TANTRIC BUDDHISM (INCLUDING CHINA AND JAPAN)perceived it as All-Good (Samantabhadra) and as the primary cause of all the
perfect thoughts of all living beings, and also as the Mind-essence of all the
Tathiigatas. This kind of germinated thought of enlightenment resulted in
gaining the Wisdom of Sameness (samatiijiiiina).
According to bSod-nams-grags-pa, Siddhiirtha perceived here in a direct
manner the true nature of the mind (cittadharmatii), which he equates with
siinyatii.^10 According to Buddhaguhya, in the first abhisambodhi one is blessed
(byin-gyis-rlabs) and reaches the level of perfection resulting from the study of
the Piiramitiis and the practice of the Bodhisattva-bhiimis. In the second
abhisambodhi one acquires the mind which has the nature of enlightenment
gained and perfectly understood by the Tathiigatas. The thought of enlighten-
ment as a hrdaya is the Mind of the Tathiigatas which comprises the wisdom of
all the Omniscient Ones.
Bu-ston equates the mind's true nature with the Clear Light and explains that
once the mind becomes purged from the subject-object impregnations, all the
subtle impurities are removed and the mind becomes translucent. The purifica-
tion from the impregnations is accomplished at this stage by the Supreme Truth
and as the mind understands its own true nature to be the Clear Light, it becomes
further expanded by the perfect knowledge (abhisamaya).
In the third abhisambodhi, in order to fortify and to make steady the thought-
generating Samantabhadra of all the Tathiigatas, Siddhiirtha received the
following mantra: OM TISTHA V AJRA; and he was instructed to envisage a
vajra inside the lunar disc resting in his heart. At this stage the thought generat-
ing Samantabhadra assumed the form of a vajra imbued with the essence of all
the Tathiigatas. His mind became endowed with the five-pronged vajra symbol-
izing Siinyatii which had the nature of the Five Buddha-Wisdoms, and in
particular he gained in this abhisambodhi the Discrimating Wisdom
(pratyave/cyana) of perfect and unerring understanding.
In the fourth abhisambodhi in order to stabilize the Samantabhadra-vajra,
Siddhiirtha was given to recite and to contemplate the following mantra: OM
VAJRA-ATMAKO 'HAM. This being accomplished, the spheres of the Body,
Speecl, and Mind of all the Tathiigatas through their blessing penetrated the
vajra in the Bodhisattva's heart. Next the Tathiigatas bestowed upon him the
vajra-name consecration of Vajradhiitu. As a result the Bodhisattva Vajradhiitu
perceived himself as having the Body of all the Tathiigatas. Furthermore, as the
mahiimudrii of the Body-sphere of the Five Buddha-Families, the Secrets of
their Speech-sphere, and the vajra of their Mind-sphere penetrated the vajra in
Vajradhiitu 's heart, he became endowed with the Body-sphere (sku-dbyins) of
Vairocana. Having been thus imbued with the vajra-nature of all the
Tathiigatas, he perceived himself as possessing a Tathiigata-Body. In addition to
that, since the goal of liberation (rnam-par-thar-pa) in its own nature is the
Clear Light, Vajradhiitu obtained here the Active Wisdom (krtya-anu!ithiina-
jiiiina) of pursuing the welfare and good of all the living beings.
With the mantra OM YATHA-SARVATATHAGATAS-TATHA-AHAM,