Chapter 2 — Lamp of Self-Originated Wisdom
Then the Teacher spoke again:
Kye ma! Vajradhara of the Cause,
I shall teach; you listen.
Hold all of this without error.
As for the Lamp of Self-Originated Wisdom:
because it abides as that which knows all the lamps,
and because it is the very wisdom that distinguishes
each and every aspect,
it abides in the manner of non-differentiation.
Its essence, which gives rise to subtle aspects,
has abided from the very beginning.
Having fully entered all appearances
of cognition, entities, and non-entities,
it knows their general meanings;
having found the confidence of resting without being entrusted,
it knows the measures of its own primordial wisdom.
The dharmakāya, pure by nature,
not found by anyone, through self-awareness
appears supremely, surpassing all.
Because there is no place for examination by another,
it is the Mother, self-arisen and primordially pure.
Because it is not another’s object, it is called self (rang).
The meaning of this is not found through doing.
Because it relies upon no one,
it is called primordially self-appearing, arisen (byung).
Lamp (sgron): it makes all dharmatā
appear without duality.
Ma: because it pervades its own face.
Because dharmatā is unborn and unceasing,
it does not abide and is liberated in its own place.
Without attachment, there is no abiding;
from the very beginning there is neither bondage nor liberation.
There are five divisions.
Through self-originated wisdom [of the ground],
the body and the other supports of phenomena are formed.
Through the wisdom that directly apprehends appearances,
the orientation of the expanse and awareness is held.
Through the wisdom of unceasing mindfulness,
cognition is brought one-pointedly into contact with its objects.
Through individually discerning wisdom,
general and particular characteristics are distinguished.
Through the wisdom of the three modes of engagement,
the natural bardo is ascertained.
Whoever knows all phenomena,
appearing and not appearing,
to be without inherent nature—
this is its characteristic.
The doorways through which it manifests are the five faculties;
in particular, it manifests from the heart.
Its sign is this: at night,
with intense coughing and [sneezing],
when the coughing becomes extremely strong,
clear red rays of light
scatter outward like sparks of fire.
By its measure and by that sign,
the doorway through which it manifests is recognized.
From the four channels that give rise to it,
moving, stirring, twitching,
and being light and in motion,
it revolves within the maṇḍala of the citta.
The essences of knowing awareness,
also having the characteristic of rising sparks,
together with the five and four karmic winds,
are vivid knowing, lucid awareness,
in the nature of the wisdoms.
Within the hollow crystal tube—
the empty interior of the ro ma, rkyang ma, and kun ’dar ma—
luminosity abides as great wisdom.
As the primordial resonance in which four names are gathered,
as the essence that distinguishes everything,
it has abided from the beginning in the constituents of the body.
At times, when it is seized by the wind,
cognition becomes mindless and obscured.
When the potency of wisdom is enveloped and constricted,
lacking the aspect of luminosity, it becomes obscured.
When the wind moves the potency of wisdom,
even teachings never heard before
are remembered in the mind and arise clearly.
The potencies of clarity and non-clarity
arise from the movement and agitation of the wind.
It abides within the channels at the center of the body.
The measure of self-originated wisdom abiding in the ground
is this: having arisen as the experience of the equality of all phenomena,
one finds the confidence of stable cognition.
Because this does not change
but continually abides in the continuum,
through this, the wisdom abiding in the ground is attained.
The body also becomes light,
and cognition becomes clear.
The measure of the wisdom that directly apprehends appearances
is the sign of experiencing cog bzhag.
Five-colored light from the center of the body
arises outward without effort.
Here cognition reaches its own place.
The body does not touch the ground.
Whatever cognition is directed toward,
even material objects move.
This is the measure of mastery of its own potency.
The measure of the wisdom of unceasing mindfulness is this:
cognition does not engage elsewhere.
One delights in remaining alone
and is continually drawn to solitary places.
The heart does not desire association with people.
Cognition remains one-pointed and unchanged.
Even regarding words spoken by others,
one is free from holding them as something to be retained.
With confidence that the view does not change,
one feels as though traveling through pure space.
Wherever the mind is directed, it remains there.
Even through conditions arising from others,
how could this be changed?
Cognition is carefree, at ease, and spacious.
A person whose cognition is like this
has attained the wisdom of unceasing mindfulness.
The measure of individually discerning wisdom is this:
The all-ground and the dharmakāya
are distinguished in this way; its sign is as follows.
Having become free of the mind that clings to the body,
awareness abides wherever it is directed,
while the body becomes like an inanimate object.
Because mind and primordial wisdom are distinguished,
the doorways of movement also cease.
The elements are distinguished into pure and impure;
coarse appearances cease by themselves,
and one dwells at ease in the lu gu rgyud.
Likewise, when saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are distinguished,
deluded states of mind cannot arise.
Even if they arise, they are devoid of benefit or harm.
Through wisdom such as this,
saṃsāra and nirvāṇa are ascertained.
This is [the wisdom] of individual discernment.
The measure of the three modes of engagement is this:
By uttering a single expression of a teaching,
one knows its entire textual exposition.
This reaches the measure of the wisdom of hearing.
When whatever cognition reflects upon
is held and arises easily within the continuum,
reflection likewise becomes mastered.
Unaffected by whatever conditions may arise,
deluded conceptualization and clinging cease by themselves.
Through this, the wisdom of meditation is attained.
For example, when a tiny spark
encounters dry tinder,
fire spreads through and burns all the tinder;
likewise, wisdom burns the habitual tendencies.
All of this is the Lamp of Wisdom.
Thus, from the Tantra of the Blazing Lamp, this is the second chapter,
Teaching the Lamp of Self-Originated Wisdom.