co.

Table of Contents

s.

Summary

s.­1

The tantra Emergence from Sampuṭa is an all-inclusive compendium of Buddhist theory and practice as taught in the two higher divisions of the Yoga class of tantras, the “higher” (uttara) and the “highest” (niruttara), or, following the popular Tibetan classification, the Father and the Mother tantras. Dating probably to the end of the tenth century, the bulk of the tantra consists of a variety of earlier material, stretching back in time and in the doxographical hierarchy to the Guhyasamāja, a text traditionally regarded as the first tantra in the Father group. Drawing from about sixteen well-known and important works, including the most seminal of the Father and Mother tantras, it serves as a digest of this entire group, treating virtually every aspect of advanced tantric theory and practice. It has thus always occupied a prominent position among canonical works of its class, remaining to this day a rich source of quotations for Tibetan exegetes.

ac.

Acknowledgements

ac.­1

This translation was produced by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee under the supervision of Chökyi Nyima Rinpoche. Wiesiek Mical prepared the Sanskrit edition, translated the text into English, and wrote the introduction. James Gentry then compared the translation against the Tibetan root text, the Sampuṭodbhava Tantra commentaries found in the Tengyur, and Wiesiek’s Sanskrit edition, and edited the translation. Dharmachakra is indebted to Dr. Péter Szántó for his help in obtaining facsimiles of some manuscripts and other helpful materials.

The translation was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.

ac.­2

Work on this translation was made possible by the generosity of a sponsor who wishes to remain anonymous, and who adds the following dedication: May all the sufferings and fears of mother sentient beings be pacified swiftly by the power of the truth of the Triple Gem.

Text Body

The Translation
The Foundation of All Tantras, the Great Sovereign Compendium
Emergence from Sampuṭa
c.

Colophon

Tibetan Colophon

c.­1

This king of tantras was translated by the paṇḍita Gayādhara and the great personage Drokmi Śākya Yeshé. Based on this, the venerable omniscient Butön subsequently [re-]wrote it by filling in the gaps and expertly revising it in consultation with Indian manuscripts of the basic text and commentaries.

ab.

Abbreviations

Abbreviations used in the introduction and translation notes

Commentaries:
Comm1 Āmnāyamañjarī, by Abhayākaragupta (Toh 1198)
Comm2 Ratnamālā, by Śūravajra (Toh 1199)
Comm3 Smṛtisaṃdarśanāloka, by Indrabhūti (Toh 1197)
Kangyur Editions:

Editions of the Tibetan Kangyur consulted through variant readings recorded in the Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma):

C Choné
H Lhasa (zhol)
J Lithang
K Peking Kangxi
N Narthang
Y Peking Yongle
Other:
MW Monier Williams Sanskrit dictionary

Abbreviations used in the appendix – Sanskrit Text

Manuscripts (root text):
C Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, no. 4854 (Shastri 1917)
R Royal Asiatic Society, London, no. 37 (Cowell 1875)
T1 Tokyo University Library, New 427, Old 324 (Matsunami 1965)
T2 Tokyo University Library, New 428, Old 319 (Matsunami 1965)
W Wellcome Institute Library, London, no. 63 (Wujastyk 1985)
Woodblock prints (commentaries):
Comm1 Āmnāyamañjarī, by Abhayākaragupta (Toh 1198)
Comm2 Ratnamālā, by Śūravajra (Toh 1199)
Comm3 Smṛtisaṃdarśanāloka, by Indrabhūti (Toh 1197)
Published works (root text)
S Sampuṭodbhava (Skorupski 1996, 2001)
Published works or doctoral theses (Sampuṭodbhava parallels in source texts)
G Guhyasamāja Tantra (Matsunaga 1978)
H Hevajra Tantra (Snellgrove 1959)
K Kṛṣṇayamāri Tantra (Samdhong 1992)
L Laghuśaṃvara (Herukābhidhāna) Tantra (Pandey 2002)
N Sampuṭodbhava Tantra (Noguchi 1986, 1987, 1988, 1995)
Ni Sañcāranibandha, comm. on the Yoginīsañcāra (Pandey 1998)
P Prajñopāyaviniścayasiddhi (Samdhong 1987)
SU Samājottara, the 18th chapter of the Guhyasamāja (Matsunaga 1978)
Sz Catuṣpīṭha Tantra (Szántó 2012 & Szántó 2010)
V Vasantatilakā (Samdhong 1990)
VḌ Vajraḍāka Tantra (Sugiki 2002 & Sugiki 2003)
Y Yoginīsañcāra Tantra (Pandey 1998)
Critical apparatus
a.c. ante correctionem
conj. conjectured
em. emended
om. omitted
p.c. post correctionem
rec. reconstructed
← (left arrow) – end of correspondence with a source text.
→ (right arrow) – beginning of correspondence with a source text
n.

Notes

n.­1
See Dharmachakra Translation Committee (2011).
n.­2
The Tibetan translation is Toh 366, sangs rgyas mnyam sbyor mkha’ ’gro sgyu ma bde mchog gi rgyud phyi ma, Degé Kangyur vol. 77 (rgyud ’bum, ka), folios 151.a–193.a.
n.­3
The Degé Tibetan reads sems dpa’ sangs rgyas kun gyi dngos / rdo rje sems dpa’ bde ba’i mchog / gsang ba mchog gi dgyes pa na / thams cad bdag nyid rtag tu bzhugs.
n.­4
In the Tib. (73b.7–74a.1) this sentence reads, “What emerges from it signifies what is called the ‘meditative absorption of sampuṭa’ ” (/de las byung ba ni yang dag par spyor ba’i ting nge ’dzin ces bya ba’i don to/).
n.­5
I.e., as being of the nature of insight and skillful means.
n.­6
Instead of “sampuṭa,” the Tib. (74a.1–2) has “emergence from sampuṭa” (yang dag par sbyor ba las byung ba).
n.­7
The translation of this verse follows one of several possible interpretations. Different variant readings and multiple possible interpretations of each of these readings are interpreted differently in different commentaries on the Sampuṭa, and, differently again, in the Catuṣpīṭha Tantra to which this passage can be traced.
n.­8
“Before one became a practitioner” is missing from the Tib. of this verse (74b.2). Instead, “practioner” (yo gis) appears in the Tibetan as an agent in the verse that follows.
n.­9
Instead of “equality,” the Tibetan Degé version (74b.3) has “characteristic” (mtshan nyid). N and H, however, read “equality” (mnyam nyid), as does Comm1.
n.­10
The translation of the last half-stanza is influenced by the Tib. (74b.3), which has “A wise person … will plant the seed in the field, and the like, of the empty body” (/lus kyi stong pa’i zhing sogs la/ /blo dang ldan pas sa bon gdab/).
n.­11
Translated based on the Tib. (74b.4), which interprets mātra as “mother” (ma mo).
n.­12
Comm1 (37) explains that the “fifth” refers to the avadhūtī at the center of the four channels that make up the crown cakra.
n.­13
This highly ambiguous sentence is outside the regular verse structure and is omitted in some sources. In defiance of the Tib., one could perhaps link it to the following verse and interpret it as, “The seed syllable of fire should be applied to the opening of Brahmā.”
n.­14
This sentence is omitted in most Skt. sources; it is also missing from the Tibetan translation. However, Comm1 (39) reflects this reading, but instead of “crown,” has “palate” (rkan).
n.­15
Skt. cetasā. Comm1 (39) interprets this as “with the nature of the mind of the main deity.”
n.­16
The Skt. word used here for serving (sev), also means “attending on with sex.”
n.­17
I.e., the buddha families.
n.­18
Instead of “emancipation,” the Tib. (75b.4) has “freedom from obscurations” (sgrib bral).
n.­19
A play on words‍—“entry” is in Skt. viśana (and in the Tibetan khyab ’jug).
n.­20
“Śiva” means in Skt. “auspicious one.”
n.­21
A play on words‍—one who has destroyed the afflictions is called in Skt. bhagnavān.
n.­22
Alliteration in Skt.‍—“jananī (mother) … janayati (gives birth) … jagajjanam (to the people of the world).
n.­23
A play on words in Skt.‍—the words for both “alotted inheritance” (vibhāga) and “sister” (bhaginī) share a common derivation.
n.­24
A play on words again‍—the Skt. word rañjana means both delighting someone and dyeing cloth.
n.­25
Rajakī is the Skt. word for a dyeing/washing woman, derived from the root rañj (to dye/to delight).
n.­26
A play on words again.
n.­27
Comm1 (52) glosses this as the “innate great bliss experienced when the guru is given initiation,  … or such that can only be experienced from [sexual] union with the mudrā.”
n.­28
The Tib. (D: ’ching ba, “to be bound”; Y, K: mching ba) should be corrected to ’chi ba (“to die”); Comm1 (52) corroborates.
n.­29
In the Tib. (77a.1) this sentence includes the initial phrase from the next sentence: “These were the four bases of miraculous power, which are associated with the realm of desire” (/’di rnams ni rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi ste/ ’dod par spyod pa dang bcas pa’o/).
n.­30
In the Tib., the last part of this sentence (the first part in the Skt.) seems to belong to the preceding sentence. See the previous note.
n.­31
Instead of “no existence or nonexistence,” the Tib. (77b.4) has “motiviated by the belief in freedom from existence” (srid pa dang bral ba’i lta bas kun nas bslang ba).
n.­32
Instead of “no distinction between virtuous and nonvirtuous,” the Tib. (77b.4) has “motivated by the belief that what is taught in scripture is reasonable” (rigs su lung bstan pa’i lta bas kun nas bslang ba).
n.­33
This sentence in the Tib. (77b.5) is, “Thoughts motivated by desire, hatred, delusion, and other afflictions are incorrect thoughts” (’dod chags dang/ zhe sdang dang/ gti mug dang/ nyon mongs pas kun nas bslang ba’i rtog pa de ni yang dag pa’i rtog par mi ’gyur ro/).
n.­34
Instead of “through which arise an abundance” the Tib. (77b.6) has “motivated by an abundance” (phung pos kun nas bslang ba).
n.­35
Instead of “strictly follows the tenets of virtue,” the Tib. Degé version (78a.3–4) reads “is meek and gentle with respect to the tenets of virtue” (yon tan yang dag pa’i chas zhum zhing dul ba), whereas versions Y, K, and N read “is meek and gentle with respect to the qualities (chos instead of chas) of virtue.”
n.­36
Instead of “when it does not involve envy of the gains of others,” the Tib. (78a.4: ’jig rten pha rol gyi dbang phyug dang ldan pa) seems to reflect the reading paralokaiśvaryayuktatā (“when it is endowed with the mastery of the other world”), similar to the reading paralokeśvarīyuktatā found in some manuscripts.
n.­37
The subtle channels are here personified by being given feminine names and referred to, on occasion, as “ḍākinī.”
n.­38
The Tib. (79a.1) begins this list with “the four applications of mindfulness, the four thorough relinquishments, the four bases of miraculous powers” (/dran pa nye bar gzhag pa bzhi dang/ yang dag par spang ba bzhi dang/ rdzu ’phrul gyi rkang pa bzhi dang/).
n.­39
The last half-stanza is missing from the Tib. (79a.7).
n.­40
Presumably, even if the tathāgatas chant together, each uses the first person singular.
n.­41
Instead of “single, condensed summary,” the Tib. (79b.7) has “the essence of the singular body” (gcig pa’i sku’i/ /snying po). Comm1, however, corroborates the Skt. reading.
n.­42
The Tib. (80a.2) seems to be saying, “It is the very producer of effects. / It is precisely what cultivates qualities and what possesses qualities” (/’bras bu rnams la byed pa nyid/ /chos dang chos can sgom pa nyid/).
n.­43
The Tibetan Degé is missing “hatred”; Y, K, N, and H include “hatred” (ldang).
n.­44
In the Tib. (80a.7–80b.1), this half-stanza seems to say, “Once transformed by wisdom and means / The afflictions will become conviction / assurance” (/thabs dang shes rab sprul pa’i rgyus/ /nyon mongs rnams ni yid ches ’gyur/); “conviction / assurance” (yid ches) reflects another conceivable translation of pratyaya.
n.­45
This half-stanza is not very clear. Possibly, the intended meaning is that, when the fire of the afflictions burns the afflictions themselves, it can be enjoyed as a divine dance.
n.­46
In the versions of the Tib. translation consulted (D 80b.4), the Skt. phrase atispaṣṭena (“very clearly,” Tib. shin tu gsal bas) is joined with the following verse in its initial line.
n.­47
In light of variation observed in the preceding note, the Tib. verse seems to read, “What is praised quite clearly / By the buddhas in this world / Is a pure triangle, shaped like the Sanskrit letter e / At whose center is the delightful evam” (/gang zhig shin tu gsal bas ni/ /’dzam gling de ’dir sangs rgyas bsngags/ /gru gsum dag pa e yi dbyibs/ /dbus su dgyes pa’i e vaM yin/).
n.­48
These are the eight groups of letters of the Sanskrit alphabet.
n.­49
The Tib. (81a.2–3) for this half-stanza is “All those great powers / Which are accomplished while taking pleasure in the fifty [letters] within one’s own abode” (/gang zhig thams cad mthu che ba/ /rang gi khyim du lnga bcu ’dod pa dang ldan par ’grub bo/).
n.­50
It seems that the vocative form, bhagavan, functions in this and the next paragraphs as an instrumental (by the Blessed One). The Degé (81b.4) and most other Tibetan versions consulted seem to say, “What would be amiss about the Blessed One not realizing it? (mi rtogs).” N and H read “it/that” (de) instead of “not” (mi), thus more closely reflecting the Sanskrit.
n.­51
Comm1 (136) describes “form” as the major and minor marks of perfection.
n.­52
We have a play on words here‍—bhagavān and bhagnavān are different in meaning, but similar in sound.
n.­53
The Tib. (82a.6) is missing “queens”; here it simply reads “vajra.”
n.­54
In the Tib. (82a.7) this sentence is, “Since it is insight that destroys primary and subsidiary afflictions, insight is called bhaga” (shes rab gang gis nyon mongs pa dang/ nye ba’i nyon mongs pa ’joms pa de’i phyir shes rab bha gar gsungs te/).
n.­55
Instead of “are ineffable, O Vajrapāṇi,” the Degé Tib. (82b.2) has “were not spoken by Vajrapāṇi” (/lag na rdo rjes ma bshad pa). However, Y, J, K, N, and C all reflect the vocative “O Vajrapāṇi” (lag na rdo rje).
n.­56
The words “repeatedly put” are missing from the Tib. (82b.2–3).
n.­57
The Tib. (82b.2–3) reads the last two sentences together: “By means of these letters, beings set in front of themselves the goal of reaching the other shore of the ocean of saṃsāra, so distant, and, with a mind in which that [goal] so set has vanished, attain in this birth the state of awakening, or the state of Vajrasattva.” This reads Y and K, “that [goal] set in front” (mngon du mdzad pa de), instead of the Degé, “that which is not set in front” (mngon du ma mdzad pa de). Following the Tibetan translation, particularly the reading of Y and K, it is also possible to interpret the Sanskrit tallīnacittena accordingly as “with a mind in which that has disappeared / dissolved,” with “that” referring to the “goal” (lakṣaṃ) of awakening.
n.­58
The Tibetan differs here and is connected to the previous line with a continuative particle te. One possible interpretation would be: “as those for whom the inconceivable state is not something attained are bliss-gone ones, buddhas” (gang dag bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i gnas ma thob pa de ni bde bar gshegs pa ste sangs rgyas yin no/).
n.­59
The Tibetan parses this and the previous sentence differently. One possible interpretation would be: “As those for whom the inconceivable state is not something attained are bliss-gone ones, buddhas. Those who set it as a goal are taught to be ‘beings’ ” (gang dag bsam gyis mi khyab pa’i gnas ma thob pa de ni bde bar gshegs pa ste sangs rgyas yin no/ /mtshan gzhi mtshon par byed pa ni sems dpar yang dag par gsungs te/).
n.­60
Sevitamātra, here rendered as “self-indulgence,” is in the Tib. (82b.4) interpreted as “indulging in anger.”
n.­61
“Four” is missing from the Tib. (83a.2–3).
n.­62
The Tib. (83a.3) reads “When, in his pursuit of the path of mantra, / One is initiated by an adept.”
n.­63
(/sngags kyi lam gyi rjes btsal bas/ /gang tshe mkhas pas dbang bskur ba/). The Tib. (83a.3) reflects “the lord of infinite world spheres” (’jig rten khams ni mtha’ yas bdag), which is also the reading in the Prajñopāyaviniścayasiddhi, the source text for this passage. Comm1 (141), however, reflects, “the goddess of…” (dbang ma).
n.­64
Comm1 (141) glosses samaya (dam tshig) as “the experience of great bliss” (bde ba chen po nyams su myong ba).
n.­65
The Degé Tibetan (83a.6) mistakes khyad mdzad pa (Skt. viśeṣitā) for khyab mdzad pa. Y, K, N, and H all correctly have khyad instead.
n.­66
The meaning of this verse is not very clear. Even though the Tib. reflects the reading vidyādhara (rig pa ’dzin pa), this could be vidyāvara (the lover of the consort (vidyā), as the letters dh and v look identical in some manuscripts. The Tib. (83b.3), joining this verse with the last pāda of the previous verse, has “All wisdom consorts who have been purified [in that way] / Should be offered, once the knowledge-holder and his many companions, / In a place free of disturbances, / Have adorned themselves / With sandal, garments, garlands, and the like” (/gang zhig sbyangs pa’i rig ma kun/ /nye bar ’tshe ba med gnas su/ /rig pa ’dzin pa ’khor mang po/ /de nas tsan dan gos phreng sogs/ rnam par brgyan nas dbul bar bya/).
n.­67
Instead of “inanimate,” Degé (83b.7) has bstan (teaching), but Y, J, K, and C have brtan (inanimate).
n.­68
The root text uses code words when referring to the five samaya substances listed in this verse. For “vajra water,” the Tib. (84a.6) has “water of the lord of the families” (rigs kyi bdag po’i chu). There seems to be some confusion with the source texts, as semen is listed twice, and feces is missing.
n.­69
The Degé (84a.7) is missing “before,” and has “which” (gang) instead. However, other versions (Y, J, K, N, C, and H) all have “before” (gong).
n.­70
According to Comm2 (816), “his own yoginī” refers to “one’s own karmamudrā,” whereas “wisdom consort described before” refers to consorts “born from mantra, born from [sacred] fields, born from karma, or born from wisdom.”
n.­71
If the words “olibanum” and “camphor” in the last pāda were translated according to their coded meanings, this pāda would read “Should be cared for by means of a sexual act and semen.”
n.­72
Instead of “through love-making,” the Degé (84b.1) has “through teaching / showing” (bstan pas), but Y, K, N, and H have the proper “through serving / making love” (bsten pas).
n.­73
The meaning of this half-stanza is not completely clear; the Tib. (84b.4) seems to be saying “The joy of sexual bliss is ascertaining everything. / Its pleasure is the means leading to omniscience” (/shin tu bde dga’ thams cad nges/ /de bde thabs las thams cad rig/).
n.­74
Instead of “high above,” the Tib. has “see” (mthong), with no variant readings. However, given the Skt., this should perhaps be corrected to mthon, which means “high / lofty.”
n.­75
The Tib. (85a.2) has “I am like a completed vehicle” (/theg pa rdzogs pa lta bur bdag/).
n.­76
It seems that the words niravagrahacittena (“with the mind free of expectation”), which are at the beginning of the next verse, should be read with this verse, as reflected in the Tib. (/re ba med pa’i sems kyis ni/).
n.­77
The Degé (85a.3) rather has “With the intent of attracting the disciple” (/slob ma bsdu ba’i bsam pa’i phyir/). However, two other versions (Y, K) corroborate the Skt. “For the sake of removing the disciple’s grasping” (/slob ma’i zhen pa bzlog pa’i phyir/). Yet two other versions (J, C) have “For the sake of removing the disciple’s feebleness / negativity” (/slob ma’i zhan pa bzlog pa’i phyir/).
n.­78
Possibly this verse is about the fourth initiation, which is given by speech alone.
n.­79
The Tib. (Degé, 85b.1) adds at the beginning of this sentence “It is taught” (gdams).
n.­80
Instead of “Vajradhara,” the Tib. (Degé, 85b.1) has “Lord of the families” (rigs kyi bdag po).
n.­81
The trunk of a plantain tree is empty inside.
n.­82
This half-stanza in the Tib. (86a.1) reads “Insight, on the level without reference, and / Great compassion, without reference” (/dmigs med gnas su shes rab dang/ /dmigs med snying rje chen po nyid/).
n.­83
The translation “offers praise” (stod par byed) is based on the Tibetan translation, versions Y, J, K, N, C, and H. The Degé (86a.3) appears to read “makes void / empties” (stong par byed).
n.­84
The Tib (86a.7) has “[This] is said to be equanimity, as an object of reflection” (mnyam nyid bsam bya nyid du gsungs).
n.­85
“On the ocean’s shore” is missing from the Tib.
n.­86
The Tib. also has here (87a.2) “a temple of the omniscient one” (thams cad mkhyen pa’i gnas).
n.­87
The translation of this sentence is influenced by the Tib., as the Skt. grammar is flawed.
n.­88
The Tib. (87a.5) only has “enjoy,” literally “devour” (bza’ bar bya), but the Skt. word used, bhaj, means both “partake of / enjoy” (also carnally), and “serve / honor/ revere.”
n.­89
Only three, however, were listed here.
n.­90
As the commentaries make clear, this passage is about using “negative” emotions skillfully.
n.­91
Comm1 is clear that the term tiryak (horizontal), which the Tib. translators (87a.7–87b.1) render as “animals” (byol song dag), refers primarily to prostitutes, and secondarily to the yoga of inner warmth, i.e., Caṇḍālī (gtum mo) practice without consort.
n.­92
Instead of “the best of lotuses” (padmavara), the Tib. has “the lotus bearer,” reflecting the reading padmadhara° (in many manuscripts, the letters dh and v are indistinguishable).
n.­93
Comm2 (836) explains that “the nature of them all” refers to the nature of “all lords” (not just Vajrasattva).
n.­94
The Skt. word varṇa can mean both “letter” and “color.”
n.­95
The Tibetan (88a.1) has “seed syllables and forms, / and the order of hand gestures and shapes” (yig ’bru gzugs dang ni/ /phyag rgya dbyings kyi chog rim dang/).
n.­96
The Tib. (88a.4) includes “according to procedure” (cho ga bzhin du).
n.­97
The Tib. renders rasa as “taste,” implying perhaps articles of food, but rasa can also mean alchemical compounds used to prolong one’s life. The Yogaratnamālā (Farrow 1992), though, a commentary on the Hevajra where this passage can be traced to, interprets rasa as “honey.”
n.­98
Instead of “pericarp,” the Degé (88b.7) and other versions have “second” (gnyis pa). Only two versions (N, H) have “pericarp” (ze ’bru). Comm1 has the moon disk “in the center of a lotus.”
n.­99
“The first,” i.e., the one in the center.
n.­100
The Tib. (89a.3) has, “He should radiate multiple, blazing cloud-like lights / Which are the samaya [aspects] of buddhas/” (/sprin gyi ’od ’bar du ma ni/ /sangs rgyas dam tshig spro bar bya/). Comm1 describes these light-clouds as the “nature of buddhas.”
n.­101
In the Tib. (89a.3–4) this half-stanza reads, “[While] in union with the goddess, / He should then visualize the consort (mudrā)” (/lha mo lhan cig ldan par ni/ /de nas phyag rgya bsgom par bya/).
n.­102
Presumably, starting from the eastern petal.
n.­103
The Tib. (89a.5) has “trident” (rtse gsum) instead.
n.­104
“He should draw her on the southern petal” is missing from the Tib. (89a.5). This information, however, is useful for general clarity.
n.­105
“On the northern petal” is missing from the Tib. (89a.5).
n.­106
“On the western petal” is missing from the Tib. (89a.5).
n.­107
Instead of “staff,” the Tib. (89a.6) has “noose” (zhags pa).
n.­108
“He should draw her in the northeastern quarter” is missing from the Tib. (89a.6).
n.­109
“In the northwestern corner he should draw” is missing from the Tib. (89a.6).
n.­110
“He should draw her in the southwestern quarter” is missing from the Tib., which has instead (89a.7) “He should correctly draw her a full cubit in size” (/khru gang tsam du yang dag bri/).
n.­111
“He should draw in the southeastern corner” is missing from the Tib. (89a.7).
n.­112
Comm2 (842) states that “the single syllable” is hūṁ, the “heart mantra of the Tathāgata.”
n.­113
The wheel has eight divisions with the hub in the center being the ninth.
n.­114
Comm2 (843) gives the word order as “oṁ, such and such person, tāre tuttāre, such and such person, please protect, please protect, svāhā.”
n.­115
The Degé (90a.3) has ture (tu re) in this position.
n.­116
The Degé (90a.3) has tāre (tA re) in this position.
n.­117
Instead of “dull-witted,” the Degé (90a.6) has “learned” (chub pa), but this should perhaps be corrected to “small / meager” (chung ba), in accordance with several other versions (Y, K, N, H).
n.­118
I.e., the wheel described at the beginning of this section.
n.­119
Oṁ, Wisdom, Great Wisdom, hūṁ svāhā!
n.­120
The Tib. (91a.3) has bruṁ.
n.­121
Both the Skt. and Tib. have “draw / paint” instead of “visualize”; the passage, however, seems to be about visualization.
n.­122
The Degé (91b.5) has “Through which beings will be tamed / By wicked and violent means” (/gang gis gdug pa drag po yis/ /sems can ’dul bar ’gyur ba yi/). Two other versions (N, H), however, have “Through which wicked and violent beings / Will be tamed” (/gang gis gdug pa drag po yi/ / sems can ’dul bar ’gyur ba yi/). All Tib. versions are missing “all.”
n.­123
The words “ḍāka” and “ḍākinīs” being compounded in the Skt. text, it is impossible to tell if “ḍāka” should be singular or plural. However, as all the deities described in this section, apart from Heruka himself, are female, “ḍāka” probably stands for Heruka and was rendered as singular.
n.­124
The Tib. (91b.7) has “You with a mind of compassion” (snying rje’i yid).
n.­125
In the Degé (92a.2) the two syllables are aṁ and hāṁ (AM dang hAM). Y and K have oṁ and hūṁ (oM dang hUM). N and H have aṁ and hūṁ (aM dang hUM).
n.­126
The Degé (92a.3) has oṁ (oM). Other versions (Y, J, K, N, H) have aṁ (aM).
n.­127
The Degé (92a.3) has paṁ (paM) instead of puṁ.
n.­128
This line is missing from the Tib.
n.­129
This could be referring to carpenter bees, whose species, those that are found in India, are blue-black.
n.­130
There is some ambiguity here, as para can mean “supreme,” or, when it is at the end of a compound, “engaged in.” The Tib. (92b.2) reflects the meaning “supreme.”
n.­131
It is not clear what a “wind-cloth” is. The Tib. (92b.4–5) has “fabric / cloth of wind” (rlung gi gos).
n.­132
After this verse, the Tib. (92b.5) has a verse for Ḍombī: “Ḍombī is light blue in color. / She holds a vajra scepter and a goad [in her first two hands]. / With her [other] left [hand] she holds a skull cup, / And with her other [right hand] she holds a wind-cloth” (/g.yung mo sngo dang dkar ba’i mdog/ /rdo rje dang ni lcags kyu ’dzin/ /g.yon pas thos pa ’dzin pa ste/ /gzhan pas rlung gi gos ’dzin ma/).
n.­133
“Bear” is the translation of the conjectured ṛkṣa, in place of the extant reading bhikṣu (monk).
n.­134
Skt., svabhāvaśuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ svabhāvaśuddho ’ham / vajraśuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ vajraśuddho ’ham / yogaśuddhāḥ sarvadharmāḥ yogaśuddho ’ham.
n.­135
Comm2 (849) interprets “the union” as “the union of illusion and emptiness.”
n.­136
The Tib. (94a.1) has punar (yang) modifying the act of projecting.
n.­137
A vajra goad is a goad with a vajra-shaped handle.
n.­138
The Tib. is inconsistent in interpreting the Skt. preta, sometimes as a “corpse” and sometimes as a “hungry ghost.” However, as a “thing” to sit on, a corpse is more likely.
n.­139
Comm2 (850) glosses this as “ ‘Pledges (pl.) should be displayed’ means that the five ambrosias should be placed in the center of the skull cup in front of Jñānaḍākinī first.”
n.­140
This verse explains, in cryptic terms, the derivation of the syllable hūṁ. The Tib. (94b.7) parses it as, “By wind and fire, the seventh syllable / Is impelled by the vajra seed syllable. / By adding to it the anunāsika and the sound [ū] / It is called the torrential rain” (/rlung dang me yis bdun pa’i don/ /rdo rje’i sa bon gyis ni bskul/ /thig le sgras ni mnan pas ni/ /rgyun gyi char ni zhes byar gsungs/).
n.­141
The translation of this half-stanza reflects the interpretation found in Comm2 (851). The Tib. (95a.2), however, has “Then the great wind of the gods / And the meditator, according to the sequence of emergence” (/lha rnams kyi ni rlung chen dang/ /ji ltar sgom pa po ’byung ba’i/).
n.­142
The Yogaratnamālā (a commentary on the Hevajra Tantra) explains that this letter is a.
n.­143
Comm2 (853) states that this refers to all “fifteen” goddesses, who arise from their own “individual” (Skt. pṛthak, Tib. so so) seed syllables.
n.­144
Instead of “the final destruction,” the Degé (95b.6) has “fear” (’jigs pa), but other versions (Y, K, N) have “dissolution / destruction” (’jig pa, Skt. pralaya).
n.­145
The Tib. (95b.6) has “white and blue.”
n.­146
Comm2 (854) glosses this as “Khecarī in the south, whose body is half blue and half yellow, and Bhūcarī in the north, whose body is half red and half blue.”
n.­147
Comm2 (854) states that “Nairātmyā expresses mirth, the inner four goddesses express anger, and the outer goddesses express sensuality.”
n.­148
It is not clear what tat stands for, whether “him,” “her,” or “it.” Possibly it is “him,” i.e., the Heruka in the center of the maṇḍala.
n.­149
It is not clear how the maṇḍala should be provided (samāyukta) with four threads.
n.­150
In the Tib. (96a.5) this line is “With its setting of different circles” (/de’i ’khor lo so so’i skabs/).
n.­151
The Degé (96a.4) has “situated at the top of vajra pillars” (/rdo rje ka ba’i rtser gnas pa/). Other versions (Y, J, K, N, C, H) have “inside the [precinct of the] vajra pillars” (rdo rje ka ba’i nang logs su).
n.­152
Comm2 (856) glosses “vow” as the general “knowledge holder (vidyādhara) vow.”
n.­153
In the Tib. (Degé, 96b.6–97a.1) this paragraph is set in verse.
n.­154
Skt., oṁ cittaprativedhaṃ karomi.
n.­155
The Tib. (97a.1) has “a pristine circle of the group (gaṇacakra)” (/tshogs kyi dkyil ’khor che dag pa/). The discrepancy must have arisen by confusing the Sanskrit ghana (cloud) with gaṇa (group).
n.­156
Instead of “dejection,” the Tib. (97a.2) has “hesitation / doubt” (yid gnyis).
n.­157
It is difficult to conceive of a disk having corners; having three corners suggests a superimposed pattern, such as a triangle.
n.­158
Instead of “to expand,” the Tib. (97a.4) has “to be elated / enraptured” (dga’ bar byed pa), however this could easily be a scribal error of “to fill” (dgang bar byed pa).
n.­159
In the Tib. this paragraph is in verse.
n.­160
Skt., oṁ bodhicittam utpādayāmi.
n.­161
In the Tib. this paragraph is in verse.
n.­162
Skt., oṃ tiṣṭha vajra.
n.­163
In the Tib. this sentence is in verse.
n.­164
Skt., oṁ vajrātmako ’ham.
n.­165
The Tib. (97b.4) has, “The vajra is pristine selflessness” (/rdo rje bdag med yang dag ’gyur/). Comm2 (857), however, agrees with the Skt. (rdo rje’i bdag nyid).
n.­166
Skt., oṁ yathā sarvatathāgatās tathāham.
n.­167
Comm2 (859) says that this mantra should be bhrūṁ, the syllable that comprises the four elements, the seed of Vairocana.
n.­168
In the Tib. the section from “A sword and a goad” up to this point is in prose.
n.­169
The text does not make it clear how this “outer circle” differs from the previous one; this one is perhaps outside the previous one.
n.­170
Instead of “mother,” the Tib. has “goddess.”
n.­171
For “Vajrasphoṭā” (Thunderclap), the Tib. has “Vajra Chain” (rdo rje lcags sgrog ma).
n.­172
The Degé (99a.5) also has hrīḥ, but other versions (Y, J, K, C) have hī (hi’i).
n.­173
The Degé (99a.5) also has hrīḥ, but other versions (Y, J, K, N, C) have hri.
n.­174
The Degé (99a.5) has ho.
n.­175
The Degé (99a.5) has gī (gI). Y and K have ki, J and C have gai, N has gī.
n.­176
The Degé (99a.6) has ji (dzi).
n.­177
The Degé (99a.6) has u.
n.­178
The Degé (99a.6) has e.
n.­179
The Degé (99a.6) has ai.
n.­180
It is not clear who “the king of clouds” is.
n.­181
It is not clear who “the lord of wind” is.
n.­182
This passage is not very clear, but according to Comm2 (862), it contains a reference to the story of the subjugation of Rudra and the other gods by the Buddha, who “arranged their seats, confounded them, and then enjoyed their consorts, before restoring them, returning their consorts, and establishing them as protectors.”
n.­183
There are two versions of the ardhaparyaṅka posture, and this one seems to be the standing / dancing variety. It is not clear from the context how one should “press down on” one’s left thigh. Comm2 (863) interprets this to mean “one presses the right hand, which holds the blazing vajra scepter, on one’s left thigh, while dancing in ardhaparyaṅka posture.”
n.­184
The Tib. (99b.5) has the highly opaque, “One should not relish renown” (/grags pa nye bar mi za ste/). This could reflect an ante correctionem reading in one of the manuscripts‍—pauruṣe nopabhuñjet (one should not revel in one’s manliness). Comm2 (863), however, seems to support our adopted reading by interpreting it as a reference to the Buddha’s taking the gods as his mount and subjugating them: “He destroyed the pernicious ones in the entourage, such as Brahmā and the like, taming them with hūṁ a la la ho, then abducted their consorts, returned them, and established the gods as protectors in the charnel ground.”
n.­185
This line is highly ambiguous. Very likely some text is missing here. The Skt. just says “he gives,” which seems to suggest that Brahmā, who is mentioned two lines above, will give whatever he is asked for. The Tibetan (99b.5), however, interprets this as “He should also give the scintillation / Of different [colored] light rays, radiating all around, / Composed of clouds of buddhas” (/kun du ’od ser sna tshogs kyi/ /sangs rgyas sprin dang mnyam pa ’dis/ /spro ba yang ni sbyin par bya/), thus linking this statement with the first section of the next verse. The Tib. then connects the rest of the verse as follows: “If the practitioner meditates in that way / He will quickly attain accomplishment” (/de ltar rnal ’byor pas bsgoms na/ /dngos grub myur du thob par ’gyur/).
n.­186
The Tib. (99b.6) and Comm2 (863–4) indicate that these are “verbal signs,” perhaps code words.
n.­187
Whenever code words of the secret language are used in this and the following three verses, the actual meaning is here given in parentheses; the words in parentheses are not part of the original.
n.­188
This and the following three verses are simply transliterated into the Tib., with significant variations between the Kangyur editions.
n.­189
“Four ingredients”: when this term is used in its conventional meaning, it refers to sandal, aloeswood, saffron, and musk.
n.­190
The BHS grammar and the meaning of this statement are not clear. The Tib. (100a.2–3) has, rather cryptically, “The practitioner should enthusiastically engage in ‘uttering the signs,’ when these are seen” (’di rnams bltas nas rnal ’byor pas mtshan ma gsungs pa zhes bya ba la spro bar bya’o).
n.­191
Up to here the list corresponds to Sanderson (1998) (Laghusaṃvaratantra in “The Śaiva sources of the Buddhist Tantras of Śaṃvara,” Handout 4, Trinity Term, 1998).
n.­192
The number “3” next to the syllable kā in the Skt. text probably indicates that it is three measures long.
n.­193
The list as given here, considering the many and wide-ranging variations across the sources, should not be regarded as definitive.
n.­194
Instead of “outer,” the Tib. (100a.3) once again has “verbal / vocal” (ngag gi).
n.­195
Bhavabhaṭṭa’s commentary on Laghuśaṃvara 22.5 explains that potaṃgī (in Chapter 7 spelled potāṃgī) is an “eye gesture.” In the Degé, this word, like other words in this section, is merely transliterated.
n.­196
This entire section, from the beginning of this paragraph, is preserved in the Tib. (100a.4–100b.1) only in transliteration, with countless variant readings across editions. Recording these would be a herculean task with dubious benefit. This section seems to be based on Chapter 24 of the Laghuśaṃvara Tantra. While here we only have a list, in the Laghuśaṃvara the meanings are given too. The same list of code words with their meanings explained is also found below in Part 1 of Chapter 7. Considering the many and wide-ranging variations across the sources, the version presented here should not be regarded as definitive.
n.­197
The meaning of this line is not clear. The Degé (100b.3) has “attracts” (sdud pa), which is one of several possible meanings of the Skt. saṃharati.
n.­198
Instead of “brings ruin,” the Degé (100b.3) has “frightens” (’jigs par byed pa); this however could be a corruption of ’jig par byed pa (to bring to ruin).
n.­199
Instead of “served,” the Degé (100b.3) has “taught,” but other versions (N, H) have “served” (bsten).
n.­200
In the Degé (100b.3–4) this line reads, “The supreme ḍākinī is this very one” (/mkha’ ’gro mchog kyang de nyid yin/). The corresponding passage in the Laghuśaṃvara, instead of “congenial,” has “destroyer of negativity.”
n.­201
The Degé (100b.5) takes the name Parāvṛttā to mean “She who transforms / transmutes” (yongs gyur ma).
n.­202
The Degé (100b.6) has “yoginī” (rnal ’byor ma). Several other versions (Y, J, K, N, C, H) have “mother of yoga / yogins” (rnal ’byor ma mo).
n.­203
“Conch” is missing from the Degé (100b.6–7), possibly because the Tibetan translators seem to have taken “crocodile” to be an independent item in the list of seven.
n.­204
The Degé (100b.7) has instead, “The yoga adept should always worship / According to this procedure of sumpuṭa” (yang dag sbyor ba’i cho ga ’di/ /rnal ’byor rig pas rtag tu mchod/). Other versions (N, H) have “mtshon,” “to indicate / reference / demonstrate” (lakṣayed). It would then read, “The yoga adept should always demonstrate / indicate this procedure of sampuṭa.”
n.­205
This line in the Tib. (101a.1) is “With a shine / color like lotus petals” (/pad+ma’i ’dab ma lta bu’i ’od/).
n.­206
Bhavabhaṭṭa, in his commentary on the corresponding passage in the Laghuśaṃvara Tantra, identifies Padmanarteśvara with Amitābha.
n.­207
The Tib. (101a.2) has “dark blue and light gray body” (/lus ni sngo sangs skya ba dang/).
n.­208
The Tib. (101a.2) has “and has a scent like blue lotus” (u t+pal sngon po’i dri dang mtshungs/).
n.­209
The Tib. (101a.3) is missing “tranquil.”
n.­210
The Tib. (101a.4–5) has “white flower” (me tog dkar po).
n.­211
The Tib. (101a.7) has “always delights in [the company of] royalty (/rtag tu rgyal srid dga’ ba dang/).
n.­212
It is not clear what saṃkula, here translated as “convergence of wrinkles,” means. The Skt. word and its Tib. (101b.2) translation just mean “accumulation / coming together / convergence.” The Tib. translation of the corresponding passage in the Laghuśaṃvara Tantra reflects the Skt. bindu, i.e., a circular mark on the forehead.
n.­213
The term lāmā is missing from the Tib. (102a.1), as is a plural marker. It reads instead, “This is the characteristic of the queen of the world” (/’jig rten dbang phyug mtshan nyid yin/).
n.­214
It is not clear who makes this “second” gesture, whether the yogin, or the woman, in response. The Tib. (102a.3) with its agentive / instrumental after “second” suggests that it might be the female companion.
n.­215
As before, it is not clear who should make this “second” gesture.
n.­216
The Tib. (102a.6) has “If she constantly longs for gandharvas” (/rtag tu dri za ’dod pa dang/).
n.­217
The Tib. (102b.2) has “behind / hind end” (’jug ma), seemingly rendering pucchaṃ rather than pulakaṃ (horripilation).
n.­218
It is not clear whether the batting of the left eyebrow is done in response, or as an alternative, to batting the right eyebrow. Later on, Comm1 (529) interprets the “two teachers” as “virtue and excellence in conduct.” Comm2 (958) interprets this as “homage and return homage” between the yogin and the yoginī.
n.­219
Even though this passage may be based on the corresponding passage in the Hevajra Tantra, the list of power places perhaps corresponds more closely to that found in the tantras of the Buddhist Cakrasaṃvara cycle, or, its predecessors, the Śaiva tantras of the Vidyāpīṭha.
n.­220
Instead of Pūrṇagiri, the Degé (103a.2) has kolla. Y, K, and N have ko la.
n.­221
The Tib. (103a.3) lists Kaliṅga as an auxiliary kṣetra.
n.­222
“Pīlava” is the Tib. (103a.5) reading. The Skt. reads “auxiliary pīlava.”
n.­223
The translation here is based on the Tib. (103a.5); in the Skt., Vindhyā is described as a pīlava.
n.­224
This sentence seems rather dubious.
n.­225
The Tib. (103a.7) has the same transliterated (ha ri).
n.­226
Comm1 (354) explains that the eight trees just mentioned are inhabited by the eight goddesses. Comm2 (869) elaborates that the eight trees in the eight places are the places of abode of the eight guardian deities. The Degé (103a.6–7) translation, however, has no mention of goddesses, but follows the pattern “In X place dwells Y tree.”
n.­227
The bhūmis Difficult to Conquer and Revealed seem to be listed in the Skt. text in a reverse order.
n.­228
The Tib. (103b.1–2) connects the last two sentences as follows: “One should visualize, externally and internally, / What has been explained in the barbarous language of the yoginīs, / Using [the terms] pū, and so forth, / As the levels of the ten perfections” (/pha rol phyin bcu’i sa rnams la/ /rnal ’byor ma yi kla klo’i skad/ /pU la sogs pa ci gsungs pa/ /phyi dang nang du bsam par bya/).
n.­229
Comm2 (871) explains that “killed by a banner” means “impaled as punishment.”
n.­230
Comm1 (360) explains that the “seven-times-born one” is someone born seven times as a bodhisattva.
n.­231
The meaning of this very cryptic verse is unclear, and the translation given here is a guess. The Skt. word varṇa can mean both “letter” (of the alphabet) or “color.” Comm2 (872–873) explains this as the entire visualization of the subtle body, with its cakras and channels, “from the crown to the ends of the feet,” which includes the “secret lotus of channels,” meaning, “the maṇḍalas of earth at the heart and fire at the navel.” Comm1 (364) explains these as the “four seats of self (crown-less), other (crown), union or suchness (the ‘end of sound’), and mantra, or secret (secret lotus),” respectively.
n.­232
Comm2 (873) has, “The yogin replete with the four cakras brings these together with the meditative absorption of bliss.”
n.­233
The last sentence in the Tib. (104a.1–2) is rather, “The state of reality, the secret meaning / Is transmitted from precisely such [a person], [and then] from one to another” (/gsang don de nyid dngos po yang/ /de nyid las ni gcig las gcig/). Comm2 (873–874) confirms that these two lines are about guru lineage and transmission “from one to another.”
n.­234
This line is not very clear. Possibly the word “previous” refers to something “previously” mentioned in the Catuṣpīṭha Tantra, which is the source text for this passage. Comm1 (366) explains that this refers to the stages of visualizing Vajrasttva and to the emptiness of characteristics of all things, as taught previously in the text. Comm2 (874), however, states that this pertains to emptiness, as applied to all animate and inanimate things, which is illustrated previously in the context of the initiation.
n.­235
Instead of “He will win,” the Tib. has “One will be connected to” (sbyar).
n.­236
According to Comm1 (366), he is Vajrasattva.
n.­237
The Tib. (104a.5) divides this verse into five lines instead of four, and puts the final line as the first of the next verse, which describes the lotus.
n.­238
The meaning of this line is unclear.
n.­239
These four syllables were “previously mentioned” not in the Sampuṭodbhava, but in the Catuṣpīṭha, from where this passage was taken.
n.­240
Both the Skt. and the Tib. have “his mind,” meaning perhaps the mind of oneself as Vajrasattva.
n.­241
According to Bhavabhaṭṭa’s interpretation in his commentary on the Catuṣpīṭha Tantra (cf. Szanto 2012, p. 253) from where this passage was taken, instead of “objects and their properties,” we should understand lakṣalakṣaṇa° to mean “the aimer and his aiming.”
n.­242
Comm2 (879) explains that this “gnosis-consciousness” is now to be visualized in the form a drop of bodhicitta at the five points [of the body].
n.­243
The meaning of this verse is not clear. Comm2 (879–880) states that this verse marks the beginning of the section on the “meditation on the drop of bodhicitta,” and further elaborates, “A bindu of bodhicitta should be visualized at each of the five points [of the body]. First, the syllable kṣuṁ, which signifies bodhicitta, along with the syllables … that signify, respectively, the essence of feces, urine, flesh, and blood, should be placed in the heart inside of a stūpa with five layers, and imagined as radiating white light. Thereafter, those syllables should be placed on the head, throat, shoulders, heart, and navel.” This section states that it begins the discussion of the meditation upon the bodhicitta bindu, the stage of gnosis, after having concluded the teaching on the circle of deities, the stage of tantra, and the circle of syllables, the stage of mantra.
n.­244
Comm2 (880) states that the “syllables” are either those of the five-layer stūpa just described, or hūṁ in the middle, surrounded by i, u, e, and o in the four directions.
n.­245
The meaning of the last line is highly ambiguous. The Tib. (104b.7–105a.1) reads the last two lines as “Look into the drop of the state of abiding / And you will know all the properties of mind” (/go ’phang gnas kyi thig le ltos/ /sems kyi mtshan nyid thams cad shes/).
n.­246
Here the order of the two members of the compound is reversed.
n.­247
Comm2 (1014) interprets “unwavering” (niṣkampam) as “free from the eighty natures,” and “untroubled” (nirupadravam) as “free from emotional and cognitive obscurations.”
n.­248
The meaning of this verse is not clear. Possibly the theory of the three principles (tattva) of the Sāṃkhya school is being referred to here.
n.­249
This is possibly a reference to experiences in the intermediate state after death, as Comm1 (376) and Comm2 (883) indicate.
n.­250
For the explanation of the “crown-less,” please refer to verse 5.2.4 above, and its note.
n.­251
Comm2 (883) explains that the “roots” are the three main channels converging at the navel.
n.­252
Again, this seems to refer to the state of mind in the intermediate state.
n.­253
Comm1 (376) explains that the “drop” is the nature of semen and is located in the head, and the “sound,” the nature of blood, is located in the navel.
n.­254
The Degé (105a.7) has “night” (mtshan mo), as in “fireflies at night,” but other versions (Y, K, N) have “sign” (mtshan ma).
n.­255
The Tib. (105a.7) has, “It will be seen as chick pea-shaped orbs of white powder” (/rdul dkar tsa na ka dbyibs su/).
n.­256
Instead of “the pleasures of the formless realm,” the Tib. (105b.1) has “everthing pertaining to divine forms” or “everything as divine forms” (/lha yi gzugs ni thams cad kyang/).
n.­257
Comm1 (379) and Comm2 (884) state that “Vajrasattva” here is “Vajragarbha,” being addressed by the Buddha.
n.­258
According to Comm2 (884), the first half of this verse is said to be an instruction for practitioners of the “sudden type,” whereas the second half, along with the elaborate explanation that follows, is for practitioners of the “gradualist type.”
n.­259
Instead of “one’s own awakening,” the Tib. (105b.3) has “self-reflexive awareness” (rang rig).
n.­260
This sentence is missing from the Skt.
n.­261
Tib. (105b.6: /dag pas dug med byas na ni/) “Removing poison by purifying [them].”
n.­262
Comm1 (408) states, “ ‘Practice of reality’ means that this is the exalted state of meditation on suchness.” The practice is done within this state, and is not a means toward it.
n.­263
The presence of the phrase “by Anaṅgavajra” could be due to a redactional flaw that occurred in the process of compiling the Sampuṭa. The parts of earlier texts incorporated into the Sampuṭa were adapted to make their content appear to be part of the same (Sampuṭa) revelation spoken by the Blessed One. In the case of this passage, however, taken from Anaṅgavajra’s Prajñopāyaviniścayasiddhi, this seems to have been done inadequately, as the passage still includes the verbatim repetition of Anaṅgavajra’s claim of authorship, where he introduces his own work in the third person (“Now … will be explained … by Anaṅgavajra”).
n.­264
In the Tib. (106a.5) the word “essential” qualifies “qualities” (snying po’i yon tan).
n.­265
Tib. (106b.1), kun ’dar gyi ni spyod pa.
n.­266
Comm2 (890) says that “gentle form” refers to Mañjuśrī and, concordantly, any other deity that accords with the propensities of beings.
n.­267
The Tib. (106b.3), when considering multiple versions, is saying, “Everything known as accomplishment / Comes about through different practices accordingly taught. / Through the unexcelled practice / The unparalleled state of Samantabhadra is accomplished. / Thus, the vajra holder should surely know about this conduct‍—/ So said the Blessed One.” (/grub par grags pa ma lus pa/ /ci gsung rnam pa sna tshogs pa’i/ /spyod pas [N, H = pa] bla na med pa yi [N, H = yis]/ /kun bzang mtshungs pa med ’grub pas/ /spyod pa nges rig rdo rje can/ /bcom ldan ’das kyis bka’ stsal to/).
n.­268
The Tib. (106b.6) has, “One should associate with those who have the mastery to live a life / free of all obscurations” (/sgrib pa kun las rnam par grol/ /’tsho bar dbang phyug ’du ba/).
n.­269
Instead of “engaged,” the Tib. (106b.7) has “capable” (nus).
n.­270
Instead of “ambrosia,” the Tib. (107a.5) has “essence” (snying po).
n.­271
Comm2 (894) states that Vajra Mind (thugs rdo rje) is an epithet for the Blessed Vajradhara.
n.­272
Instead of “net of concepts,” the Tib. (107a.7) has “enemy that is conceptual thinking” (rtog pa’i dgra).
n.­273
The meaning of this verse is not clear. The Tib. (107a.7–8) has, “They should be performed by one who knows mantra and is capable of reflection. / All things should be regarded / By means of the technique involving form / In which everything is indeed non-arising.” (/sngags shes bsam pa’i nus pas bya/ /dngos po kun la blta bar bya/ /nges par thams cad ma skyes pa’i/ /rnam pa yi ni rnal ’byor gyis/).
n.­274
Comm1 (421) states that “vajra water” (rdo rje’i chu) is “urine.”
n.­275
The Tib. has “Food edible to others” (gzhan pa’i ’jig rten za ba).
n.­276
There are several variants in the Skt. original. The Tib. (107b.6) and Comm2 (896–897) interpret this passage as, “He should regard all beings‍—whether lowly or exalted, high caste or low caste, repulsive or wretched‍—as identical, like victorious ones.” (dman pas shin tu sgeg pa dang / rigs dang bcas pa dang / rigs med pa dang / sdug cing phongs pa’i sems can thams cad la gcig pa’i tshul gyis rgyal ba lta bur blta ba).
n.­277
This section is slightly different in the Degé (108a.1–2), which seems to say: “The master, who is worshiped by the conquerors, is also the samaya of gnosis, in that through that being’s samaya, the variety of accomplishments is always conferred. Those bodhisattvas dwelling throughout the ten directions always worship this wise one. Thus, since whatever merit is possessed by perfectly awakened ones and bodhisattvas can be seen in the tips of the master’s pores, the bodhisattvas witness buddhas worshiping the master” (rgyal bas mchod pa’i slob dpon dang / ye shes kyi dam tshig ni sems can de dam tshig gis rtag tu dngos grub sna tshogs sbyin par byed de/ blo dang ldan pa la phyogs bcur rnam par gzhugs pa mchod par byed do / gang gi phyir rdzogs pa’i sangs rgyas dang byang chub sems dpa'i bsod nams gang zhigs lob dpon gyi ba spu'i khung bu'i rtse mo la mthong ba de'i phyir byang chub sems dpas slob dpon la sangs rgyas kyis mchod pa byed pa mthong ngo).
n.­278
Based on a different Skt. variant, the translation could be, “One should accept what is being offered, without giving praise.”
n.­279
Instead of “post-initiatory observances” (caryā), the Degé (108a.4) has “the conduct of embrace” (āliṅganam, ’khyud pa’i spyod pa). N and H have “embrace or conduct” (’khyud pa’am spyod pa).
n.­280
The “heat” is a sign that one’s practice is successful (Olga Serbaeva, personal communication).
n.­281
Comm2 (902) glosses this line as, “The practitioner of nonconceptual bliss will be given the same taste of the means of blissful body and mind.”
n.­282
The Degé (108b.6) has “The practitioner of indestructible reality” (de nyid mi shigs rnal ’byor). Comm2 (903) glosses “indestructible” as “ ‘lifeforce / prāṇa,’ which when brought into the central channel, stabilizes the meditative absorption of bliss-emptiness.” Both the Tib. and Comm2 possibly reflect a slightly different Skt. reading.
n.­283
This interpretation is based on the Tib. (109a.1) which has “without needing to beg for them / seek them (i.e., effortlessly)” (ma bslangs par). Comm2 (904) concurs with “effortlessly.” The Skt. word, anābhogāt, suggests “without having to bow down.”
n.­284
The Skt. here has a plural number, suggesting that not only the practitioner, but also people from his immediate surroundings will be benefited, as is often the case in this type of ritual (cf. Bhūtaḍāmara 15.8, 17.6, etc.).
n.­285
Comm2 (904–905) interprets this as “training connected with the vows of the śrāvaka and bodhisattva.” Alternatively, it could be “vows of śrāvakas and bodhisattvas.”
n.­286
Instead of “necklace of bone,” the Tib. (109a.7) has “gem” (nor bu).
n.­287
Comm2 (910) explains that she is consecrated by “arranging the deity on her body, and purifying her through the four aspects of approach and accomplishment.”
n.­288
The Skt. of this sentence seems to be the same as the Skt. of the corresponding part in the Hevajra. The Tib. (109b.2), however, seems to have switched around the main and relative clauses; it has, “When endowed with the supreme vajra / One should sing a song” (/gang tshe rdo rje mchog ldan par/ /de tshe glu ni blang bar bya/).
n.­289
The Tib. (109b.3) adds here, “Skillful means takes on the form of the ḍamaru.” (/thabs kyi gzugs kyis cang te’u/).
n.­290
Comm2 (911) glosses “with the hair of a thief” as “with the hair of a corpse.”
n.­291
According to Comm2 (911), “that which comes from hūṁ” means “charnel ground bones that come from bodhicitta, on which the five buddhas are etched.”
n.­292
Comm2 (911) explains this as “containing both human hair and a garland of bone.”
n.­293
The Tib. (109b.6) has an additional line here: “With the khaṭvāṅga as the wisdom consort / He should perform the vajra recitation and visualization” (/kha TvAM ga ni she rab ste/ /rdo rje bzlas dang bsgom pa yin/).
n.­294
There seems to be much confusion in this sub-chapter regarding the identity of the Blessed One’s interlocutor. The form of address, deva (my lord / husband!) is consistent with its being spoken by the Blessed One’s consort, who, accordingly, is later addressed by him as devī (my goddess / mistress!). There is no doubt about her identity as the mistress, since she later inserts the Blessed One’s bola into her kakkola. The Blessed One is later identified as Vajrasattva and the goddess as Nairātmyā. Since most (perhaps all?) of chapter 6 seems to be a dialogue between the two of them, the text has been emended accordingly, against Comm2 and the Tib., which sometimes identify the Blessed One’s interlocutor as Vajragarbha.
n.­295
The reading Vajrasattva seems to be anomalous for reasons explained in the previous note. Comm2 (913), however, reflects the reading Vajrasattva and identifies him as Vajragarbha.
n.­296
The secret sixteen syllables are the syllables of the statement rahasye parame ramye sarvātmani sadā sthitaḥ.
n.­297
Instead of “bile,” the Tib. (110a.4) has “mind” (sems), reflecting the reading cittam; this reading is attested in some manuscripts.
n.­298
In the Tib. (110a.4), the Skt. word rasa is translated not as “chyle,” but as “taste” (ro).
n.­299
The Tib. has “stomach fat” (lto tshil), while Comm1 (440) has this as “fat” (tshil), and the next instance of “fat,” it has as “grease / oil” (zhag).
n.­300
As this is about the constituents of the human body, “fire” probably means bodily heat.
n.­301
The Skt. word vasā is rather vague, as it can mean any fatty or oily substance.
n.­302
The meaning of the last half-stanza is not very clear. The Skt. could also be translated as “This is taught in this way, goddess, based on the type of sound [produced] in the channels.” The interpretation would be that the sound heard in the channels associated with the listed bodily constituents is represented, respectively, by the sixteen syllables. Comm2 (915) glosses “the natures of the channels and sounds” as “the nature of goddess and wind (ḍāka), respectively, from the union of which emerges bodhicitta.”
n.­303
The translation of this half-stanza is based on the Tib. (110a.7: /rkan du ra dang thams cad du/ /sa bon bzhi ni dam pa nyid/) rather than Skt., but still, it is far from clear how the five syllables are distributed. Comm2 (916) has, “Abiding on one’s palate / Are the unexcelled four seeds.” It glosses this as the “wind of the four elements, in the form of four seeds at the sambhoga cakra at the throat.” Comm1 (446), however, interprets the Skt. tālu (usually meaning “palate”) as bhaga.
n.­304
Comm2 (916) glosses this as the “dharma cakra at the chest, which is adorned with the five seeds, meaning, it contains the wind based on the essence of the five ambrosias.”
n.­305
Comm2 (916) explains this as meaning, “The five elements are buddhas, and based on the five winds associated with those elements being one taste, they are also nonconceptual cognition, the luminous dimension of mind, i.e., the luminosity of mind is the nature of objects.” Comm1 (446) has “source” meaning the “nature of all phenomena.”
n.­306
Comm2 (916–917) specifies that “source” here refers to “nonconceptual cognition rooted in the wind of space” and “luminous by nature.” Comm1 (446) has “source” as “the nature of all phenomena.”
n.­307
Comm2 (918) says that this is the “location of the central channel, whose nature, being the wind of space, is the dharmadhātu.”
n.­308
Instead of “speech,” the Tib. (Degé 110b.3, and all other editions consulted) have “purity” (dag), although owing to the similarity between the Tibetan letters da and nga, this could easily be a scribal infelicity for “speech” (ngag). The reading “speech” is, however, corroborated by Comm1 (447).
n.­309
Instead of “blood,” the Tib. (Degé 110b.4, and all other available editions consulted) have “gem” (rin chen). However, it is not inconceivable that the Tibetan translators were confronted with a manuscript that read ratna (gem), rather than rakta (blood). Rakta seems correct in this context.
n.­310
Comm2 (918) elaborates that “entity” means “bodhicitta” and “non-entity” means “self-emergence.”
n.­311
The five substances listed here are the so called “five nectars.”
n.­312
Comm2 (919) explains that “Since the body is composed of the five ambrosias, which are the appearance of nonconceptual cognition, it can also be called vajrin.”
n.­313
Comm2 (919–20) explains that “in the center of the cakras of the body’s channels are two openings. These are the crown opening, through which the heat of Caṇḍālī (gtum mo) travels up; and the avadhūtī (central channel) opening, through which bodhicitta flows down. At the center of their convergence is where the body of the deity is perceived.”
n.­314
The commentaries differ on what the “it” is referring to. Comm2 (920) has “winds” entering the channels. Comm1 (449) has “consciousness and the elements ‘entering’ the navel.”
n.­315
The Tib. (111a.1) also only has “upper door” (steng sgor), but the commentaries (450, 920) treat it as though this refers to both “upper and lower doors” as a way to describe the entire body with its “nine orifices.”
n.­316
Comm2 (921) glosses these as “the central channel, the nine orifices, and the five sense faculties.” The Tib. root text (111a.2) has “thick” and “five” as modifying “presiding deities” (/sbom po lnga ni lhag pa’i lha/). Comm1 (450) glosses this as “the pillar that is the stick of the skeleton,” and the “five presiding deities, such as Vairocana and the rest,” whose “nature is the five aggregates.”
n.­317
This half-stanza should perhaps be read together with the prose paragraph (after the next two verses), which seems to complete the statement.
n.­318
This is interpreted in Comm2 (921) as “inhalation and exhalation.”
n.­319
This and the preceding verse are metrically corrupt in the Skt., with some words possibly missing. The Tib. (111a.3–4) reads, “Based on distinctions between the winds / Of footless, monoped, biped, / Polyped creatures, and so forth, / Rooted in their specific patterns of inhalation and exhalation, / Regularly, at all times, / The perpetually moving wind is fourfold / And the [manner] of mind’s resting is twofold” (/rtag par kun tu dus su ni/ /’gro dang ’ong pa’i khyad par las/ /rkang med rkang gcig rkang gnyid dang/ /rkang bzhi la ni sogs pa yi/ /rlung la sogs pas rab dbye bas/ /rtag tu ’gro ba rlung rnam bzhi/ /sems kyi gnas pa rnam pa gnyis/). Comm2 (921) concurs with this.
n.­320
In the Tib. (111a.4–5) this section is in the standard seven syllable verse.
n.­321
According to Comm2 (921–922) the movement refers to the four main “winds” associated with each of the four main cakras and elements (i.e., directions). The Degé (111a.5) has “upward, to the side, in the chest, and downward” (steng dang ngos dang brang ’og). Other versions (Y, J, K, N) all have “straight” (drang) instead of “in the chest” (brang). Comm2 (921–922) supports the non-Degé versions, since it also has “straight.”
n.­322
Instead of “entering and exiting,” the Tib. (111a.6) has “inhaling and exhaling” (rngub dang dbyung). However, both commentaries (453, 922) have “entering and exiting,” and describe it in terms of the central channel.
n.­323
The Tib. (111b.1) has “The innate is the state of accomplished ones / accomplishment” (/lhan cig skyes pa grub pa’i gnas/). Comm1 (460–461) explains, “The natures of happiness and suffering belong to all beings, because there are good qualities and bad qualities from bringing in and expelling [the buddhas and ḍākinīs]. Because of this, are they attained through effort? No. Since they abide innately, accomplishment comes effortlessly as a production of previous karma.” Comm2 (923) says, “Thus, in that way, one will be accomplished in the nature of the innate through bringing together the requisite causes and conditions.”
n.­324
This translation, however, is uncertain, since the endings of vajrasattva and mahāsukha (great bliss) here do not correspond. The other possible way to translate this sentence would be, “The blessed vajra holder, Vajrasattva, said that about great bliss.”
n.­325
Comm2 (923) explains that Vasanta (Spring) is “the drop of bodhicitta in the chest, a specific kind of physical faculty, which forms the basis for the emergence of the sensation of bliss.” The root text (Degé 111b.2) translates the Skt. tilaka as “drop” (thig le). Comm2 (923) states that “tilaka is the drop of blood at the navel that forms the basis for the production of the heat of gtum mo.” The reference is being made here to the practice called Vasantatilakā, which is the merging of the male drop (Vasanta) in the chest with the female drop (Tilakā) at the navel. Tilakā is later identified with Nairātmyā.
n.­326
The Tib. (111b.3) has, “How are they located for those in the indivisible state and so forth? How can there be a location for them?” (/mi phyed la sogs ji ltar gnas/ /de yi gnas ni ji ltar lags/).
n.­327
Because of sandhi, there is an ambiguity in the Skt. text of the reading bheda (division / category) versus abheda (indivisibility). The translation here as well as the Tib. (111b.3) reflect bheda (Tib. dbye ba). Comm1 (467), however, seems to reflect both bheda and abheda with the gloss, “Based on which specific functions do the channels of ‘indivisible’ and so forth emerge?”
n.­328
This seems to be a reference to the “third” eye. The Tib. (111b.6) has instead “An arouser situated between the brows” (/smin ma’i dbus gnas rab tu bskul/).
n.­329
In verse 5.1.8, Kāmarūpa is described as an “auxiliary pīṭha.”
n.­330
Instead of “are called by the ḍākinīs,” two of the Skt. manuscripts read “belong to ḍākinīs.”
n.­331
The Tib. (112a.5–6) seems to translate anyatama (anyone) as “sublime,” and reads, “Now, moreover, I will explain the cakras of subtle channels, according to their location in the body of a sublime tathāgata” (//de nas gzhan yang dam pa’i de bzhin gshegs pa’i sku ji ltar gnas su son pa’i rtsa’i ’khor lo bshad par bya’o/).
n.­332
The Tib. (112b.3–4) has, “He is the actualization of the four yogas” (/rnal ’byor bzhi ni mngon du’o/).
n.­333
Comm2 (928) explains that “the action is the drop of blood, while the agent is the drop of bodhicitta.”
n.­334
Comm1 (478) interprets “this” as “this body and its subtle channels,” while the Rahasyadīpikā, a commentary on the Vasantatilakā from which this passage was taken, interprets this as “everyone’s body” (sarvadehināṃ dehaḥ).
n.­335
Comm2 (928) states that “the central channel is the channel that conveys bodhicitta, making five.”
n.­336
The five are, presumably, the four subtle channels just mentioned and the central channel.
n.­337
Both Comm1 (479) and Comm2 (929) explain, “Rasanā has the nature of rajas, lalanā has the nature of sattvam, and avadhūtī has the nature of tamas. These are the main ones.”
n.­338
Pullīra is a metrical shortening of Pullīramalaya.
n.­339
Instead of “Divine,” the Tib. has “Playful” (rtse ba ma).
n.­340
The subtle channels are here personified by being given feminine names and referred to, on occasion, as “ḍākinī.”
n.­341
All these channels are personified as ḍākinīs.
n.­342
In the Vasantatilakā, from which this passage was taken, the name of this ḍākinī is Mahānāsā.
n.­343
The Tib. (113a.2–3) has, “Since it abides in a hard form, / It is present as a rattling bone necklace” (/sra ba’i dngos pos gnas pa’i phyir/ /rus pa’i phreng ba ’khrugs par gnas/).
n.­344
Instead of “heart,” the Tib. (113a.3) has “liver” (mchin pa).
n.­345
Because of the ambiguity of the Skt. sarva, instead of “every body,” another possible meaning is “the entire body.”
n.­346
This name appears in the text in its BHS spelling, Doṣāvatī.
n.­347
The Tib. (113a.5) has, “She is said to pertain to the tendons on one’s sides” (/ngos kyi chu rgyus yang dag bshad/). Comm1 (480) has “ribs.”
n.­348
The Degé (113a.5) has ’bab ma. However, another version (N) has tshad ma, which translates the Skt. pramāṇā.
n.­349
The Tib. (113a.6) simply has “which is inside the extremities” (mtshams kyi mtha’ yi nang du). Comm1 (480) glosses the body part as the “hair line,” as in “within the hairline.” The Skt. sīmā can mean “hairline”; in the text, however, we have the compound