དབང་མདོར་བན་པ།

Summary of Empowerment

Sekoddeśa
 Toh 361
Degé Kangyur, vol. 77 (rgyud, ka), folios 14.a–21.a.

Translated by the Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group

under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha

First published 2020

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co. CONTENTS

ti. Title
co. Contents
s. Summary
ac. Acknowledgements
i. Introduction
tr. The Translation
c. Colophon
n. Notes
b. Bibliography
g. Glossary
s. SUMMARY

s.1 The Summary of Empowerment is considered to be the only extant portion of the
root text of the Kālacakratantra. According to the Buddhist tantric tradition, the
Sekkodeśa was transmitted by the Buddha in his emanation as Kālacakra, to
Sucandra, the first king of Śambhala. The text’s 174 verses cover a wide range of
topics. After a short introduction to the eleven empowerments that constitute a
gradual purification of the aggregates, body, speech, mind, and wisdom, the
treatise turns to the so-called “sixfold yoga.” It begins by teaching meditation
on emptiness via the contemplation of various signs, such as smoke or fireflies.
Following the description of the control of winds and drops within the body’s
channels and cakras, along with the signs of death and methods of cheating
death, the text goes on to describe the three mudrās—karmamudrā, jñānamudrā,
and mahāmudrā. After a concise criticism of cause and effect, the text concludes
by describing six kinds of supernatural beings closely related to the
Kālacakratantra, along with their respective families.

ac. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ac.1 This translation was made by the Vienna Buddhist Translation Studies Group
(Konstantin Brockhausen, Susanne Fleischmann, Katrin Querl, and Doris
Unterthurner) under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Klaus-Dieter Mathes (Vienna
University). The translation was completed under the patronage and
supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
i. INTRODUCTION

The Text

i.1 The Summary of Empowerment (Sekoddeśa) is considered to be the only extant

portion of the Paramādibuddha, i.e., the root text of the Kālacakratantra (Skt.
Mūlakālacakratantra) in twelve thousand verses. According to the Tibetan
tradition, the Buddha, in his emanation as Kālacakra, taught it to Sucandra, the
first king of Śambhala, in Dhāṇyakaṭaka, near today’s Amarāvatī in Andhra
Pradesh.1 Initially the root text encompassed five sections, on the worldly
realm, the inner realm, empowerment, practice, and wisdom (Skt. jñāna, Tib. ye
shes), respectively. It is not clear, however, in which section the Sekoddeśa
belonged.2 Later, the eighth king, Mañjuśrī Yaśas, condensed the
Paramādibuddha into the Laghukālacakratantra (Toh 362); and his successor,
Puṇḍarīka, added a commentary, called Vimalaprabhā (Toh 845 and 1347). Today,
these two texts form the core of the Kālacakratantra literature.3
i.2 There are two extant Tibetan translations of the Sekoddeśa. The first was
produced by Dro Lotsawa Sherap Drakpa (eleventh century) and the Kashmiri
paṇḍita Somanātha, and is included in all known versions of the Kangyur
except for the Phukdrak Kangyur, which contains instead a second translation,
made by Ra Chörap (eleventh century) and the Nepalese paṇḍita Samantaśrī.
Giacomella Orofino has published a critical edition of the Tibetan translations
of the Sekoddeśa.4
i.3 Only a small part of the Sanskrit text in its original form exists (two
manuscripts of the first leaf), but substantial passages are found as citations in
commentaries, particularly Raviśrījñāna’s Amṛtakānikāṭippanī.5 The missing parts
have been reconstructed by Raniero Gnoli based on Nāropa’s Sekoddeśaṭīkā—
also extant in Sanskrit6—and the resulting Sanskrit edition was published as an
appendix to Orofino’s critical edition of the Tibetan translations. Gnoli’s
reconstruction proves to be of great value, as it is not merely a retranslation into
Sanskrit from the Tibetan. Based on this edition, Orofino has translated the
 Sekoddeśa along with Nāropa’s commentary into Italian.7 Recently, Philip Lecso
has published an English translation of the Sekoddeśa, this time along with the
short commentary called Sekoddeśaṭippaṇī (Toh 1352).8 We found this helpful but
not entirely trustworthy. In 2009, Orofino published a reliable English
translation of verses 129 to 160 of the Sekoddeśa, along with the corresponding
passages of Nāropa’s commentary.9
i.4 For our present translation, we relied mainly on Dro Sherap Drakpa’s Tibetan
translation of the text, comparing it to Ra Chörap’s and the Sanskrit. Orofino’s
and Gnoli’s editions proved very reliable, so that our work could be entirely
based on them. We compared the text to the various Sanskrit citations, which
account for roughly 40% of the text. We have not provided detailed philological
annotations, and it should be noted that in some passages, when the Tibetan
was unintelligible on its own, we have had to translate the passage according
to our understanding of the Sanskrit. We have, of course, checked our
rendering against Philip Lecso’s and Giacomella Orofino’s translations as well.
Our translation has also profited from a careful study of Nāropa’s commentary
in both its Sanskrit original and Tibetan translation.

i.5 Despite the title Summary of Empowerment, only the first twenty-three verses—
roughly one-eighth of the text—concerns the succession of eleven
empowerments that the adept must undergo. The remaining parts deal with the
sixfold yoga (verses 24–92), encompassing a detailed description of the
channels, winds, and signs of death, including astronomical considerations
concerning the relation of micro- and macrocosms; mudrās (93–128); a criticism
of cause and effect, and the lack of passion (129–160); and the supramundane
beings and their respective families (161–174).

Empowerments

i.6 The text begins with a request by Sucandra, who asks the Buddha to grant a
brief description of the sevenfold, threefold, and unsurpassable empowerments
in order to achieve mundane and supramundane accomplishments. In
answering this request, beginning with verse eight, the Buddha elaborates on
eleven empowerments, which are conferred upon practitioners of diverse
capacities.
i.7 The first group of seven empowerments, which is otherwise summarized
under the six vase empowerments, is as follows:
1) the water (Skt. udaka, Tib. chu) empowerment,
2) the crown (Skt. mukuṭa, Tib. cod pan) empowerment,
3) the ribbon (Skt. paṭṭa, Tib. dar dpyangs) empowerment,
4) the vajra and bell (Skt. vajraghaṇṭā, Tib. rdo rje dril bu) empowerment,
 5) the great vow (Skt. mahāvrata, Tib. brtul zhugs che) empowerment,
6) the name (Skt. nāma, Tib. ming) empowerment, and
7) the permission (Skt. anujñā, Tib. rjes gnang) empowerment.

i.8 After having thus introduced the seven inferior empowerments, the Summary of
Empowerment sets forth the remaining four empowerments:
8) the vase (Skt. kumbha, Tib. bum pa) empowerment,
9) the secret (Skt. guhya, Tib. gsang) empowerment,
10) the empowerment of wisdom from a prajñā10 (Skt. prajñājñāna, Tib. shes rab
ye shes), and
11) the great prajñā (Skt. mahāprajñā, Tib. shes rab chen po) empowerment.

i.9 While the first seven empowerments are for the attainment of worldly
accomplishments, the four higher empowerments are for achieving the
supreme accomplishment of buddhahood. Thus, although the eighth
empowerment is called a vase empowerment, it is the first within the group of
higher empowerments.
i.10 In his Sekoddeśaṭīkā, Nāropa compares the eleven empowerments to steps on a
staircase leading up to the palace of the achievement of the two types of
accomplishment. The first seven empowerments constitute the lower steps;
they are the appropriate means for a yogin who seeks worldly
accomplishments on the level of relative truth.11 In this way, they are meant to
“introduce the childish”—that is, disciples at the beginning of the path.12
Subsequently, these seven empowerments are explained as a process of
purification (Skt. viśuddhi, Tib. rnam dag), which in itself is an important concept
in tantric Buddhism.13
i.11 The first seven empowerments can therefore be understood as the
purification of body, speech, mind, and wisdom. In sets of two, beginning with
the water and the crown empowerments, they purify body, speech, and mind,
respectively. The seventh empowerment, the permission empowerment,
purifies wisdom (see verse 11).
i.12 In the more elaborate presentation that follows (verses 12–14), these
empowerments are linked to a gradual purification of certain aspects of
existence, namely the five elements, the five psycho-physical aggregates,14 the
ten perfections, great immovable bliss and buddha speech, objects, and sense
faculties, the four immeasurables, and complete buddhahood, respectively.
i.13 Following the exposition of this gradual purification, in verse 14 the need for
a maṇḍala made of colored sand is mentioned. According to Nāropa, such a
maṇḍala is indispensable for the first seven empowerments, although it is not
necessary for the four superior empowerments:
i.14 These seven empowerments are only to be given with maṇḍalas made of
colored powder and not with those drawn on cloth and so forth. The vase
empowerment and so forth, [however], can also be given by other means
than the construction of a maṇḍala.15

i.15 Within the four superior empowerments there are three superior worldly
empowerments: the vase and secret empowerments, and the empowerment of
wisdom from a prajñā. The fourth superior empowerment is nonworldly, and
on the authority of Nāropa, it is a synonym for mahāmudrā.16
i.16 In terms of purification, the four superior empowerments purify body,
speech, mind, and wisdom, respectively. They also correspond to the level of
maturity of the adept, which is elucidated when they are compared to the level
of a child, an adult, an elder, and a universal ancestor. In the context of the
sexual yoga that accompanies the empowerments, the last four stages are
further elaborated upon as states of moving, again moving, vibrating, and
beyond vibration.

Sixfold Yoga

i.17 Following the description of eleven empowerments, the Summary of

Empowerment turns to the so-called sixfold yoga (Skt. ṣaḍaṅgayoga, Tib. yan lag drug
gi rnal ’byor), which is a well-known succession of meditative practices within
Tantric Buddhism.
The six “limbs” (aṅga, yan lag) are withdrawal (Skt. pratyāhāra, Tib. so sor sdud
pa), meditative absorption (Skt. dhyāna, Tib. bsam gtan), breath control (Skt.
prāṇāyāma, Tib. srog rtsol), retention (Skt. dhāraṇā, Tib. ’dzin pa), recollection (Skt.
anusmṛti, Tib. rjes dran), and meditative concentration (Skt. samādhi, Tib. ting nge
’dzin).
i.18 Withdrawal (verses 24–26) gets its name from the fact that the sense faculties
are withdrawn from their respective outer objects and applied to inner objects,
which consist of reflections of emptiness. These are divided into signs that
appear when meditated on during the day and during the night, respectively:

Day yoga signs (Skt., Tib.):

• Smoke - dhūma, du ba.
• Mirage - marīci, smig rgyu.
• Firefly - khadyota, mkha’ snang.
• Lamp - pradīpa, sgron ma.

Night yoga signs:

• Moon - candra, zla.
 • Sun - arka, nyi ma.
• Darkness - tamas, mun can.
• Lightning - kalā, cha.
• Great drop - mahābindu, thig le che.

Nāropa elaborates that the signs are “inconceivable because they bring all
conceptions to rest, and [that] they are signs because they designate the fruit of
reality.”17
i.19 In the second limb, concentration (verses 27–34), five mental aspects are
applied to these signs. According to Vajrapāṇi, as cited in Nāropa’s
commentary, these are insight, examination, analysis, joy, and immovable bliss.
They constitute a progressive focus of the mind on the empty.18 In the Summary
of Empowerment, the yogin’s meditation on these signs of emptiness is likened to
a virgin seeing a magical image in a divinatory mirror (verses 29–34).
i.20 In the verses that Nāropa attributes to the discussion of the limb called control
of the winds (verses 35–76), the channels, winds, and maṇḍalas (i.e., energy
centers) within the body are described at length. In order to master this stage,
the aspirant must exert control over the vital wind (Skt. prāṇa, Tib. srog) and the
downward-moving wind (Skt. apāna, Tib. thur sel), which flow in the channels
above and below the navel, respectively. In this way the yogin can cheat the
signs of death, i.e., excessive winds within the channels that ultimately cause
death.
i.21 The last three limbs are dealt with in verses 77–92. Of these, the fourth limb,
retention, deals with the fixation of the winds in the drops of the middle channel:

Having thus been seated in the lotus position, after having practiced control
of the winds, one should fix the mind to the drop in the middle of the white
sixteen-petaled lotus, which is located at the level of the forehead. [The root
text says that] “one should fix the vital wind to the drop”; this is primarily
the characteristic of [the fourth limb,] retention.19

This procedure is the precondition for the descent of the drop from the level of
the forehead to the lotus of the vajra jewel, accompanied by the four kinds of
joy.
i.22 As far as the last two limbs—recollection and absorption—are concerned,
Nāropa describes in detail the process of purification of the yogin’s elements,
which takes place through the descent of the blood element and the ascent of
the semen. Step by step, the fourth state (which is experienced during sexual
union), the state of dreamless sleep, and the dreaming and waking states are
transformed into the pure bodies of the dharmakāya, the saṃbhogakāya, and
the nirmāṇakāya respectively (verses 90–92).
 Channels and Winds

i.23 As mentioned, the sixfold yoga makes use of various channels, energy centers,
and winds. According to the tradition of Kālacakra, there are 72,000 channels in
the body that carry the vital wind. The middle channel (Skt. avadhūtī, Tib. kun
’dar ma) runs from the crown of the head (Skt. uṣṇīṣa, Tib. gtsug tor) to the navel
and is associated with Rāhu. Along the middle channel, one visualizes several
energy centers (Skt. maṇḍala, Tib. ’khyil ’khor) or wheels (Skt. cakra, Tib. ’khor lo),
compared to lotuses, from which smaller channels, called petals (Skt. dala, Tib.
’dab ma), branch off. These wheels are situated at the crown of the head (4
petals), at the forehead above the eyebrows (16 petals), at the throat (32 petals),
at the heart (8 petals), at the navel (64 petals), and at the genital region (32
petals). Altogether there are 156 petals. Above the navel, the two channels on
either side of the avadhūtī are called lalanā (on the left) and rasanā (on the right),
with the former being associated with the moon and the latter with the sun. The
vital wind circulates in these two channels. At the navel cakra, the channels
change their positions: below the navel, the lalanā is situated in the middle and
its function is to excrete feces; the rasanā is located on the left and serves to
excrete urine; and the avadhūtī—called śaṅkhinī below the navel—is situated on
the right and carries semen. The vital wind below the navel is designated the
downward-moving wind (Skt. apāna, Tib. thur sel). The task of the yogin is to stop
the circulation of the wind in the left and right channels, and to direct the vital
wind toward the middle channel. In verses 35–76, the Sekoddeśa deals
extensively with the winds and channels. Alternative names for the channels
that are mentioned there are given in the glossary.20
i.24 Verses 58–66 speak of maṇḍalas, through which the vital wind flows. The
directions of movement of wind in the maṇḍalas are associated with the
elements, and the vital wind flows through the elements in a given order. It
flows to the center (space), then above (wind), to the right (fire), to the left
(water), and below (earth). In the two nostrils, the wind flows differently: in the
left nostril it passes the elements starting with space; and in the right, it starts
with earth in reverse order. The left nostril is associated with formation, and the
right with dissolution.

Death Signs

i.25 For those destined for premature death, the days in which the vital breath flows
excessively in one of the two side channels (lalanā and rasanā) are called death
signs (verses 70–74b), or days of ariṣṭa, and mark the beginning of the remaining
three years of life.
i.26 For those born in an odd zodiac sign (Aries, Gemini, Leo, Libra, Sagittarius, or
Aquarius) the death signs will appear in the left channel and are called moon
death signs. For those born in an even zodiac sign (Taurus, Cancer, Virgo,
Scorpio, Capricorn, or Pisces) the wind will flow excessively in the right
channel, and such days are called sun death signs. This excessive flow of wind—
caused by an imbalance of the three humors of air, bile, and phlegm—takes
place for a certain number of days within twelve periods, or stages, associated
with the zodiac signs and represented by a twelve-petaled lotus at the navel. In
the remaining days of each period the wind circulates regularly, that is, equally
in both channels. As the wind circulates excessively in the petals of the lotus,
beginning with one day in the first petal for the moon death signs and five days
for the sun death signs, it causes the petals to dry up, one by one. With each
petal that dries up, the days of ariṣṭa in the remaining petals increase by a
certain number. Once having circulated in the eleventh petal, the element of
rajas, constituted by the bile humor, dries up together with the petal. In the
twelfth petal, the wind circulates in the opposite side channel for two days,
drying up the element sattva, constituted by phlegm. Finally, the wind flows in
the center of the lotus, the middle channel, for one last day, drying up the
element tamas, constituted by wind.
i.27 By contrast, the natural death process (verses 74c–76)—death ascending in
the middle channel—takes place after a lifespan of ninety-six years and ten and
a half months, and it lasts for three years and one and a half months.21 At the
beginning of this final period of life, the breath flows for one day irregularly,
that is, in one channel only, and then again for one day regularly. Following
that, it flows for two days regularly and for two days irregularly, and so on, up
to thirty-three days. For an odd number of days, flowing irregularly, it flows in
the left channel; for an even number of days, it flows in the right. Finally, it
flows for one more day in the middle channel, completing a life cycle of one
hundred years. As a result of this entire process, the left and right channels and
the five maṇḍalas of the elements dissolve.22

The Four Joys

i.28 In order to counteract the death signs, the winds must be forced into the middle
channel, where they are applied to the drop that is identified with the semen
and the moon. Through the ignition of the feminine principle, caṇḍālī, the adept
must cause the descent of this drop from the crown of the head to the genital
organ. In its descent, the semen passes through four phases, which are
characterized by their respective joys (Skt. ānanda, Tib. dga’ ba):23
i.29 The initial joy is caused by the descent of the semen (bindu) from the crown
of the head to the spot between the eyebrows.
i.30 The supreme joy is experienced when the semen is between the throat and
the heart.
i.31 The intense joy is associated with the descent of the semen from the navel to
the genital organ.
i.32 The coemergent joy24 is experienced when the semen reaches the tip of the
vajra.

Mudrās

i.33 Another topic of the Summary of Empowerment is the three types of mudrā,
namely the action mudrā, the wisdom mudrā, and the mahāmudrā. Nāropa
understands these three mudrās to constitute the means of accomplishment.
i.34 The action mudrā (karmamudrā) refers to an actual female consort of the
yogin, and thus is described as the cause for bliss in the desire realm. The
wisdom mudrā (jñānamudrā) is a visualized consort in the form of a deity, and is
understood to be the cause of bliss in the form realm. The mahāmudrā is a
magical image, a reflection emerging from space as the result of meditation.
i.35 While the first two mudrās are associated with bliss from moving and
vibrating respectively, the third mudrā is the achievement of the great
immovable.
i.36 Nāropa’s commentary states:

As for the mahāmudrā, she is a reflection emerging from space. From

passion for her—meaning meditation on her, a meditation that is carried on
in its own sphere—arises bliss that lacks vibration. Lacking vibration means
that vibration extending outside, i.e., the emission from the vajra jewel, is
stopped.25

i.37 Apart from the causal aspect of mahāmudrā, there is a resultant mahāmudrā,
which is characterized by great abandonment and great realization. Resultant
mahāmudrā thus encompasses the actualization of luminosity, which has the
nature of the abandonment of all defilements together with their imprints, and
the realization of the dharmakāya, the inseparable nature of all buddhas.26

A Criticism of Cause and Effect, and the Lack of Passion

i.38 From verse 129 onward, the Summary of Empowerment elaborates on the
relationship between the mind and its stains, and their abandonment. First,
various possibilities for such a relationship are refuted (e.g., the stains arising
without the mind, or remaining indestructibly within it):
 If they had arisen without the mind,
Then they would be like a sky-flower.
If they always resided in the mind,
They could never be eliminated. (v. 131)

i.39 Next, the treatise turns to passion born from the non-emission of semen as the
main cause of abandoning suffering, urging the reader to avoid emission—and
thus a state without the passion needed in tantric passion—under all
circumstances:

It is handed down that from emission, the lack of passion is born,

And from the lack of passion, suffering. (v. 139ab (l# UT22084-077-002-245))

Therefore, one must avoid with all effort

The passion of emission. (v. 141ab)

i.40 Starting with verse 146, it is explained that, conventionally, the reflection of
emptiness serves as the cause for immovable bliss—the result. In ultimate
reality, however, this distinction does not hold, as there is no duality:

The reflection is free from nirvāṇa,

And the immovable transcends saṃsāra.
Their union is supreme nonduality,
Free from eternalism and nihilism. (v. 148)

The Supramundane Beings and Their Respective Families

i.41 In the last part of the text, followed by the concluding verses, the six
supramundane beings are presented (verses 161–72). From meditation on the
mahāmudrā, a reflection—Kālacakra in union with his prajñā—emerges from
space, and in this process the six self-arisen supramundane beings appear,
each at a specific cakra (verses 161–63). These beings and the corresponding
parts of the body are as follows: Vajrasattva (secret part), Mahāsattva (navel),
Bodhisattva (heart), Samayasattva (throat), Vajrayoga (forehead), and Kālacakra
(crown of the head). In verses 164–69, these supramundane beings are
presented again, together with their epithets 27 and explanations of their names.
i.42 The verses that follow (170–72) correlate these deities with the “families” of
the six aggregates (wisdom, sensation, consciousness, matter, karmic
formations, and discrimination); the six elements (wisdom, fire, space, earth,
wind, and water); the six sense faculties (mind, eyes, ears, body, nose, and
tongue); and the six cognitive objects (mental objects, visible objects, sounds,
tangible objects, odors, and tastes).
i.43 We have tried to use brackets and parentheses precisely but sparingly: where
we have used them, the additions are ones we deemed indispensable for the
understanding of the text. Parentheses are used for our explanations in the few
contexts that require them, while square brackets indicate our insertions.
tr. THE TRANSLATION

Summary of Empowerment

1.1 [F.14.a] Homage to Glorious Kālacakra!28

Sucandra requested:

The sevenfold and threefold empowerment,

And also the unsurpassable one, O Teacher—
Explain them to me in short,
For the sake of mundane and supramundane accomplishments! {1}

1.2 The Illustrious One replied:

Listen, O Sucandra! I will explain to you in summary

The empowerment and its purpose; these sevenfold,
Threefold, and unsurpassable empowerments;
And the movement in the channels and its control. {2}

1.3 In the tantras there are three types of summaries

And three types of explanations [pertaining to the Sekoddeśa],
Including the precise summary, the extensive summary,
The precise explanation, and the other (i.e., the extensive explanation). {3}

1.4 The summary and explanation

Are referred to as the recitation of the tantra.
The precise summary and the [precise] explanation
Are word-by-word commentaries. {4}

1.5 The extensive summary and the [extensive] explanation

Are commentaries that indicate the entirety of the meaning.
 They must be composed by those who have obtained supramundane
knowledge,
Not by mere scholars. {5}

1.6 Through these six [summaries and explanations],

The tantra of the Ādibuddha called Kālacakra is perfect:
Perfect through fourfold vajrayoga;
Perfect through the four types of awakening; {6}

1.7 Perfect through the psycho-physical aggregates,

Elements, sense bases, and six families;
Perfect through the five chapters, on the world realm and so forth;
And perfect through [adherence to the principle of] two truths. {7}

1.8 First, there is the sevenfold empowerment

To introduce the childish;
Then the threefold one in terms of the relative truth of the world;
And the fourth in terms of the ultimate truth. {8}

1.9 The teaching of myself, the vajra holder,

Concerning phenomena, is in terms of the twofold truth:
The relative truth of the world
And the ultimate truth. {9}

1.10 The sevenfold empowerment, O King,

Consists of those of water,
Crown, ribbon, vajra and bell,
Great vow, name, and permission. {10}

1.11 The purification of body, speech, and mind, [F.14.b]

With two each, comprise the first six empowerments;
The purification of wisdom, the permission empowerment.
The other purifications are the purification of the elements and so forth: {11}

1.12 The water empowerment is the purification of the elements;

That of the crown is the purification of the psycho-physical aggregates;
That of the ribbon is the purification of the perfections;
Those of the vajra and the bell are for the great immovable bliss {12}

1.13 And one’s uninterrupted buddha speech, respectively—

They are the purification of the sun and moon [so that they are united] into one.
The purification of the objects and sense faculties
Is the vajra vow that remains intact. {13}
1.14 The name empowerment is the purification of love, compassion, joy, and
equanimity.
That of permission is the purification for achieving buddhahood.
These seven empowerments must only be given
After having created the maṇḍala. {14}

1.15 Next follows the vase empowerment, the secret empowerment,

That called wisdom from a prajñā,
Then, again, that of great prajñā,
Which is known as wisdom gained from her. {15}

1.16 The first three are, respectively, moving, moving, and vibrating,
And the supreme one is beyond vibration.
The first three empowerments are taken, respectively,
As the purification of body, speech, and mind, {16}

1.17 And the fourth is the purification of wisdom.

The purification of body, speech, and mind.
The three correspond to the level of a child, adult, and elder,
And the fourth to the level of the universal ancestor. {17}

1.18 From touching the breast of the prajñā,

There is the bliss of descending bodhicitta.
The adept empowered by the breast is the child
Because such bliss is attained from touching the breast. {18}

1.19 From moving the vajra in the secret part for a long time,
The bliss of the further-descending bodhicitta has arisen.
The adept empowered by the secret part is the adult
Because such bliss is attained from the secret part. {19}

1.20 From moving the vajra in the secret part for a long time,
The bliss of vibration has arisen at the tip of the vajra.
The adept empowered by the wisdom from a prajñā is the elder
Because of having realized the bliss from vibration. {20}

1.21 That which has arisen from passion for the mahāmudrā
Is bliss without vibration.
The adept empowered by the great prajñā is the universal ancestor
Because he realizes the [blissful] state without vibration. {21}

1.22 The universal ancestor should be known

As the creator of all protectors.
Being in a state without duality or movement,
 He is called Vajrasattva, the Great Being, and Bodhisattva, [F.15.a] {22}

1.23 The Commitment Being,

Fourfold Vajrayoga,
And finally, here, Kālacakra—
The one bestowing liberation on yogins. {23}

1.24 This practice must be accomplished

Through the inconceivable manifestations,
Namely, the ten signs beginning with smoke,
Which are reflections of insight, similar to the sky. {24}

1.25 They are beyond existence and nonexistence,

Are objects verified in one’s own experience,
And are entirely devoid
Of accumulations of atoms and particles. {25}

1.26 They are smoke, a mirage,

A firefly, a lamp, a flame, the moon, the sun,
Darkness, lightning, and the great drop—
This clear reflection of everything. {26}

1.27 With eyes neither closed nor open,

This reflection is seen in emptiness,
Like in a dream. Without following it,
One must constantly meditate on this reflection. {27}

1.28 The meditation on this nonexistent reflection

Is not the [conceptual] meditation of yogins;
To the mind appears neither existence nor nonexistence,
Because of seeing the reflections of emptiness 29 without having imagined them.
{28}

1.29 Just as a virgin sees in the divinatory mirror

The magical image of something unreal,
So, too, the yogin sees in space
Past and future phenomena. {29}

1.30 The object in the reflection is not something real

Because she sees what is empty of real entities.
Something consisting of nonexistent entities
Is like an illusion, a dream, or magic. {30}

1.31 Yet, even though it does not exist,

The manifestation of a phenomenon is observed.
 It is like a wish-fulfilling jewel
That fulfills the hopes of limitless beings. {31}

1.32 In the magical image, the virgin

Sees a thief and so forth not yet seen [by the officiants].
Having gone there, the officiants of the divination
See him with their ordinary eyes. {32}

1.33 If she sees a real form,

Why does she not see her own face?
But if she sees an unreal form,
Why does she not see a hare’s horn? {33}

1.34 She sees neither with the eyes of others,

Nor with her own eyes.
What is being seen has not arisen—
It is like the child of a virgin. [F.15.b] {34}

1.35 Once the reflections are seen,

One must immediately perform breath control,
Because body, speech, and mind
Should be arrested in the three upper and three lower channels. {35}

1.36 With regard to the channels—which are the path for

The moon, the sun, Rāhu, excrement, urine, and semen,
And which correspond to the families of the elements of
Water, fire, space, earth, wind, and wisdom— {36}

1.37 The channels of body, speech, and mind are taught to be,
With regard to the vital wind and downward-moving wind, respectively,
The channels of the moon, the sun, and Rāhu,
As well as those of excrement, urine, and semen. {37}

1.38 The moon is the body of means,

The sun is the speech of insight,
The channel of excrement is the body of insight,
The channel of urine is the speech of the omnipresent. {38}

1.39 One upward and one downward—the two channels of mind

Carry Rāhu and the semen, respectively.
The mind of means is the channel of Rāhu,
And the mind of insight is the channel of semen. {39}

1.40 Upward and downward and combined with body, speech, and mind,
These channels are the six families.
 They reside in embodied beings
As the aspects of means and the aspects of insight. {40}

1.41 Due to strong winds above and below,

Signs of death emerge in the channels of body and speech.
Birth, death, and duration
Are related to the channels of Rāhu and of semen. {41}

1.42 At the time of birth, death, and during intercourse,

The channel of semen [swells].
Rāhu flows upward during equinox,
When the sun passes [from one sign to the other]. {42}

1.43 At the moment of transit, [each time] the ascendant rises,

The middle channel carries the breath of equinox.
It lasts fifty-six and one-quarter breaths, O protector of men,
Counting inhalation and exhalation as one. {43}

1.44 In one day and night there are six hundred

Seventy-five [breaths in the middle channel].
The winds—twenty-one thousand
Six hundred times {44}

1.45 Minus those [675 breaths]—

Flow in the left and right channels.
They flow in the middle channel for three years
And three fortnights during one hundred years. {45}

1.46 In the upper part, the left and right channels

Are the moon, lalanā, and iḍā; and the sun, piṅgalā, and the other (i.e., rasanā).
These two have the nature of water and fire,
And are taken to hold the lotus (i.e., Amitābha) and the jewel (i.e.,
Ratnasambhava). {46}

1.47 In the lower part, there are the two channels of excrement and urine,
Having the nature of earth and wind. [F.16.a]
They are the middle and left channels,
And are known to hold the disc (i.e., Vairocana) and the sword (i.e.,
Amoghasiddhi). {47}

1.48 In the upper and the lower part, the middle and right channel,
Are those of Rāhu and semen.
They have the nature of emptiness and wisdom,
And both are known to hold vajras (i.e., Akṣobhya and Vajrasattva). {48}
1.49 The channel of excrement connects with the path of the moon,
The channel of urine with the path of the sun,
And the channel of semen with the path of Rāhu.
The latter is responsible for birth, death, [the breath of] equinox, and
intercourse. {49}

1.50 The avadhūtī above the navel is called

Suṣumnā, the channel of darkness.
The channel of the semen below is called
Sky-goer face (Skt. khagamukhā) and conch-shell channel (Skt. śaṅkhinī). {50}

1.51 Passing through the lotuses of the navel, heart, throat,

Forehead, and crown of the head,
[The vital wind in the avadhūtī] transports earth into water, water into fire,
Fire into wind, and wind into emptiness—in the mode of dissolution. {51}

1.52 Exhaling and inhaling again,

It reenters the earth element by way of production.
The avadhūtī runs
From center to center {52}

1.53 And carries body, speech, and mind

At the navel and the secret lotus of the jewel.
Exhaling and inhaling,
It has the nature of dissolution and production, respectively. {53}

1.54 The śaṅkhinī carries the downward-moving wind

Of all living beings.
Due to the bliss of [enjoying] women,
It carries semen; and at the time of menstruation it carries blood. {54}

1.55 The left and right channels above,

And those carrying excrement and urine below,
Refer to the factors of insight and means respectively,
As do the channels of menstrual blood and semen. {55}

1.56 Carrying menstrual blood, the śaṅkhinī is called caṇḍālī.

Carrying semen, it is called khagamukhā.
Above, the avadhūtī is called ḍombī in women referring to menstruation;
In men it is called avadhūtī. {56}

1.57 The five maṇḍalas, starting with consciousness,

Always flow in the left channel;
The ones starting with earth, in the right channel;
 The sixth (i.e., that of wisdom), in the middle channel. {57}

1.58 On the lotus petals at the level of the navel are,

In successive order, sixty maṇḍalas.
At the time of the left and right ascendants,
Constituted by the six starting with Aries and the six starting with Taurus, {58}

1.59 The vital breath flows in the two nostrils in due order
To the base, the left, the right, above, and to the middle,
Passing through one maṇḍala after the other,
Starting with earth, during each daṇḍa.30 [F.16.b] {59}

1.60 One nāḍikā31 successively

Carries 360 breaths.
Five of them
Carry 1,800. {60}

1.61 One day and night have 60 nāḍikās;

They are the maṇḍalas of the body [starting with earth].
The vital breath flows to the center of the petals (space) and then, in due order,
Above (wind), to the right (fire), left (water), and below (earth). {61}

1.62 In the left nostril the elements always start with space,
And in the right with earth in reverse order.
In the left occurs formation starting with consciousness,
And in the right occurs dissolution starting with earth. {62}

1.63 The earth is below and the wind above—

They are insight and means respectively.
Therefore, the [secret] empowerment happens through
The thumb and the ring finger in the mouth [of the disciple]. {63}

1.64 Fire is on the right and water on the left—

They are insight and means respectively.
Therefore, the mudrā of the sword is formed with
The middle and index fingers. {64}

1.65 The void is above and the immovable below—

They are insight and means respectively;
Therefore, the mudrā of the fangs, which has the shape of a half-moon,
Is formed with the little fingers looking like a hooked knife. {65}

1.66 The union of the ten maṇḍalas

Is that of the ten fingers, one [hand] with the other,
Palms joined above the head.
 This is the mudrā of the one-pointed vajra and knife. {66}

1.67 The equinox in the middle channel

Causes creation and dissolution.
Having entered the middle channel, the psycho-physical aggregates,
Elements, and the three vajras [of body, speech, and mind] become one. {67}

1.68 When the channels of the moon and the sun are blocked,
The channels of excrement and urine become blocked.
When the channel of Rāhu is blocked,
The channel of semen below becomes blocked. {68}

1.69 When [the upper ones] are released, the respective lower ones are then
released,
Causing creation and dissolution.
This is the movement in the channels
Along the threefold paths of both the vital wind and the downward-moving
wind. {69}

1.70 If excessive vital wind flows

In the left or right channels
For one or five nights [and days],
Then one will die within three years. {70}

1.71 [If the vital wind flows] with the death sign of the sun in the right channel,
For five, ten, fifteen, twenty, twenty-five,
Twenty-six, and twenty-seven [nights and] days,
Then for thirty-three (i.e., fifteen, ten, five, and three nights and days), {71}

1.72 The life of embodied beings will be gone [F.17.a]

Within a period of three, two, or one year,
Six, three, two, or one month,
Fifteen, ten, five, or three days, respectively. [Then only] two, [and finally only]
one day [are left].32 {72}

1.73 With the ascent of the moon from the base

In the left channel, one by one,
For days and months,
In steps of three days and three months, {73}

1.74 The days of death signs increase

And the months of virtue decrease.
Further, death ascends in the middle channel
At the completion of one hundred years. {74}
1.75 Its ascent occurs in relation to even and odd days
And in relation to the maṇḍalas arisen at the time of birth
Once the two parts [of the lotus] on the right and left side
[Consisting of six petals each] have been destroyed. {75}

1.76 Otherwise, there will be no death

When the two parts [of the lotus] remain
Due to the movement of [vital wind in those] left and right parts,
And because the five maṇḍalas [of earth and the rest] remain active. {76}

1.77 Knowing the defining characteristics of the death signs,

[The adept] must bring the vital wind into the drop.
Based on the bottom of the avadhūtī,
Great immovable bliss must be cultivated. {77}

1.78 One needs to keep the vajra continuously erect,

Because the paths of the moon and the sun are suppressed.
Otherwise, the vital wind
Will not enter the body of the avadhūtī, {78}

1.79 Nor will the downward-moving wind enter the śaṅkhinī;

And, as a consequence, there will be death.
This circumvention of the death signs
Will occur through the four joys of the yogin. {79}

1.80 The initial joy is the descent of the semen

From the lotus at the crown of the head to the one between the eyebrows.
Between the throat and the heart there is the supreme joy;
From there, descending further, the intense joy. {80}

1.81 This variegated joy (i.e., intense joy) [occurs until the semen is] at the navel.
At this point, having entered the secret lotus,
The semen descends into the vajra jewel,
Causing coemergent joy—so long as it is not emitted. {81}

1.82 Therefore he is called the all-pervading lord of immovable great passion.

Being in nonabiding nirvāṇa, [he avoids these two situations:]
[The semen abiding at the crown of the head] due to the lack of passion,
And blissful emission, which is abiding nirvāṇa.33 {82}

1.83 The manifestation of the moon drop of semen is located at the crown of the
head,
And the phase of the full moon in the lotus of the secret part.
The sixteenth phase is located in the lotus of the jewel,
 At the tip of the vajra. {83}

1.84 After that, at the beginning of the dark period,

There is the phase of emission.
The sun, because of the absence of passion,
Arrives at the place of the tuft [between the eyebrows] at the time of the new
moon. {84}

1.85 The sixteenth solar phase [F.17.b]

Is located in the lotus at the crown of the head.
Because of non-attachment to passionate bliss in this state,
It is called moonless. {85}

1.86 In all corporeal beings, at the time of death,

The lunar nectar moves downward;
The solar blood upward; and the consciousness, which is Rāhu,
To what is characterized by becoming (i.e., rebirth). {86}

1.87 For this reason, O King,

You must make the lunar nectar move upward,
The solar blood downward,
And the consciousness, which is Rāhu, to immovable bliss. {87}

1.88 The full moon of the lunar nectar

Occurs for all buddhas in the lotus of the tuft between the eyebrows,
And the new moon of solar blood in the secret part.
The sixteenth phase of these two occurs in the crown of the head and the jewel.
{88}

1.89 This vajra verse of the Teacher

Is in opposition to the situation of corporeal beings.
His nirvāṇa is nonabiding,
In opposition to the elements. {89}

1.90 The mind in the jewel, the speech in the secret part,
And the body in the navel emerge from great bliss.
The dharmakāya, saṃbhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya
Radiate from this pure body. {90}

1.91 What emerges from below, O King, belongs to means,

And what emerges from above belongs to insight (Skt. prajñā).
The body vajra of the prajñā is at the forehead.
The vajras of speech, mind, and wisdom {91}

1.92 Are at the lotuses of the throat, heart, and navel.

 They (i.e., the vajras of body, speech, mind, and wisdom) radiate from the
nirmāṇakāya and the other bodies.
The psycho-physical aggregates and elements radiate
From unobstructed bliss (i.e., the body of Vajrasattva). {92}

1.93 Due to the union with a karmamudrā,

The visualized support of a jñānamudrā,
And the unique union with a mahāmudrā,
Immovable bliss increases. {93}

1.94 Of that which has increased, there is no increasing;

Of that which has diminished, there is no diminishing.
Of that which has set, there is no setting;
Likewise, of that which has risen, there is no rising. {94}

1.95 Of that which is illuminated, there is no illumination;

Of that which is obscured, there is also no obscuring.
Of that which is born, there is no taking birth;
Of that which is dead, there is no dying. {95}

1.96 Of that which is liberated, there is also no liberation;

Of that which does not abide, there is no nonabiding.
Of that which does not exist, there is no nonexistence;
Of that which exists, there is no existence. {96}

1.97 Of that which moves, there is no movement;

And of that which does not move, there is no nonmovement.
The rise and fall of all phenomena,
Which lack their own nature, are thus an illusion. [F.18.a] {97}

1.98 Elements neither come into nor pass out of existence

By means of their own nature.
This manifold world lacks its own nature
And has the unique characteristics of [apparent] existence and [ultimate]
nonexistence. {98}

1.99 When embracing one’s prajñā (i.e., karmamudrā), the bodhicitta

Enters the vajra jewel, which by then is inside the lotus.
When the moon (i.e., bodhicitta) has entered into the jewel, it is in vibration.
The meditation on the unchangeable [mahāmudrā] is free from vibration. {99}

1.100 The meditation on body, speech, and mind

Is based on the channels of body, speech, and mind.
The fusion of the three vajras [of body, speech, and mind]
 In the śaṅkhinī is the meditation on jñāna. {100}

1.101 Because of attachment to the prajñā, the drops

Trickle from the head via the aforementioned stages,
And enter the stage of the full [moon].
They are fixed through [meditation on] the ultimate. {101}

1.102 Just as the waxing moon

Becomes gradually full along its phases—
Its fullness due to the receding of its shadow,
And not because of being annihilated and made full again— {102}

1.103 So the waxing wisdom

Becomes gradually full along the bodhisattva levels—
Its fullness due to the receding of defilements and so forth,
And not because of being annihilated and made full again. {103}

1.104 Just as the moon, with the mark of the rabbit in its middle,
Does not remain in the phase of the full moon,
So, too, the mind does not remain in unchangeable bliss
Because of its mark of saṃsāric imprints. {104}

1.105 The waxing and waning fortnights

Are established as the bright and the dark.
The full moon in between these two
Does not remain at its fullest. {105}

1.106 Fully complete enlightenment in one instant

Is immovable in its fullness.
When the bodhicitta is in the vajra jewel,
It fills all moments with this experience. {106}

1.107 [The mind vajra] is neither based on the bright fortnight,

Nor does it go to the dark one.
It is located in the middle of the two sides—
Based on the full moon, without duality. {107}

1.108 Its waxing starts from the crown of the head

And becomes full in the vajra jewel.
Due to lack of passion, these lunar phases are lost. Because of this loss,
[The solar blood] starts from the vajra, becoming full [at the crown of the head].
[F.18.b] {108}

1.109 For corporeal beings, waxing happens again at the crown of the head,
And fullness in the [vajra] jewel.
 Due to lack of passion, these lunar phases are lost,
But there is no loss of wisdom (i.e., the sixteenth lunar phase). {109}

1.110 Its (i.e., bodhicitta’s) nature is great bliss

And is praised using the metaphor of the full moon.
All other things are the cause
Of creation and dissolution [of sentient beings’ great bliss]. {110}

1.111 Just as the moon [proceeds] through its two fortnights

And the sun through its two routes,
So nirvāṇa proceeds from existence
And existence from nirvāṇa. {111}

1.112 Immovable great bliss is completed

Through the [bodhisattva] levels during the full moon,
With the help of 21,600 breaths,
Which are devoured by moments of immovable bliss. {112}

1.113 It (i.e., immovable bliss) is without the two fortnights,

And is completed through the [bodhisattva] levels.
Its true meaning has twelve aspects,
And its immovable character has sixteen aspects. {113}

1.114 Through the [bodhisattva] levels it is full

In twelve aspects, being supreme nonduality.
The bodhicitta, which is full through the lunar phases,
Has sixteen aspects. {114}

1.115 It is of one meaning, a phenomenon beyond duality,

The ultimate, indestructible.
It is bodhicitta in the state of fullness,
Completely full in every way. {115}

1.116 It is the great passion, which starts with freedom from passion,
Vajra body, great immovable bliss,
Completely full, and unpolluted
By the imprints of both sides (i.e., passion and freedom from passion). {116}

1.117 Just as the waters of rivers become the same

As the ocean upon entering it,
So, too, the entirety of existence becomes the same
As the immovable upon entering it. {117}

1.118 Just as a set of metals becomes an elixir

When it is devoured [by mercury],
 And just as the nature of seeds is acquired through the seeds
And beyond measure 34 at the time of fruition, {118}

1.119 So, too, the entirety of existence,

When devoured by supreme immovable (bliss),
Becomes supreme immovable bliss,
Which embraces all aspects. {119}

1.120 He who is bitten does not notice the pain

In the wound or elsewhere,
Nor does he notice objects through his sense faculties,
When the poison develops its full effect. {120}

1.121 Likewise, the yogin does not experience true bliss [F.19.a]
In the vajra jewel or elsewhere,
Nor does he notice objects through his sense faculties,
When the bodhicitta has reached the phase of the full moon. {121}

1.122 Just as the great elixir is first present

In only one part of the metal,
And then penetrates to every part of the metal
When red-hot from violent fire, {122}

1.123 So, too, the immovable bliss is first present

In only one part (i.e., the vajra jewel)
And then penetrates every part of the mind
When the latter is red-hot from the fire of desire. {123}

1.124 Just as metals that are penetrated by the elixir

Have no stains anywhere,
So, too, the penetrated mindstreams
Have no imprints anywhere. {124}

1.125 Just as metal transformed into gold

Becomes stainless through fire,
So, too, the mind, repeatedly red-hot from the fire of passion,
Becomes stainless. {125}

1.126 Just as a stone clearly shines

When touched by a great jewel,
So, too, the mind becomes blissful
Through contact with immovable bliss. {126}

1.127 But why all these words here?

On the level of the relative truth of the world,
 The power of the elixir is incomprehensible
In terms of penetrating metal. {127}

1.128 How much more, on the level of ultimate truth,

Is the power of wisdom incomprehensible
In terms of penetrating the mind
Defiled by adventitious stains? {128}

1.129 The stains are neither externally added to the mind,

Nor are they older than the mind.
They are neither born elsewhere than the mind,
Nor do they remain inexhaustibly in the mind. {129}

1.130 If the stains were externally added,

Then the mind would have been stainless beforehand.
If they had existed before the mind,
Then what could they have arisen from? {130}

1.131 If they had arisen without the mind,

Then they would be like a sky-flower.
If they had always resided in the mind,
Then they could never be eliminated. {131}

1.132 Just as the stains of copper

Are eliminated through union with an elixir,
And its existence—which remains stainless—
Is not eliminated, {132}

1.133 So, too, the stains of mind

Are eliminated through its union with emptiness,
And its wisdom—which remains stainless—
Is not eliminated. [F.19.b] {133}

1.134 Just as iron that has been penetrated by the elixir

Does not revert to the nature of iron,
So, too, the mind that has been penetrated by bliss
Does not revert to a state of suffering. {134}

1.135 There is no greater transgression than the lack of passion;

No greater merit than supreme bliss.
Therefore, the mind should constantly embrace
Immovable bliss, O King! {135}

1.136 Without having made love, a young maiden

Cannot describe sexual bliss.
 Having made love in her youth,
She will know great bliss for herself. {136}

1.137 Likewise, bliss cannot be described

By those without meditative concentration.
When immovable bliss is attained in meditative concentration,
The yogins will know it for themselves. {137}

1.138 Even the omniscient ones are uncertain

About recognizing the bliss which arises from the immovable.
Thus, a state without passion must be avoided by all means,
Because, without it, the mind will lack bliss. {138}

1.139 It is recorded that from emission the lack of passion is born,

And from the lack of passion, suffering.
From suffering, the elements of men are ruined,
And from ruining the elements, death will come. {139}

1.140 From death a new existence will follow,

And from that again, death and transmigration.
Accordingly, the existence of sentient beings
Comes from the lack of passion and nothing else. {140}

1.141 Therefore, one must avoid with all effort

The passion of emission.
By doing so, the yogin proceeds
From the fetters of saṃsāra to immovable bliss. {141}

1.142 Without passion one would not [even] be a [good] lover

And not seek out the Kāmaśāstra.
Why, then, would a yogin (likewise) wish for suffering
With regard to this tantra proclaimed by me?35 {142}

1.143 Through a state in which the semen remains immovable,

[The yogin] must attain supreme immovable (bliss).
Once the support has reached the state of emission,
The supported will be passionless.36 {143}

1.144 The relation of support and supported remains

As long as [the mind] does not proceed to the immovable.
Once the mind has attained the immovable,
It is without the characteristics of support and supported. {144}

1.145 For the adept whose body has been born from the immovable
And whose bodhicitta has reached the cakra at the forehead,
 Neither the union of the two series of vowels and consonants
Nor the syllable hūṁ is needed anymore, O King. {145}

1.146 The reflection, arisen from emptiness, is the cause, [F.20.a]

And bliss, born from the immovable, is the result.
The cause is sealed by the result,
And the result is sealed by the cause. {146}

1.147 Holding the reflection of emptiness is the cause,

Holding immovable compassion is the result.
Bodhicitta—which is inseparable from
Emptiness and compassion—is not emitted. {147}

1.148 The reflection is free from nirvāṇa

And the immovable transcends saṃsāra.
Their union is supreme nonduality,
Free from eternalism and nihilism. {148}

1.149 Because the reflection has the character of having arisen

From nonexistence, it is not nonexistent.
Because the immovable, in turn, has the character of having arisen
From existence, existence does not apply to it. {149}

1.150 The perfect union of being and nonbeing

Is the nondual, supreme vajrayoga.
It is beyond form and nonform,
Like a magical image in a mirror. {150}

1.151 The reflection is not immersed in cyclic existence,

Nor is the immovable immersed in nirvāṇa.
Their mutual connection is peace:
The supreme neutral state. {151}

1.152 Because insight has not arisen from a cause,

The result has arisen from insight as [its only possible] cause.
That which has arisen from insight has not arisen from a cause,
Because insight has not arisen from a cause. {152}

1.153 Therefore, the unsurpassable wisdom

Is not the wisdom from a prajñā, which has arisen from a cause.37
Result and cause are neither separate,
Nor do they mutually seal each other. {153}

1.154 Cause and result—everything—

Has arisen through dependence.
 The reflection, which is sealed by both,
Is neither born nor extinguished. {154}

1.155 Insight is completely extinguished

When the supreme immovable is born.
Free from cause and effect,
They do not seal each other. {155}

1.156 The vision of knowable objects in this world,

Which are neither born nor extinguished,
Are one’s own mind, and nothing else.
This is because external objects of knowledge are [only mentally] separated
[from oneself]. {156}

1.157 Therefore nothing can seal itself,

With itself, anywhere.
Can a great sword cut itself
With its own blade? {157}

1.158 Just as one experiences bliss through union

In a dream with the daughter of a barren woman,
So, too, one experiences bliss for oneself [F.20.b]
By serving the reflection emerging from space (Viśvamātā, i.e., mahāmudrā).
{158}

1.159 Neither insight nor means [are independent].

The coemergent one (i.e., Kālacakra) in union with his prajñā
Is full of bliss, indeed,
And without any hindrances. {159}

1.160 It is unstained like the sky,

Without object or sense faculty,
Present in everything,
Indivisible, without distinctions. {160}

1.161 Self-arisen are Vajrasattva [at the secret part],

The supremely immovable one with the great intent,
And Mahāsattva [at the navel], whose passion is great,
Giving joy to sentient beings. {161}

1.162 Self-arisen are Bodhisattva [at the heart], whose hatred is great,
The great enemy destroying defilements;
And Samayasattva [at the throat], whose delusion is great,
Clearing the delusion of deluded intellect. {162}
1.163 Self-arisen are Vajrayoga [at the forehead], whose anger is great,
The great enemy of wrathful demons;
And Kālacakra [at the crown of the head], whose attachment is great,
Removing the passion for fleeting bliss. {163}

1.164 “The vajra is indivisible”—with that the Illustrious One

Taught [Vajrasattva’s] great intent.
Being (Skt. sattva) refers to the unity of the threefold existence.
It is said to be the supreme immovable bliss. {164}

1.165 The one whose supreme immovable bliss is complete,

Who has become perfect through the bodhisattva levels,
Is Mahāsattva, whose passion is great,
Giving joy to all sentient beings. {165}

1.166 Being a hero persevering in enlightenment

Without wavering, he is Bodhisattva,
Whose hatred is great, the great enemy
Of all hatred, defilements, and so forth. {166}

1.167 For he whose lunar nectar or semen has not been emitted,
The commitment (Skt. samaya) is the devouring [of bliss].
Due to these circumstances he is called Samayasattva,
Clearer of the delusion of deluded intellect. {167}

1.168 [Vajrayoga] is the unity of all vajras,

Endowed with insight, bodies, and the immovable.
His anger is great,
Being the great enemy of wrathful demons. {168}

1.169 Given his means of great immovable bliss,

[Kālacakra] never abandons the welfare of sentient beings.
Having great attachment, he liberates sentient beings [F.21.a]
And removes the passion for fleeting bliss. {169}

1.170 These six forms of deities are also said

To be the families of the six aggregates:
Wisdom, sensation, consciousness, matter, karmic formations,
And discrimination—all of them in an immovable state. {170}

1.171 Likewise they are also, in order,

The elements of wisdom, fire, space, earth,
Wind, and water; the sense faculties of
The mind, the eyes, ears, the body, nose, and tongue; {171}
1.172 And the cognitive objects of mental objects (Skt. dharmadhātu),
Visible objects, sound, touch, odor, and taste.
The terrifying King of Wrath with six faces
Is purified with regard to these six families. {172}

1.173 The body, the secret organ, and the mind have always been
The threefold maṇḍala [of the Buddha’s body, speech, and mind].
These three vajras, each consisting of insight and means,
Are in the state of Vajrasattva. {173}

1.174 These means of accomplishing empowerment,

The means of accomplishing the supreme immovable,
Together with the channels and families,
Have been explained in summary, O [Su]candra.38 {174}

1.175 This concludes the summary of the means of the supreme immovable empowerment (i.e.,
the “Sekoddeśa”), from the fifth chapter of the [“Paramādibuddha” that begins with the]
chapter on the world realm.

c. COLOPHON

c.1 It was translated, edited, and finalized by the Kashmiri paṇḍita Somanātha and
the Tibetan translator and monk Dro Sherap Drakpa. Rinchen Gyaltsen
retranslated, edited, and corrected it in accordance with the commentary (Skt.
ṭīkā) of glorious Nāropa.
n. NOTES

1 See Gnoli and Orofino 1994, p. 62.

2 See Orofino 2009, p. 28.

3 See Gnoli and Orofino 1994, pp. 60–63.

4 Orofino 1994.

5 The Tibetan translation of the Amṛtakānikāṭippanī is in the Tengyur, Toh 1395.

6 The Tibetan translation of the Sekoddeśaṭīkā is also in the Tengyur, Toh 1351.

7 Gnoli and Orofino 1994.

8 Lecso 2009.

9 Orofino 2009.

10 Prajñā here refers to a tantric consort.

11 At the end of his commentary on verses 11d–14, Nāropa says: “Within the
previously mentioned eleven empowerments, which are like the steps to the
palace of worldly and nonworldly accomplishments, I have thoroughly
explained the lower [steps], the seven empowerments with form [that belong
to] relative [truth]. [These are] what let the yogin achieve the worldly
accomplishments, belonging to the relative. [Now,] the three empowerments
that are in accord with the absolute are taught with [the verse that] begins with
‘[Then] there are the vase [empowerment].’ ” (sngar mdor bstan pa’i dbang bcu gcig
po rnams kyi nang nas ’jig rten pa dang ’jig rten las ’das pa’i dngos grub kyi khang
bzangs kyi them skas su gyur pa ’og ma kun rdzob kyi gzugs can dbang bdun po rnams
rnam par bshad nas gang zhig rnal ’byor pa la kun rdzob du gyur pa ’jig rten pa’i dngos
grub sgrub par byed cing don dam pa’i rjes su mthun pa’i dbang gsum po rnams bum pa
zhes pa la sogs pas mdor bstan to //). See Sferra and Merzagora 2006, p. 258.

12 See v. 8.

13 See Sferra 1999.

14 It should be noted that the usual group of five psycho-physical aggregates,
which in Nāropa’s commentary on v. 12 are related to the five buddha families,
is extended to include wisdom in v. 170. From Nāropa’s commentary it becomes
clear that this is necessary in order for the extended group to be related to the
six channels, cakras, and deities.

15 dbang bskur bdun po ’di rnams rdul tshon gyi dkyil ’khor rnam par spangs nas gzhan ras
bris la sogs pa’i dkyil ’khor du sbyin par bya ba ma yin no // bum pa la sogs pa’i dbang
rnams ni dkyil ’khor bzhengs pa las gzhan gyis kyang sbyin par bya’o //. See Sferra and
Merzagora 2006, p. 258.

16 “The great prajñā is the mahāmudrā, which is without conceptual thoughts (Skt.
vikalpita, Tib. rnam rtog). It will be discussed below.” (shes rab chen po zhes pa rnam
par rtog pa kun tu ma brtags pa ’chad par ’gyur pa’i phyag rgya chen mo’o //). See Sferra
and Merzagora 2006, p. 270.

17 rnam par rtog pa thams cad nye bar zhi ba’i phyir bsam gyis mi khyab pa’o // de kho na’i
’bras bu’i snga ltas su gyur pa’i phyir mtshan ma’o //. Sferra and Merzagora, 2006,
313.

18 See Sferra and Merzagora 2006, 294–95.

19 de bzhin du dkyil krung byas nas thig ler te dpral bar gnas pa’i padma ’dab ma bcu drug
pa dkar po’i dbus su srog rtsol sngon du ’gro bas sems gzhug par bya’o // srog ni thig ler
gzhug par bya // zhes pa gtso bor ’dzin pa’i mtshan nyid do //. See Sferra and
Merzagora 2006, S. 345.

20 See Gnoli and Orofino 1994, 69; and 35–76.

21 See Sferra and Merzagora 2006, S. 343.

22 See Sferra and Merzagora 2006, S. 338–44, 422.

23 Cf. Gnoli and Orofino 1994, 71–72; and verses 79–81 along with Nāropa’s
commentary.

24 According to the interpretation of Nāropa, sahaja (lit. “born together”) here

means “born together with the prajñā” (cf. Gnoli and Orofino 1994, 72).

25 mahāmudreti gaganodbhavabimbam / tasyāḥ svarasavāhibhāvanākhyānu-rāgāj jātaṃ

niḥspandata iti niruddho vajramaṇer bāhyaspandaḥ srāvaḥ /. See Sferra and Merzagora
2006, 106.

26 See Sferra and Merzagora 2006, 353–54.

27 According to Gnoli and Orofino, most of the epithets are identical with those
mentioned in the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti, Toh 360 (for a detailed list see Gnoli and
Orofino 1994, 366).
28 “Kālacakra” is according to the Sanskrit, which accords with the Tibetan
translation of Ra Chörap and Samantaśrī. The translation by Dro Sherap Drakpa
and Somanātha reads “Vajrasattva” (Tib. rdo rje sems dpa’). See Orofino 1994, 54.

29 The Sanskrit has bimbe, and the Tibetan stong par. However, from the context the
reading śūnyatābimba is required.

30 One daṇḍa or ghaṭikā is equivalent to 24 minutes. See Gnoli and Orofino 1994,
277 fn. 1.

31 One nāḍikā is equivalent to 24 minutes. See Gnoli and Orofino 1994, 279 fn. 1.

32 When there are two days left, the wind flows in the left channel, and when
there is only one day left, it flows in the middle channel. See Gnoli and Orofino
1994, 290.

33 Nāropa’s Sekoddeśaṭīkā gives the following commentary on this verse: “The

semen of bliss, which, due to the lack of passion (the absence of passion) abides
at the crown of the head, is abiding. Emitted from the jewel of the vajra, it is
nirvāṇa. This king of bliss is someone whose nirvāṇa is nonabiding, because of
pervading the space between the crown of the head and the jewel of the vajra”
(virāgād rāgavigamād uṣṇīṣasthaṃ yat saukhyaṃ śukram tat pratiṣṭhitam / yat tu
vajramaṇeś cyutaṃ tan nirvāṇam / ayaṃ tu sukharāja uṣṇīṣavajramaṇyantarālavyāpitvād
apratiṣṭithanirvāṇaḥ /. See Sferra and Merzagora 2006, 165, l. 16–18).

34 Skt. mānavarjitam; Tib. nga rgyal spangs. In their edition of the Tibetan of Nāropa’s
commentary, Sferra and Merzagora (2006, footnote p. 373) explain that the
Tibetan translation of the Sekoddeśaṭikā translates the Sanskrit māna° as nga rgyal,
but a more correct interpretation (tshad) can be found in Vijayendra’s
*Sekoddeśaṭippaṇī (dbang mdor bstan pa’i brjed byang).

35 The reading of this verse according to the Sekoddeśa as quoted in Sahajavajra’s

Sthitisamāsa (gnas pa bsdus pa, Toh 2227, Degé 97.a.6–7, Peking 104.b.5–6) makes
better sense than the corresponding verse from the versions of the Sekoddeśa
itself in the Kangyur. The Sthitisamāsa reads: / chags bral ’dod ldan ma yin te / / ’dod
pa’i sbyor thabs mi (Degé: ’di) ’dod na / / nga yis bstan pa’i (Degé, Peking: pa) rgyud du
(Peking: rgyun du) yang / / ci ste rnal ’byor sdug bsngal bskyed /.
Even in the worldly art of love one avoids fast emission. All the more should a
tantric yogin avoid emission, thus not creating suffering in accordance with
tantras. To be sure, the Kālacakra prescribes the avoidance of emission.

36 The support is here the seminal drop, and the supported the yogin.

37 Nāropa (SUṭ 199₁₈) makes it clear that “unsurpassable” qualifies “wisdom,”

while “arisen from a cause” goes with “wisdom from a prajñā”: “Therefore, for
this reason, the immovable wisdom is not the wisdom from a prajñā, which has
 arisen from a cause.” (ato 'smāt karaṇād yad akṣaraṃ jñānaṃ tat prajñājñānam na
hetujam).

38 DEITY FAMILIES

Vajrasattva: secret; Mahāsattva: navel; Bodhisattva: heart; Samayasattva: throat;

Vajrayoga: forehead; Kālacakra: crown.

Vajrasattva: threefold existence; Mahāsattva: passion; Bodhisattva: hatred;

Samayasattva: delusion; Vajrayoga: anger; Kālacakra: attachment.

Vajrasattva: wisdom; Mahāsattva: sensation [feeling]; Bodhisattva: consciousness;

Samayasattva: matter [form]; Vajrayoga: karmic formations; Kālacakra:
discrimination [perception].

Vajrasattva: wisdom; Mahāsattva: fire; Bodhisattva: space; Samayasattva: earth;

Vajrayoga: wind; Kālacakra: water.

Vajrasattva: mind; Mahāsattva: eyes; Bodhisattva: ears; Samayasattva: body; Vajrayoga:

nose; Kālacakra: tongue.

Vajrasattva: sounds; Mahāsattva: tastes; Bodhisattva: mental objects; Samayasattva:

odors; Vajrayoga: tangible objects; Kālacakra: visible objects.

Vajrasattva: mental objects; Mahāsattva: visible objects; Bodhisattva: sounds;

Samayasattva: tangible objects; Vajrayoga: odors; Kālacakra: tastes.

* Tentative interpretation.

** Alternate common designations in brackets.

*** Reordered to match v. 171cd.

b. BIBLIOGRAPHY

dbang mdor bstan pa (Sekoddeśa). Toh 361, Degé Kangyur vol. 77 (rgyud, ka), folios
14.a–21.a.

Orofino, G. A Critical Edition of the Tibetan Translations, With an Appendix by Raniero

Gnoli “On the Sanskrit Text.” Rome: Istituto Italiano per il Medio ed Estremo
Oriente, 1994 [Toh 361].

Sahajavajra. gnas pa bsdus pa (Sthitisamāsa). Toh 2227, Degé Tengyur (rgyud, wi),
folios 92.a–99.b.

Gnoli, R. and Giacomella Orofino. Iniziazione: Kālacakra. Milano: Adelphi Ed., 1994
[Toh 361].

Sferra, F. and Stefania Merzagora. The Sekoddeśaṭīkā by Nāropā

(Paramārthasaṃgraha). Rome: Istituto Italiano per l’Africa e l’Oriente, 2006 [Toh
1353].

Grönbold, G. The Yoga of Six Limbs: An Introduction to the History of Ṣaḍaṅgayoga.

Translation from the German by Robert L. Hütwohl. Santa Fe, New Mexico:
Spirit of the Sun Publications, 1996.

Khedrup Norsang Gyatso. Ornament of Stainless Light: An Exposition of the

Kālacakra Tantra. Translated by Gavin Kilty. Boston: Wisdom Publications,
2004.

Lecso, P. “The Sekoddeśaṭippaṇī: A Brief Commentary on the Summary of the

Initiation.” In As Long as Space Endures: Essays on the Kālacakra Tantra in Honor of
H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by Edward A. Arnold, 51–92. Ithaca, New York:
Snow Lion Publications, 2009.
Orofino, G. “The Mental Afflictions and the Nature of the Supreme Immutable
Wisdom in the Sekoddeśa and Its Commentary by Nāropa.” In As Long as Space
Endures: Essays on the Kālacakra Tantra in Honor of H.H. the Dalai Lama, edited by
Edward A. Arnold, 27–50. Ithaca, New York: Snow Lion Publications, 2009.

Sferra, F. “The Concept of Purification in Some Texts of Late Indian Buddhism.”

Journal of Indian Philosophy 27, no. 1–2 (1999): 83–103.

Wallace, V. A. The Inner Kālacakratantra: A Buddhist Tantric View of the Individual.

New York: Oxford University Press, 2001.
g. GLOSSARY

g.1 Absorption
ting nge ’dzin
ང་་འན།
samādhi
Also rendered as “meditative concentration.”

g.2 Accomplishment
dngos grub
དས་བ།
siddhi

g.3 Action mudrā

las kyi phyag rgya
ལས་་ག་།
karmamudrā
Lit. “action seal,” a worldly (human) consort. Also rendered here in Sanskrit as “karmamudrā.”

g.4 Ādibuddha
dang po’i sangs rgyas
དང་པོ་སངས་ས།
Ādibuddha

g.5 Adult
dar ma
དར་མ།
prauḍha

g.6 Adventitious
glo bur
་ར།
āgantuka
Also rendered in this translation as “externally added.”

g.7 Amṛtakānikāṭippanī
—
Amṛtakānikāṭippanī
Raviśrījñāna’s commentary on the Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti.
g.8 Aries
lug
ག
meṣa

g.9 Arisen
’char ba
འཆར་བ།
udita

g.10 Ascendant
dus sbyor
ས་ོར།
lagna

g.11 Atom
rdul phran
ལ་ན།
aṇurajas

g.12 Avadhūtī
kun ’dar ma
ན་འདར་མ།
avadhūtī
Also rendered in this translation as “middle channel.”

g.13 Bell
dril bu
ལ་།
ghaṇṭā

g.14 Beyond duality

gnyis su med pa
གས་་ད་པ།
advaya
Also rendered here as “without duality,” “nonduality,” “nondual.”

g.15 Beyond vibration

mi ’dzags pa
་འཛགས་པ།
niḥspanda

g.16 Bliss
bde ba
བ་བ།
sukha

g.17 Bliss of descending bodhicitta

byang chub sems ’pho’i bde
ང་བ་མས་འཕོ་བ།
bodhicittacyuta
g.18 Bodhicitta
byang chub kyi sems · sems
ང་བ་་མས། · མས།
bodhicitta · citta

g.19 Bodhisattva
byang chub sem dpa’
ང་བ་མ་དཔའ།
Bodhisattva
One of the self-arisen supramundane beings.

g.20 Bodhisattva level

sa
ས།
bhūmi

g.21 Body
lus
ས།
kāya

g.22 Breath control

srog rtsol
ོག་ོལ།
prāṇāyāma
Also rendered here as “control of the winds.”

g.23 Breaths
dbugs
དགས།
śvāsa

g.24 Buddha speech

sangs rgyas skad
སངས་ས་ད།
buddhabhāṣā

g.25 Cakra
’khor lo
འར་ལོ།
cakra
Lit. “wheel.”

g.26 Cakra at the forehead

mdzod spu’i khor lo
མཛོད་་ར་ལོ།
ūrṇācakra

g.27 Caṇḍālī
gtum mo
གམ་མོ།
 caṇḍālī
Another name for the channel carrying semen, used when it carries menstrual blood.

g.28 Channel
’bab ma
འབབ་མ།
vāhinī

g.29 Channel
rtsa
།
nādi · nāḍī

g.30 Channel of darkness

mun pa ’bab
ན་པ་འབབ།
tamovāhinī
The middle channel above the navel.

g.31 Channel of excrement

bshang ba’i rtsa
བཤང་བ་།
viṇnāḍi

g.32 Channel of Rāhu

sgra can rtsa
་ཅན་།
rāhunāḍi

g.33 Channel of semen

khu ba ’bab
་བ་འབབ།
śukravāhinī

g.34 Channel of urine

gci ba’i rtsa
ག་བ་།
mūtranāḍi

g.35 Characteristic
mtshan nyid
མཚན་ད།
lakṣaṇa

g.36 Childish
byis pa
ས་པ།
bāla
See i.9 and i.15.
g.37 Coemergent joy
lhan gcig skyes dga’
ན་གག་ས་དགའ།
sahajānanda
The fourth joy.

g.38 Coemergent one

lhan skyes
ན་ས།
sahaja

g.39 Commentaries that indicate the entirety of the meaning

’grel bshad
འལ་བཤད།
ṭīkā

g.40 Commentary
’grel bshad
འལ་བཤད།
ṭīkā

g.41 Commitment
dam tshig
དམ་ག
samaya

g.42 Concentration
bsam gtan
བསམ་གཏན།
dhyāna

g.43 Conch-shell channel

dung can ma
ང་ཅན་མ།
śaṅkhinī
Another name for the channel carrying semen.

g.44 Consciousness
rnam shes
མ་ས།
vijñāna

g.45 Control of the winds

srog rtsol
ོག་ོལ།
prāṇāyāma
Also rendered here as “breath control.”

g.46 Corporeal being

lus can
ས་ཅན།
 dehin
Also rendered in this translation as “embodied being,” and “living being.”

g.47 Crown
cod pan
ད་པན།
mukuṭa

g.48 Crown of the head

gtsug tor
གག་ཏོར།
uṣṇīṣa

g.49 Cyclic existence

srid pa
ད་པ།
bhava
Also rendered here as “existence.”

g.50 Daṇḍa
dbyug gu
དག་
daṇḍa
A period of 24 minutes. See also note 30.

g.51 Darkness
mun can
ན་ཅན།
taminī · tamas

g.52 Daughter of a barren woman

mo gsham bu mo
མོ་གཤམ་་མོ།
vandhyāduhitṛ

g.53 Delusion
gti mug
ག་ག
moha

g.54 Demon
lha min
་ན།
māra
In Tibetan usually rendered as bdud; lha min: asura (demigod).

g.55 Desire realm

’dod khams
འདོད་ཁམས།
kāmadhātu
g.56 Devouring
za ba
ཟ་བ།
bhakṣaṇa

g.57 Dharmakāya
chos sku
ས་།
dharmakāya

g.58 Diminish
nyams pa
ཉམས་པ།
kṣaya · kṣīṇa

g.59 Discrimination
’du shes
འ་ས།
saṃjñā

g.60 Ḍombī
g.yung mo
གང་མོ།
ḍombī
Name of women’s avadhūtī referring to menstruation.

g.61 Downward-moving wind

thur sel
ར་ལ།
apāna

g.62 Dro Lotsawa Sherap Drakpa

’bro lo tsA ba shes rab grags pa · ’bro shes rab grags pa
འོ་ལོ་་བ་ས་རབ་གས་པ། · འོ ་ས་རབ་གསཔ།
—

g.63 Drop
thig le
ག་།
bindu

g.64 Earth
’dzin ma
འན་མ།
dharā

g.65 Elder
rgan
ན།
vṛddha
g.66 Element
khams
ཁམས།
dhātu

g.67 Element
’byung ba
འང་བ།
bhūta

g.68 Eliminated
nyams pa
ཉམས་པ།
āharaṇa

g.69 Elixir
bcud
བད།
rasa

g.70 Elixir
ro
རོ།
rasa

g.71 Embodied being

lus can
ས་ཅན།
dehin
Also rendered in this translation as “corporeal being,” and “living being.”

g.72 Empowerment
dbang bskur · dbang
དབང་བར། · དབང་།
seka

g.73 Emptiness
stong pa nyid
ོང་པ་ད།
śūnyatā

g.74 Empty
stong pa
ོང་པ།
śūnya
Also rendered here as “void.”

g.75 Equinox
mnyam pa
མཉམ་པ།
viṣuva
g.76 Established
rab tu gnas pa
རབ་་གནས་པ།
pratiṣṭhita

g.77 Eternalism and nihilism

rtag dang chad
ག་དང་ཆད།
śāśvatoccheda

g.78 Exist
dngos po
དས་པོ།
bhūta

g.79 Existence
dngos po nyid · yod nyid
དས་པོ་ད། · ཡོད་ད།
bhava, bhāva · asti

g.80 Existence
srid pa
ད་པ།
bhava
Also rendered here as “cyclic existence.”

g.81 Explanation
rgyas par bshad pa
ས་པར་བཤད་པ།
nirdeśa

g.82 Extensive explanation

rgyas bshad chen po
ས་བཤད་ན་པོ།
mahānirdeśa
A commentary on the Mūlatantra.

g.83 Extensive summary

mdor bstan che
མདོར་བན་།
mahoddeśa
A commentary on the Laghukālacakratantra.

g.84 Externally added

glo bur
་ར།
āgantuka
Also rendered in this translation as “adventitious.”

g.85 Extinguished
mya ngan ’das
 ་ངན་འདས།
nirvṛta

g.86 Families of the six aggregates

phung po’i rigs
ང་པོ་གས།
skandhakulāni
Wisdom, sensation, consciousness, matter, karmic formations, and discrimination.

g.87 Form
gzugs
གགས།
saṃsthāna · rūpa

g.88 Form realm

gzugs khams
གགས་ཁམས།
rūpadhātu

g.89 Fortnight
phyogs
ོགས།
pakṣa

g.90 Four types of awakening

rdzogs pa’i byang chub bzhi
ོགས་པ་ང་བ་བ།
catuḥsambodhi

g.91 Free from vibration

mi g.yo ba
་གཡོ་བ།
niḥspanda

g.92 Fusion
bsdus pa
བས་པ།
samāhāra

g.93 Great abandonment

spangs pa chen po
ངས་པ་ན་པོ།
prahāṇamahatva

g.94 Great bliss

bde ba chen po
བ་བ་ན་པོ།
mahāsukha

g.95 Great drop

thig le che

 
 ག་་།
mahābindu

g.96 Great immovable bliss

mi ’gyur che
་འར་།
mahākṣara

g.97 Great prajñā

shes rab chen po
ས་རབ་ན་པོ།
mahāprajñā

g.98 Great realization

rtogs pa chen po
ོགས་པ་ན་པོ།
adhigamamahatva

g.99 Great vow

brtul zhugs che
བལ་གས་།
mahāvrata

g.100 Head
mgo bo
མ་བོ།
śiras

g.101 Humor
nyes pa
ས་པ།
doṣa

g.102 Iḍā
lug
ག
iḍā
The left channel above the navel.

g.103 Illuminated
rab tu gsal ba
རབ་་གསལ་བ།
pradīpta

g.104 Illumination
rab tu gsal ba
རབ་་གསལ་བ།
pradīpti

g.105 Illusion
sgyu ma
 ་མ།
māyā

g.106 Illustrious One

bcom ldan ’das
བམ་ན་འདས།
Bhagavan

g.107 Immovable bliss

mi ’gyur
་འར།
akṣara

g.108 Imprints
bag chags
བག་ཆགས།
vāsanā

g.109 Increase
’phel ba
འལ་བ།
vṛddhi

g.110 Index finger

mdzub mo
མབ་མོ།
tarjanī

g.111 Indivisible
gcad du med pa
གཅད་་ད་པ།
acchedya
Lit. “impossible to be cut.”

g.112 Initial joy

dang po’i dga’ ba
དང་པོ་དགའ་བ།
prathamānanda
The first joy.

g.113 Insight
shes rab
ས་རབ།
prajñā
(When referring to the female consort it is left untranslated: “prajñā.”)

g.114 Intense joy

dga’ bral dga’ ba
དགའ་ལ་དགའ་བ།
viramānanda
The third joy.
g.115 Jñānamudrā
ye shes phyag rgya
་ས་ག་།
jñānamudrā
See “wisdom mudrā.”

g.116 Joy
dga’ ba
དགའ་བ།
ānanda

g.117 Kālacakra
dus kyi ’khor lo
ས་་འར་ལོ།
Kālacakra

g.118 Kāmaśāstra
’dod pa’i bstan bcos
འདོད་པ་བན་བས།
kāmaśāstra
A treatise on love.

g.119 Karmamudrā
las kyi phyag rgya
ལས་་ག་།
karmamudrā
See “action mudrā.”

g.120 Karmic formations

’du byed
འ་ད།
saṃskāra

g.121 Lack of passion

chags bral
ཆགས་ལ།
virāga

g.122 Laghukālacakratantra
—
Laghukālacakratantra
Mañjuśrī Yaśas’s condensed version of the Paramādibuddha.

g.123 Lalanā
brkyang ma
བང་མ།
lalanā
The left channel above the navel.

g.124 Left channel

g.yon
ོ
 གཡོན།
dakṣiṇā

g.125 Level of the full [moon]

rdzogs pa’i gnas
ོགས་པ་གནས།
pūrṇāpada

g.126 Liberation
grol ba
ལ་བ།
mukta · mukti

g.127 Lightning
cha
ཆ།
kalā

g.128 Little finger

mthe chung
མ་ང་།
kaniyasī

g.129 Living being

lus can
ས་ཅན།
dehin
Also rendered in this translation as “embodied being,” and “corporeal being.”

g.130 Lunar nectar

zla ba bdud rtsi
་བ་བད་།
candrāmṛta

g.131 Magic
mig ’phrul
ག་འལ།
indrajāla

g.132 Magical image

pra phab
་ཕབ།
pratisenā

g.133 Mahāmudrā
phyag rgya chen po
ག་་ན་པོ།
mahāmudrā
Lit. “great seal.” One of the three types of mudrā, with aspects as causal and resultant mahāmudrā (see
Introduction, i.33 et seq..
g.134 Mahāsattva
sems dpa’ che
མས་དཔའ་།
Mahāsattva

g.135 Maṇḍala
dkyil ’khor
དལ་འར།
maṇḍala
The energy centers along the middle channel.

g.136 Manifold world

sna tshogs
་ཚོགས།
viśva

g.137 Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti
’jam dpal mtshan brjod
འཇམ་དཔལ་མཚན་བད།
mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti
Toh 360.

g.138 Matter
gzugs
གགས།
rūpa

g.139 Means of accomplishment

sgrub thabs
བ་ཐབས།
sādhana

g.140 Meditative absorption

bsam gtan
བསམ་གཏན།
dhyāna

g.141 Meditative concentration

ting nge ’dzin
ང་་འན།
samādhi
Also rendered as “absorption.”

g.142 Mental objects

chos kyi dbyings
ས་་དངས།
dharmadhātu

g.143 Merit
bsod nams
བསོད་ནམས།
 puṇya

g.144 Middle channel

kun ’dar ma · dbu ma
ན་འདར་མ། · ད་མ།
avadhūtī · madhyā
Also rendered in this translation as “avadhūtī.”

g.145 Middle finger

gung mo
ང་མོ།
madhyamā

g.146 Mind
sems
མས།
citta

g.147 Moon
ri bong can
་བོང་ཅན།
śaśin

g.148 Moonless
zla ba nyams pa
་བ་ཉམས་པ།
naṣṭacandra
The sixteenth solar phase.

g.149 Mūlakālacakratantra
—
Mūlakālacakratantra
Another designation for the Paramādibuddha.

g.150 Mūlatantra
—
Mūlatantra
Root tantra.

g.151 Multiform joy

sna tshogs dga’ ba
་ཚོགས་དགའ་བ།
vividharamaṇa

g.152 Nāḍikā
chu tshod
་ཚོད།
nāḍikā
Period of 24 minutes.

g.153 Name
 ming
ང་།
nāma

g.154 Nāropa
nA ro pa
་རོ་པ།
Nāropa

g.155 Navel
lte ba
་བ།
nābhi

g.156 Neutral
ma ning
མ་ང་།
napuṃsaka
Neither male nor female.

g.157 Nirmāṇakāya
sprul sku
ལ་།
nirmāṇakāya

g.158 Nonabiding nirvāṇa

rab gnas mya ngan ’das pa min
རབ་གནས་་ངན་འདས་པ་ན།
apratiṣṭhitanirvāṇa

g.159 Nonbeing
dngos med
དས་ད།
abhāva
Also rendered here as “nonexistence.”

g.160 Nonexistence
dngos med · med
དས་ད། · ད།
abhāva · nāsti
Also rendered here as “nonbeing.”

g.161 Objects and sense faculties

yul dang dbang po
ལ་དང་དབང་པོ།
viṣayendriya

g.162 Obscured
bkab pa
བཀབ་པ།
channa
g.163 Obscuring
bkab pa
བཀབ་པ།
chādana

g.164 Odor
dri
།
gandha

g.165 Omnipresent
gtso bo
གཙོ་བོ།
vibhū

g.166 Omniscient one

thams cad mkhyen
ཐམས་ཅད་མན།
sarvajña

g.167 One meaning

don gcig
དོན་གག
ekārtha

g.168 Own nature

rang bzhin
རང་བན།
svabhāva

g.169 Paramādibuddha
—
Paramādibuddha
The original extensive Kālacakratantra taught by the Buddha.

g.170 Particles
tshogs pa
ཚོགས་པ།
paramāṇu

g.171 Passion
rjes chags
ས་ཆགས།
anurāga

g.172 Passion for fleeting bliss

’gyur ba’i chags pa
འར་བ་ཆགས་པ།
kṣaralobha

g.173 Passion of emission

 ’pho ba’i chags pa
འཕོ་བ་ཆགས་པ།
cyutirāga
The passion for emission of semen.

g.174 Penetrate
phug pa
ག་པ།
viddha

g.175 Perfections
pha rol phyin pa
ཕ་རོལ་ན་པ།
pāramitā

g.176 Permission
rjes gnang
ས་གནང་།
anujñā

g.177 Petal
’dab ma
འདབ་མ།
dala

g.178 Phase
cha
ཆ།
kalā
A lunar phase.

g.179 Phase of the full moon

rdzogs pa
ོགས་པ།
pūrṇā

g.180 Phenomena
chos
ས།
dharma

g.181 Piṅgalā
ser skya
ར་།
piṅgalā
The right channel above the navel.

g.182 Prajñā
shes rab
ས་རབ།
prajñā
 (When not referring to the female consort it is translated here as “insight.”)

g.183 Precise explanation

rab tu rgyas par bshad pa
རབ་་ས་པར་བཤད་པ།
pratinirdeśa
A word-by-word commentary on the Mūlatantra.

g.184 Precise summary

rab tu mdor bstan
རབ་་མདོར་བན།
pratyuddeśa
A word-by-word commentary on the Laghukālacakratantra.

g.185 Psycho-physical aggregates

phung po
ང་པོ།
skandha

g.186 Purity
dag pa
དག་པ།
viśuddha

g.187 Ra Chörap
rwa chos rab
་ས་རབ།
—

g.188 Rāhu
sgra can
་ཅན།
rāhu

g.189 Rajas
—
rajas

g.190 Rasanā
ro ma
རོ་མ།
rasanā
The right channel.

g.191 Real entities

dngos po
དས་པོ།
vastu

g.192 Recitation of the tantra

rgyud yang dag par bsdus pa
 ད་ཡང་དག་པར་བས་པ།
tantrasaṃgīti

g.193 Recollection
rjes dran
ས་ན།
anusmṛti

g.194 Reflection
gzugs · gzugs brnyan
གགས། · གགས་བན།
bimba

g.195 Relative truth

kun rdzob bden pa
ན་ོབ་བན་པ།
saṃvṛtisatya

g.196 Resultant mahāmudrā

’bras bu’i ngo bo phyag rgya chen po
འས་་་བོ་ག་་ན་པོ།
phalarūpā mahāmudrā

g.197 Retention
’dzin pa
འན་པ།
dhāraṇā

g.198 Ribbon
dar dpyangs
དར་དངས།
paṭṭa

g.199 Right channel

g.yas
གཡས།
vāmā

g.200 Rinchen Gyaltsen

rin chen rgyal mtshan
ན་ན་ལ་མཚན།
—

g.201 Ring finger

ming med
ང་ད།
anāmika

g.202 Rising
’char ba
འཆར་བ།
 udaya

g.203 Samantaśrī
sa man+ta shri
ས་མ་།
Samantaśrī

g.204 Samayasattva
dam tshig sems dpa’ · dam tshig
དམ་ག་མས་དཔའ། · དམ་ག
Samayasattva

g.205 Saṃbhogakāya
longs sku
ལོངས་།
saṃbhogakāya

g.206 Saṃsāra
’khor ba
འར་བ།
saṃsāra

g.207 Sattva
sems dpa’
མས་དཔའ།
sattva

g.208 Sealed
rgyas btab pa
ས་བཏབ་པ།
mudrita

g.209 Secret part

gsang ba
གསང་བ།
guhya

g.210 Sekoddeśaṭīkā
—
Sekoddeśaṭīkā
Nāropa’s commentary on the Sekoddeśa.

g.211 Sekoddeśaṭippaṇī
—
Sekoddeśaṭippaṇī
Sādhuputraśrīdharānanda’s commentary on the Sekoddeśa.

g.212 Semen
khu ba
་བ།
śukra
g.213 Sensation
tshor ba
ཚོར་བ།
vedanā

g.214 Sense faculty

dbang po
དབང་པོ།
indriya

g.215 Sentient being

sems can
མས་ཅན།
sattva

g.216 Set
nub pa
བ་པ།
astamita · astamana

g.217 Signs
mtshan ma
མཚན་མ།
nimitta

g.218 Signs of death

’chi ltas
འ་ས།
ariṣṭa

g.219 Six families

rigs drug
གས་ག
ṣaṭkula

g.220 Six [summaries and explanations] that are of such kinds

mtha’ drug
མཐའ་ག
ṣaṭkoṭi
Here referring to the three types of summaries and three types of explanations.

g.221 Sixfold yoga

yan lag drug gi rnal ’byor
ཡན་ལག་ག་་ལ་འོར།
ṣaḍaṅgayoga

g.222 Sky-flower
nam mkha’i me tog
ནམ་མཁ་་ཏོག
khakusuma
 Metaphorical expression for something unreal, illusionary.

g.223 Sky-goer face

mkha’ ’gro gdong
མཁའ་འ་གདོང་།
khagamukhā
Another name for the channel carrying semen.

g.224 Solar blood

nyi rdul
་ལ།
arkarajas

g.225 Somanātha
so ma nA tha
སོ་མ་་ཐ།
Somanātha

g.226 Sound
sgra
།
śabda

g.227 Speech
ngag
ངག
vāk

g.228 Stainless
dri med · dri med nyid
་ད། · ་ད་ད།
amala · nirmalatva

g.229 Sthitisamāsa
gnas pa bsdus pa
གནས་པ་བས་པ།
Sthitisamāsa
Text by Sahajavajra (Toh 2227).

g.230 Sucandra
zla ba bzang po · zla ba
་བ་བཟང་པོ། · ་བ།
Sucandra · Candra
The king of Śambhala requesting this tantra.

g.231 Summary
mdor bstan
མདོར་བན།
uddeśa
Laghukālacakratantra.
g.232 Sun
nyi ma
་མ།
ravi

g.233 Supramundane knowledge

mngon shes
མན་ས།
abhijñā
Nāropa gives the following five supramundane knowledges: divine eye (Tib. lha’i mig), divine ear (Tib.
lha’i rna ba), knowing the minds of others (Tib. gzhan gyi sems shes pa), recollecting the past lives of oneself
and others (Tib. rang dang gzhan gyi sngon gyi gnas rjes su dran pa), and the miraculous power of being able
to walk in the sky (Tib. nam mkha’ la ’gro ba’i rdzu ’phrul).

g.234 Supreme immovable bliss

mchog tu mi ’gyur ba
མག་་་འར་བ།
paramākṣara

g.235 Supreme joy

mchog dga’
མག་དགའ།
paramānanda
The second joy.

g.236 Suṣumnā
yid bzang
ད་བཟང་།
suṣumnā
The middle channel above the navel.

g.237 Tamas
—
tamas

g.238 Tantra
rgyud
ད།
tantra

g.239 Taste
ro
རོ།
rasa

g.240 Taurus
glang
ང་།
vṛṣabha

g.241 Thing
 dngos po
དས་པོ།
bhava · bhāva

g.242 Threefold existence

srid gsum
ད་གམ།
tribhuvana

g.243 Thumb
mthe bong
མ་བོང་།
aṅguṣṭha

g.244 Touch
reg bya
ག་།
spraṣṭavya

g.245 Transgression
sdig pa
ག་པ།
pāpa

g.246 True bliss

dam pa’i bde
དམ་པ་བ།
satsukha

g.247 True meaning

bden don
བན་དོན།
satyārtha

g.248 Tuft between the eyebrows

mdzod spu
མཛོད་།
ūrṇā

g.249 Ultimate
dam pa’i don
དམ་པ་དོན།
paramārtha

g.250 Ultimate truth

dam pa’i don gyi bden pa
དམ་པ་དོན་་བན་པ།
satya paramārtha

g.251 Union
snyoms ’jug · sbyor ba

 ོ
 མས་འག · ོར་བ།
samāpatti · saṃyoga

g.252 Union of the two series of vowels and consonants

A li kA li mnyam sbyor ba
་་་་མཉམ་ོར་བ།
ālikālisamāyoga

g.253 Unique characteristic

mtshan nyid gcig
མཚན་ད་གག
ekalakṣaṇa

g.254 Unique union

gcig sbyor ba
གག་ོར་བ།
ekayoga

g.255 Universal ancestor

skye dgu’i bdag po
་ད་བདག་པོ།
prajāpati

g.256 Unstained
gos pa med
ས་པ་ད།
nirāvaraṇa

g.257 Urine
gci ba
ག་བ།
mūtra

g.258 Vajra
rdo rje
ོ་།
vajra

g.259 Vajra vow

rdo rje’i brtul zhugs
ོ་་བལ་གས།
vajravrata

g.260 Vajrasattva
rdo rje sems dpa’
ོ་་མས་དཔའ།
Vajrasattva

g.261 Vajrayoga
rdo rje’i rnal ’byor
ོ་་ལ་འོར།
 vajrayoga
(1) The four vajrayogas are the vajrayogas of purity (Skt. viśuddha), dharma, mantra, and form (Skt.
saṃsthāna).
(2) In this text, Vajrayoga is also the name of one of the six self-arisen supramundane beings, see i.41.

g.262 Vibration
g.yo ba
གཡོ་བ།
spanda

g.263 Vimalaprabhā
—
Vimalaprabhā
Puṇḍarīka’s commentary on the Laghukālacakratantra.

g.264 Visible objects

kha dog rnams
ཁ་དོག་མས།
rūpiṇaḥ

g.265 Visualized support

dmigs pa
དགས་པ།
avalambana

g.266 Vital breath

rlung
ང་།
anila

g.267 Vital wind

srog
ོག
prāṇa

g.268 Void
stong pa
ོང་པ།
śūnya
Also rendered here as “empty.”

g.269 Water
chu
།
udaka

g.270 Wind
rlung
ང་།
marut · mārut · vāyu
g.271 Wisdom
ye shes
་ས།
jñāna

g.272 Wisdom from a prajñā

shes rab ye shes
ས་རབ་་ས།
prajñājñāna

g.273 Wisdom mudrā

ye shes phyag rgya
་ས་ག་།
jñānamudrā
Lit. “wisdom seal,” a visualized consort. Also rendered here as “jñānamudrā.”

g.274 Withdrawal
so sor sdud pa
སོ་སོར་ད་པ།
pratyāhāra

g.275 Without vibration

g.yo med
གཡོ་ད།
niḥspanda

g.276 Word-by-word commentary

dka’ ’grel tshig ’byed pa
དཀའ་འལ་ག་འད་པ།
pañjikā padabhañjikā