Chapter 42 Outline
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4. The chapter on the laughter mantra and the cause of the ḍākinīs’ forms
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.1. The promise to explain
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. The actual explanation
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 1. The first exegetical method
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 1.1. The method of laughter
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 1.2. The signs of laughter together with the remainder
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 2. The second exegetical method
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.3. Showing the name of the chapter
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4. The chapter on the laughter mantra and the cause of the ḍākinīs’ forms
The fourth part, the chapter on the laughter mantra and the cause of the ḍākinīs’ forms, has three sections: (1) the promise to explain, (2) the actual explanation, and (3) showing the name of the chapter.
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.1. The promise to explain
“Then, having explained the forty-first chapter, I will explain the forty-second chapter” — this is implied by the force of the word “then.”516
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. The actual explanation
The second part has two sections: (1) the first exegetical method and (2) the second exegetical method.
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 1. The first exegetical method
The first part has two sections: (1) the method of laughter and (2) the signs of laughter together with the remainder.
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 1.1. The method of laughter
Regarding clarifying here the disclosure of the eightfold laughter in chapter thirty-nine, the hero, i.e., adept, having found a girl with beautiful eyes,517 and having drunk with his vajra the flower water that naturally arises through union with her, should recollect laughter with this mantra, ha ha and so forth, and smile. The adept, being equipoised with the seal (consort), should always laugh in this manner with the eightfold mantra. Furthermore, at night he should eat meat (42.1) together with wine. [The line] thrice [enchanted] with this mantra is quoted in Kambala’s commentary; should one, equipoised, repeat three times the mantra “Oṁ Impassioned with All Vajras, purify all comestibles, Having the Secret Vajra Svāhā” (oṁ sarvavajrakāmini sarvabhakṣaṁ śodhaya guhyavajriṇi svāhā),518 one will rapidly attain the power of great bliss.
The drinking by oneself of the spirit of awakening that streams in this manner, abiding in the lotus, and making an offering (42.2) to that seal (consort), one should touch, i.e., join the vajra to, that great place of the supreme lotus, with the intention that one attain power, and one should laugh, chanting the eightfold mantra.
Regarding the great lady and the “mantra of alcoholic intoxication,”519 the translation “great clanswoman” (mahākulī, rigs ldan chen mo),520 who possesses the mantra and is intoxicated with vital essence (bcud), is excellent. This means that one’s seal (consort), who is taken to be a great clanswoman, is intoxicated by the vital essence that is the descent of the spirit of awakening. Why is this? It is because all tathāgatas are assembled in the adept’s body mandala, and likewise, all goddesses likewise are assembled in the body mandala of one’s seal (consort) whom one visualizes as Sparshavajrī. One should worship that very consort (phya rgya mo).
What is Sparshavajrī like? [This is indicated] in the line truthful and chaste . . . at the beginning and end and assembled with glances, laughter, and signs. Therefore, the seal who glances with the eye is an actual seal. She is haughty, i.e., endowed with majesty, and renowned for glancing (42.3) at the adept with her left eye. Relying upon her who is renowned for conferring great bliss to the adept, one will achieve great gnosis through the gateway of the eightfold laughter with this. Should one at night or likewise during the day meditate making laughter with this union with the seal, i.e., inserting one’s mind into that, indications or signs of the attainment of the supreme great seal will arise.
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 1.2. The signs of laughter together with the remainder
In what way do the signs that are the essence of form and action that direct one toward the supreme power exist? The command is listen, hero. (42.4), that is, Vajrapāṇi. This pill was stated by the hero himself in chapter twelve; [in that context] the hero is Heruka. Here hero and listen were stated to Vajrapāṇi, as Kambala explains.521 Regarding the signs that are the essence of form and action, Kambala explains that they are the eight superhuman powers.522 The superhuman powers, in the Lamp That Integrates the Practices, are: “Subtle form, light touch, omnipresence, attaining [things], as well as illumination, firmness, mastery [over self and others], and terminating desire.”523
Regarding the meaning of that, since it seems the previous Tibetan [masters] do not appear to have explained the eight superhuman powers,524 one should apply the explanation of Avalokitavrata.525 With respect to that, one is masterfully “subtle” in the creation and destruction of sentient beings, and “light” in the creation and destruction of wealth. One attains mastery in the creation and destruction of both [beings and things]. This means that the yogī has the ability to both emanate and recollect them. As for the latter [powers, this is also] illustrated by “attaining [things]” (saṁprāpti, yang dag thob). Worship with all things is shown by the “illumination” or radiance that overcomes others with brilliance. “Mastery” is having the power to harm or benefit sentient beings. Mastering desire with respect to virtue is what is meant by having “desire.” Being able to attain whatever one desires to obtain is abiding in one’s desire, and that is shown by “firmness.” Showing many different forms to others is “form,” and that and “omnipresence” and “mastery” are the secret of form.
As the Lamp That Integrates [the Practices] states, “the threefold practice will give to the signs of attaining the power of the great seal for those who train in it for a fortnight, month, or six months, and these are the signs.”526 This means that there will be signs for the supreme power within six months. When one has attained these eight superhuman powers, one will not be afflicted by hunger or thirst, and defecation and urination will cease.
Observing without distinction all of these [signs] and dreams, tears always arise from that yogī’s two eyes. Here there is no refuge from cyclic existence for those who cannot endure suffering, and who do not think even for a moment on “Alas, all of these sentient beings,” and on the ultimate method of liberation from cyclic existence. One gives rise to fierce compassion for those who shake and tremble due to fear of birth, old age, sickness, and death.
Through the arising, that is, trickling, of blissful ambrosia depending upon the lotus of the wisdom (consort), her body hair simultaneously stands on end due to devotion. By thinking “Since it is difficult to destroy, I should pass over, i.e, transcend, the cyclic existence of the triple world527 which is like a vajra,” one acts like a man with the wisdom (consort). It occurs as “should pass over” in Kambala’s commentary, and it is explained thus in what appears to be a good translation in Devagupta’s commentary.528
The wisdom (consort) being thus naked, one sits, gazing upon her breasts, armpits, calves, and lotus, and rubbing them with one’s hands, one should worship (42.5) through the method of union. One should experience in this manner the sequence of the blissful savors of all hosts of sense powers of all seal (consorts) who are the passionate ladies. Exhalation means as Kambala stated, namely “moving via the winds of the wisdom [consort].”529
The wind of the messenger’s central channel is inserted into the gate of the “art” (male consort)’s central channel, and thereby becomes a causal factor; this is a very profound essential point for the descent of the spirit of awakening. For great understanding it is essential to know about this in detail depending upon the Vajraḍāka explanatory tantra.
Regarding exhortation, it is physical trembling due to the descent of the spirit of awakening. Laughter is the wisdom (consort) overcome with the body of laughter.530 Erotic dance531 is engaging the wisdom (consort) by means of dance steps. Marvelous (42.6) is doing what is miraculous for ordinary individuals. This means that having done thus, one should exult in this manner before the entirety of those who are, i.e., before all of, the yoginīs. Moreover, one should exult recollecting the laughter mantra with the seal (consort). The eightfold laughter mantra is ha hā he hai ho hau haṁ haḥ; one should exult with these eight syllables. These explanations occur in Kambala’s commentary and are clarified and supplemented in Devagupta’s commentary.532
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.2. 2. The second exegetical method
Bhavyakīrti and so forth533 [explain] flower water as previously [indicated], that the mantra (42.1) is the root mantra or the seven-syllable [quintessence mantra], offering thus (42.2) is offering to those who abide in the three wheels, and state great black one (mahākālī) in place of “great lady.” The meaning of this is stated to be Vajravārāhī, and that one should visualize the actual seal (consort) as her. Beginning and so forth means that the seal (consort) comes under one’s control from the beginning to the end.
Since laughter is the seal (consort), one causes satisfaction through laughter and play, primarily, on account of being sealed by her display of a haughty glance.534 She is renowned (42.3) as a goddess who has haughty laughter. Laughter is just a synecdoche that is connected to the whole which is the bliss of great sexual pleasure, which should be produced at night or during the day.535
Regarding of form and action (42.4) and so forth, this shows the unprecedented form and actions of the goddesses who are achieved by a glance of the adept. There is always the display of the action and reaction, namely, the dance and so forth, which is the action of the goddess.536 With the vajra (42.5) and so forth is the adept’s action.537 Exhortation and so forth is exhaling without movement of wind. Erotic (42.6) refers to a type of dance. All are those for whom the adept’s action is performed.538 [This is] the explanation.
The ladies who govern all among the messengers serve as the ultimate in love (42.7) or passion. One states ha hā539 in their vicinity; this is done by the the adept in the presence of the distinctive messengers. Those who weep and produce tears always, that is, for as long as they are with the adept, are praised. One becomes the love of those messengers through weeping, tearing, and the repetition of the eightfold laughter. Having well-deployed meditative concentration, i.e., deity yoga, and mantra (42.8) repetition, the yoginī who is one’s spell consort (rig ma) is well subjugated.
One will experience the bristling of one’s body hair and natural bliss in conjuction with the ladies, the heroines such as Prachaṇḍā, and heroes, Khaṇḍakapālin and so forth. In the manner of one should not pass over the vajra, one’s vajra should not pass from entry into the lotus. This means that the left is fixed (42.9) by the yoginīs.
3.3.3. 2.2.2. 10.4.3. Showing the name of the chapter
In the Concise Shrī Herukābhidhāna Tantra, this is the forty-second chapter on the procedure of the eightfold laughter mantra and the magic of the ḍākinīs’ forms,540 that is, the emanation of the forms of Prachaṇḍā, and so forth. This is the explanation of the forty-second chapter in the Illumination of the Hidden Meaning, A Detailed Exegesis of the Concise Saṁvara Tantra Called “The Chakrasaṁvara.”
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516. In other words, this chapter really has no introduction, aside from the single word “then,” tataḥ, de nas; Tsong Khapa proposes the hypothetical introduction that it implies.
517. This expression, “girl with beautiful eyes,” bu mo mig bzang ma, is often used in reference to nonhuman yakṣhī girls.
518. This mantra occurs in Kambala’s commentary as oṁ sarvavajrakāmini sarvabhakṣaṁ śodhaya guhyaṁ vajriṇi svāhā (K 70b.1). It occurs as follows in Tsong Khapa’s commentary: oṁ sarvavajrakāmini sarvabhakṣa śodhaya guhyavajrini svāhā.
519. This, apparently, is a mantra related by Bhavabhaṭṭa, “Oṁ May Bliss be Produced Hūṁ” (oṁ astu sukhāvahaṁ hūṁ). He also quotes a variant, “Oṁ Bliss Production Hūṁ” (oṁ sukhāvahaṁ hūṁ; Pandey 2002, 551).
520. The extant Sanskrit sources here attest two variants, mahākālī and mahākulī. The latter reading is attested in Bhavabhaṭṭa’s commentary (Pandey 2002, 551), and it is what Tsong Khapa refers to here. The Tibetan translations all read “great lady” (gtso mo che), which does not correspond to any of the Sanskrit readings.
521. Kambala wrote, “The Blessed Lord said, ‘Listen, Vajrapāṇi!’” (K 70b.4–5: śṛṇu vajrapāṇe ity āha bhagavān; SN 73a.2).
522. What Kambala actually states is that “This in that [context] is the secret sign of the hero oriented toward power” (K 70b.5: siddhyabhimukhavīrasya tatredaṁ guhyanimittaṁ; SN 73a.2: dngos grub mngon du phyogs pa’i dpa’ bo’i gsang ba’i mtshan ma ni ’di dag ste). It is Tsong Khapa who equates this with the eight superhuman powers, the aṣṭaguṇaiśvarya.
523. Tsong Khapa here is most likely quoting Kambala who quotes this verse (K 70b.5: sūkṣmarūpa[ṁ] laghusparśaṁ vyāptisaṁprāptim eva / prakāśaṁ caiva sthairyavaśitvaṁ kāmāvasānikam iti; SN 73a.2–3: gzugs phra ba dang reg pa spang ba dang / rab tu snang ban yid brtan pa dang dbang du gyur pa dang ’dod dgur gyur pa zhes bya’o). However, as Tsong Khapa knew, this verse also occurs in the Caryāmelāpakapradīpa. See Wedemeyer 2007, 493. This apparently is a list of the aṣṭaguṇaiśvarya, which is also mentioned in the latter text, but not enumerated, at the beginning of chapter 9 (Wedemeyer 2007, 277). Wedemeyer translates the verse as a list of seven rather than eight items (2007, 326), but according to Tsong Khapa it is evidently a list of the aṣṭaguṇaiśvarya.
524. Tsong Khapa is correct that the previous masters do not appear to have commented on this. Butön quotes Kambala’s commentary but does not explain this list in terms of the eight superhuman powers (NS 248a.4–5). Sachen has an entirely different explanation of this passage of the root text, commenting on the “five secrets of form” and the “five secrets of action.” See PG 365.2.4–5.
525. *Avalokitavrata, or spyan ras gzigs brtul zhugs, is the author of one work preserved in the Tengyur, the Commentary on the Lamp of Wisdom (shes rab sgron ma rgya cher ’grel pa, or the Prajñāpradīpaṭīkā; Tōh. 3859).
526. This passage in the Caryāmelāpakapradīpa occurs immediately before the list of eight signs quoted and discussed above. See Wedemeyer 2007, 493, 652.
527. Tsong Khapa here follows the Tibetan translation of Kambala’s commentary, which reads “three realms,” khams gsum (SN 73a.6). The Sanskrit, however, reads “triple world,” trailokya (K 71a.1).
528. Tsong Khapa here reports ’gom par bya, which is a good translation of the Sanskrit preserved in Kambala’s commentary, namely laṅghanaṁ kuryāt (K 71a.1) However, the canonical translation of this commentary reads “not passing over,” ’gom mi byed (SN 73a.5). The canonical translation of Devagupta’s commentary has the faulty translation “should visualize,” bsgom par bya (SS 150a.3). Since Tsong Khapa quotes a good translation and seem to attribute it to the latter text, I presume that he was working either from an alternate translation, or perhaps a better, less corrupt version of what became the canonical translation.
529. Kambala’s commentary here occurs as follows: recakair iti carat prajñāvāyubhiḥ (K 71a.2); dbugs ’byin zhes bya ba ni shes rab kyi rlung rnams kyis dbab pa’o (SN 73a.7).
530. Tsong Khapa here is expanding slightly one of Kambala’s cryptic comments. It is “With laughter (pl.) means with bodies overcome by laughter” (K 71a.2: hāsyair iti hāsyamūrtikrāntaiḥ; SN 73a.7: dgod dang zhes bya ba ni dgod pa’i lus mnan pa’o).
531. This is a translation of the Tibetan sgeg gar, which in turn is a translation of the Sanskit tāṇḍava, which I earlier translated as “ecstatic frenzy” (Gray 2007, 341). It evidently was a form of dance with wild and erotic characteristics.
532. Tsong Khapa does indeed rely on these commentaries, as noted above.
533. Here Tsong Khapa paraphrases Bhavyakīrti’s commentary (BC 38b), which in turn closely follows here Jayabhadra’s commentary. See Sugiki 2001, 138, and CP 66b.
534. This is a close paraphrase of Jayabhadra’s comment, namely: hāsa eva mudrā / līlapradhānahāsena saṁtoṣakarī tayā mudraṇāt / dṛṣṭaḥ saṁdarśito garva ātmā yayā sā dṛṣṭagarvā (Sugiki 2001, 138); bzhad pa nyid phyag rgya yin pas na rol cing dgod pa gtso bor gyur pas dga’ bar byed pa ste / phyag rgya des so / lta ba’i snyems pa yang dag par ston cing snyems pas mthong pas mthong ba ni snyems pa’o (CP 66b.3).
535. Cf. Jayabhadra’s commentary: hāsyam ity upalakṣanaparam / sarvaṁ eva mahāsura-tasukhaṁ rātrāv ahani vā kuryād iti saṁbandhaḥ (Sugiki 2001, 138); bzhad pa ni nye bar mtshon pa tsam ste / rab tu dga’ ba’i bde ba thams cad kyang mtshan mo’am nyin mo bya’o zhes bya bar sbyar ro / (CP 66b.4).
536. Tsong Khapa’s commentary here reads rtag tu zhes sogs te, which appears to be based on the canonical translation of Bhavyakīrti’s commentary, which here is faulty. It reads: de’i las dang las kyi lan bstan pa ni rtag tu zhes bya ba la sogs pa yin te / lha mo’i bya ba ni . . . (BC 38b.5). This text is a quotation from Jayabhadra’s commentary, which here reads, “One displays her actions and reactions, namely, her dance and so forth; this is the action of the goddess” (Sugiki 2001, 138: tatkarma pratikarma ca darśayati / nṛtyetyādi devatīkriyā). The translator of Bhavyakīrti’s commentary confused nṛtya with nityaṁ, and also incorrectly assessed sentence boundaries. It is correctly translated in the canonical translation of Jayabhadra’s commentary, as follows: de’i las dang las kyi lan bstan pa ni gar dang zhes bya ba la sogs pa yin te lha mo’i bya ba’o / (CP 66b.5). Here I am following the more accurate reading in Jayabhadra’s commentary.
537. As above I follow here the correct sentence boundaries in Jayabhadra’s commentary; Tsong Khapa here follows the defective reading in Bhavyakīrti’s commentary, i.e., rdo rje la ni zhes bya la sogs pa yin no / sgrub pa po’i bya ba ni . . . (BC 38b.5–6). Jayabhadra’s commentary reads here, “Not mounting with the vajra is the adept’s action” (Sugiki 2001, 138: vajrasyālaṅghanam ityādi sādhakakriyā; CP 66b.5–6: rdo rje la ni zhes bya la sogs pa ni sgrub pa po’i bya ba’o).
538. Tsong Khapa ends this passage with the quotation indicator zhes. As noted above, here he closely paraphases, but does not directly quote, Bhavyakīrti’s commentary, which in turn is based almost entirely on Jayabhadra’s commentary.
539. Tsong Khapa follows the SM translation in reading ha hā here; the PM translation and extant Sanskrit reads hā hā, while SL reads ha ha. See Gray 2012, 205, 376, 467, 548.
540. Tsong Khapa’s commentary here reads mkha’ ’gro ma’i gzugs kyi rgyu, following the SM translation. A better reading is preserved in the PM translation, namely mkha’ ’gro ma’i gzugs kyi rgyu ma’i (PM), with sgyu ma corresponding to –māyā. See Gray 2012, 376, 548.