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 4.9 (Commentary)
[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 4.9]
Astonishing, wondrous and amazing
Is the great miraculous ability.
Or the forty-five syllables
In which all names and words
Are apprehended, without exception.
They propound and reveal great diverse meanings. [9] ...[Tibetan]
e-ma-ho ngo-mtshar ya-mtshan-gyi /
'phrul-chen bzhi-bcu-rtsa-lnga'i ming /
tshig-rnams ma-lus 'dzin-pa'i gnas /
sna-tshogs don-chen smra-zhing ston / [9]
Commentary:
iv. The fourth comprises both a teaching on the syllables as the source of words, and a teaching on the arising of the diverse display of the syllables.
[The former (comments on Ch. 4.9):]
The cyclical cloud-mass of syllables is astonishing (e-ma-ho) because it abides as the essence, the buddha-body of reality. It is wondrous (ngo-mtshar) because it appears as the natural buddha-body of perfect rapture; and it is amazing (ya-mtshan) because it arises as the spirituality of the emanational body. This is the great miraculous ability (gyi 'phrul-chen) or inconceivable nature comprising the clusters of the forty-five syllables (bzhi-bcu rtsa-lnga'i) where the three diacritics, namely, the initial punctuation mark, the final punctuation dots, and the medial punctuation stroke, are included in addition to the forty-two syllables; and in which all names and words are apprehended without exception (ming tshig-rnams ma-lus 'dzin-pa'i gnas).
When this apprehension occurs, it resembles, for example, the apprehension of atomic particles which are the conclusive nature of form. A material mass is produced from the gathering of atomic particles, and the atomic particles are then apprehended as a mass. Similarly, the conclusive nature of name is the syllable. Syllables are formed which contain a single vowel through phonetic conjunction, and it is through a combination of these that the names of substantial objects such as "pillar鈥� and "vase" are formed. It is through the combination of these in turn that strings of words are without exception formed. So it is that the syllables are the foundation of names and words. Thereby, they propound (smra) and (-zhing) reveal (ston) to others the great (chen) meanings (don) of diverse (sna-tshogs) doctrines belonging to the vehicle. Therefore, the syllables exist primordially as the source of all words and meanings, without exception.
[The latter (comments on Ch. 4.10):]
[Read next page]