Introduction 1.1: The Ritual associated with the site

[Full title: Introduction (1): Drawing the Maṇḍala and its Beneficial Attributes—(A). The ritual associated with the site]

[This (the ritual associated with the site) has seven topics, among which the first is the inspection of a site or ground suitable for a level and pleasant maṇḍala.]

It says in the Sequence of Indestructible Activity (p. 4720, 70.5.3):^[1]

The site should have many peaks.
Octagonal in shape and so forth.
And water which does not flow out
In the manner of a river.
It should also be level
And endowed with pleasant springs
Which pour from the mouths (of animal-shaped rocks).
Its characteristic atmosphere should be one
In which sunshine is known mostly to prevail.
The land to the west and north should be high and steeply inclined,
While that to the east and south should fall away and slope gently.
Inspect the site for high solitary peaks,
(Tear-shaped) rocks, exposed valleys
And rivers which do not converge.
These are hostile perimeters for the maṇḍala
And its empowerment (dal-dbang).
The site should be a forested mountain elevation,
Extremely level and verdant.
With rivers flowing from west to east.
Inspect its gentle breeze.
Its flower groves, and chirping birds.
One which has a known history is indeed said to be best.
Introspective and delightful.
It should be remote from the enemies of concentration,
Just like one's own home and so forth,
Because it has a persistant ability and strength.

Excavating a hole one full cubit wide by four cubits deep in such a location, one should remove the following impurities (op. cit., 70.5.6):

Bog, cinders, and charcoal.
Gravel, bones, and so forth.

The hole should be filled with water, and this water should then be inspected at the distance of one hundred paces (op. cit., 71.2.6-61.3.1):

Filled with water, it should be examined at one hundred paces.

The indications are best if the water has not decreased, mediocre if it has half decreased, and worst if it has entirely evaporated.

The second topic is the request for the site: The site should be requested for the maṇḍala from its human and non-human (owners), in accordance with the following words:^[2]

One whose mind has abandoned avarice
Should make this request to its visible and invisible owners,
With payments and sincere persuasion
In order to pacify disputations.

Then, after earth-treasures of corn and gems have been concealed,^[3] the ground should be levelled, sprinkled with drops of perfume, and the ritual of the goddess of the earth should be performed: The yogin must indeed conquer negativity in the manner of the Buddha who previously requested the site at Vajrāsana and conquered Māra at the time of attaining Buddha-hood.^[4] The golden Goddess (of the earth) is visually created, holding a vase and riding on a pig.

Once she has been invited, offerings and eulogies are made to her, along with the words:

"Permit me, such and such a person of indestructible reality, to build a maṇḍala in the vicinity of this site!".

The third topic is the domination of the site: One must pacify impediments, visualising oneself as the red Kīlaya Heruka, and meditating that the site is filled with his rays of light.^[5]

The fourth topic is the purification (of the site): At the outset, (the site) should be probed around (the abdomen of) the Lord of the Soil, the Serpent-Bellied Spirit (urāga / lto-'phye).^[6]

It should be probed in accordance with the following verses from the Commentary on the Eight volumes of Nectar (bam-brgyad-kyi 'grel-pa):

The characteristic way in which
The Serpent-Bellied Spirit abides is as follows:
(Moving clockwise) with the motion of the sun,
During the three autumn months
The spirit lies on his left side
With head facing east and his face to the south.
During the three winter months
His face is to the west and his head to the south.
During the three spring months
His face is to the north and his head to the west;
And during the three summer months
His face is to the east and his head to the north.
The Serpent-Bellied Spirit, lord of the soil, abides as such.
O Great One! Dig at the abdomen of the serpent (lto-'phye).

One should indeed dig at the abdomen. Otherwise, if the head (of the spirit) is struck, the master will die; and if the tall Is struck the student will die.

Then one should examine the supporting base (of the site). The land around it should slope downwards to the north and east; it should be level in the other two directions, and slightly higher in the middle. That (middle area) should also be annointed with five dairy products, five kinds of grain and so forth.

The Flash of Splendour (T. 830) says:

Blending a solution of mineral deposits,^[7]
Which are of five colours,
Apply it thoroughly in all directions
In the middle of the square,
And plaster (the site) two cubits across.

Then the site is also purified by fire:

If the indications are entirely negative,
One should proceed to another site
Or purify it well by fire which pacifies.

Then visualising oneself as the wrathful deity (Amṛtakuṇḍalin),^[8] rays of light emerge from the palms of his hands, turning the area of the site into the nature of a five-pronged vajra. Impurity is refined, and one should then focus on emptiness.

The fifth topic is the consecration of the site: The master visually creates himself as the central deity, and conceives of manifold buddhas and bodhisattvas in that site, which is radiantly visualised as a celestial palace of deities. Then he exclaims:

Do not transgress any of the commands given by me, the Great Identity!

He proclaims the SUMBHANI oath (which removes impediments) and encircles the site with the motion of his vajra.^[9]

The sixth topic is the guarding of the site: He meditates that from his own heart ten wrathful deities emerge to guard the site, blazing forth like a conflagration (at the end) of an aeon.^[10]

The seventh topic is the seizing of the site: In order to pitch the lines (of the maṇḍala) or project its schematic points, (the master) visually creates the deity, makes some offerings and eulogies, and then visualises that the deity dissolves to become the ground of the celestial palace of deities.^[11] Through all these topics, the ritual associated with the site is completed.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

This difficult and terse passage has been interpreted according to the oral exegesis of Dil-mgo mKhyen-brtse Rin-po-che.

[2]:

N. L.

[3]:

On the practice of concealing treasures to replace others extracted by gter-ston, see NSTB, Book 2, Pt. 6, passim: also T. Thondup, Hidden Teachings of Tibet. p. 137. note 240.

[4]:

Cf. Lalitavistara. XXI; NSTB, Book 2, Pt. 1, pp. 23ff.; also see above. Ch. 3, pp. 480-482.

[5]:

Tibetan phur-pa dmar-po he-ru-ka.

[6]:

For an explanation of the Ito-'phye. "lord of the soil,” which serves to clarify the following quotation, see T. L. Gyatsho, Gateway to the Temple, pp. 29-33: also F. Lessing & A. Wayman, Mkhas Grub Rje' s Fundamentals of the Buddhist Tantras, pp. 280-281, note. An illustration from the former is reproduced in fig. 5, immediately above.

[7]:

Tibetan sa-zhag spos-chen rnam-lnga.

[8]:

As explained by Dil-mgo mKhyen-brtse Rin-po-che, when Vairocana is at the centre, this wrathful deity is Amṛtakuṇḍalin.

[9]:

OṂ SUMBHANI SUMBHA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ OṂ GṚHṆA GṚHṆA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ OṂ GṚHṆĀPAYA GṚHṆĀPAYA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ OṂ ĀNAYA HOḤ BHAGAVAN VAJRA HŪṂ HŪṂ PHAṬ. See S. Beyer, The Cult of Tārā. p. 356. According to G. Tucci, Tibetan Painted Scrolls. I, p. 3, the deities Śumbha and Niśumbha are mentioned as chief of the vighna (Tibetan bgegs) or obstaclecreating demons. On this class of deities, see also Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons of Tibet. p. 285.

[10]:

These ten wrathful deities (khro-bo bcu) are Hūṃkara, Vijaya, Nīladaṇḍa, Yamāntaka, Acala, Hayagrīva, Aparacitta, Amṛtakuṇḍalin, Trailokyayijaya, and Mahābala. They are the ten guardians of attainment, corresponding to the ten directions of the inner protective circle. See also below, pp. 800-801; and T. Skorupski, The Sarvadurgatipariśodhanatantra. p. 313, note, where eight of them are enumerated.

[11]:

As indicated above. Ch. 7. pp. 689-690, the deities associated with the vimāna and its ground are Vairocana and Uṣṇīṣacakravartin.