Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Lamp of the Basis: Sameness is a concise instructional text focused on the realization of equality between internal and external phenomena. The author argues that a fundamental understanding of the Buddha's teachings depends upon recognizing the equal taste of the five elements as they manifest in both the outer environment and the inner body. The text bridges philosophical conceptualization with somatic practice, specifically referencing the placement of the letter A at the navel as a point of radiation. By committing the reader to the identification of a single underlying substance or essence, the work claims that the practitioner can achieve rapid spiritual results, including the accomplishment of the buddha-state and the attainment of power through a single mantra. The text is structured as a brief manual, moving from a formal invocation of Mañjuśrī to a set of ontological assertions and concluding with the efficacy of singular, concentrated practice.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise on the nature of equality, the Samatāvastupradīpa (Tibetan: mnyam nyid gzhi'i sgron ma) belongs to the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. This classical Tibetan work is preserved in volume ཞི of the Tengyur, where it extends over three pages. The text enacts a path toward enlightenment by distinguishing between general and specific grounds and emphasizing the equal taste of the five elements as they manifest in both outer and inner dimensions. It integrates philosophical inquiry with somatic visualization, detailing the placement of the letters A, RAṂ, and HRĪḤ within the body. By identifying a single substance and reciting a single mantra, the work asserts that a practitioner may achieve power and the accomplishment of Amoghasiddhi. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to examine the intersection of ontological claims regarding the ground of equality and the practical application of tantric seed syllables to achieve the buddha-state.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Lamp of the Basis: Sameness” (Toh 2319), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2319
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its emphasis on the non-duality of the internal and external, a central tenet in various Vajrayana traditions. It illustrates the intersection of elemental theory, seed-syllable visualization, and the pursuit of accelerated enlightenment.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Provides the Sanskrit and Tibetan titles and offers homages to Mañjuśrī and enlightened beings.
2
The Nature of the Ground
Discusses the equality of inner and outer elements and the necessity of understanding dependent origination, mentioning the letter A at the navel.
3
Conclusion
Asserts the power of single words, substances, and mantras to achieve buddhahood and spiritual power.
Themes
Equality of Inner and Outer (2)
Dependent Origination (2)
Somatic Visualization (2)
Accelerated Enlightenment (3)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Samatā-vastu-pradīpa-nāma. In the language of Tibet: mNyam nyid gzhii sgron ma zhes bya ba (The Lamp of the Ground of Equality). Homage to Mañjuśrī, the Lion of Speech.
I bow to the sublime, supreme beings who reveal the mirror of self-appearance. The ground is of two types: the general ground and the specific ground. The general is indeterminate in two ways; the ground itself is free from designations. For example, it is like camphor medicine: uncontrived and free from assertions. Because various potencies arise, the ground itself is the potency of knowing. From it, the bodies and wisdoms of the Buddhas emerge. Sentient beings who do not realize this appear as the duality of body and habitual tendencies.
The specific ground is also of two types: the ground of saṃsāra and the ground of nirvāṇa. The characteristic of saṃsāra is that which is conditioned; because it is produced by causes and conditions, the environment and its inhabitants are impermanent. Since the four seasons and so forth undergo change, through not knowing this, one wanders again and again.
The ground of nirvāṇa is also of two types: it is identified by the four recollections and sealed by the four mudrās. It is established through the two: method and insight. The āli is the nature of method, and the kāli is the nature of insight. Because it symbolizes the unborn, it is called A; because it symbolizes the unceasing, it is Ka. Ṛ, Ṝ, Ḷ, Ḹ are the union. The moon and the sun should be known as the right and the left. Then, the shifting of the times, the chu tshod, the dbyu gu, and the skad cig, as well as the navel, the heart, the throat, and the crown—these should be known as the four wheels.
One should understand the five elements and the two—outer and inner—as being of equal taste. If one does not understand the phenomena of dependent origination as they abide in the outer and inner, one will not understand the teachings of the Buddha. The letter A resides at the navel and radiates at the secret place; the letter RAṂ resides at the heart and blazes; the letter HRĪḤ is clear at the throat; and one should meditate on the letter RAṂ at the crown. Through the clarity of bliss and emptiness as two, it is the symbol of Mahāmudrā. It teaches the meaning of the three baskets: abandoning, application, transformation, and liberation; exhaustion, projection, words, and meaning. It is symbolized by the four elements and their times; one should understand them without error. The five classes of consonants subdue the inner [afflictions]: the vowels and consonants reside at the throat. The letter of space subdues pride. The class of the ca series arises from the palate; the letter of fire subdues hatred. The class of the ṭa series arises from the tongue; the letter of wind subdues jealousy. The class of the ta series arises from the teeth; the letter of earth subdues ignorance. The class of the pa series arises from the lips; the letter of water subdues attachment. With HŪṂ, the winds from below are gathered; with A, the bliss above is clarified; with HA, bliss is increased; with HIK, bliss is drawn from its place. The outer enemies and adversaries, and the inner equal taste of the elements: the outer time is grasped from the left, and the inner time is grasped from the right. The rat is the head of the year; since the tiger is the head of the month, one should understand the south, north, east, and west as the four elements. If one knows this, everything will certainly be accomplished.
By teaching a single word, one becomes a buddha; by finding a single substance, Amoghasiddhi is accomplished; by reciting a single mantra, power arises. This concludes the Lamp of the Ground of Equality.
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.