English
The Magical Net of Manjushri shows pervasiveness throughout everything. The Eightfold Magical Net shows the vastness of the mandala. The Fortyfold shows the completion of activities. The Lama shows empowerment as the main focus. The Eightyfold shows the perfection of qualities. The Branch and Eightfold show the supreme samaya. The Dharma that explains the meaning is the four classes of explanatory tantras. The main topic of explanation in this tantra is: Among the two paths of means and liberation, the Magical Net Essence of Wisdom and the Magical Net Vajra Mirror show the path of liberation in stages and simultaneously. The Magical Net Ocean and the Magical Net Ash Tantra show the path of means in stages and simultaneously. The authoritative statements of the four classes of explanatory tantras, and the commentaries that rely on the meaning by the noble lamas, are the oral instructions that explain the meaning of these tantras, that is, the authoritative oral instructions composed by the scholars and siddhas of India and Tibet, and the three valid reasonings that are in accordance with these two. By establishing these, one will understand the meaning of the tantra without distortion. As it says in the Vajra Mirror: "By measuring with the valid measures of scripture, reasoning, and oral instruction, one will comprehend the knowable." And as it says in the small commentary of Vimala: "This secret commentary, the lamp of the mind, is established by scripture, oral instruction, and reasoning." What are the characteristics of tantra, scripture, and oral instruction? The characteristic of tantra is that it is connected and continuous, and possesses the five complete and perfect conditions for accomplishing siddhis. As it says in the Vajra Peak: "Because it is connected and without deficiency, and because it is complete, it is called tantra." The characteristic of scripture is that it is extracted from the sutras and tantras as a fragment of words, and is made believable. As it says in the sutra: "Scripture is a believable word, it has exhausted faults, it is not a false word, it will not speak, it has no cause, therefore know that the exhaustion of faults is scripture." The characteristic of oral instruction is that it becomes a means of easily understanding immeasurable meanings that are difficult to estimate with small efforts. As it says in the tantra: "Great means, small effort, immeasurable meaning, easy to do, difficult to estimate, is oral instruction." How to explain it? There are many ways to explain it, such as the general way of explaining Maha Yoga, the way of explaining the early Tibetan schools, the way of explaining the Zur school, etc. The first is the Heruka Galpo.