Guhyagarbha Tantra (with Commentary)
by Gyurme Dorje | 1987 | 304,894 words
The English translation of the Guhyagarbha Tantra, including Longchenpa's commentary from the 14th century. The whole work is presented as a critical investigation into the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, of which the Guhyagarbhatantra is it's principle text. It contains twenty-two chapters teaching the essence and practice of Mahayoga, which s...
Text 3.11 (Commentary)
[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 3.11]
Their nature Itself does not degenerate from reality鈥�
Genuine reality, dualistic in an illusory manner.
Does not differentiate between possessor and possessed.
It is the pure expanse itself, the unique mode. [11] ...[Tibetan]
rang-bzhin nyid-las nyams-pa-med /
yang-dag sgyu-ma'i tshul-gnyis-su /
bdag-dang bdag-gi gzhan-med-de /
rnam-dag dbyings-nyid tshul-gcig-go / [11]
Commentary:
[Teaching that from the very moment of this appearance its nature is reality:]
Although it appears as such, the nature (rang-bzhin) of this 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 does not degenerate from (las nyams-pa med) the reality (nyid). sameness or great perfection of primordial liberation. This is because its nature is indeed emptiness.
Accordingly it also says in the King of Contemplation (T. 127):
The conquerors鈥� son destroys objective form.
All existences that there are are primordially empty.
Those who uphold the extreme of ephemeral emptiness
And those who are puerile sophists cannot dispute this.
From the very moment when 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 appears, it does not actually exist but is the abiding nature of genuine reality (yang-dag). It does appear to be dualistic in a (gnyis-su) mere relative or illusory manner (sgyu-ma'i tshul), but when analysed does not differentiate between (gzhan-med-de) the possessor (bdag) or subject of 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 and the possessed (dang bdag-gi) objects of a 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 and 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺. Just as the the appearances in a dream and the dreamer's own mind are not dualistically differentiated. Mind-as-such is perceived in that manner.
It says accordingly in the 厂奴迟谤补 of the Descent to 尝补峁卥腻 (T. 107):
Mind-as-such, where there is no object,
Is mistakenly seen as an external object.
Through habitual tendencies, the agitated mind
Actually comes into appearance.
However, when 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 appears it itself (nyid) is the unique (gcig) primordial mode (tshul) in the pure (rnam-dag) and self-manifesting expanse (dbyings). the pure reality. Thus the Intention of the spontaneous perfect buddha-body of reality is one of unique (gcig-go) equilibrium in its great primordial pervasion of all 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 and 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺.
It says in the Root Stanzas of Madhyamaka entitled Discriminative Awareness (T. 3824):
There is not the slightest difference
Between 蝉补峁僺腻谤补 and 苍颈谤惫腻峁嘺.
The distinctions between these two
Do not even minutely exist.
And in the Ornament of Emergent Realisation (T. 3786):
There is sameness with respect to existence and quiescence.
[The fourth, (teaching that bewildering appearances are the miraculous display of mind, comments on Ch. 3.12):]
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