Prologue
F.158.a I prostrate to the Blue-Clad Blessed Vajrapāṇi!
I prostrate to the buddhas and bodhisattvas of the three times!
Thus have I heard at one time. Blessed Akṣobhya, the buddha of the vajra family, was residing in the palace in Alakāvatī together with a retinue of millions of bodhisattvas, including Vajrapāṇi, F.158.b Vajra Regiment, Constant Vajra Holder, Vajra Tamer, Terrible Vajra Conqueror, Vajra Tamer of All Evil, Vajra Victor of Basic Space, Vajra Joyfully Abiding Protector, and others.
At that time, the great being, the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi himself, brandished a vajra three times at his heart center. He made three circumambulations of the Blessed One and prostrated himself.
Then, kneeling on his right knee, Vajrapāṇi requested, “Blessed One, Thus-Gone One, Great Vajra Holder, please explain the great tantra called The All-Subjugating Vajra that subjugates all bhūtas and that tames the evil ones that dwell beneath the earth. Great Vajra Holder, I supplicate you to teach! Great Lord of All, I supplicate you to teach! Great Tamer of All Evil Forces, I supplicate you to teach! Great Dispeller of All Darkness, I supplicate you to teach!”
At this request from Vajrapāṇi, the Blessed One declared, “It is excellent that you, Great Vajradhara, Secret One, have, for the benefit of sentient beings, requested from me the tantra called The All-Subjugating Vajra. Lord of Secrets, that is excellent! Great Bodhisattva, that is excellent! Thus, you who share Vajrapāṇi’s lineage, listen and remember this! I will reveal and explain the tantra called The Vajra That Subjugates the Evil Forces Below the Vajra Earth. Receive it!”
After pronouncing these words, the Blessed One, by means of the absorption of the all-subjugating vajra, entered equipoise in the absorption called vanquishing all grahas and bhūtas from below the earth.
No sooner had the Blessed One entered equipoise than a multitude of wrathful subjugators of evil forces emanated from all the pores of his body and filled the space under the earth, on the earth, and above the earth. The entire land of the underground nāgas was filled with the horrible sound hūṃ. F.159.a The eight nāga kings together with their retinues were tamed, and bowed before the Blessed One.
But the nāga king Anantaka then gave rise to an evil thought, intending to release a scalding breath. But the Blessed One knew his intention and blessed the Lord of Secrets, Vajrapāṇi, who spoke this mantra called the mantra that completely pacifies the anger of all nāgas: “Oṃ nīlavajra krodhanāga hūṃ phaṭ.”
Now the mind of the nāga Anantaka was completely pacified; he became endowed with the awakened mind, through which the minds of all the nāgas were completely pacified. Then all of the nāga kings like Anantaka, who live below the earth, supplicated the Blessed One, the Great Vajra Holder, with these words:
“Blessed One, we supplicate you to explain a ritual that will, in future times and onward, prevent the grahas that are living below the earth from making obstacles for sentient beings, and that will also pacify the evil of those spirits. We supplicate you to explain why we, the nāga kings and our retinues, are unable to create obstacles for that great being. We supplicate you to explain to us, the nāga kings, our purpose.”
The Blessed One, the Great Vajra Holder, glanced at the nāga kings and replied, “Nāga kings, that is excellent! Your request is timely. I will reveal this for the benefit of sentient beings. I will explain; listen!”
The nāgas and the others replied, “Excellent, Blessed One!”
They then listened appropriately. At that point, the Blessed One explained the following chapter called “Taming the Nāgas.”
Taming the Nāgas
Hūṃ!
For the benefit of all sentient beings,
The Teacher, the Great Vajra Holder,
Carefully observed his own retinue,
Projected light into all directions,
And then taught the method for destroying all grahas:
“On the eighth day of the waxing moon,
Or likewise on the fourteenth and fifteenth days,
In an extremely isolated place,
Contemplate wrathful Vajrapāṇi,
Youthful and with majestic poise. F.159.b
“Next, purify gold and so forth, the seven precious things,
And place these in a jeweled vessel or clay pot.
Recite one hundred and eight mantras.
“Resorting to the true utterance of the Three Jewels,
Give an oblation to the bhūtas.
Bury it in firm ground wherever they abide,
And the bhūtas and evil nāgas will be pacified.
“When these peaceful methods are not sufficient,
With terrible weapons
Set their homes ablaze.
“This fierce, unbearable suffering
Will remind them of their previous intentions,
And they will undoubtedly be pacified.”
Chapter 1
Accomplishing Peaceful Activity
Then the Blessed One explained the ritual for the action deity:
“Always in possession of the awakened mind,
And endowed with all commitments and vows,
Engage in all of the acts of bathing.
“In a clean and pure place,
Beautify the maṇḍala as is fitting.
Visualize an iron hook that emerges from the syllable hūṃ,
Bringing the buddhas and bodhisattvas instantaneously before you.
Make offerings and so forth to them.
“Oṃ śūnyatājñānavajrasvabhāvātmako 'haṃ.
Meditate on the absorption of emptiness.
“In the expanse of space, visualize the letter āḥ,
And the first moon, the letter hūṃ
Blazing with great light.
This purifies the negative emotions of the six classes of beings,
Definitively placing them in the state of complete liberation.
“Imagine the light gathered back in the form of hūṃ
Marked with a five-pronged vajra.
A garland of light shines forth from this,
Causing all sentient beings
To dissolve into the vajra essence.
“From this the Great Wrathful One,
Blue in color, blazes forth.
Seated with his left leg extended, he is sixteen years of age.
He is adorned with eight ornaments, Anantaka, and so forth.
“His form is dark in color,
With one face and two hands, holding a vajra.
His clothing is blue and luminous,
His three eyes are beautifully red and looking upward.
His dreadlocks stream upward
Bound by a vajra ornament—imagine him like this.
“Then great wrathful wisdom
Is invoked and ushered in with jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ.
“Visualize, at his head, throat, and heart center
A wheel, a lotus, and a vajra
Marked by the syllables oṃ āḥ hūṃ, F.160.a
Ornamented with the thirteen-syllable mantra.
“Visualize that Akṣobhya-Vajra confers empowerment,
And all is conquered and perfectly purified.”
Then the Blessed One resolutely spoke his root mantra, the statement of all activity:
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradharavajrapāṇi hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ.
“The garlands of mantra as well
Should be white for peaceful, red for magnetizing,
Yellow for increasing, and black for wrathful activity.
Completely abandon thoughts and recite this.
“With the distinct techniques of emanating and absorbing,
Engage in concentration on whatever you wish for.
Give up the practice of what you do not desire.
“The wrathful king Vajrapāṇi
Will benefit this mind, the support of all virtues,
With whatever is striven for!
“The stages such as Perfect Joy,
And abilities such as invisibility, will be accomplished.
The support of everything is virtuous
And the supported is devoid of activity.
[1]The supreme attainment will be perfectly accomplished!”
Chapter 2
The Oblation
Then the great bodhisattva, the great being Vajrapāṇi, supplicated the Blessed One with these words:
“Blessed One, Teacher, Vajra Holder,
Please explain the supreme ritual
For the oblation that pacifies obstacles.
Make this effort for the benefit of beings!”
Then the Blessed One said:
“Excellent, principal Vajra Holder!
I will explain the basis of all oblations:
The ritual for pacifying obstacles,
And the ritual that is a method for gaining spiritual accomplishment.
“In a beautiful vessel,
Place many excellent articles
Such as food, drink, and so forth.
“Through entering the absorption of emptiness,
From bruṃ generate a beautiful vessel.
With kham visualize food and drink
Filling all of space, and recite this mantra:
Oṃ āḥkāro mukhaṃ sarvadharmāṇām ādyantapanna tathā oṃ āḥ hūṃ phaṭ svāhā.
“Visualizing it as nectar, expand it greatly.
Through two expansions, purify it.
In space, from the letter hrīḥ
Visualize eight lotuses, immeasurably large. F.160.b
“Then invite the protector Vaiśravaṇa,
The central figure surrounded by a retinue of ten million yakṣas,
The recipient of the offerings of the eight nāga kings.
“Imagine that the yakṣa kings—
Jambhala and Pūrṇabhadra,
Maṇibhadra, Kubera,
Samprajñāna, Guhyasthāna, Pāñcika,
And Bījakuṇḍalī—
Gather round the central figure like a retinue
In all the main and intermediate directions.
“The common retinue of ten million
Are behind the eight nāgas and yakṣas.
Next, for the invitation, use hooks
That are conjoined from the central deity.
“Imagine them on mounts of lions and horses,
All with one face and two hands,
With victory banners, blazing with gems
And the vase of precious jewels.
“They hold swords blazing with gems,
Daggers and spears, celestial chariots, swords and shields,
And various weaponry raised on high; visualize them thus.
“At the time of invitation, offer drum
And trumpet music, fruits and incense.
“Oṃ vaiśravaṇa saparivāra samāja jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ
Oṃ ve svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇa ākarṣaya hūṃ jaḥ
Is the mantra for the invitation.
“Oṃ amṛtakuṇḍalī hana hana hūṃ phaṭ
Is the mantra for dispelling obstructors.
“Then, with flowers and so forth,
Make pure offerings in the sky,
Offering them with joy.
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradharavajrapāṇi ājñāpayati imaṃ baligṛhnantu
Samayarakṣantu
Mama sarvasiddhiṃ me prayacchantu mama karmāmogha svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇāyā svāhā
Oṃ jambhalāya svāhā
Oṃ pūrṇavhadrāya svāhā
Oṃ maṇibhadrāya svāhā
Oṃ kuberāya svāhā
Oṃ samprajñānāya svāhā
Oṃ guhyasthānāya svāhā
Oṃ pāñcikāya svāhā
Oṃ bījakuṇḍaline svāhā
These are the mantras for offering the oblation.
“Then make that offering to the guests.
Hooks of light rays shine forth,
And immediately they arrive.
Perform the ritual of equal enjoyment.”
Chapter 3
Vaiśravaṇa
Then, for the benefit of those who wish to attain worldly accomplishment, the Blessed One entered the absorption called the origination of all worldly wheelsF.161.a and emanated rays of light from the pores of his body. Vaiśravaṇa and his retinue were thus inspired and gathered around him. He prostrated to the Blessed One, scattered dust made from precious gems, and made this request:
“Blessed One, I am the Dharma-upholding king named Vaiśravaṇa. If I myself were to proclaim a secret in order to protect the Dharma of the pious and ensure that the Dharma abides for a long time, would the Blessed One grant me an opportunity?”
The Blessed One said, “Great King, excellent! Explain your secret well! I rejoice and give my blessings. May all vajra holders also bless you. Speak well!”
Then Vaiśravaṇa got up from his seat, prostrated to the Blessed One, and spoke his own incantation: “Oṃ vaiśravaṇāya hūṃ hūṃ paca paca chinda chinda svāhā.”
Once he had spoken these words, he said to the Blessed One, “O Blessed One, the accomplishment of this, my mantra, is excellent. Whoever wants to accomplish my state of being should arrange great offerings in the three times. To make the offering to me and my retinue, the practitioner should remain with one-pointed concentration in an isolated place. A practitioner of the blessed Vajrapāṇi must recite my mantra ten thousand times, and then accomplish the activities. One who thus accomplishes my state of being and my activity should offer an oblation and make vast offerings to me and to my retinue. The mantra to recite for making vast offerings and offering the oblation to me and my retinue is this:
“Oṃ vaiśravaṇāya svāhā
Oṃ jambhalāya svāhā
Oṃ pūrṇabhadrāya svāhā
Oṃ maṇibhadrāya svāhā
Oṃ kuberāya svāhā
Oṃ samprajñānāya svāhā
Oṃ guhyasthānāya svāhā
Oṃ pāñcikāya svāhā F.161.b
Oṃ bījakuṇḍaline svāhā .
“Know that these are the mantras both for making offerings and giving an oblation to me and my retinue.
“Then, with respect to accomplishing my activity, I requested the Blessed One to bless me with his explanation. The explanation of the activity is this:
“Whoever wishes to gain accomplishment
Must know the stages
Of killing, the burnt offering, and the suppression ritual.
“Make an effigy out of beeswax
Of the target—those hostile toward the teachings.
Draw him, make him enter, and then take control.
“The eighteen-syllable mantra
Forcefully strikes down in the three times,
And suddenly his spirit is broken.
There is no doubt that the target will be slain.
“If one is practicing the burnt offerings
From among peaceful, increasing, magnetizing, and wrathful activities,
Here one should perform liberation wrathfully.
Thoroughly burn with a blazing fire.
[2]“With respect to the superior, average, and inferior hearth,
Construct the superior one in three measures, the average in two,
And the inferior in whatever measure is possible.
“With fuel of thorny wood,
Great wrath is accomplished.
Burn dough and mustard seeds in the fire;
Dissolve the body, speech, and mind of the aggressor
Into the substances, and make the burnt offering.
“Imagine the retinue of yakṣas in the fire
And present them with the burnt substances,
Or scatter the activity-fire yakṣas with the substances.
[3]However you do it, it will be accomplished.
“At that time, also, with these words of praise
Focus your mind one-pointedly and offer praise:
“Hūṃ!
All-conquering, terrifying yakṣa and the rest,
Terrorizing with your noxious, brilliant heat,
Bellowing loudly with wrathful splendor.
Homage and praise to you and your retinue!
“Oṃ vaiśravaṇa puṣpe hūṃ svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇa dhupe hūṃ svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇa dīpaṃ hūṃ svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇa gandhe hūṃ svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇa naivedye hūṃ svāhā .
“Worship the central deity and also his retinue;
Make offerings in sequence.
Recite, spreading secret mantras;
Perform the projection and reabsorption.
This is the ordinary form of propagation.
“Oṃ vaiśravaṇaya chegemo māraya phaṭ svāhā. F.162.a
“For the retinue, just as for the main deity,
Worship them with their own incantations.
Fully supported by incantations,
Imagine that they crush them into dust.
“Enjoin them to perform activity and give an oblation.
As for the stages of sprinkling and offering the oblation,
Offer them in order.
The sequence for the peaceful activity is as follows:
“On a hearth of sufficient size,
Offer the burning substances and so forth.
Having conquered the evil deeds of body, speech, and mind,
Transform them into the essence of wisdom fire.
“Discard the vessel and the hearth.
Completely burn all grahas there,
And also make a ransom rite to pacify the great obstructors.
In order to increase and magnetize
For the activity and specific stages,
Know that the details of the shape of the hearth
Are in accordance with the previously explained activities.
“As for the substantial offering,
With the stages of red and yellow firewood and so forth:
“Oṃ vaiśravaṇāya dhanapuṣṭiṃ kuru ye svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇa vaśaṃ kuru svāhā
Oṃ vaiśravaṇāye śāntiṃ kuru svāhā.
“Just as for the main deity, for the retinue also
Make offerings with the incantatory substances.
Offer the burned substances of dough,
Mustard seeds, sweets, and so forth in sequence.
“The four activities are perfectly accomplished.
With superior diligence, they are fully accomplished.
With middling and lesser diligence, know that
They are accomplished in a middling and lesser way.”
Then Vaiśravaṇa and his retinue declared to the Blessed One, “Blessed One, whoever engages in the practices that we have explained here should continually worship the Blessed Vajrapāṇi and the yakṣas with the three white substances. He must completely avoid alcohol. He must acquire meats that are suitable and auspicious.[4] If we fail to accomplish, properly and one-pointedly, the activities that are our accomplishments, then we will have insulted the Blessed One and we will have failed to protect the Dharma. This is our oath. Oṃ vaiśravaṇa arthakathama.” F.162.b
“Great Vaiśravaṇa, that is excellent. So very excellent!” said the Blessed One. “So very excellent! The secret of which you have spoken will be of great benefit for the people of the future. In order that their benefit will certainly be accomplished, I also will pronounce this mantra. Listen!”
“Excellent!” said Vaiśravaṇa and the others to the Blessed One, and listened accordingly.
The Blessed One then said, “Oṃ vajrapāṇi nīlāmbaradhara vajrasphoṭa hūṃ phaṭ svāhā. This incantation is a mantra that brings control over activities. Great Vaiśravaṇa brings about possession of the secret just as he promised.”
“That is so,” said the yakṣas, and they vanished.
This was the third chapter of “The Tantra of the Vajra in the Underworld,” the chapter on Vaiśravaṇa.Chapter 4
The Wheel of Suppression
Then, once again, the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi requested the Blessed One, “Lord, for the sake of sentient beings of the future, please teach a wheel that strikes all wicked ones!”
The Blessed One mentally consented to this request, yet remained completely silent. Instead he projected an all-pervading light from his heart center that embraced all sentient beings with love.
Then he told Vajrapāṇi, “Vajrapāṇi, I shall now teach a wheel that strikes the obstructors within the ground below. So listen one-pointedly, and I will teach.”
Vajrapāṇi listened accordingly, and the Blessed One began to speak:
“Whoever wishes to construct such a diagram
Should go to pleasant and solitary places
And perform the practice of Vajrapāṇi.
Visualize the world and its contents as Vajracaṇḍa.
“From the element of wind up until the central mountain,
Imagine it to consist of enlightened bodies as numerous as there are particles.
Amid this, cultivate the practice of Vajrapāṇi.
His feet are placed on the holder of the hare.
“On this moon, the size of the trichiliocosm,
Visualize the great obstructor, utterly shaking.
Vajrapāṇi’s body shines with the splendor of a thousand suns.
“Visualize that this light, which is unbearable to watch,
Burns away all obstructors without exception.
The mantra chain recited from the tongue F.163.a
Is seen to fill the trichiliocosm.
“The eight adorning nāgas
Release a giant breath of steam
That terrifies all gods and nāgas.
Wrathful ones are projected from his heart center
And, like the winds at the end of an eon, cause them to disperse.
“With his hand, he strikes with the vajra;
Like a bolt shot from a crossbow, it strikes down.
Hūṃ hūṃ resounds like thunder;
They are thoroughly suppressed by his voice.
“Act like that, and all will be accomplished;
Karmic torment will come to an end.
If one does not know Vajrapāṇi,
Other accomplishments will be inferior.
“Whatever is accomplished hereby accomplishes all—
In particular, the supreme and the common.”
Chapter 5
The Ritual for Drawing the Diagram
Then, at another time, the Vajra Holder
Taught the ritual of the diagram:
“On a piece of birch bark or rind,
Draw a wheel
With twenty-one sections.
Commence this on the waxing phase of the moon,
“And write, with a one-pointed mind.
In the center, place the wrathful syllable.
In the second, the syllable of the wealth holder.
In the third, comes the vajra.
“In the fourth, place the first syllable of water.
In the fifth, place the ṇi.
At the four borders, write the essence mantra for killing the target.
These are the inner sections.
“On the twelve outer sections
Are the twelve syllables, omitting oṃ.
On these the secret mantra is as follows:
Nīlāmbaradharavajrapāṇi hūṃ phaṭ.
“This completed wheel
Should be rolled up and fixed to the heart center of the target;
It should be rolled up from the front edge.
Then the fire-offering ritual should be performed.
“If one wishes to subdue,
The diagram should be completed as before.
At the end, perform the ritual of subjugation.
Place the diagram in a fresh clay cup
And draw a crossed vajra on the lid.
Closing it with clay,
Temples and the like can be suppressed.
“If you prefer not to have sections,
Make a wheel with twelve spokes.
In the center, place and affix
A hūṃ and the name of the target.
“The remaining twelve are placed on the spokes. F.163.b
When the drawing is complete, insert it in the heart center.
Summon, usher, and so forth, then burn.
“Perform the ritual for suppression of the unwanted;
From that time onward, there is auspiciousness.
Whenever the diagram is drawn,
There is no doubt that things will occur as desired.
“Just like dry grass being burnt up by flames,
The person will be unable to remain.”
Chapter 6
The Stages of Fire Offering
Then, once again, Vajrapāṇi asked the Blessed One, “Lord, since everything is the domain of the profound, does one get liberated through such rituals as fire offerings, or not? Please clear away my doubts!”
The Blessed One replied:
“Vajrapāṇi! Great compassion,
Removal through the power of faith,
[5]The maṇḍala endowed with substantial riches,
And the activity of the fire offering—these you should know.
“If your stream of being keeps samaya vows as your pledge,
You will be liberated through attributes.
Without a maṇḍala, fire offering, substances, and so forth,
Spiritual accomplishments will not be achieved.
“Therefore be diligent in the activity of fire offering.
Among the fire offerings of the four enlightened activities,
The stages of the wrathful one are as follows:
In the center of a maṇḍala of four cubits,
“There is a triangle of one cubit;
It should be dug to a depth of half a cubit.
Outside there are three levels;
Draw the features of a vajra in the middle.
“At the three levels, draw the three points of a vajra
Encircled by a chain.
In the intermediate spaces, draw iron hooks.
A piece of thorny wood
“The size of a cubit is very auspicious.
Substances such as poison, blood, and black mustard seeds
Should be gradually known.
Oneself, through the yoga of the deity,
“Invites the wrathful wisdom,
Visualized in the form that tames the three worlds.
Perform the stages of worship.
For that, the mantra of the fire offering to be uttered is this:
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradhara oṃ vajrajvalānala hana sarvaduḥkha sarvavighna samma kurunīlāmbaradhara vajrapāṇi chegemo māraya hūṃ phaṭ.
“Say this while burning the substances.
“From poison, blood, black mustard, and salt,
Create the form, accomplish it, and burn it. F.164.a
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradhara vajrapāṇi yakṣa khādaya khādaya bandhaya bandhaya mohaya mohaya sha hum ānaya hūṃ phaṭ.
“This was the mantra for scattering the form.
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradhara vajrapāṇi sha hum gṛham ākarṣaya hūṃ jaḥ jaḥ.
“This was the mantra for summoning beings.
“Having performed the fire offering in that manner,
Go to a dried-up river, fell a nāga tree,
And make a large fire with elephant dung.
[6]Should illness and disease occur,
“Perform the activity of supreme pacification.
Dig a suitable spherical fire pit in three levels;
It should be one cubit wide
And half a cubit deep.
“Then perform the ritual of peaceful activity.
If done in this manner, there is no doubt that one obtains
Spiritual accomplishments with the marks of success.
Vajrapāṇi, Vajra Holder!
“With devotion, keep the meaning of the tantra,
And be diligent for the sake of living beings!
“O! This most secret great tantra
Grants great blessings from the start.
It was spoken by the teacher Vajradhara.
Be diligent in its practice.”
Chapter 7
The Wheel of Expulsion
Then the teacher, the Vajra Holder,
The Great Glorious One, stood up on his seat.
He gazed at Vajrapāṇi and said:
“One should know the ritual of activity.
With substances such as poison,
Produce the form that you wish for,
Then insert the diagram at the heart center.
“Visualize yourself as the deity of activity,
And place it in a box.
Tie it with five strings of various colors,
Then summon your target with the hook at the heart center.
“Next recite the thirteen letters of the diagram.
When the signs of shivering and trembling occur,
Throw it in the middle of a river.
If the signs should not occur,
“Mix the fluid of datura
With blood and poison, and apply it.
Then burn it in the fire of a thorny tree.
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradhara vajrapāṇi stambhaya mohaya bandhaya dāhanaya hūṃ hūṃ phaṭ.
“Fumigate it at the three times,
And utter many negative words.
Then throw it in the water, using this mantra:
“Oṃ caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa hūṃ phaṭ.
“Roll it around in pigment and throw it away; F.164.b
Imagine that you throw it into a salty ocean.
Then, for the sake of irreversibility,
Recite this mantra continuously:
“Oṃ nīlāmbaradhara vajrapāṇi hūṃ hūṃ stambhaya nan phaṭ.
“Recite this continuously.
Then the activity will certainly be accomplished.”
Chapter 9
Certainty and Purity
“Then, moreover, the certainty of recitation
Will be taught now.
Whoever wishes to gain spiritual accomplishments
Should fully possess commitments and pledges,
“And visualize oneself as the deity of activity.
Then invite the wrathful wisdom.
Summon and the rest with jaḥ hūṃ vaṃ hoḥ.
In your heart, on a moon, is the mantra chain.
“Visualize it like a silver viper,
Swift, free, and clear—without vagueness. F.165.a
Mentally perform a concentrated recitation,
Then make the fivefold offering.
“Through this fully concentrated recitation,
All desired spiritual accomplishments will surely be accomplished.
“That is the mantra for the blessings of enlightened body, speech, and mind.
“Oṃ vajrapāṇi abhiṣiñca mām.
“Such is the mantra for bestowing empowerment.
“Oṃ vajrapāṇi tiṣṭha hūṃ.
“That is the mantra for stabilizing enlightened mind.
“Through all the secrets of enlightened body and mind,
And enlightened speech, in their entirety,
One will quickly meet with awakening.
Whenever someone is practicing diligently,
“The result will swiftly be attained within a single life.
The nondual nature is the vajra possessor;
It fully pervades the vajra sky.
It is inexpressible, nonconceptual, the meaning of thatness.
“Let go in this spontaneously accomplished state.
On the form of hūṃ and āḥ,
Like a moon reflected in water,
Meditate continually, with an undistracted mind.
“Amazing! The Protector, the Blessed One,
Is the utterly supreme victor.
Amazing! This emanated body
Has no focus on sound.
“It is the domain of all joyful ones.
This natural luminosity is purity;
It abides as supreme awakening.”
Chapter 10
Protection
Then the teacher Vajradhara
Gazed at the protector of beings
And taught the ritual of protection:
“Those beings who are seized by wicked ones
Should skillfully craft an image
Of an animal in pure copper
And fill its interior with silver and the like.
“Once filled, it should be well concealed
In a desirable place or on one’s own body.
This is the best protection.
“A reliquary of the bliss-gone ones together with its relics
Should be skillfully fashioned and consecrated.
If it is concealed wherever harm might occur,
There will be peace by pronouncing the power of truth.
“The buddhas, as numerous as the grains of sand in the Ganges,
Taught these incantation mantras
To many creatures, such as birds—
All pleasant and beautiful animals.
“With these mantras, one should consecrate
One hundred and eight blue cords and strings of silk.
Invoke the truth and perform a dedication; F.165.b
When the oblation is given, there will be pacification.
“In a clean vessel, such as a cup,
Place such things as medicine and silk.
Make an offering of flowers, incense, and so forth.
If it is hidden in the ground,
All harmful influences will become pacified.
“Braid together three white cords
And make twenty-one knots.
Accomplish it and make the offering of accomplishment,
Then tie it around the neck of a victor.
It is certain to reverse all obstacles.
“If one smears the body, in equal measure,
With mustard seed, clarified butter, and brimstone,
One will be freed from the grasp of vicious beings.
“If one practices during the month of Kārttika,
On the bagunada flower,
And the dahunada fruit,
All vicious ones will have nowhere to remain.
“With the hairs of tiger, bear, and jackal,
One will be free from vicious ones.
“If, in a waterfall, a lake, and so forth,
The acts of protecting the body are perfectly performed,
It will be the supreme protection.
“You should accept the Vajra Holder!
Then, just as the full moon
Is freed from the grasp of the clouds,
So shall you be free.”
Chapter 11
The Arrangement of Mantras
Vajrapāṇi then said these well-spoken words:
“The ritual of arranging mantras,
How might that be?”
“Vajra Holder, please listen well.
Vajra Holder, listen well,
And I will teach you the arrangement of mantras.
“In a pleasing, triangular maṇḍala,
Draw a lotus with eight petals.
This accomplishes all desired aims.
“Within that, arrange the secret mantras.
In the center, place the lord of syllables.
In the fifth of the fourth,
Place the syllable i.
“In the third of the final,
Place the last of the fifth.
Then place the fourth of the fifth.
Next place the second in the last.
“Then place the fourth of the fourth,
And the second in the last.
Then, in the third of the fifth,
“And the third of the second,
One should place a ra.
Then, in the first of the fifth,
The syllable ah should be placed.
“Then, in the last of the third, F.166.a
Place the syllable i.
In the fourth of the seventh,
Place the syllable ū.
“By suppressing with emptiness, it becomes two.
In the second of the fifth,
Apply the first of the third.
The thirteen syllables are the incantation.
“If they are recited diligently with love,
All desired spiritual accomplishments are certain.”
Amazing, thus spoke the vajra possessor.
This is the king of mantras, the unsurpassable path,
That manifests the spiritual accomplishments of Vajrapāṇi.
Chapter 12
Bestowing Empowerment on Students
The teacher, Vajradhara,
Emanated light from his eyes.
Then, in order to ripen students,
He taught the ritual of conferring empowerment:
“The vajra master, the great ascetic,
[7]Has obtained empowerment, replete with secrets.
He is disciplined, upright, and a great spiritual friend.
In the excellent state of little movement, he obtained the awakened mind.
[8]Learned in the maṇḍala ritual,
He should bestow empowerment on the foremost student.
“For that, in a place such as a beautiful temple,
First train well in disciplined conduct,
Then perform the ritual of the ground.
Examine, purify, and prepare,
Then make offerings and requests.
Examine by means of signs in dreams.
“The fire offering should be performed
A total of one hundred and eight times with the peaceful ritual.
Make offerings to the bhūtas and instruct them;
They abide in the center of the maṇḍala.
“From hūṃ, visualize a great vajra.
From bhrūṃ, visualize the great celestial palace.
The light from the two eyes, the sun and the moon,
Annihilates all obstructing forces without exception.
“With the dance movement of the great vajra,
Circumambulate the ground three times
And smear it with the five substances of a cow,
Then arrange the deities in a single group.
“Make offerings, praises, and requests.
Place the vase especially well,
Then ripen the student in the ritual.
“The ritual of threads and colors
Should be done just as the activity ritual.
“Then, with the blue blindfold,
Let the students enter.
On the vow holders, bestow the fivefold empowerment:
The empowerments of the vase, the vajra,
The bell, the crown, and the name. F.166.b
“The activity ritual is the same.
On the fourteenth and the thirteenth day,
Introduce the students to the activity.
The blessings should be transferred gradually,
While confidence should be produced immediately.
“This stainless tantra, the precious essence,
Is the root of all tantras.
It contains the sacred bestowal of empowerment.
“Virtuous vow holders who have been consecrated
Through the empowerment based upon the activities of ripening,
Which is taught in the supreme tantras,
Should please the sacred one with gifts.
This is the rite for perfecting liberation, for consecration,
And for the maturing of students.”
Chapter 13
Establishing the Secret
Then the bodhisattva Vajrapāṇi requested the Blessed One, “Lord, for the sake of all sentient beings, please explain the secret of enlightened mind.”
The Blessed One answered this request by saying:
“Vajrapāṇi, terrifying one,
It is excellent that you consider the welfare of others so diligently.
In the degenerated age, whoever wishes
To tame those sentient beings that are difficult to tame
“Should first give rise to the mind of awakening,
And completely perfect the two accumulations.
On a lotus base within a jeweled vessel,
Array the Lord of Secrets in the center,
“Surrounded by the eight great nāgas on eight petals,
Each with the head of a snake.
When washed and pure,
Perform the practice of the deity of activity.
“First invite and make offerings,
Then recite while projecting and absorbing oneself and the deity.
Think that the eight nāgas are pacified.
Thus, from hūṃ and the rope of hūṃ,
The one to be accomplished is turned into a mass of light,
And, in an instant, caught within the hūṃ.
“Oṃ vajrakrodha ahicaṇḍa phaṭ.
“With ten thousand repetitions, one will certainly be freed from the grahas.
“Vajrapāṇi,
Your radiation and absorption of enlightened mind is secret.
Cover the body of the one to be accomplished in color,
And cut it with the radiation and absorption of the garland of the great hūṃ.
“When examining the great substances,
One will surely be freed from grahas.
However, if this should not accomplish it,
Reverse the mantra chain and do the recitation.
“Having cut with the vajra chain, F.167.a
It will be accomplished without any doubt.
The supreme ritual for repelling the obstructors below
Appears like a wish-fulfilling jewel.
“This great tantra is the ultimate secret,
Which, without doubt, is victorious among the three vehicles
And supreme among all protective intentions.”
As soon as the Blessed One had spoken, the retinues of the family, including Vajrapāṇi, along with all the hosts of deities, rejoiced and praised what the Blessed Vajradhara had said.
This was the thirteenth chapter on establishing the secret from “The Glorious Tantra of the Vajra in the Underworld.”