Text 11.16 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 11.16]

Conduct is transformed through the two great provisions.
And then the Yogin who has not degenerated
In the branches (of mantra).
Who posseses the requisites.
And completely knows the rituals.
Will, by means of the maṇḍala of feast offerings,
Certainly accomplish his excellent purpose. [16]

[Tibetan]

byed-spyod tshogs-chen gnyis gyur-nas /
yan-lag ma-nyams yo-byad ldan /
cho-ga rdzogs-par shes-pa-yis /
rnal-'byor tshogs-pa'i dkyil-'khor-gyis /
nges-par legs-pa'i dgos-pa 'grub / [16]

Commentary:

[Those who should know (the nature of the feast-offerings):]

When, by realising this nature of the Great Perfection, empowerment has been obtained in the maṇḍala of genuine reality, all conduct (byed-spyod) of body, speech and mind that one has performed is perfectly transformed (gyur) through the innate force of the two great provisions (tshogs-chen gnyis) of merit and pristine cognition, and then (nas) whatever appears arises as pristine cognition.

It says in Vajrasattva: the Great Space (NGB. Vols. 1-2):

When all things are realised to be uncreated.
Spontaneously perfect and primordially liberated,
One’s deliberate practice spontaneously accomplishes
The creation and perfection stages.
And the unfabricated nature perfectly appears.

The Yogin (rnal-'byor) who has not degenerated in the (ma-nyams) five branches (yan-lag) of mantra which have been previously been described, who possesses the (ldan) five requisites (yo-byad), and who completely knows the (rdzogs-par shes-pa-yi) five rituals (cho-ga) should please (the deities) by means of the maṇḍala of feast offerings (tshogs-pa'i dkyil-'khor-gyis), endowed with supportive individuals and the implements of a feast-offering, at special times and in locations such as charnel grounds. Once this has been attained, he will certainly (nges-par) accomplish ('grub) the result, i.e. the provisional status of the three kinds of awareness-holder and four rites, and the conclusive enlightenment, which is his excellent purpose (legs-pa'i dgos-pa)^[1]

[The second part (of the interlinear commentary concerning the maṇḍala of the displayed feast-offerings) is the detailed exegesis of the nature of the (feast-offerings) according to different kinds of maṇḍala.]

It has two sections, namely, the nature of the supporting maṇḍala and the sequence of attainment which accords with it.

[i. The former comprises both the maṇḍala of the peaceful deities and the maṇḍala of wrathful deities. The first is threefold, namely, the maṇḍalas of five clusters, three clusters and a single cluster (of deities).]

[Amons them, the first (comments on Ch. 11.17):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

On the five requisites and five rituals, see above. Ch. 9, pp. 850-852; for the four rites, pp. 783-786, 1258-1264; and for the types of vidyādhara, provisional and conclusive, pp. 810-811, 853-854, 959-974.