Text 9.10 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 9.10]

The great seal through which offerings are made
Comprises the Buddha-fields of all ten directions
With their provisions, which form a wish-fulfilling
Cloud-mass of the mind—
There is the ground composed of diverse gemstones
Which is pliant, soft and pleasant to touch.
Beautifully designed and bedecked.
It blazes forth as a mass of precious things
Which are the origin of all.
There are shapely pools, most delicious to taste and cool.
Diverse mansions of gemstones.
Ornaments, groves of wish-granting trees.
Melodious songs, the sound of poetic verses.
Canopies, victory-banners, robes, parasols.
Long pendants, shoulder-ornaments, half-pendants.
Diverse [/ supreme] kinds of food and drink.
And there are male and female deities.
Themselves ornamented beauteously and
Numerous as atomic particles.
Who fill the space of the ten directions
With their unthinkable dancing, gesticulations and so on,
And then make offerings extensively to all maṇḍalas. [10]

[Tibetan]

mchod-pa'i phyag-rgya chen-po-ni /
sems-kyi yid-bzhin sprin-tshogs-kyis /
phyogs-bcu thams-cad sangs-rgyas-zhing /
mnyen-'jam reg-na bde-ba-yi /
sna-tshogs rin-po-che-yi gzhi /
mdzes-par bris-shing spras-pa-dang /
kun-'byung rin-chen phung-por 'bar /
dbyibs-legs rdzing-bu bro-mchog bsil /
rin-chen khang-pa sna-tshogs-dang /
rgyan-dang dpag-bsam ljon-pa'i tshul /
glu-dbyangs tshigs-su bcad-pa'i sgra /
bla-re rgyal-mtshan na-bza' gdugs /
do-shal dpung-rgyan se-mo-do /
bza'-dang btung-ba'i mchog-rnams-dang /
rang-la mdzes-par brgyan-pa-yi /
lha-dang lha-mo rdul-snyed-kyis /
bro-gar la-sogs bsam-yas-kyis /
phyogs-bcu nam-mkha'i khams-bkang-nas /
dkyil-'khor kun-la rgyas-par dbul / [10]

Commentary:

[The array of the cloud-mass of the offerings of contemplation:]

The great seal through which offerings are made (mchod-pa'i phyag-rgya chen-no) to the maṇḍalas by mental emanation comprises (ni) the Buddha-fields of all (thams-cad sangs-rgyas zhing) world-systems of the ten directions (phyogs-bcu) with their provisions (tshogs-kyis) which form a thick cloud-mass (sprin) of wishfulfilling (yid-bzhin) gems, the projection of one's own mind (sems-kyi). These are of the nature of diverse and pure gemstones, radiantly visualised through the syllable BHRUṂ, in the manner of the field of the Bounteous Array.

There is the ground (gzhi), an entirely level surface composed of gemstones (rin-po-che'i) diverse (sna-tshogs) in substance. Which is ornately bedecked with inconceivable and agreeable details of ornament and array. and is pliant, soft, and pleasant to touch (mnyen-'jam reg-na bde-ba-yi). Beautifully designed (mdzes-par bris) with diverse gems in the manner of a chequerboard. and (shing) bedecked (spras-pa dang) throughout the ten directions with the diverse gems of deities, adorned in clusters, it has a bounteous mountain which blazes forth ('bar) from the syllable TRĀṂ as a network of light-rays or as a mass of (phung-por) the seven precious things which are the origin of all (kun' byung rin-cen) that is desired.

There are, derived from the syllable KHAṂ, beautifully coloured and shapely (dbyibs-legs) lotus pools (rdzing-bu) including lakes and ponds, filled to the brim with water possessed of eight good qualities—most delicious to taste (bro-mchog), cool (bsil) and so forth. These are covered with flowers and resound with the pleasant chirping of birds.

Concerning these eight qualities (of water), it says in the Transmissions of the Vinaya (Vinayāgama. t. 1-7):

Light, delicious, and soft.
Clear, cool, and unsullied,
Not harmful to the stomach when drunk.
And not harmful either to the throat—
These are the eight attributes
With which water is endowed.

There are, derived from the syllable BHRUṂ, a multitude of mansions of gemstones (rin-cen khang-pa), adorned with diverse (sna-tshogs-dang) details of shape, colour, and array; and derived from the syllable OṂ there are, in parklands, garlands in the form of ornaments (rgyan-dang) of precious gems, end groves of (tshal) divine wish-granting trees (dpag-bsam ljon-pa'i), pendant with a network of diverse drapes and gems.

There are, derived from the syllable HRĪḤ, all languages, pleasant melodious songs (glu-dbyangs), the sound of poetic verses (tshigs-su bcad-ra'i sgra) including praises and benedictions, which are naturally arisen. Derived from the syllable OṂ there are drapes and offering utensils, canopies (bla-bre), victory-banners (rgyal-mtshan), parasols (gdugs), and diverse robes (na-bza') Including both upper and lower garments. Derived from the syllable TRĀṂ there are the inconceivable details of ornamentation such as crowns, necklaces, long pendants, shoulder ornaments, and half-pendants (do-shal dpung-rgyan se-mo-do). Derived from the syllable OṂ there are diverse kinds of food (bza') endowed with a hundred supreme savours, diverse [or supreme] (sna-tshogs/ mchog-rnams-dang) kinds of delicious nectarine drinks (dang btung-ba'i), and diverse garment-fabrics, a full measure in size (gos-zungs), bedecked with diverse gems. And, derived from the syllable HŪṂ there are the bodies of all sentient beings and the natural expressions of the male and female deities (lha-dang lha-mo), ornamented (brgyan-na-yi), beauteously (mdzes-par) with raiment, ornaments and so forth, which are appropriate to themselves (rang-la), equal in number to and as numerous as atonic particles (rdul-snyed). All of them are pleasing with their unthinkable (bsam-yas-kyis) dancing (bro) movements of the feet, gesticulations (gar) of the hands, the melodious songs of their music, and so on (la-sogs). It is they who completely fill (bkang) the entire space of the ten directions (phyogs-bcu nam-mkha'i khams) with this cloud of offerings, and then (nas) make offerings (dbul) individually and extensively (rgyas-bar) to all maṇḍalas (dkyil-'khor kun-la) of ground, path and result, subsumed in the expanse of saṃsāra and nirvāṇa.

[The latter aspect (of the offerings of relative appearance which are Illusory) concerns the way in which these are presented. (It comments on Ch. 9.11):]

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