Text 1.4 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 1.4]

... [The palace is superior and immeasurable in extent,] Its garlands which are diverse gemstones of pristine cognition, its silken hangings. the ornaments of its frieze, and diverse forms, diverse sounds, diverse scents, diverse savours, and diverse objects of contact which intermingle in the ten directions are naturally present. Bedecked in inconceivable ornaments which radiate without obscuration, it has embrasured gates, entered through the fourfold approach to liberation, and it has tiered pediments representing the eight kinds of liberation. These are indeed contained within (the celestial palace), without outer and inner (distinctions) in all respects. Therein, [4] ...

[Tibetan]

ye-shes rin-po-che sna-tshogs-kyi phreng-ba-dang / chun-'phyang-dang / shar-bu'i rgyan-dang / gzugs sna-tshogs-dang / sgra sna-tshogs-dang / dri sna-tshogs-dang / ro sna-tshogs-dang / reg-bya sna-tshogs-kyi phyogs-bcur 'khrigs-par rang-byung-la mi-sgrib-par gsal-ba'i rgyan bsam-gyis mi-khyab-par klubs-pa / rnam-par thar-pa bzhi'i sgo-nas 'jug-pa'i sgo-khyud-can / rnam-par thar-pa brgyad-kyi rta-babs-dang ldan-pa / phyi-dang nang med-pa/ kun-tu yang nang-du gyur-pa-na / [4]

Commentary:

Above the five-layered walls of natural expression which appear in the forms and colours of diverse gemstones (rin-po-che sna-tshogs-kyi) materialised from the essence, pristine cognition (ye-shes), there is the cornice (pha-gu), and above that are the beams of the roof-parapet (kha-bad) from which the battlements are supported. Hanging therefrom are garlands (phreng-ba) and at intervals between them are silken hangings (chun-'phyang) including wreaths in the shape of sun and moon, silk fringes and tassled yak-tail pendants made of jewels. The spire is also adorned with corbelled brackets (pu-shu), the ornaments of its frieze (shar-bu'i rgyan) with a lattice work of precious gems. Endowed with ornaments which radiate without obscuration it shines brightly and is pleasant.

Now, the cornice symbolises the unchanging pristine cognition. The lattices symbolise that the benefit of living beings emerges because the three buddha-bodies are without conjunction or disjunction. The battlements symbolise that living beings are protected by compassion, and the spire symbolises that which is peerless because it is highest of all.^[1]

Moreover, upon plinths (for the offerins soddesses) of the desired attributes there emanate throughout the ten directions of the celestial palace clouds of the five groups of five soddesses endowed with desired attributes.^[2] And the offerings which they make to the deities within it are the diverse forms (gzugs sna-tshogs), diverse sounds (sgra sna-tshogs), diverse scents (dri sna-tshogs), diverse savours (ro sna-tshogs) and diverse objects of contact (reg-bya sna-tshogs) which intermingle ('khrigs-par) with the cloud-mass in the ten directions (phyogs-bcur). Spontaneously and naturally present (rang-byung). they symbolise that all desired attributes arise as ornaments of the display. There are some who affirm that (the celestial palace) is neutral, neither pleasant nor unpleasant. However that is incorrect because in this situation the buddhas’ own perception is without impurity.

The celestial palace and all its outer and inner ornaments, inasmuch as they are not coarse but clear, are luxuriously bedecked (klubs) and adorned with a beauteous array, inconceivable (bsam-gyis mi-khyab-pa) in details. It is endowed with ornaments (rgyan) which radiate (gsal-ba'i), penetrating outwards and Inwards to the core, without obscuring (mi-bsgribs-par) one another. This illustrates that the nature of mind is primordial inner radiance and Immeasurable in enlightened attributes.

It has embrasured gates (sgo khyud-can) adorned with a triple entrance in each of its four directions in order to illustrate that this spontaneous celestial palace of Samantabhadra is entered ('jug-pa) through (nas) the fourfold approach to liberation (rnam-par thar-pa bzhi'i sgo) from obscurations which apprehend substances and signs. These are namely emptiness, signlessness, aspirationlessness, and actual non-compoundedness.

Now, emptiness is the primordial essenceless nature of all things. Signlessness is the absence of Independent existence in anything from the very moment at which it appears. Aspirationlessness is the absence of proof, refutation, acceptance and rejection. And actual non-compoundedness is the effortless mind-as-such which is present once the nature of these has been realised. This uncompoundedness when classified is twofold. It comprises both primordial inner radiance and the four immeasurables which are spontaneously present through natural momentum derived from its disposition.

The former is the mind-as-such, primordially pure and inwardly radiant, on which it says in the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in Eight Thousand Lines (T. 8):

This mind is not the mind. The natural expression of mind is inner radiance.

The Tathāgata, absorbed in meditation in the grove of the (Bodhi) Tree, where he attained liberation, also said of it:^[3]

I have found a nectar-like doctrine—
Profound, calm, simple, radiant and uncompounded.
If I teach it no-one will understand.
I will remain right here in the forest, in silence.

And in the Ornament of Emergent Realisation (T. 3786):

In it there is nothing to be clarified.
Nor is there anything at all to be established.
Correctly regard the genuine reality.
If one perceives correctly, one will be liberated.

The latter (sort of uncompoundedness, i.e. the four immeasurables) are, namely, loving kindness which desires that sentient beings without happiness might encounter happiness, compassion which desires that those who are tormented by suffering might be separated therefrom, sympathetic Joy which desires that those in possession of happiness might not be separated therefrom, and equanimity which desires that those who have attachment and hatred might be separated from all attachments and hatred for those far and near, and then abide in even-mindedness.

Because these four immeasurables have emerged from the disposition of non-referentlal and signless spirituality, it says in the Ornament of the Sūtras of the Greater Vehicle (T. 4020):

Endowed with love for sentient beings.
Intending them to encounter (happiness)
And be separated (from suffering),
Intending them not to be separated (from happiness).
Obeisance to you, intent on spiritual and temporal well-being.

It is explained that the four gates (of the celestial palace) symbolise the four immeasurables, and that each gate is embrasured and adorned with three successive entrances, in order to symbolise the (first) three approaches to liberation.

The eight kinds of liberation (rnam-par thar-pa brgyad) are namely: the liberation which regards outer forms to be a magical display of appearance and emptiness because the apparitions of (ones own) inner form are unimpeded, and which thus regards the mistaken apprehension of the true existence of appearances as a dichotomy of subjective and objective forms: the liberation which regards outer forms without reference to (ones own) inner form, and which thus regards the release from the apprehension of the true existence of outer and inner phenomena not as a subjective form but as an objective form; the liberation which regards all things as emptiness of a single savour, and which thus is a pleasant release from all subjective grasping: the liberation which perceives the space-like significance of mind-as-such, and which thus is the activity field of infinite space: the liberation which realises all things to be a display of mind and pristine cognition, and which thus is the activity field of infinite consciousness; the liberation which is without the subject-object dichotomy in all respects, and which thus is the activity field of nothing-at-all; the liberation which pacifies the entire range of conceptual elaboration and signs, and which thus is the activity field of neither perception nor non-perception: and the liberation which never has objective reference or subjective apprehension with respect to all things of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa and so forth, and which thus is cessation.^[4]

To represent the perfect enlightened attributes of these (eight kinds of liberation), outside each of the four gates there are four pillars, two on each side, which support the gate, and above them four indestructible beams, on which there is a tiered pediment (rta-babs dang-ldan-pa) with four terraced steps (bang-rim) of eight units (snam-phran).^[5] Beneath a parasol of precious gems, (the pediment) is adorned with a doctrinal wheel, two deer who turn it by their motion, embroidered hangings, victory banner, divine robes, silk fringes, and sounds which emerge from the flapping of twenty-four flags (ba-dan) attached to each of the four corner-terraces (kha-khyer/vedi), from golden bells and garlands of trinklets.

Furthermore it says in the Oceanic Magical Net (NGB. Vol. 15):

It (the pediment) is equipped in (ascending) order
With base (zhabs), lotus (ma-chags).
Tassles (zar-tshags), assorted hangings (sna-'phyang).
Silken hangings (chun-'phyang), garlands ('phreng-ba).
And a garuḍa with diverse heads (sna-tshogs khyung-mgo).

The (Sanskrit) word toraṇa conveys the meanings of an aerial victory banner, a gatekeeper, a platform on which a rider descends from a horse, and a staircase. However, in this context, it is held above all to refer to the tiered pediment which adorns the air (above the celestial palace), with its four terraced steps, (each) with four sub-units, making eight in all. There are some who hold it to symbolise the entrance into Atiyoga from the eight lower vehicles, and there are some who claim it is the entrance effected through meditation into the eight kinds of liberation. These interpretations, however, are irrelevant here because (the symbolism) must apply to the enlightened attributes of the Buddha-level alone.^[6]

In order to illustrate that the pristine cognition of the buddha-body of reality free from conceptual elaborations is without outer and inner distinctions (phyi-nang) and that all these enlightened attributes of the buddha-level are not excluded but indeed contained within (nang-du gyur-pa) it in all respects (kun-tu yang). this celestial palace, in whose nature the five lights of pristine cognition brilliantly glow, appears from the disposition of the Tathāgata’s spirituality. All that appears as the outer (phyi) Buddha-field and all that appears as the inner (nang) central deity and retinue is therefore gathered at all times and in all (kun-tu) respects in the essential abiding nature. Thus they are Indeed (yang) present, without straying from the disposition of Samantabhadra, the buddha-body of reality, or without (med-par) existing as different phenomena which are extraneous to his own nature. Therefore it is said that these are contained within (nang-du gyur-pa) (the celestial palace) primordially, in a state free from conceptual elaborations. Therein (na)...

[The latter, concerning the excellent array of thrones, (comments on Ch. 1.5):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

For an illustration of these architectural features of the vimāna. see p. 373b, and the plan in fig. 4, immediately above, which is derived from the klong-chen snying-thig-gi gtor-ma'i dpe'u ris.

[2]:

Tibetan 'dod-yon-gyi snam-bu. The kāmaguṇas are of course the offerings of the five sense-objects, symbolised by the Apsaras (mchod-pa'i lha-mo).

[3]:

Lalitavistara. xxv. 1.

[4]:

Interpreted according to the oral teaching of Dil-mgo mKhyen-brtse'i Rin-po-che. Cf. zil-gnon brgyad. above, p. 374. By the eight kinds of liberation the form and formless realms are liberated. On the formless activity-fields, see NSTB, Book 1, chart.

[5]:

Each step of the pediment comprises one vertical and one horizontal unit. On the distinction between the causal and resultant pediments (rgyu-dang 'bras-bu'i rta-babs). see Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, gsang-bdag dgongs-rgyan. Ch. 1, p. 76.

[6]:

The present context of the self-manifesting Ghanavyūha realm is the resultant Akaniṣṭha and not one in which the structures of the path apply.