Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This fragment outlines a series of subsidiary samayas, or esoteric commitments, that a practitioner must avoid violating. Rather than presenting a philosophical argument, the text functions as a prescriptive list of prohibitions designed to maintain the integrity of the tantric community and the secrecy of the teachings. The text commits the reader to a strict code of conduct regarding social and pedagogical boundaries: specifically, it forbids relying on partners who have broken their vows, engaging in conflict during the gaṇacakra ritual assembly, and disclosing secret or sublime Dharma to those who are either unqualified or approached through improper methods. By defining these boundaries, the text seeks to protect the efficacy of the practice and the sanctity of the transmission process from corruption or misuse.
Provenance
About this text
A treatise detailing the subsidiary samayas, the yan lag gi dam tshig belongs to the classical Tibetan period and is situated within the General Unexcelled Yoga Tantra Works. This work is preserved in the Tengyur, specifically in volume ཟི, where it occupies a single page. Rather than developing a philosophical argument, the text enacts a prescriptive code of conduct through a list of prohibitions. It forbids practitioners from relying on consorts who lack samaya, engaging in disputes during the gaṇacakra, and disclosing secret or sublime Dharma to the unqualified or through improper methods. It further warns against remaining among those who pride themselves on being Śrāvakas. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to understand the specific social and pedagogical boundaries intended to protect the integrity of the tantric community and the sanctity of the transmission process from corruption or misuse.
The text is significant for illustrating the regulatory framework of Vajrayana practice, where behavioral purity and secrecy are linked to spiritual attainment. For the modern reader, it provides insight into the social hierarchies and ritual protocols governing the transmission of esoteric knowledge in the Indo-Tibetan tradition.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
The Subsidiary Samayas
A list of prohibited actions concerning consort relations, ritual conduct, and the dissemination of Dharma.
Themes
Samaya violations (1)
Pedagogical secrecy (1)
Ritual conduct (1)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
The Subsidiary Samayas
To take pleasure in relying on a consort who lacks the samaya; to engage in disputes during the gaṇacakra; to teach the secret Dharma; to teach the sublime Dharma to sentient beings who possess faith but in a manner other than the [proper] way; to remain for seven days among those who pride themselves on being Śrāvakas; to reveal secrets to the unqualified without having made a formal commitment; to display the physical mudrā to one who is unskilled in mudrā; to engage in the activities of the maṇḍala without having purified the approach and so forth; and to transgress the two sets of vows without necessity—these constitute faults. The samaya of such a mantra practitioner is exhausted. Because it is exhausted, accomplishment will not occur, and demons and suffering will greatly increase. One should recite [this] three times each day and night.
The Subsidiary Samayas 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.