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This name, which means “black” (Skt. kṛṣṇa), is spelled in a variety of ways. The Apabhraṃśa and Pali use the dental “n” (kānha and kanha respectively), whereas some prakrits use the retroflex “ṇ” (kaṇha or kāṇha). In this presentation we use the form kāṇha.
The Hevajra Tantra has been edited and published in Sanskrit multiple times. See Snellgrove 1959, Farrow 1992, Tripathi 2001, and Tripathi 2006. The editions prepared by Farrow and Tripathi comprise the Hevajra Tantra and one of its commentaries.
The “five nāthas,” also called the “original five” (ādipañcakam), are claimed by both Buddhist and Śaiva traditions. The best known among them are the celebrated Gorakṣanātha and Matsyendranātha, whose cult is still alive in Nepal today. The remaining nāthas are Cauraṅgī and Hāḍi. The latter, also called Hāḍipā or Jālandharipā, was the personal master of Kāṇha. The title “nātha,” meaning “protector,” is awarded to holy persons and deities.
For an accessible introduction to the eighty-four mahāsiddhas, see Keith Dowman’s Masters of Mahamudra: Songs and Histories of the Eighty-Four Buddhist Siddhas (SUNY Press, 1985).
The suffix pāda, or pā for short, is a form of reverential address. From this point the phrase kṛṣṇapāda is translated as “venerable master Kṛṣṇa.”
Reading kāyavākcitta˚ following Conlon, Rms and C. R and the Tib. translation read kāyavākcittahṛdaya˚ (Tib. sku dang gsung dang thugs kyi snying po).
The phrase “personal understanding” (bdag nyid kyis shes pa) has been supplied from the Tib., which reads, in full, “If the saṅgīti represented personal understanding or was heard secondhand, the saṅgītikāra would not be authoritative.”
The Skt. reads “in order to discount these two.” The Tib. supplies the word “flaws” (skyon): “in order to discount these two flaws.”
The “blessings” (Skt. bhaga) are the blessings implied by the name “Blessed One” (bhagavān).
This verse can be found in a number of Buddhist texts, such as the Akṣayamatinirdeśa, and the Vajracchedikaṭīkā, as well as in some non-Buddhist texts, such as the Bhagavadgītā.
This passage of the commentary concerns specific features of Sanskrit grammar. The entire phrase—“the bhagas of the vajra women, which are the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas”—is written as a compound: sarvatathāgatakāyavākcittavajrayoṣidbhagāḥ. The phrases “the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas” (sarvatathāgatakāyavākcitta˚) and “the bhagas of the vajra women” (vajrayoṣidbhagāḥ) are each a compound in their own right, with the first one qualifying the second as an adjective, being in apposition to it.
In A String of Pearls, this statement is expanded to “considering that the Blessed One’s place of dwelling is the most secret of all secret places, it surely follows that he will be giving the most secret among secret teachings. Accordingly, it is suitable to say an appropriate assembly had gathered.”
The “earlier tantra” is the hypothetical earlier version of the Hevajra Tantra that is no longer extant. The present Hevajra Tantra is considered an extract from this longer tantra.
This phrase marks the beginning of an alternative interpretation of “thus have I heard” (evam mayā śrutam).
“His bliss” (tatsukham) reflects the concept explained later in the commentary (2.2.42) that bliss is perceived as the flow of semen. Semen is considered the external form of bliss.
In the Tib. translation, the last two lines are in prose. This first two lines of this verse correspond to 1.8.50 of the Hevajra Tantra, while the second two lines appear to be unique to this citation.
The Skt. words saṃvṛta and vivṛta mean, respectively, “concealed” and “uncovered.” This half-stanza corresponds to the first two lines of 2.4.30 in the Hevajra Tantra.
The Tib. translation and one extant MS read devatāyoga (“deity yoga”) where C and most MSS read devatākāra (“form of the deity”). This results in the alternate reading, “The concealed is deity yoga, the aspect of the stage of arising.”
The “two truths” are the concealed truth (saṃvṛtisatya) and revealed truth (paramārthasatya). This half-stanza is comparable to Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā 24.8.ab.
This stanza is comparable to verse 84 of Samājottara from the Guhyasamāja corpus. See Matsunaga 1978, p. 119. For the Tibetan equivalent see Toh 443, folio 151.b.
“As was previously taught” implies that the above interpretations were presented in other sources, or passed down orally.
Sattva, “being,” is the same word that occurs in words such as bodhisattva, Vajrasattva, etc.
As the commentary will explain, the “three existents” refers to being or existing as body, speech, and mind.
The Tib. reads, “Indestructible means it cannot be destroyed because it is unassailable by either oneself or by opponents.”
The verse quoted below is verse 4.8 in Nāgārjuna’s Mūlamadhyamakakārikā. In this case, however, the verse appears to be requoted from one of Devapāda’s works, though the precise source could not be determined. Devapāda is an alternative name of Nāgārjuna’s disciple Āryadeva.
The source of this quote could not be confirmed, as the extant version of the Vajraśekhara Tantra (Toh 480) does not appear to include the verse cited here. This verse is also quoted by Advayavajra in his Sekatātparyasaṅgraha. See Advayavajra 1927, p. 23, and Mathes 2015, p. 136 and p. 408.
C reads vipra, which can be read as a synonym of brāhmaṇa. Two Skt. MSS and the Tib. translation offer a variant reading that includes the term brāhmaṇa. Cms reads sarvaṃ sarvam iti brāhmaṇa, where the Tib. reads bram ze thams cad ces bya ba.
There is a play on words here in the Skt. text. The Skt. praṇīta can be used in the sense of “advanced/well taught,” and also in the sense of “well cooked/dressed with condiments.” Here the teachings have a “flavor” (Skt. rasa), which means that the word is used in both senses. The Tib. understands praṇīta to mean “excellent” as an adjective of “Great Vehicle.”
Here, “Hevajra” can be taken as referring to the Hevajra Tantra and the deity Hevajra. Each has the nature of wisdom and means.
The Skt. prabandha means both “literary composition” and “continuity.” As the gloss for the word “tantra” in the root text, its contextual meaning seems to be the former, but the Tib. translation of this passage (rgyud ni rgyun) reflects the latter. Based on Kāṇha’s gloss of the term, prabandha appears to refer to the entire Hevajra system, which is the content of the text.
The “chapter on the deities” is chapter 1.3. This triad appears to refer to the three or four of the yogas described in that chapter. The first two are designated using the same terms Kāṇha uses here: “lesser” (mṛdu) and “intermediate” (madhya). The term translated here as “intense,” adhimātra, is not used in chapter 1.3, but may refer to the third and fourth yogas collectively.
The Skt. term ādhāra could be short for ādhāramaṇḍala, i.e., the maṇḍala where the deities reside.
This interpretation of jñāna and vijñāna may seem somewhat unusual and is not reflected in the Tib., which favors the standard interpretation of jñāna as “knowledge” (ye shes) and vijñāna as “consciousness” (rnam shes). In place of “astrology” (jyautiṣika [sic]), the Tib. reads “possession” (dbab pa).
“The mantra branch of the Great Vehicle” (mantramahāyāna) is more often referred to with the terms mantrayāna, mantranaya, and vajrayāna.
The word translated here as “becoming” is bhāva, the same word that was translated in the root text as “existence.”
This translation follows Conlon and the Tibetan translation in omitting the term śrī º before “heruka” as attested in R. Kāṇha also does not include this term in his commentary, suggesting he may not have read it in his version of the root text.
Hevajra Tantra 1.5.1. The reading here, dṛṣṭeti, has been emended to draṣṭeti (draṣṭā + iti) to conform with the reading attested in the Skt. witnesses of the Hevajra Tantra.
This verse is not found in the extant versions of the Laṅkāvatāra Sūtra. It can, however, be located in chapter 39 of The King of Samādhis Sūtra (Samādhirāja Sutra, 39.26). See also Vaidya 1961, p. 281. The same verse is cited by Candrakīrti in the Prasannapadā, but he does not identify his source for the verse (Poussin 1903, p. 133).
The Tib. reflects a different reading: “Because this is great bliss as well as knowledge, it is ‘great knowledge’ ” (bde chen yang yin la ye shes kyang yin pas ye shes chen po’o). There is also an alternative reading in one of the Skt. manuscripts: “This is the knowledge of the innate state, therefore it is ‘great knowledge’ ” (MS ga: sahajajñānaṃ ceti mahājñānam).
The Tib. reflects the reading “…because phenomena are not external to the true nature, the undefiled great bliss of the natural state.” (zag pa med pa’i bde ba chen po lhan cig skyes pa’i mtshan nyid can gyi chos nyid las chos thams cad phyi rol du gyur pa ma yin pas).
Reading, on the authority of the Tib., hevajrasya deha evādhāramaṇḍalam / ādheya[maṇḍalaṃ] pañcadaśayoginīsvabhāvā nāḍyaḥ. The Skt. edition has hevajrasya deha evādhāramaṇḍalam ādheyaṃ / pañcadaśayoginīsvabhāvā nāḍyaḥ.
We have emended the Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit term doṣā to the classical Skt. dveṣā. This channel was previously called dveṣāvatī (BHS doṣāvatī).
This spelling follows Conlon 2025 and the citation in A String of Pearls. R reads śavarī; the Tib. reads mtshan mo.
This spelling follows the Tib. translation of the root text (rangs ma) and the citation in A String of Pearls. R reads kṛṣṇavarṇā.
R agrees with the Tib. shin tu gzugs can ma. There is no equivalent term in Conlon, and MĀ attests to svarūpiṇī, “own form.”
The Tib. reflects the reading “all phenomena of buddhahood” (sangs rgyas kyi chos thams cad).
“Great bliss” is absent in the Skt. reported in Conlon and in the Tibetan translation of the root text.
The words evam mayā, “thus did I,” refer back to the opening line of the Hevajra Tantra, and by extension the opening line of most Buddhist scriptures: evam mayā śrutam.
The terms “quality” (Skt. dharma; Tib. chos), “enjoyment” (sambhoga; longs spyod), and “creation” (nirmāṇa; sprul) are the terms used for the three bodies (kāya; sku) of a buddha.
Following this line, some Sanskrit manuscripts of the Hevajra Tantra include an additional set of four properties. Kāṇha does not comment on this set of four, nor do Ratnākaraśānti, Kamalanātha, or Saroruhavajra in their respective commentaries. The line is also absent from the Tibetan translation. Thus, it is reasonable to assume this additional set of four was not known as part of the Hevajra Tantra to these commentators, or to the Tibetan translators. It has been omitted in this English translation as well. The line, as published in R, reads catvāryaṅgāni sevā-upasevā-sādhana-mahāsādhanaś ceti (“The four limbs are service, honoring, sādhana, and mahāsādhana”).
In the sequence of verses beginning with the “four moments,” the root text enumerates sets of four properties that are oriented around the four cakras explained above.
Kāṇha will now offer an alternate explanation, beginning again with the content of 1.1.21.
This translation follows Cms and the Tib. C omits the final line of the verse, and replaces it with what is in fact the first line of commentary that follows.
These are the first two lines of Hevajra Tantra 2.3.10. The interpretation of the grammar of the Skt. …ca caturthaṃ tat punas tathā is a matter of debate. Many scholars interpret is as “and the fourth, again, is like that.” The translation here is an attempt to align the translation with the interpretation in the commentary that follows in the passage below, where punar is interpreted as “immediately after.” This differs from the translation given in the root text at 2.3.10.
Here Kāṇha is using a creative etymology to parse the term ācārya (“master”) into the words ārāt carati, “one who treads (cara ti) far from (ā rāt)” evil paths.
Adopting, on the authority of the Tib., the reading na punar from MS ga. Both readings, with and without the negation, make sense. The reading without the negation (“it is said”) describes a position that is subsequently refuted. The reading with the negation automatically refutes it.
The Tib. adds spros pa’i phyag rgya after “activity seal,” where phyag rgya could be an instance of dittography. The phrase spros pa however seems to be supported by one of the Skt. manuscript that has prapañca (“elaborate/conceptual”) before bhāvanā (“cultivation”). The addition of spro pa/prapañca would imply that the practice of cultivation is conceptual at this stage.
Kāṇha uses a creative etymology to gloss “wisdom” (prajñā) as “superior” (pra kṛṣṭa) “knowledge” (jñā na).
Reading cittamātratā following Cms and the Tib. translation (sems tsam nyid). C reads citamātratā.
This translation is conjectural, as both the Skt. and the Tib. are unclear. The Tib. omits the reference to the three subtle channels.
Adopting the Tib. reading “heart jewel” (snying gi nor bu), which is also supported by Cms. C reads “this jewel.” The meaning of this phrase is unclear and open to interpretation.
Cms agrees with the Tib. in beginning this passage with the statement, “ ‘That’ (Skt. tat; Tib. de) refers to the wisdom-knowledge [initiation].” Both Sanskrit witnesses and the Tibetan translation then begin the next line by citing “likewise” (tatheti; de bzhin zhes bya ba) from the root text before continuing as translated above.
This translation follows Cms, which is also supported by the Tibetan translation. C omits “moment” (Skt. kṣaṇa; Tib. skad cig ma).
“Indestructible”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
Literally the “truth of the highest meaning,” this is the knowledge that can only be directly realized, but not grasped conceptually.
The first of the four seals associated with the four bodies of a buddha, this term is typically used to refer to the physical sexual consort. It represents the first level of practice on the stage of the arisen, where the four joys are merely recognized during the four
The negative states of mind that bind one to saṃsāra. The main three are delusion, anger, and desire.
The five aggregates of individual existence are form (
The Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit rendering of Adhomukhā, a Buddhist goddess.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the eastern quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the vajra family.
A posture in which the right foot is extended forward and the left knee is slightly bent.
The eleventh bodhisattva level.
A system of code words and terms with symbolic meaning that are used in the higher tantras.
Another name of Amitābha.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the western quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the lotus family.
Another name of Amitābha.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the western quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the lotus family.
One of the five tathāgatas, he is located in the southern quarter of tantric maṇḍalas and presides over the karma family.
One of the eight nāga kings. He is also the cosmic serpent that Viṣṇu sleeps upon.
Another name of Yama.
The god of the realm of the dead and the guardian of the southern quarter.
One of the secondary kṣetras.
There are two types of
An offering that consists primarily of water, which is made ritually to the deity as an act of welcome and to bid farewell. The ritual act is based on the similar practice of receiving a guest in the home.
Another name for Amitābha.
A type of nonhuman being whose precise status is subject to different views, but is included as one of the six classes of beings in the sixfold classification of realms of rebirth. In the Buddhist context, asuras are powerful beings said to be dominated by envy, ambition, and hostility. They are also known in the pre-Buddhist and pre-Vedic mythologies of India and Iran, and feature prominently in Vedic and post-Vedic Brahmanical mythology, as well as in the Buddhist tradition. In these traditions, asuras are often described as being engaged in interminable conflict with the devas.
The eternal principle of individual self, taught in the Brahmanical Upaniṣads and espoused by the Vedānta tradition. It is a concept rejected by Buddhism.
The ninth bodhisattva level.
Literally meaning “heat,” the term refers to intense, austere practices intended to generate yogic energy.
One of the three main subtle channels associated with the experience of emptiness; it is located in the center of the body. In the Hevajra system, this channel is identified with Nairātmyā.
The worst of all hells, where the suffering is most intense.
An offering to the deity or spirits that consists chiefly of food.
The ritual activity of banishing or exorcising hostile forces. A type of hostile rite (
The nature of phenomena as they truly are, free of conceptual distortion.
A polyvalent term that refers in tantric scriptures to the
“Generating”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
This name can be used for fear personified, or more generally for “terrifying” (
A Buddhist goddess.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
This term in its broadest sense can refer to any being, whether human, animal, or nonhuman. However, it is often used to refer to a specific class of nonhuman beings, especially when bhūtas are mentioned alongside rākṣasas, piśācas, or pretas. In common with these other kinds of nonhumans, bhūtas are usually depicted with unattractive and misshapen bodies. Like several other classes of nonhuman beings, bhūtas take spontaneous birth. As their leader is traditionally regarded to be Rudra-Śiva (also known by the name Bhūta), with whom they haunt dangerous and wild places, bhūtas are especially prominent in Śaivism, where large sections of certain tantras concentrate on them.
Another name of Śiva, possibly reflecting his being the lord of bhūtas.
One of the main gods of the Brahmanical tradition.
Also called
In the general Mahāyāna teachings, the “mind of awakening” (
This appears to be another term for the body of true nature (
A code word for male genitalia.
One of the primary deities of the Brahmanical pantheon in which he is considered a creator god. Brahmā occupies an important place in Buddhism as one of two deities (the other being Śakra) who are said to have first exhorted Śākyamuni to teach the Dharma. He is also considered to be the “Lord of the Sahā world” (our universe).
“Brahmin woman,” one of the five mudrās, representing the activity family in the Hevajra system.
Toh 424. A Yoginī tantra featuring a maṇḍala centered on a heruka-type deity.
Literally “wheel,” cakra is an energy center in the subtle body where subtle channels converge. In tantric Buddhism there are either four or five main cakras. The
An ideal monarch or emperor who, as the result of the merit accumulated in previous lifetimes, rules over a vast realm in accordance with the Dharma. Such a monarch is called a cakravartin because he bears a wheel (cakra) that rolls (vartate) across the earth, bringing all lands and kingdoms under his power. The cakravartin conquers his territory without causing harm, and his activity causes beings to enter the path of wholesome actions. According to Vasubandhu’s Abhidharmakośa, just as with the buddhas, only one cakravartin appears in a world system at any given time. They are likewise endowed with the thirty-two major marks of a great being (mahāpuruṣalakṣaṇa), but a cakravartin’s marks are outshined by those of a buddha. They possess seven precious objects: the wheel, the elephant, the horse, the wish-fulfilling gem, the queen, the general, and the minister. An illustrative passage about the cakravartin and his possessions can be found in The Play in Full (Toh 95), 3.3–3.13.
Vasubandhu lists four types of cakravartins: (1) the cakravartin with a golden wheel (suvarṇacakravartin) rules over four continents and is invited by lesser kings to be their ruler; (2) the cakravartin with a silver wheel (rūpyacakravartin) rules over three continents and his opponents submit to him as he approaches; (3) the cakravartin with a copper wheel (tāmracakravartin) rules over two continents and his opponents submit themselves after preparing for battle; and (4) the cakravartin with an iron wheel (ayaścakravartin) rules over one continent and his opponents submit themselves after brandishing weapons.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. She is roused as a mystic heat or fire during a yoga practice of the same name. She is also one of the five mudrās, representing the tathāgata family in the Hevajra system. Also, the name of a yoginī in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
“Fierce One”; one of the subtle channels in the body.
The god of the moon, or the moon personified.
One of the pīlavas.
A class of tantra that is typically listed second in traditional doxographies. Classified between Kriyā and Yoga tantra, these tantras include features of deity yoga that are not present in the Kriyā Tantras, but that are not as fully evolved as in the Yoga Tantras.
One of the fifteen yoginīs that inhabit the thirty-two subtle channels. Also, one of the yoginīs in the maṇḍala of Nairātmyā.
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kye’i rdo rje zhes bya ba rgyud kyi rgyal po (Hevajratantra). Toh 417–418, Degé Kangyur vol. 80 (rgyud, nga), folios 1.a–30.a.
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84000. Emergence from Sampuṭa (Sampuṭodbhava, yang dag par sbyor ba, Toh 381). Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Four Factors (Caturdharmaka, chos bzhi pa, Toh 250). Translated by Adam Pearcey. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Four Stanzas (Caturgāthā, tshigs su bcad pa bzhi pa, Toh 324). Translated by the Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Play in Full (Lalitavistara, rgya cher rol pa, Toh 95). Translated by the Dharmachakra Translation Committee. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Prayer of Good Conduct (Bhadracaryāpraṇidhāna, bzang spyod smon lam, Toh 1095). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts and team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Single Stanza (Ekagāthā, tshigs su bcad pa gcig pa, Toh 323). Translated by the Pema Yeshé Dé Translation Team. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2025.
84000. The Ten Bhūmis (Daśabhūmika, sa bcu pa, Toh 44-31). Translated by Peter Alan Roberts. Online publication. 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha, 2021.
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Shastri, Haraprasad, ed. Advayavajrasaṅgraha. Baroda: Oriental Institute, 1927.
Snellgrove, David, ed. The Hevajratantra: A Critical Study. 2 vols. New York: Oxford University Press, 1959.
Szántó, Péter-Dániel. “Hevajratantra.” In Brill’s Encyclopedia of Buddhism, vol. 1: 334–340. Leiden: Brill Publications, 2015.
van der Kuijp, Leonard W. J. “A Text-Historical Note on the Hevajratantra II: v: 1–2.” Journal of the International Association of Buddhist Studies 8:1 (1985): 83–89.
Vasudeva, Somadeva. “Prasenā, Prasīnā and Prasannā: The Evidence of the Niśvāsaguhya and the Tantrasadbhāva.” Cracow Indological Studies 16, Special Issue (2015): 369–90.
Walshe, Maurice, trans. Thus Have I Heard: The Long Discourses of the Buddha. London: Wisdom Publications, 1987.
C The version of the Yogaratnamālā published in Tripathi 2001
Cms Readings from the critical apparatus of the Yogaratnamālā published in Tripathi 2001
Conlon The version of the Hevajra Tantra published in Conlon (forthcoming).
D Degé Kangyur/Tengyu
HT The edition and translation of the Hevajra Tantra published in Snellgrove 1959
K Kangxi Kangyur/Tengyur
MS(S) Manuscript(s)
N Narthang Kangyur/Tengyur
R The version of the Hevajra Tantra published in Tripathi 2006
Rms Readings from the critical apparatus of the Hevajra Tantra published in Tripathi 2006
Skt. All consulted Sanskrit witnesses, or the Sanskrit language generally
Tib. All consulted Tibetan witnesses, or the Tibetan language generally
The Jewel Garland of Yoga is a commentary on the Hevajra Tantra, one of the most important texts of the Yoginī tantra class of esoteric Buddhist literature. Written by the master and scholar Kāṇha, who himself was a holder of a Hevajra transmission lineage within the first two hundred years of the appearance of the root text, it is now one of the most highly regarded commentaries of the Hevajra system. It is written in the pañjikā style, in which the root text is analyzed word by word lexically and grammatically, and is treated with an exhaustive exegetical analysis. The commentary not only analyzes the text itself, but also explains the most important tenets of the Yoginī tantras broadly.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Wiesiek Mical produced the translation and wrote the introduction. The translation was then compared against the Tibetan translation found in the Degé Kangyur by Thomas Doctor, and edited by Ryan Damron. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Adon (late), Khandu Om, Yeshey Wangmo, Pema Nadik, Yangzom Ara, Tashi Bida, Yangchen Lhamo, Nordenpines, Kesang Choedon, Sonam Wangmo, Rinchen Dema, Tashi Tobgay, Rinzin Llhamo, Ugyen Lhamo, Eudronma Tashi (late), Pema Choden, Daw Zam, Karma Leki, Kezang Dema, Tashi Ongmo, Lemo, Tshering Yangchen, Sangay Zangmo, Sonam Jamtsho, Chimi Pelden, Tashi Lhamo, Neyzang Wangmo, Yeshi Lhendup, Sonam Tobgye, Druk Green & 84000 community, Bhutan.
The Jewel Garland of Yoga, composed by the Indian master Kāṇha (ca. eleventh century), is a commentary on the Hevajra Tantra one of the most important and renowned tantras of the Yoginī class. The Hevajra Tantra was compiled and began circulating in India around the turn of the ninth or tenth centuries, and has remained one of the most studied, practiced, and cited tantric texts in India, Nepal, and Tibet. Nearly two dozen Indian and Tibetan commentaries have been composed on it, and it is quoted extensively in works such as the Sampuṭa Tantra and many other tantras and treatises.
The Hevajra Tantra is preserved in numerous Sanskrit manuscripts, and has been translated into Tibetan and Chinese. The Tibetan translation was made in the eleventh century by the Indian scholar Gayādhara and his Tibetan disciple Drokmi Lotsāwa Shākya Yeshé, and is cataloged in the Kangyur as two texts, corresponding to the Sanskrit text’s two chapters. The Chinese translation of the Hevajra Tantra (Taishō 892, 佛說大悲空智金剛大教王儀軌經) was prepared by the Indian monk Dharmapāla (Fahu, 法護) in 1055.
The main deity of the Hevajra Tantra is the eponymous heruka Hevajra. A heruka is a generic form for certain wrathful emanations, usually of the sambhogakāya buddha Vajrasattva, or sometimes Akṣobhya. As such, herukas are expressions of “vajra being” (vajrasattva); they do not incarnate on earth as tathāgatas, but are spontaneously present in each and every being as their innate state (sahaja). This is reflected, for example, in the epithet sahajaheruka, applied to Kālacakra and other herukas. Apart from Hevajra and Kālacakra, the other well-known herukas include Cakrasaṃvara, Buddhakapāla, and Mahāmāyā.
The teachings presented in the Hevajra Tantra are delivered by Hevajra himself, addressed in the text as the “Blessed One” (bhagavat) and referred to throughout as Vajradhara (“Vajra Holder”) and Vajrasattva (“Vajra Being”). His other names, such as Picuvajra, Mahāsukha (“Great Bliss”), and Mahaccitta (“Great Mind”), also evoke some aspects of his nature. The combination of picu (“cotton fluff”) and vajra (something infinitely hard) in Picuvajra could be an allusion to the union of the soft tenderness of his compassion and the vajra-like invincibility of his wrath, which cannot be challenged or manipulated in any way. The epithet mahāsukha refers to his nature of “great bliss,” which is generated through the union of compassion and emptiness. Mahaccitta could be a reference to his nature of bodhicitta, which in the context of sexual yoga is associated with semen.
The teachings of the Hevajra Tantra are delivered in response to the questions variously asked by the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, the goddess Nairātmyā, or collectively by the yoginīs of the Hevajra maṇḍala. The tantra covers a range of esoteric topics, including descriptions of the primary deities and their maṇḍala configuration, the derivation and use of mantras, rites to be employed for mundane and liberative purposes, the thirty subtle channels of the body, the use of secret gestures and codewords, and so forth. The primary concern of the Hevajra Tantra is, however, the innate state (sahaja) and its cultivation through initiation and practice within the elaborate framework of the Yoginī tantras, rooted in the ontological foundations of the Great Vehicle philosophy. Although present in every being, the innate state primarily remains unrecognized. The Hevajra Tantra explains how to recognize this state through the four initiations (abhiṣeka), the practice of the stage of arising (utpattikrama) and the stage of the arisen (utpannakrama), each of which can be further viewed in terms of either relative truth (saṃvṛtisatya) or absolute truth (paramārthasatya). In its most essential formulation, the basis of the practice of the stage of arising is the cultivation of the four joys (caturānanda), and the basis of the stage of the arisen is the cultivation of the innate joy (sahajānanda). The recognition of the innate state is equated with attaining the state of awakening (bodhi), which encompasses omniscient knowledge (sarvajñajñāna) and knowledge of all forms (sarvākārajñāna).
The joys are observed and marked (lakṣita) during ritualized sexual intercourse wherein the sexual partners identify themselves as Hevajra and Nairātmyā. They seek a glimpse of innate joy, which is most apparent when supreme joy (paramānanda), experienced at the moment of sexual climax, fades and turns into the joy of cessation (viramānanda). At this moment, the mind loses the support of pleasure that had filled it completely and is delivered into bare awareness, where the mind’s natural luminosity (prabhāsvara)—the basic, preconceptual clarity of mind—can be experienced and discerned. In terms of practice, this experience first occurs and is cultivated at the end of the supreme joy and the onset of the joy of cessation (the second and the third joys respectively). This experience, referred to as innate joy, is said, in relative terms, to be located between these two joys, sometimes leading to the misunderstanding that the innate joy is the third in the sequence. However, even though the moment of its recognition may be coterminous with the onset of the third joy, innate joy is ontologically excluded from the other three and seen as the “fourth” categorically, rather than sequentially. Because the Hevajra Tantra itself leaves room for interpretation, the issue of the correct sequence of the joys, specifically of the last two, developed into a crucial point of debate among proponents of the Hevajra system.
The Hevajra Tantra inspired a sizable body of exegetical literature in India, both in the form of explanatory tantras (vyākhyātantra) and commentaries composed by eminent Indian masters. Some of these commentaries are of the pañjikā type, which explain the text in a linear fashion, going word by word and phrase by phrase. Kāṇha’s The Jewel Garland of Yoga belongs to this category, counted as one of the two most important treatises on the Hevajra Tantra, the other being Ratnākaraśānti’s A String of Pearls (Muktāvalī). Kāṇha was a late contemporary of Ratnākaraśānti, and it is historically plausible that they met in person. The differences between Kāṇha’s interpretations of the doctrine presented in the Hevajra Tantra in his Jewel Garland of Yoga and those of Ratnākaraśānti in A String of Pearls are negligible; their views are in close alignment.
Kāṇha, who is celebrated as one of the five nāthas and eighty-four mahāsiddhas, is known under a variety of names, two of which—Kṛṣṇa and Kāṇha—are used in The Jewel Garland of Yoga. The name Kṛṣṇa is used in the chapter colophons, and the name Kāṇha in the text’s final colophon. Other variants of his name include Kāṇhapā, Kāṅhupā, Kāṅhupāda, Kāṇhapāda, Kṛṣṇapā, Kṛṣṇapāda, and Krṣṇācārya. Some Tibetan sources refer to him by a name that could be back-translated into Sanskrit as Samayavajra or Kṛṣṇasamayavajra, while other sources identify him as Śāntibhadra, a pupil of Ratnākaraśānti. Altogether there are about a dozen names for this prolific commentator, a situation made more complicated by the fact that there were at least two masters active during the same period named Kṛṣṇācārya, one known as Kṛṣṇācārya the Father and the other as Kṛṣṇācārya the Son. The Kṛṣṇācārya who composed The Jewel Garland of Yoga was probably the Father.
Kāṇha would have lived and composed his commentary in the eleventh century, which is within two hundred years of the compilation of the root text. This proximity in time, in combination with Kāṇha’s being a lineage holder in the direct transmission of the Hevajra teachings, makes his commentary a highly authoritative and reliable reference work.
Because Kāṇha’s commentary is of the pañjikā type, it can only be properly understood when read together with the Hevajra Tantra. Typically, a pañjikā quotes a phrase from the root text, glosses it with synonyms, explains its lexical and doctrinal meaning, establishes its meaning in the broader context of the text, and offers alternative interpretations. We have therefore embedded a translation of the Hevajra Tantra in the commentary for the reader’s convenience. However, a commentary such as The Jewel Garland of Yoga occasionally reflects textual variants between the version of Hevajra Tantra originally read by Kāṇha and those that have come down to us today as Sanskrit manuscripts or in the Tibetan translation. In this presentation of the root text embedded in this English translation we have, when possible, adopted the textual variants of the Hevajra Tantra that correspond with the root text as reported in The Jewel Garland of Yoga. This harmonization, which is necessary to make sense of the commentary, resulted in a version of the Hevajra Tantra that is unique to the presentation of The Jewel Garland of Yoga, and which is different from the versions of the root text that will appear in translations of the Hevajra Tantra alone or as they appear in other commentarial works. Significant variants have been indicated in the notes.
This English translation of The Jewel Garland of Yoga is based on the Sanskrit edition prepared by Ram Shankar Tripathi (2006). Though this edition is not without its flaws and the preparation of a new edition remains desirable, it proved a workable basis for this translation, especially since its critical apparatus, which includes variant readings from eighteen Sanskrit manuscripts, was also carefully consulted. After completing the English translation from the Sanskrit edition, it was revised in comparison with the Tibetan translation recorded in the Degé Tengyur and its Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma). Based on these Tibetan sources, previous decisions regarding Sanskrit textual variants were reevaluated, and subsequent changes to the English translation were made.
This translation of A Garland of Yoga would not have been possible without the continued efforts of many people. We are deeply grateful to Professor Harunaga Isaacson for generously sharing his expertise with us on many different occasions, to Ryan Conlon for making available a draft of his edition of the Hevajra Tantra with Kamalanātha’s Ratnāvalī, and to all other scholars and practitioners who shared their knowledge and insights with us.
Oṁ, homage to Hevajra! Homage to Youthful Mañjuśrī!
Oṁ homage to the glorious Hevajra!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One dwelt in the bhagas of the vajra women, which are the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas. [1.1.1]
Referring to the passage that begins “Thus did I,”
Regarding this, the Blessed One said, “My teachings should be recounted, O monks, with the words ‘thus did I hear.’ ” Therefore, the original reciter says thus did I hear. So, regarding this, some say the following: By saying hear the original reciter indicates that this is a recitation. If the recitation represented personal understanding or secondhand transmission, it would not be authoritative. Therefore, in order to discount these two possibilities, the original reciter says “thus did I.” In this phrase, I indicates “I heard it myself; it was not heard secondhand.” Thus means “exactly as I will now present.” At one time means “at one point in time only,” that is, not all the time and not in all places. The Blessed One is Vajradhara in the form of Hevajra. The blessings are the qualities such as power, and so forth. Whoever possesses these blessings is a “blessed one.” As is said:
- “The blessings are known to be six:
- Complete sovereignty,
- Knowledge, renown, splendor,
- Beauty, and meaningful endeavor.”
Dwelt means that he dwelt in the ways that a buddha dwells. Where did he dwell? He dwelt in the bhagas of the vajra women, which are the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas. The bhagas of the vajra women—referring to Locanā and so forth—are precisely the dharmodaya, the form of Vajradhara, who is the combination of the three secrets—body, speech, and mind—of “all tathāgatas,” which is to say “each and every tathāgata.” They are such because their bodies are the intrinsic nature of the infinite phenomena that are free of defilements. The two phrases—“the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas” and “the bhagas of the vajra women”—are compounded together in an adjectival relationship. “In” them means in a temple palace located there. Considering that the Blessed One’s dwelling place is the most secret of all secret places, it is implied that a suitable assembly has gathered—this, however, is described in the earlier tantra and will not be repeated here. Accordingly, I offer the provisional meaning.
Also, regarding the passage beginning “thus did I (evam mayā),” and so forth:
As Vajradhara will also say:
- “The Blessed Lord takes the form of semen;
- And his bliss is known as the amorous consort.
- Having the nature of qualities and enjoyment
- Is Vajradhara’s characteristic.”
And:
- “The concealed (saṃvṛta) resembles jasmine flowers,
- And the revealed (vivṛta) has the nature of bliss.”
Thus, these initial words express the nature of emptiness and compassion, the nature of wisdom and means, the nature of the dharmakāya, sambhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya, the nature of concealed truth and relative truth, and the nature of the stage of arising and the stage of the arisen.
Vajradhara will also say:
- “The syllable he expresses great compassion,
- While vajra expresses wisdom.
- Now listen to the tantra, spoken by me—
- It has the nature of wisdom and means.”
Based on this interpretation, the next part beginning with “at one time” is easy to understand. This interpretation, which has been passed down through a lineage of transmission, is favored by some.
The opening line can also be understood as follows:
Elsewhere it is said:
- “The instructions of the vajra holders
- Are concerned with the two stages—
- The stage of arising
- And the stage of the arisen.”
This explains the statement “Thus did I hear at one time,” as was previously taught.
There, the Blessed One said, “The essence of the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas is revered and the most secret of the exceedingly secret. So it is, O Vajragarbha, deeply compassionate one, great bodhisattva. Excellent! Excellent! Hear about the essence of the vajra being, the great being, the samaya being called Hevajra.” [1.1.2]
There, meaning “in the midst of the assembly,” the Blessed One explains the distinction that the essence of the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas, their inner core, is the revered Vajradhara, the supreme deity. Vajradhara is accordingly the secret among all tathāgatas. He is exceedingly secret because he is inaccessible to the śrāvakas and so forth. He is Hevajra. Encouraging the assembly, who had become delighted through their faith and knowledge that Hevajra is difficult to find, the Blessed One says O Vajragarbha, and so forth. The word hear logically connects to that which will be heard.
Vajragarbha asked:
- “Why is he a vajra being?
- How is he a great being?
- In what way is he a samaya being?
- Please tell me, O Blessed One!” [1.1.3]
Regarding the passage that begins “Vajragarbha asked,” what does he ask? He asks three questions.
The Blessed One replied:
- “Vajra expresses the unbreakable.
- Being is the oneness of the three existents.
- Based on this understanding,
- He is known as a vajra being. [1.1.4]
Regarding the passage that begins “the Blessed One replied,” unbreakable means that it cannot be destroyed. It cannot be articulated by proponents of either one’s own or an opponent’s doctrines. What is it then? It is the emptiness of all phenomena. Also, the master Devapāda said:
- “In arguments concerning emptiness,
- All statements made to counter it
- Are not replies at all,
- For they exemplify the thesis to be proved.”
In the Vajraśekhara the Blessed One said:
- “An essence that is solid, not hollow—
- That cannot, by definition, be broken or split—
- Unburnable and unbreakable,
- Emptiness is called vajra.”
In the phrase being is the oneness of the three existents, the word being means “existing.” “Being” refers to the state of being an agent of meaningful actions, a state characterized by conditionality. “Being” has the nature of the five aggregates. Accordingly, the Blessed One called brahmins “beings” insofar as they consist of the five aggregates. These five are the three existents—namely body, speech, and mind—which are one. There is no duality, as they are perfect luminosity.
In the phrase based on this understanding—that is, based on the analysis found in the Prajñāpāramitā and the Madhyamaka analysis—the term vajra being describes the body of qualities.
- “Filled with the flavors of great knowledge,
- He is called great being.
- Constantly keeping the samaya,
- He is called samaya being.” [1.1.5]
Regarding the passage that begins “filled with the flavors of great knowledge,” great knowledge refers to the teachings advanced by the Great Vehicle. They have a flavor, which means “taste.” He is, in a manner of speaking, filled with such flavors. In a temple palace decorated with the most resplendent jewels, with his perfectly pure body adorned with the major and minor marks and gratified with the flavors of the great bliss of the enjoyment body while surrounded by infinite hosts of yoginīs, he emanates and withdraws himself, tirelessly circling within saṃsāra for as long as it exists, continually and perpetually. He, the great being, is verily the enjoyment body of the buddhas.
In the passage beginning “constantly keeping the samaya,” samaya refers to reaching everywhere in space by means of sending emanations, thereby moving throughout the three worlds in various forms that employ skillful means to guide beings according to their specific needs. Because he does this perpetually, he is a samaya being, a phrase that describes the infinitely diversified creation body of the buddhas.
Vajragarbha asked:
- “As for Hevajra,
- How is such a name constructed?
- What is expressed by the syllable he?
- And what is meant by vajra?” [1.1.6]
Regarding the passage that begins “Vajragarbha asked,” what does he ask? He asks about the meaning of the name Hevajra, which indicates that he is a vajra holder.
The Blessed One replied:
- “The syllable he expresses great compassion,
- While vajra expresses wisdom.
- Now listen to this tantra, spoken by me—
- It has the nature of wisdom and means.” [1.1.7]
With this combination of syllables that comprise its name, Hevajra has the nature of wisdom and means. Regarding the line “now hear this tantra…,” and so forth, tantra means “literary composition” and is of three types: the tantra of cause, of result, and of means. In this case, the cause refers to the beings that belong to the vajra family, the result is the fully manifested form of Hevajra, and the means is the path that is now being explained with its attendant methods. This tantra is spoken by me, that is, by Vajradhara. The words “by me”—equivalent to “thus have I,” and so forth—are the statement of introduction in this present context. Hear means “direct your attention to what will be heard.”
As a simple indication of what will be taught, Vajradhara says, “The gazes, the summoning,” and so forth:
- “There are the gazes, the summoning, and the great language of signs—
- Capability that is known to be of many types.
- There are paralyzing and banishing,
- The paralyzing of armies, and hostile rites. [1.1.8]
- “There are the arising, abiding, and instrumental cause
- Of the yoginīs, as is appropriate,
- Capability, and knowledge both general and specific,
- In accordance with the arising of the deities.” [1.1.9]
As is appropriate means progressing through the stages of “lesser,” “intermediate,” and “intense” as explained in the chapter on the deities. Arising refers to the arrangement of the letters. Abiding refers to the support. The instrumental cause refers to the moon and sun disks, the seed syllables, and the emblems. Capability refers to the power derived through mastering the mantra recitation and the visualization. General knowledge is the science of astrology, and so forth. Specific knowledge is knowing one’s duties toward all masters. In the phrase in accordance with the arising of the deities, “of the deities” means “of Hevajra,” and so forth. In accordance with the arising means generating them in the required sequence.
- “There is, to begin with,
- Only one cause for Heruka’s arising:
- Beings are liberated through existence alone,
- O Vajragarbha of great compassion!” [1.1.10]
Regarding the passage that begins “There is, to begin with,” why does it say to begin with? It is said in the mantra branch of the Great Vehicle that new practitioners should begin their practice by becoming the form of the deity. As it is said:
- “The first practice for beginning practitioners,
- As prescribed in the tantra,
- Is the visualization of the deity’s form,
- As it brings success in all activities.”
One cause—indicating great means—refers to subsequent explanations of the second topic, the stage of the arisen.
Regarding the passage that begins “beings are,” and so forth, [in the phrase] “through existence alone,” existence means “arising,” conveying the sense of arising from birth to birth. It is only through the body, which is characterized by the five aggregates, that one is liberated. O Vajragarbha of great compassion is an address in the vocative case. [1.1.10]
- “They are bound by the fetters of existence,
- And liberated through recognition of it.
- Existence needs to be cultivated, O wise one,
- As does nonexistence, through recognition of it.
- Heruka should be cultivated in the same way,
- Through the recognition of nonexistence.” [1.1.11]
Some describe liberation as characterized by an absence of the aggregates, the state of nirvāṇa in which the aggregates no longer remain. They might raise the doubt, “If liberation only occurs through existence, how does bondage occur?” To that Vajradhara says, “They are bound by the fetters of existence.” That is to say, it is through bondage to this existence, grasping, attachment to material objects, and believing existence to be real.
Then how can they be liberated? Through recognition of it. “Recognition” of it refers to direct insight, the characteristics of which will be explained below, and the procedure provided in the chapter on reality. There it is said that “there is no” innately existing “form and no one seeing it,” and so on. One is liberated through recognizing the fact that the five aggregates do not arise.
Then, based on this understanding, existence needs to be cultivated. O wise one is an address in the vocative case. This means, generally, that the form of the deity—which is born from the transformations of the sun, moon, seed syllables, and emblems—is to be properly cultivated.
As for the phrase “as does nonexistence,” nonexistence is to be recognized with complete certainty. To “not exist” is to be nonexistent, unarisen. Thus, as the Blessed One said in the Laṅkāvatāra:
- “One who knows the existent to be nonexistent
- Never becomes attached to the existent.
- One who never becomes attached to the existent
- Reaches the causeless samādhi.”
Heruka should be cultivated in the same way, meaning with the same characteristics described here. Nonexistence means that the heruka’s nonexistence should also be recognized.
- “The great knowledge located in the body
- Is devoid of all conceptuality.
- It pervades all entities,
- And though located there, is not born from the body.” [1.1.12]
Alluding to the second stage, Vajradhara speaks the verse beginning with “the great knowledge.” It resides in the body, therefore it is “located in the body.” This knowledge is great, therefore it is called “great knowledge.” In what sense is it great knowledge if it resides in the body? To clarify this, Vajradhara says “it pervades all things,” because all phenomena manifest through the true nature are characterized by the natural state of great bliss free of defilements. Therefore, even though it is located there, it is not born from the body. The body is not its cause, because the body has the quality of being deceptive and false.
Vajragarbha asked, “Blessed One! How many subtle channels are in the vajra body?”
The Blessed One replied, “Thirty-two. Thirty-two such channels carrying bodhicitta stream from the place of great bliss. Among them are the three main subtle channels—lalanā, rasanā, and avadhūtī.” [1.1.13]
The Blessed One will say:
“Therefore,
- “There is no odor, sound, form, or flavor,
- And there is no purity of mind.
- There is no touch and no phenomena, since everything is purity.
- The world is pure by nature; this is how I regard the world.”
The two stages—the stage of arising and the stage of the arisen—have been taught from the first statement containing the word “hear.” In the context of the stage of the arisen, the support-maṇḍala of Hevajra is the body, and the supported maṇḍala consists of the subtle channels that are of the nature of the fifteen yoginīs. Nevertheless, it is not as yet known how many of them there are, how they are arranged, or the quality of the ensuing realization. This is why Vajragarbha asks about this, saying “Blessed One,” and so forth. The channels carry bodhicitta, which means that they induce the innate state. There are three main subtle channels, meaning that as soon as a thorough understanding of the three channels is gained, this very understanding will reveal Hevajra’s special status as being defined as the natural state.
- “Lalanā has the nature of wisdom,
- Rasanā consists of means,
- And avadhūtī, in the center,
- Is free from grasped and grasper. [1.1.14]
- “Lalanā carries Akṣobhya,
- Rasanā carries blood,
- And the one called avadhūtī
- Is said to carry the wisdom-moon. [1.1.15]
- “Abhedyā, sūkṣmarūpā,
- Divyā, vāmā, vāmanī,
- Kūrmajā, bhāvakī, sekā,
- Dveṣā, viṣṭā, mātarā, [1.1.16]
- “Śarvarī, śītadā, uṣmā,
- Lalanā, avadhūtī, rasanā,
- Pravaṇā, hṛṣṭavadanā,
- Surūpiṇī, sāmānyā, hetudāyikā, [1.1.17]
- “Viyogā, premaṇī, siddhā,
- Pāvakī, sumanāḥ,
- Traivṛttā, kāminī, gehā,
- Caṇḍikā, and māradārikā.” [1.1.18]
Specifying the respective natures of the three channels, Vajradhara says Lalanā, and so forth. This passage is easy to understand.
Vajragarbha asked, “What are these thirty-two subtle channels like, O Blessed One?” [1.1.19]
The line beginning “what are these” presents a question posed by Vajragarbha. The general sense of it is this: “Is contemplating the structure of these channels alone sufficient for attaining the state of Vajradhara, or is something else required?”
The Blessed One replied:
- “They are all transformations of the three existences,
- And are free of subject and object.
- However, through universal skillful means
- They are imbued with the characteristics of relative existence.” [1.1.20]
To that the Blessed One replies with the passage beginning “they are all transformations of the three existences.” The three existences refers to all phenomena because they comprise all that pertains to body, speech, and mind. They are transformations of them, meaning that the channels have their nature. Consequently, they are precisely free of subject and object. The word however introduces an alternative perspective. Through universal skillful means demonstrates that in this system all the channels are imbued with the characteristics of relative existence—specifically as the lalanā, rasanā, and avadhūtī channels—as a skillful means for attaining the state of Vajradhara, insofar as the nature of the subtle channels is a cause. This is done in order to aid disciples.
“Moreover, the categories of the concealed are said to be the vowels and consonants, the moon and sun, wisdom and means, the cakras of qualities, enjoyment, creation, and great bliss, as well as body, speech, and mind. They are the phrase evam mayā.” [1.1.21]
Regarding the passage beginning “moreover, the categories of the concealed,” the yogin, internalizing the plethora of external phenomena, should resolve that they are concealed because they are hidden and because they are in their most condensed form. The categories of the concealed are of many types, including the vowels, consonants, and the rest. There are the sixteen vowels starting with a, and the thirty-four consonants starting with the letter ka. These are associated, respectively, with lalanā and rasanā, the moon and the sun, and with wisdom and means. The terms qualities enjoyment, and creation refer, respectively, to the cakra of qualities, the cakra of enjoyment, and the cakra of creation, which are located in the heart, throat, and lower abdomen, respectively. Body, speech, and mind are associated with the same three cakras—the cakra of the body is in the lower abdomen, that of the speech in the throat, and that of the mind in the heart. The cakra of great bliss, located in the head, should be known to have a nature understood in terms of the same triad. Within these four cakras are the elemental natures of earth, water, fire, and wind, as well as the four seals. All of this is expressed by the phrase evam mayā.
- “The goddess Locanā is known by the syllable e,
- Māmakī by the syllable vaṃ.
- Pāṇḍurā is known by the syllable ma,
- And Tāraṇi by the syllable yā. [1.1.22]
“There is a lotus with sixty-four petals in the cakra of creation, an eight-petaled lotus in the cakra of qualities, a sixteen-petaled lotus in the cakra of enjoyment, and a lotus with thirty-two petals in the cakra of great bliss. This sequence of enumerating the cakras establishes the arrangement that follows.” [1.1.23]
Here in the passage beginning “there is a lotus with sixty-four petals,” the number of the lotus petals is specified for the cakra of creation and the other cakras. In the cakra of creation there is a lotus with sixty-four petals. The syllables a, ka, ca, ṭa, ta, pa, ya, and śa are located on the eight innermost petals from right to left, and the syllable a is on the pericarp.
There is a downward-facing eight-petaled lotus in the heart. The syllables ya, ra, la, and va are located on the four petals in the corners, the syllables ā, ī, ū, and ai on the four petals in the cardinal directions, and the syllable hūṁ, facing downward, on the pericarp.
There is a sixteen-petaled lotus in the throat. The syllables a, i, u, and e are arranged from right to left on the four central, upward-facing petals in the four cardinal directions. The syllable oṁ is located on the pericarp.
On the pericarp of the thirty-two-petaled lotus located in the head is the syllable haṃ, facing downward.
“The four moments are varied, ripe, dissolving, and without characteristic.” [1.1.24]
The sets of properties that are presented in connection with these four cakras are oriented to the stage of arising. Concisely put, the four moments are oriented to the cakra of creation and so on.
“The four truths of the noble ones are the truth of suffering, of its source, of its cessation, and of the path.” [1.1.25]
The Jewel Garland of Yoga is a commentary on the Hevajra Tantra, one of the most important texts of the Yoginī tantra class of esoteric Buddhist literature. Written by the master and scholar Kāṇha, who himself was a holder of a Hevajra transmission lineage within the first two hundred years of the appearance of the root text, it is now one of the most highly regarded commentaries of the Hevajra system. It is written in the pañjikā style, in which the root text is analyzed word by word lexically and grammatically, and is treated with an exhaustive exegetical analysis. The commentary not only analyzes the text itself, but also explains the most important tenets of the Yoginī tantras broadly.
This publication was completed under the patronage and supervision of 84000: Translating the Words of the Buddha.
The text was translated, edited, and introduced by the 84000 translation team. Wiesiek Mical produced the translation and wrote the introduction. The translation was then compared against the Tibetan translation found in the Degé Kangyur by Thomas Doctor, and edited by Ryan Damron. Ven. Konchog Norbu copyedited the text, and Martina Cotter was in charge of the digital publication process.
The translation of this text has been made possible through the generous sponsorship of Adon (late), Khandu Om, Yeshey Wangmo, Pema Nadik, Yangzom Ara, Tashi Bida, Yangchen Lhamo, Nordenpines, Kesang Choedon, Sonam Wangmo, Rinchen Dema, Tashi Tobgay, Rinzin Llhamo, Ugyen Lhamo, Eudronma Tashi (late), Pema Choden, Daw Zam, Karma Leki, Kezang Dema, Tashi Ongmo, Lemo, Tshering Yangchen, Sangay Zangmo, Sonam Jamtsho, Chimi Pelden, Tashi Lhamo, Neyzang Wangmo, Yeshi Lhendup, Sonam Tobgye, Druk Green & 84000 community, Bhutan.
The Jewel Garland of Yoga, composed by the Indian master Kāṇha (ca. eleventh century), is a commentary on the Hevajra Tantra one of the most important and renowned tantras of the Yoginī class. The Hevajra Tantra was compiled and began circulating in India around the turn of the ninth or tenth centuries, and has remained one of the most studied, practiced, and cited tantric texts in India, Nepal, and Tibet. Nearly two dozen Indian and Tibetan commentaries have been composed on it, and it is quoted extensively in works such as the Sampuṭa Tantra and many other tantras and treatises.
The Hevajra Tantra is preserved in numerous Sanskrit manuscripts, and has been translated into Tibetan and Chinese. The Tibetan translation was made in the eleventh century by the Indian scholar Gayādhara and his Tibetan disciple Drokmi Lotsāwa Shākya Yeshé, and is cataloged in the Kangyur as two texts, corresponding to the Sanskrit text’s two chapters. The Chinese translation of the Hevajra Tantra (Taishō 892, 佛說大悲空智金剛大教王儀軌經) was prepared by the Indian monk Dharmapāla (Fahu, 法護) in 1055.
The main deity of the Hevajra Tantra is the eponymous heruka Hevajra. A heruka is a generic form for certain wrathful emanations, usually of the sambhogakāya buddha Vajrasattva, or sometimes Akṣobhya. As such, herukas are expressions of “vajra being” (vajrasattva); they do not incarnate on earth as tathāgatas, but are spontaneously present in each and every being as their innate state (sahaja). This is reflected, for example, in the epithet sahajaheruka, applied to Kālacakra and other herukas. Apart from Hevajra and Kālacakra, the other well-known herukas include Cakrasaṃvara, Buddhakapāla, and Mahāmāyā.
The teachings presented in the Hevajra Tantra are delivered by Hevajra himself, addressed in the text as the “Blessed One” (bhagavat) and referred to throughout as Vajradhara (“Vajra Holder”) and Vajrasattva (“Vajra Being”). His other names, such as Picuvajra, Mahāsukha (“Great Bliss”), and Mahaccitta (“Great Mind”), also evoke some aspects of his nature. The combination of picu (“cotton fluff”) and vajra (something infinitely hard) in Picuvajra could be an allusion to the union of the soft tenderness of his compassion and the vajra-like invincibility of his wrath, which cannot be challenged or manipulated in any way. The epithet mahāsukha refers to his nature of “great bliss,” which is generated through the union of compassion and emptiness. Mahaccitta could be a reference to his nature of bodhicitta, which in the context of sexual yoga is associated with semen.
The teachings of the Hevajra Tantra are delivered in response to the questions variously asked by the bodhisattva Vajragarbha, the goddess Nairātmyā, or collectively by the yoginīs of the Hevajra maṇḍala. The tantra covers a range of esoteric topics, including descriptions of the primary deities and their maṇḍala configuration, the derivation and use of mantras, rites to be employed for mundane and liberative purposes, the thirty subtle channels of the body, the use of secret gestures and codewords, and so forth. The primary concern of the Hevajra Tantra is, however, the innate state (sahaja) and its cultivation through initiation and practice within the elaborate framework of the Yoginī tantras, rooted in the ontological foundations of the Great Vehicle philosophy. Although present in every being, the innate state primarily remains unrecognized. The Hevajra Tantra explains how to recognize this state through the four initiations (abhiṣeka), the practice of the stage of arising (utpattikrama) and the stage of the arisen (utpannakrama), each of which can be further viewed in terms of either relative truth (saṃvṛtisatya) or absolute truth (paramārthasatya). In its most essential formulation, the basis of the practice of the stage of arising is the cultivation of the four joys (caturānanda), and the basis of the stage of the arisen is the cultivation of the innate joy (sahajānanda). The recognition of the innate state is equated with attaining the state of awakening (bodhi), which encompasses omniscient knowledge (sarvajñajñāna) and knowledge of all forms (sarvākārajñāna).
The joys are observed and marked (lakṣita) during ritualized sexual intercourse wherein the sexual partners identify themselves as Hevajra and Nairātmyā. They seek a glimpse of innate joy, which is most apparent when supreme joy (paramānanda), experienced at the moment of sexual climax, fades and turns into the joy of cessation (viramānanda). At this moment, the mind loses the support of pleasure that had filled it completely and is delivered into bare awareness, where the mind’s natural luminosity (prabhāsvara)—the basic, preconceptual clarity of mind—can be experienced and discerned. In terms of practice, this experience first occurs and is cultivated at the end of the supreme joy and the onset of the joy of cessation (the second and the third joys respectively). This experience, referred to as innate joy, is said, in relative terms, to be located between these two joys, sometimes leading to the misunderstanding that the innate joy is the third in the sequence. However, even though the moment of its recognition may be coterminous with the onset of the third joy, innate joy is ontologically excluded from the other three and seen as the “fourth” categorically, rather than sequentially. Because the Hevajra Tantra itself leaves room for interpretation, the issue of the correct sequence of the joys, specifically of the last two, developed into a crucial point of debate among proponents of the Hevajra system.
The Hevajra Tantra inspired a sizable body of exegetical literature in India, both in the form of explanatory tantras (vyākhyātantra) and commentaries composed by eminent Indian masters. Some of these commentaries are of the pañjikā type, which explain the text in a linear fashion, going word by word and phrase by phrase. Kāṇha’s The Jewel Garland of Yoga belongs to this category, counted as one of the two most important treatises on the Hevajra Tantra, the other being Ratnākaraśānti’s A String of Pearls (Muktāvalī). Kāṇha was a late contemporary of Ratnākaraśānti, and it is historically plausible that they met in person. The differences between Kāṇha’s interpretations of the doctrine presented in the Hevajra Tantra in his Jewel Garland of Yoga and those of Ratnākaraśānti in A String of Pearls are negligible; their views are in close alignment.
Kāṇha, who is celebrated as one of the five nāthas and eighty-four mahāsiddhas, is known under a variety of names, two of which—Kṛṣṇa and Kāṇha—are used in The Jewel Garland of Yoga. The name Kṛṣṇa is used in the chapter colophons, and the name Kāṇha in the text’s final colophon. Other variants of his name include Kāṇhapā, Kāṅhupā, Kāṅhupāda, Kāṇhapāda, Kṛṣṇapā, Kṛṣṇapāda, and Krṣṇācārya. Some Tibetan sources refer to him by a name that could be back-translated into Sanskrit as Samayavajra or Kṛṣṇasamayavajra, while other sources identify him as Śāntibhadra, a pupil of Ratnākaraśānti. Altogether there are about a dozen names for this prolific commentator, a situation made more complicated by the fact that there were at least two masters active during the same period named Kṛṣṇācārya, one known as Kṛṣṇācārya the Father and the other as Kṛṣṇācārya the Son. The Kṛṣṇācārya who composed The Jewel Garland of Yoga was probably the Father.
Kāṇha would have lived and composed his commentary in the eleventh century, which is within two hundred years of the compilation of the root text. This proximity in time, in combination with Kāṇha’s being a lineage holder in the direct transmission of the Hevajra teachings, makes his commentary a highly authoritative and reliable reference work.
Because Kāṇha’s commentary is of the pañjikā type, it can only be properly understood when read together with the Hevajra Tantra. Typically, a pañjikā quotes a phrase from the root text, glosses it with synonyms, explains its lexical and doctrinal meaning, establishes its meaning in the broader context of the text, and offers alternative interpretations. We have therefore embedded a translation of the Hevajra Tantra in the commentary for the reader’s convenience. However, a commentary such as The Jewel Garland of Yoga occasionally reflects textual variants between the version of Hevajra Tantra originally read by Kāṇha and those that have come down to us today as Sanskrit manuscripts or in the Tibetan translation. In this presentation of the root text embedded in this English translation we have, when possible, adopted the textual variants of the Hevajra Tantra that correspond with the root text as reported in The Jewel Garland of Yoga. This harmonization, which is necessary to make sense of the commentary, resulted in a version of the Hevajra Tantra that is unique to the presentation of The Jewel Garland of Yoga, and which is different from the versions of the root text that will appear in translations of the Hevajra Tantra alone or as they appear in other commentarial works. Significant variants have been indicated in the notes.
This English translation of The Jewel Garland of Yoga is based on the Sanskrit edition prepared by Ram Shankar Tripathi (2006). Though this edition is not without its flaws and the preparation of a new edition remains desirable, it proved a workable basis for this translation, especially since its critical apparatus, which includes variant readings from eighteen Sanskrit manuscripts, was also carefully consulted. After completing the English translation from the Sanskrit edition, it was revised in comparison with the Tibetan translation recorded in the Degé Tengyur and its Comparative Edition (dpe bsdur ma). Based on these Tibetan sources, previous decisions regarding Sanskrit textual variants were reevaluated, and subsequent changes to the English translation were made.
This translation of A Garland of Yoga would not have been possible without the continued efforts of many people. We are deeply grateful to Professor Harunaga Isaacson for generously sharing his expertise with us on many different occasions, to Ryan Conlon for making available a draft of his edition of the Hevajra Tantra with Kamalanātha’s Ratnāvalī, and to all other scholars and practitioners who shared their knowledge and insights with us.
Oṁ, homage to Hevajra! Homage to Youthful Mañjuśrī!
Oṁ homage to the glorious Hevajra!
Thus did I hear at one time. The Blessed One dwelt in the bhagas of the vajra women, which are the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas. [1.1.1]
Referring to the passage that begins “Thus did I,”
Regarding this, the Blessed One said, “My teachings should be recounted, O monks, with the words ‘thus did I hear.’ ” Therefore, the original reciter says thus did I hear. So, regarding this, some say the following: By saying hear the original reciter indicates that this is a recitation. If the recitation represented personal understanding or secondhand transmission, it would not be authoritative. Therefore, in order to discount these two possibilities, the original reciter says “thus did I.” In this phrase, I indicates “I heard it myself; it was not heard secondhand.” Thus means “exactly as I will now present.” At one time means “at one point in time only,” that is, not all the time and not in all places. The Blessed One is Vajradhara in the form of Hevajra. The blessings are the qualities such as power, and so forth. Whoever possesses these blessings is a “blessed one.” As is said:
- “The blessings are known to be six:
- Complete sovereignty,
- Knowledge, renown, splendor,
- Beauty, and meaningful endeavor.”
Dwelt means that he dwelt in the ways that a buddha dwells. Where did he dwell? He dwelt in the bhagas of the vajra women, which are the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas. The bhagas of the vajra women—referring to Locanā and so forth—are precisely the dharmodaya, the form of Vajradhara, who is the combination of the three secrets—body, speech, and mind—of “all tathāgatas,” which is to say “each and every tathāgata.” They are such because their bodies are the intrinsic nature of the infinite phenomena that are free of defilements. The two phrases—“the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas” and “the bhagas of the vajra women”—are compounded together in an adjectival relationship. “In” them means in a temple palace located there. Considering that the Blessed One’s dwelling place is the most secret of all secret places, it is implied that a suitable assembly has gathered—this, however, is described in the earlier tantra and will not be repeated here. Accordingly, I offer the provisional meaning.
Also, regarding the passage beginning “thus did I (evam mayā),” and so forth:
As Vajradhara will also say:
- “The Blessed Lord takes the form of semen;
- And his bliss is known as the amorous consort.
- Having the nature of qualities and enjoyment
- Is Vajradhara’s characteristic.”
And:
- “The concealed (saṃvṛta) resembles jasmine flowers,
- And the revealed (vivṛta) has the nature of bliss.”
Thus, these initial words express the nature of emptiness and compassion, the nature of wisdom and means, the nature of the dharmakāya, sambhogakāya, and nirmāṇakāya, the nature of concealed truth and relative truth, and the nature of the stage of arising and the stage of the arisen.
Vajradhara will also say:
- “The syllable he expresses great compassion,
- While vajra expresses wisdom.
- Now listen to the tantra, spoken by me—
- It has the nature of wisdom and means.”
Based on this interpretation, the next part beginning with “at one time” is easy to understand. This interpretation, which has been passed down through a lineage of transmission, is favored by some.
The opening line can also be understood as follows:
Elsewhere it is said:
- “The instructions of the vajra holders
- Are concerned with the two stages—
- The stage of arising
- And the stage of the arisen.”
This explains the statement “Thus did I hear at one time,” as was previously taught.
There, the Blessed One said, “The essence of the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas is revered and the most secret of the exceedingly secret. So it is, O Vajragarbha, deeply compassionate one, great bodhisattva. Excellent! Excellent! Hear about the essence of the vajra being, the great being, the samaya being called Hevajra.” [1.1.2]
There, meaning “in the midst of the assembly,” the Blessed One explains the distinction that the essence of the body, speech, and mind of all tathāgatas, their inner core, is the revered Vajradhara, the supreme deity. Vajradhara is accordingly the secret among all tathāgatas. He is exceedingly secret because he is inaccessible to the śrāvakas and so forth. He is Hevajra. Encouraging the assembly, who had become delighted through their faith and knowledge that Hevajra is difficult to find, the Blessed One says O Vajragarbha, and so forth. The word hear logically connects to that which will be heard.
Vajragarbha asked:
- “Why is he a vajra being?
- How is he a great being?
- In what way is he a samaya being?
- Please tell me, O Blessed One!” [1.1.3]
Regarding the passage that begins “Vajragarbha asked,” what does he ask? He asks three questions.
The Blessed One replied:
- “Vajra expresses the unbreakable.
- Being is the oneness of the three existents.
- Based on this understanding,
- He is known as a vajra being. [1.1.4]
Regarding the passage that begins “the Blessed One replied,” unbreakable means that it cannot be destroyed. It cannot be articulated by proponents of either one’s own or an opponent’s doctrines. What is it then? It is the emptiness of all phenomena. Also, the master Devapāda said:
- “In arguments concerning emptiness,
- All statements made to counter it
- Are not replies at all,
- For they exemplify the thesis to be proved.”
In the Vajraśekhara the Blessed One said:
- “An essence that is solid, not hollow—
- That cannot, by definition, be broken or split—
- Unburnable and unbreakable,
- Emptiness is called vajra.”
In the phrase being is the oneness of the three existents, the word being means “existing.” “Being” refers to the state of being an agent of meaningful actions, a state characterized by conditionality. “Being” has the nature of the five aggregates. Accordingly, the Blessed One called brahmins “beings” insofar as they consist of the five aggregates. These five are the three existents—namely body, speech, and mind—which are one. There is no duality, as they are perfect luminosity.
In the phrase based on this understanding—that is, based on the analysis found in the Prajñāpāramitā and the Madhyamaka analysis—the term vajra being describes the body of qualities.
- “Filled with the flavors of great knowledge,
- He is called great being.
- Constantly keeping the samaya,
- He is called samaya being.” [1.1.5]
Regarding the passage that begins “filled with the flavors of great knowledge,” great knowledge refers to the teachings advanced by the Great Vehicle. They have a flavor, which means “taste.” He is, in a manner of speaking, filled with such flavors. In a temple palace decorated with the most resplendent jewels, with his perfectly pure body adorned with the major and minor marks and gratified with the flavors of the great bliss of the enjoyment body while surrounded by infinite hosts of yoginīs, he emanates and withdraws himself, tirelessly circling within saṃsāra for as long as it exists, continually and perpetually. He, the great being, is verily the enjoyment body of the buddhas.
In the passage beginning “constantly keeping the samaya,” samaya refers to reaching everywhere in space by means of sending emanations, thereby moving throughout the three worlds in various forms that employ skillful means to guide beings according to their specific needs. Because he does this perpetually, he is a samaya being, a phrase that describes the infinitely diversified creation body of the buddhas.
Vajragarbha asked:
- “As for Hevajra,
- How is such a name constructed?
- What is expressed by the syllable he?
- And what is meant by vajra?” [1.1.6]
Regarding the passage that begins “Vajragarbha asked,” what does he ask? He asks about the meaning of the name Hevajra, which indicates that he is a vajra holder.
The Blessed One replied:
- “The syllable he expresses great compassion,
- While vajra expresses wisdom.
- Now listen to this tantra, spoken by me—
- It has the nature of wisdom and means.” [1.1.7]
With this combination of syllables that comprise its name, Hevajra has the nature of wisdom and means. Regarding the line “now hear this tantra…,” and so forth, tantra means “literary composition” and is of three types: the tantra of cause, of result, and of means. In this case, the cause refers to the beings that belong to the vajra family, the result is the fully manifested form of Hevajra, and the means is the path that is now being explained with its attendant methods. This tantra is spoken by me, that is, by Vajradhara. The words “by me”—equivalent to “thus have I,” and so forth—are the statement of introduction in this present context. Hear means “direct your attention to what will be heard.”
As a simple indication of what will be taught, Vajradhara says, “The gazes, the summoning,” and so forth:
- “There are the gazes, the summoning, and the great language of signs—
- Capability that is known to be of many types.
- There are paralyzing and banishing,
- The paralyzing of armies, and hostile rites. [1.1.8]
- “There are the arising, abiding, and instrumental cause
- Of the yoginīs, as is appropriate,
- Capability, and knowledge both general and specific,
- In accordance with the arising of the deities.” [1.1.9]
As is appropriate means progressing through the stages of “lesser,” “intermediate,” and “intense” as explained in the chapter on the deities. Arising refers to the arrangement of the letters. Abiding refers to the support. The instrumental cause refers to the moon and sun disks, the seed syllables, and the emblems. Capability refers to the power derived through mastering the mantra recitation and the visualization. General knowledge is the science of astrology, and so forth. Specific knowledge is knowing one’s duties toward all masters. In the phrase in accordance with the arising of the deities, “of the deities” means “of Hevajra,” and so forth. In accordance with the arising means generating them in the required sequence.
- “There is, to begin with,
- Only one cause for Heruka’s arising:
- Beings are liberated through existence alone,
- O Vajragarbha of great compassion!” [1.1.10]
Regarding the passage that begins “There is, to begin with,” why does it say to begin with? It is said in the mantra branch of the Great Vehicle that new practitioners should begin their practice by becoming the form of the deity. As it is said:
- “The first practice for beginning practitioners,
- As prescribed in the tantra,
- Is the visualization of the deity’s form,
- As it brings success in all activities.”
One cause—indicating great means—refers to subsequent explanations of the second topic, the stage of the arisen.
Regarding the passage that begins “beings are,” and so forth, [in the phrase] “through existence alone,” existence means “arising,” conveying the sense of arising from birth to birth. It is only through the body, which is characterized by the five aggregates, that one is liberated. O Vajragarbha of great compassion is an address in the vocative case. [1.1.10]
- “They are bound by the fetters of existence,
- And liberated through recognition of it.
- Existence needs to be cultivated, O wise one,
- As does nonexistence, through recognition of it.
- Heruka should be cultivated in the same way,
- Through the recognition of nonexistence.” [1.1.11]
Some describe liberation as characterized by an absence of the aggregates, the state of nirvāṇa in which the aggregates no longer remain. They might raise the doubt, “If liberation only occurs through existence, how does bondage occur?” To that Vajradhara says, “They are bound by the fetters of existence.” That is to say, it is through bondage to this existence, grasping, attachment to material objects, and believing existence to be real.
Then how can they be liberated? Through recognition of it. “Recognition” of it refers to direct insight, the characteristics of which will be explained below, and the procedure provided in the chapter on reality. There it is said that “there is no” innately existing “form and no one seeing it,” and so on. One is liberated through recognizing the fact that the five aggregates do not arise.
Then, based on this understanding, existence needs to be cultivated. O wise one is an address in the vocative case. This means, generally, that the form of the deity—which is born from the transformations of the sun, moon, seed syllables, and emblems—is to be properly cultivated.
As for the phrase “as does nonexistence,” nonexistence is to be recognized with complete certainty. To “not exist” is to be nonexistent, unarisen. Thus, as the Blessed One said in the Laṅkāvatāra:
- “One who knows the existent to be nonexistent
- Never becomes attached to the existent.
- One who never becomes attached to the existent
- Reaches the causeless samādhi.”
Heruka should be cultivated in the same way, meaning with the same characteristics described here. Nonexistence means that the heruka’s nonexistence should also be recognized.
- “The great knowledge located in the body
- Is devoid of all conceptuality.
- It pervades all entities,
- And though located there, is not born from the body.” [1.1.12]
Alluding to the second stage, Vajradhara speaks the verse beginning with “the great knowledge.” It resides in the body, therefore it is “located in the body.” This knowledge is great, therefore it is called “great knowledge.” In what sense is it great knowledge if it resides in the body? To clarify this, Vajradhara says “it pervades all things,” because all phenomena manifest through the true nature are characterized by the natural state of great bliss free of defilements. Therefore, even though it is located there, it is not born from the body. The body is not its cause, because the body has the quality of being deceptive and false.
Vajragarbha asked, “Blessed One! How many subtle channels are in the vajra body?”
The Blessed One replied, “Thirty-two. Thirty-two such channels carrying bodhicitta stream from the place of great bliss. Among them are the three main subtle channels—lalanā, rasanā, and avadhūtī.” [1.1.13]
The Blessed One will say:
“Therefore,
- “There is no odor, sound, form, or flavor,
- And there is no purity of mind.
- There is no touch and no phenomena, since everything is purity.
- The world is pure by nature; this is how I regard the world.”
The two stages—the stage of arising and the stage of the arisen—have been taught from the first statement containing the word “hear.” In the context of the stage of the arisen, the support-maṇḍala of Hevajra is the body, and the supported maṇḍala consists of the subtle channels that are of the nature of the fifteen yoginīs. Nevertheless, it is not as yet known how many of them there are, how they are arranged, or the quality of the ensuing realization. This is why Vajragarbha asks about this, saying “Blessed One,” and so forth. The channels carry bodhicitta, which means that they induce the innate state. There are three main subtle channels, meaning that as soon as a thorough understanding of the three channels is gained, this very understanding will reveal Hevajra’s special status as being defined as the natural state.
- “Lalanā has the nature of wisdom,
- Rasanā consists of means,
- And avadhūtī, in the center,
- Is free from grasped and grasper. [1.1.14]
- “Lalanā carries Akṣobhya,
- Rasanā carries blood,
- And the one called avadhūtī
- Is said to carry the wisdom-moon. [1.1.15]
- “Abhedyā, sūkṣmarūpā,
- Divyā, vāmā, vāmanī,
- Kūrmajā, bhāvakī, sekā,
- Dveṣā, viṣṭā, mātarā, [1.1.16]
- “Śarvarī, śītadā, uṣmā,
- Lalanā, avadhūtī, rasanā,
- Pravaṇā, hṛṣṭavadanā,
- Surūpiṇī, sāmānyā, hetudāyikā, [1.1.17]
- “Viyogā, premaṇī, siddhā,
- Pāvakī, sumanāḥ,
- Traivṛttā, kāminī, gehā,
- Caṇḍikā, and māradārikā.” [1.1.18]
Specifying the respective natures of the three channels, Vajradhara says Lalanā, and so forth. This passage is easy to understand.
Vajragarbha asked, “What are these thirty-two subtle channels like, O Blessed One?” [1.1.19]
The line beginning “what are these” presents a question posed by Vajragarbha. The general sense of it is this: “Is contemplating the structure of these channels alone sufficient for attaining the state of Vajradhara, or is something else required?”
The Blessed One replied:
- “They are all transformations of the three existences,
- And are free of subject and object.
- However, through universal skillful means
- They are imbued with the characteristics of relative existence.” [1.1.20]
To that the Blessed One replies with the passage beginning “they are all transformations of the three existences.” The three existences refers to all phenomena because they comprise all that pertains to body, speech, and mind. They are transformations of them, meaning that the channels have their nature. Consequently, they are precisely free of subject and object. The word however introduces an alternative perspective. Through universal skillful means demonstrates that in this system all the channels are imbued with the characteristics of relative existence—specifically as the lalanā, rasanā, and avadhūtī channels—as a skillful means for attaining the state of Vajradhara, insofar as the nature of the subtle channels is a cause. This is done in order to aid disciples.
“Moreover, the categories of the concealed are said to be the vowels and consonants, the moon and sun, wisdom and means, the cakras of qualities, enjoyment, creation, and great bliss, as well as body, speech, and mind. They are the phrase evam mayā.” [1.1.21]
Regarding the passage beginning “moreover, the categories of the concealed,” the yogin, internalizing the plethora of external phenomena, should resolve that they are concealed because they are hidden and because they are in their most condensed form. The categories of the concealed are of many types, including the vowels, consonants, and the rest. There are the sixteen vowels starting with a, and the thirty-four consonants starting with the letter ka. These are associated, respectively, with lalanā and rasanā, the moon and the sun, and with wisdom and means. The terms qualities enjoyment, and creation refer, respectively, to the cakra of qualities, the cakra of enjoyment, and the cakra of creation, which are located in the heart, throat, and lower abdomen, respectively. Body, speech, and mind are associated with the same three cakras—the cakra of the body is in the lower abdomen, that of the speech in the throat, and that of the mind in the heart. The cakra of great bliss, located in the head, should be known to have a nature understood in terms of the same triad. Within these four cakras are the elemental natures of earth, water, fire, and wind, as well as the four seals. All of this is expressed by the phrase evam mayā.
- “The goddess Locanā is known by the syllable e,
- Māmakī by the syllable vaṃ.
- Pāṇḍurā is known by the syllable ma,
- And Tāraṇi by the syllable yā. [1.1.22]
“There is a lotus with sixty-four petals in the cakra of creation, an eight-petaled lotus in the cakra of qualities, a sixteen-petaled lotus in the cakra of enjoyment, and a lotus with thirty-two petals in the cakra of great bliss. This sequence of enumerating the cakras establishes the arrangement that follows.” [1.1.23]
Here in the passage beginning “there is a lotus with sixty-four petals,” the number of the lotus petals is specified for the cakra of creation and the other cakras. In the cakra of creation there is a lotus with sixty-four petals. The syllables a, ka, ca, ṭa, ta, pa, ya, and śa are located on the eight innermost petals from right to left, and the syllable a is on the pericarp.
There is a downward-facing eight-petaled lotus in the heart. The syllables ya, ra, la, and va are located on the four petals in the corners, the syllables ā, ī, ū, and ai on the four petals in the cardinal directions, and the syllable hūṁ, facing downward, on the pericarp.
There is a sixteen-petaled lotus in the throat. The syllables a, i, u, and e are arranged from right to left on the four central, upward-facing petals in the four cardinal directions. The syllable oṁ is located on the pericarp.
On the pericarp of the thirty-two-petaled lotus located in the head is the syllable haṃ, facing downward.
“The four moments are varied, ripe, dissolving, and without characteristic.” [1.1.24]
The sets of properties that are presented in connection with these four cakras are oriented to the stage of arising. Concisely put, the four moments are oriented to the cakra of creation and so on.
“The four truths of the noble ones are the truth of suffering, of its source, of its cessation, and of the path.” [1.1.25]