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...
Text 11.25 (Commentary)
[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 11.25]
The Yogin, by means of skillful means
And discriminative awareness,
Should meditate on the Tathāgatas
And their female consorts;
And he should meditate on the nature of
The male and female spiritual warriors.
These emanate a multitude of light-rays. [25][Tibetan]
rnal-'byor thabs-dang shes-rab-kyis /
de-bzhin-gshegs-dang yum-du bsgom /
sems-dpa' sems-ma nyid-du bsgom /
'od-zer rnam-pa mang-po 'phro / [25]
Commentary:
[Concerning the attainment of the maṇḍala of the Indestructible expanse (vajradhātumaṇḍala):]
This also has two parts, namely, the type of individual by whom it is attained and the manner of attainment. The Yogin (rnal-'byor), by means of (-kyis) skillful means (thabs) which is naturally represented by the male consort and (dang) discriminative awareness (shes-rab) which is naturally represented by the female consort, should meditate on the (-du-bsgom) five Tathāgatas (de-bzhin gshegs-pa) and (dang) their five respective female consorts (yum); and he should meditate on (-du-bsgom) the sense-organs and aggregates of thought as the nature of the male and female spiritual warriors (sems-dpa' sems-ma-nyid), alone with the male and female gatekeepers. These deities also emanate ('phro) a profusion or multitude (rnam-pa mang-po) of light rays ('od-zer) throughout the ten directions.
In the sPar-khab Commentary (P. 4718) this is said to be the condensed Magical Net. comprising a maṇḍala of eighteen deities. Although there is no contradiction, according to the root-text Itself it is the maṇḍala of the forty-two conquerors which is radiantly visualised.[1]
[The Branches of Means for Attainment connected with the Feast-Offerings (416.2-419.1):]
The third part (of the maṇḍalas of skillful means and discriminative awareness of the path which are to be experientially cultivated, see p. 896) concerns the branches of means for attainment (connected with the feast-offerings). There are three parts.
[i. The first, the branch of contemplation which is attained, (comments on Ch. 11.26):]
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Footnotes and references:
[1]:
The eighteen deity maṇḍala is that of the single cluster, enumerated above. Ch. 9. pp. 797-798, 937.