734
According
to this, Mikpoche had three sons: Zur Atsara, Zur Khacenlakcen, and Zurzang Sherap Jungne.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
According to Rok Tsondrti Senge, this master [Prakasalarpkara] is identical to Sukhodyotaka.
Nup later asked Prakasalarpkara for the textual exegesis of the Siltra which Gathers All Intentions, but the master said, Dhar- mabodhi, and Dharmaraja have been invited to Bru-sha by Chetsenkye. . Go there and request the exegesis from them. "
Accordingly, Nup went to Bru-sha where, under those four trans- lators and scholars, he made a critical study primarily of that textual exegesis but also of the essential instructions concerning its transmitted empowerment, the subtleties of its practical techniques, and so forth. Thus, he extracted the essence of their spirituality.
Concerning the way in which Nup attained accomplishment: During the nine months [spent in retreat] at Zhugi Dorje Gombu, his mind was liberated and he established [the realisation of] the abiding nature of reality. In Vajrasana and in Yungdrung Rincen Terne, the Lord of Secrets (Guhyapati) revealed his visage to him. His emblematic vajra fell into Nup's hands and he conferred on Nup the empowerment of the name. Then, in Olmotshel, the child of a gandharva conferred on Nup the name Sangye. In Kangzang he was honoured by a and on the shore of the Nine-Island Lake of Yamdrok (gling dgu'i mtsho) by three young naga brothers. In the charnel ground of Lhe the child of a tormented spirit bowed before his feet. In Omeitshel, Yamantaka appeared in a vision to confer empowerment and accomplishment upon him.
After achieving dominion over gods and demons, Nup was em- powered as a master of secret mantra. The guardians of the and Yamiintaka (ma-gshin) cycles, lords of the qakinls, were appointed to be his protectors. Then, as MafijusrI had prophesied, EkajatI presented Nup with the sacraments of accomplishment in the Sanglung Nakpo charnel ground in India.
Thus, his pristine cognition illuminated the expanse [of reality], and the realisations of the great levels were actualised. He beheld in visions the entire ma1fqalas of Padmanartesvara and of Yamantaka, and he obtained their empowerments and accomplishments. Moreover, he pos- sessed unobstructed supernormal cognitive powers - clairvoyance and so forth. The wonderful accounts of his career, [which describe him] floating on water, passing through mountains of solid rock, and per- forming other miracles, surpass the imagination.
Nup founded his foremost hermitage at the pilgrimage place of Yangdzong, in Dra, Central Tibet; and he intended to remain there in total solitude. But he and his disciples faced great hardship because, generally, the laws of the land disintegrated at about that time [owing to the collapse of the dynasty in the wake of the reign of Langdarma]; and there followed a period of increasingly partisan conflict. In particu-
Nupcen Sangye Yeshe
mastered all the siitras, as well as the outer and inner tantras of the mantra vehicle, along with their esoteric instructions. He travelled to India and Nepal seven times and translated many tantras, esoteric instructions, and ritual texts, along with [the rites of] the protectors of the doctrine.
In particular, in 885 (wood snake year), his fifty-fourth year, Nup went to Nepal, where he requested numberless empowerments and instructions from Vasudhara. For the sake of the doctrine he pleased
717 that guru with offerings and faithful devotion. Then the preceptor
[Vasudhara] said, "In India lives my master Prakasalarpkara. He is one thousand and six hundred years old. Go to him and request the doc- trine. "
Nup set out for India as instructed and met the master Prakasalarpkara in Varal). asI. He asked for many teachings. In particular, he the complete empowerment of the [Anuyoga] siitras along with the
610 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
lar, he had to train completely all within his sphere of influence who remained from a past life in India where he had taken birth as the butcher Marutse, and had worked on behalf of living beings. 718 Moreover, because here in Tibet the teaching of the royal grandson [Relpacen] had declined and there arose many who did harm to his early and later teaching, Nupcen became inspired by the enlightened activity of the Conqueror to eliminate these by wrathful mantras and so to protect the teaching. Above and beyond that, there were the circumstances created by the murder of his own two sons during the early, middle or later local rebellions.
As Nup himself said:
Moreover:
I, Sangye Yeshe, constructed My hermitage at Khar, in Yama.
On the summit of the Black Pass of Dra
I set a tornado in motion.
It demolished thirty-seven hamlets of Dra.
That is to say, when the rebellions reached Dra, during sixty- first he destroyed many towns, using the sharp, wrathful mantra of Yamantaka. Then, he escaped to Nup Yu"lrong, but he was
Trouble arose in Central Tibet;
The people deprived me of sustenance.
Though a minor ascetic of Nup, like myself, sincerely Developed an enlightened attitude in accord with the doctrine, Hateful enemies would not permit me to practise.
In order to protect the Buddha's teaching
I cultivated hatred thereafter.
Thinking to expose the greatness of the good, I studied various malevolent mantra texts.
So it was that Nup introduced the wrathful mantras of the oceanic cycle of Yamantaka from India and Nepal:
I went before the feet of eleven gurus, But I met with four who were learned: These were the master SrI Siqlha, Trhaktung Nakpo of India, Santigarbha the destroyer,
And Vasudhara of Nepal.
Penetrating the spirituality of these four learned masters, I fixed their profound esoteric instructions in my heart.
But Nup obtained the very quintessence of their teaching from his Nepali master. As he himself said:
My master, the king of Nepal,
Said, "0 minor ascetic of Nup!
Come here to this Yanglesho Cave! "
He conferred the empowerment of the corpse of
the great charnel ground719
And entrusted me with the deity MaftjusrI, Lord
h . or ress In yemo, but t too, he was surrounded by armed brigands who put his life in
And:
penl. From the of. the fortress he called on the fierce gods and to bear hIm witness. After making a truthful declaration in verse, he folded up his religious robes. At that moment the oath- bound protectors of the doctrine became visible, and said, "By our
power we can crush M. ount Sumeru to powder, we can strike the sun and moon together lIke cymbals and turn heaven and earth topsy-
of Life.
Yamantaka
11
not a owed to stay there He seized Ce F t ' N
The Lineage oJNup 611
612 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofNup 613
turvy. But because the retribution for your actions in previous lives was unfolding we were unable to help you before. Now, we will obey
your commands. "
Nup extracted his acacia-wood kIla from the seam721 of his robe and
drew out the vital heart-mantras of the oath-bound deities. Rolling the klla in his hands, he pointed it towards the mountain where the armed men were staying. An enormous fire blazed up on the mountain and burned the whole army to ashes. After subduing his enemies so, Nup
lived in poverty for three years.
During the reign of King Relpacen, Nup had been in the habit of
travelling between India and Tibet. On the other hand, when King Langdarma persecuted the teaching, he asked Nup, "What power do
you have? "
Nup replied, "Behold this power of mine, which comes from the
recitation of a mere mantra! "
With his index finger he pointed to the sky, and the king saw a black
iron scorpion as large as a yak, sitting nine storeys above Nup's pointed
finger.
The king was terrified and said, "By all that is precious, I will not
harm this mantrin. Go practise your doctrine! "
Then Nup said, "Behold this power yet again! " And with his index
finger he hurled a thunderbolt, which pierced the rock on the mountain
opposite and smashed it to pieces.
Now the king was extremely terrified and afraid. He said to Nup,
"I will harm neither you, nor your attendants. " And then he dismissed him. Thus it was by Nup's kindness that the mantra adepts who wore the white robe and long, braided hair were unharmed [during
Langdarma's persecution]. 722
Nup could not endure the supression of the teaching by Langdarma,
so, having collected many razor-sharp, wrathful mantras, he resolved
to bring him to an end by means of the compassionate application of
i sorcery. But when the evil king was "liberated" by Lhalung Pelg
Dorje,723 Nup concealed the wrathful mantras as treasures, lest they
be misused.
Nup Sangye Yeshe composed treatises, including the following: the
Armour Against Darkness, which is a vast commentary on the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions (mdo'i 'grel-chen mun-pa'i go-cha); the Dis- putant's Sword which Cuts through Difficulties (dka'-gcod smra-ba'i
mtshon-cha); the Commentary on the Realisation of the Eighty-Chapter Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul brgyad-cu-pa'i mngon-rtogs 'grel); and the Lamp for the Eye o f Contemplation, which is an Esoteric Instruction o f the Great
Perfection.
By the enlightened activities of exegesis and attainment, he covered the earth with the teaching ofthe three aspects ofcreation and perfection. While he had many disciples, there were five particularly sublime ones,
namely, his four spiritual sons and the one most authentl' . f th '
III one 0 e master s own songs:
In the forest of discriminative awareness
That yangwangter, the ascetic of Nup,
tree of enlightened attributes grew. WIth It, I filled five supreme vessels:
I
c son. t says
There was one who carried off the That was Loncen Phakpa.
There was one who carried off the That was Lekpei Dronme.
There was one who carried off the That was Tengi yontenchok. There was one who carried off the That was Yeshe Wangcuk.
But one alone took the whole tree' That was Yonten Gyamtso. '
roots' '
leaves' '
flowers' '
fruits' '
. Thus, the four were: Pagor Loncen Phakpa, who was learned In the ta. ntras, WhICh are the roots,' SrutOon Lnekpeml' D "e , wh0 was Iearned In [the texts of] deathless nectar 724 WhI'ch are the Ie T '
. '
flontenc 0 , who was learned In answering objections which is the
y" hk
aves; engI
an. d So Ye. she who was learned in the'essential doc- of VIew and IntentIOn, which are like fruits. The one most authen- was Khulung Yonten Gyamtso, who was learned in all four su Jects.
h' h
ra w lC
M. h
oreover, In t e history of the empowerment of the Sut Gathers All Intentions in particular it says:
The tra? smitted precepts of the empowerment, tantra, and fell to Khulungpa [Yonten GyamtsoJ. The trans- mItted the stream of the four empowerments fell to Su[ton Lekpel DronmeJ.
£ In siitras, Nupcen Sangye Yeshe is hailed as a bodhisattva of the level. While there was a prophecy that he would be born two £ years after the Teacher's nirval). a, this was an approximation
If
f t h e C : , r o n o l o g y o f t h e K l i l a c a k r a T a n t r a , w h i c h i s w e l l
afte y,h
ironr e eacher's mrval). a. This is because it is calculated from the
or It was close to two th d foIl . ousan
'
years.
was born. one thousand seven hundred and thirteen years
hI'
ragon year of the Teacher's passing (881 BC) 725 T t . h
years later in the
fell onto th f etrt mon <ey year (853 BC), the secret mantra texts
and . h roo 0 the palace of King Ja. One thousand six hundred b elg Ive years after that in the water mouse year 832 Nup was
orn. ThIS same t '
T h' wa er mouse year was the forty-third year of King
r Isong, who had been born in the iron horse year 790; and it was
we make an accurate calculation
wen y-elg t
614 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The LineageojNup 615
the sixth after the ordination of the "seven men who were tested", which had occurred in the fire sheep year 827. In the earth tiger year 858, when Nupcen was in his twenty-seventh year, King Trhisong
died. Eighty-five years later, in the water tiger year 943, . Nupcen passed away. Therefore, it is clear that he lived for about thIrty-seven years
after the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma.
Nup passed away in his one hundred and e. leventh year . in the dis-
trict of Khyonmi. Finally, he entered nirva1)a In a mass of hght, spon- taneously accomplished by means of the path of the natural Great
Perfection.
KHULUNG YONTEN GY AMTSO
[300. 3-302. 1] Nup's most authentic son was Yonten Gyamtso. He and Nup had been associated as master and disciple during previous lives.
He was born in the district of Nup Khulung.
The Indian Dhanadhala, who had been Yonten Gyamtso's elder
brother during a previous life, had attained the accomplishment of the "swift feet of the (gnod-sbyin-mo'i rkang-mgyogs). 726 None the less he could not perform it successfully, because of a broken wing. Ag;in, having practised the other [means for the of] "s:vift
feet", a carried him in the flap of his robe, and in a sIngle they reached Yonten Gyamtso at Khulung. There, empowered the younger brother of his previous hfe. It IS saId that because he gave the common accomplishments to his patron, [the latter's
opportunity to harm him, and, abandoning their weapons, they had to escape .
. speaking, Yonten Gyamtso had visions of many medita- tIonal deItIes, and he developed the supernormal cognitive power of freedom from corruption. He gained control over the elements and was served by oath-bound deities. He acquired both of the great accomplish- ments, for the truth of reality had become apparent to him. 728 His life story may be known in detail from the texts of the So tradition.
YESHE GY AMTSO, PEMA W ANGYEL AND THE LA TER SUCCESSORS IN THE LINEAGE OF NUP
. ' Dhanadhala advised Yonten Gyamtso not to build his hermItage In
the village and revealed to him the geomantic centre of Tsukrum ! awu in Khardong yonmo. 727 He conferred the Red and Black Yaman, who protect the teaching, the cycles of and Yamantaka, et cetera.
Then, he departed for India. . When Yonten Gyamtso was in his thirtieth year he went on a
expedition and met the master Sangye Yeshe at Shukla Nakpo I. n Recognising Yonten Gyamtso to be a kinsman and a worthy dISCIple, Nup caused him to enter the doctrine, and took him into his Because Nup gave him all the empowerments, tantras, and
instructions, together with the rituals of the protectors of the teachmg, in their entirety, the essence of Nup's transmitted precepts and the heart of his spirituality were transmitted to him. So it is known that
he completely received all the instructions. d When persecuted by the rebellions and surrounded by a . hundre s assassins Yonten Gyamtso, who had actually achieved the power of the "burning gaze", magically caused fire to bl:;tze from hIS right eye and water to pour forth from his left. The assassins found no
tnckled down to him, so he became the full vessel of all his father's He realised the significance of the abiding nature of reality, ,:hlch IS supreme by completing the practices of serVIce and attaInment. He had visions of many meditational deItIeS and he was able to reveal his body to others in the form of the divine . ma? <;iala. Oath-bound deities served him and all spirits offered up theIr vItal heart-mantras to him. Because he swiftly manifested the SIgns of success at whatever rites of sorcery [he undertook], he was adept at occult powers.
His younger brother, Perna Wangyel, realised Yamari. The active of the Yamari cycle offered up their vital heart-mantras to hI. m. he struck the water of a flooding river in Central Tibet WIth hIS kIla of acacia wood, in a single day the floodwaters receded by about distance of an arrow shot. Once he "liberated" nine Ponpo Sorcerers sImultaneously. It is known that no one could rival his un- Obstructed powers in such wrathful rites of sorcery.
t The son of Yeshe Gyamtso was Lharje Hurpcung. It was he who aught the wrathful mantras to the venerable Milarepa, who then became as a powerful sorcerer. 729 Lharje Humcung had many dis- but them was Nyang Nyang was enowned hIS learmng In the three aspects of creation and perfection. He also bUIlt the temple of Toklashong. When he practised meditation
descendants] flourished for seven generations.
[302. 1-304. 3] Yonten Gyamtso had two sons: Yeshe Gyamtso and Perna Yeshe was t. he elder. He had accumulated the pro- VISIOns and practIsed patIence In his previous life. Therefore, he was endowed with a physical appearance. His humility delighted the hearts of all. WIth supreme devotion he rendered whatever services of body, speech, and mind were pleasing to his guru. Because his discriminative awareness and his conduct of faith and perseverance were perfect, he realised the spiritual intention [of the lineage].
. ,
es. otenc InstructIons. The essence of the entire store of empowerment
He was empowered as a master of all the tantras, transmissions and
. . .
616 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
at Haogol Rock he had a vision of the maD-qala of VajrakIla. When he struck a rock with his vajra, the vajra penetrated it like clay and dissolved into it. There are many such accounts of his accomplishments.
His disciple was Nyang Yeshe Jungne ofCholung,730 who also grasped
the spirituality of his guru and became renowned for his learning in
the three aspects of creation and perfection.
Most of the lineage descended from the masters just mentioned are
called the tradition of Rong, or else the tradition of N yang, after their
clan name? 31
Again, [Nupcen's disciple] So Yeshe Wangcuk had these disciples:
Ngentung Cangcup Gyeltsen, Kongtstin Sherap Yeshe, and Ratung
Sherap Tshtiltrim. Because all three were Yeshe Wangcuk's disciples . c l' . 732
Golo Zhonupel maintains that they do not lorm a mear succeSSIOn. [The same source states that] Nyang Sherapchok was the common disciple of Yonten Gyamtso and his son, and of So Yeshe Wangcuk. Nyang's disciple was Yeshe Jungne; and the latter's disciple was Lharje Zurpoche, who also received teaching directly from Tongtsap Phakpa
Rinpoche [Pagor Loncen Phakpa]. Therefore, between Nupcen and Zurpoche there was only one guru [i. e. Tongtsap Phakpa Rinpoche].
3 The Lineage of the Zur Family
[304. 3-4] Now, I must describe how [the tradition] "fell to Zur in the end". I? uring the later period of the teaching's expansion, it was Zur- poche Sakya Jungne who planted the roots of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School, Zurcungpa Sherap-tra who extended its branches, and Zur Sakya Senge who cultivated its leaves and fruit. Therefore, they are known as the three generations in the line of Zur.
LHARJE ZURPOCHE SAKYA JUNGNE
In general, this family called Zur had originated in India: Osel Lhawang Zhonu Tsuktorcen was born in the sublime land of India. He had a son called Manda Zangzhticen, whose son, Zur Gyelwa Sumdra, was born in Dokam [far eastern Tibet]. His son was Zurpa Shenyen Takdracen, and his, Rincen Gyamtso. He had a son called Tshozang Mikpoche. In the Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po), Lharje Zurpoche is described as the son of this last mentioned, but elsewhere he is held to have been the son of one Atsara. 733 Here, I regard as reliable a genealogy of the Zur family through to the twenty-seventh generation, which I have seen.
734 According to this, Mikpoche had three sons: Zur Atsara, Zur Khacenlakcen, and Zurzang Sherap Jungne. Of them , the youngest, Sherap Jungne, had four sons: Lharje Zurpoche, Zurton Lama, Zurgom Dorje Jungne, and Zur Gomcung. The elder bro. ther, Atsara, went to India where he had a son named Nyimei Nymgpo, and, when he returned to Tibet and dwelt at Thaklungpa, one named Zur Thakpa Gomcen. The son of the latter was Zurcung Sherap Trakpa.
Lharje Zurpoche was the visible presence in the world of the Great Glorious One [Yangdak Heruka]. He was born in the district of Yardzong, or Sarma, in Dokam as the son ofthe benefactress Dewacam. When he entered her womb, his father dreamt that a thousand-spoked golden wheel appeared in his hand, that the sublime Avalokitesvara
618 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Famity 619
Lharje Zurpoche StikyaJungne
vanished into his consort's body, and so forth. So he knew his son to be an emanation and gave him the name Sakya Jungne.
The boy learned to read and write from his father. J:Ie the cycle of the Magical Net, along with the minor esotenc InstructIons. Gradually, he received the three sta? es of from Gongp:
Rapsel and in time was fully ordaIned. Lacen sald that SInce Zurpoch ", . Udhis
was an emanation there was no need to change hls name. n er
, . CIs grandfather, Rincen he became In the _
of Dialectics (mtshan-nyzd sde-gsum), the Knyatantra, , Vairocana, the Magical Net and the Glorious Paramiidya, also path of skilful means and other esoteric instructions belongmg to the mne f way of secret mantra. Zurpoche himself said, "Riding on the 0 the channels and currents of vital energy, wearing the of the heat, taking the instructions as my consoling compamon, and by faith, I traversed the province of Dokam and Dam [ the north of Lhasa]. ,,735 So it was that when he arnved In I? am Kham two sons of the gods pointed out the way from the mlds. t ofhad
clouds, and he proceeded towards Central Tibet, without 4avmg to ask for directions.
While practising the Kriyatantra at Namolung, in Yarlung, Zur- poche's [affinity with] the unsurpassedly secret family of the greater vehicle was awakened. He thought to himself, "This exhausting path of renunciation and obligatory undertaking is the cause of bondage. May I find a path belonging to the unsurpassed way of secret mantra, which is easy to pursue and free from difficulty! " That same night he heard a voice telling him to meditate in a mountain forest.
Then, travelling up the Tsangpo River valley, he set out for Tsang. "Is there anyone learned and accomplished in the doctrine of the way of secret mantra? " he asked.
To this someone replied, "There is such a person living in a wood called Naktsel Sumdril. "
Zurpoche remembered his former dream, went there, and received teaching on the attainment of nectar elixir (bdud-rtsi sman-sgrub) and so forth from Ceshak-chok of Gegong.
Generally speaking, Zurpoche lived with many gurus. But, in particu- lar, he obtained the Magical Net and the Mental Class, which were the doctrines on which his flower had alighted, from Nyang Yeshe Jungne of Cholung. At first, he studied the SzUra which Gathers All Intentions and the Parkap Commentary on the Secret Nucleus, and the esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection under Namkade; the secret empow- erment and the path of skilful means under Nyenak Wangdrak ofYtilser and Ce Sakya Gyeltsen; [the teachings on] primordial purity and spon- taneous presence (ka-dag-dang lhun-grub) and also the Sequence of the Path of the Magical Net under Dre Trhocung of upper Nyang; [the cycle devoted to] Yangdak Heruka under Rok Sakya Jungne ofChimpu and Sherap Tshtiltrim of Denma; and the entire Siltra which Gathers All Intentions under ZhutOn Sonam Sakya. He also received the trans- mission of the Siltra which Gathers All Intentions (mdo-lung), its empow- erment and means for attainment (dbang-sgrub), and the commentary on this tantra along with its rituals (rgyud-'grel phrin-las-dang-bcas) from Tongtsap Cangcup, GyatOn Lodro, and Kado Yeshe Nyingpo. Zur-
poche presented many kinds of wealth, including horses, as offerings to those same gurus; and he only delighted them with worship that was utterly pure in the three spheres.
So it was that Zurpoche received the esoteric instructions of many learned men. He comprehended the nature of their intention and be- came learned and adept in all the philosophical systems ofthe Tripilaka, as well as those of the tantrapilaka. He brought together the root tantras and the exegetical tantras; the root texts and their commentaries; the tantras and their means for attainment; and the means for attainment With their ritual texts and so forth; and he applied them in practice. Dwelling in a mountain forest, he propitiated glorious Yangdak Heruka With one-pointed diligence, and so he became a powerful master of the profound depths of the three aspects of creation and perfection. He
620 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
unknotted the energy channels of the centre of perfect rapture, which is situated in the throat, and his discriminative awareness grew bound- less. 136 He also taught the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions and the
Tantra of the Magical Net to a large congregation o! disciples. . . Zurpoche always renounced all those actions cause and he cut off pride and social diversions. Without hoplllg for ment in the future, he practised with intense perseverance fixed 1ll hIS
mind in order to disclose it in the present.
0;one occasion, someone who had the appearance of being a
went to receive alms from him. He was offered only a small portIon but he took all that there was, and left the door saying, "This Zurpoche is famous and accomplished, but this does not nearly equal
offerings of Rok Sakya Jungne. " An attendant overheard . m- formed the guru. At the guru's bidding he went to an lll. "ltatlOll to the yogin, and found him in a cave eating porndge whIch
overflowing from a skull-cup. Although the servant enc5mraged hIm to accept the invitation, the yogin declined and said, "Rok. Sakya dwells at Chimpu, having attained power over the duration of hIS hfe.
Dispatch someone who will bring his doctrine to Zurpoche. " And he
departed, his feet not touching the ground. .
Zurpoche then sent Zangom Sherap Gyelpo WIth a mule-load [of
offerings] to obtain Rok's doctrine. When Zangom reached Samye and asked for directions, no one could give to him: Then . an woman said, "At first Rok used to live on thIS mountalll a. t
crown of conch shells. "738 Then he granted Zangom [that
f £ . . protector's]
o enng nte. Later, the instructions were secretly offered to L Zurpoche. ama
Lam. a me. ditated with all his disciples for many years; and
by mamtammg teachmg and study he greatly benefitted the world
None the less, he still longed to live in total solitude He sal·d "B . · . ,ecause
A shepherd also said "It seems he is living on the mountam Just now.
Because the provisions practice were in meagre supply there, and because he had also receIved a prophetic declaration telling him to move on, he set out in the direction of the lowlands. The local divinity, who was named Zere Zetsen, showed himself and implored Zurpoche to But the master said, "I have received a prophetic declaration tellmg. me to go elsewhere. And, besides, there are no provisions here· so I wIll go. " ,
. divinity replied, "I shall provide sustenance for you and your dISCIples. By all means stay! "
Zurpoche agreed to remain for some time.
Then, in Tanak, a rich man became seriously ill. An oracle declared
that he should make feast and torma offerings, and seek the blessing
, I ,,737 Sometimes I even hear the sound of his drum and of the nt u mantra.
Zangom deposited his load in a place where there were of grass and prayed with faithful devotion. Then with a loud the of a rock cave opened. Zangom passed straight through oWlllg to hIS
devotion which caused the Eighteen "Secret Liberators" (gsang-ba I sgroI-gin;) to declare, "We must 'liberate' this of But Rok Sakya Jungne said to them, "That would be lllappropnate, for
this one is worthy. " . of Ukpalungpa. When the invalid approached the guru he felt
After asking Zangom why he had, come, the guru said, "It IS an auspicious coincidence that I, Rok Sakya Jungne, should encounter the disciple Zur Sakya Jungne, and that his envoy is Sherap GyelpO (King of Discriminative Awareness). " Rok granted him the
ments of sixty-two maI). Qalas, including those of the Buddhasamayoga, the twelve intrinsic and extrinsic of Yangdak dag-gi bdag-gzhan dkyil-Jkhor bcu-gnYls); and Yangdak combllled WI
VajrakIla. . . ns d f her When Zangom had obtained all the books, transmlsslO urt.
advice and was returning via Samye, he saw a boy weanng a silr sitting on top of his mule-load. He returned and :sked . RO about the boy. "It is Tshangpa Tungto" said Rok, "Brahma weanng a
bette. r Just by seeing him and asked for a blessing. As soon as the feast had ? een. made he was freed from his ailment. Similarly, blessings for thos. e afflicted by sickness
by evIl spints. The people had faIth m hIm and his merits grew the guru realised that this common merit was a great obstacle to he of supreme accomplishment; and he decided to go to o. n the slopes of Riwo Gudti. When he set out, the same local
IVlmty Said, "I have given provisions for your practice. Please stay. " Zurpoche answered, "It is very difficult [for you to provide] susten- has. a pure basis. Because its accumulation is a source of
dIstractIOn, thIS time I am going away. "
R·' m. Podong. '
I am dlstracted here by the performance of virtuous deeds I am .
Ndk ga a
'
He entered into solitary meditative practice
to
a. nd hIS also followed behind. He said to them, "If the for enhghtenment is motivation in coming to see me, t? ere IS n? remedy except medltatlve practice. Leave worldly distrac- tIons you and devote to practice. I, too, will only practlce. So, the ma. ster and hIS dIscIples practised individually.
. Then, on one occaSIOn, the gakinls inspired him by declaring prophet- Ically that he would benefit the world more by going to the lowlands. He. to the valley of Tanak, where, in a cave facing east, whIch contamed an owl's nest, he performed the means for the attain- ment. ofthe nine-deity maI). gala ofYangdak Heruka. He actually beheld the VIsage . of the Glorious One there. Thus, it was owing to the name of hIS dwellIng that he became famed everywhere as Lama Uk- palungpa, the "Guru of Owl Valley".
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 621
gOIng
622 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
With tearful countenance the divinity said, "Ifyou will not stay under any circumstances, then please regard me with compassion. " And he offered up his vital heart-mantra to Zurpoche. .
The guru gave him layman's instruction and ordered hIm to protect the teaching. On his descent from that place, Zurpoc. he also bound [the local divinity] Como Namar under an oath Then he proceeded to Yesuthar. He said to Zurcung? a, ThIs rock of Gyawo seems to be the same Riwo Gudti where It was declared I should meditate. " The master and all of his disciples remained there engaged in practice.
At that time Lharje Zurpoche's disciples included four "summits", who with the "summit-ridge" were five, as well as another one hundred and eight great meditators. Among them the four. "summits. " were: Zurcung Sherap-tra, who had arrived at the summit of the and intention; Menyak Khyungdra, who had arrived at the summit of the exegesis of the Tantra of the Magical Net; Zhang Gocung, who had arrived at the summit of vast knowledge; and Zangom Sherap Gyelpo, who had arrived at the summit of meditative practice.
The "summit-ridge" was Tsak Lama, who, above and beyond the doctrine, had arrived at the summit ofartistic prowess. Moreover, there are some works which speak of eight "summit-ridges".
In the same way, there were one hundred and eight who were adept in meditation. They include: Dru Gomgying, Ytilgom Nakmo, Cegom Sakyagyel, Zurgom Dorjung, Yugom Cobar, and Gompa . Sonam Nyingpo. It is said that all of them obtained miraculous powers mclud- ing celestial travel. .
On one occasion three women approached the guru and made thIS
prophetic declaration: "In the lower valley of Shang in Yeru, to
east of the Shang River, lies a valley shaped like the half-moon. In. ItS
Zurpoche practised there for many years. He had visions of the Fort'y-two Peaceful Deities and of the Fifty[-eight] Blood-drinkers. In partIcular, he beheld the deities of the malfgala of Yangdak Heruka and converse? with them as with other men. He made the Eight GaurI
and others hIS servants, and spirits attended to the tasks with which he entrusted them. The guru himself said, "I perceive all the earth, stones, and rocks of Ukpalung to be the host of peaceful and wrathful deities. But in particular, I always see this southern peak
as the Buddhas ofthe Five Enlightened Families. Therefore, I shall buIld a temple of the peaceful deities. "
He then made preparations: After surveying the land he exorcised the hostile and evil earth spirits. In the col between the two peaks of the s? uthern which resembled the claws of a black scorpion
runmng downhIll, he assumed the form of the Great Glorious One Yangdak Heruka. He even left behind a footprint in the place he down with his right foot. There, he constructed a stupa hundred thousand images of Heruka; and in each of
t? e and at the centre the four "summits" and the "summit ndge bUIlt a stUpa.
Zurpoche a spring, which was the residence of the naga Tungkyong, with a sheet of copper. Upon it he laid the foundation of It is. said that it was designed to equal the temple ofNyangtOtsi
In Its dImensIOns, but that the stonemasons slightly reduced it. In the same way, most of the artisans were overcome by unmeritorious thoughts, and only wasted their materials by cutting all of the wooden planks unevenly, and of various lengths, et cetera. But a bodhisattva
who has the courage of one who has practised generosity cannot be led astray by miserly and covetous thoughts, and so sees that wealth and are dream-like and apparitional. Thus, when one of the great ha? been cut short, and unevenly, Zurpoche, displaying the
SIgns of hIS accomplishment, rolled the pillar with his foot until it was
uplands there is a rock shaped like a heart. In its lowlands there IS a . fh 'l·btd'739
plain which resembles the skm of Matram a ter e 1 era e : On a mountain shaped like the trunk of an elephant IS a rock resembles the forehead of a lion. Three rivers flow from three mountam springs, symbolising the three buddha-bodies. If you meditate there you will attain buddhahood in this life and will serve the world for a long time. "
of same length as the others. And on that pillar he left the imprint ofh . S··l1
At this the guru bequeathed his hermitage at Trak Gyawo to Zur- cungpa a; his inheritance and went down [to Shang] with his followers. After he had surveyed the land there, Zhangmo Yontengyen his patron and donated a cave, in which the master took up Zurcungpa and more than a hundred great meditators practIsed throughout the upper and lower reaches of the valley, living in thatc? e huts, under overhanging rocks, and in wind-breaks. l? cal served the guru and Trampa Pondrongpa became hiS mam . patro . They all held the guru to be the very presence of the Buddha.
and power, they became exceeding remorseful. Using the wood that left over from the temple, they built an exceptional, open portico, t by four pillars. It became known as the Gyotsang Gyapup,
PavIlIOn of Pure Remorse". 740 Later, it was made into the shrine o the protectors of the doctrine.
S Zurpoche installed images ofthe peaceful deities, ofwhom Vairocana- (kun-tu-zhaZ? 41 was foremost, in the four-pillared upper of the temple; images of Amftakulfcjalin as the
h . keepers of the upper court, whIch had eIght pillars; and in the S nnes of the north and south wings, he installed images of the Great
IS Imi ar y, he made all the crooked pillars straight as arrows ? y rollIng them with his feet. When the artisans saw this his patience In the face of their abuses, and other signs of his compassion
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 623
624 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Mother [Prajfiaparamita] and Dlparpkara, each surrounded by four 742
offering goddesses. In the protectors' shrine, he made relief images of Bhagavat, SrldevI, Brahma, and Sakra. Frescoes of the gurus of the lineage were painted in the eight-pillared upper court, and those
of twenty-three maIfQalas, such as the "Hundred-petalled Lotus", on its surrounding wall. In the lower court, which had twenty pillars, there were frescoes of the Thousand Buddhas; the Buddhas of the Ten
Directions; Amitayus surrounded by the [Eight] "Closest Sons"; the Seven Generations of Buddhas; the twelve deeds; the bodhisattva Dhar- modgata; Tara, who protects from the eight fears; the Lords of the Three Families; the Malaya Buddha-field; the wheel oflife; et cetera.
When the building had been completed in this way Zurpoche thought, "Now, I shall cover my temple with gold right up to the roof; and I shall extract the gold from Mount Drong-ri Chukpo. "
At midnight the local divinity, a Tsen spirit, came in the form of a black horseman. He bowed before Zurpoche and circumambulated him, saying, "If I were to cover the temple with gold right up to the
roof, my gold would be exhausted. I shall offer gold enough to cover
completely the images of the deities.
Nup later asked Prakasalarpkara for the textual exegesis of the Siltra which Gathers All Intentions, but the master said, Dhar- mabodhi, and Dharmaraja have been invited to Bru-sha by Chetsenkye. . Go there and request the exegesis from them. "
Accordingly, Nup went to Bru-sha where, under those four trans- lators and scholars, he made a critical study primarily of that textual exegesis but also of the essential instructions concerning its transmitted empowerment, the subtleties of its practical techniques, and so forth. Thus, he extracted the essence of their spirituality.
Concerning the way in which Nup attained accomplishment: During the nine months [spent in retreat] at Zhugi Dorje Gombu, his mind was liberated and he established [the realisation of] the abiding nature of reality. In Vajrasana and in Yungdrung Rincen Terne, the Lord of Secrets (Guhyapati) revealed his visage to him. His emblematic vajra fell into Nup's hands and he conferred on Nup the empowerment of the name. Then, in Olmotshel, the child of a gandharva conferred on Nup the name Sangye. In Kangzang he was honoured by a and on the shore of the Nine-Island Lake of Yamdrok (gling dgu'i mtsho) by three young naga brothers. In the charnel ground of Lhe the child of a tormented spirit bowed before his feet. In Omeitshel, Yamantaka appeared in a vision to confer empowerment and accomplishment upon him.
After achieving dominion over gods and demons, Nup was em- powered as a master of secret mantra. The guardians of the and Yamiintaka (ma-gshin) cycles, lords of the qakinls, were appointed to be his protectors. Then, as MafijusrI had prophesied, EkajatI presented Nup with the sacraments of accomplishment in the Sanglung Nakpo charnel ground in India.
Thus, his pristine cognition illuminated the expanse [of reality], and the realisations of the great levels were actualised. He beheld in visions the entire ma1fqalas of Padmanartesvara and of Yamantaka, and he obtained their empowerments and accomplishments. Moreover, he pos- sessed unobstructed supernormal cognitive powers - clairvoyance and so forth. The wonderful accounts of his career, [which describe him] floating on water, passing through mountains of solid rock, and per- forming other miracles, surpass the imagination.
Nup founded his foremost hermitage at the pilgrimage place of Yangdzong, in Dra, Central Tibet; and he intended to remain there in total solitude. But he and his disciples faced great hardship because, generally, the laws of the land disintegrated at about that time [owing to the collapse of the dynasty in the wake of the reign of Langdarma]; and there followed a period of increasingly partisan conflict. In particu-
Nupcen Sangye Yeshe
mastered all the siitras, as well as the outer and inner tantras of the mantra vehicle, along with their esoteric instructions. He travelled to India and Nepal seven times and translated many tantras, esoteric instructions, and ritual texts, along with [the rites of] the protectors of the doctrine.
In particular, in 885 (wood snake year), his fifty-fourth year, Nup went to Nepal, where he requested numberless empowerments and instructions from Vasudhara. For the sake of the doctrine he pleased
717 that guru with offerings and faithful devotion. Then the preceptor
[Vasudhara] said, "In India lives my master Prakasalarpkara. He is one thousand and six hundred years old. Go to him and request the doc- trine. "
Nup set out for India as instructed and met the master Prakasalarpkara in Varal). asI. He asked for many teachings. In particular, he the complete empowerment of the [Anuyoga] siitras along with the
610 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
lar, he had to train completely all within his sphere of influence who remained from a past life in India where he had taken birth as the butcher Marutse, and had worked on behalf of living beings. 718 Moreover, because here in Tibet the teaching of the royal grandson [Relpacen] had declined and there arose many who did harm to his early and later teaching, Nupcen became inspired by the enlightened activity of the Conqueror to eliminate these by wrathful mantras and so to protect the teaching. Above and beyond that, there were the circumstances created by the murder of his own two sons during the early, middle or later local rebellions.
As Nup himself said:
Moreover:
I, Sangye Yeshe, constructed My hermitage at Khar, in Yama.
On the summit of the Black Pass of Dra
I set a tornado in motion.
It demolished thirty-seven hamlets of Dra.
That is to say, when the rebellions reached Dra, during sixty- first he destroyed many towns, using the sharp, wrathful mantra of Yamantaka. Then, he escaped to Nup Yu"lrong, but he was
Trouble arose in Central Tibet;
The people deprived me of sustenance.
Though a minor ascetic of Nup, like myself, sincerely Developed an enlightened attitude in accord with the doctrine, Hateful enemies would not permit me to practise.
In order to protect the Buddha's teaching
I cultivated hatred thereafter.
Thinking to expose the greatness of the good, I studied various malevolent mantra texts.
So it was that Nup introduced the wrathful mantras of the oceanic cycle of Yamantaka from India and Nepal:
I went before the feet of eleven gurus, But I met with four who were learned: These were the master SrI Siqlha, Trhaktung Nakpo of India, Santigarbha the destroyer,
And Vasudhara of Nepal.
Penetrating the spirituality of these four learned masters, I fixed their profound esoteric instructions in my heart.
But Nup obtained the very quintessence of their teaching from his Nepali master. As he himself said:
My master, the king of Nepal,
Said, "0 minor ascetic of Nup!
Come here to this Yanglesho Cave! "
He conferred the empowerment of the corpse of
the great charnel ground719
And entrusted me with the deity MaftjusrI, Lord
h . or ress In yemo, but t too, he was surrounded by armed brigands who put his life in
And:
penl. From the of. the fortress he called on the fierce gods and to bear hIm witness. After making a truthful declaration in verse, he folded up his religious robes. At that moment the oath- bound protectors of the doctrine became visible, and said, "By our
power we can crush M. ount Sumeru to powder, we can strike the sun and moon together lIke cymbals and turn heaven and earth topsy-
of Life.
Yamantaka
11
not a owed to stay there He seized Ce F t ' N
The Lineage oJNup 611
612 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofNup 613
turvy. But because the retribution for your actions in previous lives was unfolding we were unable to help you before. Now, we will obey
your commands. "
Nup extracted his acacia-wood kIla from the seam721 of his robe and
drew out the vital heart-mantras of the oath-bound deities. Rolling the klla in his hands, he pointed it towards the mountain where the armed men were staying. An enormous fire blazed up on the mountain and burned the whole army to ashes. After subduing his enemies so, Nup
lived in poverty for three years.
During the reign of King Relpacen, Nup had been in the habit of
travelling between India and Tibet. On the other hand, when King Langdarma persecuted the teaching, he asked Nup, "What power do
you have? "
Nup replied, "Behold this power of mine, which comes from the
recitation of a mere mantra! "
With his index finger he pointed to the sky, and the king saw a black
iron scorpion as large as a yak, sitting nine storeys above Nup's pointed
finger.
The king was terrified and said, "By all that is precious, I will not
harm this mantrin. Go practise your doctrine! "
Then Nup said, "Behold this power yet again! " And with his index
finger he hurled a thunderbolt, which pierced the rock on the mountain
opposite and smashed it to pieces.
Now the king was extremely terrified and afraid. He said to Nup,
"I will harm neither you, nor your attendants. " And then he dismissed him. Thus it was by Nup's kindness that the mantra adepts who wore the white robe and long, braided hair were unharmed [during
Langdarma's persecution]. 722
Nup could not endure the supression of the teaching by Langdarma,
so, having collected many razor-sharp, wrathful mantras, he resolved
to bring him to an end by means of the compassionate application of
i sorcery. But when the evil king was "liberated" by Lhalung Pelg
Dorje,723 Nup concealed the wrathful mantras as treasures, lest they
be misused.
Nup Sangye Yeshe composed treatises, including the following: the
Armour Against Darkness, which is a vast commentary on the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions (mdo'i 'grel-chen mun-pa'i go-cha); the Dis- putant's Sword which Cuts through Difficulties (dka'-gcod smra-ba'i
mtshon-cha); the Commentary on the Realisation of the Eighty-Chapter Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul brgyad-cu-pa'i mngon-rtogs 'grel); and the Lamp for the Eye o f Contemplation, which is an Esoteric Instruction o f the Great
Perfection.
By the enlightened activities of exegesis and attainment, he covered the earth with the teaching ofthe three aspects ofcreation and perfection. While he had many disciples, there were five particularly sublime ones,
namely, his four spiritual sons and the one most authentl' . f th '
III one 0 e master s own songs:
In the forest of discriminative awareness
That yangwangter, the ascetic of Nup,
tree of enlightened attributes grew. WIth It, I filled five supreme vessels:
I
c son. t says
There was one who carried off the That was Loncen Phakpa.
There was one who carried off the That was Lekpei Dronme.
There was one who carried off the That was Tengi yontenchok. There was one who carried off the That was Yeshe Wangcuk.
But one alone took the whole tree' That was Yonten Gyamtso. '
roots' '
leaves' '
flowers' '
fruits' '
. Thus, the four were: Pagor Loncen Phakpa, who was learned In the ta. ntras, WhICh are the roots,' SrutOon Lnekpeml' D "e , wh0 was Iearned In [the texts of] deathless nectar 724 WhI'ch are the Ie T '
. '
flontenc 0 , who was learned In answering objections which is the
y" hk
aves; engI
an. d So Ye. she who was learned in the'essential doc- of VIew and IntentIOn, which are like fruits. The one most authen- was Khulung Yonten Gyamtso, who was learned in all four su Jects.
h' h
ra w lC
M. h
oreover, In t e history of the empowerment of the Sut Gathers All Intentions in particular it says:
The tra? smitted precepts of the empowerment, tantra, and fell to Khulungpa [Yonten GyamtsoJ. The trans- mItted the stream of the four empowerments fell to Su[ton Lekpel DronmeJ.
£ In siitras, Nupcen Sangye Yeshe is hailed as a bodhisattva of the level. While there was a prophecy that he would be born two £ years after the Teacher's nirval). a, this was an approximation
If
f t h e C : , r o n o l o g y o f t h e K l i l a c a k r a T a n t r a , w h i c h i s w e l l
afte y,h
ironr e eacher's mrval). a. This is because it is calculated from the
or It was close to two th d foIl . ousan
'
years.
was born. one thousand seven hundred and thirteen years
hI'
ragon year of the Teacher's passing (881 BC) 725 T t . h
years later in the
fell onto th f etrt mon <ey year (853 BC), the secret mantra texts
and . h roo 0 the palace of King Ja. One thousand six hundred b elg Ive years after that in the water mouse year 832 Nup was
orn. ThIS same t '
T h' wa er mouse year was the forty-third year of King
r Isong, who had been born in the iron horse year 790; and it was
we make an accurate calculation
wen y-elg t
614 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The LineageojNup 615
the sixth after the ordination of the "seven men who were tested", which had occurred in the fire sheep year 827. In the earth tiger year 858, when Nupcen was in his twenty-seventh year, King Trhisong
died. Eighty-five years later, in the water tiger year 943, . Nupcen passed away. Therefore, it is clear that he lived for about thIrty-seven years
after the persecution of the teaching by Langdarma.
Nup passed away in his one hundred and e. leventh year . in the dis-
trict of Khyonmi. Finally, he entered nirva1)a In a mass of hght, spon- taneously accomplished by means of the path of the natural Great
Perfection.
KHULUNG YONTEN GY AMTSO
[300. 3-302. 1] Nup's most authentic son was Yonten Gyamtso. He and Nup had been associated as master and disciple during previous lives.
He was born in the district of Nup Khulung.
The Indian Dhanadhala, who had been Yonten Gyamtso's elder
brother during a previous life, had attained the accomplishment of the "swift feet of the (gnod-sbyin-mo'i rkang-mgyogs). 726 None the less he could not perform it successfully, because of a broken wing. Ag;in, having practised the other [means for the of] "s:vift
feet", a carried him in the flap of his robe, and in a sIngle they reached Yonten Gyamtso at Khulung. There, empowered the younger brother of his previous hfe. It IS saId that because he gave the common accomplishments to his patron, [the latter's
opportunity to harm him, and, abandoning their weapons, they had to escape .
. speaking, Yonten Gyamtso had visions of many medita- tIonal deItIes, and he developed the supernormal cognitive power of freedom from corruption. He gained control over the elements and was served by oath-bound deities. He acquired both of the great accomplish- ments, for the truth of reality had become apparent to him. 728 His life story may be known in detail from the texts of the So tradition.
YESHE GY AMTSO, PEMA W ANGYEL AND THE LA TER SUCCESSORS IN THE LINEAGE OF NUP
. ' Dhanadhala advised Yonten Gyamtso not to build his hermItage In
the village and revealed to him the geomantic centre of Tsukrum ! awu in Khardong yonmo. 727 He conferred the Red and Black Yaman, who protect the teaching, the cycles of and Yamantaka, et cetera.
Then, he departed for India. . When Yonten Gyamtso was in his thirtieth year he went on a
expedition and met the master Sangye Yeshe at Shukla Nakpo I. n Recognising Yonten Gyamtso to be a kinsman and a worthy dISCIple, Nup caused him to enter the doctrine, and took him into his Because Nup gave him all the empowerments, tantras, and
instructions, together with the rituals of the protectors of the teachmg, in their entirety, the essence of Nup's transmitted precepts and the heart of his spirituality were transmitted to him. So it is known that
he completely received all the instructions. d When persecuted by the rebellions and surrounded by a . hundre s assassins Yonten Gyamtso, who had actually achieved the power of the "burning gaze", magically caused fire to bl:;tze from hIS right eye and water to pour forth from his left. The assassins found no
tnckled down to him, so he became the full vessel of all his father's He realised the significance of the abiding nature of reality, ,:hlch IS supreme by completing the practices of serVIce and attaInment. He had visions of many meditational deItIeS and he was able to reveal his body to others in the form of the divine . ma? <;iala. Oath-bound deities served him and all spirits offered up theIr vItal heart-mantras to him. Because he swiftly manifested the SIgns of success at whatever rites of sorcery [he undertook], he was adept at occult powers.
His younger brother, Perna Wangyel, realised Yamari. The active of the Yamari cycle offered up their vital heart-mantras to hI. m. he struck the water of a flooding river in Central Tibet WIth hIS kIla of acacia wood, in a single day the floodwaters receded by about distance of an arrow shot. Once he "liberated" nine Ponpo Sorcerers sImultaneously. It is known that no one could rival his un- Obstructed powers in such wrathful rites of sorcery.
t The son of Yeshe Gyamtso was Lharje Hurpcung. It was he who aught the wrathful mantras to the venerable Milarepa, who then became as a powerful sorcerer. 729 Lharje Humcung had many dis- but them was Nyang Nyang was enowned hIS learmng In the three aspects of creation and perfection. He also bUIlt the temple of Toklashong. When he practised meditation
descendants] flourished for seven generations.
[302. 1-304. 3] Yonten Gyamtso had two sons: Yeshe Gyamtso and Perna Yeshe was t. he elder. He had accumulated the pro- VISIOns and practIsed patIence In his previous life. Therefore, he was endowed with a physical appearance. His humility delighted the hearts of all. WIth supreme devotion he rendered whatever services of body, speech, and mind were pleasing to his guru. Because his discriminative awareness and his conduct of faith and perseverance were perfect, he realised the spiritual intention [of the lineage].
. ,
es. otenc InstructIons. The essence of the entire store of empowerment
He was empowered as a master of all the tantras, transmissions and
. . .
616 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
at Haogol Rock he had a vision of the maD-qala of VajrakIla. When he struck a rock with his vajra, the vajra penetrated it like clay and dissolved into it. There are many such accounts of his accomplishments.
His disciple was Nyang Yeshe Jungne ofCholung,730 who also grasped
the spirituality of his guru and became renowned for his learning in
the three aspects of creation and perfection.
Most of the lineage descended from the masters just mentioned are
called the tradition of Rong, or else the tradition of N yang, after their
clan name? 31
Again, [Nupcen's disciple] So Yeshe Wangcuk had these disciples:
Ngentung Cangcup Gyeltsen, Kongtstin Sherap Yeshe, and Ratung
Sherap Tshtiltrim. Because all three were Yeshe Wangcuk's disciples . c l' . 732
Golo Zhonupel maintains that they do not lorm a mear succeSSIOn. [The same source states that] Nyang Sherapchok was the common disciple of Yonten Gyamtso and his son, and of So Yeshe Wangcuk. Nyang's disciple was Yeshe Jungne; and the latter's disciple was Lharje Zurpoche, who also received teaching directly from Tongtsap Phakpa
Rinpoche [Pagor Loncen Phakpa]. Therefore, between Nupcen and Zurpoche there was only one guru [i. e. Tongtsap Phakpa Rinpoche].
3 The Lineage of the Zur Family
[304. 3-4] Now, I must describe how [the tradition] "fell to Zur in the end". I? uring the later period of the teaching's expansion, it was Zur- poche Sakya Jungne who planted the roots of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School, Zurcungpa Sherap-tra who extended its branches, and Zur Sakya Senge who cultivated its leaves and fruit. Therefore, they are known as the three generations in the line of Zur.
LHARJE ZURPOCHE SAKYA JUNGNE
In general, this family called Zur had originated in India: Osel Lhawang Zhonu Tsuktorcen was born in the sublime land of India. He had a son called Manda Zangzhticen, whose son, Zur Gyelwa Sumdra, was born in Dokam [far eastern Tibet]. His son was Zurpa Shenyen Takdracen, and his, Rincen Gyamtso. He had a son called Tshozang Mikpoche. In the Blue Annals (deb-ther sngon-po), Lharje Zurpoche is described as the son of this last mentioned, but elsewhere he is held to have been the son of one Atsara. 733 Here, I regard as reliable a genealogy of the Zur family through to the twenty-seventh generation, which I have seen.
734 According to this, Mikpoche had three sons: Zur Atsara, Zur Khacenlakcen, and Zurzang Sherap Jungne. Of them , the youngest, Sherap Jungne, had four sons: Lharje Zurpoche, Zurton Lama, Zurgom Dorje Jungne, and Zur Gomcung. The elder bro. ther, Atsara, went to India where he had a son named Nyimei Nymgpo, and, when he returned to Tibet and dwelt at Thaklungpa, one named Zur Thakpa Gomcen. The son of the latter was Zurcung Sherap Trakpa.
Lharje Zurpoche was the visible presence in the world of the Great Glorious One [Yangdak Heruka]. He was born in the district of Yardzong, or Sarma, in Dokam as the son ofthe benefactress Dewacam. When he entered her womb, his father dreamt that a thousand-spoked golden wheel appeared in his hand, that the sublime Avalokitesvara
618 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Famity 619
Lharje Zurpoche StikyaJungne
vanished into his consort's body, and so forth. So he knew his son to be an emanation and gave him the name Sakya Jungne.
The boy learned to read and write from his father. J:Ie the cycle of the Magical Net, along with the minor esotenc InstructIons. Gradually, he received the three sta? es of from Gongp:
Rapsel and in time was fully ordaIned. Lacen sald that SInce Zurpoch ", . Udhis
was an emanation there was no need to change hls name. n er
, . CIs grandfather, Rincen he became In the _
of Dialectics (mtshan-nyzd sde-gsum), the Knyatantra, , Vairocana, the Magical Net and the Glorious Paramiidya, also path of skilful means and other esoteric instructions belongmg to the mne f way of secret mantra. Zurpoche himself said, "Riding on the 0 the channels and currents of vital energy, wearing the of the heat, taking the instructions as my consoling compamon, and by faith, I traversed the province of Dokam and Dam [ the north of Lhasa]. ,,735 So it was that when he arnved In I? am Kham two sons of the gods pointed out the way from the mlds. t ofhad
clouds, and he proceeded towards Central Tibet, without 4avmg to ask for directions.
While practising the Kriyatantra at Namolung, in Yarlung, Zur- poche's [affinity with] the unsurpassedly secret family of the greater vehicle was awakened. He thought to himself, "This exhausting path of renunciation and obligatory undertaking is the cause of bondage. May I find a path belonging to the unsurpassed way of secret mantra, which is easy to pursue and free from difficulty! " That same night he heard a voice telling him to meditate in a mountain forest.
Then, travelling up the Tsangpo River valley, he set out for Tsang. "Is there anyone learned and accomplished in the doctrine of the way of secret mantra? " he asked.
To this someone replied, "There is such a person living in a wood called Naktsel Sumdril. "
Zurpoche remembered his former dream, went there, and received teaching on the attainment of nectar elixir (bdud-rtsi sman-sgrub) and so forth from Ceshak-chok of Gegong.
Generally speaking, Zurpoche lived with many gurus. But, in particu- lar, he obtained the Magical Net and the Mental Class, which were the doctrines on which his flower had alighted, from Nyang Yeshe Jungne of Cholung. At first, he studied the SzUra which Gathers All Intentions and the Parkap Commentary on the Secret Nucleus, and the esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection under Namkade; the secret empow- erment and the path of skilful means under Nyenak Wangdrak ofYtilser and Ce Sakya Gyeltsen; [the teachings on] primordial purity and spon- taneous presence (ka-dag-dang lhun-grub) and also the Sequence of the Path of the Magical Net under Dre Trhocung of upper Nyang; [the cycle devoted to] Yangdak Heruka under Rok Sakya Jungne ofChimpu and Sherap Tshtiltrim of Denma; and the entire Siltra which Gathers All Intentions under ZhutOn Sonam Sakya. He also received the trans- mission of the Siltra which Gathers All Intentions (mdo-lung), its empow- erment and means for attainment (dbang-sgrub), and the commentary on this tantra along with its rituals (rgyud-'grel phrin-las-dang-bcas) from Tongtsap Cangcup, GyatOn Lodro, and Kado Yeshe Nyingpo. Zur-
poche presented many kinds of wealth, including horses, as offerings to those same gurus; and he only delighted them with worship that was utterly pure in the three spheres.
So it was that Zurpoche received the esoteric instructions of many learned men. He comprehended the nature of their intention and be- came learned and adept in all the philosophical systems ofthe Tripilaka, as well as those of the tantrapilaka. He brought together the root tantras and the exegetical tantras; the root texts and their commentaries; the tantras and their means for attainment; and the means for attainment With their ritual texts and so forth; and he applied them in practice. Dwelling in a mountain forest, he propitiated glorious Yangdak Heruka With one-pointed diligence, and so he became a powerful master of the profound depths of the three aspects of creation and perfection. He
620 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
unknotted the energy channels of the centre of perfect rapture, which is situated in the throat, and his discriminative awareness grew bound- less. 136 He also taught the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions and the
Tantra of the Magical Net to a large congregation o! disciples. . . Zurpoche always renounced all those actions cause and he cut off pride and social diversions. Without hoplllg for ment in the future, he practised with intense perseverance fixed 1ll hIS
mind in order to disclose it in the present.
0;one occasion, someone who had the appearance of being a
went to receive alms from him. He was offered only a small portIon but he took all that there was, and left the door saying, "This Zurpoche is famous and accomplished, but this does not nearly equal
offerings of Rok Sakya Jungne. " An attendant overheard . m- formed the guru. At the guru's bidding he went to an lll. "ltatlOll to the yogin, and found him in a cave eating porndge whIch
overflowing from a skull-cup. Although the servant enc5mraged hIm to accept the invitation, the yogin declined and said, "Rok. Sakya dwells at Chimpu, having attained power over the duration of hIS hfe.
Dispatch someone who will bring his doctrine to Zurpoche. " And he
departed, his feet not touching the ground. .
Zurpoche then sent Zangom Sherap Gyelpo WIth a mule-load [of
offerings] to obtain Rok's doctrine. When Zangom reached Samye and asked for directions, no one could give to him: Then . an woman said, "At first Rok used to live on thIS mountalll a. t
crown of conch shells. "738 Then he granted Zangom [that
f £ . . protector's]
o enng nte. Later, the instructions were secretly offered to L Zurpoche. ama
Lam. a me. ditated with all his disciples for many years; and
by mamtammg teachmg and study he greatly benefitted the world
None the less, he still longed to live in total solitude He sal·d "B . · . ,ecause
A shepherd also said "It seems he is living on the mountam Just now.
Because the provisions practice were in meagre supply there, and because he had also receIved a prophetic declaration telling him to move on, he set out in the direction of the lowlands. The local divinity, who was named Zere Zetsen, showed himself and implored Zurpoche to But the master said, "I have received a prophetic declaration tellmg. me to go elsewhere. And, besides, there are no provisions here· so I wIll go. " ,
. divinity replied, "I shall provide sustenance for you and your dISCIples. By all means stay! "
Zurpoche agreed to remain for some time.
Then, in Tanak, a rich man became seriously ill. An oracle declared
that he should make feast and torma offerings, and seek the blessing
, I ,,737 Sometimes I even hear the sound of his drum and of the nt u mantra.
Zangom deposited his load in a place where there were of grass and prayed with faithful devotion. Then with a loud the of a rock cave opened. Zangom passed straight through oWlllg to hIS
devotion which caused the Eighteen "Secret Liberators" (gsang-ba I sgroI-gin;) to declare, "We must 'liberate' this of But Rok Sakya Jungne said to them, "That would be lllappropnate, for
this one is worthy. " . of Ukpalungpa. When the invalid approached the guru he felt
After asking Zangom why he had, come, the guru said, "It IS an auspicious coincidence that I, Rok Sakya Jungne, should encounter the disciple Zur Sakya Jungne, and that his envoy is Sherap GyelpO (King of Discriminative Awareness). " Rok granted him the
ments of sixty-two maI). Qalas, including those of the Buddhasamayoga, the twelve intrinsic and extrinsic of Yangdak dag-gi bdag-gzhan dkyil-Jkhor bcu-gnYls); and Yangdak combllled WI
VajrakIla. . . ns d f her When Zangom had obtained all the books, transmlsslO urt.
advice and was returning via Samye, he saw a boy weanng a silr sitting on top of his mule-load. He returned and :sked . RO about the boy. "It is Tshangpa Tungto" said Rok, "Brahma weanng a
bette. r Just by seeing him and asked for a blessing. As soon as the feast had ? een. made he was freed from his ailment. Similarly, blessings for thos. e afflicted by sickness
by evIl spints. The people had faIth m hIm and his merits grew the guru realised that this common merit was a great obstacle to he of supreme accomplishment; and he decided to go to o. n the slopes of Riwo Gudti. When he set out, the same local
IVlmty Said, "I have given provisions for your practice. Please stay. " Zurpoche answered, "It is very difficult [for you to provide] susten- has. a pure basis. Because its accumulation is a source of
dIstractIOn, thIS time I am going away. "
R·' m. Podong. '
I am dlstracted here by the performance of virtuous deeds I am .
Ndk ga a
'
He entered into solitary meditative practice
to
a. nd hIS also followed behind. He said to them, "If the for enhghtenment is motivation in coming to see me, t? ere IS n? remedy except medltatlve practice. Leave worldly distrac- tIons you and devote to practice. I, too, will only practlce. So, the ma. ster and hIS dIscIples practised individually.
. Then, on one occaSIOn, the gakinls inspired him by declaring prophet- Ically that he would benefit the world more by going to the lowlands. He. to the valley of Tanak, where, in a cave facing east, whIch contamed an owl's nest, he performed the means for the attain- ment. ofthe nine-deity maI). gala ofYangdak Heruka. He actually beheld the VIsage . of the Glorious One there. Thus, it was owing to the name of hIS dwellIng that he became famed everywhere as Lama Uk- palungpa, the "Guru of Owl Valley".
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 621
gOIng
622 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
With tearful countenance the divinity said, "Ifyou will not stay under any circumstances, then please regard me with compassion. " And he offered up his vital heart-mantra to Zurpoche. .
The guru gave him layman's instruction and ordered hIm to protect the teaching. On his descent from that place, Zurpoc. he also bound [the local divinity] Como Namar under an oath Then he proceeded to Yesuthar. He said to Zurcung? a, ThIs rock of Gyawo seems to be the same Riwo Gudti where It was declared I should meditate. " The master and all of his disciples remained there engaged in practice.
At that time Lharje Zurpoche's disciples included four "summits", who with the "summit-ridge" were five, as well as another one hundred and eight great meditators. Among them the four. "summits. " were: Zurcung Sherap-tra, who had arrived at the summit of the and intention; Menyak Khyungdra, who had arrived at the summit of the exegesis of the Tantra of the Magical Net; Zhang Gocung, who had arrived at the summit of vast knowledge; and Zangom Sherap Gyelpo, who had arrived at the summit of meditative practice.
The "summit-ridge" was Tsak Lama, who, above and beyond the doctrine, had arrived at the summit ofartistic prowess. Moreover, there are some works which speak of eight "summit-ridges".
In the same way, there were one hundred and eight who were adept in meditation. They include: Dru Gomgying, Ytilgom Nakmo, Cegom Sakyagyel, Zurgom Dorjung, Yugom Cobar, and Gompa . Sonam Nyingpo. It is said that all of them obtained miraculous powers mclud- ing celestial travel. .
On one occasion three women approached the guru and made thIS
prophetic declaration: "In the lower valley of Shang in Yeru, to
east of the Shang River, lies a valley shaped like the half-moon. In. ItS
Zurpoche practised there for many years. He had visions of the Fort'y-two Peaceful Deities and of the Fifty[-eight] Blood-drinkers. In partIcular, he beheld the deities of the malfgala of Yangdak Heruka and converse? with them as with other men. He made the Eight GaurI
and others hIS servants, and spirits attended to the tasks with which he entrusted them. The guru himself said, "I perceive all the earth, stones, and rocks of Ukpalung to be the host of peaceful and wrathful deities. But in particular, I always see this southern peak
as the Buddhas ofthe Five Enlightened Families. Therefore, I shall buIld a temple of the peaceful deities. "
He then made preparations: After surveying the land he exorcised the hostile and evil earth spirits. In the col between the two peaks of the s? uthern which resembled the claws of a black scorpion
runmng downhIll, he assumed the form of the Great Glorious One Yangdak Heruka. He even left behind a footprint in the place he down with his right foot. There, he constructed a stupa hundred thousand images of Heruka; and in each of
t? e and at the centre the four "summits" and the "summit ndge bUIlt a stUpa.
Zurpoche a spring, which was the residence of the naga Tungkyong, with a sheet of copper. Upon it he laid the foundation of It is. said that it was designed to equal the temple ofNyangtOtsi
In Its dImensIOns, but that the stonemasons slightly reduced it. In the same way, most of the artisans were overcome by unmeritorious thoughts, and only wasted their materials by cutting all of the wooden planks unevenly, and of various lengths, et cetera. But a bodhisattva
who has the courage of one who has practised generosity cannot be led astray by miserly and covetous thoughts, and so sees that wealth and are dream-like and apparitional. Thus, when one of the great ha? been cut short, and unevenly, Zurpoche, displaying the
SIgns of hIS accomplishment, rolled the pillar with his foot until it was
uplands there is a rock shaped like a heart. In its lowlands there IS a . fh 'l·btd'739
plain which resembles the skm of Matram a ter e 1 era e : On a mountain shaped like the trunk of an elephant IS a rock resembles the forehead of a lion. Three rivers flow from three mountam springs, symbolising the three buddha-bodies. If you meditate there you will attain buddhahood in this life and will serve the world for a long time. "
of same length as the others. And on that pillar he left the imprint ofh . S··l1
At this the guru bequeathed his hermitage at Trak Gyawo to Zur- cungpa a; his inheritance and went down [to Shang] with his followers. After he had surveyed the land there, Zhangmo Yontengyen his patron and donated a cave, in which the master took up Zurcungpa and more than a hundred great meditators practIsed throughout the upper and lower reaches of the valley, living in thatc? e huts, under overhanging rocks, and in wind-breaks. l? cal served the guru and Trampa Pondrongpa became hiS mam . patro . They all held the guru to be the very presence of the Buddha.
and power, they became exceeding remorseful. Using the wood that left over from the temple, they built an exceptional, open portico, t by four pillars. It became known as the Gyotsang Gyapup,
PavIlIOn of Pure Remorse". 740 Later, it was made into the shrine o the protectors of the doctrine.
S Zurpoche installed images ofthe peaceful deities, ofwhom Vairocana- (kun-tu-zhaZ? 41 was foremost, in the four-pillared upper of the temple; images of Amftakulfcjalin as the
h . keepers of the upper court, whIch had eIght pillars; and in the S nnes of the north and south wings, he installed images of the Great
IS Imi ar y, he made all the crooked pillars straight as arrows ? y rollIng them with his feet. When the artisans saw this his patience In the face of their abuses, and other signs of his compassion
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 623
624 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Mother [Prajfiaparamita] and Dlparpkara, each surrounded by four 742
offering goddesses. In the protectors' shrine, he made relief images of Bhagavat, SrldevI, Brahma, and Sakra. Frescoes of the gurus of the lineage were painted in the eight-pillared upper court, and those
of twenty-three maIfQalas, such as the "Hundred-petalled Lotus", on its surrounding wall. In the lower court, which had twenty pillars, there were frescoes of the Thousand Buddhas; the Buddhas of the Ten
Directions; Amitayus surrounded by the [Eight] "Closest Sons"; the Seven Generations of Buddhas; the twelve deeds; the bodhisattva Dhar- modgata; Tara, who protects from the eight fears; the Lords of the Three Families; the Malaya Buddha-field; the wheel oflife; et cetera.
When the building had been completed in this way Zurpoche thought, "Now, I shall cover my temple with gold right up to the roof; and I shall extract the gold from Mount Drong-ri Chukpo. "
At midnight the local divinity, a Tsen spirit, came in the form of a black horseman. He bowed before Zurpoche and circumambulated him, saying, "If I were to cover the temple with gold right up to the
roof, my gold would be exhausted. I shall offer gold enough to cover
completely the images of the deities.
