The treasury of knowledge, books 9 and 10 journey and goa (123)

62.6 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE 8 In the context of visualization practice assoCiated with the stage of development, the term "symbolic emblem" refers to the insignia held in the hands of deities, which expresses the qualities of enlightened mind Here the term has the more subtle connotation of the unity of bliss and emptiness 88 That is, dharmakaya from one's own perspective and riipakaya &om the perspective of others 88 The Tibetan term (byangchub kyi sems, the equivalent of the Sanskrit "bodhicitta") used in such contexts refers to the masculine and feminine energies; the analogy is that of the unity of compassion and emptiness that the term connotes in the Mahayana teachings and the unity of bliss and emptiness in the Vajrayana context The physical elements referred to are involved in the digestive process, which refines the nutritive essence of food down to the most subtle level ofbindu 884 That is, the explanation common to the father and mother tantras 88 The principal cycle in the father tantra class of Anuttarayoga 886 The Tibetan term (nye rgyu'i spyod pa) is a euphemistic reference to the practice with a consort described above 887 That is, sambhogakaya emanations manifesting to one in a visionary context; however, this is not intended to mean a purdy subjective experience 888 That is (in equivalent terms from the siitra tradition), up to the very limit of the final phase of the tenth bodhisattva level, when one is "on the brink" of awakening to buddhahood as the very next step 889 Aryadeva, Lamp That Integrates Conduct, (Toh x8o3), Dg T., rGyud, vol Ngi, p 176, line through p 178,! 890 See Book 9, Part 3, in the section on "Conduct in the Anuttara Tantras"; the three kinds of conduct are the elaborate, the unelaborate, and the extremely unelaborate 89 x These are techniques employed in the stages of both development and completion to dissolve a visualized construct "Instantaneous collapse" involves dissolving the entire construct at once, reducing it to a formless state of awareness, while "gradual dissolution" involves dismantling the visualization step by step, until the mind is brought into a formless context 892 Aryadeva,Lamp That Integrates Conduct, (Toh 1803), Dg T., rGyud, vol Ngi, p 184,! throughp x86,l 3· 89 This idiom refers to advanced yogic practices that are carried out alone (also termed "one's own body endowed with skillful method") 894 In this particular treatment, the primordial unity of instantaneous collapse and gradual dissolution is also counted as one aspect 89 That is, the dualistic framework of subject, object, and their interrelationship 896 These are mentioned in Book 9, Part 4, in the discussion of the path of application associated with the Mahayoga approach 897· As distinct from a more deliberate and conceptually based process of visualization, as is the case on lower levels of spiritual development 898 The issue ofpurity is not connected to the actual nature of the enlightened embodiment Given the circumstances under which they manifest, sambhogakaya is considered pure compared to the relative impurity of nirm~akaya; on the other hand, nirm~akaya embodiments that manifest in higher states of rebirth are consider pure compared to those that manifest in lower states NOTES - 62.7 899 These are discussed below, in the treatment of primordial unity on the path of no more training 900 See Book 9, Part 2., in the section on the path of meditation in the Vajrayana, and below, in the treatment of primordial unity on the path of no more training 90 I The us~al basis is that ofthe "mental body• that beings ordinarily experience during the intermediate state afi:cr death 902 In other contexts, this idiom can also have the simple connotation of"directly realizing emptiness." As Kongtrul is pointing out, context is often everything in evaluating the meaning of a term or idiom 903 Aryadeva,Lamp 'Jhat Integrates Conduct, (Toh I8o3), Dg T., rGyud, vol Ngi, p I o,lines 6-7 904 That is, although texts of the sravaka and Mahayana approaches both use the idiom "to behold the truth," the implications of the Mahayana interpretation of that event arc much greater than is the case for ~ravakas 90S· That is, that of the Mahayana interpretation of beholding the truth 906 That is, the Vajrayana interpretation of beholding the truth currently under discussion 907 Compendium concerning the Glorious Vajra ofTimelessAwareness, (Toh 447), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ca, p 46s,lines 6-7 908 That is, just as the reflection of the moon can appear wherever there is a surface of water capable of reflecting 909 The term "hallucination" can refer (as it does here) to the specific case of a cairn of stones seen from a distance being mistaken for a standing human figure I o A kind offata morgana caused by certain atmospheric conditions over large open areas, such as plateaux or wide valleys The appearance is one of a large city ofbuildings formed among the douds, populated by gandharvas, known from Vedic times as the "musicians of the gods: I I With the attainment of the illusory body, one becomes capable of emanating multiple forms that can appear in different places simultaneously The biographies of the mahasiddhas of ancient India, for example, abound in such accounts of their feats I Both the woodblock and the typeset editions have "primordial unity that involves training," but in context it would seem the text should read "primordial unity that involves no more training: A space-in the woodblock suggests that a syllable broke off, leading to a textual error that was preserved in the typeset edition (which can generally be relied on to have corrected the more obvious errors in the woodblock) I 3· The distinction being made is that even though the impure aggregates have ceased to function, technically one has not actually died (in the sense of discarding the body in the usual process of dying), and so one can be considered to have attained buddhahood in that very lifetime 9I4 Wheel ofTime, (Toh 362.), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ka, p 2.34,1ines 6-7 IS· According to ancient Vedic lore adopted by the Buddhist tradition as part of the ordinary world view, the Trayastri.lp.~a ("Thirty-three") gods in the realm of desire dwell on the summit of Sumeru (the axis mundi) and consist of eight gods of wealth, ten gods of wrath, twelve solar gods, and the two "sons of the ASvins," the thirty-third being Indra, who rules over the others 62.8 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE I6 The source tanrra here adds "tambouras• (an unfretted upright string insrrument) I Well-Sealed Locket, (Toh 38 I), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ga, p 3I 2.,! through p I 3,! 3· I The Discourse Requested by Dharal')iivararaja is mentioned in Roerich, The Blue Annals, book 2., 459· The title may ~efer to a section within a larger siirra, the Discourse That Definitively Presents the Supreme Compassion ofthe Tathagatas, (Toh I47) Dg K mDo sde, vol Pa, ff I42.a-2.42.b; or it may be an alternative title for this siitra The lines as cited by Kongrrul not appear in the source There are, however, two lines that are similar (p 403,! through p 404,! I): Resolution is not resolution due to an antidote; there is already resolution, and therefore it is termed "resolution." 9I9 VagiSvarakirti, Seven Branches, (Toh I888), Dg T., rGyud, vol Pi, p 379,lines 4-5 92.0 The term connotes more than "unconditional" compassion; rather, iris compassion thai: is an iimate quality ofbeing, not requiring any dualistic conceptual framework of subject and object to be elicited 92 I A reference to the Indian master Buddha§rijftana, whose writings form the basis for one of the ~o major lineages of teachings focusing on the Guhyasamaja cycle of Anutrarayoga tantra 92.2 Another name for the Brahmanical deity V~~u 92.3 BecauSe one's form has become more subtle than an ordinary flesh-and-blood body 92.4 Buddha§rijftana, Oral Transmission ofManjuJri, (Toh I853), Dg T., rGyud, vol Di, p 2.5,1ines 2.-3 92.5 Candrakirti ,Illuminating Lamp, (Toh I785), Dg T., rGyud, vol Ha, p 366,! I 92.6 That of irivakas, pratyekabuddhas, and bodhisattvas 92.7 See Book IO, Part 92.8 A Sanskrit loan word in Tibetan, literally meaning "birth canal, vagina" (not "womb; for the emphasis is on the metaphor for spiritual birth, not gestation) 92.9 Vajra Garland, (Toh 445), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ca, p 52.6,! S· 930 Well-Sealed Locket, (Toh 38I), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ga,p I3,lines 4-5 93 I Definitive Commentary on Enlightened Intent, (Toh Io6), Dg K., mDo sde, vol Ca.p.2.,l.5 932 "Kaya• and its Tibetan equivalent sku can both literally mean "body; but this rranslation is wanting in the case of the kaya$ of buddhahood See Dudjom Lingpa, BudJhahood without Meditation, I49: "and since it is, as it were, an amassing, or gathering, of all positive qualities and aspects of pristine awareness, it is 'body' [kaya, or sku].• 933· Maftjugho~a Narendrakirti, BriefPresentation ofthe Tenets of Vzew, chap I, lines I 35-36, P 46Io, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur rna, vol 42 , p 573· This text is not found in the sDe dge edition of the bsTan 'gyur; it is, however, included in the Peking edition The "Maftju~ri· may be a reference to the author of the rreatise, Maftjugho~a Narendrakirti, or to the bodhisattva Maftju~ri, from whom the author mentions that he requested inspiration before composing the text 934· Ibid., lines IOI-4, P 46Io, bsTan 'gyurdpe bsdur rna, vol 42 , pp 572.-73, NOTES 935· 936 937· 38 - 62.9 Ibid., lines 105-8, P 46xo, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur ma, vel 42 , p 573· Ibid., lines I09-I 2., P 46Io, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur ma, vel 42 , p 573· Ibid., lines I13-4., p 573· See Longchen Rabjam, The Precious Treasury ofPhilosophical Systems, 30: The dharma as scripture comprises the twelve branches of the Buddha's excellent speech as they are explained in The Major Commentary on "The Eight Thousand Stanzas": The categories of general discourses, discourses in verse, prophecies, didactic ·verses, aphorisms, morally instructive bi~graphies, historical accounts, ethical directives, most extensive tea2nirlgs, accounts of the Buddha's previous lives, teachings that define phenomena, and accounts of the marvelous qualities of enlightenment: thus, these twelve are the twelve branches of the Buddha's excellent speech 939· Mafijugho~a Narendrakirti, BriefPresentation ofthe Tenets of View, chap x, lines I I?-2.0, P 46Io, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur ma, vel 42., p 573· 940 Ibid., lines I2.I-2.4, P 46Io, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur ~a, vel 42 p 573· 94 In such contexts, the use of the first person is a literary conceit to represent the state of total enlightenment-the perspective ofbuddhahood~and is not intended to be read literally as a specific individual speaking 942 Ibid., lines 12.5-34, P 46Io, bsTan 'gyur dpe bsdur ma, vol 42., pp 573-74 943· Tib rTa mchog, or rTa'i rgyal po These are common epithets for the wrathful deity Hayagriva 944· Tib rDo rje nyi ma, or gZi brjid rgyal po 94 Tib Padma gar gyi dbang phyug 946 Tib rGyal ba rtag pa 947· See note 685 948 These are degrees of experience undergone when one gains control in meditation over the movement of the subtle energies, leading to the complete stabilization of these energies 949· Source not identified These four ordinary states are the major ways in which the vacillation of the subtle energies is experienced by an ordinary being While they constitute impure analogues of the four kayas, as the source cited points out, they cannot be simply equated with the kayas 5o That is, those who have attained one of the ten levels I These are the four femi~ine buddhas: Buddhalocana, Mamaki, Piil).c;laravasini, and Samayatara 95 GatheringofSecrets, (Toh 442.), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ca, p 2.84, lines s-6 and line7 953· Tib 'du byed; Skt samskara A difficult term to tran~late (the etymology literally means "to be put together") The fourth of the five aggregates is something of a "catch-all" category, into which fall all the components of an ordinary being's experience that are not included in the other four aggregates Most of these formative factors are mental states of volition or emotional response, while others, called "unassociated formative patterns," are situational paradigms such as acquisition, production, and impermanence The Treasury ofAbhidharma by Vasubandhu lists 630 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE founeen unassociated fonnative factors; some twenty-four factors ate discussed in the Compendium ofAbhidharma by Asariga They ate called "unassociated" because they are not directly associated with mind or consciousness, as are the formative factors that are volitional or emotional states 9S4· These are six of the eight major bodhisattvas of the Mahayana tradition 9S S· These are the objecrs of the "sixth sense," the conceptual mind s6 That is, the six sense organs and their respective objecrs 9S7· The citation is actually from the second of the Two Sections, (Toh 418), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Nga, p 32., lines 2.-3 958 That is, in the existing situation for ordinary beings, as distinct from the context of someone's following a spiritual path, or that of the fruition state s9· In this context, a summary of the nineteen aggregates 960 The source reads, "by the re5pective tathigatas." 96 I The source reads, " all the karma • 962 The source reads, •.• they abide as :' 963 Aryadeva,Lamp That Integrates Conduct, (Toh 1803), Dg T., rGyud, vol Ngi, p I 30, lines 4-6 964- This is a variation of the modd of the eight avenues of consciousness devdoped by the Cittamirtin philosophers of Mahiyina Buddhism Presumably, the "three avenues ofo~dinary mind" are those of conceptual mind;emotionally affected consciousness, and consciousness as the basis ofall ordinary experience, which here ate considered as being common to the other five avenues of consciousness-visual, auditory, olfactory, gustatory, and tactile 965 That is, the five situations in which consciousness, a sense faculty, and its respective object come together to produce a cognitive event 966 These lists not correspond to "standard" discussions of the five mind-body aggregates found in the Abhidharma literature; they would seem to be specific to the Vajrayina context under discussion here 967 Earth, water, fire, air, space, and consciousness 968 SphereoftheSecretMoon, (Toh 477), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol.Ja, p S97· l S· A source of the father tantra class In the source the last two lines read as follows: Due to the three factors of body, speech, and mind, there are three specific spiritual approaches 969 The source tanrta reads "are the embodiments of the five buddhas." 970 That is, the universal principle (the "sovereign lord") that permeates all family types In the source tanrta, this line reads: "What is termed 'supreme bliss' is the state of oneness itsd£" 971 Authentic ConductofYoginis, (Toh 37S), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ga, p 79, l 4A source of the mother tantra class that gives a concise presentation of the stage of devdopment Kongrtul reproduced the last line in his source verses to this section 972 Gathering ofSecrets, (Toh 442.), Dg K., rGyud 'bum, vol Ca, p 187, line 4- S· The source reads as follows: Consider your mind as taking the form of your body, your body as taking the form of your mind, your mind as being uttered in words  ... states 9S4· These are six of the eight major bodhisattvas of the Mahayana tradition 9S S· These are the objecrs of the "sixth sense," the conceptual mind s6 That is, the six sense organs and their... 62.7 899 These are discussed below, in the treatment of primordial unity on the path of no more training 90 0 See Book 9, Part 2., in the section on the path of meditation in the Vajrayana, and. .. eight gods of wealth, ten gods of wrath, twelve solar gods, and the two "sons of the ASvins," the thirty-third being Indra, who rules over the others 62.8 - THE TREASURY OF KNOWLEDGE I6 The source