The View ofthe Great Perfection 909
PelJikpa Kyopei Yi
The master Jfianaklrti also offers a d '
to the Real, beginning: etal1ed eXpOSItIOn In his Introduction
The other name for the M h
Of discriminative er,' thhe tfanscendenta1 perfection F " h ss, IS t e Great Seal
or It IS t e essential nature of undivided .
PelJikpa Kyopei Yi
The master Jfianaklrti also offers a d '
to the Real, beginning: etal1ed eXpOSItIOn In his Introduction
The other name for the M h
Of discriminative er,' thhe tfanscendenta1 perfection F " h ss, IS t e Great Seal
or It IS t e essential nature of undivided .
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
fyoudoyouWI .
or 1 d" ed fundamental VIrtueS, Renounce con 1tIOn 1
such as [building] stupas and es. . d to contrived doctnnes,
There IS no en will end
but by them bae deeds,
Not renouncmg the yog [d d ] you will become a should you renounce ee s ,
tathagata. h . . must know the pat
y Because
the Buddha is not elsewhere, . lf
.
he IS naug
ht but awareness 1tse .
Samsara is not elsewhere;
'. h d within your own mm .
So It IS that you.
of the authentic b
uddhas in everything.
. h' h
d b the VIew w lC e
.
stablishes itself 1ll . . n
Thus, when one is graspe y of reality, of which the dispOSltlO the significance of the great sameness
. d
The View ofthe Great Perfection 901
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . '
902
The View ofthe Great Perfection 903 It says, too, in the All-Accomplishing King:
With respect to the genuine meaningful nucleus about which there is nothing to do,
What great yogins see
Is a divine ma1). Qala resulting from its basis
In the primordially pure ma1). Qala of mind.
Perfecting it by means of the four branches of service
and attainment,
It abides, spontaneously present, embodying emanation
and absorption.
Now, one might say, if the abiding nature of all things is such that they do not abide in the sphere of the conditioned, and so transcend virtue and sin, bondage and liberation, then the discourses on good and evil deeds and the infallibility of cause and effect are unnecessary. However, those discourses were given with an intention directed to consciousness [rather than pristine cognition]. Thus, for example, with an intention directed to whatever good or bad appears in dreams, which, while true during dreams, seems fictitious on waking, [the Buddha] spoke of all things as dream-like and apparitional, to exemplify their fictitiousness. Just so, until the deluded appearances subsumed by consciousness are exhausted there is still acceptance and rejection, and the infallible ripening of good and evil deeds in accord with cause and effect. But when that delusion is exhausted those things do not appear to the pristinely cognitive aspect [of mind-as-such] which beholds the truth. Because there is then no subjective cognition engaged in the subject-object dichotomy, relative objects do not appear. This is cer- tainly the stated intention of the buddhas and their sons. The intention of the great promulgators who, as prophesied, commented upon the profound definitive meaning also conforms with this, for it resides naturally in the minds of all who perceive what is supreme. The sublime Nagarjuna says:1253
Just as, for example, on falling asleep,
A man sees by the power of dreams
His son, wife, mansion and lands,
But sees them not upon awakening,
So it is that when those who know relative
appearance
Open the eyes of intelligence,
Part from the sleep of unknowing,
And wake up they no longer perceive it. Similarly, when those of genuine learning Overcome all propensities to unknowing, By means of the sunlight of knowledge,
b ddha-body of reality is free taneously present u .
Thespon
Fromthedarknessmw lC andannihilation'slimits, It transcends both permanence .
. h' hclarityandobscurationappear.
Cannot be grasped by either or light,
Transcends uniqueness and . rent as well as mVislble, things,
sa' Transcend ppa
h
I free from the terms of birth and deat. . ?
S d . t' n 1251 obscuration, and egotism. Where are eVia 10 , . ,
ht itself they are unthinkable: .
In thoug c · f discrimlnative awareness
The ends of the perlect10n 0
Are subsumed in the body of reality, awareness an
radiance. .
The ends of the perfection of concentrat1On1252
d
Are subsumed 1·n the lamp's total presence.
The ends of the perfection of perseverance t
Are subsumed in non-discurslVe, naturally presen
significance. . The ends of the perfection of. patlence
Are subsumed in cutting stralght through
appearances. . . r The ends of the perfection of moral. dlsclp lne
Are subsumed in retreat. The ends of the perfection of liberality - ,
Are subsumed in the abandonment of sarp. sara s
grasping attachments. . '
The ends of the perfection of aspiratiOn f
Are subsumed in neither hope for, nor fear 0 ,
appearances.
The ends of the perfection of means
Are subsumed in awareness' total presence. The ends of the perfection of power . .
Are subsumed in sealing
nlt1On The ends of the perfection of pnstine cog
Are subsumed in its causeless So it is that the meaning of.
nltlOn
- J'the Dialogue with says:
Equally, the Sutra OJ
Not to grasp anything Non-rigidity is moral Not to protect anything is patlence.
Not to endeavour is
Not to cogitate is concentrat1On. . Non-referentiality is discriminatlve awareness.
Is natural, all-pervasive, pnstme cog
.
904
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
They perceive neither mind, nor mental events, nor objects.
As proof of that, let us now refer to the decisive resolution of view and conduct in the disposition of the great pristine cognition of same- ness, where the multiplicity [of phenomena] is of a single savour, and which occurs here, in the Great Perfection. During the phase of the ground one does not exaggerate discriminative awareness, for one har- bours no hopes with reference to conditioned fundamental virtues, having realised through pristine cognition that relative appearance is a fiction; but one does not depreciate means, because, from the standpoint of consciousness, there is still acceptance and rejection. During the phase of the path, because no deliberations transcend discursive thought, there is not even so much as an atom upon which to meditate. Finally, during the phase of the result, if the stream of mind and all that emerges from mind be shut off, where can there be relative appear- ance? This essential point, which is the ultimate, innermost intention of the last two wheels of the transmitted precepts, is the unblemished, eloquent tradition of those who have undeludedly adhered to the
Sugata's teaching in India and here in the Land of Snows. Therefore, it has been reiterated in the writings of all the literary scholars and undeluded contemplatives, from the great translator Ngok Loden Sherap to Conang Sherap Gyeltsen and Puton Rincentrup of Zhalu.
In general, with an intention directed to consciousness, our Teacher revealed the structure of acceptance and rejection, and of cause and effect, that is valid in much the same manner as is the cause and effect [operating] in the world of dreams. But there are those who passionately cling to an understanding that relative appearance is proven to be valid, even within the pristine cognition of the buddhas. For that reason their clinging to the area of conduct becomes hard and fast, until they tear into patches sublime discriminative awareness and the buddhas' pristine cognition. In this way, it is hard for them to find conviction in the philosophy which does not err with respect to profundity. They even carry off the wondrous enlightened activity of the Sugatas on the stretcher of doubt.
Now, the total freedom from deliberations during periods ofmeditat- ive equipoise may well be the meditation of Hoshang Mo-ho-yen, but even the Jewel Lamp ofthe Madhyamaka, composed by master Bhavya, which you1254 esteem as a masterpiece of the Madhyamaka, says:
Not dwelling on any cognition, not conceiving anything, directing no attention to anything. . .
Furthermore, Atisa's comments on the sublime Nagarjuna's intention explain the period during which one abides in the tranquillity ofmeditat- ive equipoise that is free from ideation and scrutiny, and also in higher insight, by using the example of fire produced by rubbing two sticks forcefully together. He then gives a detailed explanation, beginning:
.
The same 1S expresse
d l'n the Introduction to the Madhyamaka (Ch. 6,
v. 27):
Just as what is perceived by an that is dim
Impairs not an undimmed cogmtlon, . , . , Just so the mind that's fors,aken taintless pnstme cogmtlon
Impairs not the taintless mmd.
Santideva also says [in the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, Ch. 9, vv. l0ab & 15]:
As long as causes are accumulated, So long does apparition arise.
If the causal stream be broken, Even relatively it will not arise. When no delusion is present,
, ",) What refers itself to relative appearance as an object.
The View ofthe Great Perfection 905
906
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
One does not form conceptions about any cognition, nor does one grasp any. One abandons all recollections and de-
. The ViewoftheGreatPerfi·
9 07
liberations. . .
1255
and expression . 1260 Na-ga- . d. d . ' fJuna 1 sIdedly through sophistic examin (
Yrelymg on expressed meaning not say th .
Similar expositions are also found in the three Meditational Sequences (Bhavanakrama, T 3915-17) of KamalasIla, so it certainly must have been a well-known position among the proponents of the Svatantrika- Madhyamaka. 1256 As these assertions all agree, it hardly matters whether or not they agree with Hoshang Mo-ho-yen, as well.
According to the Great Perfection the naturally present awareness that is the essence of higher insight is itself ascertained to be the pristine cognition of discernment. 1257 Therefore, taking that to be the support for meditation, and having become equipoised in reality, which is free from ideation and scrutiny, one abides in that non-discursive state, the unerring abiding nature which is a "great liberation from limits". 1258 As it says in the Penetration of Sound:
The limit of the natural Great Perfection
Leaves all things where they arise.
Because appearance and consciousness are coalescent in
reality,
It reaches the total presence of primordial liberation.
Its intention transcends the intellect,
Distinctive phenomena are pure where they arise,
It is free from the extremes of emptiness and substance, Movement has ceased, there are no conceptions,
And, thoughts exhausted, the intellect is transcended.
Not having realised this, the ebb and flow of ideation and scrutiny does not, by itself, reach the reality of higher insight. Thus, the obscura- tion which results from subjective intellectual adherences, which refer only to a counterfeit emptiness established by mind and mental events, becomes merely a vastly inflated opinion, the nature of which is never- ending and [a cause for] rebirth. The Teacher himself clearly said this in his N irvarJa SiUra:
o Kasyapa! whoever, referring to emptiness, relies upon emptiness, deviates greatly from this discourse of mine. . . 0 Kasyapa! it is better to abide in a view [which clings to] individual existence to the extent of Mount Sumeru, than with manifest egotism to adopt a view to emptiness.
Some object to such a viewpoint, saying that Nagarjuna has said:1259
Not relying upon conventions, One will not realise the ultimate.
Hence, [they claim that] realisation must depend on arguments invol- ving refutation and proof. But this quotation simply implies that, ini-
. a IOn. Therefore, that IS scrutinised
By a corpse-like sophistry. . .
so, having entered on the
tlally, ultimate truth should be realised b .
ectzon
scrutmy, [the sophists] c· bpreCIpItoUS traIl of Ideation and Ircumam ulate the f
proof, and let the pristine cognition wh· h . 0
refutation and on the path of exaggeration and d abIdes m themselves fly off
remove the two extremes through· Arrogantly thinking to like insects entangled in [ Inte ectual contrivances, they become extremely difficult for th cocoons. Spun from] their Own saliva. It is
. .
mconceIvable it cannot be exem l·fi d h as It IS. mce reality is
em to arnve at reality . . S·
tions remain essentially d· p Ie t rough conventions, for conven-
. . '
, IscurSIve labels It s . h
Deczslvely Reveals the Intention: . ays m t e Satra which
Though in the range of . 1 .
It is inexpressible dIsCrete characteristics,
Ultimate reality is'indisput:bre; Ivorced from conventions:
Its characteristics transcend all sophistry. ! Iere, in the natural Great Perfection h
naIl, three gazes take aim at th
th . 1
eSIX amps,realityisseend·
' tree postures hammer in the
eessence and trav . h
1 '- , ersmgt epathof
Therefore the diffl b Irect y'. without intellectual scrutiny 1261 l·k ' erence etween thIS path [ d h . .
1 e that ofheaven and earth A. . an t at ofdIalectics] is . s It says m the Penetration of Sound:
As for the. ultimate: having parted from intellect Ihe facultIes naturally liberated at once
'
n? one perceIves it directly.
ThIs essential point destroys philo
And w·th 1".
G '. 1 c or grasping at anything
enume realIty IS tasted.
The . h
A nhwIt no for three-realmed samsara
s w en space dIssolves into space . , Just so is this supreme yoga. '
For much the same reason Sak Three Vows, Ch. 3]: , y a
P . .
a1). 9Ita saId [in the Analysis ofthe
The of the Atiyoga
C Is pnstme cognition, but not a vehicle. "6'
thataspect[oftheGre tp . .
the abiding nature of th: erfectIOn] verifies, without descn. be it as pristine cognition bu pr? found I t be well to
a vehIcle is an intentional
'I t. hIS aSSertIOn that It IS not validly one. t IS because the pristine cognition
H
at It must be realised one- e put that down many times:
. . . .
h·· sop Ismg,
'
'
908 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
subsumed by the levels of pious attendants and self-centred buddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas is, respectively, incomplete, partially com- plete, and entirely complete that the definitive order of these four classes of sublime beings and the sequence of the vehicles have been estab- lished. It says in the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle (Ch. l, v. SOcd):
Just like space with reference to Inferior, middling, or superior forms. . .
So, exemplified by space which is without qualitative distinctions whether it occupies good or bad vessels, the pristine cognition, disclosed by the greater or lesser power of freedom from obscuration, is [primor- dially] present as the basis. With an intention directed to this, there is not the slightest contradiction in establishing it to be a vehicle. If one were to maintain that there is no pristine cognition in the minds of the three sublime types of sentient being apart from the buddhas, then [the discussion] would end there. But it is the profound intention of the siitras and tantras that the vehicles are established because the structure of the levels and paths is based on pristine cognition alone, from the slight vision of it, up to the complete vision of it. Therefore, it says in the Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas:
With mind engaged in the vehicle ofpristine cognition and the greater vehicle,
One dedicates [the merits of] those fundamental virtues.
And in the Dialogue with Suvikrantavikrami (Suvikrantavikramipari-
prccha, T 14) it says:
The greater vehicle is the pristine cognition ofthe buddhas.
Those who, not having conviction in the primordial philosophy of the Great Perfection, grasp as supreme those philosophies which have been established on behalf of neophytes, and so push aside the signifi- cance of the three approaches to liberation - they are like shadows that have abandoned their form!
Similarly, there are those who even say that because the word "Great Seal", is not taught in the causal vehicle, Gampopa alone contrived to do SO. 1263 In this and other ways they insist that his teaching is incorrect. None the less, the utterly unconditioned expanse is termed a "seal",1264 for instance in the Siitra of the Adornment of Pristine Cognition's Appear- ance which Penetrates the Scope of All Buddhas, where it says:
o Ananda! the seal of the doctrine is the seal of all things. It is the absence of seal, the uncreated seal, the undivided seal. 0 Ananda! those who are sealed by that are great bodhisattvas. They are of the dignified family of enlighten- ment. They are lions among men . . .
The View ofthe Great Perfection 909
PelJikpa Kyopei Yi
The master Jfianaklrti also offers a d '
to the Real, beginning: etal1ed eXpOSItIOn In his Introduction
The other name for the M h
Of discriminative er,' thhe tfanscendenta1 perfection F " h ss, IS t e Great Seal
or It IS t e essential nature of undivided .
' " . , pnstme cognItIOn. . .
Therefore, in the actual teachin
perfection of discriminative
Great Seal. In the mantr IS sometimes referred to as the
of Supreme bliss resorts 0 bsecomes accomplished by means
emt' S e reat eal[orcoales f]b , ,P mess. 0 , except for the differe b ence 0
liss and IS somewhat incorrect to sa thatnee etween the,siitras and mantras, the vehicle of the siitras '1 I the <,:ireat Seal IS never expounded
IS taught in a curso . 1 ar y, whIle the nUcleus ofthe sugata1265 h ' ry manner on the path f h -
teac mg of the mantras th t' , 0 t e sutras, it is in the So it is that tho h a It IS greatly elaborated.
, se w 0 have clung onl t h '
meanmg, who have take ' y 0 t e Side of provisional
d n Interest merely in the t
an wh0 have been guided b s ructure ofconventions,
" .
_
g of, the sutras, the transcendental
y words [alone] have broadcast those
· . A Recti'ication ofMisconceptions
. ' . but . f i ] their own biased positlOns,
910 Hl,StOry.
h . , [which con irm d
scriptural aut onues
b ous transmitted precepts an Ynumer b
n down
their are tor the [Buddha's] intention. There have
een treatises which comment on l ' hi'ch did not get so far as they
3 Response to Critics of the "Sutra which Gathers All Intentions"
. d ofspecuaHon,w
many such b1m 11 1 k the power to refute by means 0
f
. d d which tota Y ac 1
were alme , a n . h valid reasoning. This muc
ill have sufficed as an examp e. w
[758. 2-764. 2] Now, [while some object] to the empowerment of the SUtra which Gathers All Intentions, which belongs to the transmitted precepts of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma bka'-ma mdo-dbang), and reveals empowerment ceremonies for the three causal vehicles,1266 the Hevajra Tantra (Pt. 2, Ch. 8, vv. 9-10c) says:
First you should grant the vow; Then, teach the philosophy, And likewise the Sautrantika philosophy; Later teach the Yogacara itself,
And afterwards the Madhyamaka philosophy.
Then, after the entire sequence of the mantras is known, One should teach Hevajra.
In accord with this exposition, which conforms to a sequential pro- gression through the vehicles, and because the central path ofall vehicles is revealed in full here in the mantra path, the three causal vehicles are seized by the skilful means of the mantras. At that time they sublimely surpass the attributes of their own levels and indeed become the swift path, just as the attitudes and applications of the vows of the lesser vehicle, when seized by an enlightened attitude, are trans- formed into the vows of the greater vehicle, the attributes of which sublimely surpass those of the lower ones. Therefore, this is the special real reason [for the empowerments of the causal vehicles in connection with the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions].
Moreover, the term "empowerment" is actually revealed [in the causal vehicles]; for in the Three Hundred Verses [on the VinayaJ the vows of the novitiate are termed "empowerment":
The moral discipline of renunciation removes suffering, Destroys the real roots of viewing the perishable as self, And vanquishes mundane glory and flower-arrowed Kama. It is the empowerment granting the glory of perfect
enlightenment.
912 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
In general, empowerment is understood in this way: When universal
monarchs are crowned, they are anointed with water from a jewelled
vase and given benedictions by the brahmans, whereby they are em-
powered with dominion over the realm with its seven precious things
and so forth. Similarly, when a bodhisattva who has arrived at the end
of the stream of the tenth level on the path of sutras is about to become
1268
of the tathagatas of the ten directions and vanish into the crown of that spiritual warrior. This is termed the "empowerment of light rays". 1269 In fact, no matter what path one enters, the consecration of the buddhas is the means by which one is empowered in its view, meditation, conduct, and result, and so is denoted as an "empowerment". It says in the
Siltra of the Descent to Lanka (Ch. 2, XL):
Mahamati! moreover, bodhisattvas who have been blessed with two blessings come before the feet of the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas and ask all their questions. With which two blessings, one might ask, are they blessed? It is so that they are blessed with the blessing of balanced contemplative absorption and with the blessing of the em- powerments conferred by all the bodies, faces, and arms [of the buddhas].
Thereat, Mahamati! bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors are blessed with the blessing of the buddhas from [the time of their attainment of] the first level,1270 and become equipoised in the contemplation of the bodhisattvas, which is called "Illumination of the Greater Vehicle". As soon as those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors become equi- poised in the bodhisattvas' contemplation of the "Illumina- tion of the Greater Vehicle", the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas who reside in the ten directions of the uni- verse reveal themselves. They genuinely reveal all their bodies, faces, and discourses. In this way, Mahamati! they appropriately bless the bodhisattva, great spiritual warrior Vajragarbha and other great bodhisattvas endowed with sim- ilar characteristics.
So it is, Mahamati! that the bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors on the first level attain the blessing to become equipoised in contemplation. Through the fundamental vir- tues accumulated during all of a hundred thousand aeons, they finally thoroughly realise the characteristics that are allied to the levels, or opposed to them. Then, on the bodhisattva level called "Cloud of Doctrine", the hands of the conquerors extend from the ten directions of the universe towards those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who,
The Siltra which Gathers Al '
seated in the Great L P lIntentzons 913
with all the most o:lace, wearing crowns adorned rounded by bOdhisattvas r are completely sur- selves. With [hands eat warriors like them-
a buddha,1267 then light rays emanate from the ilnJakesa
whom reside in the G eat Lgreat splntual warriors all of
I' htouch IS] lIke orpiment,I271 gold on Ig t, and lotu h ' empower those bodhisattvas ' t e conquerors
their heads, in the ma: fotus Palace, on the of
Indraraja Because th ner 0 lords, universal monarchs or . ey are emp d '
faces, and hands of the buddh owere by all the bodies
campaka flowers mo ,
bodhisattvas are said t b hand empowerment. 0
e
bts, that bOdhisattva and essed by the blessing of the
And:
For the following reasons Mah- "
arhats, utterly perfect b d'dh
amatl. do the tathagatas as bless b dh' , ' , 0 Isattvas, great
become aware fior th IOn1an ,evel of the pious attendants' , emseYes md' 'd 11 ' the tathagatas; and so that th " ua y, of the level of
teries increase. Maha " b elr doctrines and mas- , rnatl. odhlsattvas ' ,
nors who are not so bl d I' ' great splntual war- , esse s Ide back int h '
extremIsts, pious attendants and _ 0 t e attItUdes of
the unsurpassed and auth ' Mara. They do not attain
buddhahood. For reas enthlc, perfect enlightenment of
. , onssuc asthese th b '
great splntual warriors are f: ' e odhlsattvas
, , , u
splntual warnors with th 'bl be disturbed by the d fil elr
essmg: m order that they not back into the :nd deeds ofMara; not slide
utterly perfect bUddh
as.
avoured by the tathagatas, arhats' ,
As has stated abundantIY in such
that a bodhIsattva who has attain d h
' ,
passages, It IS indisputable
fievel] must attain buddhahood b e end of the stream [of the tenth
g
ore, ,provisionally, the pious airereJm upon empowerment. There-
bodhlsattvas are empowered to buddhas, and and because, ultimatel te medItatIVely their respective of the greater vehicle seized by the enlightened ,self-centred bUddhas 'f ve IC es of] the pious attendants
nISclence, For this especially cr lSWI t paths, to the attainment of om- and all-kn ' UCla reason VaJradh k l l '
th . Owmg, has given such tea h' M at, WIthout relying on the th ,c mg.
ara, sled m means oreover, When it is taught
passed [Yogatantra], 1272 the of the Unsur- merely by means of the tantras f 0: VaJradhara cannot be attained is, in point of fact, much t e Outer of mantras, what is e Sutras those [empowerment e same as thIS, for, on the path of
erment, or blessing, of great are cO,ncealed, and only the empow- rays IS spoken of.
4 Response to Critics of the "Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus"
[764. 2-770. 6] Moreover, because Go Lhetse did not receive the teachings he had requested from the lord of the doctrine, Zurpoche, he nursed a grudge, due to which, after travelling to India, he reported that the Nyingmapa tantras were not to be found in India. 1273 He censured the glorious Secret Nucleus for four faults, et cetera, were occasionally repeated by some Tibetans. 1274 None the less, just going to India [and finding that] they were unknown in a few districts does not disprove the ancient translations. The Great Perfection and other exceedingly profound tantrapi! aka were only transmitted through unique lineages directly from mouth to ear. Beyond that, not even written texts were made. As nothing at all of those instructions remained behind, it may well be true that he neither saw, nor heard ofthem; for India was without this sort of Tibetan custom, whereby the doctrines of the secret mantra are given publicly, even to dogs and mice. Nevertheless, when one such as the "sole divine master" Dlparpkara [Atisa], who was renowned for his great learning in the mantras throughout India, saw the Indian manu- scripts at the Pehar Kordzoling [at Samye] in Tibet, his scholarly arrogance was shattered because many tantrapi! aka were preserved there which he had never heard of or seen before. As that story is clearly set forth in the biography of master Atisa himself, it is of no importance that an ordinary person such as Lhetse did not see those [tantras in India]. As a further illustration, one may note that one Orgyenpa Rincenpel, who meandered like a river all the way to O<;l<;liyana in the west, and who could powerfully transform the vision ofothers, said that he did not see an end to the mantras which appeared in the human world . 1275
Likewise, the lie that the Secret Nucleus had been composed in Tibet was betrayed by an actual Indian manuscript, which came into the possession ofComden Rikpei Reldri, the great paQ<;lita SakyasrI, Tharpa Lotsawa, Golo Zhonupel, Shage Lotsawa, et cetera. Rikpei Reldri, in particular, who was supremely learned in the later translations and was a great rectifier of the teaching, said in his Proof of the Secret Nucleus (gsang-snying sgrub-pa): 1276
sally as the diverse buddh b d ) o a- 0 ry)
e appears unzver- speech and mind.
'.
ThIs tantra IS genuine for the foIl .
Commentary on the Glori G h In the Great
pa'i 'grel-chen T 1844) ous u ryasamaja (dpalgsang-ba 'dus- . h ' composedbyth . /
In t e course of his com e master VIsvamitra th B. mentsonthepas "H ' e emg of Pristine Cogn't' sage ow far does
. . IIOnreach ;J" h S
IS cIted as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3): . . . . t e ecret Nucleus
In the abode o fAkanistha . h
in the limitless ground' h . out or centre,
pristine cognition ther, u: lC IS the. radIant wheel of
forth with thejOew) l . : IS celestzalpalace blazing e s OJ pnstme coan °t 0
uninterrupted throu h h completely gout t e ten dIrectIOns. . .
And also eCh. 1, v. 6):
In every inconceivable [world] h 0 0
IS based on insubstantiality
. . . ,
"hg '. SUbstantIal existence
f, d l [mal],. a a].
e Spontaneously present
The Root Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus
915
Then, m commenting on the as
? e known to be the palatial b X The Stiipa should
It as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3):
a 0
"
eo all buddhas. . . ," he cites
The spire is the p . t'
which all o;:hCOfllIOn central to all) in tions w °th e of the ten direc-
from one another out are not distinct ) are OJ a smgle essence.
! hen, commenting on the passa e " .
e gIves (Ch. 2 . IS Won erful marvellous realit
v 6)- ' . .
EmaholTh' d
Is secret o f all perfect buddhas Allzs created from the uncreated . A t creation itself there is no crea;ion.
Then, while ex 1. .
"Th P ammg the meaning of "
e Secret NUcleus s eak
Moreover, he quotes th p s of fi. ve empowerments. ,,1277
. epassagebegmning(Ch. 6, vv. 9-11)·
Thezr [colours] are blue White y II . ) ) e ow) scarlet
up to:
{-IPer:vasive] without extremes or centre [" t IS an unthinkabl j )
And he says "A d'
three realitie;. " CCor mg to the Secret NUcleus, there are
In these and all other such 0
by mentioning the title S Nmstances Visvamitra begins
ecret ucleus.
00
Y
"
secret he says,
916
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . ,
With such well-wrought arguments, [Rikpei Reldri's work] estab- lishes, in the manner of a teaching dialogue, [the authenticity of the Secret Nucleus], having cited quotations from this tantra in the great treatises that were famed in India, along with many commentaries by the masters mentioned above. You should examine it, for it is clearly valid!
For such reasons, the great pal). gita Sakya Chokden has said:1280
It is not necessary to prove laboriously that
The Nyingmapa doctrines were translated from Indian
originals.
It is enough that they are proven to be
The teaching of the emanational master [Padmasambhava]. Although they do not conform with the mantras and symbols Of those translated from India later on,
The proof of their validity is infallible accomplishment Through their supreme and common attainment.
They may be compared with the doctrines taken
By supreme accomplished masters from various great lands, And which were not translated in India
From their respective volumes;
For it is said that with Va;rasattva's consent
The compilers of those transmitted precepts
Were themselves permitted to teach them
In the language of each different country.
The Nyingmapa doctrinal traditions that definitely were Translated from India require no proof.
Having formulated arguments one might prove
The indefinite ones to be treatises,1281
But the great ones who came before in Tibet, Discovering this to be an artificial, conceptual path,
Have avoided wandering upon it,
As they themselves have explained.
This reasoned argument appears to be a learned axiom, when scrutinised fairly. In general, a doctrine is no more important merely because it originated in India. A distinction of good and bad treatises on the basis of country is not known in learned circles. If the author was one who was abiding on the level of accomplishment, the treatises composed by him should be valid. So, it is proven that whether they originated in India or Tibet makes no difference. Sometimes, too, Tibetan treatises are better than Indian treatises. One should regard as reliable those composed by accomplished Tibetans, whose pristine cognition was manifest, rather than those written by ordinary Indian scholars, who based themselves on learning in grammar and logic.
tera [criticised by Go The four perverse fau ts, et ce , b ' n with the
1
1 b rejected' [When texts egi
Lhetse), are a so to e d d is traditionally held to mean words) Thus I have be buddhas themselves, for it that they. were compi e y th level bodhisattvas to compile
h
is for even t be As it says in the Verification
all the teachlllgs of the u t ' Saroruha as a commentary of Secrets, by mas er
on the Guhyasama}a:
Most masters claim
That the most radiant The glorious Guhyasama}a,
Had as its compiler
The warrior called Lokesvara.
But by the kindness of my guru
I know that the compiler of the glonous
Guhyasamaja
Could not have been any other; .
And so the being who propounded It
Was that tantra's author, . The indestructible reality of mllld.
r
In accord with this explanation, is a tradition whereby
h' self is the complIer.
the exponent 1m bl nd" the Abhidharma, too,
As for the "immeasura e grou
. A k ' tha is immeasurable.
explains . . Visvamitra's Great Commentary ConcernIng the four tlmes_. . J s. "Thus the fourth time [on the Glorious Guhyasama}a say. " the phrase,
should be known to be . ' also found By all the lords of ten l:hat it refers
in the new translatlOns. u a
to the four aeons. . , earance at the centre [of the Regarding Valrasattva s app . ex lain that the
mandala], even the new translatlOnS p . . 1278 . . . . h dala may change pOSltlOns.
foremost figure In t e mat. :l. Th
. a or final punctuation
. Concernlllg
e vlsarg J I the dlscnmznatzve a
k (. )
mar s tlg
t
h passage
e . . ' . . wareness
through
•
whIch
f h
15) the Indian manuscript 0 t e names are applted v . . ti 1279 Siltri (thread) is the Secret Nucleus reads ') Suryaprabhasirpha's
Sanskrit word for thlg lllJe [tig as being Commentary [on the Secret uc
. ) h' Tig is an archaiClsm. . h equlvalent to t 19. [which is found In t e
As for the reference to other later on, such as Secret Nucleus): all the tanthras;xp ation of the Real which
the Hevajra, also refer to t e umm had been delivered first.
The Root Tantra o/the Secret Nucleus 917
5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition, and its Impact on the Other Schools
[771. 1-786. 4] Furthermore, in the period following the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, one called the "Red Master" and another called the "Blue-skirted Pa1). <:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices involving public orgies and slaughter in the villages. 1282 Because many Tibetans entered their following, Lha Lama, uncle and nephew, as well as the translator Rincen Zangpo and others explained, in the epistles of re- futation which they authored in order to prevent harm to the teaching, that these were perversions of the mantra tradition. 1283 The translators of the new schools repeatedly declared, in order to prove the greatness of their own doctrines, that the transmitted precepts of the way of the secret mantra according to the Ancient Translation School had been polluted, owing to which ill-informed persons were carried off on the stretcher of doubt. But, in fact, it may be known from the preceding history how the continuous blessings of this succession of tantras,
transmissions, and esoteric instructions have been preserved without decline.
or 1 d" ed fundamental VIrtueS, Renounce con 1tIOn 1
such as [building] stupas and es. . d to contrived doctnnes,
There IS no en will end
but by them bae deeds,
Not renouncmg the yog [d d ] you will become a should you renounce ee s ,
tathagata. h . . must know the pat
y Because
the Buddha is not elsewhere, . lf
.
he IS naug
ht but awareness 1tse .
Samsara is not elsewhere;
'. h d within your own mm .
So It IS that you.
of the authentic b
uddhas in everything.
. h' h
d b the VIew w lC e
.
stablishes itself 1ll . . n
Thus, when one is graspe y of reality, of which the dispOSltlO the significance of the great sameness
. d
The View ofthe Great Perfection 901
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . '
902
The View ofthe Great Perfection 903 It says, too, in the All-Accomplishing King:
With respect to the genuine meaningful nucleus about which there is nothing to do,
What great yogins see
Is a divine ma1). Qala resulting from its basis
In the primordially pure ma1). Qala of mind.
Perfecting it by means of the four branches of service
and attainment,
It abides, spontaneously present, embodying emanation
and absorption.
Now, one might say, if the abiding nature of all things is such that they do not abide in the sphere of the conditioned, and so transcend virtue and sin, bondage and liberation, then the discourses on good and evil deeds and the infallibility of cause and effect are unnecessary. However, those discourses were given with an intention directed to consciousness [rather than pristine cognition]. Thus, for example, with an intention directed to whatever good or bad appears in dreams, which, while true during dreams, seems fictitious on waking, [the Buddha] spoke of all things as dream-like and apparitional, to exemplify their fictitiousness. Just so, until the deluded appearances subsumed by consciousness are exhausted there is still acceptance and rejection, and the infallible ripening of good and evil deeds in accord with cause and effect. But when that delusion is exhausted those things do not appear to the pristinely cognitive aspect [of mind-as-such] which beholds the truth. Because there is then no subjective cognition engaged in the subject-object dichotomy, relative objects do not appear. This is cer- tainly the stated intention of the buddhas and their sons. The intention of the great promulgators who, as prophesied, commented upon the profound definitive meaning also conforms with this, for it resides naturally in the minds of all who perceive what is supreme. The sublime Nagarjuna says:1253
Just as, for example, on falling asleep,
A man sees by the power of dreams
His son, wife, mansion and lands,
But sees them not upon awakening,
So it is that when those who know relative
appearance
Open the eyes of intelligence,
Part from the sleep of unknowing,
And wake up they no longer perceive it. Similarly, when those of genuine learning Overcome all propensities to unknowing, By means of the sunlight of knowledge,
b ddha-body of reality is free taneously present u .
Thespon
Fromthedarknessmw lC andannihilation'slimits, It transcends both permanence .
. h' hclarityandobscurationappear.
Cannot be grasped by either or light,
Transcends uniqueness and . rent as well as mVislble, things,
sa' Transcend ppa
h
I free from the terms of birth and deat. . ?
S d . t' n 1251 obscuration, and egotism. Where are eVia 10 , . ,
ht itself they are unthinkable: .
In thoug c · f discrimlnative awareness
The ends of the perlect10n 0
Are subsumed in the body of reality, awareness an
radiance. .
The ends of the perfection of concentrat1On1252
d
Are subsumed 1·n the lamp's total presence.
The ends of the perfection of perseverance t
Are subsumed in non-discurslVe, naturally presen
significance. . The ends of the perfection of. patlence
Are subsumed in cutting stralght through
appearances. . . r The ends of the perfection of moral. dlsclp lne
Are subsumed in retreat. The ends of the perfection of liberality - ,
Are subsumed in the abandonment of sarp. sara s
grasping attachments. . '
The ends of the perfection of aspiratiOn f
Are subsumed in neither hope for, nor fear 0 ,
appearances.
The ends of the perfection of means
Are subsumed in awareness' total presence. The ends of the perfection of power . .
Are subsumed in sealing
nlt1On The ends of the perfection of pnstine cog
Are subsumed in its causeless So it is that the meaning of.
nltlOn
- J'the Dialogue with says:
Equally, the Sutra OJ
Not to grasp anything Non-rigidity is moral Not to protect anything is patlence.
Not to endeavour is
Not to cogitate is concentrat1On. . Non-referentiality is discriminatlve awareness.
Is natural, all-pervasive, pnstme cog
.
904
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
They perceive neither mind, nor mental events, nor objects.
As proof of that, let us now refer to the decisive resolution of view and conduct in the disposition of the great pristine cognition of same- ness, where the multiplicity [of phenomena] is of a single savour, and which occurs here, in the Great Perfection. During the phase of the ground one does not exaggerate discriminative awareness, for one har- bours no hopes with reference to conditioned fundamental virtues, having realised through pristine cognition that relative appearance is a fiction; but one does not depreciate means, because, from the standpoint of consciousness, there is still acceptance and rejection. During the phase of the path, because no deliberations transcend discursive thought, there is not even so much as an atom upon which to meditate. Finally, during the phase of the result, if the stream of mind and all that emerges from mind be shut off, where can there be relative appear- ance? This essential point, which is the ultimate, innermost intention of the last two wheels of the transmitted precepts, is the unblemished, eloquent tradition of those who have undeludedly adhered to the
Sugata's teaching in India and here in the Land of Snows. Therefore, it has been reiterated in the writings of all the literary scholars and undeluded contemplatives, from the great translator Ngok Loden Sherap to Conang Sherap Gyeltsen and Puton Rincentrup of Zhalu.
In general, with an intention directed to consciousness, our Teacher revealed the structure of acceptance and rejection, and of cause and effect, that is valid in much the same manner as is the cause and effect [operating] in the world of dreams. But there are those who passionately cling to an understanding that relative appearance is proven to be valid, even within the pristine cognition of the buddhas. For that reason their clinging to the area of conduct becomes hard and fast, until they tear into patches sublime discriminative awareness and the buddhas' pristine cognition. In this way, it is hard for them to find conviction in the philosophy which does not err with respect to profundity. They even carry off the wondrous enlightened activity of the Sugatas on the stretcher of doubt.
Now, the total freedom from deliberations during periods ofmeditat- ive equipoise may well be the meditation of Hoshang Mo-ho-yen, but even the Jewel Lamp ofthe Madhyamaka, composed by master Bhavya, which you1254 esteem as a masterpiece of the Madhyamaka, says:
Not dwelling on any cognition, not conceiving anything, directing no attention to anything. . .
Furthermore, Atisa's comments on the sublime Nagarjuna's intention explain the period during which one abides in the tranquillity ofmeditat- ive equipoise that is free from ideation and scrutiny, and also in higher insight, by using the example of fire produced by rubbing two sticks forcefully together. He then gives a detailed explanation, beginning:
.
The same 1S expresse
d l'n the Introduction to the Madhyamaka (Ch. 6,
v. 27):
Just as what is perceived by an that is dim
Impairs not an undimmed cogmtlon, . , . , Just so the mind that's fors,aken taintless pnstme cogmtlon
Impairs not the taintless mmd.
Santideva also says [in the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, Ch. 9, vv. l0ab & 15]:
As long as causes are accumulated, So long does apparition arise.
If the causal stream be broken, Even relatively it will not arise. When no delusion is present,
, ",) What refers itself to relative appearance as an object.
The View ofthe Great Perfection 905
906
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
One does not form conceptions about any cognition, nor does one grasp any. One abandons all recollections and de-
. The ViewoftheGreatPerfi·
9 07
liberations. . .
1255
and expression . 1260 Na-ga- . d. d . ' fJuna 1 sIdedly through sophistic examin (
Yrelymg on expressed meaning not say th .
Similar expositions are also found in the three Meditational Sequences (Bhavanakrama, T 3915-17) of KamalasIla, so it certainly must have been a well-known position among the proponents of the Svatantrika- Madhyamaka. 1256 As these assertions all agree, it hardly matters whether or not they agree with Hoshang Mo-ho-yen, as well.
According to the Great Perfection the naturally present awareness that is the essence of higher insight is itself ascertained to be the pristine cognition of discernment. 1257 Therefore, taking that to be the support for meditation, and having become equipoised in reality, which is free from ideation and scrutiny, one abides in that non-discursive state, the unerring abiding nature which is a "great liberation from limits". 1258 As it says in the Penetration of Sound:
The limit of the natural Great Perfection
Leaves all things where they arise.
Because appearance and consciousness are coalescent in
reality,
It reaches the total presence of primordial liberation.
Its intention transcends the intellect,
Distinctive phenomena are pure where they arise,
It is free from the extremes of emptiness and substance, Movement has ceased, there are no conceptions,
And, thoughts exhausted, the intellect is transcended.
Not having realised this, the ebb and flow of ideation and scrutiny does not, by itself, reach the reality of higher insight. Thus, the obscura- tion which results from subjective intellectual adherences, which refer only to a counterfeit emptiness established by mind and mental events, becomes merely a vastly inflated opinion, the nature of which is never- ending and [a cause for] rebirth. The Teacher himself clearly said this in his N irvarJa SiUra:
o Kasyapa! whoever, referring to emptiness, relies upon emptiness, deviates greatly from this discourse of mine. . . 0 Kasyapa! it is better to abide in a view [which clings to] individual existence to the extent of Mount Sumeru, than with manifest egotism to adopt a view to emptiness.
Some object to such a viewpoint, saying that Nagarjuna has said:1259
Not relying upon conventions, One will not realise the ultimate.
Hence, [they claim that] realisation must depend on arguments invol- ving refutation and proof. But this quotation simply implies that, ini-
. a IOn. Therefore, that IS scrutinised
By a corpse-like sophistry. . .
so, having entered on the
tlally, ultimate truth should be realised b .
ectzon
scrutmy, [the sophists] c· bpreCIpItoUS traIl of Ideation and Ircumam ulate the f
proof, and let the pristine cognition wh· h . 0
refutation and on the path of exaggeration and d abIdes m themselves fly off
remove the two extremes through· Arrogantly thinking to like insects entangled in [ Inte ectual contrivances, they become extremely difficult for th cocoons. Spun from] their Own saliva. It is
. .
mconceIvable it cannot be exem l·fi d h as It IS. mce reality is
em to arnve at reality . . S·
tions remain essentially d· p Ie t rough conventions, for conven-
. . '
, IscurSIve labels It s . h
Deczslvely Reveals the Intention: . ays m t e Satra which
Though in the range of . 1 .
It is inexpressible dIsCrete characteristics,
Ultimate reality is'indisput:bre; Ivorced from conventions:
Its characteristics transcend all sophistry. ! Iere, in the natural Great Perfection h
naIl, three gazes take aim at th
th . 1
eSIX amps,realityisseend·
' tree postures hammer in the
eessence and trav . h
1 '- , ersmgt epathof
Therefore the diffl b Irect y'. without intellectual scrutiny 1261 l·k ' erence etween thIS path [ d h . .
1 e that ofheaven and earth A. . an t at ofdIalectics] is . s It says m the Penetration of Sound:
As for the. ultimate: having parted from intellect Ihe facultIes naturally liberated at once
'
n? one perceIves it directly.
ThIs essential point destroys philo
And w·th 1".
G '. 1 c or grasping at anything
enume realIty IS tasted.
The . h
A nhwIt no for three-realmed samsara
s w en space dIssolves into space . , Just so is this supreme yoga. '
For much the same reason Sak Three Vows, Ch. 3]: , y a
P . .
a1). 9Ita saId [in the Analysis ofthe
The of the Atiyoga
C Is pnstme cognition, but not a vehicle. "6'
thataspect[oftheGre tp . .
the abiding nature of th: erfectIOn] verifies, without descn. be it as pristine cognition bu pr? found I t be well to
a vehIcle is an intentional
'I t. hIS aSSertIOn that It IS not validly one. t IS because the pristine cognition
H
at It must be realised one- e put that down many times:
. . . .
h·· sop Ismg,
'
'
908 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
subsumed by the levels of pious attendants and self-centred buddhas, bodhisattvas, and buddhas is, respectively, incomplete, partially com- plete, and entirely complete that the definitive order of these four classes of sublime beings and the sequence of the vehicles have been estab- lished. It says in the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle (Ch. l, v. SOcd):
Just like space with reference to Inferior, middling, or superior forms. . .
So, exemplified by space which is without qualitative distinctions whether it occupies good or bad vessels, the pristine cognition, disclosed by the greater or lesser power of freedom from obscuration, is [primor- dially] present as the basis. With an intention directed to this, there is not the slightest contradiction in establishing it to be a vehicle. If one were to maintain that there is no pristine cognition in the minds of the three sublime types of sentient being apart from the buddhas, then [the discussion] would end there. But it is the profound intention of the siitras and tantras that the vehicles are established because the structure of the levels and paths is based on pristine cognition alone, from the slight vision of it, up to the complete vision of it. Therefore, it says in the Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas:
With mind engaged in the vehicle ofpristine cognition and the greater vehicle,
One dedicates [the merits of] those fundamental virtues.
And in the Dialogue with Suvikrantavikrami (Suvikrantavikramipari-
prccha, T 14) it says:
The greater vehicle is the pristine cognition ofthe buddhas.
Those who, not having conviction in the primordial philosophy of the Great Perfection, grasp as supreme those philosophies which have been established on behalf of neophytes, and so push aside the signifi- cance of the three approaches to liberation - they are like shadows that have abandoned their form!
Similarly, there are those who even say that because the word "Great Seal", is not taught in the causal vehicle, Gampopa alone contrived to do SO. 1263 In this and other ways they insist that his teaching is incorrect. None the less, the utterly unconditioned expanse is termed a "seal",1264 for instance in the Siitra of the Adornment of Pristine Cognition's Appear- ance which Penetrates the Scope of All Buddhas, where it says:
o Ananda! the seal of the doctrine is the seal of all things. It is the absence of seal, the uncreated seal, the undivided seal. 0 Ananda! those who are sealed by that are great bodhisattvas. They are of the dignified family of enlighten- ment. They are lions among men . . .
The View ofthe Great Perfection 909
PelJikpa Kyopei Yi
The master Jfianaklrti also offers a d '
to the Real, beginning: etal1ed eXpOSItIOn In his Introduction
The other name for the M h
Of discriminative er,' thhe tfanscendenta1 perfection F " h ss, IS t e Great Seal
or It IS t e essential nature of undivided .
' " . , pnstme cognItIOn. . .
Therefore, in the actual teachin
perfection of discriminative
Great Seal. In the mantr IS sometimes referred to as the
of Supreme bliss resorts 0 bsecomes accomplished by means
emt' S e reat eal[orcoales f]b , ,P mess. 0 , except for the differe b ence 0
liss and IS somewhat incorrect to sa thatnee etween the,siitras and mantras, the vehicle of the siitras '1 I the <,:ireat Seal IS never expounded
IS taught in a curso . 1 ar y, whIle the nUcleus ofthe sugata1265 h ' ry manner on the path f h -
teac mg of the mantras th t' , 0 t e sutras, it is in the So it is that tho h a It IS greatly elaborated.
, se w 0 have clung onl t h '
meanmg, who have take ' y 0 t e Side of provisional
d n Interest merely in the t
an wh0 have been guided b s ructure ofconventions,
" .
_
g of, the sutras, the transcendental
y words [alone] have broadcast those
· . A Recti'ication ofMisconceptions
. ' . but . f i ] their own biased positlOns,
910 Hl,StOry.
h . , [which con irm d
scriptural aut onues
b ous transmitted precepts an Ynumer b
n down
their are tor the [Buddha's] intention. There have
een treatises which comment on l ' hi'ch did not get so far as they
3 Response to Critics of the "Sutra which Gathers All Intentions"
. d ofspecuaHon,w
many such b1m 11 1 k the power to refute by means 0
f
. d d which tota Y ac 1
were alme , a n . h valid reasoning. This muc
ill have sufficed as an examp e. w
[758. 2-764. 2] Now, [while some object] to the empowerment of the SUtra which Gathers All Intentions, which belongs to the transmitted precepts of the Nyingmapa (rnying-ma bka'-ma mdo-dbang), and reveals empowerment ceremonies for the three causal vehicles,1266 the Hevajra Tantra (Pt. 2, Ch. 8, vv. 9-10c) says:
First you should grant the vow; Then, teach the philosophy, And likewise the Sautrantika philosophy; Later teach the Yogacara itself,
And afterwards the Madhyamaka philosophy.
Then, after the entire sequence of the mantras is known, One should teach Hevajra.
In accord with this exposition, which conforms to a sequential pro- gression through the vehicles, and because the central path ofall vehicles is revealed in full here in the mantra path, the three causal vehicles are seized by the skilful means of the mantras. At that time they sublimely surpass the attributes of their own levels and indeed become the swift path, just as the attitudes and applications of the vows of the lesser vehicle, when seized by an enlightened attitude, are trans- formed into the vows of the greater vehicle, the attributes of which sublimely surpass those of the lower ones. Therefore, this is the special real reason [for the empowerments of the causal vehicles in connection with the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions].
Moreover, the term "empowerment" is actually revealed [in the causal vehicles]; for in the Three Hundred Verses [on the VinayaJ the vows of the novitiate are termed "empowerment":
The moral discipline of renunciation removes suffering, Destroys the real roots of viewing the perishable as self, And vanquishes mundane glory and flower-arrowed Kama. It is the empowerment granting the glory of perfect
enlightenment.
912 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
In general, empowerment is understood in this way: When universal
monarchs are crowned, they are anointed with water from a jewelled
vase and given benedictions by the brahmans, whereby they are em-
powered with dominion over the realm with its seven precious things
and so forth. Similarly, when a bodhisattva who has arrived at the end
of the stream of the tenth level on the path of sutras is about to become
1268
of the tathagatas of the ten directions and vanish into the crown of that spiritual warrior. This is termed the "empowerment of light rays". 1269 In fact, no matter what path one enters, the consecration of the buddhas is the means by which one is empowered in its view, meditation, conduct, and result, and so is denoted as an "empowerment". It says in the
Siltra of the Descent to Lanka (Ch. 2, XL):
Mahamati! moreover, bodhisattvas who have been blessed with two blessings come before the feet of the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas and ask all their questions. With which two blessings, one might ask, are they blessed? It is so that they are blessed with the blessing of balanced contemplative absorption and with the blessing of the em- powerments conferred by all the bodies, faces, and arms [of the buddhas].
Thereat, Mahamati! bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors are blessed with the blessing of the buddhas from [the time of their attainment of] the first level,1270 and become equipoised in the contemplation of the bodhisattvas, which is called "Illumination of the Greater Vehicle". As soon as those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors become equi- poised in the bodhisattvas' contemplation of the "Illumina- tion of the Greater Vehicle", the tathagatas, arhats, utterly perfect buddhas who reside in the ten directions of the uni- verse reveal themselves. They genuinely reveal all their bodies, faces, and discourses. In this way, Mahamati! they appropriately bless the bodhisattva, great spiritual warrior Vajragarbha and other great bodhisattvas endowed with sim- ilar characteristics.
So it is, Mahamati! that the bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors on the first level attain the blessing to become equipoised in contemplation. Through the fundamental vir- tues accumulated during all of a hundred thousand aeons, they finally thoroughly realise the characteristics that are allied to the levels, or opposed to them. Then, on the bodhisattva level called "Cloud of Doctrine", the hands of the conquerors extend from the ten directions of the universe towards those bodhisattvas, great spiritual warriors who,
The Siltra which Gathers Al '
seated in the Great L P lIntentzons 913
with all the most o:lace, wearing crowns adorned rounded by bOdhisattvas r are completely sur- selves. With [hands eat warriors like them-
a buddha,1267 then light rays emanate from the ilnJakesa
whom reside in the G eat Lgreat splntual warriors all of
I' htouch IS] lIke orpiment,I271 gold on Ig t, and lotu h ' empower those bodhisattvas ' t e conquerors
their heads, in the ma: fotus Palace, on the of
Indraraja Because th ner 0 lords, universal monarchs or . ey are emp d '
faces, and hands of the buddh owere by all the bodies
campaka flowers mo ,
bodhisattvas are said t b hand empowerment. 0
e
bts, that bOdhisattva and essed by the blessing of the
And:
For the following reasons Mah- "
arhats, utterly perfect b d'dh
amatl. do the tathagatas as bless b dh' , ' , 0 Isattvas, great
become aware fior th IOn1an ,evel of the pious attendants' , emseYes md' 'd 11 ' the tathagatas; and so that th " ua y, of the level of
teries increase. Maha " b elr doctrines and mas- , rnatl. odhlsattvas ' ,
nors who are not so bl d I' ' great splntual war- , esse s Ide back int h '
extremIsts, pious attendants and _ 0 t e attItUdes of
the unsurpassed and auth ' Mara. They do not attain
buddhahood. For reas enthlc, perfect enlightenment of
. , onssuc asthese th b '
great splntual warriors are f: ' e odhlsattvas
, , , u
splntual warnors with th 'bl be disturbed by the d fil elr
essmg: m order that they not back into the :nd deeds ofMara; not slide
utterly perfect bUddh
as.
avoured by the tathagatas, arhats' ,
As has stated abundantIY in such
that a bodhIsattva who has attain d h
' ,
passages, It IS indisputable
fievel] must attain buddhahood b e end of the stream [of the tenth
g
ore, ,provisionally, the pious airereJm upon empowerment. There-
bodhlsattvas are empowered to buddhas, and and because, ultimatel te medItatIVely their respective of the greater vehicle seized by the enlightened ,self-centred bUddhas 'f ve IC es of] the pious attendants
nISclence, For this especially cr lSWI t paths, to the attainment of om- and all-kn ' UCla reason VaJradh k l l '
th . Owmg, has given such tea h' M at, WIthout relying on the th ,c mg.
ara, sled m means oreover, When it is taught
passed [Yogatantra], 1272 the of the Unsur- merely by means of the tantras f 0: VaJradhara cannot be attained is, in point of fact, much t e Outer of mantras, what is e Sutras those [empowerment e same as thIS, for, on the path of
erment, or blessing, of great are cO,ncealed, and only the empow- rays IS spoken of.
4 Response to Critics of the "Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus"
[764. 2-770. 6] Moreover, because Go Lhetse did not receive the teachings he had requested from the lord of the doctrine, Zurpoche, he nursed a grudge, due to which, after travelling to India, he reported that the Nyingmapa tantras were not to be found in India. 1273 He censured the glorious Secret Nucleus for four faults, et cetera, were occasionally repeated by some Tibetans. 1274 None the less, just going to India [and finding that] they were unknown in a few districts does not disprove the ancient translations. The Great Perfection and other exceedingly profound tantrapi! aka were only transmitted through unique lineages directly from mouth to ear. Beyond that, not even written texts were made. As nothing at all of those instructions remained behind, it may well be true that he neither saw, nor heard ofthem; for India was without this sort of Tibetan custom, whereby the doctrines of the secret mantra are given publicly, even to dogs and mice. Nevertheless, when one such as the "sole divine master" Dlparpkara [Atisa], who was renowned for his great learning in the mantras throughout India, saw the Indian manu- scripts at the Pehar Kordzoling [at Samye] in Tibet, his scholarly arrogance was shattered because many tantrapi! aka were preserved there which he had never heard of or seen before. As that story is clearly set forth in the biography of master Atisa himself, it is of no importance that an ordinary person such as Lhetse did not see those [tantras in India]. As a further illustration, one may note that one Orgyenpa Rincenpel, who meandered like a river all the way to O<;l<;liyana in the west, and who could powerfully transform the vision ofothers, said that he did not see an end to the mantras which appeared in the human world . 1275
Likewise, the lie that the Secret Nucleus had been composed in Tibet was betrayed by an actual Indian manuscript, which came into the possession ofComden Rikpei Reldri, the great paQ<;lita SakyasrI, Tharpa Lotsawa, Golo Zhonupel, Shage Lotsawa, et cetera. Rikpei Reldri, in particular, who was supremely learned in the later translations and was a great rectifier of the teaching, said in his Proof of the Secret Nucleus (gsang-snying sgrub-pa): 1276
sally as the diverse buddh b d ) o a- 0 ry)
e appears unzver- speech and mind.
'.
ThIs tantra IS genuine for the foIl .
Commentary on the Glori G h In the Great
pa'i 'grel-chen T 1844) ous u ryasamaja (dpalgsang-ba 'dus- . h ' composedbyth . /
In t e course of his com e master VIsvamitra th B. mentsonthepas "H ' e emg of Pristine Cogn't' sage ow far does
. . IIOnreach ;J" h S
IS cIted as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3): . . . . t e ecret Nucleus
In the abode o fAkanistha . h
in the limitless ground' h . out or centre,
pristine cognition ther, u: lC IS the. radIant wheel of
forth with thejOew) l . : IS celestzalpalace blazing e s OJ pnstme coan °t 0
uninterrupted throu h h completely gout t e ten dIrectIOns. . .
And also eCh. 1, v. 6):
In every inconceivable [world] h 0 0
IS based on insubstantiality
. . . ,
"hg '. SUbstantIal existence
f, d l [mal],. a a].
e Spontaneously present
The Root Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus
915
Then, m commenting on the as
? e known to be the palatial b X The Stiipa should
It as follows (Ch. 1, v. 3):
a 0
"
eo all buddhas. . . ," he cites
The spire is the p . t'
which all o;:hCOfllIOn central to all) in tions w °th e of the ten direc-
from one another out are not distinct ) are OJ a smgle essence.
! hen, commenting on the passa e " .
e gIves (Ch. 2 . IS Won erful marvellous realit
v 6)- ' . .
EmaholTh' d
Is secret o f all perfect buddhas Allzs created from the uncreated . A t creation itself there is no crea;ion.
Then, while ex 1. .
"Th P ammg the meaning of "
e Secret NUcleus s eak
Moreover, he quotes th p s of fi. ve empowerments. ,,1277
. epassagebegmning(Ch. 6, vv. 9-11)·
Thezr [colours] are blue White y II . ) ) e ow) scarlet
up to:
{-IPer:vasive] without extremes or centre [" t IS an unthinkabl j )
And he says "A d'
three realitie;. " CCor mg to the Secret NUcleus, there are
In these and all other such 0
by mentioning the title S Nmstances Visvamitra begins
ecret ucleus.
00
Y
"
secret he says,
916
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . ,
With such well-wrought arguments, [Rikpei Reldri's work] estab- lishes, in the manner of a teaching dialogue, [the authenticity of the Secret Nucleus], having cited quotations from this tantra in the great treatises that were famed in India, along with many commentaries by the masters mentioned above. You should examine it, for it is clearly valid!
For such reasons, the great pal). gita Sakya Chokden has said:1280
It is not necessary to prove laboriously that
The Nyingmapa doctrines were translated from Indian
originals.
It is enough that they are proven to be
The teaching of the emanational master [Padmasambhava]. Although they do not conform with the mantras and symbols Of those translated from India later on,
The proof of their validity is infallible accomplishment Through their supreme and common attainment.
They may be compared with the doctrines taken
By supreme accomplished masters from various great lands, And which were not translated in India
From their respective volumes;
For it is said that with Va;rasattva's consent
The compilers of those transmitted precepts
Were themselves permitted to teach them
In the language of each different country.
The Nyingmapa doctrinal traditions that definitely were Translated from India require no proof.
Having formulated arguments one might prove
The indefinite ones to be treatises,1281
But the great ones who came before in Tibet, Discovering this to be an artificial, conceptual path,
Have avoided wandering upon it,
As they themselves have explained.
This reasoned argument appears to be a learned axiom, when scrutinised fairly. In general, a doctrine is no more important merely because it originated in India. A distinction of good and bad treatises on the basis of country is not known in learned circles. If the author was one who was abiding on the level of accomplishment, the treatises composed by him should be valid. So, it is proven that whether they originated in India or Tibet makes no difference. Sometimes, too, Tibetan treatises are better than Indian treatises. One should regard as reliable those composed by accomplished Tibetans, whose pristine cognition was manifest, rather than those written by ordinary Indian scholars, who based themselves on learning in grammar and logic.
tera [criticised by Go The four perverse fau ts, et ce , b ' n with the
1
1 b rejected' [When texts egi
Lhetse), are a so to e d d is traditionally held to mean words) Thus I have be buddhas themselves, for it that they. were compi e y th level bodhisattvas to compile
h
is for even t be As it says in the Verification
all the teachlllgs of the u t ' Saroruha as a commentary of Secrets, by mas er
on the Guhyasama}a:
Most masters claim
That the most radiant The glorious Guhyasama}a,
Had as its compiler
The warrior called Lokesvara.
But by the kindness of my guru
I know that the compiler of the glonous
Guhyasamaja
Could not have been any other; .
And so the being who propounded It
Was that tantra's author, . The indestructible reality of mllld.
r
In accord with this explanation, is a tradition whereby
h' self is the complIer.
the exponent 1m bl nd" the Abhidharma, too,
As for the "immeasura e grou
. A k ' tha is immeasurable.
explains . . Visvamitra's Great Commentary ConcernIng the four tlmes_. . J s. "Thus the fourth time [on the Glorious Guhyasama}a say. " the phrase,
should be known to be . ' also found By all the lords of ten l:hat it refers
in the new translatlOns. u a
to the four aeons. . , earance at the centre [of the Regarding Valrasattva s app . ex lain that the
mandala], even the new translatlOnS p . . 1278 . . . . h dala may change pOSltlOns.
foremost figure In t e mat. :l. Th
. a or final punctuation
. Concernlllg
e vlsarg J I the dlscnmznatzve a
k (. )
mar s tlg
t
h passage
e . . ' . . wareness
through
•
whIch
f h
15) the Indian manuscript 0 t e names are applted v . . ti 1279 Siltri (thread) is the Secret Nucleus reads ') Suryaprabhasirpha's
Sanskrit word for thlg lllJe [tig as being Commentary [on the Secret uc
. ) h' Tig is an archaiClsm. . h equlvalent to t 19. [which is found In t e
As for the reference to other later on, such as Secret Nucleus): all the tanthras;xp ation of the Real which
the Hevajra, also refer to t e umm had been delivered first.
The Root Tantra o/the Secret Nucleus 917
5 The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition, and its Impact on the Other Schools
[771. 1-786. 4] Furthermore, in the period following the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma, one called the "Red Master" and another called the "Blue-skirted Pa1). <:iita" came from India to Tibet, where, for the sake of riches and honour, they propagated practices involving public orgies and slaughter in the villages. 1282 Because many Tibetans entered their following, Lha Lama, uncle and nephew, as well as the translator Rincen Zangpo and others explained, in the epistles of re- futation which they authored in order to prevent harm to the teaching, that these were perversions of the mantra tradition. 1283 The translators of the new schools repeatedly declared, in order to prove the greatness of their own doctrines, that the transmitted precepts of the way of the secret mantra according to the Ancient Translation School had been polluted, owing to which ill-informed persons were carried off on the stretcher of doubt. But, in fact, it may be known from the preceding history how the continuous blessings of this succession of tantras,
transmissions, and esoteric instructions have been preserved without decline.
