So it is that mind is
naturally
radiant.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
Lama Osel earnestly strove to perform the funeral rites following the master's demise in such a way as to fulfil all of his intentions.
Among the personal disciples of this master the foremost were Dodrup Jikme Tenpei Nyima, the treasure-finder Sogyel [Lerap Lingpa], Dzok- cen Trtilku V and the Dzokcen Gemang, Zhecen Rapjam and Zhecen Gyeltsap,1223 Katok Situ,1224 Pelytil Gyatrtil, Andzom Drukpa,1225 Trup- wang SakyasrI,1226 and the Ngor Ponlop, et cetera. In short, there were countless sons of his speech who included the emanations and great personages of the Sakyapa, Gelukpa, Kagytipa, and Nyingmapa tradi- tions from [the monasteries of] Katok, Pelytil, Zhecen, Dzokcen, Pel- pung, Derge Goncen [and others] all the way up to Repkong;1227 as well as their scholars who propounded myriad textual traditions, pre- ceptors endowed with the three trainings, mantrins who were confident in the two stages, and ascetics who were free from activity, having
d left it in concealment. Then, , M hlMay 1912 (secon ' d' 1220
,
Thus, he wrote out hIS month same year), Mipham
dunng arc _ _ a about tWO hundred thousan recited the dharal)l of , his attendant, Lama Osel, and He imparted some oral to
,
h t th there is no one to lIsten. Nowadays, if one speaks t e e it to be true. Therefore,
Ifone speaks falsely before' I am no ordinary I have not disclosed ,thIS to ar;;o:e taken birth by the power person. I am a w 0 basdy I ought to have greatly
on one of these occasions Said:
f h' ' ation In thIS present
o IS asp1r " d livin creatures in genera, an
the teaChIng ,an
Tran;lation School of the secret the merits of the Nying-
the teachmg of the Anc1ent
, t' cular But because
. ,
d 'g to some cntIca ' , ,
have completed vanous c l'k d to ha;e written a clear and on. Though I would have, 1 e Madh amaka, I have
detailed, introductlO: no great differ-
not achIeved It. But, none t e , plete the Cycle of
ence. If it had been possible ever to com ) l't would have , ' 1 St t (an,\)ug-sems skor
Mind m Us Natura a e o·_. /' I' 'ng the entire teach- , l' 'fi nce en1ven1
been of great, 1ca ,h I thought I might achieve
ing, without partIalIty. h' final age the barbarians
mantra In par 1
mapa are feeble, as a rule" v:e larCe1,mrcumstances I have been
an , forth Under such condltlOnS, I ave greatly allmg, and so h' beneficial. None the less, I hardly thought to d,o expositions, and so
it, still it is not finished. Now, mdt IS ,l teaching. For
h 1 are close to un erm1ning , beyond tepa e h ' no point whatsoever In my this and other reasons, t ere IS
old
uch afflicted by obstacles, h
MiphamJamyang Namgyel Gyarntso 879
880 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
deliberately abandoned the cares of this life. The great personages among the guru's spiritual sons have to make great en-
deavours to to discover earth
Although thIS dented works including esoteric instructIons treasures many unprece . t . and ritual collections concerning the stages of creatIOn and per
which were especially necessary, poured as the 0 IS
. ' d he propagated them as treatIses. Therelore, e was a
IntentIOn, an fi d ho held lished king among treasure- In ers, one w
Conclusion
accomP I'S dommIOn over what ,
in truth store of profound intention.
the king of all treasures, the expansive
,
So it is that the doctrinal collections of the close lineages of profound treasures preserve an inconceivable number [of teachings]. These are exemplified by the treasure troves, the foremost of which contain the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Gathering of Intentions, and Vajrakfla (bka'-dgongs-phur-gsum), and each of which also includes [its own ver- sions of] the Trio ofthe Guru, Great Perfection and Great Compassionate One. Because the accounts of the descent of so many lineages are indeed limitless, it is not possible to describe them here. If the reader wishes to know of them in detail, they may be learned from the histories of each respective treasure, from the records of the teachings received by their respective [masters], and so forth.
This completes the brief exposition of the accounts of the exceedingly profound, close lineages of the treasures, the sixth part of this book, Thunder from the Great Conquering Battle-Drum of Devendra, which is a history of the precious teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School.
Part "Seven A Rectification ofMisconceptions Concerning the Nyingma School
Introduction
[719. 1-2] Now, the errors of those partisans who, in the past, have wrongly viewed the teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School must be refuted.
1 General Reply to Criticisms of the Nyingmapa Tantras
[719. 2-736. 1] There were a multitude of utterly profound tantrapitaka which arose in Tibet, in proportion to the authentic merits of those to be trained in that glacial land. They did so because of the extraordinary enlightened aspiration of Trhisong Detsen, the divine king of the Land of Snows who was an emanation of sublime and due to the blessings of the great accomplished master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others. Among them were the unsurpassed secret mantra derived from the three lineages, including [those derived from] the Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance,1228 which are the essence of the spirituality of many ejukinls and holders of awareness, and which are beyond the range of ordinary persons. Therefore, those [teachings] are worthy of approval, and the biographies of the ancient religious kings and of the great emanational translators and scholars ought to be respected.
So it was that [Trhisong Detsen], the emanational king, sought to kindle the lamp of the doctrine when Tibet was an abode of darkness, occupied by barbarians who did not possess even a reflection of the teaching, and who were miserable because, to their misfortune, they had to seek lasting refuge in those who preached a violent religion, granting only occasional, ephemeral happiness. Even then, the irresist- ible hurricane of strife's machinations, [instigated by] pernicious and unworthy beings, almost brought other forces into power. But at that time all the venomous deities and ogres were subdued by the compassion of the great master Padmasambhava who enabled the Tibetans to prac- tise the doctrine as they liked. Temples were built, doctrinal centres were established, and with great endeavour the ways of the doctrine were instituted amongst the Tibetans, who had little aptitude even for learning the doctrinal terminology, which previously had been un- known.
At the outset [these masters] began by examining whether or not [the Tibetans] could maintain monastic vows, and they laid a firm foundation for the Buddha's precious teaching, the path of omniscience.
888 They
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. cor us of doctrines belongmg to the translated an oceamc pThe collected fragments, corrected
masters from the domains of the gods, nagas, 4akinls and so on, as well as from various great places of pilgrimage including the Sahor and Shambhala regions ofJambudvlpa, Mount Malaya in Lanka, 044iyana, and the Dravi4a country; and later they were introduced to India. Therefore, tantras are not unauthentic by definition merely be- cause they did not exist in India. Even though some [of the ancient tantras] might have been found [in India], they would not have been seen by someone making just an occasional journey there [as the later translators did]. For, while the emanational translators and scholars of the past who were abiding on the sublime levels voyaged throughout the twenty-four lands1229 and elsewhere by means ofmiraculous abilities, ordinary persons could not travel to them. This is why the great scholar Rongzompa, with whom even the great lord Atisa had declared himself unable to discuss the doctrine, said that the ancient translations of the secret mantra were superior to the later translations in six ways: 1230
First, concerning the greatness of the benefactors who intro- duced them: Since the benefactors of the ancient translation period were the three ancestral religious kings, who were the sublime Lords of the Three Families in kingly guise, they were unlike the benefactors of the later translation period.
Second, concerning the locations in which they were trans- lated and established: Since the ancient translations were accomplished in such emanated temples as Samye and the other doctrinal centres of the past, high and low,1231 they are unlike those translated in the monastic grottoes oftoday.
Third, concerning the distinctions of the translators: Those doctrines were translated by emanational translators, the translators of the past such as Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, Zhang Yeshe De, Ma Rincen-chok, and Nyak Jfianakumara. Thus, they are unlike the made by the translators of today, who pass the summer in Mangytil and travel to India and Nepal for a short time during the winter.
Fourth, concerning the distinctions of the scholars [who supervised the ancient translations]: Those doctrines were introduced by buddhas and sublime bodhisattvas abiding on the great levels, [namely,] the scholars of the past such as the preceptor Buddhaguhya, the great mas- ter Padmakara and the great paIf4ita Vimalamitra. Thus, they were unlike the scholars of today who wander about in search of gold.
Fifth, concerning the distinctions ofthe blossoms [offered] as the basis for commissioning [the translations]: In the past the doctrines were requested with offerings of gold weighed
Tripilaka and to the mastered the path, defective texts, establIshed the g d h ughout the kingdom by means and caused [the ? octrine] opportunity to practise freely
of study, exegesIS, and me was due to the kindness of the
l·b f n and omnISCIence h
the path to 1 era 10 _ . a the master [Padmasambhava], t e re-
a n c i e n t p r e c e p t o r ] ] ' ligious king [Trhisong Detsen , an
d t h e e m a n a t i o n a l t r a n s l a t o r s a n d
scholars.
The Author, Dudjom Rinpoche
. . . wonder that the learned proponents of For thIS reason It IS no I f the later period also man-
. d the trans ators 0
philosophIcal systems an . h th whose tradition had
b
een aged to follow, without dIfficulty, tepa d to contribute to it by
established by those ones some jealouS pers. ons means of their own mtellects. I · that certain of the anCIent created discord by, for example, ebc anng they did not exist in India.
d· tantras had been compose m
Tibet ecause
h t tras l·n India did not prove
of t ose an d· d·d h· h did exist in In la I
. However the non-exIstenCe
, . E them to be unauthentic.
n the tantras w IC . h d rou ht forth by great accomplIs e
ve
not originate there: they were b g
The Nyingmapa Tantras 889
890
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
out in deerskin pouches, or by the measure. Thus, they were unlike the requests made [by disciples of] the present day with one or two gold bits drawn from under their own arms. 1232
Sixth, concerning the distinctions of the itself: The translations of the past were completed at a time when the doctrine of the Buddha had reached its zenith in India. Furthermore, there were tantras which did not even exist in India proper, which were retained by bodhisattvas, ac- complished masters, awareness-holders and Qakinls who had obtained their empowerments. They were taken from pure lands, and from regions of Jambudvlpa such as Siilghala and Oddiyana in the west, through the arrayed miraculous pow- 'of the great master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others, and then translated [in Tibet]. Thus, many [doc- trines] which were completely unknown to the scholars and accomplished masters of India arrived to become the meritorious fortune of Tibet.
Furthermore, concerning the translations themselves: Since the translators of the past were emanations, theyestab- lished the meanings correctly. For this reason their works are easy to understand and, on plumbing their depths, the blessing is great. But the translators of the later period were unable to render the meaning and made lexical translations following [merely] the arrangement of the Sanskrit texts. Consequently, their forced terminology is hard to under- stand, and on plumbing the depths the blessing is slight. Therefore, they are dissimilar.
During the later expansion of the teaching in Tibet, . it became. the fashion for everyone who possessed the intellectual skIll and a httle gold to travel to India and Nepal. If they had gone exclusively the sake of the teaching and sentient beings it would have been admirable, but most of them were jealous men who set their feet in motion because they desired to become scholars, hankered after t. he of others, sought to win fame, or were jealously competmg WIth own gurus, or with spiritual benefactors of similar fortune. ThIS can. be ascertained from the incident during Marpa's travels, when a threw all his books into the river. 1233 For these reasons, the all-knOWing Rongzompa said:
When the doctrine of the Buddha was at its zenith, the emanational translators established [the texts of] the trans- mitted precepts without error. Then, they adorned those doctrines in many ways which served to complete them, and which established the actual condition of the knowable. But
the charlatan translators of the present day made various reforms in the ancient translations, saying, "I am the better translator. My sources are more venerable! " And so, mis- representing the transmitted precepts of the Buddha and the
teachings oftheir gurus, they all compose their own doctrines. They heap abuse upon one another for their faults. Their doctrines are such that those of the father do not suit the son. [In all of this] they are unlike [the ancient translations].
words of his are completely true. Orgyenpa Rincenpel,1234 who attamed accomplishment, also said:
Some Tibetan translators claim that the Nyingma translations had no origin in India. Among them Chak Lotsawa,1235 a guru from whom I personally received empowerment also said that the Nyingma tantras had no origin in India. 'Such
was his small-minded opinion! How could that translator who travelled for only a short time in East India, be of all the texts that existed in India? Above and beyond that, he could not even have been certain about which of them existed in Tibet! Moreover, because India is, in general, a
very hot country, many books decay, and so the extent of the Buddha's transmitted precepts cannot be ascertained. How, then, can the translators of Tibet be certain of [all] sources? Even though I journeyed to the land ofO<;i<;iiyana m the west, I could not ascertain even the size of that land. 1236 Furthermore, in later times original Sanskrit manuscripts
were mostly preserved in Nepal. Among them, an inconceiv- able number of different Nyingma tantras were preserved in one of the temples of a Newari bahal. I237 I said to the Nyingmapa of Tibet that I would bring the pal). Qitas here
a. long with the Sanskrit manuscripts of the Nyingmapa tradi- tlO. n, and that. they should come to Kyirong to translate, usmg my serVices as a translator, but this did not come to pass. Even now it would be well to translate those Nyingmapa texts. Again, some inquisitive Tibetans also say that the
Nyingmapa tradition's Sutra which Gathers All Intentions is
corrupt, having been composed by some old Tibetan man- . 1238 S h
tnns. uc words are unworthy! If you were so know-
ledgeable, then each one of you should also compose such
doctrines; the Buddha's transmitted precepts contain no- thing better.
Similarly,itsaysintheBiographyofLordAtisa(jo-bo'imam-thar):1239
Then, it occurred to the lord Atisa that no one was more learned than he in the traditions of the way of secret mantra
The Nyingmapa Tantras 891
892
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
, h human world; and this thought that were preserved m tl e h n he came to Tibet and
d h' proud But ater, w e h rna e 1m . Pehar Ling [at Samye], he saw t e
opened the of of which he had neither
Sanskrit was shattered and he heard of, nor seen e ore, ' I did not know in the
'd "I thought there was nothmg , h d-k - sal , d" of the greater vehIcle. T e ,a mlS
secret mantra tra lHon 1 celestial palaces and taught h d shown me count ess h
a even these texts were not among t em,
me many tantras, but d"
d th's secret mantra tra lHon
of the greater
bzhi) and other [Nyingmapa teachings]; and he had a vision of Guru Padmasambhava's eight emanations in which he received a prophetic declaration. It clearly follows from these and other actual reports that by advising equanimity towards the Nyingmapa tantras Puton intended to address the other partisan philosophers of that age. When Tshelpa Situ Monlam Dorje prepared a set of all the scriptures translated in the Land of Snows and invited Puton to correct it, he inserted the Nying- mapa trilogy of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions) the Magical Net) and the Mental Class, along with the [main] cycles belonging to the class of means for attainment into the collected tantras of the Kangyur (bka'-'gyur). He allowed them to remain there because he had validly proven them to be original texts of the tantras, but he removed many new tantras, including the whole [collection of] Thirty-two Rali Cak- rasarrzvara Tantras (ra-li so-gnyis, T 383-414), and the Non-Dual Victor (Advayasamatavijayanamavajrasrfvaramahakalpadi, T 453), having con- tended that they were not the transmitted precepts of the Buddha. 1242
When Sakya Chokden, the great pa1)gita of Zilung, 1243 taught in his Golden Surgical Needle (gser-gyi thur-ma) that the explicit intention of the Analysis of the Three Vows was of provisional meaning, some indi- viduals with untrained intellects doubted him, and foolish bigots took [his work] as a support [for their own prejudices]. None the less, the great pa1)gita did make the following assertion:
In general, if you presume to consider the Nyingmapa doc- trine to be not authentic, it follows that you must consider everything translated before the time of the great translator Rincen Zangpo to be not authentic, including the texts of the Tripi! aka, and the Kriya, Carya, and Yoga tantras which were translated by Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, and Zhang Yeshe De. In particular, if you presume to consider the Nyingmapa Unsurpassed tantras of the way of secret mantra to be not authentic, you must also consider the glori- ous Guhyasamaja, the Hidden Point of the Moon, and the Buddhasamayoga to be not authentic, for those three are foremost among the so-called Eighteen Tantrapitaka of the Nyingmapa tradition, and because the great figures of the past taught that by relying on those three roots the so-called Nyingmapa tradition arose in Tibet. In particular, too, even if you consider [merely] the Yangdak and Vajrakrla tantras to be not authentic, those tantras have been proven genuine by [the existence of] Sanskrit texts, the fact that they were translated by proven translators, and so forth. 1244 Especially, the great men who included various others that are known as Nyingmapa tantras in the Catalogues ofthe Collected Tan-
tras (rgyud-'bum-gyi dkar-chag) have also proven that the
And [in the same biography it says]: d
Va' radhara
the master Pad-
By the kindness of that secon
J the dakinls which were f
to 1 ' t o the [ancient] kings of
There is no en
vehicle'" He offered many praIses, ro _
, . d 'd "It appears that the teachIng had been p P TIbetan sal, ' Id' "
" Tibetasithadnotbeenevenm n lao agated m
h many secret stores 0 , d masamb ava, , 1 d' and they were preserve unknown in IndIa were trans ate ,
in the treasury of Pehar at Samye. The venerable Taranatha said:
In the Dravida country the teaching was not
, £ er It was first established there y maSher
Dlpamkarabhadra also went there ,a ' eriod about one hundred years, It was vlslte
tblme, :alders of indestructible reality from Magadha,
y rna h They made the mantra Odd' - a Kashmir and elsew ere.
, ,lyan, , 'd d There are tantras such as those
vehicle WI esprea 'd' the past during the reign l
' h had been brought forth from
whlC
many such tantras in DravlQa t at are n
which, been India,' as well as those of Dharmapala, have ec '- There are
India. 1240
These well-stated arguments of falr,-mm
' h
, 'ded men expose at once all
f those who claim that the defects of the false rhetoric and lesdOdl'd not exist in India.
, 1 '] re not authenHc an
[the anClent trans aHons a b d the doctrine and con-
" they themselves a an on b
By speakmg manger f little merit to har our
sequently cause other dull-witted 0 hism to the teaching by
doubts. Therefore, they tend only Beyond that, their ideas , 'n the way of the monk Mahadeva,
'h
Moreover, the later scholar puton" w S h I practised the Four-
actmg 1
are not conducive to the ultImate . ho was disposed to maintain
the tradition of the Ancient ; phyag- anned Lord according to the Treasures OJ yan
I'
ot to be foun
d ' m
The Nyingmapa Tantras 893
894
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
Yangdak and Vajrakfla tantras are indubitable. This is claimed, for example, in the doctrinal histories of [Comden Rikpei] Reldri and PutOn Rinpoche. 1245
Having roughly stated the opinions of others, the essence of my own tenet is as follows. The master of this teaching, the Teacher and Lord of Sages [Sakyamuni Buddha], delivered [the doctrine], whether in the passionless form [of a monk], or in the guise of a universal monarch, for both are acceptable. By experientially cultivating the sequences of deities and mantras [taught by] that unique Teacher, master Padmasam- bhava obtained accomplishment, and with his disciples, who attained stability in the two stages and so reached the level of accomplishment, he subdued the venomous gods and demons who obstructed the growth of the true doctrine in Tibet. They taught the appropriate sequences of [practice associated with] the deities, mantras, and view in order that worthy recipients of the vehicle of indestructible reality might be secured on the level of the awareness-holders. Their disciples experien- tially cultivated the significance [of those teachings] correctly, and there appeared many awareness-holders who attained the level of accomplish- ment through them. They set down in writing the aural lineages and intentions that were in harmony with them, based on which this utterly pure doctrine renowned as the Nyingmapa developed. As for their authenticity: they do fulfil the definition of treatises which is stated in the Supreme Continuum ofthe Greater Vehicle, (Ch. 5, v. 19ab):
There are some which are taught by undistracted minds, Referring solely to the Conqueror, the Teacher. . .
Because they fulfil that definition, the treatises delivered by master Padmasambhava are no different from the transmitted precepts of the Buddha, for it says in the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle (Ch. 5, v. 19cd):
Conforming to the path which attains to liberation, Let them be reverently accepted in the manner of
the Sage's transmitted precepts.
Thus, they are similar to the Five Doctrines of Venerable Maitreya, the Abridged Tantra of Kalacakra, 1246 and its commentary, the Taintless Light.
Moreover, some reject the doctrinal terminology of the Anuyoga and Atiyoga for the reason that it is not found in the tantrapi1aka of the new translation schools. This is praise from those whose reproaches are unskilled, because, generally, it is the custom that the doctrinal terminology and exegeses of the higher scriptures do not occur in lower ones, the Conqueror having distinguished their superiority and inferior- ity for the sake of those to be trained. Thus, for example, the doctrinal
. The Nyingmapa Tantras 895
terml. nology of the vehicle of transcendental perfection . .
the of the pious attendants. that fth IS not found In . h . , 0 e outer mantra· . c
Int evehIcleof perfection;andthatofsuch notlound
tantras as the Guhllasamiba and C k . nsurpassed :. Y ". I , a rasamvaraISnotfo d· h
mantras. For this reason, the fact that th d . 1 un . In t e Outer exegeses of the Anuyoga and At" octnna termInology and Guhyasamaja and Cakrasamvar lyoga 0 n? t much occur in the
al
2 On the View of the Great Perfection
[736. 1-758. 2] Again, in the Great Perfection, a philosophy of freedom from deeds with respect to the disposition of reality, when the ultimate, definitive meaning of pristine cognition, which does not rest in the sphere of causal conditioning, is indicated directly, it is explained that there is no need to orient oneself to contrived doctrines that require efforts associated with the causes and effects of good and evil. Certain Tibetans have with some astonishment criticised [that view], saying that it implicitly agrees with Hoshang Mo-ho-yen's philosophy by its
1247
indifference to conduct.
None the less, the Sugata turned the doctrinal wheel three times. In
the first turning he taught the infallibility of cause and effect with regard to virtuous and unvirtuous deeds. That promulgation has been estab- lished to be of provisional meaning because it was taught with reference to worldly needs. Both the intermediate and final promulgations are truly in agreement with one another concerning the characteristics of the three approaches to liberation. They are merely distinguished in- somuch as they are [respectively] profound and exceedingly profound teachings of the abiding nature of reality, which is of profound, definit- ive meaning. It is well known amongst learned scholars, and has been proven, that the provisional and the definitive are distinguished with reference to the conditioned and the unconditioned, and that the expres- sed meanings [of the three promulgations] may be differentiated on the basis of the relative strength of those. 1248 For such reasons, the inter- mediate transmitted precepts temporarily assert that all things sub- sumed in consciousness are devoid of substantial existence, and, when the definitive significance is revealed, [it is maintained]:
. . . free from all referential activity with respect to anything, all discursive thought is abandoned. Nothing is referred to that is to be accepted, or rejected. . .
In short, because the characteristics of the three approaches to libera- tion are found in the abiding nature of reality, which is unconditioned
Acintyaprabhtisa
and genuinely transcends the heno .
adherent of the Great Perfectio P d ' of subject and object, the sarpsara and nirvana as the sa n, urmg t e phase? f the ground, views
effect. During the 'phase of thme, does not dIstinguish cause and
thoughts and so does not not engage in discursive of acceptance and rejection A d WIth reference to the extremes confidence that is free h n the phase of the result, with
the level on which all things ope ear about the goal, he reaches philosophy. As it says in th auste? the nUcleus of this
e ccomplzshzng Kzng: If one maint' h h .
FA' amst att ereIScauseandeffect or htIyoga, the yoga of the Great Perfection
The View ofthe Great Perfection 897
th'
1 mealllng of Perfection.
One as not realised If one maintains the o '
ne s statements exaggerate and o h ·
ne as realIsed that there are not two' The realIsatIOn of the buddhas of the th '.
,
u tImate and relatIve to be two
Is . d' ree tImes
game m the sole determination that two are not seen.
d' epreCIa t e '
'
898 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
This sort of great philosophical assertion is, in reality, also found to be the intention of the profound, definitively significant sutras of the Buddha, the Transcendent Lord, who speaks not of twofold divisions. It says in the Sutra of the Dialogue with Brahmavise$acinti:
What, one might ask, is it that is the nature of all things? The nature of all things is emptiness; they are without object- ive referent. The nature of all things is signlessness; they are free from idea and concept. The nature of all things is aspirationlessness; there is no acceptance, no rejection, no thought, no force, and total absence of substantial existence. It is naturally radiant. Whatever is the nature of sarpsara is the nature of nirvat:la. Whatever is the nature of nirvat:la is the nature ofall things.
So it is that mind is naturally radiant.
Therefore, the view is free from assertions, meditation from delibera-
tions, conduct from acceptance and rejection, and the result from hope
and fear. But for those four, how else might one establish nakedly the
experiential cultivation which is characterised by the three approaches
to liberation? If you do not recognise this to be the "philosophy of the
indivisibility of sarpsara and nirvat:la" which is taught by means of the
esoteric instructions of the stage of perfection in many of the tantrapiraka . which you [adherents of the new translation schools] yourselves accept
to be valid, then there can be no occasion for bringing this [philosophy] together with the philosophy established by dialectical deliberations. 1249
None the less, one might object by saying that while the above may be true from the perspective Cldog-pa) of the view, [the Great Perfection is still at fault], for it rejects the area of conduct. But, having established the view on the basis of seeing the undeluded abiding nature of ultimate truth, one transcends the bondage and liberation of contrived doctrines, whether good or evil, concerning the conditioned fundamental virtues, such as those of the three trainings, which depend upon mind and mental events. Therefore, freedom from acceptance and rejection is proven; and that remains the characteristic of aspirationlessness. As it says in the Sutra ofthe Dialogue with Kasyapa, from the Sublime Pagoda ofPrecious Jewels:
That which is uncompounded is the enlightened family of the sublime ones. That which is the enlightened family of the sublime ones neither adheres to the training, nor trans- cends the training. That which neither adheres to the train- ing, nor transcends the training neither moves, nor rests, nor rushes. That which neither moves, nor rests, nor rushes has neither mind, nor the properties which emerge from mind. That which has neither mind, nor the properties which emerge from mind possesses neither deeds, nor the ripening
. In general, having realised discri means becomes merel an
. .
mmatlve without error,
of deeds That h' h The View ofthe Great Perfection 899 . . w IC possesses neither d d
mg of deeds knows neither leas ee s. ' nor the ripen-
knows neither pleasure no p . nor pam. That which of the sublime ones That r the enlightened family
? f the sublime ones IC. hIS the enlightened family mg volition. s nen er deeds, nor deed-form-
And:
virtue is empty; and non . .
IS VOId; and nonvirtue t . too, IS empty. Virtue b · , 00, IS VOId VIrt .
YnonvIrtue; and nonvi t . . ue IS unadulterated
There is neither ba' rue, too, IS unadulterated by virtue SIS,norcause hk. . and nonvirtue. ' or an enng after virtue
Itsays too' h lJ .
, ,Int enevaJraTantraCPt1 Ch5
. . ,
no meditation, nor meditator ere IS no deity, nor mantra.
! 'low, think as to whether this proclam . atlOn
. , v. l1):
ofthe marvellous teaching Yenr1250 , ,m lact, t e tradition ofH h ' os ang Mo-ho-
m such passages as these is '. c: h
ThIS the infallible intentionYof dlscnmlnative awareness. has saId [in the Four Hundred TT Ch as. As the master Aryadeva
verses, . 12, v. l1]: that moral discipline may decline
an should the view. '
correctly realised the view . .
only IS one not fettered regardles f whIch IS here expounded, not the great highway ofthe con US 0 but also one remains
Moreover, on this sons and the fruit of
hshed that there is nothing to acce t having estab-
great sameness of reality p , to reJect m the expanse of the ob d ' one accomplIshes '
by subjective conduct Thi' s but is not
says m the Authentic Conduct oif' B a dlstmctlve doctrine. As it a 0 zsattva'
Ratnadatta declared:
Do not abandon desire Subdue not hatred.
.
gon't think about ignorance.
o not behave so
Practice vice. as to surpass your Own body.
Do eliminate opinion.
gont teach about the entanglements rasp the components as Whole. .
.
.
· . A Rectification ofMisconceptions
H 11 .
is free from all activity, then conditioned good and evil deeds, too, are literally revealed to be the same. The aforementioned tantra says:
Virtue is not to be practised, nor sin to be renounced;
Awareness free from both virtue and sin is the buddha-body of reality.
Virtue is not to be practised;
if practised there is no buddhahood.
Neither is sin to be renounced;
if renounced, buddhahood is not achieved.
Nowadays, in the Land of Snows, there are many who vehemently reject that tradition when they hear it. However, it is of no importance that the nature of these [teachings] has not penetrated their minds through lack of comprehension. As it says in the Sublime Sutra which Reveals the Relative and Ultimate Truth (Aryasarrzvrtiparamtirthasatya- nirdesasutra, T 179):
MafijusrI declared: "0 son of the gods, that which is just what is, the expanse of reality, and the utterly unborn are ultimately equivalent; ultimately, they are even equivalent to the five inexpiable sins. That which is just what is, the expanse of reality, and the utterly unborn are ultimately equivalent; ultimately, they are even equivalent to opinionatedness. "
It is not proven, merely by this teaching, that the area of conduct is left to fade away. In the Refinement of Gold from Ore) a Great Tantra of the Mental Class (sems-sde rgyud chen-po rdo-la gser-zhun, NGB Vol. 1, 11. 7-8), which is peculiar to our tradition, it says:
Since she is the mother of the sugatas, none excepted, She is the sole path of all the conquerors,
The foundation of the oceanic conduct
Of moral discipline and the other transcendental
perfections.
Accordingly, this great philosophy does not reject the area of method- ical conduct as an aspect of discriminative awareness, and the relative truth is not provisionally rejected; for one is to be skilful with respect to means. But when one realises directly the proper essence of reality that is free from delusion and is the abiding truth, then all the doctrines pertaining to the truth of the path, which are allied with enlightenment, such as the ten transcendental perfections, are united herein, without falling into the alternate application of the two truths. This is taught in the Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness:
900
Combine the one entity.
Indulge in the Do not progress
Think unvirtuously.
Renounce virtue.
Do not pay attention to the Do not reflect upon the doctnne.
W h' not the samgha.
ors 1p ly undertake the trainings.
Do not proper .
Try not to pacify worldly
Do not cross the river [of suffenng]. .
. . h Such are the instructions
. ted and adVIse should be mstruc r
hich a novice bodhIsattva dWWhy so? Because it is this
. b'd
f things that alone a l e s .
abiding condition of the rea 1ty 0 . .
. r of the Great Natural Ansmg ofAware-
Similarly, it says m the 1 antra oJ ness:
yourself are the divine ma1J. qala, Because you f
naturally manifest to yoursel. ,
ft orship to the deity, . Donot0 erw . '11befetteredbyIt.
for if you worshIP you WI
h' gestures, and so forth,
By wors 1P, d ' ] is obscured. the body [of the e1ty .
Do not perform gestures, for If you p
erform them
. . wel will be destroyed.
a preCIOUS }e _ for if you renounce It
Do not renounce sarpsara,
ou will not attain buddhahood.
.
allIS gat d" d fundamental virtues, D ractIse con 1tIOne
o not p '11 be fettered by them. t . fyoudoyouWI .
or 1 d" ed fundamental VIrtueS, Renounce con 1tIOn 1
such as [building] stupas and es. . d to contrived doctnnes,
There IS no en will end
but by them bae deeds,
Not renouncmg the yog [d d ] you will become a should you renounce ee s ,
tathagata. h . . must know the pat
y Because
the Buddha is not elsewhere, . lf
.
he IS naug
ht but awareness 1tse .
Samsara is not elsewhere;
'. h d within your own mm .
So It IS that you.
of the authentic b
uddhas in everything.
. h' h
d b the VIew w lC e
.
stablishes itself 1ll . . n
Thus, when one is graspe y of reality, of which the dispOSltlO the significance of the great sameness
. d
The View ofthe Great Perfection 901
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . '
902
The View ofthe Great Perfection 903 It says, too, in the All-Accomplishing King:
With respect to the genuine meaningful nucleus about which there is nothing to do,
What great yogins see
Is a divine ma1). Qala resulting from its basis
In the primordially pure ma1). Qala of mind.
Perfecting it by means of the four branches of service
and attainment,
It abides, spontaneously present, embodying emanation
and absorption.
Now, one might say, if the abiding nature of all things is such that they do not abide in the sphere of the conditioned, and so transcend virtue and sin, bondage and liberation, then the discourses on good and evil deeds and the infallibility of cause and effect are unnecessary. However, those discourses were given with an intention directed to consciousness [rather than pristine cognition]. Thus, for example, with an intention directed to whatever good or bad appears in dreams, which, while true during dreams, seems fictitious on waking, [the Buddha] spoke of all things as dream-like and apparitional, to exemplify their fictitiousness. Just so, until the deluded appearances subsumed by consciousness are exhausted there is still acceptance and rejection, and the infallible ripening of good and evil deeds in accord with cause and effect. But when that delusion is exhausted those things do not appear to the pristinely cognitive aspect [of mind-as-such] which beholds the truth. Because there is then no subjective cognition engaged in the subject-object dichotomy, relative objects do not appear. This is cer- tainly the stated intention of the buddhas and their sons. The intention of the great promulgators who, as prophesied, commented upon the profound definitive meaning also conforms with this, for it resides naturally in the minds of all who perceive what is supreme. The sublime Nagarjuna says:1253
Just as, for example, on falling asleep,
A man sees by the power of dreams
His son, wife, mansion and lands,
But sees them not upon awakening,
So it is that when those who know relative
appearance
Open the eyes of intelligence,
Part from the sleep of unknowing,
And wake up they no longer perceive it. Similarly, when those of genuine learning Overcome all propensities to unknowing, By means of the sunlight of knowledge,
b ddha-body of reality is free taneously present u .
Thespon
Fromthedarknessmw lC andannihilation'slimits, It transcends both permanence .
. h' hclarityandobscurationappear.
Cannot be grasped by either or light,
Transcends uniqueness and . rent as well as mVislble, things,
sa' Transcend ppa
h
I free from the terms of birth and deat. . ?
S d . t' n 1251 obscuration, and egotism. Where are eVia 10 , . ,
ht itself they are unthinkable: .
In thoug c · f discrimlnative awareness
The ends of the perlect10n 0
Are subsumed in the body of reality, awareness an
radiance. .
The ends of the perfection of concentrat1On1252
d
Are subsumed 1·n the lamp's total presence.
The ends of the perfection of perseverance t
Are subsumed in non-discurslVe, naturally presen
significance. . The ends of the perfection of. patlence
Are subsumed in cutting stralght through
appearances. . . r The ends of the perfection of moral. dlsclp lne
Are subsumed in retreat. The ends of the perfection of liberality - ,
Are subsumed in the abandonment of sarp. sara s
grasping attachments. . '
The ends of the perfection of aspiratiOn f
Are subsumed in neither hope for, nor fear 0 ,
appearances.
The ends of the perfection of means
Are subsumed in awareness' total presence. The ends of the perfection of power . .
Are subsumed in sealing
nlt1On The ends of the perfection of pnstine cog
Are subsumed in its causeless So it is that the meaning of.
nltlOn
- J'the Dialogue with says:
Equally, the Sutra OJ
Not to grasp anything Non-rigidity is moral Not to protect anything is patlence.
Not to endeavour is
Not to cogitate is concentrat1On. . Non-referentiality is discriminatlve awareness.
Is natural, all-pervasive, pnstme cog
.
904
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
They perceive neither mind, nor mental events, nor objects.
As proof of that, let us now refer to the decisive resolution of view and conduct in the disposition of the great pristine cognition of same- ness, where the multiplicity [of phenomena] is of a single savour, and which occurs here, in the Great Perfection. During the phase of the ground one does not exaggerate discriminative awareness, for one har- bours no hopes with reference to conditioned fundamental virtues, having realised through pristine cognition that relative appearance is a fiction; but one does not depreciate means, because, from the standpoint of consciousness, there is still acceptance and rejection. During the phase of the path, because no deliberations transcend discursive thought, there is not even so much as an atom upon which to meditate. Finally, during the phase of the result, if the stream of mind and all that emerges from mind be shut off, where can there be relative appear- ance? This essential point, which is the ultimate, innermost intention of the last two wheels of the transmitted precepts, is the unblemished, eloquent tradition of those who have undeludedly adhered to the
Sugata's teaching in India and here in the Land of Snows. Therefore, it has been reiterated in the writings of all the literary scholars and undeluded contemplatives, from the great translator Ngok Loden Sherap to Conang Sherap Gyeltsen and Puton Rincentrup of Zhalu.
In general, with an intention directed to consciousness, our Teacher revealed the structure of acceptance and rejection, and of cause and effect, that is valid in much the same manner as is the cause and effect [operating] in the world of dreams. But there are those who passionately cling to an understanding that relative appearance is proven to be valid, even within the pristine cognition of the buddhas. For that reason their clinging to the area of conduct becomes hard and fast, until they tear into patches sublime discriminative awareness and the buddhas' pristine cognition. In this way, it is hard for them to find conviction in the philosophy which does not err with respect to profundity. They even carry off the wondrous enlightened activity of the Sugatas on the stretcher of doubt.
Now, the total freedom from deliberations during periods ofmeditat- ive equipoise may well be the meditation of Hoshang Mo-ho-yen, but even the Jewel Lamp ofthe Madhyamaka, composed by master Bhavya, which you1254 esteem as a masterpiece of the Madhyamaka, says:
Not dwelling on any cognition, not conceiving anything, directing no attention to anything. . .
Furthermore, Atisa's comments on the sublime Nagarjuna's intention explain the period during which one abides in the tranquillity ofmeditat- ive equipoise that is free from ideation and scrutiny, and also in higher insight, by using the example of fire produced by rubbing two sticks forcefully together. He then gives a detailed explanation, beginning:
.
The same 1S expresse
d l'n the Introduction to the Madhyamaka (Ch. 6,
v. 27):
Just as what is perceived by an that is dim
Impairs not an undimmed cogmtlon, . , . , Just so the mind that's fors,aken taintless pnstme cogmtlon
Impairs not the taintless mmd.
Santideva also says [in the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, Ch. 9, vv. l0ab & 15]:
As long as causes are accumulated, So long does apparition arise.
Among the personal disciples of this master the foremost were Dodrup Jikme Tenpei Nyima, the treasure-finder Sogyel [Lerap Lingpa], Dzok- cen Trtilku V and the Dzokcen Gemang, Zhecen Rapjam and Zhecen Gyeltsap,1223 Katok Situ,1224 Pelytil Gyatrtil, Andzom Drukpa,1225 Trup- wang SakyasrI,1226 and the Ngor Ponlop, et cetera. In short, there were countless sons of his speech who included the emanations and great personages of the Sakyapa, Gelukpa, Kagytipa, and Nyingmapa tradi- tions from [the monasteries of] Katok, Pelytil, Zhecen, Dzokcen, Pel- pung, Derge Goncen [and others] all the way up to Repkong;1227 as well as their scholars who propounded myriad textual traditions, pre- ceptors endowed with the three trainings, mantrins who were confident in the two stages, and ascetics who were free from activity, having
d left it in concealment. Then, , M hlMay 1912 (secon ' d' 1220
,
Thus, he wrote out hIS month same year), Mipham
dunng arc _ _ a about tWO hundred thousan recited the dharal)l of , his attendant, Lama Osel, and He imparted some oral to
,
h t th there is no one to lIsten. Nowadays, if one speaks t e e it to be true. Therefore,
Ifone speaks falsely before' I am no ordinary I have not disclosed ,thIS to ar;;o:e taken birth by the power person. I am a w 0 basdy I ought to have greatly
on one of these occasions Said:
f h' ' ation In thIS present
o IS asp1r " d livin creatures in genera, an
the teaChIng ,an
Tran;lation School of the secret the merits of the Nying-
the teachmg of the Anc1ent
, t' cular But because
. ,
d 'g to some cntIca ' , ,
have completed vanous c l'k d to ha;e written a clear and on. Though I would have, 1 e Madh amaka, I have
detailed, introductlO: no great differ-
not achIeved It. But, none t e , plete the Cycle of
ence. If it had been possible ever to com ) l't would have , ' 1 St t (an,\)ug-sems skor
Mind m Us Natura a e o·_. /' I' 'ng the entire teach- , l' 'fi nce en1ven1
been of great, 1ca ,h I thought I might achieve
ing, without partIalIty. h' final age the barbarians
mantra In par 1
mapa are feeble, as a rule" v:e larCe1,mrcumstances I have been
an , forth Under such condltlOnS, I ave greatly allmg, and so h' beneficial. None the less, I hardly thought to d,o expositions, and so
it, still it is not finished. Now, mdt IS ,l teaching. For
h 1 are close to un erm1ning , beyond tepa e h ' no point whatsoever In my this and other reasons, t ere IS
old
uch afflicted by obstacles, h
MiphamJamyang Namgyel Gyarntso 879
880 History: Close Lineages ofthe Treasures
deliberately abandoned the cares of this life. The great personages among the guru's spiritual sons have to make great en-
deavours to to discover earth
Although thIS dented works including esoteric instructIons treasures many unprece . t . and ritual collections concerning the stages of creatIOn and per
which were especially necessary, poured as the 0 IS
. ' d he propagated them as treatIses. Therelore, e was a
IntentIOn, an fi d ho held lished king among treasure- In ers, one w
Conclusion
accomP I'S dommIOn over what ,
in truth store of profound intention.
the king of all treasures, the expansive
,
So it is that the doctrinal collections of the close lineages of profound treasures preserve an inconceivable number [of teachings]. These are exemplified by the treasure troves, the foremost of which contain the Eight Transmitted Precepts, the Gathering of Intentions, and Vajrakfla (bka'-dgongs-phur-gsum), and each of which also includes [its own ver- sions of] the Trio ofthe Guru, Great Perfection and Great Compassionate One. Because the accounts of the descent of so many lineages are indeed limitless, it is not possible to describe them here. If the reader wishes to know of them in detail, they may be learned from the histories of each respective treasure, from the records of the teachings received by their respective [masters], and so forth.
This completes the brief exposition of the accounts of the exceedingly profound, close lineages of the treasures, the sixth part of this book, Thunder from the Great Conquering Battle-Drum of Devendra, which is a history of the precious teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School.
Part "Seven A Rectification ofMisconceptions Concerning the Nyingma School
Introduction
[719. 1-2] Now, the errors of those partisans who, in the past, have wrongly viewed the teaching of the vehicle of indestructible reality according to the Ancient Translation School must be refuted.
1 General Reply to Criticisms of the Nyingmapa Tantras
[719. 2-736. 1] There were a multitude of utterly profound tantrapitaka which arose in Tibet, in proportion to the authentic merits of those to be trained in that glacial land. They did so because of the extraordinary enlightened aspiration of Trhisong Detsen, the divine king of the Land of Snows who was an emanation of sublime and due to the blessings of the great accomplished master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others. Among them were the unsurpassed secret mantra derived from the three lineages, including [those derived from] the Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance,1228 which are the essence of the spirituality of many ejukinls and holders of awareness, and which are beyond the range of ordinary persons. Therefore, those [teachings] are worthy of approval, and the biographies of the ancient religious kings and of the great emanational translators and scholars ought to be respected.
So it was that [Trhisong Detsen], the emanational king, sought to kindle the lamp of the doctrine when Tibet was an abode of darkness, occupied by barbarians who did not possess even a reflection of the teaching, and who were miserable because, to their misfortune, they had to seek lasting refuge in those who preached a violent religion, granting only occasional, ephemeral happiness. Even then, the irresist- ible hurricane of strife's machinations, [instigated by] pernicious and unworthy beings, almost brought other forces into power. But at that time all the venomous deities and ogres were subdued by the compassion of the great master Padmasambhava who enabled the Tibetans to prac- tise the doctrine as they liked. Temples were built, doctrinal centres were established, and with great endeavour the ways of the doctrine were instituted amongst the Tibetans, who had little aptitude even for learning the doctrinal terminology, which previously had been un- known.
At the outset [these masters] began by examining whether or not [the Tibetans] could maintain monastic vows, and they laid a firm foundation for the Buddha's precious teaching, the path of omniscience.
888 They
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions .
. cor us of doctrines belongmg to the translated an oceamc pThe collected fragments, corrected
masters from the domains of the gods, nagas, 4akinls and so on, as well as from various great places of pilgrimage including the Sahor and Shambhala regions ofJambudvlpa, Mount Malaya in Lanka, 044iyana, and the Dravi4a country; and later they were introduced to India. Therefore, tantras are not unauthentic by definition merely be- cause they did not exist in India. Even though some [of the ancient tantras] might have been found [in India], they would not have been seen by someone making just an occasional journey there [as the later translators did]. For, while the emanational translators and scholars of the past who were abiding on the sublime levels voyaged throughout the twenty-four lands1229 and elsewhere by means ofmiraculous abilities, ordinary persons could not travel to them. This is why the great scholar Rongzompa, with whom even the great lord Atisa had declared himself unable to discuss the doctrine, said that the ancient translations of the secret mantra were superior to the later translations in six ways: 1230
First, concerning the greatness of the benefactors who intro- duced them: Since the benefactors of the ancient translation period were the three ancestral religious kings, who were the sublime Lords of the Three Families in kingly guise, they were unlike the benefactors of the later translation period.
Second, concerning the locations in which they were trans- lated and established: Since the ancient translations were accomplished in such emanated temples as Samye and the other doctrinal centres of the past, high and low,1231 they are unlike those translated in the monastic grottoes oftoday.
Third, concerning the distinctions of the translators: Those doctrines were translated by emanational translators, the translators of the past such as Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, Zhang Yeshe De, Ma Rincen-chok, and Nyak Jfianakumara. Thus, they are unlike the made by the translators of today, who pass the summer in Mangytil and travel to India and Nepal for a short time during the winter.
Fourth, concerning the distinctions of the scholars [who supervised the ancient translations]: Those doctrines were introduced by buddhas and sublime bodhisattvas abiding on the great levels, [namely,] the scholars of the past such as the preceptor Buddhaguhya, the great mas- ter Padmakara and the great paIf4ita Vimalamitra. Thus, they were unlike the scholars of today who wander about in search of gold.
Fifth, concerning the distinctions ofthe blossoms [offered] as the basis for commissioning [the translations]: In the past the doctrines were requested with offerings of gold weighed
Tripilaka and to the mastered the path, defective texts, establIshed the g d h ughout the kingdom by means and caused [the ? octrine] opportunity to practise freely
of study, exegesIS, and me was due to the kindness of the
l·b f n and omnISCIence h
the path to 1 era 10 _ . a the master [Padmasambhava], t e re-
a n c i e n t p r e c e p t o r ] ] ' ligious king [Trhisong Detsen , an
d t h e e m a n a t i o n a l t r a n s l a t o r s a n d
scholars.
The Author, Dudjom Rinpoche
. . . wonder that the learned proponents of For thIS reason It IS no I f the later period also man-
. d the trans ators 0
philosophIcal systems an . h th whose tradition had
b
een aged to follow, without dIfficulty, tepa d to contribute to it by
established by those ones some jealouS pers. ons means of their own mtellects. I · that certain of the anCIent created discord by, for example, ebc anng they did not exist in India.
d· tantras had been compose m
Tibet ecause
h t tras l·n India did not prove
of t ose an d· d·d h· h did exist in In la I
. However the non-exIstenCe
, . E them to be unauthentic.
n the tantras w IC . h d rou ht forth by great accomplIs e
ve
not originate there: they were b g
The Nyingmapa Tantras 889
890
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
out in deerskin pouches, or by the measure. Thus, they were unlike the requests made [by disciples of] the present day with one or two gold bits drawn from under their own arms. 1232
Sixth, concerning the distinctions of the itself: The translations of the past were completed at a time when the doctrine of the Buddha had reached its zenith in India. Furthermore, there were tantras which did not even exist in India proper, which were retained by bodhisattvas, ac- complished masters, awareness-holders and Qakinls who had obtained their empowerments. They were taken from pure lands, and from regions of Jambudvlpa such as Siilghala and Oddiyana in the west, through the arrayed miraculous pow- 'of the great master Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra and others, and then translated [in Tibet]. Thus, many [doc- trines] which were completely unknown to the scholars and accomplished masters of India arrived to become the meritorious fortune of Tibet.
Furthermore, concerning the translations themselves: Since the translators of the past were emanations, theyestab- lished the meanings correctly. For this reason their works are easy to understand and, on plumbing their depths, the blessing is great. But the translators of the later period were unable to render the meaning and made lexical translations following [merely] the arrangement of the Sanskrit texts. Consequently, their forced terminology is hard to under- stand, and on plumbing the depths the blessing is slight. Therefore, they are dissimilar.
During the later expansion of the teaching in Tibet, . it became. the fashion for everyone who possessed the intellectual skIll and a httle gold to travel to India and Nepal. If they had gone exclusively the sake of the teaching and sentient beings it would have been admirable, but most of them were jealous men who set their feet in motion because they desired to become scholars, hankered after t. he of others, sought to win fame, or were jealously competmg WIth own gurus, or with spiritual benefactors of similar fortune. ThIS can. be ascertained from the incident during Marpa's travels, when a threw all his books into the river. 1233 For these reasons, the all-knOWing Rongzompa said:
When the doctrine of the Buddha was at its zenith, the emanational translators established [the texts of] the trans- mitted precepts without error. Then, they adorned those doctrines in many ways which served to complete them, and which established the actual condition of the knowable. But
the charlatan translators of the present day made various reforms in the ancient translations, saying, "I am the better translator. My sources are more venerable! " And so, mis- representing the transmitted precepts of the Buddha and the
teachings oftheir gurus, they all compose their own doctrines. They heap abuse upon one another for their faults. Their doctrines are such that those of the father do not suit the son. [In all of this] they are unlike [the ancient translations].
words of his are completely true. Orgyenpa Rincenpel,1234 who attamed accomplishment, also said:
Some Tibetan translators claim that the Nyingma translations had no origin in India. Among them Chak Lotsawa,1235 a guru from whom I personally received empowerment also said that the Nyingma tantras had no origin in India. 'Such
was his small-minded opinion! How could that translator who travelled for only a short time in East India, be of all the texts that existed in India? Above and beyond that, he could not even have been certain about which of them existed in Tibet! Moreover, because India is, in general, a
very hot country, many books decay, and so the extent of the Buddha's transmitted precepts cannot be ascertained. How, then, can the translators of Tibet be certain of [all] sources? Even though I journeyed to the land ofO<;i<;iiyana m the west, I could not ascertain even the size of that land. 1236 Furthermore, in later times original Sanskrit manuscripts
were mostly preserved in Nepal. Among them, an inconceiv- able number of different Nyingma tantras were preserved in one of the temples of a Newari bahal. I237 I said to the Nyingmapa of Tibet that I would bring the pal). Qitas here
a. long with the Sanskrit manuscripts of the Nyingmapa tradi- tlO. n, and that. they should come to Kyirong to translate, usmg my serVices as a translator, but this did not come to pass. Even now it would be well to translate those Nyingmapa texts. Again, some inquisitive Tibetans also say that the
Nyingmapa tradition's Sutra which Gathers All Intentions is
corrupt, having been composed by some old Tibetan man- . 1238 S h
tnns. uc words are unworthy! If you were so know-
ledgeable, then each one of you should also compose such
doctrines; the Buddha's transmitted precepts contain no- thing better.
Similarly,itsaysintheBiographyofLordAtisa(jo-bo'imam-thar):1239
Then, it occurred to the lord Atisa that no one was more learned than he in the traditions of the way of secret mantra
The Nyingmapa Tantras 891
892
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
, h human world; and this thought that were preserved m tl e h n he came to Tibet and
d h' proud But ater, w e h rna e 1m . Pehar Ling [at Samye], he saw t e
opened the of of which he had neither
Sanskrit was shattered and he heard of, nor seen e ore, ' I did not know in the
'd "I thought there was nothmg , h d-k - sal , d" of the greater vehIcle. T e ,a mlS
secret mantra tra lHon 1 celestial palaces and taught h d shown me count ess h
a even these texts were not among t em,
me many tantras, but d"
d th's secret mantra tra lHon
of the greater
bzhi) and other [Nyingmapa teachings]; and he had a vision of Guru Padmasambhava's eight emanations in which he received a prophetic declaration. It clearly follows from these and other actual reports that by advising equanimity towards the Nyingmapa tantras Puton intended to address the other partisan philosophers of that age. When Tshelpa Situ Monlam Dorje prepared a set of all the scriptures translated in the Land of Snows and invited Puton to correct it, he inserted the Nying- mapa trilogy of the Sutra which Gathers All Intentions) the Magical Net) and the Mental Class, along with the [main] cycles belonging to the class of means for attainment into the collected tantras of the Kangyur (bka'-'gyur). He allowed them to remain there because he had validly proven them to be original texts of the tantras, but he removed many new tantras, including the whole [collection of] Thirty-two Rali Cak- rasarrzvara Tantras (ra-li so-gnyis, T 383-414), and the Non-Dual Victor (Advayasamatavijayanamavajrasrfvaramahakalpadi, T 453), having con- tended that they were not the transmitted precepts of the Buddha. 1242
When Sakya Chokden, the great pa1)gita of Zilung, 1243 taught in his Golden Surgical Needle (gser-gyi thur-ma) that the explicit intention of the Analysis of the Three Vows was of provisional meaning, some indi- viduals with untrained intellects doubted him, and foolish bigots took [his work] as a support [for their own prejudices]. None the less, the great pa1)gita did make the following assertion:
In general, if you presume to consider the Nyingmapa doc- trine to be not authentic, it follows that you must consider everything translated before the time of the great translator Rincen Zangpo to be not authentic, including the texts of the Tripi! aka, and the Kriya, Carya, and Yoga tantras which were translated by Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, and Zhang Yeshe De. In particular, if you presume to consider the Nyingmapa Unsurpassed tantras of the way of secret mantra to be not authentic, you must also consider the glori- ous Guhyasamaja, the Hidden Point of the Moon, and the Buddhasamayoga to be not authentic, for those three are foremost among the so-called Eighteen Tantrapitaka of the Nyingmapa tradition, and because the great figures of the past taught that by relying on those three roots the so-called Nyingmapa tradition arose in Tibet. In particular, too, even if you consider [merely] the Yangdak and Vajrakrla tantras to be not authentic, those tantras have been proven genuine by [the existence of] Sanskrit texts, the fact that they were translated by proven translators, and so forth. 1244 Especially, the great men who included various others that are known as Nyingmapa tantras in the Catalogues ofthe Collected Tan-
tras (rgyud-'bum-gyi dkar-chag) have also proven that the
And [in the same biography it says]: d
Va' radhara
the master Pad-
By the kindness of that secon
J the dakinls which were f
to 1 ' t o the [ancient] kings of
There is no en
vehicle'" He offered many praIses, ro _
, . d 'd "It appears that the teachIng had been p P TIbetan sal, ' Id' "
" Tibetasithadnotbeenevenm n lao agated m
h many secret stores 0 , d masamb ava, , 1 d' and they were preserve unknown in IndIa were trans ate ,
in the treasury of Pehar at Samye. The venerable Taranatha said:
In the Dravida country the teaching was not
, £ er It was first established there y maSher
Dlpamkarabhadra also went there ,a ' eriod about one hundred years, It was vlslte
tblme, :alders of indestructible reality from Magadha,
y rna h They made the mantra Odd' - a Kashmir and elsew ere.
, ,lyan, , 'd d There are tantras such as those
vehicle WI esprea 'd' the past during the reign l
' h had been brought forth from
whlC
many such tantras in DravlQa t at are n
which, been India,' as well as those of Dharmapala, have ec '- There are
India. 1240
These well-stated arguments of falr,-mm
' h
, 'ded men expose at once all
f those who claim that the defects of the false rhetoric and lesdOdl'd not exist in India.
, 1 '] re not authenHc an
[the anClent trans aHons a b d the doctrine and con-
" they themselves a an on b
By speakmg manger f little merit to har our
sequently cause other dull-witted 0 hism to the teaching by
doubts. Therefore, they tend only Beyond that, their ideas , 'n the way of the monk Mahadeva,
'h
Moreover, the later scholar puton" w S h I practised the Four-
actmg 1
are not conducive to the ultImate . ho was disposed to maintain
the tradition of the Ancient ; phyag- anned Lord according to the Treasures OJ yan
I'
ot to be foun
d ' m
The Nyingmapa Tantras 893
894
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
Yangdak and Vajrakfla tantras are indubitable. This is claimed, for example, in the doctrinal histories of [Comden Rikpei] Reldri and PutOn Rinpoche. 1245
Having roughly stated the opinions of others, the essence of my own tenet is as follows. The master of this teaching, the Teacher and Lord of Sages [Sakyamuni Buddha], delivered [the doctrine], whether in the passionless form [of a monk], or in the guise of a universal monarch, for both are acceptable. By experientially cultivating the sequences of deities and mantras [taught by] that unique Teacher, master Padmasam- bhava obtained accomplishment, and with his disciples, who attained stability in the two stages and so reached the level of accomplishment, he subdued the venomous gods and demons who obstructed the growth of the true doctrine in Tibet. They taught the appropriate sequences of [practice associated with] the deities, mantras, and view in order that worthy recipients of the vehicle of indestructible reality might be secured on the level of the awareness-holders. Their disciples experien- tially cultivated the significance [of those teachings] correctly, and there appeared many awareness-holders who attained the level of accomplish- ment through them. They set down in writing the aural lineages and intentions that were in harmony with them, based on which this utterly pure doctrine renowned as the Nyingmapa developed. As for their authenticity: they do fulfil the definition of treatises which is stated in the Supreme Continuum ofthe Greater Vehicle, (Ch. 5, v. 19ab):
There are some which are taught by undistracted minds, Referring solely to the Conqueror, the Teacher. . .
Because they fulfil that definition, the treatises delivered by master Padmasambhava are no different from the transmitted precepts of the Buddha, for it says in the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle (Ch. 5, v. 19cd):
Conforming to the path which attains to liberation, Let them be reverently accepted in the manner of
the Sage's transmitted precepts.
Thus, they are similar to the Five Doctrines of Venerable Maitreya, the Abridged Tantra of Kalacakra, 1246 and its commentary, the Taintless Light.
Moreover, some reject the doctrinal terminology of the Anuyoga and Atiyoga for the reason that it is not found in the tantrapi1aka of the new translation schools. This is praise from those whose reproaches are unskilled, because, generally, it is the custom that the doctrinal terminology and exegeses of the higher scriptures do not occur in lower ones, the Conqueror having distinguished their superiority and inferior- ity for the sake of those to be trained. Thus, for example, the doctrinal
. The Nyingmapa Tantras 895
terml. nology of the vehicle of transcendental perfection . .
the of the pious attendants. that fth IS not found In . h . , 0 e outer mantra· . c
Int evehIcleof perfection;andthatofsuch notlound
tantras as the Guhllasamiba and C k . nsurpassed :. Y ". I , a rasamvaraISnotfo d· h
mantras. For this reason, the fact that th d . 1 un . In t e Outer exegeses of the Anuyoga and At" octnna termInology and Guhyasamaja and Cakrasamvar lyoga 0 n? t much occur in the
al
2 On the View of the Great Perfection
[736. 1-758. 2] Again, in the Great Perfection, a philosophy of freedom from deeds with respect to the disposition of reality, when the ultimate, definitive meaning of pristine cognition, which does not rest in the sphere of causal conditioning, is indicated directly, it is explained that there is no need to orient oneself to contrived doctrines that require efforts associated with the causes and effects of good and evil. Certain Tibetans have with some astonishment criticised [that view], saying that it implicitly agrees with Hoshang Mo-ho-yen's philosophy by its
1247
indifference to conduct.
None the less, the Sugata turned the doctrinal wheel three times. In
the first turning he taught the infallibility of cause and effect with regard to virtuous and unvirtuous deeds. That promulgation has been estab- lished to be of provisional meaning because it was taught with reference to worldly needs. Both the intermediate and final promulgations are truly in agreement with one another concerning the characteristics of the three approaches to liberation. They are merely distinguished in- somuch as they are [respectively] profound and exceedingly profound teachings of the abiding nature of reality, which is of profound, definit- ive meaning. It is well known amongst learned scholars, and has been proven, that the provisional and the definitive are distinguished with reference to the conditioned and the unconditioned, and that the expres- sed meanings [of the three promulgations] may be differentiated on the basis of the relative strength of those. 1248 For such reasons, the inter- mediate transmitted precepts temporarily assert that all things sub- sumed in consciousness are devoid of substantial existence, and, when the definitive significance is revealed, [it is maintained]:
. . . free from all referential activity with respect to anything, all discursive thought is abandoned. Nothing is referred to that is to be accepted, or rejected. . .
In short, because the characteristics of the three approaches to libera- tion are found in the abiding nature of reality, which is unconditioned
Acintyaprabhtisa
and genuinely transcends the heno .
adherent of the Great Perfectio P d ' of subject and object, the sarpsara and nirvana as the sa n, urmg t e phase? f the ground, views
effect. During the 'phase of thme, does not dIstinguish cause and
thoughts and so does not not engage in discursive of acceptance and rejection A d WIth reference to the extremes confidence that is free h n the phase of the result, with
the level on which all things ope ear about the goal, he reaches philosophy. As it says in th auste? the nUcleus of this
e ccomplzshzng Kzng: If one maint' h h .
FA' amst att ereIScauseandeffect or htIyoga, the yoga of the Great Perfection
The View ofthe Great Perfection 897
th'
1 mealllng of Perfection.
One as not realised If one maintains the o '
ne s statements exaggerate and o h ·
ne as realIsed that there are not two' The realIsatIOn of the buddhas of the th '.
,
u tImate and relatIve to be two
Is . d' ree tImes
game m the sole determination that two are not seen.
d' epreCIa t e '
'
898 History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
This sort of great philosophical assertion is, in reality, also found to be the intention of the profound, definitively significant sutras of the Buddha, the Transcendent Lord, who speaks not of twofold divisions. It says in the Sutra of the Dialogue with Brahmavise$acinti:
What, one might ask, is it that is the nature of all things? The nature of all things is emptiness; they are without object- ive referent. The nature of all things is signlessness; they are free from idea and concept. The nature of all things is aspirationlessness; there is no acceptance, no rejection, no thought, no force, and total absence of substantial existence. It is naturally radiant. Whatever is the nature of sarpsara is the nature of nirvat:la. Whatever is the nature of nirvat:la is the nature ofall things.
So it is that mind is naturally radiant.
Therefore, the view is free from assertions, meditation from delibera-
tions, conduct from acceptance and rejection, and the result from hope
and fear. But for those four, how else might one establish nakedly the
experiential cultivation which is characterised by the three approaches
to liberation? If you do not recognise this to be the "philosophy of the
indivisibility of sarpsara and nirvat:la" which is taught by means of the
esoteric instructions of the stage of perfection in many of the tantrapiraka . which you [adherents of the new translation schools] yourselves accept
to be valid, then there can be no occasion for bringing this [philosophy] together with the philosophy established by dialectical deliberations. 1249
None the less, one might object by saying that while the above may be true from the perspective Cldog-pa) of the view, [the Great Perfection is still at fault], for it rejects the area of conduct. But, having established the view on the basis of seeing the undeluded abiding nature of ultimate truth, one transcends the bondage and liberation of contrived doctrines, whether good or evil, concerning the conditioned fundamental virtues, such as those of the three trainings, which depend upon mind and mental events. Therefore, freedom from acceptance and rejection is proven; and that remains the characteristic of aspirationlessness. As it says in the Sutra ofthe Dialogue with Kasyapa, from the Sublime Pagoda ofPrecious Jewels:
That which is uncompounded is the enlightened family of the sublime ones. That which is the enlightened family of the sublime ones neither adheres to the training, nor trans- cends the training. That which neither adheres to the train- ing, nor transcends the training neither moves, nor rests, nor rushes. That which neither moves, nor rests, nor rushes has neither mind, nor the properties which emerge from mind. That which has neither mind, nor the properties which emerge from mind possesses neither deeds, nor the ripening
. In general, having realised discri means becomes merel an
. .
mmatlve without error,
of deeds That h' h The View ofthe Great Perfection 899 . . w IC possesses neither d d
mg of deeds knows neither leas ee s. ' nor the ripen-
knows neither pleasure no p . nor pam. That which of the sublime ones That r the enlightened family
? f the sublime ones IC. hIS the enlightened family mg volition. s nen er deeds, nor deed-form-
And:
virtue is empty; and non . .
IS VOId; and nonvirtue t . too, IS empty. Virtue b · , 00, IS VOId VIrt .
YnonvIrtue; and nonvi t . . ue IS unadulterated
There is neither ba' rue, too, IS unadulterated by virtue SIS,norcause hk. . and nonvirtue. ' or an enng after virtue
Itsays too' h lJ .
, ,Int enevaJraTantraCPt1 Ch5
. . ,
no meditation, nor meditator ere IS no deity, nor mantra.
! 'low, think as to whether this proclam . atlOn
. , v. l1):
ofthe marvellous teaching Yenr1250 , ,m lact, t e tradition ofH h ' os ang Mo-ho-
m such passages as these is '. c: h
ThIS the infallible intentionYof dlscnmlnative awareness. has saId [in the Four Hundred TT Ch as. As the master Aryadeva
verses, . 12, v. l1]: that moral discipline may decline
an should the view. '
correctly realised the view . .
only IS one not fettered regardles f whIch IS here expounded, not the great highway ofthe con US 0 but also one remains
Moreover, on this sons and the fruit of
hshed that there is nothing to acce t having estab-
great sameness of reality p , to reJect m the expanse of the ob d ' one accomplIshes '
by subjective conduct Thi' s but is not
says m the Authentic Conduct oif' B a dlstmctlve doctrine. As it a 0 zsattva'
Ratnadatta declared:
Do not abandon desire Subdue not hatred.
.
gon't think about ignorance.
o not behave so
Practice vice. as to surpass your Own body.
Do eliminate opinion.
gont teach about the entanglements rasp the components as Whole. .
.
.
· . A Rectification ofMisconceptions
H 11 .
is free from all activity, then conditioned good and evil deeds, too, are literally revealed to be the same. The aforementioned tantra says:
Virtue is not to be practised, nor sin to be renounced;
Awareness free from both virtue and sin is the buddha-body of reality.
Virtue is not to be practised;
if practised there is no buddhahood.
Neither is sin to be renounced;
if renounced, buddhahood is not achieved.
Nowadays, in the Land of Snows, there are many who vehemently reject that tradition when they hear it. However, it is of no importance that the nature of these [teachings] has not penetrated their minds through lack of comprehension. As it says in the Sublime Sutra which Reveals the Relative and Ultimate Truth (Aryasarrzvrtiparamtirthasatya- nirdesasutra, T 179):
MafijusrI declared: "0 son of the gods, that which is just what is, the expanse of reality, and the utterly unborn are ultimately equivalent; ultimately, they are even equivalent to the five inexpiable sins. That which is just what is, the expanse of reality, and the utterly unborn are ultimately equivalent; ultimately, they are even equivalent to opinionatedness. "
It is not proven, merely by this teaching, that the area of conduct is left to fade away. In the Refinement of Gold from Ore) a Great Tantra of the Mental Class (sems-sde rgyud chen-po rdo-la gser-zhun, NGB Vol. 1, 11. 7-8), which is peculiar to our tradition, it says:
Since she is the mother of the sugatas, none excepted, She is the sole path of all the conquerors,
The foundation of the oceanic conduct
Of moral discipline and the other transcendental
perfections.
Accordingly, this great philosophy does not reject the area of method- ical conduct as an aspect of discriminative awareness, and the relative truth is not provisionally rejected; for one is to be skilful with respect to means. But when one realises directly the proper essence of reality that is free from delusion and is the abiding truth, then all the doctrines pertaining to the truth of the path, which are allied with enlightenment, such as the ten transcendental perfections, are united herein, without falling into the alternate application of the two truths. This is taught in the Tantra of the Great Natural Arising of Awareness:
900
Combine the one entity.
Indulge in the Do not progress
Think unvirtuously.
Renounce virtue.
Do not pay attention to the Do not reflect upon the doctnne.
W h' not the samgha.
ors 1p ly undertake the trainings.
Do not proper .
Try not to pacify worldly
Do not cross the river [of suffenng]. .
. . h Such are the instructions
. ted and adVIse should be mstruc r
hich a novice bodhIsattva dWWhy so? Because it is this
. b'd
f things that alone a l e s .
abiding condition of the rea 1ty 0 . .
. r of the Great Natural Ansmg ofAware-
Similarly, it says m the 1 antra oJ ness:
yourself are the divine ma1J. qala, Because you f
naturally manifest to yoursel. ,
ft orship to the deity, . Donot0 erw . '11befetteredbyIt.
for if you worshIP you WI
h' gestures, and so forth,
By wors 1P, d ' ] is obscured. the body [of the e1ty .
Do not perform gestures, for If you p
erform them
. . wel will be destroyed.
a preCIOUS }e _ for if you renounce It
Do not renounce sarpsara,
ou will not attain buddhahood.
.
allIS gat d" d fundamental virtues, D ractIse con 1tIOne
o not p '11 be fettered by them. t . fyoudoyouWI .
or 1 d" ed fundamental VIrtueS, Renounce con 1tIOn 1
such as [building] stupas and es. . d to contrived doctnnes,
There IS no en will end
but by them bae deeds,
Not renouncmg the yog [d d ] you will become a should you renounce ee s ,
tathagata. h . . must know the pat
y Because
the Buddha is not elsewhere, . lf
.
he IS naug
ht but awareness 1tse .
Samsara is not elsewhere;
'. h d within your own mm .
So It IS that you.
of the authentic b
uddhas in everything.
. h' h
d b the VIew w lC e
.
stablishes itself 1ll . . n
Thus, when one is graspe y of reality, of which the dispOSltlO the significance of the great sameness
. d
The View ofthe Great Perfection 901
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions . '
902
The View ofthe Great Perfection 903 It says, too, in the All-Accomplishing King:
With respect to the genuine meaningful nucleus about which there is nothing to do,
What great yogins see
Is a divine ma1). Qala resulting from its basis
In the primordially pure ma1). Qala of mind.
Perfecting it by means of the four branches of service
and attainment,
It abides, spontaneously present, embodying emanation
and absorption.
Now, one might say, if the abiding nature of all things is such that they do not abide in the sphere of the conditioned, and so transcend virtue and sin, bondage and liberation, then the discourses on good and evil deeds and the infallibility of cause and effect are unnecessary. However, those discourses were given with an intention directed to consciousness [rather than pristine cognition]. Thus, for example, with an intention directed to whatever good or bad appears in dreams, which, while true during dreams, seems fictitious on waking, [the Buddha] spoke of all things as dream-like and apparitional, to exemplify their fictitiousness. Just so, until the deluded appearances subsumed by consciousness are exhausted there is still acceptance and rejection, and the infallible ripening of good and evil deeds in accord with cause and effect. But when that delusion is exhausted those things do not appear to the pristinely cognitive aspect [of mind-as-such] which beholds the truth. Because there is then no subjective cognition engaged in the subject-object dichotomy, relative objects do not appear. This is cer- tainly the stated intention of the buddhas and their sons. The intention of the great promulgators who, as prophesied, commented upon the profound definitive meaning also conforms with this, for it resides naturally in the minds of all who perceive what is supreme. The sublime Nagarjuna says:1253
Just as, for example, on falling asleep,
A man sees by the power of dreams
His son, wife, mansion and lands,
But sees them not upon awakening,
So it is that when those who know relative
appearance
Open the eyes of intelligence,
Part from the sleep of unknowing,
And wake up they no longer perceive it. Similarly, when those of genuine learning Overcome all propensities to unknowing, By means of the sunlight of knowledge,
b ddha-body of reality is free taneously present u .
Thespon
Fromthedarknessmw lC andannihilation'slimits, It transcends both permanence .
. h' hclarityandobscurationappear.
Cannot be grasped by either or light,
Transcends uniqueness and . rent as well as mVislble, things,
sa' Transcend ppa
h
I free from the terms of birth and deat. . ?
S d . t' n 1251 obscuration, and egotism. Where are eVia 10 , . ,
ht itself they are unthinkable: .
In thoug c · f discrimlnative awareness
The ends of the perlect10n 0
Are subsumed in the body of reality, awareness an
radiance. .
The ends of the perfection of concentrat1On1252
d
Are subsumed 1·n the lamp's total presence.
The ends of the perfection of perseverance t
Are subsumed in non-discurslVe, naturally presen
significance. . The ends of the perfection of. patlence
Are subsumed in cutting stralght through
appearances. . . r The ends of the perfection of moral. dlsclp lne
Are subsumed in retreat. The ends of the perfection of liberality - ,
Are subsumed in the abandonment of sarp. sara s
grasping attachments. . '
The ends of the perfection of aspiratiOn f
Are subsumed in neither hope for, nor fear 0 ,
appearances.
The ends of the perfection of means
Are subsumed in awareness' total presence. The ends of the perfection of power . .
Are subsumed in sealing
nlt1On The ends of the perfection of pnstine cog
Are subsumed in its causeless So it is that the meaning of.
nltlOn
- J'the Dialogue with says:
Equally, the Sutra OJ
Not to grasp anything Non-rigidity is moral Not to protect anything is patlence.
Not to endeavour is
Not to cogitate is concentrat1On. . Non-referentiality is discriminatlve awareness.
Is natural, all-pervasive, pnstme cog
.
904
History: A Rectification ofMisconceptions
They perceive neither mind, nor mental events, nor objects.
As proof of that, let us now refer to the decisive resolution of view and conduct in the disposition of the great pristine cognition of same- ness, where the multiplicity [of phenomena] is of a single savour, and which occurs here, in the Great Perfection. During the phase of the ground one does not exaggerate discriminative awareness, for one har- bours no hopes with reference to conditioned fundamental virtues, having realised through pristine cognition that relative appearance is a fiction; but one does not depreciate means, because, from the standpoint of consciousness, there is still acceptance and rejection. During the phase of the path, because no deliberations transcend discursive thought, there is not even so much as an atom upon which to meditate. Finally, during the phase of the result, if the stream of mind and all that emerges from mind be shut off, where can there be relative appear- ance? This essential point, which is the ultimate, innermost intention of the last two wheels of the transmitted precepts, is the unblemished, eloquent tradition of those who have undeludedly adhered to the
Sugata's teaching in India and here in the Land of Snows. Therefore, it has been reiterated in the writings of all the literary scholars and undeluded contemplatives, from the great translator Ngok Loden Sherap to Conang Sherap Gyeltsen and Puton Rincentrup of Zhalu.
In general, with an intention directed to consciousness, our Teacher revealed the structure of acceptance and rejection, and of cause and effect, that is valid in much the same manner as is the cause and effect [operating] in the world of dreams. But there are those who passionately cling to an understanding that relative appearance is proven to be valid, even within the pristine cognition of the buddhas. For that reason their clinging to the area of conduct becomes hard and fast, until they tear into patches sublime discriminative awareness and the buddhas' pristine cognition. In this way, it is hard for them to find conviction in the philosophy which does not err with respect to profundity. They even carry off the wondrous enlightened activity of the Sugatas on the stretcher of doubt.
Now, the total freedom from deliberations during periods ofmeditat- ive equipoise may well be the meditation of Hoshang Mo-ho-yen, but even the Jewel Lamp ofthe Madhyamaka, composed by master Bhavya, which you1254 esteem as a masterpiece of the Madhyamaka, says:
Not dwelling on any cognition, not conceiving anything, directing no attention to anything. . .
Furthermore, Atisa's comments on the sublime Nagarjuna's intention explain the period during which one abides in the tranquillity ofmeditat- ive equipoise that is free from ideation and scrutiny, and also in higher insight, by using the example of fire produced by rubbing two sticks forcefully together. He then gives a detailed explanation, beginning:
.
The same 1S expresse
d l'n the Introduction to the Madhyamaka (Ch. 6,
v. 27):
Just as what is perceived by an that is dim
Impairs not an undimmed cogmtlon, . , . , Just so the mind that's fors,aken taintless pnstme cogmtlon
Impairs not the taintless mmd.
Santideva also says [in the Introduction to the Conduct of a Bodhisattva, Ch. 9, vv. l0ab & 15]:
As long as causes are accumulated, So long does apparition arise.
