CyzRbComm

Forwards

COMMENTARY ON THE PRECIOUS TREASURY OF DHARMADHAATU

Introduction

At a certain point, I began to ask the Vidyaadhara questions like, "Aren't you teaching, and manifesting, that really everything is the purity of the absolute?"

Once in particular I asked him whether Tibetans had anything to say similar to the "net of Indra" teaching of Hwa Yen and Zen. This symbolizes Ga.n.davyuuha, the vision of the relative as the sambhogakaaya realm of infinitely interpenetrating totality. I thought he would know, having both transmissions. He replied, "Longchenpa says a lot about that in the Precious Treasury of Dharmadhaatu." I asked if it would be alright to look at it and he said, "Yes." Actually "net" teachings are more explicitly treated in the Sangnying. (gsang snying = gsang ba'i snying po). So it seems that it was the primordial perfection of ati that he primarily wanted to communicate.

My Tibetan is not good enough to read such a difficult text without actually translating it, so here is what happened. Later I told him I was translating this. He said it would be good if it were available to his students when they began to practice nyingma teachings. At the same time he was somewhat apprehensive that these teachings might be misunderstood and end up doing harm. "Don't do anything inappropriate," he said. It would have been natural to ask for clarification, but I didn't. That seemed to happen a lot with him. However, there are various familiar instructions that he gave that seem relevant.

First there are the teachings of transcending concept. It is not appropriate to intellectualize ati as a philosophical system. At the same time it is not an instruction to abandon study. One need only think of H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in that regard.

It is not appropriate to take the teachings of non-effort as an excuse to abandon the other practices we have been given, or not to relate to the sangha or the teaching ma.n.dala the Vidyaadhara created. Those situations were the very means by which he, as an ati master, hoped we would finally achieve this fruition.

The buddhas are beyond conceptual good and evil because they are compassion and wisdom. The absolute teachings do not mean that we should not have compassion for those, including ourselves, who think they are sentient beings. Still less is ati meant as a license to ignore ordinary standards of considerate behavior and common sense.

Even a cat can look at the King. Just so, ordinary people can get a glimpse of the vision of enlightened beings by associating with masters like the Vidyaadhara. But we should not think we have actually attained that level until we are capable of the achievements of individuals like Milarepa and Padmasambhava. Even then, "The sages dwell in complete humility." If we take these cautions to heart any danger from these teachings will probably be minimized.

At the same time we are really supposed to grasp this vision of absolute buddhahood insofar as we can. You would not think it was necessary to say this. But often we conceptualize the very means that are supposed to bring us to enlightenment in such a way that we conclude that enlightenment is almost inappropriate. Compassion can deteriorate into rigid morality. Emptiness can become nihilism. Non-dwelling can negate appreciation of the sacred. Ego can use fear of spiritual materialism as an excuse to avoid relating to spirituality altogether. This is actually rejection of the guru's vision, and hence of devotion and samaya. On that level neither oneself nor the guru exist as individuals. There is only enlightenment. So oneself and the guru are of equal fortune. Even the hinayaana says that conceptual Dharma is like a raft to be thrown away when one has reached the other shore of the river of sa.msaara. Ati exists largely to remove fixation that arises on the path. Non-attachment doesn't mean we should boycott enlightenment, or not care about it. It is definitely a case of "Take it easy, but take it." In lectures he said things like, "At some point it becomes a question of will you accept siddhi? Don't you want to help sentient beings?"

These are the highest teachings of the nine yaanas. They are meant for "those who have already done all the work." The teaching of non-effort must be seen in that light. Ideally the reader should already be accomplished in the view of abhidharma, madhyamaka, and yogaachaara; the practices of shamatha, vipashyanaa, tonglen, the paaramitaas, saadhana practice, the six yogas and so on. These should have been mixed with one's being until they become spontaneous accomplishment. Then one can then let go of nirvaa.nic neurosis and attachments concerned with the antidotes of Dharma, and with the fruition. Obviously most of us are not in a position where we can literally apply this.

The Vidyaadhara taught many times that the proper way for persons like ourselves to relate to the teachings of transparency and luminosity was to acknowledge the spontaneous flashes of insight and blessings that occur while we do our assigned practices and live our daily lives. We should have confidence in them, but at the same time not try to cling to them. We should have confidence that obstacles and obscurations are merely incidental. They are not a good excuse to forsake an enlightened attitude. The point of "no gain" is that guru's vision is what is. We do not need to cultivate it, so much as to appreciate and acknowledge what we are, and what our situation is. In that way our vision and compassion will deepen. The space of ati provides a space in which our other practices will be greatly enhanced, and daily life can become the ornament of practice. The Vidyaadhara always meant us to see the hinayaana and mahaayaana teachings from the viewpoint of tantra, and tantra from the viewpoint of ati.

Ugyen and I asked H. H. Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche to clarify what was "appropriate" to do with these teachings. In particular we asked whether Longchenpa's strongly worded injunctions to secrecy should be taken literally. We noted that some teachers are now giving ati teachings openly. His reply was very definite. It is his wish that this material only be made available to "senior students." Ugyen and Larry Mermelstein, the head of the Naalandaa Translation Group both interpreted this as meaning saadhakas or the equivalent. Please keep these wishes of the gurus in mind. It cost a lot of time and money to make these teachings available. I would be very sad if the end result for anyone was harmful.

Lama Ugyen patiently spent hundreds of hours going over this manuscript word by word. I could not have translated many passages without him, so it seems appropriate to list him as a co-author. I am very grateful Khenpo Sonam Thopgyal Rinpoche for answering numerous written and oral questions and tolerating my bad Tibetan with great bodhisattva patience. Thanks too to Khenpo Palden Sherab Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal Rinpoche for making space in a crowded schedule to meet with me on this text. Erik Schmidt was very helpful, especially for making his unpublished dharma dictionary available. My informants were all very competent and my only fear is that I have undoubtedly misunderstood some of what they said. These teachings contain the very essence of enlightenment. Right up there with the fantasy of becoming a universal monarch is that of the book that cannot be read without getting enlightened. In truth it doesn't exist, but this text of Longchenpa is about as close as they come. "Inspiring to say the least," as the Vidyaadhara said. I hope some shadow of the original splendor comes through in translation. The Wedding of the Sun and Moon says:

Whoever has become familiar with this,

By having let things rest without all seeking

Will thus attain the meaning of these teachings.

By non-meditation great bliss will increase.

The nature of all things will manifest.

Whatever persons have encountered this,

Including those with inexpiable faults,

Will then be liberated without a doubt

By means of having become familiar with this.

I swear upon the pain of hell itself

There is no doubt that they will be liberated.

Notes

The following abbreviations are used:

• Blue Annals, Roerich, G., The Blue Annals, Delhi: Motilal, 1976.
• BPTP: Guenther, H. Buddhist Philosophy in Theory and Practice, Baltimore: Penguin, 1972.
• Chang: Teachings of Tibetan Yoga, New York: University, 1963.
• Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism, Chögyam Trungpa, Berkeley: Shambhala, 1973
• CYD: chos dbyings mdzod, The Precious Treasury of Dharmadhaatu. Dodrup Chen Rinpoche: Gangtok, Sikkim.
• DEGE: chos dbyings mdzod, volume II of the mdzod bdun, published Gyaltsen and Labrang, Palace Monastery, Gangtok, Sikkim from prints of the Dege blocks, printed Delhi: Lakshmi Press, 1983.
• ES: Schmidt, E. Concise Dharma Dictionary, unpublished.
• EW: Evans-Wentz, W., The Tibetan Book of the Dead, London: Oxford, 1949.
• Goldstein, M. Tibetan English Dictionary of Modern Tibetan, Kathmandu, Nepal: Ratna Pustak Bhandar, 1983.
• JOL: Guenther, H., The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, Berkeley: Shambhala, 1971.
• KPSR: Khenpo Palden Sherab, Rinpoche, and Khenpo Tsewang Dongyal, Rinpoche.
• KSTR: Khenpo Sonam Thopgyal, Rinpoche.
• KTHR: Khenpo Thrangu Rinpoche.
• LM: Trungpa/Naalandaa, The Life of Marpa, Boulder: Prajñaa, 1982.
• LT: lung gi gter mdzod, Dodrup Chen Rinpoche: Gangtok, Sikkim. Longchenpa's autocommentary on CYD. This was Trungpa Rinpoche's personal copy. F130 is missing.
• LUS: Lama Ugyen Shenpen.
• MTC: Interlinear Commentary to the mu tig phreng ba, rnying ma rgyud 'bum, volume na, Royal Government of Bhutan, National Library Thimpu, printed Jayed: Dehli.
• The Myth of Freedom, Chögyam Trungpa, Berkeley: Shambhala, l976
• NN: Norbu, Namkha'i: The Crystal and the Way of Light, London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1986.
• PPA: Guenther, H., Philosophy and Psychology in the Abhidharma, Berkeley: Shambhala, 1974.
• SKK: Jamgön Kongtrul the Great, shes bya kun khyab, Peking: mi rigs dpe skrun khang, 1982
• SSN: Mipham Rinpoche, Shentong Sengé Ngaro, The Lion's Roar Proclaiming Shentong, Naalanda/Trungpa, unpublished.
• The Central Conception of Buddhism, Stcherbatsky, T, Delhi: Motilal, 1970.
• The Rain of Wisdom, Trungpa/Naalandaa, Boulder: Shambhala, 1980.
• TT: Thondup, Tulku, Rinpoche, Buddha Mind, an anthology of Longchen Rabjam's writings on Dzogpa Chenpo, Ithaca: Snow Lion, 1989.
• VCTR: Vidyaadhara the Venerable Chögyam Trungpa, Rinpoche.

Tibetan has as many words for space as eskimos do for snow. Longchenpa makes a point of distinguishing dbyings and klong in the text, as discussed there and in the glossary. When not otherwise noted space is a translation of dbyings. When capitalized it is a translation of klong. When it occurs at the beginning of a line or sentence the first two letters are capitalized, ie. "SPace." "Space of the sky" is typically mkha' or nam mkha'. Other terms are noted. When "Mind" is capitalized, it translates sems nyid, elsewhere "mind itself" or "the nature of mind." chos is always translated "dharma" but capitalized when it means "the teachings" rather than elements of existence etc.

In the "trade language" of the Vidyaadhara's students and other serious vajrayaana practitioners many Tibetan and Sanskrit terms are treated as English loan words, and used with English inflections, endings, and capitalizations. Our practice texts and everyday communications have fallen into the perhaps inconsistent practice of retaining sanskrit diacritics when we do this. "Vidyaadhara's" above is of course an example. "Karmic," ".daakin11s," "kaaya's" and other examples lie in wait to offend the purist. I do have sympathy, as I do for those who decry the split infinitives that have recently overwhelmed the media. But the people have spoken. I also think it is sometimes clearer to begin sentences with "but." The reader is perfectly welcome to edit, where this is intolerable. I have even toyed with the idea of electronic copies where one cold substitute one's favorite translations for any given term.

There are some lists and so forth whose significance I have so far been unable to resolve. I still have hopes of doing so, but there is no telling how long it may take. Therefore it seemed best to proceed. If translators generally do this, the resulting pool of knowledge is likely to go far toward alleviating the problem. Longchenpa is presupposing familiarity with all the ground path and fruition of the nine yaanas. Advanced students of the Vidyaadhara will be familiar with the requisite material from seminary and Ngetön school. There are a number of good books on ati topics, but TT may be especially helpful. It gives a good introduction to Longchenpa's life and work, and has hundreds of pages of his other writings on ati. In addition the translation system is close enough to this to make the two readily comparable. There is also much helpful background material on ati texts etc. I am happy these sources are available. I feel relieved of the almost impossible task of putting together an introduction that summarizes this vast expanse of presupposed knowledge. The intended readers will already know the basic story of which this is the punch line.

Most of the notes are concerned with additions and deletions made for metrical reasons. For example, karma <and kleshas> indicates that "and kleshas" was added for metrical reasons. If the text reads karma is eliminated and the note "...karma and kleshas" that indicates that "and kleshas" was omitted for metrical reasons. It is worth noting that there is a lot of similar filling and omitting in the original Tibetan verse. Other than this notes have been kept minimal. Most discussion of terms and so forth is in the second glossary.

There are two glossaries. The first contains English and transliterated terms that are used in the text. It gives Tibetan equivalents. The second contains transliterated Tibetan terms alphabetized in English order. To avoid duplication, only the second glossary contains explanations of the terms. This text presupposes knowledge of the whole corpus of Tibetan Buddhism. It would be impossible to give all the relevant background material. Nor would it be desirable, traditionally speaking. No one should be reading this who does not have the basic information already. At the same time I have tried to provide approximate working definitions of most of the technical terms. The purpose is to provide a starting point so that the reader can develop more precise notions from the text itself. For many readers most of the information in the glossary will be unnecessary. It is meant to be used only as needed.

As this is not a work for general scholarly publication I have followed Tibetan practice overall in regard to not footnoting the sources of quotations. I could have spent several years checking and correcting all these quotes against the originals. Spot checking makes it plain that there are minor discrepancies. Mipham in editing Longchenpa's work also notes this and says that in any case the text should not be corrected. Longchenpa's work is of equal value with the original tantra. It is amazing that he was able to write this, working from memory as he did. Ugyen reports the traditional story that when works like these were composed the .daakinii's dictated, Samantabhadra had the light Mañjushrii held the paper, and Raahula managed the ink. He was a little impatient and miscopied some of the quotes, though not in a way that changed the basic meaning. Those familiar with the Vidyaadhara will know that the experience of an ati master can be quite visionary at times. This may well be a literal report of Longchenpa's experience. In any case Erik Schmidt and Ugyen both said it would be inappropriate to treat the quotes according to the usual way of western scholarship. Therefore, with reasons combining laziness and devotion I have not done so.

Title

THE SCRIPTURAL TREASURY

In Sanskrit the title is

Dharmadhaaturatnakoshavritti

in Tibetan

chos dbyings rin po che'i mdzod ces bya ba'i 'grel pa lung gi gter mdzod

This is the commentary on first chapter of

The Precious Treasury of Dharmadhaatu

"THE NATURE OF SA.MSAARA AND NIRVAA.NA DOES NOT GO BEYOND SPACE"

I prostrate to the ocean of all the victorious ones.

Samantabhadra, he who is the primordial Lord,

Immaculate, like the space of the sky, is utterly pure.

He is the kaayas and wisdoms. He is divinity.

Within that nothing is added and nothing is taken away.

I prostrate to him, the one who became the glory

Of the state of sa.msaara and also that of nirvaa.na.

There are no beings. Sa.msaara's appearance is like an illusion.

Though here, as if in a dream, are those who are bound by fixation,

Their nature is total freedom. That is the meaning of ati.

My subject is that great, self-existing, vast equanimity.

When, in primordial space, enlightenment is attained—kaaya and wisdom, where nothing ever needs to be added or taken away—it consists of the self-existing ornament of dharmadhaatu. This is the ga.n.davyuuha realm, which is Akani.sh.tha. The inexhaustible body, speech, mind, qualities, and activity of buddhahood emanate from the nature of the wheel of the ornament. It is like light rays emanating from the disk of the sun in a clear sky. In the boundlessness of the ten directions are limitless buddha fields. They are as extensive as dharmadhaatu and the endless ocean of the sky. By the ever increasing causes of spontaneous compassion and of the white virtue of those who will be tamed, there was the "full display of the lamp" of teachings of the Bhagavat Shaakyamuni. Thus, he had the power of taming whatever needs to be tamed. The completely perfected meaning, the pure fruition, of the turnings of the wheel of dharma at that time is this nature of the great perfection. It is the vehicle of the unsurpassable secret. The The Seed of Secret Action Tantra, says:

This is the single dot of the fundamental state. As for the seeds that grow into the meaning of this, They too are the ultimate garbha, which is truth itself. So it was spoken; so it was taught, and so explained. As for the speech that is the ocean of all the teachings, Some is for benefit in present situations; Some for attaining benefit in time to come; Some is for different purposes of taming beings. But except for a very few words of the heart of hearts, All of it is unestablished in reality.

— The Seed of Secret Action Tantra

There are two stages of realizing these points of truth, tregchö and thögel. The one which produces effortless liberation within a short time, for those whose powers are of the highest excellence, is tregchö. It means "cutting through solidifications of the ground." Its extremely numerous details, as described in the tantras and oral instructions, are here gathered into the single nature of those vajra points of truth. A supremely clear explanation of this is given at length in this treatise, The Precious Treasury of Dharmadhaatu.

Whoever wishes to compose a treatise must first delineate the subject on which it is to be composed, briefly stating it in a title. Those with sharp powers of mind will realize the meaning merely by seeing the name. The vajra body of the text will thus be briefly taught. It is arranged so as to be knowable in that way.

Here designation of the meaning by the name arises from appropriate interaction of words in an example, a meaning, and their association. The title is put together by connecting example and meaning. "Dharmadhaatu," is the meaning. "Precious Treasury," is the example. Dharmadhaatu is our natural wisdom, whose nature is completely pure. It is mind itself, absolute truth. By the power of insight and ignorance, all the dharmas of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na without exception arise from it. Because of that, it is like a wish-fulfilling treasury within which arises whatever is desired. Accordingly, example and meaning are connected.

The primordial space of sugatagarbha, is called the spontaneously-arising nature of buddhahood. Aside from realization and non-realization of this, there are no sa.msaara and nirvaa.na. Previous to this, what are conventionally called buddhas and sentient beings could not exist at all. If there were no insight, by what would sa.msaara and nirvaa.na be ascertained? There would be nothing whatsoever to classify as liberation or confusion. These words are explained by the Rangshar, the Tantra of Intrinsic Insight, which says:

Within some former state where I was not No Buddhas and no sentient beings would be, Still less a path, and its accomplishment. Not even one thing does not rise from me, For what I am is the great emptiness. By me the five-fold elements are made. I am the master of the elements. I am the ancestor of all the buddhas. Within some former state where I was not The very name of "Buddha" would not be. I am perfection of all skillful means. I do not have any characterizing dharmas, And so my mind itself is motionless. I am the charnel ground of all the buddhas. I constitute for them a changeless tomb. I am the true state of each sentient being Whose vaasanaas appear to be a body. I am prajñaa, having no distinctions. I am external, internal, and secret perfection. I am kaaya, which is the vajra essence. It is from me that buddhas are produced. I am what is meant by unborn insight. I am free from dharmas of a thing. Because I am without all qualities, I rise from within the grave of sentient beings. Because compassion rises as myself, I go beyond the label "emptiness." Because from me comes luminosity, I make the darkness shine with brilliance.

— Rangshar, the Tantra of Intrinsic Insight

Dharmadhaatu is insight, the naturally arising wisdom described here. The dharmas of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na without exception arise from this source. Therefore, it is called by the name "treasure house." An enumeration of the ways of explaining this is limitless. Here it is explained in terms of the three vajra points of ground, path, and fruition.

The naturally pure ground is the element, sugatagarbha. It is mind itself, whose nature is luminosity. This is dharmadhaatu, which means "the space, element, or source of dharmas." This is because the dhaatu exists as a precious treasury of the self-existing buddha qualities. It has them from all eternity.

On the path, the abhi.shekas that produce ripening are dharmadhaatu. This is true of those involving detailed stages, as well as the abhi.sheka of the power of self-existing insight. This is because they are the source of arising of all excellent dharmas. The guru's liberating oral instructions are said to be like precious jewels. The same is true of the wondrously arisen dharmas of the view, meditation, and action of practice. The experiences of realization, samaadhi, and so forth, as well as the limitless arising of the power of realization, should be known as a treasury of all good qualities.

The fruition is one's intrinsic insight, holy dharmakaaya. It has undefiled two-fold purity. This is dharmadhaatu, the ground of the arising of the buddha qualities. It is things as they are without defilement. Sambhogakaaya, because it is spontaneously existing, perfect sovereignty, is like a jewel. Nirmaa.nakaaya, along with its buddha activity, is taught to be like a good treasure house. It perfects and fulfills the hopes of those who are to be tamed. By these comments the explanation of the meaning of the title is completed.

Now there are two expressions of homage. Here is the explanation of the abbreviated one:

Introduction

I prostrate to glorious Samantabhadra.

As for "glorious," when the benefit for oneself, holy dharmakaaya, has been attained, it is like not going beyond space. The benefit for others, the holy ruupakaayas, produces benefits for sentient beings as long as sa.msaara lasts. The enlightened qualities of renunciation and realization are the ultimate benefit.

If you ask who has these benefits, it is Samantabhadra. He is the primordial lord who has gained sovereignty over all of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na. As for his spontaneous, excellent buddha activity, as the holy guide he is the one who shows the path. His is a perfect display of eternal mastery. To him, the author, as a manifestation of faith, says, "I prostrate." The three gates are offered with supreme, great devotion. If you ask whether the prostration is to Samantabhadra alone, that is not the case. All buddhas become buddhas by being of the essence of Samantabhadra. Therefore prostration is made to them all and to all the dharmas of the ground, path, and fruition. These are said to be the five-fold existence of Samantabhadra as the limbs of realization.

1) The teacher Samantabhadra, apparently dwells as the sambhogakaaya and dharmakaaya of all the buddhas in Akani.s.tha. He produces benefit by sending forth emanations wherever there are those who are to be tamed. The The Complete Commentary on Pramaana by Dharmakiirti says:

The net of conceptualizations is completely loosened. The kaayas of vastness and profundity are mastered. The pure radiance of Samantabhadra emanates from everything. To that I prostrate. It is like that.

— The Complete Commentary on Pramaana

— Dharmakiirti

2) The ground Samantabhadra is the dharmataa of all dharmas, also called the nature Samantabhadra.

3) Ornament Samantabhadra is the appearance of all dharmas, the self-arising play of the dharmin. It is completely pure in its illusory nature.

4) Insight Samantabhadra is natural wisdom, sugatagarbha. The Uttaratantra says:

Because the perfect buddha kaaya radiates, And because of being inseparable from suchness, And because they have the gotra, all embodied beings Always have the essence of buddhahood.

— Uttaratantra

This is exactly what is being talked about.

5) Realization Samantabhadra is the natural state of things as they are. By realizing it well one attains the eye of liberation. This is called path Samantabhadra. Regarding these the The Mirror-Mind of Samantabhadra says:

All dharmas should be known as the five natures of Samantabhadra:

1. nature Samantabhadra
2. ornament Samantabhadra
3. teacher Samantabhadra
4. insight Samantabhadra
5. realization Samantabhadra

— The Mirror-Mind of Samantabhadra

Here is the explanation of the extended homage. It is a praise of bodhicitta, as extensive as space:

Primordial self-existence, wondrous, marvelous Dharma;

Self-arisen wisdom, luminous bodhicitta;

Treasury, source of the rising of all the phenomenal world;

The vessel as well as the essence, sa.msaara as well as nirvaa.na;

I prostrate to that motionless simplicity.

That was an explanation of the overall subject of this shaastra. It is mind itself, whose nature is completely pure. From the beginning, it was not made by anyone. This is the naturally-existing ground of buddhahood, dharmakaaya. It is self-existing, changeless suchness. The buddha qualities of this space, the kaayas and wisdoms, have existed from all eternity without gathering or separation. They are the wondrous, marvelous Dharma, the eternal, unchanging, natural luminosity of wisdom. Its real state is that of bodhicitta. Conditioned by realization and non-realization, it arises as sa.msaara and nirvaa.na. But its essence is dharmataa without any change whatsoever. The holy master dwells as the nature of the great perfection. To awareness of the natural state I prostrate. That is what is being expressed. The Rangshar says:

In the true essence of reality There are no buddhas and no sentient beings. Insight that does not fixate is emptiness. If then one does not dwell on emptiness, The level where one dwells at such a time Will be the level of great bliss experience. As for all the powerful lord buddhas, As one's own insight they all should be known. Insight is the appearance of the King Who dwells unrealized in everyone.

— Rangshar

Next there is the promise to compose the text:

Peak of the yaanas, Mount Meru; Space of the sun and moon;

Naturally radiant Space; Space of the vajra heart;

Natural state of Space existing as it is;

Without any effort; without any act of being established;

Listen while I explain the space of dharmadhaatu,

Wondrous in its rising, eternal, and universal.

That was the promise. The nature of mind, self-arising wisdom, has only a single meaning. But there are different ways of resolving it in detail. These depend on differences in students' powers of understanding. The stages of the vehicles are explained in many ways, but they are gathered under nine headings. The Great Display of Ati, says:

As for the number of lesser stages, it is three. They are dharmas for lesser minds in accord with them. The shraavaka yaana exists for those who are steeped in concepts. The pratyekabuddha yaana for those who have perception. The bodhisattva yaana for those who enter by concepts. As for explaining the intermediate vehicles. For the lowest students there is the kriyaa yaana. For low ones, there is upa. Then for those Of dualistic consciousness, yoga has been taught. Regarding those of the last three stages that are great, The stage of development is for those beyond the mind; The stage of perfection for those who have mind's essence; But for excellent ones with the ultimate secret, there is ati.

— Great Display of Ati

Thus when the peak of all the nine yaanas or vehicles is reached, there is ati yoga, essence of the vajra heart. In regard to the three collections of mind, space, and oral instructions this is the unsurpassable distillation, the highest peak, of the collection of oral instructions. Therefore, it is called the peak of Mount Meru, and the Space of the sun and moon.

The same text says:

The collection of mind exists for those who have a mind. The collection of Space exists for those who have the sky. The oral instructions exist for those without effort or stages.

— Great Display of Ati

In nature pure, luminosity transcends all establishing and clearing away. It is the Space of the vajra heart-essence. Transcending all effort and establishment, luminosity is the Space of the essence as it is. Since its essence is pure from all eternity, it is eternal, universal, wondrously arisen space. This explanation of the meaning of insight-bodhicitta, ati, the vajra heart-essence like the sky, will be composed for the benefit of later generations. That is the promise. Praising this space, this highest peak of all views, the Rangshar, The Tantra of Intrinsic Insight says:

As the highest peak of all the views, Ati, the great perfection, is explained. When there is vastness, then it is revealed. It should be known as being like the sky, Wide, profound, and hard to comprehend, Like some tremendous ocean in its depth. It is awareness of the solar disk, A gathering of luminous rays of light. Being free from concepts of extremes, It therefore has been said to be the King Of all the skilful means of secret mantra.

— Rangshar, The Tantra of Intrinsic Insight

By these verses, the first part is completed.

Chapter 1

It teaches the reason for composing the shaastra

Now the subject of the main body of the shaastra, will be explained at length. The topics of the King of Secrets are taught in thirteen chapters. The first chapter is, "The Nature of Sa.msaara and Nirvaa.na does not go Beyond Space." It teaches that all dharmas do not change or depart from the great perfection, as limitless as space. Within insight, trikaaya, the great self-existence, sa.msaara and nirvaa.na arise as mere appearance. They are taught not to move from the self-existence of the dhaatu:

Spontaneous Spaciousness, this is the ground of arising of everything;

Empty in essence, yet unobstructed in its nature,

It is nothing whatever, and yet it arises as everything.

Since the dawn of both sa.msaara and nirvaa.na

Rises out of the Space of trikaaya as itself,

They do not depart from the space of the dhaatu, the realm of bliss.

Thus emptiness, the essence of insight in its natural purity, is dharmakaaya. Its nature, luminosity, is sambhogakaaya. Its unobstructed arising as compassion is nirmaa.nakaaya. Their eternal self-existence does not need to be sought. It is a great treasure that does not diminish. This is the ma.n.dala of luminosity, the fundamental state. From within this comes the experience of the pure buddhas. Whatever experiences of impure, sentient beings there may be, from the very time of arising, they are merely the play of the space of dharmataa. They do not arise as anything other than that. Just so, whatever good and bad dreams are dreamed are not something beyond the state of sleep. The Rangshar says:

Rising within emptiness, the sun of insight Rises as the five-fold dawn of the changeless kaayas. This is the great undiminishing treasure ma.n.dala. This is the play of the non-duality of non-thought. On the level of truth the skandhas do not manifest; But all the miracles of appearance are displayed.

— Rangshar

The Künjé, The Doer of All, The King, says:

Trikaaya is embodied by me, the doer of all. All apparent dharmas are the three non-creations. These three are my essence, nature, and compassion. I am trikaaya. These are taught as my own suchness.

— Künjé, The Doer of All, The King

Therefore the phenomenal world, the appearances of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na, is taught to be the miracles of the space of the dhaatu:

Within the great space of Mind, the changeless state of the sky;

Is play without limit, Space of the miracles of compassion,

All ornaments of the dhaatu; other than that there is nothing.

To emanate and to gather are powers of bodhicitta.

It is nothing whatever, because it arises as everything.

O the wonderful miracle! Wondrous, marvelous Dharma!

Within the state of our own insight is the play of various dharmas. Just so, the vessel and essence, the environment and inhabitants of the phenomenal world, are within the space of the sky. These miracles arise without obstruction from all eternity within the unborn state. This is taught as a wondrous, marvelous Dharma. The Rangshar says:

Insight is difficult for anyone to know. Subtle and difficult to know—not seen by all. When there is no fixation, as equality, All is the Spaciousness of self-arising bliss. Within that unobstructed state of things arises The play that manifests sa.msaara and nirvaa.na.

— Rangshar

The Künjé says:

All of the dharmas exist as examples of bodhicitta. All are examples of that essence like the sky. What is being described is the meaning of bodhicitta. Ether and air, along with water, fire and earth, Comprise the five elements, wondrously rising in bodhicitta. All of them rise as the manifestations of buddhahood. All the appearances of the three worlds, the five paths, and six lokas, Due to completely ripened karma, become immovable. All of them rise as the manifestation of buddhahood. The three worlds were always the body, speech, and mind of enlightenment. Therefore, the vessel and essence of all the phenomenal world Are not, like space, the non-existence of nothingness. For as the great objects of the great Space of bodhicitta, There are buddhas and sentient beings, having vessel and essence.

— Künjé

Here is the extended teaching of how the play of manifestation arises from the Space of bodhicitta:

All forms of the outer and inner appearance of sentient beings;

Are ornaments of the space, that arise as the wheel of body.

Whatever sounds and speech are heard without exception,

Are ornaments of the space, that arise as the wheel of speech.

The flickering discharge of memory and understanding,

And also the state of non-thought transcending all reflection,

Are ornaments of the space, that arising as wheel of mind.

The vessel and essence are the environment and inhabitants of apparent existence. They are all that appears as sa.msaara and nirvaa.na. In this state of insight they spontaneously arise merely as one's own experience. They have the essence of a dream, or the nature of the moon in water. They are a mere reflection. All appearances of form are the ma.n.dala or play of the kaayas within self-arising wisdom. All sounds and speech are the ma.n.dala of speech. Memory and understanding, as well as all the ocean of wisdom of complete non-thought, arise by themselves as merely the play of the great ma.n.dala of mind. This is the way they really are. The six senses and their objects, due to ego-fixation, appear as the assembly of the kleshas. Nevertheless, they have not gone beyond the single ma.n.dala of naturally-arising wisdom. Regarding this the Yigé Mépa, The Tantra Without Letters says:

Confused appearance, arising as everything, is my Mind. Confused appearance, existing as everything, is my heart. Confused appearance, appearing as everything, is my body. All the sounds of confused appearance are my speech.

— Yigé Mépa, The Tantra Without Letters

Also the Künjé says:

Kye! the teacher of teachers! The doer of all, the King, Makes a display of the essence ma.n.dala of body. Thus all the dharmas of appearance and existence Have been displayed as the unborn state of dharmadhaatu. For the sake of their inmost meaning, "No accepting, no rejecting," This too is displayed by me, the doer of all, the King. Kye! the teacher of teachers! The doer of all, the King, Makes a display of the essence ma.n.dala of speech. Thus are all dharmas, resounding with the voice of meaning, Revealed to be the spoken word of unborn space. They embody the inexpressible heart of speech. This too is my display, as the doer of all, the King. Kye! the teacher of teachers! The doer of all, the King, Makes a display of the essence ma.n.dala of insight. All concepts involved with knowing and remembering Are seen as myself, the unborn, the doer of everything. The body, speech, and mind of me, the doer of all, Are ma.n.dalas resting in uncreated naturalness. Having realized the meaning of this state Perfected in a moment, without any need for arrangement, One enters the essential heart of the self-existing.

— Künjé

Now there is the teaching of how the miracles of space are included in and embody the one reality and of how this is realized:

Inhabitants of the six lokas, having the four-fold manners of birth,

Do not move even an atom apart from dharmadhaatu.

Appearances of the six sense-objects as grasper and grasped

Do not occur within the state of dharmadhaatu.

There all appearance seems to be like an illusion.

Tenuous and etherial, it is without support.

This is the state of eternal emptiness of the great vastness,

Self-luminous suchness, rising to ornament dharmadhaatu.

The six lokas of sentient beings, the three worlds, and all the dharmas of the vessel and essence are merely an illusory display within insight. They are luminous appearances of what does not exist. As for appearing with a nature of their own, their appearance is like that of an illusory city appearing with great brilliance in the sky above. It is like the emanations of a supremely skilful magician. From the very time they appear, these appearances arise spontaneously as they are. They are mere subjectively-apprehended forms of things that are empty of any existence at all. Within this state of insight, the apparent objects of the six senses arise spontaneously as the mere experience they are, as a dream, as a play of illusion. The Yigé Mépa says:

Unobstructed sight appears as my own form. Unobstructed sound is heard as my own sound. Unobstructed odor is my own perfume. Unobstructed taste is my delicious taste. Experience within my mind seems very swift. All the secret kleshas are my miracles. I am the charnel ground of buddhas and sentient beings. When I, the doer of all, have come into appearance, I am the appearance of the great luminosity. In the beginning, before the dawning of appearance, By ceaseless swift examining of six-fold mind, Productions of memory, rose unceasingly into being As the abundant accumulations of the six senses.

— Yigé Mépa

The Prajñaa-muula-maadhyamakakaarikaa says:

Like a dream, like illusion, Like a city of the gandharvas, Such is birth; so too is existence; So too is destruction said to be.

— Prajñaa-muula-maadhyamakakaarikaa

One's experience, has been falsely apprehended as internal and external appearances. But now all dharmas are gathered into natural wisdom. From that very time experience spontaneously arises as it is. It becomes the non-action of the all-pervading, all-encompassing, great equality:

Thus, this glorious splendor, this great spaciousness,

Exists as self-existing equanimity.

This is unmoving dharmakaaya, bodhicitta;

Eternally just as it is, self-emptiness that is changeless.

So all that appears is the natural wisdom of dharmataa,

Undiminishing space of bliss, without any action or effort.

From the time that anything appears, it is none other than the state of insight. Just so, whatever dreams may appear, from the very time they appear, are not something other than the state of sleep. Insight is eternal emptiness without change or transition, like the sky. Appearances within this state are appearances of what does not exist, an empty play of manifestation. There are no individuating characteristics. Therefore, insight has arisen from all eternity as the pith which has no need of abandoning or receiving, hope or fear.

Now, here is the instruction to rest in this once again. Rest in self-subsidence or dissolution. This is the state of equality. Without producing struggle, hope and fear, this is the unity of the great, all-encompassing, uncreated, natural state. The Sengé, The Lion of Perfect Power, says:

All inclusive perfection, supreme essential meaning; Entering evenness, melting into the natural state; Coursing within the meaning of the limitless; That is great bliss, which is intrinsic to self-insight. Appearances and the essence merge in the Space of the kaayas, Limitless appearance, whose pervading nature is space. Naturally undefiled; free from extremes of complexity; Luminous space of insight; all-encompassing nature. Having no dharmas of actor and act, transcending objects; The final experience is self-existence: All is play.

— Sengé, The Lion of Perfect Power

The Künjé says:

Kye, the teacher of teachers! The doer of all, the King, Within the uncreated circle gives instruction. The uncreated essence, the root of all the dharmas Should be resolved to be whatever may appear. When the garbha's nature is understood as the single meaning, The nature of all is included within the doer of all.

— Künjé

Dharmakaaya without accepting or rejecting is the ultimate essence beyond action and effort. It is also insight, naturally arising wisdom. The pure, self-luminous nature of this is taught as sambhogakaaya, undefiled by artificiality:

As for its self-luminosity, which does not depart from it;

This is sambhogakaaya, enjoying the perfect expression.

This, from the time it appears, is the self-existing nature.

Without fabrication or change, it is natural, total equality.

Intrinsic luminosity is of the essence of insight. This is self-existing sambhogakaaya. Because its occurrence is intrinsic, this too is the uncreated, great equality. It is the changeless nature of emptiness/luminosity.

Similarly, insight arises from all eternity as unobstructed nirmaa.nakaaya:

The manifestation of play as variety without mixing,

That is the wondrous, magical meaning of emanation.

It does not transcend the actionless state of Samantabhadra.

The ceaseless luminous images that arise within an untarnished mirror do not hide it. That is what the arising of insight is like. Without hiding its essence, ceaseless manifestations of its power arise. This is nirmaa.nakaaya. Trikaaya is the perfection of insight. The Künjé says:

The nature of me, the doer of all, enlightenment, Need not be sought, because it is self-existing. This is trikaaya, heart-essence of all the victorious ones. My nature exists as uncreated dharmakaaya. Sambhogakaaya exists as my uncreated essence. My compassion manifest as nirmaa.nakaaya. No fruition established by seeking has been taught. Trikaaya is embodied by me, the doer of all. Thus all dharmas of appearance have been taught, To be the three non-creations, compassion, essence, and nature, To be the state of trikaaya, that which is my suchness.

— Künjé

Also the Yigé Mépa says:

I am experience of the five kaayas. As for these, They are the buddha fields, whose nature is perfection.

— Yigé Mépa

The kaaya and wisdom, and so forth, of the space of the dhaatu are self-existing perfection. Someone who hears this unintelligently and contemplates it impurely may say, "It would be wonderful if sentient beings had the kaaya and wisdom of a buddha right now, and were perfect because of that. But that cannot be!"

Those who are not intelligent complain greatly like this. This is like people being convinced that there is no sun, when it is obscured by dark clouds.

Do not dispute with such people. Instead say, "It is not something for you to be afraid of."

It has been said that in the dhaatu there are the self-existing qualities of buddhahood. If they did not exist, at the time of attaining buddhahood, from where would they newly arise? Maitreya has said: "The uncompounded is spontaneously existing."

The Two Examinations, says:

Though sentient beings, are buddhas actually, This is obscured, by incidental obscurations. If these are cleared away, then there is buddhahood.

— Two Examinations

This is known from these and other scriptures. We do not say that these buddha qualities are completely pure of the incidental at the present time. But it is proper to turn one's mind solely toward the good qualities of the Dharma, whose nature is completely pure.

This is like what the Bhagavat said at Vaishalii:

"O monks, those who are not in accord with Dharma, should turn to the Dharma."

Now insight-bodhicitta is taught to be kaaya and wisdom where nothing needs to be added or taken away:

In bodhicitta itself, there is no dangerous precipice.

Effortlessness of trikaaya, spontaneous perfection,

Does not depart from space, self-existing and uncompounded;

Kaayas and wisdoms, self-perfected buddha activity,

Eternally perfect assembly, eternally risen great Space.

The essence of insight has been the self-perfection of the kaayas and wisdoms primordially and from all eternity. It is without transition and change, like the sun and its light. Naturally-arising wisdom is the perfect nature of the limitless wheels of ornament of body, speech, and mind. The Sengé says:

Expressing the single meaning, which is the state of insight, Trikaaya appears as the essence of the victorious ones. From kaaya there rise the various miracles of wisdom. There are no dharmas, either apparent or non-apparent. Free from extremes of realization or its lack, The wisdom of appearance exists in the form of the essence. The emperor has no clothes of conditioning by the elements. The wisdom of appearance is the play of everything. Without extremes, it is completely free of the path. Among the billion worlds that fill the universe, As many body ma.n.dalas as there may be Are brilliant, every one, as luminosity. Among the billion worlds that fill the universe, As many ma.n.dalas of speech as there may be Are every one of them the utterance of the teachings. Among the billion worlds that fill the universe, As many ma.n.dalas of mind as there may be Are every one of them made pure in realization. Vajra body and speech, as well as vajra mind, All appear as that which is without appearance. The kaayas of a buddha and radiance of wisdom Are appearances that exist as our experience. This is our own insight, which is Samantabhadra.

— Sengé

The kaayas and wisdoms are perfect in the buddha fields of the state of insight. Therefore, the realms of the ocean of the victorious ones are also the Space of insight. These are taught to be the miracles of insight:

The self-existing eternal fields are without change.

In dharmadhaatu, dharmataa is what is seen.

Knowledge without obstruction rises to ornament space;

Not established by action, existing from all eternity;

Just like the space of the sun; wondrous, marvelous Dharma.

At the time of attaining enlightenment, possessed of the two purities, there is nothing but the wisdoms of dharmakaaya, sambhogakaaya, and nirmaa.nakaaya. All appearances have turned into buddhahood, the Space of experience of insight. This is because, at the time of one's experience of these appearances of kaaya and wisdom, there is nothing else than these manifestations. You may ask whether these do not arise from the accumulations of merit and wisdom. The two accumulations spoken of here have appeared from all eternity. As the established perfections of the buddha qualities of emptiness, they are called "self-existing." Those temporary collections, the two accumulations, are classified as causes merely in the sense of conditions that clear away defilements. This is like a jewel covered with dirt being washed and rubbed with a cotton cloth. This is said to the cause of seeing the jewel. That is how trikaaya, the totality of the appearances of self-arising wisdom, exists as the ground of arising of the dharmas of naturally-arising wisdom. This is the teacher of the path. The Künjé says:

Natural wisdom, single teacher of all, Appears as the triple aspects of my nature. The classifications of the teacher are three.

— Künjé

Thus all dharmas are united. They arise as they are, as experience of insight-bodhicitta. Because they do not exist as they appear, they are taught to be like a show of illusions:

In this eternal spontaneous womb, the space of the dhaatu,

Sa.msaara is total goodness; nirvaa.na is also good;

And yet within total goodness, the Space of Samantabhadra,

Sa.msaara as well as nirvaa.na never existed at all.

Appearance is total goodness; emptiness also is good;

And yet within total goodness, the Space of Samantabhadra,

Neither appearance nor emptiness ever existed at all.

Birth and death are good; sorrow and bliss are good;

And yet within total goodness, the Space of Samantabhadra,

There are no bliss and sorrow; there are no birth or death.

Oneself is total goodness; the other is also good.

Eternity and the void exist as total goodness;

And yet within total goodness, the Space of Samantabhadra,

There are no self and other, eternal existence or nothingness.

Insight bodhicitta, with a essence like the sky, does not exist as anything anywhere. Therefore, here is what is said about sa.msaara and nirvaa.na, appearance and emptiness, birth and death, bliss and suffering, self and other: Whatever appearances of these there may be do not exist as anything anywhere either. They are only that state, its manifesting power, and its play of manifestation.

Unobstructed experience of the appearance of these is like illusion, dream, the moon in water, spots in the eyes, a city of the gandharvas, and like a magical emanation. This is because such appearances are natureless. From their first appearance, all the dharmas of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na never existed. They never moved from the realization of groundless Samantabhadra and his consort. The Mirror-Mind of Samantabhadra says:

Not even one thing does not rise from me myself; Thus I am the Samantabhadra of arising. I am Samantabhadra the teacher, displayer of all. There is nothing that is not displayed by me. It is from me that differences of nature rise; Thus I am Samantabhadra as the nature. I am free from all the dharmas of convention; Therefore I, Samantabhadra, am alone. I am the perfection of the five great lights; Thus I am Samantabhadra, the great King. By me there is liberation within the pure buddha fields; Therefore, I am Samantabhadra, the liberator. Whatever appears in my mind has already been perfected; Therefore, I am Samantabhadra, the realization.

— Mirror-Mind of Samantabhadra

Also it says there:

Immense Samantabhadra is the play of everything, Samantabhadra in non-dual unity with his consort. The non-dual father and mother pervade all beings completely. Without fixation, or movement, he is bodhicitta. The face of Samantabhadra sees all the ten directions. All that is seen is Samantabhadra, without front or back, Within the single Space of bliss of the mother's womb. Not existing as anything, having no verbal marks. Samantabhadra's miracles rise as the absolute truth. All that arises is Samantabhadra's wish-granting treasure. Sambhogakaaya is Samantabhadrii's spotless space. Wisdom according with truth has the signs of supremacy. This is the unmade ma.n.dala, luminous Space of bliss, Samantabhadra's ma.n.dala, pervading all beings completely.

— Mirror-Mind of Samantabhadra

The Sengé says:

Dharmadhaatu, Samantabhadrii, appears as objects, The objects enjoyed by completely pure Samantabhadra. Wisdom is play within the space of Samantabhadrii. Insight enters into the space of Samantabhadra. Neither eternal nor nothingness, father and mother are pure. Experience is the limitlessness of Samantabhadrii, Realization is Samantabhadra, united as one. The elements all appear as the mistress, Samantabhadrii. Prajñaa is the display of Samantabhadra's experience, The space of the dhaatu the motionless field, Samantabhadrii. Equality is Samantabhadra, as non-thought; Unity Samantabhadrii, all in one. Insight is Samantabhadra, who enters the ultimate; Prajñaa Samantabhadrii, unity of variety. Supreme skillful means is Samantabhadra, appearing as insight; Luminous brilliance Samantabhadrii, without fixation. The bhagavan Samantabhadra instantly rises. Samantabhadrii, as she is, is non-fixation. Bindu is Samantabhadra, empty in essence; The source of dharmas Samantabhadrii, actionless. Non-thought is Samantabhadrii, undistracted; Samantabhadra relative truth, the real seed. The absolute is Samantabhadrii, shower of miracles. The beauty of ornament Samantabhadrii, appearing as objects. Insight-space is Samantabhadra, true dharmakaaya. The nature is Samantabhadrii, without obstruction. The essence is Samantabhadra, who does not change. Compassion is Samantabhadrii; all that appears. The teacher is Samantabhadra, who tames the kleshas. Samantabhadrii is emptiness, separate from convention. Samantabhadra is luminous freedom from reference point. Both Father and mother are insight-Space where all is good.

— Sengé

Confused appearances are mere projections like those of a dream. For all beings, they are taught to arise from the state described there, as mere experience:

By fixating what is non-existent as existing,

Arises the state that is designated as confusion.

Its nature is like a dream that is without support.

That someone should be attached to Sa.msaara and nirvaa.na

As independent realities is something very strange!

One's own individual insight is the naturally existing essence of dharmakaaya, emptiness/luminosity like the sky. It has no things and characteristics. But co-emergent ignorance does not know that seemingly external appearances are its own essence. There is also the ignorance of false conceptions. This is not the same as the former but conceptual fixation of it. Both pass simultaneously into the confused aspects of grasped object and fixating mind. Then the various confused appearances of sa.msaara arise. This is like when appearances and objects in a dream are fixated as independent realities. Dharmas are the luminous appearance of what does not exist. But by attachment to confused manifestations of the vessel and essence they are fixated as real. This is like being attached to the appearance of an illusion as truly existing. This should be known to be, "very strange." The The Pearl Mala says:

And so the appearance of variety Is like a rope regarded as a snake. By grasping it as something it is not, There is attachment to duality Of inner essence and external vessel.

— The Pearl Mala

The Sangnying, The Secret Essence, says:

E ma ho! Out of sugatagarbha there comes forth The snake of karma, our projected conceptions.

— Sangnying, The Secret Essence

And also The Prajñaapaaramitaa-sa.mcayagaatha Suutra, says:

As many sentient beings, as there may be, Of lower, middle, and superior rank, All these arise from ignorance alone. That is what the Sugata has said.

— The Prajñaapaaramitaa-sa.mcayagaatha Suutra

When illusory appearances appear as sa.msaara, in reality confusion has never existed. It is taught to have the nature of a dream:

Samantabhadra is everything; He is the great self-existence.

He was not and is not confused, and never will be so.

Sa.msaara is only a name, for what in reality

Goes beyond the extremes of existence or non-existence.

Whoever was not confused about things at an earlier time,

Will now be unstained by confusion and will not become confused.

The intention of this is that the three worlds are alpha-pure.

At the moment of falling asleep, we may dream that appearances of beings and the three worlds arise all at once. At this time, these appearances are fixated by mind. Mind is attached to them. Nevertheless, in reality they do not exist at all. We have never gone beyond sleep.

The confused appearances of sa.msaara are whatever appears, whatever arises, and whatever is fixated. They too, from the very time they appear, have never moved from insight. They do not exist at all. What seems to be there is mere appearance of things that never existed from the start. They are mere luminous appearance of what does not exist. What does not exist cannot be confused. So they have not been confused from the beginning. If they were not confused from the first, it is not possible that they are confused now, or that they will become confused later. This is the child of a barren woman, empty of birth. The child of a barren woman has never been born from the start. That now it exists as a young person is not possible. That finally it will become old and die is not possible either. Just so, the vessel and essence are mere appearance and cannot exist.

For example, when a rope is confusedly taken to be a snake, the rope that produces fear really is a snake from the viewpoint of confusion. But, truly seen, it has the nature of the deceptive relative. When someone shows it to be a rope, the fixation on its being a snake is eliminated. It is truly seen as a rope.

If this too is examined, the indivisible atoms of every strand are also empty. Similarly, the holy ones teach that the mind of confused fixation of confused appearance is empty from its arising. Realization that confusion is empty of nature is like the disappearance of the error of grasping a rope as a snake. The truth is revealed. If the dharmas that disappear and those that produce the disappearance are examined, they too are completely non-existent, just as the rope is non-existent. Disappearance of all dharmas is the ultimate exhaustion of the great namelessness. This is realization of the primordial alpha-purity of the three worlds. The Pearl Mala says:

As a rope regarded as a snake Is taken for a thing that it is not, So, for attachment to duality, The inner nectar and external pot; If these are well examined, then the rope, The vessel, and the contents, equally, Were emptiness from all eternity, The absolute yet relative in scope. When snakes are seen, though truly seen they be, To see the rope is authenticity. But if, for instance, like a bird in space, The two truths in their nature we should see The relative is only for this world With no connection to reality. But when emptiness has taken place, Within its essence everything is free.

— Pearl Mala

The Heap of Precious Stones says:

The root of ignorance has never been confused. It was completely severed from all eternity, Without any need for analysis or examination. Even for everyone who has yet to experience this, All of these coarse, external material elements, Have vanished away from the start, entirely by themselves. The non-existence of beings is purified by itself. Our bodies are without existence for eternity. Know they have no future and no history.

— Heap of Precious Stones

Generally there are differences in the way the inner and outer dharmas of the various sense powers are grasped and understood by various Buddhist schools. Those of the shraavaka vaibhaa.shika school hold, as they do for the forms of the vessel and essence, that coarse, composite, divisible entities are relative. Indivisible entities are absolute. The mind-only school holds that defiled phenomena are in truth aspects of one's own mind. The svaatantrika maadhyamaka school holds that dependent origination by cause and effect in the external world is merely relative. This is for them mere appearance, like a reflection. The praasangika maadhyamaka school holds that luminous appearances are non-existent. They are like the moon reflected in water or an illusion of hairs in the eyes.

The Semdé is the collection of mind of the great perfection. It holds that mind arises as the mere play of the power of manifestation of insight bodhicitta. The Longdé is the collection of Space. It holds that the display of the ornament of experience is within the Space of insight. Here the ornament does not arise as insight itself, but as mere experience. The Menngagdé is the collection of oral instructions. It says that experiences that obscure self-arising wisdom arise in primordial spontaneously as mere experience. They arise entirely without external, internal, or in between. Within insight, the phenomenal world is the self-existing luminosity of an illusion. It is appearance of what does not exist. Empty form is mere, bare arising. These appearances are mere confused projections. They do not exist as mind or any other reality at all. The three worlds do not exist at all, like a reflection. Their nature is pure from all eternity. They are eternally liberated just as they are. After this nature has been realized, we become familiar with it. This occurs by being liberated in things as they were from the start. Confusion disappears we know not where. We dwells in insight. This is the single dot of self-arising wisdom, dharmakaaya, alpha-pure as it is. It is maintained that by the spontaneous arising of ruupakaaya, which does not go beyond space, benefits are produced. Similarly, it is taught that since not even the name of confusion exists, its opposite, non-confusion, does not exist either:

With no confusion or any dharmas of non-confusion,

There is natural, self-existing, eternal great insight.

It never was or is or will be liberated.

Nirvaa.na is only a name. No one is liberated;

Nor will they be, already unbound for eternity;

Completely pure like the sky, unlimited and impartial.

The intention of this is the total freedom of alpha-purity.

Since that which is dependent has been eliminated, the dharmas of that dependence are also eliminated. When one of a pair of mutually dependent, opposite dharmas is eliminated, the other is also eliminated. Here, confusion, the dharma opposite to non-confusion, has been eliminated. Therefore, non-confusion does not exist either. That is why nirvaa.na is merely a name. As for the teaching that one should transcend bondage and liberation, sa.msaara and nirvaa.na, the Künjé says:

The so-called absolute dharmas, described as supreme existence, also do not exist. There is neither enlightenment nor confusion, nor is realization attained. Naturally rising wisdom itself is utterly free from all the extremes of words.

— Künjé

And the Great Transformation, says:

Without any buddhas, who will be bound within the net? As there are no confused and ignorant sentient beings, Even the name of sa.msaara is without existence. Therefore, that which is eternally has not been liberated Will not be liberated at some later time. Who would maintain a fruition of such a groundless path? By that, the existence of liberation would be obscured. As for extremes, such as existence and non-existence, Or those like emptiness and luminosity, Eternal existence or nothingness, cause and its effect, And those which are known as the four extremes or the eight extremes, Free from them all, all things are like the space of the sky.

— Great Transformation

Also the Sangnying says:

Whoever was not bound and is not bound Never will be bound at a later time. But without bondage, there is no liberation. Self-existing perfection from all eternity, That is the meaning of the buddhadharma. Because that is taught, the various joys are produced.

— Sangnying

Now in summary, sa.msaara and nirvaa.na do not exist at all. Therefore, they are included within the ultimate space of the great vastness, self-existing equanimity:

In brief, from the vast and self-existing womb of space,

Whatever rises is the skillful play of energy

That is sa.msaara and nirvaa.na equally.

Nevertheless, from the moment of their mere arising,

Sa.msaara as well as nirvaa.na never existed at all.

As from the power of sleep whatever dreams arise

Have no reality, but are just one's own insight,

Which naturally exists on the level of mahaasukha,

These are great vastness, self-existing equanimity,

The total all-encompassing equality.

The subjects of this preceding chapter are these:

1. The space of dharmadhaatu.
2. The arising from it of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na like a dream.
3. How the meaning of these is gathered into one by being encountered as the groundless, great equanimity.

The dharmas of sa.msaara and nirvaa.na are whatever arises as the phenomenal world and so forth. The manner of their arising from the state of insight is this: By the gate of spontaneity, the ceaselessly arising play of manifestation arises merely as it is. It is taught that in reality its dharmas do not exist at all. This is like saying that whatever good and bad dreams may arise are within one's own insight. They do not become something separate from sleep. Just so, with no falling into bias and partiality, one spontaneously experiences things as being without true existence. That is how they really are. Regarding this the Khyungchen, The Great Garu.da, says:

Mind, though eternally never falling into bias, Appears within sa.msaara and the lower realms. But like a dream or illusion, or a city of the gandharvas, False appearance cannot have the power of truth.

— Khyungchen, The Great Garu.da

The Künjé says:

There has never been a state of buddhahood. Even the name of buddhahood does not exist. Sa.msaara too is nothing but a name For what transcends all dharma-labeling.

— Künjé