About the Title

Root-text:

In Sanskrit: Śrīguhyagarbhatattvaviniścayamahātantra.
In Tibetan: dpal gsang-ba'i snying-po de-kho-na-nyid rnam-par nges-pa'i rgyud chen-po.
In English: The Great Tantra Of The Glorious Secret Nucleus Definitive With Respect To The Real^[1]

Obeisance to the Transcendent Lord, glorious Samantabhadra.^[2]

Commentary: Exegesis of the Meaning of the Title

(7.1-15.6)

This has two sections—the actual meaning of the title end a description of the offering that is made with obeisance.

The former (comments on Title, section 1). It has four topics, namely, the required meaning, the subsumed meaning, the verbal meaning, and a rejection of erroneous criticisms.

First, the required meaning has three aspects:

i. There is the meaning understood dependent on name. This means that Just as a bulbous narrow-based (zhabs-zhum) object for pouring water is understood from the name “vase”, so all things are revealed through the title itself to be within the unique maṇḍala of primordial Buddha-hood. Those of keenest acumen are required to realise only that.

ii. There is the name understood dependent on meaning. This means that Just as that which is bulbous is understood to be a "vase", so the meanins of Buddha-hood In the primordial maṇḍala is itself understood as the title (of the text). Those of mediocre acumen are required to understand all things merely as names, once they have indeed been named.

iii. There is the consciousness in which name and meanins are interrelated. This means that Just as the vase and its bulbous shape are not different, so the title and its meaning are known without duality. Those of dull acumen are required to comprehend, over a long period of time, that nature in which word and meaning are indivisible.

Moreover, those who understand the meaning from the name (i.e. title) are required to know all things as the identity of primordial Buddhahood, Just as the identification of medicines is easily found in a book or as an inventory of soldier's arrows is accessible for one who knows how they are classified.

The subsumed meanins (of the title) is that all things are revealed as the nature of enlightenment in the maṇḍala of the primordial conqueror (Samantabhadra).

The verbal meaning is expressed in Tibetan (bod-skad-du)—the language of Greater Tibet, which Is the dBus-gtsang area among the country’s three provinces,^[3] into which the tantra has been most excellently translated.

Now, the Conqueror’s Intention is directed towards the realisation of the inexhaustible wheels of adornment—the Buddha-body, speech and mind in which all things are primordial Buddhahood and in which all saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are indivisibly included. But because this is most difficult to realise it is a secret (gsang-ba) topic. Those to whom it is secret are unworthy recipients, obscured in their three media (of body, speech and mind).

There are both hidden (gab) and concealed (sbas) modes of secrecy: The three Buddha-bodies are hidden because, although present in oneself, they have been obscured by suddenly arisen obscurations and are unperceived.

Accordingly the Hevajratantras (T. 417-8) says:

Sentient beings are themselves buddhas
But they are obscured by suddenly arisen stains.

And in the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle (T. 4024):

Just as when there happens to be an inexhaustible treasure
Underground within the house of a pauper.
But he is ignorant of it
And it never says to him, “Here I am!”.
So it is because the precious treasure within the mind—
The immaculate reality neither to be clarified nor established—is not realised
That the suffering of deprivation is felt everywhere
And abundantly by those living creatures.

Illustrated by these (quotations), the profound view and intention are hidden because they are not known through one's own ability and are either unrevealed by others or misunderstood when revealed, Just as for one who has been born blind the appearance of form is hidden.

The concealed mode of secrecy refers to the uncommon view, meditation and conduct because, if they were not concealed, the approach to that which is secret would,be confused and become a topic for exageration and depreciation.

This is also stated in the Clarification of Commitments (P. 4744):

The secret mantras are flawless.
For the sake of sentient beings they are very secret.
When kept secret, their accomplishment does not vanish.
Therefore, for secrecy, various pure symbols are taught.

Although many enumerations of the term “secret” are explained in different literary transmissions, these writings are mostly redundant because they are gathered in this present (Tantra). And if it too is subsumed, it comprises the three Inconceivable secrets (or mysteries) of buddha-body, speech and mind.

The nucleus (snying-po) Is the Great Perfection or abiding nature of the meaning of primordial Buddha-hood—the conclusive Inexhaustible wheels of adornment or Buddha-body, speech and mind, the nature of all things. It also refers to the profound and extensive (texts) which are Its expressions.

The real (de-kho-na-nyid) is the very nature of the three buddha-bodies without conjunction or disjunction. It is all-pervasive, unfailing reality and unchanging.

The nature definitive with respect to (nges-pa) the real is not that which, according to the provisional meaning, is said to be present in buddhas and absent in sentient beings, but that which, primordially abides in everything, as oil within sesame.^[4]

Moreover the maṇḍala in which all things are primordial Buddha-hood is the ground or Secret Nucleus. Its experiential cultivation through the non-duality of creation and perfection is the path or the real. Its conclusive and spontaneously present three Buddha-bodies are the result, which is directly definitive with respect to the ground. In brief, the title (of this tantratext) reveals the very essence of primordial Buddha-hood in a nature where appearances and emptiness, creation and perfection, and saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, are without duality.

The rejection of erroneous criticisms is as follows: Those who adhere to erroneous bubbles on the blue lake of Ignorance and who forcefully stir the waves of wrong view and envy say, “No Sanskrit is cited at the beginning of this tantra of yours. Therefore it is not authentic.” In reply to this there are some who say, “The Sanskrit is implied by the words In Tibetan (bod-skad-du). The expression In Sanskrit: Guhyagarbhatattvaviniścaya does exist, but is not cited (In this edition) in order to avoid repetition.” There are also some who reason that these words are

Indeed absent in the Sanskrit volumes and on that same basis many Sūtras such as the Array Enlightened Attributes in the Buddha-field at Amitābha (T. 49) and many tantras such as the Root Tantra at Cakrasaṃvara (T. 368) would implicitly be inauthentic because (Sanskrit titles) are not cited therein.

While such assertions are indeed true, it is also the case that the definitive usage of the Sanskrit (title) and words of obeisance were employed from the time of Ral-pa-can onwards, and that previously they occurred to a limited extent only. Becuase this (Tantra at the Secret Nucleus) was translated during the time of the king of bSam-yas (Khri-srong lDe-btsan) the Sanskrit is not cited.^[5] It was not indicated because there is little point in repeating a single title many times.

The latter section concerning the obeisance (comments on Title, section 2):

The four demons, two obscurations and propensities which have been subdued (bcom) [by the Transcendent Lord]^[6] comprise the excellent endowment of renunciation. The four demons are the demon of the lord of death who interrupts the lifespan, the demon of the divine prince who interrupts contemplation, the demon of the components who Interrupts non-residual (nirvāṇa), and the demon of conflicting emotions who interrupts release.^[7] These are said to be subdued [by the Transcendent Lord] because he does not possess them from the beginning.

The two obscurations are those of conflicting emotions and the knowable.^[8] They comprise the thoughts which are the particular characteristics of the five poisons and also the mind that clings to the antidotes which purify them.

It says in the Analysis of the Middle Wav and Extremes (T. 4021):

Conceptualising thoughts which concern envy and so forth
Are called the obscuration of conflicting emotions;
Conceptualising thoughts which concern the three world-systems
Are called the obscuration of the knowable.

The buddha-body and pristine cognition which are possessed (ldan: by the Transcendent Lord) comprise the excellent endowment of realisation.

Accordingly the Sampuṭatantra (T. 381) says:

The excellent endowments of lordship, noble form.
Glory, fame, pristine cognition, and perseverance:
These six are said to be possessed.

Lordship refers to the purity of the essential buddha-body of reality, and Its (pristine cognition) of the expanse of reality. Noble form refers to the buddha-body of perfect rapture and its mirror-like (pristine cognition). Glory refers to the buddha-body of awakening and its (pristine cognition) of sameness. Fame and pristine cognition refer to the emanational body which performs acts of benefit through Its qualitative and quantitative understanding and so to its (pristine cognition) of particular discernment. And perseverence refers to the unchanging Buddha-body of indestructible reality itself, which manifests limitless enlightened attributes without moving from the expanse, and so to 1 ft (the pristine cognition) of accomplishment.

The term “excellent endowment” which is appended to these five, beginning with lordship, indicates that they surpass the pristine cognition of sublime students.^[9]

There are also some who profess that the word lord (bcom-ldan) indicates that the object implied in the term “subdued” (bcom-pa) is “possessed” (ldan-pa). The word Transcendent ('das) indicates that (the lord) has transcended all symbols of elaborate conception—saṃsāra and nirvāṇa, acceptance and rejection, and being and non-being.

It says in the Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas (T. 44):

Liberated from existence and quiescence,
Indivisible from the ocean of enlightened attributes.
Transcending all elaborate conceptions,
The Transcendent Lord (bcom-ldan-'das) is spacious quiescence.

The term glorious (dpal) refers to the (intrinsic) lack of movement from the buddha-body of the expanse of reality and to the extraneous glory with which the buddha-body of form arises in a spontaneous manner from the disposition of that reality itself.^[10]

It is said in the Tantra of the Rutting Elephant (NGB. Vol. 19):

Without moving from the buddha-body of reality,
The fivefold buddha-body of form is spontaneously present,
And therefrom the two kinds of benefit^[11] are completed.
Thus glory displays spontaneity and perfection together.

As to the term Samantabhadra (kun-tu bzang-po: the all-positive one): The natural inexhaustible wheels of adornment, the buddha-body, speech and mind, are present at all (kun-tu) times because they are unchanging in the field of the spontaneous Bounteous Array;^[12] and their great rapture which manifests In and of itself is positive (bzang-po) because it is perfect.

The Secret Pristine Cognition (T. 392) says:

This nature is unmoving, spontaneously perfect
And all-positive in its perceptual range.

When analysed, (the term Samantabhadra) has five aspects: Firstly, it refers to Samantabhadra, the original teacher whose manifest enlightenment preceded all.

As the Tantra of the Marvelous King (NGB. Vol. 2) says:

The first, preceding all
Who conclusively reached the self-manifesting ground.
Was purified (sangs) before and expansive (rgyas) before.
Therefore Samantabhadra, first (of buddhas).
Arises as the teacher of all saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.

He is called the original lord, not only because he reveals reality or describes natural mind-as-such, but also because he reveals the path of deliverance to all buddhas.

In the AllAccomplishing King (T. 828) he says:

Because I preceded all the conquerors
I arose as their parents.
Revealing the three Buddha-bodies.

And:

I, teacher of the teachers.
The all-accomplishing king,
Became the three buddha-bodies,
The teachers who emerge from myself.

It is because this teacher Is present that the path of liberation at the beginning of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa has been revealed, and that the conquerors of the three times have emerged. Otherwise, it would be Improper even for a buddha to emerge in the world. All (buddhas) would be the same as sentient beings, and would themselves not know how to reveal the path to one another. It is improper for some of them to be buddhas and others beings in saṃsāra. The explanation according to the common vehicles that there is neither beginning nor end is intended with reference to time and reality. In particular it is found in Madhyamaka that saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are without beginning or end, like space, because they are without Independent existence.^[13]

Furthermore, if buddha and sentient being were different from the beginning, the ground of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa would be diffferent, so that they would not be connected by spirituality.^[14] Therefore this (fundamental) nature is most clearly stated in the aforementioned Unsurpassed Tantrapiṭaka of the secret mantras. It has been excellently established by the great master Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra; and it Is also esteemed in this (Secret Nucleus).^[15] Secondly, the abiding nature of all things, the real, is the natural Samantabhadra. Thirdly, there is the Samantabhadra of the ground, which refers to the essence of inner radiance or mind-as-such, the nature of the three Buddha-bodies without conjunction or disjunction, which is primordial Buddha-hood because it is effortless and spontaneous from the present. Fourthly, there is Samantabhadra the path. This is the arising of realisation through experience of the path that skillful means and discriminative awareness are without duality. And fifthly, there is Samantabhadra the result; for once the path has been concluded, the ground is directly reached and the five Buddha-bodies and pristine cognitions are spontaneously present.

As to the literary transmissions which refer to these (aspects of Samantabhadra), I shall not enlarge upon them because there are many written accounts.^[16]

The term obeisance (phyag-'tshal-lo) means that those who resort to this same object (i.e. Samantabhadra) sincerely commit their three media (of body, speech and mind). It is not the case, as some opine, that obeisance is made to the compiler because no such custom is observed in the Sanskrit books. The Short Commentary (P. 4755) does include an Invocation to its compiler but not as a commentary on these actual words of obeisance.

Indeed (while commenting on these present words of obeisance) it says:

Having naturally subdued the four demons
In the expanse of sameness,
Perfectly possessing the two provisions or natural seals.
Transcending extremes of existence and non-existence.
Glorious In all intrinsic and extraneous ways.
Positive in natural realisation of all things and in spirituality,
Samantabhadra in whom deity is indivisible with deity,
Obeisance to you; for you are realised.

The Actual Exegesis of the Meaning of the Tantra

(15.6–620.1)

Next, the actual exegesis of the meaning of the tantra, which clearly reveals its expressed meaning, has three sections: The First (Chs. 1-3) indicates how the ground, the natural and spontaneous maṇḍala, arises from a disposition of spirituality. The second (Chs. 4-21) indicates how the maṇḍalas of both peaceful and wrathful deities emanate from it. And the third (Ch. 22) indicates how the tantra Is taught to genuine beings and then subsequently entrusted.

The first of these sections (concerning the natural maṇḍala of the ground) also is threefold: (Firstly in Ch. 1), it comprises the array of the teacher, the Buddha-body of reality, who manifests in and of himself as the maṇḍala of indestructible reality's expanse in the spontaneous field of the Bounteous Array, without moving from the expanse. (Secondly in Ch. 2). it indicates how this very teacher, without duality in respect of the buddha-mind or naturally present pristine cognition which arises as the five enlightened families, meaningfully expresses all things as primordial Buddha-hood and how his spirituality is aroused. (Thirdly in Ch. 3). it comprises the form assumed by the nature of spirituality, which is arrayed as the lamp of the world and establishes all things without moving from reality.^[17]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Tibetan ma-lus mi-lus lug-pa med-pa. As explained below, p. 353, these synonymous terms respectively indicate the three buddha-bodies, i.e.. those of reality (dharmakāya), perfect rapture (saṃbhogakāya) and emanation (nirmāṇakāya). Identified respectively as Samantabhadra, the five enlightened families of conquerors (rgyal-ba rigs-lnga), and Vajrasattva, these are the subject of the first three stanzas of the invocatory verses which follow.

[2]:

On Guhyapati (gsang-bdag), the “Lord of Secrets”, who is a form of Vajrapāṇi, see NSTB, Book 2, Pt. 2, p. 80. Vajrasattva here is a generic term meaning "spiritual warrior of indestructible reality" and does not refer to Akṣobhya.

[3]:

The dialects of the western region, sTod mnga'-ris skor-gsum, and the eastern region of mDo-khams are here differentiated from that of the central region, dBus-gtsang.

[4]:

On the distinctions between provisional meaning (drang-don) and the primordial or absolute meaning (nges-don) in terms of the causal vehicles of dialectics (rgyu mtshan-nyid theg-pa). see NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 3, pp. 92a-95b, 116b-121a.

[5]:

On the period of the early eighth century translations and the reforms instituted by Ral-pa-can, see 'Jigs-med gLing-pa, rgyud-'bum dris-lan. pp. 285-288.

[6]:

This term renders Sanskrit bhagavān. Tibetan bcom-ldan-'das. The hermeneutical significance of each Tibetan syllable is explained here, pp. 324-326, 351-352.

[7]:

Respectively these are: Tibetan 'chi-bdag-gi bdud: lha-'i bu'i bdud: phung-po'i bdud; and nyon-mongs-pa'i bdud (Sanskrit mṛtyupatimāra; devaputramara; skandhamāra; and kleśeamāra). Of these the first two are said to be demons of non-human agency (amanuṣyamāra) and the latter two demons of conceptual thought (vikalpanāmāra). On the difference between residual (lhag-bcas) and non-residual (lhag-med) nirvāṇa in terms of the causal vehicles, see NSTB. Book 1, p. 124a. The residue concerns the consciousness of the cessation of obscurations and the knowledge that they are not recreated. In terms of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-pa chen-po) the residue refers to the traces of rūpaskandha which are left behind in the lesser attainment of the 'ja'-lus. but not in the attainment of the 'ja'-lus 'pho-ba chen-po (Sanskrit mahāsaṃkrāntikāya). See NSTB, Book 1, pp. 204a.-211b.

[8]:

Tibetan nyon-mongs-pa-dang shes-bya'i sgrib-pa. On how these two obscurations are abandoned in the three causal vehicles, see NSTB, Book 1, pp. 123b-131b.

[9]:

The expression “sublime” ('phags-pa) indicates those bodhisattvas who have reached the levels of non-regression, particularly the tenth, Dharmamegha.

[10]:

The reality (chos-nyid) of dharmakāya is contrasted with the apparent or apparitional reality (chos-can) of the rūpakāya.

[11]:

I.e. benefit of self (rang-don) and others (gzhan-don).

[12]:

On this Ghanavyūha realm of Akaniṣṭha which is associated with the teaching of the sambhogakāya, see below, pp. 357-389.

[13]:

The present usage of “beginningless” to designate the common ground of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa or the resultant view of an atemporal dharmakāya is here contrasted with its interpretation in the causal vehicles. The Śrāvakas hold consciousness and phenomena respectively to comprise a continuous or beginningless series of time moments and of indivisible atomic particles, while adherents of the Mahā-yāna focus on the emptiness, whereby phenomena are without beginning or inherent existence. On the distinctions between these three views, see NSTB. Book 1, Pts. 3-4, passim.

[14]:

Spirituality (Tibetan thugs-rje) is described as the motivating force behind the rūpakāya’s appearance in the world and as the means whereby sentient beings are released from saṃsāra. See below, Chs. 2-3. It is differentiated here from the term snying-rje, which refers to the compassion cultivated by bodhisattvas on the path.

[15]:

The resultant view of the secret mantras is held to have its fullest expression in the anuttarayoga-tantras among the transmitted precepts (legs-bshad gsung) and in the esoteric instructions (man-ngag) among the treatises (bstan-bcos). The treatises composed by Padmasambhava and Vimalamitra are largely comprised in the Peking bsTan-'gyur. Vol. 83; while their corresponding gter-ma works are mostly contained in snying-thig ya-bzhi. See also above, pp. 77-81.

[16]:

The basic tantra-texts of Atiyoga (NGB. Vols. 1-10) concern the nature of Samantabhadra. Among equivalent treatises, one might note kLong-chen Rab-'byams-pa's own KCZD.

[17]:

I.e. the nirmāṇakāya which appears but is in reality identified with the dharmakāya.