At that time the blessed Śākyamuni again directed his gaze at the realm of the Pure Abode and spoke to Mañjuśrī, the divine youth:

“Listen, Mañjuśrī!

“Briefly, there are detailed [teachings on] the characteristics of the mudrās and the mantras, the procedures of the maṇḍalas and the association-based distribution of mudrās therein, and the secret maṇḍala of all the mantra [deities] in all the tantras.

“All of them were taught before By every buddha of great majesty. The exalted function of the mantras Was explained for each of the families By the former buddhas from the earliest time To bring benefit to sentient beings.

“Having set in motion the mantra wheel, Which constitutes the supreme wheel of the Dharma, They dissolved into the ultimate reality, Mounted upon the wheel of peace. All these buddhas, very powerful in the world, Entered the peace [of nirvāṇa].

“All this was formerly taught By the tathāgatas since the beginning of time. I, too, will teach it [now] in this final world, Putting my trust, Mañju, in you.”

The divine youth Mañjughoṣa, Hearing these words Of the buddha of great splendor, Folded his hands before him,

And said to the best of speakers, The fully realized buddha, supreme among two-legged beings, “Teach the Dharma, O sagacious one, To bring benefit to the world!

“Teach it in a succinct manner, without elaborating, Causing the greatness of its qualities to bear fruit.” Having said this, Mañjuśrī remained silent.

The glorious great lord With a voice as sweet as a cuckoo Taught then everything that pertains To the distribution of mudrās in the maṇḍala.

Staying above the realm of the Pure Abode, The Lion of the Śākyas, the best of men, The fully realized buddha, [also] taught, at that time, The [relevant] mantra system.

“Listen, Mañjuśrī, divine youth, About the mudrās with their procedures, And about the mantras employed in tantric methods. Hear the full account of the greatness of their qualities!

“First of all, there are signs that indicate Whether something is a living being or not; [They include] form, actions, behavior, And all the gestures and speech.

“These gestures may involve both hands, both feet, The head, or the fingers of each hand. All of them were designated as mudrā By the primordial buddhas of yore.

“They are the pitcher, Parasol, lotus, banner, flag, Fish, vajra, conch, Jar, wheel,

“[And the mudrās named after] different weapons and implements— As many as there are known in the world— Including the mudrā shaped like a blue lotus, All of them are arranged around the maṇḍala.

“They are arranged in sequence, As specified in the instructions. Each of them should always be drawn With its own respective form.

“When talking about the mudrās in the maṇḍala, They are each placed In their own dedicated slot, Where they are known to belong.

“In all the maṇḍalas, One must use the right mudrā form; Cakravartin is thus represented by the wheel. If the uṣṇīṣa lord is Sitātapatra,

“One should draw a white parasol In the most prominent place in the maṇḍala. The Dharma wheel represents the buddhas, And the lotus, the Lotus family.

“The vajra is said to represent the Vajra family; The elephant, the Elephant family; And the jar, the Jewel family. These allocations apply to every maṇḍala.

“The two eminent families, the Celestial and the Noble, Should be drawn as the endless knot and swastika respectively. To represent the distinguished yakṣa family, One should draw a fruit that is a source of phalaja.

“To represent Mahābrahmā, one should draw a swan; For Śakra, one should draw his thunderbolt. To represent Maheśvara, one should draw his trident, And in addition, his bull.

“The trident is a three-pointed lance. For Skanda, one should draw a [one-pointed] lance; For Viṣṇu, a discus; And for the dānavas, a mace.

“The deities have various weapons And assume different bodily positions. They also have different vehicles, Which should always be drawn in the center.

“Conveying their form by means of an image, One should draw, in every maṇḍala, One of these [deities], Whichever one is appropriate.

“The maṇḍalas taught by the supreme victors May have one, two, three, Or an infinite number [of deities], Arranged to resemble the rows of an altar.

“[The deity] indicated for a given maṇḍala Should be placed in the center; If [the maṇḍala] is the ‘womb’ of the victors’ family, One should paint, in the very center, the Buddha.

“One should thus draw the image Of the Teacher right in the center. Second, one should draw [the deity] of the Lotus family, And third, [the deity of] the Vajra family.

“Having drawn all of this, one should add, Following the right order, the gods and the asuras, And then, filling the entire area, The yakṣas, rākṣasas, and humans.

“Next, one should draw, In the right order, the tīrthikas, And also the guardians of the quarters, All of them in their respective places.

“In short, one may draw a maṇḍala Starting from a single dot or two, Up to infinity, until the quarters are filled Up to their farthest limits.

“The earth is said to be infinite, And so can be the surface of the maṇḍala, Starting from a single dot or two, And extending over the entire earth.

“Based on the instructions, The maṇḍala procedure is said to be Of three kinds, known as The highest, the medium, and the lowest.

“The highest procedure results in the highest accomplishment. If the procedure is medium, the accomplishment is said to be middling. The lowest procedure results in an inferior accomplishment, As was formerly taught by the supreme victors.

“The supreme victors also explained The threefold accomplishment based on mental capacity: Great beings attain great accomplishment, And the mediocre, the middling. The third accomplishment, that of minor beings, Is taught for the minor activities.

“When one’s thoughts [are suffused with] faith, One is of the highest capacity and will definitely obtain Final buddhahood with its attendant rewards Through merely seeing the maṇḍala.

“Those of the middling mental capacity will attain, At that time, the realization of a pratyeka­buddha. The remaining ones, because of their lack of devotion, Are bound for the state of a śrāvaka.

“This is not unfruitful, as the proclaimed result [Of the śrāvaka path]—the peaceful destiny [of nirvāṇa]—is exalted. If one merely sees the maṇḍala, One is bound to attain birth in the divine realms.

“Similarly, all the excellent mudrās And the mantras, in all their vastness, Can be employed in three different ways; In terms of bringing happiness, they are divided into three categories. The mudrās and the maṇḍalas having already been described, [Now] the benefits of mantras are being told.

“Starting from One Syllable, And as far as the count goes, However many [types of] speech Are known [to be used] in the mantras,

“[Whether it is] ordinary speech, Lamentation, weeping, laughter, wailing, Or any [other kind of] speaking or talking, All of them have their place in the mantras.

“These mantras are of three kinds— The same three categories That have been taught for the maṇḍalas Apply also to the mudrās and the mantras.

“The relevant procedures Taught by the guides of the world Are, in the same way, threefold, And further still, manifold or thousandfold.

“While being of three kinds, or falling into three categories, They are also twofold, or of infinite types. The mantra is coextensive with the mind And never separate from the mind.

“One who employs the mantra, Blending it with the mind, will succeed. Whatever mantras there are in the Tathāgata Or the Lotus families,

“Or those chanted in the Vajra Or other families, Including all the worldly mantras, All of them arise from the [mind].

“If one studiously recites any mantra From the Victor’s family that was taught For the sake of beings by the victors’ sons, One will certainly become a buddha.

“If one reverently recites The mantras of the middle category, One will definitely acquire the family status Referred to as pratyeka­buddha.

“A mantra reciter studiously engaged In reciting other mantras, Such as those taught by the noble śrāvakas And the worldly mantras that are essentially virtuous, Will certainly acquire the family status Of a śrāvaka of great power.

“Similarly, the rites may be divided Into the highest, the medium, and the inferior. The rites of pacifying lead to the realization of a buddha; Those of nourishing, to the realization of a rhinoceros-like pratyeka­buddha. Those that involve minor mantras Are said to lead to the realization of a śrāvaka.

“In this context, the mind should also Be regarded as being of three types, But can be further subdivided into many, Even infinite, types.”