Guhyagarbha Tantra (with Commentary)
by Gyurme Dorje | 1987 | 304,894 words
The English translation of the Guhyagarbha Tantra, including Longchenpa's commentary from the 14th century. The whole work is presented as a critical investigation into the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, of which the Guhyagarbhatantra is it's principle text. It contains twenty-two chapters teaching the essence and practice of Mahayoga, which s...
Text 3.22 (Commentary)
[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 3.22]
O! The retributions which are the basis of existence
Have emanated from possessive thoughts.
With respect to the six classes:
Birth, cessation, bodies, raptures, abodes,
The cycle of bewilderment which is suffering,
And so forth, are nothing at all.
Other than the nature of erroneous thought. [22] ...[Tibetan]
a-ho /
srid-rtsa'i nyes-dmigs bdag-tu rtog-las 'phros /
rgyud-drug skye-'gag lus-dang longs-spyod-dang /
gnas-dang sdug-bsngal 'khrul-'khor la-sogs-pa /
log-rtog-nyid-las gzhan-du ci-yang-med / [22]
Commentary:
O! (a-ho) is exclaimed to indicate astonishment at the selfmanifesting nature of everything. The five components and all the retributions (nyes-dmigs) caused by them, which are, or have become, the basis (rtsa'i) of the three realms of existence (srid) and the diverse bewildering appearances within the situations of saṃsāra, have emanated from (las-'phros) egotistical and possessive thoughts (bdag-tu rtog). With respect to the different perceptions of the six classes (rgyud-drug) of living beings such as the gods: during bewilderment in saṃsāra, there occur birth (skye). death resulting from the cessation ('gag) of the life-force, diverse and distinct bodies (lus-dang), diverse raptures (longs-spyod-dang) such as (the taste of) nectar and sugar-cane, diverse appearances of different lands such as the abodes (gnas-dang) of the gods. the cycle of bewilderment which is the suffering (sdug-bsngal 'khrul-'khor) of change and decay at death, and so forth. The words and so forth (la-sogs-pa) here include within them the perceptions of happiness and neutrality which appear to diverse flesh-coloured beings. All these are nothing at all (ci-yang med) like distinct external objects, other than (-las gzhan-du) the nature (nyid) of erroneous thought (log-rtog), created by the ignorance of these living beings and their propensities, which are dream-like self-manifestations of the bewildered mind.
Accordingly it also says in the Sūtra Which Establishes Recollection (t. 287):
The diverse bodies, raptures, and perceptions
Of happiness and suffering
Are emanated by mind and made by mind.
They are not extraneous at all, apart from mind.
Just as, for example, are dreams.
[The second (revealing the self-manifest nature of pristine cognition, comments on Ch. 3.23):]
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