Twenty-five branch samayas

Twenty-five branch samayas (Wyl. yan lag gi dam tshig nyer lnga) —

Chökyi Drakpa says:

"There are twenty-five branch samayas.

• Firstly, there are the five to be recognized: the five aggregates, the five elements, the five faculties, the five consciousnesses, and the five objects. These should be recognized as the mandala of deities of the three seats.
• Once these have been understood, there are the five to be accomplished: the vajra family, ratna family, padma family, karma family and tathagata family.
• There are five substances to be accepted at the time of accomplishment: faeces, urine, blood, semen and marrow.
• There are five signs of warmth in the practice not to be rejected: the transformation of the five poisons, which are matured into the five wisdoms.
• There are five to be practised when the signs on the path have become manifest: the three [negative] actions of the body and lying and idle gossip. You should practise these in order to accomplish the benefit of others."