TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)"It is great and it is a Seal hence it is called the Great Seal. Further,
its greatness consists in its being endowed with all excellent forms^120 ,
not its restrictedness (?)^121 .•• Here the proofis void of elements which
can be imagined by one's own mind^122 , being (nothing but) the appear-
ance of one's mind^123 , (svacittapratibhasa) preceded by signs such as
smoke etc.^124 ; (yet) it is accessible to yogins 'like an opposing army'^125 •
But the Fruit-Seal is the pleasure of the Great Seal, characterised by
the knowledge of supreme imperishable bliss. (ST p.56).
When the Thought-of-Enlightenment, embraced by its own Wisdom,
i.e. the Action-Seal etc., has reached the lotus of the Vajra-Jewel, (there
ensues) by means of the Action-Seal, the state of fleeting bliss in which
the Moon has entered the Yajra-Jewel.
By means of the Gnosis-Seal the state of quivering bliss (is brought
about). "Quivering"-(by this is understood) a retention of that which
is fleeting, being like a flow. When these two states of bliss are mani-
fested, they produce perfection in this world, characterised by mastery
in the Realms of Desire and of Form.
By means of the Great Seal, however, which is an imperishable
mental state (ni~pandak~arabhavana), perfection transcending this
world, characterised by knowledge, is brought about. (ST p.62).The most complete description of the four Seals is found in CMN (A VS
p.31-32), of which the greater part will now be translated:
The nature of the Action-Seal will now be described: the Seal who con-
sists of 'action', i.e. of body, speech and mind, and whose nature is
mental-construction (kalpana) - in that Action-Seal "The (four) Joys
arise distinguished by the Moments. And from knowledge of these
Moments the knowledge of Bliss is consummated in that sound
EV AM"^126 (HVT II.iii.5) ...
"All that exists is simultaneously-arisen"^127 : it is said to be
'simultaneously-arisen' because it may be compared to a reflection
which arises simultaneously (sahajacchayanukaritvat). The reflection
which arises simultaneously produces a Gnosis which is similar to the
Simultaneously-arisen (Joy). (Therefore) the (Consecration of) Gnosis
of Wisdom is 'simultaneously-arisen'. But for that very reason, too, the
origin of the Simultaneously-arisen (Joy) is not to be found in the
Gnosis of Wisdom, (that origin) "whose nature, known as Simultan-
eously-arisen, has the uncontrived characteristic of all dharmas".
Therefore, having obtained an Action-Seal, the corresponding fruit
(ni~yanda-phalam) is obtained^128 • Outcome (ni~yanda) is similar activ-
ity. 'Similarity' (may be illustrated as follows): just as the reflection of
a face found in a mirror is not the face (itself), but merely produces a
likeness thereof as it (i.e. the face) was not actually present (in the