Derge Kangyur/Tengyur e-text, Esukhia/Barom edition — public domain (mechanical reproduction)
This text serves as a technical manual or index for the ritual implementation of the Guhyasamāja Tantra. Rather than presenting a philosophical treatise, the work outlines the precise procedural sequence required for the practitioner to achieve supreme and common attainments. It organizes the ritual process into distinct phases: the visualization of the sacred environment (the vajra stūpa and celestial mansion), the generation of the deity, and the specific modalities of practice, ranging from extensive daily activities to concise approaches. The text further details the external requirements for empowerment, including the use of ritual daggers, the preparation of offerings, and the administration of oaths and mantras. By prescribing these exact physical and mental configurations, the text commits the reader to a rigorous, lineage-based system of initiation and practice where the transmission of secret wisdom is contingent upon the correct execution of ritual form and the reception of empowerment.
Provenance
About this text
An index of the Guhyasamāja Tantra, the gsang ldan gyi tho yig is a treatise belonging to the Yoga Tantra Treatises. The work is attributed to the Indian author Smṛtijñānakīrti. It entered the Tibetan tradition through the translation efforts of Smṛtijñānakīrti and is preserved in the Tengyur, volume ཅུ, where it extends over six pages of classical Tibetan. The work enacts a precise sequence of rituals intended for those seeking supreme and common attainments. It details the procedural requirements for the seven maṇḍalas, including site preparation and the visualization of the vajra stūpa as the source of phenomena. The text further prescribes the generation of the principal deity—ranging from the ground buddha to the letter A—and distinguishes between extensive and concise approaches to daily activities and recitation. A scholar or serious reader consults this text today to understand the technical modalities of the lineage of Gurus, specifically regarding the physical and mental configurations required for the approach, the establishment of the celestial mansion, and the specificities of meditation and recitation within this ritual system.
Cite thisAnuvāda, “Notes on the “Endowed with Secrecy” Teachings” (Toh 2594), machine draft, 2026.https://naxiai.com/tibetan/works/toh2594
Summary & commentary
Significance
The work is significant as it provides a window into the highly formalized nature of Anuttarayoga Tantra practice, specifically the Guhyasamāja tradition. It illustrates the necessity of the guru-disciple relationship and the role of ritual technology in the transmission of esoteric knowledge. For the modern reader, it demonstrates how Tibetan Buddhist praxis integrates visualization, mantra, and physical gesture into a cohesive system of spiritual transformation.
Structure
Passages
Section
Description
1
Introduction and Homage
Opening invocations to Mañjuśrī and the Guru, establishing the purpose of the ritual sequence.
2-3
Visualization and Generation
Instructions on meditating on the source of phenomena and the different methods for generating the principal deity.
4-5
Preliminary Rituals
Details on the use of the ritual dagger, offerings, and the preparation of wisdom lines for empowerment.
6-7
Empowerment and Transmission
The process of administering oaths, the descent of wisdom, the granting of mantras, and the final conferral of ascetic conduct.
Themes
Ritual Procedure (2-6)
Empowerment and Initiation (5-7)
Deity Yoga and Visualization (2-3)
Summary, significance and provenance note generated by gemma4:31b from the translation and the catalogue record.
AnuvādaNotes on the “Endowed with Secrecy” Teachings·
The Index of the Guhyasamāja Tantra
Homage to Mañjuśrī-jñānasattva!
Homage to Mañjuśrī, the lord of all families,
And to the Guru.
For the benefit of those individuals
Who desire to achieve the supreme and common attainments,
I shall describe the sequence of rituals
Of the lineage of Gurus.
Regarding the rituals of the seven maṇḍalas,
There are the approach, the site preparation, the preliminary rites,
And the rituals for the days of the maṇḍala.
As for the activities of the approach:
First, there are the three: the activity, the application,
And the performance of offerings, praises, and approach.
Regarding the first activity:
Perform the ritual rinsing and sipping, meditate on emptiness,
Transform into the deity, and bless the tongue and hands.
Perform the protection, the accumulation of merit, and the five prostrations.
Take the vows, burn the body, and arise as the deity.
For protection, there is the protection of oneself and the site.
As for the protection of oneself:
Generation, blessing, empowerment, and donning the armor.
Regarding the sequence for protecting the site:
Perform the striking, the burning, and the binding.
Meditate on the wrathful vajra fence.
Regarding the sequence for accumulating merit:
Perform the fire offering and bless the offerings.
Emanate the support, offer praise, and meditate clearly.
With a joyful mind, perform the praise.
Perform prostrations, offerings, confession of misdeeds, and rejoicing.
Exhort the deities, make supplications, and dedicate the virtue.
Take refuge, show the path, and generate the bodhicitta.
Perform the praise, the granting of permission, and the final praise.
Regarding the three applications: the first,
The supreme victory, and the activity.
Regarding the first application:
Generate the four wisdoms and the principal deity.
The wisdoms are the mirror-like, the equality,
The individual discernment, and the all-accomplishing.
On the ground, one meditates on the vajra stūpa, the source of phenomena (dharmodaya), and the crossed vajra, together with the celestial mansion and the seats. Regarding the generation of the principal deity, there are three types of rituals: the generation of the ground buddha, the primordial buddha, the wheel, the wisdom being, the moon, and the letter A.
As for the meditation on the supreme king of the maṇḍala: first, the seed-syllable is generated; from that, the hand-symbol and the subtle body arise, which then become a drop (bindu) and generate the bodies. Regarding the supreme king of activities: opening the gates, gathering, expelling, offering the gift, and praising; then absorbing, expelling, and closing the gates; sealing, conferring empowerment, and engaging in the activity; and finally, making offerings and offering praise.
First, having generated the primordial buddha, one blesses the offerings, opens the gates, and issues the invitation. One invites the deities, expels obstructors, offers the gift, and praises. One performs the summoning and entering within, expels [obstructors], closes the gates, and dons the armor. One performs the sealing and becomes endowed with empowerment, and then performs the offerings and praises in detail.
Regarding the stages of the approach practice: having prostrated, the deity enters the heart and one recites the mantra. One arranges the mantra, stabilizes it, and performs the recitation. During the intervals between sessions, one should perform the offerings, praises, mudrās, and dedicate the virtue. One requests forbearance, dissolves the deities, and engages in daily activities. When it is time for a session, one enters within and expels [obstructors]. One closes the gates, arranges the deities, and blesses the offerings. One performs the offerings, praises, prostrations, and offers the water for the feet. Having entered the heart, one proceeds as before. This is done for three sessions. At the end of the fourth session, having performed as before, one makes the request for the purpose. One makes aspiration prayers, the wisdom beings depart, the maṇḍala is dissolved, and one protects oneself.
Recite the hundred [syllables] and engage in the daily activities. That is the extensive approach. As for the concise approach: having meditated up to the principal deity, the two applications are established; the latter is to be performed as described above. The approach by number and by signs is distinguished by the specificities of recitation and meditation. Following such practice, minor details may be applied as appropriate. These constitute the preliminary approach.
Then follows the ritual of the site: examining, requesting, purifying, seizing, and the vajra-accomplishment. Examining consists of the direction, the characteristics, the location, and the examination of the kūrma (the subterranean serpent). Requesting is twofold: from the visible and the invisible. Regarding the request from the invisible: having prepared a maṇḍala, arrange the scented powder. Generate yourself as the deity and emanate the assembly of deities. Offer worship, praise, and the torma. Generate the goddess, invite her, and perform the expulsion, absorption, sealing, and empowerment. Offer worship and the torma, and request the site. The wisdom beings depart and the samaya beings are absorbed.
Purification is performed through activities, actions, mantras, and mudrās. Examine the pra (divination), insert the vase, and compact the ground. As for the vajra-accomplishment: the master, adorned with ornaments, takes his place in the center of the platform. From the initial ritual of touching [the site] up to the recitation, perform the sequence. Offer worship, praise, and make the supplication. Lift the maṇḍala and descend yourself. Bless the three places and generate enthusiasm. Prostrate, hold incense, and invite the deities. Issue the command, circumambulate, and perform the protection. From Bhrūṃ, Māṃ, or Khaṃ, generate the maṇḍala. Absorb the secret wrathful deities.
One should perform the rite of striking with the ritual dagger (kīla). The sequence for the preliminary preparations is as follows: the deities, the vases, the fire offering (homa), the goddess, and the disciples. Regarding the preliminary preparation of the deities: one should arrange scents and flowers in the locations. From that, one generates the deities, dissolves them [into the site], and makes offerings. Having prepared the vases with the proper characteristics—namely, the markings, the neck-cloth, and the mouth-ornament—one should expel [obstacles], fumigate, purify, and pour in the essence. One generates the vase from the syllable BAṂ, generates the deities within it, and invites them. Having dissolved them, one should seal them, empower them, make offerings, praise them, and perform the recitation. For the fire offering, one prepares the hearth in the east, piles the wood, kindles the fire, and generates the fire god (Agni). One makes offerings to him, and at his heart, one generates the triple-stacked [deities], invites them, and dissolves them. One makes offerings, praises them, and presents the substances for burning. One should also present the fire offering in sequence to Locanā and the yakṣas. As for the preliminary preparation of the earth goddess, one should proceed as before, but she does not depart. Then, for the preliminary preparation of the disciples: having offered the outer torma, they should bathe, put on their robes, and hold flowers. They prostrate, make supplications, and are exhorted to focus their minds. They confess their misdeeds, rejoice, go for refuge, generate the awakening mind, abide in the path, and perform the vajra-like [meditation]. One generates them as deities, blesses them, and makes offerings to them. One provides the tooth-stick, the kuśa grass, and the protection cord. One encourages them, has them lie down, and generates enthusiasm. One makes offerings and praises the deities. They prostrate and make supplications three times. One dedicates the virtue and requests forbearance. One makes requests and offers prayers for auspiciousness. One first recites the names of the Buddhas and abides [in the practice]. Regarding the ritual of the maṇḍala for the day: the lines, the colors, the accomplishment, and...
One should enter and receive empowerment. Regarding the lines, there are the lines of activity and the lines of wisdom. For the wisdom lines, take new threads, bless and twist them, place them in a vessel, and offer them. Recite the mantra and strike the lines in sequence. The first strike is the celestial line, followed by the striking of the ground lines. Bless and recite over the pigments, then spread them. Draw the pañcarāga colors for the directions and the various symbolic marks. As for the sequence of the practice: adorn the maṇḍala and arrange the sūtras. Having bathed and adorned oneself, stand at the eastern gate. Perform the protection, the cleansing with sprinkled water, and the arousal of the maṇḍala. Open the gates, arrange the vases, and generate the deities. Descend the assembly of deities from space and merge them. Generate oneself as the primordial deity, recite the mantra, and perform the radiation and reabsorption. Meditate on the emptiness of the deities and generate them once more. Then, perform the opening of the gates and so forth, just as previously taught. Having gone outside, give the torma offering to the worldly deities. Re-entering within, satisfy them with the fire offering (homa). Then, for the entry of the disciples: pray to the deities and imagine they grant permission. The disciples bathe and hold flowers; they are drawn outside by the curtain. The disciples prostrate and make their request. With their faces veiled and wearing upper and lower garments, they are drawn inside, prostrate, and confess their misdeeds. They rejoice, exhort, and make the request for themselves, and pray again for the sake of the master. Then, the samaya is administered, and they are made to pledge to uphold the samaya. They generate the bodhicitta, are generated as deities, and blessed. The samaya is proclaimed and they are offered to it. Empowerment is also conferred with the activity vase. Having been led to the four gates, once again—
Place [the candidate] at the eastern gate and administer the oath. Make them drink the oath-water and cause the descent of wisdom. Offer worship, have them speak, and have them cast the rosary. Bind it upon their head and examine their vision. Open their eyes and show them the maṇḍala.
As for the sequence of the empowerment: if the practitioner is to be empowered as a practitioner, generate them as their own deity and offer worship. First, bestow the knowledge empowerments: recite auspicious verses and bestow the water empowerment. Bestow the crown and the vajra, the bell and the name, and also bestow the secret wisdom mantra. Consecrate the four mudrās and bestow the ascetic conduct.
If the empowerment is for the master: draw a variegated lotus at the eastern gate. Generate the disciple as the primordial Buddha. Bestow the five knowledge empowerments. Bestow the three samayas, the secret, the secret king, and the definitive empowerments in their proper order.
Regarding the three samayas: the vajra, the bell, and the mudrā. Regarding the secret empowerment: the maṇḍala, the deity, and the activities of the master. Regarding the empowerment of the secret kings: the secrets of the Tathāgata family, the Vajra, the Ratna, the Padma, and the Karma families. Regarding the definitive empowerment: bestow the definitive empowerment for the benefit of others and for one's own benefit.
Regarding the definitive empowerment for the benefit of others: there are the specific and the general. As for the specific, they are the definitives of the Tathāgata family, the Vajra, the Ratna family, the Padma, and the Karma family. Regarding the definitive empowerment for one's own benefit:
The secret wisdom is bestowed and the mantra is given; the four mudrās are blessed and the transmission is revealed. There is the encouragement and the granting of relief. At the conclusion of that, in order to demonstrate the empowerment, the empowerment of the ascetic conduct is conferred. When the empowerment has been thus completed, one makes offerings and praises to the deities of the maṇḍala. One dedicates the virtue, requests forbearance, makes aspiration prayers, and offers the request for the purpose. The wisdom beings depart and the maṇḍala is dissolved. One recites the "Hundred Verses" and washes the image. To compensate for any excess or omission, one performs a fire offering. The scripture of the "Chanting of the Names" is proclaimed. This index of the seven maṇḍalas of the Guhyasamāja, titled the Puṇḍarīka, was composed by me. By the merit of this composition, may everyone attain Mañjunātha. This index of the Guhyasamāja, the Puṇḍarīka, composed by Smṛtijñānakīrti, 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.