I am
erecting
an image of the Great Glorious One, for it will be of great benefit to the world in this degenerate age.
Dudjom Rinpoche - Fundamentals and History of the Nyingmapa
,ecause
A shepherd also said "It seems he is living on the mountam Just now.
Because the provisions practice were in meagre supply there, and because he had also receIved a prophetic declaration telling him to move on, he set out in the direction of the lowlands. The local divinity, who was named Zere Zetsen, showed himself and implored Zurpoche to But the master said, "I have received a prophetic declaration tellmg. me to go elsewhere. And, besides, there are no provisions here· so I wIll go. " ,
. divinity replied, "I shall provide sustenance for you and your dISCIples. By all means stay! "
Zurpoche agreed to remain for some time.
Then, in Tanak, a rich man became seriously ill. An oracle declared
that he should make feast and torma offerings, and seek the blessing
, I ,,737 Sometimes I even hear the sound of his drum and of the nt u mantra.
Zangom deposited his load in a place where there were of grass and prayed with faithful devotion. Then with a loud the of a rock cave opened. Zangom passed straight through oWlllg to hIS
devotion which caused the Eighteen "Secret Liberators" (gsang-ba I sgroI-gin;) to declare, "We must 'liberate' this of But Rok Sakya Jungne said to them, "That would be lllappropnate, for
this one is worthy. " . of Ukpalungpa. When the invalid approached the guru he felt
After asking Zangom why he had, come, the guru said, "It IS an auspicious coincidence that I, Rok Sakya Jungne, should encounter the disciple Zur Sakya Jungne, and that his envoy is Sherap GyelpO (King of Discriminative Awareness). " Rok granted him the
ments of sixty-two maI). Qalas, including those of the Buddhasamayoga, the twelve intrinsic and extrinsic of Yangdak dag-gi bdag-gzhan dkyil-Jkhor bcu-gnYls); and Yangdak combllled WI
VajrakIla. . . ns d f her When Zangom had obtained all the books, transmlsslO urt.
advice and was returning via Samye, he saw a boy weanng a silr sitting on top of his mule-load. He returned and :sked . RO about the boy. "It is Tshangpa Tungto" said Rok, "Brahma weanng a
bette. r Just by seeing him and asked for a blessing. As soon as the feast had ? een. made he was freed from his ailment. Similarly, blessings for thos. e afflicted by sickness
by evIl spints. The people had faIth m hIm and his merits grew the guru realised that this common merit was a great obstacle to he of supreme accomplishment; and he decided to go to o. n the slopes of Riwo Gudti. When he set out, the same local
IVlmty Said, "I have given provisions for your practice. Please stay. " Zurpoche answered, "It is very difficult [for you to provide] susten- has. a pure basis. Because its accumulation is a source of
dIstractIOn, thIS time I am going away. "
R·' m. Podong. '
I am dlstracted here by the performance of virtuous deeds I am .
Ndk ga a
'
He entered into solitary meditative practice
to
a. nd hIS also followed behind. He said to them, "If the for enhghtenment is motivation in coming to see me, t? ere IS n? remedy except medltatlve practice. Leave worldly distrac- tIons you and devote to practice. I, too, will only practlce. So, the ma. ster and hIS dIscIples practised individually.
. Then, on one occaSIOn, the gakinls inspired him by declaring prophet- Ically that he would benefit the world more by going to the lowlands. He. to the valley of Tanak, where, in a cave facing east, whIch contamed an owl's nest, he performed the means for the attain- ment. ofthe nine-deity maI). gala ofYangdak Heruka. He actually beheld the VIsage . of the Glorious One there. Thus, it was owing to the name of hIS dwellIng that he became famed everywhere as Lama Uk- palungpa, the "Guru of Owl Valley".
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 621
gOIng
622 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
With tearful countenance the divinity said, "Ifyou will not stay under any circumstances, then please regard me with compassion. " And he offered up his vital heart-mantra to Zurpoche. .
The guru gave him layman's instruction and ordered hIm to protect the teaching. On his descent from that place, Zurpoc. he also bound [the local divinity] Como Namar under an oath Then he proceeded to Yesuthar. He said to Zurcung? a, ThIs rock of Gyawo seems to be the same Riwo Gudti where It was declared I should meditate. " The master and all of his disciples remained there engaged in practice.
At that time Lharje Zurpoche's disciples included four "summits", who with the "summit-ridge" were five, as well as another one hundred and eight great meditators. Among them the four. "summits. " were: Zurcung Sherap-tra, who had arrived at the summit of the and intention; Menyak Khyungdra, who had arrived at the summit of the exegesis of the Tantra of the Magical Net; Zhang Gocung, who had arrived at the summit of vast knowledge; and Zangom Sherap Gyelpo, who had arrived at the summit of meditative practice.
The "summit-ridge" was Tsak Lama, who, above and beyond the doctrine, had arrived at the summit ofartistic prowess. Moreover, there are some works which speak of eight "summit-ridges".
In the same way, there were one hundred and eight who were adept in meditation. They include: Dru Gomgying, Ytilgom Nakmo, Cegom Sakyagyel, Zurgom Dorjung, Yugom Cobar, and Gompa . Sonam Nyingpo. It is said that all of them obtained miraculous powers mclud- ing celestial travel. .
On one occasion three women approached the guru and made thIS
prophetic declaration: "In the lower valley of Shang in Yeru, to
east of the Shang River, lies a valley shaped like the half-moon. In. ItS
Zurpoche practised there for many years. He had visions of the Fort'y-two Peaceful Deities and of the Fifty[-eight] Blood-drinkers. In partIcular, he beheld the deities of the malfgala of Yangdak Heruka and converse? with them as with other men. He made the Eight GaurI
and others hIS servants, and spirits attended to the tasks with which he entrusted them. The guru himself said, "I perceive all the earth, stones, and rocks of Ukpalung to be the host of peaceful and wrathful deities. But in particular, I always see this southern peak
as the Buddhas ofthe Five Enlightened Families. Therefore, I shall buIld a temple of the peaceful deities. "
He then made preparations: After surveying the land he exorcised the hostile and evil earth spirits. In the col between the two peaks of the s? uthern which resembled the claws of a black scorpion
runmng downhIll, he assumed the form of the Great Glorious One Yangdak Heruka. He even left behind a footprint in the place he down with his right foot. There, he constructed a stupa hundred thousand images of Heruka; and in each of
t? e and at the centre the four "summits" and the "summit ndge bUIlt a stUpa.
Zurpoche a spring, which was the residence of the naga Tungkyong, with a sheet of copper. Upon it he laid the foundation of It is. said that it was designed to equal the temple ofNyangtOtsi
In Its dImensIOns, but that the stonemasons slightly reduced it. In the same way, most of the artisans were overcome by unmeritorious thoughts, and only wasted their materials by cutting all of the wooden planks unevenly, and of various lengths, et cetera. But a bodhisattva
who has the courage of one who has practised generosity cannot be led astray by miserly and covetous thoughts, and so sees that wealth and are dream-like and apparitional. Thus, when one of the great ha? been cut short, and unevenly, Zurpoche, displaying the
SIgns of hIS accomplishment, rolled the pillar with his foot until it was
uplands there is a rock shaped like a heart. In its lowlands there IS a . fh 'l·btd'739
plain which resembles the skm of Matram a ter e 1 era e : On a mountain shaped like the trunk of an elephant IS a rock resembles the forehead of a lion. Three rivers flow from three mountam springs, symbolising the three buddha-bodies. If you meditate there you will attain buddhahood in this life and will serve the world for a long time. "
of same length as the others. And on that pillar he left the imprint ofh . S··l1
At this the guru bequeathed his hermitage at Trak Gyawo to Zur- cungpa a; his inheritance and went down [to Shang] with his followers. After he had surveyed the land there, Zhangmo Yontengyen his patron and donated a cave, in which the master took up Zurcungpa and more than a hundred great meditators practIsed throughout the upper and lower reaches of the valley, living in thatc? e huts, under overhanging rocks, and in wind-breaks. l? cal served the guru and Trampa Pondrongpa became hiS mam . patro . They all held the guru to be the very presence of the Buddha.
and power, they became exceeding remorseful. Using the wood that left over from the temple, they built an exceptional, open portico, t by four pillars. It became known as the Gyotsang Gyapup,
PavIlIOn of Pure Remorse". 740 Later, it was made into the shrine o the protectors of the doctrine.
S Zurpoche installed images ofthe peaceful deities, ofwhom Vairocana- (kun-tu-zhaZ? 41 was foremost, in the four-pillared upper of the temple; images of Amftakulfcjalin as the
h . keepers of the upper court, whIch had eIght pillars; and in the S nnes of the north and south wings, he installed images of the Great
IS Imi ar y, he made all the crooked pillars straight as arrows ? y rollIng them with his feet. When the artisans saw this his patience In the face of their abuses, and other signs of his compassion
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 623
624 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Mother [Prajfiaparamita] and Dlparpkara, each surrounded by four 742
offering goddesses. In the protectors' shrine, he made relief images of Bhagavat, SrldevI, Brahma, and Sakra. Frescoes of the gurus of the lineage were painted in the eight-pillared upper court, and those
of twenty-three maIfQalas, such as the "Hundred-petalled Lotus", on its surrounding wall. In the lower court, which had twenty pillars, there were frescoes of the Thousand Buddhas; the Buddhas of the Ten
Directions; Amitayus surrounded by the [Eight] "Closest Sons"; the Seven Generations of Buddhas; the twelve deeds; the bodhisattva Dhar- modgata; Tara, who protects from the eight fears; the Lords of the Three Families; the Malaya Buddha-field; the wheel oflife; et cetera.
When the building had been completed in this way Zurpoche thought, "Now, I shall cover my temple with gold right up to the roof; and I shall extract the gold from Mount Drong-ri Chukpo. "
At midnight the local divinity, a Tsen spirit, came in the form of a black horseman. He bowed before Zurpoche and circumambulated him, saying, "If I were to cover the temple with gold right up to the
roof, my gold would be exhausted. I shall offer gold enough to cover
completely the images of the deities. " And so he did.
During the consecration both the conqueror Zurpoche and Zur- cungpa displayed an endless array of miraculous powers: They entered
743
via the crown, and the crown via the heart. As a result all the artisans developed sincere faith and said, "The guru's temple is like Mount Sumeru. Let us build a
stl1pa to accompany it. " In faith they offered a stl1pa modelled on the Blue Stl1pa at Samye, which they built to the north of the Trashi
Gomang Temple.
The guru's seat became universally renowned as glorious Ukpalung,
after his own name. It is said that it was founded in the time of Lharje Zurpoche; that its traditions were established by Zurcungpa; and that Zur Sakya Senge made them widespread. This describes the great servicetotheteachingofthevehicleofindestructiblerealityofthe Ancient Translation School that was effected by this abbatial succession.
By his teaching and other activities Zurpoche greatly benefitted the world. Once, when the master and all his disciples were performing, at Yang-en Sermo, a year-long retreat devoted to Yangdak Heruka, no
lamps could be offered owing to the shortage of butter. By his blessing
Zurpoche transformed the spring into a fountain of clarified butter for e
a week. Thus, they were able to obtain an unending supply of ghe . At first, the teacher and his students there mainly devoted themselves to study; so there were few who were adept at the rites ofenlightened activ-
ity. When discussions were held in the teaching court, those who did know the rites were seated among the ignorant, who did not participate in the discussions. [In retaliation] the ritualists would not alloW the others to chant when they assembled for the d3ily torma offerings. At this Lama
. " The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 625 Zurpoche saId, One may be liberated b "
the heart of the image of Sarvavid-Vairocana
So it was that when th h h
understandings 'the guru ree had also articulated their own
tion of view, In practising the true divine doctrine
The is view, and conduct That whIch IS labelled the "view" . Is no view when there is something to look for
Look meaning of freedom from things view' And bnng meffable reality on to your path! .
devotion, of his disciples to increase vastly. After- built great in Ukpalung and
. me ItatIOn centre.
was Heruka at Yang-en
standingerectin WIthonefaceandtwohands and told Lama Zurpo h at Shang. He left his retreat
Heru a. The aw h Id would construct 0
any subject. It is not right to scorn one at the ,culmination of
spiritual system among the nine vehI' 1 h Each phIlosophical and . d' ces asItSownscope Th .
tylme guru said to his four disciples who like summits . . ou our must artIculate what you understand
Important m experientially cultivating the path" Zurcungpa said, "If one does not medi 'h "
Because we must purif the h
pollution, here and now rt is ee: which are like
preJu Ice towards anyone vehicle" An
t
A . Y ecame umble
ex his meaning dawned in them all and' the b
d' . ere IS no mary
pensities of former desires will never end t mul. tlt. udmous. pro- be"decisive with respect to experiential It IS essenual to
and night. , s e n Ia to penorm acts of virtue, day "B
of merit until the abiding getically, however small. " , t IS essentIal to practise virtues ener-
cun a e w at a taken place. The guru said "Zur- gPk' you have achIeved the accomplishment of the Great Gl .
raor h understanding of
. ,
er Namkel Nymgpo prophesied that I
demons which and, having subdued the powerful Now I a m ' . e 1 etan people, would benefit the world
, gomg to achIeve this. " .
Then, he said to his att d "G
temple We '11 . en ants, ather materials for building a
. WI exorCIse the . t ,,, H
Skull Rock), arranged the e. e, sat on Trak Sengei YaW (Lion-
of the Great G l ' H a offenngs, entered the contemplation onous eruka and d h .
Those who had the good f t ' assume t e appropnate posture. guru in that form. ortune to behold a buddha really saw the
' to be most
onous
626 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 627
While the foundation-stones were being laid, Zurcungpa was scorned by some because his body was lean and his appearance lustreless. They insulted him saying, "All the others have a large foundation-stone in place. Now, it is time for Zurcungpa to set a strongman's boulder in position! "
To which Zurcungpa replied, "The master and disciples should go for lunch. I will be coming presently. " But he did not leave.
When the others had eaten and returned they saw that eight enormous boulders, which no one could budge, even by heroic efforts, had been set up at the four sides and four corners of the foundation. Upon them were chalked the following words:
745 THESE ARE ZURCUNGP A'S STRONGMAN STONES
When they saw this, the monks were humbled; and those who were fair-minded became devoted to him. It is well known, too, that after Zurcungpa had set his "strongman stones" in position, the evil designs of the wild demons and spirits of darkness, who wished to obstruct the building of the temple, were pacified.
When the time came to join the wood, four pillars were crooked. The guru said, "You straighten them, Zurcungpa! " And in a single breath Zurcungpa twisted and bent them until they were as straight as arrows.
As the roof was approaching completion the guru said, "I have [spiritually] summoned the sculptors. They are on their way. " The very next day certain persons familiar with image-making arrived to ask for doctrinal instruction. Zurpoche feigned ignorance and said, "Are you skilled in any trades? "
To which they replied, "We are image-makers who have come to request doctrinal instruction from you. "
"That is an auspicious coincidence. You shall indeed receive the doctrine you desire.
I am erecting an image of the Great Glorious One, for it will be of great benefit to the world in this degenerate age. I request that you make it. "
The sculptors displayed great devotion, so first of all the master gave them the vase empowerment of the glorious Yangdak Heruka. They Prepared a mixture which combined relics from the Tathagata's re-
. 746 mains; the flesh of one who had been born as a brahman seven umes;
earth, stone, water, and wood from the eight charnel grounds; a variety of precious gems; and sacramental medicine refined by the awareness- holders of India and Tibet.
The sculptors asked Zurpoche how large the image should be he replied, "Make it as high as the roof. " They made an appropnate image of the fruitional Heruka, who has three faces, awesome, wrathful, and laughing, and six arms, but the guru said, "It does not my vision. Make it again. "
Yangdak Heruka
He had repeat the work many times and eventually said, "Can you make an Image of me? "
"Yes, we can do that. "
"Perform supplications tonight, and come to see me tomorrow. " The next day, accompanied by Zurcungpa, the sculptors went to
meet. the master. He told his attendant Tanya Dorje to arrange torma offenngs and feast offerings. Then he propitiated Yangdak Heruka and performed the feast offerings. "Now look! " he said, and as he adopted the gaze [of the deity] he actually became Heruka, a fearsome and apparition, with one face, two arms, gnashing teeth, and
tWIsted tongue, his head resplendent among the clouds and mist his right foot resting upon the face of Heruka Rock in Ukpalung, hi; left fo. ot upon the summit of Mount Tsepo Purkang. His indestructible wmgs filled the sky. The sculptors could not endure his radiance and into unconsciousness. When they awoke, the guru eased his mtenuonand, with a brilliant smile, said, "Now, do you understand? "
"Now", they asked, "please show us a Heruka with three faces and six arms, so that we may recreate it. "
Zurpoche said, "That is too profound. Owing to the needs of those
628 History: The Distant Lineage afTransmitted Precepts
requiring training, it was the Heruka with one face and two arms that
appeared. "
While they were making the image according to his orders, they
were able to fashion it from the navel downwards just as they had seen it before. But Zurpoche said, "You will have to do the upper section once again. " He had them repeat it many times, but then said, "Your
obscurations have not been purified. Knead the clay well and leave it here. Bathe in yonder fountain; for it is the water of accomplishment that arose when I scattered a skull-cup full of nectar. Circumambulate the temple seven times and come in. Until then no one should enter.
I shall pray to the Great Glorious One. "
As they were doing this, a continual buzzing was heard coming from
within. When they had finished bathing and circumambulating they went inside; no one at all was near the master. He was absorbed in contemplation. But the clay had been used up and an image of the
Great Glorious One, from the navel upwards, had spontaneously ap- peared. All the disciples and sculptors were absolutely astonished. They bowed before Zurpoche and said, "If the guru himself knew how to
make it, then surely he was only testing us by not doing this earliert"
At that Zurpoche make this declaration, which foretold the future:
An image resembling me
Has come to a man like me.
It will guide the world in the degenerate age;
It will be a remedy for sickness and demons.
At first, by depending on Heruka, [this image of] Heruka
Himself arose. But noW that same Heruka Will be absorbed into this [image of] Heruka.
In the past, the great accomplished masters were completely mindful of preserving secrecy. Therefore, Zurpoche said that it was improper to make images according to the secret means for attainment in places
where many people would congregate. "You must make the images of the Eight Wrathful Goddesses according to the tradition of the tantras," he said. '47 And so they did. The frescoes painted to the right were of
the peaceful deities of the Magical Net, and those on the left were of the blazing wrathful deities. In front were frescoes of the deities of the entire Sutra which Gathers All Intentions. Painted above were three
manQalas; and in the vestibule the glorious Mahakala according to the tradition of wrathful Yamantaka, together with the eightfold group of
the M6npa, mounted on tigers.
Then the time came for the consecration. They made preparations
for the consecratory feast, saying, "Whom shaH we commission to make the ale? Whence shall we get the meat? " An attendant said, "There were great expenses in connection with the craftsmen, labourers, and
d The Lineage ofthe Zur Famity 629 an even take loans from our ben f:
guests, so our wealth is all but exhausted. Now we must await donations
secration. " e actors. Let us postpone the con-
But Zurcungpa said' "We WI·11 perform the owever there is no way we will fin .
. consecratIOn on time.
H
are not even enough clay jars
S I d for the ale; there
0 . et uds the nagas to make
ale. It is also difficult to find·
. meat, an even Ifw d fj d·
pay the pnce. So let us use Tram p. . d e 0 m Itwecannot . . . pa on rongpa' C'
petItIOnmg the spirits we . 11 s oxen lor meat. By WI get enough ts p [.
flour]. If we do this nothing at all rnh
1 en Lama Zurpoche said "W
·11 b 1 am. aLe. parched barley WI e ackmg"
·11 . .
loads of barley for the ale! 748 Y'
. ou are to fer .
Act as if there is more ale for th Zurcungpa, summon a naginI! "
who dwelt on the rock at Yaze SIster ofthe naga demon Zurcungpa turned into a fair lady b g. thI? snake appeared, which said, "I want you to make the ale ofhIS At that Zurpoche
But she replied "I f h e_consecratIOnofmytemple. " , am 0 t e pure naga r h· h C'
We abstain from alcohol At th . ace, w IC lears defilement.
radiance. So while t h e · . e same tIme, I cannot endure the guru's , re IS no way for me t0 d
you commission my elder brothe I ·11 pro uce ale, I beg that
Then the . guru said "N h r. ZWI 0 er all necessary help. " , ow t en urcung ·11
e consecratIon when At that, Zurcungpa intentionall sum .
. . you are m publIc.
transform her elder brother)'" "I will try to summon "
pa, WI you summon and
He adopted a gaze and a a
When overpowered by Z ' pp
C' urcungpa s contempI ( h lorm. Zurcungpa ordered h. a Ion
e WI reqUIre at least one thousand SIX measures of barley.
ear d .
e , the SIze of a young goat.
no time to make ale yet I am . brleqUIre many gIfts and favours. I have , una e to transg th '
Zurpoche took both their vital h ress e guru s command. " oaths of allegiance. The nagas said bound them under row. Make preparations! 0 _' e WI arnve the day after tomor- arrange a pure and safe· . ur naga race is above defilement. Please
At th· L enVIronment for our dwelling"
Imtomakeale buth
the race of gods and demons I . ' . e sal, belong to
IS ama Zurpoche said "I h 11 bl He h d h . , s a
.
ess the environment"
a tree clay Jars with sto er 749
and also collected things ds
ures of barley mash were . emon. s and nagas. The six meas-
white barley Then th t mto the Jars and topped with pure . ewonagademo bh .
placed inside. The mouths of h . ns, rot er and sIster, were ceremonial blouse and th fl t e Jars were fastened with the guru's its sleeves. Zurp;che be contr. olled through the nagas proceeded to h h Jars wIth an mdestructIble knot and that the ale was e essence of ale from all directions, so
Then an attendant said "Th .
do for tsampa? " , e r e IS now enough ale. But what will we
e revealed his true ·d "I
h·.
was ed fragrant water
630 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 631
The guru replied, "Borrow many sacks. " He made a tarma offering and said, "Pour a handful of tsampa into each sack. " The attendant did as he was told. The next day all the sacks were full of tsampa.
Again, the guru said, "Send a monk to Trampa pondrongpa. Tell him that we have disposed of this refuse mash from the ale for the consecration in the forest, and that he should send his oxen to eat it. "
When that was done many oxen were sent. The guru said, "Zur- cungpa, will you kill and resurrect them? "
Zurcungpa replied, "I shall obey my guru's command. "
Zurpoche adopted an enlightened intention and hurled enchanted objects750 at each of the oxen, whereby they all fell into a coma and died. "Flay the oxen," he said. "Do not break the bones. Keep the joints intact. Leave the internal organs in their proper positions and carve out the muscle meat. "
His attendants were terrified and thought, "This master and his disciple are in the sway of evil. They have ordered the oxen to be fed on the mash, and then they have killed them all. Now what will happen when the oxherds arrive? "
With their minds utterly confounded they prepared the meat-feast for the consecration. After the feast the oxherds did arrive. The guru commanded that they be served, too, which perplexed the attendants. Then he said, "Let Zurcungpa convey the oxen to their owner. "
At that, Zurcungpa folded the bones in their wrappings of hide. He inserted the internal organs as well, covered them with his robe, and, at the snap of a finger, the oxen trembled and stood up. It is said that [earlier], when an old woman had been carving the meat, she scraped a rib of one of the oxen. After [being revived] that ox had a deformed rib. The display of this miraculous ability to kill and to resurrect caused
all those assembled to develop great faith.
Lama Zurpoche, too, looked delightedly upon [the image of] the
Great Glorious One, and said, "I pray that you serve the world greatly. " "Hey, hey, need you even ask? " replied the image, rejoicing in the nine dramatic airs. 7SI At first the image had a wrathful countenance,
but thereafter its appearance became one of laughter.
The guru said, "Now, we should propitiate Yangdak Heruka for one year. "
The attendants replied, "The provisions are not sufficient. "
Zurcungpa countered, "If the ale is not enough, it will be all rig? t to return to the naga demon. There is also a little meat and tsampa III reserve. I f the commitments of yoga are not left to decline, the gods and demons will provide our sustenance. The local divinity wlll also make offerings. So it will be fine to practice for one year. "
About one hundred yogins and yoginIs assembled there. The master ordered each of the practitioners to be provided with a skull-cup full of ale, a duck's egg-sized ball of gruel, and a little meat to the commitments. Then the one-year retreat commenced.
During the retreat the guru said, "You, the four summits, are to hold a contest of [contemplative] intention. " It is said that when they all had entered a meditative equipoise, three of them attained an immov- able intention, one that was mountain-like, not to be destroyed by mere circumstances. But because Zurcungpa had arrived at the abode of supreme, unbiased equanimity, he ascended in the air to the height of a wagon to illustrate the superiority of his view. Then the guru said, "Now, go outside and listen while Zurcungpa recites the rulu mantra. " One yoginI went outside and listened, but the volume did not decrease. Having crossed over a ridge, she continued to listen, but still the volume did not decrease. At that, the guru praised Zurcungpa highly, saying, "You are all equally spiritual brethren, but you others should not even cross Zurcungpa's shadow. "
When they were released from the retreat, the master and his disciples wenttoTrokpoiSumdo. Thegurubecameexhilaratedandstampedouta dance to the rulu mantra on the rock called the "Vajra Bolt" (brag rda-rje gtan-pa). His foot penetrated the rock up to the ankle, as ifhe were treading on mud. Zurcungpa said, "My guru is a manifest buddha. I shall prostrate my head at his feet. " He touched the footprints with his head and left
behind a clear impression of his topknot and dangling ear-rings.
At that, Zangom Sherap Gyelpo said, "Wonderfully sublime are the signs of accomplishment which my two gurus, uncle and nephew, possess. It will be a sin for man or beast to tread upon this stone. " He transformed his five fingers into five powerful athletes, who raised the Vajra Bolt Rock and set it upright. Then Zhang Gocungwa and Menyak Khyungdra also said, "It is up to us to support it. " [They emanated] many powerful athletes who each raised an unshakable boulder to support the rock on each side, and so made its foundation secure. Even
today these stones can really be seen.
Then Lama Zurpoche decided to make an image of the fruitional
Great Glorious One in Ukpalung. 752 He told all of his disciples to go there. Zurcungpa flew into the sky, saying, "I shall go to serve my guru," and landed on Trak Gyawo. The other disciples travelled there in coracles. The two naga demons, brother and sister, said, "It is improper for us to be associated with the defiled persons in the coracle. Please take us over the river where it can be forded. ,,7S3
The guru assented to this and delivered the clay pot to his attendant, to whom it seemed to weigh less than a feather. When they reached the riverbank, the guru said to the attendant, "Hold onto me and come without hesitation. "
But the attendant's mind was unworthy and he thought, "I'll probably be thrown into the river. "
Knowing his anxiety, the guru said, "Now you cannot cross with me. Come via coracle. I am going on ahead. " And he went off without his feet touching the water.
632 History: The Distant Lineage a/Transmitted Precepts
The Lineage a/the Zur Family 633
The attendant went by coracle and reached the slope on the opposite bank. While waiting there for a long time he grew thirsty, so he drank all the ale he could strain from the pot. Then the thought occurred, "One year and four months have passed since making this ale. What did the guru put in the jar for so much to be produced? "
He broke the seal of the jar and two serpents, white and black, as large as yaks, uncoiled themselves and vanished into the sky. Scorpions, frogs, tadpoles and other creatures followed in their wake and also went snapping and croaking into the sky.
A shepherd also said "It seems he is living on the mountam Just now.
Because the provisions practice were in meagre supply there, and because he had also receIved a prophetic declaration telling him to move on, he set out in the direction of the lowlands. The local divinity, who was named Zere Zetsen, showed himself and implored Zurpoche to But the master said, "I have received a prophetic declaration tellmg. me to go elsewhere. And, besides, there are no provisions here· so I wIll go. " ,
. divinity replied, "I shall provide sustenance for you and your dISCIples. By all means stay! "
Zurpoche agreed to remain for some time.
Then, in Tanak, a rich man became seriously ill. An oracle declared
that he should make feast and torma offerings, and seek the blessing
, I ,,737 Sometimes I even hear the sound of his drum and of the nt u mantra.
Zangom deposited his load in a place where there were of grass and prayed with faithful devotion. Then with a loud the of a rock cave opened. Zangom passed straight through oWlllg to hIS
devotion which caused the Eighteen "Secret Liberators" (gsang-ba I sgroI-gin;) to declare, "We must 'liberate' this of But Rok Sakya Jungne said to them, "That would be lllappropnate, for
this one is worthy. " . of Ukpalungpa. When the invalid approached the guru he felt
After asking Zangom why he had, come, the guru said, "It IS an auspicious coincidence that I, Rok Sakya Jungne, should encounter the disciple Zur Sakya Jungne, and that his envoy is Sherap GyelpO (King of Discriminative Awareness). " Rok granted him the
ments of sixty-two maI). Qalas, including those of the Buddhasamayoga, the twelve intrinsic and extrinsic of Yangdak dag-gi bdag-gzhan dkyil-Jkhor bcu-gnYls); and Yangdak combllled WI
VajrakIla. . . ns d f her When Zangom had obtained all the books, transmlsslO urt.
advice and was returning via Samye, he saw a boy weanng a silr sitting on top of his mule-load. He returned and :sked . RO about the boy. "It is Tshangpa Tungto" said Rok, "Brahma weanng a
bette. r Just by seeing him and asked for a blessing. As soon as the feast had ? een. made he was freed from his ailment. Similarly, blessings for thos. e afflicted by sickness
by evIl spints. The people had faIth m hIm and his merits grew the guru realised that this common merit was a great obstacle to he of supreme accomplishment; and he decided to go to o. n the slopes of Riwo Gudti. When he set out, the same local
IVlmty Said, "I have given provisions for your practice. Please stay. " Zurpoche answered, "It is very difficult [for you to provide] susten- has. a pure basis. Because its accumulation is a source of
dIstractIOn, thIS time I am going away. "
R·' m. Podong. '
I am dlstracted here by the performance of virtuous deeds I am .
Ndk ga a
'
He entered into solitary meditative practice
to
a. nd hIS also followed behind. He said to them, "If the for enhghtenment is motivation in coming to see me, t? ere IS n? remedy except medltatlve practice. Leave worldly distrac- tIons you and devote to practice. I, too, will only practlce. So, the ma. ster and hIS dIscIples practised individually.
. Then, on one occaSIOn, the gakinls inspired him by declaring prophet- Ically that he would benefit the world more by going to the lowlands. He. to the valley of Tanak, where, in a cave facing east, whIch contamed an owl's nest, he performed the means for the attain- ment. ofthe nine-deity maI). gala ofYangdak Heruka. He actually beheld the VIsage . of the Glorious One there. Thus, it was owing to the name of hIS dwellIng that he became famed everywhere as Lama Uk- palungpa, the "Guru of Owl Valley".
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 621
gOIng
622 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
With tearful countenance the divinity said, "Ifyou will not stay under any circumstances, then please regard me with compassion. " And he offered up his vital heart-mantra to Zurpoche. .
The guru gave him layman's instruction and ordered hIm to protect the teaching. On his descent from that place, Zurpoc. he also bound [the local divinity] Como Namar under an oath Then he proceeded to Yesuthar. He said to Zurcung? a, ThIs rock of Gyawo seems to be the same Riwo Gudti where It was declared I should meditate. " The master and all of his disciples remained there engaged in practice.
At that time Lharje Zurpoche's disciples included four "summits", who with the "summit-ridge" were five, as well as another one hundred and eight great meditators. Among them the four. "summits. " were: Zurcung Sherap-tra, who had arrived at the summit of the and intention; Menyak Khyungdra, who had arrived at the summit of the exegesis of the Tantra of the Magical Net; Zhang Gocung, who had arrived at the summit of vast knowledge; and Zangom Sherap Gyelpo, who had arrived at the summit of meditative practice.
The "summit-ridge" was Tsak Lama, who, above and beyond the doctrine, had arrived at the summit ofartistic prowess. Moreover, there are some works which speak of eight "summit-ridges".
In the same way, there were one hundred and eight who were adept in meditation. They include: Dru Gomgying, Ytilgom Nakmo, Cegom Sakyagyel, Zurgom Dorjung, Yugom Cobar, and Gompa . Sonam Nyingpo. It is said that all of them obtained miraculous powers mclud- ing celestial travel. .
On one occasion three women approached the guru and made thIS
prophetic declaration: "In the lower valley of Shang in Yeru, to
east of the Shang River, lies a valley shaped like the half-moon. In. ItS
Zurpoche practised there for many years. He had visions of the Fort'y-two Peaceful Deities and of the Fifty[-eight] Blood-drinkers. In partIcular, he beheld the deities of the malfgala of Yangdak Heruka and converse? with them as with other men. He made the Eight GaurI
and others hIS servants, and spirits attended to the tasks with which he entrusted them. The guru himself said, "I perceive all the earth, stones, and rocks of Ukpalung to be the host of peaceful and wrathful deities. But in particular, I always see this southern peak
as the Buddhas ofthe Five Enlightened Families. Therefore, I shall buIld a temple of the peaceful deities. "
He then made preparations: After surveying the land he exorcised the hostile and evil earth spirits. In the col between the two peaks of the s? uthern which resembled the claws of a black scorpion
runmng downhIll, he assumed the form of the Great Glorious One Yangdak Heruka. He even left behind a footprint in the place he down with his right foot. There, he constructed a stupa hundred thousand images of Heruka; and in each of
t? e and at the centre the four "summits" and the "summit ndge bUIlt a stUpa.
Zurpoche a spring, which was the residence of the naga Tungkyong, with a sheet of copper. Upon it he laid the foundation of It is. said that it was designed to equal the temple ofNyangtOtsi
In Its dImensIOns, but that the stonemasons slightly reduced it. In the same way, most of the artisans were overcome by unmeritorious thoughts, and only wasted their materials by cutting all of the wooden planks unevenly, and of various lengths, et cetera. But a bodhisattva
who has the courage of one who has practised generosity cannot be led astray by miserly and covetous thoughts, and so sees that wealth and are dream-like and apparitional. Thus, when one of the great ha? been cut short, and unevenly, Zurpoche, displaying the
SIgns of hIS accomplishment, rolled the pillar with his foot until it was
uplands there is a rock shaped like a heart. In its lowlands there IS a . fh 'l·btd'739
plain which resembles the skm of Matram a ter e 1 era e : On a mountain shaped like the trunk of an elephant IS a rock resembles the forehead of a lion. Three rivers flow from three mountam springs, symbolising the three buddha-bodies. If you meditate there you will attain buddhahood in this life and will serve the world for a long time. "
of same length as the others. And on that pillar he left the imprint ofh . S··l1
At this the guru bequeathed his hermitage at Trak Gyawo to Zur- cungpa a; his inheritance and went down [to Shang] with his followers. After he had surveyed the land there, Zhangmo Yontengyen his patron and donated a cave, in which the master took up Zurcungpa and more than a hundred great meditators practIsed throughout the upper and lower reaches of the valley, living in thatc? e huts, under overhanging rocks, and in wind-breaks. l? cal served the guru and Trampa Pondrongpa became hiS mam . patro . They all held the guru to be the very presence of the Buddha.
and power, they became exceeding remorseful. Using the wood that left over from the temple, they built an exceptional, open portico, t by four pillars. It became known as the Gyotsang Gyapup,
PavIlIOn of Pure Remorse". 740 Later, it was made into the shrine o the protectors of the doctrine.
S Zurpoche installed images ofthe peaceful deities, ofwhom Vairocana- (kun-tu-zhaZ? 41 was foremost, in the four-pillared upper of the temple; images of Amftakulfcjalin as the
h . keepers of the upper court, whIch had eIght pillars; and in the S nnes of the north and south wings, he installed images of the Great
IS Imi ar y, he made all the crooked pillars straight as arrows ? y rollIng them with his feet. When the artisans saw this his patience In the face of their abuses, and other signs of his compassion
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 623
624 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
Mother [Prajfiaparamita] and Dlparpkara, each surrounded by four 742
offering goddesses. In the protectors' shrine, he made relief images of Bhagavat, SrldevI, Brahma, and Sakra. Frescoes of the gurus of the lineage were painted in the eight-pillared upper court, and those
of twenty-three maIfQalas, such as the "Hundred-petalled Lotus", on its surrounding wall. In the lower court, which had twenty pillars, there were frescoes of the Thousand Buddhas; the Buddhas of the Ten
Directions; Amitayus surrounded by the [Eight] "Closest Sons"; the Seven Generations of Buddhas; the twelve deeds; the bodhisattva Dhar- modgata; Tara, who protects from the eight fears; the Lords of the Three Families; the Malaya Buddha-field; the wheel oflife; et cetera.
When the building had been completed in this way Zurpoche thought, "Now, I shall cover my temple with gold right up to the roof; and I shall extract the gold from Mount Drong-ri Chukpo. "
At midnight the local divinity, a Tsen spirit, came in the form of a black horseman. He bowed before Zurpoche and circumambulated him, saying, "If I were to cover the temple with gold right up to the
roof, my gold would be exhausted. I shall offer gold enough to cover
completely the images of the deities. " And so he did.
During the consecration both the conqueror Zurpoche and Zur- cungpa displayed an endless array of miraculous powers: They entered
743
via the crown, and the crown via the heart. As a result all the artisans developed sincere faith and said, "The guru's temple is like Mount Sumeru. Let us build a
stl1pa to accompany it. " In faith they offered a stl1pa modelled on the Blue Stl1pa at Samye, which they built to the north of the Trashi
Gomang Temple.
The guru's seat became universally renowned as glorious Ukpalung,
after his own name. It is said that it was founded in the time of Lharje Zurpoche; that its traditions were established by Zurcungpa; and that Zur Sakya Senge made them widespread. This describes the great servicetotheteachingofthevehicleofindestructiblerealityofthe Ancient Translation School that was effected by this abbatial succession.
By his teaching and other activities Zurpoche greatly benefitted the world. Once, when the master and all his disciples were performing, at Yang-en Sermo, a year-long retreat devoted to Yangdak Heruka, no
lamps could be offered owing to the shortage of butter. By his blessing
Zurpoche transformed the spring into a fountain of clarified butter for e
a week. Thus, they were able to obtain an unending supply of ghe . At first, the teacher and his students there mainly devoted themselves to study; so there were few who were adept at the rites ofenlightened activ-
ity. When discussions were held in the teaching court, those who did know the rites were seated among the ignorant, who did not participate in the discussions. [In retaliation] the ritualists would not alloW the others to chant when they assembled for the d3ily torma offerings. At this Lama
. " The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 625 Zurpoche saId, One may be liberated b "
the heart of the image of Sarvavid-Vairocana
So it was that when th h h
understandings 'the guru ree had also articulated their own
tion of view, In practising the true divine doctrine
The is view, and conduct That whIch IS labelled the "view" . Is no view when there is something to look for
Look meaning of freedom from things view' And bnng meffable reality on to your path! .
devotion, of his disciples to increase vastly. After- built great in Ukpalung and
. me ItatIOn centre.
was Heruka at Yang-en
standingerectin WIthonefaceandtwohands and told Lama Zurpo h at Shang. He left his retreat
Heru a. The aw h Id would construct 0
any subject. It is not right to scorn one at the ,culmination of
spiritual system among the nine vehI' 1 h Each phIlosophical and . d' ces asItSownscope Th .
tylme guru said to his four disciples who like summits . . ou our must artIculate what you understand
Important m experientially cultivating the path" Zurcungpa said, "If one does not medi 'h "
Because we must purif the h
pollution, here and now rt is ee: which are like
preJu Ice towards anyone vehicle" An
t
A . Y ecame umble
ex his meaning dawned in them all and' the b
d' . ere IS no mary
pensities of former desires will never end t mul. tlt. udmous. pro- be"decisive with respect to experiential It IS essenual to
and night. , s e n Ia to penorm acts of virtue, day "B
of merit until the abiding getically, however small. " , t IS essentIal to practise virtues ener-
cun a e w at a taken place. The guru said "Zur- gPk' you have achIeved the accomplishment of the Great Gl .
raor h understanding of
. ,
er Namkel Nymgpo prophesied that I
demons which and, having subdued the powerful Now I a m ' . e 1 etan people, would benefit the world
, gomg to achIeve this. " .
Then, he said to his att d "G
temple We '11 . en ants, ather materials for building a
. WI exorCIse the . t ,,, H
Skull Rock), arranged the e. e, sat on Trak Sengei YaW (Lion-
of the Great G l ' H a offenngs, entered the contemplation onous eruka and d h .
Those who had the good f t ' assume t e appropnate posture. guru in that form. ortune to behold a buddha really saw the
' to be most
onous
626 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 627
While the foundation-stones were being laid, Zurcungpa was scorned by some because his body was lean and his appearance lustreless. They insulted him saying, "All the others have a large foundation-stone in place. Now, it is time for Zurcungpa to set a strongman's boulder in position! "
To which Zurcungpa replied, "The master and disciples should go for lunch. I will be coming presently. " But he did not leave.
When the others had eaten and returned they saw that eight enormous boulders, which no one could budge, even by heroic efforts, had been set up at the four sides and four corners of the foundation. Upon them were chalked the following words:
745 THESE ARE ZURCUNGP A'S STRONGMAN STONES
When they saw this, the monks were humbled; and those who were fair-minded became devoted to him. It is well known, too, that after Zurcungpa had set his "strongman stones" in position, the evil designs of the wild demons and spirits of darkness, who wished to obstruct the building of the temple, were pacified.
When the time came to join the wood, four pillars were crooked. The guru said, "You straighten them, Zurcungpa! " And in a single breath Zurcungpa twisted and bent them until they were as straight as arrows.
As the roof was approaching completion the guru said, "I have [spiritually] summoned the sculptors. They are on their way. " The very next day certain persons familiar with image-making arrived to ask for doctrinal instruction. Zurpoche feigned ignorance and said, "Are you skilled in any trades? "
To which they replied, "We are image-makers who have come to request doctrinal instruction from you. "
"That is an auspicious coincidence. You shall indeed receive the doctrine you desire.
I am erecting an image of the Great Glorious One, for it will be of great benefit to the world in this degenerate age. I request that you make it. "
The sculptors displayed great devotion, so first of all the master gave them the vase empowerment of the glorious Yangdak Heruka. They Prepared a mixture which combined relics from the Tathagata's re-
. 746 mains; the flesh of one who had been born as a brahman seven umes;
earth, stone, water, and wood from the eight charnel grounds; a variety of precious gems; and sacramental medicine refined by the awareness- holders of India and Tibet.
The sculptors asked Zurpoche how large the image should be he replied, "Make it as high as the roof. " They made an appropnate image of the fruitional Heruka, who has three faces, awesome, wrathful, and laughing, and six arms, but the guru said, "It does not my vision. Make it again. "
Yangdak Heruka
He had repeat the work many times and eventually said, "Can you make an Image of me? "
"Yes, we can do that. "
"Perform supplications tonight, and come to see me tomorrow. " The next day, accompanied by Zurcungpa, the sculptors went to
meet. the master. He told his attendant Tanya Dorje to arrange torma offenngs and feast offerings. Then he propitiated Yangdak Heruka and performed the feast offerings. "Now look! " he said, and as he adopted the gaze [of the deity] he actually became Heruka, a fearsome and apparition, with one face, two arms, gnashing teeth, and
tWIsted tongue, his head resplendent among the clouds and mist his right foot resting upon the face of Heruka Rock in Ukpalung, hi; left fo. ot upon the summit of Mount Tsepo Purkang. His indestructible wmgs filled the sky. The sculptors could not endure his radiance and into unconsciousness. When they awoke, the guru eased his mtenuonand, with a brilliant smile, said, "Now, do you understand? "
"Now", they asked, "please show us a Heruka with three faces and six arms, so that we may recreate it. "
Zurpoche said, "That is too profound. Owing to the needs of those
628 History: The Distant Lineage afTransmitted Precepts
requiring training, it was the Heruka with one face and two arms that
appeared. "
While they were making the image according to his orders, they
were able to fashion it from the navel downwards just as they had seen it before. But Zurpoche said, "You will have to do the upper section once again. " He had them repeat it many times, but then said, "Your
obscurations have not been purified. Knead the clay well and leave it here. Bathe in yonder fountain; for it is the water of accomplishment that arose when I scattered a skull-cup full of nectar. Circumambulate the temple seven times and come in. Until then no one should enter.
I shall pray to the Great Glorious One. "
As they were doing this, a continual buzzing was heard coming from
within. When they had finished bathing and circumambulating they went inside; no one at all was near the master. He was absorbed in contemplation. But the clay had been used up and an image of the
Great Glorious One, from the navel upwards, had spontaneously ap- peared. All the disciples and sculptors were absolutely astonished. They bowed before Zurpoche and said, "If the guru himself knew how to
make it, then surely he was only testing us by not doing this earliert"
At that Zurpoche make this declaration, which foretold the future:
An image resembling me
Has come to a man like me.
It will guide the world in the degenerate age;
It will be a remedy for sickness and demons.
At first, by depending on Heruka, [this image of] Heruka
Himself arose. But noW that same Heruka Will be absorbed into this [image of] Heruka.
In the past, the great accomplished masters were completely mindful of preserving secrecy. Therefore, Zurpoche said that it was improper to make images according to the secret means for attainment in places
where many people would congregate. "You must make the images of the Eight Wrathful Goddesses according to the tradition of the tantras," he said. '47 And so they did. The frescoes painted to the right were of
the peaceful deities of the Magical Net, and those on the left were of the blazing wrathful deities. In front were frescoes of the deities of the entire Sutra which Gathers All Intentions. Painted above were three
manQalas; and in the vestibule the glorious Mahakala according to the tradition of wrathful Yamantaka, together with the eightfold group of
the M6npa, mounted on tigers.
Then the time came for the consecration. They made preparations
for the consecratory feast, saying, "Whom shaH we commission to make the ale? Whence shall we get the meat? " An attendant said, "There were great expenses in connection with the craftsmen, labourers, and
d The Lineage ofthe Zur Famity 629 an even take loans from our ben f:
guests, so our wealth is all but exhausted. Now we must await donations
secration. " e actors. Let us postpone the con-
But Zurcungpa said' "We WI·11 perform the owever there is no way we will fin .
. consecratIOn on time.
H
are not even enough clay jars
S I d for the ale; there
0 . et uds the nagas to make
ale. It is also difficult to find·
. meat, an even Ifw d fj d·
pay the pnce. So let us use Tram p. . d e 0 m Itwecannot . . . pa on rongpa' C'
petItIOnmg the spirits we . 11 s oxen lor meat. By WI get enough ts p [.
flour]. If we do this nothing at all rnh
1 en Lama Zurpoche said "W
·11 b 1 am. aLe. parched barley WI e ackmg"
·11 . .
loads of barley for the ale! 748 Y'
. ou are to fer .
Act as if there is more ale for th Zurcungpa, summon a naginI! "
who dwelt on the rock at Yaze SIster ofthe naga demon Zurcungpa turned into a fair lady b g. thI? snake appeared, which said, "I want you to make the ale ofhIS At that Zurpoche
But she replied "I f h e_consecratIOnofmytemple. " , am 0 t e pure naga r h· h C'
We abstain from alcohol At th . ace, w IC lears defilement.
radiance. So while t h e · . e same tIme, I cannot endure the guru's , re IS no way for me t0 d
you commission my elder brothe I ·11 pro uce ale, I beg that
Then the . guru said "N h r. ZWI 0 er all necessary help. " , ow t en urcung ·11
e consecratIon when At that, Zurcungpa intentionall sum .
. . you are m publIc.
transform her elder brother)'" "I will try to summon "
pa, WI you summon and
He adopted a gaze and a a
When overpowered by Z ' pp
C' urcungpa s contempI ( h lorm. Zurcungpa ordered h. a Ion
e WI reqUIre at least one thousand SIX measures of barley.
ear d .
e , the SIze of a young goat.
no time to make ale yet I am . brleqUIre many gIfts and favours. I have , una e to transg th '
Zurpoche took both their vital h ress e guru s command. " oaths of allegiance. The nagas said bound them under row. Make preparations! 0 _' e WI arnve the day after tomor- arrange a pure and safe· . ur naga race is above defilement. Please
At th· L enVIronment for our dwelling"
Imtomakeale buth
the race of gods and demons I . ' . e sal, belong to
IS ama Zurpoche said "I h 11 bl He h d h . , s a
.
ess the environment"
a tree clay Jars with sto er 749
and also collected things ds
ures of barley mash were . emon. s and nagas. The six meas-
white barley Then th t mto the Jars and topped with pure . ewonagademo bh .
placed inside. The mouths of h . ns, rot er and sIster, were ceremonial blouse and th fl t e Jars were fastened with the guru's its sleeves. Zurp;che be contr. olled through the nagas proceeded to h h Jars wIth an mdestructIble knot and that the ale was e essence of ale from all directions, so
Then an attendant said "Th .
do for tsampa? " , e r e IS now enough ale. But what will we
e revealed his true ·d "I
h·.
was ed fragrant water
630 History: The Distant Lineage ofTransmitted Precepts
The Lineage ofthe Zur Family 631
The guru replied, "Borrow many sacks. " He made a tarma offering and said, "Pour a handful of tsampa into each sack. " The attendant did as he was told. The next day all the sacks were full of tsampa.
Again, the guru said, "Send a monk to Trampa pondrongpa. Tell him that we have disposed of this refuse mash from the ale for the consecration in the forest, and that he should send his oxen to eat it. "
When that was done many oxen were sent. The guru said, "Zur- cungpa, will you kill and resurrect them? "
Zurcungpa replied, "I shall obey my guru's command. "
Zurpoche adopted an enlightened intention and hurled enchanted objects750 at each of the oxen, whereby they all fell into a coma and died. "Flay the oxen," he said. "Do not break the bones. Keep the joints intact. Leave the internal organs in their proper positions and carve out the muscle meat. "
His attendants were terrified and thought, "This master and his disciple are in the sway of evil. They have ordered the oxen to be fed on the mash, and then they have killed them all. Now what will happen when the oxherds arrive? "
With their minds utterly confounded they prepared the meat-feast for the consecration. After the feast the oxherds did arrive. The guru commanded that they be served, too, which perplexed the attendants. Then he said, "Let Zurcungpa convey the oxen to their owner. "
At that, Zurcungpa folded the bones in their wrappings of hide. He inserted the internal organs as well, covered them with his robe, and, at the snap of a finger, the oxen trembled and stood up. It is said that [earlier], when an old woman had been carving the meat, she scraped a rib of one of the oxen. After [being revived] that ox had a deformed rib. The display of this miraculous ability to kill and to resurrect caused
all those assembled to develop great faith.
Lama Zurpoche, too, looked delightedly upon [the image of] the
Great Glorious One, and said, "I pray that you serve the world greatly. " "Hey, hey, need you even ask? " replied the image, rejoicing in the nine dramatic airs. 7SI At first the image had a wrathful countenance,
but thereafter its appearance became one of laughter.
The guru said, "Now, we should propitiate Yangdak Heruka for one year. "
The attendants replied, "The provisions are not sufficient. "
Zurcungpa countered, "If the ale is not enough, it will be all rig? t to return to the naga demon. There is also a little meat and tsampa III reserve. I f the commitments of yoga are not left to decline, the gods and demons will provide our sustenance. The local divinity wlll also make offerings. So it will be fine to practice for one year. "
About one hundred yogins and yoginIs assembled there. The master ordered each of the practitioners to be provided with a skull-cup full of ale, a duck's egg-sized ball of gruel, and a little meat to the commitments. Then the one-year retreat commenced.
During the retreat the guru said, "You, the four summits, are to hold a contest of [contemplative] intention. " It is said that when they all had entered a meditative equipoise, three of them attained an immov- able intention, one that was mountain-like, not to be destroyed by mere circumstances. But because Zurcungpa had arrived at the abode of supreme, unbiased equanimity, he ascended in the air to the height of a wagon to illustrate the superiority of his view. Then the guru said, "Now, go outside and listen while Zurcungpa recites the rulu mantra. " One yoginI went outside and listened, but the volume did not decrease. Having crossed over a ridge, she continued to listen, but still the volume did not decrease. At that, the guru praised Zurcungpa highly, saying, "You are all equally spiritual brethren, but you others should not even cross Zurcungpa's shadow. "
When they were released from the retreat, the master and his disciples wenttoTrokpoiSumdo. Thegurubecameexhilaratedandstampedouta dance to the rulu mantra on the rock called the "Vajra Bolt" (brag rda-rje gtan-pa). His foot penetrated the rock up to the ankle, as ifhe were treading on mud. Zurcungpa said, "My guru is a manifest buddha. I shall prostrate my head at his feet. " He touched the footprints with his head and left
behind a clear impression of his topknot and dangling ear-rings.
At that, Zangom Sherap Gyelpo said, "Wonderfully sublime are the signs of accomplishment which my two gurus, uncle and nephew, possess. It will be a sin for man or beast to tread upon this stone. " He transformed his five fingers into five powerful athletes, who raised the Vajra Bolt Rock and set it upright. Then Zhang Gocungwa and Menyak Khyungdra also said, "It is up to us to support it. " [They emanated] many powerful athletes who each raised an unshakable boulder to support the rock on each side, and so made its foundation secure. Even
today these stones can really be seen.
Then Lama Zurpoche decided to make an image of the fruitional
Great Glorious One in Ukpalung. 752 He told all of his disciples to go there. Zurcungpa flew into the sky, saying, "I shall go to serve my guru," and landed on Trak Gyawo. The other disciples travelled there in coracles. The two naga demons, brother and sister, said, "It is improper for us to be associated with the defiled persons in the coracle. Please take us over the river where it can be forded. ,,7S3
The guru assented to this and delivered the clay pot to his attendant, to whom it seemed to weigh less than a feather. When they reached the riverbank, the guru said to the attendant, "Hold onto me and come without hesitation. "
But the attendant's mind was unworthy and he thought, "I'll probably be thrown into the river. "
Knowing his anxiety, the guru said, "Now you cannot cross with me. Come via coracle. I am going on ahead. " And he went off without his feet touching the water.
632 History: The Distant Lineage a/Transmitted Precepts
The Lineage a/the Zur Family 633
The attendant went by coracle and reached the slope on the opposite bank. While waiting there for a long time he grew thirsty, so he drank all the ale he could strain from the pot. Then the thought occurred, "One year and four months have passed since making this ale. What did the guru put in the jar for so much to be produced? "
He broke the seal of the jar and two serpents, white and black, as large as yaks, uncoiled themselves and vanished into the sky. Scorpions, frogs, tadpoles and other creatures followed in their wake and also went snapping and croaking into the sky.
