The "king of powerful craft" to m verse below is
probably
Saman, the local god who IS WIth the Vedic Yama, lord of the dead.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
16, no.
3 (1977).
423 Our interpretation of the terse mnemonic given here is based on the discussion of the heresy found in Minor Transmissions T 6), in the Derge Kangyur, Vol. Da, pp. 646-63. We are indebted
396 397
398 399
400
401 402
graphie du Buddha.
On the purificatory fast, see Fundamentals, p. . . Buddha Aksobhyavajra, according to the tradltIons of the vehIcle of indestructibie reality, is particularly associated with the vase empow- erment, for which reason he is especially referred to here on the
sion of the Bodhisattva's consecratory bath. Some of the sYI? bolIc significance of this for of the of indestructible reality has been mdicated m R. A. F. Thurman s artIcle, "Tson-kha-pa's Integration ofSiitra and Tantra" in STC, PP: 372. -82. The siitras of the greater vehicle frequently give the name m thIS form
instead of the more familiar "Siddhartha". . .
The suffering of change, the all-pervading suffering. of existence and the suffering of pain itself are the three kmds of suffermg to which all samsara is subject. For a detailed discussion, see, e. g. ,
sGam-po-pa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, pp. 55ff.
According to HBI, p. 346, this incident. occurred near east of Kapilavastu. Khetsun Zangpo however mforms us of a contemporary Indian view that the Sacred Stiipa (mchod-rten rnam- dag) was situated near Mankapur in . .
The pinnacle or summit of existence IS explamed m Fundamentals,
p. 62. . h· h The realm of desire ('dod-pa'i khams, Skt. kiimadhatu) IS that w IC
comprises the five lower classes of sentient beings and the lowest levels of the gods known in ascending order as the realms the Four Great Kings (Caturmahiiriijakiiyika), the heaven of (Trayatri1[lsa), the Strifeless (Yiima), the Joyful . DelIghtmg Emanation (NirmiilJarati) and Mastery over TransformatIons (Paranzr-
mitavasavartin). For their position within the three world realms of
samsara and the realisation acquired by their inhabitants, see Funda-
pp. 61-2; and the chart on pp. 14-15.
On great loving kindness (byams,-pa chen-po), see Fundamentals,
403
p. 88.
404
405
406
407
"Five-arrowed One" (mda'-lnga, Skt. Paficasara) and Smara (dran-pa, lit. "Memory") are both epithets of Kamadeva or Mara, the lord of the desire realm. His emblem is the crocodile banner.
PundarIka (pad-dkar-ma), Menaka (me-na-kii) , (legs-brgya. n-
ma) ·and Ke§amisra (skra-'dres-ma) are four of the thIrteen courtesans (lha'i smad-'tshong-ma bcu-gsum), also known as offenng goddesses (mchod-pa'i lha-mo). Others are sh! ng-rta-ma, glog- 'od-can, chu-shing bri-can, thig-le mchog-ma or Tilottama, legs-bzang-ma, ma-nyang skyes-ma, a-lam bu-sha or skad-legs-ma and rab-
in the quotation cited in Fundamentals, p. 61. also the Glossary of Enumerations under four (meditative) concentratlOns.
"Middle way" here refers to the central channel Skt. avadhuti) within the body. All impure psychophYSIcal within the subject-object dichotomy were transformed here mto pns-
tine cognition and the enlightened attributes of the buddhas; see Fundamentals, p. 341.
myos-ma or Pramoda.
The fourth meditative concentration (bsam-gtan bzhz-pa) IS descnbed
. .
.
History: Part One 31
32 Notes
History: Part One 33
424 425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432 433
434 435
436
437
438
439
to Lama Sonam Topgyel for locating this valuable passage.
Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 94.
The major traditions relative to the origins and development of the eighteen schools of the lesser vehicle (Hfnayana) are summarised in HBI, pp. 571-606. The divisions reported in our present text agree with those listed in Sarvastivadin sources.
See Obermiller, History ofBuddhism by Bu-ston, Pt. 2, p. 98. According to the Tibetan Vinaya tradition there were one hundred kings in the dynasty of Nagapala, son of King Gaganapati in Varal)asI. The last of
a buddha refer to the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks. These are listed in, e. g. , Mvt. 236-67,269-349; the Ornament ofEmergent Realisation (AbhisamayalatrZkara), vv. l3-32; and Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 73-6 (GGFTC, pp. 406-9). See also Fundamentals, p. 124; and the Glossary of Enumer- ations.
440 Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 33.
441 On the Trayatrimsa heaven in relation to other divine realms see
n. 402 above. . ,
442 The great Sixteen Elders, and many of the literary and artistic tra- ditions associated with them, are considered extensively in M. W. de Visser, The Arhats in China and Japan; and J. Tate, The Sixteen Elders. While their divine intercession in Chinese life is detailed therein, the basis for associating them with the emperors here mentioned remains obscure. But cf. L. S. Dagyab, Tibetan Religious Art, Pt. I,
Sect. IV.
443 Cf. Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, pp. 29-33.
444 The basic philosophical tenets of this school are summarised in Fun-
damentals, p. 158. For further background, see also Warder, Indian
Buddhism, pp. 345-6, 421-2, 472-3.
445 The Great Treasury ofDetailed Exposition which today
syrvives only in its Chinese translation (Taisho 1545), is assigned by Etienne Lamotte to the second century AD; see HBI, pp. 303-5,424-5, etc. The prolific writings of Nagarjuna are usually assigned to about AD 200, though they may have been composed slightly earlier. The treatises of Maitreyanatha are said to have been introduced into our world by Asanga, who was probably active during the fourth century. For the lives and works of these authors and others mentioned in the succeeding paragraphs, see Fundamentals, pp. 88-96; Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, Chs. 15-28; and Obermiller, History ofBuddhism by Bu-ston.
446 For the description of the "six adornments" and "two supreme ones" in Tibetan painting, see Namgyal Institute, Rgyan drug mchog gnyis. On the doctrinal developments of the Mahayana sutra and sastra trad- ition in general from ancient India through to China, Japan and Tibet, see P. Williams, Mahayana Buddhism.
447 Cf. HBI, pp. 648-9.
448 The Ancient Translation School or snga-'gyur rnying-ma tradition refers
to the cycles of teaching current in Tibet prior to the death of Smrti- jfianaklrti, and to their subsequent propagation; the new traditions those which arrived in Tibet during the later spread of the doctrine, from the time of Rincen Zangpo onwards.
449 The most popular account of these masters in Tibetan has been trans- lated into English by J. B. Robinson as Buddha's Lions, and by K. Dowman in Masters ofMahamudra. Their iconographic representation is detailed in T. Schmid, The Eighty-five Siddhas. For related traditions, see also S. Dasgupta, Obscure Religious Cults, Chs. 1-9 and especially Ch. 8, pp. 202ff.
450 Spiritual maturity and liberation (smin-grol) are catalysed by the guru's empowerment (dbang) and guidance (khrid) respectively. See Funda- mentals, pp. 346-71.
these was King KrkI.
The elder Vatslputra is held to have been a founder of the Arya- sammitIya order. The Kashmiri schools referred to are the branches of the Mulasarvastivada.
Theravadin sources usually date the third council two hundred and
thirty-six years after the Buddha's nirval)a. But on this, see HBI,
p. 298. . Cf. Lessing and Wayman, Mkhas grub rye's Fundamentals ofthe Buddhzst Tantras, pp. 69-71; Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, pp. 96ff. ; and Obermiller, History of Buddhism by Bu-ston, Pt. 2, pp. lOlff. rnam-mchan rnying-pa. Rikdzin Lhtindrup in the Hindi version of the History, p. 22, has suggested that this refers to an ancient annotation on the Exposition o f V alid Cognition (rnam-'grel-gyi mchan-bu rnying-pa). Concerning the parallel division of the treatises according to the "pro- found view" (zab-mo lta-ba) and "extensive conduct" (rgya-chen spyod- pa), refer to Fundamentals, pp. 94-5.
Cf. the traditions reported in HBI, pp. 226-36.
"Nirgrantha" originally referred to Jain ascetics in general, but later is used of the Digambara or "sky-clad" sect in particular. An excellent introduction to their religious life will be found in P. S. Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification, pp. 4-6ff. .
There are twelve ascetic virtues; see the Glossary of EnumeratIons. The Teacher's descent from the realm of the gods (lha-babs dus-chen)
refers to the events following the period of a rain retreat passed by Sakyamuni Buddha in the Trayatrirpsa heaven, where he taught his late mother. The location of his descent is traditionally held to have been Lanka; hence the title of the Sutra of the Descent to Lanka. This event is commemorated annually by Tibetans on the twenty-second of the ninth month.
It is said that humans in our own era are physically small relative to those of such golden ages as that in which Maitreya will make his
appearance.
The current rite of ordination (lta-da'i cho-ga) is graded through the levels of a renunciate (rab-'byung, Skt. pravrajya), novitiate (dge-tshul, Skt. srama1'Jera) and complete monkhood (bsnyen-rdzogs, Skt. upasam- pada). This is contrasted with the ancient and sudden method of ordination (sngon-chog) through which Sariputra, Kasyapa and others were instantly ordained by Sakyamuni Buddha. .
Asoka is commonly associated with the prolific building and veneratIon
of stupas. See, J. Przyluski, La Ugende de l'Empereur Asoka; and
J. Strong, The Legend of King Asoka.
I. e. he would become not a buddha, but an arhat. The marks of
34 Notes
HISTORY: PART TWO
465 Cf. Fundamentals, pp. 81-6.
466 is best known to Buddhist world through the magni-
sut:a _of the greater vehIcle bearing his name, i. e. the Vimala- (T 176), on which see E. Lamotte, L'Enseignement de R. A. F. Thurman, The Holy Teaching ofVimalakfrti; and the from the Chinese by C. Luk.
467 V ve. rsions the legend of the ascendancy of the lion clan m SrI Lanka are known. Cf. E. F. C. Ludowyk, The Foot- pnnt of the Buddha, pp. 14-15; and HBI, pp. 129-35.
468 Sumana or Sumanaku! a Peak, a place revered by SrI Lankan adherents all the major relIgIOns.
The "king of powerful craft" to m verse below is probably Saman, the local god who IS WIth the Vedic Yama, lord of the dead. Refer to S ParanavItana, The God of Adam's Peak. .
469 This would appear . be none than the footprint on Adam's Peak, Slnpada (Skt. Srfpada). For a description of this and ofthe pIlgnmage to it, see Ludowyk, The Footprint ofthe Buddha and R. F. Gombrich, Precept and Practice, pp. 108-12 and
may, . mg s. and Vajrayana" in M. Strickmann (ed. ), Tantric TaOIst Honour of R. A. Stein, pp. 192-211. Y. Imaeda, Un Extralt du dans Manuscripts de Touen-Houang m Nouvelles Contnbutions aux Etudes de Touen- Houan? , pp. 306, 31. 1, records the occurrence of Ca/Tsa as a royal name m the early document considered therein; but p. 195, n. 10, dIscounts the possibility of this being associated
WIth the personage here discussed.
471 On this see Karmay, "King Tsa/Dza and Vajrayana", pp. 197-9. 472 In. termedlate (bar-pa) here means later or second, i. e. coming between
! Zmg Ind:abhuti and later lineage-holders. For other references to this mtermedlate Indrabhuti, see Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, p. n. 68 and p. 410; and especially, Karmay, "King Tsa/Dza and VaJrayana", pp. 205-6.
473 This system is examined in detail in Fundamentals, pp. 275-83.
474 F? r . the tantrapitaka here enumerated, refer to the first part of the
451
452
453 454
455
456 457 458
459 460
461 462
463
464
The sixth enlightened or buddha family is that of the body of reality, Samantabhadra, in the form of Vajradhara, who embodies the Con- querors of the Five Enlightened Families (rgyal-ba rigs-lnga). See Fun-
damentals, pp. 120-2. . . The Great Akanistha realm ('og-min chen-po, Skt. MahakantHha) IS
the abode in and of itself (rang-snang), in which Samanta- bhadra transmits realisation to the Conquerors of the Five Enlightened Families and the of peaceful and wrathful deities by the blessing of the buddha-body of reality's intention. On its significance,
see Fundamentals, pp. 129ff. and n. 130.
The All-Pervader (khyab-'jug) here refers to Samantabhadra.
The Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance ('od-gsal rdo-rje snying- po) is the dimension of the body of reality; see Fundamentals, p. 118
and n. 112. . The "special" or "extraordinary" realm (khyad-par-Can-gyl
'og-min, Skt. VisiHakaniHha) which manifests extraneously (gzhan- snang) is the abode in which Vajradhara and the Conquerors of the Five Enlightened Families transmit the teaching of Unsurpassed Yogatantra to tenth level bodhisattvas by the intentional symbols of
470 The traditions concerning this figure have been studied I·n S G K - "K· Ta/ . . ar
the buddha-body of perfect rapture.
Cf. Fundamentals, p. 125.
See above, p. 413; and Fundamentals, p. 62.
The ordinary ('og-min tsam-po, Skt. and the imputed AkaniHha realm (btags-pa'i 'og-min, Skt. *Au- pacarikakaniHha) are the extraneous realms within. the Pure Ab? des
in which the Unsurpassed Yoga tantras are transmItted respectlvely to ninth and eighth level bodhisattvas by the buddhas in the form of wrathful and peaceful meditational deities. See also Fundamen-
tals, pp. 128-9.
On the Vajra Queen, see Fundamentals, p. 125, n. 127.
In the Hindu traditions Rudra is typically an epithet of Siva, but for Tibetan Buddhists he is a wrathful embodiment of ego which has run wild. For a traditional and elaborate presentation ofthe myth ofRudra,
see The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Pt. I, pp. 26-46; and Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, Ch. IS, pp. 488ff.
(GGFTC, pp. 1075ff. ). . Vajradharma is the peaceful aspect of the Lord of Secrets: Guhyapatl
or . .
In the lineages which follow, Sanskrit names have been In most
u n d e r t h e
E i g h t e e n
G r e a t
T a n t r a p i t a k a ( o f t h e .
cases following the standard conventions for Tibetan-Sansknt. transla- tion. However, we know of no extant Sanskrit source for these lineages. It should be noted also that there are sometimes variants in the way
in which different Tibetan sources report these names, e. g. that of the YasasvI Varapala below. . , .
mg of Naropa.
476 In the name sgeg-pa'i rdo-rje as Lilavajra the translators are
bowlIlg to an which has recently been justifiably challenged by DaVIdson m The Litany of Names of MafijusrI", p. 6, n. 18, where he argues that Vilasavajra is the correct Sanskrit name.
477 ! h e spar-khab, from which this work takes its abbreviated title, IS found m dedicatory final verse of that text, the Peking Tangyur, Vol. 83; m the Commentaries on the Guhyagarbhatantra and Other Rare Nyzngma T. exts. from the Library of Dudjom Rinpoche, Vol. 1, p. 222. . Its preCIse mterpretation, however, is at the present time uncertam.
478 The Garland of Activity was omitted in the published text, but was
YasasvI Varapala (grags-Idan mchog-skyong) IS the yakl? a s nan;e, the old edition of this text wrongly reads phyogs-skyong. See Scholar s Feast of Doctrinal History, p. 236. This observation has been confirmed by
the Author.
On this empowerment, see Fundamentals, p. 345.
A1ahayoga).
475 Tilopa and Naropa in particular, see Guenther, The Life and Teach-
History: Part Two 35
36 Notes
inserted subsequently by the Author before the Hidden Point of the Moon (zla-gsang thig-le). An alter. native would be dhasamayoga (the mind of body), HIdden of the (the of speech), Guhyasamaja (the mind of mmd), . (the mmd
Newar Art, pp. 83-8.
494 This is the aural lineage of Zhang-Zhung, the Ponpo tradition of the
Great Perfection. On Tavihrca in particular, see L. Chandra (ed. ), The History and Doctrine ofthe Bon-po pp. 15. 5-6 and 26. 5-27. 4. See also S. G. Karmay, "Origin and Development of the Tibetan Religious Traditions of the Great Perfection. "
495 See below, pp. 519-20.
496 The distinctions between the outer and inner classes are considered
in Fundamentals, pp. 273-4.
497 During the empowerment ceremony, the initiate casts a flower offering
onto the symbolic ma1). <;iala. The direction in which the flower falls - east, south, west, north or centre - holds particular significance, and one has a special affinity with the deity located there.
498 On the enlightened family of indestructible reality (Skt. vajrakula), that of see Fundamentals, p. 274.
499 Ritual service (bsnyen-pa, Skt. seva) entails the recitation of mantra combined with one-pointed prayerful devotion to a deity externally visualised; further ritual service (nye-bar bsnyen-pa, Skt. upaseva) en- tails the prayer to receive the consecration which will transform the mundane body, speech and mind into the three seed-syllables of in- destructible reality; the rite or means for attainment (sgrub-pa, Skt. sadhana) entails accomplishment in the form of light rays which are absorbed from the sugatas of the ten directions into the deity and thence into oneself, in actuality, meditation or dreams; then, the rite of great attainment (sgrub-chen, Skt. mahasadhana) entails ultimate realisation of beginningless primordial purity, the naturally present pristine cognition experienced when body, speech and mind are coalesced with the deity. This is the inner significance of the ritual ceremonies and elaborate dances contained within the "drupchen". See Mipham Rinpoche, tshig-bdun rnam-bshad padma dkar-po, pp. 22-3.
500 Garu<;ia is a gigantic and divine bird and, according to Hindu mytho- logy, the mount of the god He is a divinity in his own right and is worshipped as such by both Hindus and Buddhists.
501 For a summary of available information on this figure, see nayogavalf, pp. 9-12; and HIL 7. 1, pp. 114-15.
502 Davidson, "The Litany of Names of MafijusrI", p. 5, holds Mafiju- srImitra to have been a SrI Lankan.
503 These are the emanations of the deity which actually accomplish the four kinds of enlightened activity on behalf of the adept.
504 JeUiri is known for his contributions to the science of logic. See Vid- yabhusana, A History of Indian Logic, pp. 136-7, 140, 151; and G. Tucci, Minor Buddhist Texts, Pt. 1, pp. 249-74.
505 See Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 432. The younger Amoghavajra visited Tibet in 1086.
506 "Sublime" ('phags-pa, Skt. arya) refers to those who have sublimated the cyclical existence of samsara.
507 Some of the sources associating this mountain with Nagarjuna are discussed by Karmayin "King TsaIDza and Vajrayana", p. 197, n. 16.
508 Vajrakumara, the "Indestructible Youth", is an epithet of VajrakIla, or of his "offspring".
479 480
481
482 483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491 492
493
I. e. , the level of no return to the cyclical existence of saqlsara. On Asoka, see above, p. 453. .
The actual site of pilgrimage at the present day a cave locate
d on
of enlightened attributes) and Garland of ActlVzty (the of en- lightened activities). In this however, the Maf! "cal Net (the general tantra of mind) is included mstead of Paramadya. See also Jikme Lingpa, Narrative. History . of the Preczous Collected Tantras (rnying-ma'i rgyud-'bum-gyl p. _466. . . .
The outcaste boy is MatangIpa; see Taranatha, HIStory ofBuddhIsm m India, p. 129, n. 139 and p. 273. .
The great accomplished master first propagate the tradition of Saraha and Nagafjuna; see Taranatha, HIStory of Bud-
dhism in India, pp. 126-7, 152 and 273. _ . ' For the background to the Arya tradition of the Guhy'asama)a, whIch is that of Nagarjuna, refer to A. Wayman, The Tantras: New Light on Indo-Tibetan Esotericism, Ch.
423 Our interpretation of the terse mnemonic given here is based on the discussion of the heresy found in Minor Transmissions T 6), in the Derge Kangyur, Vol. Da, pp. 646-63. We are indebted
396 397
398 399
400
401 402
graphie du Buddha.
On the purificatory fast, see Fundamentals, p. . . Buddha Aksobhyavajra, according to the tradltIons of the vehIcle of indestructibie reality, is particularly associated with the vase empow- erment, for which reason he is especially referred to here on the
sion of the Bodhisattva's consecratory bath. Some of the sYI? bolIc significance of this for of the of indestructible reality has been mdicated m R. A. F. Thurman s artIcle, "Tson-kha-pa's Integration ofSiitra and Tantra" in STC, PP: 372. -82. The siitras of the greater vehicle frequently give the name m thIS form
instead of the more familiar "Siddhartha". . .
The suffering of change, the all-pervading suffering. of existence and the suffering of pain itself are the three kmds of suffermg to which all samsara is subject. For a detailed discussion, see, e. g. ,
sGam-po-pa, The Jewel Ornament of Liberation, pp. 55ff.
According to HBI, p. 346, this incident. occurred near east of Kapilavastu. Khetsun Zangpo however mforms us of a contemporary Indian view that the Sacred Stiipa (mchod-rten rnam- dag) was situated near Mankapur in . .
The pinnacle or summit of existence IS explamed m Fundamentals,
p. 62. . h· h The realm of desire ('dod-pa'i khams, Skt. kiimadhatu) IS that w IC
comprises the five lower classes of sentient beings and the lowest levels of the gods known in ascending order as the realms the Four Great Kings (Caturmahiiriijakiiyika), the heaven of (Trayatri1[lsa), the Strifeless (Yiima), the Joyful . DelIghtmg Emanation (NirmiilJarati) and Mastery over TransformatIons (Paranzr-
mitavasavartin). For their position within the three world realms of
samsara and the realisation acquired by their inhabitants, see Funda-
pp. 61-2; and the chart on pp. 14-15.
On great loving kindness (byams,-pa chen-po), see Fundamentals,
403
p. 88.
404
405
406
407
"Five-arrowed One" (mda'-lnga, Skt. Paficasara) and Smara (dran-pa, lit. "Memory") are both epithets of Kamadeva or Mara, the lord of the desire realm. His emblem is the crocodile banner.
PundarIka (pad-dkar-ma), Menaka (me-na-kii) , (legs-brgya. n-
ma) ·and Ke§amisra (skra-'dres-ma) are four of the thIrteen courtesans (lha'i smad-'tshong-ma bcu-gsum), also known as offenng goddesses (mchod-pa'i lha-mo). Others are sh! ng-rta-ma, glog- 'od-can, chu-shing bri-can, thig-le mchog-ma or Tilottama, legs-bzang-ma, ma-nyang skyes-ma, a-lam bu-sha or skad-legs-ma and rab-
in the quotation cited in Fundamentals, p. 61. also the Glossary of Enumerations under four (meditative) concentratlOns.
"Middle way" here refers to the central channel Skt. avadhuti) within the body. All impure psychophYSIcal within the subject-object dichotomy were transformed here mto pns-
tine cognition and the enlightened attributes of the buddhas; see Fundamentals, p. 341.
myos-ma or Pramoda.
The fourth meditative concentration (bsam-gtan bzhz-pa) IS descnbed
. .
.
History: Part One 31
32 Notes
History: Part One 33
424 425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432 433
434 435
436
437
438
439
to Lama Sonam Topgyel for locating this valuable passage.
Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 94.
The major traditions relative to the origins and development of the eighteen schools of the lesser vehicle (Hfnayana) are summarised in HBI, pp. 571-606. The divisions reported in our present text agree with those listed in Sarvastivadin sources.
See Obermiller, History ofBuddhism by Bu-ston, Pt. 2, p. 98. According to the Tibetan Vinaya tradition there were one hundred kings in the dynasty of Nagapala, son of King Gaganapati in Varal)asI. The last of
a buddha refer to the thirty-two major and eighty minor marks. These are listed in, e. g. , Mvt. 236-67,269-349; the Ornament ofEmergent Realisation (AbhisamayalatrZkara), vv. l3-32; and Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 73-6 (GGFTC, pp. 406-9). See also Fundamentals, p. 124; and the Glossary of Enumer- ations.
440 Cf. Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 33.
441 On the Trayatrimsa heaven in relation to other divine realms see
n. 402 above. . ,
442 The great Sixteen Elders, and many of the literary and artistic tra- ditions associated with them, are considered extensively in M. W. de Visser, The Arhats in China and Japan; and J. Tate, The Sixteen Elders. While their divine intercession in Chinese life is detailed therein, the basis for associating them with the emperors here mentioned remains obscure. But cf. L. S. Dagyab, Tibetan Religious Art, Pt. I,
Sect. IV.
443 Cf. Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, pp. 29-33.
444 The basic philosophical tenets of this school are summarised in Fun-
damentals, p. 158. For further background, see also Warder, Indian
Buddhism, pp. 345-6, 421-2, 472-3.
445 The Great Treasury ofDetailed Exposition which today
syrvives only in its Chinese translation (Taisho 1545), is assigned by Etienne Lamotte to the second century AD; see HBI, pp. 303-5,424-5, etc. The prolific writings of Nagarjuna are usually assigned to about AD 200, though they may have been composed slightly earlier. The treatises of Maitreyanatha are said to have been introduced into our world by Asanga, who was probably active during the fourth century. For the lives and works of these authors and others mentioned in the succeeding paragraphs, see Fundamentals, pp. 88-96; Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, Chs. 15-28; and Obermiller, History ofBuddhism by Bu-ston.
446 For the description of the "six adornments" and "two supreme ones" in Tibetan painting, see Namgyal Institute, Rgyan drug mchog gnyis. On the doctrinal developments of the Mahayana sutra and sastra trad- ition in general from ancient India through to China, Japan and Tibet, see P. Williams, Mahayana Buddhism.
447 Cf. HBI, pp. 648-9.
448 The Ancient Translation School or snga-'gyur rnying-ma tradition refers
to the cycles of teaching current in Tibet prior to the death of Smrti- jfianaklrti, and to their subsequent propagation; the new traditions those which arrived in Tibet during the later spread of the doctrine, from the time of Rincen Zangpo onwards.
449 The most popular account of these masters in Tibetan has been trans- lated into English by J. B. Robinson as Buddha's Lions, and by K. Dowman in Masters ofMahamudra. Their iconographic representation is detailed in T. Schmid, The Eighty-five Siddhas. For related traditions, see also S. Dasgupta, Obscure Religious Cults, Chs. 1-9 and especially Ch. 8, pp. 202ff.
450 Spiritual maturity and liberation (smin-grol) are catalysed by the guru's empowerment (dbang) and guidance (khrid) respectively. See Funda- mentals, pp. 346-71.
these was King KrkI.
The elder Vatslputra is held to have been a founder of the Arya- sammitIya order. The Kashmiri schools referred to are the branches of the Mulasarvastivada.
Theravadin sources usually date the third council two hundred and
thirty-six years after the Buddha's nirval)a. But on this, see HBI,
p. 298. . Cf. Lessing and Wayman, Mkhas grub rye's Fundamentals ofthe Buddhzst Tantras, pp. 69-71; Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, pp. 96ff. ; and Obermiller, History of Buddhism by Bu-ston, Pt. 2, pp. lOlff. rnam-mchan rnying-pa. Rikdzin Lhtindrup in the Hindi version of the History, p. 22, has suggested that this refers to an ancient annotation on the Exposition o f V alid Cognition (rnam-'grel-gyi mchan-bu rnying-pa). Concerning the parallel division of the treatises according to the "pro- found view" (zab-mo lta-ba) and "extensive conduct" (rgya-chen spyod- pa), refer to Fundamentals, pp. 94-5.
Cf. the traditions reported in HBI, pp. 226-36.
"Nirgrantha" originally referred to Jain ascetics in general, but later is used of the Digambara or "sky-clad" sect in particular. An excellent introduction to their religious life will be found in P. S. Jaini, The Jaina Path of Purification, pp. 4-6ff. .
There are twelve ascetic virtues; see the Glossary of EnumeratIons. The Teacher's descent from the realm of the gods (lha-babs dus-chen)
refers to the events following the period of a rain retreat passed by Sakyamuni Buddha in the Trayatrirpsa heaven, where he taught his late mother. The location of his descent is traditionally held to have been Lanka; hence the title of the Sutra of the Descent to Lanka. This event is commemorated annually by Tibetans on the twenty-second of the ninth month.
It is said that humans in our own era are physically small relative to those of such golden ages as that in which Maitreya will make his
appearance.
The current rite of ordination (lta-da'i cho-ga) is graded through the levels of a renunciate (rab-'byung, Skt. pravrajya), novitiate (dge-tshul, Skt. srama1'Jera) and complete monkhood (bsnyen-rdzogs, Skt. upasam- pada). This is contrasted with the ancient and sudden method of ordination (sngon-chog) through which Sariputra, Kasyapa and others were instantly ordained by Sakyamuni Buddha. .
Asoka is commonly associated with the prolific building and veneratIon
of stupas. See, J. Przyluski, La Ugende de l'Empereur Asoka; and
J. Strong, The Legend of King Asoka.
I. e. he would become not a buddha, but an arhat. The marks of
34 Notes
HISTORY: PART TWO
465 Cf. Fundamentals, pp. 81-6.
466 is best known to Buddhist world through the magni-
sut:a _of the greater vehIcle bearing his name, i. e. the Vimala- (T 176), on which see E. Lamotte, L'Enseignement de R. A. F. Thurman, The Holy Teaching ofVimalakfrti; and the from the Chinese by C. Luk.
467 V ve. rsions the legend of the ascendancy of the lion clan m SrI Lanka are known. Cf. E. F. C. Ludowyk, The Foot- pnnt of the Buddha, pp. 14-15; and HBI, pp. 129-35.
468 Sumana or Sumanaku! a Peak, a place revered by SrI Lankan adherents all the major relIgIOns.
The "king of powerful craft" to m verse below is probably Saman, the local god who IS WIth the Vedic Yama, lord of the dead. Refer to S ParanavItana, The God of Adam's Peak. .
469 This would appear . be none than the footprint on Adam's Peak, Slnpada (Skt. Srfpada). For a description of this and ofthe pIlgnmage to it, see Ludowyk, The Footprint ofthe Buddha and R. F. Gombrich, Precept and Practice, pp. 108-12 and
may, . mg s. and Vajrayana" in M. Strickmann (ed. ), Tantric TaOIst Honour of R. A. Stein, pp. 192-211. Y. Imaeda, Un Extralt du dans Manuscripts de Touen-Houang m Nouvelles Contnbutions aux Etudes de Touen- Houan? , pp. 306, 31. 1, records the occurrence of Ca/Tsa as a royal name m the early document considered therein; but p. 195, n. 10, dIscounts the possibility of this being associated
WIth the personage here discussed.
471 On this see Karmay, "King Tsa/Dza and Vajrayana", pp. 197-9. 472 In. termedlate (bar-pa) here means later or second, i. e. coming between
! Zmg Ind:abhuti and later lineage-holders. For other references to this mtermedlate Indrabhuti, see Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in India, p. n. 68 and p. 410; and especially, Karmay, "King Tsa/Dza and VaJrayana", pp. 205-6.
473 This system is examined in detail in Fundamentals, pp. 275-83.
474 F? r . the tantrapitaka here enumerated, refer to the first part of the
451
452
453 454
455
456 457 458
459 460
461 462
463
464
The sixth enlightened or buddha family is that of the body of reality, Samantabhadra, in the form of Vajradhara, who embodies the Con- querors of the Five Enlightened Families (rgyal-ba rigs-lnga). See Fun-
damentals, pp. 120-2. . . The Great Akanistha realm ('og-min chen-po, Skt. MahakantHha) IS
the abode in and of itself (rang-snang), in which Samanta- bhadra transmits realisation to the Conquerors of the Five Enlightened Families and the of peaceful and wrathful deities by the blessing of the buddha-body of reality's intention. On its significance,
see Fundamentals, pp. 129ff. and n. 130.
The All-Pervader (khyab-'jug) here refers to Samantabhadra.
The Indestructible Nucleus of Inner Radiance ('od-gsal rdo-rje snying- po) is the dimension of the body of reality; see Fundamentals, p. 118
and n. 112. . The "special" or "extraordinary" realm (khyad-par-Can-gyl
'og-min, Skt. VisiHakaniHha) which manifests extraneously (gzhan- snang) is the abode in which Vajradhara and the Conquerors of the Five Enlightened Families transmit the teaching of Unsurpassed Yogatantra to tenth level bodhisattvas by the intentional symbols of
470 The traditions concerning this figure have been studied I·n S G K - "K· Ta/ . . ar
the buddha-body of perfect rapture.
Cf. Fundamentals, p. 125.
See above, p. 413; and Fundamentals, p. 62.
The ordinary ('og-min tsam-po, Skt. and the imputed AkaniHha realm (btags-pa'i 'og-min, Skt. *Au- pacarikakaniHha) are the extraneous realms within. the Pure Ab? des
in which the Unsurpassed Yoga tantras are transmItted respectlvely to ninth and eighth level bodhisattvas by the buddhas in the form of wrathful and peaceful meditational deities. See also Fundamen-
tals, pp. 128-9.
On the Vajra Queen, see Fundamentals, p. 125, n. 127.
In the Hindu traditions Rudra is typically an epithet of Siva, but for Tibetan Buddhists he is a wrathful embodiment of ego which has run wild. For a traditional and elaborate presentation ofthe myth ofRudra,
see The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Pt. I, pp. 26-46; and Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten Directions, Ch. IS, pp. 488ff.
(GGFTC, pp. 1075ff. ). . Vajradharma is the peaceful aspect of the Lord of Secrets: Guhyapatl
or . .
In the lineages which follow, Sanskrit names have been In most
u n d e r t h e
E i g h t e e n
G r e a t
T a n t r a p i t a k a ( o f t h e .
cases following the standard conventions for Tibetan-Sansknt. transla- tion. However, we know of no extant Sanskrit source for these lineages. It should be noted also that there are sometimes variants in the way
in which different Tibetan sources report these names, e. g. that of the YasasvI Varapala below. . , .
mg of Naropa.
476 In the name sgeg-pa'i rdo-rje as Lilavajra the translators are
bowlIlg to an which has recently been justifiably challenged by DaVIdson m The Litany of Names of MafijusrI", p. 6, n. 18, where he argues that Vilasavajra is the correct Sanskrit name.
477 ! h e spar-khab, from which this work takes its abbreviated title, IS found m dedicatory final verse of that text, the Peking Tangyur, Vol. 83; m the Commentaries on the Guhyagarbhatantra and Other Rare Nyzngma T. exts. from the Library of Dudjom Rinpoche, Vol. 1, p. 222. . Its preCIse mterpretation, however, is at the present time uncertam.
478 The Garland of Activity was omitted in the published text, but was
YasasvI Varapala (grags-Idan mchog-skyong) IS the yakl? a s nan;e, the old edition of this text wrongly reads phyogs-skyong. See Scholar s Feast of Doctrinal History, p. 236. This observation has been confirmed by
the Author.
On this empowerment, see Fundamentals, p. 345.
A1ahayoga).
475 Tilopa and Naropa in particular, see Guenther, The Life and Teach-
History: Part Two 35
36 Notes
inserted subsequently by the Author before the Hidden Point of the Moon (zla-gsang thig-le). An alter. native would be dhasamayoga (the mind of body), HIdden of the (the of speech), Guhyasamaja (the mind of mmd), . (the mmd
Newar Art, pp. 83-8.
494 This is the aural lineage of Zhang-Zhung, the Ponpo tradition of the
Great Perfection. On Tavihrca in particular, see L. Chandra (ed. ), The History and Doctrine ofthe Bon-po pp. 15. 5-6 and 26. 5-27. 4. See also S. G. Karmay, "Origin and Development of the Tibetan Religious Traditions of the Great Perfection. "
495 See below, pp. 519-20.
496 The distinctions between the outer and inner classes are considered
in Fundamentals, pp. 273-4.
497 During the empowerment ceremony, the initiate casts a flower offering
onto the symbolic ma1). <;iala. The direction in which the flower falls - east, south, west, north or centre - holds particular significance, and one has a special affinity with the deity located there.
498 On the enlightened family of indestructible reality (Skt. vajrakula), that of see Fundamentals, p. 274.
499 Ritual service (bsnyen-pa, Skt. seva) entails the recitation of mantra combined with one-pointed prayerful devotion to a deity externally visualised; further ritual service (nye-bar bsnyen-pa, Skt. upaseva) en- tails the prayer to receive the consecration which will transform the mundane body, speech and mind into the three seed-syllables of in- destructible reality; the rite or means for attainment (sgrub-pa, Skt. sadhana) entails accomplishment in the form of light rays which are absorbed from the sugatas of the ten directions into the deity and thence into oneself, in actuality, meditation or dreams; then, the rite of great attainment (sgrub-chen, Skt. mahasadhana) entails ultimate realisation of beginningless primordial purity, the naturally present pristine cognition experienced when body, speech and mind are coalesced with the deity. This is the inner significance of the ritual ceremonies and elaborate dances contained within the "drupchen". See Mipham Rinpoche, tshig-bdun rnam-bshad padma dkar-po, pp. 22-3.
500 Garu<;ia is a gigantic and divine bird and, according to Hindu mytho- logy, the mount of the god He is a divinity in his own right and is worshipped as such by both Hindus and Buddhists.
501 For a summary of available information on this figure, see nayogavalf, pp. 9-12; and HIL 7. 1, pp. 114-15.
502 Davidson, "The Litany of Names of MafijusrI", p. 5, holds Mafiju- srImitra to have been a SrI Lankan.
503 These are the emanations of the deity which actually accomplish the four kinds of enlightened activity on behalf of the adept.
504 JeUiri is known for his contributions to the science of logic. See Vid- yabhusana, A History of Indian Logic, pp. 136-7, 140, 151; and G. Tucci, Minor Buddhist Texts, Pt. 1, pp. 249-74.
505 See Taranatha, History of Buddhism in India, p. 432. The younger Amoghavajra visited Tibet in 1086.
506 "Sublime" ('phags-pa, Skt. arya) refers to those who have sublimated the cyclical existence of samsara.
507 Some of the sources associating this mountain with Nagarjuna are discussed by Karmayin "King TsaIDza and Vajrayana", p. 197, n. 16.
508 Vajrakumara, the "Indestructible Youth", is an epithet of VajrakIla, or of his "offspring".
479 480
481
482 483
484
485
486
487
488
489
490
491 492
493
I. e. , the level of no return to the cyclical existence of saqlsara. On Asoka, see above, p. 453. .
The actual site of pilgrimage at the present day a cave locate
d on
of enlightened attributes) and Garland of ActlVzty (the of en- lightened activities). In this however, the Maf! "cal Net (the general tantra of mind) is included mstead of Paramadya. See also Jikme Lingpa, Narrative. History . of the Preczous Collected Tantras (rnying-ma'i rgyud-'bum-gyl p. _466. . . .
The outcaste boy is MatangIpa; see Taranatha, HIStory ofBuddhIsm m India, p. 129, n. 139 and p. 273. .
The great accomplished master first propagate the tradition of Saraha and Nagafjuna; see Taranatha, HIStory of Bud-
dhism in India, pp. 126-7, 152 and 273. _ . ' For the background to the Arya tradition of the Guhy'asama)a, whIch is that of Nagarjuna, refer to A. Wayman, The Tantras: New Light on Indo-Tibetan Esotericism, Ch.
