There can be no eye of the doctrine ore, If those Who POSsess the
and logic, I with correct scriptural uch persons must neve b Y upon them like dOctors t h e s e r e a s o n s , i t i s W i t h : £ o u t o f h o s t i l i t y .
and logic, I with correct scriptural uch persons must neve b Y upon them like dOctors t h e s e r e a s o n s , i t i s W i t h : £ o u t o f h o s t i l i t y .
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
he brought Transmitted Precepts olthe Father
Means for the Attamment 0 alJ. k Sheldrak Odzong, the yellow sgrub-skor), among others; : : n s ; ; :he Attainment of Amitayus and
means for attamment belongmg . r h Mother Consort of the Secret h 7: ittedPreceptsOJ te )
Consort and t. 1 h. b-bka'yum-bka'i sgrub-skor shog-ser ,
Innermost Spzntualuy (gsang-t z? ya 1 reness-ho1ders 1195 and so . f h· t n Immorta awa ,
the longevity pIlls 0 t lr ee h also found an indescribable n Together with each treasure trove e 1 b.
o . . 1 brme sacramenta 0 Jects.
number of exceedmg y su 1 . hl. ch did not come into
t"ll certam treasures w
Moreover, there s 1 . time and circumstance, though they
the master's . by t the venerable Khyentse Rin-
were within hIS dommIOn. ue tOto the treasure guardians, the
poche's proclamation s ommissioned and discovered
C
treasure-finder Lerap Lmgpa was d b the great treasure-finder
Khyentse Wangpo fell ill. That the time to discover the remaining portion was lost appears to have been the fault of the feeble merits of
h t 0 were extracte
some; and ot ers, 0 , h Chogyur Lingpa. These were t en
y . . ded over to the master [Jamgon
the world at large. 1197
During that period, whatever first arose in the venerable Jamgon
Kongtrtil] himself.
On such occasions as these, at t ou
tset in conformity with the ld begin by collaborating
prophetic inventories, two. J way. When the profound
in the performance of vanous tO . .
. h· posseSSIOn, Jamgon
Kongtrtil gave them all to
treasures came mto IS
.
C'
The latter too belore an
d
h
after arrayed many ceremon . . K tru. . l was bringing fort t e
the venerable K
yentse
W ngpo to mspect. a . f'C'.
" . 1 nd mandalas of matena
h h
Kongtriil's mind subsequently developed effortlessly, like the flow of a river. I;>akinls congregated and many other extraordinary omens oc- curred. Once, at dawn, he experienced a clear vision in which there
appeared a perfectly arrayed temple. Inside ofit sat one who, he thought, was Guru Rinpoche in essence, but the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche
in form, and Whose body of light, [the coalescence of] appearance and emptiness, revealed no definite form. Jamgon Kongtriil bowed down in reverence and repeated after Khyentse Rinpoche the refuge, cultiva-
tion of the enlightened attitUde, and sevenfold service according to the
Daily Yoga of the Awareness-holder Crig-'dzin rgyun-gyi rnal-'byor).
Khyentse Rinpoche, having performed the creation of the deity and the invocation of bleSSing, then took up a vase and placed it on the
an
131feast0lenngsa . . h h
' . 1 hnJamgonong
offering. In partlcu ar, w e h . . r the Three Roots Intentwn
. f the Gat enng OJ h
great doctnnal treasure 0 f£ rings of gifts. Previously, w en Khyentse Rinpoche made profuse 0 e
,.
866 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
crown of Jamgon Kongtriil's head. He conferred on him the secret empowerment consisting of the "enlightened mind" [produced] in union with a consort. In the empowerment of discerning pristine cognition,
he entrusted him with awareness in the form of a woman. Then, Khyentse Rinpoche projected forth from his heart a crystal and showed
it to Jamgon Kong
from the depths, like a piece of crystal. Whatever arises is the expression
of luminosity, spontaneously present, just like the luminouS glow of a crystal radiating outwards. " Having conferred introduction on him that way,\198 his body vanished. Then, reappearing in the form of an active
heruka, he instantly summoned the protectors of the transmitted pre-
cepts and treasures, so that it was as if [the place] was seething with on
, Jamgon Kongt "zLo
gnmage, and, in conformit . ru dro Thaye 867
aged [to discover] th ' y WIth them, Chogyur Lin
open their gates H e gUidebooks to these pilgrim gpa was encour-
of the Twenty-ji;e Padrak he discovered and to open the gates to tho : gnmage Places, due to which ham nventory
following the orders th aces of pilgrimage, and so fort: able to d,tIOns of the lac e venerable Khyentse Rin . oreover, of pilgrimage :rP es of pIlgrimage at Aliii Peldeu all the con- bythesupremeJewar. 'whIchISanadjunctofTsand t egreatplace
Th amgon Kongtriil.
Kong
(lam-z
triil
ab
recitational transmission,
When Jamgo
triil
, saying, "All things are primordially pure, clear
Kongtriil was entrusted with their transmitted precepts. Then, after Khyentse Rin- poche had granted permissory initiation and the entrustment of his
instructions, Jamg
prophetic inventories, at the end of which he was roused from this spiritual experience. During the song of indestructible reality at [a
subsequent] feast offering blissful heat forcefully arose within him and he grew exhilarated. Other signs marking the great descent of blessing
also emerged,
The yellow scroll of the Father Consort and Mother Consort, [Trans-
mitted Precepts] of the Secret Innermost Spirituality (gsang-thig yab-yum)
was also established with the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche. Jamgon
himself established the Seven Chapters on the Profound Path /e'u-bdun-ma) and had a pure vision of one Pema Rikdzin, in the guise of Guru Padmasambhava, who thrice conferred on him its
Kongtriil reported to the venerable guru [Khyentse Rinpoche] that he had reason to discover, at Dagam Wangpuk, the Doctrinal Cycle of the Means for the Attainment of the Seven Lines (tshig-
bdun sgrub-thabs-kyi chos-skor) in the form of a pure vision and aural lineage, he was offered representative symbols of the five wheels of inexhaustible ornament, as well as writing materials, and was encour-
aged to establish it. Accordingly, when he had mostly completed its establishment the twO masters together performed the feast offering of the emanational body, Saroruhavajra, and the venerable Khyentse Rin-
poche experienced extraordinary visions,
When he established the Means for the Attainment of TroW Cgro-lod
sgrub-thabs) at the "tiger den" of Rongme Karmo, the tWO masters performed feast offerings together, at which time the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche had a vision of tWO huge scorpions, white and
black. He said that it was a portent of great severity1199
Clear visions arose in which the "palaces" of both Tsandra Rincen Trak and Dzongsho Deshek Diipa appeared to be great places of pil-
Katok, Pelyiil, Z::ce: individuals Un schools Dyapa, Gelukpa, Drigungpa Taklu cen, a ong with adherents
. . Irectly and indir I . ' ngpa and Karma Ka kmdness and by ect y, h,S service to livin b ' mtsang
tured], expanded sacramental by tf:hat WIdeth d Ionssothathis rh anuac-
their presence. At Khyentse Rinpoche's order Jamg
on
. e oor for all connections with h' en Ig tened activity opened urIng hIS empowerments' 1m to be meaningful
n
Kongtriil heard many verses, which seemed like
D
and so forth, there were of great attainment, feast s
e empowerments d ' , established b J " a n transmISSIOns worthy dis 'YI amgon Kongtrtil spread far
. CIPes,whowereh d d
ra,. were mdicated d '
clodmbmon: nectar boiled; °flmens which all could
u esensed ,ver owed;thef ' clouds sh at a great dIstance' there ragrance of elIxir
, owersoffl ,w ere canop' f ' ;:;ithrough the he
h
'ld ppearances as truly e '
,m stone, Because he dI'd eII d
ImpreSSIOns of his hand d notgraspa san
ve as a destroyer of b
bheen clearly stated in the In particular, t at h,S hfe would b IC mventory ofhis r £ a tructible reality and by means h. e hprolonged the dura'tIon of his rf,IS energy channeIs and currents eIg ty-seventh year his complexion 1 e,. so that when he reached grew clear again. In the less became youthful and
lOner greatness, were the SIgns of his accomplish-
IS manner Jamgon K " Y proven,
sonal d d ' ongtrul compl t d tor he
1899 (t:eenSt' hhIS eighty-seventh year T'h td while, his per-
y-Slxt da I , u r s ay 28 D
panied by m y, e eventh month earth . ecember
into the ex any wonderful miracles he withd Pflg yea,r),1201 accom- . panse ofthe mind of h '. . rew rom h,S bodil ar
III the western Citadel of _ t e spIrItual warrior ThopeI' T antapurI,1202
The number of di '
great mas ,sclples who issued from h
Yb ray urn utsel
fearless rr::;t:ra mconceivable, but amon; :nd mind of this
guru and di . Khyentse Wangpo S· ehoremost was the J
SCIP e to one another, the h' mce, t ey both were as armOlllOUS reputation of
of
the
d collections
an WIde among II h'
L' ages ofthe Treasures 868 History: Close me
" ,,1203 has been as well
"1
ho were both Jamgons 1 d the wind, to everyone from, earne
"Khyentse and Kongtru w
known up to, the present day the districts of Tlbet and
scholars to slmple cowherds,
, h' to others who Kham. d his entlre teac lngs .
Jamgon Kongtriil also entruste h h Iders ofthe Kagytipa teaChlng, became his true regents, namely, to t e °Drukpa Drigungpa, and Tak- including [the masters of) the being ;he fourteenth and fifd
lungpa subsects, ,among the Karmapa, and the tenth
th successive lllcarnatlons of a a and Ngorpa teachlllg,
teen h T-a'i Situ' to the holders of the SakYWp 0 1204 and Dzongsar elevent ' J g Loter angp . f including Thartse Ponlop reat holders of the teachlllg 0
. Cho}'e Ktinga Jamyang, to g M' ham Jamyang Namgyel, Ngan . nSh 1suchas lp . d
the Ancient Translatlo c, 0 0 , and the lords of my own the treasure-finder Lerap Llllgpa'1 _ the venerable Gyurme Ngedon family [i. e. my own root, gurus i un ne; and also to many
Wangpo and Jedrung rGelukpa school), reme individuals among the lWO "me and Trayap Dongtrtil Khec? Yeshe Kongpel, the preceptor ofhGYu all the innumerable major
Ngawang Tamco Gyamtso. In s and experienced masters, and and minor learned rea the region from Central
'rl'tual benefactors dunng that era,
Spl h er lower an T 'bet and Tsang to t e u p p , h
1 no one w 0 it appears that there was
disciple.
26 Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso
d ml'ddle districts of Dokam,
d'd not become hlS persona
1
,1
[693. 6-713. 5] Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso,1205 the great prom- ulgator of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School was born in 1846 (fire horse year, fourteenth cycle) at a place well known as Yacu Tingcung, on the banks of the slow-flowing [Yalung] River in Dokam. His father was Gonpo Targye of the Lha clan of Ju, and his mother was Mukpodongza Singcungma. His paternal uncle, On Lama Perna Targye, conferred the name Mipham Gyamtso as a crown upon him.
From his childhood he naturally possessed all the powers of the enlightened family of the greater vehicle, such as faith, renunciation, discriminative awareness, and compassion. From his sixth or seventh year he memorised the Ascertainment of the Three Vows and studied the preliminaries of astrology and divination. From about his tenth year on, he had an unobstructed command of reading and writing, and so he began to make all kinds of oral compositions. From the beginning of his twelfth year, he lived as an ordinary student and monk at Mehor Sa-nga Choling in Ju, which was a branch monastery of Zecen [Zhecen] Tenyi Targye Ling, in the doctrinal lineage of Orgyen Mindroling. At that time he was praised by all as a learned young monk.
In his fifteenth year Mipham studied for some days an ancient text of the Svarodaya and he learned it completely after praying to MafijusrI. He propitiated MafijusrI in the form of V§dlsirpha for eighteen months at the hermitage of Junyung and, by performing the pill rites (ril-bu'i las-sbyor),1206 he obtained extraordinary signs [of accomplishment]. From then on he did not fail to master whatever texts he chanced to examine, including those concerning siitras, mantras, and sciences. Therefore, he said that he did not have to study anything apart from simple exegetical transmissions. 1207
When he was in his seventeenth year disturbances in Nyarong caused all the nomadic herdsmen to migrate to Golok, and the venerable Mipham went there, toO. 1208 From about this time he became known for his great skill in arithmetic (sa_ris). 1209
870 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures 1 G _ . accom anied his maternal unc e yur
. ' toCentra 1e zang on a pllgnmage
From Peltrtil Orgyen Jikme Choki Wangpo, Mipham received the discriminative awareness chapter of the Introduction -to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva (Ch. 9) in five days, whereupon he totally mastered the words and meaning of the text in its entirety. Later, he also composed the Commentary on the Discriminative Awareness Chapter (sher-tfk), and so forth. 1211
In particular, practising the three means to delight the guru, he at- tended on the lotus feet of Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa, or Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, who was the lord of his enlightened family [i. e. his root guru] owing to connections established through the deeds 'of his former lives. This master regarded Mipham as his unique inner spiritual son; so, having first given him the permissory initiation of White Maii-
jusrf according to the System of kfati, he opened for him the gateways of the doctrine. From that time onwards, as if filling a pot to the brim, Khyentse Rinpoche bestowed on Mipham many approaches to the ordinary and special textual traditions, the especially sublime texts of the sutras and of the mantras which had come down through his close lineages, and all the maturation, liberation, supporting transmis- sions, esoteric instructions, practical techniques, and guidance which lays bare the teaching, for all transmitted precepts, treasures, and pure visions belonging to the most secret vehicle of indestructible reality.
Moreover, at one time or another, he received the ordinary sciences from Jamgon Lodro Thaye, including the Grammar of Candragomin and the methods for refining mercury, as well as such special maturing empowerments and liberating instructions as those of Maiijusrf) Lord of Life) Iron-like and Iron-evil ('jam-dpal tshe-bdag lcags-'dra lcags- sdig). 1212 From many spiritual benefactors, including Padmavajra, the preceptor of Dzokcen Monastery, he received limitless cycles ofteaching concerning the sutras, mantras, and sciences. He did not just receive these teachings and leave it at that, but he truly cultivated them experi- entially. Primarily because Mipham had trained himself well during innumerable lives and so possessed the cultivated potential of the posit- ive enlightened family, and secondly, since [that potential] had been totally aroused by the guru's compassion and power to transfer the blessing of his intention, Mipham thoroughly mastered all the profound and vast topics of the Sugata's scriptures, by means of the four modes of genuine individual awareness, and without contradicting the four kinds of reliance. Thus, he mastered the vision of naturally present pristine cognition, which is extensive as the sky, and liberated the eight great treasures of brilliance.
From the spiritual benefactor Ju-on Jikme Dorje, Mipham received the transmission of the root text of the Verse Summation ofthe Transcend- ental Perfection ofDiscriminative Awareness, and immediately afterwards he discoursed upon it for one month. Then, when he studied the
In his eighteenth year Mlpham 1 T'b Pt during which he attended a
. ' monastlc college at a . Lh d k while on a side-tnp dunng w lC
. G nden Monastery
h' h
when he went to Kharcu ill ? l , e places in the south, ordinary
he travelled to many of the :1 appeared arose as the union
appearances were transforme an lW s he experienced the warmth of . . ess For severa day . f h 1 le
ofbhssandemptln. . d b theblesslng0 t at oca .
bliss He maintained that thlS seeme t. o. e ' n which a volume entitled . hh hadapureVislon1 .
On the road nort ell-Seeing Svarodaya dbyangs- the Crystal Mtrror of. the Great A e into his hands. How thlS took place
'char chen-mo shel-g)i2 me-long) cam k
is clearly stated at the end of that wor . "
'-
\. . . -
hTh for about one mont. en,
. . . ' fWh'teMan)uSn
according to the System of Matt signs of accomplishment
Lapkyapgon Wangcen Gyerap se during both the conferral
which are described in that text Yaro e 'of the subsequent "bean- d the penormanc M' h 's
of the empowermen;. an ) 1210 In this way the lotus of lP am sprout rites" 1 las-sbyor .
MiphamJamyangNamgyelGyamtso
.
On his return he received the
inltlatlOn 0 • '. I -dkar-gyi rjes-gnang) from
discernment blossomed.
MiphamJamyang Namgyel Gyamtso 871
872 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Introduction to the Madhyamaka under Ngawang lungne, the spiritual benefactor of Bumsar, he requested only the exegetical transmission, so as not to trouble that master. On the very day the master completed the exegetical transmission, he ordered Mipham to sit for an examina- tion. Starting from the very beginning, Mipham explained the Introduc- tion to the Madhyamaka with the result that the spiritual benefactor praised him in the midst of the assembly, saying, "Though I have obtained the title 'spiritual benefactor', I do not even possess a fraction of his intellect! "
In the presence of Ponlop Loter Wangpo he studied the Treasury of Logical Reason (tshad-ma rigs-gter); and from Solpon Perna he received the exegetical transmissions of varied texts, including the Doctrines of Maitreya and the Bodhisattva Level, through their continuous lineages alone. Immediately afterwards, Mipham gave extensive discourses upon them. Illustrated in this way, all the meanings of the siitras, tantras, and the commentaries on their intention poured forth spontaneously from his mind. He roamed freely, like a fearless lion, in the midst of the multitudes who propounded myriad textual traditions. That he was unimpeded in teaching, discourse, composition of textual comment- aries, and so forth, was demonstrably visible to all. No one at all could deny it.
The master himself said:
During my childhood there were many excellent spiritual benefactors of the ancient and new traditions alive, so it was like an era in which the wheel of the doctrine was turned. None the less, I did not study much apart from, in Peltriil Rinpoche's presence, the discriminative awareness chapter of the Introduction to the Conduct ofa Bodhisattva. Later, by the kindness of my guru and that of my favoured deity, the hard points of texts would become unravelled without great difficulty when I merely read over them. Moreover, during the beginning of my studies I found it easier to learn the works of the new schools and the texts of the ancient schools seemed hard to understand. Still, this being solely due to my own lack of understanding, I thought that these profound texts of the lineage of awareness-holders certainly harboured great essential points of true understanding. Apart from that, I did not experience the arising of doubts even for a moment. In consequence, my own discriminative awareness came to be fully mature. Later, when I looked at them, I saw that all the profound essential points were only to be found in the doctrinal traditions which had been transmitted through the precious lineages of the Ancient Translation School; so especially great certainty was born within me.
MiPhamJamyan N,
During that same p . d g amgyel Gyamtso 873
of indestructible realiteyno , the lord of refuges and hold m ' Khyentse R' h er . e to compose some textbooks ac e, commanded
tlOn. . ToComplywiththe ur'cormgtoOUrowntradi- own mtellect, holding onlY:h u s and to enrich my
querors in my heart I e precIOUS teaching of the co S-t ' composed n- u ra cycles and so forth Wh'l I some textbOoks on the
thetent f . 1ewassodoi I
e s 0 OUr own traditi ng, emphasised
some extent. But [the adh on, and expounded them to systems took them to be of] the other philosophical and so forth arriVed from and later many critical a been motivated to . . a quarters. Yet in fact I
co wnte m orde fi
and with the ho e r to. u fil my guru's
I? unng the present day the there bemg some benefit. tlOn School has almost b of the Ancient Transla- no light], a painted butter lamp
and . 1? qUlre as to just what are few W? O even consider tradItIOn's philosophical the essentIal points of Our other traditions. Apart rather, most simply imitate
such motivations as I never felt, even in
nons, or self-congratulatory 1It? towards other tradi- Pn
those Who possess the eye of . e. [m my own] - if even me, I have nothing of wh' h pnstme cognition gaze upon
As for What I h . IC to be ashamed! tI ave wntten in
so orth: Since I have not ob . response to my critics and Who are sublime how c 1 tamed the attributes of those fundities of d I ever understand all the pro-
be proven, or less, if I state what may precepts of the lure ymg upon the immaculate theIr mtention, which are the the commentaries on
promulgators of India and T'b amp-lIke Words of the great selftoo h . 1et,andbyexa. .
. ' ,w at IS reasonable stIll be of some benefit to otb an
d mmmg for my-
what unreasonable, it may
can benefit Whom If I ers, though I have no idea who . . were to c
mItted precepts and the c the profound trans- of my own lack of on their intention s. tandmg, I would be closin erstandmg and wrong under-
lIberation' and b g the door to the path ofm
ld ' ,ecause many oth y own
only bring eternal ruin ers would be misled, I greater fault that that Th tI on . them.
There can be no eye of the doctrine ore, If those Who POSsess the
and logic, I with correct scriptural uch persons must neve b Y upon them like dOctors t h e s e r e a s o n s , i t i s W i t h : £ o u t o f h o s t i l i t y . F o ;
wou
entered into debate. aIr mmd that I have sometimes
l',
874 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Therefore, when those who are most sublime repudiate the wrong understandings of others and so forth, in order to preserve perfectly the treasury of the true doctrine, it is done in association with a great purpose. Just so, after the debate between the supreme scholar Lozang Rapsel and this master, in which they had alternately sent one another refined gifts of eloquence, their minds merged, and they scattered the
12l3
flowers of mutual praise.
When Mipham Rinpoche was looking over the Exposition of Valid
Cognition he had a dream in which one who was Sakya PaJ)gita in essence appeared to him in the guise of a learned and accomplished master from India, the tip of his nose slightly crooked, and said, "What is there that you do not understand in the Exposition ofValid Cognition? It has two parts, refutation and proof. " Then, he divided a volume of the Exposition ofValid Cognition into two parts and handed it to Mipham, saying, "Combine these two together! " No sooner had he combined them than they turned into a sword, and all things that may be known appeared before him. Swinging that sword once, it clearly appeared to Mipham that he cut through them all in an instant, without impediment. Consequently, he said, there was not a single word in the Exposition of Valid Cognition which he did not understand.
On perusing the Root Text of the Vinaya Sutra for the first time, Mipham found it a little hard to understand. Later, when he was reading once over the books of the Kangyur, he read the thirteen volumes of the Vinaya one time, owing to which, he said, there was nothing at all which he did not understand in the Root Text of the Vinaya Sutra.
Moreover, regarding such uncommon, profound points as the distinc- tions between the older and later [schools of] Tibet, without poring over books, and so forth, the channels of his awareness opened up when he was absorbed in the rites of service and attainment, and he was blessed by the guru and his favoured deity, owing to which [the knowledge of those topics] naturally arose in his mind. Therefore, he said that there was no way whatsoever for him not to write.
Once, on an auspicious day, the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche had volumes containing the fine texts of the sutras, mantras, and sciences, ofwhich the continuous transmissions were rare, and the subject-matter important, arranged on the altar; and then he made vast offerings. He had the venerable Mipham sit before them on top of a high throne covered with a kaptse I214 and empowered him as master of the doctrine, saying, "I am entrusting the transmitted precepts of these books to you. Hereafter, you must preserve them without decline by means of teaching, debate, and composition. You must clarify the precious teach- ing of the Conqueror in this world system for a long time! " Then, he was given valuable offerings representing the buddha-body, speech and mind, including a scroll-painting of White Tara and a handwritten
prayer for his continuing longevity, which was based on his various
MiPham]amyan N,
and, as a sign of thO g amgyel Gyamtso 875
hIm the 10 IS empowerment th
throned pa1). gita hat which he himself gave
speakin IS true regent and praised hi Y Wore, and so en- present voenerable while
Mlph If . am.
ne on the ea th ' t the one wrote of the r more learned than
a text the size of of his successive lives not tf
fromareI'bi
la e SOurce.
ISPeasedbyitnow"Th' 1 g could . IS ast story I heard
Peltrnl Rinpoche
Jamgon Yonten Gyamtso [ '"
t? e mahapa1J4ita Mipham G Kongtrul Rmpoche] also spoke of h'
SlOns of Ml'ph' yamtsoandreceivedth .
C amsown D 'l eexegetIcalt
ognition (tsh d- etaz ed Exegesis of th E " the Eight Tr, a n:a rnam-'grel-gyi rnam-bshad) e xpo:ltZon
1mas .
ransmlS-
o f V alid
o Precepts (bka'-b d none occaslO J rgya
' the Detazled Exegesis 01' rnam-bsh d) 'J
eXpressd napaDo-nga,agreatsh
MI' h e, the opinion that there P am s Co
a ,andsoforth olar ofthe new traditions 1215
'? ,mmentary on the D'
ntroductwn to the Cond ,I' ISCnmznatzve Awareness Ch In
c
were some' I' ,
" , mva Id arguments '
uctOJ aBodhisattva"( " apterofthe SPyod- Jug sher-le'i 'grel-
876 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
pa). The best of learned, dignified and accomplished masters, Peltriil Rinpoche, was secured as a witness and they debated for many days. Ordinary persons could not tell who was the victor and who the loser, except to say which arguments agreed with their own opinions. At that point one Lama Rikcok asked Peltrtil Rinpoche which of the two was victorious. He answered, "1 neither know how to decide it, nor how to conclude it. There is a worldly proverb which goes, 'A son is not praised by his father, but by his enemy. A daughter is not praised by her mother, but by the neighbourhood. ' Just so, during the early part of the dispute Do-nga's monks told me that they clearly saw a ray of light emanate from the heart of Lama Mipham's image of MafijusrI- which is the representation of his meditational deity, and vanish into the lama's heart. That sums it all up. "
At that time, too, Peltrul Rinpoche gave them this command, "Japa Do-nga has written a commentary on [the line]: Great Perfection is the matrix of all pristine cognition. 1216 It seems that some consider it to be refutable and others provable. Therefore, conduct a direct exchange on it. "
The venerable Mipham was victorious, whereupon Peltrul Rinpoche authorised him to compose exegetical commentaries on the tantras, transmissions, and esoteric instructions. 1actually heard this story from the lord of my own enlightened family, Ling Lama Chojor Gyamtso, who was the personal disciple of both these masters [Peltrul Rinpoche and Mipham Rinpoche].
Later, at the king among places of attainment, the "tiger den" of Karmo, Mipham Rinpoche planted the banner of attainment for a period ofthirteel} years. Above all, when he performed the ritual service of MafijusrI-Yamantaka, Lord of Life, the deity on whom, in accord with his fortune, his flower had alighted, it is said that there arose, without exception, all the signs which are described in the texts. Moreover, when he passed many years in retreat he never recited, he said, a single rosary mechanically, or with eyes distracted, but [remained absorbed] one-pointedly in the yogas of creation and perfection, as they are explained in the texts.
One time, Mipham went into Khyentse Rinpoche's presence. "How did you apply yourself to experiential cultivation when you stayed in retreat? " he was asked.
"While pursuing my studies", Mipham answered, "1 made conclusive investigations, and while performing the ritual service of the medita- tional deity in retreat 1 have taken care to see that 1 have reached the limits of the stage of creation. "
"Those are difficult. The great all-knowing Longcenpa said, 'Not doing anything, you must come to rest right where you are. ' 1 have done just that. By so resting I have not seen anything with white flesh and a ruddy complexion that can be called the 'face of mind'. None
. . Mipham Jamyang N amgyel Gyamtso 877 the If I w. ere . to dIe now it would be all ri
a gram of trepIdatIOn. " So saying Kh R? ht. I do not have even
Mipham[later]saidthatheunders;ood b aloud. a
By emphasising [the yogas of] th . d 0 e t. e guru s mstruction.
f · e m estructlble bod d . perfectIOn, the pulses of his ac . y, unng the
stage 0
and large, purified in the expanse ofth
· h
upon MIp am experienced th .
tlve e1nergy currents were, by e centra energy cha I Th
emergent, pristine cognition that' .
.
e true mner radIance
nne. ere- h
- e natural, co-
at its inception by the four d l' blIss - whIch is illustrated e
[in which] bliss and emptiness ts an I the four modes of emptiness
upon the yogas of the Great P five esced]. Most of all, by relying . er ectIOn [namel ] C .
ReSIstance in primordial purit (k -d kh y, unmg Through sing Realisation of spontaneouY a ag regs-chod) and the All-Surpas-
reached the limits of reality thod-rgal), he visibly
investigation Thereby he ' 1 ouht eavmg It to be an intellectual . cameto old
conduct as the play of buddha-b d d over and power of totally refining the y an pnstme co. gnItion. 1217 By the
into the "cloud-mass wheel of of hIS energy channels of meditation burst forth from th es t e121Isscernment that is born all that is profoundly significant expanse, 0ipham arrayed
form of treatises: the Cycle 0 EUlo i:treasures hIS mtention, in the
rtogs-bljod-kyi skor) which '! . g s Narratzves (bstod-tshogs dang
sing; the Gllcle ofCommon nsehto faIth, the entrance-way to bles- 'J czences(t un-mo' k .
removes doubts about knowl d ' ng rzg-gnas- yz skor), which ofInner Meaning (nang-don the. Cycle ofthe Sciences vast embarkation point on the or , IS the profound and Dedicatory Prayers and Bened' lIberatIOn; the Cycle of
which supports the prolonged shzs-bryod-kyi skor), ence, pervasiveness and e eac mg, and the perman-
The thirty-two presence of all that is good. many subdivisions, are four general with their of the excellent major marks h tel: number bemg equal to that
the teaching of the Con - . ave, as It were, granted vital force to . queror m general d h .
AnCIent Translation School . ' . I ,an to t e teachmg of the
So it was that Mipham ar, at ve:y point of death. experientially and bet '. e all, cultlvatmg the two stages
, , weenseSSIOnsofpra t' esoteric instructions in the fi f . c Ice,
b .
estowlng all sorts of
orm 0 treatIses Th
1912 (thirteenth day first h . en, on n ay 1 March
F 'd
Beginning on about '6 . ' ;;rater mouse year), he left his retreat.
grew weary owing to certain teenth of that same month), he
of Saturday 9 March (t fiollowing:
fiP asant VISItOrs, and, on the morning wenty- Irst day) h
' e spontaneously wrote the
Namo Maiijusrfsattvaya!
[HomagetoM -' /- h
anJusfl, t e spiritual warrior! ]
878
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Having mastered the oceanic conduct
Of the conquerors' sons
In Abhirati1219 and other pure lands ,
I vow to maintain a compassionate mmd For living beings throughout space,
Wh'l space itself endures,
1e d f doctrine in this degenerate age,
As a propoun er 0
oppressed for seventeen years,
without respite, h Is By a severe ailment of the inner energy c anne .
U to now I have dwelt in this world, relying on this basket,
The body of appantIon. , d' But now I perceive that it will be Joyful to Ie,
d' e down as a letter. . . So I will set my last 1SCours
actually taking rebirth. I f this were a past age, approximating that in which the brothers from Mindroling [Terdak Lingpa and Locen DharmasrI] were alive, I might well benefit the teaching and living creatures in all sorts of ways. But now, by dint of time, such things are difficult; so, after this, I have no reason to take birth in impure realms ever again. Remaining only in pure lands it is the nature of reality that, by the power of aspirations, sublime ones eternally and in- cessantly give rise to the dramatic play of emanation, which trains each in accord with his needs, . .
On about Wednesday 9 May (twenty-second day), he said, "Now that I have finally recovered from my nervous ailment I never have sensations of pain. Each day and night there only arise the visions of All-Surpassing Realisation - rainbows, light rays and points, and the manifestations of the bodies and realms [of the buddhas]. ,,1221
He gave audience to his faithful disciples and benefactors, who had gathered from all directions, and said prayers, They asked him to prolong his life for the sake of the teaching and living creatures, but he replied, "Now, I certainly shall not stay, and I will not be born again. I have reason to go to Shambhala in the north. ,,1222
On Friday 14 June 1912 (twenty-ninth day, fourth month, water mouse), during. his sixty-seventh year, Mipham Rinpoche assumed the posture of a bodhisattva, with his left hand evenly placed in his lap and his right in the gesture of teaching; and his mind became meditat- ively equipoised in the expanse of the original ground, free from corrup- tion. Afterwards, when his precious remains were offered up on the pyre, tents of rainbow light and other wonderful and excellent omens appeared to all those gathered, in common. Lama Osel earnestly strove to perform the funeral rites following the master's demise in such a way as to fulfil all of his intentions.
Among the personal disciples of this master the foremost were Dodrup Jikme Tenpei Nyima, the treasure-finder Sogyel [Lerap Lingpa], Dzok- cen Trtilku V and the Dzokcen Gemang, Zhecen Rapjam and Zhecen Gyeltsap,1223 Katok Situ,1224 Pelytil Gyatrtil, Andzom Drukpa,1225 Trup- wang SakyasrI,1226 and the Ngor Ponlop, et cetera. In short, there were countless sons of his speech who included the emanations and great personages of the Sakyapa, Gelukpa, Kagytipa, and Nyingmapa tradi- tions from [the monasteries of] Katok, Pelytil, Zhecen, Dzokcen, Pel- pung, Derge Goncen [and others] all the way up to Repkong;1227 as well as their scholars who propounded myriad textual traditions, pre- ceptors endowed with the three trainings, mantrins who were confident in the two stages, and ascetics who were free from activity, having
d left it in concealment. Then, , M hlMay 1912 (secon ' d' 1220
,
Thus, he wrote out hIS month same year), Mipham
dunng arc _ _ a about tWO hundred thousan recited the dharal)l of , his attendant, Lama Osel, and He imparted some oral to
,
h t th there is no one to lIsten. Nowadays, if one speaks t e e it to be true. Therefore,
Ifone speaks falsely before' I am no ordinary I have not disclosed ,thIS to ar;;o:e taken birth by the power person. I am a w 0 basdy I ought to have greatly
on one of these occasions Said:
f h' ' ation In thIS present
o IS asp1r " d livin creatures in genera, an
the teaChIng ,an
Tran;lation School of the secret the merits of the Nying-
the teachmg of the Anc1ent
, t' cular But because
. ,
d 'g to some cntIca ' , ,
have completed vanous c l'k d to ha;e written a clear and on. Though I would have, 1 e Madh amaka, I have
detailed, introductlO: no great differ-
not achIeved It. But, none t e , plete the Cycle of
ence. If it had been possible ever to com ) l't would have , ' 1 St t (an,\)ug-sems skor
Mind m Us Natura a e o·_. /' I' 'ng the entire teach- , l' 'fi nce en1ven1
been of great, 1ca ,h I thought I might achieve
ing, without partIalIty. h' final age the barbarians
mantra In par 1
mapa are feeble, as a rule" v:e larCe1,mrcumstances I have been
an , forth Under such condltlOnS, I ave greatly allmg, and so h' beneficial. None the less, I hardly thought to d,o expositions, and so
it, still it is not finished. Now, mdt IS ,l teaching. For
h 1 are close to un erm1ning , beyond tepa e h ' no point whatsoever In my this and other reasons, t ere IS
old
uch afflicted by obstacles, h
MiphamJamyang Namgyel Gyarntso 879
880 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
deliberately abandoned the cares of this life. The great personages among the guru's spiritual sons have to make great en-
deavours to to discover earth
Although thIS dented works including esoteric instructIons treasures many unprece . t . and ritual collections concerning the stages of creatIOn and per
which were especially necessary, poured as the 0 IS
. ' d he propagated them as treatIses. Therelore, e was a
IntentIOn, an fi d ho held lished king among treasure- In ers, one w
Conclusion
accomP I'S dommIOn over what ,
in truth store of profound intention.
the king of all treasures, the expansive
,
So it is that the doctrinal collections of the close lineages of profound treasures preserve an inconceivable number [of teachings]. These are exemplified by the treasure troves, the foremost of which contain the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Gathering of Intentions, and Vajrakfla (bka'-dgongs-phur-gsum), and each of which also includes [its own ver- sions of] the Trio ofthe Guru, Great Perfection and Great Compassionate One. Because the accounts of the descent of so many lineages are indeed limitless, it is not possible to describe them here. If the reader wishes to know of them in detail, they may be learned from the histories of each respective treasure, from the records of the teachings received by their respective [masters], and so forth.
This completes the brief exposition of the accounts of the exceedingly profound, close lineages of the treasures, the sixth part of this book, Thunder from the Great Conquering Battle-Drum of Devendra, which is a history of the precious teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School.
Part "Seven A Rectification ofMisconceptions Concerning the Nyingma School
Introduction
[719. 1-2] Now, the errors of those partisans who, in the past, have wrongly viewed the teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School must be refuted.
1 General Reply to Criticisms of the Nyingmapa Tantras
[719. 2-736. 1] There were a multitude of utterly profound tantrapitaka which arose in Tibet, in proportion to the authentic merits of those to be trained in that glacial land. They did so because of the extraordinary enlightened aspiration of Trhisong Detsen, the divine king of the Land of Snows who was an emanation of sublime and due to the blessings of the great accomplished master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others. Among them were the unsurpassed secret mantra derived from the three lineages, including [those derived from] the Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance,1228 which are the essence of the spirituality of many ejukinls and holders of awareness, and which are beyond the range of ordinary persons. Therefore, those [teachings] are worthy of approval, and the biographies of the ancient religious kings and of the great emanational translators and scholars ought to be respected.
So it was that [Trhisong Detsen], the emanational king, sought to kindle the lamp of the doctrine when Tibet was an abode of darkness, occupied by barbarians who did not possess even a reflection of the teaching, and who were miserable because, to their misfortune, they had to seek lasting refuge in those who preached a violent religion, granting only occasional, ephemeral happiness. Even then, the irresist- ible hurricane of strife's machinations, [instigated by] pernicious and unworthy beings, almost brought other forces into power. But at that time all the venomous deities and ogres were subdued by the compassion of the great master Padmasambhava who enabled the Tibetans to prac- tise the doctrine as they liked. Temples were built, doctrinal centres were established, and with great endeavour the ways of the doctrine were instituted amongst the Tibetans, who had little aptitude even for learning the doctrinal terminology, which previously had been un- known.
At the outset [these masters] began by examining whether or not [the Tibetans] could maintain monastic vows, and they laid a firm foundation for the Buddha's precious teaching, the path of omniscience.
888 They
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. cor us of doctrines belongmg to the translated an oceamc pThe collected fragments, corrected
masters from the domains of the gods, nagas, 4akinls and so on, as well as from various great places of pilgrimage including the Sahor and Shambhala regions ofJambudvlpa, Mount Malaya in Lanka, 044iyana, and the Dravi4a country; and later they were introduced to India. Therefore, tantras are not unauthentic by definition merely be- cause they did not exist in India. Even though some [of the ancient tantras] might have been found [in India], they would not have been seen by someone making just an occasional journey there [as the later translators did]. For, while the emanational translators and scholars of the past who were abiding on the sublime levels voyaged throughout the twenty-four lands1229 and elsewhere by means ofmiraculous abilities, ordinary persons could not travel to them. This is why the great scholar Rongzompa, with whom even the great lord Atisa had declared himself unable to discuss the doctrine, said that the ancient translations of the secret mantra were superior to the later translations in six ways: 1230
First, concerning the greatness of the benefactors who intro- duced them: Since the benefactors of the ancient translation period were the three ancestral religious kings, who were the sublime Lords of the Three Families in kingly guise, they were unlike the benefactors of the later translation period.
Second, concerning the locations in which they were trans- lated and established: Since the ancient translations were accomplished in such emanated temples as Samye and the other doctrinal centres of the past, high and low,1231 they are unlike those translated in the monastic grottoes oftoday.
Third, concerning the distinctions of the translators: Those doctrines were translated by emanational translators, the translators of the past such as Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, Zhang Yeshe De, Ma Rincen-chok, and Nyak Jfianakumara. Thus, they are unlike the made by the translators of today, who pass the summer in Mangytil and travel to India and Nepal for a short time during the winter.
Fourth, concerning the distinctions of the scholars [who supervised the ancient translations]: Those doctrines were introduced by buddhas and sublime bodhisattvas abiding on the great levels, [namely,] the scholars of the past such as the preceptor Buddhaguhya, the great mas- ter Padmakara and the great paIf4ita Vimalamitra. Thus, they were unlike the scholars of today who wander about in search of gold.
Fifth, concerning the distinctions ofthe blossoms [offered] as the basis for commissioning [the translations]: In the past the doctrines were requested with offerings of gold weighed
Tripilaka and to the mastered the path, defective texts, establIshed the g d h ughout the kingdom by means and caused [the ? octrine] opportunity to practise freely
of study, exegesIS, and me was due to the kindness of the
l·b f n and omnISCIence h
the path to 1 era 10 _ . a the master [Padmasambhava], t e re-
a n c i e n t p r e c e p t o r ] ] ' ligious king [Trhisong Detsen , an
d t h e e m a n a t i o n a l t r a n s l a t o r s a n d
scholars.
The Author, Dudjom Rinpoche
. . . wonder that the learned proponents of For thIS reason It IS no I f the later period also man-
. d the trans ators 0
philosophIcal systems an . h th whose tradition had
b
een aged to follow, without dIfficulty, tepa d to contribute to it by
established by those ones some jealouS pers. ons means of their own mtellects. I · that certain of the anCIent created discord by, for example, ebc anng they did not exist in India.
d· tantras had been compose m
Tibet ecause
h t tras l·n India did not prove
of t ose an d· d·d h· h did exist in In la I
. However the non-exIstenCe
, . E them to be unauthentic.
n the tantras w IC . h d rou ht forth by great accomplIs e
ve
not originate there: they were b g
The Nyingmapa Tantras 889
890
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
out in deerskin pouches, or by the measure. Thus, they were unlike the requests made [by disciples of] the present day with one or two gold bits drawn from under their own arms. 1232
Sixth, concerning the distinctions of the itself: The translations of the past were completed at a time when the doctrine of the Buddha had reached its zenith in India. Furthermore, there were tantras which did not even exist in India proper, which were retained by bodhisattvas, ac- complished masters, awareness-holders and Qakinls who had obtained their empowerments. They were taken from pure lands, and from regions of Jambudvlpa such as Siilghala and Oddiyana in the west, through the arrayed miraculous pow- 'of the great master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others, and then translated [in Tibet]. Thus, many [doc- trines] which were completely unknown to the scholars and accomplished masters of India arrived to become the meritorious fortune of Tibet.
Furthermore, concerning the translations themselves: Since the translators of the past were emanations, theyestab- lished the meanings correctly. For this reason their works are easy to understand and, on plumbing their depths, the blessing is great. But the translators of the later period were unable to render the meaning and made lexical translations following [merely] the arrangement of the Sanskrit texts. Consequently, their forced terminology is hard to under- stand, and on plumbing the depths the blessing is slight. Therefore, they are dissimilar.
During the later expansion of the teaching in Tibet, . it became. the fashion for everyone who possessed the intellectual skIll and a httle gold to travel to India and Nepal. If they had gone exclusively the sake of the teaching and sentient beings it would have been admirable, but most of them were jealous men who set their feet in motion because they desired to become scholars, hankered after t. he of others, sought to win fame, or were jealously competmg WIth own gurus, or with spiritual benefactors of similar fortune. ThIS can. be ascertained from the incident during Marpa's travels, when a threw all his books into the river. 1233 For these reasons, the all-knOWing Rongzompa said:
When the doctrine of the Buddha was at its zenith, the emanational translators established [the texts of] the trans- mitted precepts without error. Then, they adorned those doctrines in many ways which served to complete them, and which established the actual condition of the knowable. But
the charlatan translators of the present day made various reforms in the ancient translations, saying, "I am the better translator. My sources are more venerable! " And so, mis- representing the transmitted precepts of the Buddha and the
teachings oftheir gurus, they all compose their own doctrines. They heap abuse upon one another for their faults.
Means for the Attamment 0 alJ. k Sheldrak Odzong, the yellow sgrub-skor), among others; : : n s ; ; :he Attainment of Amitayus and
means for attamment belongmg . r h Mother Consort of the Secret h 7: ittedPreceptsOJ te )
Consort and t. 1 h. b-bka'yum-bka'i sgrub-skor shog-ser ,
Innermost Spzntualuy (gsang-t z? ya 1 reness-ho1ders 1195 and so . f h· t n Immorta awa ,
the longevity pIlls 0 t lr ee h also found an indescribable n Together with each treasure trove e 1 b.
o . . 1 brme sacramenta 0 Jects.
number of exceedmg y su 1 . hl. ch did not come into
t"ll certam treasures w
Moreover, there s 1 . time and circumstance, though they
the master's . by t the venerable Khyentse Rin-
were within hIS dommIOn. ue tOto the treasure guardians, the
poche's proclamation s ommissioned and discovered
C
treasure-finder Lerap Lmgpa was d b the great treasure-finder
Khyentse Wangpo fell ill. That the time to discover the remaining portion was lost appears to have been the fault of the feeble merits of
h t 0 were extracte
some; and ot ers, 0 , h Chogyur Lingpa. These were t en
y . . ded over to the master [Jamgon
the world at large. 1197
During that period, whatever first arose in the venerable Jamgon
Kongtrtil] himself.
On such occasions as these, at t ou
tset in conformity with the ld begin by collaborating
prophetic inventories, two. J way. When the profound
in the performance of vanous tO . .
. h· posseSSIOn, Jamgon
Kongtrtil gave them all to
treasures came mto IS
.
C'
The latter too belore an
d
h
after arrayed many ceremon . . K tru. . l was bringing fort t e
the venerable K
yentse
W ngpo to mspect. a . f'C'.
" . 1 nd mandalas of matena
h h
Kongtriil's mind subsequently developed effortlessly, like the flow of a river. I;>akinls congregated and many other extraordinary omens oc- curred. Once, at dawn, he experienced a clear vision in which there
appeared a perfectly arrayed temple. Inside ofit sat one who, he thought, was Guru Rinpoche in essence, but the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche
in form, and Whose body of light, [the coalescence of] appearance and emptiness, revealed no definite form. Jamgon Kongtriil bowed down in reverence and repeated after Khyentse Rinpoche the refuge, cultiva-
tion of the enlightened attitUde, and sevenfold service according to the
Daily Yoga of the Awareness-holder Crig-'dzin rgyun-gyi rnal-'byor).
Khyentse Rinpoche, having performed the creation of the deity and the invocation of bleSSing, then took up a vase and placed it on the
an
131feast0lenngsa . . h h
' . 1 hnJamgonong
offering. In partlcu ar, w e h . . r the Three Roots Intentwn
. f the Gat enng OJ h
great doctnnal treasure 0 f£ rings of gifts. Previously, w en Khyentse Rinpoche made profuse 0 e
,.
866 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
crown of Jamgon Kongtriil's head. He conferred on him the secret empowerment consisting of the "enlightened mind" [produced] in union with a consort. In the empowerment of discerning pristine cognition,
he entrusted him with awareness in the form of a woman. Then, Khyentse Rinpoche projected forth from his heart a crystal and showed
it to Jamgon Kong
from the depths, like a piece of crystal. Whatever arises is the expression
of luminosity, spontaneously present, just like the luminouS glow of a crystal radiating outwards. " Having conferred introduction on him that way,\198 his body vanished. Then, reappearing in the form of an active
heruka, he instantly summoned the protectors of the transmitted pre-
cepts and treasures, so that it was as if [the place] was seething with on
, Jamgon Kongt "zLo
gnmage, and, in conformit . ru dro Thaye 867
aged [to discover] th ' y WIth them, Chogyur Lin
open their gates H e gUidebooks to these pilgrim gpa was encour-
of the Twenty-ji;e Padrak he discovered and to open the gates to tho : gnmage Places, due to which ham nventory
following the orders th aces of pilgrimage, and so fort: able to d,tIOns of the lac e venerable Khyentse Rin . oreover, of pilgrimage :rP es of pIlgrimage at Aliii Peldeu all the con- bythesupremeJewar. 'whIchISanadjunctofTsand t egreatplace
Th amgon Kongtriil.
Kong
(lam-z
triil
ab
recitational transmission,
When Jamgo
triil
, saying, "All things are primordially pure, clear
Kongtriil was entrusted with their transmitted precepts. Then, after Khyentse Rin- poche had granted permissory initiation and the entrustment of his
instructions, Jamg
prophetic inventories, at the end of which he was roused from this spiritual experience. During the song of indestructible reality at [a
subsequent] feast offering blissful heat forcefully arose within him and he grew exhilarated. Other signs marking the great descent of blessing
also emerged,
The yellow scroll of the Father Consort and Mother Consort, [Trans-
mitted Precepts] of the Secret Innermost Spirituality (gsang-thig yab-yum)
was also established with the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche. Jamgon
himself established the Seven Chapters on the Profound Path /e'u-bdun-ma) and had a pure vision of one Pema Rikdzin, in the guise of Guru Padmasambhava, who thrice conferred on him its
Kongtriil reported to the venerable guru [Khyentse Rinpoche] that he had reason to discover, at Dagam Wangpuk, the Doctrinal Cycle of the Means for the Attainment of the Seven Lines (tshig-
bdun sgrub-thabs-kyi chos-skor) in the form of a pure vision and aural lineage, he was offered representative symbols of the five wheels of inexhaustible ornament, as well as writing materials, and was encour-
aged to establish it. Accordingly, when he had mostly completed its establishment the twO masters together performed the feast offering of the emanational body, Saroruhavajra, and the venerable Khyentse Rin-
poche experienced extraordinary visions,
When he established the Means for the Attainment of TroW Cgro-lod
sgrub-thabs) at the "tiger den" of Rongme Karmo, the tWO masters performed feast offerings together, at which time the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche had a vision of tWO huge scorpions, white and
black. He said that it was a portent of great severity1199
Clear visions arose in which the "palaces" of both Tsandra Rincen Trak and Dzongsho Deshek Diipa appeared to be great places of pil-
Katok, Pelyiil, Z::ce: individuals Un schools Dyapa, Gelukpa, Drigungpa Taklu cen, a ong with adherents
. . Irectly and indir I . ' ngpa and Karma Ka kmdness and by ect y, h,S service to livin b ' mtsang
tured], expanded sacramental by tf:hat WIdeth d Ionssothathis rh anuac-
their presence. At Khyentse Rinpoche's order Jamg
on
. e oor for all connections with h' en Ig tened activity opened urIng hIS empowerments' 1m to be meaningful
n
Kongtriil heard many verses, which seemed like
D
and so forth, there were of great attainment, feast s
e empowerments d ' , established b J " a n transmISSIOns worthy dis 'YI amgon Kongtrtil spread far
. CIPes,whowereh d d
ra,. were mdicated d '
clodmbmon: nectar boiled; °flmens which all could
u esensed ,ver owed;thef ' clouds sh at a great dIstance' there ragrance of elIxir
, owersoffl ,w ere canop' f ' ;:;ithrough the he
h
'ld ppearances as truly e '
,m stone, Because he dI'd eII d
ImpreSSIOns of his hand d notgraspa san
ve as a destroyer of b
bheen clearly stated in the In particular, t at h,S hfe would b IC mventory ofhis r £ a tructible reality and by means h. e hprolonged the dura'tIon of his rf,IS energy channeIs and currents eIg ty-seventh year his complexion 1 e,. so that when he reached grew clear again. In the less became youthful and
lOner greatness, were the SIgns of his accomplish-
IS manner Jamgon K " Y proven,
sonal d d ' ongtrul compl t d tor he
1899 (t:eenSt' hhIS eighty-seventh year T'h td while, his per-
y-Slxt da I , u r s ay 28 D
panied by m y, e eventh month earth . ecember
into the ex any wonderful miracles he withd Pflg yea,r),1201 accom- . panse ofthe mind of h '. . rew rom h,S bodil ar
III the western Citadel of _ t e spIrItual warrior ThopeI' T antapurI,1202
The number of di '
great mas ,sclples who issued from h
Yb ray urn utsel
fearless rr::;t:ra mconceivable, but amon; :nd mind of this
guru and di . Khyentse Wangpo S· ehoremost was the J
SCIP e to one another, the h' mce, t ey both were as armOlllOUS reputation of
of
the
d collections
an WIde among II h'
L' ages ofthe Treasures 868 History: Close me
" ,,1203 has been as well
"1
ho were both Jamgons 1 d the wind, to everyone from, earne
"Khyentse and Kongtru w
known up to, the present day the districts of Tlbet and
scholars to slmple cowherds,
, h' to others who Kham. d his entlre teac lngs .
Jamgon Kongtriil also entruste h h Iders ofthe Kagytipa teaChlng, became his true regents, namely, to t e °Drukpa Drigungpa, and Tak- including [the masters of) the being ;he fourteenth and fifd
lungpa subsects, ,among the Karmapa, and the tenth
th successive lllcarnatlons of a a and Ngorpa teachlllg,
teen h T-a'i Situ' to the holders of the SakYWp 0 1204 and Dzongsar elevent ' J g Loter angp . f including Thartse Ponlop reat holders of the teachlllg 0
. Cho}'e Ktinga Jamyang, to g M' ham Jamyang Namgyel, Ngan . nSh 1suchas lp . d
the Ancient Translatlo c, 0 0 , and the lords of my own the treasure-finder Lerap Llllgpa'1 _ the venerable Gyurme Ngedon family [i. e. my own root, gurus i un ne; and also to many
Wangpo and Jedrung rGelukpa school), reme individuals among the lWO "me and Trayap Dongtrtil Khec? Yeshe Kongpel, the preceptor ofhGYu all the innumerable major
Ngawang Tamco Gyamtso. In s and experienced masters, and and minor learned rea the region from Central
'rl'tual benefactors dunng that era,
Spl h er lower an T 'bet and Tsang to t e u p p , h
1 no one w 0 it appears that there was
disciple.
26 Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso
d ml'ddle districts of Dokam,
d'd not become hlS persona
1
,1
[693. 6-713. 5] Mipham Jamyang Namgyel Gyamtso,1205 the great prom- ulgator of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School was born in 1846 (fire horse year, fourteenth cycle) at a place well known as Yacu Tingcung, on the banks of the slow-flowing [Yalung] River in Dokam. His father was Gonpo Targye of the Lha clan of Ju, and his mother was Mukpodongza Singcungma. His paternal uncle, On Lama Perna Targye, conferred the name Mipham Gyamtso as a crown upon him.
From his childhood he naturally possessed all the powers of the enlightened family of the greater vehicle, such as faith, renunciation, discriminative awareness, and compassion. From his sixth or seventh year he memorised the Ascertainment of the Three Vows and studied the preliminaries of astrology and divination. From about his tenth year on, he had an unobstructed command of reading and writing, and so he began to make all kinds of oral compositions. From the beginning of his twelfth year, he lived as an ordinary student and monk at Mehor Sa-nga Choling in Ju, which was a branch monastery of Zecen [Zhecen] Tenyi Targye Ling, in the doctrinal lineage of Orgyen Mindroling. At that time he was praised by all as a learned young monk.
In his fifteenth year Mipham studied for some days an ancient text of the Svarodaya and he learned it completely after praying to MafijusrI. He propitiated MafijusrI in the form of V§dlsirpha for eighteen months at the hermitage of Junyung and, by performing the pill rites (ril-bu'i las-sbyor),1206 he obtained extraordinary signs [of accomplishment]. From then on he did not fail to master whatever texts he chanced to examine, including those concerning siitras, mantras, and sciences. Therefore, he said that he did not have to study anything apart from simple exegetical transmissions. 1207
When he was in his seventeenth year disturbances in Nyarong caused all the nomadic herdsmen to migrate to Golok, and the venerable Mipham went there, toO. 1208 From about this time he became known for his great skill in arithmetic (sa_ris). 1209
870 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures 1 G _ . accom anied his maternal unc e yur
. ' toCentra 1e zang on a pllgnmage
From Peltrtil Orgyen Jikme Choki Wangpo, Mipham received the discriminative awareness chapter of the Introduction -to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva (Ch. 9) in five days, whereupon he totally mastered the words and meaning of the text in its entirety. Later, he also composed the Commentary on the Discriminative Awareness Chapter (sher-tfk), and so forth. 1211
In particular, practising the three means to delight the guru, he at- tended on the lotus feet of Perna Osel Do-nga Lingpa, or Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo, who was the lord of his enlightened family [i. e. his root guru] owing to connections established through the deeds 'of his former lives. This master regarded Mipham as his unique inner spiritual son; so, having first given him the permissory initiation of White Maii-
jusrf according to the System of kfati, he opened for him the gateways of the doctrine. From that time onwards, as if filling a pot to the brim, Khyentse Rinpoche bestowed on Mipham many approaches to the ordinary and special textual traditions, the especially sublime texts of the sutras and of the mantras which had come down through his close lineages, and all the maturation, liberation, supporting transmis- sions, esoteric instructions, practical techniques, and guidance which lays bare the teaching, for all transmitted precepts, treasures, and pure visions belonging to the most secret vehicle of indestructible reality.
Moreover, at one time or another, he received the ordinary sciences from Jamgon Lodro Thaye, including the Grammar of Candragomin and the methods for refining mercury, as well as such special maturing empowerments and liberating instructions as those of Maiijusrf) Lord of Life) Iron-like and Iron-evil ('jam-dpal tshe-bdag lcags-'dra lcags- sdig). 1212 From many spiritual benefactors, including Padmavajra, the preceptor of Dzokcen Monastery, he received limitless cycles ofteaching concerning the sutras, mantras, and sciences. He did not just receive these teachings and leave it at that, but he truly cultivated them experi- entially. Primarily because Mipham had trained himself well during innumerable lives and so possessed the cultivated potential of the posit- ive enlightened family, and secondly, since [that potential] had been totally aroused by the guru's compassion and power to transfer the blessing of his intention, Mipham thoroughly mastered all the profound and vast topics of the Sugata's scriptures, by means of the four modes of genuine individual awareness, and without contradicting the four kinds of reliance. Thus, he mastered the vision of naturally present pristine cognition, which is extensive as the sky, and liberated the eight great treasures of brilliance.
From the spiritual benefactor Ju-on Jikme Dorje, Mipham received the transmission of the root text of the Verse Summation ofthe Transcend- ental Perfection ofDiscriminative Awareness, and immediately afterwards he discoursed upon it for one month. Then, when he studied the
In his eighteenth year Mlpham 1 T'b Pt during which he attended a
. ' monastlc college at a . Lh d k while on a side-tnp dunng w lC
. G nden Monastery
h' h
when he went to Kharcu ill ? l , e places in the south, ordinary
he travelled to many of the :1 appeared arose as the union
appearances were transforme an lW s he experienced the warmth of . . ess For severa day . f h 1 le
ofbhssandemptln. . d b theblesslng0 t at oca .
bliss He maintained that thlS seeme t. o. e ' n which a volume entitled . hh hadapureVislon1 .
On the road nort ell-Seeing Svarodaya dbyangs- the Crystal Mtrror of. the Great A e into his hands. How thlS took place
'char chen-mo shel-g)i2 me-long) cam k
is clearly stated at the end of that wor . "
'-
\. . . -
hTh for about one mont. en,
. . . ' fWh'teMan)uSn
according to the System of Matt signs of accomplishment
Lapkyapgon Wangcen Gyerap se during both the conferral
which are described in that text Yaro e 'of the subsequent "bean- d the penormanc M' h 's
of the empowermen;. an ) 1210 In this way the lotus of lP am sprout rites" 1 las-sbyor .
MiphamJamyangNamgyelGyamtso
.
On his return he received the
inltlatlOn 0 • '. I -dkar-gyi rjes-gnang) from
discernment blossomed.
MiphamJamyang Namgyel Gyamtso 871
872 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Introduction to the Madhyamaka under Ngawang lungne, the spiritual benefactor of Bumsar, he requested only the exegetical transmission, so as not to trouble that master. On the very day the master completed the exegetical transmission, he ordered Mipham to sit for an examina- tion. Starting from the very beginning, Mipham explained the Introduc- tion to the Madhyamaka with the result that the spiritual benefactor praised him in the midst of the assembly, saying, "Though I have obtained the title 'spiritual benefactor', I do not even possess a fraction of his intellect! "
In the presence of Ponlop Loter Wangpo he studied the Treasury of Logical Reason (tshad-ma rigs-gter); and from Solpon Perna he received the exegetical transmissions of varied texts, including the Doctrines of Maitreya and the Bodhisattva Level, through their continuous lineages alone. Immediately afterwards, Mipham gave extensive discourses upon them. Illustrated in this way, all the meanings of the siitras, tantras, and the commentaries on their intention poured forth spontaneously from his mind. He roamed freely, like a fearless lion, in the midst of the multitudes who propounded myriad textual traditions. That he was unimpeded in teaching, discourse, composition of textual comment- aries, and so forth, was demonstrably visible to all. No one at all could deny it.
The master himself said:
During my childhood there were many excellent spiritual benefactors of the ancient and new traditions alive, so it was like an era in which the wheel of the doctrine was turned. None the less, I did not study much apart from, in Peltriil Rinpoche's presence, the discriminative awareness chapter of the Introduction to the Conduct ofa Bodhisattva. Later, by the kindness of my guru and that of my favoured deity, the hard points of texts would become unravelled without great difficulty when I merely read over them. Moreover, during the beginning of my studies I found it easier to learn the works of the new schools and the texts of the ancient schools seemed hard to understand. Still, this being solely due to my own lack of understanding, I thought that these profound texts of the lineage of awareness-holders certainly harboured great essential points of true understanding. Apart from that, I did not experience the arising of doubts even for a moment. In consequence, my own discriminative awareness came to be fully mature. Later, when I looked at them, I saw that all the profound essential points were only to be found in the doctrinal traditions which had been transmitted through the precious lineages of the Ancient Translation School; so especially great certainty was born within me.
MiPhamJamyan N,
During that same p . d g amgyel Gyamtso 873
of indestructible realiteyno , the lord of refuges and hold m ' Khyentse R' h er . e to compose some textbooks ac e, commanded
tlOn. . ToComplywiththe ur'cormgtoOUrowntradi- own mtellect, holding onlY:h u s and to enrich my
querors in my heart I e precIOUS teaching of the co S-t ' composed n- u ra cycles and so forth Wh'l I some textbOoks on the
thetent f . 1ewassodoi I
e s 0 OUr own traditi ng, emphasised
some extent. But [the adh on, and expounded them to systems took them to be of] the other philosophical and so forth arriVed from and later many critical a been motivated to . . a quarters. Yet in fact I
co wnte m orde fi
and with the ho e r to. u fil my guru's
I? unng the present day the there bemg some benefit. tlOn School has almost b of the Ancient Transla- no light], a painted butter lamp
and . 1? qUlre as to just what are few W? O even consider tradItIOn's philosophical the essentIal points of Our other traditions. Apart rather, most simply imitate
such motivations as I never felt, even in
nons, or self-congratulatory 1It? towards other tradi- Pn
those Who possess the eye of . e. [m my own] - if even me, I have nothing of wh' h pnstme cognition gaze upon
As for What I h . IC to be ashamed! tI ave wntten in
so orth: Since I have not ob . response to my critics and Who are sublime how c 1 tamed the attributes of those fundities of d I ever understand all the pro-
be proven, or less, if I state what may precepts of the lure ymg upon the immaculate theIr mtention, which are the the commentaries on
promulgators of India and T'b amp-lIke Words of the great selftoo h . 1et,andbyexa. .
. ' ,w at IS reasonable stIll be of some benefit to otb an
d mmmg for my-
what unreasonable, it may
can benefit Whom If I ers, though I have no idea who . . were to c
mItted precepts and the c the profound trans- of my own lack of on their intention s. tandmg, I would be closin erstandmg and wrong under-
lIberation' and b g the door to the path ofm
ld ' ,ecause many oth y own
only bring eternal ruin ers would be misled, I greater fault that that Th tI on . them.
There can be no eye of the doctrine ore, If those Who POSsess the
and logic, I with correct scriptural uch persons must neve b Y upon them like dOctors t h e s e r e a s o n s , i t i s W i t h : £ o u t o f h o s t i l i t y . F o ;
wou
entered into debate. aIr mmd that I have sometimes
l',
874 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Therefore, when those who are most sublime repudiate the wrong understandings of others and so forth, in order to preserve perfectly the treasury of the true doctrine, it is done in association with a great purpose. Just so, after the debate between the supreme scholar Lozang Rapsel and this master, in which they had alternately sent one another refined gifts of eloquence, their minds merged, and they scattered the
12l3
flowers of mutual praise.
When Mipham Rinpoche was looking over the Exposition of Valid
Cognition he had a dream in which one who was Sakya PaJ)gita in essence appeared to him in the guise of a learned and accomplished master from India, the tip of his nose slightly crooked, and said, "What is there that you do not understand in the Exposition ofValid Cognition? It has two parts, refutation and proof. " Then, he divided a volume of the Exposition ofValid Cognition into two parts and handed it to Mipham, saying, "Combine these two together! " No sooner had he combined them than they turned into a sword, and all things that may be known appeared before him. Swinging that sword once, it clearly appeared to Mipham that he cut through them all in an instant, without impediment. Consequently, he said, there was not a single word in the Exposition of Valid Cognition which he did not understand.
On perusing the Root Text of the Vinaya Sutra for the first time, Mipham found it a little hard to understand. Later, when he was reading once over the books of the Kangyur, he read the thirteen volumes of the Vinaya one time, owing to which, he said, there was nothing at all which he did not understand in the Root Text of the Vinaya Sutra.
Moreover, regarding such uncommon, profound points as the distinc- tions between the older and later [schools of] Tibet, without poring over books, and so forth, the channels of his awareness opened up when he was absorbed in the rites of service and attainment, and he was blessed by the guru and his favoured deity, owing to which [the knowledge of those topics] naturally arose in his mind. Therefore, he said that there was no way whatsoever for him not to write.
Once, on an auspicious day, the venerable Khyentse Rinpoche had volumes containing the fine texts of the sutras, mantras, and sciences, ofwhich the continuous transmissions were rare, and the subject-matter important, arranged on the altar; and then he made vast offerings. He had the venerable Mipham sit before them on top of a high throne covered with a kaptse I214 and empowered him as master of the doctrine, saying, "I am entrusting the transmitted precepts of these books to you. Hereafter, you must preserve them without decline by means of teaching, debate, and composition. You must clarify the precious teach- ing of the Conqueror in this world system for a long time! " Then, he was given valuable offerings representing the buddha-body, speech and mind, including a scroll-painting of White Tara and a handwritten
prayer for his continuing longevity, which was based on his various
MiPham]amyan N,
and, as a sign of thO g amgyel Gyamtso 875
hIm the 10 IS empowerment th
throned pa1). gita hat which he himself gave
speakin IS true regent and praised hi Y Wore, and so en- present voenerable while
Mlph If . am.
ne on the ea th ' t the one wrote of the r more learned than
a text the size of of his successive lives not tf
fromareI'bi
la e SOurce.
ISPeasedbyitnow"Th' 1 g could . IS ast story I heard
Peltrnl Rinpoche
Jamgon Yonten Gyamtso [ '"
t? e mahapa1J4ita Mipham G Kongtrul Rmpoche] also spoke of h'
SlOns of Ml'ph' yamtsoandreceivedth .
C amsown D 'l eexegetIcalt
ognition (tsh d- etaz ed Exegesis of th E " the Eight Tr, a n:a rnam-'grel-gyi rnam-bshad) e xpo:ltZon
1mas .
ransmlS-
o f V alid
o Precepts (bka'-b d none occaslO J rgya
' the Detazled Exegesis 01' rnam-bsh d) 'J
eXpressd napaDo-nga,agreatsh
MI' h e, the opinion that there P am s Co
a ,andsoforth olar ofthe new traditions 1215
'? ,mmentary on the D'
ntroductwn to the Cond ,I' ISCnmznatzve Awareness Ch In
c
were some' I' ,
" , mva Id arguments '
uctOJ aBodhisattva"( " apterofthe SPyod- Jug sher-le'i 'grel-
876 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
pa). The best of learned, dignified and accomplished masters, Peltriil Rinpoche, was secured as a witness and they debated for many days. Ordinary persons could not tell who was the victor and who the loser, except to say which arguments agreed with their own opinions. At that point one Lama Rikcok asked Peltrtil Rinpoche which of the two was victorious. He answered, "1 neither know how to decide it, nor how to conclude it. There is a worldly proverb which goes, 'A son is not praised by his father, but by his enemy. A daughter is not praised by her mother, but by the neighbourhood. ' Just so, during the early part of the dispute Do-nga's monks told me that they clearly saw a ray of light emanate from the heart of Lama Mipham's image of MafijusrI- which is the representation of his meditational deity, and vanish into the lama's heart. That sums it all up. "
At that time, too, Peltrul Rinpoche gave them this command, "Japa Do-nga has written a commentary on [the line]: Great Perfection is the matrix of all pristine cognition. 1216 It seems that some consider it to be refutable and others provable. Therefore, conduct a direct exchange on it. "
The venerable Mipham was victorious, whereupon Peltrul Rinpoche authorised him to compose exegetical commentaries on the tantras, transmissions, and esoteric instructions. 1actually heard this story from the lord of my own enlightened family, Ling Lama Chojor Gyamtso, who was the personal disciple of both these masters [Peltrul Rinpoche and Mipham Rinpoche].
Later, at the king among places of attainment, the "tiger den" of Karmo, Mipham Rinpoche planted the banner of attainment for a period ofthirteel} years. Above all, when he performed the ritual service of MafijusrI-Yamantaka, Lord of Life, the deity on whom, in accord with his fortune, his flower had alighted, it is said that there arose, without exception, all the signs which are described in the texts. Moreover, when he passed many years in retreat he never recited, he said, a single rosary mechanically, or with eyes distracted, but [remained absorbed] one-pointedly in the yogas of creation and perfection, as they are explained in the texts.
One time, Mipham went into Khyentse Rinpoche's presence. "How did you apply yourself to experiential cultivation when you stayed in retreat? " he was asked.
"While pursuing my studies", Mipham answered, "1 made conclusive investigations, and while performing the ritual service of the medita- tional deity in retreat 1 have taken care to see that 1 have reached the limits of the stage of creation. "
"Those are difficult. The great all-knowing Longcenpa said, 'Not doing anything, you must come to rest right where you are. ' 1 have done just that. By so resting I have not seen anything with white flesh and a ruddy complexion that can be called the 'face of mind'. None
. . Mipham Jamyang N amgyel Gyamtso 877 the If I w. ere . to dIe now it would be all ri
a gram of trepIdatIOn. " So saying Kh R? ht. I do not have even
Mipham[later]saidthatheunders;ood b aloud. a
By emphasising [the yogas of] th . d 0 e t. e guru s mstruction.
f · e m estructlble bod d . perfectIOn, the pulses of his ac . y, unng the
stage 0
and large, purified in the expanse ofth
· h
upon MIp am experienced th .
tlve e1nergy currents were, by e centra energy cha I Th
emergent, pristine cognition that' .
.
e true mner radIance
nne. ere- h
- e natural, co-
at its inception by the four d l' blIss - whIch is illustrated e
[in which] bliss and emptiness ts an I the four modes of emptiness
upon the yogas of the Great P five esced]. Most of all, by relying . er ectIOn [namel ] C .
ReSIstance in primordial purit (k -d kh y, unmg Through sing Realisation of spontaneouY a ag regs-chod) and the All-Surpas-
reached the limits of reality thod-rgal), he visibly
investigation Thereby he ' 1 ouht eavmg It to be an intellectual . cameto old
conduct as the play of buddha-b d d over and power of totally refining the y an pnstme co. gnItion. 1217 By the
into the "cloud-mass wheel of of hIS energy channels of meditation burst forth from th es t e121Isscernment that is born all that is profoundly significant expanse, 0ipham arrayed
form of treatises: the Cycle 0 EUlo i:treasures hIS mtention, in the
rtogs-bljod-kyi skor) which '! . g s Narratzves (bstod-tshogs dang
sing; the Gllcle ofCommon nsehto faIth, the entrance-way to bles- 'J czences(t un-mo' k .
removes doubts about knowl d ' ng rzg-gnas- yz skor), which ofInner Meaning (nang-don the. Cycle ofthe Sciences vast embarkation point on the or , IS the profound and Dedicatory Prayers and Bened' lIberatIOn; the Cycle of
which supports the prolonged shzs-bryod-kyi skor), ence, pervasiveness and e eac mg, and the perman-
The thirty-two presence of all that is good. many subdivisions, are four general with their of the excellent major marks h tel: number bemg equal to that
the teaching of the Con - . ave, as It were, granted vital force to . queror m general d h .
AnCIent Translation School . ' . I ,an to t e teachmg of the
So it was that Mipham ar, at ve:y point of death. experientially and bet '. e all, cultlvatmg the two stages
, , weenseSSIOnsofpra t' esoteric instructions in the fi f . c Ice,
b .
estowlng all sorts of
orm 0 treatIses Th
1912 (thirteenth day first h . en, on n ay 1 March
F 'd
Beginning on about '6 . ' ;;rater mouse year), he left his retreat.
grew weary owing to certain teenth of that same month), he
of Saturday 9 March (t fiollowing:
fiP asant VISItOrs, and, on the morning wenty- Irst day) h
' e spontaneously wrote the
Namo Maiijusrfsattvaya!
[HomagetoM -' /- h
anJusfl, t e spiritual warrior! ]
878
History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
Having mastered the oceanic conduct
Of the conquerors' sons
In Abhirati1219 and other pure lands ,
I vow to maintain a compassionate mmd For living beings throughout space,
Wh'l space itself endures,
1e d f doctrine in this degenerate age,
As a propoun er 0
oppressed for seventeen years,
without respite, h Is By a severe ailment of the inner energy c anne .
U to now I have dwelt in this world, relying on this basket,
The body of appantIon. , d' But now I perceive that it will be Joyful to Ie,
d' e down as a letter. . . So I will set my last 1SCours
actually taking rebirth. I f this were a past age, approximating that in which the brothers from Mindroling [Terdak Lingpa and Locen DharmasrI] were alive, I might well benefit the teaching and living creatures in all sorts of ways. But now, by dint of time, such things are difficult; so, after this, I have no reason to take birth in impure realms ever again. Remaining only in pure lands it is the nature of reality that, by the power of aspirations, sublime ones eternally and in- cessantly give rise to the dramatic play of emanation, which trains each in accord with his needs, . .
On about Wednesday 9 May (twenty-second day), he said, "Now that I have finally recovered from my nervous ailment I never have sensations of pain. Each day and night there only arise the visions of All-Surpassing Realisation - rainbows, light rays and points, and the manifestations of the bodies and realms [of the buddhas]. ,,1221
He gave audience to his faithful disciples and benefactors, who had gathered from all directions, and said prayers, They asked him to prolong his life for the sake of the teaching and living creatures, but he replied, "Now, I certainly shall not stay, and I will not be born again. I have reason to go to Shambhala in the north. ,,1222
On Friday 14 June 1912 (twenty-ninth day, fourth month, water mouse), during. his sixty-seventh year, Mipham Rinpoche assumed the posture of a bodhisattva, with his left hand evenly placed in his lap and his right in the gesture of teaching; and his mind became meditat- ively equipoised in the expanse of the original ground, free from corrup- tion. Afterwards, when his precious remains were offered up on the pyre, tents of rainbow light and other wonderful and excellent omens appeared to all those gathered, in common. Lama Osel earnestly strove to perform the funeral rites following the master's demise in such a way as to fulfil all of his intentions.
Among the personal disciples of this master the foremost were Dodrup Jikme Tenpei Nyima, the treasure-finder Sogyel [Lerap Lingpa], Dzok- cen Trtilku V and the Dzokcen Gemang, Zhecen Rapjam and Zhecen Gyeltsap,1223 Katok Situ,1224 Pelytil Gyatrtil, Andzom Drukpa,1225 Trup- wang SakyasrI,1226 and the Ngor Ponlop, et cetera. In short, there were countless sons of his speech who included the emanations and great personages of the Sakyapa, Gelukpa, Kagytipa, and Nyingmapa tradi- tions from [the monasteries of] Katok, Pelytil, Zhecen, Dzokcen, Pel- pung, Derge Goncen [and others] all the way up to Repkong;1227 as well as their scholars who propounded myriad textual traditions, pre- ceptors endowed with the three trainings, mantrins who were confident in the two stages, and ascetics who were free from activity, having
d left it in concealment. Then, , M hlMay 1912 (secon ' d' 1220
,
Thus, he wrote out hIS month same year), Mipham
dunng arc _ _ a about tWO hundred thousan recited the dharal)l of , his attendant, Lama Osel, and He imparted some oral to
,
h t th there is no one to lIsten. Nowadays, if one speaks t e e it to be true. Therefore,
Ifone speaks falsely before' I am no ordinary I have not disclosed ,thIS to ar;;o:e taken birth by the power person. I am a w 0 basdy I ought to have greatly
on one of these occasions Said:
f h' ' ation In thIS present
o IS asp1r " d livin creatures in genera, an
the teaChIng ,an
Tran;lation School of the secret the merits of the Nying-
the teachmg of the Anc1ent
, t' cular But because
. ,
d 'g to some cntIca ' , ,
have completed vanous c l'k d to ha;e written a clear and on. Though I would have, 1 e Madh amaka, I have
detailed, introductlO: no great differ-
not achIeved It. But, none t e , plete the Cycle of
ence. If it had been possible ever to com ) l't would have , ' 1 St t (an,\)ug-sems skor
Mind m Us Natura a e o·_. /' I' 'ng the entire teach- , l' 'fi nce en1ven1
been of great, 1ca ,h I thought I might achieve
ing, without partIalIty. h' final age the barbarians
mantra In par 1
mapa are feeble, as a rule" v:e larCe1,mrcumstances I have been
an , forth Under such condltlOnS, I ave greatly allmg, and so h' beneficial. None the less, I hardly thought to d,o expositions, and so
it, still it is not finished. Now, mdt IS ,l teaching. For
h 1 are close to un erm1ning , beyond tepa e h ' no point whatsoever In my this and other reasons, t ere IS
old
uch afflicted by obstacles, h
MiphamJamyang Namgyel Gyarntso 879
880 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
deliberately abandoned the cares of this life. The great personages among the guru's spiritual sons have to make great en-
deavours to to discover earth
Although thIS dented works including esoteric instructIons treasures many unprece . t . and ritual collections concerning the stages of creatIOn and per
which were especially necessary, poured as the 0 IS
. ' d he propagated them as treatIses. Therelore, e was a
IntentIOn, an fi d ho held lished king among treasure- In ers, one w
Conclusion
accomP I'S dommIOn over what ,
in truth store of profound intention.
the king of all treasures, the expansive
,
So it is that the doctrinal collections of the close lineages of profound treasures preserve an inconceivable number [of teachings]. These are exemplified by the treasure troves, the foremost of which contain the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Gathering of Intentions, and Vajrakfla (bka'-dgongs-phur-gsum), and each of which also includes [its own ver- sions of] the Trio ofthe Guru, Great Perfection and Great Compassionate One. Because the accounts of the descent of so many lineages are indeed limitless, it is not possible to describe them here. If the reader wishes to know of them in detail, they may be learned from the histories of each respective treasure, from the records of the teachings received by their respective [masters], and so forth.
This completes the brief exposition of the accounts of the exceedingly profound, close lineages of the treasures, the sixth part of this book, Thunder from the Great Conquering Battle-Drum of Devendra, which is a history of the precious teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School.
Part "Seven A Rectification ofMisconceptions Concerning the Nyingma School
Introduction
[719. 1-2] Now, the errors of those partisans who, in the past, have wrongly viewed the teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School must be refuted.
1 General Reply to Criticisms of the Nyingmapa Tantras
[719. 2-736. 1] There were a multitude of utterly profound tantrapitaka which arose in Tibet, in proportion to the authentic merits of those to be trained in that glacial land. They did so because of the extraordinary enlightened aspiration of Trhisong Detsen, the divine king of the Land of Snows who was an emanation of sublime and due to the blessings of the great accomplished master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others. Among them were the unsurpassed secret mantra derived from the three lineages, including [those derived from] the Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance,1228 which are the essence of the spirituality of many ejukinls and holders of awareness, and which are beyond the range of ordinary persons. Therefore, those [teachings] are worthy of approval, and the biographies of the ancient religious kings and of the great emanational translators and scholars ought to be respected.
So it was that [Trhisong Detsen], the emanational king, sought to kindle the lamp of the doctrine when Tibet was an abode of darkness, occupied by barbarians who did not possess even a reflection of the teaching, and who were miserable because, to their misfortune, they had to seek lasting refuge in those who preached a violent religion, granting only occasional, ephemeral happiness. Even then, the irresist- ible hurricane of strife's machinations, [instigated by] pernicious and unworthy beings, almost brought other forces into power. But at that time all the venomous deities and ogres were subdued by the compassion of the great master Padmasambhava who enabled the Tibetans to prac- tise the doctrine as they liked. Temples were built, doctrinal centres were established, and with great endeavour the ways of the doctrine were instituted amongst the Tibetans, who had little aptitude even for learning the doctrinal terminology, which previously had been un- known.
At the outset [these masters] began by examining whether or not [the Tibetans] could maintain monastic vows, and they laid a firm foundation for the Buddha's precious teaching, the path of omniscience.
888 They
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. cor us of doctrines belongmg to the translated an oceamc pThe collected fragments, corrected
masters from the domains of the gods, nagas, 4akinls and so on, as well as from various great places of pilgrimage including the Sahor and Shambhala regions ofJambudvlpa, Mount Malaya in Lanka, 044iyana, and the Dravi4a country; and later they were introduced to India. Therefore, tantras are not unauthentic by definition merely be- cause they did not exist in India. Even though some [of the ancient tantras] might have been found [in India], they would not have been seen by someone making just an occasional journey there [as the later translators did]. For, while the emanational translators and scholars of the past who were abiding on the sublime levels voyaged throughout the twenty-four lands1229 and elsewhere by means ofmiraculous abilities, ordinary persons could not travel to them. This is why the great scholar Rongzompa, with whom even the great lord Atisa had declared himself unable to discuss the doctrine, said that the ancient translations of the secret mantra were superior to the later translations in six ways: 1230
First, concerning the greatness of the benefactors who intro- duced them: Since the benefactors of the ancient translation period were the three ancestral religious kings, who were the sublime Lords of the Three Families in kingly guise, they were unlike the benefactors of the later translation period.
Second, concerning the locations in which they were trans- lated and established: Since the ancient translations were accomplished in such emanated temples as Samye and the other doctrinal centres of the past, high and low,1231 they are unlike those translated in the monastic grottoes oftoday.
Third, concerning the distinctions of the translators: Those doctrines were translated by emanational translators, the translators of the past such as Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, Zhang Yeshe De, Ma Rincen-chok, and Nyak Jfianakumara. Thus, they are unlike the made by the translators of today, who pass the summer in Mangytil and travel to India and Nepal for a short time during the winter.
Fourth, concerning the distinctions of the scholars [who supervised the ancient translations]: Those doctrines were introduced by buddhas and sublime bodhisattvas abiding on the great levels, [namely,] the scholars of the past such as the preceptor Buddhaguhya, the great mas- ter Padmakara and the great paIf4ita Vimalamitra. Thus, they were unlike the scholars of today who wander about in search of gold.
Fifth, concerning the distinctions ofthe blossoms [offered] as the basis for commissioning [the translations]: In the past the doctrines were requested with offerings of gold weighed
Tripilaka and to the mastered the path, defective texts, establIshed the g d h ughout the kingdom by means and caused [the ? octrine] opportunity to practise freely
of study, exegesIS, and me was due to the kindness of the
l·b f n and omnISCIence h
the path to 1 era 10 _ . a the master [Padmasambhava], t e re-
a n c i e n t p r e c e p t o r ] ] ' ligious king [Trhisong Detsen , an
d t h e e m a n a t i o n a l t r a n s l a t o r s a n d
scholars.
The Author, Dudjom Rinpoche
. . . wonder that the learned proponents of For thIS reason It IS no I f the later period also man-
. d the trans ators 0
philosophIcal systems an . h th whose tradition had
b
een aged to follow, without dIfficulty, tepa d to contribute to it by
established by those ones some jealouS pers. ons means of their own mtellects. I · that certain of the anCIent created discord by, for example, ebc anng they did not exist in India.
d· tantras had been compose m
Tibet ecause
h t tras l·n India did not prove
of t ose an d· d·d h· h did exist in In la I
. However the non-exIstenCe
, . E them to be unauthentic.
n the tantras w IC . h d rou ht forth by great accomplIs e
ve
not originate there: they were b g
The Nyingmapa Tantras 889
890
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
out in deerskin pouches, or by the measure. Thus, they were unlike the requests made [by disciples of] the present day with one or two gold bits drawn from under their own arms. 1232
Sixth, concerning the distinctions of the itself: The translations of the past were completed at a time when the doctrine of the Buddha had reached its zenith in India. Furthermore, there were tantras which did not even exist in India proper, which were retained by bodhisattvas, ac- complished masters, awareness-holders and Qakinls who had obtained their empowerments. They were taken from pure lands, and from regions of Jambudvlpa such as Siilghala and Oddiyana in the west, through the arrayed miraculous pow- 'of the great master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others, and then translated [in Tibet]. Thus, many [doc- trines] which were completely unknown to the scholars and accomplished masters of India arrived to become the meritorious fortune of Tibet.
Furthermore, concerning the translations themselves: Since the translators of the past were emanations, theyestab- lished the meanings correctly. For this reason their works are easy to understand and, on plumbing their depths, the blessing is great. But the translators of the later period were unable to render the meaning and made lexical translations following [merely] the arrangement of the Sanskrit texts. Consequently, their forced terminology is hard to under- stand, and on plumbing the depths the blessing is slight. Therefore, they are dissimilar.
During the later expansion of the teaching in Tibet, . it became. the fashion for everyone who possessed the intellectual skIll and a httle gold to travel to India and Nepal. If they had gone exclusively the sake of the teaching and sentient beings it would have been admirable, but most of them were jealous men who set their feet in motion because they desired to become scholars, hankered after t. he of others, sought to win fame, or were jealously competmg WIth own gurus, or with spiritual benefactors of similar fortune. ThIS can. be ascertained from the incident during Marpa's travels, when a threw all his books into the river. 1233 For these reasons, the all-knOWing Rongzompa said:
When the doctrine of the Buddha was at its zenith, the emanational translators established [the texts of] the trans- mitted precepts without error. Then, they adorned those doctrines in many ways which served to complete them, and which established the actual condition of the knowable. But
the charlatan translators of the present day made various reforms in the ancient translations, saying, "I am the better translator. My sources are more venerable! " And so, mis- representing the transmitted precepts of the Buddha and the
teachings oftheir gurus, they all compose their own doctrines. They heap abuse upon one another for their faults.
