Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Song of Kambalapāda is a philosophical fragment that addresses the non-dual nature of reality. The text employs a dialectical approach to challenge the perception of duality, specifically the distinction between the conditioned state and the coemergent (sahaja). By asserting that there is no difference from the coemergent when the conceptual categories of arising and abiding are absent, the author questions the logical basis for claiming that reality is discordant. The fragment concludes by questioning the identity of the entity that perceives itself as bound, suggesting that such a perception is an illusion once the fundamental nature of reality is thoroughly understood. The text commits the reader to a realization of non-duality where the dichotomy between liberation and bondage is dissolved through the negation of conceptual proliferation.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise addressing the non-dual nature of reality, the lwa ba pa'i glu belongs to the classical Tibetan period. The record provides no attribution for the author. This work is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཟི, where it comprises one page and is situated within the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works collection. The text employs a dialectical approach to challenge the perception of duality, specifically the distinction between the conditioned state and the coemergent. By asserting that there is no difference from the coemergent when the conceptual categories of arising and abiding are absent, it questions the logical basis for claiming that reality is discordant. The fragment further questions the identity of the entity that perceives itself as bound, suggesting that such a perception is an illusion once the fundamental nature of reality is thoroughly understood. A scholar or serious reader consults this work to examine a realization of non-duality where the dichotomy between liberation and bondage is dissolved through the negation of conceptual proliferation.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Song of Kambalapāda” (Toh 2370), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2370
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant for its focus on the coemergent, a central concept in the Mahamudra and Dzogchen traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. It illustrates the use of paradoxical questioning to shift the practitioner's perspective from a dualistic to a non-dual understanding of existence.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Fragment
A brief philosophical inquiry into the nature of the coemergent and the illusion of bondage.
Themes
Non-duality and the Coemergent (1)
Negation of Arising and Abiding (1)
The Illusion of Bondage (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
Homage to the Buddha!
Look! When there is no arising or abiding,
At that time, there is no difference from the coemergent.
Explain how that very reality is discordant!
In this way, the five Sugatas of the three realms—
At that time, who is it that thinks they are bound?
Once that very nature is thoroughly understood,
Explain how that very reality is discordant!
All these are lost when the root nature is not found.
At that time, does the nature of space not perish?
Once that very nature is thoroughly understood,
Explain how that very reality is discordant!
Do not be deluded by the knot of non-duality;
Why bind yourself with the false fist of emptiness?
Once that very nature is thoroughly understood,
Explain how that very reality is discordant!
The song of Lavapa 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.