No More Learning

The treatises which explain elemental divination are mentioned in the tantras, and would appear to be taught in their esoteric instructions such as the Mother and Son ofthe Clarifying Lamp (gsal-sgron ma-bu). lOO
Poetics
The treatises of poetics are exemplified by the Mirror of Poetics (Kavyadarsa, T 4301) of Da1). <;lin,101 an exegesis which, in two special
98
with reference to time, on
Accordin,gly, ,when classified, these ornaments include th
sort, whIch IS divided b h ' , e uncommon darbha] 102 and th etween t e [of GaU(;ia and Vai-
, e common sort whIch consist f h' fi
ments of sense (arthalamkara) 'h s o t Irty- Ive orna-
brjod-pa), simile (dpe) an'd meta as natural description (rang-bzhin (sabdala1? lkara) of which it is (gzugs), and of phonetic ornaments
There many such enumerations
Of preCIse composition which are hard to execute Such as al1iteration and geometric poetrv 103 '
Assonance and so forth. And there are sixteen orna
,
emgmatic mnuendo (gab-tshig, Skt.
prahelika). Prosody
ments 0
f ' "
The treatises ofprosod
T X bythe SoureeofProsody whIch in general is the b ' t e Santlpa [Ratnakarasanti], those who, followin uor metncal composition. There are
SK Vol 5) which g 0 ectzon of Prosody (sdeb-sbyor-gyi tshoms
with th c? mposed by the doctrine master Sakya Pandita 104
CUt the flow ofe claiming that Sakya Pandita
th M' 0 t etwoworks]doagre b
'
e
zrror of Poetics (Ch 1 80 e, . ,VV. -1):
When there are rna
t ' , n y compounded expressions,
The
E IS sustamed by passages of prose
'
h' cOmpOSItIOn mto pada . I I' "
t mk the intentions [ f h or metnca meso However I
". ecause It IS saId in
ven m verse with th ' .
Thi " e eXCeptIOn of the southerners 105
, S Custom alone IS observed: ' WItness the heavy and light syllables,
106 Fundamentals: Doctrines ofSartZsara and Nirva'fJ,a
The varying number of syllables, The undulations in form,
Its expression and so forth.
Such an arrangement would appear to be a basis for investigation for those who have said that no such thing has been mentioned in this text on poetics [Mirror of Poetics], and it is clearly necessary to explain that the teaching in the Precious Source refers to the prosody of verse alone.
With reference to this text [Precious Source], verse is the basis ofany metrical composition. When classified it consists of rules concerning syllabic quantity (vrtta) and metrical feet[jati, groups of morae]. As the text says [cf. Mirror of Poetics, Ch. l, v. llcd]:
These four pada [i. e. lines] of verse
Are classified according to syllabic quantities Or in metrical feet.
Vrtta is the counting of syllables,
And jati is the counting of morae.
Syllabic quantities are of three types: those in which the syllables form lines of equal length, those which form semi-equal lines, and those which form unequal lines. Metrical feet, on the other hand, form the arya or sublime metre, the matra or morae metres, and lines ofequal feet.
Synonymics
The treatises of synonymics are exemplified by the Treasury of AmarasirtZha (Amarakosa, T 4299). This text contains homonyms such as the [Sanskrit] word go, and synonyms such as the epithets for the sun which include "green-horsed", "hot-rayed" and more than a hundred others. As the text says:
There are single words conveying many meanings, clearly expressed.
The very word go has ten such meanings, Including: a topic for discussion, light rays and
cattle.
There are also many words conveying a single
meaning:
The sun itself is known as "green-horsed" and
"hot-rayed" ,
And as "gem of the sky", "friend of the lotus", and
so on.
Drama
The treatises on drama are exemplified by the Dramatical Treatise (Natyasastra) of Bharata and the Utter Delight of the Nagas (Naganan-
T 4154). Drama means that certain works of verse prose and a mIxture of and prose are presented in a blend of four [Sansknt, Prakrit, PaisacI, and Apabhra11lsa]. These five of dramatic juncture (sandhi) begin- mng WIth a. lon. g with four dramatic manners (vrti)
such as WIth theIr SIxteen aspects such as the elucidation
WIthm these, there are interwoven [dramatic features] in-
cludmg seven harmonious tones, the thirty-six characteristics such
as embellIshment and abbreviation and artistI'C sk'll h f dd - ' ISsuc asgraceul
song . ance (lasya), the wearing of garlands, and aspects of othe dramatIc Junctures. r
Quantitative Treatises 107
7 Treatises of Inner Science
Alternatively. , they are to be explained through five calculated ap- pr? ach. es . which to five headings given [by the Teacher]. As It IS saId In the Clarifyzng Lamp (Pradfpodyotana, T 1785);
What is this tantra's title?
For whose benefit is it composed?
Who is the composer? What is its scope?
And what is its purpose?
This the anthology through which the doctrines of samsara and mrval). a are recognised in general and their characteristics first book, the Feast in which Eloquence Appears, :vh1ch IS a. ordenng of the precious teaching of the vehicle of mdestructtble realIty according to the Ancient Translation School.
QUALIT A TIVE
TREA TISES
[40b. 4] The treatises which teach qualitatively are exemplified by thos( of Madhyamaka which emphatically establish the two kinds of selfless ness [of individuals and phenomena].
TREA TISES TEACHING LIBERA TION AND OMNISCIENCE
[40b. 5-41a. 6] The treatises which teach the means of attaining libera- tion and omniscience are exemplified by the Bodhisattva Level (Bodhisattvabhumi, T 4037) and the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva. If one were to wonder what sort of character the masters who compose such treatises have, the superior type includes masters who perceive the truth of reality, such as the glorious lord Nagarjuna and the sublime Asanga. The middling type includes masters, such as Dignaga and Candragomin,106 to whom permission has been actually granted by the meditational deities, and the lesser type includes those who are learned in the five sciences and possess the esoteric instructions
107 Then, the instructions of the lineage which they possess have five
ofthe lineage ofthe gurus, such as masters Srlgupta and Sakyamati.
aspects. As the Rational System of Exposition says (cf. BST 4, p. 277):
To those who wish to explain the sutras
I must give instructions.
The following are the aspects of instruction Which are to be explained:
One must give exegeses by relating
The purpose and the condensed meaning, The words along with the meaning,
And also with response to objections, And the outline which connects the text.
Treatises ofInner Science 109
Part Two The Nature of the Teacher endowed with the Buddha-bodies
Introduction
[41b. 1-41b. 4] Having recognised the respective doctrines of sarpsara and nirva1). a, and generally outlined the structure of the true doctrine, now I shall reveal the structure of the Teacher endowed with the three buddha-bodies (trikiiya), the Conqueror who is the ground from which that profound, true doctrine originated.
This is divided into four sections, namely, (1) the mode of awakening in the buddha-body of reality which is the Primordial Lord [Saman- tabhadra], (2) the manner in which his emanation Vajradhara attained the quiescence [ofnirva1). a] in this'field [of the trichiliocosm] ,108 (3) the manner in which the two buddha-bodies of form emanate from him, and (4) the distinctive attributes of the buddha-bodies and pristine cognitions as revealed in the causal and resultant vehicles.
Samantabhadra, the Buddha-body of Reality
[41b. 4-45a. 4] In general, it is the opinion of the lower vehicles that one such as this teacher ofours [Sakyamuni Buddha], after accumulating the provisions [of merit and pristine cognition] conducive to liberation over three "countless" aeons109 as an ordinary person, in his final existence subjugated Mara at dusk in Vajrasana, the Point of Enlightenment. 110 Developing the path of connection in his mind at midnight by means of the actual foundation of the four meditative concentrations, he manifested the six transcendental perfections at the very moment when the pale light of dawn appeared, and attained buddhahood endowed with the bodies of reality and form. Apart from his promulgation of the doctrinal wheel to [the five noble companions]l11 - from Ajfiatakau:t;lc;linya to Bhadrika and so forth - [these lower vehicles] do not admit the complete definitive structure of [the Teacher's] three buddha-bodies.
Then, in the sutras of the greater vehicle the three buddha-bodies are taught, while the mantra texts also refer to the five outer and inner awakenings, as well as to the holder of indestructible reality who em- bodies cause and result, the emanational buddha-body (ninna7Jakaya) which comprises the physical form and energy channels [of that Teacher], the buddha-body of perfect rapture (sambhagakaya) which is his speech and vital energy, the buddha-body of reality (dhannakaya) which is his mind and seed in the form of nectar, the essential body (svabhavikakaya) which is his nucleus and the vital energy of pristine cognition, and so forth. These, however, have all been revealed only according to the acumen of those requiring training and the volition of the yogin on the path.
. In this [Nyingmapa tradition], however, it is explained in accordance WIth the uncommon transmission of the Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance ('ad-gsaIrda-rje snying-pa),112 supreme and unsurpassed among vehicles, that pristine cognition itself, or intuitive awareness, is
Iberated right where it is through having recognised is nature as Saman- ta? hadra to be self-manifesting - at the very moment when the ground artses as phenomena from the primordial ground. Samantabhadra is
116 Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies
· whom both samsara and nirvana are indivisible, the
is knowable], along with their propensities which are bewildering ap- pearances non-existent in reality, are totally purified in that intrinsic essence. It is also supreme realisation because great pristine cognition, which does not divide consciousness and its object in two, sees existence and quiescence all-pervasively and without partiality. And it is supreme mind which naturally performs spontaneously present enlightened ac- tivity by means of [the aforementioned renunciation and realisation] for the sake of all living beings without qualification. As it is said in the Ornament of Emergent Realisation (Ch. l, v. 43):
Inasmuch as three supreme qualities are present In the trio of mind, renunciation and realisation, Which are supreme among all sentient beings, This purposeful activity of the self-emergent ones
should be known.
Now, this buddhahood is the pristine cognition of the expanse of reality (dharmadhatujfiiina), which is without object of reference and free from all elaborate extremes, and the pristine cognition of sameness (samata- jiiana) which does not abide in the extremes of existence and quiescence because it sees neither good nor evil throughout the extent of sarpsara and nirvaJ)a equally. The hollowness of mere explanations through which the causal vehicles explain how all that is manifest abides in the expanse of reality, firm in the cessation of quiescent [nirvaJ)a], is sur- passed by mastery over that pristine cognition which qualitatively knows [the view, ji-lta-ba ye-shes] 14 The subtle natural expression of that pristine cognition continues to abide in the great field of the inwardly radiant youthful vase body (gzhon-nu bum-pa sku),llS as if it were the light contained within a crystal. It is also unobscured when formally absorbed as the ground or causal basis of the range of objects perceived by the tathagatas' pristine cognition of discernment. These are, namely: the buddha-body of form (rnpakaya) which appears before the eyes of the conquerors' sons or lords of the tenth level,116 and of the host of those to be trained; the buddha-speech which is heard by their ears; the fragrance of sublime moral discipline which they scent; the savour of the doctrine which they relish; the bliss of contemplation Which they feel; the appraisal of the doctrine which they make through
their discriminative awareness endowed with ideas and scrutiny; and so forth.
Then, in the spontaneously present Realm of the Bounteous Array (Ghanavyuha), a field which is manifest in and of itself through the or consecration of this [youthful vase body], far removed from objects of thought, expression and symbolism, and which is unlimited an? without direction, the Teachers of the Five Enlightened Families abIde in a great display of undifferentiated buddha-body and pristine Cognition. These teachers are identified with the ma1). <;iala of the body
. 'd'. h' tiret and who is the expanse 0 rea lty an . .
the teacher III .
antecedent of all, who holds sway ovefr
t elr enTh! s'buddhahood is attained in the naturally pnstIne t
without thoughts of the three times, end, or of all else that can be known. As the Supreme ontmuum 0 e
Greater Vehicle (Ch. 2, v. 38ab) says:
Without beginning, middle, or end, and
It is neither two, nor three,l13 taintless and WIthout thought.
Samantabhadra and Consort
And in the Magical Net of Maiijufri (vv. 99cd-100ab):
Spontaneously present without thought, .
Is the agent of the buddhas of the three urnes; Buddha without beginning or end,
He is the original, impartial Buddha.
. ' This buddhahood is supreme
b e the two kinds of at which
suddenly arisen obscuration [of confllCtlng emotlOns and th
Samantabhadra 117
118 Fundamentals: Nature of the Buddha-bodies
of perfect rapture (sambhogaktiya) which manifests in of is endowed with five certainties and is subsumed by the pnstIne cogmtIOn of buddhahood.
However at other times, they perceive that when the expressive power by the ground arises as phenomena from primor? ial ground is not intrinsically recognised, there dream-lIke sent. lent beings who, bewildered without cause for move In a cycle of ostensible suffering. Generating loving compaSSIOn the of these beings, they emanate an extensive array of fields IncludIng those situated on the contemplative hand gesture of Vairocana the Great Glacial Lake (gangs-chen mtsho), who embodies the five kinds of pristine cognition and the self-manifesting body of perfect rapture. II7 array also includes the great fields which extensively fill all the space In each ofVairocana's pores occupied by indivisible atomic particles ofthe elements, and which are absolutely beyond all objects of expreSSIOn such as shape, extent and altitude. . .
All these fields have distinct features; for the expanse of reahty IS filled with oceans offields and buddha-bodies which do not intermingle, take birth or change into other forms, alter or decline, and which are not even slightly covered by extraneous matter. As it is said in the Sutraofthe Arrayed Bouquet (Ga1Jejavyuhasutra, T 44, cf. Ch. 34, v. 28):
Even on a single hair-tip,
Is an unthinkable array of fields. Though they have various shapes, They do not differ,
And they do not become intermingled.
And in the Sutra of Inconceivable Secrets (Tathtigatacintyaguhyanir- desasutra, T 47):
Santamati, all that is pervaded by space
Is pervaded by the tathagatas' fields and bodies.
Similarly, these fields are arrayed in three dissimilar are respectively occupied by the buddhas' three bodies. In the dImensIOn of the buddha-body of reality they are called Fields of the ible Nucleus of Inner Radiance (,od-gsal rdo-rje snying-po). In the dImen- sion of the buddha-body of perfect rapture, manifest in and of itself, they are called the Fields ofBrahma's Drumbeat (tshangs-pa'i rnga-sgra). And in the dimension of the emanational body they are called the Aeon of Great Brahma (tshangs-chen-gyi bskal-pa). Oceans of buddhas who are emanations of the Primordial Lord [Samantabhadra] himself, appear in these dimensions throughout the three times, and there are also oceans of world systems of sentient beings which exist, but their extent, encompassed by the four elements and space, is confined wlthlll this Aeon of Great Brahma.
In . this aeon, diverse appearances of happiness and suffering are expenenced; for example, the impure sentient beings transfer conscious- ness at death and emerge at birth, buddhas pass into nirvana the endures and path is attained and so on.
lll. the ofeach atomIC partIcle, measureless fields containing moun- talllS, contInents and oceans appear, and in addition, each atomic par- ticle of the world on the surface of a single atom consists of measureless world systems of sentient beings well furnished with causes and condi- tions . . These emanations of the sugatas, the most powerful of
bodhIsattva aspIratIOns to purify lands [into buddha-fields], the accumu- latio. n of manifestly gathered by the bewildered perceptions of and excellent attainments which spring from reality. As It IS saId In the Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas:
Since the object of the buddhas' pristine cognition is unthinkable,
So are these emanations of their blessing.
Teaching in oceans of fields, without extreme or centre
Vairocana has totally purified them through the
In accord with enlightened mind, which is the thought ofall
He has purified unthinkable oceans of aspirations. '
Since the oceans of deeds of sentient beings are unthinkable,
All the oceans of fields in all directions emerge. The emanations of all the bodhisattvas and
The approach to all-knoWing reality
. Have. beenactuallyattainedbyalltheoceansofaspirations,
And III the expanse of space, infinite fields emerge.
By oceans of conduct, beings without extreme or centre practise,
And enter the range of measureless sugatas. Purifying all the oceans of fields in the directions They purify each field for infinite aeons. '
All the oceans of fields of deeds
Which the thoughts of sentient beings, InconceIVable in expanse, emerge.
And in th A . " if G T e spzratlOn 0
44 and T 1095, v. 29bcd):
p". ,
ractisIllg and manifesting for oceans of aeons.
these fields are radiant apparitions, not existing in reality
ood Conduct (Bhadracaryapranidhanaraja
The three times are measured in the space of a hair, By oceans of buddhas in oceans of fields
ecause III the ex f
ft " "panse 0 om the begInmng.
1" " ,
rea Ity relatIve appearances have not existed
Samantabhadra 119
. ,
2 Vajradhara, the Emanation of Samantabhadra
legs-par and thereafter, manifesting as the son of one Vidyut- prabha (glog-gz od), who was named the brahman youth Sudatta (bram- ze'i khye'u legs-byin), he studied the doctrine under the Buddha KalyaI)amati (dge-ba'i blo-gros) and abided in contemplation for seven years. Finally after seventy-five [years], on the summit of the mountain called Array of Gem Cluste. rs (rin-po-che'i phung-po mam-par bkod-pa), he revealed the way of mamfest, perfect buddhahood and continued to abide in the intention of the buddha-body of reality for one great aeon.
[45a. 4-46b. 4] Secondly, concerning the manner in which Vajradhara -attained buddhahood in this field [of the trichiliocosm]. For the sake of those requiring training in this field, the original buddha Saman- tabhadra gave teaching through his great emanation who is learned in
skilful means, illustrating the manner in which ordinary, indifferent persons would generate the enlightened mind, and so he sent forth a display of the modes and actions of buddhahood. Such modes [of emanation] are also known in the ordinary vehicle. As it is said in the Sutra ofthe Meeting ofFather and Son (Pitiiputrasamiigamanasiltra, T 60):
Great Warrior, learned in skilful means,
You have been the Conqueror in one billion aeons
In order to mature sentient beings,
And though you have revealed yourself as the Buddha,
Even today, my Guide,
You reveal yourself as manifold buddhas.
And in the Sublime Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas:
Though they have well attained oceans of enlightenment, In order to mature fully oceans of sentient beings,
They continually reveal their oceanic cultivation of
enlightened mind,
And at all times teach oceans of unobscured conduct. Such are the emanations of the sugatas.
Immeasureable aeons ago,118 in the field which is called Array of Natural Expression (rang-bzhin mam-par bkod-pa), the emanation of the Primordial Lord [i. e. Vajradhara, the emanation ofSamantabhadra] offered a golden vajra to the Buddha Maharoca (me-tog mdzes-pa chen-po), and so first aspired to supreme enlightenment. Then, after
two such lifetimes in which he became the son of a householder, Sudana (legs-sbyin), who was named MaI)imalya (nor-bu'i phreng-ba), he listened to the doctrine in the presence of the Buddha Sucaritacakra Ckhor-lo
V ajradhara
Then he naturally appeared as the buddha-body of perfect rapture in a cycle of ornaments and colours, and from its nature, self-manifesting mal). <;lalas of the Conquerors of the Five Enlightened Families emerged
their own accord beyond number. However, among these appari- tIonal forms h' . h b .
dow . '
f ed WIth the major and mmor marks,119 derived from that offering
IS eI? ergence t e ody of VaJradhara, perfectly en-
o the . vajra, which was the supporting basis of his aspiration.
hWhIle these [deities] also have mastery over the thirty-six actions of t wheel of the inexhaustible ornaments of buddha-body speech and
. '
a lty (snying-thig) ,120 in reality, as explained above, they are no different
mInd h' h C'
l' ,w IC lorm one aspect of the teachmg on the Innermost Spiritu-
Vajradhara 121
122 Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies
from that magical emanation of the Primordial Lord, who is. in skilful means. For there are numerous names which descnbe hIm, including: Vajradhara, who teaches most tantras of the way of s. ec. ret mantra; Samantabhadra, who is the teacher of the profound nature or indestructible reality of the utterly secret Innermost Spintu-
ality; and elsewhere he is referred to as Buddha, Vajrasattva and so on. So it is that the CollectlOn ofRealzsatlOn (Sarvakal- pasamuccayasarvabuddhasamayogottaratantra, T 367) says:
Supreme among all the purest, Primordially liberated tathagata, Samantabhadra, the lord of all,
Is certainly the enlightened mind itself.
And again:
Spiritual warrior without beginning or end, Vajrasattva, supreme delight,
Samantabhadra, the lord of all,
Indestructible nucleus, highest of the high - Since he is primordial and without end,
He is considered the first of the true [buddhas]. Since he is the centre of all ma1). Qalas,
He is the true lord of the true [buddhas].
3 The Two Buddha-bodies of Form
[46b. 4] Thirdly, there is the buddha-body of form (rapakaya) which has two apparitional modes - namely, the body of perfect rapture (sambhogakaya) and the emanational body (nirmalJakaya).
THE BUDDHA-BODY OF PERFECT RAPTURE
[46b. 4-50a. 5] As to the former, there is an explanation in Buddha- guhya's Sequence of the Path:
The fields and celestial palaces
With their thrones and ornaments, Which are the self-manifesting
And spontaneously perfect awareness Appear as manifold light rays.
Accordingly, the great buddha-body of reality which abides within the nature of inwardly radiant reality, in the manner of the five-coloured light radiated within a crystal prism by the sun's rays, has an apparitional aspect of pristine cognition, which extends outward radiance to an object manifest [only] in and of itself. In this way it is experienced as measureless buddha-bodies and fields of rapture.
Among them, in this emanational array which comprises twenty-five different fields situated one above the other on the petals and anthers of a lotus stem growing on the palms of Vairocana the Great Glacial Lake, and in the sixteen different fields within the streams of fragrant Water which flow beneath his crossed legs, uncountable [bodies of] rapture are projected in a constant cycle, endowed with oceans of major and minor marks. This natural expression of the Buddhas of the Five Enlightened Families, endowed with the five certainties, is the charac- teristic basis of the great body of rapture, the array of fields and buddha- bOdies present within Vairocana, the Great Glacial Lake of Pristine COgnitioI). (ye-shes gangs-chen mtsho).
124 Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies
Two Buddha-bodies ofForm 12S
It should be known that the indestructible play of these magical emanations is inconceivably secret. For example, it is by no means contradictory that fields containing atoms of oceanic infinity exist on the surface of a single atom, bodies of oceanic infinity are gathered in a single body and each body also covers an oceanic infinity of fields. Such is said in the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus (Ch. 9, v. 13):
In the manner of the trichiliocosm
Absorbed in a mustard seed,
One should make offerings
After inviting the ma1)<;iala from the expanse. 121
And in the Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas: 122 On the surface of a single atom
Are as many buddhas as there are atoms.
This buddha-body of rapture, the teacher who holds sway over these fields, is also endowed with seven particular attributes of natural expres- sion. These are, namely: the natural expression which has fully matured in the nature of just what is; the natural expression which is spontane- ously present without seeking for enlightened attributes; the natural expression which is pristine cognition without extremes or centre; the natural expression which, even though the result be mastered, does not reveal its true essence [i. e. it manifests only in and of itself]; the natural expression which, even when sameness has been disclosed, remains free from the range ofobjective qualification; the natural expres- sion which is liberated from [concepts of] one and many; and the natural expression which is without conjunction and disjunction throughout the three times.
In the [buddhas] who greatly embody these seven [attributes of natural expression], spontaneous presence refers to the ordinary major and minor marks through which the diverse symbols of their body, speech and mind appear in accordance with the acumen of those requir- ing training.
This transformation includes the thirty-two excellent major marks such as the wheel-marked hands and feet, and the eighty minor marks such as the copper-coloured nails which appear on their bodies, blazing with the major and minor marks. It also refers to the [major and minor marks], disclosed by the Teacher's mind through four kinds of pristine cognition, namely, the outer major and minor marks derived from his expressive power, the inner major and minor marks derived from the purity of his energy channels and centres, and the secret major and minor marks derived from the purified aspect of the seed that is the enlightened mind. Then, in the Great Perfection (rdzogs-pa chen- pO),123 the rapture of equal savour, experienced when the network of energy channels is naturally expressed as purified supreme bliss, is explained to be the supreme embellishment among the ornaments. The
Oceanic Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul rgya-mtsho, NGB Vol. IS) says:
Know that the twofold bliss of vowels and consonants Intermingles and becomes one;
The sixteen [delights] by their dual movement Possess the major marks.
One series of them is endowed with five pristine cognitions,
And becomes the eighty minor marks.
Superior are they to the feeling of receptiveness and other causal [teachings]. 124
The . five components - namely, the one [component] which perceives the lIberated uncorrupted pristine cognition, utterly transcending accumulated the component of moral discipline; the component of contemplatIon; the component of discriminative awareness· and the component of liberation - are also naturally expressed as Five [Conquerors] - Vairocana, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha and
are embodiments of the tathagatas' body, speech, mInd, enhghtened attnbutes and activities.
The five elemental properties [of space, cohesion, solidity, warmth, and movement], too, are naturally expressed as [the divine consorts of those conquerors] - DhatvIsvarI, Locana, MamakI, Pa1)daravasinI and Purified as such, [the components and tIes] abIde III a coalescence of unchanging supreme bliss and emptiness endowed with all supreme aspects. 125
this. way, the pristine cognition which transcends subject and object . amazing ma1)<;iala arrays through its [rapturous] appreCIatIOn. of all. self-manifesting objects. These arrays include the ma1)<;ialas WIth theIr centre, periphery and clusters [of deities], their father consort and mother consort, body-colours, symbolic hand imple-
ments, passionate and passionless forms - male and female tathagatas male female bodhisattvas, and male and female wrathful deities. ' So It IS that the four sensations of seeing hearing smelling and
tas( fid .
In theIr natural expression respectively as the four
V a j r a p a 1 ) i , A k a s a g a r b h a a n d A v a - a knesvara, and the fou. r sense of form, sound, smell and taste four female bodhisattvas Lasya, Mala, GIta and NartI. Similarly
e Our organsofeye,ear,noseandtonguefindnaturalexpression as [the bodhisattvas] Maitreya, Nivaranaviskambhin Samantabhadra
andM _. ,-
a . a? d the four temporal of past, future, present
In? efimte tIme as Dhupa, Aloka and Gandha. 126
gaIn, the common savour of supreme delight experienced through
the subject ofcontact, object ofcontact and sensation ofcontact wIcht h '
. In eract w en the secret [sexual] sense objects organs and con- are united in meditative equipoise with Vajra Queen 127 IS naturally expressed as the Four Mahakrodha [or "most wrathful
. . ,
'"
126 Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies
male"] deities, "lords of death". The four [extremes] of permanence, decay, self and character are also naturally expressed as the Four krodhI [or "most wrathful female"] deities. Yet, the forms present m such infinite retinues are nothing but the display ofthe Teacher himself, the wheel of inexhaustible ornament which appears as the centre and periphery of the mal). Qala. So it is explained in the Tantra ofthe [Secret] Nucleus:
The centre without extremes or middle is intrinsic awareness.
The four pristine cognitions emanate around it in the manner of a wheel.
And in the Illuminating Lamp of the Fundamental Text (khog-gzhung gsal-sgron, P 4739):
Having reached the culmination of the result in Akanistha,
He as the centre and periphery of the mal). Qala.
The fields of these [mal). Qala deities] are present in every form bec. ause they are the pristine cognition of the buddhas manifest in and of ltself and the display of the magical net, which is the nature of all forms. Their thrones are everywhere, their celestial palaces are everywhere, they arise everywhere, their zenith is everywhere, their nadir is every- where, their spheres are everywhere, their squares are ever,Ywhere, their triangles are everywhere, their faces are everywhere, theIr hands are everywhere, their feet are everywhere, their eyes are everywhere, and they face in every direction. Each sense organ, too: the function of all sense organs, because the expanse of realIty IS mfimtely covered and enveloped by the unimpeded expressive power of pristine cognition. Accordingly, the Lion's Perfect Expressive Power (seng-ge rtsal-rdzogs chen-po'i rgyud, NGB Vo1. 9) says:
The face of Samantabhadra sees in all ten directions. The body of the all-seeing, all-positive [Samantabhadra] Has neither front nor back.
With an eye which fills the ten directions,
He sees form.
And also in the Kalacakra Tantra: With hands and feet everywhere,
With eyes, head and face everywhere,
Possessing ears everywhere,
He who remains pervading all the world's limits. . .
Since these perceptual objects of the buddhas are subsumed by the
minds of the buddhas alone, they are invisible even to the lords of the tenth level; for the latter are not liberated from all obscurations and have not attained the eye of pristine cognition, which, without even a mote [of obscuration], qualitatively knows [the view] and quantitatively
knows [phenomena]. So the Supreme Continuum ofthe Greater Vehicle (Ch. 2, v. 69) says:
Because it is not an object of speech, Is subsumed by ultimate reality,
Is not within reason's domain,
Is beyond exemplification,
Is unsurpassed and is subsumed neither by existence nor quiescence,
The objective range of the Conqueror is inconceivable, Even to sublime beings.
These perfect supramundane fields in which the cycle ofmyriad pure worlds and their contents arise, forming the apparitional aspect of the great inner radiance of the ground, manifest in and of itself, are equi- valent to the purest of dreams. For, in situations where the subject-ob- ject dichotomy and its propensities are purified, there are not thought
to be any material substances with independent attributes existing elsewhere apart from that apparition. As the Tantra of the Extensive
Magical Net says:
If there is no understanding of intrinsic awareness or
THE
genuine perception,
The field of SukhavatI is even seen as a state of evil existence.
If the truth which is equivalent to the supreme of vehicles is realised,
Even states of evil existence are and
EMANA TIONAL BODY
The Teacher who instructs [sentient beings] appears as the body (ninna'fJakaya) in response to the degrees of im- punty, s11ght purity and utter purity of the stains which obscure the of the sugata within the minds of those to be trained. Without
. '
his buddha-body of form sends forth a varied, unimpeded
of emanations of effortless, great spirituality. Among these, realIty reflect . .
s as many aSpIratIons as there are shapes of the moon in vessels of unsullied water, dependent on the ostensible dichotomy of
from the expanse of ultimate reality, for both samsara and
nIrvana ha
. ' ve one great common savour m the utterly pure body of
Two Buddha-bodies ofFonn 127
128 Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies ,r
. t ted and the instruction itself. As Ajita [in the Supreme
Two Buddha-bodies ofForm 129
Manifestly perfect buddhahood is to be attained in only a single realm of which is disclosed to bodhisattvas as far as the path of insight by this body explained to be the imputed body of perfect rapture that appears to them, and by aspiration, the residual force of the accumulations, or mere intention. Therefore, the buddha-body of perfect rap- ture endowed with a multitude of forms has extensively ap- peared only as the emanational body in the realms. 130
And on the same subject, the Sutra of the Descent to Lanka (Ch. IO, v. 774) says:
In the desire and formless realms
The Buddha does not become enlightened. In among the realms of form, Without desire, you will attain buddhahood.
Through such quotations, authoritative passages do explain that the supreme emanational body attains buddhahood in before becoming a buddha in the human world, and thus confirm the meaning expressed in this section.
Emanations who Train Living Beings
Secondly, concerning the emanations who train living beings: From the nature of this [Teacher], the emanational body who instructs living beings reveals inconceivable modes of display through skilful means in order to mature fully the mass of those to be trained in all world systems. The venerable Ajita [or Maitreya, in the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle, Ch. 4, v. 54] has said:
Diversified in all realms,
By measureless emanations beyond thought, He benefits all sentient beings.
Accordingly, the supreme emanational body simultaneously reveals the way of twelve deeds in myriad world systems of the ten directions, since it is skilled in remaining in the realm, in passing from that realm, in taking birth, renouncing the world, practising asceticism, reaching the point of enlightenment, vanquishing Mara's host, attaining perfect enlightenment, turning the doctrinal wheel, passing into final nirval). a, and teaching the duration and the decline of the doctrine. In each of these [world systems] it emanates as the Six Sages Embodying who act on behalf of the six classes of beings to be trained, Instructing them in accord with their differing sense perceptions and respective classes. So it is said in the Sutra which Resembles the Elephant's Expre,ssive Power T 207):
those to be ms ruc . 4 Continuum of the Greater Vehzcle, Ch.
29] h
said' .
128
And in a sutra:
Having comprehended that the reality of the
Conqueror d . hut Is without body, tranquil, not twO, an WIt 0
substantial existence, . .
The body of form adorned with dIgnified marks
continues to teach, .
Fulfilling the hopes of all living bemgs. .
Just as in the pure terrain of beryl
The reflection of Surendra's
So in the pure terrain of bemgs
. f Munlndra's body IS reflected.
The Image 0
. . 1bod When the emana. tIona h
natural expressIOn, emanatIons w 0 t emanations.
Emanations of Natural Expression
is of three types: of living beings and diversIfied
,v .
as
. h emanations of natural expression: Just as the Firstly, concerning t e b ddha body of perfect rapture who
teacher, appears to those lords of
is an appantIOn of the exp h t ure among those to be trained, he
the tenth level who are somew a flP ted l'mage in clear crystal within . themanner0fare ec 1
also appears m . 1 b dy of natural expression, name y,
the five of the Srlmat Padmakula and Karma- Akanistha m the centre, an Ira 1, . . ' .
Therein he appraIses an in the form of the
measureless peaceful and wrath f major and minor marks
Five Teachers, who are iden:ified by °ofform 129 As an antidote . ' . hT thagataValrocana,t e lng '. .
begmnIng WIt . a . . f those who require trammg, he turns to the five conflIctmg emotIOnS 0 d . 1 heel by means of his five
the inexpressible and. cognitions and so great fields, five bodIes, Ive oc ,
forth. . d f erfect rapture and its retinue, Since this Teacher, who. IS the bo phe is classified in the Tantra is compounded by the mmds of 0 ' . ma dang zla-ba kha-sbyor-ba
ofthe Great Coalescence ofSun and Moon. (nyz- ·(. 'est pmanation of natural . d NGBV19)asaseml-manll' oJ- . '
rgyu , 0 . . hiloso her Dh2. rmamitra has, m un1- expreSSIOn. The Madhyamaka P . . d explanation [in the Clear formity with this, given the followmg UCl .
. '
h £ cardmal dIreCtIOns.
. .
prasiddhi m t de the doctrines through his body of
Word, Prasphurapada, T 37961:
130
Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies
MafijusrI, at this, when a great bodhisattva has become evenly absorbed in the contemplation named Great Lotus (Mahiipadma), he has taken into his following or takes into his following the hellish domains of sentient beings, and causes all these beings to experience the bliss of the gods, however slight. These sentient beings also perceive him as a denizen of hell in the hells, and through that guise he teaches the doctrine to the sentient denizens of hell in order that they might become free from the hells.
And in the Great Bounteousness ofthe Buddhas:
Son of the enlightened family, the emanations of the tathagatas are immeasurable. They act on behalf of living beings by training each in accord with his needs, and by their forms, colours and names.
Now, if one were to ask just how these sages act on behalf of beings in this realm with its six classes of sentient creatures, the Superior Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul bla-ma, NGB Vol. 14, T 837) says:
In the realms of the gods he is Lord Sakra,
Among the antigods he is Vemacitra,
Among men he is the Lord of the Sakyas who subdues
Mara,
In the domain of tormented spirits he is Jvalamukha, To animals he is called Sirpha,
And in the hells he is Yama, lord of deeds.
Such a sixfold classification of realms applies in this world system of Patient Endurance (mi-mjed 'jig-rten-gyi khams, Skt. Sahalokadhiitu), the thirteenth among the series of twenty-five world which, as has already been explained, are situated one above the other upon the heart of a lotus on the palms of [Vairocana] the Great Glaciai Lake of Pristine Cognition, at the centre of his buddha-fields which are as infinite in extent as atomic particles. In this context, the [Tibetan] word mi-mjed ["endurable"] is explained to mean patient or intrepid. The sentient beings of this field endure desire, endure hatred, endure delusion and endure fetters of conflicting emotion. Thus, it is so called because the [Sanskrit] word saha conveys the sense of endurance or capability.
The living beings [inhabiting this world] appear also to have their own respective world-forming deeds. The Great Bounteousness of the Buddhas says:
The distinctions of deeds are inconceivable. The world of the hells slopes downwards. The world of Yama is topsy-turvy.
The animals and antigods move upwards and downwards.
Or the celestia! beings face upwards, the animal beings face honzontally, and the hellIsh and tormented beings face downwards.
These six [classes of beings] are complete within a single trichilio- cosmo As the Short Commentary on the Secret Nucleus (Srfguhyagar- bhapirJ4iirthatfkii, P 4755) says:
The six kinds of creatures in a single trichiliocosm Are said to be the field of a single emanational body.
The world system of the four continents comprises everything from the energy field [below the earth]132 upwards as far as Akanistha. The chiliocosm has a circumference which encloses one thousand world systems. The is encircled by a second perimeter enclosing tImes that m extent. The trichiliocosm is encircled by a
thIrd penmeter one thousand times the dichiliocosm in extent. The frontier limits of one myriad world systems are one billion times that in extent; a series of myriad world systems one billion times that· a myriad oceanic world systems one billion times that; and one of these equals a single Buddha-field whose Foundation and Centre are with Flowers (Kusumatalagarbhiilarrzkiirak$etra) , which is explamed to be the field of a supreme emanational body.
these. realms, [the supreme emanational body] projects the lamp of mstructlOn for those requiring training in as many ways as they have psychophysical bases, sense organs and modes of conduct, and acts on of sentient beings through four kinds of instruction. These four are mst:uction the great merit of the body, instruction by the direct mmd, instruction by inconceivable miraculous abilities,
and mstructlOn by knowledge conveyed in speech.
Concerning the first of these [which instructs by the great merit of the b d ] . . . .
o y , It IS ImpossIble to enumerate exactly, or otherwise to qualify,
131
the deeds of the Teacher's emanational body for it is a topic beyond con. I- '
u n the. sutras the greater vehicle, too, all manner of
q antItles are mentlOned whIch contradict one another and do not lend
themselves to summarisation; but here when his principle activities are SUbsumed . t . h
, ms ructlOn t rough the great merit of the body refers to
the deeds of t k b· h .
b. . a mg lrt ,renouncmg the world, practising asceticism
Mara, attaining buddhahood, turning the doctrinal wheel:
bISplaymg great miracles and passing into final nirvana. It is so called
ecause those requiring training who actually see them possess im- measurable merit.
Secondlyconc. . . b· .
the . - . ' mstructlOn y the dIrect perceptIon of mind,
hpnstme cogmtlOn [of the supreme emanational body] which is un It:ldered and unimpeded in respect of the three times: does not
Two Buddha-bodies ofFonn 131
132 Fundamentals: Nature ofthe Buddha-bodies
discriminate between the three times while entering into all that is knowable. Accordingly, there are six supernormal cognitive powers which accompany his mind. These are the supernormal cognitive power which knows time totally without obscuration, the supernormal cogni- tive power which knows the minds of others totally unobscured, the supernormal cognitive power of clairvoyance which totally perceives everything, the supernormal cognitive power of clairaudience which totally hears everything, the supernormal cognitive power which mean- ingfully enacts rites of total benefit to sentient beings, and the supernor- mal cognitive power with respect to the cessation of corruption, in which obscurations have been purified. Since these directly perceive and overpower all that is knowable, they are instruction by the direct perception of his mind.
Thirdly, concerning instruction by miraculous abilities, the supreme emanational body acts on behalf of those who require training through the totally inconceivable [mystery] of his buddha-body, the totally in- conceivable [mystery] of his buddha-speech, and the totally inconceiv- able mystery of his buddha-mind. The mystery of buddha-body refers to his emanations who train living beings in accord with their class, such as Brahma and lsvara133 among the gods, a universal emperor among men, and Vemacitra among the antigods;134 and similarly as a woodpecker (shing-rta-mo) for the sake of birds, 135 Drdhasamadana, the king of lions, for the sake of wildlife,136 and so on. It refers, too, to the revelations of the maI). Qala of his visage which appropriately mani- fests in and of itself as the peaceful and wrathful deities, pisacf and so on, and to his revelations at various times, as when taking birth, trans- ferring realms, living, passing away, and residing [in other realms], which accord with the respective fortunes [of those requiring training].
The mystery of his bUddha-speech refers to the fact that the/revelation of the doctrine, which manifests according to those requiring training and their intelligence, is also understood by means ofdifferent languages and symbols. As the Great Bounteousness ofthe Buddhas [i. e. the Aspi- ration of Good Conduct, v. 18] says:
In the language ofgods, the languages ofnagas and In the languages of trolls and of humans,
In as many languages as there are among living beings, I teach the doctrine in the languages of all.
The mystery of his buddha-mind refers to the pristine cognition, free from all corruptions, which manifests appropriately for all by qual- itatively knowing the attitudes and minds of those requiring training. This threefold mystery is instruction through inconceivable miraculous abilities.
Fourth, concerning instruction by knowledge conveyed in speech, the supreme emanational body gives abbreviated teaching by means of
Two Buddha-bodies ofFonn 133 the five vehicles which correspond to the perception of th . .
. . h ose reqUInng trammg,. w 0 are . of five families or types (gotra). He gives detailed
teachIng eighty-four thousand doctrinal components as an antIdote for the eIghty-four thousand conflI·ctI·ng emot· d
h Idh· . IOns,an e conc u es corresponding to the degree of acumen [in
those reqUIre All these are instruction by knowledge conveyed In speech whIch conveys understanding beyond the attributes of mere. an. d. words, to the realms of sentient beings in an
appropnately IntellIgIble form through the tathagatas' bl . A - f d fi . .