Text 12.13 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 12.13]

One should meditate that on cushions of sun and moon.
In the expanse of the clear maṇḍala of the sky.
There is the king of pristine cognition,
In union with his consort;
Thus one comes to meditate without exception
On all maṇḍalas of the conquerors, in their entirety. [13]

[Tibetan]

mkha'-dkyil dang-pa'i dbyings nyi-zla /
ye-shes rgyal-po stangs-dpyal bsgom /
rgyal-ba'i dkyil-'khor thams-cad kun /
ma-lus-par-ni bsgom-par 'gyur / [13]

Commentary:

[i. Concerning the actual meditation:]

Preceded by the three modes of contemplation,^[1] one should meditate that (bsgom) on a lotus seat with cushions of sun and moon (nyi-zla) in the expanse (dbyings) of the (-'i) exceedingly clear (dang-ba) maṇḍala of the sky (mkha'-dkyil), there is the luminous celestial palace of pristine cognition, and within it the buddha-body of Samantabhadra, the king of pristine cognition (ye-shes rgyal-po) who is in union with his consort (stangs-dpyal) and is thus equipoised in the posture of indestructible reality, and from whom many rays of light emanate.

Now, according to the particular teaching of the common vehicles, buddhas are held to have different causal bases, different times, and different mannerisms. According to the uncommon vehicles, although the emanational bodies which appear as such do so in the perception of those to be trained, when investigated, they are all subsumed in the uncreated buddha-body of reality and the unimpeded buddha-body of perfect rapture which resides in Akaniṣṭha. Therefore all (Buddha-attributes) are accomplished through meditation on whichever natural Buddha-body one wishes. In particular, by meditation on the single pair of the male and female consorts Samantabhadra, who represent the nature or action of all the buddhas, one comes to meditate without exception on all the maṇḍalas of the conquerors in their entirety (rgyal-ba'i dkyll-'khor thams-cad [kun] ma-lus-par-ni bsgom-par-'gyur). This is because all the maṇḍalas of deities are gathered together in the buddha-body, speech and mind, and in the naturally pure expanse.

[The latter aspect concerns the correct projection (of that meditation. It comments on Ch. 12.14):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See above, pp. 679. 771. 851.