Text 8.3 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 8.3]

The union (which comes about) through combination
Of two sets of five, namely.
The syllables on the solar disks of Akṣobhya
And the syllables on the lunar disks of Ratnasambhava,
Is the causal basis for the emergence of seals or hand-emblems. [3] ...

[Tibetan]

mi-bskyod nyi-ma'i dkyil yi-ge /
rin-chen zla-ba'i dkyil yi-ge /
lnga-gnyis zung-du sprad-pa-las /
sbyar-bas phyag-rgya 'byung-ba'i rgyu / [3]

Commentary:

[Detailed Exegesis of the Mandala of Seals through which the Path is Attained (278.2-288.4):]

This is threefold: the causal basis for the emergence of the seals or hand-emblems; the general sea] which thence emerges; and the seals or hand-emblems of the different deities which emanate from it.

[The first (comments on Ch. 8.3):]

In general, the head (of the body) is described as the essence of the Tathāgata (Vairocana), the right hand as that of Akṣobhya,^[1] the left hand as that of Ratnasambhava, the left foot as that of Amitābha, and the right foot as that of Amoghasiddhi. Then, among the fingers which are the appendages (of those hands), the middle one represents the enlightened family of indestructible reality, the index finger represents the enlightened family of the tathāgata, the thumb represents the enlightened family of gemstones, the fourth finger represents the enlightened family of the lotus, and the little finger represents the enlightened family of activity.

In this context, the hand-gesture known as the "indestructible palms" (rdo-rje thal-mo) is the causal basis of the seals or hand-emblems. It is described as follows: On the tips of the five fingers of the right hand or Akṣobhya (mi-bskyod), on the five solar disks (nyi-ma'i dkyil), the size of round grains, are respectively the syllables (yi-ge) HŪṂ, OṂ, SVĀ, ĀṂ, and HĀ. These are the five (seed)-syllables of the male consorts of skillful means. And on the five fingers of the left hand or Ratnasambhava (rin-chen), on five lunar disks (zla-ba'i dkyil) the size of grains or amulets there are respectively arrayed the five syllables (yi-ge) MŪṂ, LĀṂ, MĀṂ, PĀṂ, and TĀṂ which belong to the female consorts of discriminative awareness. The union (sbyar-bas) in the gesture of "indestructible palms" which comes about through (las) the respective combination (zung-du sprad-pa) of those two sets of five (lnga-gnyis), namely, the five fingers of the right hand and those of the left hand, is the causal basis for the emergence of ('byung-ba'i rgyu) the seals or hand-emblems (phyag-rgya) belonging to the different deities.

According to the claims of the bLa-ma Rong-zom-pa, this gesture comprises both the commitment seal (samayamudrā) and the action seal (karmamudrā). Buddhaguhya asserts that it comprises three kinds of seal, namely, the commitment seal, the doctrinal seal (dharmamudrā) during meditation on those seed-syllables, and the action seal during the transformation (of the fingers). However, all four seals—the great seal, the doctrinal seal, the commitment seal and the action seal are actually complete therein. The great seal is Included during the apparitional or rainbow-like meditation on one's own (body) as the deity; the doctrinal seal is Included during the meditation on seed-syllables upon the fingers of the hands; the commitment seal is included during meditation on the symbolic hand-emblems such as the vajra which emerge therefrom; and the action seal is included during the transformation (of the fingers) and the consequent embrace of the right and left hands. So it is that in this context the (four kinds of seal) are perfectly explained.

[The second is the seneral seal which emerges thence. (It comments on Ch. 8.4):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, gsang-bdag dgongs-rgyan, pp. 225-6, concurs in this description of Vairocana and Akṣobhya, citing in support Vimalamitra’s Guhyagarbhapiṇḍārtha.