on the Mani bKa'-'bum and the Cult of
AvalokItesvara
TIbet m
S.
S.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
A.
Stein, Anczent Khotan: detazled report of archaeological explorations in Chinese Turkestan, 2 vols.
; and R.
E.
Emmerick (ed.
& trans.
), The Book of Zambasta: A Poem on Buddhism.
A useful synthesis of re- search to date IS D.
L.
Snellgrove, Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Pt.
4.
The body s,upreme (,pho-ba chen-po'i ku) is the rain- bow b?
dy (}a attamment of All-Surpassing Realisation (thod-rgal).
!
he rambow body transmutes all psychophysical components mt?
lIght of buddhahood, so that no outward change is visible.
ThIS IS Padmasambhava, Vimalamitra, Vairocana and so forth can pass other buddha-fields in the same forms.
The lower rainbow attamment transmutes consciousness, feeling, perception and habItual i?
to the.
light of buddhahood, but the component of .
form m SIze untIl only fingernails, tooth-enamel, hair or also Fundamentals, pp.
337-45; and Mipham's dis- CUSSIOn, CIted m n.
1285 below.
India here refers only to Madhyadesa, the heartland of Central India. The KokI countries are situated in the area from north-east India Burma and Cambodia; see Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in Indza, pp. 330-1.
"present refers to the era of Taranatha; this passage is denved HlstOry of Buddhism in India, pp. 320, 332-3.
On the tradmon of refer to G. W. Briggs, Gorakhniith and the Kiinphata YoglS; and to Dasgupta, Obscure Religious Cults, Ch. 8, pp. 206-9 and passim. For the Nathapamhas, see Chs. 8-9 of the latter work. The Hindu traditions here mentioned stem
509
The Caitya was situated in the Sltavana ground in Magadha. Originally the Gathering ofthe Sugatas ofthe Elght mitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad bder-'dus) was concealed there, along the Eight Sections of the Magical Net in the stiipa's the o f the Sugatas in the vase-shaped dome the speCIal tantras m Its four cardinal directions, the Consummatwn of Secrets (gsang-ba yongs- rdzogs) in the flute, the rgyud rang-byung rang-sha: in the of the
510
511 512 513
514
SIS
516
517
518
Kangyur. . .
gzi. A peculiar black-and-white-striped agate, beads of whIch are hIghly
prized by Tibetans for their talismanic value: _ .
This location in South India is revered by VaJrayana BuddhIsts as the
site where the Buddha taught the Kiilacakra Tantra. . Communal feast offerings (tshogs-kyi 'khor-lo, Skt. garJacakra). , m con- trast to other forms of contemplative activity, involve much ntual and material elaboration. Cf. Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten
spire, and the yang-gsang bla-med yang-ti nag-po I? P? mt of the spire. See E. Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhlsm zn p:. 15, whose account is derived from the treasure of Nyang-rel NYIma Ozer
entitled Gathering of the Sugatas. . The Mahottara casket was. gold (gser), not bse-stone as the text mIsta-
kenly reads. See the Scholar's Feast of History, p. 243. Note that the catalogue numbers given for thIS senes of tantras are those corresponding to the extant texts of the eight cycles in NGB and the
Directions, pp. 402ff. (GGFTC, pp. 922ff. ); and Gonpo Tsetan, The Udumbara Bouquet. .
"Exercises which circulate the lamp-like vital energy" are, to Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche, a cycle of teachings based on Indian
hatha yoga. . . ' The lower method grants supernormal cognitive powers such as mVlSI-
bility, but not the ability to transcend sarpsara, which is the feature of the higher methods of Mahayoga and Anuyoga, or the great trans- formation into the rainbow body - the highest attainment of the buddha level according to the Great Perfection of Atiyoga. See Fundamentals,
pp. 337-45. . h Sthiramati comes between and Sukhodyotaka m t . e
Anuyoga lineage. See Scholar's Feast of Doctrinal History, p. 239. HIS
writings on Anuyoga are represented by P 4752-4. " R. A. Stein, "Etude du monde chinoise: institutions L'Annuaire du College de France 72 (1972), pp. 502-3, mamtams that Chetsenkye may perhaps be identified with the P6npo translator Tsho-
tsenkye (mtsho-btsan-skyes), who appears to have flourished about the
529 530
531 532
. '
Buddhists to be four thousand arm-spans, i. e. about eIght thousan
year 1000. .
The yojana, an anCIent IndIan umt of length, IS gene. rall held
yards. It is defined as follows in the Treasury ofthe Abhidharma (Ch. 3, vv. 87-8):
Twenty-four inches equal one cubit.
Four cubits equal one bow-span. .
" fh "
Five hundred bow-spans equal one range 0 Eight "ranges of hearing" are said to equal one yo)ana.
. yb
History: Part Two 39
40 Notes
like Goraksanatha, are equally claimed the from n:tasters who, . ion of with the IS due
to Taranat a, a
Temp1eman, The Seven Instructwn Lmeages, pp.
HISTORY: PART THREE
. d'
533 As explamed by Du Jom f successive classes of non-human or
the gnod-sbyin nag-po, re-ti bdud, splntua emgs, na '. d -'jam lha rmu-rgyal kho-rye, krog- srin-bu skye-rengs khrag"dmlgkl and 'gong-po spun-dgu. Sub-
krog 'dre, ma-sengs rus- there, the country was divided sequently, when human e g . kingdoms' mchims-yul gru-shul between the ruled King lig snya-shur; ruled by by king gtsang-rje thod-dkar; gnubs-yul
m:J! ang-do phyo g . ubs- 'e dmigs-pa; nyang-ro ruled
tmf. dgu z/;ngs-sdonruledbyKinggyi-rye y mg rn '1 d b King zing-rje khri 'phrang-sum; 0 -p u ngam-shod khra-snar ru e y . . . . _ g la-mo gong
1 d b K' zmg-rye thon-greng, snn ron
ru e kong-yul bre-snu ruled by King kong-
to-re long-btsan, khri btsan-gnam, khri sgra-spungs btsan, khri thog-rje thog-btsan, and lha tho-tho ri gnyan-btsan who discovered the "Awesome Secret".
The ancestors of the religious kings (chos-rgyal-rnams-kyi mes) were khri-gnyan gzungs-btsan, 'brong-gnyan lde'u, slUg-ri gnyan-gzigs, and gnam-ri srong-btsan who was the father of Songtsen Gampo.
Then the religious kings (chos-rgyal rnams) were srong-btsan sgam-po, gung-ri gung-btsan, mang-srong mang-btsan, 'dus-srong mang-po rje klung- nam-'phrul-gyi rgyal-po, khri-lde gtsug-brtan, khri-srong lde'u btsan, mu-ne btsad-po, Prince mu-rab btsad-po, mu-tig btsad-po who was also known as sad-na legs-mjing, and khri ral-pa-can. Politically Tibet was at the zenith of its political power during this period. The conquest of the Chinese capital Chang-'an (modern Xi'an) was effected briefly in October 763.
Finally, King glang-dar-ma (b. 817), the apostate who ruled from 841 to 846 (or 838 to 842) was the last of the ancient line to govern the whole country. The dates given here are those ofmodern historians, based upon the records of Chinese, Tun-huang and Arabic origin, which for reasons stated on p. 399, are at variance by as much as sixty years with the traditional Tibetan dating for the royal dynasty between the reign of Songtsen Gampo and the restoration of the doctrine. For a synopsis of this problem, refer to Roerich's introduction to the Blue Annals; and for a detailed comparison of the various enumerations of the ancient kings, see Haarh, The Yar-lun Dynast)', Chs. 1-2, pp. 33-71. In chapter eight of the present work these divergencies have been noted in the course of nn. 1350-3 below.
According to Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche, this version of the prophecy belongs to an early siitra translation no longer extant.
Cf. Haarh, The Yar-lun Dynasty, p. 85. The Six-Syllable Mantra is that of the bodhisattva AvalokiteSvara: o ¥ PADME HO¥.
The "pure" Testament ofBa (sba-bzhed gtsang-ma), was composed prob- ably in the late eight or early ninth century. Until recently only an annotated version (zhabs-brtags-ma), dating from perhaps the four- teenth century, was known to exist. See R. A. Stein, Une Chronique Ancienne de bSam-yas. In 1980, however, an unsupplemented version was published in Peking by Gonpo Gyeltsen, on which see D. S.
Ruegg, "The Great Debate between Gradualists and Simultaneists in Eighth Century Tibet".
Considerable research has been devoted to the life and reign of this monarch. See especially: Haarh, The Yar-lun Dynasty, p. 62 and passim; A. Macdonald, "Une lecture des Pelliot tibetaine 1286, 1287, 1038,
1047 et 1290. Essai sur Ie formation et l'emploi des mythes politiques dans la religion royale de Sron-bcan sgam-po" in Etudes tibetaines dediees ala memoire de Marcelles Lalou, pp. 90-391; H. E. Richardson, "The Dharma that came down from Heaven" in Buddhist Thought and Asian Civilization; and G. Tucci, The Tombs of the Tibetan Kings.
rnam-thar. See the translation in
. '
Rin oche, rgyal-rabs, pp. 8-14, Tibet was
ruled by Kmg brang-rye go g I ' m ruled by nyang-btsun glang- . d d ng' nyang-yu -rnams gsu
rye ar-po tug- a , -bzhi ruled by King dvags-rje mang-po rgyal.
rgyal; and dvags-yul gru f: re between these twelve kingdoms, A result of constant warla . . . bh'b )
into the hands of forty principalItIesI(szl-ma . z Apart from 'brog-mo
gye-mo yul-drug ruled by the o'b rytheir names and localities are ruled by the lord gnyags-gru ra ,
unknown at the day. . . Tsen 0 have been summar- 534 The various tradltlons concermng Nyatrhl I PDy t Chs 10-11
ised and compared by E. Haarh in The Yar- un nasy, . , 535 the ancient royal dynasties of Tibet can be enumerated
as follows: 11 d h' (gnam gyi khri-bdun) were The seven heavenly kin. gs ca e l_kh . so-khri btsan- gnya'-khri btsan-po, mu-khn mg sribs-khri btsan-po. All po, mar-khri btsan-po, gdags-khr: s who ascended to the
of these are said have lmmort. a was matriarchal. heavens after fulfillmg theIr reIgns. Th(elr k . t ng-gnyis) were gri-gum The two celestial kings called Teng sto - S e' to have been assas-
536 537 538
539
d gyal The former IS sald
btsan-po and spu- e gung-r. 1k' f Tibet spu-de gung-rgya
I
sinated and so became the first mortah mg who discovered or bya-khri btsan-po of Kanam was t e cu
basic metals, and were e-sho legs,
de-sho legs, thl-S 0 egs: gong- ' ( b r- i
540 On this verse, refer to Blue Annals, pp. 44-5 and n. 33.
541 A traditional and popular romanticised account of the king's marriage may be found in J. Bacot, "Le marriage chinois du roi tibetain Sron
bean sgam po" MCB 3 (1935).
542 For a detailed description of these two images, see KGHP , p. 86.
The six earthly kmgs called e'b Y gzher legs and i-sho legs. . hI rulegs rong- ,
The eight middle kmgs called De a
. Id Ide-'phrul nam-gzhung btsan, se-sno ,
zm- e, d I po and Ide spnn-btsan. I snol-nam, Ide. e rgya - T (tshigs-Ia btsan-lnga) were rgya
The five hnkmg kmgs ca11ed sen
F
lde-brgyad) were za-nam -Ide se-snol-Po Ide, Ide
75ff
.
History: Part Three 41
42 Notes
543
ThesearediscussedindetailinM. Aris,Bhutan,pp. Thr? ugh the influence ofSongtsen Gampo's Chinese consort Wen-ch eng K ong- . d" tion techniques based on kaptse or elemental charts (see p. \04) and geomancy were introduced to T\bel. The supine ogress (brag srin-mo) or demoness represents natura of the Tibetan landscape, the harnessing and protectI? n whIch was effected by the construction of temples at geomantIc . sItes or focal points (me-btsa') on the ogress' body. At the centre, the Trhtilnang Temple was constructed at representmg the h. eart- blood of the ogress. Four District Controllmg temples (rn,-gnon-gz lha- khang) were then erected around it. They were m Trhadruk (khra-'brng) in Yoru upon her left shoulder, m Uru upon the right shoulder, Drompagyel in Rulak her left hlP and in Yeru upon the right hip. concentncally? four Border Taming temples (mtha - 'dul-gz lha-khang) bUIlt m Khoting in Lhodrak upon the ogress' left elbow, Pucu m Kongpo upon her right elbow, Bumthang in Mon upon her left knee Traduntse in the north (byang) upon her right knee. An outer senes of Further Taming temples (yang-'dul-gi was also con- structed beyond them. These were in m Cangtshel u? on the ogress' left hand, Langtang Drolma m Dokam her hand, Kyercu in Paro upon her left foot and m upon her right foot. Other enumerations are also glven mAns work cited above.
Nothing is known of this He is certainly not to be
identified with the Hindu VedantIst phIlosopher of the name.
On this work, see Aris, Bhutan, pp. 8ff. ; and M.
on the Mani bKa'-'bum and the Cult of AvalokItesvara TIbet m
S. D. and R. M. Davidson (eds. ), Tibetan Buddhzsm: Reason
and Revelation. . . . I 0 Among the eight treatises composed by Thonmi Sambho! a on y tw
are extant and contained in the Tangyur, namely, the rtsa-ba sum-cu-pa (T 4348) and the rtags-kyi )ug-pa (T 4349). The titles of the other six are now unknown.
See Fundamentals, pp. 59-60. . . . . t- The source of this tradition of the copper-1? late IS the anno ated Testament ofBa. See Stein, Une Chronzque Anczenne de bSam-yas. All these spiritual beings were bound under oath by Guru Padmasam- bhava to guard the transmitted precepts and treasures, and to the sites of monasteries, hermitages and sacred See and Liberation ofPadmasambhava, Pt. 2, pp. 370-5, and also t
sary of Enumerations for a full list.
The oracular mirror is employed for the o. i h H'- and future events. Cf. Rikdzin Lhtindrup'. s . Hmdi 0 t e -4 zs
History: Part Three 43
544 545
546
547 548
549
550
551
552
t
559
560
561
562
563 564
565
566 567
See below, p. 794 and n. 1065, for the relevant ancient quotation. According to the traditional account Pelgi Dorje gained access to the royal presence disguised as a Ponpo sorceror, and then used his ritual bow and arrow to slay the evil monarch. Also see below, p. 524.
d" . f past presen Ch 3 n 17' and G. Tucci The RelzgIOns of Tzbet, pp. 202 . .
tory, . ,. ,
OdantapurI Monastery was founded t e site. 0
p Sharif in Patna district, probably the reIgn. of Gop
'h
Pala dynasty, who flourished in the mld- or late eIghth tient I. e. Samye was built to resemble om realm, the worl 0 in Endurance. The three shrines of the three queens are descn
The three levels of ordination were normally given over a ten-year period.
. f
resent day BIhar I of the
On these two kings, see Stein, Tibetan Civilization, p. 70. Pelkortsen's death at the hands of his rebellious subjects ended the dynasty which
had begun with Nyatrhi Tsenpo.
I. e. the far north-east of Tibet, in the direction of Mongolia.
553 554 555
556 557 558
The order has always been the Hlnayana school to which the TIbetans have adhered for their Vinaya.
is an important wealth-granting deity, for whose rites in TIbet, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons ofTibet, Ch. IV.
The doctrine according to which contradiction is here avoided is elabor- ated above, pp. 473-4.
Cf. The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Ch. 107. See Satra of the Wise and the Foolish, Ch. 13.
The twenty "'! 'ountain caves of Ngari have been listed in the Glossary EnumeratIOns. We have been unable to identify a precise enumer- ation of twenty-one. places of attainment in Central Tibet and Tsang although there are mdeed many sacred sites there (see KGHP). The great pilgrimage places of Kham and Amdo (see Glossary of Enumerations) are well known from the rediscovered teachings of
Chogyur Lingpa, on whom see pp. 844-8. His guidebooks to these pilgrimage places are to be found in Vol. 30 ofhis Collected Rediscovered Teachings. The five valleys are shangs-kyi zab-bu lung in the centre, kong-gi y'ongs-pa lung in the east, mon-gyi sn'b-btsan lung in the south, 'gos-kyi phag-ri lung in the west and skyid-kyi gro-ma-lung in the north.
The one parkland is padma gling on the south-east border, the three
districts are Sikkim ('bras-mo ljongs) on the south-west border, mkhan-
pa ljongs on the north-west border and lung-gsum ljongs on the north-east
border. See also The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Pt. 2, pp. 644-6.
According to Dudjom Rinpoche, rgyal-rabs, pp. 228-34, Murup Tsepo led an expeditionary force against the Bha! a Hor, setting out for the north in 827 (me-lugs, rgyal-rabs dating) and returning in 836 (me- 'brug). The Gyelpo Shingjachen would here appear to be none other than the
great protector Pehar. Usually he is regarded as the latter's emanation, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons of Tibet, pp. 97-100 and 111-15; and Dudjom Rinpoche, rgyal-rabs, pp. 207,228-34.
On the inscriptions of the ancient kings of Tibet, see especially H. E.
Richardson, Ancient Historical Edicts at Lhasa; and Tucci, The Tombs of the Tibetan Kings. Complete texts of the extant inscriptions may be found in bod-kyi rdo-ring-dang dril-bu'i kha-byang. Richardson has re- cently re-edited all of this material, with new translations and extensive commentary, in A Corpus of Early Tibetan Inscriptions.
The source of this quotation is the sgra sbyor bam gnyis (T 347), pp. 2-3, a summary of Buddhist lexicography and translation conventions com-
piled under imperial order.
KGHP, p. 114.
44 Notes
568 The Lower Tibetan Lineage of the Vinaya (smad-'dul) is with the Upper Lineage introduced Tibet by and the Sakya Lineage which was transmItted from Nagafjuna through GU1). amati and eventually descended to Tsongkapa. Cf. Blue Annals,
579
History: Part Four 45
The vital energy (rlung, Skt. viiyu) and mind (sems, Skt. citra) operate respectively in the right and left channels of the body in the form of the white and red seminal points. During the unenlightened state the vital energies cling and differentiate through their five functions of
life-breath, secretion, speech, digestion and metabolism, and so per- vade all major and minor channels within the body. Maturation occurs when these "active vital energies" (las-kyi rlung) and the mind are reunited in the central channel as the vital energy of pristine cognition (ye-shes-kyi rlung) and the enlightened mind. See Longcenpa, Dispelling
Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 453ff. (GGFTC, pp. 1006ff. ).
On the state of coalescence, see Fundamentals, p. 259.
The twenty-five great accomplished masters ofChimpu (rje-'bangs nyer-
Inga) are enumerated above on pp. 534-6. The precise enumerations of the others are unknown (Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche).
See below, pp. 607-15.
The effortless vehicle is Atiyoga, the highest.
For the distinctions between the White, Black and Variegated branches
of the Spatial Class, see Fundamentals, pp. 326-8; and the detailed
explanation in Longcenpa, Treasury of Spiritual and Philosophical Sys- tems, pp. 339-48.
On the accomplishment of swift-footedness, see Fundamentals, p. 259.
It is conferred by and spirits and classed among the
pp. 34-5. . . . . b I 728 31
- . The entire lineage down to DharmasrI s age IS surveye m ecen
569 F DharmasrI and the seminary ofMmdrolmg, see e ow, p. p.
or , . d Zh
Gyeltsap, ie-chen chos-'byuiz, pp.
570 This Abhidharma lineage was codIfied m the fourteenth,century by
Sazang Mati Pa1). cen in his great Abhidhannasamuccaya Commentary.
He discusses the lineage briefly there, Vol. 2, 520. . .
571 The Author has provided a compilation of matenal these hIStones
in his rgyal-rabs. His own sources, as listed in the b1bhography of that
k P 391 are· the bka'-chems skor of Songtsen Gampo; the gter-ma
wor,. ,. . h h·h
580 581
582 583 584
585
586
587
588 589
Mention du Manicheisme dans Ie Choix du Bouddh1s. me re 590 gion d'etat par Ie roi Tibetain lde-bcan" m
Bouddhisme, Melanges offerts aMgr. Etzenne Lamotte, (1980), pp.
37; and G. Tucci, Minor Buddhist Texts, Pt. 2, pp. of ce-
ka-bkol-ma of Jowoje Atisa; the bsam-yas-kY1 dkar-chag c w . 1C . I known as sba-bzhed che-'bring; the Early and Later InjUnctIOns
IS a so . ( b . ' . of Padma (thang-yig snga-phyi); the Biography of az-ro 1
'dra-'bag); the Great Account (lo-rgyus chen-mo) of Khuton; the Royal History (rgyal-rabs) of Yarlung the Annals (deb-dmar) Tshelpa· the Royal History which 1S a Clear M1rror (rgyal-rabs gsal-ba 1
-I )'of Sakya· the Blue Annals (deb-sngon) of Golo Zhonupel; the me o n g , h ,. d ' )
Scholar's Feast of Doctrinal History (chos-'? yung mk 1 ga -ston of Pawo Tsuklak Trhengwa; the Annals entItled the Delzght of. the ful Perfect Age (rdzogs-ldan gzhon-nu'i of the Dalai y, and the Genealogy o f the Divine Kings entItled M 1rror f? r the M znd is Brief in Word but Clear in Meaning (lha'i btsan-po'l gdung-rabs tSh1g- nyung don-gsal yid-kyi me-long) of Katok Tshewang Norbu.
HISTORY: PART FOUR
572 On the distinction between the stages of creation (bskyed-rim), perfec- tion (rdzogs-rim) and Great Perfection (rdzogs-pa chen-po), see Funda- mentals, pp. 358-9.
mundane accomplishments which do not transcend the cycle of exist- ence.
Of the Eighteen Esoteric Instructions ofthe Mental Class which are listed in the Bibliography, the first five were those translated by Vairocana; the remaining thirteen were subsequently translated by Vimalamitra with the assistance of Nyak }iUinakumara and Yudra Nyingpo.
On the reasons for the exile of Vairocana to Kham, see The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Pt. 2, pp. 450-70; the Scholar's Feast ofDoctrinal History, pp. 225-9; and P. Kvaerne, "A Preliminary Study of Ch. VI of the Gzer-mig" in TSHR, pp. 185-91. A major source to be explored in depth is the Biography of Vairocana (rie-btsun thams-cad
mkhyen-pa bai-ro-tsa-na'i rnam-thar 'dra-'bag chen-mo), Ch. 11.
The lineages indicated in this paragraph are detailed in Pt. 5.
The four ways of death are listed in the Glossary of Enumerations. Phadampa is revered in Tibet as the founder of the tradition known
as Pacification (zhi-byed). For his life and deeds, refer to B. N. Aziz,
"Indian Philosopher as Tibetan Folk Hero" Central Asiatic Journal 23,
1-2 (1979), pp. 19-37; and idem, "The Work of Pha-dam-pa Sangs-
rgyas as Revealed in Ding-ri Folklore" in TSHR, pp. 21-9. Cf. also Blue Annals, Book XII.
The Vajra Bridge is a teaching according to the Spatial Class of the
573 See below, pp. 607-13.
574 See above, p. 462, n. 497.
S . "Une 575 Onthiswork,unfortunatelylittlestudiedasyet,see A. tem, li-
576 Tib mkha'-spyod-pa or sky-farer indicates the accomplIshment
lesti·al travel, on which see Fundamentals: p. 259: It IS.
given to one of the four ways of death, whIch are lIsted III t e
of E n u m e r a t i o n s . . 605-6.
591
592 593
Great Perfection. It is known as such because its practice leads to the
attainment of the rainbow body in one lifetime. See Fundamentals, pp. 326-8.
On the Six-Syllable Mantra, see n. 537.
This master appears to have played a major role in the transmission of the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle in Tibet. See, e.
India here refers only to Madhyadesa, the heartland of Central India. The KokI countries are situated in the area from north-east India Burma and Cambodia; see Taranatha, History ofBuddhism in Indza, pp. 330-1.
"present refers to the era of Taranatha; this passage is denved HlstOry of Buddhism in India, pp. 320, 332-3.
On the tradmon of refer to G. W. Briggs, Gorakhniith and the Kiinphata YoglS; and to Dasgupta, Obscure Religious Cults, Ch. 8, pp. 206-9 and passim. For the Nathapamhas, see Chs. 8-9 of the latter work. The Hindu traditions here mentioned stem
509
The Caitya was situated in the Sltavana ground in Magadha. Originally the Gathering ofthe Sugatas ofthe Elght mitted Precepts (bka'-brgyad bder-'dus) was concealed there, along the Eight Sections of the Magical Net in the stiipa's the o f the Sugatas in the vase-shaped dome the speCIal tantras m Its four cardinal directions, the Consummatwn of Secrets (gsang-ba yongs- rdzogs) in the flute, the rgyud rang-byung rang-sha: in the of the
510
511 512 513
514
SIS
516
517
518
Kangyur. . .
gzi. A peculiar black-and-white-striped agate, beads of whIch are hIghly
prized by Tibetans for their talismanic value: _ .
This location in South India is revered by VaJrayana BuddhIsts as the
site where the Buddha taught the Kiilacakra Tantra. . Communal feast offerings (tshogs-kyi 'khor-lo, Skt. garJacakra). , m con- trast to other forms of contemplative activity, involve much ntual and material elaboration. Cf. Longcenpa, Dispelling Darkness in the Ten
spire, and the yang-gsang bla-med yang-ti nag-po I? P? mt of the spire. See E. Dargyay, The Rise of Esoteric Buddhlsm zn p:. 15, whose account is derived from the treasure of Nyang-rel NYIma Ozer
entitled Gathering of the Sugatas. . The Mahottara casket was. gold (gser), not bse-stone as the text mIsta-
kenly reads. See the Scholar's Feast of History, p. 243. Note that the catalogue numbers given for thIS senes of tantras are those corresponding to the extant texts of the eight cycles in NGB and the
Directions, pp. 402ff. (GGFTC, pp. 922ff. ); and Gonpo Tsetan, The Udumbara Bouquet. .
"Exercises which circulate the lamp-like vital energy" are, to Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche, a cycle of teachings based on Indian
hatha yoga. . . ' The lower method grants supernormal cognitive powers such as mVlSI-
bility, but not the ability to transcend sarpsara, which is the feature of the higher methods of Mahayoga and Anuyoga, or the great trans- formation into the rainbow body - the highest attainment of the buddha level according to the Great Perfection of Atiyoga. See Fundamentals,
pp. 337-45. . h Sthiramati comes between and Sukhodyotaka m t . e
Anuyoga lineage. See Scholar's Feast of Doctrinal History, p. 239. HIS
writings on Anuyoga are represented by P 4752-4. " R. A. Stein, "Etude du monde chinoise: institutions L'Annuaire du College de France 72 (1972), pp. 502-3, mamtams that Chetsenkye may perhaps be identified with the P6npo translator Tsho-
tsenkye (mtsho-btsan-skyes), who appears to have flourished about the
529 530
531 532
. '
Buddhists to be four thousand arm-spans, i. e. about eIght thousan
year 1000. .
The yojana, an anCIent IndIan umt of length, IS gene. rall held
yards. It is defined as follows in the Treasury ofthe Abhidharma (Ch. 3, vv. 87-8):
Twenty-four inches equal one cubit.
Four cubits equal one bow-span. .
" fh "
Five hundred bow-spans equal one range 0 Eight "ranges of hearing" are said to equal one yo)ana.
. yb
History: Part Two 39
40 Notes
like Goraksanatha, are equally claimed the from n:tasters who, . ion of with the IS due
to Taranat a, a
Temp1eman, The Seven Instructwn Lmeages, pp.
HISTORY: PART THREE
. d'
533 As explamed by Du Jom f successive classes of non-human or
the gnod-sbyin nag-po, re-ti bdud, splntua emgs, na '. d -'jam lha rmu-rgyal kho-rye, krog- srin-bu skye-rengs khrag"dmlgkl and 'gong-po spun-dgu. Sub-
krog 'dre, ma-sengs rus- there, the country was divided sequently, when human e g . kingdoms' mchims-yul gru-shul between the ruled King lig snya-shur; ruled by by king gtsang-rje thod-dkar; gnubs-yul
m:J! ang-do phyo g . ubs- 'e dmigs-pa; nyang-ro ruled
tmf. dgu z/;ngs-sdonruledbyKinggyi-rye y mg rn '1 d b King zing-rje khri 'phrang-sum; 0 -p u ngam-shod khra-snar ru e y . . . . _ g la-mo gong
1 d b K' zmg-rye thon-greng, snn ron
ru e kong-yul bre-snu ruled by King kong-
to-re long-btsan, khri btsan-gnam, khri sgra-spungs btsan, khri thog-rje thog-btsan, and lha tho-tho ri gnyan-btsan who discovered the "Awesome Secret".
The ancestors of the religious kings (chos-rgyal-rnams-kyi mes) were khri-gnyan gzungs-btsan, 'brong-gnyan lde'u, slUg-ri gnyan-gzigs, and gnam-ri srong-btsan who was the father of Songtsen Gampo.
Then the religious kings (chos-rgyal rnams) were srong-btsan sgam-po, gung-ri gung-btsan, mang-srong mang-btsan, 'dus-srong mang-po rje klung- nam-'phrul-gyi rgyal-po, khri-lde gtsug-brtan, khri-srong lde'u btsan, mu-ne btsad-po, Prince mu-rab btsad-po, mu-tig btsad-po who was also known as sad-na legs-mjing, and khri ral-pa-can. Politically Tibet was at the zenith of its political power during this period. The conquest of the Chinese capital Chang-'an (modern Xi'an) was effected briefly in October 763.
Finally, King glang-dar-ma (b. 817), the apostate who ruled from 841 to 846 (or 838 to 842) was the last of the ancient line to govern the whole country. The dates given here are those ofmodern historians, based upon the records of Chinese, Tun-huang and Arabic origin, which for reasons stated on p. 399, are at variance by as much as sixty years with the traditional Tibetan dating for the royal dynasty between the reign of Songtsen Gampo and the restoration of the doctrine. For a synopsis of this problem, refer to Roerich's introduction to the Blue Annals; and for a detailed comparison of the various enumerations of the ancient kings, see Haarh, The Yar-lun Dynast)', Chs. 1-2, pp. 33-71. In chapter eight of the present work these divergencies have been noted in the course of nn. 1350-3 below.
According to Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche, this version of the prophecy belongs to an early siitra translation no longer extant.
Cf. Haarh, The Yar-lun Dynasty, p. 85. The Six-Syllable Mantra is that of the bodhisattva AvalokiteSvara: o ¥ PADME HO¥.
The "pure" Testament ofBa (sba-bzhed gtsang-ma), was composed prob- ably in the late eight or early ninth century. Until recently only an annotated version (zhabs-brtags-ma), dating from perhaps the four- teenth century, was known to exist. See R. A. Stein, Une Chronique Ancienne de bSam-yas. In 1980, however, an unsupplemented version was published in Peking by Gonpo Gyeltsen, on which see D. S.
Ruegg, "The Great Debate between Gradualists and Simultaneists in Eighth Century Tibet".
Considerable research has been devoted to the life and reign of this monarch. See especially: Haarh, The Yar-lun Dynasty, p. 62 and passim; A. Macdonald, "Une lecture des Pelliot tibetaine 1286, 1287, 1038,
1047 et 1290. Essai sur Ie formation et l'emploi des mythes politiques dans la religion royale de Sron-bcan sgam-po" in Etudes tibetaines dediees ala memoire de Marcelles Lalou, pp. 90-391; H. E. Richardson, "The Dharma that came down from Heaven" in Buddhist Thought and Asian Civilization; and G. Tucci, The Tombs of the Tibetan Kings.
rnam-thar. See the translation in
. '
Rin oche, rgyal-rabs, pp. 8-14, Tibet was
ruled by Kmg brang-rye go g I ' m ruled by nyang-btsun glang- . d d ng' nyang-yu -rnams gsu
rye ar-po tug- a , -bzhi ruled by King dvags-rje mang-po rgyal.
rgyal; and dvags-yul gru f: re between these twelve kingdoms, A result of constant warla . . . bh'b )
into the hands of forty principalItIesI(szl-ma . z Apart from 'brog-mo
gye-mo yul-drug ruled by the o'b rytheir names and localities are ruled by the lord gnyags-gru ra ,
unknown at the day. . . Tsen 0 have been summar- 534 The various tradltlons concermng Nyatrhl I PDy t Chs 10-11
ised and compared by E. Haarh in The Yar- un nasy, . , 535 the ancient royal dynasties of Tibet can be enumerated
as follows: 11 d h' (gnam gyi khri-bdun) were The seven heavenly kin. gs ca e l_kh . so-khri btsan- gnya'-khri btsan-po, mu-khn mg sribs-khri btsan-po. All po, mar-khri btsan-po, gdags-khr: s who ascended to the
of these are said have lmmort. a was matriarchal. heavens after fulfillmg theIr reIgns. Th(elr k . t ng-gnyis) were gri-gum The two celestial kings called Teng sto - S e' to have been assas-
536 537 538
539
d gyal The former IS sald
btsan-po and spu- e gung-r. 1k' f Tibet spu-de gung-rgya
I
sinated and so became the first mortah mg who discovered or bya-khri btsan-po of Kanam was t e cu
basic metals, and were e-sho legs,
de-sho legs, thl-S 0 egs: gong- ' ( b r- i
540 On this verse, refer to Blue Annals, pp. 44-5 and n. 33.
541 A traditional and popular romanticised account of the king's marriage may be found in J. Bacot, "Le marriage chinois du roi tibetain Sron
bean sgam po" MCB 3 (1935).
542 For a detailed description of these two images, see KGHP , p. 86.
The six earthly kmgs called e'b Y gzher legs and i-sho legs. . hI rulegs rong- ,
The eight middle kmgs called De a
. Id Ide-'phrul nam-gzhung btsan, se-sno ,
zm- e, d I po and Ide spnn-btsan. I snol-nam, Ide. e rgya - T (tshigs-Ia btsan-lnga) were rgya
The five hnkmg kmgs ca11ed sen
F
lde-brgyad) were za-nam -Ide se-snol-Po Ide, Ide
75ff
.
History: Part Three 41
42 Notes
543
ThesearediscussedindetailinM. Aris,Bhutan,pp. Thr? ugh the influence ofSongtsen Gampo's Chinese consort Wen-ch eng K ong- . d" tion techniques based on kaptse or elemental charts (see p. \04) and geomancy were introduced to T\bel. The supine ogress (brag srin-mo) or demoness represents natura of the Tibetan landscape, the harnessing and protectI? n whIch was effected by the construction of temples at geomantIc . sItes or focal points (me-btsa') on the ogress' body. At the centre, the Trhtilnang Temple was constructed at representmg the h. eart- blood of the ogress. Four District Controllmg temples (rn,-gnon-gz lha- khang) were then erected around it. They were m Trhadruk (khra-'brng) in Yoru upon her left shoulder, m Uru upon the right shoulder, Drompagyel in Rulak her left hlP and in Yeru upon the right hip. concentncally? four Border Taming temples (mtha - 'dul-gz lha-khang) bUIlt m Khoting in Lhodrak upon the ogress' left elbow, Pucu m Kongpo upon her right elbow, Bumthang in Mon upon her left knee Traduntse in the north (byang) upon her right knee. An outer senes of Further Taming temples (yang-'dul-gi was also con- structed beyond them. These were in m Cangtshel u? on the ogress' left hand, Langtang Drolma m Dokam her hand, Kyercu in Paro upon her left foot and m upon her right foot. Other enumerations are also glven mAns work cited above.
Nothing is known of this He is certainly not to be
identified with the Hindu VedantIst phIlosopher of the name.
On this work, see Aris, Bhutan, pp. 8ff. ; and M.
on the Mani bKa'-'bum and the Cult of AvalokItesvara TIbet m
S. D. and R. M. Davidson (eds. ), Tibetan Buddhzsm: Reason
and Revelation. . . . I 0 Among the eight treatises composed by Thonmi Sambho! a on y tw
are extant and contained in the Tangyur, namely, the rtsa-ba sum-cu-pa (T 4348) and the rtags-kyi )ug-pa (T 4349). The titles of the other six are now unknown.
See Fundamentals, pp. 59-60. . . . . t- The source of this tradition of the copper-1? late IS the anno ated Testament ofBa. See Stein, Une Chronzque Anczenne de bSam-yas. All these spiritual beings were bound under oath by Guru Padmasam- bhava to guard the transmitted precepts and treasures, and to the sites of monasteries, hermitages and sacred See and Liberation ofPadmasambhava, Pt. 2, pp. 370-5, and also t
sary of Enumerations for a full list.
The oracular mirror is employed for the o. i h H'- and future events. Cf. Rikdzin Lhtindrup'. s . Hmdi 0 t e -4 zs
History: Part Three 43
544 545
546
547 548
549
550
551
552
t
559
560
561
562
563 564
565
566 567
See below, p. 794 and n. 1065, for the relevant ancient quotation. According to the traditional account Pelgi Dorje gained access to the royal presence disguised as a Ponpo sorceror, and then used his ritual bow and arrow to slay the evil monarch. Also see below, p. 524.
d" . f past presen Ch 3 n 17' and G. Tucci The RelzgIOns of Tzbet, pp. 202 . .
tory, . ,. ,
OdantapurI Monastery was founded t e site. 0
p Sharif in Patna district, probably the reIgn. of Gop
'h
Pala dynasty, who flourished in the mld- or late eIghth tient I. e. Samye was built to resemble om realm, the worl 0 in Endurance. The three shrines of the three queens are descn
The three levels of ordination were normally given over a ten-year period.
. f
resent day BIhar I of the
On these two kings, see Stein, Tibetan Civilization, p. 70. Pelkortsen's death at the hands of his rebellious subjects ended the dynasty which
had begun with Nyatrhi Tsenpo.
I. e. the far north-east of Tibet, in the direction of Mongolia.
553 554 555
556 557 558
The order has always been the Hlnayana school to which the TIbetans have adhered for their Vinaya.
is an important wealth-granting deity, for whose rites in TIbet, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons ofTibet, Ch. IV.
The doctrine according to which contradiction is here avoided is elabor- ated above, pp. 473-4.
Cf. The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Ch. 107. See Satra of the Wise and the Foolish, Ch. 13.
The twenty "'! 'ountain caves of Ngari have been listed in the Glossary EnumeratIOns. We have been unable to identify a precise enumer- ation of twenty-one. places of attainment in Central Tibet and Tsang although there are mdeed many sacred sites there (see KGHP). The great pilgrimage places of Kham and Amdo (see Glossary of Enumerations) are well known from the rediscovered teachings of
Chogyur Lingpa, on whom see pp. 844-8. His guidebooks to these pilgrimage places are to be found in Vol. 30 ofhis Collected Rediscovered Teachings. The five valleys are shangs-kyi zab-bu lung in the centre, kong-gi y'ongs-pa lung in the east, mon-gyi sn'b-btsan lung in the south, 'gos-kyi phag-ri lung in the west and skyid-kyi gro-ma-lung in the north.
The one parkland is padma gling on the south-east border, the three
districts are Sikkim ('bras-mo ljongs) on the south-west border, mkhan-
pa ljongs on the north-west border and lung-gsum ljongs on the north-east
border. See also The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Pt. 2, pp. 644-6.
According to Dudjom Rinpoche, rgyal-rabs, pp. 228-34, Murup Tsepo led an expeditionary force against the Bha! a Hor, setting out for the north in 827 (me-lugs, rgyal-rabs dating) and returning in 836 (me- 'brug). The Gyelpo Shingjachen would here appear to be none other than the
great protector Pehar. Usually he is regarded as the latter's emanation, see Nebesky-Wojkowitz, Oracles and Demons of Tibet, pp. 97-100 and 111-15; and Dudjom Rinpoche, rgyal-rabs, pp. 207,228-34.
On the inscriptions of the ancient kings of Tibet, see especially H. E.
Richardson, Ancient Historical Edicts at Lhasa; and Tucci, The Tombs of the Tibetan Kings. Complete texts of the extant inscriptions may be found in bod-kyi rdo-ring-dang dril-bu'i kha-byang. Richardson has re- cently re-edited all of this material, with new translations and extensive commentary, in A Corpus of Early Tibetan Inscriptions.
The source of this quotation is the sgra sbyor bam gnyis (T 347), pp. 2-3, a summary of Buddhist lexicography and translation conventions com-
piled under imperial order.
KGHP, p. 114.
44 Notes
568 The Lower Tibetan Lineage of the Vinaya (smad-'dul) is with the Upper Lineage introduced Tibet by and the Sakya Lineage which was transmItted from Nagafjuna through GU1). amati and eventually descended to Tsongkapa. Cf. Blue Annals,
579
History: Part Four 45
The vital energy (rlung, Skt. viiyu) and mind (sems, Skt. citra) operate respectively in the right and left channels of the body in the form of the white and red seminal points. During the unenlightened state the vital energies cling and differentiate through their five functions of
life-breath, secretion, speech, digestion and metabolism, and so per- vade all major and minor channels within the body. Maturation occurs when these "active vital energies" (las-kyi rlung) and the mind are reunited in the central channel as the vital energy of pristine cognition (ye-shes-kyi rlung) and the enlightened mind. See Longcenpa, Dispelling
Darkness in the Ten Directions, pp. 453ff. (GGFTC, pp. 1006ff. ).
On the state of coalescence, see Fundamentals, p. 259.
The twenty-five great accomplished masters ofChimpu (rje-'bangs nyer-
Inga) are enumerated above on pp. 534-6. The precise enumerations of the others are unknown (Khetsun Zangpo Rinpoche).
See below, pp. 607-15.
The effortless vehicle is Atiyoga, the highest.
For the distinctions between the White, Black and Variegated branches
of the Spatial Class, see Fundamentals, pp. 326-8; and the detailed
explanation in Longcenpa, Treasury of Spiritual and Philosophical Sys- tems, pp. 339-48.
On the accomplishment of swift-footedness, see Fundamentals, p. 259.
It is conferred by and spirits and classed among the
pp. 34-5. . . . . b I 728 31
- . The entire lineage down to DharmasrI s age IS surveye m ecen
569 F DharmasrI and the seminary ofMmdrolmg, see e ow, p. p.
or , . d Zh
Gyeltsap, ie-chen chos-'byuiz, pp.
570 This Abhidharma lineage was codIfied m the fourteenth,century by
Sazang Mati Pa1). cen in his great Abhidhannasamuccaya Commentary.
He discusses the lineage briefly there, Vol. 2, 520. . .
571 The Author has provided a compilation of matenal these hIStones
in his rgyal-rabs. His own sources, as listed in the b1bhography of that
k P 391 are· the bka'-chems skor of Songtsen Gampo; the gter-ma
wor,. ,. . h h·h
580 581
582 583 584
585
586
587
588 589
Mention du Manicheisme dans Ie Choix du Bouddh1s. me re 590 gion d'etat par Ie roi Tibetain lde-bcan" m
Bouddhisme, Melanges offerts aMgr. Etzenne Lamotte, (1980), pp.
37; and G. Tucci, Minor Buddhist Texts, Pt. 2, pp. of ce-
ka-bkol-ma of Jowoje Atisa; the bsam-yas-kY1 dkar-chag c w . 1C . I known as sba-bzhed che-'bring; the Early and Later InjUnctIOns
IS a so . ( b . ' . of Padma (thang-yig snga-phyi); the Biography of az-ro 1
'dra-'bag); the Great Account (lo-rgyus chen-mo) of Khuton; the Royal History (rgyal-rabs) of Yarlung the Annals (deb-dmar) Tshelpa· the Royal History which 1S a Clear M1rror (rgyal-rabs gsal-ba 1
-I )'of Sakya· the Blue Annals (deb-sngon) of Golo Zhonupel; the me o n g , h ,. d ' )
Scholar's Feast of Doctrinal History (chos-'? yung mk 1 ga -ston of Pawo Tsuklak Trhengwa; the Annals entItled the Delzght of. the ful Perfect Age (rdzogs-ldan gzhon-nu'i of the Dalai y, and the Genealogy o f the Divine Kings entItled M 1rror f? r the M znd is Brief in Word but Clear in Meaning (lha'i btsan-po'l gdung-rabs tSh1g- nyung don-gsal yid-kyi me-long) of Katok Tshewang Norbu.
HISTORY: PART FOUR
572 On the distinction between the stages of creation (bskyed-rim), perfec- tion (rdzogs-rim) and Great Perfection (rdzogs-pa chen-po), see Funda- mentals, pp. 358-9.
mundane accomplishments which do not transcend the cycle of exist- ence.
Of the Eighteen Esoteric Instructions ofthe Mental Class which are listed in the Bibliography, the first five were those translated by Vairocana; the remaining thirteen were subsequently translated by Vimalamitra with the assistance of Nyak }iUinakumara and Yudra Nyingpo.
On the reasons for the exile of Vairocana to Kham, see The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava, Pt. 2, pp. 450-70; the Scholar's Feast ofDoctrinal History, pp. 225-9; and P. Kvaerne, "A Preliminary Study of Ch. VI of the Gzer-mig" in TSHR, pp. 185-91. A major source to be explored in depth is the Biography of Vairocana (rie-btsun thams-cad
mkhyen-pa bai-ro-tsa-na'i rnam-thar 'dra-'bag chen-mo), Ch. 11.
The lineages indicated in this paragraph are detailed in Pt. 5.
The four ways of death are listed in the Glossary of Enumerations. Phadampa is revered in Tibet as the founder of the tradition known
as Pacification (zhi-byed). For his life and deeds, refer to B. N. Aziz,
"Indian Philosopher as Tibetan Folk Hero" Central Asiatic Journal 23,
1-2 (1979), pp. 19-37; and idem, "The Work of Pha-dam-pa Sangs-
rgyas as Revealed in Ding-ri Folklore" in TSHR, pp. 21-9. Cf. also Blue Annals, Book XII.
The Vajra Bridge is a teaching according to the Spatial Class of the
573 See below, pp. 607-13.
574 See above, p. 462, n. 497.
S . "Une 575 Onthiswork,unfortunatelylittlestudiedasyet,see A. tem, li-
576 Tib mkha'-spyod-pa or sky-farer indicates the accomplIshment
lesti·al travel, on which see Fundamentals: p. 259: It IS.
given to one of the four ways of death, whIch are lIsted III t e
of E n u m e r a t i o n s . . 605-6.
591
592 593
Great Perfection. It is known as such because its practice leads to the
attainment of the rainbow body in one lifetime. See Fundamentals, pp. 326-8.
On the Six-Syllable Mantra, see n. 537.
This master appears to have played a major role in the transmission of the Supreme Continuum of the Greater Vehicle in Tibet. See, e.
