Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Song of Mātṛceṭa is a poetic meditation on the nature of reality, employing a central metaphor of a flower blooming upon a tree of emptiness. The text presents a paradox where a manifold, brilliantly colored flower flourishes on a tree that lacks the physical attributes of roots, branches, or leaves. By addressing the Buddha as the Mighty One and inviting him to smell this priceless flower, the author positions the realization of emptiness not as a void, but as a luminous and valuable state of being. The fragment commits the reader to a non-dual understanding of existence, where the appearance of diversity (the manifold colors) is inextricably linked to the absence of inherent existence (the tree of emptiness). The text functions as a devotional offering that simultaneously serves as a philosophical pointer toward the emptiness of all phenomena.
Provenance
About this text
A poetic treatise addressing the Buddha as the Mighty One, the ma ti tsi tri'i glu belongs to the classical Tibetan period. It is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཟི, where it comprises two pages and is situated within the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works collection. The work enacts a meditation on the nature of reality through the central metaphor of a manifold, brilliantly colored flower flourishing upon a tree of emptiness—a tree characterized by the absence of roots, branches, or leaves. By inviting the Buddha to smell this priceless flower, the text positions the realization of emptiness as a luminous and valuable state of being. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine a non-dual understanding of existence, wherein the appearance of diversity is inextricably linked to the absence of inherent existence, functioning as both a devotional offering and a philosophical pointer toward the emptiness of all phenomena.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Song of Mātṛceṭa” (Toh 2362), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2362
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant for its use of evocative imagery to communicate the complex Madhyamaka concept of emptiness. It demonstrates how Tibetan Buddhist literature blends philosophical rigor with poetic form to facilitate meditative insight.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
The Flower of Emptiness
An address to the Buddha using the metaphor of a rootless tree and a multicolored flower to describe the nature of emptiness.
Themes
Emptiness (Śūnyatā) (1)
Non-duality of appearance and emptiness (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
Homage to the Buddha!
A single flower in full bloom, of manifold colors,
Flourishes most brilliantly upon the tree of emptiness.
O Mighty One, this peerless flower in full bloom—
Smell this flower of priceless value!
That tree has no roots, branches, or leaves.
Look! The time for the moon to sleep and the journey is auspicious.
O Mighty One, this peerless flower in full bloom—
Smell this flower of priceless value!
The master of illusion is skilled in cutting the filaments.
I present this offering to the Vajra Sovereign of the Dharmadhātu.
O Mighty One, this peerless flower in full bloom—
Smell this flower of priceless value!
Having dissolved the supreme joy and the joy of separation, arise!
With earnest devotion, bow at the feet of the authentic Guru.
O Mighty One, this peerless flower in full bloom—
Smell this flower of priceless value!
The song of Matricitra is complete.
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.