Text 18.2 (Commentary)

[Guhyagarbha-Tantra, Text section 18.2]

Now, as for genuine offerings and liberality:
At the outset, when liberated from the experiences
Which the self applies through (mis-)conception,
The non-dual intelligence should "liberate"
The pitiable world-systems of negative attitudes without duality. [2]

[Tibetan]

de-la mchod-sbyin dam-pa-ni /
thog-mar bdag-nyid rtogs-goms bsgral /
de-nas gnyis-med blo-yis-ni /
blo-ngan 'jig-rten snying-re-rje /
gnyis-su med-par bsgral-bar bya'o / [2]

Commentary:

The second subdivision has three parts, namely, a general teaching on the offerings connected with rites of sexual union and "liberation", a particular exegesis of the offerings of the desired attributes which are sacramental substances, and a description of their beneficial attributes or accomplishments which are attained.

[i. The first of these has two aspects, among which the former concerns the offerings associated with rites of "liberation” (It comments on Ch. 18.2):]

Now (de-la), the provision of merit includes the offerings (mchod) which are to be made on behalf of the conquerors, and the liberality (sbyin) which is to be exercised for the sake of sentient beings. As for (-ni) these, the most genuine (dam-pa) and supreme among them is the authentic offering of primordially pure mind-as-such, in which there is no dichotomy between the object of offering and the act of offering. This is the great seal among offerings. Therefore, at the outset (thog-mar), when one has been liberated (bsgral) in the originally uncreated disposition from all negative attitudes which grasp the experiences (goms) of substance and signs in terms of the eight extremes of erroneous conception^[1] and the subject-object dichotomy, i.e. from those attitudes which the self (bdag-nyid) applies to this saṃsāra through the mis-conception (rtog) of ignorance, one should meditate that all outer and inner phenomena have the nature of space.

Accordingly the Oceanic Magical Net (NGB. Vol 15) says:

The supreme great seal of offering
Liberates all the mind's accumulated ideas.
One meditates in the natural disposition of space.
Referring neither to the act of offering,
Nor to the subject of offering.

There are some who add (by way of comment on this verse) that one should "unite" (sbyor-ba) in experiential meditation (goms) through which the view is "understood" (rtogs), but that seems to be a form of misunderstanding.^[2]

There is indeed no contradiction whether (this passage) is applied to the preliminary stage or to the perfection stage of offerings in general. Yet, because it refers more literally to the offering of "liberation” it should be interpreted as follows:GL_NOTE:222487:} From beginningless time hatred freely emerges because there are experiences (goms) which misconceive (rtog) in terms of the dichotomy of self and others. Therefore, at the time of liberation, one is said to be liberated (bsgral), by means of the non-dual truth and the disposition of non-referential compassion, from one's own apprehension of the subject-object dichotomy and from the attitude that skillful means and discriminative awareness are objects to be attained.

As for the actual way in which "liberation" occurs: Once one's own dualistic ideas have been liberated in the expanse of reality, then (de-nas) the non-dual intelligence (gnyis-med blo-yis-ni) of the object to be liberated and the self or subject of liberation, should practise rites of "liberation" through great skillful means and compassion from a disposition in which discriminative awareness does not abide in the two extremes. One should meditate with immeasurable loving kindness and compassion thinking of the pitiable (snying-re-rje) minds in the lower world-systems ('jig-rten) where sentient beings of the ten fields and so forth exist with negative attitudes (blo-ngan).^[4] Knowing the self to be merely like an apparition or an optical illusion, one should "liberate" (bsgral-bar-bya) them through the realisation that although they do relatively appear, ultimately beings are without duality (gnyis-su med-par).

This (explanation) is suitable in the present context, but one should also examine in detail the sections on the enlightened activity of wrath in Chapter Eleven and in Chapter Twenty.^[5]

[The latter concerns the offering associated with the rites of sexual union. (It comments on Ch. 18.3):]

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Footnotes and references:

[1]:

The "eight extremes of erroneous conception" (phyin ci-log spros-pa'i mtha' brgyad); the extremes of creation (skye), cessation ('gag), permanence (rtag). impermanence (chad), going ('gro), comins ('ong), singularity (gcig) and difference (tha-dad).

[2]:

Lo-chen. op. cit., p. 408, includes both rtog and rtogs in his explanation of this verse.

[3]:

Lo-chen clearly comments on this section only in terms of the liberation of oneself and not from the standpoint of the compassionate "liberation" of others. kLong-chen-pa includes both interpretations.

[4]:

The "sentient beings of the ten fields" (zhing-bcu Ita-bu'i sems-can) are those of the kamadhātu, i.e., the Kāmadevaṣaṭkula (Mahāvyutpatti 3078-3083) along with the humans, animals, pretas, and denizens of the hells. See the chart in NSTB, Book 1, introduction.

[5]:

I.e, Ch. 11, pp. 914-922; Ch. 20, 1258-1261.