The Lion's Roar of Definitive Meaning

The Lion's Roar of Definitive Meaning

A Difficult Point Concerning Samaya

by Khenpo Yönten Gönpo

The great, vajra-like body, speech and mind
Are originally and spontaneously perfect, unconditioned.
If you realize this truth, the nature that is equality,
Then thoughts, ideas and perceptions are utterly pure.
All the vows that exist are contained within this,
And all remain perfectly pure.

This is the secret of the enlightened body, speech and mind
Of all the buddhas;
It is the samaya beyond transgression or impairment.
In reference to the mental capacities of beings to be trained,
This is known by the term "beyond maintenance".

The enlightened activity of all the buddhas
Is the great action that is non-action.
Therefore, those who fail to realize this definitive meaning,
And who give credence to ordinary thoughts and ideas
Will impair their samaya and fall into infernal realms.

In view of this, the profound texts,
The great secret tantras, say:
"If you fail to understand these works,
However much you might guard, impairments will occur.
And it will be exceedingly difficult to escape
The experiences of infernal realms, so terrifying,
And the sufferings of saṃsāra, so intolerable."

To put the same point the opposite way:
To know that all phenomena
Arise without truly arising
Is also the samaya, the activity —
I wonder: is it not genuinely so?

| Translated by Adam Pearcey, 2017

Version: 1.4-20220228