The All-Creating King: A Root Tantra of the Great Perfection

This was my 38th of the now 39 Wilkinson books, and it's one of the 5 best IMHO. p. ix: It's " Held by many to be the single most important source in The Great Perfection on Ati yoga. there is no other book like it; Considered to be the foremost Root Tantra of the Mind Section" [Semde]. Namkhai Norbu also translated the root text and published it as: "The Supreme Source" which I liked even better than this volume. It was also ix: banned in the 11th century [cf. p. 172]--which is understandable as it excludes many practices of other Buddhist Schools, seems to be theistic (and is certainly pseudepigraphic-- p. 261: Then Bodhicitta the All-Creating King, spoke out of this exclamation with his own mouth) as with Western religions, and has considerable parallels with Jewish Kabbalah (e.g. the "Sepher Yetzirah," the first chapter on creation in the Jewish Bible--including the Kabbalist doctrine of tzimtzum wherein the universe was formed out of the creator. I particularly enjoyed chapter 25 which contains a song with refrain and chapter 51 on non-conceptuality.On the other hand it's very, very redundant/repetitious both within and between chapters (e.g. pp. 5, 82, 84) and approaches many subjects in a very roundabout manner so as to be rather obtuse (e.g. chapter 38). Of course it utilizes the Buddhist/Indian mythology of the time as with other Tantras--including 6 classes of beings, Hell, eons, glorifying various numbers--especially three, etc. It includes considerable ambiguity/inconsistency on meditation vs. contemplation (p. 401: There is nothing we do not meditate), p. 395:The All-Creating King of the time that is yet to come, and p. 426: Sattvavajra, when you understand this you will become a victor of victors, an All-Creating King. chapter 54 wherein the All-Creating King says "I believe," etc. There are a number of textual errors: p. 218 "As for ness" probably should be As for "thusness," p. 399: 'So I do know each' should be 'teach,' & 'to dwell on our loses' should be 'losses.' The book is divided into the main section--to p. 324, The Latter Tantra-- pp. pp. 325-374, and The Latter of the Latter--pp. 375-439 making it seem like a compendium of several writers--the quality seems to vary amongst the three sections.I gleaned quite a lot of quotations from this book, including some that elucidated the meanings of a number of Tantra terms which can vary considerably from modern Dzogchen books' usages.p. ix: The creator of all things is the Bodhicitta.p. 5: Bodhicitta that king who creates all things. [repeated again on same page]p. 6: I [The All-Creating King] am the primordial circle. My true nature is taught to be a circle. [circle=0=nothing = no thing]p. 12: The undivided totality of The All-Creating King [ACK] creates the totality of the Bodhicitta which creates all things.p. 13: I am the All-Creating Bodhicitta. In the time before I did not exist there was no heart-essence that would bring forth the Dharma. [Adam Kadmon]p. 20: 'Wisdom'…works as a teacher of all the Dharmas.p. 21: The heart-essence of self-originating wisdom…is described as being a 'mind.'p. 44: Even I, the creator of all things am thusness. Everything that I have created is also thusness.p. 58: There is nothing to hunt for other than me [ACK], so the conclusion is that there are no good works to be done.p. 61: Everything is collected in me, [All-Creating King] The creator of all things. This is why I am called: 'A perfect store.'p. 61: I am teaching that the three bodies are the three teachers. I teach these three aspects to be the Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya, and the Nirmanakaya.p. 63: We believe in a true self that is the vajra generative force of our own bodies.pp. 66-7: The Three bodies are the entourages of the three teachers… The Dharmakaya…the Sambhogakaya…the Nirmanakaya.p. 72: The miracle of birth is the playfulness of the All Good.p. 82: The All-Creating King Bodhicitta.p. 84: I am the All-Creating King, the Bodhicitta.p. 85: I am equanimity.p. 124: I [All-Creating King] bring forth all the Dharmas, however they may appear, so I am also their cause.p. 124: It is definite that the Dharmakaya is only a name. It does not move from thusness.p. 126: From the beginning I [All-Creating King] am sentient.p. 129: The understanding of the Bodhicitta is the total reality of Buddhahood.p. 132: Direct perception does not conceptualize anything.p. 139: Dharmas, however they may appear, are our own Bodhicitta. There are no objects to look for in this. When we do not conceptualize there is equanimity.pp. 139-140: The contemplation of the sky is what is called: 'yoga'…Yoga is to abide in thusness.p. 143: Each and every one of the sentient beings of the three realms has their own Bodhicitta.p. 161: The Buddhas of the three times do conceptualize, but they do not see this as a duality.p. 164: Through kindness we learn our true purpose, so great compassion does not do anything.p. 164: Our happiness comes from ourselves.p. 164: However we look at things that is how they appear. [Reality vs. Actuality/Heisenberg]p. 172: The worship of gurus, donations, and likewise everything that is meritorious: If we do them not having the power of non-attachment and non-moving, they will become great impediments.p. 175: We are already Vairocana, the All Good One.p. 181: The All-Creating King is none other than the mind.p. 208: Enlightenment is the true nature of the sky. [written twice]p. 209: Enlightenment is spontaneously realized.p. 213: There is nothing other than the Bodhicitta.p. 218: All of us are in thusness. We are one in thusness, but we contrive this thusness, and so we err.p. 221: Non-conceptual equanimity is the Dharmakaya, the primordial Buddha. Dwelling within this great bliss turns out to be the heart-essence of the Dharma. This being so, we do not work for the welfare of anyone, be they self or other.p. 236: I who work for the welfare of sentient beings. I work for my own welfare so others need not do it.p. 242: Thusness and Vairocana are All Good.p. 243: Those who do not have the fortune for the meaning of the Great Perfection are held within the interpretable transmissions of the vehicles of cause and result.p. 243: To distill my [All-Creating King] true nature live within a circle.p. 245: The creation of the creator of all things was created within the creator of all things himself. [tzimtzum in Kabbalah]p. 245: Self-creating wisdom is totally sentient.p. 252: The wisdom that we do not actually practice is unceasing, so it is called our 'stomach.'p. 255: Good works are not to be sought out.p. 259: The Buddhas have no Dharmas other than thusness.p. 263: Through questing we contrive thusness, this is why they do not meet up with the uncontrived foundation of their own minds.p. 264: The Great Perfection does not believe in results, this is why we do not seek out good works, for they are spontaneously realizedp. 273: Wisdom is a knowledge that is from the primordial. Self-originating wisdom knows from the primordial.p. 275: Even objects are described as being self-originating wisdom.p. 279: Our own minds are the uncomplicated dominion of the Dharma.p. 285: Attachment to bliss is sorrow.p. 290: The dominion of the Dharma is a natural and uncomplicated peace.p. 292: Our own minds are the true nature of the sky.p. 318: There is nothing but the Bodhicitta.p. 319: The Great Perfection is an idea about the mind.p. 323: These things are taught for the sake of the fortunate.pp. 325-374: The Latter Tantra--p. 355: People who delight in enumerating their ideas are taught that the number of levels is ten or six.pp. 375-439: The Latter of the Latter Tantra--p. 379: Enlightenment is a reality that is not for meditation. Our meditation and the thing we meditate on are non-dual. When we settle into the true nature of non-meditation, this is meditation.p. 381: Views and contemplations are indivisible.p. 382: The All-Creating Kings of past generations…of future generations…the present All-Creating King.p. 399: Uncontrived wisdom is the All-Creating King.p. 414: Wisdom is an unobstructed clarity.p. 427: Your [All-Creating King] compassion does not reject samsara.p. 431: This self-originating wisdom is in fact the All-Creating King.p. 436: I am the teaching that is called: 'the All-Creating King'…I am surely the teaching that is called: 'the Bodhicitta'…I am the teaching that is called: 'Self-Originating Wisdom.'

If you are drawn to explore the heart essence of the Ancient Ones, the Nyingma atiyoga scriptures, this translation by Christopher Wilkenson is an extraordinarily fortunate opportunity to bathe in a premier oral transmission of the primordial purity of mind. We are invited in this text to bring an open mind to everything we ever believed to be the nature of our reality and to simply relax without fabricating reference points in the clear blue sky of ever-present Rigpa. There are now two amazing translations of this tantra. Read them side by side for enhanced insight into the richness oflove and wisdom that resides in this transmission.Yogis and yoginis take note, this scripture was translated into the Tibetan language in the 8th century from its original (Uddiyan?) in the midst of widespread warfare that crushed numerous ancient cultures and their languages throughoutAsia. It was safe for 1200 years in remote monastic Himalayan libraries. Now, as Tibet and its rich heritage is beingrelegated to history, this timeless scripture is reappearing here in the West.“This is the Mind Tantra of the teacher who has no birth.” (A quote extracted from last chapter).

This is one of the highest energy books I've been fortunate enough to encounter 💫

Another awesome translation! It’s all Bodhicitta! Relax!