2]
713
Darcarupa and the Terma Tradition of VajrakIla [5.
713
Darcarupa and the Terma Tradition of VajrakIla [5.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
2] 512
King Relpacen [3. 2. 3] 521
THE DECLINE AND EXPANSION OF THE DOCTRINE DURING THE INTERMEDIATE PERIOD [3. 3] 523
THE REVIV AL AND LA TER EXP ANSION OF THE TEACHING [3. 4J 524
PART FOUR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THREE INNER CLASSES OF TANTRA IN TIBET [4]
INTRODUCTION 531
MAHA YOGA AND ANUYOGA [4. 1/2] 533 Mahayoga, the Stage of Creation [4. 1] 533
7
386
Detailed Contents ofBook Two
2
THE MENT AL AND 538
CLASSES OF
3
THE ESOTERIC INSTRUCTIONAL CLASS OF ATIYOGA, THE INNERMOST SPIRITUALITY [4. 3. 3] 554
The Tradition of Padmasambhava [4. 3. 3. 1] 554 The Tradition of Vimalamitra [4. 3. 3. 2] 555
Vimalamitra [4. 3. 3. 2. 1] 555
Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo [4. 3. 3. 2. 2] 555 Dangma Lhtindrup Gyeltsen [4. 3. 3. 2. 3] 556 Cetstin Senge Wangcuk [4. 3. 3. 2. 4] 557 ZhangtOn [4. 3. 3. 2. 5] 559
Nyibum [4. 3. 3. 2. 6] 561
Guru Cober [4. 3. 3. 2. 7] 563
Trhtizhi Sengegyap [4. 3. 3. 2. 8] 564
Melong Dorje [4. 3. 3. 2. 9] 566
Kumaradza [4. 3. 3. 2. 10] 568
Karmapa III, Rangjung Dorje [4. 3. 3. 2. 11] 572
4
LONGCEN
RAPJAMP A
[4. 4] 575
1
INTRODUCTION
THE LINEAGE OF
599 NY AK
[5. 1] 601
6
Katokpa Tampa Deshek [S. 6. 1] 688
The Mahayoga Class of Tantras [4. 1. 1] 533
The Mahayoga Class of Means for Attainment [4. 1. 2] 534 Anuyoga, the Stage of Perfection [4. 2] 537
History 387
SP A TIAL
538
Selweichok [4. 3. 112. 3] 541
Nyang Cangcup-tra and Nyang Sherap Jungne [4. 3. 112. 4] 542 Bagom [4. 3. 112. 5] 542
Dzeng Dharmabodhi [4. 3. 112. 6] 543
Dzeng Co-se [4. 3. 112. 7] 550
Master Ktinzang and Trtilku Gbar Senge [4. 3. 112. 8]
Other Lineages Stemming from Dzeng [4. 3. 112. 9]
Vairocana [4. 3. 112. 1]
Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo [4. 3. 112. 2] 540
Ngenlam Cangcup Gyeltsen, Zadam Rincen-yik and Khugyur
3
4
P ART FIVE: THE DIST ANT LINEAGE OF TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS [5]
5
DOTOKPA'S LINEAGE OF THE ZUR TRADITION [S. 5] 685
Dotokpa and Kyi Choki Senge [5. 5. 1] 685 Sakya-o [5. 5. 2] 686
Nyak JfHinakumara [S. l. l] 601
The Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe [S. 1. 2] 60S
TSangWnpa [S. 6. 2] 691
Campabum [S. 6. 3] 693
The Successive Regents of Katok [S. 6. 4] 694
A TIYOGA
[4. 3. 112]
551 552
2
THE LINEAGE OF NUP [5. 2] 607
Nupcen Sangye Yeshe [S. 2. 1J 607 Khulung Yonten Gyamtso [5. 2. 2] 614
YeshLe. Gyamtso, Perna Wangyel and the Later Successors in the Ineage of Nup [5. 2. 3J 615
THE LINEAGE OF THE ZUR FAMILY [5. 3J 617
Lharje Zurpoche Sakya Jungne [5. 3. 1J 617 Zurcung Sherap-tra [5. 3. 2J 635
Zur Dropukpa Sakya Senge [5. 3. 3] 645
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE RONG TRADITION [5. 4] 650
CetOn Gyanak [5. 4. 1J 650 Yontenzung [5. 4. 2] 651 Tampa Sedrakpa [S. 4. 3] 651
of Central Tibet [5. 4. 4J 652 ZhIkpo Diitsi [5. 4. 5] 653
TatOn Co-ye [5. 4. 6] 656
TatOn Co-so [5. 4. 7]
TatOn Ziji [5. 4. 8] 660 Pakshi Sakya-o [5. 4. 9] 660
Zur Campa Senge [5. 4. 10] 663
YungWn Dorjepel [5. 4. 11J 666
Tanak Drolmawa Samdrup Dorje [5. 4. 12] 667
Zur Zangpopel and Zur Ham Sakya Jungne [5. 4. 13] 669 Sangye RIncen [5. 4. 14] 672
Golo (Yezang Tsepa) [5. 4. 1S] 674 Rmpoche, Zharmarpa IV [5. 4. 16] 675 Zur. pa Rincen Phtintsok [5. 4. 17] 676
Khonton PelJor Lhiindrup [S. 4. 18] 677 Choying Rangdrol [5. 4. 19] 679 The FIfth Dalai Lama [S. 4. 20J 683
659
orJe Gyeltsen and his Successors [5. 5. 3] 686 BIOGRAPHIES OF THE KHAM TRADITION [5. 6] 688
388
7
Detailed Contents ofBook Two Khedrup Yeshe Gyeltsen [5. 6. 5] 696
The Lineages of Katok [5. 6. 6] 698
MISCELLANEOUS LINEAGES OF THE ZUR AND KHAM TRADITIONS [5. 7] 700
The Empowerment of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions in Kham [5. 7. 1] 700
The Lineage of Rok Sherap-o [5. 7. 2] 701
History 389
8
9
RONGZOM CHOKI ZANGPO [5. 8] 703
750
10
11
The Lineage of YatO Zurpa [5. 7. 3]
702
1
THE NATURE, PURPOSE AND KINDS OF TREASURE [6. 1J 743
The Nature of the Treasures [6. 1. 1] 743 The Purpose of the Treasures [6. 1. 2] 744 The Lineages of the Treasures [6. 1. 3] 745
The of the Earth Treasures [6. 1. 4J 746 Pure VISIOns and Treasures of Intention [6. 1. SJ 747
2
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE TREASURE-FINDERS [6. 2]
THE TRADITIONS
OF V AJRAKILA
[5. 9] 710
The Transmissions of VajrakIla [5. 9. 1] 710
Langlap Cangcup Dorje and Other Masters of VajrakIla [5. 9.
2]
713
Darcarupa and the Terma Tradition of VajrakIla [5. 9. 3]
714
THELINEAGESOFTHEEMPOWERMENTOFTHESOTRA WHICH GATHERS ALL INTENTIONS [5. 10] 717
The Lineage of Zur Ham Sakya Jungne [5. 10. 1] 717
719
ZhangtOn Namka Dor;e [5. 10. 3. 1] 720
Rikdzin Yudruk Dor;e [5. 10. 3. 2] 721
Khedrup Lodro Gyeltsen Pelzangpo (Sodokpa) [5. 10. 3. 3] 722 Kong-ra Locen Zhenpen Dorje [5. 10. 3. 4] 723
Sangdak Trhinle Lhtindrup [5. 10. 3. 5] 724
Locen Chogyel Tendzin [5. 10. 3. 6] 726
Locen DharmasrI [5. 10. 3. 7] 728
LATER LINEAGES OF THE TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS [5. 11] 733
The MindrOling Lineage of Transmitted Precepts [5. 11. 1] 733 The Mindroling Lineage of Atiyoga [5. 11. 2] 734
The Lineage of the Collected Tantras [5. 11. 3] 734
Lineages in Kham [5. 11. 4] 735
Katok [5. 11. 4. 1] 736 Dzokcen [5. 11. 4. 2] 736 Pelyul [5. 11. 4. 3] 738
NY ANG-REL
NYIMA
753 OZER [6. SJ
755 760
Dorje Trak Rikdzin Perna Trhinle [5. 10. 1. 1]
The Lineage of Zur Ham's Sister, Zurmo [5. 10. 2] 720 The Lineage of the Son, Sangye Rincen [5. 10. 3] 720
NGODRUP GYELTSEN OR RIKDZIN GODEMCEN [6. 9J 780
3 4 5
6
7
8 9 10
II
12 13 14
15 16 17
SANGYE LAMA [6. 3J
751
PART SIX: THE CLOSE LINEAGES OF THE TREASURES [6]
TRAP A
NGONSHE
[6. 4]
GURU CHOKI
W ANGCUK
[6. 6]
COMO MENMO [6. 7] 771 ORGYEN LINGP A [6. 8] 775
Ji
SANGYE
LINGP A
[6. 10] 784
789 793
KARMA LINGPA [6. 14] 800
THANGTONG . GYELPO [6. 15] 802
DOR]E
RA TNA
LINGP A
[6. 11]
PEMA LINGP A
NGARI
P ANCEN
PEMA W ANGYEL
[6. 16J 805 809
LINGP A
[6. 12J [6. 13J 796
RIKDZIN ]A TSON NYINGPO [6. 17]
18
RIKDZIN DODOL DOR]E [6. 18] 813
19
LHA TSON NAMKA JIKME [6. 19J 818
390 Detailed Contents ofBook Two
20 THE FIFTH DALAI LAMA [6. 20]
821
8 TREASURE-FINDER 9
ON THE PROPHECIES FOUND IN THE TREASURES [7. 8] 934
21 RIKDZIN TERDAK LINGP A, OF MINDROLING [6. 21]
22 JIKME LINGPA [6. 22] 835
23 CHOGYUR DECEN LINGP A [6. 23]
THE GREA T 825
THE RELA TIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NYINGMAP A TRADITIONS [7. 9] 936
AND
PONPO
Chogyur Lingpa's Seven Successions to the Transmitted Precepts [6. 23. 1] 844
24 JAMY ANG. KHYENTSE W ANGPO [6. 24] 849
Khyentse Wangpo's Seven Successions to the Transmitted Precepts [6. 24. 1] 855
PART EIGHT: THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE DOCTRINE [8] DURA TION OF THE DOCTRINE [8. 1] 943
25 JAMGON
26 MIPHAM
KONGTRUL
LODRO
THA YE
[6. 25] 859
JAMY ANG
NAMGYEL
GY AMTSO
[6. 26] 869
THE PRESENT [8. 4] 951 SOME PROPHECIES [8. 5] 960
CLOSING STATEMENTS PRIMARY SOURCES 965
CONCLUDING BENEDICTIONS
COLOPHON 972
CONCLUSION 881
5
2 3
PART SEVEN: A RECTIFICATION OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS CONCERNING THE NYINGMA SCHOOL [7]
1 GENERAL REPL Y TO TANTRAS [7. 1] 887
OF THE
NYINGMAP A
CRITICISMS
967
2 ON THE VIEW OF THE GREAT PERFECTION [7. 2] 896
3 RESPONSE TO CRITICS OF THE SOTRA WHICH GATHERS ALL
INTENTIONS [7. 3] 911
4 RESPONSE TO CRITICS OF THE ROOT TANTRA OF THE
SECRET NUCLEUS [7. 4] 914
5 THE CONTINUITY OF THE NYINGMAPA TRADITION AND ITS
IMP ACT ON THE OTHER SCHOOLS [7. 5] 918
6 ON THE VALIDITY OF THE TREASURES [7. 6] 927
7 THE SHORTCOMINGS OF REFUT A TION AND 929
PROOF [7. 7]
841
10
2
3
FROM THE BUDDHA'S FINAL NIRVANA UNTIL THE BEGINNING
OF THE FIRST TIBETAN SEXAGENARY CYCLE [8. 3] 948
4
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST SEXAGENARY CYCLE TO
ON THE "BAD LUCK OF THE NYINGMAPA" [7. 10] 938
A CHRONOLOGY OF THE BUDDHA'S LIFE [8. 2] 946
History 391
Translators'Introduction
In the traditional view, the Buddhist religion made its first appearance in Tibet during the reign of Lha Thotori Nyentsen at some time prior to the mid-fifth century of our era. According to some, a collection of scriptures and symbols consecrated to Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, simply fell onto the roof of the palace, but others main- tain that an Indian or Central Asian Buddhist monk made his way to Tibet with a translator. The country, however, was not yet ripe for the teaching of the Buddha's doctrine. Tibet was still not literate, much less prepared to import an alien civilisation.
The fact ofthe matter was that in the middle part ofthe first millenium Tibet was an island in the midst of a Buddhist sea. In India the great monastic universities of the Gangetic plain were at the height of their development. In China Buddhist learning and devotion had acclimatised themselves to an East Asian environment, and, all along the great trade routes linking China to India and to the West, wealthy oases patronised the spread of the genuine doctrine (saddhanna). So during the seventh century when Tibet, under the leadership of King Songtsen Gampo, burst onto the international scene as a full-fledged empire, she found the unifying feature throughout the known civilised world to be Bud- dhism.
Songtsen Gampo is revered in Tibet as the father of Tibetan civilisa- tion as we know it. He gave his people law and literacy, an improved technology and a new range of occult skills. Most of all, however, he gave them the basis for the growth of the universal religion of the Tathagata, which reached its first fruition during the reign of Songtsen Gampo's descendant Trhisong Detsen. He and his grandson Relpacen generously sponsored the missionary work of Indian, Chinese and Cent- ral Asian Buddhist masters, who, in collaboration with a growing Tibetan Buddhist clergy, refined the literary Tibetan language into a precision instrument for the expression of the profound depths of scrip- and commentary. Their achievement in translating, with astonish- Ing accuracy, a vas. t literary corpus into Tibetan is certainly to be ranked
394 History
. 1 among the great mtellectua an
.
d s iritual monuments of mankmd. Pt nt to make of their new religion
As Tibet passed through the first of its sixty-year calendrical cycles (1027-87), the political fragmentation of its society was mirrored in the development of a number of new independent Buddhist schools, each adhering to its own special system of meditative experience and tracing its lineage back through different masters. Most important among them were the Kadampa school, which based itself on the teachings of the saintly and accomplished Bengali scholar Atisa, who came to Tibet in
1042 and remained there until his death in 1054, and whose teaching emphasised the cultivation of the pure enlightened attitude of the greater vehicle (Mahayana); the Path and Fruit (lam-'bras) school, which was introduced by the Tibetan translator Drokmi and rooted itself in the esoteric teachings of the accomplished master Virupa; and the Kagyti school, derived from the precepts of Marpa Chaki Wangcuk, who had mastered the innermost instructions of the yogas taught by the Indian adepts Naropa, Maitripa and others. These schools in their turn gave rise to numerous sub-schools. The Kagyti, for instance, is usually said to have four great and eight minor subsects within its aegis. At the same time other small and distinctive traditions flourished, the foremost among them being the Shangpa Kagyti, founded by Khyungpo Neljor; Pacification and the Object of Cutting, both tracing themselves back to the Indian master Phadampa; and various schools emphasising the Kalacakra Tantra. In the midst of these developments the Nyingma teaching maintained its own identity and its unique and treasured
precepts.
The pattern of religious development in Tibet gradually yielded four
major Buddhist schools: the Nyingma, Kagyti, and Sakya schools, and, in addition, the Gelukpa, founded by the great Je Tsongkapa (1357- 1419), which based itself to a large extent on the teachings of the older Kadampa school. The first of these is here treated in detail, but like a gem in Indra's Net it reflects all the others as well.
In the conflicting and often violent political currents of post-imperial Tibet the various spiritual traditions, for better or worse, could not but become to some extent entangled in mundane power struggles. Thus, it was for the better that the Khan family, rising to promineq. ce in Sakya, took a special interest in the Path and Fruit tradition, which has been preserved primarily by their school, the Sakyapa. But it was certainly for the worse that the hierarchs of Drigung, one of the Kagyti subsects, involved themselves in thirteenth-century Mongol politics only to bring about their own destruction at the hands of the Sakyapa's Mongol patrons. For some centuries Tibetan life was to be dominated by shifting alliances of religious and political parties. An unfortunate OUtcome has been a legacy of sporadic, bitter sectarianism.
. At the same time greater minds saw beyond the rivalries and fac- tIonalism. Maintaining the integrity of their own traditions, they freely learned from anq taught adherents of other traditions as well. All of
Moreover, the r:onk and layman alike undertook an intellectual exerCIse y g . , the perennial truths which the
to realise through medltatlVe expenence
Buddha taught. d'd not however, meet with the approval These new developments 'd a reaction set in Relpacen was of all factions of Tibetan elder brother who
assassinated in (or 831e:nthe The latter persecuted the detested BuddhIsm, ascen. 1 after he himself was assassinated. monastic establishments final' collapse of the dynasty and The ensuing chaos culmmat. e m t e
the end of the d d' ted Tibetan monks did manage
Despite the ? ards. hlPs a . eW : age. Also, married yogins, th t
to keep their. alIve and had suffered less in the persecu- who lived wnhm the commuld Yf Buddhist learning and lore. By the tions, preserved all they 0 . n ascendant phase once more:
mid-tenth century BuddhIsm ,,:as m a to travel to Nepal and India
Tibetans in search of the doctnne began d by the eastward spread of . . d perhaps encourage .
for mstructlons, an , . d ' . India Indian BuddhIst masters
Islam and. the young disciples, who
began to Journey TIbet to ortive of their spiritual endeavours. lived in commumtles largely supp . or boundary one
In the related thus fa: special
that it is crucIal to be aware of m or Os hool of Tibetan Buddhism, . A . ent Translatlon c
of the Nymgma nCl. b'ect-matter of the present book. the history of. whIch of the imperial period, On the one sIde there IS t e u hen Tibet was at the
transmitted and redacted royal Buddhism itself was eak of its political and mIlItary a. '1' t' On the other side
r' f
finding its own refuge In, and fundamentally inhosPlt-
P
at its zenith as the re 19IOn 0
of the boundary we a po ltlCa. y. at the same time a refuge
an ASIan Clvllsa Ion.
. . - 11 disunified and weakened Tibet
an enlightened doctrine tenuously eXlstmg m a
able world. . ome of their roots back
While all schools of h themselves by their . . d h Nymgmapa lstmguls .
to the earlIer peno , t e 1 t unadulterated teachlllg . h 1 epresent the comp e e -
assertIOn that t eya one r c. - k't and the other accomP V· 1 'tra;)antaraSla en
of Padmasambhava, lma a m I , . fKingTrhisong Dets lished masters of India who, to Tibetan disciples transmitted the whole theIr Yeshe Tshogyel and the king
of such remarkable calIbre e been transmitted within the himself. The Buddhist teachmgs ,:"hlch by Dudjom Rinpoche,
Nyingma school are In10
: 1(bstan-pa'i rnam-gzhag) which
in his Fundamentals ofthe Nymgma c 00 constitutes the first part of this volume.
,
Translators'Introduction 395
396 History
the Tibetan schools can boast of such figures. In the pages of the present history we will encounter the likes of Rongzompa, Longcenpa, Terdak Lingpa and others who exemplified Nyingma ideals while affirming the common ground shared by all Buddhist traditions.
None the less, the Nyingmapa did suffer in the temporal sphere owing to their determined aloofness from the political scene. The distant lineage of the transmitted precepts (ring-brgyud bka'-ma), which was traced back in a direct succession to the ancient period,
grew increasingly fragile with each new This state of affairs, however, had been foreseen by the anCIent masters: Pad- masambhava, in particular, had responded by filling the land of Tibet with spiritual treasures which awaited rediscovery by individuals of
appropriate vision. So it was that as the distant lineage waned there arose a close lineage of rediscovered spiritual treasures (nye-brgyud gter- ma) to meet the needs of a new age. Since this proved to be a medium for maintaining the continuity and blessing of the ancIent translations, most practising Nyingmapa at the present time adhere to
meditative cycles which were revealed in this way. Moreover, from the seventeenth century onwards major Nyingmapa monasteries were founded and restored to preserve the vast array of such treasures as well as all that survived of the distant lineage, thereby guaranteeing
the ongoing vitality of the tradition. .
Thus there are now two methods of transmission through whIch the
Nyingma teachings have been handed down. The lineage oft. he transmitted precepts (ring-brgyud bka'-ma) has synthesIsed the major texts and teaching cycles of Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga under the heading Trio of the Sutra, Magical Net and Mental Class (mdo-sgyu-
sems-gsum). These are respectively the Anuyoga Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Mahayoga Tantra of the Magical Net, and the Class of Atiyoga. In addition, the close lineage of treasures or covered teachings (nye-brgyud gter-ma) has transmitted the doctrmes known as the Trio of the Guru, Great Perfection and the Great Compas-
sionate One (bla-rdzogs-thugs gsum) , which synthesise the teaching cycles s
relating to Guru Padmasambhava (bla), the Great Perfection (rdzog ) and the Great Compassionate One, Avalokitesvara (thugs).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
The History is divided into eight parts. The first of these is a
ings of par excellence, and here the beginnings of their lmeages are surveyed: the lineage of the intention of the PrImordIal Buddha, Samantabhadra, the symbolic transmission of the holders, and the aural transmission of individual human bemgs.
P. art Three an account of the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet dUrIng the reIgns of Songtsen Trhisong Detsen, and Trhi Relpacen and along with an account o. f the of tradition through to the restora- tIon of monastIc BuddhIsm m Central Tibet during the late tenth and early eleventh centuries.
Part Four treats the introduction into Tibet of the three inner classes of but deals primarily with the lives of the masters of the Great PerfectIOn, from Vairocana (circa eighth century) through to Longcenpa (1308-63).
. In Part Five subject-matter is the previously mentioned distant lmeage of which was maintained at an early date Jnanakumara (czrca late eighth century), Nup Sangye Yeshe (mid-nmth and the masters of the Zur family (eleventh century The lmeage was continued by the Rong tradition in Central and the Kham tradition in the Sino-Tibetan border regions until the of Terdak Lingpa (1646-1714), and descended to the present
Author m an unbroken line.
Six outlines the history of the close lineage of the rediscovered
an account of their meaning and purpose along WIth bnef bIOgraphIes of the most important treasure-finders down to Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912).
Seven considers the polemical attacks which have been launched agamst the Nyingma tradition in the past and summarises the responses to t. hese in order to introduce the reader precisely to the view that the Nymgmapa have traditionally held.
The eighth and final part provides a chronology for the book as a whole and an account of the prophecies concerning the future develop- ment of Buddhism.
· . I d· haslS- accountoftheoriginsanddevelopment hismm n la,emp ·tS
NYinWhich of history of the peculiarly p teachmgs m TIbet. The histoncal traditions of the Great perfectlOn, considered in Part Four, were redacted in much of their d:es. ent form as early as the fourteenth century by Longcenpa and his
ISClples. Those of th. e distant lineage of transmitted precepts, abridged
d
ing the life of Sakyamuni Buddha, the patrIarchs .
King Relpacen [3. 2. 3] 521
THE DECLINE AND EXPANSION OF THE DOCTRINE DURING THE INTERMEDIATE PERIOD [3. 3] 523
THE REVIV AL AND LA TER EXP ANSION OF THE TEACHING [3. 4J 524
PART FOUR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THREE INNER CLASSES OF TANTRA IN TIBET [4]
INTRODUCTION 531
MAHA YOGA AND ANUYOGA [4. 1/2] 533 Mahayoga, the Stage of Creation [4. 1] 533
7
386
Detailed Contents ofBook Two
2
THE MENT AL AND 538
CLASSES OF
3
THE ESOTERIC INSTRUCTIONAL CLASS OF ATIYOGA, THE INNERMOST SPIRITUALITY [4. 3. 3] 554
The Tradition of Padmasambhava [4. 3. 3. 1] 554 The Tradition of Vimalamitra [4. 3. 3. 2] 555
Vimalamitra [4. 3. 3. 2. 1] 555
Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo [4. 3. 3. 2. 2] 555 Dangma Lhtindrup Gyeltsen [4. 3. 3. 2. 3] 556 Cetstin Senge Wangcuk [4. 3. 3. 2. 4] 557 ZhangtOn [4. 3. 3. 2. 5] 559
Nyibum [4. 3. 3. 2. 6] 561
Guru Cober [4. 3. 3. 2. 7] 563
Trhtizhi Sengegyap [4. 3. 3. 2. 8] 564
Melong Dorje [4. 3. 3. 2. 9] 566
Kumaradza [4. 3. 3. 2. 10] 568
Karmapa III, Rangjung Dorje [4. 3. 3. 2. 11] 572
4
LONGCEN
RAPJAMP A
[4. 4] 575
1
INTRODUCTION
THE LINEAGE OF
599 NY AK
[5. 1] 601
6
Katokpa Tampa Deshek [S. 6. 1] 688
The Mahayoga Class of Tantras [4. 1. 1] 533
The Mahayoga Class of Means for Attainment [4. 1. 2] 534 Anuyoga, the Stage of Perfection [4. 2] 537
History 387
SP A TIAL
538
Selweichok [4. 3. 112. 3] 541
Nyang Cangcup-tra and Nyang Sherap Jungne [4. 3. 112. 4] 542 Bagom [4. 3. 112. 5] 542
Dzeng Dharmabodhi [4. 3. 112. 6] 543
Dzeng Co-se [4. 3. 112. 7] 550
Master Ktinzang and Trtilku Gbar Senge [4. 3. 112. 8]
Other Lineages Stemming from Dzeng [4. 3. 112. 9]
Vairocana [4. 3. 112. 1]
Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo [4. 3. 112. 2] 540
Ngenlam Cangcup Gyeltsen, Zadam Rincen-yik and Khugyur
3
4
P ART FIVE: THE DIST ANT LINEAGE OF TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS [5]
5
DOTOKPA'S LINEAGE OF THE ZUR TRADITION [S. 5] 685
Dotokpa and Kyi Choki Senge [5. 5. 1] 685 Sakya-o [5. 5. 2] 686
Nyak JfHinakumara [S. l. l] 601
The Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe [S. 1. 2] 60S
TSangWnpa [S. 6. 2] 691
Campabum [S. 6. 3] 693
The Successive Regents of Katok [S. 6. 4] 694
A TIYOGA
[4. 3. 112]
551 552
2
THE LINEAGE OF NUP [5. 2] 607
Nupcen Sangye Yeshe [S. 2. 1J 607 Khulung Yonten Gyamtso [5. 2. 2] 614
YeshLe. Gyamtso, Perna Wangyel and the Later Successors in the Ineage of Nup [5. 2. 3J 615
THE LINEAGE OF THE ZUR FAMILY [5. 3J 617
Lharje Zurpoche Sakya Jungne [5. 3. 1J 617 Zurcung Sherap-tra [5. 3. 2J 635
Zur Dropukpa Sakya Senge [5. 3. 3] 645
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE RONG TRADITION [5. 4] 650
CetOn Gyanak [5. 4. 1J 650 Yontenzung [5. 4. 2] 651 Tampa Sedrakpa [S. 4. 3] 651
of Central Tibet [5. 4. 4J 652 ZhIkpo Diitsi [5. 4. 5] 653
TatOn Co-ye [5. 4. 6] 656
TatOn Co-so [5. 4. 7]
TatOn Ziji [5. 4. 8] 660 Pakshi Sakya-o [5. 4. 9] 660
Zur Campa Senge [5. 4. 10] 663
YungWn Dorjepel [5. 4. 11J 666
Tanak Drolmawa Samdrup Dorje [5. 4. 12] 667
Zur Zangpopel and Zur Ham Sakya Jungne [5. 4. 13] 669 Sangye RIncen [5. 4. 14] 672
Golo (Yezang Tsepa) [5. 4. 1S] 674 Rmpoche, Zharmarpa IV [5. 4. 16] 675 Zur. pa Rincen Phtintsok [5. 4. 17] 676
Khonton PelJor Lhiindrup [S. 4. 18] 677 Choying Rangdrol [5. 4. 19] 679 The FIfth Dalai Lama [S. 4. 20J 683
659
orJe Gyeltsen and his Successors [5. 5. 3] 686 BIOGRAPHIES OF THE KHAM TRADITION [5. 6] 688
388
7
Detailed Contents ofBook Two Khedrup Yeshe Gyeltsen [5. 6. 5] 696
The Lineages of Katok [5. 6. 6] 698
MISCELLANEOUS LINEAGES OF THE ZUR AND KHAM TRADITIONS [5. 7] 700
The Empowerment of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions in Kham [5. 7. 1] 700
The Lineage of Rok Sherap-o [5. 7. 2] 701
History 389
8
9
RONGZOM CHOKI ZANGPO [5. 8] 703
750
10
11
The Lineage of YatO Zurpa [5. 7. 3]
702
1
THE NATURE, PURPOSE AND KINDS OF TREASURE [6. 1J 743
The Nature of the Treasures [6. 1. 1] 743 The Purpose of the Treasures [6. 1. 2] 744 The Lineages of the Treasures [6. 1. 3] 745
The of the Earth Treasures [6. 1. 4J 746 Pure VISIOns and Treasures of Intention [6. 1. SJ 747
2
BIOGRAPHIES OF THE TREASURE-FINDERS [6. 2]
THE TRADITIONS
OF V AJRAKILA
[5. 9] 710
The Transmissions of VajrakIla [5. 9. 1] 710
Langlap Cangcup Dorje and Other Masters of VajrakIla [5. 9.
2]
713
Darcarupa and the Terma Tradition of VajrakIla [5. 9. 3]
714
THELINEAGESOFTHEEMPOWERMENTOFTHESOTRA WHICH GATHERS ALL INTENTIONS [5. 10] 717
The Lineage of Zur Ham Sakya Jungne [5. 10. 1] 717
719
ZhangtOn Namka Dor;e [5. 10. 3. 1] 720
Rikdzin Yudruk Dor;e [5. 10. 3. 2] 721
Khedrup Lodro Gyeltsen Pelzangpo (Sodokpa) [5. 10. 3. 3] 722 Kong-ra Locen Zhenpen Dorje [5. 10. 3. 4] 723
Sangdak Trhinle Lhtindrup [5. 10. 3. 5] 724
Locen Chogyel Tendzin [5. 10. 3. 6] 726
Locen DharmasrI [5. 10. 3. 7] 728
LATER LINEAGES OF THE TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS [5. 11] 733
The MindrOling Lineage of Transmitted Precepts [5. 11. 1] 733 The Mindroling Lineage of Atiyoga [5. 11. 2] 734
The Lineage of the Collected Tantras [5. 11. 3] 734
Lineages in Kham [5. 11. 4] 735
Katok [5. 11. 4. 1] 736 Dzokcen [5. 11. 4. 2] 736 Pelyul [5. 11. 4. 3] 738
NY ANG-REL
NYIMA
753 OZER [6. SJ
755 760
Dorje Trak Rikdzin Perna Trhinle [5. 10. 1. 1]
The Lineage of Zur Ham's Sister, Zurmo [5. 10. 2] 720 The Lineage of the Son, Sangye Rincen [5. 10. 3] 720
NGODRUP GYELTSEN OR RIKDZIN GODEMCEN [6. 9J 780
3 4 5
6
7
8 9 10
II
12 13 14
15 16 17
SANGYE LAMA [6. 3J
751
PART SIX: THE CLOSE LINEAGES OF THE TREASURES [6]
TRAP A
NGONSHE
[6. 4]
GURU CHOKI
W ANGCUK
[6. 6]
COMO MENMO [6. 7] 771 ORGYEN LINGP A [6. 8] 775
Ji
SANGYE
LINGP A
[6. 10] 784
789 793
KARMA LINGPA [6. 14] 800
THANGTONG . GYELPO [6. 15] 802
DOR]E
RA TNA
LINGP A
[6. 11]
PEMA LINGP A
NGARI
P ANCEN
PEMA W ANGYEL
[6. 16J 805 809
LINGP A
[6. 12J [6. 13J 796
RIKDZIN ]A TSON NYINGPO [6. 17]
18
RIKDZIN DODOL DOR]E [6. 18] 813
19
LHA TSON NAMKA JIKME [6. 19J 818
390 Detailed Contents ofBook Two
20 THE FIFTH DALAI LAMA [6. 20]
821
8 TREASURE-FINDER 9
ON THE PROPHECIES FOUND IN THE TREASURES [7. 8] 934
21 RIKDZIN TERDAK LINGP A, OF MINDROLING [6. 21]
22 JIKME LINGPA [6. 22] 835
23 CHOGYUR DECEN LINGP A [6. 23]
THE GREA T 825
THE RELA TIONSHIP BETWEEN THE NYINGMAP A TRADITIONS [7. 9] 936
AND
PONPO
Chogyur Lingpa's Seven Successions to the Transmitted Precepts [6. 23. 1] 844
24 JAMY ANG. KHYENTSE W ANGPO [6. 24] 849
Khyentse Wangpo's Seven Successions to the Transmitted Precepts [6. 24. 1] 855
PART EIGHT: THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE DOCTRINE [8] DURA TION OF THE DOCTRINE [8. 1] 943
25 JAMGON
26 MIPHAM
KONGTRUL
LODRO
THA YE
[6. 25] 859
JAMY ANG
NAMGYEL
GY AMTSO
[6. 26] 869
THE PRESENT [8. 4] 951 SOME PROPHECIES [8. 5] 960
CLOSING STATEMENTS PRIMARY SOURCES 965
CONCLUDING BENEDICTIONS
COLOPHON 972
CONCLUSION 881
5
2 3
PART SEVEN: A RECTIFICATION OF THE MISCONCEPTIONS CONCERNING THE NYINGMA SCHOOL [7]
1 GENERAL REPL Y TO TANTRAS [7. 1] 887
OF THE
NYINGMAP A
CRITICISMS
967
2 ON THE VIEW OF THE GREAT PERFECTION [7. 2] 896
3 RESPONSE TO CRITICS OF THE SOTRA WHICH GATHERS ALL
INTENTIONS [7. 3] 911
4 RESPONSE TO CRITICS OF THE ROOT TANTRA OF THE
SECRET NUCLEUS [7. 4] 914
5 THE CONTINUITY OF THE NYINGMAPA TRADITION AND ITS
IMP ACT ON THE OTHER SCHOOLS [7. 5] 918
6 ON THE VALIDITY OF THE TREASURES [7. 6] 927
7 THE SHORTCOMINGS OF REFUT A TION AND 929
PROOF [7. 7]
841
10
2
3
FROM THE BUDDHA'S FINAL NIRVANA UNTIL THE BEGINNING
OF THE FIRST TIBETAN SEXAGENARY CYCLE [8. 3] 948
4
FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE FIRST SEXAGENARY CYCLE TO
ON THE "BAD LUCK OF THE NYINGMAPA" [7. 10] 938
A CHRONOLOGY OF THE BUDDHA'S LIFE [8. 2] 946
History 391
Translators'Introduction
In the traditional view, the Buddhist religion made its first appearance in Tibet during the reign of Lha Thotori Nyentsen at some time prior to the mid-fifth century of our era. According to some, a collection of scriptures and symbols consecrated to Avalokitesvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, simply fell onto the roof of the palace, but others main- tain that an Indian or Central Asian Buddhist monk made his way to Tibet with a translator. The country, however, was not yet ripe for the teaching of the Buddha's doctrine. Tibet was still not literate, much less prepared to import an alien civilisation.
The fact ofthe matter was that in the middle part ofthe first millenium Tibet was an island in the midst of a Buddhist sea. In India the great monastic universities of the Gangetic plain were at the height of their development. In China Buddhist learning and devotion had acclimatised themselves to an East Asian environment, and, all along the great trade routes linking China to India and to the West, wealthy oases patronised the spread of the genuine doctrine (saddhanna). So during the seventh century when Tibet, under the leadership of King Songtsen Gampo, burst onto the international scene as a full-fledged empire, she found the unifying feature throughout the known civilised world to be Bud- dhism.
Songtsen Gampo is revered in Tibet as the father of Tibetan civilisa- tion as we know it. He gave his people law and literacy, an improved technology and a new range of occult skills. Most of all, however, he gave them the basis for the growth of the universal religion of the Tathagata, which reached its first fruition during the reign of Songtsen Gampo's descendant Trhisong Detsen. He and his grandson Relpacen generously sponsored the missionary work of Indian, Chinese and Cent- ral Asian Buddhist masters, who, in collaboration with a growing Tibetan Buddhist clergy, refined the literary Tibetan language into a precision instrument for the expression of the profound depths of scrip- and commentary. Their achievement in translating, with astonish- Ing accuracy, a vas. t literary corpus into Tibetan is certainly to be ranked
394 History
. 1 among the great mtellectua an
.
d s iritual monuments of mankmd. Pt nt to make of their new religion
As Tibet passed through the first of its sixty-year calendrical cycles (1027-87), the political fragmentation of its society was mirrored in the development of a number of new independent Buddhist schools, each adhering to its own special system of meditative experience and tracing its lineage back through different masters. Most important among them were the Kadampa school, which based itself on the teachings of the saintly and accomplished Bengali scholar Atisa, who came to Tibet in
1042 and remained there until his death in 1054, and whose teaching emphasised the cultivation of the pure enlightened attitude of the greater vehicle (Mahayana); the Path and Fruit (lam-'bras) school, which was introduced by the Tibetan translator Drokmi and rooted itself in the esoteric teachings of the accomplished master Virupa; and the Kagyti school, derived from the precepts of Marpa Chaki Wangcuk, who had mastered the innermost instructions of the yogas taught by the Indian adepts Naropa, Maitripa and others. These schools in their turn gave rise to numerous sub-schools. The Kagyti, for instance, is usually said to have four great and eight minor subsects within its aegis. At the same time other small and distinctive traditions flourished, the foremost among them being the Shangpa Kagyti, founded by Khyungpo Neljor; Pacification and the Object of Cutting, both tracing themselves back to the Indian master Phadampa; and various schools emphasising the Kalacakra Tantra. In the midst of these developments the Nyingma teaching maintained its own identity and its unique and treasured
precepts.
The pattern of religious development in Tibet gradually yielded four
major Buddhist schools: the Nyingma, Kagyti, and Sakya schools, and, in addition, the Gelukpa, founded by the great Je Tsongkapa (1357- 1419), which based itself to a large extent on the teachings of the older Kadampa school. The first of these is here treated in detail, but like a gem in Indra's Net it reflects all the others as well.
In the conflicting and often violent political currents of post-imperial Tibet the various spiritual traditions, for better or worse, could not but become to some extent entangled in mundane power struggles. Thus, it was for the better that the Khan family, rising to promineq. ce in Sakya, took a special interest in the Path and Fruit tradition, which has been preserved primarily by their school, the Sakyapa. But it was certainly for the worse that the hierarchs of Drigung, one of the Kagyti subsects, involved themselves in thirteenth-century Mongol politics only to bring about their own destruction at the hands of the Sakyapa's Mongol patrons. For some centuries Tibetan life was to be dominated by shifting alliances of religious and political parties. An unfortunate OUtcome has been a legacy of sporadic, bitter sectarianism.
. At the same time greater minds saw beyond the rivalries and fac- tIonalism. Maintaining the integrity of their own traditions, they freely learned from anq taught adherents of other traditions as well. All of
Moreover, the r:onk and layman alike undertook an intellectual exerCIse y g . , the perennial truths which the
to realise through medltatlVe expenence
Buddha taught. d'd not however, meet with the approval These new developments 'd a reaction set in Relpacen was of all factions of Tibetan elder brother who
assassinated in (or 831e:nthe The latter persecuted the detested BuddhIsm, ascen. 1 after he himself was assassinated. monastic establishments final' collapse of the dynasty and The ensuing chaos culmmat. e m t e
the end of the d d' ted Tibetan monks did manage
Despite the ? ards. hlPs a . eW : age. Also, married yogins, th t
to keep their. alIve and had suffered less in the persecu- who lived wnhm the commuld Yf Buddhist learning and lore. By the tions, preserved all they 0 . n ascendant phase once more:
mid-tenth century BuddhIsm ,,:as m a to travel to Nepal and India
Tibetans in search of the doctnne began d by the eastward spread of . . d perhaps encourage .
for mstructlons, an , . d ' . India Indian BuddhIst masters
Islam and. the young disciples, who
began to Journey TIbet to ortive of their spiritual endeavours. lived in commumtles largely supp . or boundary one
In the related thus fa: special
that it is crucIal to be aware of m or Os hool of Tibetan Buddhism, . A . ent Translatlon c
of the Nymgma nCl. b'ect-matter of the present book. the history of. whIch of the imperial period, On the one sIde there IS t e u hen Tibet was at the
transmitted and redacted royal Buddhism itself was eak of its political and mIlItary a. '1' t' On the other side
r' f
finding its own refuge In, and fundamentally inhosPlt-
P
at its zenith as the re 19IOn 0
of the boundary we a po ltlCa. y. at the same time a refuge
an ASIan Clvllsa Ion.
. . - 11 disunified and weakened Tibet
an enlightened doctrine tenuously eXlstmg m a
able world. . ome of their roots back
While all schools of h themselves by their . . d h Nymgmapa lstmguls .
to the earlIer peno , t e 1 t unadulterated teachlllg . h 1 epresent the comp e e -
assertIOn that t eya one r c. - k't and the other accomP V· 1 'tra;)antaraSla en
of Padmasambhava, lma a m I , . fKingTrhisong Dets lished masters of India who, to Tibetan disciples transmitted the whole theIr Yeshe Tshogyel and the king
of such remarkable calIbre e been transmitted within the himself. The Buddhist teachmgs ,:"hlch by Dudjom Rinpoche,
Nyingma school are In10
: 1(bstan-pa'i rnam-gzhag) which
in his Fundamentals ofthe Nymgma c 00 constitutes the first part of this volume.
,
Translators'Introduction 395
396 History
the Tibetan schools can boast of such figures. In the pages of the present history we will encounter the likes of Rongzompa, Longcenpa, Terdak Lingpa and others who exemplified Nyingma ideals while affirming the common ground shared by all Buddhist traditions.
None the less, the Nyingmapa did suffer in the temporal sphere owing to their determined aloofness from the political scene. The distant lineage of the transmitted precepts (ring-brgyud bka'-ma), which was traced back in a direct succession to the ancient period,
grew increasingly fragile with each new This state of affairs, however, had been foreseen by the anCIent masters: Pad- masambhava, in particular, had responded by filling the land of Tibet with spiritual treasures which awaited rediscovery by individuals of
appropriate vision. So it was that as the distant lineage waned there arose a close lineage of rediscovered spiritual treasures (nye-brgyud gter- ma) to meet the needs of a new age. Since this proved to be a medium for maintaining the continuity and blessing of the ancIent translations, most practising Nyingmapa at the present time adhere to
meditative cycles which were revealed in this way. Moreover, from the seventeenth century onwards major Nyingmapa monasteries were founded and restored to preserve the vast array of such treasures as well as all that survived of the distant lineage, thereby guaranteeing
the ongoing vitality of the tradition. .
Thus there are now two methods of transmission through whIch the
Nyingma teachings have been handed down. The lineage oft. he transmitted precepts (ring-brgyud bka'-ma) has synthesIsed the major texts and teaching cycles of Mahayoga, Anuyoga and Atiyoga under the heading Trio of the Sutra, Magical Net and Mental Class (mdo-sgyu-
sems-gsum). These are respectively the Anuyoga Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Mahayoga Tantra of the Magical Net, and the Class of Atiyoga. In addition, the close lineage of treasures or covered teachings (nye-brgyud gter-ma) has transmitted the doctrmes known as the Trio of the Guru, Great Perfection and the Great Compas-
sionate One (bla-rdzogs-thugs gsum) , which synthesise the teaching cycles s
relating to Guru Padmasambhava (bla), the Great Perfection (rdzog ) and the Great Compassionate One, Avalokitesvara (thugs).
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEXT
The History is divided into eight parts. The first of these is a
ings of par excellence, and here the beginnings of their lmeages are surveyed: the lineage of the intention of the PrImordIal Buddha, Samantabhadra, the symbolic transmission of the holders, and the aural transmission of individual human bemgs.
P. art Three an account of the introduction of Buddhism to Tibet dUrIng the reIgns of Songtsen Trhisong Detsen, and Trhi Relpacen and along with an account o. f the of tradition through to the restora- tIon of monastIc BuddhIsm m Central Tibet during the late tenth and early eleventh centuries.
Part Four treats the introduction into Tibet of the three inner classes of but deals primarily with the lives of the masters of the Great PerfectIOn, from Vairocana (circa eighth century) through to Longcenpa (1308-63).
. In Part Five subject-matter is the previously mentioned distant lmeage of which was maintained at an early date Jnanakumara (czrca late eighth century), Nup Sangye Yeshe (mid-nmth and the masters of the Zur family (eleventh century The lmeage was continued by the Rong tradition in Central and the Kham tradition in the Sino-Tibetan border regions until the of Terdak Lingpa (1646-1714), and descended to the present
Author m an unbroken line.
Six outlines the history of the close lineage of the rediscovered
an account of their meaning and purpose along WIth bnef bIOgraphIes of the most important treasure-finders down to Mipham Rinpoche (1846-1912).
Seven considers the polemical attacks which have been launched agamst the Nyingma tradition in the past and summarises the responses to t. hese in order to introduce the reader precisely to the view that the Nymgmapa have traditionally held.
The eighth and final part provides a chronology for the book as a whole and an account of the prophecies concerning the future develop- ment of Buddhism.
· . I d· haslS- accountoftheoriginsanddevelopment hismm n la,emp ·tS
NYinWhich of history of the peculiarly p teachmgs m TIbet. The histoncal traditions of the Great perfectlOn, considered in Part Four, were redacted in much of their d:es. ent form as early as the fourteenth century by Longcenpa and his
ISClples. Those of th. e distant lineage of transmitted precepts, abridged
d
ing the life of Sakyamuni Buddha, the patrIarchs .
