No More Learning

HIS HOLINESS DUDJOM RINPOCHE
The Nyingrna School ofTibetan Buddhism
Its Fundamentals and History
Section One: The Translations
Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje
Translated and edited by
Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein
1
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WISDOM PUBLICA TIONS Boston
First Edition 1991
Wisdom Publications
199 Elm Street
Somerville MA 02144 USA wisdompubs. org
© 1991 Dudjom Rinpoche, Gyurme Dorje, and Matthew Kapstein Line drawings © 1991 Chris Conlon
Maps © 1991 Gyurme Dorje and Michael Farmer
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photography, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system or technologies now known or later developed, without the permission in writing from the publisher.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Available upon request.
ISBN: 0-86171-199-9
06 05 04 03 02 65432
Cover by Gopa & Ted2 Interior by Character Graphics
Wisdom Publications' books are printed on acid-free paper and meet the guidelines for permanence and durability of the Committee on Production Guidelines for Book Longevity of the Council on Library Resources.
Printed in Canada.
This book is dedicated to
the continued enlightened activity of HIS HOLINESS DUDJOM RI1':JPOCHE and to all those who maintain
the living traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.
o
General Contents
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
The Essence and Definition of Dharma 51 Doctrines of Sarpsara 54
Doctrines of Nirval)a 70
Transmitted Precepts 73
Treatises 88
Quantitative Treatises 97 Treatises of Inner Science 108
SECTION ONE: THE TRANSLA TIONS
List of Illustrations xv
Foreword by Shenpen Dawa Rinpoche xxv Preface to the Second Edition xxxii
Credits for Illustrations and Maps xxxiii Technical Note xxxv
Guide to Pronunciation xxxvii Abbreviations for Section One xli
BOOK ONE: FUNDAMENTALS OF THE NYINGMA SCHOOL OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM
Detailed Contents of Book One 3 Translator's Introduction 11
THE TEXT
Verses of Invocation 45 Introduction 47
P ART ONE: DOCTRINES OF
SAMSARA AND
NIRV ANA
viii
General Contents
PART TWO: THE NATURE OF THE TEACHER ENDOWED WITH THE BUDDHA-BODIES
Introduction 113
Samantabhadra, the Buddha-body of Reality 115 Vajradhara, the Emanation of Samantabhadra 120
The Two Buddha-bodies of Form 123
The Five Buddha-bodies and Five Pristine Cognitions 139 Distinctive Attributes of the Buddha-bodies and
Pristine Cognitions 144
PART THREE: CAUSAL VEHICLES OF DIALECTICS
Introduction 151
The Three Promulgations of the Doctrinal Wheel 153 The Lesser Vehicle 156
The Greater Vehicle 160
The Superiority of Great Madhyamaka to Mind Only 178 The Provisional and Definitive Meaning of the Transmitted Precepts 187
The Enlightened or Buddha Family 191
The Two Truths According to Great Madhyamaka 206 Key to the Appraisal of Causal Vehicle Texts 217
A Recapitulation of the Causal Vehicles 223
PART FOUJ. 3. . : RESULTANT VEHICLES OF SECRET MANTRA
General Contents ix BOOK TWO: HISTORY OF THE NYINGMA SCHOOL
OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM
Detailed Contents of Book Two 383 Translators' Introduction 393
THE TEXT
Verses of Invocation 403
PART ONE: THE ORIGIN OF THE PRECIOUS TEACHING OF THE CONQUEROR IN THIS WORLD
Introduction 409
1 The Coming of Buddha, Teacher of the Doctrine 411
2 The Collecting of Transmitted Precepts by Councils 428 3 The Patriarchs of the Teaching 432
1 2 3 4 5
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Introduction 241
The Superiority of Secret Mantra 243
The Essence and Definition of Secret Mantra 257 The Three Continua of Ground, Path and Result The Four Tantrapitaka 268
Mahayoga 275
Anuyoga 284
Key to the Appraisal of Secret Mantra Texts 290 The Superiority of Atiyoga, the Great Perfection The Definition of Atiyoga 311
4
1 2
3
4 5
6 7 8
1 2
3
The Preservation of the Teaching and Spread of the Greater Vehicle 440
PART TWO: THE RISE OF THE PRECIOUS TEACHING OF SECRET MANTRA
Introduction 445
The Turning of the Secret Mantra Wheel 447
The Collecting of Transmitted Precepts by Different Compilers 451
The Emergence of this Teaching in the Human World 452
The Lineage of Mahayoga, the Class of Tantras 458
The Lineage of Mahayoga, the Class of Means for Attainment 475
The Lineage of Anuyoga, the Perfection Stage 485 The Lineage of Atiyoga, the Great Perfection 490 Concluding Remarks 502
PART THREE: THE ORIGIN OF THE CONQUEROR'S TEACHING IN TIBET
Introduction 507
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 510
The Decline and Expansion of the Doctrine during the Intermediate Period 523
The Revival and Later Expansion of the Teaching 524
10 The Divisions of Atiyoga 319
11 A Recapitulation of the Resultant Vehicles
CONCLUSION
1 Concluding Remarks 375
2 Dedicatory Verses 376
3 Colophon 378
346
263
294
x
General Contents
PART FOUR: THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE THREE INNER CLASSES OF T ANTRA IN TIBET
Introduction 531
1 Mahayoga and Anuyoga 533
2 The Mental and Spatial Classes of Atiyoga 538
3 The Esoteric Instructional Class of Atiyoga, the Innermost Spirituality 554
4 Longcen Rapjampa 575
PART FIVE: THE DISTANT LINEAGE OF TRANSMITTED PRECEPTS
Introduction 599
1 The Lineage of Nyak 601 2 The Lineage of Nup 607
3 The Lineage of the Zur Family 617
4 Biographies of the Rong Tradition 650
5 Dotokpa's Lineage of the Zur Tradition 685 6 Biographies of the Kham Tradition 688
7 Miscellaneous Lineages of the Zur and Kham Traditions 700 8 Rongzom Choki Zangpo 703
9 The Traditions of VajrakIla 710
10 The of the Empowerment of the Sutra which Gathers
All IntentlOns 717
11 Later Lineages of the Transmitted Precepts 733
PART SIX: THE CLOSE LINEAGES OF THE TREASURES
17 18 19 20 21
22 23 24 25 26
1
2 3
4 5
6 7 8 9
10
1 2 3
4 5
1 2 3
Rikdzin Jatson Nyingpo 809
Rikdzin Dudtil Dorje 813
Lhatsiin Namka Jikme 818
The Fifth Dalai Lama 821
Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa, the Great Treasure-finder of Mindroling 825
Jikme Lingpa 835
Chogyur Decen Lingpa 841
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo 849
Jamgon Kongtrtil Lodro Thaye 859 Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso 869 Conclusion 881
General Reply to Criticisms of the Nyingmapa Tantras 887
On the View of the Great Perfection 896 Response to Critics of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions 911
Response to Critics of the Root Tantra of the Secret Nucleus 914
The Continuity of the Nyingmapa Tradition and its Impact on the Other Schools 918
On the Validity of the Treasures 927
The Shortcomings of Refutation and Proof 929
On The Prophecies Found in the Treasures 934 The Relationship between the Nyingmapa and Ponpo Traditions 936
On the "Bad Luck of the Nyingmapa" 938
PART EIGHT: THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE DOCTRINE
Duration of the Doctrine 943
A Chronology of the Buddha's Life 946
From the Buddha's Final Nirval). a until the Beginning of the First Tibetan Sexagenary Cycle 948
From the Beginning of the First Sexagenary Cycle to the Present 951 Some Prophecies 960
CLOSING STATEMENTS
Primary Sources 965 Concluding Benedictions 967 Colophon 972
1 The Nature, Purpose and Kinds of Treasure 2 Biographies of the Treasure-finders 750
3 Sangye Lama 751
743
4 Trapa Ngonshe 753
5 Nyang-rel Nyima Qzer 755
6 Guru Choki Wangcuk 760 7 Como Menmo 771
8 Orygen Lingpa 775
9 Ngodrup Gyeltsen or Rikdzin Godemcen 10 Sangye Lingpa 784
11 Dorje Lingpa 789 12 Ratna Lingpa 793 13 Perna Lingpa 796
14 Karma Lingpa 800
15 Thangtong Gyelpo 802
16 Ngari PaI). cen Perna Wangyel 805
780
P ART SEVEN: A RECTIFICA TION CONCERNING THE NYINGMA SCHOOL
OF
General Contents xi
MISCONCEPTIONS
xii General Contents
SECTION TWO: REFERENCE MATERIAL
Contents v
Introduction vii
Guide to Pronunciation xi Abbreviations for Section Two xv
MAPS
Introduction 489
Buddhist India and Adjacent Regions 490
North-Central India 492
NOTES
1 Fundamentals
2 History 27
GLOSSARY OF
4 5 6 7
Western Tibet and Nepal 496 North-Central Tibet 498 South-Central Tibet and Bhutan 500 North-West Kham 502
3
ENUMERA TIONS
South-West Kham 506 9 Amdo 508
10 North-East Kham 510
11 South-East Kham 512
Introduction 103
Glossary of Enumerations 105
BIBLIOGRAPHY Introduction 191
Part One: Works Cited by the Author Works Cited by the Author 199
Part Two: Works Referred to by the Translators
1 Indic Texts 293
2 Tibetan Texts 297
3 Secondary Literature 301
4 Addenda to the Bibliography 316
ARTIFACTS AND MATERIAL TREASURES
Introduction 320
Artifacts and Material Treasures 321
INDEX OF TECHNICAL TERMS
Introduction 331
Index of Technical Terms 333
INDEX OF PERSONAL NAMES
Introduction 391
Index of Personal Names 393
INDEX OF LOCATIONS
Introduction 453 Index of Locations 455
1
2
3 Tibet 494
8
General Contents xiii
Illustrations
PLA TES
1 Samantabhadra, the primordial buddha-body of reality, with consort Samantabhadri (kun-bzang yab-yum). Fresco at the Jokhang, Lhasa.
2 The peaceful and wrathful deities (zhi-khro lha-tshogs).
3 Vajrasattva (rdo-rje sems-dpaj, the buddha-body of perfect rapture.
4 Mahottara Heruka (che-mchog he-ru-ka), the central figure of the Deities of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bkaJ-brgyad lha-tshogs).
5 Padmasambhava, flanked by his two foremost· consorts, Mandarava and Yeshe Tshogyel, and surrounded by his eight manifestations (gu- ru mtshan-brgyad).
6 of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bkaJ-brgyad-kyi dkyil- 'dhor).
7 The three ancestral religious kings (chos-rgyal mes-dbon rnam-gsum), Songtsen Gampo, Trhisong Detsen and Trhi Relpacen. Statues in the Pelkor Ch6de, Gyantse.
8 Jowo Rinpoche, the famous image of Lord Sakyamuni in Lhasa, brought to Tibet by Songsten Gampo's Chinese queen. Originally housed in the Ramoche Temple, it was later established as the central object of veneration in the Jokhang.
9 Image of King Songtsen Gampo in the Jokhang, flanked by those of his Nepalese and Chinese queens.
xvi Illustrations
10 Gilded roofs of the Jokhang, the first temple of Lhasa and centre of Songtsen Gampo's geomantic design. Originally built by his Nepalese queen, Trhitsiin, it has been enlarged and embellished over the years.
11 The stone-lion emblem of the Yarlung dynasty in the Chongye valley, looking towards the tumuli of Songtsen Gampo and Relpacen, with the town of Chongye in the distance.
12 The reconstructed central shrine (dbu-rtse) at Samye, Tibet's first monastery.
13 A realistic representation (nga-'dra-ma) of the peerless fourteenth- century scholar and treasure-finder (gter-ston) Longcen Rapjampa, now in the possession of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.
14 Remains of the sacred juniper tree at KangriThokar, where Longcen Rapjampa's protector deities resided while he was composing his cel- ebrated treatises, the Seven Treasuries (mdzod-bdun).
15 Tharpaling in Bumthang, Bhutan, founded by Longcen Rapjampa.
16 Katok Dorjeden Monastery in Kham, founded by Katokpa Tampa Deshek in 1159.
17 The imposing fac;ade of MindrOling Monastery, the most influential seat of the Nyingma school in Central Tibet, founded by Terdak Lingpa in 1670.
18 The valley of Rudam Kyitram, behind Dzokcen Monastery, with the SrI Sirpha College in the foreground.
19 Pel Tshering-jong, the retreat of Jikme Lingpa in Tonkar valley near Chongye, where the Innermost Spirituality of Longcenpa (klang-chen snying-thig) was first revealed.
20 The restored Pelyiil Namgyel Cangcup Ling Monastery, founded by Rikdzin Kiinzang Sherap in 1665.
21 The celebrated monastery of Dorje Trak, recently restored on the north bank of the Brahmaputra River, opposite Cedezhol, where the Northern Treasures (byang-gter) tradition was preserved.
22 The deities of the Combined Means for Attainment of the Three Roots
Illustrations xvii (rtsa-gsum dril-sgrub), discovered by Tibet's first treasure-finder,
Sangye Lama, and rediscovered by Jamgyang Khyentse Wangpo.
23 Painted scroll depicting Terdak Lingpa, with his handprints and foot- prints in gold. Preserved at Mindroling Monastery.
24 Dudjom Rinpoche (centre) surrounded by his previous emanations.
LINE DRAWINGS
Dignaga 101
D harmakIrti 103 Samantabhadra and Consort 116 V ajradhara 121
Vajra on Lotus 134
V asubandhu 157
Nagarjuna 163
Aryadeva 165
Asailga 169
Maitreya 179
V ajrasattva 256
Sakyamuni 417 Sariputra 424 Maudgalyayana 426 Mahakasyapa 433 Ananda 434 Sal)avasika 436 Upagupta 437 Madhyahnika 438
Samantabhadra and Consort 448
V ajradharma 450
MafijusrI, Avalokitesvara, Vajrapal)i 453 King Ja, Indrabhuti 459
Kukkuraja 461
LIlavajra (or Vilasavajra) 463 Buddhaguhya 465 Prabhahasti 467 Padmasambhava 470
H urpkara 476
Y amantaka 478
Hayagrlva 479
480
xviii Illustrations
Illustrations xix
VajrakIla 482 483 Heruka 484 Kambalapada 486 Sakyamitra 488
Garap Dorje 491 492 Buddhajfianapada 495 SrI Siq1ha 497 Jfianasutra 499 Virnalarnitra 500
Lha Thotori Nyentsen 508 Songtsen Garnpo 511 Trhisong Detsen 512 514 Padmakara 517
Dorje TroW 519
Pehar 520
Trhi Relpacen 521 Lhalung Pelgi Dorje 525
Lacen Gongpa Rapsel
Namkei Nyingpo 534 Gyelwa Choyang 536 Vairocana 539
Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo 541
Dzeng Dharmabodhi 544 Nyang Tingdzin Zangpo 556 Dangma Lhlindrup Gyeltsen Cetslin Senge Wangcuk 558 Zhangton 559
Dorje Lekpa 560 Nyiburn 562
Guru Cober 563 TrlizhiSengegyap 565 Dorje 566 Kumaradza 568 570
Karrnapa III, Rangjung Dorje Longcen Rabjampa 576 Guru Trakpo 589
Nyak Jfianakurnara 602
Yangdak Heruka 627
Zurcung Sherap-tra 636 Lekden Degli 644
Zur Dropukpa Sakya Senge 646 Zur Campa Senge 664
Yungton Dorjepe1 667
Tanak Drolrna'va Samdrup Dorje 668 Zur Ham SakyaJungne 670
Zurcen Choying Rangdrol 680
Rahula 682
Katokpa Tampa Deshek 689
SrIdevI 690
Tsangtonpa 692
Campabum 694
Rongzom Choki Zangpo 704
Yeshe Tshogyel 711
VajrakIla 716
Rikdzin Lekdenje 718
Dorje Trak Rikdzin Perna Trhinle 719 Sangdak Trhinle Lhlindrup 725 Locen DharrnasrI 729
Dzokcen Perna Rikdzin 737
Rikdzin Klinzang Sherap 738
Sangye Lama 752
Trapa Ngonshe 754
Nyang-rel Nyima Ozer
Guru Choki Wangcuk 761
Como Menrno 772
Orgyen Lingpa 776
Rikdzin Goderncen 781
Rikdzin III, Ngagiwangpo 782
Sangye Lingpa 785
Dorje Lingpa 790
Ratna Lingpa 794
Perna Lingpa 797
Karma Lingpa 800
Thangtong Gye1po 803
Ngari PaQcen Perna Wangyel 806 Rikdzin Jatson Nyingpo 810
Rikdzin Dlidlil Dorje 814
Lhatsun Namka Jikme 819
The Fifth Dalai Lama 822
Rikdzin Terdak Lingpa 826
Jikme Lingpa 836
The Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe 606 Nupcen Sangye Yeshe 608 Yamantaka 611
Lharje Zurpoche Sakya Jungne 618
526
557
573
756
xx Illustrations
Chogyur Decen Lingpa 842
Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo 850
Jamgon Kongtriil Lodro Thaye 860 Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso 870 Peltriil Rinpoche 875
The Author, Dudjom Rinpoche 888 Acintyaprabhasa 897
Ak§obhyaprabha 904
Pel Jikpa Kyopei Yi 909
Diijom Lingpa 920
Rudrakulika 961
Trhadruk) possibly Tibet's first Buddhist temple
Samye) general view from Hepori
Lhodrak Khoting) a Border Taming temple
Karcung Temple of the Indesctructible Expanse) near Lhasa
Lhodrak Kharcu) sacred site ofPadmasambhava and Namkei Nyingpo
-
Oncangdo Peme Trashi Gepel Temple)
with Longcenpa)s retreat centre on the hillside behind
Foreword by Shenpen Dawa Rinpoche
His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje, (1904-87) was appointed by His Holiness Dalai Lama XIV as the supreme head of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. He was an enlightened yogin and meditation master, a discoverer of concealed treasure teach- ings (gter-stan) who was inseparable from Guru Rinpoche [Padmasam- bhava], the most prolific of contemporary Tibetan scholars, and an incarnate lama who had intentionally emanated for the sake of sentient beings through seventeen successive lives. In ancient India these ema- nations included: Buddha Sakyamuni's foremost disciple Sariputra; the mahasiddha Saraha; the religious minister of King Indra- bhuti; and the ni HUIl1kara. In Tibet, they included: Khyeucung Lo- tsawa, one of Padmasambhava's twenty-five disciples; Smrtijiianaklrti whose lifetime demarcated the transition from the ancient to the new system of translation; Rongzom PaI). 9ita who was among the first to compose major treatises within the Nyingma tradition; Katok Tampa Deshek (1122-92) who founded the monastery of Katok in East Tibet; Chogyel Phakpa (1235-80) who established a Sakya administration in Central Tibet; Rikdzin Dudtil Dorje (1615-72) who is famous for his discovery of concealed treasure teachings (gter-ma) in the Puwo region of south-east Tibet; Gyelse Sonam Detsen, responsible for revitalising Katok; and the treasure-finder Dujom Lingpa (1835-1904) who disco- vered the "New Treasures" (gter-gsar).
Like many of his predecessors, His Holiness was also renowned as a great discoverer of concealed treasure teachings which are now widely practised and propagated. These are primarily the direct "treasures of intention" or "mind treasures" (dgongs-gter) of the awareness-holders (vidyadhara) concerning the inner tantras of the secret mantra vehicle, which can bring about the unsurpassed enlightenment of the rainbow body in one lifetime.
He took birth in the Pemako region on the frontier of Tibet, on the twenty-third day of the fourth Tibetan month, 1904. This birth occured while his predecessor Dujom Lingpa was still alive. DUjom Lingpa
xxvi Foreword
Foreword xxvii
himself gave the specific instructions of how to find his authentic emana- tion. His father was Ttilku Jampel Norbu, who was Prince ofKanam, a direct descendant of King Trhisong Detsen, and his mother, Namgyel DrOlma.
In his youth His Holiness received the transmissions and direct bles- sings of Guru Rinpoche, Yeshe Tshogyel and MaI1jusrI in person. He received all the lineages of the Nyingma school from his lamas: Philn- gong Tillku Ngedon Wangpo, Jedrung Trhinle Campa Jungne, Gyurme Phendei Ozer, Namdrol Gyamtso of Mindroling, Gendiln Gyamtso and Khenpo Aten, amongst others. He mastered every tradi- tion of Tibetan Buddhism. Astonishingly, at the age of fourteen, he gave the full empowerment and oral transmission ofthe Store ofPrecious Treasure (rin-chen gter-mdzod), which are the collected treasure texts of the Nyingma lineage. From that time on, he gave major empowerments
relating to different treasure cycles, and at the same time composed many means for attainment (sadhana) which elucidated the profound teachings of the buddhadharma. He wrote commentaries both on his predecessor's teachings and on his own revealed treasures. When he was seventeen years old he composed his first celebrated treatise on the Great Perfection (rdzogs-pa chen-po). He became widely renowned as a scholar and meditation master, and was followed by many students. Among his students in Tibet and throughout the Himalayan regions,
many have shown the signs of full enlightenment.
He maintained the lineage ofthe Mindroling tradition in Central Tibet,
and above all at Perna Choling [Lamaling] and his other seats in the Kongpo and Puwo areas of south-east Tibet. Subsequently, forseeing the incipient Chinese invasion, His Holiness and family left Tibet for India in 1958, following the prediction of Diljom Lingpa that the lineage of his New Treasures would spread to all continents of the world, and especially to the West.
After his arrival in India, Nepal and Sikkim, he established many vital communities of Buddhist practitioners. These include Zangdok Pelri in Kalimpong, Dildill Rapten Ling in Orissa and the Buddhist monasteries in Tshopema [Rewalsar, Himachal Pradesh] and Bodhnath in Nepal. In addition, he actively encouraged the study of the Nyingma tradition at the Tibetan Institute for Higher Studies in Sarnath. In such locations, he continued to grant the empowerments and literary trans- missions for the Collected Transmitted Precepts ofthe Nyingmapa (rnying- ma'i bka'-ma), the Collected Tantras ofthe Nyingmapa (rnying-ma'i rgyud- 'bum), and the Store of Precious Treasure, among others. His prolific
scholarship is attested by the recent publication in India of his Collected Works, and his edition of the Collected Transmitted Precepts ofthe Nying- mapa, a fifty-five volume work which he began at the age of seventy-four.
At the request of the Dalai Lama, he also wrote a Political History of Tibet (bod-kyi rgyal-rabs).
In the final phase of his teaching activity, His Holiness travelled widely throughout Asia, Europe and North America, where he brought many students to the dharma. He continued the buddha-activity of formal teaching, empowerment and personal supervision of meditation practice and retreat, which is the essence of the transmission of yajra- yana Buddhism. and retreat centres were the Vajrayana Esotenc SocIety of Hong Kong, Done NYlngpo and Urgyen Samye Choling in France, Yeshe Nyingpo and Orgyen Cho Dzong in the United States.
His Holiness passed into parinirva'fJa, dissolving his emanational body into the pure space of the buddha-body of reality (dharmakiiya) on 17 January 1987, the eighteenth day of the eleventh month of the fire tiger year, shortly before the advent of a new Tibetan sixty-year cycle. This was at his residence overlooking the Vezere valley in the Dordogne, France. His passing was accompanied by miraculous signs of his en- lightened realisation and buddha-attributes. His passing away in France is of great significance because it enacts the unification of East and West into a single ma1)<;iala of enlightened mind. His embalmed body was placed in a stiipa, constructed in Bodhnath, Nepal on 5 February 1989, in order to continue the Bodhisattva's activity of benefitting sentient beings. He was a Vajra Guru whose accomplishment is to be seen not so much in the outward form of elaborate monastic establish- ments, but in the direct, clear awareness of the mind, free from elab- oration. This enlightened mind is displayed by many of his monastic and lay disciples. On this basis the purity of his lineage is established and maintained to this day in an unbroken succession.
The publication of this translation was originally conceived as a ma1)<;iala offering to His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and to those great teachers who, through their discriminative awareness and skilful method, lead sentient beings to the path of the dharma - what is to be abandoned and what is to be adopted. For twenty years Gyurme Dorje devoted painstaking and continuous effort to bring these translations to fruition. He is a modest and unswerving scholar who has accomplished a work of paramount importance for practitioners, scholars and those generally interested in Tibetan Buddhism. Matthew Kapstein has given invalu- able assistance for the later stages of these translations. Our joy is that this work has now come to its final form - the seed having been carefully planted and tended throughout, its growth has borne fruit. It will bring inconceivable benefit to all those who come into contact with it through reading, contemplation or meditation. Our regret is that we could not complete the project in time to make an offering of it to His Holiness during his lifetime. I t is a work which communicates the highest wisdom of the Nyingma lineage to the English-speaking world.
xxviii Foreword
I dedicate the benefit of this profound work of my father to the long life ofHis Holiness Dalai Lama XIV, the incarnation ofAvalokitesvara, who is a benefit to the Land of Snows, and to the whole world. May all his actions be spontaneously accomplished. May the Tibetan people, under his lotus feet, never be separated from his enlightened discrimin- ative awareness and compassion. May His Holiness the Gyelwa Kar- mapa manifest swiftly to raise the victory banner of the dhanna which liberates sentient beings, and may the heads of the Kagyii schools continue to illuminate the path of those wandering in the six realms. May His Holiness the Sakya Trhizin powerfully safeguard and nourish the faultless tradition of the Sakyapa. Mayall other lineage-holders flourish, and their dhanna activities increase like the waxing moon.
May His Majesty King Jikme Senge Wangcuk of Bhutan live long, bringing happiness, prosperity and spiritual growth to his people. May His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal fulfil all the aspirations and wishes of his people. May the government and people of India, the land of the sublime ones, prosper and sustain their spiritual heritage.
May our dhanna patrons, the Royal Grandmother of Bhutan, HRH Phiintsok Chodron, M. Gerard Godet, Dr L. Y. Soo, Ms Emily Stevens and Jonathan Altman, enjoy both causal and wisdom merits and may their ability to benefit others never be exhausted. Tiilku Perna Wangyel and Tiilku RangdrOi selflessly served His Holiness - may their activities in the West be crowned with success.
To you, my physical and spiritual father and root guru, on behalf of my mother Rikzin Wangmo, my sisters Chime Wangmo and Tsering Penzom, my niece Lhanzey Wangmo, and my prophesied wife Sonam Chhuskit; on behalf of my sons Namgyel Dawa and Wangchen Dawa, and on behalf of all your disciples, I bow at your lotus feet and offer homage for your unrepayable kindness and guidance in making our lives wholesome and meaningful. May the victorious sound of the drum of the dhanna penetrate all the levels of existence, bringing joy and happiness. Mayall be auspicious.
Taking a humble position, rich with the treasure of contentment,
Free from the binds of the eight worldly concerns, firm and strong-hearted in practice,
Receiving the Guru's blessing, realisation becomes equal to space.
May we attain the kingdom of the All-Good.
HIS EMINENCE SHENPEN DAW A RINPOCHE Lineage-holder of the New Treasures Dordogne, 1990
Preface
Two treatises form the present volume, namely, the Fundamentals of the Nyingma School (bstan-pa'i rnam-gzhag) and the History of the Nyingma School (rnying-ma'i chos-'byung). Among the most widely read of all His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche's works, these treatises were composed during the years immediately following his arrival in India as a refugee. His intention in writing them, as the concluding verses of the History state, was to preserve the precise structure of the Nyingma philosophical view within its own historical and cultural con-
text, in a period of great uncertainty and instability. . Since the early sixties, His Holiness had appreciated the growIng interest in the meditation practices and philosophical views of the Nyingma tradition, which is now evident both in universities and in the large number of Buddhist meditation centres throughout the world. He knew that, despite the vastness of the Tibetan literature, very few texts had actually been translated into other languages, and he recog-
nised an urgent need for the presentation in English of traditional works which precisely define, stage by stage, the entire range of Buddhist experience and thought, and the authentic history of its transmission from antiquity to the present. Therefore, in 1971, he authorised and encouraged me to translate into English his History of the Nyingma School, which constitutes the latter part of this volume. Then, in 1980, he further authorised the translation ofhis Fundamentals ofthe Nyingma
School.
Prior to 1971, partial Chinese and Hindi translations of the History
had already been published in Hong Kong and Nalanda respectively. Working from the original Tibetan and its Hindi version, I prepared an annotated English translation in manuscript form at the monastery of Orgyen Kunzang Chokhorling in Darjeeling and at the sacred place of the Nyingmapa known as Tshopema, or Rewalsar, in Himachal Pradesh, between 1971 and 1977. The typing of the first draft was
completed by Sheona Gunnat Bodhnath, Nepal, during the winter of 1977 to 1978. In the summer of 1979, the Author asked Matthew
x x x Preface
Preface XXXI
Kapstein to edit the manuscript, and consequently in 1981 we met to revise the edited translation and to standardise the English terminology. Then, between 1980 and 1982, I prepared a translation of the Funda- mentals in the Dordogne region of France and met again with Matthew Kapstein in New York during the summer of 1983, where he helped edit the Fundamentals. Both texts were prepared for publication with the assistance of many volunteer typists at Orgyen Cho Dzong, Green- ville, New York.
The Fundamentals is written in the terse, highly structured style of the grub-mtha' genre, and is by no means an easy text to comprehend. A synopsis of the treatise has been included in the Translator's Intro- duction so that the reader can form an overall view of its structure and become familiar with the English terminology. Those unfamiliar with even the basic categories of Buddhist thought are recommended to start by reading the History, Parts One and Two, where these concepts are introduced in the clear narrative context of the origins of Indian Buddh- ism, as understood in the Nyingma tradition.
The annotations, glossaries and indexes for both texts, which are published here in the second section as a resource for the reader, were compiled after consulting materials at the library of the School of Ori- ental and African Studies, University of London, between 1982 and
1983. The bibliographies were initially prepared in the Dordogne and London over the same period, and their sources thoroughly researched and documented at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA, from 1985 to 1986. All of this reference material was revised, updated and ex- panded into its present form with the help of our editor Sarah Thresher during the final editorial work in London, New York and Boston throughout 1989 and 1990.
The general problems of translation are compounded in the case of the Tibetan language. In the past, Tibetan scholars of the calibre of Vairocana and Kawa Peltsek could translate the Sanskrit Buddhist texts with great accuracy because they had fully realised the essence of en- lightened mind. By contrast, in the present circumstances, despite our total absence of inner realisation, we are obliged to translate the great works of Tibetan literature in order to preserve and propagate them for the benefit of posterity. It is therefore hoped that the well informed reader will exercise some restraint in the knowledge that the translator accepts full responsibility for errors which inevitably exist. These in no way reflect on the realisation or scholarship of the Author.
At this juncture Matthew Kapstein and I wish to express our gratitude to all who helped bring about the publication of the English version of these texts. Above all, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche suggested the task and inspired the work of translation at every stage of its develop- ment. Specifically, he gave attention to many textual problems in the
Dordogne, France, during the summer of 1982 and in New York during the summer of 1983. His wife, Lady Rikdzin Wangmo (Sangyum Kusho), and his dharma heir, Shenpen Dawa Rinpoche, have also given constant support. The late Kangyur Rinpoche and his family facilitated the project during its formative years in Darjeeling from 1971 to 1976, and gave invaluable subsequent assistance. During this period, the project was also funded and staunchly supported by Eric and Joan McLennan. Then, from 1977 to 1983, Gerard Godet of the Kangyur Rinpoche Foundation sponsored the translation with dedicated generos-
ity. Some financial support was also provided by Tom Stickland in 1978, Georgina and Etienne De Swarte in 1982, and Mr C. T. Chen of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions during 1979 and 1980. Moreover, for the past twelve years enormous practical help has been given by Rigzin Dolma, who, keeping in the background, has sustained those working on the project.
Several scholars devoted many concentrated hours to clarify obscure points of dharma or translation. In chronological order, these were: Perna Dorje, the artist, and Khenpo Perna Sherab who dedicated them- selves to the task at Clement Town during the winter and spring of 1978 to 1979; Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Don- gyel who offered similar assistance during the autumn and winter of
1979 in Nepal; and Lama Sonam Topgyel, Ttilku Perna Wangyel, Khenpo Palden Sherap and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, who applied themselves to the editing problems in France from 1980 to 1982. I also wish to thank Professor David Snellgrove for his interest and support, Mr Hugh Richardson, Dr Michael Aris and Kalon Jikme Taring, who helped clarify specific points; and Mr Michael Farmer, who prepared our new maps with great thoroughness and care. Matthew Kapstein wishes to thank Khenpo Sangye Tenzin of Serlo Gumba, Nepal, for
the profound kindness with which he introduced' him to the historical and doctrinal traditions of the Nyingmapa.
Finally, we wish to express gratitude to all the staff of Wisdom Publications for their sustained efforts, editorial care and strong com- mitment to the preservation of the important works of Tibetan Buddh- ism. The publishers wish to thank Brian Boland for his assistance during the latter stages of production.
GYURME DOR]E London, 1990
Preface to the Second Edition
Credits for Illustrations and Maps
After H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche's The Nyingma School ofTibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History first appeared in English in 1991, many expressed to us the desire for a more moderately priced edition that would be readily available to the broad range of students of Buddhism in the West and in Asia. We are therefore grateful to Wisdom Publications for now undertaking to bring out a new edition that will fulfill this demand. Our thanks are also due to the Venerable Sogyal Rinpoche and to the Rigpa Fellowship, whose encouragements have greatly facilitated these efforts.
The present volume reproduces in full the text of the two volumes of the original publication, the Translations, and Reference Materials. It dif- fers in that it offers a reduced selection of the photographic plates that illustrated the first edition; and it corrects, without comment, a number of errors and infelicities that were found in the text after careful review. A list of addenda to the bibliography of works referred to by the translators has also been added so as to reflect pertinent developments inTibetan Bud- dhist Studies during the past decade.
As promised in the original version, an exhaustive Tibetan-English glossary of the material treated in volume two is being prepared, and we are happy to announce that it is nearing completion. Remarks on new researches concerning the identification and availability of primary textual sources, which we have not been able to incorporate here, will be included in that forthcoming work, intended as an aid to Tibetological scholarship.
In concluding our present task, we wish to honour once again the memory of our magnificent teacher, H. H. the late Dudjom Rinpoche. We have been greatly privileged to assist in bringing these treasures of his intention to interested readers throughout the world. dge legs 'phel! May virtue and goodness increase!
Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein June 2002
PLATES
The following people and organisations kindly made available colour or monochrome photographs for inclusion in Section One:
Board ofTrustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 5 Dudjom Rinpoche Collection, frontispiece, 6, 24
Gyurme Dorje, 1,9, 11, 12, 16, 19,20,23,
Golbenkin Museum of Oriental Art, Durham, 2
Rigpa Meditation Centre, London, 3 LamaYeshe Dorje, 4
Mathieu Ricard, 18, 22
Stone Routes, 10, 15, 17
Robin Bath, 8
Michael Farmer, 21 Richard Freling, 7 Ngawang Chadron, 13, 14
We would also like to thank Chris Conlon and all those who helped with the photo research.
xxxiv Credits for Illustrations and Maps LINE DRA WINGS
The series ofline drawings in Section One was compiled from a number of sources and redrawn by Chris Conlon. The majority were commis- sioned and drawn under the guidance of Dudjom Rinpoche for the original publication of the History in its Tibetan version in 1962, and later redrawn by Gomchen Oleshey for publication in Kailash. We also acknowledge Professor Lokesh Chandra's Buddhist Iconography ofTibet, which was an invaluable resource, and thank all those who obtained or commissioned rare drawings, namely, Khenpo Perna Sherap, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, Ttilku Perna Wangyel, Dr Yoshiro lmaeda, Dr Michael Aris, Chris Fynn and the Rigpa Meditation Centre, London. The completed line drawings were shown to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in the summer of 1990, who then instructed Ttilku Perna Wangyel to review them for accuracy. Several revisions were undertaken on the basis of the latter's valuable advice.
MAPS
The maps in Section Two were compiled by Michael Farmer and extracted from the Tibetan mapping database currently being used to generatetheforthcomingWisdommapofTibet. HewishestothankYRM pIc for the extensive use of their lntergraph CAD system, without which the project would not have been possible; and also Robbie Barnett, Jeremy Schmidt, John Cannon, Bradley Rowe, Anders Andersen and Urgyen Norbu, who generously provided valuable and rare maps from their own collections.
Technical Note
The two treatises presented here are works of great breadth and com- plexity. For this reason, extensive annotations, glossaries and indexes have been compiled to assist the reader, and these constitute Section Two. The introduction to the second volume details the reference mater- ial at the disposal of the reader - this brief note is intended to introduce only those conventions commonly used within Section One.
Each book is preceded by a detailed list of contents which includes a complete breakdown of all the sections and subsections of the original work. For the benefit ofthe reader, chapter and section headings have also been inserted within the texts themselves whenever possible even though these do not always appear in the original Tibetan. None of the inserted headings have been enclosed within square brackets or paren- theses.
Square brackets have been used in the text where the terse character of the Tibetan language necessitates short explanations by the trans- lators. They are also employed where, at the beginning of each section of the translation, the pagination of the original Tibetan text is given for the convenience of scholars wishing to locate specific passages in the original. Parentheses have been used where technical terms and book titles given in the original text have been retained, either in their Tibetan or Sanskrit versions. In those instances where these conventions would require the running together of square brackets and parentheses only the former have been employed.
Tibetan and Sanskrit book titles have been given in English transla- tion and after their first occurence are followed by the Tibetan title (in the case of indigenous Tibetan works) or a Sanskrit title (in the case of works of lndic origin). The translated title always represents the form in which it is given in the Tibetan text and so may not always correspond to the known Sanskrit title. Abbreviated bibliographical data for texts occuring in certain well-known collections, such as the Kangyur, has also been provided, along with precise identification of the original sources of citations from major Indian Buddhist works
XXXVI Technical Note
wherever possible. When the readings of the text and Sanskrit original diverge, the translators have remained faithful to the Tibetan. Full bibliographical information for texts cited by the Author or referred to by the translators is provided in Section Two.
Sanskrit has generally been used for the names of persons and places in India, and for the names of many of the deities. Sanskrit equivalents ofTibetan technical terms have also occasionally been given, though this is mostly reserved for the glossaries of Section Two. Where a technical term given in Sanskrit is not documented in the original Sanskrit sources that are presently available, this fact is indicated by the use of an asterisk (*) preceding the term in question. To avoid typographical clutter, however, we have not followed this convention with respect to personal and place names.
Numerical categories are not indicated in the body of the text and seldom in the Notes but are listed in the Glossary of Enumerations in Section Two, which should be directly consulted whenever enumera- tions occur. Similarly, Tibetan and/or Sanskrit equivalents for all the technical terminology employed in the body of the translations are given in the Index of Technical Terms.
Finally, readers are referred to the Guide to Pronunciation which follows, for an explanation of the system of romanisation and simplified spelling adopted for personal and place names in Section One. In particular, the conventions governing the use of the letters c and e may seem unnatural to an English speaker and so require special attention. Technical terms and book titles occuring parenthetically have been transcribed according to their proper Tibetan orthography.
Guide to Pronunciation
Readers should familiarise themselves at the outset with the following four rules of pronunciation for Tibetan and Sanskrit:
(1) A final e is never silent, but is always pronounced in the manner of the French e. Thus, Sanskrit vane is pronounced vane, and the Tibetan Ghare, Kore and Dorje are pronounced, respectively, Gha- re, Kore and Dorje.
(2) C is pronounced somewhat like the English ch, but aspira- tion.
After his arrival in India, Nepal and Sikkim, he established many vital communities of Buddhist practitioners. These include Zangdok Pelri in Kalimpong, Dildill Rapten Ling in Orissa and the Buddhist monasteries in Tshopema [Rewalsar, Himachal Pradesh] and Bodhnath in Nepal. In addition, he actively encouraged the study of the Nyingma tradition at the Tibetan Institute for Higher Studies in Sarnath. In such locations, he continued to grant the empowerments and literary trans- missions for the Collected Transmitted Precepts ofthe Nyingmapa (rnying- ma'i bka'-ma), the Collected Tantras ofthe Nyingmapa (rnying-ma'i rgyud- 'bum), and the Store of Precious Treasure, among others. His prolific
scholarship is attested by the recent publication in India of his Collected Works, and his edition of the Collected Transmitted Precepts ofthe Nying- mapa, a fifty-five volume work which he began at the age of seventy-four.
At the request of the Dalai Lama, he also wrote a Political History of Tibet (bod-kyi rgyal-rabs).
In the final phase of his teaching activity, His Holiness travelled widely throughout Asia, Europe and North America, where he brought many students to the dharma. He continued the buddha-activity of formal teaching, empowerment and personal supervision of meditation practice and retreat, which is the essence of the transmission of yajra- yana Buddhism. and retreat centres were the Vajrayana Esotenc SocIety of Hong Kong, Done NYlngpo and Urgyen Samye Choling in France, Yeshe Nyingpo and Orgyen Cho Dzong in the United States.
His Holiness passed into parinirva'fJa, dissolving his emanational body into the pure space of the buddha-body of reality (dharmakiiya) on 17 January 1987, the eighteenth day of the eleventh month of the fire tiger year, shortly before the advent of a new Tibetan sixty-year cycle. This was at his residence overlooking the Vezere valley in the Dordogne, France. His passing was accompanied by miraculous signs of his en- lightened realisation and buddha-attributes. His passing away in France is of great significance because it enacts the unification of East and West into a single ma1)<;iala of enlightened mind. His embalmed body was placed in a stiipa, constructed in Bodhnath, Nepal on 5 February 1989, in order to continue the Bodhisattva's activity of benefitting sentient beings. He was a Vajra Guru whose accomplishment is to be seen not so much in the outward form of elaborate monastic establish- ments, but in the direct, clear awareness of the mind, free from elab- oration. This enlightened mind is displayed by many of his monastic and lay disciples. On this basis the purity of his lineage is established and maintained to this day in an unbroken succession.
The publication of this translation was originally conceived as a ma1)<;iala offering to His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche and to those great teachers who, through their discriminative awareness and skilful method, lead sentient beings to the path of the dharma - what is to be abandoned and what is to be adopted. For twenty years Gyurme Dorje devoted painstaking and continuous effort to bring these translations to fruition. He is a modest and unswerving scholar who has accomplished a work of paramount importance for practitioners, scholars and those generally interested in Tibetan Buddhism. Matthew Kapstein has given invalu- able assistance for the later stages of these translations. Our joy is that this work has now come to its final form - the seed having been carefully planted and tended throughout, its growth has borne fruit. It will bring inconceivable benefit to all those who come into contact with it through reading, contemplation or meditation. Our regret is that we could not complete the project in time to make an offering of it to His Holiness during his lifetime. I t is a work which communicates the highest wisdom of the Nyingma lineage to the English-speaking world.
xxviii Foreword
I dedicate the benefit of this profound work of my father to the long life ofHis Holiness Dalai Lama XIV, the incarnation ofAvalokitesvara, who is a benefit to the Land of Snows, and to the whole world. May all his actions be spontaneously accomplished. May the Tibetan people, under his lotus feet, never be separated from his enlightened discrimin- ative awareness and compassion. May His Holiness the Gyelwa Kar- mapa manifest swiftly to raise the victory banner of the dhanna which liberates sentient beings, and may the heads of the Kagyii schools continue to illuminate the path of those wandering in the six realms. May His Holiness the Sakya Trhizin powerfully safeguard and nourish the faultless tradition of the Sakyapa. Mayall other lineage-holders flourish, and their dhanna activities increase like the waxing moon.
May His Majesty King Jikme Senge Wangcuk of Bhutan live long, bringing happiness, prosperity and spiritual growth to his people. May His Majesty King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal fulfil all the aspirations and wishes of his people. May the government and people of India, the land of the sublime ones, prosper and sustain their spiritual heritage.
May our dhanna patrons, the Royal Grandmother of Bhutan, HRH Phiintsok Chodron, M. Gerard Godet, Dr L. Y. Soo, Ms Emily Stevens and Jonathan Altman, enjoy both causal and wisdom merits and may their ability to benefit others never be exhausted. Tiilku Perna Wangyel and Tiilku RangdrOi selflessly served His Holiness - may their activities in the West be crowned with success.
To you, my physical and spiritual father and root guru, on behalf of my mother Rikzin Wangmo, my sisters Chime Wangmo and Tsering Penzom, my niece Lhanzey Wangmo, and my prophesied wife Sonam Chhuskit; on behalf of my sons Namgyel Dawa and Wangchen Dawa, and on behalf of all your disciples, I bow at your lotus feet and offer homage for your unrepayable kindness and guidance in making our lives wholesome and meaningful. May the victorious sound of the drum of the dhanna penetrate all the levels of existence, bringing joy and happiness. Mayall be auspicious.
Taking a humble position, rich with the treasure of contentment,
Free from the binds of the eight worldly concerns, firm and strong-hearted in practice,
Receiving the Guru's blessing, realisation becomes equal to space.
May we attain the kingdom of the All-Good.
HIS EMINENCE SHENPEN DAW A RINPOCHE Lineage-holder of the New Treasures Dordogne, 1990
Preface
Two treatises form the present volume, namely, the Fundamentals of the Nyingma School (bstan-pa'i rnam-gzhag) and the History of the Nyingma School (rnying-ma'i chos-'byung). Among the most widely read of all His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche's works, these treatises were composed during the years immediately following his arrival in India as a refugee. His intention in writing them, as the concluding verses of the History state, was to preserve the precise structure of the Nyingma philosophical view within its own historical and cultural con-
text, in a period of great uncertainty and instability. . Since the early sixties, His Holiness had appreciated the growIng interest in the meditation practices and philosophical views of the Nyingma tradition, which is now evident both in universities and in the large number of Buddhist meditation centres throughout the world. He knew that, despite the vastness of the Tibetan literature, very few texts had actually been translated into other languages, and he recog-
nised an urgent need for the presentation in English of traditional works which precisely define, stage by stage, the entire range of Buddhist experience and thought, and the authentic history of its transmission from antiquity to the present. Therefore, in 1971, he authorised and encouraged me to translate into English his History of the Nyingma School, which constitutes the latter part of this volume. Then, in 1980, he further authorised the translation ofhis Fundamentals ofthe Nyingma
School.
Prior to 1971, partial Chinese and Hindi translations of the History
had already been published in Hong Kong and Nalanda respectively. Working from the original Tibetan and its Hindi version, I prepared an annotated English translation in manuscript form at the monastery of Orgyen Kunzang Chokhorling in Darjeeling and at the sacred place of the Nyingmapa known as Tshopema, or Rewalsar, in Himachal Pradesh, between 1971 and 1977. The typing of the first draft was
completed by Sheona Gunnat Bodhnath, Nepal, during the winter of 1977 to 1978. In the summer of 1979, the Author asked Matthew
x x x Preface
Preface XXXI
Kapstein to edit the manuscript, and consequently in 1981 we met to revise the edited translation and to standardise the English terminology. Then, between 1980 and 1982, I prepared a translation of the Funda- mentals in the Dordogne region of France and met again with Matthew Kapstein in New York during the summer of 1983, where he helped edit the Fundamentals. Both texts were prepared for publication with the assistance of many volunteer typists at Orgyen Cho Dzong, Green- ville, New York.
The Fundamentals is written in the terse, highly structured style of the grub-mtha' genre, and is by no means an easy text to comprehend. A synopsis of the treatise has been included in the Translator's Intro- duction so that the reader can form an overall view of its structure and become familiar with the English terminology. Those unfamiliar with even the basic categories of Buddhist thought are recommended to start by reading the History, Parts One and Two, where these concepts are introduced in the clear narrative context of the origins of Indian Buddh- ism, as understood in the Nyingma tradition.
The annotations, glossaries and indexes for both texts, which are published here in the second section as a resource for the reader, were compiled after consulting materials at the library of the School of Ori- ental and African Studies, University of London, between 1982 and
1983. The bibliographies were initially prepared in the Dordogne and London over the same period, and their sources thoroughly researched and documented at Brown University, Rhode Island, USA, from 1985 to 1986. All of this reference material was revised, updated and ex- panded into its present form with the help of our editor Sarah Thresher during the final editorial work in London, New York and Boston throughout 1989 and 1990.
The general problems of translation are compounded in the case of the Tibetan language. In the past, Tibetan scholars of the calibre of Vairocana and Kawa Peltsek could translate the Sanskrit Buddhist texts with great accuracy because they had fully realised the essence of en- lightened mind. By contrast, in the present circumstances, despite our total absence of inner realisation, we are obliged to translate the great works of Tibetan literature in order to preserve and propagate them for the benefit of posterity. It is therefore hoped that the well informed reader will exercise some restraint in the knowledge that the translator accepts full responsibility for errors which inevitably exist. These in no way reflect on the realisation or scholarship of the Author.
At this juncture Matthew Kapstein and I wish to express our gratitude to all who helped bring about the publication of the English version of these texts. Above all, His Holiness Dudjom Rinpoche suggested the task and inspired the work of translation at every stage of its develop- ment. Specifically, he gave attention to many textual problems in the
Dordogne, France, during the summer of 1982 and in New York during the summer of 1983. His wife, Lady Rikdzin Wangmo (Sangyum Kusho), and his dharma heir, Shenpen Dawa Rinpoche, have also given constant support. The late Kangyur Rinpoche and his family facilitated the project during its formative years in Darjeeling from 1971 to 1976, and gave invaluable subsequent assistance. During this period, the project was also funded and staunchly supported by Eric and Joan McLennan. Then, from 1977 to 1983, Gerard Godet of the Kangyur Rinpoche Foundation sponsored the translation with dedicated generos-
ity. Some financial support was also provided by Tom Stickland in 1978, Georgina and Etienne De Swarte in 1982, and Mr C. T. Chen of the Institute for Advanced Studies of World Religions during 1979 and 1980. Moreover, for the past twelve years enormous practical help has been given by Rigzin Dolma, who, keeping in the background, has sustained those working on the project.
Several scholars devoted many concentrated hours to clarify obscure points of dharma or translation. In chronological order, these were: Perna Dorje, the artist, and Khenpo Perna Sherab who dedicated them- selves to the task at Clement Town during the winter and spring of 1978 to 1979; Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche and Khenpo Tsewang Don- gyel who offered similar assistance during the autumn and winter of
1979 in Nepal; and Lama Sonam Topgyel, Ttilku Perna Wangyel, Khenpo Palden Sherap and Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, who applied themselves to the editing problems in France from 1980 to 1982. I also wish to thank Professor David Snellgrove for his interest and support, Mr Hugh Richardson, Dr Michael Aris and Kalon Jikme Taring, who helped clarify specific points; and Mr Michael Farmer, who prepared our new maps with great thoroughness and care. Matthew Kapstein wishes to thank Khenpo Sangye Tenzin of Serlo Gumba, Nepal, for
the profound kindness with which he introduced' him to the historical and doctrinal traditions of the Nyingmapa.
Finally, we wish to express gratitude to all the staff of Wisdom Publications for their sustained efforts, editorial care and strong com- mitment to the preservation of the important works of Tibetan Buddh- ism. The publishers wish to thank Brian Boland for his assistance during the latter stages of production.
GYURME DOR]E London, 1990
Preface to the Second Edition
Credits for Illustrations and Maps
After H. H. Dudjom Rinpoche's The Nyingma School ofTibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamentals and History first appeared in English in 1991, many expressed to us the desire for a more moderately priced edition that would be readily available to the broad range of students of Buddhism in the West and in Asia. We are therefore grateful to Wisdom Publications for now undertaking to bring out a new edition that will fulfill this demand. Our thanks are also due to the Venerable Sogyal Rinpoche and to the Rigpa Fellowship, whose encouragements have greatly facilitated these efforts.
The present volume reproduces in full the text of the two volumes of the original publication, the Translations, and Reference Materials. It dif- fers in that it offers a reduced selection of the photographic plates that illustrated the first edition; and it corrects, without comment, a number of errors and infelicities that were found in the text after careful review. A list of addenda to the bibliography of works referred to by the translators has also been added so as to reflect pertinent developments inTibetan Bud- dhist Studies during the past decade.
As promised in the original version, an exhaustive Tibetan-English glossary of the material treated in volume two is being prepared, and we are happy to announce that it is nearing completion. Remarks on new researches concerning the identification and availability of primary textual sources, which we have not been able to incorporate here, will be included in that forthcoming work, intended as an aid to Tibetological scholarship.
In concluding our present task, we wish to honour once again the memory of our magnificent teacher, H. H. the late Dudjom Rinpoche. We have been greatly privileged to assist in bringing these treasures of his intention to interested readers throughout the world. dge legs 'phel! May virtue and goodness increase!
Gyurme Dorje and Matthew Kapstein June 2002
PLATES
The following people and organisations kindly made available colour or monochrome photographs for inclusion in Section One:
Board ofTrustees of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, 5 Dudjom Rinpoche Collection, frontispiece, 6, 24
Gyurme Dorje, 1,9, 11, 12, 16, 19,20,23,
Golbenkin Museum of Oriental Art, Durham, 2
Rigpa Meditation Centre, London, 3 LamaYeshe Dorje, 4
Mathieu Ricard, 18, 22
Stone Routes, 10, 15, 17
Robin Bath, 8
Michael Farmer, 21 Richard Freling, 7 Ngawang Chadron, 13, 14
We would also like to thank Chris Conlon and all those who helped with the photo research.
xxxiv Credits for Illustrations and Maps LINE DRA WINGS
The series ofline drawings in Section One was compiled from a number of sources and redrawn by Chris Conlon. The majority were commis- sioned and drawn under the guidance of Dudjom Rinpoche for the original publication of the History in its Tibetan version in 1962, and later redrawn by Gomchen Oleshey for publication in Kailash. We also acknowledge Professor Lokesh Chandra's Buddhist Iconography ofTibet, which was an invaluable resource, and thank all those who obtained or commissioned rare drawings, namely, Khenpo Perna Sherap, Nyoshul Khen Rinpoche, Ttilku Perna Wangyel, Dr Yoshiro lmaeda, Dr Michael Aris, Chris Fynn and the Rigpa Meditation Centre, London. The completed line drawings were shown to Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche in the summer of 1990, who then instructed Ttilku Perna Wangyel to review them for accuracy. Several revisions were undertaken on the basis of the latter's valuable advice.
MAPS
The maps in Section Two were compiled by Michael Farmer and extracted from the Tibetan mapping database currently being used to generatetheforthcomingWisdommapofTibet. HewishestothankYRM pIc for the extensive use of their lntergraph CAD system, without which the project would not have been possible; and also Robbie Barnett, Jeremy Schmidt, John Cannon, Bradley Rowe, Anders Andersen and Urgyen Norbu, who generously provided valuable and rare maps from their own collections.
Technical Note
The two treatises presented here are works of great breadth and com- plexity. For this reason, extensive annotations, glossaries and indexes have been compiled to assist the reader, and these constitute Section Two. The introduction to the second volume details the reference mater- ial at the disposal of the reader - this brief note is intended to introduce only those conventions commonly used within Section One.
Each book is preceded by a detailed list of contents which includes a complete breakdown of all the sections and subsections of the original work. For the benefit ofthe reader, chapter and section headings have also been inserted within the texts themselves whenever possible even though these do not always appear in the original Tibetan. None of the inserted headings have been enclosed within square brackets or paren- theses.
Square brackets have been used in the text where the terse character of the Tibetan language necessitates short explanations by the trans- lators. They are also employed where, at the beginning of each section of the translation, the pagination of the original Tibetan text is given for the convenience of scholars wishing to locate specific passages in the original. Parentheses have been used where technical terms and book titles given in the original text have been retained, either in their Tibetan or Sanskrit versions. In those instances where these conventions would require the running together of square brackets and parentheses only the former have been employed.
Tibetan and Sanskrit book titles have been given in English transla- tion and after their first occurence are followed by the Tibetan title (in the case of indigenous Tibetan works) or a Sanskrit title (in the case of works of lndic origin). The translated title always represents the form in which it is given in the Tibetan text and so may not always correspond to the known Sanskrit title. Abbreviated bibliographical data for texts occuring in certain well-known collections, such as the Kangyur, has also been provided, along with precise identification of the original sources of citations from major Indian Buddhist works
XXXVI Technical Note
wherever possible. When the readings of the text and Sanskrit original diverge, the translators have remained faithful to the Tibetan. Full bibliographical information for texts cited by the Author or referred to by the translators is provided in Section Two.
Sanskrit has generally been used for the names of persons and places in India, and for the names of many of the deities. Sanskrit equivalents ofTibetan technical terms have also occasionally been given, though this is mostly reserved for the glossaries of Section Two. Where a technical term given in Sanskrit is not documented in the original Sanskrit sources that are presently available, this fact is indicated by the use of an asterisk (*) preceding the term in question. To avoid typographical clutter, however, we have not followed this convention with respect to personal and place names.
Numerical categories are not indicated in the body of the text and seldom in the Notes but are listed in the Glossary of Enumerations in Section Two, which should be directly consulted whenever enumera- tions occur. Similarly, Tibetan and/or Sanskrit equivalents for all the technical terminology employed in the body of the translations are given in the Index of Technical Terms.
Finally, readers are referred to the Guide to Pronunciation which follows, for an explanation of the system of romanisation and simplified spelling adopted for personal and place names in Section One. In particular, the conventions governing the use of the letters c and e may seem unnatural to an English speaker and so require special attention. Technical terms and book titles occuring parenthetically have been transcribed according to their proper Tibetan orthography.
Guide to Pronunciation
Readers should familiarise themselves at the outset with the following four rules of pronunciation for Tibetan and Sanskrit:
(1) A final e is never silent, but is always pronounced in the manner of the French e. Thus, Sanskrit vane is pronounced vane, and the Tibetan Ghare, Kore and Dorje are pronounced, respectively, Gha- re, Kore and Dorje.
(2) C is pronounced somewhat like the English ch, but aspira- tion. Sanskrit cakra and citta thus resemble chakra and chuta, and Tibetan Co-se, Campa and Koca are rather like Cho-se, Champa and Kocha.
(3) Ph is never pronounced like an English j, but like a p with strong aspiration, for example in Sanskrit phala and Tibetan photrang.
(4) Th is never pronounced like the English th in think or that, but always resembling a t with strong aspiration, for example in Sanskrit tathtigata and Tibetan thuk.
The following remarks explain the conventions adopted for the trans- cription of Sanskrit and Tibetan in greater detail:
SANSKRIT
The Sanskrit vowels in actual use here are as follows: a, ii, i, f, u, U, f, e, ai, 0, au
A, i, u, e and 0 are pronounced as in Italian. A, f and uare not to be pronounced like the so-called "long vowels" in English, but like the a in father, the ea in seat and the 00 in boot respectively. Ai is similar to the y-sound of English by, and au to the ow of now. resembles the ri-sound of brick. Vowels may be followed by 1? l and IJ, which respectively
xxxviii Guide to Pronunciation
Guide to Pronunciation XXXIX
indicate the nasalisation and aspiration of the vowel to which they are affixed.
The transcribed Sanskrit consonants are:
k, kh, g, gh, it c, ch, j, jh, ii
t, th, 4, 4h, 7J t, th, d, dh, n p, ph, b, bh, m
y, r, I, v S, s, h
Of these, k, ch, j, t, d, n, p, b, m, y, r, I, v, s, and h indicate roughly the same sounds as they do in English, and c, ph and th have been explained above. The series t, th, d, dh, n is distinguished from the series t, th, 4, 4h, 7J in that the latter or "retroflex" series is pronounced with the tongue striking the roof of the mouth, and the former or "dental" series, with the tongue striking the upper incisors. Kh, gh, jh, dh, 4h and bh are similar to k, g, j, d, 4and b respectively, but with strong aspiration. N resembles the ng in English sing, and ii the ny in canyon. Sand sare both similar to the English sh-sound, but the tongue is positioned further back when pronouncing the former.
TIBETAN
The transcription of Tibetan in English introduces special problems owing to the fact that the pronunciation of the spoken language does not closely correspond to the orthography of the literary language. For this reason a transliteration of the Tibetan spellings is of little use to the ordinary reader, who will have no way of knowing that, for example, bsgrubs and dbyings are currently pronounced as drup and ying respect- ively. On the other hand, students of the classical Tibetan language usually prefer the literal transcriptions to simplified phonetic schemes. The solution adopted in the present work has been to give all Tibetan personal and place names occurring in the text in just such a simplified system, relegating the precise transliterations to the indexes. At the same time, book titles, technical terms and peculiarities of language which are given parenthetically or discussed in the annotations have been given in a formal transliteration of the classical Tibetan, the system used being based upon that of the late Turrell V. Wylie, which will be familiar to specialists.
Our simplified phonetic transcription approximates the pronuncia- tion of modern Central Tibetan, but without the subtlety 0r precision of a formal phonetic transcription, such as that developed by Chang and Shefts. Our intention here is merely to minimise the difficulties with which Tibetan names confront the reader.
In addition to the five vowels a, i, u, e and 0 , which have the same values here that they do in Sanskrit, Tibetan introduces two more - o· and il - which are pronounced as in German.
The following additional consonants are used, along with those also found in Sanskrit: ng, ny, tr, trh, dr, ts, tsh, dz, w, sh, z, zh. Of these, ng, ny, tr, dr, w, sh and z are similar to their English values. Trh is like tr, but with strong aspiration. Ts resembles the ts-sound in English bets, and dz the sound in adze. Tsh is the strongly aspirated version of ts. Zh is similar to the s in leisure, or the j of French words such as jamais.
Specialists will note that this system does not reflect tone, an import- ant feature of modern spoken Tibetan, and that we have dropped the aspirate in cases where it is not usually pronounced, even if it occurs in the classical orthography. Following a vowel, I is often silent, the preceding vowel being lengthened by way of compensation.
Abbreviations for Section One
DZ
Fundamentals
History
Mvt. NGB
NMKMG
NYZ
P
RTD SK
Skt. SP T
Tib.
Gdams-ngag mdzod. Store of Precious Instructions. 12 vols. Delhi: N. Lungtok and N. Gyaltsan, 1971. Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Funda- mentals and History, Vol. 1, Bk. 1.
Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje. The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism: Its Fundamen- tals and History, Vol. 1, Bk. 2.
Mahavyutpatti. Ed. R. Sakaki, Kyoto, 1916-25.
Rnying-ma'i rgyud-'bum. Collected Tantras of the Nying- mapa. Thimpu: Jamyang Khyentse Rinpoche, 1973. 36 vols. Catalogue by E. Kaneko, Tokyo, 1982. Rnying-ma bka'-ma rgyas-pa. Collected Transmitted Precepts of the Nyingmapa. Ed. Dudjom Rinpoche, Jikdrel Yeshe Dorje. 55 vols. Kalimpong, WB: Dub- jung Lama, 1982.