Part 4a.4 - The great mandala of the environment and inhabitants

Summary: How to meditate on the great mandala of the environment and inhabitants.

In particular as for its being taught that action and doer are displayed in the courtyard, this is the courtyard of Vairochana’s heart:

Within the heart-center of the principal deity,
Samantabhadra, the ground, is being embraced by his consort.
His body is adorned with the major and minor marks.
In color he is like a spotless sapphire sky.
He sits in cross-legged posture in a blazing globe of colors.
Meditate that light rays are emanated from this.
They purify the vessel and essence of the world.
All is completely pure as the gods and goddesses.

In the heart center of Vairochana on a sun and moon disk is Samantabhadra, in meditation with his consort, dark blue. By the emanation of light rays of all colors,^[1] all the environment and inhabitants of the phenomenal world become one with the palace of deities. Meditate that all dharmas become of the nature of the buddha field of Akanishta Gandavyuha. As this is related to the texts, the Fierce Lightning says:

In the numerous host of wisdom deities
Who are the inhabitants of this palace
The deities are united with their consorts.

At the center in the heart of the glorious palace
Is Vairochana along with his mudra consort.
Of the color of lapis lazuli
As their emblem they hold wheels in their hands.

In front of that hero is Vajrasattva with consort,
Having the colors of conch shell and of crystal.
As their emblems with vajras in their hands.

To the right is the Bhagavan Ratnasambhava.
He is of yellow color like Jambunada.???
As his sign he holds an eight sided jewel.

Behind is lord Amitabha, colored like ruby.
As his emblem he grasps a crimson lotus.

To the left is the lord Amoghasiddhi.
With a dark body color like sapphire.
As his emblem he is bearing a sword.

They are all adorned with peaceful ornaments,
And are wearing the crown of the five families.
They are sitting in full lotus posture
With long necklaces and the customary armlets.
Their bracelets and their earrings are exquisite.
The major and minor marks are all complete.

The consorts who are embraced with the left arm
Are Samantabhadri and Locana
Mamaki, Pandaravasini, and Tara.
They embrace the lords of upaya with the right.
With the left they grasp their signs and bells,
With customary ornaments like the fathers’.

The spokes of the wrathful wheel are self-existing.
In front of it there is a beautiful rise.
In the deities’ hands are light-blue vajras.
Their sign is the three pointed vajra that they hold.

To the right of these is Kshitigarbha.
Green-blue in color, grasping a precious sprout.
Behind this mandala is Akashagarbha.
He is blue and holding his scepter sword.

To the left embraced by beautiful Gita.
Lord Avalokiteshvara is light red.
He grasps a lotus, his customary emblem.
His topknot is adorned with jñanasattvas.
He sits in the cross-legged bodhisattva posture
Adorned with the customary ornaments.

Embracing these above four deities
Are the consorts Nritya, Lasya, Mala, and Gita.
Their right hands by upaya grasp their lords.
The left are in dance mudra, with mirror, and mala
They have a vina;^[2] and their ornaments
Are like those of the principal deities.

As for the beautiful squares that are at the borders
They are white to signify kindness, or maitri.
They are adorned with beautiful snake-wood gandis.

In the square that is on the southern border
Is Nirviranavishkambin who is blue,
Holding in his hand a Dharma wheel.

Beautiful on the border to the south-west
Is light red Mañjushrikumara.
He holds as emblems a lotus and sword.

Beautiful on the border to the north-west,
Is Samantabhadra yellow-green in color.
His emblems are a jewel and ear of grain.

In the northeast intermediate corner
To the left of these who were just described above
Embracing these above four deities
Are the consorts gandha, pushpa, Gita, and Dhupa.
With their right hands they embrace their consorts.
With the left they are holding their own scepters,
With customary ornaments as before.

At the four gates are the four conquerors.
Blazing Yamantaka is dark blue
With a goat’s head, holding the scepters of confidence

Dwelling as the guardian of the east
Is blazing Vijaya, who is dark yellow.
Holding a vajra at the southern gate.

Blazing dark red is horse-headed Hayagriva,
Holding a skull and snake at the western gate.

Blazing Amritakundalin, dark green,
Holds a crossed-vajra at the northern gate.
He is standing in a dancing posture,
Adorned with the various charnel ornaments.

All these show their teeth in a frightening way
They are all enveloped in blazing fires
Loud sounds of HUM and PHAT reverberate.

Embracing these above four deities
Are Shemo, Gyaljema, Tamdrinmo, and Khyilma.
Awesome, holding iron chains and bells.
Their scepters are iron hooks and iron nooses.
Their accouterments are like those of the conquerors.
Those at each of these gates are self-existing.

Within the beautiful courtyards of the palace,
Are the great sages, the six nirmanakayas .
They show whatever bodies^[3] are needed for taming.
The accouterments they display are uncertain ones.

In back and front of these beautiful courtyards,
Are Jepapo and -mo, of sky-like color.
They are resting in the state of samadhi.
The inconceivable excellence of these all,
Is unexpressed and inexpressible.

The palace is filled by a host of deities.
The limitless mandala is self-existing.
In the heart centers of these excellent deities
Are jñanasattvas whose light is full of colors
On their tongues are the syllables of their signs.
Their own signs clearly appear over all the mudras.

They are of every color, with all the styles,
Soft, supple, caressing, yielding, and youthful,
Clear, brilliant, and abundantly bountiful
They are consecrated with brilliant blazing.
That divine nature illumines the mandala.

These are the pure deities of the five families of the five pure skandhas. The deities with their consorts are explained as the union of appearance and emptiness.

The eye, ear, nose, and tongue are the four inner bodhisattvas.
Form, sound, taste, and touch are their four consorts, the four inner female bodhisattvas.
The pure eye, ear, nose, and tongue powers are the four external bodhisattvas.
The four times, the past, future, present, and inconceivable dharmata, are the outer female
      bodhisattvas.
Touch, the toucher, the touched, and awareness of touch having symbolized sense consciousness,
      sense, sense-object, and the four gates are the pure forms of the four ayatanas arising from
      sense consciousness.

All dharmas are neither eternal nor nothingness. They have no self-natures and no characteristics. These are the four gates of dharmata.

The pure existence of the six kleshas, six perfections, six kinds of beings, and six purifying sages, and alaya and alayavijñana is Samantabhadra and his consort. All these deities, presently divided from alaya, are joined to the collections of consciousness with their faculties and objects. This is the

situation of impurity. When purified, they are joined to the wisdoms and buddha fields. Knowing them in that way is knowing them as the pure deities.