Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The View of Mind-Only is a short instructional text attributed to the master Maitrīpa and transmitted from Saraha. The work aims to orient the practitioner toward a non-dual understanding of reality, specifically the perspective that all phenomena are manifestations of mind. The provided fragments indicate a structure that begins with a traditional invocation to the deity Hevajra and employs metaphorical language—comparing the process of spiritual realization to a boat navigating space—to describe the activation of body, speech, and mind. By positioning the guru's pith instructions as the central guiding mechanism (the main mast), the text commits the reader to a lineage-based transmission of insight. The work functions as a concise manual for shifting one's ontological perspective from external duality to the internal nature of consciousness, framing this transition as a dynamic movement facilitated by a teacher.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise on the nature of consciousness, the Cittamātradṛṣṭi (Tibetan: sems tsam gyi lta ba) belongs to the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The work is attributed to the Indian master Maitrīpa and is noted as having been transmitted from the master Saraha. Preserved within the Tengyur (vol. ཟི), this classical Tibetan translation spans two pages. The text opens with an invocation to the deity Hevajra and employs the metaphor of a boat navigating space to describe the activation of body, speech, and mind. It posits that the stability of the mind is secured through the main mast of the guru's pith instructions, which serves to ferry the practitioner toward realization. By framing the transition from external duality to the internal nature of consciousness as a dynamic movement, the work functions as a concise manual for shifting one's ontological perspective. Scholars and serious readers consult this short instructional text to examine the lineage-based transmission of the 'View of Mind-Only' and its specific methodology for orienting the practitioner toward a non-dual understanding of reality.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The View of Mind-Only” (Toh 2435), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2435
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant as it represents the transmission of the Mahamudra or similar non-dual traditions from the Indian masters Saraha and Maitrīpa into the Tibetan context. It illustrates the synthesis of Yogacara-style mind-only philosophy with the practical, pith-instruction methodology of the tantric tradition.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction
Contains the title in Sanskrit and Tibetan, an invocation to Hevajra, and a metaphor regarding the role of the guru's instructions in activating the practitioner's faculties.
2
Colophon
Identifies the authorship of Maitrīpa and the source of the transmission from Saraha.
Themes
Mind-Only (Cittamātra) (1-2)
Guru-Disciple Transmission (1-2)
Non-dual integration of body, speech, and mind (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
In the language of India: Cittamātradṛṣṭi-nāma. In the language of Tibet: Sems tsam gyi lta ba zhes bya ba (The View of Mind-Only). Homage to the glorious Hevajra!
Upon the boat called "space," the three—body, speech, and mind—are stirred and set in motion. The main mast of the guru’s pith instructions is planted, and the stability of the mind is secured. By means of this, one is ferried to the far shore; for yogis, there is no other method than this.
In this, there are no conceptual thoughts, nor is there any stirring. Driven by the two winds, one proceeds; through skillful means, one pierces through and abides there. If this boat is not moved swiftly, there is the great danger of robbers in between. By the surging waves of the ocean, the yogi may fall into the abyss of the three realms of existence. Firmly grasping this boat of the mind, one shall be ferried to the far shore. For yogis, there is no other method than this.
All those who have not realized [the truth] speak of distinctions. Yet all the six systems of tenets, when examined, are gathered into this single boat. Firmly grasping this boat of the mind, one shall be ferried to the far shore. For yogis, there is no other method than this.
Having pulled it from one side, this boat shall be made to travel upward. Saraha says: the mind dissolves into the state of emptiness. Firmly grasping this boat of the mind, one shall travel to the far shore. For yogis, there is no other method than this.
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.