The Radiant Lamp (Pradipoddyotana): A Digest of the Very Best Commentarial

Insights for Practice from Candrakirtis Famous Tantric Primer, compiled by Radiant*Ra

While each and every sense organ is going by itself toward its own sense object,
whatever be the sense organ and its range, each of them is light only (abhasamatra).
While the sadhaka is reaching the sense object by way of this and that sense organ, he
should make offering completely satisfying the Tathagatas.
He should contemplate the Samadhi-praxis of service as the supreme revelation. One
should create, everywhere and always, just with the knowledge nectar of service. For
this brings to success the aim of mantra and tattva (thusness), of all mantras.
Pradipoddyotana commentary (this portion of Candrakirtis commentary is devoted to
defining the four steps of sadhana constituting the Stage of Generation): Now so as to
clarify the evocation member of the Stage of Generation, he says service and so on.
Because one serves and envisages, it is service (seva), namely just toward reality, as
the pledge (samaya). Pursuant to that, the undertaking and generation of the
(diamond) spot of earth, etc. (up to the Clear Light of conviction) is the occupation with
the pledge of service (sevasamayasamyoga).
Concerning the aim of the sadhana, and the symbol, the aim of the sadhana means to
solicit for establishing the evocation (of ones own three doors as the Buddhas Body,
Speech, and Mind). Symbol (samaya) means to get together ones own Symbolic
Being, with the Samadhisattva and the Jnanasattva (Meditative-concentration Being
and Awareness Being).
The accomplishment of the great aim of others, which is the best victorious mandala
and the best victorious rite, is the Great Evocation (mahasadhana).
Starting with the line Sevasamadhi, he expands upon the four members which were
touched upon. The bodhicitta (in the void) as meditative object is service (seva).
Precisely that concentrates, i.e. halts in the mind, hence samadhi. Praxis (samyoga)
means right application. That imaginative generation, by means of conviction
(adhimukti), from the (diamond) spot of earth up to the mandala-circle, which is both the
service-samadhi and the praxis, is the sevasamadhisamyoga. Having done that (much),
he should contemplate the supreme revelation, possessing the character of thusness,
which has arisen from pondering the meaning of the mantra, Omsunyata.

Pradipoddyotana commentary: All the deities are an expression of the Buddhas Mind
of Enlightenment (Bodhicitta) - a term which also means the male-female seed (as one)
in the Central Channel (Susumna Nadi - the Androgynous Embryonic Reborn Body) and
the Mysterious Sacrament of the Secret Initiation.
There he should contemplate the conjunction of all of them to the aspect of a lady.
Pradipoddyotana commentary: There, in that mandala, he should contemplate the
conjunction with, the transformation (of all male deities) into, the appearance of
goddesses.
Pradipoddyotana commentary: Find a young virgin with broad eyes and adorned with a
beautiful youthful form, twenty-five years of age are words of metaphorical meaning.
They indicate the unified pair of clear light and illusory body. Sit in the total absorption
of the samadhi called vajra identitylessness are words that nonmetaphorically indicate
meditation on clear light.