like space" means it is free from conceptual elaborations and devoid of center or periphery. "Completely filled with great bliss" means that this wisdom is non-conceptual and unchanging. "The Sage dwells without any intervening space" refers to the buddhas of the three times, because they are the very essence of that wisdom. "Bliss cannot be expressed by speech" means that the ultimate truth transcends all cognition and expression. These are the explanations of the meaning of the letter Na. Regarding "The two spaces are in union," this refers to the manner in which space and the earth are joined. As for the proponents of Īśvara as the cause, they say: "Space is the Great Īśvara."
The earth is called the goddess Umā, for the three realms of the stable and the moving arise from her. This is because space provides the opportunity and the earth acts as the support. Therefore, some say that Īśvara is the creator of all. However, this does not transcend method and insight. Regarding the completion of the light rays of the six cakras: based upon that very [earth], the six families abide. To eliminate the cause of the six classes of beings is to be empty by nature.
Alternatively, the two spaces joined together are the body and the mind. From the establishment of the six classes of beings within those two, the six sense faculties arise in completion. The causes of those two are karma and the afflictions, which are abandoned by non-dual primordial wisdom (jñāna). That is the abode of great primordial wisdom; the primordial wisdom of the dharmakāya is the nature of great bliss.
Alternatively, the two spaces joined together are method and insight. The completion of the light rays of the six cakras is the arising of the six Buddhas from the primordial wisdom of union. To eliminate the cause of the six classes of beings is because those six Buddhas themselves lack inherent existence, as they are the dharmakāya. That is the abode of great primordial wisdom, because that very dharmakāya is the nature of the five primordial wisdoms. That is explained as the meaning of "Mā."
As for Śrī generating the wheel: the wheel is red, possessing the heart mantra of the vowels and consonants. The three and five petals are triangular. "Possessing threads" refers to the lines that divide the forty-nine squares individually.
That which possesses the nature of the three realities is the essence of the three—body, speech, and mind—or else the nature of the three bodies (kāyas). Regarding the explanation of the three as the path: the abandonment of non-virtues and the practice of virtues by means of the three—body, speech, and mind—is the explanation of the three as the path. Alternatively, the three movements of the winds—exhalation, inhalation, and abiding—naturally abide as the identity of the three syllables and the three deities, and through meditation, the attainment of the three bodies is the explanation of the three as the path. This is the explanation of the syllable Śrī.
"Born from va, the victory banner" refers to the banner hanging from the khaṭvāṅga. "Adorned with the four mudrās" means it is the identity of the four: the action mudrā (karmamudrā), the commitment mudrā (samayamudrā), the dharma mudrā (dharmamudrā), and the great mudrā (mahāmudrā). Alternatively, "adorned with the four mudrās" symbolizes being endowed with the four seals: all conditioned phenomena are impermanent, all phenomena are selfless, those with outflows are suffering, and nirvāṇa is peace.
"The supreme endowed with the four concentrations" means that because it is the nature of the four concentrations, one will attain them. "The four liberations are also accomplished from that" means that one will also attain emptiness, the absence of marks, the absence of wishes, and the unconditioned. This is the explanation of the syllable va.
"From ja, auspiciousness arises" refers to the swastika (gyung-drung 'khyil-ba). "Because it revolves very swiftly" means that the swastika is above, and below it, the wheel itself revolves fiercely.
The nature of supreme joy is as follows: from the syllable haṃ, by contemplating the drop (bindu), the three joys arise in succession. "It bestows the coemergent" means that at the time the drop reaches the syllable aṃ, the coemergent wisdom (jñāna) arises, and one becomes of the nature of non-conceptuality. This is the explanation of the syllable ja.
"The supreme meaning arising from jo" means that its meaning shall be explained. "It is asserted as the essence of perfected union" means the union of method and wisdom, by relying on an action seal (karmamudrā), or by relying on the channels and drops. "It causes one to see non-dual wisdom" identifies the coemergent wisdom from the culmination of union. "It bestows the Great Seal (mahāmudrā)" means that by training continuously in that very wisdom, one attains Buddhahood. This is the meaning.
Furthermore, "arising from the syllable gi" is said to be "the form of the sun and the full moon," which refers to the two winds flowing in the right and left [channels] being drawn into the central channel. "It does not abide anywhere" means that when the winds enter the central channel, they do not abide anywhere, having become non-conceptual. "It also bestows the abode of the Dharmakāya" means that because the Dharmakāya is attained from the wisdom of emptiness, it is the cause. This is the explanation of the meaning of the syllable gi.
"The supreme meaning arising from ni" is said to be "by the pith instructions of the sublime guru." This refers to the masters who teach the Secret Mantra Vehicle of the sublime guru.
The pith instructions refer to the yoga of the two stages. "Knowing all that is stable and moving to be empty" means realizing that the three realms, including the environment and its inhabitants, are without inherent existence. "By that, one swiftly attains buddhahood" means that a yogi such as this will attain buddhahood before long. This is the explanation of the letter na.
Regarding the phrase "the maṇḍala of those eight letters," the meaning of those eight letters is the nature of Vajrayoginī. The "maṇḍala" is the cakra; it is red and triangular, containing the essence of the āli and kāli vowels and consonants. "One who desires accomplishments should draw it" means that in order to attain the supreme and common accomplishments, one should draw the cakra and perform external offerings. If one asks with what that cakra should be drawn, it is with whatever liquid forms of the five nectars and so forth are available. "One should draw it carefully according to the instructions" means it should be drawn without error, following the guru’s pith instructions.
By those [instructions], one should draw the curved [shape], the source of phenomena (dharmodaya), and the four svastika swirls containing the essence of the āli and kāli. Then, one should summon the wisdom-being (jñānasattva) and dissolve it [into the commitment-being], and perform everything from the offerings and praises up to the request to depart, exactly as explained in the Sādhana of the Accomplishment of Suchness Wisdom. Having thus shown the external offerings, the meditation on the internal deity yoga is now to be shown. In that regard: "The skeleton tāra..."
This means that one should meditate on the goddess in the center of a parasol formed by sixteen skeletons, surrounded on the four sides by thirty-two skeletons. "The sublime Dharma is that very nectar" means that the yoga should be performed through the two stages, as explained in the Jñānasiddhi regarding the reality of the eighth ritual. "The oral instruction of the gate is that very reality" means that the skeletons of the three directions are the assembly of deities of Body, Speech, and Mind. The skeletons of one direction are the four goddesses and the four skull-cups of the wheel of great bliss. The sixteen [sections] of the parasol are the eight goddesses of the wheel of samaya. The eight [sections] are the eight charnel grounds. In the center, surrounded by these, the goddess resides. The khaṭvāṅga on the left is the glorious Cakrasaṃvara. Thus, by meditating in this way, one will have meditated upon the complete maṇḍala of the glorious Cakrasaṃvara. This concludes the teaching on the meditation on the goddess.
Now, the yoga of the union of the father and mother will be taught: "In its center is the chief of ḍākinīs; the syllable arises from action." This means that in the heart of oneself meditated as the goddess, upon a sun maṇḍala, there appears the glorious Cakrasaṃvara, arisen from the [syllable] karma, with one face and two arms. "Together with Vajrayoginī, that is said to arise from mā" means that from those two syllables, the father and mother arise simultaneously. "Realize that they are oneself" refers to emptiness and—
One meditates on the two types of compassion as having a single taste. To accomplish coemergent wisdom is to generate the wisdom of great bliss from the union of the father and mother. The arising of wisdom through the accumulation of the two collections is the arising of non-dual wisdom, the union of method and insight. That very thing is explained as the method: in this Mantra Vehicle, the arising of non-conceptuality from the union of method and insight is taught to be the method itself.
"The ten grounds, such as the Joyous and so forth, are taught by the Buddhas as the path," means that in the Vehicle of Perfections, the five paths, the six perfections, and the ten grounds are taught as the path of the Buddhas. From the complete perfection of union is the application of the churning of the father and mother. The two drops are the conventional bodhicitta and the ultimate bodhicitta. The radiating of light rays is the gradual arising of the four joys. The dissolving of the drop into the drop is the coemergent joy, the non-dual wisdom. "The wise should meditate" means that the yogi who has internalized the guru’s pith instructions should meditate.
"By practicing these meditations, one will attain the major marks and minor signs" means that through meditating on non-dual wisdom, one will attain Buddhahood endowed with the thirty-two major marks and the eighty minor signs. Furthermore, another distinct yoga is shown: the yoginī born from this.
It is the wisdom of union arising from method and insight. "Becoming Vajrayoginī" means that from that wisdom of great bliss, the body of Vajrayoginī is manifested. "Visualizing the lotus within the navel and so forth" refers to the location above the emanation wheel (nirmāṇacakra). "Purifying all afflictions" means that by meditating in that way, the two obscurations are abandoned. "Arming the goddess's six locations with the six syllables" is easy to understand. "From all the letters of homage" refers to the eight syllables. "Blessing as the supreme deity" means that those eight syllables are the seed syllables for generating the Father and Mother and the six armor goddesses. "Born from great bliss" means that the goddess arises from the wisdom of innate union. "The pith instruction on arising in the profound" means that this yoga is difficult to realize; the meaning is that this pith instruction is extremely difficult to comprehend. "Furthermore, its meaning shall be explained" means that other distinct yogas of the profound meaning will also be taught. "Within the practice of churning" means that the drops (bindu) arise from the churning of the vajra and the lotus. "From na, Cakrasaṃvara arises" means that from the method drop becoming na, Cakrasaṃvara arises. "From ma, Vajrayoginī" means that from the wisdom drop becoming ma, Vajrayoginī arises. "From the syllable bhaga in the lotus" means that from those two syllables within the bhaga of the Mother, the Father and Mother arise.
That which is born from great bliss arises from coemergent wisdom (sahaja-jñāna). To know that very thing as the Yoginī is to recognize her as the nature of insight (prajñā). "Abiding in the center of the two vajras" means residing in the center of the vajra and lotus. "That supreme [yoga] is clearly taught" means that because this is the subtle yoga, it should be explained with clarity. Regarding the wheels (cakra) at the base: here, one meditates on three wheels and a lotus in a fourfold stack. "The eight spokes together with light," "white, surrounded by an outer wheel," "the eight [deities] such as the Powerful One (Mahābala) and so forth," "rotating to the left," and "in the center is the ocean of wisdom"—this refers to the Body Wheel (kāya-cakra). On the eastern spoke of the wheel is Mahābala; in the north, Ratnavajra; in the west, Hayagrīva; in the south, Ākāśagarbha; in the southeast, Śrī Heruka; in the northeast, Vajrasattva; in the northwest, Vairocana; and in the southwest, Padmanarteśvara. In the center is the ocean of wisdom, the Vajra Body. "The red wheel with eight spokes, surrounded by a garland of lotuses," "the eight [deities] such as Bhairava and so forth," "abiding on the eight spokes of the wheel," "rotating to the right," and "the face of Dharma abides in the center"—this refers to the Speech Wheel (vāk-cakra). On the eastern spoke is Bhairava or Aṅkurī; in the south is Vajra Hūṃkāra; in the west is Mahāvīra; in the north is Vajrajaṭī; and in the southeast is Subhadra.
In the southwest is Vajrabhadra; in the northwest, Mahābhairava; and in the northeast, Virūpākṣa. In the center is the Face of Dharma, which is Vajravāc. In the center is the Vajraratna-cakra, with eight spokes and radiance, encircled by a garland of black vajras. The eight [deities] such as Khaṇḍakapāla and so forth are shown in the center in the nature of meditative union. This is the Mind Wheel (Cittacakra).
On the eastern spoke is Khaṇḍakapāla; in the north, Mahākaṅkāla; in the west, Kaṅkāla; in the south, Daṃṣṭrākarāla; in the southeast, Surabhūti; in the southwest, Amitābha; in the northwest, Vajraprabha; and in the northeast, Vajrakāya. In the center is the nature of meditative union, which is Cittavajra. Like the fire at the end of an eon—just as the fire at the end of an eon incinerates the entire external world without exception—so too the light of these wheels incinerates the two obscurations without exception. The central lotus and vajra-bell of the embodied [deity] is a four-petaled multicolored lotus. The wise should meditate upon it: upon that lotus above the wheel, one should arrange the mantras of the armor of the six heroes; this is easy to understand.
The sequence of the wheels is as follows: above the Body Wheel (Kāyacakra) is the Speech Wheel (Vākcakra), and above that is the Mind Wheel (Cittacakra). Possessing light blazing like fire means that those wheels emit the light of a blazing mass of fire, which incinerates all outer and inner obstacles. The wheels previously explained are the three wheels and the lotus shown above.
Up to the ka-ko-la is within the lotus of the goddess. One should meditate on the four stacked [cakras] between the tip of the vajra and the hollow of the lotus. To visualize them revolving uninterruptedly means to visualize those wheels revolving counter-clockwise. To meditate in this way means that by focusing the mind on the wheels revolving uninterruptedly, fire arises from the syllable Aṃ, which burns the three wheels. To offer the sixty-four torma offerings means that the syllable Haṃ residing in the wheel of great bliss at the crown of the head melts, and a stream of nectar descends. As it falls upon the syllable Aṃ residing in the sixty-four-petaled emanation wheel at the navel, the wisdom of great bliss is born, and all conceptual thoughts are ceased. Regarding the phrase "the afflictions are purified," if one meditates in this way, the two obscurations will be exhausted without exception. Regarding "the peerless benefit will be attained," the meaning is that the unsurpassed result of awakening will be attained. Regarding "the profound stage," these are explained in the sequence of the most profound yoga stages. Furthermore, another distinct yoga is shown. Regarding "from Na in the form of a nāda," one should imagine that from the syllable Na at the heart, one's own body becomes an extremely subtle nāda. Regarding "method and stainless compassion," that itself is the method because it is with an object of focus. Compassion is the nāda because it is conventional. "Stainless" means it is the direct cause of the wisdom of emptiness, which is the absence of the cognition that grasps at awareness.
The entity, being empty of intrinsic nature, is the nāda; when analyzed, it is not established as having any essence whatsoever. "Bestowing the birth of bliss" means that it acts as the unimpeded cause for the arising of the wisdom of the dharmakāya. "The mother" refers to the essence of emptiness; having rendered even that nāda non-referential, it becomes the wisdom of clear light (prabhāsvara). "The nature of certain insight" means that from that wisdom, one is called a "Buddha," because it is the wisdom of the dharmakāya. "Completely filled with great bliss" means that the wisdom is non-conceptual and unchanging. "That itself is the mahāmudrā" means that whoever realizes that wisdom has attained the accomplishment of mahāmudrā, which is manifest, perfect enlightenment. "The two become one" means that the nāda dissolves into emptiness and becomes the state of clear light. "Non-conceptual and free from stains" means that, like space, it is free from conceptualization, and thus the stains of subject and object are exhausted without exception. "Self-arisen wisdom, peerless" means that it has no rival in the world and transcends all examples. "The lord of the three worlds" means it is the guru of the three realms, worthy of being venerated and honored by all. "One should view the mind arising from the mind" means meditating on that very wisdom of the above as a continuous stream, without any distinction between earlier and later moments. "By placing it in the center of the mind" means drawing the mind into the intellect so that it does not scatter toward objects, but remains one-pointed. "The first two are blended" means—
Because the mind and intellect have become of one taste. The two faiths are the two winds arising from the right and left. "By not arising" indicates that the two winds, the exhaling and inhaling, have ceased, and the mind remains stable and unwavering. By means of this "Vajra Absorption" (vajra-samādhi), the four bodies (kāyas) are accomplished. Through vajra absorption, the wisdom of emptiness is like a vajra, as it destroys the two obscurations without exception. "Bliss expands in an instant" means that by abandoning the two obscurations in a single instant, one attains buddhahood; the meaning is that the four bodies are manifested. The two stainless innate drops (bindus) mean that the two wisdoms—the wisdom that knows the nature of things as they are (jñeyajñāna) and the wisdom that knows the full extent of phenomena (jñeyajñāna)—are attained. "By possessing the stainless, the stainless radiates" means that from the dharmakāya, the two form bodies (rūpakāyas) emerge and perform the welfare of others without exception. "The forms of birth and cessation" refer to the conventional truth and the ultimate truth. "Free from stains through realizing those two" means that by realizing the two truths as inseparable, the two obscurations are exhausted. "The white flower of worldly knowledge" means that worldly knowledge is the realization of the natural state of things as they are, which is the omniscient wisdom. That itself is like a white flower, unstained by impurities and self-arisen. "The worldly guru, the form of great bliss" means:
The Buddhas, the Blessed Ones, are the lords of the three worlds and have become the supreme gurus; this is the meaning of the statement that they are the bodies of wisdom alone. It is a teaching that reveals profound meaning in few words.
From the explanation of the Skeleton Palace:
"By whatever merit I have accumulated,
May all beings attain non-duality."
The Sādhana of Vajrayoginī: The Self-Consecration Commentary Entitled "Benefit for Others" on the stages of the Skeleton Tārā, composed by the learned master Kumārabodhi, is hereby complete.