On the Ṣaḍaṅgayoga and the Realisation of Ultimate Gnosis in the Kālacakratantra Author(s): Giacomella Orofino Reviewed work(s): Source: East and West, Vol. 46, No. 1/2 (June 1996), pp. 127-143 Published by: Istituto Italiano per l'Africa e l'Oriente (IsIAO) Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/29757258 . Accessed: 04/04/2012 09:06 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at . http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
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On theSadangayoga and theRealisation ofUltimateGnosis in the K?lacakratantra
by GlACOMELLAOROFINO
In the K?lacakra (as?dh?rana, Tib. thun mong ma yin system the extraordinary can only be attained by means cause the of the world that transcends pa) perfection
of thepractice of sadangayoga(Tib. yan lagdruggi rnal 'byor)i1). The final stageof this yoga leads to realisation of the ultimate truth, corresponding the Great Mudr? or supreme, blissful, immutable Gnosis.
with
of
realisation
In the firstverses of theVimalaprabhd (henceforthVP), Pundarika's detailed LKC) (2),we find the following commentaryto theLaghuk?lacakratantra(henceforth concept that represents the heart of the esoteric mystical doctrine of the K?lacakratantra the origin of a vast bulk of exegetical literature in Sanskrit and, and comprises in Tibetan: subsequently,
Whoever has lost the right path of the Tath?gata cannot find the reality described by the Tath?gata through the path of the various differentiated representations. The only instrument of the absolute truth is the yoga of the accomplishment process (utpannakrama) devoid of the generation process {utpattikrama) and of the various differentiated representations of the syllables Hum, Phat, etc. Although always present inwood, fire is not seen however much one chops and cuts it; but due to its presence inwood,
it appears when hands rub two sticks together.
i1)On the sadangayoga in theK?lacakra tradition see theworks by G. Gr?nbold: Sadangayoga mit Text,
'sGunabharanin?masadangayogatippani
Ravisrijn?na
u.
?bers,
Phil. Diss.,
literarhistor. Komm.,
M?nchen 1969; 'MaterialienzurGeschichte des Sadahga-Yoga. III. Die Guru-Reihen imbuddhistischen Sadahga-Yoga',
ZAS,
Studien,XXXVII Literatur
16, 1982,
pp.
337-47;
'Der
sechsgliedrige
Yoga
Asiatische
des K?lacakra-Tantra',
1, 1983, pp. 25-45; 'Materialien zur Geschichte des Sadahga-Yoga, IV, Tibetische
zum Sadahga-Yoga',
WZKS,
Tibetan
Studies,
21,
1983, pp.
191-99
and
'Materialien
zur Geschichte
des Sadanga
Yoga, II: Die Offenbarung des Sadahga-Yoga imK?lacakra-System', CA], 28, 1984, pp. 43-56. (2) The firstand second chaptersof LKC and VP are published in:Vimalaprabh?tik?ofSriPundarika on Sri Laghuk?lacakratantrar?jaby SriManjusriyasas (I and II chapters), ed. J.Upadhyaya, Bibliotheca Indo-Tibetica, Series 11,Central InstituteofHigher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath,Varanasi 1986; the third and fourthchapters are published in the edition by V.V. Dvivedi & S.S. Bahulkar, inRare Buddhist Texts, Series 12, Central InstituteofHigher Tibetan Studies, Sarnath,Varanasi 1994; the fifthchapter ispublished in the edition by V.V. Dvivedi & S.S. Bahulkar inRare Buddhist Texts, Series 13, Central Institute
of Higher
Sarnath,
Varanasi
1994.
For
the Tibetan
version,
I have
consulted
the annotated translationby Bu ston of the five chapters in L. Chandra, ed., The CollectedWorks of Bu-ston, Parts Ka, Kha and Ga, New Delhi 1965 (henceforthBu ston).
[1]
127
In the same way the light of the mind does not appear by means of differentiated meditations, but rather here [in themind itself]due to the union of lalan? and rasand, to the signs of smoke etc., to the control of the breath in the central channel, to the vow of chastity, to the vajra that always remains erect, to the seed directed upward. This is the path of the yoga by which the yogin achieves the supreme, immutable, innate bliss of all the Tath?gatas and all the Dakinis. (3) inmany Indian Sadangayoga, however, is a practice that is also widespread are names six Hindu and Buddhist. The of the angas very ancient, and have down over several centuries, starting from theMaitri Upanisad, but in the ages they have assumed different meanings according to the different
schools, both been handed the course of traditions
(4).
The firsttextof theBuddhist tantricschoolwhere we finda detailed analysisof
in the is the Guhyasamdjottara (henceforth GSU) (5). Subsequently, sadangayoga K?lacakratantra tradition this yoga became the nucleus of the doctrine of the so-called 'Transcendent K?lacakratantra', within the tradition that enacts a threefold division in 'Inner' theK?lacakra: and 'Outer', 'Transcendent', according to amacrocosm-microcosm (6).
pattern
Large part of the Sekoddesa (henceforthSU), the longest fragmentof the or Param?dibuddha,
M?lak?lacakratantra
the root tantra of the K?lacakra
school,
is
devoted to the practice of this yoga (stanzas 24-92) (7). This is probably the first of sadangayoga
formulation
to the K?lacakra
according
school.
In his Sekoddesatik? (henceforthSUT) (8) themost comprehensivecommentary I, p. 6. These The Sadangayoga
(3) VP, and
transl,
are quoted
stanzas
in Anupamaraksita's Cf. F. Sferra, Sadangayoga. with Ravisnjn?nas Gunabharanin?masadangayogatippani,
also
by Anupamaraksita
ed.
forthcoming. see C.
(4) For a comparative analysis of the names of the various angas in thedifferentHindu traditions 'Osservazioni
Pensa,
Gr?nbold, 25,
1983,
e riferimenti
zur Geschichte
'Materialien
per lo studio dello sadahga-yoga', AION, 1969, pp. 1-8; G. I. Der im Hinduismus', des Sadahga-yoga. II], Sadahga-yoga
181-90.
pp.
(5) The eighteenthchapterof theGuhyasam?jatantrawhich constitutesa synthesisand commentary
to the esoteric Oriental
of the Guhyasam?ja.
doctrines
Series,
LIII,
Oriental
Institute,
ed. B. Bhattacharyya, See Guhyasam?jatantra, Gaekwad's Cf. also G. Tucci, the 1931. 'Some Glosses upon
Baroda
Guhyasam?ja',Melanges Chinois etBouddhiques,III, InstitutBeige des Hautes Etudes Chinoises, Bruxelles 1935, pp. 338-53; repr. inG. Tucci, Opera Minora, I, Studi Orientali, Roma 1971, pp. 337-48. (6)
'Outer'
represents
corresponds ?
aggregates
psychophysical
the metaphysical
to
the
elements
the sensory aspect
of
of
and psychic the Tantra,
the
consists 'Inner' of the universe, of the living beings, and 'Transcendent' and the path of utpattikrama through
external
capacities realised
utpannakrama,includingtheyogicmethods. See rGyalba bsTan 'dzin rGyamtsho, dPaldus 'khordbang skorgyi skor,quoted inG. Mullin, The Practice ofKalacakra, Ithaca-New York 1991, pp. 99-100. (7) Edited inG. Orofino, Sekoddesa. A Critical Edition of theTibetan Translations,SOR, LXII, Rome
1994,
pp.
61-85.
inM. Carelli, ed., Sekoddesatik?ofNadap?da, (8)N?rop?, Param?rthasamgrahan?masekoddesatik?, Gaekwad's Oriental Series, no. 91, Baroda 1941 (henceforthC). Tib. dBangmdorbstan pa'i 'grelbshad don dam pa bsdus pa zhes bya ba, inT.D. Suzuki, ed., The Tibetan Tripitaka: Peking Edition, Tibetan
128
[2]
to the SU, N?rop?
analyses these stanzas in detail, quoting passages
from the GSU
(stanzas
133-157), fromtheLKC (IV, 115, 116, 117, 120,V, 115, 116), fromtheVP and from
and the other two texts, Vajrap?ni's Laks?bhidh?noddhrtalaghutantrapind?rthavivarana Vajragarbha's Hevajratantrapind?rthattk?, that together with the VP formwhat is so known as the Bodhisattva trilogy,which was introduced into India together with the K?lacakra doctrines (9). school is fully analysed is Another text where the sadangayoga of the K?lacakra Sadangayoga Anupamaraksita's Gunabharant (henceforth GBh),
and the SUT, (10), a text that precedes N?rop?'s a later commentary toAnupamaraksita's Sadangayoga
written in the 13th centuryby Ravisrijn?na (n).
the procedure that leads to the realisation of the immutable understand in it is necessary now a brief synthesis of the of tradition K?lacakra gnosis body this six-limbed yoga. To
*
*
V?
Tib. so soysdudpa) consists in the 1) The firstlimb,withdrawal (praty?h?ra, of the external
withdrawal
senses
(eyes, etc.)
from the external
sense objects.
So called withdrawal is the non proceeding of the knowledge {vijndna) of the ten: the [five] senses and the [five] sense objects, but is instead the great proceeding of the alternative five sense organs, like the [divine] eye, etc., towards their objects, like the Empty Form (s?nyabimba, Tib. stongpa'i gzugs), etc. (12) to an Interiorisation {svavrtti, commentary, withdrawal corresponds Their ordinary activity rang la yjugpa) of the senses and of the sense objects. ceases and they are turned in on themselves. In this way outer activity is stopped and the yogin sees everything in emptiness in a non-differentiated way. The result of this is the apparition of ten signs (smoke, a mirage, fireflies, a lamp, a flame, the In N?rop?'s
Tib.
Tripitaka Research Institute,Tokyo 1955 ff. (henceforthP), Vol. 47, no. 2068. Gnoli & G. Orofino, Iniziazione (K?lacakra),Milano 1994.
Italian transl. inR.
(9) Vajragarbha, Hevajratantrapind?rthatik?by Vajragarbhadasabh?misvara,National Archives, Kathmandu,MS. C 128,Mf, C 14/6; tr693, VI 230, Mf., A 693/11. Forthcomingedition by F. Sferra. Tib. Kye'i rdo rje bsdud pa'i don gyi rgyaeher 'grelpain. P, Vol. 53, no. 2310. Vajrap?ni, Laks?bhi (MS. Tucci, IsMEO, not in catalogue). Ed. by C. Cicuzza dh?noddhrtalaghvabhidh?napind?rthavivarana inLa Laghutantrattk?di Vajrap?ni, Thesis, Universit? degli Studi di Roma, La Sapienza, Roma 1994. Tib. mNgon par brjodpa 'bumpa lasphyungba nyungngu'i rgyudkyi bsdudpa'i don rnampar bshad pain, P, Vol.
48,
no.
2117.
(10) Anupamarksita's
Sadangayoga,
Tibetan
transl.:
sByor ba yan
lag drug pa
in P, Vol.
47, no. 2102.
(u) Ravisrijfi?na,Gunabharani(S), MS. Royal Asiatic Society, ed. inGr?nbold, op. cit.,Tib.: rNal pa in P, Vol. 47, no. 2103. 'byoryan lag drug gi brjed byangyon tan gyis 'gengs no. (12)N?rop? SUT, C, p. 36; Tib.: P, Vol. 47, 2068, fol. 291b.
[3]
129
moon, the sun, darkness, lightning(kal?), a great sphere (bindu)) followedby the Universal Form of clear light (visvabimbam prabh?svaram)(13). The apparitionof the signs is also described in the sadangayogaof theGuhyasam?ja tradition,but in this traditiontheyare only five,listed in the followingorder:mirage, smoke,fireflies,lamp and a cloudless
sky. In the K?lacakra
tradition the ten signs are likened to an image reflected in the to the visions that appear in a magic mirror during mirror of one's mind, comparable a pratisen? divination rite (14). In the latter a virgin maiden, blessed by special mantra, tells the past or the future by looking into a mirror or another reflecting surface. are images that appear in the mirror, visible only to the young maiden, from all others and do not fall within the common categories of existence and non-existence because their reality transcends ordinary perception in a closed place, In order to let the first signs appear, the yogin has to meditate The
different
Tib. mtshan where no lightmust filterin. This yoga is called nightyoga (rdtriyoga,
mo'i mal
'byor) and yoga of space
(?k?sayoga, Tib.
nam mkha'i
rnal 'byor). The
other
Tib. nyinmo'i rnal 'byor) signswill appear by engaging in day lightyoga (divdyoga,
or the yoga of roofless space {abhyavak?sayoga, Tib. bla gab med pa rnal 'byor), that is, a practice performed with one's back to the sun in a space surrounded by four
walls but without a roof,whereby the only thingsthe yogin sees is the empty sky.
the yogin has to cast a particular gaze, the so however, During withdrawal, to to the VP, corresponds called 'wrathful gaze of Vighn?ntaka' that, according an crown in consists the Amrtakundalin. This protrusion, with upward gaze, towards
the eyes immovablyfixed (16).
the end of the appearance of the ten signs, from the central channel, also 'time channel', a black line arises whence rays of shimmering light emanate. In this line the Omniscient Form (sarvajnabimba, Tib. kun mkhyen gzugs) will manifest, like the sun inwater, without hindrances, full of colour, possessing all aspects as one's own mind without any consideration of an object (17). This final sign, which embraces the vision of the entire universe, is also described as the Buddha Form (buddhabimba, At
called
Tib.
sangs rgyas gzugs) and corresponds
to the realization
of the Sambhogak?ya.
Tib. bsamgtan) 2) The second limbof theyoga consistsin contemplation(dhy?na, (13)Du ba smig rgyumkha snangdang / sgronma 'barba zla nyima /mun can cha dang thigle che sna tshogsgzugsbrnyan 'odgsal ba //(Dh?mamaricikhadyotadipajv?lendubh?skaraih / tamahkal? mah?bindur visvabimbamprabh?svaram//). Cf. SU, 26, edited inOrofino, Sekoddesa, cit., pp. 62-63, 133. (14) On
this magical
rite of mirror
divination
see G.
Orofino,
'Mirror Divination.
Observations
on a SimileFound in theK?lacakra Literature',Proceedingsof the6thSeminarof theInternational Association for Tibetan Studies,Fagerness 1992, Oslo 1994, pp. 612-28. (15) 'Di la dngospo dngosmed 'gyur/dngospo stongpa'i don mthongphyir/dngospo dngosmed don pa I sgyuma rmi lammig 'phrulbzhin / SU, 30 inOrofino, Sekoddesa, cit., pp. 64-65. yod (16)LKC and VP, IV, 120. (17)LKC and VP, V, 116.
130
[4]
that serves to stabilize themanifestation of this stage starts from stanzas 27.
of the Empty Form.
In the SU the description
With the eyes half open, half closed, the yogin should meditate continually on that non-differentiated form that appears in emptiness, like a dream. (27) For yogins thismeditation on the immaterial form is not a meditation. In the mind there is neither being nor non-being because in emptiness undifferentiated reality appears.
(28)
into five different aspects: examination is distinguished (vitarka), Contemplation one concentration (cittaik?grat?). analysis (vic?ra), joy (priti), pleasure (sukha), pointed Examination of the form of the all comprises non differentiating perception
to the vision of the three worlds. Analysis comprises the perception corresponding It is the arising of the manifestations of the various apparitions in their individuality. of the forms that allows the yogin to realise their substantial emptiness. Joy is the
mental
the tranquillity that pervades followed by a condition of mental and of pleasure (sukha). The fifth phase, characterised by the absence (s?nyat?) manifests a universal apparition based
yogin who applies physical relaxation
vitarka and vic?ra, and is that generates a sensation
concentration of the mind, is concentration In the mind there of perceiver and percept. on emptiness (18).
InN?rop?'s commentarythisEmpty Form (s?nyabimba, Tib. stonggzugs)kindled
is not a mental construct because and established by contemplation by withdrawal a cessation there is and an (uparama, Tib. nye bar zhi ba) of ordinary perception apparition (pratibh?sa, Tib. rab tu snang ba) that embraces the three worlds (19).
Tib. srogrtsolba) is the branch 3) The third limb,breath control (pr?n?y?ma,
of sadangayoga most to 56.
emphasised
in the Sekoddesa,
it is explicated
from stanzas
35
In this tradition of yoga, in the same way as in Hindu yoga, the body is lined to outermost parts. Of the its channels which (n?di) 72,000 passes pr?na by through these energy channels six are the most important: the avadh?ti, also called susumn? and tamini, where the energy of Rahu (20) flows, is situated at the centre of the body and goes from the crown of the head (usnisd) to the navel. Along this central channel there are six cakras like lotus flowers. They are located in the usnisa: green with four
petals (dala); in the forehead between the eyebrows: white with sixteen petals; in the throat: red with thirty-two petals; in the heart: black with eight petals; in the navel:
(18)Vajrap?ni and Pundarika list the five characteristicsin a differentway: prajn?, vitarka,vic?ra, In
rati, acalasukha.
this case
the first characteristic,
prajn?,
corresponds
to the vision
of the forms.
(19) SUT, C, p. 48, Tib.: P, Vol. 47, no. 2068, fol. 306a. Stanzas 29-35 of the SU are analysed
to explain
Divination...',
this
concept cit., p.
of
the
apparition.
For
a
translation
of
the
stanzas
see Orofino,
'Mirror
612.
(20) In other texts, such as inVajrap?ni's Laghutantratik?we find it associated also with K?l?gni. Cf.
Cicuzza,
[5]
Vajrap?ni,
cit., p.
32.
131
yellow with sixty-four petals; in the genital area: blue with thirty-two petals (21). On the right and left side of the avadh?ti there are two channels, the rasan?, or pingal?, where the solar energy flows, and the lalan?, or idd, the course of the lunar energy. They cross over and knot at the level of the various cakras. The three upper channels, avadh?ti, rasan? and lalan?, form a knot at the navel
cakraand thendescend intothe lowerpartof thebodywhere theyregulatetheemission of the seed and theexcretionof theurine and faeces. The avadh?tibends below the to the right and, under the name of sankhini or khagamukh?, it serves for the emission of the seed. The upper right channel, rasan?, becomes the left channel below and governs urination, while the upper left channel, lalan?, is central in the lower part
navel
of the body where if governs defecation. Each of the six channels is related as can be seen in the table below (22): element and to a Tath?gata,
to an
The vital breath, calledpr?na in theupper part of thebody, is called ap?na (Tib.
thur sei) when
it flows through the three lower channels.
As we find in the SU, 40:
[As these channels are] connected with body, speech and mind, above and below they are the six Families. In fact they abide in all corporeal beings composed of wisdom and means. These to the male
channels
are interconnected in a relationship of wisdom and means, related semen and menstrual blood, in their turn differentiated
and female essence,
into the standardTantric Buddhist threefolddivision of body, voice andmind {k?ya,
vak, citta), that is, from themost tangible to themost subtle level. Moreover, following a mandala pattern, in their sublimated dimension each of them represents a Tath?gata of the six families, related to the six aggregates, the six elements, the six senses organs,
the six senses objects, the six action senses and the six actions. In this way the a representation of the inner channels reflects universal vision of microcosmic existence that is symmetrical with
the outer macrocosm
(23).
The third limbof sadangayogaconsists in stopping (nirudh)the two courses of the solar and lunarbreath in the rightand leftchannels and bringingthebreath into the central channel by means
of a specific breathing exercise called vajraj?pa, adamantine
based on inhalation(p?raka)recitingthe syllableOm, holdingthevitalbreath recitation,
(21)Cf. VP, II, p. 182; III, p. 23. (22)This schema finds its firstdescription in the SU from46 to 56. (23)Cf. also VP, II, 47. For a description of the outer cosmos in relationshipwith the body, see LKC, I, 5, 6, 7, 8 translated in J. Newman, The Outer Wheel of Time: Vajray?na BuddhistCosmology in theK?lacakra Tantra (AnnArbor,MI: UniversityMicrofilms International),Ph. D. Thesis, University ofWisconsin, Madison 1987, pp. 427-70.
132
[6]
UPPER PART OF THE BODY RTGHT rasari?, pifigat? sun
fire Ratnasambhava prajn? speech of blood
Centre * avadhUti, susumn?, taminl Rlhu emptiness Aksobhya upaya mind of semen
Left lalari?, Ida moon water
Amitabha upaya body of semen
LOWER PART OF THE BODY Right ** sankhini semen (blood) gnosis Vajrasattva prajn? mind of blood
Centre vinri?di feaces earth Vairocana
prajn? body of blood
Left m?tran?di urine wind Amoghasiddhi upaya speech of semen Computer graphic by C. Cicuzza.
(*) See SU, 56. During themenstrual period this channel is called dombtm women as it is the one where the blood flows. See N?rop?, SUT, C, p. 52, Tib.: P, Vol. 47, no. 2068, fol. 310a. (**) Inwomen it conductsblood and is named cand?li. Inmen itconducts the semenand isnamed khagamukh?.
[7]
133
(kumbhaka)recitingthe syllableHum, and exhalation (recaka) recitingthe syllable ?h (24). In thisway the fivemandalas of the aggregates:body (r?pa), feeling (vedan?), (vijn?na) that flow in the (samjna), impulses (samsk?ra), and consciousness perception left nostril, and the five mandalas of the elements: earth, water, fire, air and ether, that flow in the right nostril, are unified in the central channel, where the pr?na of gnosis (jn?na). the mandala flows into the sixth mandala, of the five mandalas The dissolution undergoes an upward process when the
into the water is in the right channel, with the earth element dissolving a etc. is in the left water and breath into the when downward process fire, element, enters in it There the of dissolves breath mandala until the channel, emptiness, gnosis.
breath
and thence it reaches
the All-Embracing
Universal
Form.
At
this moment
the yogin
of supreme immutable bliss, the great perfection of wisdom, achieves knowledge source of all the siddhis and of complete mastery over the three worlds (25). their breath live 100 years: the last three Yogins who have perfectly balanced
years and three fortnights represent the crucial period in which death ascends the In cases in which the strength of the flow of the breath is excessive, central channel. it is possible to forecast premature in people in whom it is not in perfect equilibrium,
death by examining how much longer the breath flows in one channel or the other. examination of the signs heralding premature death [arista, Tib. chi has) is stanzas in in 70-76 of SU. the detail analysed
This
Tib. stobs method [hathayoga, The fourthchapterof theLKC indicatesa forceful a not to be applied by yoginwho is kyimal }byor)that has capable of complete
control over his vital breath and who therefore, after having seen the Empty Form, does not experience supreme immutable bliss. This yoga consists in forcing the vital
breath into the centralchannel and blocking thebindu of thebodhicittain the lotus Tib. n?da ofwisdom (the femalepartner) throughthe exercise of sound (n?d?bhy?sa, gomspa) (26). This exercise, described inLKC IV, 196-97, is not commentedby Pundarika, but is analysedby Ravisrijn?na in his GBh (p. 38). The vital breath is pushed into the central channel from the navel cakra to the crown cakra and from there, after the solar and lunar breaths have been blocked, it is pushed forcefully into the supreme residence, (parapura, Tib. mchog gi grong khyer) (27). In thisway, Ravisrijn?na comments [GBh, p. 38), the gnosis of supreme immutable
(24) See Cicuzza, Vajrap?ni, cit., p. 139 and N?rop?, C, p. 38; Tib.: P, Vol. 47, no. 2068, fol.294b. (25)Cf. LKC, V, 122 and VP. (26) Ndda,
in this context,
is the nasal
sound
represented
by a semicircle
above
of the phoneme.
(27)This exercise is very similar to the practice of *samkr?ntiyogaCpho ba'i mat of the vital principle, of reanimation of parapurapravesa, transference
one of the six yogas of N?rop?. of a corpse, of which, according
Ravisrijriana to Tibetan
'byor), the
it to the practice was the tradition, Marpa relates
last lineage holder. See D.I. Lauf, SecretDoctrines of theTibetan Books of theDead, Boulder-London 1977,
134
p. 46.
Bacot,
La
vie de Marpa,
Paris
1937,
pp.
55-57.
[8]
pleasure
awakens
and the mind
enters the state in which
perceiver
and percept
are
reunified,obtains the five supremeknowledges and is unifiedwith the conditionof
Mah?mudr?.
4) Retention
{dh?ran?, Tib.
'dzin pa)
represents
a stage of progression
of the
previousyoga, and is described in stanzas 77 to 92 of the517. The key point of this stage is theunificationof the vital breathwith thebindu, the subtle energy. In SU 77 and 78 we find: [The yogin] has to insert the vital breath into the bindu and, with the avadh?ti as his bases, will meditate on the supreme immutable [gnosis]. (77) He must always keep his vajra erect, suppressing the two solar and lunar paths, otherwise the vital breath will not enter the avadh?ti. (78) (28) In his commentary
to these stanzas, N?rop?
gives the following
in
instructions:
the cross-leggedposition (paryanka)the yoginmust exhale forcefullyfromthe right nostril,having pressed his rightbreastwith his rightfist. In thisway the breath, togetherwith the fivemandalas, will flowout of the rightnostrilandwill be inhaled so the excessive Doing Then he repeats this exercise
that causes the solar arista will be the other way around, breathing out from the lunar arista. After these exercises the yogin has to
in the left nostril.
re-balanced.
breath
the left nostril and balancing on a white lotus with
meditate
constitutes the bindu. Am
the key-point
sixteen petals at the centre of his forehead. This of the dh?ran?: the penetration of the vital breath into
The second part of stanza 77 has to be appliedmeditating on a white syllable in the centre
of the navel cakra with sixty-four petals yellow petals while the breath. While doing so the yogin must keep his vajra erect preventing, controlling moon from issuing forth. In this way there is an interruption of the anyway, the
lunar and solar breathing, the prdna enters the bindu and is stopped and fixed in the central cakras that lie along the avadh?ti: at the navel, at the heart, at the throat, at the forehead and at the crown of the head. As far as the apdna is concerned, it In this way premature death is avoided (29). has to be directed into the sankhini.
Tib. rjessu dranpa), the 5) In the fifthlimb, subsequentmindfulness (anusmrti, bindu at the crown is aroused by theheat or fireof desire (k?m?gni)engenderedby the presence
or by the representation
of a woman.
The
energy of lust hypostasised
as a femininepower lyingin thenavel cakra is called cand?li (Tib. gtummo). This canddlinaturallyflaresup andwith itsheat it startstomelt themoon of thebodhicitta
or seed that gradually
flows down
from the head.
The descent
of the seed is effected
(28) Srog ni thiglergzhugpar bya / abadh?tVi zhabs brtennas /mchog tumi 'gyurbsgompar bya j 77 rtagtu rdo rje bslang bar bya / zla nyi bgrodpa 'jomspa las / gzhan du kun 'daryan lag la I sroggi rlung ni 'jugpa med //. SU, IS, inOrofino, Sekoddesa, cit., pp. 80-81. (29) 'Og tu 'angdung can ma thursei j de ma zhugs las 'chibao. SU, 79sl, b, ibid.
[9]
135
sensations of through four stages, each characterised by different and ever-increasing Tib. The initial called first, dgay ba). pleasure [pratham?nanda, Tib. dang joy (?nanda,
po'i dga' ba)y takesplace during thedescent of the seed fromthe centreof the lotusof the crown to the lotus of the forehead.
Tib. mchoggi
dgay ba), manifests
when
The
second, called supreme joy (param?nanda, the seed descends from the lotus of the throat
to the lotusof theheart. The thirdjoy is themultiformone [viram?nanda, Tib. khyad
from the centre of the navel cakra par dga' ba), and occurs when the seed descends to the centre of the secret cakra. The fourth, that is experienced in the lotus at the centre of the vajra, is innate, spontaneous joy [sahaj?nanda, Tib. lhan cig skyes pa'i of from the crown to the lotus of the vajra of descent the seed This ba). process dgay
is likened to thewaxing of themoon fromthe firstday to the fifteenthday (kal?).
These
fifteen lunar days are divided
into three successive
groups of five, respectively
called nand?, bhadr?,jay?, rikt?,p?rn?. The firstthree joys last fivedays each, and
every last day corresponds to the culminating moment of each joy [p?rn?), thus the descending process has three p?rn?. At the end of the descending process, on the sixteenth day, that concludes the waxing moon fortnight, the seed reaches the tip of
thevajra [vajr?gram?rdhaga) (30). If, at thispoint, the seed is emittedthereis a period of satietyand disgust (vir?ga)that is likened to the fifteenday period of thewaning
This process is also divided into four phases, characterised by the same delights but in reverse order. The last day of the waning moon is the absence of the moon [nastacandra, Tib. zla ba nyams pa) (31). The process of emission is the factor that governs and perpetuates sams?ra, which in fact is the alternation of these two periods.
moon.
task of the yogin is to interrupt this process and thus eliminate the phase of absence of lust, the dark fortnight. The interruption of the samsaric process takes place during this fifth phase of the yoga, in which the yogin does not emit his seed but instead transforms it into spiritual energy. The seed ascends to the cakra of the head, and in this way,
The
and final phase of sadangayoga, the yogin realises baseless nirvana [apratisthitanirv?na) the great blissful, immutable Lord (32). During the anusmrti phase the yogin experiences a blissful condition, that in the
in the following
'fixation, desire, fever, pallor VP, IV, 126 is compared to the ten states of Kama: of the face, loss of appetite, trembling, folly, dizziness, mental confusion, complete For the yogin, however, these states correspond to the ten visions of insensibility'. smoke etc., which are not limited only to the 'withdrawal' phase and are now repeated.
Then thedeity the yoginhas been visualising appears like a reflectedimagebeyond distinct representations,
an Empty Form
(sunyabimba, Tib.
stonggzugs) which culminates
(30)Khu ba zla 'chargtsugtordu / rdzogspa gsangba'i mtsho skyesla / bcu drug cha gangde nor bu'i I padmar
rdo rje'i
rtse mor
gnas.
SU)
83,
ibid. pp.
82-83.
(31)The entire process is described in SU, 84-86, ibid. (32)Rah gnasmya ngan 'daspa min j chagschenmi 'gyur khyabbdagpo {apratisthitanirvdnam mahdrdgo 'ksarahprabhuh). SU, 82a, b, ibid.
136
[10]
in a radiant luminousmandala {prabhdmandala, Tib. drimed 'odkyi dkyil }khor)(33)
prevading the whole 6) As mentioned is the realisation
universe.
above, the final stage, concentration of apratisthitanirvdna where immutable
(samddhi, Tib. ting nge 'dzin), (34). gnosis is accomplished
The yogin attains the pure body (suddhakdya,Tib. dag pa'i sku) by dissolving the 21,600 impure samsaric breaths of one day and night cycle. At the end of theParam?ksarajn?nasiddhi (henceforth PAJS), 'TheRealisation of Supreme Immutable Gnosis',
a brief independent
text inserted by Pundarika
in the VP
as a commentary
to stanza 127 of chapterV of theLKC (35),we find a quotation fromchapterV of the M?lak?lacakratantra
that describes
this process,
and
thus also
the very essence
of the six-fold yoga: Tc realise Supreme Immutable Gnosis through his meditation, the yogin, who has realised the signs of smoke etc., must stop his mind moving and so purify the central channel.
Having fixed his vajra in the lotus, he should let the vital breath enter into the bindu, the bindus into the various cakras and stop the movement of the bindus in the vajra.
The yogin should always remain in a state of erection, he should always have his seed turned upwards, and thanks to union with themudrd, he will be overtaken by diamond rapture, and, Oh! Great King!, filled with 21,600 movements of the Supreme Immutable Gnosis, he will become diamond being (Vajrasattva) in person. (36) as in other Indian yoga traditions, in twenty-four hours an In the K?lacakra, ordinary person breathes 21,600 times, each breath (inhalation and exhalation) lasting four seconds. As we have seen, the yogin's task lies in stopping the breathing that
takes places in the lunar (lalan?) and solar (rasand) channels and inserting the breath into the central channel, trying to prolong the suspension of the breath (kumbhaka) as long as possible. In this way karmic breathing is completely eliminated, and the that are no longer karmic breathing but body becomes filled with 21,600 movements
correspond to the complete purification of the coarse body into its ultimate and true reality. This progressive elimination of the breaths coincides with the realisations of the various bh?mh or spiritual levels, that in the K?lacakra tradition are twelve and
thusdivergefromthe standardlistof tenbh?mh of theM?hay?na tradition.Realisation
(33)LKC, V, 118, 119. (34)Following a different systemof division based on theGuhyasam?jatantra, the six limbs are alternativelygrouped in a fourfoldarrangement:1) practice (sev?)comprehendingpraiy?h?raand dhy?na; 2) sub-realisation (upas?dhana)comprisingpr?n?y?maand dh?ran?; 3) realisation (s?dhand)thatcoincides with anusmrti,and 4) great realisation (mah?s?dhand)correspondingwith sam?dhi. (35)The PAJS has been translatedby R. Gnoli (RSO, Supplementi, forthcoming). (36) VP, V, 127, fol. 206b. Bu ston,Ga, fol. 215.
[11]
137
of each bh?mh involves arresting 1,800 karmic breaths and replacing them with the same number of instants of immutable bliss. In the ascending phase of immutable
gnosis from the tip of the vajra to the crown of the head, at each cakra, 3,600 karmic breaths are suppressed and two bh?mh are realised (37).
The attainment of these bh?mh is determined by the moments of great immutable bliss, born of attraction by wisdom. The first bh?mh is obtained through 1,800 immutable moments. On the basis of this number, all twelve bh?mh will be obtained due to the 21,600 immutable moments, until the twelve links of conditioned interdependent origination are stopped. On stopping the twelve asterisms, the 360 days are stopped. On stopping the 360 days the 21,600 ghatik?s (38) are stopped. In this way, the same number of breaths will be arrested within the body as of ghatik?s in the outer world. Therefore, on stopping the breaths the [coarse] body will be suppressed due to the moments of immutable bodhicitta. (39) At the end of this alchemical process the thirty-six coarse and impure elements ? of the physical body the six aggregates, the six elements, the six organs, the six sense objects, the six action senses, and the six actions ? are completely purified and transmuted into their immutable condition, corresponding to the thirty-six deities of the six families (40) which coalesce in a single essence (ekasamarasibh?t?ni, Tib. gcig tu romnyam pargyurpa)
and manifest
through the state of enlightenment
accomplished
in a single instant (ekaksandbhisambodhi, Tib. skad cig gciggismngonpar rdzogspar in the Tib. thigle stongpa). condition called bindu byangchub) vacuity (bindus?nya, (37) See VP, V, 112, fol. 185a. The bh?mis, listed by Pundarika, are also quoted by Vil?savajra in his comment to theManjusrin?masamgiti(MS. of theCambridge University Library, Bendall, 1883, 203, Add. 1708, fol. 16a), byRavisrijn?na inhisAmrtakanik?and byVibhuticandra inhis sub-commentary, with Amrtakanik?-tippaniby bhiksu Ravisrijn?na and Amrtakanikodyota. Cf. Aryamanjusnn?masamgiti of Vibhuticandra,ed. B. Lai, Central Institute ofHigher Tibetan Studies, Amrtakanikodyota-nibandha Bibliotheca Indo-Tibetica,No. XXX, Sarnath 1994, pp. 18 and 136. Cf. alsoRavisrijnana'sAmrtakanik?, Tibetan version, inP, Vol. 48, no. 2111, fol.56b. They are: 1) samantaprabh?(kun tu 'od),2) amrtaprabh? (bdudrtsi'i 'od), 3) ?k?saprabh? (nammkha' 'od), 4) vajraprabh?(rdorje 'od), 5) ratnaprabh?(rinchen 'od), 6) padmaprabh? (padma 'od), 1) buddhakarmakari(laskyi 'odor sangsrgyasphrin las byedpa), 8) anupam? (dpemed), 9) nirupam? (dpebrat), 10) prajn?prabh?(shesrab 'od), 11) sarvajnat?(thamscad khyenpa nyid), 12) praty?tmavedy?(so so'ibdag nyid rigpa). However inPundarika's text, forthe ninth bh?mi,we find the reading upam?, a reading accepted by N?rop? inhis SUT as well as by theTibetan translatorswho rendered it as dpe Idan. Cf. VP, V, 127, fol. 190a. Bu stonGa, fol. 121. I have accepted here the original
lectionem:
nirupam?.
On
this very old
corruption
cf. Gnoli
& Orofino,
Iniziazione,
cit., p. 335.
(38)One ghatik? (Tib. chu tshod) corresponds to 24 minutes. In 24 hours there are 60 ghatik?s. In one lunisolaryear of 360 days there are 21,600 (= 60 x 360) ghatik?s. (39)VP, V, 127, fol. 202b; Bu ston,Ga, fols. 192-93. (40)The following table is based on the detailed description given by Vajragarbha in the Hevajratantrapind?rthatik?(ed. in Sferra, op. cit., p. 104, [with the kind permission of the author] and by S?dhuputra Sridhar?nanda in the Sekoddesatippani (Ms. 10744 Asiatic Society of Bengal, Calcutta, 6b 7a.
138
The
two texts concur
in all the correspondences
apart
from the actions
(kriya).
In Vajragarbha's
[12]
According to LKV, IV 118-119 and VP, at this stage the yogin remains in a
representations and is purified by a luminous mandala that from the jn?nabimba or s?nyabimba and also radiates shines forth (prabh?mandala) own from the pores of his body. Practising in this way, in three years and three fortnights the yogin accomplishes free of differentiated
condition
the perfectionendowed with a Body ofGnosis {jn?nadeha,Tib. ye shes lus) and so a Bodhisattva.
becomes
interesting description of the coarse body:
In Vajragarbha's Hevajratantrapind?rthatik? of this process, which results in the complete
we
find an
transmutation
By virtue of the suppression of cause and effect the Jinendras possess a different body, speech, mind and bliss. Their body and heaps of aggregates are different. Their elements, earth etc., sense objects and faculties are also different. Their action senses as well the actions they perform are different. (41) ?k -k "k
seen above, is brought about by the the whole transmutation sublimation of sexual desire and the realisation of supreme immutabe bliss is attained through union with a mudr?. As we
have
In his commentaryto stanza93 of theSU N?rop? specifiesthattheyoginof lower
texts the action of urine is associatedwith theAksobhya family while in S?dhuputra's text it is connected to theVajrasattva family.More conciselyN?rop?, inhis SUT, gives a differentcorrespondence for the six sense
objects
and
the six actions.
See N?rop?,
C,
p.
7.
Tib.:
P, Vol.
6 Objects of the senses (yisaya)
47,
no.
2068,
6 Senses of the Actions (karmendriya)
fol. 264b.
6Aggregates
6 Elements
6 Sense Organs
(skandha)
(bhata)
(indriya)
vijn?na (Aksobhya)
?ktea Srota (Vajradh?tvisvari) (Vajrap?ni)
usnisa (crown)
m?trasr?va dharmadh?tu upastha (Dharmadh?tuvajr?) (Usnisacakravartin) (Raudr?ksi)
samsk?ra (Amoghasiddhi)
v?yu (T?r?)
gfir?na (Khagarbha)
lal?ta (forehead)
spa?a (Sparsavajr?)
(P?ndar?)
caksus (Ksitigarbha)
kantha (throat)
rasa
(Ratnasambhava)
(Rasavajr?)
p?ni (Padm?ntaka)
gati (Jambhl)
samjn? (Amit?bha)
toya (M?maki)
jihv? (Lokesvara)
hrdaya (hearth)
r?pa (R?pavajr?)
p?da (Prajn?ntaka)
?d?na (M?minI)
gandha (Gandhavajr?)
p?yu (Yam?ntaka)
?l?pa (Stambhini)
divyendriya (S\imbhar?ja)
sukracyuti (Atinil?)
vedan?
n?bhi k?ya (Sarvanivaranasviskambhin) (navel)
r?pa (Vairocana)
prthivl (Locan?)
jn?na (Vajrasattva)
manas jn?na (Prajn?p?ramit?) (Samantabhadra)
tobda gLihya (secretplace) (Sabdavajr?)
v?c (Vighn?ntaka)
6 Actions (kriy?)
vitsr?va (Ativlry?)
(41)Any ah k?yo jinendr?n?m phalahetunirodhatah / v?k cittam ca sukham c?nyah [k?yajh skandhasam?hakah//prthivy?didh?tavo'py anye visay? indriy?nica / karmendriyakriy?s c?ny?s tath? ca. MS. C 128. Mf. C 14/6,National Archives Kathmandu. Ed. in Sferra,op. cit. (with karmendriy?ni the kind permission of the author).
[13]
139
capacity obtains this bliss through union with an action mudr? (karmamudr?), that is, a real woman, She is the cause of pleasure connected with 'with breasts and hair'. of pleasure the world of desire {k?madh?tu) and is the source of an experience characterised
by movement
(ksara). N?rop?
derives the etymology of word mudr? from
the fact that she gives (r?ti)pleasure (mudam). The
yogin of average
capacity,
on the other hand,
enhances
his knowledge
of
immutablebliss bymeans of themudr? of knowledge (jn?namudr?)that is createdby the imagination
and is personified
by the various
of the mandala.
goddesses
She
is
the cause of a pleasure connectedwith theworld of subtle form (r?padh?tu)and is
the source of an experience of pleasure characterised by vibration (spanda). The practice of the yogin of higher capacity involves the great mudr?, mah?mudr?, that confers the final gnosis of supreme immutable bliss that never abandons its state
of plenitude and is characterisedby an experience of clear lightand by the stateof union {yuganaddha, Tib. zung 'jug)of all theBuddhas in theirprimordialpurity.
immutable gnosis is obtained when the yogin gradually abandons the karma mudr? and jn?namudr? that belong to the discursive imagination, and meditates only on the mah?mudr?, a condition that is unique, stainless, immutable, ethereal, free from This
darkness,
all-pervading,
similar to m?y?
and
that illuminates
the three worlds with
refulgent splendour. This state of absolute reality is realised by abandoning movement, i.e., the emission Pundarika quotes of the seed. To assert this concept, in his Param?ksarajn?nasiddhi
stanza 182 (42)of chapterV of theLKC:
That pleasure itself that is the ruin of sentientbeings is the liberation of the Protectors. What sentient beings guard jealously at everymoment iswhat the protectors give away But that secret joy in the profound heart which sentient beings give away is what the Protectors guard jealously. In fact it is extremely difficult for gods, nagas, and asuras to emulate the behaviour of the Protectors. (43) to this stanza, Pundarika states that, precisely through commentary can be converted the impulse activated by the desire for a woman into its opposite, and to illustrate this he uses an alchemical analogy quoting stanza In his
this contact
232 of chapter IV of the LKC (44)which states that, just as mercury cannot be
stabilised without fire and that without this stabilisation the transmutation of elements into gold cannot take place, just so the yogin's mind is stabilized through the energy the this stabilization that is activated by contact with a woman and that without
(42) Bu
ston
in his
translation
refers
to it as
stanza
(43)VP, V, 127, fol. 196a. Bu ston,Ga, fol. 160. (44) VP, V, 127, fol. 196a Bu ston,Ga, fol. 161. stanza
140
224.
199.
Cf.
Bu
ston, Ga,
fol.
160.
In Bu ston's translation it corresponds to
[14]
condition of supreme bliss (paramasukha, Tib.
than skyes bde bd) cannot be accomplished.
This finalstage is identifiedwith theMah?mudr?, thatis clear lightby itsverynature, that manifests as innate delight, is free of differentiated representations, transcends a nature in the nature of atoms, is similar to a magical whose mirror, image appearing is supreme immutable bliss and whose essence is supreme immutable gnosis.
Furthermoreit shouldbe noted thatPundarika, quoted by N?rop? in theSUT, on the basis of the double meaning of the Sanskritword aksara (immutableand phoneme) identifiesthe supremeimmutablewith thephonemeA (45). This phoneme to Vajrasattva, the innate body (sahajak?ya) endowed with knowledge corresponds in its turn identified with K?lacakra, and knowable, the plane of supreme immutable to It the the adamantine womb of the dharmadh?tumandala, gnosis. corresponds
the birthplace of all the Buddha, the essence of spiritual merit and stanzas 28 29 of and the (henceforth (46). Manjusrin?masamgiti knowledge Paraphrasing continues thus Pundarika (47): NS), Victorious
Ones,
The Buddha, the completely awakened One, born from the phoneme A. The phoneme A is the foremost of all the phonemes, the great meaning, the supreme immutable [the supreme syllable]. (48) Moreover meaning
Pundarika,
of this supreme
quoting immutable
asserts that the ultimate the Param?dibuddha, is Time, gnosis, of this instant of non-emission,
(45) For a discussion on the evolution of the post-Vedic development of the speculation about the Word in Indian religious thought,mainly inKashmirian Saivism, see A. Padoux, V?c: The Concept of theWord in SelectedHindu Tantras,Albany 1990; on the phoneme A, cf. pp. 235-43. (46)VP, V, 127, fols. 186b-187a. Bu ston,Ga, fol. 103. mah?rthah (47)Tadyath? bhagav?n buddhah sambuddho 'k?rasambhavahj ak?rah sarvavarn?gryo param?ksarah//NS, 28. The NS has been translatedand edited by R. Davidson, The Litany ofNames
in Tantric and Taoist of Manjusrf, MCB 20, Bruxelles 1981, pp. 1-69. 1985.
in Honor Stein, of Professor R.A. also A. Wayman, Chanting the Names
Studies See
ed. M.
vol. Strickmann, Boston-London
1,
ofManjusn,
(48)yP) Vj 127, fol. 187. Bu ston,Ga, fol. 104. Quoted byN?rop?, SUT, C, p. 69, Tib.: P, Vol. 47, no. 2068, fol. 331a. Note that, in one of themost widespread Tibetan translationofNS, Rinchen bzang po rendersparam?ksara,yi ge dam pa, while in theTibetan translationof the SUT, theNS text quoted byN?rop? is congruentwith themeaning itassumes in theexegesisof theK?lacakra and param?ksara
term mi'gyur ba. Bu ston, nevertheless, is translated with the Tibetan in his translation of the VP renders see below context it yi ge dam pa. On the K?lacakra the incongruity on Bu ston's NS translation within n. 52. to Padmasambhava's It is also worth noting in this regard that, in his commentary Man ngag
Ita ba'iphreng ba, the great 19th century scholarKong sprulBio sgrosmThas yas (1813-1899) suggests sumedpa'i dkyil 'khorgi 'khor 'greataccumulation of the immutablenon dual mandala' Cpho 'gyurgnyis to tshogschenpo), as a possible interpretationof theTibetan termyi ge 'khorlo tshogschengyi sa, that defines the finalbh?mi of the practice of rDzogs chen,where the termyi ge canmean, and thus can be substitutedwith 'pho 'gyurgnyissumed pa, referringspecificallyto the commentary in the VP toNS 28. See 'Jammgon Kong sprulBio sgrosmThas yas, gDams Ngag mDzod, Delhi 1971, I, fol. 76.
[15]
141
is the Diamond Gnosis that transcends all discursive thoughts and thus also the creative process of generation of the deity [utpattikrama). This concept lies at the heart of stanza 127 of LKC, V, that as we have seen
is the foundationof thePAJS:
The union ofA and Ka, of sun and moon, is not the seat of the possessor of the vajra, There is no need of any symbol, of the syllable H?m itselfor of any colours or forms emanating from it; Because He is the supreme completeness of all the senses, He originates from immutability, He has achieved the exhaustion of mutability, He is the holder of all illusions, the King, Lord of all the bindus, the possessor of all the aspects. (49) Pundarika
of the Realisation
correlates his discussion
of the Supreme Immutable
Gnosis, that is also the central topic of chapterV of the lostParam?dibuddha,with his analysis of all the stanzas of the NS, a text that he deemed embraced the essential in the K?lacakra In fact tradition. teaching on ultimate gnosis as it was conceived
he concludes thePAJS with the followingverses:
These 162 stanzas [of the NS] contain the description of supreme immutable bliss, that shines everywhere, brimmingwith pure gnosis, noble and profound, whose nature is clear light, without beginning or end, free of any blemishes arising from the differentiation of I and mine, of perceiver and percept, that has never been stained, that knows the self nature of all Dharmas... This supreme immutable blissful gnosis, that is revered by the threeworlds and is directly known by the yogin's wisdom, this is what the yogin must never forsake. (50)
As
the NS became one of the most popular canonical texts of the is also a fundamental text in the K?lacakra tradition (52).
is well-known, and
Vajray?na
(49)LKC, V, 127 ff. 186b, Bu ston,Ga, fol. 101. (50)LKV, V, 127 and VP, fols. 206a-206b. Bu stonGa, fols. 214-15. (51) It is sufficientto observe that214 texts concerning theNS are preserved in theTibetan bstan
'gyur, not
to mention
the later Tibetan
exegeses.
(52)The innumerablequotations found in VP alone suffice to render it one of themost highly texts
in the K?lacakra tradition. from it as do all the exegetes too, quotes N?rop?, copiously one of the first exponents on of the K?lacakra school, wrote a commentary K?lacakrap?da, extant in Tibetan the discussion of its benefits, the ?rya Manjusrin?masamgi?-anusams?vrtti, (P, Vol. 48,
venerated
of the SU.
no. 2110). One of themost frequently quoted commentarieson theNS is theAmrtakanik?byRavisrijn?na, a text whence
Nevertheless
many of Bu ston's most of Ravisrijn?na's
to the verses
annotations commentary
to the NS
of the NS,
in the VP,
quoted
(and, by extension,
Bu
ston's),
are drawn.
are irrelevant
within the context of theK?lacakra tradition,as already observed by Newman on the basis of mKas grub
142
rje's Dus
'khor tik chen.
Cf. Newman,
op.
cit., p.
342.
[16]
several authors have written commentaries on it, including some of Moreover, the foremost exponents of the Tibetan Ancient school (rNying ma pa) who were also authorities the dGa' within chen tradition, such as Vimalamitra, rDzogs prominent rab rDo rje and Manjusrimitra. This text thus became a kind of common ground where speculations on ultimate
gnosis, as conceived in the Anuttaratantras of the gSar ma pa schools and in the Attyoga tradition of the rNying ma pa, met and gave rise to that exegetical literature which was to play such an important role in later centuries in Tibet.
[17]
143
