Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection: An Elixir of Ambrosia 9781535406581

In this book I offer you translations of eight seminal Tantras that are preserved in the Nyingma Gyubum. The first book

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Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection: An Elixir of Ambrosia
 9781535406581

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Eight Early Tantras of The Great Perfection An Elixir of Ambrosia

With Tibetan Texts

Translated by Christopher Wilkinson

Photograph of butter lamp on cover by Christopher Wilkinson.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote excerpts in a review.

Published by Christopher Wilkinson Berkeley, CA, USA

Copyright© 2016 Christopher Wilkinson All rights reserved. ISBN: 1535406585 ISBN-13: 978-1535406581

DEDICATION This is for all the teachers and students of the Great Perfection.

Also Translated By Christopher Wilkinson Great Perfection Series: The Royal Tantra on the Brilliant Diffusion of i\Iajestic Space The Secret Tantras of the Fish \Vheel and the Nine Spaces: Two .\ncient Scriptures of the Great Perfection Ten Early Tantras of the Great Perfection: .\ Basket of Diamonds The Gods and the Demons .\re Not Two: .\ Tantra of the Great Perfection The Tantra of Great Bliss: The Guhyagarbha Transmission of\'ajrasattva's i\Iagnificent Sky Secret Sky: The .\ncient Tantras on \'ajrasattva's ;\fagnificent Sky The Great Tantra of\' ajrasattva: Equal to the End of the Sky Beyond Secret: The Upadesha of\' airochana on the Practice of the Great Perfection Secret Wisdom: Three Root Tantras of the Great Perfection

Sakya Kongma Series: Sakya Pandita's Poetic Wisdom Jetsun Dragpa Gyaltsan: The Hermit King .-\dmission at Dharma's Gate by Sonam Tsemo .\n Overview of Tantra and Related Works Chogyal Phagpa: The Emperor's Guru . \dvice to Kublai Khan: Letters by the Tibetan ;\fonk Chogyal Phagpa To Kublai Khan and his Court .\t The Court of Kublai Khan: \X'ritings of the Tibetan ;\[onk Chogyal Phagpa

CONTENTS .-\cknowledgments Introduction

w

1

The i\Iajestic Tantra That Is Unwritten

2

The \'ajra Yogini Tantra

39

3

The Tantra of the Undisturbed .-\rali

65

4

The Tantra of the Goddess Light Rays

107

5

The Tantra of the Flawless Jewel

119

6

.-\ Tantra on the Bodhicitta: Grabbing the Peacock by the Neck

127

7

The Tantra on the One-Pointed Samadhi of .-\valokitesvara

153

8

The Tantra on the Self-Liberation ofSamsara for the Unmoving One

183

Tibetan Texts

211

The i\Iajestic Tantra That Is Unwritten

213

The \'ajra Yogini Tantra

227

The Tantra of the Undisturbed .-\rali

235

The Tantra of the Goddess Light Rays

249

The Tantra of the Flawless Jewel

255

.-\ Tantra on the Bodhicitta: Grabbing the Peacock by the Neck

261

The Tantra on the One-Pointed Samadhi of .\valokitesvara

271

The Tantra on the Self-Liberation of Samsara for the Unmoving One

279

.\bout the Translator

287

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS First and foremost, I wish to thank my root teacher Dezhung Rinpoche for constantly bringing out the best in me and encouraging me to pursue a comprehension of every branch of Buddhist learning. It was he who introduced me to Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche, and through his recommendations enabled me to receive full empowerments, transmissions, and permissions in the areas of Maha, Anu, and Ati Yogas. With the highest regard I wish to thank Dilgo Kyentse Rinpoche, Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, and Khenpo Palden Sherab for their kind instruction and encouragement in my effort to translate the literature of the rDzogs chen. There are many individuals, too many to name here, that have helped me over the years to become a qualified translator, in many ways. At this time I want to remember the kindness of Ngawang Kunga Trinlay Sakyapa, Jigdral Dagchen Sakya Rinpoche, Dhongthog Rinpoche, H.H. Karmapa Rangjung Rigpay Dorje, Kalu Rinpoche, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Geshe Ngawang Nomang, Carl Potter, David Ruegg, Turrell Wylie, Gene Smith, Karen Lang, Richard Solomon, Jack Hawley, David Jackson, Cyrus Steams, Herbert Guenther, Eva NeumeierDargyay, Leslie Kawamura, Robert Thurman, Paul Nietupski, Lou Lancaster, David Snellgrove, Jean-Luc Achard, Steve Landsberg, Tsultrim Alione, Carolyn Klein, Rob Mayer, Jonathan Silk, David White, and Mark Tatz. I want to make special thanks to Marcos Gonzalez Pardo for proofing the manuscript. I also want to make a very special thanks to Robert J. Barnhart for his ongoing and truly generous support. The Dzogchen Translation Group, led by Jackson Peterson, has been also been an ongoing source of encouragement and support, and it was that group that largely sponsored the translations in this collection. The many people who have contributed to my understanding and ability to do this work cannot be counted. I wish to thank everyone that has taken a kind interest in these translations, however slight, for your part in making this work a reality.

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

INTRODUCTION

The Great Perfection, also known as the Atiyoga or the Dzogchen

(rDzogs chen), is a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that propounds instantaneous enlightenment. This tradition was brought from India to Tibet during the Eighth Century of the Common Era by the great translators of that period, notably Vairochana and Vimalamitra, but also including such luminaries as Kawa Paltseg and Chogro Lui Gyaltsan. The literature representing the original introduction of the Great Perfection has been faithfully copied by the Tibetans over the centuries. Several hundred titles are preserved in the collections of the Nyingma Gyubum (rNying ma rgyud 'bum), the Hundred Thousand Tantras of the Ancient Ones. In this book I offer you translations of eight seminal Tantras that are preserved in the Nyingma Gyubum. The first book herein, The Great Tantra that is Unwritten, is one of a set of seventeen famous Tantras known as the Upadesa Instruction Section (Man ngag sde). In addition, readers who are interested in feminine presentations of enlightenment will find many books of interest within this volume. The Vajra Yogini Tantra, the Tantra on the Undisturbed Arali, and the Tantra of the Goddess Light Rays (Marici) are specifically devoted to the concerns of dakinis and goddesses, while the Tantra on the One-Pointed Samadhi of Avalokitesvara represents the questions of the dakini Sun Garland and the Tantra on the Self-Liberation of Samsara for the Unmoving One represents the questions of the dakini Lightening Garland. The Tantra on the Flawless Jewel and the Tantra on the Bodhicitta: Grabbing the Peacock by the Neck both represent profound and insightful instructions on the experience of enlightened awareness. I have included images of the Tibetan manuscript for your convenience and to help preserve this important literature. All the best. Christopher Wilkinson August, 2016 iii

An Elixir of Ambrosia

iv

THE MAJESTIC TANTRA THAT IS UNWRITTEN

In the Indian language: Maha Esaka Uk~a Radna Ratsa Tantra Niima In the Tibetan language: Yi ge med pa'i rgyud chen po zhes bya ba I Rin po che rgyal mtshan gyi rgyud I Rgyal po'i gdung rgyud I lTa ba nam mkha'i mtha' dang mnyam pa'i rgyud ces pa'o

I

In the English language: The Majestic Tantra That Is Unwritten The Tantra on the Victory Banner of Precious Jewels The Tantra that is the Heritage of Kings The Tantra on the View that is Equal to the End of the Sky

An Elixir of Ambrosia

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The Basic Scene A· I bow to the Blessed One, The One Who Reveals the Vision of his Body in its Vastness. On one occasion I revealed these words: None of the Tantras are to be explained. They are not to be spoken. They have passed into the space \'Vhere there are no demarcations, And are not to be described. All of the transmissions are not to be revealed. They have passed into the space of non-contrivance, And are neither to be sought after nor worked toward. All of the upadesa instructions are not to be exemplified. They have passed into a space that is not polluted, And are not to be worked toward.

EMa! Listen, 0 Entourage of Holy Visionaries! The awareness of the way things are Is unhindered within the awareness of apparent methods. This is clear. These words have not previously been spoken From out of the abode of awareness. In the present they are not being spoken. In the future they will not be spoken.

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A On one occasion I heard these words: At the time when an awareness of the force arises without hindrance within the sky of self-apparent reality, our teacher dwells in a space in which he is ornamented by his own invisible body. He is there in a single company with his entourage, the majestic visionaries of the invisible. Then, and at that time, they have ideas in their minds, and they address him with these words:

Kye Ma! Master of Awareness, Listen! What is the intent of the view of the Buddhas? What is the meaning of their contemplations? Please teach us a transmission! Please make for us a method! So the inquirers do brilliantly inquire of him. Then, again, from out of that invisible space, the awareness that has no teacher gives instructions:

Iy,e Ma! Iy,e Ma! 0 Entourage of Visionaries who Seem to be Non-Existent, Listen well! I have no intention of delineating the view of self-originating wisdom. There is nothing that has gone into the past. There is nothing that will appear in the future. There is nothing whatever that is apparent in the present. There is no karma. There are no habitual tendencies. There is no ignorance. There is no mind. There is no thought. There is no knowledge. There is no samsara. There is no nirvana. Even awareness itself does not exist. There is also nothing that is entirely visible.

Iy,e Ma! I have no life within self-originating wisdom, So I am beyond the limitations of virtue and evil.

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A Ho! I have no work or task that comes out of this self-originating wisdom, So I am beyond both external objects and an internal mind. EMaHo! I do not move from the base of self-originating wisdom, So I cut through any ideas about its appearance.

AA! I have no joining with or separation from self-originating wisdom, So my body is actually self-appearing. Ha Ha! I am beyond the limitations Of seeing or envisioning self-originating wisdom, So I am beyond all objectives. EHti! I do not calculate self-originating wisdom, So I am beyond taking things in and holding onto them.

AAe! I am beyond both external and internal With regard to self-originating wisdom, So I am truly beyond both faults and virtues. EMa! I am primordially cleansed From any delusions regarding self-originating wisdom, So I do not go beyond the extremes of being and non-being. Ha Hae! I have no Dharma regarding self-originating wisdom, So I am beyond any methods. A He! I have not created any cause for self-originating wisdom, So I am beyond any knowledge. EMaHo! I do not reject either emptiness or appearance, So I am perfect.

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I, for myself, do not reject either the way things are Or the means by which they appear, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either objects or the mind, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either life or sacrifice, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either evil or its full maturation, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either a self or a grasping to one, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either conceptualizations or entities, So I am perfect. I, for myself do not hinder any vision or any doing of practices, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either knowledge Or the act of holding onto it, So I am perfect. I, for myself, do not reject either creation or destruction, So I am perfect.

~ye Ala! I ha,·e no birth or death, So I have completely perfected 1be Dharma of cessation. I have no outside or inside, So I have completely perfected The Dharma of transparency. I have no emptiness or any thingness, So I have completely perfected ·n1e Dharma of appearance.

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I have no object to visualize So I have completely perfected The objects in my vision. I have no body or mind, So I have completely perfected The Dharma of self-evidence. I have no self or other, So I have completely perfected The five Dharmas of the awareness. I have no reason for my creation, So I have completely perfected The great dhyana meditations. I have no country to which I would go, So I have completely perfected The country that is self-apparent. I have no position or preference, So I have completely perfected The wisdom of transparency. I have nothing that would obstruct my appearance, So I have completely perfected The three Dharmas of my dominion. I have no one or two, So I have completely perfected The Dharma of the circle. I have no darkness or illumination, So I have completely perfected The Dharmas of true illumination. I have no duality with the understanding that there is a self, So I have completely perfected The Dharma of emptiness. I have no duality with filth, So I have completely perfected The five Dharmas of cleanliness. 7

An Elixir of Ambrosia

I am self-evident in five bodies, So I have completely perfected The reality of my field and domain. I have no expansion or contraction, So I have completely perfected The meanings of the writings. I have no rival. I am victorious over everyone. I have no word that contrives me. I am superior to everyone. I have no objects to look at. I pervade everything. I have no place to live. I am the supporter of everyone. I have no mind that is empty. I overwhelm everything. I have no heart that remembers. I am engaged in everything. I have no real hope. I am spacious throughout all things. I I I I

have no crevasses. beam out through all things. have no objects of delusion. am a majestic appearance.

I have no cause for practice. I am a practice that may resemble anything. I have no place to go. I have gone to the other side of everything. I have neither a deed nor a doer. I appear individually. My mind is the origin of everything, And is the envisioner of delusion. It is present in all things, So the envisioner of delusion 8

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

ls my own heart. It illuminates everything, So the appearance of delusion ls my own body. It echoes through everything, So the appearance of delusion ls my own speech. Unhindered vision is evident, As if it was my own form. Unhindered hearing echoes forth, As if it was my own voice. Unhindered smelling is felt, As if it was my own scent. Unhindered experience is savory, As if it was my own taste. Unhindered feelings hurry around, As if they were my own thoughts. My secret emotional problems Are my own miracles. Buddhas and sentient beings Are my own place of burial. lam the creator of everything. My appearance is a majestic self-luminosity. \\'hen it was the invisible beginning of time, The maker of the sacrifice \Vas the unhindered six consciousnesses \'X,'hich hurry through. The maker of remembrance \Vas the unhindered six senses, Arising in abundance. Through the movement of the five unfettered winds The palace of unsurveyed appearance ls stamped with a seal. The five bodies that are primordially pure Are neither to be joined with nor parted from. \\'hen we do not crave for any method, 9

An Elixir of Ambrosia

Appearances are beautiful in their fullness. The five bodies have no attachments. They have no outside or inside. The majestic expanse has a body of purity. The appearance of majestic emptiness is self-evident, So we go to the other side, Into a place where there is no going. The field of practice for majestic emptiness is self-luminous. We see the Buddhahood that is not a conceptualization As being solitary. It was not created. We cut through the ropes of samsara's material things. Every Buddhist is also ornamented with this one body. The karma of wisdom is a majestic pervasion, So it is superior.

[0eMa! If we delight in the rites of killing and sacrificing, A majestic illumination will be shining. If we emancipate all living beings, We will meet with the mother of self-illwnination. If we cut through cause and result at the root, We will purify the six causes and the three effulgencies. When we cut the ropes of the continuum of virtue, We will be close to the lineage of the lamb. 1 When we are done with outer and inner tasks, Our vision will be stamped with a seal. When we have no view or meditation that clings to a mind, The embodiment of the Dharma will be a real thing. When we have purified the three effulgencies of the view, The things that appear will be spaces for our bodies. When we have no distractions That are things to be done and the doers of them, Reality will be a state of bliss. When we sit alone and at ease, The three effulgencies will appear in our bodies. When we understand that directness is a friend, 1

Lu gu rgyud 10

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

We will be in the unified state of contentment. If we remain there continually, What will we have to do there? Majestic illumination abides perfectly within everyone. Tbis is, indeed, the real substance of the Secret Mantra. From the Very Secret Tantra of the Unwritten, this is chapter one: The Basic Scene.

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The Basic Promise of Our Contemplation Then the true nature of our awareness enters into the equanimity of a contemplation of clarity in which nothing whatever is hindered. Then the master, who appears as if he were non-existent, addresses it with these words:

}0'e Ma! Please speak on the majestic purity of the illumination of the body of the awareness, the majestic dwelling place for the contemplations on the awareness used by the most perfect Buddha. That is what he asks. Then the awareness of the way things are gives instruction to the entourage who have the methods to appear there:

~ye Ma! 0 Entourage that Appears \Vithout Having Any Cause to Appear, Listen! I will teach the Dharma of illumination Which is not shadowed by any obstructing position. Do not be distracted regarding the purport of extreme illumination. Listen! The magnificent root contemplation Will be put into a system Using an enumeration of four. This being so, look at this: \Vhen we teach the wisdom of the awareness without error, There is the majestic transmission of the unchanging root. There is the majestic illumination of spacious reality. 13

An Elixir of Ambrosia

There is the majestic coordination of our self-originating views. There is the majestic spike-letter of the unchanging. There is the majestic protection of something that is difficult to identify. There is the majestic mirror that is difficult to view. There is the majestic pathway that is difficult to travel over. There is the majestic country that is difficult to live in. There is the majestic place that is difficult to go to. There is the majestic appearance that appears as if it did not exist. There is the majestic bottomlessness that is difficult to fathom. There is the majestic primordial glow That is not encompassed by anything. There is the majestic conceptualization In which majestic knowledge is without anyone To perform the sacrifice, Or anyone for whom the object and the awareness are non-dual. There is the majestic illumination in which there are no material things. There is the total pervasion in which we are unchanging. There is the majestic subtlety that is difficult to apprehend. There is the majestic greatness that is not to be seen. There is the majestic roundness that has no shape. There is the majestic commotion that has no breath. There is the majestic clarity that is present in colors. There is the majestic retreat on what does not exist. There is the majestic illumination that is difficult to investigate. There is the majestic appearance that is empty. There is the majestic unity the vastness of which is not limited. There is the total perfection that appears to be a duality. There is the majestic beauty that has no ornament. There is the majestic fullness that is empty. There is the majestic maturation of what is not perfect. There is the majestic resemblance to a body that does not go or come.

EMaHo! This is a majestic contemplation that is very secret, So we must dwell within the thusness Of our own way of sitting. The majestic way of being In which our wisdom is a single solitary circle, Is such that we will not succeed By looking at anything in terms of a position.

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Furthermore, 0 Child of Good Family, This is beyond any big city. You must live in the solitude of the majestic space of the forest. You must be free from both outer and inner works.

If we are not without the four majestic demeanors of the view, We will not be lost from the Buddha's truth, .And without any bardo, We will instantaneously attain Buddhahood, .And so we will not block up the door of compassion, But we will create majestic manifestations in the ten directions. Furthermore, You must understand these things: There is the view in which the mountain is content. There is the contemplation in which the ocean is content. There are the teachings of the upadesa instructions In which awareness is content. There are the teachings on the methods By which appearances are naked.

EMaHo! The practices of the majestic Buddhas Do not move away from these four ways of letting ourselves be content. I teach that there is no other way for Buddhahood to appear.

_,1 A! The view by which a mountain is content Is truly secret. We do not have any doubts. We are inherently unchanging. Moreover, This is totally obvious when we are in the state of being the sky. This awareness that is the essence of our purpose \'Vas not created. \\'here would there be anyone who is its creator? It is not contrived. There is no one who ordained it. It is not a view. It is beyond the Dharmas that make up views. 15

An Elixir of Ambrosia

It is not a vision. It is completely clear of things that make us see. It is not an illuminator. It is beyond the positions of things that are illuminated. It is not written. It pervades the ten directions without impediment. It is not a quest. It is beyond the Dharmas of searching and practice. It is not singular. It is beyond the Dharmas of plurality. It has no outside or inside, So it is transparent and has no inside or outside. It is not something that makes up a view. It is beyond both permanence and annihilation. There is no view for this, So there is no looking at it. Without going beyond what it means to have a view, We inherently have no view. This is not something that exists. We must be present in its state.

EAe! As for the contemplation in which the ocean is content, It is not something that appears. It is not something that makes things appear. It is not empty. It is not something that exists as emptiness. It is not a clarity. It is a country of majestic clarity. It is not a depression. It is inherently without wildness. It does not move. It has not moved. It will not move. It is unshakable. It does not shake. It is beyond all shaking. It was not brought forth by any creator. It is a view that is a majestic means of settling ourselves. It does not expand or contract. It is the state of a unified contentment. It is not something that remains anywhere, 16

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

And it does not leave anything behind. Secret wisdom is like an ocean. It is spontaneously smooth from the primordial. Come into the dominion of the unshakable! Through the magnificent ocean that is difficult to plumb or fathom, See the tip of the victory banner that does not fail! There is no mind that is empty. The body of majestic non-contrivance has no creator, So it is victorious over all creation! This is self-originating from the beginning. It is a truly uncontrived contentment. It is not changed by appearances. It is not contrived by the intellect. When reality is present within the sky It is revealed to be our true contemplation. When the embodiment of the Dharma Brilliantly abandons thoughts about wisdom, There will be nothing that would make it change. This is the inspiration of our meditation. When we do not cling to any positions that we may visualize, It is like the planets and the stars arising in the depths of the ocean. The transparent aspect of our non-changing is unhindered, So this is the way to sit for our contemplations.

OAo! These are the upadesa instructions for the contentment of our awareness: This is our secret heart. It brilliantly overwhelms our eyes. We investigate without joining with it or parting from it. Our dominion emerges from the two corners of our eyes. The light is subtle. It emerges as an entwinement. The essence that comes from it Manifests as in the lineage of the lamb.2 2

Lu gu rgyud 17

An Elixir of Ambrosia

It appears to be accompanied by a body.

As for the contemplation In which we cut through to a single illumination, \X'e seek out a settling place for our awareness. 'Ibis is the greatest secret of the secrets. Our illumination is liberated into the other side of our power. \X'e do not clench at this out of attachment. It is self-evident. 'lbrough this there is the body of the true Secret Mantra. It is brilliantly clear to the lineage of the lamb. Through taking it to be five by five, \X'e encompass everything. This is also described as something that arises as a multitude. For those who are wise in the methods Of the illumination of the awareness, The pathways of the Secret Mantra are multitudinous. The bodies of the Buddhas are multitudinous. 'The intellect that conceptualizes delusion is inconceivable. The objects of our visualizations are entirely pure, So the embodiment of the Dharma has no thoughts. 'lbe embodiment into form is revealed to include thoughts. I myself am the self-illumination of the awareness. The Dharmas that I demarcate are a state that is beyond speech. Secret Wisdom is me! I have no attachments. 'Ibe mandala of my speech is majestic. In true contentment, Everything is whole. The wisdom of the awareness is pervasively encompassing, So the five conditions for illumination Are luminous as light. The solitary circle is uncomplicated. The particulars of our intellects are beyond speech, And the clarity of their magnificent illumination Is brilliantly majestic.

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The single body of wisdom is revealed to be Illuminated in all things. It has neither any filth nor any subtlety or grossness. The wisdom of our awareness melts into the space of our bodies. The five unhindered lights appear as our objects. They are perfected in their unity. \Ve are aware that there is no plurality. The awareness of transparency Appears to be my own five bodies. Secret wisdom is a space for my body. Reality has dwelt within emptiness From the beginning. The luminescent aspect of awareness Beams out into the ten directions. Contentment is a necessity for the 0. Our perspective is present in this way.

UO! As for the magnificent method of letting appearances be naked, It is the basis for every majestic appearance. It resembles the Buddhas of the five elements. The five great ones are, in fact, Obvious in the appearance of our mother. Come into the majestic non-grasping That is in the state of non-distraction! The majestic Secret Mantra Is the five great wisdoms. Use the five great ones To come into the dominion of the unmoving! To let the awareness of Vajrasattva be naked \Ve reveal that everything is an appearance Of the embodiment of the Dharma. The appearance of pure wisdom Appears to be naked, So the secret method of settling things Is the state of the method In which we let things be naked. 19

An Elixir of Ambrosia

In the appearance of our bodies, We do not reject the five elements. 1bis is not a rejection. Come into what it means to be in this state! The spacious space of reality Has been determined to be The majestic appearance of nakedness. Do not visualize a reason to meditate on the great perfection. The great gathering place for our views Is the lamp of our dominion. The place we are carried in our meditations Is revealed to the lineage of the lamb. It is where we are not separated From the great practice ground of our practice, Where our three aspects are said to be our own essentiality. The contemplation of the Buddha Is a space of greatness where there is nothing to do. We do not go beyond this. Reality is not to be worked towards. We do not leave this. 1bis is the view of the Secret Mantra. From the Great Tantra on what is Unwritten, which is a majestic secret, this is chapter two: The Basic Promise of Our Contemplation.

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Revealing the Uncreated Dharma To the Awareness That Is Not Deluded Then from out of the unchanging space of the awareness, the palace that is ornamented by reality, the magnificent embodiment of awareness, which is an unchanging wisdom, utters these words:

EMa Ho! This country that is a majestic total purity of natural appearance Is blazing in its clarity, So the palace of our body dwells within the unchanging. The appearance of disciples who are deluded Is an unlimited roughness, So I bring forth a multitude of compassions That do not do anything. The appearance of the spaciousness of reality Is a glorious clarity. From a single thing that has no wisdom There arises a multitude. This is a majestic appearance. There appears to be a secret country. The majestic illumination of our bodies Is indeed multitudinous. Our speech is unhindered, So we are able to do something meaningful. The light from the Buddha's body is inconceivable. The contraction and expansion of the circle Blaze like rays of brilliance. The works of the majestic Secret Mantra

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All, with none excepted, Beam out individually. From the beginning, We do not join with or part from The four methods of settling ourselves.

EMaHo! The Secret Mantra itself abides Within the Secret Mantra itself. Through wisdom itself, We transform into a majestic wisdom. All reality appears to be centers and peripheries. The Buddha, who directly perceives the unborn, Sees the appearances that are completely pure, Without making objects out of them. His body and wisdom, On their own behalf, Are inherently non-existent. From out of emptiness There blazes the light of the heart of wisdom. It is not a darkness. It is a majestic illumination. Then there is the majestic appearance of the invisible, So the embodiment of awareness Is truly visible to the lineage of the lamb, And so it asks a question with these words:

Kye Ma! Secret awareness is accompanied by light, So please reveal to us the vision of transparency. That is what it asks. Then from the majestic country, Where awareness encompasses the sky, These words are proclaimed:

F;ye Ma! 0 Entourage Who Are Visible, 22

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

Listen carefully! I have no delusions with regard to pure awareness. You may ask why this is so. The awareness that embodies the lineage of the lamb Has never experienced delusion in the past. In the present it is not deluded. It is not possible that it be deluded in the future. For these reasons it is the undeluded Buddha. The lamp of purity for this dominion Was not created in the past. It is not being created in the present. It will not be created in the future. For these reasons, It is called an uncreated Dharma. So it is said. It is a majestically uncontrived excellence. It is a majestically unpolluted base. It is a majestically unaltered vision. It has the identity of these three majesties. This is called: "Teaching the uncreated Dhanna To the undeluded Buddha."

Now this embodiment of the lineage of the lamb, This vajra awareness, Has never been present in any entourage in the past. It is not possible that it be present in any entourage in the present. It will not be present in any entourage in the future. This lamp of the purity of our dominion Has never experienced separation from sentient beings in the past. It is impossible that it be separate from sentient beings in the present. It will not be separated from us in the future. For these reasons, Appearances arise from out of the invisible. Now the embodiment of the lineage of the lamb, This vajra awareness, Has never experienced Buddhahood in the past. 23

An Elixir of Ambrosia

It is impossible that it become a Buddha in the present. It will not become a Buddha in the future. 'Ibis lamp of the purity of our dominion Has never experienced dwelling within sentient beings in the past. It is impossible that it dwell within us in the present. It will not dwell within us in the future. For these reasons, When something is not presented in the scriptures, It will be exemplified in the upadesa instructions. So it is said.

E Ala /-lo! The pair of Buddhas and sentient beings Have never experienced separation in the past. It is impossible that they be separated in the present. '111ey will not be separated in the future. For these reasons, 'There are no delusions in the scriptures. Delusions appear in the upadesa instructions. So it is said. All sentient beings live in samsara, But we have not seen any real samsara in the past. \'Ve do not see it in the present. We will not see it in the future. For these reasons, \'\'e may have an understanding of reality, But we do not understand the people. So it is said. 'Ibe vajra body of the properly perfected Buddha \'Vas not understood in the past. It is not understood in the present. It will not be understood in the future. For these reasons, Even though the Buddha does not have any conceptualizations, He conceptualizes the way things appear. So it is said. I am teaching that there are no big holidays For Buddhas and sentient beings. The way of being of awareness 24

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

Has no delusion within it, But the methods of illuminating it Appear as if they were deluded. For these reasons, The Buddhas and sentient beings do not move away From a single base. So it is said.

E Ma Ho! Contemplate this! The space of the sky is non-dual. Vajrasattva's secret mantra is an embodiment of awareness. It is not permanent, And it is absolutely not annihilated. It is not empty, And it is not transparent, by its very nature. It is not an accordant cause. Illumination is pure in its own place. It is not a way of happening. It is the complete perfection of the ways that things happen. It is not a way of giving birth. The way of illumination appears to be dual. Reality is free from both names and correctness. The recognition of the pure sky Is beyond everything. The appearance of an A is unborn, And it is unrecognized. The non-dual wisdom of purity Shines in the sky. It does not hinder works and deeds. We absolutely do not have any visualizations. True natures do not exist. They are like the reflections in a mirror. This is unhindered and it has no hindrance. It is present in the hearts of everyone. The secret way of being is so.

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F;ye F;ye! The illumination of our bodies is unhindered. The playfulness of our speech May teach anything at all. The works of our hearts Do not exist anywhere. The deeds and actions of our awareness are not hindered. The ideas in our minds are multitudinous. From the great secret that is the Tantra that is Unwritten, this is chapter three: Revealing the Uncreated Dharma to the Awareness That Is Not Deluded.

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Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

The Ultimate Illumination Then again the awareness, which is not created by any cause, gives instruction to the All Good Mother, who is of an uncreated transmission. At this time, we use the method of unhindered illumination to listen:

~ye K;-e! The visible lineage is endowed with a majestic wisdom. It is beyond any visualization. The embodiment of the lineage of the vajra lamb Is an inestimable majestic illumination. The body, The circle, The embodiment of the half-circle, The wisdom, The embodiment of wisdom as form, The light, The beaming out and reconvening of the light, The flickering that has no breath, The multitude of things that have no minds, And the body that has no life, Are gathered here. The pure lamp for this dominion is like this: It has its own luminescence.

It is not covered over. It has an aspect of clarity That does not have any object. It has a fence, Which was not built. It has a circumference, That is not drawn out. 27

An Elixir of Ambrosia

It has a country, That has not been surveyed. It has an illumination, That has not been organized. Further, We are present where our dominion and our awareness Are neither joined with nor parted from. This is the majestic appearance Of a land we do not visualize. It is lacking in any areas of filth, And from this essence Our cause is awakening. Our condition is purity. Our objectivity is unhindered. We are self-liberated, And are together with our own essence. We are beyond the six objects. The five great ones are pure in our dominion. We are not distractible. We have no conditions, So we are liberated into a majestic condition. Through having nothing to view, We are greatly astonished. Through having no position, We stop creating views.

[0eMa! Through our illumination, Inconceivable numbers of bodies appear. We are whole within a space in which We do not abandon the conventionality of plurality. The bodies of the Buddhas are brilliantly multitudinous, So we do not move away from our essence. We teach many things. When we have gone beyond samsara, We will have exemplified nirvana. We simply do not move away from The illumination of the embodiment of the Dharma. We are totally luminous and bedazzling! 28

Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

The embodiment of awareness is a great equanimity. This is the aspect of its transparency. We will see the great vastness of the appearance of a vajra body. As for me, I have brilliantly gone beyond the creator himself. From the Tantra that is Unwritten and is a great secret, this is chapter four: The Ultimate Illumination.

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Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection

Revealing the Grounds for Deviation There Are In Words about the Great Perfection Then again from out of the pure space where there are no objects, which is inclusive of the inconceivable number of heaps that do appear, the awareness of methods gives instruction to the knowledge of power, and because the pure sky is not in balance, it listens very well: J