Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
The Cycle of Empowerments for the Precious Great Seal is a ritual and instructional text focused on the transmission of Mahāmudrā empowerment. The provided fragments suggest a work that blends technical instructions on empowerment with metaphorical and paradoxical language to describe the nature of consciousness and reality. The text employs a variety of analogies—ranging from the refining of gold in a crucible to the illusory nature of the moon reflected in water—to illustrate the transition from conceptual to non-conceptual awareness. By integrating references to medical healing, the elements, and the union of wind, syllable, and consciousness, the text commits the reader to a practice that aligns bodily elements with spiritual vision. The ultimate goal is the realization of a non-inherent nature, allowing the practitioner to access the treasury of space and transcend the suffering associated with the six realms of existence.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise titled the Mahāmudrāratnagītacakra, known in Tibetan as the phyag rgya chen po rin po che dbang gi 'khor lo, belongs to the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. The record provides no attribution regarding the author. This classical Tibetan work is preserved in volume ཟི of the Tengyur, where it extends over five pages. The text enacts a spiritual process through a blend of technical instruction and metaphorical language, employing analogies such as the refining of gold in a crucible and the reflection of the moon in water to illustrate the nature of consciousness. It integrates references to medical healing and the ripening of bodily elements to align the practitioner with a non-inherent nature. A scholar or serious reader consults this work today to examine how it utilizes paradoxical imagery and the imagery of the King of Physicians to describe the transition from conceptual awareness to the realization of the supreme essence.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “The Cycle of Empowerments for the Precious Great Seal” (Toh 2452), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2452
Summary & commentary
Significance
This work is significant as it represents the intersection of ritual empowerment and the philosophical realization of Mahāmudrā. It demonstrates how the tradition uses somatic and elemental metaphors to guide the practitioner toward non-conceptual awareness. For the modern reader, it provides insight into the specific pedagogical methods used in Indo-Tibetan tantric transmissions.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1-7
Introduction and Ritual Framework
The text opens with titles and homages, followed by a series of metaphorical instructions and philosophical assertions regarding the nature of reality and the process of empowerment.
Themes
Non-conceptual awareness and emptiness (3, 6)
Somatic and elemental alignment (2, 4)
Metaphors of purity and value (1, 4, 5, 6)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaThe Cycle of Empowerments for the Precious Great Seal·
In the language of India: Mahāmudrāratnavaśīcakranāma. In the language of Tibet: Phyag rgya chen po rin po che dbang gi 'khor lo (The Precious Wheel of Power of Mahāmudrā). Homage to the Blessed One Nairātmyā.
Gold without dross is realized in the crucible; the counterfeiters will flee to the marketplace. The imitation gold, having circulated and turned, falls into the hands of the owner. If one does not rely on the sorceress, who has arranged all the dependent originations? The wise caravan leader, abandoning the towns and islands, takes the jewels from the Isle of Gems. When polished, it is honored atop the victory banner, and all needs and desires arise. Caravan leaders who recognize the three jewels are rare in Jambudvīpa. When the scales are entrusted to a judge, they decide without partiality, and disputes are resolved. Travelers on the road, traversing intermediate villages, cities, and mountain valleys, achieve their purpose. Though the Gilong horse is swift, if spurred with a whip, it becomes even swifter. What lineage is that of the man who performs such great ill omens? One who accumulates merit without a focal point is skilled in the great ocean. Shooting an arrow at a flock of birds, whichever it hits, those are slain. Do you know how the mountain, the lake, and the sandalwood—these three—bring the bird, the elephant, and the snake under their protection? By taking a roll of white cloth from here and placing it in the hands of a dyer, whatever is desired arises. Raising the index finger, tucking the middle finger inside the ring and thumb, and pointing it toward the sky—know the meaning of this gesture and there will be no obstacles. The bee, the crane, and the marmot—these three are the wondrous application of the three insights.
By pleasing the King of Physicians, who heals the gathering [of the elements], and by applying the Seven Precious Compounds as a head-wash, the flesh, bones, blood, and so forth are ripened, and the bodily elements are nourished. Listen to the melodic speech of Great Brahmā! This is the wondrous, supreme essence milked by the Queen from the lion’s milk; whoever drinks it or merely touches it with the tongue, the power of the channels being released, the winds being captured, and the bindu being warmed will arise. Listen to the song of Umadevi’s taking [the consort], for it is supremely melodious! Having attained the vision, seek your own abode in that secluded place; bow at the feet of the Mother, the Selfless One, who is adorned with ornaments and beautiful. Having taken the eternal bliss, enter the city of the Space-Vajra. It is right to fix your mind on the song of the Queen of Existence’s taking [the consort]. Upon the self-arisen crystal stupa, which is faultless and primordially pure, wipe and look into the magical mirror that clarifies all appearance and existence. Tell me, what is the meaning of a barren woman’s son seeing the truth? Trust in the song taken by the Great Viṣṇu himself! In the bathhouse, it cleanses all stains without exception. Which of the two Form Bodies is it, appearing though non-existent, like a rainbow drawn in the sky? It causes the blessings to flourish in the channels of one who has eaten wild honey. Is there any attachment or clinging in one with vomiting sickness and one wrapped in bandages? Do you realize that such appearances are like reflections, where scent, garlic, and Sichuan pepper are indistinguishable?
Like the moon in water, appearing yet lacking inherent nature, it is seen through the experience of the eye-consciousness. When the elements are disturbed by disease, physicians take the measure of the fever; is it not true that they do not guard against the aftermath of purging, but guard constantly? When meteoric iron falls to earth, it destroys whatever land it falls upon. When the dragon’s roar resounds in the sky, it distinguishes summer from winter. Though a learned emanated monk displays walking, moving, and lying down, he never experiences weariness. Even the birds that rely on the Golden Mountain take on its color. Always associate with the illusionist who acts in such a way while appearing as such. When the interdependent conditions for a farmer’s crops are perfectly assembled, the harvesters gather the fruit. The sacrificial pillar, the sun, the moon, and the jewel strive for the benefit of beings without conceptual thought. Water poured into a vessel with a lid does not leak, performing the function of a container. Like the song of the kalaviṅka bird, the Brahma-voice purifies the obscurations of habitual tendencies. Tether the horse of the winds to the sky with the bridle of mindfulness and lead it into the house of the Middle Way. Like a mother and child meeting after years and months have passed, certain knowledge arises. Since fish and water are inseparable, and one wears them as clothing, is there any attachment at all? Like a mirror or crystal, the inner clarity and emptiness are without artifice; this is the supreme view. In clear water, the mandala of the face appears vividly and distinctly. Like a traveler on the road, having gone without regard for distance, one meets the person one desires. It is good for subjects to cherish and guard the king’s laws as a sacred commitment. It is a great wonder that the peacock’s food, having consumed potent poison, turns into strength.
Though precious gold remains in the earth, its radiance shines in the sky. The bride, the bee, the lion, and the madman—these four have errant conduct. When wind, syllable, and consciousness—these three—unite, they reach the path of vision of Brahmā. In the place where the earth is pressed and the sacrificial pillar is erected, the fear of nāgas does not exist. Though the precious jewel is without conceptual thought, if one makes a supplication, all needs and desires arise. When clouds gather in the sky, they perform the benefit of beings through rain. Once a prince is established on the royal throne, all the subjects carry out his burden. When the sun rises in the sky, the masses of darkness have no power to remain; yet, to identify the sun and moon and to reverse the flow of a river upward, such that the white snow peaks melt from their summits, is a great wonder. Who is that emanation body (nirmāṇakāya) Victor who dwells at the Vajra Seat in Magadha? The sages do not rely on solid food, but are sustained by sessions of meditative concentration. By pointing out the senses at the Vajra Seat, one realizes that there is no object to be accomplished in space. To whom can one beg for the bliss of the sixteen-year-old, which is experienced but cannot be described? The constellations that rise in the sky hold the measure of warmth for the four seasons. This mirror that clears the stains of the face is cherished by the graceful. Though the queens in the king’s palaces constantly enjoy the objects of desire, they have no attachment to them. That which cannot be destroyed is the diamond (vajra) substance of the diamond-hard stone. From the power of what did the sages achieve the vidyādhara of longevity? Discarding the essence of the filthy copper cauldron and seeking a beautiful precious vessel is skill in means.
A stone statue has no fear of the island of rākṣasīs; who would consider it so? If one is able to enjoy the treasury of space, one is free from the suffering of poverty. The relics of the Sugatas are scattered throughout the six realms, including the hells. Just as poison neutralized by mantra overcomes all diseases of the humors, so too is the sun rising in the sky seen to outshine all other lights, such as the stars, and is perceived as the very center of space. When the kāraṇa is bound, the coming and going of water is severed; the youth gazes into a mirror and remains in the center of space. At that time, the delusions of cataracts, jaundice, and seeing a conch as yellow are destroyed. Once a man led by an executioner is liberated, could he ever return to the hands of that brave and wise man? In the pure sky, there is nowhere for the forms of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa to be drawn. Even if one eats the flesh of one's own son during a time of famine, could any attachment arise? By relying on the timing and methods of the guru, one realizes all dependent originations, whether they are "is" or "is not." Even if a stone man is given the vows and samaya, he has no awareness of keeping or violating them. Who could grant the power and might to that corpse-like state free from conceptual thought? The wise sage is one who knows the appearance of planets and constellations in the clear sky. Like a deer or a sage, the person who dwells in solitude will swiftly attain the truth. When the elements separate, from where does the mercury fly into the sky? By the power of placing a jewel into turbid, impure water, it becomes clear. Offer worship to the Sugatas who appear like inanimate objects, to the medicine, the medicinal water, the pedestals, and the bridges.
It is wondrous that the non-conceptual arises, satisfying the desires of the six classes of beings in their time. Having reached an island of jewels, one does not seek out stones and rocks; whatever is found there is all precious gems. When the sky is shrouded by clouds, the rays of the sun do not appear. If the path of obstruction is cleared, the water will flow to the place where it is desired. A person stuck in a narrow defile has no control over where they go, even with the help of a companion. Wait for the merchant who takes the precious jewel and join with him. No matter what dream one asks a stone man about, he will certainly not give an answer. When illness and suffering are great, the root is that very thing; there is no other method. Even if the forms of appearances arise as threats, they themselves are the object of compassion; they do not exist elsewhere. With the skill of fully developed wings, wherever one soars in the sky, the two conditions are brought under control. On the peak of the white snow mountain, the lion is fearless and the three skills are perfected. Having abandoned the two doors of the household, one relies on the food of meditative concentration and makes the sky a treasury. The tongue and the thumb both strike the rock; join with the lion cub. One day, riding upon the dragon, one will illuminate the world. In the salt ocean, the waters are of one taste, without distinction. Who placed the reflections of the planets and stars within the clear ocean? Because a cave faces north, the sun is not seen; who can take it? From whom was the power of the wish-fulfilling jewel, which grants all needs and desires, obtained? Thus he spoke. This is the profound meaning arising from the supreme lineage. The Clarifying the Precious Symbolic Wheel of Empowerment of the Bhagavatī Nairātmyā, spoken at the glorious play of the charnel ground Jyotiṣa, is hereby 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.