Christopher Wilkinson - The Six Spaces of the All Good: An Upadesha Tantra of the Great Perfection

The Six Spaces of the All Good An Upadesha Tantra of the Great Perfection With Tibetan Text Translated by Christopher Wilkinson The painting on the cover depicts the All Good One holding the wheel of life, with its gods, asuras, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and hells. It was done by Tsering Kelsang, a master painter who is currently residing in Daramsala, India. If you are interested in commissioning a Thangka or other work of art, he may be reached at: https://www.facebook.com/tsering.kelsang.7 or at his email, which is tsekelsang1984@gmail.com. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote excerpts in a review. Published by Christopher Wilkinson Portland, Oregon, USA Copyright 2017 Christopher Wilkinson All rights reserved.

ISBN : 1545273170 ISBN-13 : 978-1545273173 DEDICATION For all teachers and students of the Great Perfection. Also Translated By Christopher Wilkinson The Mirror of the Heart of Vajrasattva Two Upadesha Tantras of the Great Perfection The Lion Stops Hunting: An Upadesha Tantra of the Great Perfection The Pearl Necklace Tantra: Upadesha Instructions of the Great Perfection The Secret Kissing of the Sun and Moon: Three Upadesha Tantras of the Great Perfection Eight Early Tantras of the Great Perfection: An Elixir of Ambrosia The Royal Tantra on the Brilliant Diffusion of Majestic Space The Secret Tantras of the Fish Wheel and the Nine Spaces: Two Ancient Scriptures of the Great Perfection Ten Early Tantras of the Great Perfection: A Basket of Diamonds The Gods and the Demons Are Not Two: A Tantra of the Great Perfection The Tantra of Great Bliss: The Guhyagarbha Transmission of Vajrasattvas Magnificent Sky Secret Sky: The Ancient Tantras on Vajrasattvas Magnificent Sky The Great Tantra of Vajrasattva: Equal to the End of the Sky Beyond Secret: The Upadesha of Vairochana on the Practice of the Great Perfection Secret Wisdom: Three Root Tantras of the Great Perfection CONTENTS

I also want to once again make a very special thanks to Robert J. Barnhart for his ongoing and truly generous support. The many people who made sustaining contributions toward the success of this translation, too many to name, are to be remembered for their kind generosity. The many people who have contributed to my understanding and ability to do this work cannot be counted. I wish to thank everyone that has taken a kind interest in these translations, however slight, for your part in making this work a reality. INTRODUCTION The Great Perfection, also known as the Atiyoga or Dzogchen ( rDzogs chen ), is a tradition of esoteric Buddhism that propounds instantaneous enlightenment and was first brought to Tibet in the Eighth Century of the Common Era.

The Indian manuscripts of this tradition have been lost in time. Only the Tibetan translations remain. The original teachings of this tradition are contained in Tantras, which are generally divided into three categories: The Mind Section, the Space Section, and the Upadesha Instruction Section. The Upadesha Instruction section is devoted to the pointing out instructions or practical advice in the understanding and application of the Great Perfection. It is generally described as having seventeen root scriptures. The Tantras here translated is among these seventeen works.

The Tantra on the Six Spaces of the All Good takes us to a world where communication is both verbal and telepathic, recording the communications between the All Good One and a gathering of Bodhisattvas. The Tantra is divided into six chapters, one for each of the six classes of living beings: the gods, the asuras, the humans, the animals, the hungry ghosts, and the hells, while the content of the chapters themselves corresponds to six spaces of wisdom or reality. The Tantra demonstrates a pure vision of the realms of existence, showing them to be essentially good. I have included images of the Tibetan manuscript for your convenience and to help preserve this ancient literature. All the best, Christopher Wilkinson . The Six Spaces of the All Good One In the Indian language: Sarva Bhala Samunatra Tantra Nama In the Tibetan language: Kun tu bzang po klong drug pai rgyud ces bya ba In the English language: The Tantra of the Six Spaces of the All Good One .

The Space for the Teaching that All Dharmas Are Equal throughout the Three Times I bow to the Blessed One, The glorious All Good One, The great bliss of the vajra! I taught these words on one occasion: I am the Blessed One, The glorious All Good One, The master of how it always is. From the beginning I have arisen by myself As the true nature of all the Buddhas. As for me, I manifest by myself As the very identity of every vision. I will teach you the meanings of these things. O you who are in the entourage of emptiness, Listen! The bodies of all the Buddhas Clearly come forth from deeds that are not done. I have found the non-conceptual.

Anyone who practices this vision Will be perfected in an unsurpassed pure land. For this reason, Listen to this transmission that I am teaching! The teachers of self-awareness Will be seen in a land Where these words are not present, And from the sky, Which is a completely pure space, This king of essential elixirs Was spoken throughout the three times in equality. It is being spoken. It will be spoken. On one occasion I heard these words: In a palace where there appears The total purity of reality As a jewel that is not set, The Blessed One, The glorious All Good One, The lord of all the Tantras, Was looking into training techniques For the precious teachings, And in his effort to get the pure bodies of living beings Onto the pathway of a nirvana that is not static, He emanated from out of his own heart The so-called mandala that is the ornament of a vajra heart. Then from the organ of his tongue, He brought forth immeasurable light rays of speech.