Text 6.18 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 6.18]

Just as (when) exposed on a mirror
All actul [actual?] sallowness (of complexion) can be removed,
When the retinue beholds the Buddha-body in this way,
The inestimable depth of their obscurations to enlightenment
Appears on the Buddha-body, as on a mirror.
Then the ten levels are sequentially purified,
And unsurpassed enlightenment is genuinely obtained. [18] ...

[Tibetan]

me-long bstan-pa'i tshul bzhin-du /
dngos-kyi mdog-ngan thams-cad sel /
'khor-gyis de-bzhin sku bltas-na /
byang-chub sgrib-pa gting-dpag-med /
me-long bzhin-du sku-la snang /
de-nas sa-bcu rim-gyis 'byang /
bla-med byang-chub yang-dag 'thob / [18]

Commentary:

[This has two sections of which (the first) is illustrative:]

(The action of this liberation) resembles (that) just as (bzhin-du) when one’s face is exposed on a mirror (me-long bstan-pa'i tshul) and stains are seen by regarding one's own countenance on it, so that all sallowness (mdog-ngan thams-cad) of the actual (dngos-kyi) countenance. tainted by blemishes, can be washed and removed (sel).

[(The second) is meaningful:]

When (na) the retinue ('khor-gyis) of spiritual warriors of the tenth level beholds the Buddha-body (sku bltas) of the teacher,. i.e. the Buddha-body of perfect rapture, in this (de) illustrative way (bzhin), the depth (gting) of their obscurations to enlightenment (byang-chub sgrib-pa) along with their gross, mediocre, and subtle blemishes which are difficult to estimate (dpag), and cannot (med) be measured, appear on the Buddha-body (sku-la snang) of perfect rapture, as (bzhin-du) blemishes appear on a mirror (me-long).

Then (de-nas) these spiritual warriors persevere in order to purify the blemishes of their respective levels: On the first level envy is purified. On the second level confusion with respect to moral discipline is purified. On the third level anger is purified, on the fourth idleness, on the fifth instability, on the sixth confusion with respect to discriminative awareness, on the seventh ignorance of skillful means, on the eighth obscuration with respect to power whereby the benefit of sentient beings is not accomplished, on the ninth the failure to achieve one’s aspirations, and on the tenth level ignorance and its subtle seeds are purified.^[1] Once the ten transcendental perfections and the levels have been completely refined by that purification, the blemishes of the ten levels (sa-bcu) are sequentially purified (rim-gyis 'byang), and unsurpassed enlightenment is genuinely obtained (bla-med byang-chub yang-dag 'thob).

At the end of the continuum of the ten levels, the empowerment of great light rays is conferred,^[2] as is said in the Ornament of the Sūtras of the Greater Vehicle (T. 4020):

Having obtained the end of meditation.
The empowerment of great light rays is conferred.

Accordingly, when such a spiritual warrior makes offerings to all the buddhas, great rays of light emerge from between the eyebrows of the Tathāgatas of the ten directions, and then vanish into the crown centre of that spiritual warrior, whereby the vajra-like contemplation is obtained and Buddha-hood is achieved.

The latter has three aspects, namely, a general teaching on the perfection of buddha-body and pristine cognition in the spontaneous Bounteous Array; a detailed exegesis of the perfection of the levels; and a synopsis of the spontaneous presence of the five buddha-bodies.

[i. This has two parts, of which the first concerns the obtaining of the three buddha-bodies without conjunction or disjunction. (It comments on Ch. 6.19):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

On the causal interpretation of these ten levels, see also below, pp. 964-968, pp. 1011ff.

[2]:

On this 'od-zer chen-po'i dbang-bskur. which concludes the path of the causal vehicles, eee NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 2, p. 62.