All of the sutras which be
of the doctrine were translated and th .
of the doctrine were translated and th .
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
d he subdued those who
rituals for the propitiation of t and so forth. Pad-
still remained unconverted. Wlt urn masambhava did this two nmes.
,
Z· fLake Manasarovar,
After he had such He was offered four-
Padmasambhava culnvated the kmg s fr P I The Bodhisattva
f d edgoldtoerectatempe.
power P dmasambhava went to
teen mule-loads 0
inspected the land while the great o:erpowered all the local Hepori [a mountain near Samye], W. erhe e d d them to sublimate
l' VOice eorere h gods and demons. In a g d f indestructible reality in t e
their pride, and, by n lines he summoned
sky, he blessed the slte. Whlle g[ h r ] Cokro pucungmen and by contemplation the twO [splnts 0 ea mg ,
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 515
Lhabumen, to guide the ends of the measuring thread. The foundations were laid following the model of OdantapurI Monastery, in accord with
551
Since the great master employed all of the arrogant spirits, the walls which were raised during the day by men were made even higher at night by the spirits. Thus, glorious Samye, the Temple of Unchanging Spontaneous Presence, which was designed to resemble Mount Sumeru, with its four continents, and its subcontin- ents, sun, moon, and iron perimeter, was entirely completed in about five years, along with the three shrines of the three queens. 552 During the consecration performed by the preceptor and the master, astonishing and inconceivable miracles occurred. For example, the deities enshrined
in the central shrine (dbu-rtse) went outside.
Then the sovereign decided to introduce the foundations of the sutra
and mantra teachings by translating the true doctrine [from Sanskrit into Tibetan]. Intelligent Tibetan youths were instructed in the art of translation. Trhisong Detsen invited from India great scholars, who were learned in the pi! aka - monks such as the masters Jinamitra, SarvajfHideva, and DanasIla; holders of indestructible reality such as Vimalamitra and Santigarbha; and twelve monks of the Sarvastivada order as well. 553
To test whether or not Tibetans were suitable for monastic ordination, the king at first requested that those masters ordain his faithful minister, Ba Trhizi ofthe Zhang family. Under the supervision ofthe Bodhisattva, who officiated as preceptor, of DanasIla and Jinamitra, who acted as master of ceremonies and exposer of secrets, and of ten other pa1). <;iitas, who made up the quorum, Trhizi renounced the world and was fully ordained as a monk. He received the name Pelyang, and also became known as Ba-ratna, the "Jewel of the Ba Family"; for the king had praised him thus. Through meditation he acquired five supernormal cognitive powers.
After that, Ba Selnang, Pagor Vairocana, Ngenlam Gyelwa Choyang, Ma Rincen-chok, Khon Luiwangpo Sungwa, and Lasum Gyelwa Cangcup gradually renounced the world. They were fully ordained as monks; and their names were changed to Yeshe Wangpo, and so forth. Together, they became known as the "seven men who were tested"; and they were the first monks in Tibet.
The king then decided that Tibetans were suitable for ordination. Trama, the minister of the Zhang family, and three hundred intelligent subjects were ordained. Scholars, such as the preceptor and master Padmasambhava, along with the translators Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, and Zhang Yeshe De translated the transmitted precepts of the sutra, and mantra traditions, as well as the foremost commentarial treatises, into Tibetan. Vairocana and Nam- kei Nyingpo were sent to India, where Vairocana studied the Great Perfection under SrI Si. qlha, and Namkei Nyingpo studied the doctrines
the preceptor's orders.
516 History: Origin o/the Teaching in Tibet
of Yangdak Heruka under Hllrpkara. When they had attained ac- complishment they propagated these teachings in Tibet.
Moreover, the great master Padmasambhava gave numerous em- powerments for the lower mantras, as well as the Unsurpassed [Yoga] tantras, to the king and some fortunate subjects. He taught the Hundred Thousand Verses of the Vajrakfla Tantra, the Garland of Views: A Collec- tion of Esoteric Instructions, and other works.
On one occasion the master spoke to the king as follows, "Your Majesty should make this country prosperous. You should turn the sands of Ngamsho into groves and meadows. You should irrigate the barren regions like the three districts of Tra and Tol (gra-dol-yul-gsum). You should reclaim all the swamps for cultivation. You should obtain
554
and make the country a source of wealth. You should redirect the rivers, by means of canals, and make Tibet
hold dominion over all the kings of China and Central Asia. "
To this the king replied, "I beg you to do sol"
The master remained engaged in this intention for just a morning
when water appeared in the desert of Trakmar. The sandy plain became an alpine meadow, in which was situated the so-called "Peacock Lake" (Tshomo Gtilngon) of Trakmar. In Trak Daweidong a vast forest appeared instantly. And in Zurkar, a wide, flowing river sprang up without a source.
Then, though he was certainly about to complete all the rest according to his word, the remaining works and the performance of burnt offerings to increase the power of the royal dynasty were left undone, due to the common misfortune of the populace and, as a further circumstance, due to the harmful misconduct of hostile, evil ministers, who, because they could not endure the master's miraculous and supernormal cognitive powers, persuaded [the king] to delay. The deities and nagas could not be bound under an oath of allegiance for yet a third time. At this point, Padmasambhava declared, "The result of the perverse aspirations of the ministers of Tibet will be the decline of happiness in Tibet. Although the great wheel of the doctrine will have made one complete cycle there will be great strife at an intermediate time. The nagas and Gyelpo spirits will be ill-disposed and the dynasty itself will disintegrate, due to its neglect of the law. " It is said that because he knew the future would be so, Padmasambhava suddenly departed to subdue the ogres [in Camaradvlpa], but only after he had first delivered many wrathful mantras and had concealed many books as treasures in Tibet.
Concerning the duration of Padmasambhava's stay in Tibet: Some maintain that it was but a short period, six or eighteen months. The moderate opinion holds that it was three, six or twelve years; and there are those who say that it was as long as one hundred and nine solstices, or fifty-four years and six months, altogether. The guru came to Tibet
wealth from VaisravaI). a
when King Trhiso . ' .
. ng was m
Padmakara
h'
IS twenty-first year; and the k' d
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 517
sIxty-ninth. ? o it is evident that
mast or fIve years SIX months after the king's passing. The learned ers 0 our tradItIOn do not . .
statements. 555 see any contradIctIOn among these
PaThe Testament of Ba and other works, which tell us that
thed:asambhava stayed in Tibet for but a brief period, do so because
Then emanated a body to be seen by the evil ministers , . IS escorts saw hIm fly into the sky from the sum't .
on the frontier of India and Tibet, across the n a r r : and the clouds, with his robe fluttering, hermitagesg staff But his real body remained in solitary
elsewhere 'I n m mountam caves in ZhotO Tidro, Chimpu and he to turn the wheel ;f the At one time th doctnne for the kmg his fortunate subjects. of attainment. was perceIved dwelling in such places
wishing to w en t . at rumour the king,
the Samye M whether It was true or false, mVIted him to consecrate onastery.
518 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
It is also said that in the interval between the lifetime of Trhisong Detsen and the reign of his son Mutrhi, the master departed into the sky, riding upon his horse from the summit of Kungtang Mountain. This is known from the lament, uttered by Mutrhi when he took leave of Padmasambhava:
My one and only royal father has died.
My guru is going to 099iyana.
o royal father! your life was too short;
The happiness ofyour Tibetan subjects has passed. Why did I, Mutrhi Tsenpo, not die,
While my father and my guru were present? 556
Furthermore, we should not think that Padmasambhava could not have completed all the bountiful acts he desired during just a short visit. He was adept at inconceivable miraculous powers, like the ability to make his body manifest in all buddha-fields simultaneously. Similarly, when the Buddha himself performed miracles at SravastI, as described in the Siltra of the Wise and the Foolish (mdo mdzangs-blun, T 341),557 and in the Transmissions of the Vinaya, some say that these miracles lasted for a few days, and some for many. In sum, whether his visit appeared to have been long or short depended upon the purity or impurity of his disciples' perception.
In this way, the master continued to consult with his patron, the king, in secret. He traversed the whole of Tibet on foot, down to the last hoof-sized patch ofground, along with Tshogyel and other fortunate companions. He inhabited each of the twenty mountain caves of Ngari; the twenty-one places of attainment in Central Tibet and in Tsang; the twenty-five great pilgrimage places of Kham and Amdo; and the secret lands of upper, lower, and central Tibet which are like three kings, along with five valleys, three districts and one parkland. 558 He blessed all of them, along with their glaciers, caves, mountains and waterways - which are as their roots, branches, flowers, and fruits - to be places of attainment. Since he knew that the teaching would be persecuted later by the king's grandson, an emanation of Mara, he gave many oracles and prophecies to the king. Then, intending that the teaching of the secret mantra should not vanish, nor the genuine blessing be weakened or adulterated by sophistry, and that disciples should gradu- ally appear, he concealed countless treasures, both named and un- named. The foremost of these treasures were the hundred treasures which were the master copies of King Trhisong, the five great mind treasures, and the twenty-five great profound treasures. . For each one, he predicted the time of revelation, the discoverer, his fortunate spiritual successors, and so forth.
In thirteen places all called "tiger dens", such as Nering Sengedzong in Manka [Bhutan], Padmasambhava assumed an awesome dis-
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 5I9
Dorje Trolii
figured, wrathful form and bou d I
of Tibet, both great sm 11 n I the arrogant deities and demons pointed them to guard the t a , un erAoaths of allegiance; and he ap-
reasures t that t' h
renowned as Dorje TroW ( V ' p ' b t e master became
. aJra ot-elly)ToId f:. h. generatIOns the guru and h' . n Uce an In future
signs, such handprints behind countless wonderful o
Such are the imprint of h'· bOd prmts, m all the places ofattainment h· IS0YatDor'Tk. . andpnnt at Namtso Ch k Je se pa In Bumthang the
in Paro. u mo, and the footprint on the White Rock
Once, the prince Murup Tse 0 ;;s a military expedition]
and destroyed the hermitages oftb
away their property the . e ara or. When he was carrying Shingjachen. 560 pursued by the Gyelpo spirit Trakpo (Wrathful Guru) bo ava t en. the form of Guru
and commanded him to spInt under an oath ofallegiance The master founded ar t e wealth of the temples. '
a? d meditation schools C;:;lege; to teach the dialectical vehicle
hIS subjects acclaimed him h yo secret mantra. The king and all
the king established the e worshipful of renunciates; and IVlSlOn of the religious community,
520 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
consisting of the shaven-headed followers of the siitras [the monks], and the followers of the way of mantras, who wore long, braided locks. He erected pillars [e. g. the Zhol Pillar] inscribed with the great decree
" d' 561 A h ' th concerning protocol and WIth Important e ICtS. t t at . e
kingdom of Tibet reached the zenith of its power and held dommIOn over two-thirds of eastern Jambudvlpa. Because the kingdom was pro- tected by the true doctrine, Tibet is known to have enjoyed the happiness of paradise.
When master Padmasambhava was about to leave to convert the ogres in the south-west, the king, ministers, and subjects of Tibet begged him to stay on. But he declined. To each of them he gave detailed instructions, and precepts concerning loving kindness. Then, riding on a lion, or on an excellent horse, he set out, from the of Kungtang Mountain for Camaradvlpa, in the mIdst of an mfi,nIte mass of divine offerings. In Camaradvlpa, on the peak of the glonous Copper-coloured Mountain, he "liberated" the ogre Thotreng (Skull- garlanded), the king of ogres, and entered into his corpse. He materialised the inconceivable Palace of Lotus Light; and there he resides, ruling in his eight emanations over eight ogre islands, teaching
the eight transmitted precepts concerning the eight means for attainment and other doctrines, and protecting the people of Jambudvlpa from deathly fears. He continues to dwell, even now, as the regent of the Sixth Conqueror, Vajradhara, the holder of the awareness that is the spontaneous presence of the final path; and so will he remain, without moving, until the dissolution of the universe.
Pehar
Trhi Relpacen
KING RELP ACEN
[166. 5-168. 5] The religious king, Trhisong Detsen, had three royal sons. The eldest was named Mune Tsepo, the middle one Murup Tsepo, and the youngest Mutik Tsepo, or Senalek Jingyon. They further propagated the teaching. In particular, Mune Tsepo founded the four cycles of worship (mchod-pa chen-po bzhi) at Samye during his
reIgn; three times he alleviated the hunger ofhis Tibetan subjects. Muuk Tsepo built the Temple of the Indestructible Expanse at Kar- Cung. had about five sons, among whom the most distinguished Was Trhl Relpacen, an emanation of Vajrapal). i, who was also known as Detsukten. Relpacen appointed seven householders among his SUbjects to serve each of the monks; and he is famed for having built
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 521
522 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
a thousand temples and shrines. He humbly honoured and venerated the two orders - those of the traditions of the sutras and mantras, with their gurus and venerable adherents - while placing at their feet the two silken ribbons which hung from his braided hair. Through these and other acts he displayed infinite veneration to the most precious teaching of the Conqueror.
In the lower valley of the Kyicu, Relpacen built the temple of On- cangdo Peme Trashi Gepel. He invited Surendrabodhi, SIlendrabodhi, DanasIla, and many other scholars from India. He commanded them, along with the Tibetan preceptors and DharmatasIla, and the translator Jfianasena, as follows:
Formerly, when the doctrine was translated by scholars and translators in the time of my paternal ancestors, many terms were used which were unknown to the Tibetan language. Replace those terms among them which contradict the texts of the doctrine and grammatical usage, as well as those which are hard to understand, by searching [for alternatives] among the familiar terms of the colloquial language. Thus, you should revise the translations according to the texts of the greater and lesser vehicles. 562
Therefore, at Kawa Namoche in Phenyul, they revised the translation of the Great Mother [the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in One Hundred Thousand Lines], and divided it into sixteen sections. They also established, in accord with the laws of contemporary language, the translations of most of the scriptures translated during the time of the king's paternal ancestors. But, owing to the strictness of the inner tantras of the way of secret mantra, whereby they cannot be grasped by ordinary persons who are not fit vessels for them, the translators preserved the ancient translations intact. 563
So it was that the three ancestral religious kings [Songtsen Gampo, Trhisong Detsen, and Relpacen] made the greatest impact on the teach- ing of the Conqueror in the Land of Snows, and thus were most gracious to its inhabitants. Among those kings, Songtsen Gampo and Trhisong Detsen were particularly great in their kindness. The scholars San- and Padmasambhava, and the translators Thonmi Sambhota, Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen and Zhang Yeshe De were all most gracious and wonderful.
2 The Decline and Expansion of the DO,ctrine During the Intermedzate Period
At; date, Langdarma Udumtsen, the elder brother . e r. 1 Relpacen, was possessed by a demon because of
hIS aspIratIOns, and he persecuted the doctrine Not Ion afte the kIng was assassinated by Lhalung Pelgi D "564 g
r, tfe kings Osung and Pelkortsen reviv':Je;he ancient cus-
Pr an U1 t and so forth out of devotion to the Three ecIOUS Jewels. At that time there were no monks but h h Id
d'
who were d
in 1 d· hevote to the PrecIOUS Jewels carefully saved the temples
at Lhasa and Samye, from destruction. Ngari seceded . e Ingdom] and the royal dynasty disintegrated Though the
CIrcumstances under which the whole of Tibet had b . b'
bl f:'l . . eensu Jecttothe
y had changed, the mantra adepts, white- use 0 ers, maIntaIned the exegesis and attainment of th
of creation and perfection in their own homes and
ISO ated They insured that the continuity of secret
to t? e Ancient School was never inter-
. p . By theIr to the teachIng In general, and their kindness In carefully preservIng the texts of the transmitted rec
treatises, which had been previously tions of the t _ree ancedstral rehgIO. us kIngs, most of the ancient transla-
e sutras an
tantras eXIst for our use, even today.
, ouse0ers
3 The Revival and Later Expansion of the Teaching
ejung, and Tsang Rapsel allowed hi . a. yamuni, Yo they were his seniors] because he : to gIVe the [although because there was a most urgent need tas an extraOr? Inary person and
[169. 6-173. 5] During the decline of the teaching following Langdarma's persecution, Mar Sakyamuni, a disciple of Ba-ratna, together with Yo Gejung and Tsang Rapsel, loaded the Vinaya texts onto a mule and set out for the Qarloq and Uighur country. 566 But, because they were unable to propagate the doctrine in that direction, they went to Kham. While they were meditating at Dorjei Trakra Encung Namdzong in Malung, or at the "Crystal Retreat" in Tentik, one Muzu Labar approached them, and in faith he asked for ordination. He was ordained as a novice by Mar Sakyamuni, who acted as the preceptor, and Yo Gejung, who acted as the master; and he received the name of Sakya Gewarapsel. But when he requested the complete ordination they did not have the quorum of five monks. They sought out Lhalung Pelgi Dorje in Den, who said, "Since I have killed the evil king, I cannot come to complete the group. But I will find another and send him. "
He sent two Chinese monks, named Ke-wang and Gyi-phan, and ordination was granted by the group offive. For fifteen years Gewarapsel studied the Vinaya under his preceptor and master. Later, he studied Vinaya under Senge-trak of Korong, Transcendental Perfection under Kawa b-chokdra, and the Mental Class of the Great Perfection under Yudra Nyingpo. The exegesis of the Tantra of the All-Accomplishing King, which continued even at a later time, came through his lineage. This illustrates his most sublime, enlightened activity, and his great learning. For this reason he became renowned as Lacen Gongpa Rapsel, the "Great Guru whose Enlightened Intention was Utterly Clear".
Five years after Gewarapsel's complete ordination, the king Yeshe Gyeltsen and others sent five men from Central Tibet, including Luroe Tshtiltrim Sherap, and five from Tsang, including Loton Dorje Wangcuk, to Kham, so that they might revive the feeble doctrine in Central Tibet. Gewarapsel gave them all three levels of ordination in a single sitting, and they became learned in the Vinaya. Since he gave the full ordination simultaneously and not by precise stages over a period of ten years,567 he became renowned as a bodhisattva whose
Lhalung Pelgi Dorje
te? during the aforementioned ordinatio ] M
alIve at the time, but said th n. ar, Yo, and Tsang were
and so they acted as masterseYfwere too old to educate the disciples;
Rapsel] appointed Lum 0 ceremony. The great guru [Gongpa Central Tibet and T e a s a preceptor, and when the ten men from
. Revival and Later Expansion 525
practIce was based on devotI·on 0 th .
G. . n atoccaSIOnM S-k
Therefore, genuine authorities
alt
. . 0 hh the declIne ofthe teaching.
mamtamt attherewasnofault[commit-
. sang returned home th b pnests of their kings. ey
ecame the gurus and
Lume had four disciples h 1 · .
thirty-two like rafters a d WhO were . Ike pIllars, eight like beams
' natousandlIkepI k Th ' the foundation of the feeble d . an s. us, he restored
those at Lamo, Rag Y octnne. He set up countless centres like
spiritual benefactors Yaen'd erpa, Pare, and Tshongdti. The disciples
, monksatYah·· I ' up one hundred and ei ht ms. u a one are said to have set
and of hi. s disciples cov:red IthIS way, the of Lume
commUlllty of monks mult" r d d and. In fact, WIth each day the Ip Ie ,an became known as the Lower
526 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
Tibetan Lineage of the Vinaya. 568 The ordained monks of the Ancient Translation School, and later the great translator DharmasrI, the em- anation ofYudra Nyingpo, widely propagated its exegesis and practical application. The seminary of Orgyen MindrOling, the sole ornament ofTibet, and its branches preserved this Vinaya lineage. 569 Then, during the later propagation of the teaching, most of the early generations of the great men who adhered to the monastic vows, and also most of the spiritual benefactors in the ancient and new Kadampa schools adhered to this Vinaya lineage.
Furthermore, the scholar Jinamitra, the translator Kawa Peltsek, and others translated the Treasury ofthe Abhidharma, and the Compendium ofthe Abhidharma [from Sanskrit into Tibetan]. They instructed Nanam Dawei Dorje, Lhalung Pelgi Dorje and E Yeshe Gyelwa. The latter went to Kham and transmitted this teaching, which has been widely propagated until the present day. 570
. Revival and Later Expansion 527
exegesIS, and study.
All of the sutras which be
of the doctrine were translated and th . l? ng to t? e final wheel teaching and study by Kaw p' 1 k elr exegesIs establIshed through
, a etse,CokroLii'G 1 .
Lacen Gongpa Rapsel
Regarding the sutras: Lang Khampa Gocha memorised the Transcend- ental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in One Hundred Thousand Lines, and he propagated this and other sutras of India, which belong to the intermediate wheel of the doctrine, by means of translation,
and others. Their tradition of ex . d until the present day. egesls an
. 1 ye tsen, Valrocana attaInment has continued
It would be appropriate here t o ' d '
of the ancestral religious kings wh gIve a 1 etaIled account of the lives
the true doctrine. But owing; th0 y and propagated not enlarge Upon this brief d O . of the literature, I will
f
esCnptIOn. TheIr hves m rom the other royal histories of Tibet. 571 ay
b
.
e ascertaIned
This completes the general d ' .
b y t h e l a m p o f t h e C o n
o f t h e f i r s t i l l u m i n a t i o n o f T i b e t queror s teachmg th th' d .
Thunder from the Great Co . B ' e Ir part of thIS book, . nquenng attle-Drum ,/'D d .
a hIstory of the precious doctr' f h . OJ even ra, whIch is
according to the Ancient T
mle t Se vehIcle of indestructible reality
rans atIOn
choo! .
Part Four
The Development of the Three Inner Classes of Tantra in Tibet
Introduction
[179. 1-3] Now, in particular, the development [in Tibet] of the three inner classes ofthe tantras ofthe way of secret mantra will be explained.
Although the Kriya, Carya and Yoga tantras of secret mantra were much studied and taught in the time of the religious king Trhisong Detsen and his master, Padmasambhava, the Unsurpassed [Yoga] tan- tras were propagated most of all. They have three divisions: Mahayoga, which concerns primarily the stage of creation; Anuyoga, which con- cerns primarily the stage of perfection; and Atiyoga, which concerns primarily the Great Perfection. 572
1 Mahayoga and Anuyoga
MAHAYOGA, THE STAGE OF CREATION
[179. 4] Mahayoga is divided into the class of tantras (*tantravarga) and the class of means for attainment (*sadhanavarga).
The Mahayoga Class of Tantras
[179. 4-182. 1] The master Vimalamitra expounded [the eight tantras, known collectively as] the Eight Sections ofthe Magical Net, which form the cycle of texts associated with the Magical Net of Vajrasattva, the Secret Nucleus which is the root or most general of the Eighteen Great Tantrapitaka. He expounded them to Ma Rincen-chok, and translated them with the latter's assistance. Ma Rincen-chok instructed Tsukru Rincen Zhonu and Kyere Chokyong, who both instructed Zhang Gyel- wei Yonten and Tarje Pelgi Trakpa. The former taught this tantra many times in Central Tibet and in Tsang. He also went to Kham and gave this teaching. The lineages of Zhang became known as "the transmitted precepts of Chimpu", or as "the lineage of esoteric instructions".
Moreover, the master Padmasambhava taught [this Secret Nucleus] to Nyak Jfianakumara, along with his own celebrated composition entitled the Garland ofViews: A Collection ofEsoteric Instructions. Jfiana- kumara instructed the Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe, and, with Zhang, he in- structed Nup Sangye Yeshe. 573 At Mount Kailash the master Bud- dhaguhya also gave instruction on texts belonging to the Secret Nucleus cycle, such as the Array ofthe Path ofthe Magical Net, to disciples such as We Jampel and Trenka Mukti.
Similarly, the glorious Guhyasamaja was propagated according to master Vajrahasya's exegetical tradition [T 1909], and the tradition of study, exegesis, and attainment derived from the commentaries of Visvamitra. Also propagated were the commentaries on the Buddha- samayoga belonging to the aural lineage of Kukkuraja [the Six Arrays ofEsoteric Meaning] and of Hfirpkara [Elucidation ofthe Significance ofthe Four Limbs, Caturangarthaloka, T 1676], and the lineage of its teaching,
. ee Inner Classes of Tantra in Tibet
534 HlSWry: The Thr G t Commentary on the . ment which follow the rea - a k"n of
study, and attam m lished master Indranal , a I g Buddhasamayoga, by the acco p
Oddiyana. . ranted meditational deities based . on
"Other fortunate beIngs were 7the Supreme Horse. Of these,.
the mandalas of Heruka and 0 _ with the result that the neIghIng . . . opitiated Hayagnva,
the means for attainment and esoteric instructions for the deities on whom their flowers respectively alighted, each of them saw his or her deity in a vision. 574
By propitiating Mahottara [Chemcok] Heruka, the king developed special contemplation; and owing to the development of discriminative awareness which is born of meditation, he composed works such as the Treatise on the ProofofAuthentic Transmitted Precepts (bka'yang-dag- pa'i tshad-ma'i bstan-bcos, T 4352). 575
By propitiating [glorious] Yangdak Heruka, Namkei Nyingpo as- cended on the rays of the sun.
By propitiating MafijusrI [Yamantaka], Sangye Yeshe drove a kiia into solid rock.
By propitiating Mahesvara [Hayagrlva], the head of a horse emerged from the crown of Gyelwa Choyang's head, and neighing resounded.
By propitiating VajrakIla, Kharcen-za [Yeshe Tshogyel] could resur- rect the dead.
By propitiating Matara! ). , Pelgi Yeshe employed the host of female protectors as servants.
By propitiating Mundane Praise, Pelgi Senge was served by the eightfold groups of spirits.
And by propitiating Malign Mantra, Vairocana acquired the eye of pristine cognition, and miraculous powers.
Moreover, regarding those disciples of master Padmasambhava who obtained accomplishment sooner or later by his empowerment, instruc- tions and further advice: Nyak Jfianakumara could extract nectar from dry rock.
Gyelmo Y udra Nyingpo could transform his body into a golden vajra. Nanam Dorje Dtijom could pass through a mountain of solid rock. Master Y esheyang could actually travel to the realms of sky-farers. 576 The Sogdian Lhapel could seize savage beasts of prey by the neck
[with his bare hands]. 577
Nanam Zhang Yeshe De could fly like a bird in the sky.
Kharcen Pelgi Wangcuk, by merely brandishing his kIla, could "lib-
erate" those at whom he brandished it.
Denma Tsemang obtained retention of all doctrines, such that he
forgot none.
Kawa Peltsek intuited the minds of others without obstruction. Shlipu Pelgi Senge could reverse the flow of a river.
Dre Gyelwei Lodro could transform a zombie into gold. 578 Drokben Khyeucung Lotsawa could summon birds in the sky, merely
through his gaze and a gesture of menace.
Odren Pelgi Wangcuk could swim like a fish in a wide river. Ma Rincen-chok could crush and digest boulders as food.
Trhlsong Detsen pr of a horse was heard
throughout Jambudvlpa.
. rM The Mahayoga Class OJ
Namkei Nyingpo for Attainment
eans
k"
_.
the Yaman cyc e d he
(182. 1-187 . 11 spea lng,
Tibet by master Santlgarbha. Mk --nakumara and others. Most 0
aster Vimalamitra propagate t f Va-iramrta cycle, teaching it to NYda Jdnadisseminated solely by master
". J •
the other cycles were p
ropagate an
h reat master in lorious Chimpu, t e . g lete
Padmasambhava.
In particular, at Trhrsong Detsen by
answered the prayer 0 g. d secret ma1)Q. alas 0 empowerments in the outer'£ to a most fortunate
Great Classes of the Mear:s or d his subjects. When they had prac I of eight, consisting of the kIng an
1 was propagated in
Mahayoga and Anuyoga 535
536
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Gyelwa Choyang
Lhalung Pelgi Dorje could pass unobstructedly through mountains
of solid rock. .
Langdro Koncok Jungne could hurl mighty thunderb? lts hke arro,:s.
And Lasum Gyelwa Cangcup could sit cross-legged m the sky, WIth- out any support.
There were also women who were accomplished masters: e
of Sahor obtained immortality, miraculous powers, and unsurpass ,
supreme accomplishment. . . . . I 01- Kharcen Yeshe Tshogyel achieved indestructIble hfe, mfalhb e rec
lection, miraculous powers, the abode ofthe a? d the accomplishment of great bliss. Th. e two_ n:>ble ladles Just me
were actually no different from VaJravarahl,
Tshenamza Sangyetsho vanished in a body of hght:
Shekar Dorjetsho crossed rivers as if they. were plams. . h body Tshombuza Pematsho's vital energy and mmd matured mto t e
Rilza Tondrupma used her gaze to employ the services ofthe twelve goddesses of the earth.
Shilbuza Sherapma knew all the transmitted precepts of the buddhas, as well as the commentarial treatises, without having studied them.
While Yamdrokza Choki Dronma taught the scriptures she was applauded by celestial deities.
When Oceza Kargyelma had a question about the doctrine she asked her meditational deity.
When Dzemza Lhamo needed food or drink she took them from the sky.
Barza Lhayang knew how to tame the minds of others.
Cokroza Cangcupmen could transform her body into fire and water. Dromza Pamti Chenmo could fly like a bird in the sky. Rongmenza Tshilltrim-dron could ingest stones like food.
Khuza Peltsilnma could cause the ritual kIla to vibrate. Trhumza Shelmen could arrange flowers in the sky.
These and others were able to display various miracles to many people, and all of them attained the state of coalescence in their [human] bodies. 58o So it was that countless accomplished masters emerged: the twenty-five great accomplished masters of Chimpu; the fifty-five realised ones ofYangdzong; the [two groups of] one hundred and eight who attained the body of light at Yerpa and at Chuwori, respectively; the thirty mantra adepts of Sheldrak; the twenty-five <;iakinls who
581
ANUYOGA, THE STAGE OF PERFECTION
[187. 1-187. 2] Dharmabodhi and Vasudhara, who were preceptors of the Satra which Gathers All Intentions, and the master Chetsenkye of Bru-sha instructed Nupcen Sangye Yeshe; and he brought the Anuyoga tantras to Tibet. This will be described later in detail. 582
· 579
of her delty. f th
sun
Melgongza Rincentsho hung her silk gown on the rays 0
e
.
attained bodies of light; et cetera.
Mahayoga and Anuyoga 537
2 The Mental and Spatial Classes of Atiyoga
Sllp. ha granted him all the ' so he remaIned there. SrI . empowerments and ' .
SIxty along with the three b esotenc Instructions of White, Black, and Variegated h' h ranches of the Spatial Class -
[187. 3] Atiyoga is divided into three classes: [Mental, Spatial, and Esoteric Instructional]. The lineage of the first two is as follows:
V AIROCANA
[187. 3-190. 4] Scorning more than fifty-seven unbearable hardships, including the eight great fears, the master Vairocana, a native ofNyemo Cekar, journeyed to India, following the command of King Trhisong Detsen. He proceeded towards the Great Nine-Storey Pagoda (ke'u- tshang chen-po dgu-brtsegs), created by the miraculous power of master SrI Sirpha in the cooling sandalwood forest of Dhanakosa. There, he introduced himself to a yoginI who was carrying water; but when she made no response he made her waterpot stick to the ground by means of his gaze. The yoginI then exposed her breast and in so doing revealed to Vairocana the MaI:H;lala of the Indestructible Expanse.
In company with her he met the master SrI Simha and, offering to him a golden ma1). c;iala, he requested teaching on the effortless vehicle. 583
SrI Sirpha said he would have to consider. The main points of the profound doctrine could be revealed in the morning, under the cloak of secrecy. But, without utmost secrecy, the master would run the risk of capital punishment, imposed by the local raja. So he said to Vai- rocana, "Study the doctrine of cause and effect with other scholars during the day. I will have to reveal the doctrines of the esoteric instruc- tions to you at night. " In this way, and under these circumstances, others were kept ignorant.
During the night the master wrote down the Eighteen Esoteric Instruc- tions of the Mental Class on white silk with the milk of a white goat; and he showed Vairocana how the letters became clear when fumigated by smoke. He made him swear an oath before the protectors of the teaching to maintain the utmost secrecy.
Vairocana
The? the master taught him the three of the Instructions the t
.
ways to brIng forth the fruit
.
B The Mental and Spatial Classes ofAtiyoga 539 ut even then Vairocana was not satisfied' .
naturally present 584 Thu . .
V'- W IC reveal that the goal is already s, alfocana plumb d h
doctnnes.
Still he remained unsatisfied '" - S' h '
e t e very depths of all .
. IIp a saId to hIm: The . expanse reality is infinite,
But If you realIse solely just what is is perfectly present in that
whIch lacks none.
What accomplishment goes beyond that?
and four cases' the teaching should be granted,
VaIrocana also met the maste G ' ' .
ground of Dhumasthira He . r arap III the great charnel
fOur hundred thousand
obtaIned the true lIneage of the six million verses on the Great Perfection and actually
540 History: The Three Inner Classes oJTantra in Tibet
attained the great accomplishment of simultaneous realisation and lib- eration.
Relying on the accomplishment of swift-footedness Vairocana then returned to Tibet. 585 During the day he gave teaching to the king on the ordinary doctrines of cause and effect, but at night he taught only the hidden doctrines of the Great Perfection. He translated the five texts of the Mental Class which were the earliest translated. 586
It was at this time that Vairocana was slandered by the Indians, who
were jealous that the instructions had been lost to Tibet. And because
one of the queens and her ministers became ill-disposed to the doctrine,
master Vairocana was obliged to pass some time [in exile] in
587
The Mental and Spatial Classes ofAtiyoga 541
In the temple of the protector at Rongtrak in Gyelmorong, he accepted Yudra Nyingpo as his disciple, and caused him and others to be matured [by the empowerments] and liberated [by the instructions]. In the Taktse Castle at Tsharong, he taught the cycle of the Great Perfection to SangtOn Yeshe Lama. At Trakmar Gondzong in Tong- kungrong he instructed Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo. And in Central Tibet Vairocana gave teaching to Nyak Jnanakumara and to the Khotanese lady, Sherap Dronma. Thus, he is said to have taught five people in succession. The last mentioned also invited him to visit Khotan.
In the end, Vairocana attained the buddha-body of coalescence in Bhasing Forest in Nepal.
Gradually, one lineage developed from Nyak Jnanakumara, which
passed through the Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe, Tra Pelgi Nyingpo, and
Lhalung Pelgi Dorje to Odren Pelgi Zhonu. One issued from the Sog-
dian Pelgi Senge to Nupcen Sangye Yeshe; and yet another from Tsang
Sakdor, through Pang Yatri Tarma Sherap, and Zermo Gelong
to Marpa Sherap-o. That lineage was subsequently transmitted to Zur
Tshawarong.
Dropukpa.
P ANG-GEN
588
SANGYE
[I91. 1-192. 2]Pang-genSang eGo
' . .
GONPO
Gyeltsen, a monk from the s was Ngenlam Cangcup a
the age of sixty-seven he went to ey dIstnct of Ngenlam in Uru. At
instructions from Pang Castle, where he
Gonpo]. The master granted them to
[190. 4-191. 1] Moreover, there was the lineage ofVairocana's disciple Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo, in which everyone achieved the rainbow body. Pang Gonpo himself reached the age of eighty-five without having practised the doctrine during his youth. As an old man he was despised by his brothers and relatives. Owing to great age his body had a decrepit posture, but Vairocana gave him a meditation belt and a support [to prop up his chin], and showed him how to retain the teaching in his mind. By practising according to the transmission of master Vairocana he came face to face with naked reality, and an all-surpassing realisation was born within him. Becoming very joyful, the old man embraced his master about the neck and would not let go for a whole day. After attaining accomplishment he lived for over one hundred years more.
dGonpo . [Pang-gen Sangye an told hIm not to go home, :ak. He went there obediently allIS e WIthout a trace at the age of one
. )
;
instruction from N enlaY ,came from upper Dokam. He re-
WIthout leaving his guru . g h m and then sat absorbed in meditation
. h ' III t e same rock H' , WIt out a trace at the age of h cavern. IS body vanished
Zadam Rincen-yik's d· . °lne undred and forty-four.
Ch" ISCIPe, Khugyur SI . h k
0, was a monk of fift e weIC 0 from Yarlung
from Zadam Rincen ye;rs. he received instruction
remained in meditation at ;;n Sone *e Idea of returning home and a enge rak as well.
rituals for the propitiation of t and so forth. Pad-
still remained unconverted. Wlt urn masambhava did this two nmes.
,
Z· fLake Manasarovar,
After he had such He was offered four-
Padmasambhava culnvated the kmg s fr P I The Bodhisattva
f d edgoldtoerectatempe.
power P dmasambhava went to
teen mule-loads 0
inspected the land while the great o:erpowered all the local Hepori [a mountain near Samye], W. erhe e d d them to sublimate
l' VOice eorere h gods and demons. In a g d f indestructible reality in t e
their pride, and, by n lines he summoned
sky, he blessed the slte. Whlle g[ h r ] Cokro pucungmen and by contemplation the twO [splnts 0 ea mg ,
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 515
Lhabumen, to guide the ends of the measuring thread. The foundations were laid following the model of OdantapurI Monastery, in accord with
551
Since the great master employed all of the arrogant spirits, the walls which were raised during the day by men were made even higher at night by the spirits. Thus, glorious Samye, the Temple of Unchanging Spontaneous Presence, which was designed to resemble Mount Sumeru, with its four continents, and its subcontin- ents, sun, moon, and iron perimeter, was entirely completed in about five years, along with the three shrines of the three queens. 552 During the consecration performed by the preceptor and the master, astonishing and inconceivable miracles occurred. For example, the deities enshrined
in the central shrine (dbu-rtse) went outside.
Then the sovereign decided to introduce the foundations of the sutra
and mantra teachings by translating the true doctrine [from Sanskrit into Tibetan]. Intelligent Tibetan youths were instructed in the art of translation. Trhisong Detsen invited from India great scholars, who were learned in the pi! aka - monks such as the masters Jinamitra, SarvajfHideva, and DanasIla; holders of indestructible reality such as Vimalamitra and Santigarbha; and twelve monks of the Sarvastivada order as well. 553
To test whether or not Tibetans were suitable for monastic ordination, the king at first requested that those masters ordain his faithful minister, Ba Trhizi ofthe Zhang family. Under the supervision ofthe Bodhisattva, who officiated as preceptor, of DanasIla and Jinamitra, who acted as master of ceremonies and exposer of secrets, and of ten other pa1). <;iitas, who made up the quorum, Trhizi renounced the world and was fully ordained as a monk. He received the name Pelyang, and also became known as Ba-ratna, the "Jewel of the Ba Family"; for the king had praised him thus. Through meditation he acquired five supernormal cognitive powers.
After that, Ba Selnang, Pagor Vairocana, Ngenlam Gyelwa Choyang, Ma Rincen-chok, Khon Luiwangpo Sungwa, and Lasum Gyelwa Cangcup gradually renounced the world. They were fully ordained as monks; and their names were changed to Yeshe Wangpo, and so forth. Together, they became known as the "seven men who were tested"; and they were the first monks in Tibet.
The king then decided that Tibetans were suitable for ordination. Trama, the minister of the Zhang family, and three hundred intelligent subjects were ordained. Scholars, such as the preceptor and master Padmasambhava, along with the translators Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen, and Zhang Yeshe De translated the transmitted precepts of the sutra, and mantra traditions, as well as the foremost commentarial treatises, into Tibetan. Vairocana and Nam- kei Nyingpo were sent to India, where Vairocana studied the Great Perfection under SrI Si. qlha, and Namkei Nyingpo studied the doctrines
the preceptor's orders.
516 History: Origin o/the Teaching in Tibet
of Yangdak Heruka under Hllrpkara. When they had attained ac- complishment they propagated these teachings in Tibet.
Moreover, the great master Padmasambhava gave numerous em- powerments for the lower mantras, as well as the Unsurpassed [Yoga] tantras, to the king and some fortunate subjects. He taught the Hundred Thousand Verses of the Vajrakfla Tantra, the Garland of Views: A Collec- tion of Esoteric Instructions, and other works.
On one occasion the master spoke to the king as follows, "Your Majesty should make this country prosperous. You should turn the sands of Ngamsho into groves and meadows. You should irrigate the barren regions like the three districts of Tra and Tol (gra-dol-yul-gsum). You should reclaim all the swamps for cultivation. You should obtain
554
and make the country a source of wealth. You should redirect the rivers, by means of canals, and make Tibet
hold dominion over all the kings of China and Central Asia. "
To this the king replied, "I beg you to do sol"
The master remained engaged in this intention for just a morning
when water appeared in the desert of Trakmar. The sandy plain became an alpine meadow, in which was situated the so-called "Peacock Lake" (Tshomo Gtilngon) of Trakmar. In Trak Daweidong a vast forest appeared instantly. And in Zurkar, a wide, flowing river sprang up without a source.
Then, though he was certainly about to complete all the rest according to his word, the remaining works and the performance of burnt offerings to increase the power of the royal dynasty were left undone, due to the common misfortune of the populace and, as a further circumstance, due to the harmful misconduct of hostile, evil ministers, who, because they could not endure the master's miraculous and supernormal cognitive powers, persuaded [the king] to delay. The deities and nagas could not be bound under an oath of allegiance for yet a third time. At this point, Padmasambhava declared, "The result of the perverse aspirations of the ministers of Tibet will be the decline of happiness in Tibet. Although the great wheel of the doctrine will have made one complete cycle there will be great strife at an intermediate time. The nagas and Gyelpo spirits will be ill-disposed and the dynasty itself will disintegrate, due to its neglect of the law. " It is said that because he knew the future would be so, Padmasambhava suddenly departed to subdue the ogres [in Camaradvlpa], but only after he had first delivered many wrathful mantras and had concealed many books as treasures in Tibet.
Concerning the duration of Padmasambhava's stay in Tibet: Some maintain that it was but a short period, six or eighteen months. The moderate opinion holds that it was three, six or twelve years; and there are those who say that it was as long as one hundred and nine solstices, or fifty-four years and six months, altogether. The guru came to Tibet
wealth from VaisravaI). a
when King Trhiso . ' .
. ng was m
Padmakara
h'
IS twenty-first year; and the k' d
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 517
sIxty-ninth. ? o it is evident that
mast or fIve years SIX months after the king's passing. The learned ers 0 our tradItIOn do not . .
statements. 555 see any contradIctIOn among these
PaThe Testament of Ba and other works, which tell us that
thed:asambhava stayed in Tibet for but a brief period, do so because
Then emanated a body to be seen by the evil ministers , . IS escorts saw hIm fly into the sky from the sum't .
on the frontier of India and Tibet, across the n a r r : and the clouds, with his robe fluttering, hermitagesg staff But his real body remained in solitary
elsewhere 'I n m mountam caves in ZhotO Tidro, Chimpu and he to turn the wheel ;f the At one time th doctnne for the kmg his fortunate subjects. of attainment. was perceIved dwelling in such places
wishing to w en t . at rumour the king,
the Samye M whether It was true or false, mVIted him to consecrate onastery.
518 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
It is also said that in the interval between the lifetime of Trhisong Detsen and the reign of his son Mutrhi, the master departed into the sky, riding upon his horse from the summit of Kungtang Mountain. This is known from the lament, uttered by Mutrhi when he took leave of Padmasambhava:
My one and only royal father has died.
My guru is going to 099iyana.
o royal father! your life was too short;
The happiness ofyour Tibetan subjects has passed. Why did I, Mutrhi Tsenpo, not die,
While my father and my guru were present? 556
Furthermore, we should not think that Padmasambhava could not have completed all the bountiful acts he desired during just a short visit. He was adept at inconceivable miraculous powers, like the ability to make his body manifest in all buddha-fields simultaneously. Similarly, when the Buddha himself performed miracles at SravastI, as described in the Siltra of the Wise and the Foolish (mdo mdzangs-blun, T 341),557 and in the Transmissions of the Vinaya, some say that these miracles lasted for a few days, and some for many. In sum, whether his visit appeared to have been long or short depended upon the purity or impurity of his disciples' perception.
In this way, the master continued to consult with his patron, the king, in secret. He traversed the whole of Tibet on foot, down to the last hoof-sized patch ofground, along with Tshogyel and other fortunate companions. He inhabited each of the twenty mountain caves of Ngari; the twenty-one places of attainment in Central Tibet and in Tsang; the twenty-five great pilgrimage places of Kham and Amdo; and the secret lands of upper, lower, and central Tibet which are like three kings, along with five valleys, three districts and one parkland. 558 He blessed all of them, along with their glaciers, caves, mountains and waterways - which are as their roots, branches, flowers, and fruits - to be places of attainment. Since he knew that the teaching would be persecuted later by the king's grandson, an emanation of Mara, he gave many oracles and prophecies to the king. Then, intending that the teaching of the secret mantra should not vanish, nor the genuine blessing be weakened or adulterated by sophistry, and that disciples should gradu- ally appear, he concealed countless treasures, both named and un- named. The foremost of these treasures were the hundred treasures which were the master copies of King Trhisong, the five great mind treasures, and the twenty-five great profound treasures. . For each one, he predicted the time of revelation, the discoverer, his fortunate spiritual successors, and so forth.
In thirteen places all called "tiger dens", such as Nering Sengedzong in Manka [Bhutan], Padmasambhava assumed an awesome dis-
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 5I9
Dorje Trolii
figured, wrathful form and bou d I
of Tibet, both great sm 11 n I the arrogant deities and demons pointed them to guard the t a , un erAoaths of allegiance; and he ap-
reasures t that t' h
renowned as Dorje TroW ( V ' p ' b t e master became
. aJra ot-elly)ToId f:. h. generatIOns the guru and h' . n Uce an In future
signs, such handprints behind countless wonderful o
Such are the imprint of h'· bOd prmts, m all the places ofattainment h· IS0YatDor'Tk. . andpnnt at Namtso Ch k Je se pa In Bumthang the
in Paro. u mo, and the footprint on the White Rock
Once, the prince Murup Tse 0 ;;s a military expedition]
and destroyed the hermitages oftb
away their property the . e ara or. When he was carrying Shingjachen. 560 pursued by the Gyelpo spirit Trakpo (Wrathful Guru) bo ava t en. the form of Guru
and commanded him to spInt under an oath ofallegiance The master founded ar t e wealth of the temples. '
a? d meditation schools C;:;lege; to teach the dialectical vehicle
hIS subjects acclaimed him h yo secret mantra. The king and all
the king established the e worshipful of renunciates; and IVlSlOn of the religious community,
520 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
consisting of the shaven-headed followers of the siitras [the monks], and the followers of the way of mantras, who wore long, braided locks. He erected pillars [e. g. the Zhol Pillar] inscribed with the great decree
" d' 561 A h ' th concerning protocol and WIth Important e ICtS. t t at . e
kingdom of Tibet reached the zenith of its power and held dommIOn over two-thirds of eastern Jambudvlpa. Because the kingdom was pro- tected by the true doctrine, Tibet is known to have enjoyed the happiness of paradise.
When master Padmasambhava was about to leave to convert the ogres in the south-west, the king, ministers, and subjects of Tibet begged him to stay on. But he declined. To each of them he gave detailed instructions, and precepts concerning loving kindness. Then, riding on a lion, or on an excellent horse, he set out, from the of Kungtang Mountain for Camaradvlpa, in the mIdst of an mfi,nIte mass of divine offerings. In Camaradvlpa, on the peak of the glonous Copper-coloured Mountain, he "liberated" the ogre Thotreng (Skull- garlanded), the king of ogres, and entered into his corpse. He materialised the inconceivable Palace of Lotus Light; and there he resides, ruling in his eight emanations over eight ogre islands, teaching
the eight transmitted precepts concerning the eight means for attainment and other doctrines, and protecting the people of Jambudvlpa from deathly fears. He continues to dwell, even now, as the regent of the Sixth Conqueror, Vajradhara, the holder of the awareness that is the spontaneous presence of the final path; and so will he remain, without moving, until the dissolution of the universe.
Pehar
Trhi Relpacen
KING RELP ACEN
[166. 5-168. 5] The religious king, Trhisong Detsen, had three royal sons. The eldest was named Mune Tsepo, the middle one Murup Tsepo, and the youngest Mutik Tsepo, or Senalek Jingyon. They further propagated the teaching. In particular, Mune Tsepo founded the four cycles of worship (mchod-pa chen-po bzhi) at Samye during his
reIgn; three times he alleviated the hunger ofhis Tibetan subjects. Muuk Tsepo built the Temple of the Indestructible Expanse at Kar- Cung. had about five sons, among whom the most distinguished Was Trhl Relpacen, an emanation of Vajrapal). i, who was also known as Detsukten. Relpacen appointed seven householders among his SUbjects to serve each of the monks; and he is famed for having built
The Three Ancestral Religious Kings 521
522 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
a thousand temples and shrines. He humbly honoured and venerated the two orders - those of the traditions of the sutras and mantras, with their gurus and venerable adherents - while placing at their feet the two silken ribbons which hung from his braided hair. Through these and other acts he displayed infinite veneration to the most precious teaching of the Conqueror.
In the lower valley of the Kyicu, Relpacen built the temple of On- cangdo Peme Trashi Gepel. He invited Surendrabodhi, SIlendrabodhi, DanasIla, and many other scholars from India. He commanded them, along with the Tibetan preceptors and DharmatasIla, and the translator Jfianasena, as follows:
Formerly, when the doctrine was translated by scholars and translators in the time of my paternal ancestors, many terms were used which were unknown to the Tibetan language. Replace those terms among them which contradict the texts of the doctrine and grammatical usage, as well as those which are hard to understand, by searching [for alternatives] among the familiar terms of the colloquial language. Thus, you should revise the translations according to the texts of the greater and lesser vehicles. 562
Therefore, at Kawa Namoche in Phenyul, they revised the translation of the Great Mother [the Transcendental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in One Hundred Thousand Lines], and divided it into sixteen sections. They also established, in accord with the laws of contemporary language, the translations of most of the scriptures translated during the time of the king's paternal ancestors. But, owing to the strictness of the inner tantras of the way of secret mantra, whereby they cannot be grasped by ordinary persons who are not fit vessels for them, the translators preserved the ancient translations intact. 563
So it was that the three ancestral religious kings [Songtsen Gampo, Trhisong Detsen, and Relpacen] made the greatest impact on the teach- ing of the Conqueror in the Land of Snows, and thus were most gracious to its inhabitants. Among those kings, Songtsen Gampo and Trhisong Detsen were particularly great in their kindness. The scholars San- and Padmasambhava, and the translators Thonmi Sambhota, Vairocana, Kawa Peltsek, Cokro Lui Gyeltsen and Zhang Yeshe De were all most gracious and wonderful.
2 The Decline and Expansion of the DO,ctrine During the Intermedzate Period
At; date, Langdarma Udumtsen, the elder brother . e r. 1 Relpacen, was possessed by a demon because of
hIS aspIratIOns, and he persecuted the doctrine Not Ion afte the kIng was assassinated by Lhalung Pelgi D "564 g
r, tfe kings Osung and Pelkortsen reviv':Je;he ancient cus-
Pr an U1 t and so forth out of devotion to the Three ecIOUS Jewels. At that time there were no monks but h h Id
d'
who were d
in 1 d· hevote to the PrecIOUS Jewels carefully saved the temples
at Lhasa and Samye, from destruction. Ngari seceded . e Ingdom] and the royal dynasty disintegrated Though the
CIrcumstances under which the whole of Tibet had b . b'
bl f:'l . . eensu Jecttothe
y had changed, the mantra adepts, white- use 0 ers, maIntaIned the exegesis and attainment of th
of creation and perfection in their own homes and
ISO ated They insured that the continuity of secret
to t? e Ancient School was never inter-
. p . By theIr to the teachIng In general, and their kindness In carefully preservIng the texts of the transmitted rec
treatises, which had been previously tions of the t _ree ancedstral rehgIO. us kIngs, most of the ancient transla-
e sutras an
tantras eXIst for our use, even today.
, ouse0ers
3 The Revival and Later Expansion of the Teaching
ejung, and Tsang Rapsel allowed hi . a. yamuni, Yo they were his seniors] because he : to gIVe the [although because there was a most urgent need tas an extraOr? Inary person and
[169. 6-173. 5] During the decline of the teaching following Langdarma's persecution, Mar Sakyamuni, a disciple of Ba-ratna, together with Yo Gejung and Tsang Rapsel, loaded the Vinaya texts onto a mule and set out for the Qarloq and Uighur country. 566 But, because they were unable to propagate the doctrine in that direction, they went to Kham. While they were meditating at Dorjei Trakra Encung Namdzong in Malung, or at the "Crystal Retreat" in Tentik, one Muzu Labar approached them, and in faith he asked for ordination. He was ordained as a novice by Mar Sakyamuni, who acted as the preceptor, and Yo Gejung, who acted as the master; and he received the name of Sakya Gewarapsel. But when he requested the complete ordination they did not have the quorum of five monks. They sought out Lhalung Pelgi Dorje in Den, who said, "Since I have killed the evil king, I cannot come to complete the group. But I will find another and send him. "
He sent two Chinese monks, named Ke-wang and Gyi-phan, and ordination was granted by the group offive. For fifteen years Gewarapsel studied the Vinaya under his preceptor and master. Later, he studied Vinaya under Senge-trak of Korong, Transcendental Perfection under Kawa b-chokdra, and the Mental Class of the Great Perfection under Yudra Nyingpo. The exegesis of the Tantra of the All-Accomplishing King, which continued even at a later time, came through his lineage. This illustrates his most sublime, enlightened activity, and his great learning. For this reason he became renowned as Lacen Gongpa Rapsel, the "Great Guru whose Enlightened Intention was Utterly Clear".
Five years after Gewarapsel's complete ordination, the king Yeshe Gyeltsen and others sent five men from Central Tibet, including Luroe Tshtiltrim Sherap, and five from Tsang, including Loton Dorje Wangcuk, to Kham, so that they might revive the feeble doctrine in Central Tibet. Gewarapsel gave them all three levels of ordination in a single sitting, and they became learned in the Vinaya. Since he gave the full ordination simultaneously and not by precise stages over a period of ten years,567 he became renowned as a bodhisattva whose
Lhalung Pelgi Dorje
te? during the aforementioned ordinatio ] M
alIve at the time, but said th n. ar, Yo, and Tsang were
and so they acted as masterseYfwere too old to educate the disciples;
Rapsel] appointed Lum 0 ceremony. The great guru [Gongpa Central Tibet and T e a s a preceptor, and when the ten men from
. Revival and Later Expansion 525
practIce was based on devotI·on 0 th .
G. . n atoccaSIOnM S-k
Therefore, genuine authorities
alt
. . 0 hh the declIne ofthe teaching.
mamtamt attherewasnofault[commit-
. sang returned home th b pnests of their kings. ey
ecame the gurus and
Lume had four disciples h 1 · .
thirty-two like rafters a d WhO were . Ike pIllars, eight like beams
' natousandlIkepI k Th ' the foundation of the feeble d . an s. us, he restored
those at Lamo, Rag Y octnne. He set up countless centres like
spiritual benefactors Yaen'd erpa, Pare, and Tshongdti. The disciples
, monksatYah·· I ' up one hundred and ei ht ms. u a one are said to have set
and of hi. s disciples cov:red IthIS way, the of Lume
commUlllty of monks mult" r d d and. In fact, WIth each day the Ip Ie ,an became known as the Lower
526 History: Origin ofthe Teaching in Tibet
Tibetan Lineage of the Vinaya. 568 The ordained monks of the Ancient Translation School, and later the great translator DharmasrI, the em- anation ofYudra Nyingpo, widely propagated its exegesis and practical application. The seminary of Orgyen MindrOling, the sole ornament ofTibet, and its branches preserved this Vinaya lineage. 569 Then, during the later propagation of the teaching, most of the early generations of the great men who adhered to the monastic vows, and also most of the spiritual benefactors in the ancient and new Kadampa schools adhered to this Vinaya lineage.
Furthermore, the scholar Jinamitra, the translator Kawa Peltsek, and others translated the Treasury ofthe Abhidharma, and the Compendium ofthe Abhidharma [from Sanskrit into Tibetan]. They instructed Nanam Dawei Dorje, Lhalung Pelgi Dorje and E Yeshe Gyelwa. The latter went to Kham and transmitted this teaching, which has been widely propagated until the present day. 570
. Revival and Later Expansion 527
exegesIS, and study.
All of the sutras which be
of the doctrine were translated and th . l? ng to t? e final wheel teaching and study by Kaw p' 1 k elr exegesIs establIshed through
, a etse,CokroLii'G 1 .
Lacen Gongpa Rapsel
Regarding the sutras: Lang Khampa Gocha memorised the Transcend- ental Perfection of Discriminative Awareness in One Hundred Thousand Lines, and he propagated this and other sutras of India, which belong to the intermediate wheel of the doctrine, by means of translation,
and others. Their tradition of ex . d until the present day. egesls an
. 1 ye tsen, Valrocana attaInment has continued
It would be appropriate here t o ' d '
of the ancestral religious kings wh gIve a 1 etaIled account of the lives
the true doctrine. But owing; th0 y and propagated not enlarge Upon this brief d O . of the literature, I will
f
esCnptIOn. TheIr hves m rom the other royal histories of Tibet. 571 ay
b
.
e ascertaIned
This completes the general d ' .
b y t h e l a m p o f t h e C o n
o f t h e f i r s t i l l u m i n a t i o n o f T i b e t queror s teachmg th th' d .
Thunder from the Great Co . B ' e Ir part of thIS book, . nquenng attle-Drum ,/'D d .
a hIstory of the precious doctr' f h . OJ even ra, whIch is
according to the Ancient T
mle t Se vehIcle of indestructible reality
rans atIOn
choo! .
Part Four
The Development of the Three Inner Classes of Tantra in Tibet
Introduction
[179. 1-3] Now, in particular, the development [in Tibet] of the three inner classes ofthe tantras ofthe way of secret mantra will be explained.
Although the Kriya, Carya and Yoga tantras of secret mantra were much studied and taught in the time of the religious king Trhisong Detsen and his master, Padmasambhava, the Unsurpassed [Yoga] tan- tras were propagated most of all. They have three divisions: Mahayoga, which concerns primarily the stage of creation; Anuyoga, which con- cerns primarily the stage of perfection; and Atiyoga, which concerns primarily the Great Perfection. 572
1 Mahayoga and Anuyoga
MAHAYOGA, THE STAGE OF CREATION
[179. 4] Mahayoga is divided into the class of tantras (*tantravarga) and the class of means for attainment (*sadhanavarga).
The Mahayoga Class of Tantras
[179. 4-182. 1] The master Vimalamitra expounded [the eight tantras, known collectively as] the Eight Sections ofthe Magical Net, which form the cycle of texts associated with the Magical Net of Vajrasattva, the Secret Nucleus which is the root or most general of the Eighteen Great Tantrapitaka. He expounded them to Ma Rincen-chok, and translated them with the latter's assistance. Ma Rincen-chok instructed Tsukru Rincen Zhonu and Kyere Chokyong, who both instructed Zhang Gyel- wei Yonten and Tarje Pelgi Trakpa. The former taught this tantra many times in Central Tibet and in Tsang. He also went to Kham and gave this teaching. The lineages of Zhang became known as "the transmitted precepts of Chimpu", or as "the lineage of esoteric instructions".
Moreover, the master Padmasambhava taught [this Secret Nucleus] to Nyak Jfianakumara, along with his own celebrated composition entitled the Garland ofViews: A Collection ofEsoteric Instructions. Jfiana- kumara instructed the Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe, and, with Zhang, he in- structed Nup Sangye Yeshe. 573 At Mount Kailash the master Bud- dhaguhya also gave instruction on texts belonging to the Secret Nucleus cycle, such as the Array ofthe Path ofthe Magical Net, to disciples such as We Jampel and Trenka Mukti.
Similarly, the glorious Guhyasamaja was propagated according to master Vajrahasya's exegetical tradition [T 1909], and the tradition of study, exegesis, and attainment derived from the commentaries of Visvamitra. Also propagated were the commentaries on the Buddha- samayoga belonging to the aural lineage of Kukkuraja [the Six Arrays ofEsoteric Meaning] and of Hfirpkara [Elucidation ofthe Significance ofthe Four Limbs, Caturangarthaloka, T 1676], and the lineage of its teaching,
. ee Inner Classes of Tantra in Tibet
534 HlSWry: The Thr G t Commentary on the . ment which follow the rea - a k"n of
study, and attam m lished master Indranal , a I g Buddhasamayoga, by the acco p
Oddiyana. . ranted meditational deities based . on
"Other fortunate beIngs were 7the Supreme Horse. Of these,.
the mandalas of Heruka and 0 _ with the result that the neIghIng . . . opitiated Hayagnva,
the means for attainment and esoteric instructions for the deities on whom their flowers respectively alighted, each of them saw his or her deity in a vision. 574
By propitiating Mahottara [Chemcok] Heruka, the king developed special contemplation; and owing to the development of discriminative awareness which is born of meditation, he composed works such as the Treatise on the ProofofAuthentic Transmitted Precepts (bka'yang-dag- pa'i tshad-ma'i bstan-bcos, T 4352). 575
By propitiating [glorious] Yangdak Heruka, Namkei Nyingpo as- cended on the rays of the sun.
By propitiating MafijusrI [Yamantaka], Sangye Yeshe drove a kiia into solid rock.
By propitiating Mahesvara [Hayagrlva], the head of a horse emerged from the crown of Gyelwa Choyang's head, and neighing resounded.
By propitiating VajrakIla, Kharcen-za [Yeshe Tshogyel] could resur- rect the dead.
By propitiating Matara! ). , Pelgi Yeshe employed the host of female protectors as servants.
By propitiating Mundane Praise, Pelgi Senge was served by the eightfold groups of spirits.
And by propitiating Malign Mantra, Vairocana acquired the eye of pristine cognition, and miraculous powers.
Moreover, regarding those disciples of master Padmasambhava who obtained accomplishment sooner or later by his empowerment, instruc- tions and further advice: Nyak Jfianakumara could extract nectar from dry rock.
Gyelmo Y udra Nyingpo could transform his body into a golden vajra. Nanam Dorje Dtijom could pass through a mountain of solid rock. Master Y esheyang could actually travel to the realms of sky-farers. 576 The Sogdian Lhapel could seize savage beasts of prey by the neck
[with his bare hands]. 577
Nanam Zhang Yeshe De could fly like a bird in the sky.
Kharcen Pelgi Wangcuk, by merely brandishing his kIla, could "lib-
erate" those at whom he brandished it.
Denma Tsemang obtained retention of all doctrines, such that he
forgot none.
Kawa Peltsek intuited the minds of others without obstruction. Shlipu Pelgi Senge could reverse the flow of a river.
Dre Gyelwei Lodro could transform a zombie into gold. 578 Drokben Khyeucung Lotsawa could summon birds in the sky, merely
through his gaze and a gesture of menace.
Odren Pelgi Wangcuk could swim like a fish in a wide river. Ma Rincen-chok could crush and digest boulders as food.
Trhlsong Detsen pr of a horse was heard
throughout Jambudvlpa.
. rM The Mahayoga Class OJ
Namkei Nyingpo for Attainment
eans
k"
_.
the Yaman cyc e d he
(182. 1-187 . 11 spea lng,
Tibet by master Santlgarbha. Mk --nakumara and others. Most 0
aster Vimalamitra propagate t f Va-iramrta cycle, teaching it to NYda Jdnadisseminated solely by master
". J •
the other cycles were p
ropagate an
h reat master in lorious Chimpu, t e . g lete
Padmasambhava.
In particular, at Trhrsong Detsen by
answered the prayer 0 g. d secret ma1)Q. alas 0 empowerments in the outer'£ to a most fortunate
Great Classes of the Mear:s or d his subjects. When they had prac I of eight, consisting of the kIng an
1 was propagated in
Mahayoga and Anuyoga 535
536
History: The Three Inner Classes ofTantra in Tibet
Gyelwa Choyang
Lhalung Pelgi Dorje could pass unobstructedly through mountains
of solid rock. .
Langdro Koncok Jungne could hurl mighty thunderb? lts hke arro,:s.
And Lasum Gyelwa Cangcup could sit cross-legged m the sky, WIth- out any support.
There were also women who were accomplished masters: e
of Sahor obtained immortality, miraculous powers, and unsurpass ,
supreme accomplishment. . . . . I 01- Kharcen Yeshe Tshogyel achieved indestructIble hfe, mfalhb e rec
lection, miraculous powers, the abode ofthe a? d the accomplishment of great bliss. Th. e two_ n:>ble ladles Just me
were actually no different from VaJravarahl,
Tshenamza Sangyetsho vanished in a body of hght:
Shekar Dorjetsho crossed rivers as if they. were plams. . h body Tshombuza Pematsho's vital energy and mmd matured mto t e
Rilza Tondrupma used her gaze to employ the services ofthe twelve goddesses of the earth.
Shilbuza Sherapma knew all the transmitted precepts of the buddhas, as well as the commentarial treatises, without having studied them.
While Yamdrokza Choki Dronma taught the scriptures she was applauded by celestial deities.
When Oceza Kargyelma had a question about the doctrine she asked her meditational deity.
When Dzemza Lhamo needed food or drink she took them from the sky.
Barza Lhayang knew how to tame the minds of others.
Cokroza Cangcupmen could transform her body into fire and water. Dromza Pamti Chenmo could fly like a bird in the sky. Rongmenza Tshilltrim-dron could ingest stones like food.
Khuza Peltsilnma could cause the ritual kIla to vibrate. Trhumza Shelmen could arrange flowers in the sky.
These and others were able to display various miracles to many people, and all of them attained the state of coalescence in their [human] bodies. 58o So it was that countless accomplished masters emerged: the twenty-five great accomplished masters of Chimpu; the fifty-five realised ones ofYangdzong; the [two groups of] one hundred and eight who attained the body of light at Yerpa and at Chuwori, respectively; the thirty mantra adepts of Sheldrak; the twenty-five <;iakinls who
581
ANUYOGA, THE STAGE OF PERFECTION
[187. 1-187. 2] Dharmabodhi and Vasudhara, who were preceptors of the Satra which Gathers All Intentions, and the master Chetsenkye of Bru-sha instructed Nupcen Sangye Yeshe; and he brought the Anuyoga tantras to Tibet. This will be described later in detail. 582
· 579
of her delty. f th
sun
Melgongza Rincentsho hung her silk gown on the rays 0
e
.
attained bodies of light; et cetera.
Mahayoga and Anuyoga 537
2 The Mental and Spatial Classes of Atiyoga
Sllp. ha granted him all the ' so he remaIned there. SrI . empowerments and ' .
SIxty along with the three b esotenc Instructions of White, Black, and Variegated h' h ranches of the Spatial Class -
[187. 3] Atiyoga is divided into three classes: [Mental, Spatial, and Esoteric Instructional]. The lineage of the first two is as follows:
V AIROCANA
[187. 3-190. 4] Scorning more than fifty-seven unbearable hardships, including the eight great fears, the master Vairocana, a native ofNyemo Cekar, journeyed to India, following the command of King Trhisong Detsen. He proceeded towards the Great Nine-Storey Pagoda (ke'u- tshang chen-po dgu-brtsegs), created by the miraculous power of master SrI Sirpha in the cooling sandalwood forest of Dhanakosa. There, he introduced himself to a yoginI who was carrying water; but when she made no response he made her waterpot stick to the ground by means of his gaze. The yoginI then exposed her breast and in so doing revealed to Vairocana the MaI:H;lala of the Indestructible Expanse.
In company with her he met the master SrI Simha and, offering to him a golden ma1). c;iala, he requested teaching on the effortless vehicle. 583
SrI Sirpha said he would have to consider. The main points of the profound doctrine could be revealed in the morning, under the cloak of secrecy. But, without utmost secrecy, the master would run the risk of capital punishment, imposed by the local raja. So he said to Vai- rocana, "Study the doctrine of cause and effect with other scholars during the day. I will have to reveal the doctrines of the esoteric instruc- tions to you at night. " In this way, and under these circumstances, others were kept ignorant.
During the night the master wrote down the Eighteen Esoteric Instruc- tions of the Mental Class on white silk with the milk of a white goat; and he showed Vairocana how the letters became clear when fumigated by smoke. He made him swear an oath before the protectors of the teaching to maintain the utmost secrecy.
Vairocana
The? the master taught him the three of the Instructions the t
.
ways to brIng forth the fruit
.
B The Mental and Spatial Classes ofAtiyoga 539 ut even then Vairocana was not satisfied' .
naturally present 584 Thu . .
V'- W IC reveal that the goal is already s, alfocana plumb d h
doctnnes.
Still he remained unsatisfied '" - S' h '
e t e very depths of all .
. IIp a saId to hIm: The . expanse reality is infinite,
But If you realIse solely just what is is perfectly present in that
whIch lacks none.
What accomplishment goes beyond that?
and four cases' the teaching should be granted,
VaIrocana also met the maste G ' ' .
ground of Dhumasthira He . r arap III the great charnel
fOur hundred thousand
obtaIned the true lIneage of the six million verses on the Great Perfection and actually
540 History: The Three Inner Classes oJTantra in Tibet
attained the great accomplishment of simultaneous realisation and lib- eration.
Relying on the accomplishment of swift-footedness Vairocana then returned to Tibet. 585 During the day he gave teaching to the king on the ordinary doctrines of cause and effect, but at night he taught only the hidden doctrines of the Great Perfection. He translated the five texts of the Mental Class which were the earliest translated. 586
It was at this time that Vairocana was slandered by the Indians, who
were jealous that the instructions had been lost to Tibet. And because
one of the queens and her ministers became ill-disposed to the doctrine,
master Vairocana was obliged to pass some time [in exile] in
587
The Mental and Spatial Classes ofAtiyoga 541
In the temple of the protector at Rongtrak in Gyelmorong, he accepted Yudra Nyingpo as his disciple, and caused him and others to be matured [by the empowerments] and liberated [by the instructions]. In the Taktse Castle at Tsharong, he taught the cycle of the Great Perfection to SangtOn Yeshe Lama. At Trakmar Gondzong in Tong- kungrong he instructed Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo. And in Central Tibet Vairocana gave teaching to Nyak Jnanakumara and to the Khotanese lady, Sherap Dronma. Thus, he is said to have taught five people in succession. The last mentioned also invited him to visit Khotan.
In the end, Vairocana attained the buddha-body of coalescence in Bhasing Forest in Nepal.
Gradually, one lineage developed from Nyak Jnanakumara, which
passed through the Sogdian Pelgi Yeshe, Tra Pelgi Nyingpo, and
Lhalung Pelgi Dorje to Odren Pelgi Zhonu. One issued from the Sog-
dian Pelgi Senge to Nupcen Sangye Yeshe; and yet another from Tsang
Sakdor, through Pang Yatri Tarma Sherap, and Zermo Gelong
to Marpa Sherap-o. That lineage was subsequently transmitted to Zur
Tshawarong.
Dropukpa.
P ANG-GEN
588
SANGYE
[I91. 1-192. 2]Pang-genSang eGo
' . .
GONPO
Gyeltsen, a monk from the s was Ngenlam Cangcup a
the age of sixty-seven he went to ey dIstnct of Ngenlam in Uru. At
instructions from Pang Castle, where he
Gonpo]. The master granted them to
[190. 4-191. 1] Moreover, there was the lineage ofVairocana's disciple Pang-gen Sangye Gonpo, in which everyone achieved the rainbow body. Pang Gonpo himself reached the age of eighty-five without having practised the doctrine during his youth. As an old man he was despised by his brothers and relatives. Owing to great age his body had a decrepit posture, but Vairocana gave him a meditation belt and a support [to prop up his chin], and showed him how to retain the teaching in his mind. By practising according to the transmission of master Vairocana he came face to face with naked reality, and an all-surpassing realisation was born within him. Becoming very joyful, the old man embraced his master about the neck and would not let go for a whole day. After attaining accomplishment he lived for over one hundred years more.
dGonpo . [Pang-gen Sangye an told hIm not to go home, :ak. He went there obediently allIS e WIthout a trace at the age of one
. )
;
instruction from N enlaY ,came from upper Dokam. He re-
WIthout leaving his guru . g h m and then sat absorbed in meditation
. h ' III t e same rock H' , WIt out a trace at the age of h cavern. IS body vanished
Zadam Rincen-yik's d· . °lne undred and forty-four.
Ch" ISCIPe, Khugyur SI . h k
0, was a monk of fift e weIC 0 from Yarlung
from Zadam Rincen ye;rs. he received instruction
remained in meditation at ;;n Sone *e Idea of returning home and a enge rak as well.
