Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text provides a comprehensive manual for the practice of the Vajrasattva deity yoga, integrating ritual procedure, meditative visualization, and philosophical grounding in non-duality. The work argues that liberation is achieved not through the gradual paths of the arhat or the austerities of asceticism, but through the realization of supreme bliss, where passion and the absence of passion are seen as identical. The text commits the reader to a rigorous system of tantric practice involving the gaṇacakra, the use of samaya substances, and the precise visualization of a maṇḍala featuring a variety of deities and letters. It guides the practitioner through the generation stage, the performance of specific mudrās and union methods, and the invocation of ḍākinīs and other spirits to purify the body, speech, and mind. Ultimately, the work posits that by uniting oneself with the deity and recognizing the external environment as a manifestation of great bliss, the practitioner can transcend dualistic conceptualization and attain the essence of all buddhas.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise on the secret meaning of Vajrasattva, the Śrīvajrasattvaguhyārthadharavyūha is attributed to the Indian author Kukurāja. The work entered the Tibetan tradition through the efforts of the translators Vidyākarasiṃha and zhu chen gyi lo tsa ba ban+de lha rin po che. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ལ, where it comprises 36 pages and is situated within the Other Wisdom Tantras collection of the classical Tibetan period. The work enacts a system of tantric practice centered on the deity Vajrasattva, emphasizing the accomplishment of the gaṇacakra through stages focused on the welfare of oneself and others. It argues that liberation is found through the joy of supreme secret and the words of yoga rather than through the logic of grammar, dialectics, or the austerities of asceticism. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today for its detailed guidance on the generation stage, the performance of mudrās, and the integration of ritual procedure with meditative visualization. By uniting the practitioner with the deity and invoking ḍākinīs to purify body, speech, and mind, the treatise provides a manual for realizing a state where passion and the absence of passion are seen as identical.
Sanskrit title
Śrīvajrasattvaguhyārthadharavyūha
Indian author
Kukurāja
Tibetan translators
Vidyākarasiṃha, zhu chen gyi lo tsa ba ban+de lha rin po che
Cite thisAnuvāda, “An Arrangement of the Secret Meaning of Glorious Vajrasattva” (Toh 1664), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh1664
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its synthesis of Abhidharma cosmology with high tantric practice, specifically the transformation of worldly desire into a vehicle for enlightenment. It illustrates the transition from conceptual Buddhist paths to the 'Secret Mantra' approach, emphasizing the role of the master and the integration of physical and mental disciplines.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-7
Introduction and Philosophical Grounding
Includes homage, the role of the master, and a critique of the arhat path in favor of the non-dual realization of bliss.
8-12
Ritual Requirements and Purifications
Details the use of samaya substances, the purification of the three realms based on Abhidharma, and the description of wrathful forms.
16-23
Visualization and Maṇḍala Construction
Instructions on visualizing the ka letters, the placement of deities like Vairocanī, and the invitation of the wisdom being.
27-39
Supplication and Deity Invocation
Contains mantras for Samvara, descriptions of the deity's adornments, and the summoning of ḍākinīs and other hosts.
40-46
Advanced Practice and Integration
Discusses the dangers of conceptualization, the technical application of mudrās and union, and the final unification with the vajra nature.
Themes
Non-duality of Bliss and Passion (4, 40, 43)
Critique of Gradualism and Asceticism (3, 7)
Ritual Visualization and Maṇḍala (16, 20, 36)
The Role of Samaya and Mudrās (8, 37, 42)
Purification of the Continuum (6, 9, 38)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaAn Arrangement of the Secret Meaning of Glorious Vajrasattva·
In the language of India: Śrī-vajrasattva-guhyārtha-vyūha-nāma. In the language of Tibet: dpal rdo rje sems dpa’i gsang ba’i don rnam par dgod pa zhes bya ba. Homage to the glorious Vajrasattva!
The essence of all glorious buddhas,
Vajrasattva, the Great Bliss,
In the joy of the supreme secret,
I prostrate to the self of all.
From the Ḍākinī-māyā-saṃvara, the union of all buddhas,
Through the application of various activities,
For the sake of taming sentient beings
Who desire various rituals,
And for the sake of accomplishing all bliss,
I shall thoroughly explain the accounts
Manifested in whatever way is appropriate.
The single, authentic accomplishment
Is applied according to one’s wishes.
In all the rituals of conceptual thought,
It is the supreme, most excellent accomplishment.
Through the emanations of the Buddha’s teaching,
Delusion arises from the natural ground,
And delusion occurs regarding the practice of the sublime Dharma.
For the sake of taming through causes, conditions, and results,
Vajrasattva, the Tathāgata,
Employs the manner of the six types of encouragement.
From that, through infinite emanations,
He teaches the various maṇḍalas and deities,
The various meanings of the tantras,
And tames beings through various activities.
Therefore, this should be known as the root meaning
Of all the tantras.
Whoever possesses the perfect preliminaries,
Knows the objects of knowledge and the basis of the view,
And possesses the perfect supreme site,
The maṇḍala, empowerment, and samaya,
The meaning of meditative absorption, activity, and conduct—
The method for accomplishing the gaṇacakra should be understood through two stages, distinguished by the welfare of oneself and others. By practicing these two paths, the result appears together with its activities. These are liberated through the words of yoga, which reveal the meaning of yoga to practitioners. They are not understood through the logic of grammar or dialectics, but are secret signs hidden from non-Buddhists and the like.
O fair-faced one, the nature of the Dharma is peace. For those whose minds are like the sky, bringing joy to all beings, and who abide upon a stainless white cloth, the attachment to the color blue does not change. In some cases, they act as kṣatriyas, brahmins, or those of low caste who wield the wheel of weapons; like sages, students, or masters, they act for the sake of enlightenment with a bodhicitta. Loving like a mother and training like a father, they abide in the manner of servants or kings, as householders reciting the Vedas, or like ministers and laborers.
Through these fourteen types of activities, they act for the welfare of themselves and others. Opening the casket of the wish-fulfilling jewel, they engage in the three lights of manifestation. Having seen the high state of the secret meaning of the Mahāyāna, they enter the house according to the scriptures. With the three places purified and their skill perfected, they reach the outer, inner, and secret stages of maturation. The Dharma that does not transcend its own abiding state is to be maintained in the continuum without decline, through the common and extraordinary stages. By being diligent in the rites of fulfillment, the activities for the welfare of oneself and others are taught to be accomplished according to the scriptures.
One must not kill living beings, never abandon the Three Jewels, and never forsake the bodhicitta.
One should not abandon the master, the Fortunate One. In all things, the Fortunate One is everywhere; through my own practice, I am fortunate. One should not be oppressed by austerities that completely abandon one’s own essence. One should enjoy happiness in whatever way is pleasant. This is the Buddha of the future. In all the enjoyments of yoga, one should enjoy them with joy, without fear of anything whatsoever. Without having entered all the maṇḍalas, having abandoned the samayas, and not knowing the secret reality, no practice whatsoever will be accomplished. Those who possess the nature of phenomena (dharmatā) that is selfless, yet harbor aversion toward the samayas, are of ill fortune. Because they have thoroughly established cyclic existence, the Fortunate Buddha is of good fortune. He has taught the reality of things—the way all phenomena abide in their nature, the methods of conceptualization, virtues and faults, and the state of compassion for those with wrong views. This is the self-arisen Blessed One, the single, most magnificent deity, the union of all Buddhas, the Ḍākinī Illusion, the Supreme Bliss. The illusion of women is the seal (mudrā) of all; this is the supreme vehicle of non-duality. Among all illusions, the illusion of women is particularly sublime. Through the power of the essential nature, it is accomplished by its very nature. As for the ḍākinī, she is called "she who goes in the sky"; she is designated as such because she is manifestly perceived from the elements. Because she accomplishes movement throughout the entire sky, she is renowned as a ḍākinī. She is neither attached nor free from attachment; she is not even perceived in the middle way. By means of the seal of all without exception, all without exception is the Supreme Bliss. All illusions are perfectly joined.
Supreme bliss, the most excellent of joys,
That very reality is both passion and the absence of passion.
It is desire and it is the world;
The three times, the three realms of existence, the three jewels,
The three worlds and the three elements—
All abodes of diverse and distinct forms
Are that very reality.
All wandering beings without exception
Are entirely transformed into this.
Such infinite, supreme [qualities],
The nature of phenomena, equal and unequal,
As far as the limits of the expanse of space—
All things are that.
The supreme body, with the major and minor marks,
With unceasing qualities and perfected power,
Complete with the maṇḍala and so forth,
Possessing the clarity of speech, mind, and activity.
In the vastness of all space, the glorious
Tathāgata Vajrasattva,
Through the union of all buddhas,
Is the ḍākinī Illusion, the Supreme Bliss.
The protectors, free from the obscurations of the three times,
Dwell in the state of great bliss;
Possessing clarity, power, fearlessness, and unimpededness,
They appear as the manifold non-duality of self and other.
All things have the characteristic of space,
And space itself has no characteristic.
The three realms without exception
Are all like an illusion.
Just as an illusion is seen and touched
In every way, yet is not to be apprehended,
So too is the manner of all beings:
Neither existent nor non-existent,
Nor even to be apprehended as the middle way.
The application of the perfection of wisdom
Is the thorough accomplishment of the buddha-enlightenment.
Through the gateway of skillful means, there is great bliss;
It transcends the subtle bindu
And does not abide even in the stations of the winds.
This is the Secret Mantra free from focal points. By the power of relying on the activity of insight, the bodhicitta of the wheel is brought down and retained. It is emanated into one’s own abode or elsewhere. The channels and so forth, being inferior, transcend shape. In the state of the non-dual Mahāmudrā, appearance itself is emptiness, and emptiness itself is appearance. One enjoys the objects of the six sense faculties; all phenomena are the direct experience of great bliss. There is no superior, middling, or inferior in form and so forth. Because appearances and bliss are sealed by emptiness, one is completely liberated from all focal points. This is the great bliss of the Lord of Yogins. Through bliss, all bliss is attained. The union of all Buddhas is the yoga free from distraction by signs. For this, bathing and restrictive vows are not required; ascetic hardships and austerities need not be practiced. Without asceticism or vows, accomplishment is achieved through bliss and joy. Therefore, whatever one desires, one may enjoy; eating all things, one likewise engages in all activities. One may conduct oneself as one pleases, and even move about as one pleases. Whatever one enjoys as one pleases, it becomes an aid to non-dual great bliss. Even if one has not entered any maṇḍala and possesses all obscurations, if one unites oneself with one’s own deity, accomplishment will be achieved even with little merit. All those supreme Buddhas who are not attained in ten million eons will be attained in every way if one practices the rituals of the mudrā. This supreme means of accomplishing oneself, I shall now examine. For those beings who do not realize their own nature and are deluded in other ways—
By examining the six objects within one's own continuum, the manifold appears as dualistic phenomena. One experiences discordant states of pleasure and pain, distracted by the signs of the eight worldly concerns. Along with the branches of the afflictions, the abodes of the six classes of beings appear individually. Tormented by the three and eight types of suffering, one clings to the reality of karmic connections. Alas, how pitiable these are! Having strayed thus from the state of great bliss, from where else could this suffering arise? When will one see one's own suchness? When will self-arisen wisdom dawn? When will one be suffused with great bliss?
Alas! Through distorted conceptions, some have entered wrong and evil paths. They are deluded regarding the cause, deluded regarding the path, and deluded regarding the actual result. Even in this world, they suffer; like dogs, oxen, and pigs, their bodies are tormented by the five fires and the like, and when their lives end, they go to the three lower realms. Having entered the paths of the base and lowly, though they desire happiness, they have strayed from the true path. Desiring to know how to abandon the origin of suffering, they instead remain in the very source of the origin of suffering. Though they meditate on cessation and the path, they turn their backs on the noble path.
Alas! Apart from authentic bliss, they conceptualize the four truths of delusion. Desiring the stage of an Arhat through conceptualizing conditions, they speak of dependent origination while abandoning suchness. Through afflictions, karma, and suffering, they experience pleasure through natural ignorance. If everything arises from the delusion of signs, from what other continuum could suchness arise? Everything is self-arisen wisdom.
Alas! Those who desire the stage of an arhat,
Through the hardships of the stream-enterer, once-returner,
And the conduct of the non-returner and so forth,
Will not be liberated by entering the path of an arhat.
Without the meaning of the authentic truth,
Those who grasp at duality through conceptual imputation,
Though they practice austerities for many eons,
Will not attain the state of a perfect buddha.
Alas! Failing to find the definitive meaning,
They become exhausted by wandering on other paths;
Like a wrestler searching for a lost prize,
The fruit of the three kāyas will not arise.
In a place endowed with all perfections,
Free from obstacles and full of delight—
Whether in secluded hermitages
Or in one’s own pleasure groves and the like—
In various ways, with excellent fortune,
Through various supreme blisses,
One should accomplish all necessary aims
In whatever way is most comfortable.
Then, upon a well-prepared maṇḍala,
Having smeared it with the five types of fragrance,
The wise one should lay out the lines,
Divide the sections, and arrange the seats of the deities.
Having displayed cast-metal or painted images and so forth,
One should arrange various offerings.
Adorned with the supreme divine substances of the Tathāgatas,
Such as precious ornaments and the like,
With bells, victory banners, and the best of canopies spread above,
Accompanied by vajra words, offerings, and so forth,
With the emanations of songs and cymbals,
And the preparations of flowers and incense,
Together with lamps, perfumes, and the rest—
There, first of all, the seat should be prepared:
A soft and pleasant-to-the-touch
Various lotus, covered with cloth.
That is the seat of universal purity,
Endowed with forms, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures,
And the enjoyment of food and drink.
The food of sustenance and the medicine that averts obstacles, the samaya substances of the five secret nectars of immortality, and the five hooks together with their companions—these should be utilized by the hero who possesses the secret.
A consort of noble lineage, endowed with beauty and the other marks, who is capable of guarding the secret place, who delights in the non-conceptual Mahāyāna, and who is skilled in the activities that please the Lord. Having bathed, anointed with fragrance, and adorned with ornaments, she is empowered, blessed, and inspired with joy. The substances are gathered and purified; having been blessed, they are condensed and arranged in their proper places.
Through various modes of attire and various modes of practice, one thoroughly accomplishes the maṇḍala and so forth from the realization of Vajrasattva. "Alas! For the deluded who are confused and tormented by their own fabrications, I shall cover them with the pervasive, immeasurable [compassion] and vow to liberate them swiftly."
Thinking, "If I myself have not become habituated, even if I desire it, what is the use of being powerless?" one first liberates oneself; having achieved accomplishment, one considers the vast benefit of others. From the expanse of suchness, free from conceptual elaboration, compassion that pervades all beings arises.
Possessing the union of Vajrasattva, in order to purify the three aspects and generate power, the limbs and digits are purified; by clearing away [obstructions] with HŪṂ and so forth, they abide as the signs. On the tongue is the mantra namo sarvadharmā buddhe bhyo along with its marks. At the heart, possessing the three sattvas, one blesses oneself together with the mantra.
By means of the vajras of body, speech, and mind, and possessing the mudrās of the signs, through the yoga that gives rise to all, one should make oneself the deity.
The reality arising from the Abhidharmakośa is clarified: the three realms are purified in their own place. From that, the emanations, the supports, and so forth, as well as the abodes of other beings, are thoroughly cleansed. Free from the sins of the three eons, one’s own abode is purified as body, speech, and mind. By invoking the Victorious Ones for the sake of accomplishments, the treasury of the Brahma-aperture is made radiant. Having pervaded all emanations without exception, and through the performance of various dances, one snaps the vajra-fingers and employs the jaḥ hūṃ baṃ hoḥ syllables. Together with the common and extraordinary emanations, one invokes the Guru and the Meditational Deity, causing them to move from their own abodes. One should visualize the passionless ones, like the moon.
Oṃ! All you Bhagavāns, Victorious Ones, and your Sons, who dwell well from all ten directions, please turn your great compassion toward me and, by the power of your aspirations, please come! Oṃ vajra samājaḥ hūṃ.
Although you are already pure in the state of suchness, for the sake of all wandering beings, please wash your hands and feet and remain in this very place. Mahā samaya stvaṃ.
Oṃ! Having looked with great compassion, you who manifest the magical displays of various tantras, you who possess the continuum of the dancer’s wheel, please accept these offerings for the sake of wandering beings.
Emanating a multitude of various weapons arising from the King of Secret Mantra, destroy and scatter all obstructors, and let the ground become a fence and a pavilion. By emanating the three syllables and so forth, the substances of the offerings and so on are purified. Together with the goddesses of blessing, emanate them in great numbers and present them. Oṃ, when Vajrasattva is gathered...
Through the song of Vajraratna, the unsurpassed, and Vajradharma, one becomes a performer of vajra activities. The goddesses of flowers and so forth, and the goddesses of flutes and so forth, should offer with their respective mantras, mudrās, and meditative absorptions, accompanied by melodic chants. With various beautiful forms and melodious sounds, fragrant scents, and the hundred supreme tastes, and with clouds of tactile bliss, may they arise filling the expanse of space. Furthermore, may the beings of the six realms become hosts of gods and goddesses, exquisitely adorned with every ornament. Moving with songs, verses, dances, and gestures, and manifesting as many as the atoms of the three-thousandfold world system, if one offers this well to all maṇḍalas, may the compassionate Protectors accept it. Oṃ, Sugata, Blessed One! O Victorious One, ocean of wisdom! May you enjoy this supreme cloud of Samantabhadra’s offerings throughout the entire infinite ocean of existence. Oṃ namaḥ sarvatathāgatebhyo viśvamukhebhyaḥ sarvathāṃ udgate spharaṇa himaṃ gaganaṃ khaṃ svāhā. From this, the supreme excellent fruit, may all beings, through the great path of the Bodhisattvas who abide in the supreme state of omniscience and are unattached to any objects, attain the state of the Blessed One, the Vajra Holder. Though the various appearances and sounds are liberation itself, and the miraculous displays of the expanse are immeasurable, their very nature is such that they are free from color, like the element of space. Within the state of great bliss and equality, the three spheres are completely pure.
May the two benefits, inseparable in all ways, be spontaneously accomplished. OṂ VAJRA SATVA SAMAYA | MANUPĀLAYA | VAJRASATVA TVENOPATIṢṬHA DṚḌHO ME BHAVA | SUTOṢYO ME BHAVA | ANURAKTO ME BHAVA | SUPOṢYO ME BHAVA | SARVA SIDDHIṂ ME PRAYACCHA | SARVA KARMASU CA ME | CITTAṂ ŚRIYAḤ KURU HŪṂ | HA HA HA HA HOḤ | BHAGAVĀN SARVA TATHĀGATA VAJRA MĀ ME MUÑCA | VAJRĪ BHAVA MAHĀ SAMAYA SATVA ĀḤ | OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ.
Binding the two vajra fists, raise the thumbs and wave them. Three times, with the vajra palms, strike the two lower parts gently. OṂ VAJRA GACCHA MUḤ | OṂ VAJRA TUṢYA HOḤ.
Through the application of Vajrasattva, bind the two arms as vajras. By clapping the vajra-snap, all the buddhas are summoned. For those who are extremely fierce and violent, pacification will not be beneficial. Therefore, all the Tathāgatas manifest as wrathful deities, the essence of insight and method. If even a wrathful one in the manner of a wrathful deity can incinerate the three worlds, what need is there to mention all the buddhas being wrathful, who would leave the three realms without exception?
Then, fix the mind perfectly upon the tip of the nose. From the long, warm breath of the nose, the Victor’s mudrā of union arises. The Blessed One, through the yoga of that very reality, emerges transformed into a vajra wrathful deity. The great vajra Heruka, blazing, utterly destroys [all] into ashes. Within the state of the blazing blue Sattva, a red maṇḍala of light blazes.
Fierce like the time of the great destruction, like the fire of a charnel ground, his great blazing body is ablaze. He wears a crown of many skulls. Fierce like the time of the great destruction, as terrifying as a charnel ground, he possesses the manner of wrath and so forth, with faces of various expressions and brows knit in frowns. Dancing with blazing ashes, he reduces to ashes like dust the Great Lord (Maheśvara), Indra, Upendra, the Sun, the Moon, Yama, and Brahmā, having set their three abodes ablaze. With the sound of ringing the vajra and the khaṭvāṅga bell, he brings them all down, and then restores even those who have become ashes to life. With the fierce King of Desire (Takkirāja), he summons the obstructors of the ten directions, binds them male and female in pairs, and places them upon the sun; together with their respective hosts, they become intoxicated. Reciting the mantra sumbhani, the majestic and overpowering body of the Great Wrathful One: Oṃ sumbhani sumbhani hūṃ | gṛhṇa gṛhṇa hūṃ | gṛhṇāpaya gṛhṇāpaya hūṃ | ānaya ho bhagavān vidyārāja hūṃ phaṭ | oṃ indrāye svāhā. The ten wrathful deities, such as Vijaya and the rest, are dark blue with three faces and six arms; their hand implements, ornaments, and all their characteristics abide just like the four Herukas. Oṃ vajrakrodha vijaya hana hana hūṃ | oṃ vajrakrodha yamāntaka paca paca hūṃ | oṃ vajrakrodha hayagrīva hulu hulu hūṃ | oṃ vajrakrodha amṛtakuṇḍali cchinda cchinda hūṃ | oṃ vajrakrodha nīladaṇḍa daha daha hūṃ.
OṂ VAJRA KRODHA ĀRYA ACALA BANDHA BANDHA HŪṂ. OṂ VAJRA KRODHA APARĀCITTA TIṢṬHA TIṢṬHA HŪṂ. OṂ VAJRA KRODHA TRAILOKYA VIJAYĀ BHINDHA BHINDHA HŪṂ. OṂ VAJRA KRODHA HŪṂKARA HŪṂ GARJA GARJA HŪṂ. OṂ VAJRA KRODHA MAHĀBALA SPHOṬA SPHOṬA HŪṂ.
Through the miraculous manifestation of Vajrāmṛta, holding a vajra hammer in his hand, he strikes the zenith, nadir, cardinal, and intermediate directions, and firmly strikes his own abode. OṂ VAJRA GHA GHA GHĀTAYA GHĀTAYA SARVA DUṢṬĀN PHAṬ KĪLI KĪLAYA VAJRA DHĀRODĀJÑĀPAYATI KĀYA VĀKA CITTA VAJRA KĪLAYA HŪṂ PHAṬ.
Having utterly destroyed the river of obstructors arising from the ten directions, fierce rays of light surge and blaze. Seeing the ground as completely free of obstructors, the spokes of the vajra wheel—the boundaries, fences, nets, and so forth—emanate as the hosts of wrathful deities along with their further emanations, radiating weapons.
Free from any focal object, all is the expanse of mind. Transcending all conceptual characteristics, it is great primordial wisdom. In the maṇḍala of uncontrived bodhicitta, I pray within the state of great equanimity of appearance and emptiness. OṂ DHARMADHĀTU SVABHĀVA ĀTMAKO ’HAṂ.
The great compassion that pervades all beings arises from the five primordial wisdoms of effortless clarity. The empty and luminous bodhicitta pervades all; non-referential universal compassion appears as anything whatsoever. OṂ MAHĀŚŪNYATĀ JÑĀNA VAJRA SVABHĀVA ĀTMAKO ’HAṂ.
Vajrasattva, appearing in the manner of the Heaven of Delighting in Emanations, dwells upon the uppermost level of the three-thousandfold world system.
By reciting the mantra anurāgayāmi, the maṇḍala of the elements of the three-thousandfold world system is formed in successive layers. The white triangular space of the nature of empty clarity is established as the appearance of the Great Mother Samantabhadrī. The blue wind maṇḍala, shaped like a bow and adorned with banners, is the sky of the liberated, firm, and hard crossed-vajra. The white, circular water maṇḍala, marked by a vase, is Māmakī, with foam swirling like milk. The powerful golden ground is the square earth, its peak marked by a vajra, the Buddha-locanā. Above that is the supreme Mount Meru, resting upon the ocean, brilliant with the colors of karketana, vaidūrya, ruby, and green indranīla, complete with terraces, tiers, lakes, and rocky slopes. The white fire of clear wisdom blazes with light, shaped like the white-clad goddess with a three-pointed banner. There are wish-fulfilling trees, flocks of birds, pleasure groves, and four turrets; the tiers are adorned with the ornaments of the sun and moon. Above that is the abode where the qualities of the Victors appear: a multicolored lotus made of jewels, with a golden wheel and a crossed-vajra at its center. It is marked by four gates, archways, and four pediments. The walls of the five precious gems are endowed with the light of the twenty-five self-arisen [deities]. It is adorned with eight supreme pillars marked by vajras, beautified by garlands of precious flowers and pearls. The goddesses of form, sound, smell, taste, and touch flicker there. Parasols, victory banners, canopies, and yak-tail whisks hang down, along with half-moons, vajras, jewels, and pennants. Bells resound with all manner of melodious sounds. The four lines of the eight-square grid are laid out.
The various lotus-signs are encircled by vajras; in the intermediate squares are four full vases, beautiful with ornaments and signs, containing the essence of nectar. The outer grid is in the form of a wheel, endowed with an uninterrupted garland of vajras. Behind the three successive outer walls, within the vajra fence of the outer iron mountains, are the eight great charnel grounds in the cardinal and intermediate directions. At the eight trees, the field-protectors appear with half their bodies revealed; their faces correspond to the seats of the eight direction-protectors. With a curved knife in the right hand and a skull-cup in the left, within the eight lakes, the eight nāgas appear with half their bodies revealed, palms joined in reverence toward the Blessed One. At the foot of the eight trees dwell yogins with their retinues. There are clouds, stupas, and self-arisen hosts of ḍākinīs; many vetālas, piśācas, and bhūtas dwell there, mingled with corpses, birds, dogs, and jackals. At that time, the fierce ḍākinīs and hosts of deities appear in the charnel grounds just as in Jambudvīpa. Outside, wish-fulfilling trees, vases, birds, and plants are beautified by all manner of desirable enjoyments. Upon the lotus seats in the center, the Supreme Primordial Glory (Paramādya) resides. Abiding in the samādhi of the nature of all phenomena—emptiness, free from signs, wishless, and luminous—he dwells in loving-kindness. Abiding in the nature of cessation, he is exhorted by the Victors of the ten directions and becomes the perfect body through the five awakenings. Upon the moon mandala of one’s own mind, the sixteen syllables of the letter A abide, causing great compassion to arise.
Upon a sun maṇḍala, visualize the thirty-four ka letters: the four with tongue-roots and the two indistinct ones, resembling the form of stars. Through their radiating and converging, the two accumulations and the major and minor marks are perfected. This demonstrates the first two wisdoms and the characteristics of the two types of bodhicitta.
The third is a five-pronged vajra, brilliant white with a reddish luster. At its vase is a clearly manifest hūṃ. This is the sign of the complete perfection of the fruit of the two accumulations. From the five colors, one contemplates the maṇḍalas of the six families; thus, one purifies one's own abodes. As they re-converge and enter the body, speech, and mind of the respective maṇḍalas and their retinues, they become the great vajra light. This demonstrates the middle two wisdoms and the nature of bodhicitta itself.
The fifth, from the completion of the ritual, is the arising of Vajrasattva. From the fifth wisdom-bodhicitta, he is clearly manifest as the Mahāmudrā. Oṃ vajra ahaṃ. Oṃ mahāsukha vajrasattva a. Jaḥ hūṃ baṃ hoḥ surata stvaṃ.
Like a snow mountain free of dust, with the light of a sun-crystal, beautified by a garland of nails of the five jewels, his face is adorned with a playful, joyful, and smiling gaze. With a complexion of blazing white, blue, and supreme yellow, he has many faces and four arms, holding a playful laugh. In his right hands, he brandishes a blazing five-pronged vajra, holding it with pride at his heart. In his left, he holds a crossed khaṭvāṅga with a bell and banner, ringing it. The lower two hands hold a bow and arrow. He is beautified by the major and minor marks and the five mudrās. He wears an upper garment of white silk with golden patterns and a lower garment of fine silk.
Wearing a jeweled belt at the waist, with necklaces, long necklaces, and armlets, and bracelets and anklets on the hands and feet, and the se-mo-do [ornament], one should touch the five places with the five-pronged vajra mudrā. Through the mantra, one should visualize the body, speech, mind, and so forth of all the Sugatas. Oṃ namo sarva-tathāgata-kāya-vāk-citta-guṇa-vajra-svabhāva-ātmako ’haṃ. In the locations of the body hairs, the atoms of the six maṇḍalas reside. With the mudrā of the Mistress of the Expanse of Space, all locations should be blessed. The thumb is in the bodhisattva’s cross-legged posture, the tips of the two index fingers are hooked, the two middle fingers are joined together, and the remaining fingers are formed into a vajra-palms gesture. All the fingers are interlaced within, the tips are joined together, and the thumbs press down with the vajra, like piercing the nose and eyes. These two are touched to the five places of the head. The silk streamers are tied and then released from the ends. Oṃ abhiṣiñca māṃ. Hūṃ abhiṣiñca māṃ. Ratna-māle abhiṣiñca trāṃ. Paṭalaṃ abhiṣiñca hūṃ. Vajra-tuṣya hoḥ. From the portion of qualities, like the ear, the profound Cakrasaṃvara body is emanated; having performed the blessing, one becomes endowed with method and insight. With the vajra of body, speech, and mind, one is endowed with the mudrā of the signs. Oṃ āḥ hūṃ. The wisdom being, together with the hūṃ, resides upon the clear sun of the heart. The maṇḍala is invited, and by the goddesses, the bathing is performed. Once the three stains are purified, one should contemplate the result of the empowerment: the Buddha’s crest jewel.
In the three realms, there is no other jewel
Like the jewel of the Buddha.
The jewel of all Buddhas
Is the supreme bliss of the crown ornament.
Not the wealth of others, it cannot be stolen;
It is the pure water of the gods.
Adorned with a crown of skull-garlands,
And with silk pendants and the like.
From the hūṃ in the secret space,
The vajra and lotus arise, marked with jewels.
The eight-petaled lotus is with the āḥ;
Yellow in color, with a red pericarp and stamens.
By means of the symbols of śatapala and so forth,
One should perform the union of jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ.
By performing the secret play of the goddess,
One should perform the activity of pleasing the maṇḍala.
Oṃ praveśa phaṭ, a la la la hoḥ.
The erect liṅga is self-arisen;
Having entered into the center of the thighs,
The liṅga is blessed as a vajra.
"I was born before Vajrasattva;
All Bodhisattvas are completely pure.
Having pervaded them without exception,
I am thoroughly pleased to act as I desire."
Gathering the light, one should grasp the primordial form.
From the light rays of great bliss,
In the manner of the twelve goddesses,
The Buddhas and their consorts of the directions and times
Are pleased with great joy.
The subtle particles take the form of syllables.
From that which enters the mouth,
They gather in the place of great bliss.
They emanate sequentially from the four wheels.
Arising from the place of the blazing ta-ka-ta,
Great bliss and passion merge non-dually.
Having incinerated the continuums of beings in the three realms,
The maṇḍalas of the six classes are accomplished.
Stirring the continuum of pure yoga,
The threefold maṇḍala appears clearly.
Reassembling, the celestial palace arises as before, complete with ornaments and seats. Marked by the bindu at the site, the wisdom maṇḍala is clarified through emanation. From HŪṂ comes Vajrasattva, in the central lotus of the secret place. From JAḤ comes the goddess Sukhāvatī; from HŪṂ comes Emaho; from BAṂ comes the goddess Vairocanī; and from HOḤ comes the seal of the female disciple. These reside in an embracing manner from the four directions of the mind. From OṂ comes the Buddha Bodhicittā; from BHRŪṂ comes Dharmacakrā; from HA comes Trailokyavijayā; and from KHAṂ comes Sarvakāmā. These reside in the squares of the four directions, starting with the east. From OṂ comes the flute, from TRĀṂ the lute, from BAṂ the great drum, and from JAḤ the ḍamaru; these four goddesses reside in order in the squares of the southeast and so forth. A Ā are the goddesses of flowers and incense; AṂ AḤ are the goddesses of lamps and perfumed water. These four goddesses reside in the four intermediate positions of the courtyard. From JAḤ comes Hayagrīva; from HŪṂ comes Śūkarāsyā with fangs; from BAṂ comes Sūryacandrasphuliṅginī; and from HOḤ comes Bhasmīkaraṇī; these reside at the four gates. Emanating from the site of the bhaga, they reassemble and settle in the outer positions. Like the form of Vajrasattva, the two bodies emanate and reabsorb, entering one's own hands. JA VAJRA TRI SAMAYA PHAṬ. The goddess Sukhāvatī is poised with majesty, white in color, with various ornaments and garments; her two hands draw a bow and arrow, and she resides in the east performing the activity of emanation and reabsorption. OṂ VAJRA KĪLI KĪLA HŪṂ. Emaho is the color of gold.
With the right hand she embraces the Lord, and with the left she holds a vajra-jewel; she stands in the southern direction with a majestic bearing. VAṂ VAJRĀṆI SMARA PHAṬ. Vairocanī is red; in her right hand is a crossed vajra, and with her left, she holds a skull-cup in a majestic pose, leaning upon a khaṭvāṅga; she stands in the western direction. HOḤ VAJRA KĀMEŚVARĪ TRAṂ. The disciple-mudrā is green in color; with her right hand she embraces the body of the Lord, and from the nectar-flask in her left, the bodies of the Buddhas emerge; she stands in the northern direction. OṂ AṂ MADU VAJRĪ GHUṂ GHUṂ. Buddha-bodhi is white and red, radiant; marked by four heads of Brahmā, she holds four arrows in the manner of shooting them simultaneously; she stands in the eastern square with a majestic bearing. OṂ VAJRA MEGE GULU HŪṂ. Dharmacakra is white with a yellow luster; at the tip of her right middle finger, she holds an eight-spoked wheel in the manner of raising it; she stands in the southern square with a majestic bearing. OṂ HA ŚARADA VAJRĪ IṂ IṂ. Trailokyavijayā is pale red in color; in her right hand is a three-pronged trident, and in her left she holds a five-pronged vajra; she stands in the western square performing a dance. OṂ KHAṂ VAJRA ŚIRI HŪṂ HŪṂ. Kāmeśvarī is green in color; with her two hands she holds a wish-fulfilling tree together with flowers, swaying in the wind; she stands on the northern side performing a dance. OṂ DERATI VAJRĪ VILASITRA THA. The blue flute, marked with a vajra, resounds with various sounds in the direction of fire. HE VAJRA GHITE TE TE TE. The yellow lute, marked with a vajra, possesses the six musical modes in the direction of the rakshasas.
HERATIVAJRA HASI HASA BAṂ. She beats a great red vajra drum; she dwells in the wind direction. HERATEVAJRA NETRE PEPASA JAḤ. She beats a green clay drum marked with a vajra; she dwells in the northeast. OṂ VAJRA PUṢPE. A reddish-yellow flower marked with a vajra; she dwells in the human direction holding a bowl. VAJRA DHŪPE. Blue-white incense marked with a vajra; she dwells in the rakṣasa direction holding incense. A VAJRA ĀLOKE. A red lamp marked with a vajra; she dwells in the wind direction holding a light. A VAJRA GANDHE. Green scented water marked with a vajra; she dwells in the northeast sprinkling it. OṂ VAJRA AṄKUŚA JAḤ. The white horse-headed goddess with a hook and a skull-cup; the green horse-head is in the east. OṂ VAJRA PĀŚA HŪṂ. The blue sow-headed goddess with a tusk in her right and a noose in her left; she dwells at the southern gate. OṂ VAJRA ŚṚṄKHALĀ VAṂ. The red Rūpiṇī with two hands holding the sun and moon and a chain; she is in the western direction. OṂ VAJRA GHAṆṬE HOḤ. The green Khaṇḍarohā with a bell in her right and a skull-cup with a gourd in her left; she is in the north. Alternatively, all the goddesses have the color of the moon and smiling faces. The middle of their thighs is red and white. Their supreme hands are like green leaves. They possess thighs that are white and yellow. They hold various supreme divine foods. They have blazing, swirling, multicolored light. They dwell upon various lotuses. They are supreme, like the Buddhas and lotuses. They wear various jewel ornaments and garments. They wear various beautiful ornaments, such as pearls and flowers. The Protectors, dwelling in the state of equal taste—
From the meditative absorption of the wisdom of the expanse of phenomena, the goddess exhorts the Lord. He performs emanations for the sake of all sentient beings. With the various lotuses of the joy of passion, clearly worshiped with pure offerings, may the bliss of the supreme, eternal yoga be accomplished.
Ema! The very essence of the samaya of supreme bliss, the supreme, fortunate one who delights in the yoga of supreme bliss—enjoy, enjoy your own faultless samaya, Ho!
Having turned your attention to all beings in saṃsāra through adventitious delusion, arise! In order to clarify the hosts of the maṇḍala, grant empowerment and blessings.
The aggregate of form is the great wisdom of the expanse of phenomena; in the eye is the Buddha Vairocana. Enjoying the three types of form, he emanates the entities of the stable and the moving.
The aggregate of feeling is the great wisdom of discernment; in the ear is Vajrasūrya. Enjoying the three types of sound, he emanates the entities of the stable and the moving.
The aggregate of perception is the great wisdom of equality; in the tongue is the King Padmeśvara. Enjoying the three types of taste, he emanates the entities of the stable and the moving.
The aggregate of formations is the sphere of all-accomplishing wisdom; in the nose is Hayagrīva. Enjoying the three types of smell, he emanates the entities of the stable and the moving.
The aggregate of consciousness is the great mirror-like wisdom; in the mind is Vajra Heruka. Enjoying the three types of phenomena, he emanates the entities of the stable and the moving.
The all-pervading wisdom of emptiness dwells in the body as Vajrasattva.
Engaging in the three types of touch and play, the stable and moving entities are emanated. Possessing the assembly of the three mudrās, the wisdom being (jñānasattva) dwells in the heart. Having invited the maṇḍala of self-awareness, one should visualize the insignia of the family upon the empowerment. Thus, having completed the empowerment and blessing of the principal deity and the emanations, one abides in the four mudrās and causes the bodies of the mudrās to appear clearly.
Through the distinctions of the four applications, the maṇḍala is perfected; then, by means of the subsequent activities, the maṇḍala is to be accomplished. Equanimous absorption in mere wisdom is explained as "application." Making offerings through the play of blessing and union with the consort is "subsequent application." Having purified and perfected the maṇḍala, the intense radiation and reabsorption is "intense application." The completion of the activities of blessing and empowerment is called "great application."
Through the radiation and reabsorption of light rays from the heart, the wisdom maṇḍala is emanated. One binds the mudrā of the vajra gathering with the assembly of the syllables JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ. By the power of the yoga of emptiness, which is neither existent nor non-existent, the samaya abides in the very expanse of space. "Sugata, Sugata, please arise! O Vajrasattva, fortunate and glorious one, I am yours!" JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ EHYEHI BHAGAVĀN MAHĀKĀRUṆIKA TRIŚYA HOḤ SAMAYASTVAṂ. "In this maṇḍala, the palace of the Sugatas, for the sake of liberating all beings without exception, please come and remain with your retinue, considering the welfare of others."
KĀYA VĀKA CITTA HŪṂ. The assembly of the vajra music of the magical display of joy is exquisitely beautiful as a maṇḍala appearing to others. A LA LA HO! Overwhelming the supreme Brahmās, you sever the misconceptions of manifold conceptualizations. A LA LA HO! Non-dual wisdom is infinite in its dualistic aspects; you sport in the expanse of the equality of appearance-emptiness and great bliss. A LA LA HO! The qualities of universal origin appear effortlessly and spontaneously; the array of the ornamental maṇḍalas arises from itself. A LA LA HO! Having accomplished all activities through vast and unceasing deeds, all tasks are perfected through the play of the assembly. A LA LA HO! To the deities of the beautiful maṇḍala, the ornaments of the supreme body, speech, mind, qualities, and activities, I prostrate. A LA LA HO! The glorious left hand is in a majestic pose; the right hand forms the three-pointed banner. With respectful service, the supreme [offering] is lifted. I am the glory of Vajrasattva. Looking with a smiling eye, I join my palms without wavering. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ. ATI PU HO. BANDHANĀṂ KĀRO YAMI. GURU PĀTI. A LA LA HO. OṂ: From all the great elements arise. All things without exception, as numerous as the atoms of the three-thousandfold world system—forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles, and phenomena—I emanate as the entire assembly of goddesses. With flowers, incense, lamps, perfumes, and all other offerings, I make offerings. OṂ PANA PENA PANUSURATA TIPUPARAMU SARVA TATHĀGATA SAMAYOGISIDDHI HŪṂ. OṂ VAJRA PUṢPE. OṂ VAJRA DHŪPE. OṂ VAJRA ĀLOKE. OṂ VAJRA GANDHE. PRATĪCCHA HO.
Śrī bhagavān kha kha khāhi! By reciting with a voice of varying pitch and melodic modulation, and by singing songs of HŪṂ and so forth, the supreme natures of the three times are invoked. Through all words and whatever songs are elaborated as desired, the glorious mudrā of the HŪṂ-song perfectly accomplishes Vajrasattva.
With the flute, the single-stringed lute, and likewise the multi-stringed lute, scattering upwards and pouring downwards, without raising the right hand, each with its own mudrā, and possessing the three types of application, one should apply them to their respective places: JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ.
For the sake of attachment to all bliss and for the complete purity of all siddhis, Vajrasattva, the supreme bliss, has a body as red as the root of a full moon. Holding a vajra and bell in the right and left hands, he performs the dance of the blissful attire. Seated in the sattvaparyaṅka with pride, he accomplishes all siddhis that subdue the hosts. OṂ MAHĀSUKHA VAJRASATTVA ĀḤ JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ SURATA STVAṂ.
With a moon-like complexion and a smiling face, he dances and embraces while seated upon a lotus. Holding an arrow, he is adorned with various jewels and garments, including the Buddha and the lotus. He performs the actions of reversing, seizing, and even surpassing. Through the mudrā that arises from me, the seizing of all limbs is accomplished. Attached to the various samayas, he performs the dance of blazing bliss. This supreme mudrā of embracing me is the great supreme deity of the center. Holding the vajra khaṭvāṅga in the manner of a sash...
The mudrā of embracing me is the supreme crossed vajra with a lotus; it accomplishes the bowl of the perfect Buddha. By the mudrā of embracing me, one is joined with the glory of Vajrasattva. In accordance with the tradition of the great supreme goddess in the center, through glorious, vast, and extensive dances, the complete casting of the four arrows will bring victory over the four māras. By the stances of lifting the feet and casting, or of stepping together and casting, the display of the wheel mudrā will become an offering to the three realms. Through the actions of performing, reversing, and seizing, one performs the dance with various mudrās and shall gather the three realms. Grasping any suitable creeper with the mudrā of embracing me, and sporting with all women, the wish-fulfilling trees will be fully accomplished. One displays the manner of playing the flute, displays the manner of playing the lute, displays the manner of the hand-drum (ḍamaru) to the yogin, and displays the manner of the clay drum to the yogin. Tasting like drinking, inhaling the scent of the nose, closing the eyes to gaze with attachment—all these are tasted by me. Together with the self-arisen goddess, one becomes non-dual through the mudrā and mantra. O Vajrasattva, fortunate and glorious one of great bliss, please grant us realization in our practice. O Tathāgata, the self-nature of all, the supreme bliss of the hosts of ḍākinīs and illusions!
Please grant me the accomplishment of the supreme mastery that tames the various mental continuums of wandering beings. A la la ho! Please display the various dances of the Tathāgata’s applications. Jaḥ hūṃ baṃ hoḥ! O, Samvara, please manifest through the emanation of bliss and make the hūṃ appear. A la la la la ho! Please let the illusory ḍākinīs of all the Tathāgatas take hold of the disciple.
Pressing the index finger with the thumb, and pressing the thumb with the index finger—this is the mudrā of the Glorious Accomplished Eye. The index finger should be made into the pupil of the eye. Joining the vajra palms together and hollowing them out, one should place them at the location of the mantra and release them gradually from the edges.
Homage to me, the Greatly Joyful One! Homage to me, the Tathāgata! May the supreme accomplishment of the Tathāgata be granted! Oṃ āḥ hūṃ! Please grant the accomplishment of the supreme samaya. Please purify all great offerings. Please enjoy the state of great equanimity.
Sealed by the extremely subtle bow and arrow of the passion of great joy, please grant me the accomplishment of all the bliss intoxicated by the bliss of the application of great joy. Please enjoy the supreme bliss of the various forms, the raised victory banner of total victory, the enjoyment of the great sovereign of great joy, the supreme accomplishment of the Tathāgata, the supreme bliss of the various forms. Ho! Please stir bliss with bliss and manifest the hūṃ through play. A la la la la ho!
May the ḍākinīs of all the Tathāgatas, through all their various illusions, take hold of the disciple. O, grant the accomplishment of the supreme bliss! Emao! Grant the bliss! Enter into the sublime! May I become perfectly blissful! Alala la la ho! Emao! Having entered the śiśi, the ḍākinīs of the supreme bliss have entered everywhere. In some places, she appears in a body like a fierce woman, extremely violent and fierce toward fierce beings. In some places, in order to subdue all wandering beings, she appears in a body holding an extremely sharp wheel in her hand. In some places, she displays a body like that of Brahmā, exceedingly gentle and never becoming non-peaceful. In some places, grant me the accomplishment of the lotus samaya of blazing passion. Grant me the accomplishment of the supreme, inexhaustible treasure of the sublime lord who empowers all. Bestow upon me the great vajra jewel that raises the victory banner of the supreme of all. The supreme bliss of all goddesses, her beautiful face is transformed; she is perfectly engaged in the experience of bliss, gazing beautifully and dancing. The supreme bliss of all goddesses, with beautiful lips pressed by her teeth, this supreme mudrā of the smile delights all the Buddhas. From the examination of the various skull-cups, the various nectars are purified. Through the radiation and reabsorption of the five-fifths-fives, it possesses the five types of signs: light, smoke, fragrance, sound, and the manifestation of the goddess’s form; it is accomplished as nectar. Self-arisen and primordially pure, it sports in the meaning of equality. Possessing the blessings, marks, and ornaments—
The supreme object of touch for women, grant your blessings, O yogi! Play within the great secret! In all these substances of accomplishment, make them endowed with HŪṂ and PHAṬ!
You who possess the supreme nature of phenomena, the unwavering equanimity; the embodiment of compassion who dispels the suffering of wandering beings; who bestows all accomplishments and infinite qualities; you who possess the supreme, holy Dharma, stainless, unwavering, and peerless.
Even the most subtle fraction of your qualities is immeasurable; there is no example to compare with even the sky. You who possess infinite, peerless, and incomparable accomplishments, surely bestow the supreme accomplishments upon the realms of sentient beings.
Constantly arising from the force of stainless compassion, you possess the nature of unceasingly fulfilled aspirations. Diligently striving to accomplish the welfare of wandering beings, the embodiment of great compassion is eternally manifest.
Although you have attained the supreme, holy state of a Sugata—immeasurable, beyond measure, and utterly perfect—your unwavering compassionate activity, which bestows supreme accomplishments upon the three realms, shall never cease.
Ema! You who possess the supreme nature of phenomena, most excellent; who have attained the highest state among the givers of boons; the Protector who knows the three realms without obscuration, bestowing supreme accomplishments upon the three realms: grant me the supreme accomplishment of the three supreme samayas!
JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ RUTAMA ṬA SMARARATA HULU HULU PRASIDDHA ṬAKKI HŪṂ JAḤ.
KANI KUNI | HŪṂ HŪṂ | ṬAKKINI HŪṂ JAḤ | HULU HULU | ALA LA LA LA HO | ŚUDDHA SIDDHA | DARŚA (YA, YE) | SARVA TA GHAN GHE | TA GHE GHE | ṬA ṬA GHE GHE GHE | TA GHE TA GHE | GHE GHE TA TA | TA GHE TA GHE | HEN DON ṬAKKI HŪṂ JAḤ | GHE TA | GHE DON ṬAKKI HŪṂ JAḤ | ṬA ALA LA LA LA HO | RUṬA MAṬA | This is the examination of clapping the palms. TA GHE GHE | TA GHE NA TA GHE NA | GHE NA GHE TA | GHE NA GHE NA GHE NA | This is the continuous drum. We who have entered into this samaya, may our bodies not be subject to cutting or hacking; may the unbearable suffering of being struck by shadows be averted; by merely seeing a portion of your body, may our prayers be sustained; may the brilliance enter our bodies, and by the touch of light from thousands of millions of rays, may all the world systems be illuminated; may our body, speech, mind, and life be as firm as a vajra; and please grant that all our hopes and aspirations be fulfilled at this very moment. Focusing on the extensive maṇḍala, first begin the common [practice] and the transcendent. Possessing the three types of sattvas, with the respective signs of body, speech, and mind, and from the two garlands of the sun maṇḍala of method and insight, adorned with the marks of body, speech, and mind, just as the principal deity recites, the maṇḍala of the retinue is established. Through the place, the retinue, and the radiation, the assembly of concordant deities is pleased, and the activities of the gathered families are applied to beings. From the mouth of the principal deity, the union mantra is the fourteen-syllable secret mantra of oneself. Likewise, the mantras of the individual goddesses are endowed with radiation and absorption.
Having completed [the generation], perform the offerings, praises, and exhortations, and apply the supplication to the activities of beings. Second, regarding the performance of the individual activities: the principal deity and the others, in their proper sequence, should be endowed with the four mudrās and accompanied by the consort of light. Possessing the two types of clarity, one should recite one’s own secret mantra: OṂ MAHĀSUKHA VAJRASATTVA ĀḤ JAḤ HŪṂ BAṂ HOḤ. This is the eighteen-syllable secret mantra of the essence of Vajrasattva. Once the recitation of all the retinue goddesses without exception is complete, perform the offerings, praises, and exhortations; then, having applied them to their respective activities, they should be dissolved into their individual places. The maṇḍala of equality is the supreme of all; it is the body of ultimate great bliss. One should diligently meditate upon the deity of the expanse of suchness and primordial wisdom. The outer maṇḍala is to be dissolved into the subtle drop at the tip of the nose. One should remain until the five signs are clearly manifest, up to the subtle syllable and mark. One should proceed by excluding the letters ṄA and ÑA, starting from KA and ending with DA. One should correctly write the second garland starting from DHA and ending with KṢA. In the center is the garland of the letter A, arranged upon a moon maṇḍala. Endowed with the drop and the crescent moon, the visarga is the double moon; one should meditate on the unchanging letter A. In the center, it abides as the essence of the vajra. Meditating constantly upon that in the center is the great bliss of great passion. This is renowned as the Buddha-painting of all the Buddhas. The erect liṅga is self-arisen; having inserted it into the center of the thighs, the liṅga is blessed as a vajra.
I, Vajrasattva, first generated myself. Having inserted the liṅga into the bhaga, one should meditate on the syllable HŪṂ there. From forms resembling supreme joy, one should emanate the two bodies. Since all are pervasive and stainless, the bodhicitta is stable. One should clearly meditate on the maṇḍala of the five types of signs. Through the assembly of the support and the supported, one clearly examines that very purity. Relying upon the ten virtues, the four truths abide as a single entity. The assembly of the twelve links of dependent origination is the expanse of the purity of various causes and effects. All collections of qualities flourish, and having pervaded the four Brahma-abodes, one enters the four meditative concentrations from among the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment. From the six purities of natural wisdom, the various signs of the families appear. Relying upon the eight liberations, the way of the Vajrayāna is beautiful. The vast activities of enlightened deeds are the great mudrā of the six objects. One practices in the great maṇḍala of equality. Covered by the canopy of great compassion, the supreme Mahāyāna is victorious over the four māras. Entering the way through equal union, one clears away the obscurations of conceptual thought. From the emanations accomplished through aspiration prayers, whatever qualities of the Mahāyāna arise. The body complete with the major and minor marks proclaims the various vehicles of the supported. The hundred qualities such as mastery are distinguished by the four activities. The signs of the place are accomplished by acting as the support, the abode, the cause, and the conduct.
Through deeds free from attachment, all conduct is unstained by the signs of affliction. Without straying from the expanse of great bliss, they possess the vehicle of body, speech, and mind. The source of qualities, the five immortal ones, are arranged filling the four directions. Adorned with the twenty-seven ornaments of the desired enjoyments of the five wisdoms, they become the locus of offerings of enlightened activity, beautified by the signs of their own respective wheels. Adorned with the appearance of all qualities through the collection of external signs, they are of the vajra nature of the three bodies. Through the immeasurable collection of diverse activities, the blessing of blazing wisdom burns away the signs of distorted conceptions. This supreme vehicle, more exalted than others such as the Vehicle of Characteristics, purifies the conceptualizations of the three realms and, for the sake of purifying the body and so forth, the eight Buddhas appear from the supports of the ornaments of qualities. To subdue the arrogant, they trample the signs of the families; the weapon of wisdom liberates the environment and its inhabitants. One should resolve that the collection of conceptualizations arising from existence is the non-dual essence itself. The deities of the equality of the expanse and wisdom are the deities of meditating on the non-duality of appearance and existence. Through the rain of emanations of great compassion, they bring to maturity that which arises from the barren. From great self-arisen wisdom, the various appearances of the eight collections arise. Through immeasurable emanations of compassion, they act for the sake of beings throughout the three-thousandfold world system. All the diverse appearances of the elements are the great, utterly pure maṇḍala, unstained by the conceptualizations of saṃsāra.
The sign of attachment to the compassion of awakening,
Is the body of Vajrasattva, Great Bliss.
Possessing a reddish luster like the moon,
From the wisdom of the empty expanse of phenomena,
The symbols of the families appear as four;
Through the immeasurable activity of their conduct,
They act in accordance with the needs of those connected.
Adorned as the Victors of the three realms,
They refine their attire and assume a majestic posture.
Endowed with the five wisdoms and the profound,
They manifest the bodies of the five vast families.
Through the recollection that stirs their own hearts,
They sport in the activities of the gathered thoughts.
The body, speech, and mind that accomplish all variety,
Proclaim the speech that conquers the three realms.
To inspire attachment, they demonstrate
The characteristics of the connection between shamatha and vipashyana.
Adorned with the thirty-two major marks
And the eighty minor signs,
They possess the ornaments of the connection between the expanse and wisdom,
Which outshine those achieved through common karma.
Upon the canopy of bodhicitta and so forth,
They are beautifully adorned by the stages of compassion;
Through the many diverse deeds they perform,
They show the conduct that purifies the conceptual thoughts of beings.
On the right, the four means of gathering appear,
And on the left, the four immeasurables.
Upon the crown are the six perfections,
Along with various signs of dhāraṇīs and samādhis.
As the embodiment of all the Buddhas of the ten directions,
They enter the manner of the five aspects
Within the precious ornaments of enlightened qualities;
Adorned with these ornaments of qualities,
To ensure the symbols of the families do not decline,
They wear topknots of corresponding form.
Adorned with various ornaments of qualities,
They manifest in the form of all those very beings.
Their limbs are adorned with the ten virtues, and...
The feet are adorned with the eight liberations, beautified by bracelets of the four truths, and are the very nature of the four liberations. The waistband is beautified by the double-layered garland of the virtues and the ten perfections. Adorned with the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment like a sacred thread, and possessing the double-layered garland of the eighteen unshared qualities, he possesses the four seals and acts to show their meaning to wandering beings. Because the five aggregates are completely pure, he is beautified by the ornaments of the five families. Because the great elements are completely pure, he is embraced by the four goddesses. Because the twelve sense sources are completely pure, they arise as the assembly of inner goddesses. Because the elements and so forth are completely pure in their conduct, and through the vast activity of compassion, he arranges the assemblies of goddesses and purifies the twenty afflictions. Through the inconceivable light of primordial wisdom, the various maṇḍalas appear in every way. To guard against the four obstacles and hindrances, and to ensure that accomplishments remain supreme, one should diligently perform the activities of the torma offering during the four sessions. Purifying all obscurations and completing the activities of the accumulations, these activities that accord with the conduct of reality will thus become vast in their deeds. On the outer maṇḍala, which is crescent-shaped and colored red, in the center and the four directions of the five ḍākinī maṇḍalas, in the center, the King of Horses is surrounded by the symbols of the five great gods. In the east are the guardians of the directions and the guardians of the lands.
In the south, the hosts of Mamos for wrathful activity; in the west, the eight great nāgas for magnetizing; and in the north, the beings for enrichment—these are generated by their own secret mantras. Having become the forms [of the deities], the masses of wisdom light are purified. The graceful maiden, the young girl, the intoxicated, and likewise the nectar; the solitary hero, the one with passion, the cunning one, and the maidservant; all flavors such as salt and so forth, and the four nectars such as sugar and so forth—the flavor of all these is accomplished by oneself, and is achieved without exception or remainder. The accomplishment of various foods endowed with meat and alcohol is the supreme fortune of joyful enjoyment; the sublime longevity is thoroughly achieved. With ripe mangoes, grapes, pomegranates, and nālikera; with the supreme mudrās of fruits such as harītakī and so forth; by anointing with sugar, honey, and ointments, and by smearing the pits of the mangoes and so forth; by anointing with the butter of hasakara and so forth, one should apply them with equal fragrances. Having dyed them appropriately with pigments such as mustard and lac, and having made the skins warm and so forth, they should be offered at the time of worship. The foods, drinks, snacks, and so forth, prepared within a skull-cup, are purified, cleansed, and blessed by ha hoḥ hrīḥ, and should be dedicated to the circle of ḍākinīs. All the great substances of the torma, first purified with scented water, are then multiplied after blessing the arranged offerings and tormas with various melodious sounds, banners, and so forth. The Buddha Vajrasattva himself, having emanated in the form of the Supreme Steed (Hayagrīva), possesses the beautiful mudrā and mantra.
One should summon the hosts of ḍākinīs: OṂ VAJRA ḌĀKINĪBHYAḤ E ĀRALI JA JA. When they have come to be summoned along with their retinues, one should display the three samaya mudrās: OṂ VAJRA GUHYE DṚŚYA HOḤ SAMAYA STVAṂ. OṂ VAJRA GUHYE DṚŚYA HOḤ SAMAYA STVAṂ. OṂ VAJRA GUHYE DṚŚYA HOḤ SAMAYA PHAṬ. OṂ ARGHAṂ PUṢPE DHŪPE GANDHE PŪJĀ SPHARAṆA IDAṂ BALIṂ KHA KHA KHĀHI.
From YAṂ arises a bow-like shape, marked by a fluttering banner. From RAṂ arises a blazing maṇḍala of fire, red and triangular, marked by RAṂ. Inside a skull-cup marked by KAṂ, which is endowed with the characteristics, there dwells the luminosity free from attachment. In the cardinal and intermediate directions are human flesh and so forth. From A arises a moon, and from HŪṂ arises a vajra that covers it. There are the four: HŪṂ, OṂ, HRĪḤ, and TRĀṂ. OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ SARVA PAÑCA AMṚTA HŪṂ HRĪḤ THAḤ.
Through the sequence of mantra, hand symbols, and the transformation into the body, with the radiation and reabsorption, one should summon the wisdom nectar. The vajra having descended, it fills the excellent vessel. Together with the five-colored light rays like the moon, one should please the maṇḍala and its retinue.
OṂ: You who are the sovereign lord of all worlds, the terrifying and powerful one who subdues the haughty, who acts as the servant to the Sugatas, their sons, and so forth, the compassionate one endowed with bodhicitta; Mahādeva together with his consort; likewise Viṣṇu and Brahmā, Śakra and Kāmadeva together with their consorts; the hosts of great gods with their retinues, and the eight guardians of the directions with their retinues, and the eight great nāgas with their retinues.
Ḍākinī, the fierce Ghasmarī, together with the hosts of the charnel ground and your retinues, as well as the eight classes of gods and spirits, and all beings of the six realms with your entourages: having purified your body, speech, and mind, you who assume the forms of your respective deities, you who possess the samaya and have gathered here at this place, accept this offering torma along with the continuous stream. Protect the samaya, O possessors of samaya! You ḍākinīs who are diligent in activity, you fierce ḍākinīs with your retinues, act as companions to the yogins in their practice! Together with the activity-workers and the vajra servants, accomplish the activities of pacifying, enriching, magnetizing, and subjugating; protect the Secret Mantra of the Mahāyāna; pacify diseases, malevolent spirits, and the like; increase longevity, power, and auspiciousness; and bring about the attainment of the fruits of well-being and excellence! OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ PADMA MUKHA HŪṂ HŪṂ. Through the two mudrās of Hayagrīva, may all activities become a mass of accomplishments. Having brought the accomplishments under control, establish them in their own place. OṂ HRĪḤ ḌĀKINĪ IMAṂ BALIṂTA PRATĪCCHA HŪṂ KHĀHI. OṂ ĀḤ HRĪḤ KHĀHI. Having beheld us with great compassion, you who manifest the various tantras, you who possess the continuum of the dancer’s wheel, you who pacify the fierce, to you I prostrate! I prostrate to you who manifest in the form of various dances! I prostrate to you who sport with weapons such as the vajra! I prostrate to you who protect the supreme deity of all deities without exception! I prostrate to you, the hero of perfected skill, with the force of the ten powers! OṂ ATI BHŪ HOḤ. A LA LA LA LA HOḤ. This is to be performed at the time of the four sessions.
Having completed [the practice], offer to and praise the maṇḍala. Having caused [the deities] to emerge from oneself and be placed in front, make supplications and exhort them to their activities:
Oṃ! You have accomplished every benefit for sentient beings;
Grant the siddhis that are in accordance [with our needs].
Even after departing for the realm of the buddhas,
Please turn your attention once more to the welfare of migratory beings.
Oṃ vajra gaccha muḥ.
Then, having dissolved the mudrās into oneself in successive order, the three types of sattvas dissolve into the syllable HŪṂ. In turn, they dissolve into the bindu within the expanse of equality. Subsequently, one abides in the form of the signs, with the ornaments and attire of the signless clearly manifest. One should don the armor and perform the protection; be endowed with the empowerment, the crown, and the diadem.
KAṂ HAṂ OṂ TUṂ RATNA MĀLE ABHIṢIÑCA | PAṬAṂ BA | ABHILAṂBA HŪṂ.
Without letting [the visualization] decline during any of the daily activities, one should meditate upon oneself as the deity. The appearances of the sense faculties, objects, and times should be examined as the play of the maṇḍala. Without letting the consecration of food and drink decline, perform the recitation; enjoy the non-dual wisdom of illusion. Examine all actions and conduct as the cause of the two accumulations; engage in everything for the benefit of migratory beings.
Through a supreme mind that is wise and skillful, the meaning arising from pleasing the guru is the simultaneous completion of the two accumulations. This joins one to the domain of the Victorious Ones. Whoever is free from external distractions and desires to clarify the inner self, having cleared away the distress of conceptual thoughts through meditative equipoise, should taste the nectar of the guru.
That which is to be undertaken by a beginner is to abandon the causes incompatible with śamatha, and having settled the body and mind in bliss, one should contemplate the characteristics of arising.
Alas! Those deluded regarding the nature,
Are thoroughly corrupted by adventitious conceptualization.
Through the force of long-term habituation,
They are dominated by the duality of pleasure and pain,
Appearing as the collection of afflictions of saṃsāra.
Some are utterly deluded by attachment;
Some, wishing to abandon, create the cause of suffering;
Some, wishing to engage, remain in impure states.
Even those who indulge in all forms of joy
Have body and speech distracted, which is a cause of suffering.
If one abides in the meaning of the equality of appearance and bliss,
It is the path of the non-dual body and speech.
For those who rely on the methods of the path of liberation
In order to realize the wisdom of bliss,
One should generate experience through the individual or common
Channels and winds.
Within the aggregates of all beings,
The maṇḍala of the wheel of great bliss resides.
Those who wish to see the yoga
Should look upon the maṇḍala of the aggregates.
By the power of the conditions generated below,
The inner heat (caṇḍālī) together with the syllable RAṂ is perfectly joined.
Within the appearance of the expanse, the moon,
The five-pronged vajra of wisdom abides.
The red [syllable] with OṂ and so forth,
Shaped like the nirmāṇakāya, is directed upward.
The white [syllable] with HŪṂ and so forth, facing downward,
Is made manifest as the dharmakāya.
The collection of syllables such as OṂ abiding in the sound,
The red saṃbhogakāya is directed upward.
Below the crown aperture is great bliss,
The white syllable HAṂ and so forth, facing downward.
By momentarily blocking the upper [aperture],
It is continuously dissolved into the vajra.
By stimulating the two banners of movement,
The lower [aperture] is blocked moment by moment.
By drawing it up continuously,
The element of the moon is melted and adorned.
If the upper, lower, or intermediate limbs become weak or the blazing and so forth become excessive, one should slightly relax the application. By means of radiating [the light] to the right, left, above, and below, and by correcting it through conduct and so forth, one should train until it becomes comfortable. Likewise, the other sense faculties and the abodes of the Brahma-aperture should also be withdrawn. If one is able to rely on the four hundred thousand divisions, the vase will remain full. Through the radiation and absorption of the entering, abiding, and exiting [breaths], one should clearly examine the signs. When the moon is expanded by the vajra, one should sequentially rotate the three wrathful eyes to the right and left in the realms of saṃsāra, and increase [the practice] through the effort of the hrīḥ syllable and the threatening gesture. Likewise, one radiates to the abodes of the four continents and then withdraws them back into the abode of great bliss. Through the nectar dripping from the haṃ, the four joys are generated in succession. Having gathered the essence of the aggregates and held it at the tip of the kṣa, one is intoxicated by great joy. Having drawn [the essence] up with the three hūṃ mudrās, one should radiate the outer maṇḍala. All things are expanded by the flavor of bliss, and the stainless wisdom of emptiness is clarified. Thus, having sealed saṃsāra and nirvāṇa with great bliss and emptiness, one’s own characteristics are clearly manifest, and one is completely liberated from the extremes of conceptualization. This is the wisdom of coemergent joy; like a cloudless sky free from stain, it abides stable and without penetration. In this very life, buddhahood will be manifested. By relying on the path of passion with another, one should bestow empowerment, blessings, and pith instructions upon a qualified consort of compatible family. Then, having exhorted her with songs, melodies, medicine, and signs, [the practice continues].
Having conceptualized the signs of the bhaga, the applications of the individual mudrās—from five up to sixty-four—along with the sixty-four methods of union, one should examine the maṇḍala of the aggregates. This should be known as the place of practice and the place of play. By properly igniting the caṇḍālī through conduct, and through the blending of the churning methods and applications, the five aggregates are offered as a fire sacrifice, and the nirmāṇakāya purifies the conceptualizations of the body. Through higher and higher applications, by practicing in the states of dharma and saṃbhoga, the mind is purified and freed from stains. As the state of great bliss expands, joy, supreme joy, special joy, and coemergent joy arise in their natural order. One should join the vajra and the expanse, or hold it at the tip of the blazing ta-ka-ta. The four continents should be gathered at the tips, and one should look with the sign above. Until joy has arisen, one should rely on the state of holding what was not held. One draws it back in the reverse order with HŪṂ and KṢAḤ; from the caṇḍālī, great bliss blazes forth. Once the sixteen joys have increased, they should be radiated to the four outer continents. Looking downward at the lalanā of insight, with the white [bindu] arising from the syllable, one joins the four wheels and holds the place at the tip of KṢAḤ as before. The method is to look upward from the earth and enter the avadhūtī as a single unity. There, by the nirmāṇacakra, the maṇḍala of the body is expanded. Again, at the place of the dharmacakra, the wisdom of bliss is grasped; this is the state of holding, stabilizing, enhancing, and the state of being beyond further extraction.
The external environment is also expanded,
And left in a state free of grasping and the grasped.
The entities of the three realms are just like that;
They are none other than great bliss.
For those with the continuity of training in the supreme mind,
All internal and external phenomena are clear like space.
Appearance and existence are liberated from themselves;
Without arising or entering, it is great primordial wisdom.
Through the appearances of the objects of the six senses,
There is nothing other than that: the awakened mind.
Without grasping at the extremes of conceptual thought,
It is the dharma of great bliss, luminous appearance.
The state of great equanimity, without a fixed location,
Is the effortless meaning of the awakened mind.
Uncontrived mindfulness abides in its own natural way,
Adorned with the ornament of the equality of the nature of phenomena.
Without blocking arising sensations or recollecting them,
It is the uncontrived, uninterrupted flow of bliss free from extremes.
Directly perceiving and experiencing this clarity,
Appearance and existence are the unmoving assembly of mudrās.
All phenomena being of such a nature,
They are the body of Vajrasattva of great bliss,
Adorned with speech, mind, qualities, and activities.
The form of great, effortless wildness—
At that time, experiencing the various signs,
Bodily thoughts, sounds, and so forth appear and are empty;
They do not change from the meaning of clarity.
Regarding phenomena, there is no attachment or aversion.
Like a great garuḍa dwelling in the sky,
Or a great fish leaping in the water,
The childish are attached to forms and the like;
Those of middling intelligence act with detachment.
By knowing the essential nature of forms and so forth,
Those of supreme intelligence are liberated.
Yoga will not arise from statues, cast images, and the like;
If one exerts oneself in the awakened mind,
From that, one becomes a deity through yoga.
The bodhicitta is the vajra, the very essence of all buddhas. Therefore, by uniting with all things, one will attain all the buddhas. Thus, by uniting oneself with the deity, one should thoroughly accomplish the self. Through this, all the buddhas, all the heroes, and all the Vajradharas will be accomplished in this very life.
Abiding well in the four applications, with a mind in which meditative absorption is never impaired, one overcomes all fears without dread, like a lion roaming the mountain crags. One should practice with the equality of all things, adorned with all the enjoyments of desire. One should enjoy all food and conduct, and make offerings to the maṇḍala of the family. By engaging in all yogas, the four glories will be accomplished. All yogas are the Blessed One, the Tathāgata Vajrasattva. The application of that is the entirety of the three realms without exception. By enjoying all yogas, one relies upon them as they are blissful; through the yoga of one’s own deity, one should thoroughly worship the self.
By worshipping through subsequent application, if one thoroughly experiences the bliss of all yogas, accomplishment will occur through supreme application. Through this bliss of the rasāyana of the essence of all buddhas, the glory of Vajrasattva, long life, youth, health, and bliss are accomplished. By uniting with all the buddhas, one becomes equal to all the buddhas.
Since it is equal to all buddhas,
All buddhas are perfectly accomplished.
Through this very power of the glorious union of Vajrasattva,
In every respect, in brief, all mudrās
Will be perfectly accomplished from their respective [sources].
The body, which one can never tire of beholding,
Reveals the nature of all things.
The accomplishment of the word "Excellent!"
Is also bestowed by the sublime ones.
Arising from the inseparability of the three bodies,
It manifests as emanations for the sake of all sentient beings;
Through various and vast activities,
It acts as an emanation in accordance with the truth.
This meaning, difficult to find even for the most learned
And diligent ones of supreme insight,
Is the union of all buddhas.
From the Ḍākinī-māyā-saṃvara,
Whatever supreme being has received its grace,
Like a jewel born from the ocean,
Has examined it for the sake of wandering beings.
May those who enter [this path] be joyful!
The root meaning of the king of tantras,
The forty-two secret realities,
The essential compendium of the tenth chapter,
And from the "Later of the Later,"
The secret meaning has been clearly set forth.
Free from the corruption of deluded thoughts and human words,
And having arranged it by merely citing the phrasing of other tantras,
It has been composed in accordance with the Victor’s speech.
Through whatever slight merit has arisen from this,
May it be like the stainless autumn moon,
Illuminating the wisdom of wandering beings,
And may the glorious three bodies be attained!
The Arrangement of the Secret Meaning of Glorious Vajrasattva, composed by the master Kukurāja, is complete.
The Indian abbot Vidyākarasiṃha and...
Translation status: Not among 84000's published translations, and not in progress there. Translations published elsewhere have not been searched for, so one may exist. (source: 84000 catalogue + registry; checked 2026-11-10).
Set in Newsreader and EB Garamond; Tibetan in Noto Serif Tibetan; Chinese in Noto Serif SC.