Emergence from Sampuṭa
Chapter 3

“Starting precisely from there, the follower of Mantra should enter this dwelling of the deity and visualize a moon disk transformed from the letter a. Above the disk, he should visualize a white, five-pointed vajra scepter, according to procedure. Having then made offerings to all the tathāgatas, and so forth, he should prostrate himself, and say the following: {3.4.8}

“ ‘May all buddhas and bodhisattvas please keep me in their heart! From now until I sit on the throne of liberation, I, named such and such,

Then the lord entered the meditative absorption called “that which arises from the pinnacle of all vajra holders” and gave this inspiring teaching: {3.4.18}

“Now, staying in a place suitable for meditation, he should observe the absence of intrinsic identity in all phenomena. Everything of an external and internal nature is imputed by mind. There is nothing else that exists beyond mind. Since all phenomena, being luminous, have never arisen in the first place, he should mentally declare them to be unproduced. Then he [F.97.a] should perceive his own mind, which is luminous by nature, in the form of a moon disk, while reciting the following mantra with enthusiasm:153

Vajragarbha then asked:

The Blessed One said:

“These qualities of the awakened ones enter into it in the form of the letter a, and the rest. Possessing the luster of a crystal or the moon, they come in atop the moon disk, causing the mind, which is luminous by nature, to expand.158 The follower of Mantra should then generate the altruistic aspiration for awakening with the following mantra:159

“Here, too, the qualities of the awakened ones enter like stars in the form of the syllables ka, and so forth, by means of the qualities being reflected in the syllables. These syllables are:

“This maṇḍala procedure has not been taught in its entirety in other tantras. Here, in addition, in order to stabilize the generation of the mind of Samantabhadra, [F.97.b] he should visualize himself in the image of a radiant, white vajra scepter there in the middle of the aforementioned moon disk, while reciting the following mantra:161

Oṁ, I am of the nature of vajra.164 {3.4.32}

Vajragarbha then asked, “How do I further meditate on this vajra, O Blessed One?” {3.4.35}

The Blessed One said, “May all the tathāgatas listen! One should again visualize Vajrasattva‍—the reflection of the buddhas endowed with the supreme of all characteristics‍—while reciting the following mantra:

Then the great bodhisattvas, led by Vajragarbha, addressed the Blessed One yet again:

The lord said:

“In this manner, one should generate oneself as Vairocana, visualizing, above and below, the syllables of the mantra. [F.98.a] Following the usual procedure, one should then emanate Mount Sumeru and a vast triangle, adorned with a maṇḍala of different colored lights. One should visualize, arising there, a beautiful palace, and in it, the syllable paṁ, which transforms into a multicolored lotus with a sun disk atop it. This is adorned with the syllables ya, ra, la, and va, in conjunction with the maṇḍalas of wind, fire, and so forth. Then, above that, with the appropriate mantra,167 one should visualize a temple palace surmounted with a vajra-jewel pinnacle, shining with various jewels and gems, and adorned with colorful streamers and banners with tiny bells attached to them, shaken by the wind. The palace is further adorned with garlands, chaplets, multi-string chains of pearls, and moon crescents. It is praised and glorified by all the tathāgatas inhabiting it. While visualizing this one should recite the mantra hūṁ. {3.4.40}

“Having placed this mantra, hūṁ, on a moon disk in one’s heart, one should visualize that it transforms into a five-pronged vajra scepter. One should repeatedly radiate from it five-pronged vajra scepters, and absorb them all back as buddhas. Next, one should visualize that the very same vajra scepter transforms into Vajrasattva, radiant like the color of the moon, and endowed with the supreme of all characteristics. {3.4.41}

“Vaṃśā and the other three have two arms and a single face. {3.4.51}

“On the outer rim there should be placed the yoginīs of the maṇḍala, each holding her respective emblem‍—the flower, and so forth. They likewise have two arms. {3.4.52}

“At the eastern gate one should draw the goddess Vajrāṃkuśī, the color of dark sky, with her right and left faces black and white respectively. In her first hand she holds a goad, in the second she brandishes a sword, and in the third she holds a discus. Her left hands hold a noose, display a threatening gesture, and hold a bell. These are the emblems in her six hands. {3.4.53}

“At the southern gate one should draw the white and yellow mother,170 Vajrapāśī, whose right and left faces are black and red respectively. In her right hands she brandishes a noose, a vajra scepter, and a sword. In her left hands she holds a discus and a bell, and holds a noose while forming a threatening gesture. These are the emblems in her six hands. {3.4.54}

“At the western gate one should draw Vajrasphoṭā,171 red in color and with great brilliance. Her right and left faces are black and white respectively. In her six hands she is holding, on the right, a fettering chain, a vajra scepter, and a sword, and on the left, a discus, a bell, and a goad. These are the emblems in her six hands. {3.4.55} [F.99.a]

“At the northern gate there is the terrifying Vajraghaṇṭā. She has three faces: the middle one is green, the right one black, and the left one white. In her six hands she holds a bell, a vajra scepter, a sword, a discus, a goad, and a noose. {3.4.56}

“All should be visualized standing on a sun disk upon a multicolored lotus, with their blazing hair flowing upward. {3.4.57}

“In the intermediate directions, starting from the southeast, there are yoginīs who hold their respective emblems‍—the flower, and so forth. They are typically known to possess two arms. {3.4.58}

“At the gates starting from the east, there are yoginīs holding a goad, a noose, a fettering chain, and a bell. Thus the maṇḍala is provided with gatekeepers. {3.4.59}

“The syllables jaḥ, hūṁ, vaṁ, and hoḥ are taught to be their respective heart mantras; there is no doubt about this. Through being arranged, fashioned, and so forth in this manner, this is the outer maṇḍala of glorious Vajrasattva, replete with the emblems and gestures. {3.4.60}

“Inside the outer maṇḍala, the same design as before, is another, half its size‍—the maṇḍala of the wind element, in the shape of a half-moon disk, adorned with eight pillars, and surrounded on the outside with a quadruple line. {3.4.61}

“In all the locations assigned to the respective deities, one should arrange Gaurī and the others, along with their thrones, as described. In the center one should visualize the syllable hrīḥ;172 in the quarter toward the east, the syllable hrīḥ;173 in the south, the syllable hiḥ;174 in the west, the syllable gīḥ;175 in the north, the syllable jiḥ;176 in the southeast, the syllable taṁ; in the southwest, the syllable jaṁ; in the northwest, the syllable maṁ; and in the northeast, one should place the syllable haṁ. {3.4.62}

“In the outer circle, in the southeast, one should place the syllable oṁ; in the southwest, the syllable aṁ;177 in the northwest, the syllable eṁ;178 and in the northeast, one should place the syllable aiṁ.179 {3.4.63}

“At the eastern gate one should place the syllable jaḥ; at the southern gate, the syllable hūṁ; at the western gate, the syllable vaṁ; and at the northern gate, the syllable hoḥ. {3.4.64}

“Further outside one should visualize, surrounding the maṇḍala, the eight charnel grounds. One should place there the eight great spirits, Indra, and the others, who are very frightened. {3.4.65} [F.99.b]