804 Groundless Paths appearing as anything beneficial for beings, be it animate or inanimate (such as animals or medicine) LNG (fols 18b.6-19a.5) classifies the nairmánikakáya as fourfold, saying that the incarnate type is exemplified by som eone like the god Švetaketu in the heaven o f Tusita before he was born as Buddha Šákyamuni in his next existence The supreme nairmánikakáya is so m e one like Buddha šákyamuni w h o performs the twelve great deeds o f a buddha The variegated nairmánikakáya appears as all kinds o f beings, ranging from Indra to little girls The artistic nairmánikakáya may appear as beings like said víná player, palaces, pleasure groves, bridges, islands, and so on 826 CZ, pp 653-54 Verse 12 The last tw o lines in PSD/LSSP read don spyod pa yis bag phab nas/ don mthun gros chen nges par gdab , thus giving the third and fourth m eans o f attraction in their normal 827 order 828 XVI.75 829 T h e presentation o f point 6a com es from th e Dašabhúmikasútra For m ore details, see the Third Karmapa’s com mentary on verses 92cd-93 o f the Dharmadhátustava (translated in Brunnhólzl 2007, p 290) 830 For the numbering o f these twenty-seven, see the corresponding section in PBG MCG (fol 170a.3-170b.6) summarizes the eighth chapter as follows T h e spontaneous presence o f the four káyas and enlightened activity represents the path o f liberation o f the vajralike samádhi Through having attained this ultimate change o f state, the wisdom káya in the utterly pure realm o f Akanistha—the immeasurably vast palace o f the dharmadhátu—abides as the sámbhogikakáya with the major and minor marks, which takes care o f the sentient beings with the purest mind streams (the bodhisattvas on the tenth bhümi) through maturing them with the maháyána dharma The nature o f this is the m ind stream o f a buddha—the svábhávikakáya o f dhátu and wisdom being inseparable It holds the nature o f the w isdom káya, whose nature is to not be different from all the buddhas in the three times, and it displays all kinds o f nairmánikakáyas that guide beings as appropriate Thus, it takes care o f all the samghas o f those who have the dispositions o f the three yánas This vajralike wisdom káya accomplishes all samsáric and nirvánic benefits o f sentient beings through its twenty-sevenfold enlightened activity in an effortless and nonconceptual way 831 D3801, fol 203b.4-5 832 D3791, fol 3 b l-2 N o te that the Vftti (D3787, fol 210a.4) and the Várttika (D3788, fol 179b.2) also say that “cause” in AA XI.2a refers to “the four trainings” in VIII.2b However, Haribhadras Vivrti (D3793, fol 140a 1) links “the threefold object” in AA XI.2a with “cause,” which is followed by most Tibetan com m entaries (including PGBG, MCG, and MPZL) and also suggested by the most straightforward reading o f VIII.2ab (though the Sanskrit and the Tibetan are not entirely unambiguous on this point) Moreover, since said lines appear in exactly the same way in all o f the above texts, the issue o f whether “cause” is matched with “object” or “training” is obviously not a translation problem (which thus would also apply to the Vivrti as the otherwise unquestioned authority in Tibetan commentaries), but a matter o f different inter pretations N ote that, right below in LSSP/PSD and differing from what they say here, the three knowledges are described as the causes o f the dharmakáya 833 This is the name that is found in the Taipei edition o f LSSP The blockprint has zhingg.ye , while PSD reads zhingg.yo ba , neither o f which makes sense as they stand, but they might refer to an early Kadampa master called Shang Yewa (Tib zhang g.ye ba) 834 Tib ska ba pal brtsegs N otes 805 835 PSD PBG d o es n ot contain an y section that corresponds to this heading, but see the en d o f 836 PGBG (pp -1 ) says that the AA is called “prajnaparamita” because it is an instance o f scriptural prajnaparamita and its main subject matter consists o f path prajnaparamita and fruitional prajnaparamita It is called “pith instruction” because it makes one understand this subject matter swiftly and makes one realize the vast meaning o f the sutras in an easy way through a few words It is called a “treatise” because, upon being studied and reflected on, it is able to restore the afflicted m ind streams o f those to be guided and protect them from the lower realms It is called “clear realization” because the eight topics o f facing true reality and realizing it, just as it is, represent its main subject matter Also, it is both a clearly illuminating and a beautifying ornament because it clearly illuminates the words and the m eanings o f the prajnaparamita sutras and beautifies all the m eanings o f these sutras 837 Lines 2bd 838 PGBG (p 311) says that th e purpose o f providing the Sanskrit title is to demonstrate that this text has a noble source, create imprints o f this language, and make blessings enter the m ind stream The purpose o f providing the title in Tibetan is to show that it is equivalent to the Sanskrit, understand that the translators and panditas were both scholars and siddhas since they translated it without m ixing it up, and remember the kindness o f the translators who rendered what is difficult to understand in Sanskrit into Tibetan in a manner that is easily understandable The purpose o f the hom age by the translators is to be able to com plete the translation 839 The translation o f the stanzas o f the AA follows the Sanskrit, with the occasional signifi cant differences to the Tibetan version being indicated in the endnotes Here the Tibetan has “being endowed with her” {gang dang yang dag Idan) 84 At the beginning o f each section o f explaining the verses o f th e AA, PBG usually only adduces a few o f the respective beginning and concluding syllables or says that this section is taught through so and so m any verses, beginning with “ .” In order to facilitate following the subsequent com mentary, the translation provides the respective lines o f the AA in their entirety 841 T h is is another word for nirvana 842 PGBG (p 312) and MCG (f ol 6a.6) identify the tw o types o f the utter peace o f ¿ravakas and pratyekabuddhas as the nirvanas with and without remainder PGBG concludes that there is a reason for Maitreya paying hom age to the m other as the three knowledges because it is the m other in the form o f the three knowledges w ho accomplishes all that her four children desire 843 The AA contains m any very terse, ambiguous, and cryptic verses, with the Sanskrit and Tibetan versions m oreover differing at times In these tw o verses, I attem pted to mirror the order o f the lines in Sanskrit, but since the com m entary is based on the Tibetan, I largely adopted the m eaning o f the Tibetan (that these verses can be read in several ways is amply highlighted by the m any different ways in which both Indian and Tibetan commentaries explain them) The main difference here lies in lines I.2a-c, where the Sanskrit says, “Having com m itted to m em ory the m eaning o f the sutras, may they easily progress in the tenfold practice o f the dharma” {smrtau cadhaya sutrartham dharmacaryam dasatmikam/ sukhena pratipatsirann iti ) 844 MCG (fol b -4) explains the implicitly taught connection as the fact that the realiza tion o f the knowledge o f all aspects depends on k n ow in g the m eaning o f the mother, w hich in turn dep en d s on this treatise 845 For MCG’s and MPZLs definitions o f the eight points and the seventy topics, which rep resent their respective glosses on AA 1.3-17, see Appendices VII and VIII 806 Groundless Paths 846 According to MPZL (p 19), the generation o f bodhicitta consists o f the special m eans and prajna that are endowed with the tw o welfares—it is the desire for com pletely perfect enlightenment (which com es about through prajna) for the welfare o f others (which com es about through the means that is compassion) This generation o f bodhicitta is expressed accord ing to the sutras—in brief, by w ay o f its definition and, in detail, by way o f its instances and their examples 847 It is not clear what PBG means by “the five special paths.” Based on the Alohas (p 26) statement that the order o f the twenty-two generations o f bodhicitta represents the order in which true actuality is realized, LSSP (fol 11 lb -4 ) asserts that (15)—(19) refer to the special path o f the tenth bhumi alone However, when com m entin g directly on (15)—(19), the Aloka (p 26) does not specify the tenth bhum i—all that it says is that “these five consist o f the special paths am ong the bodhisattvabhumis.” 848 As LSSP (fols 140b.4-141a.4) elaborates, the aspect o f practice consists o f its nature; its object, o f the four realities; its foundation, o f the three jewels; and its causes, o f relinquish ing adverse conditions (the three kinds o f vigor) and bringing about favorable conditions (the visions, the supernatural knowledges, and the paths o f seeing and familiarization) MPZL (p 23) glosses the three types o f laziness above as the adverse conditions for entering th e path in the beginning, practicing it in the middle, and com pleting it at the end, respectively The six super natural knowledges and the five visions represent the com m on and u n co m m o n aids o f the path, respectively The path o f seeing is the direct seeing o f the actuality o f the basic nature not seen before and the path o f familiarization represents the repeated familiarization with the actuality o f this nature that was seen already 849 The last six lines in Tibetan are somewhat different: A protecting bodhisattvas Character o f heat and so on accordingly Is based on being associated with the four conceptions [Its] lesser, medium , and great [degrees] Are more distinguished than Those o f ¿ravakas and rhinolike ones 850 Following the Vivrti, like m ost other commentaries, PGBG (p 320), MCG (fol 27a.2 27b.4) and MPZL (pp 29 -30) speak o f only the first five distinctive features o f th e path o f preparation listed here MCG glosses the four realities in (1) as b ein g illusionlike and explains (2) as the phenomenal identitylessness o f cutting through clinging to these four realities and being free from the thirty-two superim positions (such as im perm anence and permanence) onto them According to MPZL, (1) the focal objects represent what is to be realized—the two types o f identitylessness in their entirety (all phenom ena and their nature that are contained within the four realities), w hich are the root o f all co m m o n and u n com m o n focal objects (2) The aspects are the remedies—the entirety o f remedial clear realizations in which all aspects o f real izing identitylessness are complete, which are the root o f all paths to liberation and om niscience (3) The path o f preparation’s being a cause refers to its functioning as the cause o f the result that is the path o f seeing, which includes all types o f realization o f the three yanas (4) Being mentored consists o f the inner and the outer mentor protecting one in all situations o f samsara and nirvana and representing the root o f all clear realizations that put an end to the extremes o f samsara and nirvana (5) The conceptions refer to the entirety o f the factors to be relinquished that consist o f the two types o f clinging to identity, which are the root o f all afflictive and cogn i tive obscurations 851 In the above, MCG (fols 28a.3-29a.2) glosses “understanding” as “understanding that their respectively own natures are em p ty”; “rising” as “affirmation by virtue o f the mental N otes 807 engagem ent o f aspiration”; and “falling” as “negation by virtue o f th e mental engagem ent o f true reality.” Lacking “n onabiding” and “abiding” respectively means to lack clinging to specifi cally characterized phenom ena as being objects o f expression and that generally characterized phenomena not exist as objects o f expression either Even conventionally, dialecticians assert that specifically characterized p henom ena not exist as objects o f expressions, while the cling ing to names expressing som ething refers to mere imputations, which not exist ultimately Therefore, in brief, objects o f expression not exist because all names (the m eans o f expres sion) not exist MPZL (p 31) says that the focal objects o f lesser heat are the sixteen aspects o f personal identitylessness that consist o f being free from the sixteen superimpositions as the co m m o n distinctive features o f the four realities (such as form) Its aspect is the realization that since there are no reference points o f such focal objects, all clinging to them does not exist either The focal objects o f m edium heat are the sixteen aspects o f phenom enal identitylessness that consist o f being free from rising and falling (affirmation and negation) as the u n com m on dis tinctive features o f the four realities (such as form) Its aspect is the realization that since there are no reference points o f names, one does not cling to anything as nonabiding (impermanent), abiding (not being im permanent), and so on The focal objects o f great heat are the illusionlike unreal phenomena o f seeming appearances that are the bearers o f the nature o f the four realities (such as form )—m ere conventional designations that are imputations Its aspect is the realiza tion that since there are no reference points o f being virtuous and so on, nothing is expressible through names and designations 852 MCG (fol 30a 1-2) glosses the aspect o f great peak as all p henom ena being unobservable as characteristics or lacking characteristics According to MPZL (p 32), the focal object o f lesser peak consists o f the lack o f nature o f ultimate em ptiness—the true nature o f the four realities (such as form)—being what does not abide in any extremes o f reference points Its aspects are the realizations o f form and so on not even being conceived as not abiding as impermanent and such because they have a co m m o n nature—being empty The focal object o f m ed ium peak is the single inseparable nature o f the unity o f appearance and em ptiness—the true nature o f the four realities (such as form) Its aspect is the realization o f not even grasping at ph en om en a’s nature being said unity because the reference point o f unity has subsided The focal object o f great peak is that equality free from extrem es—the true nature o f the four realities (such as form )— is not seen as the referential characteristics o f being one or different Its aspect is the realization that the investigation o f characteristics is unobservable by the prajñá o f realizing the lack o f characteristics 853 PGBG (p 322) explains the aspect o f lesser poised readiness as the realization that the nature o f form and so on consists o f their not being real The aspect o f m edium poised readiness is the realization that the body, speech, and so on o f the level o f m edium poised readiness rep resent the causes for the purity o f adventitious stains at the buddhabhümi According to MPZL (pp -3 ), the focal object o f lesser poised readiness is the nature that is em ptiness (being w ithou t a nature o f characteristics)—the true nature o f the four realities (such as form) Its aspect is the realization o f not even grasping at form and so on as said true nature—their nature o f em ptiness—being the nonbeing o f a nature The focal object o f m ed ium poised readiness is that the equality o f samsáric existence and peace (results being wishlessness)— the true nature o f the four realities (such as form )— is without arising and without final deliverance Its aspect is the realization o f not even grasping at the nature o f form and so on being purity by virtue o f the equality o f samsáric existence and peace The focal object o f great poised readiness is that the equality o f what is to be adopted and to be rejected (causes being signlessness)—the true nature o f the four realities (such as form)—lacks general and specific characteristics Its aspect is the realization that, through not dwelling on the reference points o f characteristics, there are no aspiration for characteristics and no characteristics o f discrimination 808 Groundless Paths 854 PGBG (p 323) says that the focal objects o f the lesser supreme dharma consist of samadhis such as the heroic stride The focal objects o f the medium supreme dharma consist o f the samadhis o f the supreme dharma that serve as the causes for being prophesied by the buddhas The aspect o f the great supreme dharma is to not conceive o f samadhi as possessing the three spheres According to MPZL (p 33), the focal object o f the lesser supreme dharma consists o f the unborn nature o f the cognizing subjects o f the four realities (such as form )— the samadhis such as the heroic stride, which are en d o w ed w ith the three doors to liberation Its aspect is the realization o f not even grasping at the function o f this nature (said samadhis) as being spontaneously present The focal object o f the m edium supreme dharma is the distinc tive feature o f the result o f said subjects o f the four realities—those who possess such samadhis being prophesied by the buddhas and so on Its aspect is the realization that any conceit about resting in meditative equipoise in said sam adhis with special results is terminated The focal object o f the great supreme dharma is that, in terms o f such samadhis as the subjects o f the four realities, the three o f agent, action, and object (the nature o f characteristics) have a co m m o n nature Its aspect is nonconceptuality even within the samadhi o f phenom ena with characteris tics that are its cause 855 MCG (fol 31a.3-31b.2) also reports this explanation, but says that the focal objects and aspects o f the path o f preparation are taught from the perspective o f their nature and, in vari ous other sources, by way o f their functions, their results, and their supports (such as samadhis) However, ultimately, to familiarize with prajnaparamita during all four levels o f the path o f preparation m eans that, through focusing on suchness free from all reference points, also the aspects that represent the m odes o f apprehending this suchness lack the nature o f any extremes or reference points Therefore, they are described from the perspective o f eliminating their respective factors to be ceased However, without understanding this essential point, through thinking o f them as having temporary m odes o f apprehension, it is very difficult to realize even a fraction o f the profound intended meaning o f prajnaparamita MPZL (pp 33-3 ) says that the twelve levels o f the path o f preparation are divided through their distinct focal objects and aspects, which are distinguished by the various aspects o f phenomena and their nature in terms o f cause, result, and nature Thus, said levels are taught by way o f their primary m anner o f put ting an end to clinging During lesser and m edium heat, one puts an end to the clinging to the co m m on and u n com m on distinctive features, respectively, o f the four realities D u rin g great heat and lesser, m ed ium , and great peak, in due order, one puts an end to the fourfold clinging to appearance, emptiness, their unity, and equality (however, this should not be conflated with the fourfold progression o f the dawning o f Madhyamaka) During lesser, m edium , and greater poised readiness, in due order, one puts an end to the clinging to the distinctive feature o f equal ity—the equality o f the basic characteristic (emptiness), samsaric existence and peace, and the characteristics o f what is to be adopted and to be rejected (the three doors to liberation as the object) During the lesser, medium , and great supreme dharma, one puts an end to the clinging to being endowed with the three doors to liberation in terms o f cause, result, and nature (the subject) 856 I cou ld not locate this paragraph in LSSP In its general presentation o f the four factors conducive to penetration, LSSP/PSD say that the first three refer to realizing the lack o f so m e thing apprehended, while on ly the last one realizes the lack o f an apprehender (see PSD, pp 96-97) 857 MCG (fols 32a.4-33a.2) agrees with the above, but adds som e further glosses Under (a), (1) is the ignorance that consists o f the imaginations w hich m istakenly apprehend in dis cordance with the nature o f phenom ena and obscure true reality, (3) expands the primary and secondary afflictions, (5) is the lack o f confidence, (6) is laziness, and (7) m eans to focus on all phenom ena o f suffering in a mistaken way Under (b), (5) refers to the eighteen emptinesses free from reference points According to MPZL (pp 35 -3 ), under (a), the general manners ... the hom age by the translators is to be able to com plete the translation 839 The translation o f the stanzas o f the AA follows the Sanskrit, with the occasional signifi cant differences to... enlightenment (which com es about through prajna) for the welfare o f others (which com es about through the means that is compassion) This generation o f bodhicitta is expressed accord ing to the sutras—in... adverse conditions (the three kinds o f vigor) and bringing about favorable conditions (the visions, the supernatural knowledges, and the paths o f seeing and familiarization) MPZL (p 23) glosses the