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...
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Text 8.22 (Commentary)
[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 8.22]
These themselves emanate limbs.
And the forty-two then become diffused threefold. [22] ...[Tibetan]
de-nyid yan-lag spros-bdag-ste /
bzhi-bcu rtsa-gnyis gsum 'phror-'gyur / [22]
Commentary:
[Once this excellent visualisation has become radiant, there follows the second section concerning the emanation of the maṇḍala of the thousand buddhas (which comments on Ch. 8.22):]
In the heart-centres of these (de-nyid) forty (deities), there abide corresponding beings of pristine cognition (jñānasattva) similar to (the deities) in appearance. The latter are called the deities of discriminative awareness, forty in number, because they abide subtly and internally as limbs (yan-lag) which (the deities) themselves (bdag-ste) emanate (spros).
Although the forty-two (bzhi-bcu rtsa-gnyis) deities of skillful means are mentioned (at this point in the text), they number forty with the exclusion of the two basic deities, the male & female (Vairocana).[1]
These (forty) then become ('gyur) one hundred and twenty when diffused ('phro) in a threefold (gsum) manner, as the deities who are blessed respectively by buddha-body, speech and mind. Each of these also has the five deities as their crown ornament, making six hundred. There are also another three hundred and sixty because those deities who are blessed by buddha-body, speech and mind are themselves threefold. With the addition of the forty deities of discriminative awareness, there is therefore a maṇḍala of one thousand buddhas refined (on this path).
Now, in the opinion of some, there are forty deities of skillful means, forty deities of discriminative awareness, forty deities of buddha-body, forty deities of buddha-speech, and forty deities of buddha-mind, i.e. two hundred, each of which has the five crown ornaments, so that there is said to be a maṇḍala of a thousand (buddhas). The point is Identical.[2]
[When these (deities) have been excellently visualised, there is the third section concerning the radiance of the maṇḍala of the 21,000 buddhas. (It comments on Ch. 8.23):]
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Footnotes and references:
[1]:
See previous note.
[2]:
Lo-chen Dharmaśrī, op. cit.. pp. 236-7. effectively holds this position.