310
Machik’s Complete Explanation
25 chod tshad, “evidence of severance.” See chapter 7 for an extensive explanation of this and the following “evidence of success” (tshar tshad) in the context of the four kinds of challenging experiences and their resolution in Chöd practice. 26 mdo sngags zung ’jug gi rnam par bshad pa. Probably the same as zung ’jug gi rnam bshad chen mo, “The Grand Exposition of Combined SÒtra and Tantra” (Edou 1996, 88). 27 Gsal byed mtha’ gnyis zil gnon. 28 Zla ’od mun sel la btugs (for gtugs, reach; or gtogs, appertain to) nas zla zer ma mdzad (zla ’od mun sel also in chapter 3, fol. 82b). 29 Rin po che’i rgya mdud. 30 nang rig pa’i dmar khri. 31 Zhib po Hur thon. Zhib po could be “high commissioner,” or perhaps a mistake for zhig po, yogin.
Notes to Chapter 5 1 byam sems (“love mind”) in both texts, a synonym for byangs sems (bodhicitta), a term borrowed from the Mah›y›na idea of the altruistic resolve to become enlightened, and used in Vajray›na to refer to the male and female seminal essences. 2 There is no clear explanation for this reference. Perhaps it refers to a subdivision of the topics. 3 sa dmigs pa non par byas. sa dmigs is described by LTD as the center or vortex of the peculiar power possessed by certain locations (gnyan sa, haunted places). Synonyms are given as sa’i ’gag mdo or sa gnad, “the ground’s vital point or axis.” Such a place is ideal for the practice of Chöd. 4 mgo mjug gi tshig mgo gnyis. This apparently means that one should have a complete thighbone before one cuts it below the upper joint at the hip. 5 li li po. According to Surmang Khenpo Tsering (SKT), this word describes a deformed person with a very small head. 6 SKT interprets this to mean the instruments that invoke heroes and heroines, respectively. 7 ro de’i ’og tu ma song zhing steng du gang du gug pa de ’brog par bya’o. This passage is extremely obscure and could not be clarified by any of my informants, none of whom had dug up his own bone!