Dorje Tsig Dun

The prayer begins with the utterance of the seed syllable of the mind, HŪṂ , which awakens the self-arisen primordial wisdom, the true nature of samsāra and nirvāṇa.

The Objects of the Prayer

1	The country of Oḍḍiyāṇa is a special source of tantra. In terms of the actual path, one’s own mind is the special source of tantra, so that is what Oḍḍiyāṇa means. The mind or the ultimate nature of the mind is the freedom from sinking in samsāra and rising to nirvāṇa, as it is neither remaining in nor partial to the two extremes—samsāra and nirvāṇa.
2	Pa-dma, the lotus, signifies the ultimate sphere (dharmadhātu), the nature that is to be realized. It does not dwell anywhere and is pure from the beginning, just as a lotus is unstained by any impurity. “gesar,” the pistil, signifies the luminous, vajra intrinsic awareness (rig pa’i rdo rje), which is the means of realizing the nature. The spontaneously accomplished, self-radiant intrinsic awareness, primordial wisdom, is blossoming with clarity; so it resembles the pistil of a lotus. As the stem (sdong-po) holds the pistil and the petals of a lotus together, the self-arisen, great blissful primordial wisdom dwells as the union of the ultimate sphere (dbyings) and primordial wisdom (ye shes), and it is the ultimate nature of the mind or the innate luminosity of the mind.
3	Mind is the spontaneously born, luminous Great Perfection (Dzogpa Chenpo), the primordial wisdom of the absolute nature, the meaning of the fourth empowerment, which is marvelous. It is present spontaneously as the basis of the Mind of all the Buddhas, the attainment of the supreme siddhi, the state of vajradhāra.
4	Mind is the basis of all the buddhas of the three times, who have blossomed forth like lotuses, the ultimate nature; so it is renowned as the basis of pa-dma, the buddhas. This is the recognition of Pa-dma ’byung-gnas as the absolute Buddha.
5	In that primordial wisdom there are inconceivable qualities of attainment which, if divided into their varieties, include the five types of primordial wisdom (ye shes lnga).¹ So, in the uncovered space of the ultimate sphere, numerous manifestative powers of the intrinsic-awareness primordial wisdom are emanating as its attributes ceaselessly.

The Prayer

To realize the nature of nondual primordial wisdom (ye shes) and to perfect it through contemplation with unchanging confidence, which is great wisdom (shes rab), is expressed as “I will follow after you, and I will practice.”

If one has become experienced in and has ascertained this ultimate nature (gnas lugs) by realizing the view (lta ba) and perfecting that realization through meditation, one will transform all the attachments to impure appearance into the pure essence ² of primordial wisdom (ye shes).

Or, if one could not attain primordial wisdom, then in order to receive the blessing of the path in one’s own mind, one aspires as follows: “May I realize ³ the ultimate nature (chos nyid) by dissolving subjective-objective duality into it, as waves of water into water, through the blessing powers of the instructions of the Lama and through study and reflection.”

The Mantra for Invoking Blessing

The primordial wisdom is the emptiness essence (ngo bo stong pa), the dharmakāya, and since it is not inferior to any conceivable characteristic, it is the supreme one, the GURU.

The primordial wisdom’s nature is luminescence (rang bzhin gsal ba). It is spontaneously accomplished sambhogakāya, with a ceaseless display of power. Yet it is not separate from the ultimate sphere. So it is PADMA, the lotus, which means not stained by relative characteristics.

The inseparability of that essence and nature ⁴ is the universal compassion, which arises in the samsāric and nirvāṇic display (rol pa), fulfilling the wishes of all the endless beings, which is SIDDHI or attainment.

HŪṂ signifies the self-arisen primordial wisdom, the seed syllable of mind, possessor of five primordial wisdoms.

¹Primordial wisdom of the ultimate sphere, mirror like primordial wisdom, primordial wisdom of evenness, discriminating primordial wisdom, and all-accomplished primordial wisdom.

²ngo bo is translated here as “essence” Generally, ngo bo, thig le of light, and thig le (semen) of physical body all could be translated as “essence,” and it is therefore confusing. So in this text I am translating the ngo bo as “essence,” thig le of physical body in the perfection stage as “essence,” and the thig le of light of Thod rgal as “thig-le.”

³“May I realize” is the significance of “Please come” in the prayer. Being a quotation from Pramāṇavārttika in Mipham Rinpoche’s text, shegs (“to come”) has the meaning of “realization” (rtogs).

⁴The inseparability of ngo bo and rang bzhin, stong pa and gsal ba, chos sku and longs sku, Guru and Padma.