Text 2.4 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 2.4]

O! The chiliocosms of the ten directions are primordially void.
The three levels of existence are pure fields.
The five degenerations are themselves the blissful abode.
The five components themselves are perfect Buddhas.
Apart from the supreme nucleus of all (things),
The conquerors do not seek the doctrine elsewhere.
Doctrines said to be other than that
Though sought, have not been found by the conquerors.
—When she said this, the Tathāgatas themselves knew all things to be primordial Buddha-hood. [4] ...

[Tibetan]

kye-ma'o / phyogs-bcu stong-khams ye-nas dben / srid-pa gsum-ni dag-pa'i zhing / snyigs-ma lnga-nyid bde-ldan gnas / phung-po lnga-nyid rdzogs sangs-rgyas / thams-cad mchog-gi snying-po-bas / gzhan-du rgyal-bas chos-mi-btsal / nyid-las gzhan zhes-bya-ba'i chos / btsal-kyang rgyal-bas mi-brnyes do / —zhes brjod-pas thams-cad ye-nas sangs-rgyas-par de-bzhin gshegs-pa-nyid-kyis mkhyen to / [4]

Commentary:

O! (kye-ma-ho) is exclaimed to signify the wonder of reality. It is wondrous in the sense that, illustrated by this selfmanifesting world-system, all the great trichiliocosms (stong-khams) of the ten directions (chyogs-bcu) are revealed to be primordially (ye-nas) and originally empty and therefore void (dben). This means that the physical containing world is emptiness.

Concerning the trichiliocosm: The world-system of the four continents consists of a single series of four continents with Mount Sumeru. It is surrounded by an iron mountain range equal in height to Mt. Yugadhara, and it is adorned with the divine mansions of the desire and form realms. The first chiliocosm (stong dang-po'i spyi-phud-kyi' 'jig-rten) delimits one thousand of these world-systems, and is surrounded by an iron mountain range equal in height to the abode of Trayatriṃśa. The dichlliocosm (stong gnyis-pa bar-ma'i 'jig-rten) delimits one thousand of those, and is surrounded by an iron mountain range equal in height to the abode of the Parinirmittavaśavartins; and the great trichiliocosm (stong-gsum-gyi stong chen-po 'jig-rten-gyi khams) delimits one thousand of the latter, and is surrounded by an iron mountain range equal in height to the abode of the first meditative concentration. in this context, all the fields and world-systems, Illustrated by this one, are emptiness, and similar to a reflected image.^[1]

All sentient beings who are the animate contents of these (worldsystems) are also revealed to be emptiness. For, their three levels of existence (srid-gsum-ni) abide in the nature of the spontaneous Bounteous Array, the fields (zhing) of the primordially pure (dag-pa'i) buddhas.^[2]

In addition, the five degenerations (snyigs-ma lnga) are themselves (nyid) nothing but the essence, the naturally present pristine cognition or the supremely blissful abode (bde-ldan gnas). This is because the energy of the five pristine cognitions appears as the five poisons and generates the suffering of saṃsāra when (beings) are bewildered in the subject-object dichotomy. There are some who have mistakenly taught that this passage refers to the degeneration of time and so forth (and not to the five poisons).^[3]

The five components (phung-po lnga) of living beings themselves are (nyid) the primordially and manifestly [perfect] buddhas (rdzogs sangs-rgyas), as has indeed been mentioned above. Therefore, the supreme nucleus (mchog-gi snying-po) is the nature of enlightenment or sameness, the abiding nature of all (thams-cad) phenomena which is neither positive nor negative, and without acceptance or rejection in all respects. Apart from (-bas) this, the conquerors do not seek the doctrine elsewhere (gzhan-du rgyal-bas chos ml-btsal). Everything is the natural expression of the buddhas, amd any erroneous doctrines said to be (zhes-bya-ba'i chos) impure or other than that (nyid-las gzhan) buddhahood, thought sought, have not been found by the conquerors (btsal-kyang rgyal-bas mi-brnyes-so) elsewhere. They are not found.

When the female consort (Samantabhadrī) said this (zhes brjod-pas), the Tathāgatas (de-bzhin gshegs-pa) themselves (nyid) along with the assembled host of their queens knew (mkhyen-no) all (thams-cad) things to be primordial buddhahood (ye-nas sangs-rgyas-par).

[iii. The Non-Dual Intention Which Gives Rise to the Discourse (103-6-106.4):]

The third (see p. 442) concerning their non-dual Intention, includes both the cause which Induces their Intention to initiate the discourse and the actual discourse.

[The former (comments on Ch. 2.5):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

On the underlying emptiness of this cosmological structure, see NSTB, Book 1, Pt. 1, pp. 4b-7b and chart.

[2]:

These three levels or spheres of existence (srid-gsum) are the nether world of Nāgas (sa-'og klu'i srid-na), the surface world of humans (sa'i steng mi'i srid-pa), and the upper world of gods (gnam-steng lha'i srid-ca).

[3]:

The author holds the five degenerations or impurities to refer to the five poisons (pañcakleśa) of rāga, dveśa, moha, māna and īrṣa, rather than the pañcakaṣāya (snyigs-ma lnga) or impurities of life, view, conflicting emotion, sentient beings and time (Mahāvyutpatti 2335-2340).