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Part 4a.2 - Meditating on the mandala

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</poem> The Great Chariot

by Longchenpa

Buddhism

A Commentary on Great Perfection: The Nature of Mind, Easer of Weariness In Sanskrit the title is ‘Mahāsandhi-cittā-visranta-vṛtti-mahāratha-nāma’. In TibetanrDzogs pa chen po sems nyid ngal gso’i shing rta chen po shes bya ba ’...

Part 4a.2 - Meditating on the mandala


parent: B. The explanation of meditation practice


Above and below the center of this protective circle, in the great space between the spokes on each of which is one of the ten wrathful ones, in the center is a four-spoked wheel. At its center is BHRUM, and then from its transformation:

In the center is the great mandala of Samantabhadra. There are four sides, and four gateways that are adorned by four arches. The five-colored walls have ledges where there are the five sense-pleasures. It is decorated with cornices, with garlands and pendents, As well as the eaves, and the ballustrades and railings. There are abundant skulls, ??? and a precious-jewel vajra tip.

There are eight charnel grounds that surround the mandala. In the center there is a seat of a lotus, sun and moon, Supported by lions, elephants, horses, peacocks, and shang shang

This is the visualization of the support, the palace. The display of the field and palace is within the luminous nature of mind. This is the dwelling place of Samantabhadra.

When this is visualized, it is the mandala of Samantabhadra. Moreover, meditate on this as being in size as limitless as the sky.

To the right and left of each of the four gates, are the two pillars of the gateways. The three sided[1] gates of liberation are in every direction.

The body of the palace is cubic. The five layered wall, pañcharekhaa is blue, green, red, yellow, and last of all white. These five are semi-transparent like a rainbow. Their four protuberances are the four wisdoms, the mirror-like wisdom and so forth. As a symbol of the Dharmadhatu wisdom, in the middle is a circular vase pervading the whole of space.

At the top of these walls are the precious yellow cornices (phu gu). ??? On top of those are the precious eaves (mda’a yab)[2] in the form of little dome-like shapes (phibs chung), outside of which are variegated chains of garlands and pendants of jewels and pearls. Moving with the sun and moon

pranas, supporting the chains, is a precious railing (pu shu), built in the shape of stupas.

In the middle is the vase which is a circular rain covering , a lattice-work structure which is the roof of the srhine-hall. The roof coveiring the space above the eaves is in two stages, and above, in the center, and on the four sides it spreads like a five-pointed vajra fence. It is marked at the top with a vajra and precious jewel tip.

At each side of the gates in the four directions two pillars support the archways. Each archway has four layers, adorned with various ornaments. On top of them is a wheel turned by two deer, at whose center is placed the handla of a parasol of precious substances which turns. l2

At the four corners are victory banners, and from the tops of long poles hang pennants. Strings of precious bells, stretch from the center of the vajra tip to the archways of the directions, which from their jingling giving a pleasant sound.

There are jeweled yak tails and silk tassels,[3] with precious staffs and sun and moon finials. There are many kinds of deities and divine ornaments, and heaps of offering clouds from all the ten directions.

Outside the outer walls are red ledges of desirable qualities, where many semi-transparent-appearing offering goddesses on sun and moon seats pour offerings of the five desirable qualities with a flourish.

Then there is a courtyard or field, green, appearing around which, in the eight charnel grounds, are the eight self-arising stupas, Deje Tsegpa[4] and so forth, and the eight teachers Garab Dorje (Prahevajra), Manjushrimitra, Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra, and so forth. The charnel grounds are adorned with eight fires, eight lakes, eight clouds, eight trees, eight lokapalas, eight deities, eight nagas, and so forth.

In the center of the palace is a throne whose center is adorned with a lion, the east with an elephant, the south with a horse, the west with a peacock, the north with a shang shang bird. On that is a sun, moon and jewel seat. In the other places of the deities, meditate that there are self-arising lotus, sun, and moon seats equal to the number of the deities. The Secret Essence says:

Wisdom is visualized in the four directions and center. With the spontaneous presence of the limitless mandalas, By yogins with realization of the great perfection, The mandala of the source of arising is realized.

The wheel has a rim and four spokes, the courtyard adorned by a cube Has square gateways, with music like heaps of various clouds. This is adorned by forty-two different mandalas. Great lion, elephant, horse, and garuda thrones float in space With sun and moon and lotus or jewel seats.

Here as the garuda and peacock are both alike in overcoming poison, there is no distinction between union and purification in overcoming the poison of desire.

The four great layers of the archways are divided into halves by sub-layers making eight. The Fierce Lightning of Illusion says:

In that space which is the space of the human mind The edifice of the four elements is self-existing. On top of that arising from the four kinds of jewels Spontaneously present and completely immeasurable, As for the beautiful ground which is supported by that, It is carpeted with various kinds of jewels.

Giving way when pressed down, raising back on lifting, On that there is the edifice of the palace itself. With its cubic shape it is very beautiful. It is made of four different kinds of precious jewels.

In the center of the structure is a four spoked wheel, Also made of four different kinds of precious jewels. At the peak of the vase[5] is the crest ornament of Dharma, Brilliantly variegated like feathers on a peacock.

Each of the four-fold gates is adorned with an arch. At the sides are eight pillars holding up the archways. At the center of each is a vertical four-spoked wheel. The navel supports a tree, crafted of precious substance. The squares of the courtyards are beautiful in their brilliance. The precious light rays gather together like a staff.

The deities have seats of a lotus, sun, and moon. They sit on blazingly brilliant excellent jewel seats. The foot supports of the precious thrones are beautiful.

The excellent ornaments that adorn this wondrous palace Blaze with suns, and moons, and various precious jewels, Canopies, victory banners, feasts, and parasols, Flowing silken streamers and garlands strung with pearls, Covered with ringing bells and the finest yak tail whisks, And adorned with various kinds of musical instruments.

The assembled worldly deities have awe-inspiring beauty. These and the other ornaments are inconceivably fine. The four gates of the palace are adorned with elephants.

The silken tassels[6] hanging from the spanning archways Are glittering with a cascade of jingling golden bells, And chains inscribed with the symbols of the three excellent jewels.

The front of each gate is adorned with matching potted palms. They have fine form and fragrance, and shine with radiance. In these potted palms are cuckoos and so forth Auspicious birds whose melodious cries resound with song.

In front of each gate is a bathing pond of excellent shape, Whose water fully possesses the eight limbs of excellent taste[7] In each are inconceivable countless gods and goddesses.

Outside the surrounding walls of this palace of deities Are peaks and places for walking of indescribable beauty. These and so forth in their inconceivable excellence Are primordially self-established, not needing to be sought.

If this mandala is associated with the three purities of ground, path, and fruition, the ground is that all sentient beings exist like that primordially. Therefore:

the four gates are the four immeasurables; the four archways are the four foundations of mindfulness; the five-fold wall is the five wisdoms; the eight pillars are the limbs of the eight-fold noble path; the bells, collected za ra or bakuli, garlands of suns and moons, yak tails and jewels are the five senses and powers; the parasols are Dharmadhatu; the wheels are the four truths; the cornices are the changeless nature of mind; the garlands and pendants are the seven limbs of enlightenment; the eaves are the great compassion; the stupas of the railing are inconceivable dharmata; the circular vase is the wisdom of Dharmadhatu; the four rises are the four excellent wisdoms; the five seats are the essential purity of the five poisons; the vajra and jewel tip is the primordial luminous nature of mind; the eight charnel grounds are the eight consciousnesses; the eight teachers are the eight self-arising wisdoms; the eight fires are the completely torment of false conceptions; the eight trees are the eight natures of the kleshas; the eight ponds are the eight-fold purifying path; the eight deities are the eight gates of siddhi; the eight nagas are the assembly of eight qualities; and the eight lokapalas are the eight collections of merit and wisdom.

That faults at the time of impurity and enlightened virtues correspond two by two is kindness. For example, as the five kleshas are counted as aspects of the five wisdoms.

If they are connected to the path, the details are associated with the thirty-seven factors of enlightenment:

the four archways are the four foundations of mindfulness; the four tassels or ribbons are the four genuine abandonments; the four ornaments of wheels and so forth are the four legs of miracle; the five-fold wall is the five faculties; the cornices, garlands and pendants, eaves, railings, and overflowing containers are the five powers; the five animals, the lion and so forth, plus the sun and moon are the seven limbs of enlightenment; the eight pillars are the eight limbs of the noble path; the stairs by which the gates are entered are the six perfections; and the four pillars are the four immeasurables.

These three together at each gate are the three gates of liberation. These are the virtues from the path of accumulation through the path of meditation.

If the details are connected with the fruition, the connection is with the qualities of the level of buddhahood. As for the thirty-seven factors of completing the path, from this way of connecting, in particular:

the four fearlessnesses are the lion-thrones; the ten powers are the elephant thrones; the ten faculties are the peacock thrones; the four legs of miracle are the horse thrones; that all knowables are unobstructed is the shang shang thrones; the five wisdoms are the walls; the inexhaustible wheel of ornament of body, speech, and mind is the swirling light rays; the protectors of beings are the parasols; and the matchless finial and so forth are adornment by the ultimate buddha qualities.

These are arranged as in the Net of Illusion. The details are as extensively explained there.

Though some tantrikas say that these things that are connected are not really in the mandala, this tradition of mantra is a wrong conception. Here the beautiful symbols appear like reflections in a mirror. From the power of display of these qualities, the palace and deities naturally-arise like a rainbow, and they should be known to exist spontaneously. When the ground is free from all obscurations, the power of these self-appearances of Akanishta actually manifests. The Net of Illusion says:

The inconceivable self-existing mandala By which all sentient beings are consecrated, Possesses the perfection of all mandalas Along with their environments and inhabitants.

FOOTNOTES AND REFERENCES: [1]:

They are rectangular, but one side adjoins the palace. [2]:

Beams over the main shrine area that protrude. [3]:

(lda ldi) - silk tongues tied together at the upper end in garlands, a particular kind of offering hung on house tops, fringe or tassel, string of beads or flowers, cloth wreath. [4]:

also name of deity , Deje Tsegpa. [5]:

The roof structure over the square. [6]:

tsong tsong. [7]:

bsil ba dang, zhim pa, yang ba, ‘jam pa, dvangs pa, dri ma med pa, lto la mi gnod pa, mgrin pa la mi gnod pa bcas yon tan sna brgyad dang ldan pa’i chu bzang.



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