having by many means expanded the teaching of the transmit- ted precepts and treasures, Go Zhonupel passed away in his
ninetieth
year, 1481 (iron ox).
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
He had visions of many meditational deities.
It is said that anyone who came into his presence found appearances to be naturally transformed, and was spontaneously overcome with renunciation, faith, and compassion.
None the less, this holy person did not remain in the world after his twenty-seventh year, because his food was poisoned by a ponpo.
Campa Senge's enlightened attributes of knowledge, love, and power were hard to measure, so he was believed to have been an emanation. The number of his disciples was inconceivable: He trained about sixteen spiritual benefactors who had fully mastered the Sequence of the Path of the Magical Net, the Secret Nucleus, and the Parkap Commentary, together with the Si1tra which Gathers All Intentions. They acted extens- ively for the benefit of others and obtained fame in their own right. Foremost among them were YungWn Dorjepel, the senior disciple of his early years, and Tanak Drolmawa Samdrup Dorje, the foremost disciple of his later years.
His study of the Vajra Gar-
666 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
YUNGTON DORJEPEL
[396. 3-398. 6] Yungtonpa belonged to the Len clan. He was born in Tshongdti in 1284 (wood male monkey year). From his youth he was endowed with perfect discernment. In general, he knew all the dialect- ical teachings, and was particularly learned in the Compendium of the Abhidharma. He had a most powerful command of all the mantra traditions, ancient and new. Above all, he became the genuine spiritual son of Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. From Zur Campa Senge he obtained the esoteric instructions of the Trio of the Sutra which Gathers All Inten- tions) the Magical Net and the Mental Class in their entirety; and he became a great master among their proponents. He composed the Il- luminating Mirror (gsal-byed me-long), a commentary on the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus which came to surpass those of the other exegetical traditions in popularity. Then, when Zur Campa Senge went to study the Yamantaka Cycle (gshed-skor) under Kangpa Sakbum, Yungtonpa accompanied him and studied it as well. He became a very learned and powerful [adept of] the yogic exercises, their functional applications, et cetera. So, when Lhakti Ponpo poisoned Zur Campa Senge, cutting off his life, Yungtonpa turned the wheel of Yamantaka against him, which caused him, along with his property, fields and household to be swept away by a river and thereby utterly destroyed. At that time, YungtOnpa composed a verse which began:
I am merely the subduer of my guru's mortal foe . . .
During his youth YungtOnpa went to China by imperial command. He performed thread-cross and torma rites (mdos-gtor) which previously had been quite unknown in the world at large. 825 In some regions there had been severe drought, but at the order of the emperor, YungtOnpa caused rain to fall. The emperor was delighted by this revelation of his power. Returning to Tibet, laden with great rewards and riches, Yungtonpa gave nothing to his acquaintances and friends, but offered everything to his guru and to the monastic community, so that the merit might benefit his mother.
YungtOnpa also became a disciple of Puton Rinpoche and acquired great learning in the Kalacakra. 826 Moreover, he knew many quirks of causality:827 When he pierced a skin water-bag with a vulture's quill, the water did not leak. When he touched red-hot iron with his bare flesh, he was unburnt. And when he plastered a wall with a cement made from six kinds of stone, the wall was transformed into a great rock.
Above all, Yungtonpa experientially cultivated the esoteric instruc- tions, in general, and the Great Perfection, in particular, owing to the great inspiration of Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. He obtained the eight great treasures that are described in the Sutra of Extensive Play and thereby unlocked the vast treasure of brilliance, so that he satisfied
Biographies of the Rong Tradition 667
Yungt(jn Dorjepel
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disci-
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extensIve y benefitted others. He y secon year, 1365 (wood female snake).
TANAK DROLMAWA SAMDRUP DORJE
[398. 6-400. 1] Tanak D "I
N ' ro mawa Samdrup D ' b . esar m 1295 (wood female shee orJe was
orn at Tanak
In each generation had b O d P year) as the son of a family which , 0 tame accompl' h ' mantra tradition. He stud' d . IS ment through the Nyingma
Ie extensIvely under Zur Campa Senge and
668 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rang Tradition 669
became particularly learned in the Magical Net. He received the empow- erment of the Magical Net from Len Nyatselpa Sonam Gonpo.
Samdrup Dorje's knowledge and enlightened activity are difficult to estimate: He meditated in total solitude, and in Cerna Senge he medi- tated one-pointedly on the Innermost Spirituality of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen snying-thig). He reached the limits of awareness, and savoured the entire ocean of buddha-fields equally.
lur Sakya Jungne of Yang-en and Lama Sengepa of Ukpalung were left in Samdrup Dorje's care from childhood; and they came to respect, above all, their commitments to this guru, who raised them so well. Thus, he was most kind to the lineage of lur. Len Selwa, too, who became famed as the "All-Knowing Master from Shang", received many empowerments and was blessed by this guru during childhood, and so became greatly learned. In these and other ways Samdrup Dorje's blessings were inconceivable.
At the time of his death, in his eighty-second year, 1376 (fire male dragon), he said to his son, "I am going to SukhavatI. You will also live to my age. Then, come to SukhavatI! " With these words he passed away.
ZUR ZANGPOPEL AND ZUR HAM SAKYA JUNGNE
[400. 1-405. 6] Two lineages issued from Tanak Drolmawa Samdrup Dorje: the "lur lineage" (zur-brgyud) and the "son's lineage" (sras- brgyud). The "lur lineage" was that of lur Ham Sakya Jungne.
This Sakya Jungne was the son of lur Zangpopel, who, during his lifetime, received commissions and gifts from the emperor Buyantu. 828 Once, he had to travel to China by imperial command. Because he had very great occult skills and powers he acted, at first, in the service of the royal emperor by providing protection from crop-failure and sur- pressing rebellion by means of thread-crosses, malign torma (zor) ,829 lightning, and hail. On one occasion, in particular, an ominous, black cloud in the form of a scorpion appeared in the sky above the royal palace of Ta'i-tu;830 and no one was able to banish it. At that time, Zur Zangpopel was commissioned by the emperor. He trapped the cloud in eighteen houses made of silk, following the thread-cross rites of the "Mataral). s' Vengeance" (rna-mo 'khang-phab-kyi mdos). He then performed a torma offering dance (gtor-'chams) and the black cloud was dispersed. Many such revelations of the greatness of the true doctrine in the land beyond the pale [Tibet] caused the emperor to acquire faith. He re- quested the empowerment of the nine deities of [the ma1). cjala of] Yangdak Heruka and an empowerment of longevity; and he presented Zangpopel with offerings of a silver seal, thirteen measures of silver, and sufficient dress-silk for two hundred shirts. He established a con- gregation of mantrins in the Ta'i-tu palace: It is well known that kiias for the four rites were kept in the palace at that time.
From the material resources which langpopel thus collected he had printing-blocks made for twenty-eight doctrinal collections 'of the An- cient Translation School, including the Root Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus, the Parkap Commentary, the Sequence of the Path of Secret Mantra (gsang-sngags lam-rim), and many esoteric instructions (man-ngag dgu). He printed a thousand copies of each and distributed them to students. He contributed many of the materials needed to produce [a copy of] the Collected Tantras (rgyud-'bum). So, through these and other activities he benefitted the teaching most extensively.
Sometime thereafter the emperor Buyantu passed away, after a medi- cation for fever had been applied to an ailment that was affecting the vital energies.
During this period the Sakyapa and the Zurs enjoyed a most profound intimacy, for, at heart, their philosophies were identical. Therefore, When the news of lur Campa Senge's death reached Sakya, they said, "This is not good. Now, let us summon Zur Zangpopel from China. " ? thers also conferred, and, finally, they sent the attendant Jamyang to Invite him [back to Tibet]. But when Jamyang reached China, Zur Zangpopel was laid up with a fever and was approaching death. Then,
Tanak DriJ"lmawa Samdrup Dorje
670 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 671
owing to the blessings of the qakinls and protectors of the doctrine, he began to show a slight recovery. At that very time, the emperor appeared to him in a vision and said, "When you were [prepanng] to leave for Tibet, what gifts were you given? "
Zangpopel answered in detail.
"Then you have been given nothing at all," said the emperor and
vanished.
When the royal lady Thabula heard the story, she exclaimed, "Seeing
you reminds me of the emperor! " and wept. She again offered the
master ten measures of silver.
Zangpopel then commissioned an image of Vajrasattva in Chinese
bronze831 and dance masks of a doctrine protector and his lady (chos- skyong lcam-dral) and proceeded to Tibet with these. When the protector gazed on Tibet, it ascended seven steps, and so became renowned as the Sebak Komdtinma, the "Leather Mask of the Seven Steps". 832
Having reached Tibet, Zur Zangpopel produced [the aforementioned copy of] the Collected Tantras as a service to the teaching. He . engaged the protectors of the doctrine as his servants and clearly predIcted the future. Later, when he again had to depart for China at the imperial
command, he was not inclined to set out. He made offerings, such as a measure of silver, to the emperor's messenger Themurdar and to Ghare, but they would not go, saying that if they were to return [without Zangpopel] they would be punished. At that he set out for China, having first composed some instructions, which began:
All independence is bliss,
And all dependence is sorrow. . .
Zur Zangpopellived for no more than about thirty-eight years.
Zur Ham Sakya Jungne was his son. As a child he studied the doctrines of his paternal ancestors; and the propensities of his past deeds were awakened. In his fifth year he stood up in the midst of the noblemen who were escorting his father on the journey to China and delivered a short exegesis of the Root Tantra [i. e. the Secret Nucleus], which as- tonished everyone. From his seventh year on he was raised at the college. He was ordained as a novice by Lama Ktinpangpa, received full ordination from the doctrine master Sonam Trakpa, and became well known under his ordination name, Sakya Jungne. In a decree of the emperor Guluk833 he was referred to as "Zur Sakya Jungne, son of Zur Pakshi", and he was presented with four large, sixty-ounce meas- ures of gold, twenty large measures of pure silver, and two hundred silk outer robes and linings. The royal lady Tha'u and others also offered vast wealth to him; and so they bountifully benefitted the spiritual and temporal domains of the Zurs.
In particular, Zur Ham Sakya Jungne built a most wonderful, golden image of which contained fragments of the conqueror Zurpoche's robes. He installed it as the foremost receptacle of worship at glorious Ukjalung. And he completed great rectifications (tshugs-kha) [of the customs] at the college and retreat centre. Without sparing his wealth he undertook to serve the doctrine. His radiance, pleasing to behold, even inspired faith in the Mongolian nobleman Themurdar, who then requested an empowerment oflongevity. Thus, Sakya Jungne lived as a great spiritual warrior, who could inspire confidence in others.
He met all the learned, noble, and excellent teachers of Central Tibet and Tsang, including the great translator Sazang [Mati Pal). cen],834 the conqueror Yungtonpa, Jamyang Samdrup Dorje, the heir to the Sakyapa lineage (sa-skya-pa'i gdung-brgyud),835 and all the most famous leaders of the Zur tradition. He became well trained in the Three Classes of Dialectics (mtshan-nyid sde-gsum), and in the fundamental texts and esoteric instructions of all schools, ancient and new, of the way of secret mantra. In particular, he diligently trained himself in the Ornament of Emergent the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, the Kalacakra, the Tantra of the All-Accomplishing King,
Zur Ham SiikyaJungne
672 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 673
the Sequence of the Path of the Magical Net, the Secret Nucleus, and the Parkap Commentary; and so he became renowned as a great scholar and accomplished master.
During this later period Zur Ham Sakya Jungne was the sole master of the teaching on the empowerment of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions according to the tradition of Zur. When he himself received that empowerment from the great DrOlmawa Samdrup Dorje, he made offerings headed by Chinese and Tibetan robes, cooking utensils, and fifty loads of barley. He mastered all the transmissions, practical applica- tions and techniques [of that sutra]. For the sake of the seal of entrust- ment (gtad-rgya)836 alone, he delighted the guru with offerings of large
silks and gold. He had extremely clear visions of Sakyamuni and of the Herukas of the Five Enlightened Families. Also, he composed many works, such as the Commentary of the Seal of Entrustment) a Memorial of the Deities of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions ('dus-pa mdo'i lha-thems gtad-rgya'i 'grel-pa). His actions on behalf of the trilogy of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, were most extensive. Sakya Jungne produced many disciples who clarified the teachings: DrOlmawa Samdrup Dorje's son Sangye Rincen, and Nyelpa Delekpa, among others. He passed away in his thirty-eighth year. There is also a "ritual guide" (chog-khrid) composed
by [his disciple] Nyelpa Delek.
SANGYE RINCEN
[405. 6-409. 1] Again, there was the lineage of the great DrOlmawa Sam- drup Dorje's son, known as Sangye Rincen Gyeltsen Pelzangpo, who was born at Nesar in 1350 (iron male tiger) when his father was in his fifty-sixth year. People would say, "This son of yours is no use! Why should you cherish him so? "
To which he replied, "My son will be ofbenefit to living creatures. "
In his sixth year Sangye Rincen mastered the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus. Then, he went before Zur Sakya Jungne, who, calling him "my guru's son", raised him as a favourite, but he was too distracted to retain this tantra. Then, in his eighth year he repeated [the course] and retained it. His father taught him the ceremonies and rites of enlightened activity, whereby in his fourteenth year he became a capable master who conferred empowerment on others. Under his father he
also mastered the doctrinal cycles of the Magical Net.
On one occasion, Sangye Rincen said, "Now, I will become ordained as a monk and train myself in dialectics. I will also study the tantras
of the new translation schools. "
But his father responded, "For the time being, that would be in-
appropriate. But you may be ordained later on. "
At that, he took a consort and she gave birth to some sons. As a layman he completed his studies and training. Afterwards he received, all at once, the complete ordination at Chokorgang. He remained ex- tremely dignified in his conduct. Having become learned in the Magical Net, Sangye Rincen composed a Great Commentary on the Secret Nucleus (gsang-snying 'grel-chen) , and a Detailed Exposition of the Array of the Path of the Magical Net (lam mam-bkod-la mam-bzhag) when he was about forty. Similarly, he composed an Extensive Descriptive Basis Uor the Rites} ofthe Wrathful Deities (khro-bo-la mngon-par-rtogs-pa rgyas-pa) and also a Detailed Ceremony for the Rite of the Tie to the Higher Realms (gnas-lung-la'ang cho-ga rgyas-pa), both of these being derived from the eight arisings of enlightened activity (phrin-las shar-ba brgyad). Sangye Rincen received many esoteric instructions from his father and his father's spiritual son, Thupa Dorje; and he applied these in practical experience.
In his seventieth year837 he accepted Golo Yezang Tsepa [i. e. GOlo Zhonupel] as a disciple and granted him the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deities according to the Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul zhi-khro'i dbang); the longevity empowerment of the Magical Net (sgyu- 'phrul-gyi tshe-dbang); the empowerment of the Chumer of the Depths of Hell (dong-sprugs-kyi dbang), the empowerments of [Yamantaka)} Lord of Life, and of Yangdak Mecik (tshe-bdag-dang yang-dag me-gcig-gi dbang); the permissory initiations838 for the Hayagriva Traditions of Nawopa and Dagyelma (sna-bo-pa'i lugs-kyi rta-mgrin-dang zla-rgyal-ma'i lugs-kyi rjes-gnang); the empowerment of the Khb'n Tradition ofV ajrakfla, along with the permissory initiation for the wrathful rites (phur-pa- 'khon- lugs-kyi dbang drag-po rjes-gnang-dang bcas-pa); the empowerments of the expressive play of awareness for the Eighteen Teachings ofthe Mental Class (sems-sde bco-brgyad-kyi rig-pa'i rtsal dbang); the exegesis of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus and its commentary; and an extensive exegesis of the Array of the Path of the Magical Net according to his own commentary. In addition, he bestowed on him the transmissions of about forty opuscules, including the Illuminating Lamp ofthe Funda- mental Text; the Forty-Chapter Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul bzhi-bcu-pa, NGB Vol. 14); those of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, its root tantra, the All-Gathering Awareness, and its commentary by Nupcen
Sangye Yeshe, the Armour Against Darkness; and those of both the Eighty-Chapter Magical Net and the Superior Magical Net, and the Root Text of Yangdak (yang-dag rtsa-ba). 839
Sangye Rincen also gave him the four empowerments of the Inner- most Spirituality, beginning with the elaborate one, and guidance [on meditation] according to a guidebook (khrid-yig) based on the writings of Melong Dorje, and following, too, the Esoteric Instructions of the Great Perfection according to Aro (rdzogs-chen a-ro'i man-ngag). Similarly, he gave him the Guidance which Lays Bare the Teaching of the Great Compassionate One (thugs-rje-chen-po'i smar-khrid) following the lineage
674 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 675
of the bodhisattva Yegyelwa. Because of all this, it appears, Golo Yezang Tsepa himself made this decisive affirmation, "I crossed to the furthest shores of the ocean oflearning, and so achieved what is meaningful. "
Then, in 1421 (iron female ox), his seventy-second year, the doctrine master Sangye Rincen travelled to Central Tibet. At the monastery of Samtenling in Kangpori he was attended by Wangdrakpa Gyeltsen. The guru gave many empowerments, including those of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, and many exegeses and transmissions, including those of the Secret Nucleus. Then, in 1431 (iron female pig), his eighty- second year, he passed away in Tsang. From the birth of Zurcungpa until this date four hundred and seventeen years appear to have passed.
GOLO ZHONUPEL (YEZANG TSEP A)
[409. 1-41l. 4] Now, the great man Go Zhonupel was born in 1392 (water monkey year). His father was called Goton Jungne Dorje, and his mother Sitarkyi. He was ordained by the great preceptor Cenye. From Karmapa V, Tezhinshekpa, he received the bodhisattva vow and the Six Doctrines. From Ngok Cangcupel he heard the doctrines of Ngok. But, in particular, it was from the great pa1). 9. ita Vanaratna840 that he received most of the empowerments of the Unsurpassed tantras. He corrected and translated the Litany of the Names of Mafijusri, the Point ofSpring (Vasantatilaka, T 1448), the Brief Teaching ofEmpower- ment (Sekoddesa, T 361), and Commentary on the Six-limbed Yoga (Kalacakra$aqangayoga, T 1367).
When Dro1cen Sangye Rincen was in his seventieth year, 1419 (earth female pig), this master received from him all the transmitted empow- erments of the tantrapitaka of the Ancient Translation School in their entirety: the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deities accord- ing to the Magical Net and its longevity empowerment; the Chumer of the Depths of Hell; the Lord of Life; Yangdak Mecik; the Hayagriva Traditions of Nawopa and Dagyelma; the Khiin Tradition of Vajrakfla; and the empowerments of the expressive play of awareness for the Eighteen Teachings ofthe Mental Class. Among exegetical transmissions he received the Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus with its commentary, and the commentary on the Array of the Path of the Magical Net which Sangye Rincen had himself composed. Moreover, he received the explanatory transmissions of about forty opuscules, Indian and Tibetan, including the Illuminating Lamp ofthe Fundamental Text and the Forty- Chapter Magical Net; the transmissions of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, its root tantra, the All-Gathering Awareness, and its comment- ary by Nup Sangye Yeshe, the Armour Against Darkness; and those of both the Eighty-Chapter Magical Net and the Superior Magical Net, and the Root Text of Yangdak. He received, too, the four root empower-
ments, elaborate and unelaborate, of the Innermost Spirituality, its guidance according to the guidebook of the accomplished master Melong Dorje, and guidance on the Esoteric Instructions of the Great Perfection according to the Tradition of Aro. In short, Go Zhonupel became as a lord of secret mantra teaching according to the Ancient Translation School.
This master himself said, "I acquired exceptional devotion towards the tradition renowned as the Nyingmapa school of secret mantra. So, I was never polluted by the defilement of rejecting [true] doctrine. ,,841 Such words were intended for those pseudo-scholars of Tibet who were sec- tarian bigots. In fact, this master was more sublime than other philo- sophically unbiased spiritual benefactors; this is clearly demonstrated by his own treatises, which are reliable and also vastly eloquent. 842
This master offered many doctrinal transmissions, empowerments, and much guidance to Karmapa Chodrak Gyamtso, including the Tri- logy of Commentaries by Bodhisattvas (sems-'grel skor-gsum). He acted as the preceptor who gave complete ordination to Zhamarpa IV, Choki Trakpa; and he gave him an inconceivable number of transmitted em- powerments and exegetical transmissions, as well as the guidance of esoteric instruction, for an ocean of tantrapitaka, both ancient and new, of which the foremost was the Magical Net. The venerable Zhamarpa, too, considered Go to be his sole, most gracious guru.
having by many means expanded the teaching of the transmit- ted precepts and treasures, Go Zhonupel passed away in his ninetieth year, 1481 (iron ox).
CE-NGA RINPOCHE, ZHAMARP A IV
[41l. 4-413. 2] Now, Zhamarpa IV, Ce-nga Rinpoche, was born in
Tresho Khangmar in 1453 (water female bird year). His father was
Dong Gonpakyap, and his mother Hraza Sonam Drolma. At Zurmang
43
Monasteri
ordination from him was given the name Choki Trakpa Yeshe Pel- zangpo. He received the doctrine also from the preceptor Gushri Trak- pelpa and from Pengarpa. 844 In his twenty-fourth year he was completely ordained as a monk, under the great translator of Go, Yezang Tsepa, who acted as preceptor. At one time or another he studied number- less teachings: tantrapitaka of the new translation schools, such as Kalacakra, CakrasaJ? 1vara, Hevajra, Guhyasamaja, and Bhairava; and the transmitted empowerment and exegetical transmission of the Secret NUcleus of the Magical Net, among others [of the Ancient Translation School]. He also received many doctrines of the ancient and new tradi- tions from the great translator Sonam Gyamtso, who was descended from the family of Gyelwa Choyang of Ngenlam.
he met Karmapa VII, Chodrak Gyamtso, and on receiving
676 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 677
When Ce-nga Rinpoche received the empowerment of Vajra- kfla from the master Go [Zhonupel], he had a vision of master Padma- sambhava in a dream, and was even given instructions. He yielded up his physical body during his seventy-third year, 1525 (wood bird), while still occupied with teaching all the various doctrines, ancient and new, to his disciples.
In short, by extensive study this master purified himself. Although he composed a great many means for attainment, exegetical comment- aries, mal). <;iala rites, dialogues, and other treatises, Zhamarpa's works are all superior to others, because they are refined in word and meaning, of suitable length, conclusive, and fair. His Guidance on the View of the Great Middle Way, which Definitively Reveals the Absolute (don-dam nges-'byed dbu-ma-chen-po'i lta-khrid) is based on the Five Doctrines of the great regent [Maitreya]. Therefore, in adhering above all to the infallible diction of the ultimate doctrinal language this master accords with the great, all-knowing Longcenpa, Karmapa VII, and the all-know- ing, great Tolbupa. 845
DRIGUNG ZURP A RINCEN PHUNTSOK
[413. 2-414. 5] The Zhamarpa conferred the teachings on Zurpa Rincen Phtintsok of Drigung. He was born into the Kyura family in Drigung Kunyergang in upper Uru. After his eighth year he was ordained as a novice by Ce-nga Rinpoche, Choki Trakpa. At thirteen, when he was invited to the consecration of the Trhadruk Temple at Tsitang Samten- ling, which had been restored by Karpopa,846 all sorts of wonderful miracles took place. He set his heart on attainment in such great places of pilgrimage as Yangpacen, Lungsho, and Zhoto Tidro. Once, while he was staying at Tidro, Vajranatha, an accomplished master from India, arrived and gave him the esoteric instructions on vital energy by Javaripa (dza-bi-ra'i bhil rlung), and other, further advice. Following a prophetic declaration of the <;iakinls he changed his dress to white
[i. e. became a mantrin free from monastic vows]. In Yangpacen a treasure inventory came into his possession, following which he ex- tracted the yellow scrolls of the five families [which contained] the True Doctrine of the Most Profound Intention, the Essence of the Body, Speech and Mind o f Guru Rinpoche (gu-ru rin-po-che'i sku-gsung-thugs-bcud dam- chos dgongs-pa yang-zab shog-ser rigs-lnga) from the great assembly hall of the dakinls at Tidro.
On occasion he journeyed to the glorious Copper-coloured Mountain, where he met Guru Rinpoche in the form of a heruka and participated in a feast offering. He was given an empowerment based on the mandala of the three roots, and also all the instructions and further Then, the body of the heruka turned into that of master
Padmasambhava, who orally bestowed on Rincen Phtintsok many esoteric instructions. After that, he returned to his own abode.
Rincen Phtintsok became a master of both the transmitted precepts and the treasures. Having thoroughly mastered the extraordinary exegetical tradition of the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Inten- tions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, many traditions of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad lugs-dgu), the Four-Part Inner- most Spirituality (snying-thig ya-bzhi), the Earlier and Later Treasure Troves (gter-kha gong-'og),847 and so forth, his teaching activity became most extensive. In accord with the tradition of the precious Ngari Pal). cen,848 his custom was to disclose the central points by means of the transmitted precepts, and to adorn them witp the esoteric instruc- tions of the treasures.
KHONTON PEL]OR LHUNDRUP
[414. 5-418. 4] Rincen Phtintsok taught the cycles of the Magical Net to Rangdrol Nyinda Sangye, who expounded it to Tshewang Norgye, a master of the Khon family. He, in turn, expounded it to his own son, Khonton Peljor Lhtindrup. This master was born in 1561 (iron bird year). The name of his mother was Gyelmodzom.
From childhood the propensities of a holy person were aroused within him, and he truly developed the attitude of a renunciate. During his tenth year he was ordained as a novice by the all-knowing Sonam Gyamtso. 849 He also received [the vows of] refuge and of the creation of the enlightened attitude, as well as the transmission for the meditation of the Great Compassionate One. In addition, he received all kinds of doctrines from several gurus of both the ancient and new traditions. He completed studies of [Sanskrit] grammatical tables,850 poetics, [Ti- betan] grammar,851 medicine, and the other sciences. But above all, under the tutelage of his father, who was a holder of indestructible reality, he became trained in the Secret Nucleus of the Magical Net, in its commentary composed by YungWnpa, and in the other commen- taries of the Magical Net cycle, such as the all-knowing Longcenpa's Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions. It was then that the propensities of [his past life as] the great Dropukpa were aroused, and he became an incomparably learned and accomplished adherent of this path.
In his eighteenth year Peljor Lhtindrup received the empowerment, guidance and esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection according to the Innermost Spirituality ofRadiant Space (rdzogs-chen klong-gsal snying- thig) from the great awareness-holder Nyinda Sangye, an emanation of Nup Namkei Nyingpo. Peljor Lhtindrup was introduced to the abiding nature of all things, the Great Perfection, the buddha-body of reality that is intrinsically aware; and thus he arrived at what is most profound.
678 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 679
Moreover, he received a great many doctrines belonging to both the transmitted precepts and the treasures, and, in particular, the Innennost Meaning, the Liberation of All Beings (don-tig 'gro-ba kun-grol), together with the exegetical transmission of the Precious Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle (theg-mchog rin-po-che'i mdzod). He also reached the limits of study and reflection on all the great textual traditions of the slUras, and became an itinerant scholar at the great seminary of Tsetang, propound- ing widespread textual traditions. 852
Under Tragon Ce-nga Zhonu Chopel he studied extensively the doc- trines of the ancient and new traditions, such as the Vajra Garland. In his thirty-fourth year Peljor Lhtindrup received complete ordination from Gyelkangtsewa Peljor Gyamtso and the doctrine master Gendtin Gyeltsen, who acted as preceptor and master of ceremonies, respect- ively. It was then that he received the name Peljor Lhtindrup. He also studied the mantra cycles of the Gelukpa tradition, and he acted, too, as a teaching master at [the colleges of] Sangpu and Sera Ce. 853
Although the exegetical tradition of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus had been widely propagated in the past, subsequently it had declined. Therefore, because this master was renowned for his great learning [in it], Orgyen Tendzin, the doctrine master of Trakna, deliberately went before him. He received [the Secret Nucleus] in detail following YungtOnpa's Commentary (gYung-'grel), and even composed a memor- andum on it through to the fifth chapter.
Peljor Lhtindrup favoured Zur Choying Rangdrol, in particular, and granted him two daily sessions of instruction on YungtOnpa's Commentary on the Secret Nucleus, as well as on the cycle of the Innermost Spirituality (snying-thig-gi skor) and numberless other teachings. In accord with the teaching of this master, Zurcen Choying Rangdrol definitively estab- lished the teaching as an itinerant scholar at the great seminary of Tsetang; and thus he silenced those who jealously thought that the Ancient Translation School had no exegesis of the tantras. At about that time, Peljor Lhtindrup abandoned the diversions of society and lived in the solitude of Devlkoti, the forest ofPhawangkha. PadmapaIfi, the Great Fifth [Dalai Lama] supplicated his feet and received from him limitless systems of empowerment, transmission, guidance, and esoteric instruction derived from the ancient and new traditions.
Like some great gurus, Peljor Lhtindrup remained aloof to the com- pany of dry dialecticians who concerned themselves with the purity of their philosophical systems. It could be said of him that he bore the stamp ofone who had been a disciple ofexemplary spiritual benefactors.
When he was in his seventy-sixth year the Great Fifth offered prayers for Peljor Lhtindrup's continued longevity (zhabs-brtan-gyi gsol-'debs); but saying, "Now, I do not know if I will live much longer," the master declined, and then added, "I must go to the Palace of Lotus Light in Camaradvlpa! "
On Sunday 30 August 1637 (eleventh day, eighth month fire ox his physical body vanished into the expanse of reality: accom- pamed by wondrous omens.
Among the treatises composed by this master, there are: the
Guideb? ok which Introduces the View Common to the Great Seal, Great Per! ectwn, and Great Madhyamaka (phyag-rdzogs-dbu-gsum-gyi lta-ba spyz-khyab-tu ngo-sprod-pa'i khrid-yig); the Guidance on the View of Madhyamaka (dbu-ma'i Ita khrid); and many works on the conventional sciences [tha-snyad rig-pa; e. g. logic, grammar, etc. ].
ZURCEN CHOYING RANGDROL
[418. 4-424. 6] The spiritual son of that master was Zurcen Choying Rangdrol. He was born in 1604 (wood dragon year). His father was Zurcen Zhonu Tondrup, an emanation of the great awareness- holder Kumaradza, and a direct descendant of the Zur lineage of aware- ness-holders. His mother was Tshenden Yidzin, who hailed from a family of <;iakinls. Choying Rangdrol was recognised as the reincarnation of Trungpa Koncok Rincenpa. Gradually, he learned to read and to write, and he also learned the scripts of India without regard for the difficulty. Under his father he studied the essential cycles of means for attainment (nyer-mkho'i sgrub-skor). 855 In his ninth year he met Cangpa Rikdzin Ngagiwangpo,856 who prophetically declared him to be an
incarnation who would greatly benefit the teaching ofthe Ancient Trans- lation School.
Choying RangdrOl also studied iconographic drawing, astrological systems, and some cycles of wrathful mantras. At about the age of twelve he sat the feet of Nangsel Rinpoche Ngawang Yeshe Trupa, fully receIved the empowerments, transmissions, and experiential f o r t h e c y c l e o f t h e G a t h e r i n g o f t h e S u g a t a s o f t h e E i g h t T r a n s - muted Precepts; the Innermost Spirituality of the /)akinf according to the precepts and the treasures (mkha'-'gro snying-thig bka -gter the ,Guru, an Ocean ofGems (bla-ma nor-bu rgya-mtsho);
and Karma Lmgpa s Natural Liberation of Intention: fA Cycle devoted to] the and Wrathful Deities (kar-gling zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang- gr? l). He receIved the secret name "Choying RangdrOl" in connection the conferral of the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deItIes. And he heard many other treasure doctrines too.
. Choying RangdrOl experientially cultivated [such 'teachings as] the FlVefold ? reat (phyag-chen lnga-ldan) and the Guidance on Cutting (gcod-khrzd). In Zmgpa Tago he performed the three-year, three-fortnight
:etreat and, by emphasising primarily the [teach- ngs of] pnmordial punty and spontaneous presence858 according to the Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)iikinf, [a doctrine of] the Great Perfec-
680 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 681
Zurcen Choying Rangdrol
tion (rdzogs-chen mkha)-)gro snying-thig), he tious nature of all things. Obtaining the reahsatIon m whIch mtnnsl. c awareness, the natural face of [Samantabhadra] the lord, IS disclosed, he became adept at roaming, in the inner radIance, through
the fields of the buddha-body of perfect rapture.
In his seventeenth year Choying Rangdrol went into the presence of
the notable Peljor [Lhtindrup], the vajra-holder of He attended upon that guru until his passing, wIth the means to delight the guru. The guru, too, rejOIced at a took care of him. He poured into him the ocean of doctrines to
the transmitted precepts and treasures, as a vase the particular, Peljor Lhiindrup granted him exegetIcal teachmg dunng tW sessions each day, combining the glorious Root the Parkap Commentary, and Yungtonpa)s Commentary m TIbetan. Ch. y
i n g R a n g d r o l r e q u e s t e d p e r m i s s i o n t o s e t d o w n a onthepointsthatwerehardtoremember,butthemastersald, Ifyo . notes before a sufficient segmen. t [of the text] has been much will be settled [in your mmd]. Therefore, after some nme, I s
make an estimate [of how much need be covered first]. "
'; On the roof of his apartment Choying RangdrOl then practised repeat- ing the text. When about thirty folios had been covered [in the lectures] he received his master's permission to set down a memorandum. He completed it through to the fifth chapter, but the remainder was left to be continued.
In his twentieth year, 1622 (water dog), Choying Rangdrol repeated the ordinations from that of a novice to that of a fully-ordained monk. He investigated the commentary on the Secret Nucleus [by Longcenpa] called Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions and others; and he re- quested the exegeses of the four subcommentaries on the Commentary on the Guhyasamaja Tantra called the Clarifying Lamp, the Clarifying Lamp of the Five Stages (rim-Inga gsal-sgron), the Complete Elucidation ofthe Hidden Meaning ofthe Cakrasarrzvara (bde-mchog sbas-don kun-gsal) , Norzang's General Exposition of the Kalacakra (nor-bzang-gi dus-)khor spyi-don), the stages of creation and perfection of the Guhyasamaja Tantra (gsang-)dus bskyed-rdzogs), and other exegetical traditions. He established a decisive understanding of them all.
In 1624 (wood mouse year) he expounded the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus at the beginning of the extensive winter seminar at the great seminary of glorious Tsetang. At that time, he overcame the brilliance of those great teachers who relied on words [rather than on meaning] and thus he vastly served the innermost teaching. Those who remained unbiased praised him; and the great Cangpa [Ngagiwangpo], too, draped a silk scarf around his neck.
From master Phawangkhapa [Peljor Lhtindrup] he also received in detail the empowerments, transmissions and esoteric instructions of the Innermost Spirituality of Radiant Space. Meditating upon it, Choying Rangdrol profited through experiences and realisations that were greater than those he had had before. He also received many wrathful mantras of the new translation schools, such as the Yogic Exercises of Bhairava (bhairava)i )phrul-)khor).
During the great dispute between the Gelukpa and Drigungpa859 the
venerable Drigung Zurpa Ratna [Rincen Phtintsok] and others had
performed the applied sorcery of Rahula, with the result that many
throne-holders of Ganden died of stroke or epilepsy. 86o But now, this
master [Choying Rangdrol] made a protective circle to liberate Koncok
861
Chopel
When Takla Padmamati of Katok journeyed to Lhasa, he received
from Choying Rangdrol the commentary on the Secret Nucleus entitled Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, among other teachings. Padmamati, in turn, offered this exegetical transmission to Lhodrak Sungtrtil,862 thereby ensuring that this doctrinal succession continued uninterruptedly.
In return [for the teachings he had given], Choying Rangdrol received from Katokpa [Padmamati] the transmissions and empowerments of
from the fear of Khyapjuk [i. e. Rahula].
682 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 683
the volumes of the Gathering of Intentions, along with the means for holding all the tantras (dgongs-Jdus po-tiJi lung-dbang rgyud-dgu bcangs- thabs-dang-bcas-pa), as well as other teachings, including the ritual manual entitled Beauteous Flower Garland (las-byang me-tog phreng- mdzes). Above all, they performed the means for the attainment of alchemy on the basis of the ma1). cJala of the Gathering of the Sugatas of
the Eight Transmitted Precepts.
efficacious blessings of Choying Rangdrol, it so happened that this verse, composed by the Great Fifth, could be spread throughout Tibet and Kham, at the order of the Ganden Palace:
In the dense wood around the oil-spent town,
The moisture of risk quenched urgency's blaze;
Then the conflagration of karma descended and dried The river of Karmapa and Tsangpa dominion - that,
indeed, did amaze!
In this way he affirmed that there was no reason for the partisans of the Gelukpa not to utilise sorcery, and that this master, Choying Rangdrol, had had a most remedial effect on the teaching in general.
Moreover, the Great Fifth received from Choying Rangdrol experiential guidance on three traditions of Vajrakfla (phur-ba lugs- gsum), three traditions of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bkaJ-brgyad lugs-gsum), [the doctrine of] the Great Perfection called the Innermost Spirituality ofRadiant Space, and so forth; and he undertook to master them. Thus, he maintained, the infallible experience of the Great Perfection arose in his mind, and a confidence that was free from the hopes and fears of sarpsura and nirvu1). a was born within him.
Choying Rangdrol also enjoyed a mutual exchange of doctrinal feasts with Gonpo Sonam Chokden of Nesar. He recognised Rikdzin Perna Trhinle, the sun of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School, to be the emanation of Cangpa Rikdzin Ngagiwangpo; and he installed him at the seat of Thupten Dorje Trak. 864 Choying Rangdrol bestowed all the doctrines of the transmitted precepts and treasures upon him, and enthroned him as a lord of the teaching.
Towards the end of his life Choying Rangdrol lived in Kungtang, which had been the seat of the lord of beings, the "Unborn" Zhang [Tshelpa]. 865 There, he granted the exegesis of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus to Trhinle Lhtindrup, the great awareness-holder of Tarding,866 and received, in return, many empowerments and transmissions, such as those of the Eight Transmitted Precepts. He protected all who per- severed in the doctrine, including gurus, incarnations and emanations from China, Tibet and Mongolia, by whatever pertains to the path of liberation, whether transmitted precepts or treasures, of the ancient or ? ew traditions. Then, during his sixty-sixth year, 1669 (earth bird), he Journeyed to the realm of Lotus Light, accompanied by wondrous omens.
THE FIFTH DALAI LAMA
[424. 6-425. 5] Although it is impossible to count the host of students Who were the spiritual sons of this master [Choying RangdrOl], the
Rahula
From about this time the Great Fifth [Dalai Lama], the supreme conqueror, began to honour Choying Rangdrol as his guru and received from him the Vanquisher (zil-gnon) and other doctrinal transmissions. The Great Fifth experientially cultivated all the transmissions and practical guidance for widespread rites of pacification, subjugation, and wrath, including the cycle of wrathful mantras, whIch
Choying Randgrol offered to him.
During that era, the lords of Tsang and their priests, the Karmapa,
harboured great hatred towards the Gelukpa in general, and the Ganden Palace in particular; and they performed numberless rites of sorcery when they were hard pressed during the civil war. 863 But because of the timely activity of the Fifth Dalai Lama and the exceedingly
684 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
foremost among them was the supreme conqueror, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. Even when Choying Rangdrol had journeyed to another realm, it is said, the Great Fifth was taken into his following by the body of his pristine cognition. This is illustrated by the following passage from the supreme conqueror's Biography ofChoying Rangdrol (rnam-thar rgyal-ba-mchog-gi zhal-gsung-ma):
Until I have encountered directly
The expressive play of awareness that is Samantabhadra, By the power of these good deeds may I be favoured in all
lives
By you, 0 lord! my inseparable spiritual benefactor.
The Great Fifth bestowed the exegetical tradition of the Secret Nuc- leus, according to both the Parkap Commentary and Yungtonpa's. Com- mentary, on the great Nyoton Trhinle Lhiindrup, an emanatIOn of Nupcen Sangye Yeshe. From his time until the present day the lineage has continued without interruption owing to the kindness of the great treasure-finder, Rikdzin Gyurme Dorje, and his brother [Locen Dhar-
masrI], the two of whom appeared as the timely fruition of the en- lightened aspirations of Vairocana and of Yudra Nyingpo. 867
5 Dotokpa's Lineage of the Zur Tradition
DOTOKP A
SANGYE-TRA
AND KYI
CHOKI
SENGE
[425. 5-427. 3] Moreover, in the lineage of the disciples of the great Dropukpa, there was one called Sangye-tra of Gyamen in Chongye. He was born into the Nya family in the district of Gyamen Taktsepa. In his youth he propitiated Jambhala and a small field which he owned was swept away by a flood. He then went off [as an ascetic], free from worldly cares. In Puguto there was a rich man who had died ofleprosy, so no one would come to carry away the corpse. Sangye-tra, moved by fervent compassion, did the funerary work without thinking about it. By the side of the bier a large quantity of gold appeared. That was the accomplishment conferred on him by Jambhala.
On his return Sangye-tra met Khyungpo Trhowo at Traci Khangmar. Acting as the attendant while Khyungpo propitiated Yangdak, Sangye- tra also practised the means for attainment and had a vision of the "Nine-lamp Yangdak" (yang-dag mar-me dgu). Then, he went to Tsang. He studied the SUlra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and other texts under a nephew of Ca Chenpo, who had been a student of the lord of secrets, Dropukpa. At that time a rich man offered him one hundred loads of barley. Consequently, free from impediments, he studied the Magical Net under Dropukpa's student Nyangnak Dopo and his student, Lharje Da Senge. Having become a great scholar, founded Dotokthel in his homeland. Gyacing Rupa, a dis- cIple of Nyelwa Zhikpo, also became a supplicant at the feet of Dotokpa [Sangye-tra] and studied much under him.
In particular, this Dotokpa had a student called Kyi Choki Senge, a learned and accomplished "warrior". He went into the presence of the emperor Qubilai Qan. In order to examine Choki Senge's powers the emperor rashly had him placed inside a stiipa, and then sealed up the entrance for a year. When the year ended the stiipa was opened. Seeing that Choki Senge had turned into an image of VajrakIla, the emperor was most astonished. He sent a great variety of things, includ-
686 History: The Distant LineageofTransmitted Precepts
ing a long roll of silk,868 as gifts to Dotokpa. Dotokpa also had many monastic estates allotted to him by imperial edict, so [his domains] were exceedingly developed. But this is remembered only in name. Such fluctuations in the teaching naturally inspire world-weariness!
Dotokpa's Lineage ofthe Zur Tradition 687
also became thoroughly learned in the SzUra .
and the Magical Net under th 1 whzch Gathers All Intentions
MENLUNGP A
SAKY A-O
having thoroughly learned the of Valzd Cognition. Then,
the Magical Net under Phu uGra w zch Gathers All Intentions and ngpo ya Yesh G" h
Commentary based on the Text ofth P k e onpo, e composed the khab gzhung-du byas-pa'i tf-ka) eR Commentary ('grel-pa spar- cho-ga) , and other works. 'He r' a h for (dbang-gi TshUl Gyelwa. Ridongpa Shera;6 \ t em to ? IS own Lama
and he is said to have pro a at ye tsen under hIm, in turn, for a while, having III the vicinity of Takpo
servants, as well as to the mantra adept to. Lord Kurap and his
was Sonam Zangpo of Zhan kar s', of Sherap Gyeltsen
Gyamtso, from Whom Go Zh" g l' HI,S dIScIple was master Trashi nupe
of Dorje Gyeltsen's Comm °t receIved the exegetical transmission
h " en ary on the Secret Nu l (d .
mts an-pa zsnying-tfk), the Black Deit V;' _ ceus r: o-rye rgyal-
[427. 3-429. 1] The disciple of Choki Senge was Menlungpa Sakya-o. He was the eldest of five sons born to Nyangton Chenpo of Chongpo Kharu, who became famed as the "five emanational brothers of Yar- lung". The eldest was referred to as "Menlungpa" after Menlung, a monastery in Yarlung. The seat of the second brother, Chodenpa, was the monastery that is now the ruin called "Choden". 869 Chodenpa's real name was Gonpo Dor;e. Because he became quite accomplished he left the imprint of his back on a wall, which he had struck and passed through. This imprint exists even now. In the past it seems that there was a great seminary at this place; for a great many fragments of the Collected Tantras (rgyud-'bum) are still to be seen there. It is said that because Chodenpa performed the means for the attainment of elixir, scorpions and ants became quite rare in this region. The ruins of the monastery appear to be protected even today, for its protectors are most powerful. It is a place where the gods and demons abide in accord with their commitments.
The three younger brothers were known as Keldenpa, Turtropa, and Wangyelwa. Among the five, it is the eldest, Menlungpa Sakya-o, who is considered here. He studied the Satra which Gathers All Intentions and the Magical Net thoroughly under Kyi Choki Senge. Later, he also studied under Sonamgyel, the scholar of Len, who was the son of Len Sakya Opo.
Campa Senge's enlightened attributes of knowledge, love, and power were hard to measure, so he was believed to have been an emanation. The number of his disciples was inconceivable: He trained about sixteen spiritual benefactors who had fully mastered the Sequence of the Path of the Magical Net, the Secret Nucleus, and the Parkap Commentary, together with the Si1tra which Gathers All Intentions. They acted extens- ively for the benefit of others and obtained fame in their own right. Foremost among them were YungWn Dorjepel, the senior disciple of his early years, and Tanak Drolmawa Samdrup Dorje, the foremost disciple of his later years.
His study of the Vajra Gar-
666 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
YUNGTON DORJEPEL
[396. 3-398. 6] Yungtonpa belonged to the Len clan. He was born in Tshongdti in 1284 (wood male monkey year). From his youth he was endowed with perfect discernment. In general, he knew all the dialect- ical teachings, and was particularly learned in the Compendium of the Abhidharma. He had a most powerful command of all the mantra traditions, ancient and new. Above all, he became the genuine spiritual son of Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. From Zur Campa Senge he obtained the esoteric instructions of the Trio of the Sutra which Gathers All Inten- tions) the Magical Net and the Mental Class in their entirety; and he became a great master among their proponents. He composed the Il- luminating Mirror (gsal-byed me-long), a commentary on the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus which came to surpass those of the other exegetical traditions in popularity. Then, when Zur Campa Senge went to study the Yamantaka Cycle (gshed-skor) under Kangpa Sakbum, Yungtonpa accompanied him and studied it as well. He became a very learned and powerful [adept of] the yogic exercises, their functional applications, et cetera. So, when Lhakti Ponpo poisoned Zur Campa Senge, cutting off his life, Yungtonpa turned the wheel of Yamantaka against him, which caused him, along with his property, fields and household to be swept away by a river and thereby utterly destroyed. At that time, YungtOnpa composed a verse which began:
I am merely the subduer of my guru's mortal foe . . .
During his youth YungtOnpa went to China by imperial command. He performed thread-cross and torma rites (mdos-gtor) which previously had been quite unknown in the world at large. 825 In some regions there had been severe drought, but at the order of the emperor, YungtOnpa caused rain to fall. The emperor was delighted by this revelation of his power. Returning to Tibet, laden with great rewards and riches, Yungtonpa gave nothing to his acquaintances and friends, but offered everything to his guru and to the monastic community, so that the merit might benefit his mother.
YungtOnpa also became a disciple of Puton Rinpoche and acquired great learning in the Kalacakra. 826 Moreover, he knew many quirks of causality:827 When he pierced a skin water-bag with a vulture's quill, the water did not leak. When he touched red-hot iron with his bare flesh, he was unburnt. And when he plastered a wall with a cement made from six kinds of stone, the wall was transformed into a great rock.
Above all, Yungtonpa experientially cultivated the esoteric instruc- tions, in general, and the Great Perfection, in particular, owing to the great inspiration of Karmapa Rangjung Dorje. He obtained the eight great treasures that are described in the Sutra of Extensive Play and thereby unlocked the vast treasure of brilliance, so that he satisfied
Biographies of the Rong Tradition 667
Yungt(jn Dorjepel
Ii .
vmg WIth his eloquence. When Yak
on the Difference between [the D o ,
theSutraandMantra'7:rad°t0 ( esdcnptzonsof] Buddhahoodaccordingto
. .
h
P 'Ye-ba'i bstan-bcos) he deve1
pIes) went to meet him and : : e
d
0
- 'Yl sangs-rgyas-la khyad-par-
In later life Yungto"np
disci-
D ' e monastIc ordmatIOn from
T
H
Ratum Trak and by h' t h'
, IS eac mg he passed away in his eight _ d
e reSIded in places like Paro in Bh
' was c anged . to Dorjepel.
utan, Phungpo RIwoche and . 1 '
. J. I 1 zons m o-sngags k
great
and, with fourteen
. cOdme a supplIcant at his feet. a receIve complet 0 . .
shokpa ChOlungpa H'
· . IS name, ofJebum h
.
de Pal). cen saw hIS Treatise
extensIve y benefitted others. He y secon year, 1365 (wood female snake).
TANAK DROLMAWA SAMDRUP DORJE
[398. 6-400. 1] Tanak D "I
N ' ro mawa Samdrup D ' b . esar m 1295 (wood female shee orJe was
orn at Tanak
In each generation had b O d P year) as the son of a family which , 0 tame accompl' h ' mantra tradition. He stud' d . IS ment through the Nyingma
Ie extensIvely under Zur Campa Senge and
668 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rang Tradition 669
became particularly learned in the Magical Net. He received the empow- erment of the Magical Net from Len Nyatselpa Sonam Gonpo.
Samdrup Dorje's knowledge and enlightened activity are difficult to estimate: He meditated in total solitude, and in Cerna Senge he medi- tated one-pointedly on the Innermost Spirituality of the Great Perfection (rdzogs-chen snying-thig). He reached the limits of awareness, and savoured the entire ocean of buddha-fields equally.
lur Sakya Jungne of Yang-en and Lama Sengepa of Ukpalung were left in Samdrup Dorje's care from childhood; and they came to respect, above all, their commitments to this guru, who raised them so well. Thus, he was most kind to the lineage of lur. Len Selwa, too, who became famed as the "All-Knowing Master from Shang", received many empowerments and was blessed by this guru during childhood, and so became greatly learned. In these and other ways Samdrup Dorje's blessings were inconceivable.
At the time of his death, in his eighty-second year, 1376 (fire male dragon), he said to his son, "I am going to SukhavatI. You will also live to my age. Then, come to SukhavatI! " With these words he passed away.
ZUR ZANGPOPEL AND ZUR HAM SAKYA JUNGNE
[400. 1-405. 6] Two lineages issued from Tanak Drolmawa Samdrup Dorje: the "lur lineage" (zur-brgyud) and the "son's lineage" (sras- brgyud). The "lur lineage" was that of lur Ham Sakya Jungne.
This Sakya Jungne was the son of lur Zangpopel, who, during his lifetime, received commissions and gifts from the emperor Buyantu. 828 Once, he had to travel to China by imperial command. Because he had very great occult skills and powers he acted, at first, in the service of the royal emperor by providing protection from crop-failure and sur- pressing rebellion by means of thread-crosses, malign torma (zor) ,829 lightning, and hail. On one occasion, in particular, an ominous, black cloud in the form of a scorpion appeared in the sky above the royal palace of Ta'i-tu;830 and no one was able to banish it. At that time, Zur Zangpopel was commissioned by the emperor. He trapped the cloud in eighteen houses made of silk, following the thread-cross rites of the "Mataral). s' Vengeance" (rna-mo 'khang-phab-kyi mdos). He then performed a torma offering dance (gtor-'chams) and the black cloud was dispersed. Many such revelations of the greatness of the true doctrine in the land beyond the pale [Tibet] caused the emperor to acquire faith. He re- quested the empowerment of the nine deities of [the ma1). cjala of] Yangdak Heruka and an empowerment of longevity; and he presented Zangpopel with offerings of a silver seal, thirteen measures of silver, and sufficient dress-silk for two hundred shirts. He established a con- gregation of mantrins in the Ta'i-tu palace: It is well known that kiias for the four rites were kept in the palace at that time.
From the material resources which langpopel thus collected he had printing-blocks made for twenty-eight doctrinal collections 'of the An- cient Translation School, including the Root Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus, the Parkap Commentary, the Sequence of the Path of Secret Mantra (gsang-sngags lam-rim), and many esoteric instructions (man-ngag dgu). He printed a thousand copies of each and distributed them to students. He contributed many of the materials needed to produce [a copy of] the Collected Tantras (rgyud-'bum). So, through these and other activities he benefitted the teaching most extensively.
Sometime thereafter the emperor Buyantu passed away, after a medi- cation for fever had been applied to an ailment that was affecting the vital energies.
During this period the Sakyapa and the Zurs enjoyed a most profound intimacy, for, at heart, their philosophies were identical. Therefore, When the news of lur Campa Senge's death reached Sakya, they said, "This is not good. Now, let us summon Zur Zangpopel from China. " ? thers also conferred, and, finally, they sent the attendant Jamyang to Invite him [back to Tibet]. But when Jamyang reached China, Zur Zangpopel was laid up with a fever and was approaching death. Then,
Tanak DriJ"lmawa Samdrup Dorje
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Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 671
owing to the blessings of the qakinls and protectors of the doctrine, he began to show a slight recovery. At that very time, the emperor appeared to him in a vision and said, "When you were [prepanng] to leave for Tibet, what gifts were you given? "
Zangpopel answered in detail.
"Then you have been given nothing at all," said the emperor and
vanished.
When the royal lady Thabula heard the story, she exclaimed, "Seeing
you reminds me of the emperor! " and wept. She again offered the
master ten measures of silver.
Zangpopel then commissioned an image of Vajrasattva in Chinese
bronze831 and dance masks of a doctrine protector and his lady (chos- skyong lcam-dral) and proceeded to Tibet with these. When the protector gazed on Tibet, it ascended seven steps, and so became renowned as the Sebak Komdtinma, the "Leather Mask of the Seven Steps". 832
Having reached Tibet, Zur Zangpopel produced [the aforementioned copy of] the Collected Tantras as a service to the teaching. He . engaged the protectors of the doctrine as his servants and clearly predIcted the future. Later, when he again had to depart for China at the imperial
command, he was not inclined to set out. He made offerings, such as a measure of silver, to the emperor's messenger Themurdar and to Ghare, but they would not go, saying that if they were to return [without Zangpopel] they would be punished. At that he set out for China, having first composed some instructions, which began:
All independence is bliss,
And all dependence is sorrow. . .
Zur Zangpopellived for no more than about thirty-eight years.
Zur Ham Sakya Jungne was his son. As a child he studied the doctrines of his paternal ancestors; and the propensities of his past deeds were awakened. In his fifth year he stood up in the midst of the noblemen who were escorting his father on the journey to China and delivered a short exegesis of the Root Tantra [i. e. the Secret Nucleus], which as- tonished everyone. From his seventh year on he was raised at the college. He was ordained as a novice by Lama Ktinpangpa, received full ordination from the doctrine master Sonam Trakpa, and became well known under his ordination name, Sakya Jungne. In a decree of the emperor Guluk833 he was referred to as "Zur Sakya Jungne, son of Zur Pakshi", and he was presented with four large, sixty-ounce meas- ures of gold, twenty large measures of pure silver, and two hundred silk outer robes and linings. The royal lady Tha'u and others also offered vast wealth to him; and so they bountifully benefitted the spiritual and temporal domains of the Zurs.
In particular, Zur Ham Sakya Jungne built a most wonderful, golden image of which contained fragments of the conqueror Zurpoche's robes. He installed it as the foremost receptacle of worship at glorious Ukjalung. And he completed great rectifications (tshugs-kha) [of the customs] at the college and retreat centre. Without sparing his wealth he undertook to serve the doctrine. His radiance, pleasing to behold, even inspired faith in the Mongolian nobleman Themurdar, who then requested an empowerment oflongevity. Thus, Sakya Jungne lived as a great spiritual warrior, who could inspire confidence in others.
He met all the learned, noble, and excellent teachers of Central Tibet and Tsang, including the great translator Sazang [Mati Pal). cen],834 the conqueror Yungtonpa, Jamyang Samdrup Dorje, the heir to the Sakyapa lineage (sa-skya-pa'i gdung-brgyud),835 and all the most famous leaders of the Zur tradition. He became well trained in the Three Classes of Dialectics (mtshan-nyid sde-gsum), and in the fundamental texts and esoteric instructions of all schools, ancient and new, of the way of secret mantra. In particular, he diligently trained himself in the Ornament of Emergent the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, the Kalacakra, the Tantra of the All-Accomplishing King,
Zur Ham SiikyaJungne
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the Sequence of the Path of the Magical Net, the Secret Nucleus, and the Parkap Commentary; and so he became renowned as a great scholar and accomplished master.
During this later period Zur Ham Sakya Jungne was the sole master of the teaching on the empowerment of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions according to the tradition of Zur. When he himself received that empowerment from the great DrOlmawa Samdrup Dorje, he made offerings headed by Chinese and Tibetan robes, cooking utensils, and fifty loads of barley. He mastered all the transmissions, practical applica- tions and techniques [of that sutra]. For the sake of the seal of entrust- ment (gtad-rgya)836 alone, he delighted the guru with offerings of large
silks and gold. He had extremely clear visions of Sakyamuni and of the Herukas of the Five Enlightened Families. Also, he composed many works, such as the Commentary of the Seal of Entrustment) a Memorial of the Deities of the SiUra which Gathers All Intentions ('dus-pa mdo'i lha-thems gtad-rgya'i 'grel-pa). His actions on behalf of the trilogy of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, were most extensive. Sakya Jungne produced many disciples who clarified the teachings: DrOlmawa Samdrup Dorje's son Sangye Rincen, and Nyelpa Delekpa, among others. He passed away in his thirty-eighth year. There is also a "ritual guide" (chog-khrid) composed
by [his disciple] Nyelpa Delek.
SANGYE RINCEN
[405. 6-409. 1] Again, there was the lineage of the great DrOlmawa Sam- drup Dorje's son, known as Sangye Rincen Gyeltsen Pelzangpo, who was born at Nesar in 1350 (iron male tiger) when his father was in his fifty-sixth year. People would say, "This son of yours is no use! Why should you cherish him so? "
To which he replied, "My son will be ofbenefit to living creatures. "
In his sixth year Sangye Rincen mastered the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus. Then, he went before Zur Sakya Jungne, who, calling him "my guru's son", raised him as a favourite, but he was too distracted to retain this tantra. Then, in his eighth year he repeated [the course] and retained it. His father taught him the ceremonies and rites of enlightened activity, whereby in his fourteenth year he became a capable master who conferred empowerment on others. Under his father he
also mastered the doctrinal cycles of the Magical Net.
On one occasion, Sangye Rincen said, "Now, I will become ordained as a monk and train myself in dialectics. I will also study the tantras
of the new translation schools. "
But his father responded, "For the time being, that would be in-
appropriate. But you may be ordained later on. "
At that, he took a consort and she gave birth to some sons. As a layman he completed his studies and training. Afterwards he received, all at once, the complete ordination at Chokorgang. He remained ex- tremely dignified in his conduct. Having become learned in the Magical Net, Sangye Rincen composed a Great Commentary on the Secret Nucleus (gsang-snying 'grel-chen) , and a Detailed Exposition of the Array of the Path of the Magical Net (lam mam-bkod-la mam-bzhag) when he was about forty. Similarly, he composed an Extensive Descriptive Basis Uor the Rites} ofthe Wrathful Deities (khro-bo-la mngon-par-rtogs-pa rgyas-pa) and also a Detailed Ceremony for the Rite of the Tie to the Higher Realms (gnas-lung-la'ang cho-ga rgyas-pa), both of these being derived from the eight arisings of enlightened activity (phrin-las shar-ba brgyad). Sangye Rincen received many esoteric instructions from his father and his father's spiritual son, Thupa Dorje; and he applied these in practical experience.
In his seventieth year837 he accepted Golo Yezang Tsepa [i. e. GOlo Zhonupel] as a disciple and granted him the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deities according to the Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul zhi-khro'i dbang); the longevity empowerment of the Magical Net (sgyu- 'phrul-gyi tshe-dbang); the empowerment of the Chumer of the Depths of Hell (dong-sprugs-kyi dbang), the empowerments of [Yamantaka)} Lord of Life, and of Yangdak Mecik (tshe-bdag-dang yang-dag me-gcig-gi dbang); the permissory initiations838 for the Hayagriva Traditions of Nawopa and Dagyelma (sna-bo-pa'i lugs-kyi rta-mgrin-dang zla-rgyal-ma'i lugs-kyi rjes-gnang); the empowerment of the Khb'n Tradition ofV ajrakfla, along with the permissory initiation for the wrathful rites (phur-pa- 'khon- lugs-kyi dbang drag-po rjes-gnang-dang bcas-pa); the empowerments of the expressive play of awareness for the Eighteen Teachings ofthe Mental Class (sems-sde bco-brgyad-kyi rig-pa'i rtsal dbang); the exegesis of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus and its commentary; and an extensive exegesis of the Array of the Path of the Magical Net according to his own commentary. In addition, he bestowed on him the transmissions of about forty opuscules, including the Illuminating Lamp ofthe Funda- mental Text; the Forty-Chapter Magical Net (sgyu-'phrul bzhi-bcu-pa, NGB Vol. 14); those of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, its root tantra, the All-Gathering Awareness, and its commentary by Nupcen
Sangye Yeshe, the Armour Against Darkness; and those of both the Eighty-Chapter Magical Net and the Superior Magical Net, and the Root Text of Yangdak (yang-dag rtsa-ba). 839
Sangye Rincen also gave him the four empowerments of the Inner- most Spirituality, beginning with the elaborate one, and guidance [on meditation] according to a guidebook (khrid-yig) based on the writings of Melong Dorje, and following, too, the Esoteric Instructions of the Great Perfection according to Aro (rdzogs-chen a-ro'i man-ngag). Similarly, he gave him the Guidance which Lays Bare the Teaching of the Great Compassionate One (thugs-rje-chen-po'i smar-khrid) following the lineage
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of the bodhisattva Yegyelwa. Because of all this, it appears, Golo Yezang Tsepa himself made this decisive affirmation, "I crossed to the furthest shores of the ocean oflearning, and so achieved what is meaningful. "
Then, in 1421 (iron female ox), his seventy-second year, the doctrine master Sangye Rincen travelled to Central Tibet. At the monastery of Samtenling in Kangpori he was attended by Wangdrakpa Gyeltsen. The guru gave many empowerments, including those of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, and many exegeses and transmissions, including those of the Secret Nucleus. Then, in 1431 (iron female pig), his eighty- second year, he passed away in Tsang. From the birth of Zurcungpa until this date four hundred and seventeen years appear to have passed.
GOLO ZHONUPEL (YEZANG TSEP A)
[409. 1-41l. 4] Now, the great man Go Zhonupel was born in 1392 (water monkey year). His father was called Goton Jungne Dorje, and his mother Sitarkyi. He was ordained by the great preceptor Cenye. From Karmapa V, Tezhinshekpa, he received the bodhisattva vow and the Six Doctrines. From Ngok Cangcupel he heard the doctrines of Ngok. But, in particular, it was from the great pa1). 9. ita Vanaratna840 that he received most of the empowerments of the Unsurpassed tantras. He corrected and translated the Litany of the Names of Mafijusri, the Point ofSpring (Vasantatilaka, T 1448), the Brief Teaching ofEmpower- ment (Sekoddesa, T 361), and Commentary on the Six-limbed Yoga (Kalacakra$aqangayoga, T 1367).
When Dro1cen Sangye Rincen was in his seventieth year, 1419 (earth female pig), this master received from him all the transmitted empow- erments of the tantrapitaka of the Ancient Translation School in their entirety: the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deities accord- ing to the Magical Net and its longevity empowerment; the Chumer of the Depths of Hell; the Lord of Life; Yangdak Mecik; the Hayagriva Traditions of Nawopa and Dagyelma; the Khiin Tradition of Vajrakfla; and the empowerments of the expressive play of awareness for the Eighteen Teachings ofthe Mental Class. Among exegetical transmissions he received the Tantra ofthe Secret Nucleus with its commentary, and the commentary on the Array of the Path of the Magical Net which Sangye Rincen had himself composed. Moreover, he received the explanatory transmissions of about forty opuscules, Indian and Tibetan, including the Illuminating Lamp ofthe Fundamental Text and the Forty- Chapter Magical Net; the transmissions of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions, its root tantra, the All-Gathering Awareness, and its comment- ary by Nup Sangye Yeshe, the Armour Against Darkness; and those of both the Eighty-Chapter Magical Net and the Superior Magical Net, and the Root Text of Yangdak. He received, too, the four root empower-
ments, elaborate and unelaborate, of the Innermost Spirituality, its guidance according to the guidebook of the accomplished master Melong Dorje, and guidance on the Esoteric Instructions of the Great Perfection according to the Tradition of Aro. In short, Go Zhonupel became as a lord of secret mantra teaching according to the Ancient Translation School.
This master himself said, "I acquired exceptional devotion towards the tradition renowned as the Nyingmapa school of secret mantra. So, I was never polluted by the defilement of rejecting [true] doctrine. ,,841 Such words were intended for those pseudo-scholars of Tibet who were sec- tarian bigots. In fact, this master was more sublime than other philo- sophically unbiased spiritual benefactors; this is clearly demonstrated by his own treatises, which are reliable and also vastly eloquent. 842
This master offered many doctrinal transmissions, empowerments, and much guidance to Karmapa Chodrak Gyamtso, including the Tri- logy of Commentaries by Bodhisattvas (sems-'grel skor-gsum). He acted as the preceptor who gave complete ordination to Zhamarpa IV, Choki Trakpa; and he gave him an inconceivable number of transmitted em- powerments and exegetical transmissions, as well as the guidance of esoteric instruction, for an ocean of tantrapitaka, both ancient and new, of which the foremost was the Magical Net. The venerable Zhamarpa, too, considered Go to be his sole, most gracious guru.
having by many means expanded the teaching of the transmit- ted precepts and treasures, Go Zhonupel passed away in his ninetieth year, 1481 (iron ox).
CE-NGA RINPOCHE, ZHAMARP A IV
[41l. 4-413. 2] Now, Zhamarpa IV, Ce-nga Rinpoche, was born in
Tresho Khangmar in 1453 (water female bird year). His father was
Dong Gonpakyap, and his mother Hraza Sonam Drolma. At Zurmang
43
Monasteri
ordination from him was given the name Choki Trakpa Yeshe Pel- zangpo. He received the doctrine also from the preceptor Gushri Trak- pelpa and from Pengarpa. 844 In his twenty-fourth year he was completely ordained as a monk, under the great translator of Go, Yezang Tsepa, who acted as preceptor. At one time or another he studied number- less teachings: tantrapitaka of the new translation schools, such as Kalacakra, CakrasaJ? 1vara, Hevajra, Guhyasamaja, and Bhairava; and the transmitted empowerment and exegetical transmission of the Secret NUcleus of the Magical Net, among others [of the Ancient Translation School]. He also received many doctrines of the ancient and new tradi- tions from the great translator Sonam Gyamtso, who was descended from the family of Gyelwa Choyang of Ngenlam.
he met Karmapa VII, Chodrak Gyamtso, and on receiving
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When Ce-nga Rinpoche received the empowerment of Vajra- kfla from the master Go [Zhonupel], he had a vision of master Padma- sambhava in a dream, and was even given instructions. He yielded up his physical body during his seventy-third year, 1525 (wood bird), while still occupied with teaching all the various doctrines, ancient and new, to his disciples.
In short, by extensive study this master purified himself. Although he composed a great many means for attainment, exegetical comment- aries, mal). <;iala rites, dialogues, and other treatises, Zhamarpa's works are all superior to others, because they are refined in word and meaning, of suitable length, conclusive, and fair. His Guidance on the View of the Great Middle Way, which Definitively Reveals the Absolute (don-dam nges-'byed dbu-ma-chen-po'i lta-khrid) is based on the Five Doctrines of the great regent [Maitreya]. Therefore, in adhering above all to the infallible diction of the ultimate doctrinal language this master accords with the great, all-knowing Longcenpa, Karmapa VII, and the all-know- ing, great Tolbupa. 845
DRIGUNG ZURP A RINCEN PHUNTSOK
[413. 2-414. 5] The Zhamarpa conferred the teachings on Zurpa Rincen Phtintsok of Drigung. He was born into the Kyura family in Drigung Kunyergang in upper Uru. After his eighth year he was ordained as a novice by Ce-nga Rinpoche, Choki Trakpa. At thirteen, when he was invited to the consecration of the Trhadruk Temple at Tsitang Samten- ling, which had been restored by Karpopa,846 all sorts of wonderful miracles took place. He set his heart on attainment in such great places of pilgrimage as Yangpacen, Lungsho, and Zhoto Tidro. Once, while he was staying at Tidro, Vajranatha, an accomplished master from India, arrived and gave him the esoteric instructions on vital energy by Javaripa (dza-bi-ra'i bhil rlung), and other, further advice. Following a prophetic declaration of the <;iakinls he changed his dress to white
[i. e. became a mantrin free from monastic vows]. In Yangpacen a treasure inventory came into his possession, following which he ex- tracted the yellow scrolls of the five families [which contained] the True Doctrine of the Most Profound Intention, the Essence of the Body, Speech and Mind o f Guru Rinpoche (gu-ru rin-po-che'i sku-gsung-thugs-bcud dam- chos dgongs-pa yang-zab shog-ser rigs-lnga) from the great assembly hall of the dakinls at Tidro.
On occasion he journeyed to the glorious Copper-coloured Mountain, where he met Guru Rinpoche in the form of a heruka and participated in a feast offering. He was given an empowerment based on the mandala of the three roots, and also all the instructions and further Then, the body of the heruka turned into that of master
Padmasambhava, who orally bestowed on Rincen Phtintsok many esoteric instructions. After that, he returned to his own abode.
Rincen Phtintsok became a master of both the transmitted precepts and the treasures. Having thoroughly mastered the extraordinary exegetical tradition of the trilogy of the SiUra which Gathers All Inten- tions, the Magical Net, and the Mental Class, many traditions of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad lugs-dgu), the Four-Part Inner- most Spirituality (snying-thig ya-bzhi), the Earlier and Later Treasure Troves (gter-kha gong-'og),847 and so forth, his teaching activity became most extensive. In accord with the tradition of the precious Ngari Pal). cen,848 his custom was to disclose the central points by means of the transmitted precepts, and to adorn them witp the esoteric instruc- tions of the treasures.
KHONTON PEL]OR LHUNDRUP
[414. 5-418. 4] Rincen Phtintsok taught the cycles of the Magical Net to Rangdrol Nyinda Sangye, who expounded it to Tshewang Norgye, a master of the Khon family. He, in turn, expounded it to his own son, Khonton Peljor Lhtindrup. This master was born in 1561 (iron bird year). The name of his mother was Gyelmodzom.
From childhood the propensities of a holy person were aroused within him, and he truly developed the attitude of a renunciate. During his tenth year he was ordained as a novice by the all-knowing Sonam Gyamtso. 849 He also received [the vows of] refuge and of the creation of the enlightened attitude, as well as the transmission for the meditation of the Great Compassionate One. In addition, he received all kinds of doctrines from several gurus of both the ancient and new traditions. He completed studies of [Sanskrit] grammatical tables,850 poetics, [Ti- betan] grammar,851 medicine, and the other sciences. But above all, under the tutelage of his father, who was a holder of indestructible reality, he became trained in the Secret Nucleus of the Magical Net, in its commentary composed by YungWnpa, and in the other commen- taries of the Magical Net cycle, such as the all-knowing Longcenpa's Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions. It was then that the propensities of [his past life as] the great Dropukpa were aroused, and he became an incomparably learned and accomplished adherent of this path.
In his eighteenth year Peljor Lhtindrup received the empowerment, guidance and esoteric instructions of the Great Perfection according to the Innermost Spirituality ofRadiant Space (rdzogs-chen klong-gsal snying- thig) from the great awareness-holder Nyinda Sangye, an emanation of Nup Namkei Nyingpo. Peljor Lhtindrup was introduced to the abiding nature of all things, the Great Perfection, the buddha-body of reality that is intrinsically aware; and thus he arrived at what is most profound.
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Moreover, he received a great many doctrines belonging to both the transmitted precepts and the treasures, and, in particular, the Innennost Meaning, the Liberation of All Beings (don-tig 'gro-ba kun-grol), together with the exegetical transmission of the Precious Treasury of the Supreme Vehicle (theg-mchog rin-po-che'i mdzod). He also reached the limits of study and reflection on all the great textual traditions of the slUras, and became an itinerant scholar at the great seminary of Tsetang, propound- ing widespread textual traditions. 852
Under Tragon Ce-nga Zhonu Chopel he studied extensively the doc- trines of the ancient and new traditions, such as the Vajra Garland. In his thirty-fourth year Peljor Lhtindrup received complete ordination from Gyelkangtsewa Peljor Gyamtso and the doctrine master Gendtin Gyeltsen, who acted as preceptor and master of ceremonies, respect- ively. It was then that he received the name Peljor Lhtindrup. He also studied the mantra cycles of the Gelukpa tradition, and he acted, too, as a teaching master at [the colleges of] Sangpu and Sera Ce. 853
Although the exegetical tradition of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus had been widely propagated in the past, subsequently it had declined. Therefore, because this master was renowned for his great learning [in it], Orgyen Tendzin, the doctrine master of Trakna, deliberately went before him. He received [the Secret Nucleus] in detail following YungtOnpa's Commentary (gYung-'grel), and even composed a memor- andum on it through to the fifth chapter.
Peljor Lhtindrup favoured Zur Choying Rangdrol, in particular, and granted him two daily sessions of instruction on YungtOnpa's Commentary on the Secret Nucleus, as well as on the cycle of the Innermost Spirituality (snying-thig-gi skor) and numberless other teachings. In accord with the teaching of this master, Zurcen Choying Rangdrol definitively estab- lished the teaching as an itinerant scholar at the great seminary of Tsetang; and thus he silenced those who jealously thought that the Ancient Translation School had no exegesis of the tantras. At about that time, Peljor Lhtindrup abandoned the diversions of society and lived in the solitude of Devlkoti, the forest ofPhawangkha. PadmapaIfi, the Great Fifth [Dalai Lama] supplicated his feet and received from him limitless systems of empowerment, transmission, guidance, and esoteric instruction derived from the ancient and new traditions.
Like some great gurus, Peljor Lhtindrup remained aloof to the com- pany of dry dialecticians who concerned themselves with the purity of their philosophical systems. It could be said of him that he bore the stamp ofone who had been a disciple ofexemplary spiritual benefactors.
When he was in his seventy-sixth year the Great Fifth offered prayers for Peljor Lhtindrup's continued longevity (zhabs-brtan-gyi gsol-'debs); but saying, "Now, I do not know if I will live much longer," the master declined, and then added, "I must go to the Palace of Lotus Light in Camaradvlpa! "
On Sunday 30 August 1637 (eleventh day, eighth month fire ox his physical body vanished into the expanse of reality: accom- pamed by wondrous omens.
Among the treatises composed by this master, there are: the
Guideb? ok which Introduces the View Common to the Great Seal, Great Per! ectwn, and Great Madhyamaka (phyag-rdzogs-dbu-gsum-gyi lta-ba spyz-khyab-tu ngo-sprod-pa'i khrid-yig); the Guidance on the View of Madhyamaka (dbu-ma'i Ita khrid); and many works on the conventional sciences [tha-snyad rig-pa; e. g. logic, grammar, etc. ].
ZURCEN CHOYING RANGDROL
[418. 4-424. 6] The spiritual son of that master was Zurcen Choying Rangdrol. He was born in 1604 (wood dragon year). His father was Zurcen Zhonu Tondrup, an emanation of the great awareness- holder Kumaradza, and a direct descendant of the Zur lineage of aware- ness-holders. His mother was Tshenden Yidzin, who hailed from a family of <;iakinls. Choying Rangdrol was recognised as the reincarnation of Trungpa Koncok Rincenpa. Gradually, he learned to read and to write, and he also learned the scripts of India without regard for the difficulty. Under his father he studied the essential cycles of means for attainment (nyer-mkho'i sgrub-skor). 855 In his ninth year he met Cangpa Rikdzin Ngagiwangpo,856 who prophetically declared him to be an
incarnation who would greatly benefit the teaching ofthe Ancient Trans- lation School.
Choying RangdrOl also studied iconographic drawing, astrological systems, and some cycles of wrathful mantras. At about the age of twelve he sat the feet of Nangsel Rinpoche Ngawang Yeshe Trupa, fully receIved the empowerments, transmissions, and experiential f o r t h e c y c l e o f t h e G a t h e r i n g o f t h e S u g a t a s o f t h e E i g h t T r a n s - muted Precepts; the Innermost Spirituality of the /)akinf according to the precepts and the treasures (mkha'-'gro snying-thig bka -gter the ,Guru, an Ocean ofGems (bla-ma nor-bu rgya-mtsho);
and Karma Lmgpa s Natural Liberation of Intention: fA Cycle devoted to] the and Wrathful Deities (kar-gling zhi-khro dgongs-pa rang- gr? l). He receIved the secret name "Choying RangdrOl" in connection the conferral of the empowerment of the peaceful and wrathful deItIes. And he heard many other treasure doctrines too.
. Choying RangdrOl experientially cultivated [such 'teachings as] the FlVefold ? reat (phyag-chen lnga-ldan) and the Guidance on Cutting (gcod-khrzd). In Zmgpa Tago he performed the three-year, three-fortnight
:etreat and, by emphasising primarily the [teach- ngs of] pnmordial punty and spontaneous presence858 according to the Innermost Spirituality ofthe I)iikinf, [a doctrine of] the Great Perfec-
680 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 681
Zurcen Choying Rangdrol
tion (rdzogs-chen mkha)-)gro snying-thig), he tious nature of all things. Obtaining the reahsatIon m whIch mtnnsl. c awareness, the natural face of [Samantabhadra] the lord, IS disclosed, he became adept at roaming, in the inner radIance, through
the fields of the buddha-body of perfect rapture.
In his seventeenth year Choying Rangdrol went into the presence of
the notable Peljor [Lhtindrup], the vajra-holder of He attended upon that guru until his passing, wIth the means to delight the guru. The guru, too, rejOIced at a took care of him. He poured into him the ocean of doctrines to
the transmitted precepts and treasures, as a vase the particular, Peljor Lhiindrup granted him exegetIcal teachmg dunng tW sessions each day, combining the glorious Root the Parkap Commentary, and Yungtonpa)s Commentary m TIbetan. Ch. y
i n g R a n g d r o l r e q u e s t e d p e r m i s s i o n t o s e t d o w n a onthepointsthatwerehardtoremember,butthemastersald, Ifyo . notes before a sufficient segmen. t [of the text] has been much will be settled [in your mmd]. Therefore, after some nme, I s
make an estimate [of how much need be covered first]. "
'; On the roof of his apartment Choying RangdrOl then practised repeat- ing the text. When about thirty folios had been covered [in the lectures] he received his master's permission to set down a memorandum. He completed it through to the fifth chapter, but the remainder was left to be continued.
In his twentieth year, 1622 (water dog), Choying Rangdrol repeated the ordinations from that of a novice to that of a fully-ordained monk. He investigated the commentary on the Secret Nucleus [by Longcenpa] called Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions and others; and he re- quested the exegeses of the four subcommentaries on the Commentary on the Guhyasamaja Tantra called the Clarifying Lamp, the Clarifying Lamp of the Five Stages (rim-Inga gsal-sgron), the Complete Elucidation ofthe Hidden Meaning ofthe Cakrasarrzvara (bde-mchog sbas-don kun-gsal) , Norzang's General Exposition of the Kalacakra (nor-bzang-gi dus-)khor spyi-don), the stages of creation and perfection of the Guhyasamaja Tantra (gsang-)dus bskyed-rdzogs), and other exegetical traditions. He established a decisive understanding of them all.
In 1624 (wood mouse year) he expounded the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus at the beginning of the extensive winter seminar at the great seminary of glorious Tsetang. At that time, he overcame the brilliance of those great teachers who relied on words [rather than on meaning] and thus he vastly served the innermost teaching. Those who remained unbiased praised him; and the great Cangpa [Ngagiwangpo], too, draped a silk scarf around his neck.
From master Phawangkhapa [Peljor Lhtindrup] he also received in detail the empowerments, transmissions and esoteric instructions of the Innermost Spirituality of Radiant Space. Meditating upon it, Choying Rangdrol profited through experiences and realisations that were greater than those he had had before. He also received many wrathful mantras of the new translation schools, such as the Yogic Exercises of Bhairava (bhairava)i )phrul-)khor).
During the great dispute between the Gelukpa and Drigungpa859 the
venerable Drigung Zurpa Ratna [Rincen Phtintsok] and others had
performed the applied sorcery of Rahula, with the result that many
throne-holders of Ganden died of stroke or epilepsy. 86o But now, this
master [Choying Rangdrol] made a protective circle to liberate Koncok
861
Chopel
When Takla Padmamati of Katok journeyed to Lhasa, he received
from Choying Rangdrol the commentary on the Secret Nucleus entitled Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, among other teachings. Padmamati, in turn, offered this exegetical transmission to Lhodrak Sungtrtil,862 thereby ensuring that this doctrinal succession continued uninterruptedly.
In return [for the teachings he had given], Choying Rangdrol received from Katokpa [Padmamati] the transmissions and empowerments of
from the fear of Khyapjuk [i. e. Rahula].
682 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Biographies ofthe Rong Tradition 683
the volumes of the Gathering of Intentions, along with the means for holding all the tantras (dgongs-Jdus po-tiJi lung-dbang rgyud-dgu bcangs- thabs-dang-bcas-pa), as well as other teachings, including the ritual manual entitled Beauteous Flower Garland (las-byang me-tog phreng- mdzes). Above all, they performed the means for the attainment of alchemy on the basis of the ma1). cJala of the Gathering of the Sugatas of
the Eight Transmitted Precepts.
efficacious blessings of Choying Rangdrol, it so happened that this verse, composed by the Great Fifth, could be spread throughout Tibet and Kham, at the order of the Ganden Palace:
In the dense wood around the oil-spent town,
The moisture of risk quenched urgency's blaze;
Then the conflagration of karma descended and dried The river of Karmapa and Tsangpa dominion - that,
indeed, did amaze!
In this way he affirmed that there was no reason for the partisans of the Gelukpa not to utilise sorcery, and that this master, Choying Rangdrol, had had a most remedial effect on the teaching in general.
Moreover, the Great Fifth received from Choying Rangdrol experiential guidance on three traditions of Vajrakfla (phur-ba lugs- gsum), three traditions of the Eight Transmitted Precepts (bkaJ-brgyad lugs-gsum), [the doctrine of] the Great Perfection called the Innermost Spirituality ofRadiant Space, and so forth; and he undertook to master them. Thus, he maintained, the infallible experience of the Great Perfection arose in his mind, and a confidence that was free from the hopes and fears of sarpsura and nirvu1). a was born within him.
Choying Rangdrol also enjoyed a mutual exchange of doctrinal feasts with Gonpo Sonam Chokden of Nesar. He recognised Rikdzin Perna Trhinle, the sun of the teaching of the Ancient Translation School, to be the emanation of Cangpa Rikdzin Ngagiwangpo; and he installed him at the seat of Thupten Dorje Trak. 864 Choying Rangdrol bestowed all the doctrines of the transmitted precepts and treasures upon him, and enthroned him as a lord of the teaching.
Towards the end of his life Choying Rangdrol lived in Kungtang, which had been the seat of the lord of beings, the "Unborn" Zhang [Tshelpa]. 865 There, he granted the exegesis of the Tantra of the Secret Nucleus to Trhinle Lhtindrup, the great awareness-holder of Tarding,866 and received, in return, many empowerments and transmissions, such as those of the Eight Transmitted Precepts. He protected all who per- severed in the doctrine, including gurus, incarnations and emanations from China, Tibet and Mongolia, by whatever pertains to the path of liberation, whether transmitted precepts or treasures, of the ancient or ? ew traditions. Then, during his sixty-sixth year, 1669 (earth bird), he Journeyed to the realm of Lotus Light, accompanied by wondrous omens.
THE FIFTH DALAI LAMA
[424. 6-425. 5] Although it is impossible to count the host of students Who were the spiritual sons of this master [Choying RangdrOl], the
Rahula
From about this time the Great Fifth [Dalai Lama], the supreme conqueror, began to honour Choying Rangdrol as his guru and received from him the Vanquisher (zil-gnon) and other doctrinal transmissions. The Great Fifth experientially cultivated all the transmissions and practical guidance for widespread rites of pacification, subjugation, and wrath, including the cycle of wrathful mantras, whIch
Choying Randgrol offered to him.
During that era, the lords of Tsang and their priests, the Karmapa,
harboured great hatred towards the Gelukpa in general, and the Ganden Palace in particular; and they performed numberless rites of sorcery when they were hard pressed during the civil war. 863 But because of the timely activity of the Fifth Dalai Lama and the exceedingly
684 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
foremost among them was the supreme conqueror, the Great Fifth Dalai Lama. Even when Choying Rangdrol had journeyed to another realm, it is said, the Great Fifth was taken into his following by the body of his pristine cognition. This is illustrated by the following passage from the supreme conqueror's Biography ofChoying Rangdrol (rnam-thar rgyal-ba-mchog-gi zhal-gsung-ma):
Until I have encountered directly
The expressive play of awareness that is Samantabhadra, By the power of these good deeds may I be favoured in all
lives
By you, 0 lord! my inseparable spiritual benefactor.
The Great Fifth bestowed the exegetical tradition of the Secret Nuc- leus, according to both the Parkap Commentary and Yungtonpa's. Com- mentary, on the great Nyoton Trhinle Lhiindrup, an emanatIOn of Nupcen Sangye Yeshe. From his time until the present day the lineage has continued without interruption owing to the kindness of the great treasure-finder, Rikdzin Gyurme Dorje, and his brother [Locen Dhar-
masrI], the two of whom appeared as the timely fruition of the en- lightened aspirations of Vairocana and of Yudra Nyingpo. 867
5 Dotokpa's Lineage of the Zur Tradition
DOTOKP A
SANGYE-TRA
AND KYI
CHOKI
SENGE
[425. 5-427. 3] Moreover, in the lineage of the disciples of the great Dropukpa, there was one called Sangye-tra of Gyamen in Chongye. He was born into the Nya family in the district of Gyamen Taktsepa. In his youth he propitiated Jambhala and a small field which he owned was swept away by a flood. He then went off [as an ascetic], free from worldly cares. In Puguto there was a rich man who had died ofleprosy, so no one would come to carry away the corpse. Sangye-tra, moved by fervent compassion, did the funerary work without thinking about it. By the side of the bier a large quantity of gold appeared. That was the accomplishment conferred on him by Jambhala.
On his return Sangye-tra met Khyungpo Trhowo at Traci Khangmar. Acting as the attendant while Khyungpo propitiated Yangdak, Sangye- tra also practised the means for attainment and had a vision of the "Nine-lamp Yangdak" (yang-dag mar-me dgu). Then, he went to Tsang. He studied the SUlra which Gathers All Intentions, the Magical Net, and other texts under a nephew of Ca Chenpo, who had been a student of the lord of secrets, Dropukpa. At that time a rich man offered him one hundred loads of barley. Consequently, free from impediments, he studied the Magical Net under Dropukpa's student Nyangnak Dopo and his student, Lharje Da Senge. Having become a great scholar, founded Dotokthel in his homeland. Gyacing Rupa, a dis- cIple of Nyelwa Zhikpo, also became a supplicant at the feet of Dotokpa [Sangye-tra] and studied much under him.
In particular, this Dotokpa had a student called Kyi Choki Senge, a learned and accomplished "warrior". He went into the presence of the emperor Qubilai Qan. In order to examine Choki Senge's powers the emperor rashly had him placed inside a stiipa, and then sealed up the entrance for a year. When the year ended the stiipa was opened. Seeing that Choki Senge had turned into an image of VajrakIla, the emperor was most astonished. He sent a great variety of things, includ-
686 History: The Distant LineageofTransmitted Precepts
ing a long roll of silk,868 as gifts to Dotokpa. Dotokpa also had many monastic estates allotted to him by imperial edict, so [his domains] were exceedingly developed. But this is remembered only in name. Such fluctuations in the teaching naturally inspire world-weariness!
Dotokpa's Lineage ofthe Zur Tradition 687
also became thoroughly learned in the SzUra .
and the Magical Net under th 1 whzch Gathers All Intentions
MENLUNGP A
SAKY A-O
having thoroughly learned the of Valzd Cognition. Then,
the Magical Net under Phu uGra w zch Gathers All Intentions and ngpo ya Yesh G" h
Commentary based on the Text ofth P k e onpo, e composed the khab gzhung-du byas-pa'i tf-ka) eR Commentary ('grel-pa spar- cho-ga) , and other works. 'He r' a h for (dbang-gi TshUl Gyelwa. Ridongpa Shera;6 \ t em to ? IS own Lama
and he is said to have pro a at ye tsen under hIm, in turn, for a while, having III the vicinity of Takpo
servants, as well as to the mantra adept to. Lord Kurap and his
was Sonam Zangpo of Zhan kar s', of Sherap Gyeltsen
Gyamtso, from Whom Go Zh" g l' HI,S dIScIple was master Trashi nupe
of Dorje Gyeltsen's Comm °t receIved the exegetical transmission
h " en ary on the Secret Nu l (d .
mts an-pa zsnying-tfk), the Black Deit V;' _ ceus r: o-rye rgyal-
[427. 3-429. 1] The disciple of Choki Senge was Menlungpa Sakya-o. He was the eldest of five sons born to Nyangton Chenpo of Chongpo Kharu, who became famed as the "five emanational brothers of Yar- lung". The eldest was referred to as "Menlungpa" after Menlung, a monastery in Yarlung. The seat of the second brother, Chodenpa, was the monastery that is now the ruin called "Choden". 869 Chodenpa's real name was Gonpo Dor;e. Because he became quite accomplished he left the imprint of his back on a wall, which he had struck and passed through. This imprint exists even now. In the past it seems that there was a great seminary at this place; for a great many fragments of the Collected Tantras (rgyud-'bum) are still to be seen there. It is said that because Chodenpa performed the means for the attainment of elixir, scorpions and ants became quite rare in this region. The ruins of the monastery appear to be protected even today, for its protectors are most powerful. It is a place where the gods and demons abide in accord with their commitments.
The three younger brothers were known as Keldenpa, Turtropa, and Wangyelwa. Among the five, it is the eldest, Menlungpa Sakya-o, who is considered here. He studied the Satra which Gathers All Intentions and the Magical Net thoroughly under Kyi Choki Senge. Later, he also studied under Sonamgyel, the scholar of Len, who was the son of Len Sakya Opo.
