The Great Chariot

by Longchenpa | 268,580 words

A Commentary on Great Perfection: The Nature of Mind, Easer of Weariness In Sanskrit the title is ‘Mahāsandhi-cittā-visranta-vṛtti-mahāratha-nāma’. In Tibetan ‘rDzogs pa chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i shing rta chen po shes bya ba ’...

Part 8 - The ways in which the highest three are the principal ones

As for mahayoga-tantra:

In mahā, the chief means is prana and the developing stage;
In anu the dhatu and prajña in the completion stage;
In ati it is the wisdom where everything is non-dual;
But in all of them all dharmas are eternal equality.
The practice is done in the style of knowing that this is so.

Since all dharmas exist as primordially unborn emptiness, the nature of mind is known to be selfless like the sky. As for the practice, the Secret Assembly says:

Since these things are all of them unborn,
There are neither dharmas nor dharmata.
They are natureless like the space of the sky.
This is the way enlightenment is taught.

This was explained above. The Miracles of Fierce Lightning (sgyu ‘phrul rnam glog)[1] says:

E ma’o! free from all dharmas of things,
We completely abandon grasping and fixation,
Along with the skandhas and dhatus, and the ayatanas.

Since all dharmas are natureless equality,
One’s own mind is also primordially unborn.
This is what is called the nature of emptiness

When this is known, the developing stage of visualizing the mandalas of the father tantras of upaya becomes upaya. The pranas of the five elements are completely purified. Luminosity/emptiness, the wisdom of complete non-thought, is the main point. By that the supreme and ordinary siddhis are established.

In the mother tantras of prajña, complexities of the developing stage are minimized. The dhatu, the great bliss, is the secret space, the mandala of the bhaga or womb of the syllables. By the stages leading to supreme enlightenment, another person’s body is the mudra, and depending on one’s own body possessing upaya, the great bliss, the wisdom of the four joys establishes enlightenment.

In the non-dual tantras, as distinguished from the stages of both of these, by making luminous dharmata, the great wisdom without one and many the main point, enlightenment is established. That luminosity is three-fold, the luminosity of bliss, the luminosity of clarity, and the luminosity of non-thought. First from the workable dhatu samadhi arises. From that, supreme unchanging bliss arises, pervading the whole of space, and filling it with undefiled bliss. That arises from the occurrence of the great essential brilliant clarity in the central channel, Luminosity is also two-fold, and internally becomes the power of the five pranas. The motionless luminous clarity of wisdom arises in the stages of four dhyanas. Externally the five lights of the five wisdoms, appearing as kaya, bindu, and shining light abide filling the whole of space. The Net of Miracles of Mañjushri (‘jam dpal sgyu ‘phrul dra ba) says:

This vivid shining forth of the light of wisdom
Is the lamp of wisdom which is the light of beings.
This, the great brilliance, is luminosity.

Also:

To view the cascading garland of brilliance is very sweet.
The blazing light of goodness is the glorious knot of eternity.

As the essences of the five pranas enter into the central channel, by the essence of the earth prana entering, internally mind abides there. Externally by yellow light illuminating Ratnasambhava, the wisdom of equality is revealed. Pride is pure as it is We are empowered with the samadhi of the ground of exhaustion, crossing to the southern ratna family pure land, Ratnakuta (rin po che brtsegs pa).[2]

By the essence of the water prana entering the central channel, internally pure undisturbed mind is clearly illuminated. Externally, by white light illuminating Akshobhya, the mirror-like wisdom is revealed. Hatred is purified. We are empowered with the exhaustion- water samadhi, crossing to the eastern vajra family pure land, Abhirati (mngon par dga’ ba).

By the prana of the fire essence entering into the central channel, internally the blissful heat arises. Externally by red light illuminating Amitabha, discriminating awareness wisdom is revealed. Desire is purified. We cross to the western padma family pure land, Sukhavati (bde ba can).

By the prana of the air essence entering into the central channel, internally the movement and increase of mind is attained. Externally, by green light illuminating Amoghasiddhi, the all- accomplishing wisdom is realized. Envy is purified. We are empowered with the exhaustion-prana samadhi, crossing to the northern karma family pure land of Karmaprasiddhi (las rab grub pa).

By the prana of the supreme non-conceptual space essence, universal dharmata, entering into the central channel, internally there is complete non-thought. Externally, by blue light illuminating Vairochana, the Dharmadhatu wisdom is revealed. Ignorance is purified. We are empowered with the exhausted space-element. We cross over to Akanishta Gandavyuha (‘og min stug po bkod pa), or the pure land of Heavenly Enjoyment. The Great Net of Illusion says:

In that way, for the yogin who is fortunate,
By the essences of the five pranas becoming power,
There will be the five lights of the five internal wisdoms
And crossing to the five buddha fields of the five-fold kayas.
The five exhaustions,[3] and other things also, will be gained.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

rngam glog is also the name of a deity.

[2]:

This can also be a name for Mount Meru, which has sides of precious substances.

[3]:

stsogs = sogs = etc. omitted for metrical reasons,

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