Text 1.5 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 1.5]

... [Therein,] on a lion throne of fearlessness, an elephant throne of power, a horse throne of miraculous abilities, a peacock throne of power, and a bird throne of unimpeded nature, on seats of precious gems endowed with solar and lunar disks of natural inner radiance, and with untainted lotuses, [5] ...

[Tibetan]

mi-'jigs-pa seng-ge'i khri-dang / stobs glang-po-che'i khri-dang / rdzu-'phrul rta-yi khri-dang / dbang rma-bya'i khri-dang / thogs-pa med-pa nam-mkha' lding-gi khri-dang / rang-bzhin-gyis 'od-gsal-ba nyi-zla'i dkyil-'khor-dang / gos-pa med-pa padma rin-po-che'i gdan-la / [5]

Commentary:

[Concerning the excellent array of thrones]

In order to illustrate that (Samantabhadra) is unawed by the lower vehicles and possesses the four fearlessnesses (mi-'jig-pa), (the celestial palace) has a lion throne (seng-ge'i khri) in the centre. The four fearlessnesses are namely the commitment to realisation which is expressed in the words, “I, the Buddha”; the commitment to renunciation which is expressed in the words, “...have renounced all obscurations”; the commitment to cessation which is expressed in the words, “...have cut off the three poisons at will until obtaining liberation”; and the commitment to the path which is expressed in the words, “....have become disillusioned with saṃsāra by meditating on the profound path.” They are so called because they abide indesputedly in the truth.^[1]

Accordingly, the Ornament of the Sūtras of the Greater Vehicle (T. 4020) says:

Obeisance to you who reveals pristine cognition,
Renunciation, disillusionment and cessation
For the sake of self and others.
Unbowed by others who are eternalistic extremists.

To symbolise that meanings are contained here which are excluded in the lower vehicles, and that (Samantabhadra) possesses ten kinds of power (stobs) with respect to the vehicle, the palace has an elephant throne (glang-po-che'i khri) in the east. The ten powers are the ten kinds of knowledge, namely: knowledge of determinate and indeterminate places; knowledge of the maturation of the deeds of living beings; knowledge of concentration combined with contemplation and liberation: knowledge of the diverse volitions of those to be trained; knowledge of their diverse sensory bases; knowledge of those who have supreme acumen and those who do not; knowledge of the path oh which the five classes of living beings progress to the three kinds of liberation: knowledge of the recollection of the past abodes where oneself and others have been born: knowledge of the transference of consciousness at the death of sentient beings and their consequent rebirth: and knowledge of the cessation of corruption. They are so called because the obscurations covering these ten kinds of knowledge. i.e. their ten respective incompatible conditions, are subdued.^[2]

Accordingly the same text says:

Obeisance to you, subduer of those demons
Who thoroughly deceive sentient beings
In matters of skillful means, refuge, purity.
And disillusionment according to the greater vehicle.

To symbolise that all who require training are swiftly liberated and that (Samantabhadra) possesses the four supports for miraculous abilities (rdzu-'phrul), the palace has an “all-knowing” horse throne (rta-yi khri) in the south.^[3] The four supports (for miraculous ability) are those of aspiration. perseverance. mentation and scrutiny. which are emanated according to the minds of living beings and through which acts of benefit are then performed.^[4]

On this subject the Short Commentary (T. 3793) says:

Through the four supports (for miraculous abilities)
Namely those which combine training in the contemplations
Of aspiration, perseverance, mentation and scrutiny...

To symbolise that (Samantabhadra) holds sway over all appearances and possesses the ten kinds of power (dbang), the palace has a peacock throne (rma-bya'i khri) of precious gems in the west. The ten powers are namely: power over the lifespan because there is no death; power over the mind which knows the minds of living beings; power over necessities because the celestial treasury is possessed; power over deeds because the negative deeds of others are transformed into positive ones; power over birth because emanations spontaneously emerge in accordance with the training; power over aspiration because one’s intentions are fulfilled during oceans of past and future aeons; power over devotion because acts of benefit are performed in accordance with the devotion of those to be trained; power over miraculous abilities because all world-systems are penetrated at will in a mustard seed, revealing for example that it is unclear whether the worldsystems become smaller or the mustard seed larger; power over pristine cognition because acts of benefit are performed by those who have mastered the five great pristine cognitions, including the mirror-like one; and power over doctrine because all things are actually known, qualitatively and quantitatively, without exception.^[5]

The same text says:

Through power over necessities, birth, and life-span.
And over pristine cognition, doctrine, mind, and deeds,
Miraculous ability, aspiration, and devotion,^[6]
The mighty lord of all three realms is victorious.

To symbolise that living beings are trained by diverse enlightened activities and that acts of benefit are performed through three pristine cognitions of unimpeded nature (thogs-pa med-pa) and four kinds of genuine particular awareness. the palace has a shang-shang or bird throne (nam-mkha' lding-gi khri)^[7] in the north. The three pristine cognitions of unimpeded nature are the three fixed gazes of pristine cognition (ye-shes-kyi gzigs-pa 'jugs-pa gsum) which are unattached and unimpeded with reference to past, future and present time. The four awarenesses are the four kinds of genuine particular awareness, namely, awareness of the doctrine which occurs when the essence of all things with all their causes and results is known, awareness of meaning (don) which occurs when the meaning of that (essence) is revealed through many modes of expression, awareness of language (skad) which occurs when knowledge is revealed of the languages of sentient beings including the gods, and awareness of brilliance (or courage) which occurs because saṃsāra is not feared when the doctrine is explained.^[8]

The Ornament of the Sūtras the Greater Vehicle (T. 4020) says:

Obeisance to you who excellently reveals
An intelligence that is never impeded.
And explains the supporting (doctrine).
The supported meaning, the Buddha-speech.
And the (brilliant) knowledge.

Furthermore there is a definite description of these seats in the Tantra of Precious Empowerment (rin-po-che dbang-gi rgyud):

The Buddha-body is fearless, thoroughly subduing the four demons.
As a sign of this success, (the Buddha) sits on a lion throne.
The buddha-mind has ten powers, training the ten non-virtues.
As a sign of this success, (the buddha) sits on an elephant throne.
The buddha-attributes are the four supports for miraculous ability.
Through which one progresses without attachment.
As a sign of this success, (the buddha) sits on the throne of a supreme horse.
The buddha-speech is the ten powers, the way of the perfect conqueror.
As a sign of this success, (the buddha) sits on a peacock throne.
The buddha-activity is the four kinds of enlightened activity
Through which one is liberated from the four modes of birth.
As a sign of this success, (the buddha) sits on a bird throne.

To symbolise that mind-as-such, the Buddha-body of reality, is of natural inner radiance (rang-bzhin gyi 'od-gsal-ba), and that skillful means and discriminative awareness are without duality, these (thrones) are endowed with solar and lunar disks (nyi-zla'i dkyil-'khor); and (dang) to symbolise that they are untainted (gos-pa med-pa) by all defective flaws they are endowed with multi-coloured lotuses (padma). Thus. (the Buddhas) sit on seats (gdan-la) formed of precious gems (rin-po-che'i), in which all these desired qualities are found. Now, upon these five thrones are the seats of the central deities (i.e. the five conquerors), while their retinues each have their own seats in their respective (peripheral) locations, endowed with lotuses, and solar and lunar disks.

[The Excellent Teacher (60.4-87.4):]

Second (see p. 357). there is the detailed exegesis of the excellent teacher. It comprises both an overview and an interlinear commentary. The former (60.4-72.5) has three parts, namely. the classification of the enlightened family, the recognition of the enlightened family to which this text belongs, and a refutation of the misconceptions of others.

i. As to the first (the classification of the enlightened family): In general there are five enlightened families when classified according to the result or actual awakening in reality. These are the enlightened family of the Tathāgata, the enlightened family of indestructible reality, the enlightened family of precious gems, the enlightened family of the lotus, and the enlightened family of activity. Each of these is further subdivided into five (minor) enlightened families, namely those of buddha-body. speech. mind. attributes and activities: making twenty-five in all. Similarly when the five enlightened families are further subdivided according to buddha-body, speech, and mind, they number hundreds, thousands, millions or even an innumerable quantity of enlightened families.^[9]

It says in the Tantra of (Precious) Empowerment (dbang-gi rgyud):

The enlightened family which has five aspects
Is numbered thorough classification
In hundreds, thousands, millions or countless enumerations.
Like space it is unthinkable.

When an enlightened family is distinctly classified in this way, the central deity of any maṇḍala belongs to the enlightened family of Buddha-mind, which is subsumed within that particular enlightened family.

It says in the Indestructible Peak (T. 480):

In the maṇḍalas of the enlightened family
The lord of the enlightened family or Buddha-mind
Is the central deity of that enlightened family.

Furthermore, in the enlightened family of the tathāgata, the Buddha-mind is dark blue Vairocana, the Buddha-body is white Vajrasattva, the Buddba-speech is red Amitābha, the enlightened attributes are yellow Ratnasambhava, and the enlightened activities are green Amoghasiddhi. in the enlightened family of indestructible reality, the Buddha-mind is dark blue Aksobhya, the buddha-body is white Vairocana, and the others have the colours of their respective (deities as above). in the enlightened family of the lotus, the Buddha-mind of Buddha-speech is dark blue Amitābha, the Buddha-body of Buddha-speech is white Vairocana, while the enlightened attributes and activities of buddha-speech are respectively yellow (Ratnasambhava) and green (Amoghasiddhi). in the enlightened family of precious gems, the buddha-mind of precious gems is dark blue Ratnasambhava, the enlightened attributes are yellow Akṣobhya, while the other three have the colours of their respective (deities as above). in the enlightened family of activity, the buddha-mind of activity is dark blue Amoghasiddhi, the enlightened activity is green Akṣobhya, and the others have the colours of their respective (deities as above). This classification is the intention of the uncommon tantras.^[10]

Simultaneously, the pristine cognition of the enlightened family of buddha-mind, which is the mirror-like pristine cognition, is that of the central deity, while the other four (pristine cognitions) are exemplified by the other four (deities). in the case of the enlightened family of the tathāgata, the mirror-like pristine cognition belongs to Vairocana who is the buddha-mind. The pristine cognition of reality’s expanse belongs to Akṣobhya who is the buddha-body of that buddha-mind. The pristine cognition of sameness belongs to Ratnasambhava who is the enlightened attributes, the pristine cognition of particular discernment belongs to Amitābha who is the buddha-speech, and the pristine cognition of accomplishment belongs to Amoghasiddhi who is the enlightened activity. However, in the case of the enlightened family of indestructible reality, the mirror-like pristine cognition belongs to Akṣobhya who is the buddha-mind, and the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse to Vairocana who is the buddha-body. Such has been taught (in the uncommon Tantras).^[11]

Even in the circumstances of impure saṃsāra buddha-hood is held to be primordially attained in the nature of the five pristine cognitions, as stated in the following passages:

The aspects of the component of indestructible reality
Are known as the five perfect buddhas (Ch. 2. 2).

And:

Sentient beings are themselves buddhas.

And:

The collected thoughts of living beings are the enlightened mind.^[12]

On one occasion it is said in the profound Sūtra of the Arrayed Bouquet (Gaṇḍavvūhasūtra). T. 44):

Those who abide well in natural sameness
With respect to self and Buddhas
And are dynamic and non-acquisitive.
Become the Sugatas.
With purity of form and feeling.
Of perception, consciousness and attention.
The countless Tathāgatas
Become the supreme sages.^[13]

In the Sūtra of Vimalakīrti (T. 176) it also says:

That which beholds mundane aggregates is the seed of the tathāgata.

And:

Just as a lotus is not produced from dry ground, but is produced from marshland, so the unsurpassed enlightened mind is not produced among those who have actualised the uncompounded state (of nirvāṇa), but the unsurpassed enlightened mind is produced when one has developed the view of mundane aggregates to the extent of Mt. Sumeru. Therefore one who has conflicting emotions has the seed of the tathāgata.

And in the chapter on commitments which are not to be guarded^[14] from the Lasso of Skillful Means (T. 835):

The delusion which is thus gathered in non-conceptualisation
Is characteristically devoid of acceptance or rejection,
And belongs to the buddha-body, the enlightened family of the tathāgata.
The hatred through which venomous beings are instructed.
Without straying from reality's expanse.
Characteristically belongs to the enlightened family of indestructible reality.
The pride which arduously imposes sameness on phenomena
Characteristically belongs to the enlightened family of precious gems.
The desire which possesses all things
Characteristically belongs to the enlightened family of the lotus.
The envy which acts on behalf of living beings
Because those who misunderstand the sameness of things
Have virtuous and evil karma
Characteristically belongs to the enlightened family of activity.

And in the Guhyasamājatantra (T. 442-3):

The delusory nature of form that is revealed
Is the essence of bondage for the foolish:
The desirous sensation of feelings
That is revealed is the essence of pride:
The identity of the desire for perception
Characterises attachment to objects;
Envy with respect to habitual tendencies
Becomes one-pointed self-esteem;
Consciousness revealed as hatred
Is well known in causal and resultant (teachings).^[15]
These belong to the enlightened families of the five sugatas.

And for example:

There is neither buddha nor sentient being
Who have emerged from within this precious mind.

On the other hand, how, you may ask, do the sensory bases of living beings appear to be Impure and diverse? Although they are primordially pure and Immaculate, they have emerged through the power which diversely establishes the variety of deeds, happiness and sorrow in the ground-of-all. This is caused by the flux of thought, engendered by suddenly arisen imagination.^[16]

The ground-of-all is Indeed universal, and is the support of everything, as is said in the Sūtra of the Descent to Laṅkā (T. 107):

The ground-of-all is the support of everything.
It is the ground of rebirth
And likewise of purification.

Moreover, when the ground-of-all appears as Impure saṃsāra. it is the activating support. Inseparably present. But as the real nature of pure phenomena it is named the pristine cognition of reality's expanse. On that real nature all pristine cognition is supported; whereas on the ground-of-all that manifests as saṃsāra the consciousness of the ground-of-all, the mind of conflicting emotions, the consciousness of the Intellect and the consciousness of the five senses are supported.

According to some sūtras and tantras, these (aggregates of consciousness) are held to be purified into the five pristine cognitions through purification and transmutation. The ground-of-all is transmuted into the pristine cognition of reality's expanse. Similarly, the consciousness of the ground-of-all is transmuted into the mirror-like pristine cognition, the intellect of conflicting emotions into the pristine cognition of particular discernment, the consciousness of the intellect into the pristine cognition of sameness, and the consciousness of the five senses into the pristine cognition of accomplishment.

Similarly, form is transmuted into Vairocana, feeling into Ratnasambhava, perception into Amitābha, habitual tendency into Amoghasiddhi, and consciousness into Akṣobhya; while earth is transmuted into Buddhalocanā, water into Māmakī, fire into Pāndaravāsinī, air into Samayatārā, and space into Dhātvīśvarī. The sense-organs and their objects too are transmuted (respectively) into the essence of the male and female spiritual warriors (i.e. bodhisattvas), while the three media (of body, speech and mind) with their apprehension are known to be transmuted into the gatekeepers.

However, in this text (the Secret Nucleus). the process is not held to to resemble the sort of transmutation which occurs when a purificatory act alters the ground of purification, as when a blanket is transformed by dyes. This is because rejection & acceptance, purification & transformation are transcended. It is held on the other hand that (consciousness and so forth) are primordially present as pristine cognition, and that by knowing this to be so, the Imaginary thoughts of saṃsāra are liberated in pristine cognition. in the manner of ice melting into water, saṃsāra is liberated in nirvāṇa.

By experiencing the profound essential nature, which is pure but ostensibly impure because it has been dispelled by present stains of imagination, the imaginary thoughts and components are turned into pristine cognition. Then, once the stains have been abandoned, these become pure in the expanse. It is as, for example, when a lump of mercury mixed with gold momentarily resembles either fresh butter or mercury rather than gold, but does appear as gold by coming into contact with fire, at which time the fresh butter colour of the mercury vanishes of itself. Indeed when that lump is Intensely heated in fire it appears like the gold of the Jambhu [Jambu?] River.^[17] Similarly, one should know that through the experience of the profound path. there are provisional (results) of the sublime awareness-holders who are liberated from conflicting emotions. and on the buddha-level there are awareness-holders of spontaneous presence.^[18]

ii. Secondly (see p. 389). there is the recognition of the enlightened family to which (this text) belongs: There are those of the past who have explained that the maṇḍala in this (text) belongs to the enlightened family of indestructible reality and thence that the central deity is Akṣobhya. However that is not the case (firstly) because the central seat signifying the lord of the enlightened family has (the emblems) of a wheel and a lion, (secondly) because the female consort of the central deity is Indeed Ākāśadhātvīśvarī, (thirdly) because in the case of the wrathful deities who emanate from the glow of the peaceful deities the central one is Buddha Heruka, and (fourthly) because there is occasion to explain and indicate that this maṇḍala does mot confuse the central deity and retinue present in the self-manifesting ground of pristine cognition.^[19]

(Those mistaken views of the past) are also refuted by the following passage from the means for attainment and empowerment rituals belonging to this (Secret Nucleus), which were composed by the great master Padmasambhava:^[20]

HŪṂ! The mirror-like pristine cognition is pure
And the transcendent lord Vairocana
Together with the mudrā Dhātvīśvarī
Empowers the son of the enlightened family.

They are also contradicted by the passage from the White Lotus Commentary on the Magical Net Mañjuśrī ('jam-dpal sgyu-'phrul dra-ba'i 'grel-pa padma dkar-po), a unique subdivision of the uncommon tantras, which says:

The embodiment of the mirror-like pristine cognition is dark blue Vairocana. The embodiment of the pristine cognition of reality’s expanse is white Akṣobhya.

On the other hand, you may ask, surely (the central deity) is Akṣobhya because (this text) is explained to be part of the Magical Net of Vajrasattva (rdo-rje sems-dpa' sgyu-'phrul dra-ba)? Not so! Otherwise one could not avoid defects such as the implicit conclusion that the text entitled the Magical Net of the Goddess (T. 836) should have a goddess as its central deity. However, in the Magical Net of Vajrasattva (Vajrasattva) is explained to be a general term for all the enlightened families, and does not refer to Akṣobhya alone.

In the Yogatantras (rnal-'byor-gyi rgyud) it is also said:^[21]

O! Vajrasattva, lord of all enlightened families,
Be the lord of all enlightened families and maṇḍalas.

This follows the same procedure of naming the central deity of any maṇḍala Vajrasattva (i.e. spiritual warrior of indestructible reality).

It is improper to have firm conviction in the sPar-khab Commentary (P. 4718), the Eulogy to the Ground (gzhi-la bstod-pa) and so forth because they are not Tibetan commentaries! You have not even seen the Flash Splendour (T. 830) which says:^[22]

In the centre is Vairocana, the central deity.

Therefore in this (Tantra of the Secret Nucleus) the central deity is Vairocana, the deity of buddha-mind, because its maṇḍala belongs to the enlightened family of the buddha-mind of the Tathāgatas’ Buddha-mind, while Akṣobhya is identified with the indestructible Buddha-body (in that family).

iii. Thirdly (see p. 389), there is a refutation of the misconceptions of others:

Does this (status of Vairocana as the central deity) not, you may ask, contradict the following statement which is found in other tantras:^[23]

Form is itself Vairocana,
Feeling is Ratnasambhava,
Perception is Amitābha,
Habitual tendency is Amoghasiddhi,
And consciousness is Akṣobhya.

Also, is there not a contradiction because the body-colour (of Vairocana) is explained to be dark blue?

In response (to your first point), gentlemen, the common and uncommon tantrapiṭakas are each valid because they direct the intellect respectively towards lower and higher (vehicles). You have (secondly) confused the expression “king of consciousness” with the term “dark blue”. in this tradition of ours one is introduced to (the view) that there is no difference between Akaniṣṭha, or the expanse of Indestructible reality, and the hundred authentic families (of the peaceful and wrathful deities) who are present as inner radiance in the heart-centre, within a space of five lights.^[24]

It says in the Tantra of Intention: the nucleus of Esoteric Instruction (snying-gi dgongs-pa'i rgyud):

Once the dark blue Vairocana, holding the wheel in his hands, has been embraced by the female consort Ākāśadhātvīśvarī, the six Buddha-bodies arise simultaneously.^[25]

Therefore, the expression “king of consciousness” and the term “dark blue” both refer to the Buddha-mind of Buddha-mind in the enlightened family of the Tathāgata.

Elsewhere it is the intention of the common tantras that Vairocana is explained to be form, the enlightened family of Buddha-body, and Akṣobhya to be the Buddha-mind. This is with reference to the general five enlightened families, and to digressions from the basic maṇḍala, such as the maṇḍala of the Buddha-body of Buddha-body.

In addition, Ākāśadhātvīśvarī is space because mind-as-such is naturally pure, and consciousness is Vairocana because it radiates and shines diversely, and also the mirror-like pristine cognition which apprehends reflected Images. Buddhalocanā however is the perceptual range of reality's expanse because, unwavering and without conceptual thought, she is the reality corresponding to delusion; and the solidity of the earth element subsumed in the component of form is explained to be Akṣobhya because it does not change into another nature. This analysis according to the higher tantrapiṭakas surpasses others.^[26] Thus one should know the central deity to be Vairocana in a maṇḍala surrounded by clusters (of deities) who form the retinue of his enlightened family.

Now, if you ask where the Teacher, the male & female consort Samantabhadra who masters all spirituality, is located in this maṇḍala, there are some who say that he resides in a consecratory manner in the courtyard (of the maṇḍala). That however is not the case. It is Incorrect because he would implicitly become the retinue, and a central deity who abides on the periphery is not found in any maṇḍala belonging to the common and uncommon (tantras).^[27] Rather it is the case that in the situation of the buddha-body of reality, the great naturally present pristine cognition is Itself present, transcending objects of reference, thought and conceptual elaboration, and is called the male and female consort Samantabhadra.

Accordingly the Buddhasamāyoga (T. 366-367) says:

The spiritual warrior, actuality of all Buddhas,
Vajrasattva, supreme delight.
When rejoicing in that supreme secret
Is constantly present as the Identity of them all.

And in the Lamp Precious Gems (rin-po-che'i sgron-ma) which was composed by the great master Vimalamitra:

In the maṇḍala of reality’s expanse, without abiding.
He is called the male and female consort Samantabhadra.
When therefrom he assumes the body of perfect rapture
He is known as the buddhas of the five enlightened families.
When he performs acts of benefit through emanation
He is Vajrasattva—the countless and inestimable
Holders of indestructible reality.

Thus, the male & female consort Samantabhadra becomes Vairocana, the central deity of the five enlightened families, when selfmanifesting as the maṇḍala of perfect rapture.

There is also said to be a sequence of meditation within the heart-centre (of Vairocana) where (this deity) is experienced by one who delights during meditation in the practices of visualisation.^[28]

And in the Buddhasamāyoga (T. 366-367) it also says:

Then through skillful means which train living beings
This reality appears as the five enlightened families.
This unique nature of genuine accomplishment
May indeed be encountered as desired.

Emanating from that (reality), in order to train living beings he appears as Vajrapāṇī, Mañjuśrī, Avalokiteśvara and so forth, and as the inestimable display of the six sages.

The active male subject and the passive female object who are said (by some) to be arrayed in the courtyard are called the male and female consort Samantabhadra of the ground from which all glows (of divine presence) arise. This glow of pure reality's expanse initially appears, during the bar-do for example, as a duality of appearance and emptiness: and thence it gradually becomes the ground from which the clusters of different peaceful and wrathful deities arise. The words “in the courtyard” actually refer to the heart-centre of the central deity. its “front and rear” indicate the essence of the (deity's) posture, which is one of sexual embrace. More precisely, the central deity of the ground (Samantabhadra) is the central deity in the middle (of the maṇḍala), while the two male & female consorts who are its glow abide in the heart-centre of that (central deity) and are the pristine cognition without duality of appearance and emptiness. This is the mode (of explanation) found in the uncommon tantras, the esoteric Instructions of the gurus, and the great writings of means for attainment.^[29]

This maṇḍala even abides at the present moment, the peaceful deities being in the heart-centre,^[30] as is said in the following passage from the Tantra of the Coalescence of Sun and Moon (NGB. Vol. 9):

In the celestial (palace) of the precious heart-centre
Are the forty-two maṇḍalas of peaceful deities.
Their buddha-bodies appear without Independent existence.
And their subtle inner radiance is present in the heart.

The fifty-eight wrathful deities are present in the crown-centre, as the same text says:

The fifty-eight blood drinkers who are their glow
Are in the celestial (palace) of the cranium or skull.

This is also stated in the Intermediate Purificatory Rite of the Creation and Perfection Stages according to the Gathering of the Sugatas (bde-gshegs 'dus-pa'i bskyed-rdzogs 'bring-po'i las-byang) of the master (Padmasambhava) which says:

The peaceful deities are present
In their spontaneous maṇḍala.

And:

In the dark brown palace of the skull which blazes forth
The portals are constructed with the mighty king of Māras,
And rivetted with awesome wrathful deities,
The pillars and beams are fashioned of the eight Mahādevas
Who are proud spirits,
It is well filled with the eight great Nāgas
Who are venomous spirits.
Its roof-parapets are made with great Rāhula,
And the lattices with the constellations.^[31]

Now, the (Sanskrit word) bhandha means skull (or head), the hair of which is dark brown in colour. The other (terms) refer to the nape of the neck and the centre of the energy channels which comprise two fontanelles (or secret soft spots) and two soft spots on the nape.^[32] This concludes the exegesis of the overview (concerning the excellence of the teacher).

The latter (see p. 389) is the interlinear commentary on (the excellence of the teacher. 72.5-874). It includes a common teaching on the posture and symbolic hand-implements of the central deity and an explanation of the different male and female consorts.

[i. The first (comments on Ch. 1.6):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Sanskrit and Tibetan equivalents for the four fearlessnesses (caturvaiśāradya) are enumerated in Mahāvyutpatti 130-134. See also NSTB, glossary of enumerations.

[2]:

For the ten powers (daśatathāgatabala), see Mahāvyutpatti 119-129; also NSTB, glossary of enumerations.

[3]:

On the “all-knowing” horse (cang-shes-pa rta), known as Ājaneyabalaha, see the Pali Valahassa Jātaka; also R.A. Stein, Recherches Sur l’Epopée et Le Barde au Tibet. pp. 426, 510-1.

[4]:

Sanskrit and Tibetan equivalents for the four supports for miraculous ability (caturṛddhipāda) are given in NSTB, glossary of enumerations.

[5]:

On these ten powers (daśavaṣita). see Candragomin, Commentary on the Secret Tantra at Mañjuśrī, 75-71-3-2; also NSTB, glossary of enumerations.

[6]:

Scribal error: This verse includes chos twice among the daśavaṣita, omitting mos-pa (devotion).

[7]:

The shang-shang (Sanskrit cīvaṃcīvaka), symbolising enlightened activity, has a human torso and a bird-like lower body.

[8]:

Concerning these four kinds of genuine particular awareness (catuḥpratisaṃvid). see NSTB, glossary of enumerations, under “four modes of specific genuine awareness.” In this present context, our text erroneously reads tshig for don, and skad for tshig.

[9]:

The relationship of these families to the outer tantras of Kriyātantra, Ubhayatantra and Yogatantra, as well as to Mahāyoga, is discussed in NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 4.

[10]:

On the rotation of the central deity dependent on specific enlightened families, see also above, p. 68. It is on this basis that kLong-chen Rab-'byams-pa, alone among commentators, places Vairocana at the centre. His reasons for so doing are outlined below, pp. 397-401. For a conventional view, see Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, gsang-bdag dzonzs-rgyan. Ch. 1, pp. 81-86, where Akṣobhya-Vajrasattva is at the centre.

[11]:

In the present case of the tathāgatakula, the author holds the central deity, Vairocana, to represent the mirror-like pristine cognition (ādarśajñāna). See below, p. 420.

[12]:

N.L.

[13]:

In line 2 of this verse our text reads gang-zhig bdag-dang sangs-rgyas-rnams. Cf. NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 3, p. 112b: gang-zhig bdag-dang sems-can-rnams. Also in line 4 it reads de-dag bde-bar gshegs-par gsungs. Cf. NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 3. p. 112b: de-dag bde-bar gshegs-par 'gyur.

[14]:

Tibetan bsrung-ba med-pa'i dam-tshig. On this term, see NSTB, p. 226b. As indicated in the text, it refers to the true or resultant perspective of the five poisons.

[15]:

On the distinctions between causal and resultant vehicles, see NSTB, Book 1, Pts. 3-4. In the former case, hatred is to be purified, while the latter views hatred as primordially pure.

[16]:

Tibetan glo-bur kun-tu btags-pas rtog-pa'i spags-pas. See NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 1, pp. 4b-7b.

[17]:

Tibetan 'dzam-bu chu-bo'i gser: A metaphor for excellent gold accessible to a universal monarch.

[18]:

On the provisional awareness-holders of maturation, power over the lifespan and the great seal, as well as the resultant awareness-holders of spontaneous presence, see below, pp. 810-811, 959-974, PP. 1247-1248.

[19]:

Note that authors such as Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, gsang-bdag dgongs-rgyan, Ch. 1, p. 88, hold Dhātvīśvarī to be the consort of Akṣobhya in this context. On the Importance of Vairocana in the form Himamahāsāgara at the centre of the self-manifesting ground, see kLong-chen Rab-'byams-pa, theg-mchog rin-po-che'i mdzod. pp. 7ff.; also NSTB, Book 2, p. 10ff.

[20]:

N.L.

[21]:

N.L.

[22]:

kLong-chen-pa's arguments are often accompanied by robust, outspoken remarks, such as this one directed against Līlāvajra, the author of the sPar-khab Commentary. See also e.g., below, pp. 578, 649.

[23]:

N.L.

[24]:

On the presence of the peaceful and wrathful maṇḍalas in the body, see below, pp. 403-404, pp. 1022ff.

[25]:

This enumeration of six buddha-bodies considers the abhisambodhikāya to have two aspects—the Buddha-body of sameness (samatākāya) and the Buddha-body of pristine cognition (jñānakāya). See below, Ch. 6, pp. 674-675.

[26]:

A direct reference to the distinction between the Atiyoga interpretation and that of Mahāyoga favoured by the bka'-ma tradition, derived from Līlāvajra’s sPar-khab Commentary.

[27]:

As stated in Ch. 4, pp. 579-580, they are considered separately in terms of their mantras to symbolise that the sambhogakāya arises from the dharmakāya. In Ch. 6, pp. 645-649, in the context of the contemplative maṇḍala, they are held also held to be in the courtyard as the basis of the emanational nirmāṇakāya. but note the author’s explanation of the phrase “in the courtyard” in this chapter, p. 403.

[28]:

On this meditative practice, see below, p. 646.

[29]:

For a further explanation of gdangs-kyi kun-bzang yab-yum, see Ch. 6, pp. 645-649.

[30]:

On the experiential cultivation of the body-maṇḍalas described in this section, see Ch. 13, pp. 1022ff.

[31]:

See also below, Ch. 15, pp. 1078ff. for a discussion on the wrathful maṇḍala of the crown-centre.

[32]:

Tibetan mtshogs-gsang gnyis-dang ltag-gsang gnyis: As Indicated and Illustrated in Dr. Lobsang Rapgyay, Tibetan Therapeutic Massage. p. 7, the first two comprise the anterior fontanelle and the anterior bilateral fontanelles; while the latter are described as the posterior fontanelle and posterior bilateral fontanelles.