Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This extensive commentary, attributed to the paṇḍita Amitābha, provides a technical exegesis of Kṛṣṇavajrapāda’s Treasury of Dohās. The text functions as a manual for realizing the coemergent body (sahajakāya), arguing that the ultimate nature of reality is a non-conceptual, dustless state of innate wisdom. To guide the practitioner toward this realization, the author integrates a complex system of subtle body physiology, detailing the movement of winds, the function of the central channel, and the role of seed syllables such as Haṃ, E, and Vaṃ. The work commits the reader to a path of non-dual practice that transcends the binary of attachment and renunciation, moving beyond conventional mantra recitation and tantric study toward a direct experience of the union of bliss and emptiness. By mapping the physical body as a maṇḍala and the mental process as a flow of bodhicitta, the text seeks to collapse the distinction between the practitioner's somatic experience and the ultimate nature of phenomena.
Provenance
About this text
An extensive commentary on the Treasury of Dohās of the Glorious Vajrapāda, the Śrīkṛṣṇavajrapādadohakoṣaṭīkā belongs to the tradition of the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The work is attributed to the Indian author Paṇḍita Amitābha. It was translated into the Tibetan language by Vairocanavajra and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཞི, where it spans twenty-six pages. The commentary provides a technical exegesis focused on the realization of the coemergent body, or sahajakāya, which is described as a dustless state separated from afflictions such as attachment. It argues that conceptual elaborations—including the aggregates, elements, and sense bases—emerge from an innate wisdom that is itself free from elaboration. By refuting the pride of false knowledge, the author guides the practitioner toward a certainty in this non-conceptual state. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to understand the philosophical mechanisms by which the mind enters the dustless and to examine the relationship between innate wisdom and the production of conceptual elaboration.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “An Extensive Commentary on Kṛṣṇavajrapāda’s “Treasury of Dohās”” (Toh 2302), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2302
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its synthesis of Mahāmudrā philosophy with detailed yogic physiology, illustrating how the 'coemergent' state is practically accessed. For the modern reader, it provides a primary example of the Indo-Tibetan tradition's approach to the body as a site of spiritual transformation rather than an obstacle to be overcome.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-11
Ontology and Subtle Physiology
Definitions of the coemergent body, the nature of conceptual elaboration, and the role of seed syllables in the formation of the physical and subtle body.
12-23
Practices of Realization
Discussion on the middle way between attachment and renunciation, the movement of winds in the channels, and the nature of unchanging bliss.
24-37
Nature of Reality and Non-Duality
Analysis of the non-conceptual nature of Mahāmudrā, the abandonment of conventional ritual in favor of the coemergent state, and the final union of opposites.
Themes
The Coemergent (Sahaja) (2, 4, 23, 25, 33)
Subtle Body and Winds (6, 11, 18, 19, 21, 22, 28, 30)
Seed Syllables and Maṇḍalas (7, 8, 10, 14, 27)
Non-Conceptual Insight (3, 16, 24, 26, 32)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaAn Extensive Commentary on Kṛṣṇavajrapāda’s “Treasury of Dohās”·
In the language of India: Śrīkṛṣṇavajrapādadohakoṣaṭīkā. In the language of Tibet: Dpal nag po rdo rje zhabs kyi do ha mdzod kyi rgya cher 'grel pa (The Extensive Commentary on the Treasury of Dohās of the Glorious Vajrapāda). Homage to the glorious Vajrasattva!
May the lotus born from the ocean of the Mantra system, which is filled with stainless water, the practitioner Kṛṣṇācārya, who is the flower of fragrance—the honey for the benefit of beings—be ever victorious!
At the request of my own disciple, I, the scholar Amoghavajra, shall analyze the words and meaning of the Dohākoṣa of the Venerable Kṛṣṇācārya.
Here, observing those worldly people who, out of pride, imagine themselves to be masters of the supreme meaning through mere false knowledge, and who are renowned for the pride of thinking, "I am a knower of suchness," [the author]—with a mind moistened by the burden of compassion and desiring to destroy all their pride—taught the suchness of the Mantra system exactly as it is. For the common benefit of all living beings, he said, "I, the master Kṛṣṇācārya, am a master of the supreme meaning," and so forth, in order to show that worldly people are the ones who possess pride. If one asks, "Who are those worldly people who possess pride?" he replied, "I am a master of the supreme meaning." This is a general teaching and not a specific one. To demonstrate that, he said, "Among ten million, there might be but one," and so forth. This means that if such a person exists among ten million...
"Free from dust" means being separated from the afflictions such as attachment and so forth; thus, it is "dustless," which is the coemergent body (sahajakāya). To "enter into that" means the mind has entered into it with certainty; that is, to enter into the dustless. The Lord of Yogins intends to say, "I am also like that." Having refuted those who possess the pride of false knowledge, he addresses the scholars who, possessing the insight of worldly happiness, harbor the manifest pride of thinking, "I know the ultimate truth." In reference to them, he says: "Even by means of ancient scripture and reasoning," and so forth. The pride of scholars who know scripture and so on is the manifest pride of thinking they know the ultimate truth.
Thinking, "What is it like for one who has become such, and what do they do?" he says: "Like bees around a ripened fruit," and so forth. "They circle and move about" means that just as bees [seek] honey, others likewise circle and move about from the outside. Similarly, they are bound by external mantras, mudrās, and so forth, because of their attachment to those views. The meaning of the profound suchness is the meaning of "the nectar is not [for them]." Thus, it is said in the Caturdevīparipṛcchā, a Mahāyoga Tantra: "Of the eighty-four thousand heaps of Dharma of the Great Sage, if one does not know that suchness, all of them are fruitless."
If that is so, one might ask: how are the aspects of conceptual elaboration actually produced? The aspects of conceptual elaboration—the aggregates, elements, sense bases, and so forth—also arise from that very innate wisdom which is free from elaboration. It is from that very source that the aspects of elaboration emerge; to demonstrate this, it is said: "By means of elaboration, one should eliminate elaboration." Therefore, in order to show how the world arises from the syllables E-VAM and the innate body, it is said: "By means of bodhicitta and the [female] dust, the body of Akṣobhya is embraced." This refers to: emptiness, great emptiness, and extreme emptiness; appearance, increase of appearance, and attainment of appearance; mind, mental factors, and ignorance; female, male, and neuter; day, night, and twilight; the nirmāṇakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and dharmakāya; body, speech, and mind; steam, vapor, and dense clouds; inviting, requesting to depart, and entering; the syllables OṂ ĀḤ HŪṂ; the lower, upper, and middle gates; the reality of the self, the reality of the mantra, and the reality of the maṇḍala; the qualities of lucidity, passion, and darkness; the moon, sun, and Rāhu; and birth, abiding, and destruction. These and others are expressed by the terms "bodhicitta," "dust," and "Akṣobhya."
Regarding the question, "Where is this seen?", it is said: "The nature of the lotus seed is seen in the body as the pure, coemergent." Here, the body itself is the lotus, and its seed is the nature. It is "pure" because it is stainless and naturally luminous; that very thing is the coemergent body (sahajakāya). If one wonders where this is seen and realized, it is seen in one's own body. The meaning of this is that the Blessed One is born from body, speech, and mind. He has entered the element of universal emptiness and is the very essence of the syllables E and Vaṃ. Thus, the Ādibuddha Tantra states:
"The lunar drop of the body is the bodhicitta;
The visarga of speech is the dust and the sun.
The mind of Rāhu and the fire of time—
E and Vaṃ are the single seed of all beings."
For this very reason, it is said that the wheel of ḍākinīs arises, abides, dissolves, and is utterly pacified. Therefore, from the syllables E and Vaṃ, the diverse world of beings arises. Just as from a single lump of clay, a single result in the form of a pot is produced, one might ask: "How is it that from a single [source], various forms, shapes, and directions arise in an uninterrupted and infinite succession?" To this it is said:
"Just as knowledge comes from a teacher,
As a lamp comes from a lamp,
As a seal comes from a seal,
As a face comes from a mirror,
And as an echo arises from a sound."
Just as fire arises from a magnifying glass,
Fire occurs at midday from the form of the sun;
Without the tongue and the sour taste, there is no fire.
It is not from itself, nor from another,
Nor from both, nor without a cause.
From any entity whatsoever,
Arising never exists.
The semen and blood of the father and mother,
Likewise the life-force (prāṇa) and downward-clearing wind (apāna),
And the perfectly endowed vajra of the mind,
Are the causes that produce the body.
Amitābha and Ratnasambhava,
The life-force and downward-clearing wind in their proper order,
Body, speech, mind, and passion,
Are the faces of the Mind-Vajra.
From semen the moon arises;
From blood the sun exists;
From the life-force Rāhu is born.
From the downward-clearing wind and effort, Kālāgni arises.
From semen the channels are born;
From semen the bones arise.
From the dust (rajas) blood arises,
From the flesh the skin is born,
And from the bones the marrow arises.
From the moon water is born,
And from the blood fire arises.
From Rāhu the life-force is born,
And from Kālāgni the downward-clearing wind arises.
From effort the mind arises.
The uvula of all embodied beings,
And the tongue, are also from semen.
From the right and left [channels],
The two eyes are born from the dust.
Likewise, the two nostrils
Are certainly born from the blood.
Likewise, the two ear canals
Are born from emptiness itself.
Likewise, the three lower apertures
Are perfectly born from the downward-clearing wind itself.
Likewise, the two breast apertures
Are perfectly born from Rāhu.
Likewise, the two fruits arise from the downward-clearing wind. Thus, because the lotus of the body is produced here in a gradual sequence, in order to demonstrate the conventional and ultimate stages of that production, it is said: "The water of space," and so forth. "Space" is Akṣobhya, and that itself is symbolized as water, because it is utterly pure. As it is said: "The drop of nectar of space." "The mud of Amitābha" refers to Amitābha as bodhicitta, which should be understood as being adorned with rajas (dust/semen). From that same source: "The abandonment of the root of mud symbolizes the intermediate state." The meaning of this is also found elsewhere: just as sprouts, stalks, and so forth arise when the collection of seed, water, and mud is present, so too, from the seed of the dharmadhātu, the water of space, and the cause of bodhicitta, the indestructible form of the Blessed One—the very nature of the lotus flower—becomes complete through the sequence of stalk, branches, and leaves. Regarding the statement: "That very [form], free from sin, together with root and stalk," and so forth: "Free from sin" means the faults of sin have been destroyed, because of its luminosity. Because it has destroyed [sin], it is called "free from sin," which is the nature of the first vowel. Thus, from the Ādibuddha Tantra: "The first is the nature of the vowel; the Buddhas have designated it as 'intellect' (buddhi)."
It is that which abandons negativity and makes the primary root the stalk. If one asks, "What is it that abandons negativity and makes the primary root and stalk?" it is said to be the generation of the syllable Haṃ. In the teachings of others, it is called the "seed of faith." That very thing is the indestructible pāra (the beyond) and the manner of the kha (the mouth), which is called Haṃ. It is the limbless vajra syllable. It is short and long; it is the essence of the condensed extremely long, the essence of all bliss condensed into one, abiding upon the complete maṇḍala of the moon.
Thus, from the Śrī Saṃpuṭatilaka:
"From the vowels and consonant letters,
The bodhicitta is thirty-two.
The mantra that realizes the lotus maṇḍala
Is called the tantra and the maṇḍala.
That which is said to abide
In the center of the crown of beings,
In its center is the syllable Haṃ,
The nature of the drop, indestructible.
It is the cause that generates
All sentient beings, the stable and the moving.
By way of clear and unclear forms,
It abides as the essence of its seed.
The form of all embodied beings without exception
Arises from that for the first time.
By way of the trickling of nectar,
It abides throughout day and night.
By way of entering downward,
The fire abides as a blaze.
That will become the complete maṇḍala;
Of this there is no doubt.
Because it is the supreme essence of all things,
That very thing is called the maṇḍala.
By taking up and holding that very thing..."
The body is asserted to be the maṇḍala itself. Regarding the phrase "arising in form," here "form" is an ornament of ordinary language, and "arising" refers to that which emerges from the syllable haṃ as previously mentioned. If one asks: "If the primary sin is cast off and made into a stalk, what then are the forms of the root branches, the twigs, and the leaves?" It is said:
"The rasanā and lalanā two
Reside as the stalks on the right and left sides.
The four-petaled lotus with four roots
Resides within the Great Bliss."
In this context, the term lalanā is called the vowel, insight (prajñā), and the moon; it resides in the lalanā as the life-force wind flows through the nature of the left nostril. The term rasanā is called the consonant-form, method (upāya), and the sun; it is the nature of the right nostril, and the life-force wind flows through that nature as it resides in the rasanā.
From that, through the sequence of the assembly, the maṇḍalas of consciousness, formations, perception, feeling, and form arise in the sequence of the birth of existence as the lalanā. The natures of earth, water, fire, wind, and space reside as the rasanā in the sequence of the destruction of existence. Thus, through the sequence of the twelve shifts, the subject and object that flow unevenly and evenly are abandoned.
Regarding "four-petaled lotus," these are the four petals of the nature of the four emptinesses. Regarding "four roots," these are the four roots of the nature of the four elements situated upward. If one asks where they reside: "The Great Bliss resides within the enclosure," so it is said.
The abode of great bliss, which is the nature of the four joys and the essence of emptiness, is here the "abode of great bliss," namely the lotus of the crown. In that regard, the "network of ḍākas and ḍākinīs" refers to the fourfold emptiness, which is designated by the name "Jālandhara," meaning "on the peak of Mount Meru." Regarding the phrase "having taken the seed-syllable E-VAṂ," the syllable E-VAṂ possesses the characteristics explained above; having taken that seed-syllable, it becomes the essence. The "flower" is called the "unassailable, blossoming lotus." The meaning is this: just as the stalk and so forth produced from a seed-syllable cause the flower to be the very essence of that seed, here too, the lotus of the body produced from the syllable E-VAṂ is a flower whose essence is E-VAṂ. Regarding the phrase "in the form of a bee," the "bee" is the Vajra Mind. Its "form" is its nature. Regarding the "hero of great bliss," this refers to the union of the two—method and wisdom—of that and its counterpart. Because it is clearly manifest as abiding continuously in the nature of great passion, that very Blessed One, the unassailable, is called the "hero." "Honey" is the nectar of the flower; since it is the hero of great bliss, the meaning is that the bodhicitta experiences the great elements. In such a nature, the Blessed One is the essence of the syllable E-VAṂ.
Regarding the thought, "How do they become the nature of the five contaminated elements?" it is said: "Having taken the seeds of the five great elements, they arise from the assembly." Here, the "elements" are the five great ones, such as earth and so forth. The "seeds" are the syllables E and Vaṃ. "Having taken the assembly" refers to the elements born from the union of the vajra and the lotus. To clarify this, it is said: "That which becomes solid is earth." The earth element is solidity itself, and solidity is the earth element. Because it becomes fluid, it is water. Because it is hot, it is fire. Because it moves, it is wind. Because it is bliss, it is the space element. Regarding the phrase "by the completion of the five," it means that these five elements, having become thus, are complete; their synthesis is bodhicitta.
Accordingly, from the Śrī Hevajra Tantra, regarding why the aggregates of a person are composed of the elements, the Blessed One declared:
"From the union of the vajra and lotus,
From contact, solid earth is born;
From fluidity, water arises;
From friction, fire is produced;
From movement, it is known as wind;
Bliss is the space element—
Thus surrounded by the five aspects.
The vowels are the causes of generation."
"That" refers to that very reality. That reality is this; this is its meaning:
"The four realities of earth and so forth,
And the four emptinesses,
As the causes of arising and ceasing—
One should know these eight meanings.
From the clear light, the great emptiness..."
In that regard, method arises, and from that, consciousness arises. From that, wind also arises; from wind, fire arises; and from water, earth arises. Through that sequence, sentient beings are born. Earth dissolves into water, water dissolves into fire, fire dissolves into the subtle element, and wind dissolves into the mind. The mind then dissolves into mental factors, and those dissolve into ignorance. That, too, becomes the clear light, and the three realms of existence cease. To demonstrate that very point, it is said: "This delusion is emptiness."
The term "delusion" refers to those who are outside of such a vehicle; it means: "Alas, through the way of mantra, this very thing is known." "This" refers to the clear light of emptiness itself. The meaning is that apart from this, there is no other suchness of emptiness. This teaches the following: the Great Bliss of the single nature of existence and peace, the Vajra Blessed One himself, manifests here within the lotus of one's own body. He dwells there, eternally captivating the essence of the indestructible flower in the form of the bee of the mind. Thus, the glorious Hevajra states: "He himself acts and he himself captivates; he himself is the king, he himself is the lord."
Having thus ascertained the object to be accomplished, one should now examine the means of accomplishment.
In this regard, for the time being, the renunciation of the enjoyment of all objects without exception is not the means of accomplishment, nor is attachment to all objects without exception the means of accomplishment. This is because [those paths] are established as the systems of the Śrāvakas and the Pāramitāyāna, and so forth. It is precisely this truth of the object that is the means of accomplishment here, because it demonstrates the manifest awakening of great passion (mahārāga) through the very enjoyment of all objects that are purified of defects.
As Saraha said:
"Some abandon objects;
Some are bound by objects;
Some, having taken up these very objects,
Manifest the supreme liberation."
The Blessed One also declared:
"That by which the world is bound,
By that very thing the world is liberated.
The deluded world does not know this;
By abandoning that very thing, one will not attain accomplishment.
By passion the world is bound;
By passion itself it is liberated.
Through that very meditation of reversal,
The Buddhas are not known by the non-Buddhists."
If that is so, one might ask: "Does it not follow that all sentient beings who delight in and are attached to poverty would attain the manifest awakening of great passion?" It is not so. We do not say that the uninterrupted great bliss is [attained] through the mere enjoyment of objects; rather, we say it is [attained] through that very [enjoyment] when it is accompanied by the method. This is because the three appearances are not known in objects that are devoid of the method.
There is no actual manifestation of the bliss of great passion. Thus, from the Tantra of the Equal Engagement in Great Wisdom: "If the liṅga is attached to the bhaga and they remain merged as one, one will not attain the awakening of great passion. When one merely takes up bliss alone and abides on the stage of a beginner through mere intense devotion, at that time one is still in training. That which uses the bliss of the union of the vajra and padma to indicate the authentic qualities of the natural appearance is what has entered the bliss of great passion."
As it is said in the Glorious Hevajra:
"By whatever terrible actions
Ordinary beings are bound,
By those very same actions, when combined with skillful means,
One is liberated from the bonds of existence."
However, because it is not accompanied by attachment, great bliss is signless (animitta). If one asks, "How can it be so?" it shall be explained: the bliss that possesses signs becomes signless through the instructions of the sublime guru. Thus, from the presence of Saraha:
"Whatever bliss is accompanied by signs,
That very thing is signless for the great beings.
It is the essence of self-arisen wisdom,
The great bliss of conceptual thought itself."
Therefore, by enjoying the objects combined with skillful means, it is the means for realizing the awakening of great passion. Regarding the passage beginning, "That very [bliss] is the elements of earth, water, and fire," "earth" refers to the earth maṇḍala.
Water is the water maṇḍala. Fire is the fire maṇḍala. Wind is the wind maṇḍala. Space is the space maṇḍala. These five, through the sequence of arising and ceasing, are described as the sequence of the moon and the sun. Thus, it is said in the Glorious Primordial Buddha Tantra: "Space and the others always flow from the left; the destroyer and the others always flow from the right."
Also, from the Explanatory Tantra of the Glorious Guhyasamāja: "The breath, whose nature is the five wisdoms, is the very essence of the five elements. Having been emitted in the form of a sphere, it should be clearly visualized at the tip of the nose. It is the five-colored jewel, explained as 'vitality' and 'effort' (prāṇāyāma). Having visualized one's own mantra at the heart, the mind is to be placed in the drop (bindu)."
The specific explanation of this is found in the great tantra called the Vajramālā: "At the tip of the nose, that which is called 'white mustard' is visualized as vitality and effort. Within vitality and effort are the five light rays, which are the essence of the five Buddhas."
Accordingly, from the presence of Vajragarbha: "From the left and right nostrils, whether at the beginning or the end, whenever it flows from the center—that is, when the space wind flows, it flows from the center. When the wind maṇḍala flows, it flows by relying on the upper part of the nostril. When the fire maṇḍala flows, it flows by relying on the right nostril. When the earth maṇḍala flows, it flows by touching the lower part."
When the water maṇḍala flows, it flows from the left. Regarding the phrase "taking these maṇḍalas as the object of the intellect": the object is the union of the vajra and the lotus; the intellect is the wisdom mudrā that experiences the bliss arising from that. Having taken that, one realizes the maṇḍala wheel; the meaning is that one should experience it in such a way that one enters into the six wisdoms of all aspects and so forth. Why is that? It is said: "The waveless is to be fully enjoyed." "Waveless" means without the invitation and the request to depart. Because its essence is the syllables E-Vaṃ as they occur, it is "equal" because it utterly transcends the coemergent essence of the vase-like wind. "Faults are all stains abandoned" means that all sins without exception are the "faults without exception," which is the very nature of being free from attachment. "Abandoned" means liberated. Thus, the Ādibuddha Tantra states: "There is no sin like being free from attachment; there is no supreme virtue like bliss. Therefore, O King, always let your mind enter into unchanging bliss." Because one might develop pride regarding such bliss, it is said: "In that, there is neither virtue nor sin," and so forth. "Sin" refers to the suffering of being free from attachment. "Virtue" refers to the bliss of the bodhicitta that does not recede.
Regarding that, it is said, "Not even one exists." Thus, the Śrī Saṃpuṭatilaka Tantra states: "If both passion and the absence of passion are consumed, they become existence itself." It is said, "Clearly taught by Kṛṣṇa." This means it was clearly taught by Kṛṣṇācārya-Vajra, and not clearly taught by anyone else. To show that even those who have turned away from such yoga and have performed their own yoga do not realize it, it says: "Having practiced as if with external elements." This means that by practicing with a mind that is certain, emptiness is realized as the wheel of aspects. "Non-empty" refers to the yogi who conceptualizes their own deity and so forth, because they engage with it and take it as an object of focus. "Between emptiness and non-emptiness" means that in the middle of emptiness and non-emptiness, alas, that very reality is not seen at all; the meaning is that it is not realized. If that is so, one might wonder how that very reality could exist. To address this, it says: "It is exclusively that which is coemergent." This means that if only the coemergent exists, it is known from Kṛṣṇavajra alone. It says: "Even if one has read many treatises and scriptures." Here, "treatises" refers to the Pramāṇa and so forth. "Scriptures" refers to the Kriyā, Caryā, and so forth. Even if one reads, hears, contemplates, and familiarizes oneself with these in various ways, one does not know even a little.
This is because they lack an intrinsic nature. The instruction on the mantra method without waves means that one should understand it to be like me. In order to explain that very instruction extensively through various methods, it is said: "Not moving above or below," and so forth. Not going upward means, by this method, blocking the life-sustaining wind (prāṇa). Not going downward means blocking the downward-clearing wind (apāna). Through the distinctions of body, speech, and mind, one blocks the three paths of one's own family: the moon, the sun, and Rāhu; water, fire, and emptiness. Not moving downward means, by this method, the wind that moves downward; through the distinctions of the three—body, speech, and mind—one blocks the three families of the elements of earth, water, and fire-wisdom, as the feces, urine, and bodhicitta flow. Thus, by blocking the paths of the life-sustaining and downward-clearing winds above and below, one sees the reflection of wisdom previously described, and subsequently, through the ritual of vajra recitation, one causes the life-force and effort to arise constantly. Accordingly, the Śrī Kālacakra states:
"Having seen the reflection, the arising of life-force and effort is constant.
From above, below, and the three channels,
In order to block the three of body, speech, and mind,
The moon, sun, and Rāhu;
The flow of feces, urine, and semen;
The moon, sun, and darkness;
The channels of body, speech, and mind;
The flow of feces, urine, and time—
These are the stages of life-force and effort.
The moon is the method of the body..."
Insight itself is the sun. The great scent of insight is the channel; the principal ones flow to the north. Water, fire, emptiness, earth, and wind—the wisdom element is self-awareness. Through method, the mind is the goddess of darkness; insight is the flow of the bodhicitta. Above and below, the six families exist through the activities of body, speech, and mind. Through the distinction of the union of insight and method, they abide in all embodied beings.
If one asks how they abide by means of the vital breath and effort when it has become thus: it is said, "The non-flowing abides in the two." The "two" refers to the vital breath and effort of the upper and lower [channels]. "Non-flowing" means completely relinquished. Abiding in such an unmoving essential nature is called the "supreme intermediate exhalation." As the Vidyādhara says: "The coemergent Heruka is the supreme intermediate breath; it possesses the three channels of great scent, urine, and semen."
Furthermore, from the Reality of Clear Entities: "The coemergent abides in its own ground; it is utterly liberated from the web of conceptualization. It is the inexpressible that generates joy within oneself; it is the nature of emptiness."
Thus, in order to demonstrate the negation of the bodhicitta of great bliss, it is stated: "The mind does not move anywhere," as spoken by Kṛṣṇa. The master Kṛṣṇa says that the mind—the bodhicitta—is "unmoving" in the sense that it does not emerge anywhere, having relinquished emerging above or below, because it is established within the three channels and elements of time.
The intended meaning here is that it is not merely the non-falling of the lunar drop (śaśāṅka-bindu) that I must accomplish; rather, it is the essence that moves through both the upper and lower [channels]. If one asks where the essence of such non-arising abides, it is said: "The mistress of the house of the immovable wind dwells in the house." The immovable wind is the blazing wind. The mistress is the very nature of the wisdom mudrā (jñāna-mudrā). The house is the space element of its bliss, the nature of ahaṃ as explained above, which is the avadhūtī. To "dwell" in that is to reside in that house. The intended meaning of this is that the wind, which is the nature of movement, relies upon the space element; it is carried into the space element that is free from coming and going, and the mind’s vehicle, together with appearances, dissolves into the three wisdoms. Therefore, it is said that its very self has entered the Blessed One, Great Bliss (mahāsukha). As it is said in the Unsurpassed Intention (Abhisandhi-uttara):
"Appearance, the increase of appearance,
And the manifold gathering—these
Are described as the three aspects of mind.
The wind, by means of its subtle form,
Becomes mixed with wisdom.
Having emerged from the path of the senses,
It engages with the objects.
When it is devoid of appearance
And becomes the cause for the wind’s vehicle,
Then all these natures
Enter into darkness, stage by stage.
Wherever the wind abides,
There it likewise moves.
As long as the wind does not move..."
Appearances will not become stable. If one asks, "How does that very [reality] become common to all sentient beings?" it is said: "In the deep caverns of the supreme mountain." Here, "supreme" refers to the mountain of the most excellent nature, and "peak" refers to the nature of the spinal column. Thus, the Śrī Samputa-tilaka states:
"The wind resides at the soles of the feet; the wind is shaped like a bow.
That which resides at the junction of the three in the groin is likewise a red triangle.
The nature of the circular form resides in the abdomen as water.
At the heart, the earth itself resides as a perfect square.
The nature of the staff-like spinal column is likewise Mount Meru, the king of mountains.
Its cavern is the mountain cave.
Because it is not an object of body, speech, or mind, it is profound."
If one asks, "What happens because of that?" it is said: "All wandering beings without exception will be bound." "All wandering beings without exception will be bound" means they are impaired; this is because they lack the bodhicitta of the manifest pride of bliss from the union of the two organs, [extending] upward to the crown of the head.
If one asks, "How is it known that all wandering beings are bound by this?" it is said: "The stainless water has become dried up." "Stainless" refers to the nature of the ultimate truth. "Melted" refers to the conventional [bodhicitta] like a jasmine flower. The "stainless water" called the two truths—the bodhicitta that exists—becomes dried up, meaning it falls downward. For this reason, the bodhicitta becomes the very nature of wandering beings.
When it falls downward, at that time it becomes impaired. Thus, it is said in the Śrī Paramādibuddha:
"At the time of death for all embodied beings,
The moon, the nectar, drips downward.
The consciousness, with its natural characteristics,
And the sun, the blood, and Rāhu go upward."
If one asks, "What happens because of that?" it is said: "When the fire of time has completely melted..." The "fire of time" refers to the stage when the bodhicitta emerges; it is the characteristic of the dark side, and is called "the time of death."
Thus, the Śrī Paramādibuddha also states:
"If it falls, one becomes free from passion;
From freedom from passion, suffering is produced.
By suffering, the constituents are exhausted;
By the exhaustion of the constituents, death occurs.
From death, rebirth arises.
Thus, it arises from being free from passion.
Otherwise, sentient beings would be impossible.
Therefore, with every effort,
One should abandon the mental state of passion.
Through the bliss of the natural, non-emergent [state],
One will be liberated from the bonds of saṃsāra."
If one asks, "How does the bodhicitta emerge?" it is said: "This is difficult to grasp from the 'earth-holders'..." "Difficult to grasp" means that one must grasp the winds and grasp the bodhicitta through the six branches of yoga; in this context, it is difficult to grasp. The "earth-holders" are like Mount Meru, meaning they are immovable. For that very reason, it says "equal and unequal," which refers to the gathering and the emerging. In that regard, the movement through the sequence of the equal transference is the movement of the sun through the right nostril.
The unequal flow is not sequential, and because it moves, it is "unequal"; that is, when the lunar wind flows, it is through the left nostril. To observe the mental constituent with a mind possessing both the equal and the unequal is "complete liberation"; such is the meaning of that knowledge. If, with such a mind, one does not know, then the unequal and equal flow of the moon and sun means that the consciousness constituent of sentient beings cannot be liberated, which is to say it cannot proceed to the crown of the head. For that very reason, it is said, "It was spoken by the Black Ones." Because the Black Vajra has pointed it out with the eye of wisdom through the bliss of having abandoned the state of being free from passion, it is "difficult to point out," because it is the emptiness of all things and because it is the equality of all aspects. Because that bliss is closely realized and experienced, it is "difficult to realize." If one asks, "By what is such a state realized?" it is said: "By whom the jewel of the mind is realized." That which is the joy of the nature that arises exactly as it is, through the mental observation of the union of the vajra and the lotus, is the "jewel" because it increases unsurpassed bliss; it is the "jewel of the mind," the reflection of the Buddha. Thus, it is said in the Glorious Guhyasamāja: "Having inserted the linga into the bhaga, one should not emit the bodhicitta. One should meditate on the three realms without exception as the reflections of the Buddha, for emptiness is the cause of the reflection."
The result is unchanging bliss. For that very reason, it is said, "The coemergent is emanated." That which is born each day is the all-empty. Transference is the appearance of transferring into space. Thus, it is said in the Chanting of the Names: "Self-arisen, born from space, the great fire of insight-wisdom." Likewise, from the Glorious Guhyasamāja Explanatory Tantra: "During the stage of approach, one should diligently meditate on the image of the Great Uṣṇīṣa. During the stage of close approach, one should meditate on the image of Amṛtakuṇḍalī. During the stage of accomplishment, one should meditate on the form of the deity and make it non-referential. During the stage of great accomplishment, the image is the mind of the principal Buddha." To demonstrate that very point, the Kalkī also states: "This teaching of the intention is as follows: the image of the Uṣṇīṣa is the image of the Buddhas of the three realms without exception. The vajra of the mind is firmly placed within the source of phenomena of space. During the stage of approach, one should meditate on withdrawal and stabilize it through meditative concentration. Regarding that, the Blessed One’s pledge is: 'Having completely abandoned all thoughts, examine for a single day. If you do not gain conviction, then I have spoken a lie.'" This refers to the signs of conviction, such as smoke and so forth. Thus, the arising of the realization of the delightful jewel, the image of the Buddha, is what is meant by "the nature of phenomena is by that."
"By that, one knows the nature of reality; that alone is the clear realization of the nature of phenomena. Even if one recites it to others, what will they understand?" This means that "others" are those who are intensely attached to the pleasures of the senses. "What will they understand?" means that even if one speaks, they do not understand. To explain that same point in another way: because the winds serve as the vehicle, the nature of the three appearances—the essence of the one hundred and sixty [aspects]—emerges through the doors of the senses and becomes focused upon the objects.
Regarding the line, "That which binds the traveler on the path itself," this refers to the consciousness element traveling on the path of saṃsāra. The "mind" is the coemergent form. "To be bound" means that by which the life-force of the six branches is stabilized; that is "binding." The Lord of Yogis performs this, as it is said: "He emanates the three realms without exception and then reabsorbs them therein." The "three realms" are the wheels of Body, Speech, and Mind. "Without exception" means that during the waking state, the bodhicitta—distinguished by joy and so forth—is emanated even into the pores of the skin and then reabsorbed therein. Having gone upward, the fourth [state] is exhausted, and through the distinctions of the concordant cause and so forth, it is reabsorbed into the avadhūtī. Transcending parts and subtle drops, one enters the realm of universal emptiness; this is the meaning of "thereby manifesting the Great Vajradhara." For that very reason, it says: "The Sugatas, goddesses, and hosts of wrathful deities..."
It is asked, "Why is there craving?" This refers to the Tathāgatas, goddesses, and the assembly of wrathful deities. The intention is that one should abandon the maṇḍala wheels and abide in the state of the coemergent (sahaja). This is the intended meaning: when the aggregates, sense bases, and so forth, as well as body, speech, and mind, and the deities of the maṇḍala, become of one taste in great bliss through the oral instructions. That itself becomes the great maṇḍala; there is no maṇḍala other than that. Thus, it is said in the Secret Tantra:
"Transcending the meditation on all limbs,
Abandoning the conceptualizer and the conceptualized,
Perfectly transcending parts and drops—
This is the supreme maṇḍala."
That very same [reality] is shown as a maṇḍala by way of another method: "By whom the coemergent is stabilized." Here, "coemergent" refers to the coemergent insight (prajñā). "Stabilized" means it should not be allowed to emerge outwardly. "Equal and of one taste" means that through the unity of the four joys, the king of one's own mind is the limbless Vajra. It is said that at that very time, accomplishment is attained. "Accomplishment" refers to the attainment of Mahāmudrā, the state of the Great Vajradhara. At that very time, it is said that the non-timely is unified within the continuum. As it is said in the glorious Cakrasaṃvara:
"In a single instant, the realms of the heavens, the human world, and the subterranean become a single body. Through the conceptualization of self and other..."
"In an instant, no harm shall occur," so it is said. For that very reason, it is said: "There is no fear of aging and death." To demonstrate the essential nature of Mahāmudrā, it is said: "Immovable," and so forth. "Immovable" means that the bodhicitta does not emerge outwardly. "Non-conceptual" means that because the experience is of a single taste, it is free from the conceptualization of "this" and "that." "Unchanging" means: if one asks what is the use of passion and the absence of passion, it is because one is liberated from them. "Free from arising and ceasing" means that the moon and sun have been blocked. "Beautiful" means extremely beautiful, because it is great bliss. "Essence" means it is the very nature of clear light. Regarding the phrase "here and now" and so forth, it is for this very reason that it is called nirvāṇa. When the word "nirvāṇa" is spoken, it is the authentic nirvāṇa, because it is non-abiding nirvāṇa itself. If one asks what kind of special qualities it possesses, it is said: "In which there is no mind or mental factors." This means that in which, as long as there are the three types of mind and the one hundred and sixty mental factors, and even the bindu does nothing at all, not even the slightest conceptualization arises. To demonstrate that very point, it is said: "Whoever comes to know E-Vaṃ." The meaning of this is as follows: as it is said in the Devendraparipṛcchā: "E is the nature of emptiness."
Vaṃ is said to be great compassion; the bindu is the non-dual union. One should remember this as the state of union. E is said to be the mother; vaṃ should be known as the father. The bindu becomes the non-dual union. That union is wondrous. E is taught to be the lotus itself; vaṃ is the nature of the vajra. From that, the seed-syllable of the bindu arises; from that, the three realms truly emerge. E becomes insight itself; vaṃ is correctly described as method. The bindu is that very indestructible [essence]. From it, all letters without exception arise. Whoever knows the reality of these two letters, which are the dharmamudrā, will turn the wheel of Dharma for all sentient beings. Any being who constantly recites these two letters without knowing their reality turns away from the Buddha’s Dharma, like a wealthy man who has abandoned his enjoyments. Thus it is said.
Here, knowing such letters as E-vaṃ is realization; whoever knows them has realized the Buddha. "Without exception" means that there are no various letters of E-vaṃ left out, because that very reality is the essence of the manifold as one. If one asks what that is like, it is said: "That is the casket of the Dharma." The "Dharma" refers to the aggregates, elements, and sense bases, such as joy and so forth. Their "casket" is the container. That is the word of invocation. That is the attire of its own master. Thus it is said; the "master" is the Vajra Mind, and the "attire" is the ornament.
This is because it is born from being embraced by that very [wisdom]. Furthermore, the concise presentation of the means of accomplishment by that very [wisdom] is stated as: "The winds also in the gates of movement..." The gates of the movement of the winds are the upper and the lower. "Red" refers to being stable and indivisible therein. "Iron" refers to the joining of the winds of the six gates; by blocking the paths of the moon and the sun, this binds the body by bringing the fire of time to full completion.
"If, within the black darkness..." It is stated thus: if that is inexhaustible, it is "darkness"—the essence of the vase-like wind of immovable meditative concentration, the indestructible sound. At that very time, the "lamp" is the mind of the Lord of Dharma, the bodhicitta, because it clarifies great bliss. If it acts, it clarifies by means of the signs such as smoke and so forth. As it is said in the Glorious Guhyasamāja: "From the cessation of the vajra of the mind, the signs and so forth will be seen." By this, speech is bound.
"The Jewel of the Victors dwells in the sky above..." It is stated thus: the "Jewel of the Victors" is that very indestructible sound. "Dwelling in the sky above" means when it touches the drop of the sixth maṇḍala of wisdom, which has become the support; that is called "embracing." As it is also said: "The ḍākinī is the vajra-jewel; the Buddhas dwell upon the crown." By this, the mind is bound. Furthermore, from the Glorious Saṃpuṭatilaka:
"From the maṇḍalas of wind and fire, the seeds of the vajra and lotus are stirred. Pressed perfectly by the sound of the bindu, it is remembered as a falling stream of rain." Thus it is said. Furthermore: "When it is endowed with the sound of the bindu and undergoes transformation in every way, at that time it is called the 'fruit'; so the supreme yogi has explained." Thus it is said.
If one asks what the result of this is, Kṛṣṇa spoke of achieving liberation through enjoyment. Kṛṣṇa Vajra is one who dwells in existence; for insight experiences bliss and turns away from all attachment. Liberation is the attainment of the state of Mahāmudrā, which is to make it manifest. Thus, from the Śrī-Ādibuddha: "Having placed the life-force in the center, bind the movement of the moon and sun in the right and left. Through union with the consort of bodhicitta, one proceeds to supreme joy and should raise the vajra. By the play of the lotus-hand, the sound of the water-born vajra, one turns back bliss; that which abandons the destruction of the seed along with bliss is the face of the glorious guru." Thus it is said.
Thinking that everything is accomplished by the very binding of the mind, the stability of the mind is clearly shown: "By the application of a stable mind," it is said. This means performing the application of stabilizing the bodhicitta through the union of the vajra and lotus. If one asks where that is, it is said: "Within the syllable of dharma." The syllable of dharma is the indestructible, the seed of selflessness; "within that" means in that [syllable]. If one asks what the result of that is:
"At that very instant, the wind ceases," it is said. "Wind" refers to the life-sustaining wind (prāṇa-vāyu), which ceases at that moment. Furthermore, what else is said? "One proceeds without attachment even toward objects." "Objects" refers to objects such as forms and so forth. The meaning is that by enjoying them without clinging, one is liberated from the bonds of saṃsāra.
If one asks, "Where is the syllable of the Dharma (dharma-akṣara) to be known?" it is said: "When the supreme and the freedom from joy are attained." "The supreme" and "freedom from joy" are the moon and the sun. Seeing between those two is the syllable of the Dharma; it should be identified in the center, possessing the characteristics previously taught.
Regarding the statement, "When such an instruction is clearly established," this refers to the secret mantra being clearly established through the method of the instruction. When it is fully perfected, it is said, "the mistress of the house binds the wind without movement." This means the wind of the mistress of the house is unmoving, possessing the characteristics previously taught.
If one asks, "When the effort-wind is bound therein, where does the syllable of the Dharma abide, having become the essence of great bliss and the nature of the vajra?" it is said: "On the plateau at the peak of the supreme mountain." "The supreme mountain" is the mountain of jewels, which is the very mountain previously taught. Its peak is the abode of the great bliss of all that moves and does not move without exception.
The "flat expanse" (thang) is the flat expanse of the supreme limb, the crown of the head. Regarding the phrase, "Having established a residence in that place of Śavarī," this refers to the syllable of the dharma that establishes the nature of Śavarī. That which the Blessed One has made his residence is the "established residence." If one asks what its specific quality is, it is said: "Even a lion is unable to leap there." "Unable to leap" means unable to destroy. By what means? A lion is five-faced; the life-wind (prāṇa) of the nature of the five maṇḍalas is unable to suppress it, because it is the very essence of the sixth, the wisdom (jñāna) maṇḍala. "What need is there to mention an elephant?" it is said. An elephant is a beast; the sun and moon—how could they possibly traverse or illuminate it from afar? This is the meaning. Thus, it is said: "The moon, the sun, and the great beast." The purpose here is that the consciousness element, which rides upon the winds moving in the maṇḍalas of the moon and sun, abides in every way as the essence of all things, yet even the Blessed One, the Vajra of Great Bliss, does not perceive it. Furthermore, if one asks where it definitely resides within the body of one born in a body, the half-verse and a half beginning with, "The seed of this is shown in the supreme families of this," is easy to understand and thus not mentioned here. Because the wisdom mudrā (jñānamudrā), in which the action mudrā (karmamudrā) previously explained is seen, is perfected as unchanging great bliss, in order to demonstrate that:
It is said: "One should not perform even a single mantra or tantra." This means one should not perform even one. If one asks what is not to be performed: "mantra" refers to the recitation of secret mantras, and "tantra" refers to the reading of tantras. Why is this so? It is said, "the mistress of one's own house." The mistress of one's own house is the coemergent wisdom of self-appearance, which is the mudrā. "Holding" is by means of the instructions of the sublime guru. "Liberation" is brought about by the coemergent ones together with the mudrā that accords with the mind.
As it is said in the Śrī Kālacakra:
"The mere appearance of the mind, born from the intellect, is like a reflection in a mirror. The lords of yoga should rely upon it; the five Buddhas and their heirs rely upon it, generating the light rays of its wisdom. Together with one's own body, it burns away all māras and obscurations without exception. It burns away desire and the rest; through the practice for one year, it bestows the bliss of equal taste upon the body."
Thus, the yogi who is directly attached to that very Bhagavatī should not grasp or be attached to mantras and tantras. The meaning of this is as follows: that very reality is praised as the mind of bodhicitta. Because it is the cause for the gathering [of all things], it is a "tantra" (tantra) because it holds the king of the linguistic expanse (dhātu). By taking great delight in that, everything is accomplished.
As it is said in the Hevajra:
"There is no mantra recitation, no asceticism, no maṇḍala, and no fire offering."
"That itself is the mantra recitation, the austerity, and the fire offering. That itself is the maṇḍala and the maṇḍala practitioner." Thus it is said. To clarify the meaning of that, it says: "As long as the mistress of the house does not abide in her own home." One's own home is the emptiness of all things; the place where negativity is abandoned is one's own home. The Great Seal (mahāmudrā) is the mistress of the house; "as long as she does not abide" means as long as she has not dissolved [into it]. As long as that is so, the five sensory qualities—through the five aspects of manifest enlightenment—do not abide in the various ways they appear according to the diverse intentions of many sentient beings, such as faces, mudrās, colors, and shapes.
Furthermore, from the Śrī Paramādibuddha Tantra:
"By uniting with the action mudrā (karmamudrā),
And focusing on the wisdom mudrā (jñānamudrā) and so forth,
Through the union with the single Great Seal,
Ineffable bliss and increasing bliss arise.
With faces and hands everywhere,
With heads, eyes, and faces everywhere,
Possessing the hearing of the entire world,
It abides pervading everything."
Thus it is said. This teaches the instructions for accomplishing the Great Seal, the fruit of that very divine mudrā. Furthermore, to demonstrate that: "This is the mantra recitation, the fire offering, and the maṇḍala activity." Thus it is said; by means of these external activities of mantra recitation, maṇḍala, and fire offering, why should one abide [in them] day after day? It is because [the ultimate] is not found there.
Looking upward, the meaning is: "Why is the nature of jesting fruitless?" If one asks why these are purposeless, it is said: "If one does not constantly meet such a young maiden." Since that very [state] is by nature the passion for a young maiden, she is the divine substance mudrā. Through whatever sequence of "waveless" constant joy and so forth, passion arises, that is through "waveless affection." Regarding the line, "This body—how is awakening accomplished?": this refers to the Great Seal of awakening. If one asks how it is accomplished, the meaning is that it is not accomplished without the body of the syllables E-Vaṃ as previously taught. Regarding the line, "Whoever realizes innate bliss constantly": this is easy to understand. Regarding the line, "Whoever has made the precious mind firm": having been melted by the fire of the fierce Caṇḍālī, the precious mind that cannot be moved is the bodhicitta that has been made firm. Regarding the question "By doing what?", it is said: "Having taken one's own mistress." One's own mistress is that very divine substance mudrā. Having assumed the form of great bliss within those syllables E-Vaṃ, she is the protector Vajrasattva, the sovereign of body, speech, and mind; this is the word of invocation. Regarding the line, "When I express the supreme meaning": this means that I, Kṛṣṇavajra, express this uncontrived supreme meaning.
This means that there is nothing other than this point. To illustrate that very point through an analogy, it is said: "Just as salt dissolves into water." Just as salt dissolves into water, the mistress of the house takes on the nature of the wisdom mudrā. The mind is the bodhicitta, and it becomes of one taste. Thus, from the glorious Hevajra: "The Blessed One is the form of the fluid; she is said to be the desire for bliss." This means that the fluid and the bliss themselves are the support and the supported, and all of them are described as being of the nature of emptiness. In that moment, they become equal in bliss and of one taste. Furthermore, from the glorious Ādibuddha: "As long as there is the union of the support and the supported, so long is there no emergence. Once the mind has become cessation itself, the characteristics of support and supported no longer exist." Likewise, from the Samputa-tilaka: "The entry through the two nostrils is called the time of bliss. The emergence is the time of bliss; these two are renowned as one. Friendless and solitary, the inconceivable time itself proceeds. Abandoning the life-force, downward-clearing, and equal-abiding winds, as well as emergence and entry; liberated from going and coming, that is described as the single time. It is neither passion nor the absence of passion; it is not perceived as a middle. Neither passion nor the path of the absence of passion, the two are merged and indestructible. Just as butter melts into butter, they become merged and stainless."
"Likewise, just as one is free from passion, in an instant they become of one taste." Thus it is said. "If one always abides in that," it is said; if those two are mutually [present], "always abiding" means that at that time, without interruption, it becomes like this. The meaning of this is that the fluid of the element and the essence, as thus taught, should be made to flow uninterruptedly into one another. If it were otherwise, the nature of the fluid is the essence of the moon, the saṃbhogakāya. The nature of the blood appears as the sun, abiding as the power of the nirmāṇakāya. When these two bodhicittas—abiding as the essence of bliss—unite with the mistress of the house and become a single mass, having transcended the path of cyclic existence characterized by birth and destruction, one becomes the glorious Heruka, the continuous flow of one taste.
Accordingly, the Śrī Saṃpuṭatilaka states:
"When the guest abides in great passion,
By abiding in the form of the moon,
It is the supreme body of the Buddhas.
When it abides at the tip of the vajra,
At that time, the saṃbhogakāya
Also becomes capable of power.
Abiding within the lotus, it is desired;
It is renowned as a mustard seed,
And is perfectly renowned as the form of the sun;
It is to be called the nirmāṇakāya.
The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas
Emerge and are born from that.
The King, Padmanarteśvara,
Becomes the Lord of the Lotus."
Thus it is said.
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.